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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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M Cuts
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed we would have a $3,600,000 reduction. I want to assure everyone that every effort has been made to minimize the impact on both students, families, and staff members while also ensuring that our district has the necessary resources to progress forward," Superintendent Joseph Curtis said.
"Nevertheless, there are incredibly passionate, dedicated staff members who will not be with us next year. This pains me as I've been a part of this organization for now 30 years so I want to assure everyone that our team, this has weighed very heavily in our hearts, this entire process. This is not a group of people that is looking at a spreadsheet saying ‘Well that can go and this can go’ and take that lightly."
Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Kristen Behnke and other officials worked with the state Department of Secondary and Elementary Education to rectify an error in the Chapter 70 funding formula, recognized 11 more low-income students in the district, and added an additional $2.4 million to the FY25 budget.
Curtis commented that when he first saw the governor’s FY25 budget, he was "rather stunned."
"The extraordinary circumstances we face this budget season by the conclusion of the substantial ESSER federal grant and a significant reduction in Chapter 70 allotment caused challenges for this team and our school principals and our educators and our staff that have been nothing short of all-consuming," he said.
Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
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Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
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Albert Ingegni III was applauded for four decades of service on the Zoning Board of Appeals during City Council. Mayor Peter Marchetti presented him with a certificate of thanks for his commitment to the community.
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