Cornwell Avenue School students learn about anti-bullying

Students and staff members at Cornwell Avenue School in the West Hempstead Union Free School District dressed in blue on Oct. 12 as part of a lesson in recognizing National Bullying Prevention Month.
In addition to wearing blue to spread awareness about bullying, school psychologist Elyssa Mayer and social worker Elizabeth Lindner visited different classes to have students take part in anti-bullying activities to help reinforce acts of kindness.
Mayer opened the lesson by reading Carol McCloud’s “Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids.” The book is written and illustrated to encourage positive behavior as children see how rewarding it can be to spread kindness. The metaphors of bucket filling and bucket dipping set up the effect of how one’s positive and kind actions can help fill another’s bucket or how being rude can dip into someone’s bucket.
Following the book reading, each student joined a partner to come up with examples of being a bucket filler as well as examples of being a bucket dipper. Once the pairs illustrated their examples on a Post-it, they were tasked with sticking their example on a poster board for which bucket their action would portray — a bucket filler or dipper.
By the end of the day, students had filled both poster boards with examples of how to be a bucket filler and what actions could lead to being a bucket dipper.

Compiled by Nakeem Grant