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Mostly Cloudy Barnum students walk the 'Woods'
Schools hosts inaugural fitness event
The residents who live in houses surrounding Barnum Woods Elementary School sat comfortably on their front lawn on the morning of June 11, waving on and supporting the hundreds of students as they walked along the street in front of them.
It was that overwhelming show of community support that defined the school’s inaugural “Walk the Woods,” a wellness walk to promote health and fitness among Barnum Woods students.
The event was the result of a vision of two faculty members two years ago: fifth-grade teacher Gene Vassel and nurse Daryle Abeshouse. From there, school officials worked with Barnum Woods’s Planning Management Team — a group of building administrators, faculty, PTA and community members — to turn the idea into reality.
And that’s why, last week, hundreds of students wearing red, white and blue could be seen walking and chatting excitedly around the Barnum Woods elementary school community.
“It was really a concerted community effort to promote a healthy awareness,” said Principal Gregory Bottari. “It’s great to see everyone come together.” Bottari also credited Nassau County police for cordoning off streets to secure the walking path, and Town of Hempstead Councilman Gary Hudes, who ensured potholes along the streets were filled prior to the walk.
The day served multiple purposes besides uniting the community around health and fitness. The school also solicited donations for Coins For a Cure, a childhood cancer awareness foundation, in honor of a Barnum Woods alumnus who is a cancer survivor. And before the hundreds of students started the walk, they stood solemnly on the school’s front lawn to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to commemorate Flag Day, which took place six days later on June 14.
The students assembled at 9:30 a.m. It was a colorful sight, as kindergarteners and first-graders wore red shirts, second- and third-graders donned white clothing, and fourth-graders completed the American theme with the color blue. Fifth-graders, meanwhile, wore their own special graduation shirts.
