Newbridge Student Leaders Create Joyful Experiences
Student leaders are making a difference at Newbridge Road Elementary School. Through numerous initiatives, they are bringing smiles, helping others and setting a positive example for their peers.
Members of the student council, which is open to students in grades 3-6, meet once a month with their advisers, Paige Becker, JoAnn Belferder, Erica Farley and Mary Yager. They discuss and plan community service projects, then create posters to promote their efforts. When a collection drive is done, the student leaders then sort and organize donations.
Student council members also make the daily morning announcements, with each grade assigned a different day of the week. It allows Newbridge Road students to hear important information directly from their peers. The student leaders demonstrate teamwork and effective communication as they work together to plan out who says each part of the daily announcements.
The new Birthday Boosters group, which launched in January, has been a huge success. About a dozen students from grades 3-6 were chosen to take on the role the first two months, and second group is now leading the initiative in March and April. A third crew will handle May and June. Every morning, Birthday Boosters visit each classroom where there is a student or staff birthday. Weekend birthdays are celebrated on the Friday or Monday.
The Birthday Boosters make cards and signs, personalized for every celebrant. They spend a few minutes in each room to sing and spread cheer. Principal Amanda Licci said that the creation of Birthday Boosters has increased positive interactions among children and allowed students to get to know peers in other classes and grade levels.
Morning Greeters, which also began in January, assigns students to posts inside the school during morning arrival near the front and back entrances. It is a two-month commitment and students have a post once or twice per week to welcome their peers. They get to school around 15 minutes early so they are at their stations when other students arrive, and even feel official with their Morning Greeter badges.
