Students from Lynbrook North Middle School and Lynbrook South Middle School celebrated Start With Hello Week from Sept. 21-25. Each year, students throughout the country participate in the Start With Hello program, created by the nonprofit organization, Sandy Hook Promise. The goal of the week is to promote connectedness, empathy, kindness and social inclusion.

In Lynbrook, middle school students and staff got to know each other better during the week as they were encouraged to introduce themselves and connect. They were presented with name tags and spoke about the importance of inclusivity in class through a PowerPoint presentation. The hallways were also decorated to promote positive and safe interactions.

“Students were encouraged to greet five new people while everyone wore name tags,” said Lynbrook South Middle School social worker Amanda Cioffi. “Students also practiced their Socially Distant Greetings! Although students are adjusting to a new routine, we still love to be creative and find new ways to encourage connectedness while students are at home or in the building.”