Sousa Elementary School commemorated a significant milestone in its journey toward unity and resilience on Tuesday, May 7th, 2024. Students, staff, and administrators gathered in a spirit of camaraderie to witness the reveal of the fifth-grade legacy project: the "Be Kind and Be Brave" relief mural.
The annual legacy project is the fifth-grade’s opportunity to reflect on how they can leave their mark on the Sousa community. The Sousa Elementary fifth grade class of 2023, with the support of their teachers, determined to reveal the “Be Kind and Be Brave” relief mural on the site where a swastika had been painted in 2021. Sousa fifth-graders have reclaimed this part of the school and turned it into a message of kindness, encouraging upstanding behavior to make the Port Washington community a better place.
The entire Sousa school community worked to create and integrate Holocaust education into the fifth-grade curriculum and find ways celebrate the great diversity present in the school through the creation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Sousa’s art teacher, Mr. Stephen Moore, worked with the fifth-grade classes of 2023 and 2024 to create the powerful and positive relief mural. "Through education and understanding, we will shine our light together on even the darkest of moments. These relief murals will represent our collective determination to stand as one against hate and to celebrate the beauty of our diversity," said Meg Sheehan, Principal of Sousa Elementary School.
For more information about the Port Washington Union Free School District, please visit the district’s website at www.portnet.org follow our Instagram/Facebook page: @PortWashSchools.
Principal Meg Sheehan gave remarks after the Sousa chorus sang "America the Beautiful."
Students and staff gathered on May 7, 2024.
Sousa teachers: Samantha DeCicco, Liz Molloy, Steve Moore, Justin Ryan, Karen Silver, and Emily Baxter.
Sousa fifth graders.
"Be Kind and Be Brave" Relief Mural.
