The Massapequa High School Ames Campus held its annual Hoops for Heart basketball tournament on Feb. 28. The event raised $1,020 for the American Heart Association, as February was American Heart Month.

The 3-on-3 competition has been a tradition at the school since 2004, organized by physical education teacher Gennaro Trotta. This year, 11 teams of ninth-graders competed. The winning team included John Reece, Jacob Roos and Michael Savella. Cheerleaders also performed at the event.

 

Photo caption: Michael Savella, left, Jacob Roos, center, and John Reece were the members of the winning team at the Hoops for Heart basketball tournament at the Ames Campus.

 

Photo courtesy of Massapequa School District

One nickel at a time, students at the John Dinkelmeyer Elementary School in the North Bellmore School District are making a difference in the world. The children are collecting empty water bottles to raise money for various charities.

The school is supporting a different cause each month. In February, students collected 4,000 bottles and donated $200 to the Ronald McDonald House. The March charity is the March of Dimes, an organization that benefitted Dinkelmeyer fifth-graders Lily Rubino and Hannah Rubino when they were infants. The girls were part of a group of fifth- and sixth-graders who presented at a schoolwide assembly on March 2. The students talked about the importance of charity, which is a key part of the district’s mission statement, and encouraged their classmates to bring in water bottles and even soda cans from home.

To mark Autism Awareness Month in April, the school will donate to Sensory Beans, a local indoor play space for children with disabilities. In May, money will go to the Moebius Syndrome Foundation, which helps children suffering from the craniofacial neurological disorder that can lead to facial paralysis. Principal Faith Skelos said a teacher’s grandchild suffers from the disorder, and many of the school’s charity choices are based upon personal connections within the school.

Sixth-grader Justin Segrete said he was inspired to support these charitable acts because he is a strong believer of the mantra, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Fifth-grader Leah Smith added that she hopes Dinkelmeyer’s acts of kindness and generosity can start a bigger movement.

“The world can become better because everyone is going to start seeing what we’re doing,” she said.

The initiative is sponsored by the school’s Shared Decision Making Team and led by teachers Lori Alduino and Lauren Saccone.

“The students are so invested in this,” Ms. Saccone said. “They feel good to do good for others, and they are seeing that they can make a difference. There’s a lot of compassionate people in this school, and it’s infectious.”

 

Photo caption: A group of fifth- and sixth-graders at John Dinkelmeyer Elementary School are spearheading the collection of empty water bottles to raise money for various charities.

 

Photo courtesy of North Bellmore Public Schools

Minnesauke Elementary School students and staff in the Three Village Central School District are regularly committed to engaging in initiatives geared toward giving back their community.

Most recently, second-graders in Maria-Elena Mazza’s class teamed up with the sixth-graders in Melissa Flanagan’s class to create gift bags for Save-A-Pet. As part of the initiative, the students created thank-you notes to those adopting pets from the establishment and collected many donations for the organizations.

 

Photo caption: Minnesauke Elementary School second-graders in Maria-Elena Mazza’s class teamed up with the sixth-graders in Melissa Flanagan’s class to create gift bags for Save a Pet.

 

Photo courtesy of the Three Village Central School District

Jeremy Feder, a 14-year-old catcher and high school freshman in Oceanside New York, has created an original charity baseball tournament.

Started in 2016 this tournament involves youth teams playing to raise money for America’s VetDogs. This 501(c)(3) organization provides free, trained service dogs for injured veterans and first responders. The first annual tournament was held Sept. 15-17, 2016; the second was held Sept. 16-18, 2017, and the Third Annual Jeremy Feder All-
Star Charity Baseball Tournament is scheduled for Sept. 21-23, 2018.

The events were held in Oceanside, NY, and they had students volunteering their time and attracted hundreds from the community. So far, a total of $11,400 was raised between the 2016 and 2017 tournaments. Jeremy created the event, brought in students to volunteer for community serviced credits, marketed and promoted the event, and brought in corporate sponsors.

Way to go Jeremy!

Thanks to the generosity of Bronxville School students, families and community members, the Bronxville Teachers’ Association has collected more than 2,236 pounds of food for people in need. The food collected through the drive, which benefits the Food Bank for Westchester, will help feed thousands of people in need of assistance throughout Westchester County.

“Hunger and food insecurity in Westchester are on par with national levels with one of every five people affected,” middle school English teacher Meg Weiss said. “Many middle school students were involved in distributing information about the drive and collecting goods.”

Through the longstanding BTA tradition, which ran from Jan. 22-Feb. 2, students and families were encouraged to collect nonperishable food items and personal hygiene items such as toothpaste and shampoo. In addition, a group of middle school students, teachers and administrators set up outside of ACME Markets in Bronxville on Feb. 3 to collect additional items.

 

Photo Captions: 

 

Photo 1: Bronxville Middle School students set up outside of ACME Markets in Bronxville on Feb. 3 to collect additional items.

Photo 2: (from left) Bronxville Middle School Principal Thomas Wilson and teachers David Katz, Frank Viggiani, Gene Orsenigo, Alyssa Dioguardi and Jean Windels set up outside of ACME Markets in Bronxville on Feb. 3 to collect additional items.

Photo 3: (from left) Superintendent of Schools Dr. Roy Montesano and Bronxville Middle School teacher David Katz set up outside of ACME Markets in Bronxville on Feb. 3 to collect additional items.

 

Photos courtesy of the Bronxville Union Free School District