Number of Participants: 350
Hours Donated: 4
Value of Time Served: $11,830
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Schools
Date: May 12, 2016
Location:
235 Belmont Boulevard Elmont
New York 11003, United States
About:
The Clara H. Carlson School held its annual Autism Awareness Week during the week of April 18 to educate the school’s population about Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Students and student athletes in each grade participated in different activities to help increase their awareness about Autism. Kindergarten, first-grade and second-grade students read Sesame Street’s book,”We’re Amazing, 1, 2, 3!” and watched a video, which featured Julia, the new Sesame Street character who has autism. Grades 3 and 4 participated in a picture/poem contest, submitting beautiful artwork about autism, while students in grades 5 and 6 were contestants on Autism Jeopardy!, answering trivia questions about autism and how they can help students with autism in their school. Many of the school’s students and teachers also contributed to a giant blue light bulb to symbolize Lighting It Up Blue for autism. All of the students greatly enjoyed the activities and learned a lot about the disorder.
To further unite the school, students and teachers followed a dress code theme for the week. Each day symbolized a different way to support autism, including “Teaming Up” to support autism, which encouraged everyone to wear their favorite sports jersey, and “Be a Hero Day” with students and teachers dressing as superheroes to symbolize “being a hero” to someone with the disorder.
The school also conducted fundraisers, including a bake sale, raffles and T-shirt sale. Thanks to the generous support of the students, staff and faculty, Clara H. Carlson raised approximately $3,000 for the Nassau-Suffolk Autism Society of America, a non-profit organization that supports Autism families in our community.
Photo Caption: Clara H. Carlson School educators (from left): Enza Grimaudo, Kirsten Devlin, Rachel Johnson, Dorit Brander, Patricia McCarthy, Rhonda Lebit and Kerrianne Eldora are pictured in front of paper light bulbs, which raised awareness to autism.
Photo courtesy of the Elmont School District
