Sayville High Schoolers Spend Day Serving Community

Sayville High School students recently stepped into the neighborhood for a day of community service during their second annual Community Connect Day. More than 800 students, along with the high school’s faculty and staff, took part in 28 service projects throughout Sayville and West Sayville.

Community Connect Day’s service projects were possible through partnerships with Sayville businesses and organizations. These projects included working on beautification projects at Rotary Park, Sayville Marina Park, and the Meadow Croft Estate. Students also assisted their local veterans by creating paracords in support of military troops for the Greater Sayville Civic Association, restoring and cleaning gravestones, and by helping out at their local Veterans of Foreign Wars post.

Students helped out those in need by supporting local organizations. They went grocery shopping for non-perishable items to donate to the local Chestene M. Coverdale Food Pantry and participated in the creation of a Sayville School District Pantry by sorting donated items. Another group of students created We Care Bags of toiletries to be distributed by the local soup kitchen. Additionally, the high schoolers visited the Bristal and Brightview nursing homes to spend time with their residents. Throughout the day’s proceedings, the students took part in a series of other service projects in addition to those mentioned.

“It was a pleasure to observe the students on Community Connect Day,” said a representative from the Sayville Village Improvement Society. “They worked extremely hard and were very polite and genuinely enjoyed helping.”

A representative from the Bristal Nursing Home also expressed their gratitude. “Sayville’s students brought so much energy, kindness, and fun into the building—it truly brightened our day,” the representative said. “The residents had a fantastic time playing games and especially enjoyed being interviewed. They felt seen, heard, and appreciated.”

Planning for Community Connect Day began back in August, with the planning committee working toward securing service projects and properly organizing the day. Each project was staffed with around 30 students and two to four staff members. The students were supplied with box lunches thoughtfully prepared by the school’s kitchen staff. The day culminated with group breakout sessions where students had the opportunity to speak about the work they had done, followed by a school-wide assembly featuring a montage of the day’s activities.

“Community Connect Day is a wonderful opportunity for our students to give back to the community and show their appreciation,” said Sayville High School principal Stephanie Bricker. “The reason we’re able to accomplish so much is that it’s truly all hands-on deck. Our students, staff, and faculty fully commit to this day of service, and their dedication is reflected in the outstanding work they do."

For more information on the Sayville Union Free School District, visit the district’s website at sayvilleschools.org. Happenings in the district can also be found on the district’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/saydistrictpr. #CaringAndLearning