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District 25 plans March wellness day and expands civics-through-Project Soapbox for student voice
Summary
District 25 announced a March 15 community wellness day at Common Point Queens, plans to expand Project Soapbox and civics events, and described a new youth leadership team working on respect-focused action projects and podcasts.
District 25 leaders outlined plans for a districtwide wellness day on Saturday, March 15 at Common Point Queens in Bayside and discussed expanded civics programming through Project Soapbox and the District 25 Youth Leadership Team.
Doctor Mike introduced Project Soapbox — a civics-for-all initiative that encourages students to research topics they care about and present a call to action. He said the district plans a civics-for-all day at the end of the year that will showcase student projects and called for feedback on inviting students to present at DLT and President’s Council meetings. He described a recent second-grader whose personal experience with serious illness informed a call to action about access to health care.
The district's youth leadership team, led by Melinda Willens with teachers Amanda Solorzano and Elizabeth Levine, brought middle-school students together to organize action projects focused on respect. The students are planning activities including visits by the Harlem Magic Masters and Harlem Wizards and intend to produce a podcast featuring guest conversations on topics that promote respect.
Staff described the March 15 wellness day as a collaboration with Common Point Queens, the CEC and community partners to promote mental, physical and social-emotional learning (SEL). Planned features include MindUP activities, physical wellness booths and community-organized programming. Participants suggested adding chair massage, deep-breathing sessions and poetry readouts; Monique and others recommended ensuring location accessibility for families from Downtown Flushing and other neighborhoods, and suggested outreach to local health centers, logistics for transit and school food office participation.
The DLT discussed ways to connect these events to district goals, and several members encouraged bringing students’ civics presentations to district meetings as a way to elevate student voice. No formal vote was taken; staff will continue planning and return with logistics and outreach plans.
