For the third consecutive year, West Hempstead Middle School has been named a No Place for Hate School by the Anti-Defamation League.

According to the ADL’s website, No Place for Hate is an initiative designed to create inclusive school communities by promoting unity and respect and empowering schools to reduce bullying, name-calling and other expressions of bias.

West Hempstead Middle School Principal Dina Reilly congratulated the students who had helped the school earn this designation once again. “Whether you’re moving on to the high school or carrying on in the middle school, make sure you continue to shine a light on the importance of promoting dignity and tolerance and creating an inclusive school atmosphere for all students, teachers and faculty,” she said.  

The distinction recognizes students, teachers and administrators for their development and training in bullying, harassment and discrimination. Participating schools complete ADL-approved activities and projects to promote unity and reduce bullying through involved discussions, active learning and action planning.

Among the ADL activities, the middle school instituted the “Beautiful Me” program for girls in grades 6-8, which focuses on positive self-esteem, the importance of friendship and the reward of helping others. Earlier this spring, the school participated in a “Pay It Forward” campaign, where students were rewarded with bracelets and certificates for performing small acts of kindness. Throughout the year, students participated in the PTA’s “Don’t Press Send” assembly to discuss cyberbullying, and sixth-graders contributed to small group lessons conducted by the guidance department about bullying versus conflicts. Lastly, the entire school community partook in P.S. I Love You Day, where students sent messages of kindness to teachers, staff and other students during lunch periods.

In the fall, the middle school will establish a Dignity and Tolerance club, designed to celebrate diversity and tolerance toward all students by combating bullying behaviors. Members of the DAT club will develop initiatives to create a more inclusive school culture.        

West Hempstead was selected as a winner of this designation among schools from the five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester and Orange counties, and Northern New Jersey.

The district commends its students for earning this distinction and creating a welcoming environment in the middle school.

Members of the West Hempstead Middle School student council welcomed fifth-graders from Cornwell Avenue and George Washington elementary schools for a tour of the building on May 31.

Serving as tour guides, the student council members led groups of incoming sixth-graders through the hallways, showing them classrooms, lockers and the library, and answered questions about coursework, teachers and the student body. Afterward, the younger students participated in ice breaker activities to get to know their future peers from the other elementary schools. 

The district commends the student council members for volunteering their time to assist the incoming class and serve as familiar faces to them in the upcoming school year. 

Families and students of the district attended Family STEAM Night at the district’s middle school on May 31. The evening, organized by high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement science courses, engaged participants in a variety of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics activities.

Accompanied by their families, students in elementary and middle school enjoyed a variety of educational activities, including making slime, building marshmallow catapults, creating water bottle bird feeders, viewing a dissection of sheep organs, building terrariums and working with 3-D printers and pens.

“Family STEAM Night is a wonderful opportunity for our high school students to educate younger students and their families in the areas of STEAM,” said the district’s Director of Science, Joseph Cangemi. “The goal of the evening is develop in these younger students an appreciation, understanding and possibly a desire to pursue a career in one of these disciplines.”

The district is proud to offer its students and community the resources and opportunity to explore the areas of STEAM.

 

The eighth-graders in Stacy Gulisano’s Family and Consumer Science classes at West Hempstead Middle School learned valuable lessons in entrepreneurship by establishing their own food truck businesses. Their efforts culminated with an in-school trade show where they shared their products with staff members and high school students. 

Over the course of a month, the classes devised business plans and built their enterprises from the ground up. They created a company name, made their culinary products, and marketed their business by designing a website and print materials and advertising on social media. They also utilized skills garnered throughout the year in consumerism, career, and financial and job management.  

The groups assembled for the Friday trade show in the middle school gymnasium, where faculty members, administrators and high school students in Michael Silberman’s business class sampled an assortment of treats. These included spiced deviled eggs, homemade chips and salsa, decadent shakes, savory crepes, brownie cookies, cheeseballs and colorful pasta salads. The high school students ranked each truck’s business based on taste, presentation and advertising, and the winning companies received medals for their hard work.
 
The district extends its gratitude to Gulisano for providing students with an outlet to apply their creative, culinary and business marketing skills, and to experience the work involved in starting a business.   

Sixth-graders at West Hempstead Middle School learned what it takes to pass a bill when Senator Todd Kaminsky visited them on May 18 to teach them about state government.

During his visit, Kaminsky described the duties of a New York State Senator and discussed his experiences as an Assemblyman and federal prosecutor. He also explained how laws are passed in the state of New York by having students try to pass a law to eliminate smoking on Long Island. He explained that in order to have a bill passed, a committee of Senators and Assemblymen must first approve the law and then send it to the Governor, who has the power to sign or veto the bill.

The engaging lesson was followed by a Q&A session with the Senator, during which students asked about his work, how he became involved in politics and what laws he has helped to enact.

The district is proud to offer students an opportunity to speak with their local Senator and further develop into enlightened citizens.