Wellness Day focuses on mind and body

District 24 students participated in Wellness Day on May 26, 27 and 28, where they took in valuable words of wisdom that organizers hope they will carry with themselves for the rest of their lives. From various speakers, students learned about career choices, the effects of bullying and substance abuse, differences of opinions, gender equity on friendship and how to make positive choices in their lives.

The goals of the day were “to teach children to make good decisions,” said Maureen Florio, the consultant for the character education program at District 24 and the coordinator of the third annual event.

Fifth and sixth graders moved from room to room throughout the day listening to each speaker’s topic. Florio said that students were able to pick which sessions they wanted to learn about and they were given a set schedule for the day.

Career choices in the different areas of police work was part of the focus for the day. Detective Christopher Florio talked about the importance of finger printing and what it is used for. 

Anthony Iadevaio, a Suffolk police officer, spoke about being content at one’s job and if they aren’t, why it is acceptable to move to another. William Gillespie, a retired police officer, described the differences of one law enforcement job to another. 

Assistant District Attorney Steve Treglia spoke about the dangers of cyber bullying, a crime on the Internet done by harassing others through social networking websites, instant messaging and email. He asserted the importance of student’s personal responsibility when using websites such as Myspace and Facebook to speak up when they see a bullying occurrence on the web.  The input was to let the students have a clear understanding of what they should and should not be doing on the Internet.

Peter Hawkins spoke about the dangerous consequences of poor decisions. He advised students that no one should get in the car with someone who has been intoxicated. Hawkins talked from experience as he is in a wheelchair for life.