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Dalton Green Committee Selects Climate Action Logo

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee voted to select Ashlyn Roch's submission for its Climate Action Plan logo during its November meeting.
 
The town's CAP consultant Blue Strike, will have its graphic designer covert the drawing into a usable logo for the town. 
 
The committee is developing a climate action plan with Blue Strike to achieve net-zero by 2050 by seeking strategies to decrease the town's dependence on fossil fuels for homes, businesses, municipal facilities, and vehicles. 
 
It received 24 logo submissions from Wahconah Regional High School students. 
 
"The response was phenomenal," committee member Laurie Martinelli said. 
 
Blue Strike had its graphic designer narrow the submission down to the three most compatible options that can be turned into a logo. 
 
"Everything that we got, the vast majority of them were interesting. It's really what the designer is saying [will make the best commercial logo]. It's not the best art," committee member Todd Logan said. 
 
The graphic designer said they preferred Roch's submission because it is simple and appealing to various groups. 
 
"It has clear elements organized in a circular layout, which are also unique to the town of Dalton. This concept would be a strong start for developing this logo," the designer said. 
 
Committee members also pointed out how Roch's logo showcased Town Hall and incorporated the environmental element with the leaf growing from the bottom of the building. 
 
"It reminds you of Dalton. You got the steeple with the clock. I mean, that's very recognizable," Martinelli said. 
 
Committee member Antonio Pagliarulo agreed, adding that it was simple and direct. 
 
"I'm assuming that's a leaf in the foreground [which] will be colorized. It kind of is a very loud green statement. For me, as a guy who does a lot of commercial advertising, I think it's the cleanest in terms of how to turn it into the logo," Logan said. 
 
"I think it'll present really well as a clean logo. And here's the key: it'll be highly scalable. So, in other words, you could make that really small, and people will still get the gist of what it is. So that's that's my personal reason." 
 
Grace Radzick's submission was selected as the runner-up because "it is even more simplified and would make a solid logo."
 
"The design is strong and would cater to the masses and be recognizable to people who are not from the area. The sunshine and the mountains are a more general logo design," the designer said. 
 
Martinelli also highlighted how she liked that the logo incorporated the text "Green Dalton Committee" in it. 
 
"I like it that she recognized the committee. In fact, I wish we could have that one on the first one," she said. 
 
Board members, however, decided not to choose the logo because the mountains showcased did not reflect the gentle slopes the area's mountains are known for; rather, it had snowy peaks. 
 
The board also liked Ella Reardon's submission because of the "exceptional artwork" but felt it was too complex to be converted into a logo. 
 
Committee member Thomas Irwin said he would like her certificate to recognize the artwork as "exceptional." 
 
The designer highlighted the keyhole shape, which is uncommon, unexpected, and clever for a CAP project. 
 
"The plants look great and the white rabbit is cool as long as the rabbit concept has local relevance. This bolder design would be my choice for further development," the designer said. 
 
Irwin said the 20 people he solicited input from preferred Roch's submission and Radzick's for the runner-up. 
 
However, many people, an excess of 10, felt that Reardon's logo had exceptional artwork and said it would be a privilege to have it somewhere on the webpage, he said. 
 
As long as the students are credited, Pagliarulo said he does not see an issue with utilizing the logos at some point in the future. 
 
"I think it's special, especially at this point in their lives, to have them feel energized by being selected, at least to some level, it's something they can put on their applications to college and so forth. And I think that's all excellent," Irwin said.  

Tags: green committee,   logos,   

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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for Charity

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them.

On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White.

Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills.

"And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do it every year, except for those two years (during the pandemic)," she said. "And it started off as just sort of a feel-good project, but it has quickly tied into so many of the morals and values that we teach at school anyhow, especially our Portrait of a Graduate program."

Students used the venture capital to sell cookies, run raffles, make jewelry, and more. They chose to donate to charities and organizations like St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Berkshire Humane Society and Toys for Tots.

"Teaching them that because they have so much and they're so blessed, recognizing that not everybody in the community has as much, maybe not even in the world," said Newton. "Some of our organizations were close to home. Others were bigger hospitals, and most of our organizations had to do with helping the sick or the elderly, soldiers, people in need."

Once they have finished and presented their projects, the students write an essay on what they did and how it makes them feel.

"So the essay was about the project, what they decided to do, how they raised more money," Newton said. "And now that the project is over, this week, we're writing about how they feel about themselves and we've heard everything from I feel good about myself to this has changed me."

Sandra Kisselbrock raised $470 for St. Jude's by selling homemade cookies.

"It made me feel amazing and happy to help children during the holiday season," she said.

Gavin Burke chose to donate to the Soldier On Food Pantry. He shoveled snow to earn money to buy the food.

"Because they helped. They used to fight for our country and used to help protect us from other countries invading our land and stuff," he said.

Desiree Brignoni-Lay chose to donate to Toys for Tots and bought toys with the $123 she raised.

Luke Tekin raised $225 for the Berkshire Humane Society by selling raffle tickets for a basket of instant hot chocolate and homemade ricotta cookies because he wanted to help the animals.

"Because animals over, like I'm pretty sure, over 1,000 animals are abandoned each year, he said. "So I really want that to go down and people to adopt them."

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