To celebrate Pick a Reading Partner month, guest readers visited classrooms throughout March at Park Avenue Elementary School in the Amityville Union Free School District. Among the visitors were school and central office administrators, board of education trustees, parents, grandparents and community members.

The goal of PARP is to get students excited about reading and this year’s theme was “Wild About Reading.” Children were encouraged to read every day at home and log their minutes. The top three readers in every grade were recognized at the end of each week. 

There were several other activities throughout the month. Students were visited by mystery readers, wore shirts and hats with words, brought their favorite books to schools, dressed up as book characters and designed bookmarks.  

“We were excited to welcome our special guests to share the joy of reading,” said Principal Robyn Santiago. “We want to instill in our students a love of reading, and it is important for them to see different people from different professions reading and reading for enjoyment.” 

NY1 news anchor Cheryl Wills inspired students at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary to learn more about their family histories.

Ms. Wills, a Long Island resident who speaks at schools across the country, visited Park Avenue on Feb. 26 for Black History Month. She shared the tale of her great-great-great-grandfather Sandy Wills who was a slave in Tennessee and later became a freedom fighter as a member of the United States Army in the Civil War. The story inspired her two books, “The Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills” and “Emancipated: My Family’s Fight for Freedom.” She provided signed copies of each for the school library. 

“The best education is knowing who you are,” Ms. Wills told the students. “We all have incredible stories.”

With nonfiction writing a major component of literacy instruction at Park Avenue, Ms. Wills spoke to students about using primary sources of information when they research a topic. She explained how she used census data and other records to learn about her family history. Ms. Wills encouraged the children to take full advantage of their educational opportunities and asked them to salute their teachers with a round of applause. 

Her visit was coordinated by librarian Timothy Quinn with support from the Amityville Parent-Teacher Council. Mr. Quinn said the presentation supported Black History Month lessons that have taken place at the school throughout February.

Classroom teachers focused on significant yet lesser-known African-American figures in American history. In art, students made Kente cloth designs, African mask scratch art and African necklaces. Music classes featured lessons on how escaping slaves used music as code on the Underground Railroad. 

Teamwork was the focus of an assembly hosted by the New York Islanders hockey team at Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School on Feb. 16.

Program host Dina Tsiorvas, who was joined by Islanders mascot Sparky the Dragon, spoke to sixth-graders about the importance of teamwork and how working together, as either a class or a school, can accomplish more than doing something alone. To demonstrate this point, one student and one staff members had a race to dress in goalie equipment. The student had the assistance of his classmates, while the staff member — Director of Athletics, Physical Education and Health Evan Farkas — tried to accomplish the task solo. 

Students were also encouraged to register for the “Blades for Grades” program, in which earning good grades could score them two tickets to a future Islanders game.

Principal Robyn Santiago said that the program was offered to sixth-graders to help them develop their interpersonal skills as they prepare to enter middle school. She added that as they get older and have access to more opportunities such as clubs and sports, teamwork takes on a greater importance.