Assemblyman Slater Visits BCSD

On October 2, 2024, New York State Assemblyman Matt Slater (94th Assembly District) visited the Brewster Central School District for a tour with administrators of the Navy Junior Reserves Officer Training Corps (NJROTC), Universal Pre-Kindergarten and Life Skills classrooms.  

The first stop at the NJROTC classroom was near and dear to Slater’s heart as he received a Presidential Direct Commission as an officer in the United States Navy Reserves and is currently assigned to Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 8 based in Lakehurst, NJ. Slater spoke to a roomful of interested cadets about his experience in the Navy and as an assemblyman.

“The great thing about the Reserves is the balance you can have between service and civilian life. I work in Cargo–it’s like Amazon of the Navy, " he explained, “We deliver the essentials to the Navy on the front lines: beans, Band-aids, and bullets. That’s what we deliver. It’s the proudest thing I have done. I applaud you for being a part of such an impressive program and for believing in something bigger than yourself. We need young model citizens now more than ever. You are leaders of the community.”

The Universal Pre-K program, which has 92 students, is tuition-free and is in its second year. In one of the classrooms, students were discussing the word of the day: enthusiasm. As they passed around a teddy bear, they used the word in a sentence. 

One student said she felt enthusiasm when she got her first stuffed puppy dog. She turned and passed the bear to Assemblyman Slater who said, "I felt enthusiastic when my daughter graduated from pre-k last year.”

The group then went to the Life Skills classroom where teacher Sarah Barnes discussed the various forms of community outreach her students have undertaken. Most recently, the Life Skills students participated in a Free Shopping event that provided 200 community members with clothing recycled from the school lost and found collections and provided food bags for 120 district students. 

Brewster Central School District is grateful to Assemblyman Slater for his support