Poland pupils receive national honor

By Denise Dick

“It’s good for you to be patient.”

Hannah DeGenaro

Poland kindergartner

Poland Union was one of 10 schools nationwide to earn the distinction.

POLAND — First-grader Cassidy Smith, 7, knows that joy means finding a way to be happy, even if things don’t go your way.

Makayla Sherman, 7, and a first-grader, understands that sometimes you have to wait for what you want. That’s patience.

Courage “means that you’re brave enough to do what you should do even if you’re scared to do it,” explained first-grader Sarah Bury, 8.

Luke Fulton, 7, another first-grader, realizes that uniqueness is about an individual’s talents.

Knowledge of good character traits demonstrated by all Poland Union Elementary pupils earned the school one of seven Core Essentials Awards presented to schools across the country this year and the only one in the state. The program is sponsored by Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fast food chain.

Gail McCullough, owner/operator of the U.S. Route 224, Boardman, Chick-fil-A, accompanied by the Chick-fil-A cow, gave Principal Carmella Smallhoover a plaque and a $250 donation, marking the achievement.

Each month focuses on a different character trait and Teresa Dalesandro, a guidance counselor, said the children get information to take home so parents can participate, too. An animal that embodies that quality is assigned to each month.

This month’s trait is patience, and the spider is the example. A spider “works and works to create that web and then waits for her dinner to arrive,” the program study guide says.

“It’s good for you to be patient,” explained kindergartner Hannah DeGenaro, 6.

“If someone is talking to a friend you want to talk to, you can wait,” added Gabby Romano, 6, who is also in kindergarten.

The school also conducted events during the year that focused on good character qualities.

In October, they collected Halloween costumes and sent them to a school in Brooklyn, N.Y., she said.

Joy was April’s attribute, and the school celebrated Joy Givers. When a teacher witnessed a pupil offering joy to another, the kindness was rewarded with a prize, Smallhoover said.

The principal said that pupils seen exhibiting particular traits throughout the school year were rewarded with a card for a free kids meal at Chick-fil-A.