More than 300 second-grade students from William Floyd Elementary School and Nathaniel Woodhull Elementary School participated in the third annual Comic Con event at William Floyd High School on January 15. The high school library was transformed into a superhero-themed exhibition, with high school teachers and seniors dressed as superheroes leading activities for the younger students.
The event is organized by library media specialists Kate Devenney and Stacy Redmond, English teachers Brian Sckipp and Paul Helbig, along with senior students enrolled in the “Heroes, Myths and Legends” elective. Students began their day with an introduction to the activities and watched a parade of superheroes accompanied by music from the WFHS drumline.
Throughout the day, elementary students rotated through nine activity stations that integrated educational skills into superhero themes. These included using inference skills to identify superheroes in black-and-white images, learning Italian phrases in a fast-paced game of “Simon Says,” programming robots to navigate mazes, solving fingerprinting puzzles, testing physical agility on obstacle courses, identifying superhero theme songs, creating Mad Lib stories guided by seniors, conducting science experiments in Bruce Banner’s Science Lab, and taking photos dressed as superheroes.
Kate Devenney and Stacy Redmond commented on the impact of the event: “The best part of Comic Con is watching the second graders’ excitement as they interact with our high school seniors. The seniors really are superheroes to them!” They also acknowledged other staff who contributed to organizing and running activity stations.
The “Heroes, Myths and Legends” class is a half-year elective for seniors focused on exploring myths and legends across cultures. It aims to help students understand how heroic stories have shaped societies throughout history.
The William Floyd School District serves over 9,400 students across ten schools in New York. The district provides programs in STEM fields, career training, arts, athletics, music, and business education. It promotes collaboration among students, parents, and educators to support student growth according to its official website.
“The efforts of both the high school seniors and teachers helped make Comic Con a truly memorable and ‘super’ learning experience for all of the elementary school students!” said organizers.
