Adult education literacy students celebrate the holidays together
Press Release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES
MEDINA – The holidays were a great time for students in the Orleans/Niagara BOCES’ Adult Education Literacy classes at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Medina to come together and celebrate. The students are either ESL (English as a Second Language) and/or Adult Basic Education (ABE) and/or High School Equivalency (HSE).
Teachers Shelly Smith (Literacy Instructor), Karen Cunningham (Career Prep instructor) and Dorie Kenyon (Tester) wanted to reward the students for all their hard work over the course of the last few months.
“We had a gift for each one of the students that consisted of a mug filled with candy,” said Mrs. Smith. “Mrs. Cunningham and I purchased pizza, fruit, pop, a veggie tray, cookies and brownies. The students also brought in their favorite snacks to add to the festivities.”
One student even got a special gift of a new winter coat.
“Mary Melero is with us for six hours a day,” explained Mrs. Smith. “She is like a sponge in learning and a big help in the classrooms. She is always pitching in and helping clean up. She walks everywhere and only has a windbreaker. When we gave her the coat, the look on her face will always be etched in my mind.”
The students all brought in a gift of $3 or less and played a fun game of Dirty Santa. The teachers brought in extra gifts so everyone was able to participate and go home with a gift.
“Kindness is like snow,” says Mrs. Smith. “It beautifies everything that it covers. It was so much fun, especially because we had invited our most recent graduates to come and celebrate with us.”