District News

As part of a new second grade English Language Arts project designed to build background knowledge about local communities, Court Street Elementary second grader Porter Leavoy recently interviewed Carmen Ciccarelli from the Town of Lancaster Parks & Recreation Department. The assignment, created to help students learn about the people who make their community work, asks each student to select a place or job that interests them, from local parks and restaurants to favorite destinations like Frosty’s and Darien Lake, and interview someone who works there. 

The project also supports key Social Studies learning standards by helping students understand community roles, and the importance of goods and services. Teachers provided a set of guiding questions, while students developed additional questions of their own to deepen the conversation. The experience culminated in a persuasive writing piece and illustrated poster encouraging others to visit their chosen location. 

Porter, who loves being outdoors and playing sports, prepared thoughtful questions for Ciccarelli during his visit to Westwood Park. Ciccarelli, a proud Court Street alumnus, said he enjoyed helping a student from his former school complete the project. The story of Porter’s interview was recently featured in The Lancaster Bee, giving the project an audience beyond the classroom. This is the first year the project was implemented across the district’s elementary schools, and the response from students, teachers, and families has been overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating the value of connecting curriculum to the community around us.

More Community Connections

Owen Baker brought his persuasive poster from the project to Big Papa’s Creamery in the village and was thrilled when owner Kole Kingsland (Class of 2013) asked to display it in the shop’s window. Kingsland also enjoyed sharing about the business and his passion with Owen. The Pizza Heist proudly shared Jack Rickli’s persuasive poster in their shop window and on their social media.

This article was published in December 2025 as part of the Lancaster Central School District’s Winter Newsletter. Read this year’s edition at https://bit.ly/3Lggqoy.