Farmingdale middle school students learned about the importance of community Tuesday.

It was part of an English/Language Arts project at Howitt Middle School.

Sixth graders read "Count Me In" by Varsha Bajaj, which tells the story of how a community came together following a racial incident.

Students reflected on the book they read and on how the Farmingdale community came together after September's deadly bus crash.

Teachers hoped students would walk away from the experience learning about the importance of a community.

Addison Suwalski says she learned a valuable lesson about the strength of a community through her photo project and reading the book.

"They can help you through anything and just remember when something happens, just let everyone know that you think can help you,” she said.

Students could do physical projects or virtual ones. Some students even wrote songs or poetry. Their teachers allowed for students to share their projects with their classmates.