Schools throughout the Three Village Central School District joined together to celebrate Unity Week with a series of activities aimed at promoting acceptance, tolerance and antibullying.

At Setauket Elementary School, teachers decorated classroom doors to visually display the building’s commitment to promoting unity, and students and staff were provided with Unity-themed T-shirts. In addition, all grade levels attended an assembly program called “Sweethearts and Heroes,” which focused on how bullying affects individuals and how to embrace empathy and leadership to be forces of change in school and society. Fifth- and sixth-grade student council members also worked with program presenters in a breakout session to build skills and strategies for stopping bullying. They then worked to teach those younger students during small group role-playing workshops. 

Both R.C. Murphy Junior High School and P.J. Gelinas Junior High School welcomed a keynote speaker from the Free Hugs Project, who spoke about breaking down barriers and accepting others for their individuality. Students and staff at both buildings were also provided with commemorative Unity Day shirts, which they wore on Oct. 24, a day deemed Unity Day by the National Bullying Prevention Month program. As a visual display of their commitment to the topic, Murphy students also helped to create a Unity Patch, using 40 pumpkins that each student and staff member signed and decorated.