In conjunction with Red Ribbon Week and Halloween, the classes at St. James Elementary are doing their best to scare away drugs as evidenced by the “scary” display outside their school. With each grade level assigned a different theme, every class stuffed and decorated scarecrows. Students and staff took individual pledges to make healthy choices and scare away drugs. After the pledges were signed and pinned to the class scarecrows, the life-sized creations were staked into the ground in front of the building. They will remain on display through the Halloween season as a symbol of the school’s commitment to “scare away” destructive decisions.

To celebrate New York State School Board Recognition Week from Oct. 21-25, the Smithtown Central School District came together to show their appreciation for their board of education during the Oct. 22 meeting.

To kick off the meeting, the High School East select choral group sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Smithtown Elementary School’s ENL also serenaded the board members by singing a thank-you song in 11 different languages. Nesaquake Middle School’s select chorus also showcased their skills by singing “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”

Dogwood Elementary School’s students created posters featuring the top 10 things they love about the district. Mt. Pleasant Elementary School students created a tree of appreciation to present to the board featuring every student’s fingerprints.

Tackan Elementary School students purchased books at its recent book fair and donated them back to the school’s library in the board’s name. Accompsett Elementary School’s fifth grade classes created a poster board of thanks, while Mills Pond Elementary presented each board member with a pen and flashlight because they light the way for the district. Student in Karen Dennis’s fourth grade class at St. James Elementary School created their own Flip Grid thank-you video for the board members.

Members of the National Junior Honor Society at Accompsett Middle School created a thank-you card and Great Hollow Middle School students gifted each board member with a drawstring bag. Members of the National Honor Society at High School West gave each board member a “Support Our Troops” shirt and Athletes Helping Athletes gifted them with Smithtown athletic spirit wear. Members of the Career and Technology Education department presented the board members with handcrafted wood nameplates for their board table, water bottles, tote bags, homemade muffins and pillowcases. To end the evening, the school’s central administration showed a thank-you video featuring faculty, staff and administrators from throughout the district. 

It’s only been a few weeks since the start of the school year but kindergartners at St. James Elementary School are become active readers. The students are engaged in reading and writing workshops as part of their daily routine.