Compiled by Mrs. Dalton and Mrs. Davis

The school building may have been closed, but that has not stopped the students of HSE from doing things they love and giving back to the community while staying connected. As classes continued online, so did clubs and activities! Here at The Thunderbird, for example, we never stopped writing, and the result was four quarantine issues, including our first-ever online senior issue, something traditionally done in print. As you all know, HSE offers a multitude of extracurricular activities to really tap into the unique interests of our student body. Here are just a few examples of how HSE hasn’t stopped!

AASO – Mrs. Brown

In order to stay connected and have fun, AASO hosted virtual game nights. With about 25 participants, including club advisor Mrs. Brown, it was a fun way to spend a quarantined Friday night and an even better way to stay connected while checking in with friends. 

Animal Friends & Advocates and the Asian American Society – Mrs. Kane

Both Animal Friends and the Asian American Society have been focusing their attention on our essential workers and honoring them for their sacrifice during this pandemic. In order to do so, both groups have written Thank You letters to be dropped off at various places where essential workers have been spending countless hours, such as hospitals and nursing homes. 

DECA – Mr. Cappiello and Mrs. Cappiello

DECA Business Club did not have the chance to do their normal Basket Fundraiser and Raffle this year, but the students still wanted to raise money for a worthy cause, selecting Northwell Health and COVID relief as their charity of choice. In order to do so, the students set up a GoFundMe page with a goal of $3,000 (a number they based on last year’s donation). In sharing this page with friends, family, and the HSE community, DECA students were able to let their voices be heard for this very worthy cause. 100% of the donations will go right to Northwell Health! 

Future Educators – Mrs. Nolan

The Future Educators created a student mentoring program to connect HHH high school students with elementary and middle school students in the district to help them navigate distance learning. The HS Student Mentor helped kids (and parents) with canvas and specific assignments online. Working with Central Office Administration and high school volunteers from both HSE and HSW, we have already been able to match 138 younger students with a high school mentor. Families and students throughout the district have been extremely appreciative, and the HS student mentors are having a wonderful time providing this incredible service.

National Honor Society – Mrs. Nolan and Ms. Toneatti

National Honor Society members focused their attention on their graduating classmates and strove to maintain morale and camaraderie during this unique time. In order to do so, through social media and other methods of communication, NHS students encouraged the HSE senior class to celebrate college commitment day on May 1st by wearing their college gear and sharing pictures. This gave seniors the opportunity to participate in a HSE tradition despite the current situation.

Peer AIDS Educators – Mrs. Mouzakes

The Peer AIDS Educators have been continuing to meet weekly to continue spreading their message of support to the community. Led by their officers, the group created a short video to let people in nursing homes, and people in general, know that we were thinking about them and that we are all connected through this. They also drew rainbows to display for people in their neighborhoods and to hopefully help brighten their days. The last activity they will participate in for this school year is a Thank You video to first responders for all they have done to keep us safe through this pandemic. The current board, along with Mrs. Mouzakes, was also able to vote in a new board for next year and continue checking in with each other. Our outgoing board of Lily Leff, Sophia Villa, Spencer Elkin, Hayden Fishbein, Ashley Gonzalez, Alexa Jones, Sloane Levine has been great in all this, and we wish them all the best in their new endeavors.  

With so many great extracurricular opportunities at HSE, this is just a brief snapshot of all that has been going on to continue fostering the sense of community that is so much more important now than ever before. Whether it’s writing notes of encouragement or simply checking in on their peers, HSE students have truly risen to the occasion and did their best to find a silver lining in so much darkness. This is a true testament to the strength of the TBird community, and those who spend extra time advising these clubs to allow our young people to explore their interests.