By Annalise Knudson | aknudson@siadvance.com
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IN CLASS: This feature is part of an ongoing education column highlighting the various activities that engage school communities.

Frank Wilkinson, proprietor of Rab’s Country Lanes in Dongan Hills, joins Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and 2022 SIBOR President Francis (Frank) J. Rizzo in celebrating the accomplishments of students who participated in the creation of SIBOR’S 2022 Fair Housing Calendar. (Courtesy/SIBOR)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Some Staten Island fifth-grade students were recognized earlier this month for their artistic contributions to the Staten Island Board of Realtors’ (SIBOR) 2022 Fair Housing Calendar.

Amy Yao, a fifth-grader at PS 56, Rossville, is joined by Rosanne La Fata, chair of SIBOR’S Diversity Committee, as she displays her original artwork on the front cover of the Realtor organization’s Fair Housing Calendar. (Courtesy/SIBOR)

Members of SIBOR were joined by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis and local business owners at Rab’s Country Lanes, Dongan Hills, on Jan. 16 to celebrate the local students who placed as winners, or received honorable mentions, in the art competition focused on fair housing.

The students received a universal gift card and were praised for their work by: SIBOR CEO Sandy Krueger; SIBOR President Francis (Frank) J. Rizzo; Rosanne La Fata, chair of the organization’s Diversity Committee, and Malliotakis, who prepared a personalized Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition for each of the students.

“Young children practice diversity, equity and inclusion naturally,” Krueger said. “As adults, we need to reinforce the values that have made our country what it is. Fair housing is an ongoing mission that we hope these children will support as they continue to develop.”