Area middle school students advance to Regional Junior Solar Sprint Competition

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On Saturday, May 19, more than 50 middle school students from across Berkshire County and their families gathered at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield to enter their model solar cars in the annual Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint (JSS). The Center for Ecological Technology (CET), coordinator of the event, is pleased to announce that the top 12 teams advanced to the Northeast Junior Solar Sprint Championship to be held on June 10 at the Springfield Science Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts. Middle school students from the Berkshire region will join students from New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Washington DC. CET coordinated the JSS event with support from Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Gas Company, Energy Federation, Inc., Western Massachusetts Electric Company, Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and the U.S. Department of Energy. Additional contributors were Guido’s Fresh Marketplace, South Street Servicenter, Bob’s Elm Street Service, Bunnell Auto Parts and Haddad Motors. The Junior Solar Sprint is a fun and educational competition for students in grades 5-8 who work in teams to build miniature vehicles powered by the sun and learn first-hand about non-polluting transportation. This year rain forced students indoors where they replaced solar panels with batteries to power their solar vehicles. “It was a great event, in spite of the rain,” said coordinator Cynthia Grippaldi. “Students had a lot of fun and learned firsthand that solar vehicles need battery back-up to run on cloudy days and at night.” Student cars were judged in four categories—innovative design, craftsmanship, technical merit, and performance (speed). The top three winners in each category are eligible to compete in the regional championship. “We are thrilled by the creativity and enthusiasm of so many students, and excited that several now have the opportunity to participate in the regional event,” said Nancy Nylen of CET. “It’s great to see students and teachers working together on projects, and then to see their family and friends cheer them on at the solar sprint event. And we owe a big thanks to our generous sponsors for making this possible.” Students participating in the JSS came from Adams Memorial Middle School, Conte Middle School in North Adams, Clarksburg Elementary School, Herberg Middle School and Reid Middle School in Pittsfield, Monument Valley Middle School in Great Barrington, and Richmond Consolidated School. Berkshire Junior Solar Sprint Results – 2007 Award - Car #, School, Name of Car, Students Innovation 1st place: - #52 — Reid Middle School: "The Racing Piranhas"—John Krebs, Caroline Nadeau 2nd place: - #22 — Monument Valley Middle School: "322"—Bobby Teggi, Travis Wilton 3rd place: - #45 — Richmond: "Zoomer" - Kelsey Marzotto (tie) - #10 — Clarksburg: “Candy Coated Turniquette”—Brody Moran, Genavieve Twomey Craftsmanship 1st place: - #33 — Herberg Middle School: "Fluffy Bunnies"—Leslie Martin, Emily Vigard 2nd place: - #30 — Herberg: "Spotted Lizard" —Nicole Chaves, Emily Murray 3rd place: - #70 — Adams Middle School: "Jive Turkey"—Greg Bosworth, Antonio Cardeno, Andrew Galisa Technical Merit 1st place: - #23 — Monument Valley: "Brewstewcar"—Alfred Brewer, Louisa Carman, Annarose Stewart 2nd place: - #40 — Richmond: "The Lemon"—Megan Doerle, Sara Massery 3rd place: - #33 — Herberg: "Fluffy Bunnies"— Leslie Martin, Emily Vigard Speed 1st place: - #54 — Reid: "Cricker"—Jordyn Biagiotti, Andrea Moreau, Diedre Lindsey 2nd place: - #60 — Conte Middle School: "Blue Streak"—Michael Reese 3rd place: - #52 — Reid: "The Racing Piranhas"—John Krebs, Caroline Nadeau The Berkshire JSS is an annual event. For more information about the JSS or solar energy curriculum, contact Cynthia Grippaldi at CET, (413)-445-4556 ext. 25 or Nancy Nylen at nancyn@cetonline.org. CET is a 30-year-old community organization working with citizens and organizations to promote energy conservation and environmental education in western Massachusetts. CET is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
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BVNA Nurses Raise Funds for Berkshire Bounty

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Massachusetts Nursing Association members of the Berkshire Visiting Nurses Association raised $650 to help with food insecurity in Berkshire County.
 
The nurses and health-care professionals of BVNA have given back to the community every holiday season for the last three years. The first year, they adopted a large family, raised money, bought, wrapped and delivered the gifts for the family. Last year, they sold raffle tickets and the money raised went to the charitable cause of the winner. 
 
This year, with food insecurity as a rising issue, they chose to give to Berkshire Bounty in Great Barrington.
 
They sold raffle tickets for a drawing to win one of two items: A lottery ticket tree or a gift certificate tree, each worth $100. They will be giving the organization the donation this month.
 
Berkshire Bounty seeks to improve food security in the county through food donations from retailers and local farms; supplemental purchases of healthy foods; distribution to food sites and home deliveries; and collaborating with partners to address emergencies and improve the food system. 
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