Children in Grades prekindergarten through 8 participated in the food drive at Richmond Consolidated School. Student leaders are recognized for their work on the food drive.
The school collected more than 1,000 items of food for the food pantry in Pittsfield.
RICHMOND, Mass. — Students at Richmond Consolidated School recently concluded their annual food drive and sock drive, having collected 578 pairs of socks and more than 1,000 items of food.
According to Student Leadership Team coordinator Zachary Houle, a special education teacher, students in Grades 5 through 8 take on the leadership roles of a project that they choose based on the positive impact they believe it will have.
"They look for a service project that will impact people right here, around our community," Houle said.
For the past few years this project has been a food drive for the South Community Food Pantry at South Congregational Church, 110 South St., in Pittsfield.
Food pantry is open to everyone and is the only food pantry in Berkshire County that delivers to those unable to get to the pantry.
Students have also helped serve at community meals for seniors at the Richmond Council on Aging. Last year, they expanded their efforts to include handing out socks and cards to seniors at the COA as well.
This year the school collected socks for all ages with some donated to seniors at the COA as well as to the food pantry for distribution.
Houle described the role student leaders take on: collecting the donations from each homeroom, counting and sorting the items, and packing them up for distribution.
He commended the following participants for their leadership during the project: Catalina Baltazar, Dylan Conuel, Luciella Curletti, Mathilde Daire, Charlotte Greer, Lucia Naventi, Alisa Yefremov, Livia Yefremov, Emily Leonard-Miller and Kayleigh Dimassimo.
The whole school participated by collecting donations, including children in pre-kindergarten.
"There are many people struggling in a variety of ways, particularly around the holiday season and in the winter. I am proud of our little school, for thinking about others and contributing to their well-being," said Superintendent and Principal Beth Choquette.
While the service project is not tied directly to specific curriculum, she said it embodies the school's mission to provide opportunities for everyone to become mindful, caring individuals in a climate that encourages citizenship among other qualities.
Students were rewarded with a movie and hot cocoa on Friday, the last day of school for the year.
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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better Wages
By Katherine von Haefen Guest Column
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners.
Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families.
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child-care centers that provide slots for income-constrained families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly child-care director meetings to work on shared challenges and collectively propose solutions. We advocate for early childhood education and have a great partner in this work, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier.
Staffing is a key component of high-quality care. The research shows that skilled and consistent educators in a classroom create long-lasting change for children. However, wages are stagnant and frequently do not provide educators with basic financial stability. We often hear that educators have left the field because they are unable to make their finances work. Wages need to improve to better reflect the expertise and indelible impact teachers have in the field.
When we look specifically at our region, our data is concerning.
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we are struggling with transportation, affordable housing and lack of mental health resources, much like the rest of the state. We are also seeing a rise in economically challenged households.
After nearly 10 years of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant jump in income inequality, now exceeding the state and national trends and far above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Over half of our population are "economically challenged," meaning they are working but struggling to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-aged child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and public benefits just to meet their basic needs.
A large limb from a 32-foot sugar maple in the park fell next to the fountain area over the weekend. Caution tape and traffic barrels now surround the aftermath.
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The last estimate for construction was overly optimistic because, at the time, it was unclear how long obtaining the two easements would take, Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said.
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Full cost estimates have not been completed but based on recent repairs made to the Clapp Park splash pad, it is estimated to cost between $350,000 and $450,000.
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King Kone had a soft opening at the end of the week, offering the frozen treats on a "pay what you will" basis while employees perfected the craft.
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