FLORIDA, Mass. — Abbott Memorial School donated 1,508 items to the Al Nelson Friendship Center Food Pantry in North Adams as part of its Project 351 Food Drive.
"The outpouring of support to help others through food contributions by Gabriel Abbott Memorial School students and families was staggering," Principal Martin McEvoy Jr. said. "It is another reflection of the colossal empathy, generosity, and spirit of the community. To realize how willing the school community was to help their neighbors, even while facing formidable challenges, of their own, says so much."
Project 351 is an independent nonprofit organization that fosters youth-led service by engaging ambassadors from each of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns.
The ambassadors this year from Abbott were 8th-graders Ryleigh Rathbun of Florida, Amari Smith of Monroe and Marley Miner of Savoy. These students lead the program.
"We are very proud of the ambassadors representing Florida and the two towns with whom our school has a tuition agreement," McEvoy said. "... These student-leaders did an amazing job of planning and executing the drive, along with the project's coordinator, second-grade teacher/Assistant Principal Denise Chesbro."
The entire school was involved, and McEvoy said the 103 students who attend the small school, which is part of the Northern Berkshire School Union, collected 1,340 pounds in just nine days.
"I was surprised that a school of our small size could collect a total of 1,340 pounds of food, but not surprised at the level of generosity and goodwill shown by the Abbott Memorial school community," he said. "I have come to learn quickly how caring and supportive the school community and town is of its kids, school, and larger community."
He added that the school has participated in many fundraising and donation efforts over the years. He said giving back is most definitely part of the Abbott Memorial education.
"The parameters of public education today are ever-broadening in order to put students in the best position to live productive, meaningful, and happy lives in a constantly changing, complex world," he said. "One of the overriding and critical outcomes of education, which we focus on here at Abbott, is to prepare students to become engaged, thoughtful, and contributing members of society.
In fact, this project gave us the opportunity to live our school's vision, which we collectively developed at the beginning of this school year: 'At Abbott, we strive everyday to nurture growth, love of learning, and a sense of community in the Berkshires and beyond!'"
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Wednesday, April 24, at 6:00 PM, the North Adams Public Library will host a presentation titled "Understanding Artificial Intelligence."
The event aims to explore various facets of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, catering to those fascinated, anxious, or simply curious about these technologies.
Williams College professors Mark Hopkins and Rohit Bhattacharya will lead the seminar, delving into topics such as the differences in reasoning between humans and AI, the evolving human-computer relationship as AI advances, language acquisition by computers, and potential challenges as AI becomes more prevalent.
The seminar will take place in the 3rd-floor community room of the library. No registration is required.
The North Adams Public Library is located at 74 Church Street, North Adams, MA, 01247.
This spring weekend, there are a variety of events in and around the Berkshires, including Spring Celebrations, music, cleanups, and more.
click for more
More than 300 students from area high schools entered their work in 12th annual Teen Invitational at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. click for more
Backed by a $750,000 federal grant for a planning study, North Adams and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art are looking to undo some of that damage.
click for more
"It wasn't 100 percent consistent but I was afforded the opportunity to get to know other people with different religion, beliefs, backgrounds and culture and to be able to embrace that." click for more