Fifth- and sixth-grade Student Council members at Chatterton School spent the fall learning how to give back to their community, a lesson that took on special meaning this Thanksgiving.
Students led a school wide food drive to support 13 Merrick families. On Nov. 21, council members gathered during lunch to sort donations and assemble boxes filled with holiday essentials. School staff personally delivered the baskets, keeping recipients’ identities confidential.
Sixth-grade teacher Laura Bonet serves as a faculty adviser, along with co-teacher Lindsay Zender and school social worker Marisa Taddeo.
Bonet said the annual tradition is supported by the generosity of current and former Lakeside students and their families, as well as school staff.
“Giving back is one of the most powerful lessons we can teach our students,” she said. “When they see the impact their kindness has on others, it stays with them long after the holiday season.”
