Thursday, December 21, 2023 seemed to be a great day of celebration at many Pathways to Graduation sites throughout Brooklyn, NY. It was the next to last day of school in December. It was also the next to last day of school before the holiday season. Understanding that various holidays are acknowledged during this time, school administration and staff hosted events at their respective sites.
At the Schermerhorn Street site, Principal Taylor shared, “Many of our APs had holiday meals for the students at their sites. Student have shared that they have not had a cooked meal or a holiday meal in years. That speaks to the importance of offering this to our students.”
Community Coordinator Sigourney Brown, also at Schermerhorn, shared “The event was very nice and the students had a good time. We also had spirit week at the time, so some student and most of the staff were dressed up to build school spirit. Monday: Candy Cane Day. Tuesday: Festive Hat Day. Wednesday: Inside Out Day. Thursday: 80’s or 90’s Attire. Friday: Ugly Sweater Day.
A number of staff and students at the Bedford Stuyvesant Complex hosted a breakfast for the community members at that site. Teacher, Vanesia Smith spearheaded this endeavor and shared her thoughts. “I love doing this event. This is our fourth year doing it. Many or our students left their families or par-ents back in their home countries. So I thought it would be nice to provide a family style breakfast for them at the school. This year it was especially nice, because the male teachers and male students did all of the cooking. I’m happy to do this for the students and happy that the students helped to make it happen.”
John Ventura, Bed. Stuy Complex student who also helped cook and serve the food shared, “The break-fast was nice. It felt good attending to my classmates. And they really liked the food.” John’s sister Aliyah White, Bed. Stuy Complex student shared, “Everything was nice. The food was good and it was nice that the students were doing the work and the teachers sat and ate with us like a family”
We look forward to more events during which we can continue building community while meeting our students needs.