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Straight Arrow Academy Slates Fundraiser01:27PM / Monday, May 04, 2009
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Straight Arrow Academy, an outdoor sporting youth organization, is holding a kick-off fundraiser May 16 at Berkshire Community College. The spaghetti and meatball dinner will start at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria. Families are encouraged to attend.
The event will feature guest speaker John Annoni, CEO and founder of the Camp Compass Academy and a sixth-grade teacher. Annoni recently received an honor from Outdoor Life Magazine heralding him as one of the top 25 men and women who are changing the face of hunting and fishing. He has been a public school teacher for 20 years and is a member of Mossy Oak Camo Brand's "Pro-Staff."
Straight Arrow Academy hopes to be open to students this summer. Its mission is to provide a fun learning environment that exposes at-risk students ages 12 to 17 to the outdoors through an enrichment system based on discipline and rewards. The academy will provide and encourage positive behavior in meetings, outings as well as at home and in school. Activities will focus on nature, fishing and hunting. There will be opportunities to take survival, hunting, fishing and trapping courses through the MassWildlife state program.
Students will be chosen based upon social and academic criteria, parental involvement and consent, behavior modification needs and school attendance. Students will be responsible for a daily reflective journal. In addition, monitoring of the students involved in Straight Arrow programs will be done throughout the school year to ensure each student has earned the right to retain his or her place in the academy.
Straight Arrow Academy will be a brother academy to Annoni's Camp Compass, which builds upon the interaction between students and teachers beyond the classroom in an outdoor environment that integrates adaptive science, math, social studies and English curriculum. The goal is for participants develop character and self-esteem through student centered learning.
The academy allows for the building bridges between cultures, ages and socioeconomic status while demonstrating conservation practices and environmental respect that promotes a positive connection with the community. It also offers community job links and student references and takes a proactive approach toward firearm safety and education.
Straight Arrow fundraiser is open to anyone interested in nature, fishing and hunting. The event will feature a 50/50 raffle and a Chinese raffle highlighted with a selection of hunting and fishing equipment and NASCAR memorabilia (including a tire from the Daytona 500 signed by Dale Earnhardt Jr.)
Tickets are $15, children under 6 are free, and can be purchased in advance by contacting James Larimore at 413-770-1654. |
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