District News

Kudos to Bedwell Elementary School! They set out to collect as many boxes of cereal as possible to donate to Market Street Mission with the idea that they could demonstrate a "chain reaction,” literally and figuratively, with a giant cereal box domino path and the earnest goal of doing good.

Throughout the month of January, staff and students, led by Megan ("Feelings") Dooley and her 4th grade Link Club, collected ~820 boxes of cereal! Allison Gelsinger's 2nd grade class was the top-collecting class, and grade 4 was the grade level to collect the most. But with an overall total like that, it was clearly a great effort by all of Bedwell to help others in need.

The week of January 27th represented the Great Kindness Challenge where students decorated kindness-themed bookmarks to be distributed in the Bedwell and Bernardsville libraries. They also eagerly decorated coffee sleeves for Priscilla's Pantry and Barrister Coffee.

The Great Kindness Week culminated in a school-wide pep rally; students filtered into the gym where a display of “dominos” was set up, and the Bedwell Band brought down the house! The Bedwell school mascot, Character Ed, along with Allison Gelsinger had the honor of kicking off the chain reaction by pushing the first cereal box at each end of the path, which wound its way to a giant Cheerios wall that was the final structure to collapse.

Special thanks to the Bedwell Band of Darcey Brooten, Melissa Leonard, Allen Thurlow, and Mark Noonan; to Michelle ("Math") Dooley for researching the best dominos practices and constructing the Cheerios wall; to Kelly McSpiritt for her role in building the path; to Meredith Panik for her event-planning skills; to the Bedwell HSA for promoting the collection; and to Principal Koellhoffer and Assistant Principal Akauola for their continued support of positive initiatives.