Dozens of K-Kids members showed up to the Hampton Bays Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, October 12, to show their appreciation to the Southampton Kiwanis Club for donating the bricks and labor to create a “Reading Wall” at the school.

Kiwanis President Lorri Schneider was on hand at the meeting on behalf of the club to receive a special plaque of appreciation from the students, who showed up in light blue K-Kids tee-shirts alongside their K-Kids advisors, Joan Moran and Barbara Ferucci.

Though they were not in attendance at the meeting, Kiwanis member Bruce Peterson and Seven Sons Landscaping owner Mike Ruddy were also singled out for their impressive efforts in making the “Reading Wall” a reality.

“They donated the bricks, the stones, and the work. Brick by brick they built it,” K-Kids’ Ms. Moran said as she expressed her appreciation for the donation. 

The “Reading Wall” took about a week and a half to complete and was built in the middle of the extended heat wave in August, Ms. Moran said. Currently students and their teachers are able to enjoy reading in the area, which includes a ledge to sit on and “dedication bricks” purchased by members of the Hampton Bays community. Future plans for the “Reading Wall” and courtyard at the elementary school include landscaping and raised flower beds.