‘Be the Change’ at Irvington’s Main Street School for Unity Day

IRVINGTON, NY — Dressed in their orange shirts, Main Street School fourth and fifth grade students observed Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, on Oct. 19.

During the day, the students wore their shirts and participated in a student-led character-building assembly before gathering on the school’s lawn to form “Be the Change!” to express their commitment to be kind and help stop bullying, according to a spokesperson.

As part of the campaign, the students raised money for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, which leads social change to prevent childhood bullying, and Be A Friend Project, which brings peer support to young victims of bullying through deliveries of letters. Throughout the school year, fourth and fifth graders will participate in the Be A Friend Project by writing letters to students to let them know that they matter, and they are not alone.

Principal Joyce Chapnick said the students celebrated kindness, friendship and the community, joining others around the country also wearing orange uniting together against bullying – united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

“We strive for a kind, respectful and inclusive environment at Main Street School,” she said. “It is our hope that our daily efforts to embed character building, as well as our special events related to character building, will foster a positive environment in which children can learn.”

Chapnick said the fifth grade student leadership team deserves special thanks for creating a presentation to introduce the project to their peers. They presented in each classroom, made posters and wrote and shared announcements about it throughout October.