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Mostly Cloudy State council recognizes Oceanside's 'Bridges' program
The New York State English Council has given the Award of Excellence to Oceanside and Uniondale School Districts’ joint “Bridges” program.
For three years, the collaborative effort has brought middle and high school students from both districts together to discuss current events and other controversial topics. They meet about four times a year, alternating between schools and discussing a new, relevant issue, such as gun laws or immigration, each time.
“It’s a tremendous honor,” said Joe La Torre, an English teacher at Oceanside Middle School who helped launch “Bridges,” about the state recognizing the initiative. “We hope other people will see that programs like these exist and try it themselves. The program is called ‘Bridges’ for a reason, and hopefully it can connect people from other schools, too.”
La Torre previously worked in the Uniondale School District. When people would ask him how the schools differ, he’d say, “they’re not that different.” He and Uniondale educators had the idea to bring the students together in some way and collectively formed “Bridges” about four years ago.
In the 2018-19 school year, seventh-graders from Oceanside Middle School met with seventh-graders from Lawrence Road Middle School, and ninth-graders from Oceanside High School met with ninthgraders from Uniondale High School. The rising eighth- and 10th-graders will continue the meetings throughout their high school years.
When the two districts merge, they spend nearly an entire school day together, La Torre said. The day begins with an informational session on the discussion topic and icebreakers so students get to know one another. Then, the students break into groups and have “organic conversations” about the issue, he said.
Although the topics may be heavy and controversial, faculty facilitators are sure to keep presentation materials age appropriate and encourage courtesy in debates.
“Young people are more capable than we give them credit for,” said Rich Tauber, a social studies teacher at Lawrence Road Middle School.“They take difficult topics and have respectful discussions.”
Tauber and La Torre noted that many of the kids have formed strong connections and friendships with students in the other schools. They stressed the importance of having students of different backgrounds and opinions connect.
“It’s important because they’re talking about things that impacted them and have a forum to express how they feel,” Tauber said. “Not everyone has the same opinion, but it’s still a safe place to share opinions.”
