North Adams Public Schools
North Adams Public Schools
Service-Learning Project Narratives
July 2011-June 2012
* indicates project connection with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)
~ indicates connection to the Garden Mosaic Project in collaboration with a community initiative that strives to increase awareness of food security issues, increase access, provide relief and develop sustainable solutions. Harvested food is donated to the Berkshire Food Project (community free meal program). Additional community partners include the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Growing Healthy Gardening Program and MCLA.
DRURY HIGH SCHOOL
Boulger, Patrick – “Be Our Guest”
Students in the senior sociology course assisted the local American Legion with the “Be Our Guest” annual holiday dinner serving over 750 people. The dinner is provided free to any community member with outreach to those in financial need or without local family. Students collect and wrap toys for the children. Students also decorate the hall and help with general preparation.
Boulger, Patrick; Bedard, Karen; Pinsonneault, Krista – “Be Our Guest- Spruces Residents”
Students from sociology class, Student Council, SPIRIT and SLAC worked together on behalf of residents of the Spruces mobile home park who had lost their housing because of flooding during Hurricane Irene in late August. They held a collection of non-perishable foods and organized and promoted a free dinner for residents. Guests were treated to entertainment by the Drury Jazz Band and were invited to take food home from the collection.
Boulger, Patrick – “Senior Citizen’s Prom”
The Senior Citizen’s Prom involved students in two senior classes in a year-end, culminating project for the sociology course. The prom is designed to help break down stereotypes and barriers between elders and teenagers in a fun atmosphere. Students research relationships between groups and identify gaps. Students conduct outreach to elder residences and organizations, manage publicity, solicit donations, plan and decorate around a theme, organize music and food, interact with prom-goers and select a prom king, queen and court. The Senior Citizen’s Prom has become a tradition in the community with this year’s being the 19th annual serving approximately 75 elders.
Caproni, Chris – “Sounds Good- Clarksburg Tour”
Students in band provide mentoring and instruction to 4th and 5th grade band students at a regional elementary school. The older students provide individual 30-minute lessons for 6 to 8 weeks and also play alongside their mentees during band rehearsals. The Drury Jazz band provided a concert to the school to kick off the program and to promote recruitment into the school band.
Carpenter, Nancy; Pious, Emily – “Pennies for Patients”
High school students in Basic Math and Life Skills classes used math, science, social and problem solving skills to organize a fundraising campaign for Pennies for Patients, a program through the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society that allows students to collect spare change for the cause. Students were responsible for organizing the fundraising and money collections, made announcements over the intercom and Drury TV as well as make presentations to individual classes.
Choquette, Jamie – “Environmental Awareness Films”
Students in television production classes pursued film projects connected to various environmental themes and broadcast them to the entire student population via Drury TV during homeroom period. Films included a report about the installation of solar panels on the roof of the school and the resulting environmental impacts. Additional video PSA’s were broadcast about environmental issues and green solutions.
Choquette, Jamie – “A Walking Tour of the Hoosic River Flood Chutes”
Students in Advanced television production class completed the editing and production of a 30-minute documentary film on behalf of the Hoosic River Revival Coalition (HRR). The students learned about the goal of the Hoosic River Revival (HRR) Coalition to revitalize downtown North Adams by re-designing the flood control chutes on the Hoosic River. Last spring, students filmed a replication of a trolley and guided walking tour that the HRR had conducted for the Army Corps of Engineers, government officials including US Congressman John Olver and city residents. The film was premiered to the HRR Steering Committee and then broadcast on community television, YouTube, and the HRR website in order to raise community awareness about the initiative.
Choquette, Jamie – “ DTV and R-Radio Supporting School and Service”
Throughout the school year, students in television and radio production courses, learn and authentically apply technology and writing skills to tell important news stories, to raise awareness about important issues, and to promote involvement with service and service-learning initiatives. Broadcasts included content on driver safety on campus, local government officials, teen pregnancy and parenting, and student orientation. Multiple service-learning projects were promoted such as the ‘lip-dub’, the holiday toy drive, food drives, prom dress drive, blood drive, and “Pennies for Patients”.
~Davis, Keith – “Hoosic River Revival Demonstration Project- Community Garden”
Students from multiple courses participated in this project. Students in CAD- Computer Animated Design course applied their skills by designing raised beds for two new community gardens. For one of the sites, the beds was designed to be at a level that would allow older gardeners not to need to stoop or bend. Students in construction class built and installed one set of the beds alongside the Hoosic River flood control chutes on downtown, city-owned property. Several independent study, senior students with engineering aspirations also contributed to this project by designing a sign for the garden and serving on the Hoosic River Revival Coalition Steering Committee. Goals for this garden project include bringing city residents close to the river, raising awareness about the vision of the Hoosic River Revival Coalition to re-design the flood chutes, building and strengthening neighborhoods and providing healthy garden produce to residents. Partners include the city of North Adams, the Hoosic River revival Coalition, REACH for Community Health and Northern Berkshire Community Coalition.
Davis, Keith – “Identification Badges for School Safety”
Working with the School Resource Officer and safety personnel, students in the after school STEM academy learned about the importance of staff wearing identification badges for school safety. Because of staff turnover and changes in the process of procuring badges, staff ID badges were nonexistent or outdated. The students decided to revive the process and partnered with students in the Engineering the Future class. They presented a plan to faculty, organized digital photo shoots, designed and produced ID’s, and distributed them.
~French, Anne – “SLAC”
Students in the extra-curricular Service-Learning Action Council help to support the sustainability of service-learning by providing introductory lessons about service-learning to classrooms, by consulting with teachers and students about projects, and by implementing their own projects. Service-learning experiences included:
• SLAC members learned about local hunger issues and volunteered at the Berkshire Food Project
• SLAC led an orientation workshop about food security and expectations for volunteers for senior students prior to their service at Berkshire Food Project
• SLAC collaborated with Student Council and Spirit to host a food collection and free dinner for residents of the Spruces who had been flooded out of their homes by Hurricane Irene in late August
• SLAC led a school-wide toy collection drive for the holidays for a local organization
Girouard, Aldonna- “The Mill Children”
Chorus students partnered with a local artistic and historical exhibit, The Mill Children, which revisits the lives of child workers who were photographed in 1911 by social reformer Lewis W. Hine at the Eclipse Cotton Mill in North Adams. Students researched the history of child mill workers, explored musical and cultural traditions of the period and learned how Lewis Hine used his art of photography as an agent for social change. Striving to draw local people into the exhibit in the art gallery housed in the former mill, a special student exhibition and performance was held. Chorus students served as hosts and performed French Canadian and folk songs evocative of the era. Chorus delivered the premiere performance of the song Donnie Cole, written by The Mill Children historian Joe Manning about a boy photographed by Hine at a mill in Alabama and referred to as ‘the baby doffer”. By special invitation, the chorus performed at a Children’s Opening for the exhibit when it traveled to the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation in Waltham.
~Luczynski, Sara; Holland, Jim – “Summer 2011 STEPS”
Integrated into the transition to high school summer program, students applied ELA, math, science, social studies, health, and technology skills in several service-learning experiences. Students cultivated and harvested food from the school garden; harvested produce was donated to Berkshire Food Project. Students also prepared and served lunch at Berkshire Food Project.
Lyden-Fortier, Beth- “School Beautification”
Students in grade 12 AP Biology cleaned and re-planted a garden bed at the entrance of the building to create a more welcoming approach to the high school. As part of this process, students researched the choice, planting and the care of plants selected to be planted. Students created a site map for future maintenance.
Meczywor, Molly; Uliasz, Nicole – “Soles for Souls”
The girls’ soccer players, in grades 8-12, organized a shoe collection that occurred over a period of several weeks and held a dance where the entrance fee was a pair of shoes. The shoes were contributed to the Soles for Souls organization who gives them to people in need because of disasters, homelessness and poverty.
Meczywor, Molly – “Reading Week at Stamford”
Students in grade 12 English created lessons to related to specific genres and delivered the lessons to students in grades kindergarten through eight at Stamford (VT) Elementary School. All lessons included an activity component.
~Meczywor, Molly; DiGiorgis, Butch; Boillat, Cheryl – “Senior Service Learning Project”
Students in Grade 12 participated in a grade-wide service-learning project to benefit their communities. Students were given selections and asked to choose a service experience based on career interest, personal interest or hobbies. Throughout the project, seniors were asked to keep a journal, complete several writing assignments and make connections to literature thematically – family, relationships, social class, home and education. Novels included How To Build A House, The Kite Runner and The Life of Pi. At the end of the program, a celebration was held so all students could showcase their work to the school and local dignitaries. During the celebration, senior class president Max Quinn reflected: “For the most part, education has been a self-centered process. At every twist and turn we have competed against each other for that “A”, for that class rank, or for that spot on a sports team. But during service-learning, we engage in one of the few activities that truly has us cooperate for the overall good.”
Sites were:
• 21st Century After School Programs
• Berkshire Food Project
• Louison House Family Shelter
• Habitat For Humanity
• Youth Health Service Corps
Moitozo, Judi – “Prom Attire”
Students in Child Development surveyed their peers about whether they would donate gently used clothing for girls for prom. They ran a collection drive, advertised via the high school television show and collected dresses and accessories. Students who needed formalwear were invited to choose from the collection.
Moitozo, Judi – “Growing Up is Not Easy”
As they studied the physical, social and emotional changes that happen during puberty and adolescence, students in child development class identified the need to prepare 7th grade students for the decisions they would face when transitioning to the high school in 8th grade. They identified four key issues of decision-making, self-esteem, gender roles and friendship. The students prepared learning activities and guided discussions with 7th graders at Brayton Elementary School.
~Moitozo, Judi – “Empty Bowl”
Students in foods classes applied health, nutrition and math knowledge and skills to prepare desserts for the Berkshire Food Project’s major community fundraising event, “Empty Bowls”. The Berkshire Food Projects provides free, nutritious meals five days a week to community residents.
Pepper, Phoebe- “Cascade Mill Paintings”
Students in advanced art classes created oversized reproductions of classic paintings by famous painters. The paintings were installed over the boarded up window openings of an old brick mill that houses Cascade School Supply. The paintings help beautify a run down area and add to the identity of the city as an arts-centered community. Partnering with Art About Town and the management of Cascade, Cascade reciprocated by making a financial donation to the arts department at the high school.
Pepper, Phoebe- “Peace”
Students in art classes created huge paper banners with a ribbon design and the peace sign painted in ‘Drury blue’. The hangings protruded into and lined the hallways of the school during the filming of the ‘Lip-Dub” promoting positive school climate and culture.
Pepper, Phoebe- “Tanglewood Music Festival 75th Anniversary”
Students in studio and advanced arts classes painted motifs from classic rock and jazz artists that have performed at the Tanglewood Music Festival on a sculpture of a giant French horn. In honor of the 75th anniversary of the festival, the horn will be displayed along with those created by students from other area colleges and high schools.
Pepper, Phoebe – “Holiday Cheer”
Promoting good will and holiday cheer, students in arts classes decorate several community sites including housing for seniors and people with disabilities.
Pinsonneault, Krista; Bedard, Karen – “September 11 Memorial – A Call to Service”
Students in Student Council and SPIRIT collaborated to plan and host a memorial assembly commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11/01. Students were asked to consider getting involved with volunteering and to sign up for various service projects.
Pinsonneault, Krista; Fairweather, Judith; Choquette, Jamie: - “Drury High School Lip Dub”
A group of senior student leaders organized the second annual school-wide filming of a ‘lip dub’ with the goals of promoting school spirit, respect and bullying prevention. They promoted the idea to the administration and student body, selected music, organized rehearsal schedules, mapped out a filming route and filmed several takes. Multiple classrooms and student groups prepared posters and signs to depict the positive messages in the film. The process drew the school community together and contributed to positive school climate with 86% student participation. The Lip Dub premiered at a special school assembly and was then uploaded to YouTube where it has had thousands of viewings.
Pinsonneault, Krista – “Memorial Day Celebration”
Student Council members saw a need to honor troops who have served in various branches of the military and to generate a sense of patriotism. Students organized a Memorial Day program with readings, musical selections and video. Students invited veterans and local dignitaries to join the school body in the celebration.
~Pious, Emily; Holland, Jim; Shafer, Morgan- “Drury Garden and Berkshire Food Project”
Students in math, science and Life Skills classes applied their academic skills in maintaining and planting in the Drury gardens that provide food for the Berkshire Food Project. Collaborating with gardening partner, Jennifer Munoz, the project is part of the district Garden Mosaics program. Strawberry runners from the mother plants at Drury were transplanted at community gardens at Berkshire Food Project and at Greylock Elementary School. During the 2011 growing season, the Garden Mosaic program provided over 335 lbs. of organic fruits and vegetables to the Berkshire Food Project.
*Rancourt, Melanie; Walraven, Wendy; Wooster-Cote, Shelbea – “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service”
Over a period of several months, students in the 21st Century After School Academy prepared for the community Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. Students learned about the values and beliefs of Dr. King and collaborated with multiple community organizations. Before the day of service, students made buttons, passed out flyers, prepared food donation bags and helped to oversee a donation drop off area. On the Day of Service, students helped paint rooms for a family resource center and organized school supply kits for children in Haiti.
Rancourt, Melanie; Walraven, Wendy; Wooster-Cote, Shelbea – “Youth Pride”
Students in the 21st Century After School Academy held a bake sale to raise awareness and to raise funds for their participation in Massachusetts Youth Pride, an annual festival dedicated to celebrating LGBTQ youth. Students contributed to raising broader awareness by participating in the rally and parade in Boston.
Rancourt, Melanie; Walraven, Wendy – “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”
During the summer (2011) 21st Century After School Academy session, students decided to raise funds and participate in Strides, a breast cancer walk held in Lee. Students raised money over the summer by hosting a display and game fundraiser during a downtown celebration. They then participated in the walk during the fall and donated the funds to the American Cancer Society.
Quirk, Melissa – “Identity: Sense of Self/Sense of Place”
Students in grade 9 Honor’s English participated in a long-term research project about personal identity and identity of their town. Students learned about the history of North Adams, current status and were charged with imagining a more positive future identity. Students participated in two connected service experiences. While studying the city’s past, they collaborated with the artists and historian involved with The Mill Children exhibit about the history of child labor in North Adams. Students wrote “I Am From” poems from the perspective of the children who were photographed by Lewis Hine at the local Eclipse Mill. Striving to attract parents and community visitors to the exhibit housed in the renovated mill, they read their poems at the parent and student event. As students looked to the future of North Adams, they developed plans for positive branding and economic development including slogans and logos. They created PowerPoint presentations and the class voted on a small selection to be presented at a City Council meeting. The Council was also presented with a brochure that summarized all of the ideas. Interest by council members about several of the ideas has led to ongoing conversations and the exploration of the viability of implementing the plans. The students’ presentations were filmed and are being broadcast on local TV for all to see.
Quirk, Melissa – “Connections to Literature”
Students in 9th grade English classes reflected on the various themes they learned about through literature and connected them to issues and concerns of relevance to them. They brainstormed ideas for service-learning projects and worked in small groups to hold food and container drives for the Berkshire Food Project, to write and submit a proposal to school administration for a Peer Counseling Program and to campaign against drug abuse.
OFF-CAMPUS ‘GREENHOUSE’ PROGRAM (Grades 8-12)
Baran, Jerome- Plant Maintenance Course – Students applied construction, math, engineering and technology skills during multiple projects. They:
• ~Repaired raised bed gardens at various school and community sites that benefit Berkshire Food Project
• Built Adirondack chairs, trash receptacles, and flower boxes to beautify the city-run Historic Valley Campground at Windsor Lake
• Built storage cubbies for a kindergarten classroom at Brayton Elementary School
• Built white board display, foot rests and step stools for use by students during physical therapy at Brayton Elementary School
• Along with Horticulture students, prepared community garden sites for rental and planting
Lewis, Molly; Wojcik, Julie- Horticulture and Recreational Art Courses- Horticulture students applied math, science, horticulture skills during multiple projects. Recreational Art students applied art, math and technology skills. They:
• Created centerpieces for tables by planting flowers in pots that they hand-decorated for the “Candyland”-themed Senior/Senior Prom hosted by Sociology students at Drury High School
• Grew, transplanted and cultivated flowers to beautify downtown North Adams for tourists and locals
• Along with Plant Maintenance students, prepared community garden sites for rental and planting
• Planted and maintained containers of flowers for entrances of school district buildings
• Assisted preschool children from Home-Based Head Start, Head Start and Family Resource Center with cultivating flower and vegetable seedlings, decorating plant tags and planting the community garden
COMMUNITY TRANSITION PROGRAM (grades 9-12) and STEEPLES (grades 6-8)
*~ Levin, Marty; Yinger, Leanne – “Berkshire Food Project”
Applying health, social and career readiness skills, students prepared, served and cleaned up at the Berkshire Food Project free meals program. Volunteers from MCLA and Williams College collaborated with the project.
*~Wooster-Cote, Shelby; Reifsnyder, Abby; Sondrini, Mary Ellen; Levin, Marty; Yinger, Leanne- “Seeds of Change- Community Gardens for our Neighbors”
Partnering with Headstart, Growing Healthy Community Gardens, MCLA and the Off-Campus program, students apply science, math and English skills in planting and maintaining raised bed organic gardens. Harvested food is donated to the free meal program at Berkshire Food Project.
*Wooster-Cote, Shelby– “Recycling”
Students participated in a weekly recycling program for the North Adams community. Students traveled to the local schools and the library and gathered recyclable papers and brought them to the local recycling center. Students connected curriculum from science class to the project. Student volunteers from MCLA assisted with the work.
Wooster-Cote, Shelby; Reifsnyder, Abby; Sondrini, Mary Ellen; Levin, Marty; Yinger, Leanne – “Spring Clean Up”
Focusing on social skills and health connections, students beautified the school grounds and nearby neighborhood by raking, picking up trash, pulling weeds and cleaning graffiti.
POSITIVE OPTIONS PROGRAM (POP)
(An alternative high school completion/early college program sited at Berkshire Community College)
Rancourt, Melanie – “Santa for Soldiers”
Connected to their learning in campus Forums about issues related to veterans, terrorism and military intelligence, students worked with members of the Berkshire Community College Student Veterans Alliance to help veterans and their families during the holiday season. Students organized and held a bake sale to raise funds and then purchased gifts for three local veterans.
BRAYTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Cellana, Karen; McCarron, Marie – “Holiday Gift Shop”
Fourth grade students applied ELA and math skills as they organized and ran a Holiday Gift Shop for students to purchase gently used items for their family members. Funds that were raised were donated to the Peter M. Goodrich Foundation for use in the school that was built in Afghanistan by the foundation.
Chapman, Bill; Madden, Sarah – “Hats for Hunger”
Students in Student Council and the Improve Brayton Club used math and art skills to promote and run a hat day to raise funds for the Friendship Food Pantry.
Daigle, Karen; Hinkle, John; DeMarco, Maryann – “Jump Rope for Heart/Hoops for Heart”
Through their health and physical education curriculum, students learned about the work of the Heart Association, the benefits of physical activity and ran a fundraiser on behalf of the Heart Association. Students in 6th and 7th grade technology classes applied their skills to create informational posters to promote the project.
Fruscio, Joyce; Dodig, Michelle – “Read Share”
Second grade students organized a library of books for their peers to borrow books for take home reading. Students surveyed their peers to learn their interests and also researched books with anti-bullying themes. They applied math skills as they analyzed survey results, worked with a budget for ordering, and organized the collection. ELA skills were used as they presented to their peers about the program, wrote letters home to promote the program, and while they enjoyed reading and discussing the books.
Johnson, Linda – “Brayton Kids for Kindness”
Through discussion and reflection on personal experiences, students in an after school program realized the need for further research to find cures for cancer. Students worked throughout the year planning and running a series of fund-raisers. In addition, students organized and participated as a team at the local Relay for Life awareness and fundraising event.
~Johnson, Linda; Lawson, Robyn; Siracusa, Margaret – “Healthy Harvesters”
Students in grades 2 and 3 learned about the need for food assistance in the local community due to the depressed economy from community partners from Berkshire Food Project and the Growing Healthy Community Gardening Program. Students learned about soil science, plant cycles, weather patterns, nutrition and applied math and ELA skills as they surveyed staff from Berkshire Food Project about needed vegetables, developed a garden map, planned, planted and maintained their own school garden. The harvested food will be donated to the Berkshire Food Project. Students also planted a garden onsite at Berkshire Food Project.
~Lawson, Robyn; Manville, Erica – “T-Shirts for Empty Bowls”
Connected to their school gardening work, students used art skills to create designs for t-shirts to promote the Empty Bowls fundraiser for Berkshire Food Project, a community free meals program. One of the students’ designs was chosen for the logo and 300 t-shirts were produced and sold, raising approximately $1,000 for the organization.
~Lawson, Robyn – “Garden Greens”
Through the 21st Century program, 3rd and 4th grade students worked during the summer of 2011 to support the garden projects at Brayton Elementary School and at Berkshire Food Project. They learned about soil science, plant cycles, weather patterns, nutrition, and weighing and measuring as they plant, maintain and harvest the gardens for food to be donated to the free meal program at Berkshire Food Project.
Leonesio, Lee; Gilman, Susan; Piekos, Tracy; Johnson, Linda; Patenaude, Ebbie; Thomas, Jackie; Parrino, Lori; Poplaski, Dina; Nicholas, Michelle; Dzierga, Rosemary; Konopka, Anita; Hobbie-Welch, Lois – “Shoeboxes for Soldiers”
Students in pre-school through grade 1 supported the work of Soldier On by filling shoeboxes with small gifts to be sent to soldiers serving in Afghanistan. Students applied math, ELA and art skills as they sorted the collections, wrote letters and created pictures to be included with the gifts
*Neville, Linda – “Acts of Conscience in Literature and Life”
Sixth and seventh grade ELA students read The Misfits by James Howe, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Learning to Care by the Arab Initiative to Foster a Culture of Volunteering. They researched additional books that focus on acts of conscience by children and young adults. Applying reading, writing, and technology standards, they catalogued books and resources by genre to create a list of books for purchase by the school library or by classroom teachers. They examined their own roles in taking a stand rather than being a bystander to unkind or unjust acts. They collaborated with the Arab Initiative, Williams College and MCLA.
Thomas, Jackie; Gillman, Susan – “Senior Buddies”
Students in first and second grade maintained a yearlong relationship with seniors at the Williamstown Commons. They visited, played games, and created cards and hand-crafted gifts for their buddies.
GREYLOCK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
~Demastrie, Emma – “Math through Gardening”
During a 21st Century after school program, students used math skills such as data analysis, measurement and geometry to determine location, size and planting schema for newly revitalized school garden beds. Students identified uses for the produce from the gardens such as teaching others about the benefits of healthy eating and providing fresh, organic food for students and people in the immediate community.
Gwozdz, Katherine – “Pajama Party and Bedtime Stories”
Students in grades K-7 collected pajamas and storybooks to donate to the Louison House Homeless Shelter. The drive concluded with a school-wide pajama party where families were asked to donate a new pair of pajamas. Students in grades 2 and 7 used ELA, Math and Technology to create promotional posters, count items, create graphs and make flyers. Over 200 people attended the party and 136 pairs of pajamas and 202 books were collected and donated.
Gwozdz, Katherine – “Pennies for Patients”
A partner from the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society led sessions with all students to teach them about leukemia and other blood cancers. Students collected donations of pennies in their classrooms and graphed progress throughout the drive. They held their second, annual ‘Penny Palooza’ where they created simple games to play throughout the fun evening event. In addition, a donated quilt was that was handmade from t-shirts from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society was raffled. Overall, students raised $1806.43.
Kelly-Whitney, Marie – “100th Day of School”
To celebrate the 100th day of school, students strived to collect 100 cans of non-perishable food. Well exceeding their goal, over 250 items were collected for donation to the local food pantry.
Kelly-Whitney, Marie; King, Cristina – “Haiti Connections”
Students in 7th grade art and technology classes researched the commonalities and differences of youth in the US and Haiti. Many Greylock students are involved with the local youth organization, the COTY Center, who has sustained a long-term service relationship with youth and families in Haiti. Using art and technology skills, students designed and created personalized t-shirts for peers in Haiti. Along with their gifts, students also sent blank t-shirts and art materials to enable the Haitian students to exchange t-shirts with them.
Kelly-Whitney, Marie; King, Cristina – “The Mill Children”
Seventh grade students partnered with a local artistic and historical exhibit, The Mill Children, that revisits the lives of child workers who were photographed in 1911 by social reformer Lewis W. Hine at the Eclipse Cotton Mill in North Adams. Students researched the history of child labor, Hine’s photos, and read excerpts from the novel “Counting on Grace”. Striving to draw local people into the exhibit in the art gallery housed in the former mill, a special student exhibition and performance was held. Students showed PowerPoint presentations about their research, exhibited original art alongside the Mill Children pieces, contributed to a musical performance and served as hosts to parents and the public.
King, Christina – “Downtown Art Mural – Arnold Print Works Dolls”
Students in a 21st Century after school program, researched local history and identified a theme to create public art, thereby building a common thread between the history of North Adams and the current influx of artists. Working with partners from Art About Town, students designed a mural depicting fabric dolls that had been designed by local artists and produced by the Arnold Print Works during the 1800’s and are now highly sought after antique collectables. Students are painting the mural on huge concrete posts that support an overpass between downtown and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), helping to create a beautiful, visual connection between the two areas. MoCA is located in a converted mill complex that had housed Arnold Print Works.
~Rondeau, Michelle – “Garden Composting”
Working to reduce waste as well as to organically fertilize school gardens, students in the 1st and 2nd grades learned about composting and saved scraps from daily snack time. 5th grade students collected the scraps from the classes, weighed and graphed the collections and added them to the composter for use in the school vegetable and flower gardens.
SULLIVAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Atwood, Kathy – “Bullying Prevention Project”
Applying ELA and health skills, students in 5th grade read picture books with themes connected to bullying, wrote reviews on the books, created packets of their reviews and distributed them to all K-5 classrooms. Students in the classrooms selected books to read. The 5th graders visited several classrooms where they read aloud a book selected by the class and facilitated discussion.
Atwood, Kathy; Farnham, Jane- “Pennies for Patients”
Fifth grade students used math and technology skills while conducting a coin drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to support research needs. Students entered collection data into Microsoft Excel and created charts. $1617.32 was raised and donated.
Fachini, Shelley – “Can Tabs for Shriners”
The principal leads all students in grades K-7 in collecting aluminum can tabs which are recycled and the proceeds are donated to The Shriners Hospital for Children in Springfield, MA.
Farnham, Jane – “Reach for Your Goals” Read-a-thon for Berkshire Humane Society and Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter
As a culminating activity for the reading unit “How do we show that we care about our community?” 5th grade students organized a school-wide read-a-thon to benefit the Berkshire Humane Society and the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter. The high school basketball team kicked off the project by reading to students. Human and animal representatives visited the school to talk to students about helping homeless animals and accepted a generous donation of $800.
Holmes, James – “Good Nutrition”
Applying ELA, science, technology and health, 7th graders researched healthy eating and created Key 3 top down webs. Students presented lessons to 2nd graders about the importance of healthy eating.
Holmes, James – “Meals on Wheels”
Connected to social skills curriculum, students participated in an ongoing partnership with the Meals on Wheels program. Students created handmade cards, ornaments, seasonal decorations, flowers and other gifts. These were included monthly in the meal distributions to elders in the community.
LaRocca, Joan – “Sullivan’s Fabulous Fare- Sharing Our Best Cookbook”
Fifth graders in technology class solicited recipes from members of the school community and used technology skills to write and illustrate a cookbook. Students decided to donate proceeds from the sales to the after school program.
LaRocca, Joan – “Read, Record, Share”
Sixth graders in technology class wrote letters to kindergarten and 1st grade teachers to learn about their students’ favorite books. Using the iBook GarageBand program, the 6th graders read aloud and recorded the books, adding an introduction and inserting “turn the page” tone clips into the recording. The recordings were burned onto CDs and given to the classroom teachers so that the younger students could access them in their classroom reading centers.
Saldo-Burke, Anna; Eastman, Bernadette- “World Autism Awareness Day”
Third grade students read the book Green Mittens Covered her Ears, A Look at Autism, authored by their teacher, Ms. Saldo-Burke. They prepared presentations and hosted a school-wide assembly to educate the school about autism in honor of World Autism Awareness Day.
Saldo-Burke, Anna – “Cards for Veterans- Soldier’s Home in Holyoke”
Applying ELA and social studies, third grade students led a school-wide project to create cards for veterans living at the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke. They also organized a Veteran’s Day Remembrance Ceremony at the school where the superintendent of the home, retired National Guard Colonel Paul Barabani, talked to students about the origins of Veteran’s Day and gave a photo tour of the home. The students presented him with 300 cards.
Saldo-Burke, Anna; Nelson, Wendy – “Cards for Soldiers”
Students in third grade organized a school-wide project of students making greeting cards for soldiers serving overseas. Students used math skills to sort the cards into sets representing a distribution of K-7 students for mailing to 13 different locations via forward operating bases in Norway and Afghanistan.
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