Students from East Islip’s Connetquot Elementary School participated in the annual Turkey Trot on Nov. 22. In the days leading up to the Trot, they learned about the meaning of Thanksgiving through reading, activities and class discussion, then created Thanksgiving-themed crafts.  The students then wore those crafts as they “trotted” around the building. Upon reaching the main lobby, each student placed canned or boxed goods in bins to reinforce the themes of kindness and charity. Connetquot partners with the Long Island Cares nonprofit food bank in Hauppauge, which accepts the school’s donations and delivers them to needy families throughout Long Island.

“The education of our students is much more involved than learning math and reading,” Principal Nicholas Bilotti said. “One of our goals for our students is to teach them about kindness and charity. This year, our students donated 495 pounds of food at the Turkey Trot that will go to needy families for the holidays. This longstanding CES tradition helps dozens of people each year to celebrate the holidays with food and family.”