Recognizing students, saying goodbye

A day before a weeklong break, Lawrence Elementary School sent its students home with a healthy dose of self-confidence after holding the second assembly of the school year where the children are recognized for their accomplishments in character education.

In Ilene Brooks’ class, a student named Dhesi who exhibited exceptional behavior during the recent visit from Chris Pendergast, who suffers from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was honored at the Feb. 12 assembly. Pendergast established the ALS Ride for Life. ALS is a degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Pendergast takes part in the rides in his motorized chair.

“Dhesi showed kindness during Pendergast’s visit by showing interest in learning about ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease,” Brooks said. “Dhesi said that he hoped Chris would get better soon. He said that from Chris, he learned a lot about his disease and thanked him for talking to the class.”

A character education program, the Broadway Train Station, was implemented when the students returned to school in January after the last holiday break, according to Christine Moore, the elementary school’s assistant principal.

“The Broadway Train Station can be seen all throughout the school,” she said. “This is a nice display of our resolutions and goals set by our students.” the children post their wishes for achievement onto decorative cards to show they care about themselves, their school and their future plans to achieve.
Jessica Skarren’s classroom has been working on a program known as Growth Mindset, where the children work past obstacles and mistakes to achieve their goals.