Martin Avenue Students Celebrate Unity Day

BELLMORE, NY — Students at North Bellmore's Martin Avenue Elementary School celebrated Unity Day on Thursday.

On Oct. 23, students joined in the nationwide celebration of Unity Day, which is an initiative sponsored by the PACER National Bullying Prevention Center. The initiative focuses on the values of acceptance, inclusion, and kindness, according to a release.

Students, faculty, and staff were encouraged to wear orange and joined together to form a human peace sign on the basketball court.

A paper unity tree was placed in the hallway, and students added leaves with kind messages to it. Each class signed unity pledges, which were hung in the cafeteria.

Principal Dr. Yannucci visited every classroom and read the book "I Am Human," which is about the importance of empathy.

“Our goal every day,” he said, “is to treat people with kindness, be accepting of all and be inclusive of people in our community.”

Students in teacher Lauren Fasano's class discussed the meaning of unity and the importance of United Day. They were given the prompt "We are united when" and were asked to write a response. The fifth graders discussed the meaning of unity, and each worked on a piece for a class mural with phrases, such as "choose kindness" and "courage."

Fasano said that it was important that each student completed a different piece to show their uniqueness and individuality.