In North Bellmore, North Merrick elementary schools, students ‘go gold’ for pediatric cancer awareness day

A sea of gold and yellow adorned the elementary schools in the North Bellmore School District last week, as each marked another “Go Gold for Pediatric Cancer Day” — a campaign to support children battling cancer and to raise awareness about pediatric cancer.

Normally celebrated the last Friday in September, Go Gold Day empowers students to show compassion and empathy for their peers undergoing cancer treatments. North Bellmore’s initiative encourages students, teachers and district administrators to wear gold and yellow, or decorate the schools with gold-themed items, because gold is the official ribbon color representing childhood cancer awareness.

The Herald visited Saw Mill Road Elementary School in North Bellmore on Sept. 27, meeting with staff and students to learn more about why the school district encourages awareness on Go Gold Day. The district’s five elementary schools — the other three of which are also in North Bellmore, and one in North Merrick — were all taking part in similar activities.

Marie Testa, district superintendent, explained that this marked the 11th year the district has recognized Go Gold Day, and the awareness campaign started with the family of a young student at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School, who was diagnosed with cancer.

“They had asked us if we would be interested in supporting or just bringing awareness,” Testa said. “And we decided to go with that, and we started our first going gold day.”

Since then, Testa and Jeff Rosof, the principal of Saw Mill Road, each shared that they had met several families in the district that have been touched by childhood cancer, and unfortunately also have had some students die from the disease.

“Really, in our souls and hearts — we think of those children,” Testa said. “It really is to support and to show our care and love.”

Rosof said he’s known children who have undergone cancer treatments while in North Bellmore schools, or after they graduate.

“For some of the schools, it’s very poignant,” he said. “Certainly, Saw Mill is one of them. I know Dinkelmeyer had a student last year. Unfortunately, it’s a disease that is horrible. And it does take some lives of young students, children.”

In classrooms, teachers engaged in healthy, relevant and age-appropriate discussions with students about what the day means, Rosof said.

“Cancer is a disease — pediatric means it could affect children,” he said. “We don’t really go much deeper than that. We’ll leave it to the families if they want to really explain it.”

Gina Aglio’s son, Vincent, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was in first-grade last year, and said the school district has been extremely supportive of their family. He’s now in second-grade at John G. Dinkelmeyer Elementary School, and undergoing maintenance treatment for the disease.

“Everyone was just so amazing,” Aglio said. “Friends from Dinkelmeyer set up a meal train for us, and that fed us for months and months. The district, teachers, everyone just came to our aid, no questions asked.”

And even now that he’s back at school, Aglio said Vincent is still feeling the love and support from his peers. 

Rosof said that at Saw Mill Road, teachers and staff also contribute to a faculty fund, which gets donated to organizations that support families and research for pediatric cancer. Those who donated sported gold shoelaces on Sept. 27.

The school’s PTA got involved this year as well, handing out yellow bracelets to students, so everyone in the school could sport the color gold in some fashion.

Testa said the PTA’s Coordinating Council, which encompasses representatives from every school, also contributed to this year’s Go Gold Day across the district.

“The PTAs have always supported us — each individual PTA — but I’m so happy and proud to say that this year the PTA Coordinating Council met with me earlier this summer and they agree to sponsor it,” Testa said. “They gave a pin to every child and every faculty member. This really brings, unites us all together.”

Testa added that Go Gold Day truly encompasses the core values of the North Bellmore School District.

“We’ve been working over the years, with our mission and core values, to really bring light to caring for everyone in our community and our global community — human light is precious,” she said. “We want to look to our own community on what their needs are in terms of support. Prayers and love and action is how we see it.”