Thornhill, ON - Forty-two students from Thornhill Public School have written letters of appreciation to front line health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before writing their letters, the Grade 7 and 8 students took part in video conversations with their teachers, Julia Buttiglieri and Stacey Lax, to discuss the role of front line workers and the reasons why they need the public’s support during the pandemic.
"The students realized the importance of empathy and how their words and actions truly have a positive impact on others,” said teachers Buttiglieri and Lax. “They were able to reflect on how to be active citizens of change in their community.”
The students chose to write letters to Mackenzie Health workers after a nurse worked with the class to provide updates on the hospital’s role as a COVID-19 assessment centre as well as the challenges that workers have faced throughout the pandemic.
The nurse who initially received the letters said that she “read each and every one of the letters that night and cried because she was so overwhelmed with the empathy shown from the students.”
“The teachers and students at Thornhill Public School have worked so hard to express their gratitude for the work that is being done to help save the lives of members of our community,” said Thornhill Public School principal, Julia Waiser.
The letters were shared with all of the hospital’s physicians, staff and the Executive Nurse Director, who sent a heartfelt reply back to the students.
“When we shared this news with the students, they were so excited and proud of themselves,” said Buttiglieri and Lax. “They were happy that it was ‘such great news.’”
York Region District School Board is the third largest school district in Ontario with over 128,000 students in 180 elementary schools and 33 secondary schools. York Region students consistently perform above average in provincial testing and the Board is one of the top achievers in Ontario. For more information about the York Region District School Board, please visit the Board website and follow YRDSB on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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