News Collection

The Edgemont Elementary PTA held the first ever Panthers’ Pay-it-Forward last week, uniting sixth graders from Greenville and Seely Place Elementary Schools to meet and mingle while packing meals for those in need. The goal of the evening was for the students from both schools to make new friends as they prepare for next year, when they will attend Edgemont Junior Senior High School together as seventh graders.

By the end of the evening, they had packed 11,016 meals for the Million Meal Project in the “old gymnasium” at Greenville – and they had a great time doing it.

“I really like helping people,” Seely Place student Stella Knopp said. She sees the less fortunate asking for money in New York City. “I think it’s really sad to see, so I always want to help.”

The 100 students, working with about 25 adult volunteers, packed each meal bag with a vitamin pack and scoops of soy flakes, dehydrated vegetables, and rice. Their achievement propelled the Million Meal Project toward its goal of packing 1 million meals in five years. When they were done, they celebrated with a pizza party with get-to-know-you games, bingo, and lots of prizes.

“It was great to see the students so excited about this community service event, learning at a young age that doing good can be fun and meaningful,” said Greenville parent Andrea White, a lead organizer of the event. “The night was certainly full of smiles, laughter, and great memories.”

This is the project’s first year, said Matt Blumberg, who started the initiative with his wife, Board of Education Vice President Mariquita Blumberg, and their three children. They connected with Rise Against Hunger, an international hunger relief organization, which supplies the food, packaging and equipment. The organization brings meals to those in need in countries such as the Philippines, Haiti and Zimbabwe.

Blumberg said they are on track to complete about 250,000 – a quarter of their goal – by the end of this school year. The sixth graders were glad to help.

“The Panthers’ Pay It Forward event was a fun way to get to know other sixth graders,” said Seely Place sixth grader Maeve Richmond. “I liked being able to help others while having fun with new and old friends.”

First grade teacher Alexis Langer introduced her young students to the concept of engineering with a hands-on project that was a ton of fun for everyone.

The monthly STEM project for January included a discussion about incline planes and how they help move objects from one point to another. The “mission” was to build a sled to travel down a hill (inclined plane).

If you look close enough you will see their traveler was Baby Echo, the owl all the children know and love from their Fundations studies.

 

 

Our fourth grade students participated in a hands-on learning activity with the Hudson River Clearwater team.  The students had the chance to examine aquatic invertebrates and fish drawn from the estuary of the Hudson River.

Take a peek inside the classroom at Seely Place. So much learning, so many happy faces!