In recognition of United We Stand for A Drug-Free Community Week, students from all elementary level buildings in the district took part in a number of engaging activities and lessons with the goal in mind to stay away from drugs and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Along with their “Grandfriends” from the Arbors Assisted Living at Bohemia, students from Idle Hour Elementary School made a spiderweb craft after carefully listening to a story about Halloween. The project was an effort to showcase that the students have better things to do than drugs, as they will be able to form everlasting friendships with their “Grandfriends” during their time at Idle Hour Elementary.  

Sycamore Avenue Elementary School Youth and Family Services Coordinator Laura Michelsen directed her students in a program of skits and songs designed to emphasize self-esteem and making positive choices. A video showcasing students and teachers talking about people who have influenced their lives was an additional part of the day’s drug-prevention program.

Upperclassmen from Bosti Elementary School recently stepped into the shoes of their teachers as they presented informative health lessons about the dangers of tobacco to younger students, and also emphasized the necessity to make healthy choices.

Kindergarten students enrolled in both Linda Pennington and Elizabeth Jonas’s classes at Slocum Elementary School welcomed Stony Brook Children’s Hospital Trauma Center RN Kristi Ladowski back to the school for a Teddy Bear Clinic. The informative clinic taught the young students the importance of being safety conscious and how to prevent injuries.

Suffolk County Police Officer Wendy Verlotte visited the upperclassmen at Duffield Elementary School to warn them about the dangers of tobacco, smoking and vaping, and offer guidance on how to properly say “No” to these harmful activities. Additionally, the students were also treated to a Teddy Bear Clinic courtesy of Registered Nurse Kristi Ladowski.

Students at John Pearl Elementary School were visited by Mr. Pat and Mr. Matt of the Rose Brucia Foundation for a highly informative presentation which informed the students how to properly distinguish the difference between a stranger and someone you know. Both Pat and Matt engaged the students in a number of helpful activities which mimicked real-life scenarios in the rare case that a stranger approaches a student outside of school. The students also participated in a rock-painting activity based on the  popular children’s book “Only One You” by Linda Kranz.  

In recognition of United We Stand for A Drug-Free Community Week, students at Cherokee Street Elementary School eased their minds and took part in a relaxing yoga session taught by Youth and Family Services Coordinator Nicole Coogan. 

On Friday, Oct. 19, excited students from Slocum Elementary School were treated to a schoolyard filled with pumpkins and colorful Halloween decorations, courtesy of the school’s Parent-Teacher Association. The students were granted the opportunity to pick their own personal pumpkin, which they would label, decorate and then take home for the upcoming Halloween weekend. PTA President Jennifer Cardinale thanked the teachers and the dedicated members of Slocum’s PTA for another ‘Spook-tacular’ Pumpkin Patch.