It was an exciting afternoon in the Freeport School District on Sept. 6, as students from Bayview Avenue School and Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School lined up to carry boxes filled with donated school supplies into their respective buildings.
The packed boxes are part of United Way of Long Island’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign, which helps supply local students with new backpacks and other school essentials, donated by members of the community. The Long Island Nets also partnered with the organization this year and had its mascot “Dale the Eagle” greet students and help them unload boxes from the bus.
Bayview’s Priscilla Varela and Celine Levine’s fourth-grade classes, and Giblyn’s Kelly Nicholson and Samantha Schnitzer’s fourth-grade classes participated in unloading the bus, carrying 100 boxes of supplies. Both schools received 50 boxes that contained a variety of school supplies, including notebooks, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, scissors, erasers and backpacks.
“Every student deserves the opportunity to be successful in school. By being part of the Stuff-A-Bus program, we are able to ensure that our students start their school year with a full desk ready to learn,” Dr. Kishore Kuncham, superintendent of schools, said. “It’s clear that United Way of Long Island and the Long Island Nets understand the importance of education, and our students and staff are extremely grateful for their ongoing support.”
Theresa A. Regnante, president and CEO of United Way of Long Island, said “This is the 10th year the Stuff-A-Bus program has provided students with the tools they need to feel confident in their studies. Now when the students in the Freeport School District sit down for class, they can feel secure knowing that their desks are full and they are prepared to learn.”
Photo captions:
1: The Long Island Nets mascot “Dale the Eagle” gave Bayview Avenue School students high-fives as they lined up to carry boxes of school supplies into the school.
2: Bayview Avenue School students held boxes of school supplies from United Way of Long Island’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign, while posing with Long Island Nets mascot “Dale the Eagle.”
3: Bayview Avenue School received 50 boxes of school supplies from the United Way of Long Island’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign.
4: Leo F. Giblyn Elementary School students posed with Long Island Nets mascot “Dale the Eagle,” after receiving 50 boxes of school supplies from the United Way of Long Island’s Stuff-A-Bus campaign.
Photos courtesy of Freeport Public Schools