After last year’s success with the pilot advisory, the Sayville Middle School has launched “The Unity Circle” club this year on a trial basis. This innovative club, held during morning advisory, engages Seventh graders in learning “about different cultures and backgrounds through multiple modalities,” explained Kellie Lindskog, Math teacher and Club advisor, “such as short videos, articles, discussions, food samples, video conferencing, and guest speakers.  We explore issues that certain marginalized groups experience.”

While it is geared toward Seventh graders who are able to make a two-year commitment, the Unity Circle Club—now in its first year as a pilot after school club—currently consists of twelve Seventh-graders attending the morning advisory and planning the activities. However, the Unity Circle Club offers opportunities for Sixth and Eighth graders as well. In ninety-minute sessions, held biweekly afterschool, Sixth and Eighth graders are introduced to the club’s mission.

Enumerating what the club has accomplished this year so far, Ms. Lindskog added that “the enthusiasm and energy of the students in the club is truly inspiring:” 

• We participated in International Peace Day by making peace cranes and sending them to students in Taipei City, Taiwan.  The students were so excited to receive origami cranes in return along with letters from their Taiwanese pen-pals.
• The students maintain two themed showcases in the Middle School. To date this year, we have decorated the showcases to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Native American Heritage Month, a mixed holiday showcase (Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa), Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Black History Month. 
• We have also participated in “Fun Food Fridays” and “Hot Topic Mondays” to incorporate the celebration of each culture. 
• We played dreidel during Hanukah.  We ate dumplings and oranges to celebrate Chinese New Year.
• In January, we helped facilitate Sayville Middle School’s Second Annual “Mix-It-Up Lunch Day” for the Sixth graders.  
• We have a field trip to an anti-bullying conference planned in March.

 For more details, see the attached Newsletter about how the Unity Circle Club celebrated Black History Month.