Students and staff throughout the district proudly dressed in orange and joined together to celebrate Unity Day on Oct. 23. Unity Day is recognized nationally as a stance against bullying and sheds light on the importance of kindness, acceptance and inclusion.

Every school in the district marks the occasion in a big way each year and this year was no different. In some of the buildings, students and staff gathered together to spread their anti-bullying message. The Lynbrook High School community stood outside together with a Unity Day banner and the West End community formed a heart. At the Lynbrook Kindergarten Center, students and staff formed the number one to represent that it just takes one person to be an upstander and the Waverly Park community formed the letters of the word “care,” fitting the district’s theme of the year “A Community of Caring.”

In addition to creating Unity Day messages, students participated in activities during the day that correlated with anti-bullying, kindness, acceptance and inclusion lessons. Among the many activities, students read books about being an upstander, signed a banner that read “I care about bullying prevention because..,” participated in a Unity Day door decorating contest and walked around the school track while discussing how to be there for others. It was a positive day and a prime example of how Lynbrook students and staff form a community of caring.