Elm Tree Elementary students in Corona, Queens, engaged in Civics Week, March 10-14. The week consisted of daily classroom conversations on the importance of civics and the sharing of resources by fourth grade teacher Ms. Haynes. It also included voting! Three proposed projects were chosen by Elm Tree’s Chippy All Stars (student council) and shared with all. The week concluded with students practicing their right to vote on their favorite proposal, facilitated by a dedicated team consisting of Community School Director Aremni Francisco; Assistant Principal Ms. Pinargote; Mr. Raniolo, a school social worker; and two guidance counselors, Ms. Vargas and Ms. Graef. Pictured above is third grader Cindy waiting for her turn to vote!
The three proposals were Read, Succeed, Lead!; Recycle Today, Shine Every Day!; and Together We Make a Difference: Be Kind. After all the votes were counted, Recycle Today, Shine Every Day! emerged as the winner.
The Chippy All Stars had this to say about the next steps: “Keeping our school and planet clean helps everyone! We will start recycling projects to take care of our school and the environment. We’ll make sure paper, plastic, and other materials are put in the right bins instead of being wasted. We may even start a school garden to grow plants and make our school more beautiful! When we work together to help the Earth, we all shine a little brighter every day!”
Here are Antony and Ava, also third graders, casting their votes and learning about the workings and importance of democracy.
Elm Tree Elementary is a New York City Community School, defined by partnership between the school and an embedded community-based organization (CBO), which, in the case of Elm Tree Elementary, is The Child Center of NY. We work with school administrators, parents, teachers, community members, and students to accelerate school success and coordinate and deliver services to young people and their families. This can take many forms, from engagement opportunities and attendance mentoring to health care access. It is a whole-child, whole-family, whole-community model that lets young people and families know we are here for them all. When students feel supported and welcome, they thrive in school, and we love watching them soar!
