East Quogue Elementary School recognized Rare Disease Day, held on Feb. 29, the rarest of days on the calendar. The students discussed what rare diseases are and how they can best support students and families with rare diseases so that they will not feel alone.

Each student wore a tie-dye shirt created in art classes to symbolize the many different colors that mean so much to rare diseases. In music class, they also learned a variation of the song “I’m Gonna Be” by the Proclaimers to show support. Additionally, there was a student-driven assembly to showcase their knowledge of rare diseases and the projects they had worked on all month.

The students and staff also pledged to walk/move 500 miles within one week to align with the song. The highly motivated school community exceeded that goal and moved over 3,000 miles. The excitement generated with a competition to move was noticed in the hallways all week as teachers allowed students to gain miles as reward incentives to complete their daily work.

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Date Added: 3/6/2024