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On February 14-15, Hillside Elementary School's second graders and their teachers invited families to school to celebrate Community of Love Day.
In preparation for the festivities, students participated in an at-home project with their families. On pink and red paper hearts, they wrote what they loved most about living in Hastings. A collaborative collage on a mock Hastings waterfront bulletin board displayed each students' heart and note. During the celebration, families enjoyed perusing the bulletin board they helped to create with their children.
Student in Dana Finsmith's and Michelle Campbell's class Lucia Heenan and family wrote, "I love how there are so many sweet people here!"
Another student, Florina Cheung, and family wrote, "I like Hastings-on-Hudson because it is small, cozy, and has lots of kind people."
In addition to activities surrounding Community of Love Day, the celebration included a showcase of more of the children's creations, including their proposals for the Hastings waterfront, which culminated a social studies unit on the history of Hastings. Constructing written plans with matching drawings, the students became strategic thinkers, utilizing their power of persuasive writing.
Other exhibits on display included the students' urban, rural, and suburban drawings; dioramas of downtown Hastings’ current goods and services; and watercolor paintings of the waterfront featuring the famous water tower. There was even a scavenger hunt on the history of Hastings!
Each class's celebration concluded with a special thank you to community members, who left the building with a renewed sense of gratitude, impressed by all the work shown.
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