Merrick School District

Fifth- and sixth-grade Student Council members at Chatterton School spent the fall season learning what it means to serve their community, but the lesson feels especially meaningful when it supports families close to home. 

This Thanksgiving season, students took the lead in organizing and promoting a schoolwide food drive to assist 13 Merrick families.  

On Nov. 21, council members gathered during their lunch period to sort donations and assemble boxes filled with holiday essentials. School staff then personally delivered the baskets, with all recipient identities kept confidential to ensure privacy. 

Sixth grade teacher Laura Bonet serves as a faculty adviser, along with co-teacher Lindsay Zender and school social worker, Marisa Taddeo. 

Bonet noted that this annual tradition is made possible, in part, by the generosity of current and former Lakeside students and their families, as well as school staff members. 

“Giving back is one of the most powerful lessons we can teach our students. When they see the impact their kindness has on others, it stays with them long after the holiday season.”