NOVEMBER 3, 2023

For the youth,

Dr. Tina DeSa

Superintendent of Schools

Unsurprisingly, there were many Barbie and Ken sightings at this year’s Halloween parades, especially at BRS, where several staff and PTA leaders portrayed various versions of the fictional characters. Other student costumes ran the gamut of relatable characters, including princesses, gaming and cartoon characters, and so many more. There was a noticeable focus on dental hygiene with one student sporting a Crest toothpaste tube costume, and a pair of students dressed as a tooth and dentist. Perhaps these were in response to the young student dressed as a candy vending machine? We’ll never know!

Some middle school students paid homage to Shark Week, with one team winning a teacher-judged competition, dressed as sharks identified by each day of the week. Another award-winning middle school team was a group of students representing various fruits. And of course, there was the ubiquitous Starbucks, with two students dressed as some seasonal favorite beverages.

High school students and staff also enjoyed the day, with seniors taking advantage of the tradition afforded to their class as the only one allowed to dress in costume for the day. There was a variety of character representations, including a Star Wars-themed group of students.

And no one could help but notice the collection of elderly ladies who sounded like the school’s guidance counselors, but looked many decades older!

Leading up to its celebration of Red Ribbon Week, a national substance use prevention campaign that ran from October 23-30, Pleasantville High School students participated in a Wellness Program. In partnership with the Harris Project, an organization that promotes awareness and prevention of Co-Occurring Disorders, freshman students learned how to make healthy choices and influence their peers to do the same. Peer Leaders in the junior and senior classes, along with staff, participated in an assembly and wellness fair.

As part of the wellness fair, students engaged in an activity called, "What Matters to Me," a social emotional learning tool designed to help students understand their own values, like hard-work, having good physical health, learning and kindness. During one activity, students designed their own masks, in reference to how sometimes we hide behind masks, worried to show the world who we are. Living in line with personal values can help students lead to a more purposeful high school experience.

During Red Ribbon Week, a variety of activities were conducted to engage and inform students. These included distributing Red Ribbons school-wide, decorating the fence alongside the middle school, displaying a "Be Kind to Your Mind" banner, hosting a Trivia Wheel game, discussing trusted adults, taking the Red Ribbon Pledge, and having a "Wear Red Day" for both students and faculty.

Thanks goes to the PHS PCO, Sources of Strength and Pleasantville STRONG for their invaluable support in making this significant week at PHS and PMS possible.  

Recently, eighth graders visited the Ellis Island Immigration Station National Park, where they learned how immigrants were processed during the Gilded Age and explored exhibits on modern day immigration and the process for immigrants to become U.S. citizens today. The children also had a chance to find an ancestor's name on the Wall of Honor located outside of the building. 

“Students were engaged and focused, learning about immigration, and the struggles immigrants face now and in the past. They were interested and surprised to see how difficult immigrating to the U.S. was and continues to be," said Social Studies teacher James Carey.

An added bonus was viewing the Statue of Liberty on the return ferry ride.

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