Saddle Rock recycling project supports Dotty Fund

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Saddle Rock recycling project supports Dotty Fund
Saddle Rock kindergartners and fourth graders are joined by science teacher Janene Rowland, fourth-grade teacher Lauren Rio, kindergarten teacher Sabra Satten, Jane Barbato of The Dotty Fund, North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth, Great Neck Superintendent of Schools Teresa Prendergast, Saddle Rock Principal Luci Bradley and Assistant Principal Sara Goldberg. (Photo by Bill Cancellare)

Kindergarten and fourth-grade classes at Saddle Rock School joined forces for a year-long service learning project to help protect the planet and support a local non-profit organization.

Early in the school year, students in Sabra Satten’s kindergarten class and Lauren Rio’s fourth-grade class implemented a project to collect plastic bottles and recycle them at a local grocery store. The students saved the five-cent refund for each bottle to benefit The Dotty Fund, a Long Island-based charity that provides financial assistance to local families that cannot afford necessary medical treatments for their pets.

In addition to raising money for a good cause, this project also helped students understand how to renew, reuse, and recycle items to save the planet. While the majority of the plastic bottles the students collected were recycled, a few were reused as piggy banks, decorated to resemble a dog. Students deposited their refunds in these reused containers throughout the school year.

On April 11, Saddle Rock students celebrated the success of their year-long fundraising efforts by presenting the money they collected to Jane Barbato, the head of The Dotty Fund. During a short ceremony, the students shared the lessons they learned from this initiative, including the importance of taking care of animals, and how to take care of our planet through recycling and reusing items. The students and teachers were applauded by Saddle Rock Principal Luciana Bradley, Assistant Principal Sara Goldberg, Superintendent Dr. Teresa Prendergast, and special guest North Hempstead Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth.

Supervisor Bosworth, a former trustee on the Great Neck Board of Education, congratulated the students for their efforts and echoed the importance of taking care of our planet. She spoke about eco-friendly programs available in the Town of North Hempstead aimed at protecting and preserving our environment.

This recycling project ties in to Saddle Rock School’s year-long commitment to support the United Nations “Life on Land” Global Goal. Service learning activities help educate students, enhance the local school environment, and benefit the greater community.

The United Nations Life on Land goal encourages “sustainable use of our ecosystem and preserving biodiversity.” Saddle Rock students are learning how responsible decisions—such as recycling, planting trees, conserving water, and protecting species—will help preserve the Earth for generations to come.

Submitted by Great Neck Public Schools

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