On graduation day, students look around and admire those classmates who made their high school years special. Unfortunately, most high school students only know their entire class during the four years of high school. Moorestown Unity Day seeks to put a stop to this, uniting classes of students at the end of third grade rather than at the end of middle school.
“The students begin Unity Day coming from Baker, Roberts and South Valley elementary schools,” Moorestown Unity Day Co-Chair Erin Spinello said. “However, by the day’s end, they’re excited to begin their adventure together at the Upper Elementary School, which will continue all the way through their high school graduation as the class of 2023. Unity Day is the start of many great friendships and memories that they all will share.”
The program is designed to bring together students from all three lower elementary schools in third grade. On June 9, every third-grade student in Moorestown met at the Community House for a day of activities and communication.
The day began with students meeting the pen pals they had been communicating with during the spring. For the majority of the students, this is the first time they meet face to face.
“The pen pals meet and introduce each other to their friends,” Committee Chair Joyce Peacock said. “It helps make the students a whole class.”
Students also participated in a “Knowledge Bowl” that quizzed them on Moorestown history and trivia. Then, it was time for the fun to begin.
The Community House was separated into 14 stations, each offering a fun and educational colonial activity for the students. From rope tosses to top spinning to bowling, there was certainly a lot going on.
“The activities are similar to field day,” Peacock said. “The activities enhance the students’ understanding of that period in history. They also get the students up and interacting with each other.”
But aside from all the fun the students had, Unity Day is supposed to serve as a platform for the future success of each Moorestown graduating class. In the majority of public school systems, students are never given the chance to meet any of their classmates who attend other elementary schools.
“All of the third graders will be entering the same new school in September, and by coming together and getting to know each other, even for just a day, they will have an easier transition,” Spinello said.
Unity Day will not only make the transition into UES easier, but it will also help the students move into the middle school and into high school as well, according to Spinello.
