Despite all the nationally publicized negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on schoolchildren, there have been some positive outcomes. One of those took shape in a committee of teachers at Hildreth Elementary School who formed the Student Culture Team. Realizing the need for kids to get together in large groups again, they proposed a series of monthly whole-school meetings, each one to focus on teaching a different value and being presented by a different grade level. Principal Rebecca Katsh-Singer helped shape the idea, and the first assembly was held last November.
HES mascot Paws gives a high-five to greet the students. (Courtesy photo)
Tammy Route, a member of the Student Culture Team, had her fourth-grade class kick off the series, “setting a high bar,” said Katsh-Singer. The students chose the idea of what it means to be a giving person and, by extension, a giving school. They wrote and performed a series of skits presenting the problem: the damaging effects of Hurricane Ian on parts of Florida and the specific victims they wanted to help—the displaced and injured animals and the kids whose libraries had been badly damaged. They explained that the HES community could help by contributing coins to go to the Humane Society of Florida and the Lee County Public Schools. Their skits demonstrated the value of giving. In all, the school raised $840 for the Humane Society and $1,000 to purchase books.
Route connected with Paul Swydan, founder and owner of The Silver Unicorn Bookstore in Acton, who ran the HES book fair last fall when the school had wanted to change from Scholastic Corporation to a local bookseller. Here was another opportunity for the school to collaborate with a small business to bring the project to fruition and to allow the kids to participate. Route’s students helped make a list of books; Swydan ordered the books, took care of any exchanges, and shipped the books at no cost to the school. The students wrote a letter for Swydan to enclose with the books. “He took care of everything,” said Route. “I didn’t have to worry about a thing.”
Other grades have followed, presenting their chosen value to the assembled school. The first-graders chose compassion, and through pictures and stories they shared what it means to show compassion. Students in grade 5 followed that presentation by starting a pajama drive. The school collected hundreds of pairs of pajamas to donate to the national nonprofit Pajama Project that distributes the items to local children in need. For their turn at leading the meeting, second-grade students read a story about being a friend and created the Hildreth Souper Bowl, during which kids could bring in a can of soup to donate to a food pantry as a souper friend or be a super friend to someone.
Friday, March 3, Bromfield students working with Project 351, a statewide nonprofit youth service organization, spoke at the Hildreth School monthly assembly to lead off a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons—the nation’s largest nonprofit focused on ending children’s clothing insecurity. Katsh-Singer said she was happy at the opportunity for interschool collaboration.
Front row, from left: Bromfield students Hudson Weiss, Conor Burke, Gwyneth Poutasse, Satriah Sikochi, Laci Ostaszewski, Aubrie Reynolds, Robyn Douglas, and Isabel Jackson. Back row, from left: Annabelle Purcell, Maxwell Weiss, Sophia Pierce, Ryan Pinney, and Cinzia Cianfichi.
