Lee F. Jackson Elementary School closed out November with several schoolwide experiences that connected kindness, communication, and community through the IB Primary Years Programme. Each event gave students a different way to explore how caring actions and thoughtful communication help build welcoming learning environments. Families, teachers, and community partners joined in along the way, showing how IB learning grows through authentic relationships both inside and beyond the classroom.
World Kindness Day came first, bringing students together for an interactive assembly organized by Valarie Williams and Ian Staley. Guided by the No Place for Hate pledge, students reflected on how listening closely, speaking respectfully, and making space for others’ ideas are real acts of kindness. Special guest Daymon Yizar, longtime Greenburgh resident and newly inducted member of the 2025 Westchester Sports Hall of Fame, joined the conversation. As students stepped up to share ideas like “Be a good friend,” “Play with others,” and “Be helpful,” they were not simply responding—they were practicing confident communication. Mr. Yizar listened proudly and reminded students that the values they practice now can guide who they become as future community leaders.
Next, LFJ families joined students for Parent Involvement Day and a Friendsgiving-themed cornucopia activity. Before creating edible cornucopias out of waffle cones and fresh fruit, Ms. Jimenez asked, “What is a cornucopia?” A student eagerly responded, “It’s a cone that can hold food!” That simple moment of inquiry sparked curiosity, creativity, and shared laughter as families and students worked side by side, celebrating abundance, gratitude, and joyful learning.
Later that same day, students gathered outdoors for the annual Turkey Trot. Families moved from the classrooms to the back lawn to cheer on runners, and students encouraged one another around the course with the same spirit of kindness and connection they had just experienced indoors. As students returned inside, one smiling IB learner summed it up best: “This was the best day ever. I am never ever leaving this school.”
At Lee F. Jackson, November showed how IB learning shapes not just what students know, but who they are becoming—caring, curious, and connected members of a community they help create.