Sweet Dreams to Come for Bridgeport Students in Need Through the Pajama Program

Bridgeport

Parent Center

November 2010

Save the Date!

Hallen School Receives a Warm Gift from the Bridgeport Bar Association

Community Outreach Co-Chair Maureen Delvecchio, GBBA Executive Director Nancy Ganassini, Community Outreach Co-Chair Kathleen Dunn, GBBA President Ed Czepiga, Hallen School Principle Lucielle Sekara are joined by students from throughout Hallen

    Students at Hallen School are sure to be warm this winter with the help of the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association.  Thanks to donations of the GBBA and the hard work of its Community Outreach Committee, GBBA generously provided the entire student body of Hallen School with uniform sweatshirts.  Earlier this month, GBBA was on hand to distribute the sweatshirts to their adopted school.

Park City Magnet Constructs Edible Garden with the Help of Westport Friends

(article courtesy of the Westport Patch)

Almost 75 people came together at the Park City Magnet School in Bridgeport on a cold, sunny Saturday to take part in the construction of an edible vegetable garden.  The project is a partnership between Westport's Green Village Initiative, the school and Staples High School students involved in Builders Beyond Borders (BBB).

The school's project leader, 6^th grade teacher Julie May, summed up the garden's importance, saying it "extends the children's learning to a new classroom that will help them understand how important the environment is in the 21st century and help them learn about nutrition."

GVI has built more than ten similar gardens in Westport, Ridgefield and at Marina Village in Bridgeport.  This one is a fenced in 1,100 square foot area behind the school building containing 14 8' x 4' raised bed gardens and another of 10' x 4'.  Each bed is framed in 2" x 8" boards, soil is dumped in and vegetables planted. Raised beds allow the use of better soil, they drain better and they warm up faster in the spring, giving the students a longer growing season.  Some 20 Builders Beyond Borders members built the gardens with th e help of the Park City students, their parents and three student community volunteers from Scared Heart University.

Park City's principal, Alana Callahan, sees this garden as an important addition to the school's curriculum. The school is a city-wide science and technology magnet with a special needs class and pre-kindergarten through 8th grades. Ms. Callahan and teachers at the school have taken part in programs at Mount Vernon that emphasize George Washington's interest in agriculture – the result of which is that the large bed will be planted with seeds from the Mount Vernon garden. 

Callahan also said that the school is partnering with Wheelabrator to study recycling. Last year students collected 15 tons of paper. This year they will learn about composting.

Dan Navarro, a Staples BBB member echoed the comments of Craig Skinner, the program's managing director, saying that the organization affords high school students "the opportunity help others, in Westport, in our broader community and abroad." The group performs community service here, and in 2011, BBB will lead five trips to Ecuador to build infrastructure projects in villages they will call home for the week each contingent does its work.

Karen Sussman led the Marina Village project, put this one together, and with Monique Bosch, who laid out the beds, and Deirdre Price, managed the day's work. Sal Gilbertie, who donated the dirt and lettuce the students planted and will harvest before Thanksgiving, also lent his expertise.  Among the other supporters to be thanked are Geiger's Garden Center in Westport for donating trowels and gloves, and Kohl's for a financial contribution to the garden.

Bridgeport's mayor, Bill Finch, came by to hear about the garden and thank everyone for their accomplishment.  Mayor Finch sees this as an excellent addition to the curriculum and strong way to expand Park City students' awareness of the importance of our environment.