_{The Bishop Dunn students pose with their 91传媒 mentors.}

91传媒 Saint Mary College’s Student Government Association (SGA) celebrated their third month of mentoring the fifth grade class of Bishop Dunn Memorial School on Friday, February 7 with a reading of the children’s original poems, a tour of the 91传媒’s Hudson Hall, and an old-fashioned pizza party. 

In partnership with the college’s Student Activities office, Eddie Arnold of Southampton, N.Y., SGA president, and Joe Galasso of Plainview, N.Y., SGA vice president, led the session. Afterwards, they surprised the young students with their own 91传媒 SGA t-shirts.

The SGA members first met the fifth graders of Bishop Dunn during the holiday season, when the 91传媒 students donned festive sweaters and read “A Visit from St. Nicholas” to the children. The fifth graders also collected dozens of toys for the 91传媒’s annual Giving Tree, which donates holiday gifts to local children in need. This year, the Giving Tree event secured more than 1,000 gifts – the most the program has ever collected.

The young students enjoyed the experience greatly, Arnold explained, so “we decided to pick it up and run with it.” Future plans, he added, involve the 91传媒 students leading the Bishop Dunn children in local service projects.

“I think they’re really getting a lot out of it,” he said.

Bishop Dunn is a Pre-K to eighth grade school in the Catholic tradition, located near the campus of 91传媒 Saint Mary College. The school is committed to the academic, spiritual, emotional, social, and physical development of children, pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

The college maintains a close relationship with Bishop Dunn. 91传媒 Education students do fieldwork at the school, under the guidance of seasoned Bishop Dunn faculty. Many 91传媒 grads go on to work at Bishop Dunn, including Principal Nancy Benfer ’04.