Schools

'Kids on the Block' Club Leaves Impression of School Board

Now in its second year, the club finds ways to help students understand kids who are different.

"Joanne" and "Eddy" made special appearances at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Board of Education meeting this week with a message that could resonate throughout the entire community.

The colorful puppets became animate through the acting skills of Plainview students, all members of theat

The students, under the direction of Miss Dianna Procida, a 9th Grade Special Education teacher, use the puppets to make an important point.

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Club members Robert D'Allessandro, Rebecca Gleeson, both 10th graders, and Zachary Kerman, an 11th grader, performed their skits during Monday's board meeting. The interaction of the puppets keeps the attention of the elementary school students and sends a message about how students should interact with each other.

The club travels to elementary schools in the district with their message. Through both scripted and ad-libbed interplay, the puppets demonstrate ways of meeting and interacting with people who are perceived as "different."

Find out what's happening in Plainviewwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While one focus is to draw attention to the needs of children with autism, the program's impacts go well beyond that.

"Our students address issues like bullying, and appropriate ways to react to bullies," said Procida, the club's advisor. "It's all about learning ways of dealing with others."


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