| Estee
Lauder & Poly Prep Students “Make a Difference”
 Starting October
1, motorists traveling across the Verrazano-Narrows
Bridge may wonder why Poly Prep’s clock tower has turned
pink. Brooklyn’s 85-year-old landmark will be in good company:
Niagara Falls, The Empire State Building, The National Assembly
in Paris, the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden in London, and Poly’s
tower will be among the many buildings illuminated in pink
light during the month of October—as part of the Global Landmarks
Illumination Initia-tive that heralds Breast Cancer Awareness
Month.
Poly
Prep Country Day School has teamed up with The Estee Lauder
Companies Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign to educate the Poly
community—and the greater Brooklyn community—and to raise money
for breast cancer research. Led by the Senior Health Interns
and their program director Patricia Tycenksi-Mastro, students
at Poly have participated in educational and fundraising events
throughout October for the past four years.
“It’s
part of our culture now, at Poly, to take time to reflect,
to show students that they can make a difference,” says Tycenski-Mastro,
adding, “Especially with this disease, where early detection
means an over 95% cure rate, there’s a feeling that the right
information really does save lives. That’s something young
women and men need to know and be part of.”
On October
3, the Senior Health Interns will give a presentation
to the Upper School that will include readings and information
designed to provide appropriate information and some inspiration,
so that students can understand the medical facts as well
as hear the stories of breast cancer survivors.
On October
7, students will begin the day by participating in
the “Ribbon of Light” project, creating a “human ribbon” on
the school’s playing fields. Throughout the day, and into
the evening, groups of people will create such ribbons around
the world. “Imagine seeing a huge glowing pink ribbon of
light illuminating the darkness,” said Evelyn H. Lauder,
Senior Vice President of The Estee Lauder Companies and Founder
and Chair of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “Now,
imagine that the ribbon is actually made up of thousands
of candles, each held by someone who cares passionately about
helping us wipe breast cancer off the face of the earth.”
Throughout
October, eve-ning visitors to Poly Prep will find pink luminaria
lining the steps at the school’s front entrance. “Candles are
memorials, re-minders of those who have died,” says Tycenski-Mastro. “They
also honor the survivors, and support those who are fighting
cancer today.”
Students
are already gearing up for Denim Day, October
10, when a contribution to The Breast Cancer Research
Foundation gives them a pink ribbon to wear and a free pass
to break the dress code for a day and come to school in jeans
and a t-shirt.
Finally,
Poly’s student-athletes will recognize Breast Cancer Awareness
Month at their Homecoming celebration this year. On October
25th, all Poly players on both girls and boys teams
will wear pink ribbons or have pink ribbons stamped on their
uniforms.
“We’ve
raised over $4,000 in the past four years to support The Breast
Cancer Research Foundation,” said Tycenski-Mastro. “But what’s
more important is that we talk openly about breast cancer,
which I don’t think is done in many high schools. Information
saves lives. Our students know this. What could be more important
than that?”#
Founded
in 1854, Poly Prep Country Day School is a co-educational,
college preparatory school located on a 25–acre wooded campus
in Dyker Heights. The school enjoys a long and distinguished
history as one of the preeminent educational institutions
in New York City. Poly’s student body reflects the great
urban diversity of Brooklyn and New York; students travel
to the school from four boroughs on Poly buses. Typically,
all of Poly’s graduates attend four-year colleges.
Education
Update, Inc., P.O. Box 1588, New York, NY 10159.
Tel: (212) 477-5600. Fax: (212) 477-5893. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
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the publisher. © 2003.
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