McCann Students Continue Louison House Work
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — McCann Technical School's SkillsUSA students presented their many contributions to the Louison House to the School Committee on Thursday night.
SkillsUSA Chapter President Lauren DeRose and members Claire Klammer and Alexx Langlois explained their contributions to the non-profit Family Life Support Center in Adams.
School Committee member Gary Rivers said through the donations, repair work, and kindness of the McCann students, they were able to make the Louison House a "home" for the holidays.
"This is a life lesson on so many levels and you got to really experience and deal with people that are in plight ... where they have they no home," Rivers said. "They have a house to go to but during the holidays you provided a home for them and we all know that a house and a home are not the same."
DeRose said the McCann SkillsUSA chapter decided to involve the Louison House in its community service project and make improvements to the 125-year-old building. The first project was repainting the children's toy room and providing new cabinetry and curtains.
They also donated a Christmas tree and a toy kitchen set for the kids.
She said the chapter was awarded the Costello Family Community Service Awards for its efforts at the 2015 State Leadership and Skills Conference.
Klammer added that, in 2015, the chapter decided to rebuild the building's 150-foot wraparound deck after securing a $4,000 grant from Lowe's. Only 26 schools in the country were awarded the grant. The project involved as many McCann students as possible.
DeRose added that the deck project meant a lot because the Louison House needed it.
"It makes you feel amazing because we were doing work that people appreciated and these people really needed this deck," DeRose said. "Being able to provide a deck for them was such a good feeling."
Langlois said McCann students still wanted to do more and were able to raise $350 through a school Halloween party to purchase holiday gifts for the children at the shelter. They also sponsored a giving tree, from which students and faculty picked a gift and purchased it for the house, and a food drive.
She added that it was a great experience and McCann plans to continue a relationship with Louison.
"They were at the risk of shutting down, and we were able to help them," Langlois said. "It is just a good feeling to be part of such a great project with all of these great people."
Superintendent James Brosnan applauded the students and said their kindness showcases one of McCann's teaching goals – graduating socially responsible young adults.
"Our mission is to graduate technically skilled and academically prepared students, but another element is to graduate socially responsible students," Brosnan said. "At this point we are hitting that mark."
Principal Justin Kratz agreed and said that the whole school was involved in the project.
"It really transcended a community service project and has really became a rallying point for the school," Kratz said. "It spread to other classes, and it's not just a onetime thing ... it's growing bigger and bigger."
Tags: louison house, McCann, shelter, SkillsUSA,
