Mackenzie Gasparini, the solidarity coordinator of the Blind Brook Federation of Teachers and Blind Brook High School ninth-grade English teacher, speaks with shy first-grader Jordan Peikon and her dad, Zach. Jordan was scared to come to the event, but her conversation with Gasparini boosted her confidence.
Kids of all ages, their parents and lots of Blind Brook School District staff gather at Harkness Park next to Blind Brook Middle/High School for the annual Teacher Meet & Greet on Wednesday, Aug. 31. The event was hosted by the Blind Brook Federation of Teachers, whose sign proudly sits at the entrance to one of the park’s trails.
Eli Ferrari (left), a rising third-grader at Ridge Street Elementary School, is mesmerized by his peer Justin Crasper’s beanbag toss. The two play a game with Crasper’s younger siblings Brett and Chloe, twins who are about to enter kindergarten.
Brian Lizere, a seventh-grade learning center teacher at Blind Brook Middle School, holds up a sign directing students to a group of teachers from his school. The event wasn’t just geared toward elementary school pupils—it was for students of every age across the district.
Gabriella Thompson tosses a tennis ball high into the air in a game of catch with herself. No matter how high the incoming Ridge Street Elementary School fourth-grader tosses the ball, she never drops it.
Giggling, Ridge Street Elementary School second-grader Logan Ferdschneider chases fellow second-grader Victor Luzuriaga in a game of tag while their parents socialize nearby.
Natalie Georges waves to her friend Gia Thompson, who will soon enter the first grade with her. The two have a lot to catch up on after a long summer apart.
Running around hard at play on a warm summer day can be exhausting. A group of children takes a break on picnic benches that line the fence near the tennis courts.
Lots of friends, young and old, reunited at Wednesday’s event. With the school year quickly approaching, the students will soon get to spend almost every day together, and their parents will have many more opportunities to socialize picking their young ones up from school or extracurricular events.
