Lake Riviera Middle School
Brick, New Jersey, USA
Teachers at Lake Riviera Middle School have implemented a cross-curricular literary initiative whereby students create interactive presentations based on selected novels. Recently, students presented Boy at War: A Spring Board for Patriotic Tribute based on the novel A Boy at War. The presentation created an opportunity for students to recognize how the current War on Terror has impacted their own lives and communities. It motivated 120 students and 25 staff members to volunteer for designing and creating stations with activities for other students as well as 175 veteran family participants. The activities coupled with the presentation helped students to develop their empathy for military personnel as well as their own ethical values and awareness of the responsibilities of citizenship. The presentation resulted in increased attendance at Lake Riviera Middle School Veteran’s Ceremony as well as community-building activities such as the students hosting a Holiday Dinner with the Veterans and the Veterans hosting a luncheon for the students.
