South Side Middle School students made a difference with a variety of donations given to the Beacon House, a shelter and service agency for unhoused military veterans in Nassau and Suffolk counties, just ahead of Veteran’s Day in November.
The donation collection was a result of an extensive lesson on Sept. 11 that carried through the weeks to emphasize the impact of the attacks on the surrounding communities and show students how they can still help today.
“As Rockville Centre is a community that was heavily impacted by the catastrophe of September 11, the 7th grade ELA team commemorates the sacrifice of those lost by teaching the students about the events of the day and the acts of service that were inspired on that day,” Jennifer Monsour, a teacher at the school who spearheads the collection, said.
Students begin the lesson by watching a video titled “Spirit of Volunteerism: 9/11 and Beyond.” Monsour said the film shows “how some people impacted by the loss on Sept. 11 responded to the tragedy by turning their anguish into something more by helping others.”
The students also read about Monsour’s friend, firefighter Stephen Siller, “who gave his life that day in the South Tower and whose family turned their pain into the Tunnel to Towers foundation which provides funds for catastrophically injured servicemen and women, firefighters and police and their families.”
To connect the lesson to their own lives, students were asked to complete an act of service. Options include participating in the Tunnel to Towers 5K run, creating thank-you cards for veterans at the Beacon House, donating requested items to the shelter or designing their own service project with teacher approval.
“We have an established relationship with the Beacon House, and each year we speak with them to ask what their specific needs are at the time of the donation drive,” Monsour said. “This year they were in need of paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, coffee, shelf-stable milk and creamer, coffee makers and coffee cups so that is what the kids brought in.”
Monsour said many students participated in the Tunnel to Towers run in New York City, while others “ran bake sales to raise money for the Tunnel to Towers foundation.”
The goal of the assignment, Monsour said, is to explore the question: “How can one event inspire people to become agents of service who help to improve their community?”
“The Middle School cultivates a culture of kindness and service,” Monsour added. “The MYP program has a community service component that the 8th graders fulfill every year and this project helps set the groundwork for things they might like to do the following year.”
The lesson, which has been taught for about seven years, continues to inspire students to honor both the heroes of Sept. 11 and “the everyday heroes who make a difference in our lives today,” Monsour said.
