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Superintendent’s Highlight of the Week: March 24, 2017
Superintendent’s
Highlight of the Week
March 24, 2017
Thanks to the students, teachers and community members, Howard B. Mattlin has been in the spirit of giving. In February, they kicked off the giving spirit with Pennies for Patients and continued through March with “Little Doctors” and St. Baldrick’s.
Mattlin’s Service Club was proud to spearhead the Pennies for Patients fundraiser to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The Service Club distributed boxes to every student to help them collect coins for the program. They concluded the three-week fundraiser with an after school activity called “stuck for a buck” in an effort to culminate the activity and raise extra funds.
New York Blood Center's Little Doctors Program helps teach elementary and middle school students the importance of donating blood and provides education focused on blood and the circulatory system. Representatives from the New York Blood Center visited science classes and provided Grade 5 students with a presentation on the need and uses of blood. Students were given sign-up sheets to encourage friends and family to pledge to donate at the drive.
Students volunteered to assist at the drive on March 9th as "Little Doctors”, greeting donors, assisting in the canteen, making homemade thank you notes for each donor and creating a "Blood Drop Mural" with the names of every donor who so generously gave their time to donate. Students learned first-hand that each donation was significant and would save up to three lives. This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to learn about truly altruistic giving, as well as the transformative experience of giving the "gift of life."
The Fifth Annual St. Baldrick’s event brought the Plainview-Old Bethpage and neighboring communities together to raise awareness in the fight against childhood cancer. With hearts filled of beautiful sounds from the “Drums and Pipes,” hope and awareness was shared by all our participants at St. Baldrick’s this year.
Participants enjoyed face painting, snacks, and light refreshments. In addition, students participated in “Painting Partners” where high school artists joined our community’s future artists in creating memorable pieces. The event had over sixty participants who “Braved the Shave” in solidarity. This year the Mattlin community raised $30,000 and over the past five years raised over $200,000.
The Mattlin school community certainly has the spirit of giving in mind!