larkin cottage

Essex Tech Homecoming Gala Raises $68,000 for Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage

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Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Essex Tech Homecoming Gala Raises $68,000 for Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that the Essex Tech community raised approximately $68,000 to support the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project at the Homecoming Gala this October.

On Saturday, Oct. 19, more than 200 people attended the Homecoming Gala on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, where they gathered to support the project and enjoy a meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students.

Funds from the gala will support the rebuilding of the Larkin Cottage, which was originally built in 1950 and was named after Catherine Larkin, an alumnus and World War II nurse Lieutenant who died in a plane crash in 1945.

“Thank you to everyone who attended the gala, and who have supported this endeavor,” Riccio said. “The Larkin Cottage has a rich history on our campus, and this project is an exciting chapter for our school. Once finished, the new facility will provide a wonderful space for classes to meet as well as for community gatherings, and the cottage will also house a collection of historic artifacts showcasing Essex Tech’s past.”

State Rep. Ted Speliotis, State Sen. Joan Lovely and State Rep. Thomas Walsh all attended the Gala. Members of the Larkin family also attended and spoke about Catherine.

The first Catherine Larkin Lifetime Service Awards were also awarded to Essex Aggie Alumni Bob Woods, owner of Wood Trucking, and Ted Dunjnaski, owner of Dunjnaski Dairy, at the event.

Funds raised at the gala include a $25,000 donation from the Essex Agricultural Society, as well as approximately $43,000 in private donations.

The new cottage will include an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The building will be located directly across Route 62 from the Farm Stand on the school’s main campus. Hundreds of students from various programs at Essex Tech are taking part in the project, including students studying carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing and agriculture.

Essex Tech has raised approximately $250,000 for the project through donations as well as grant funding, and has set a fundraising goal of $1 million.

To donate or learn more about the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage, visit essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.

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*Media Advisory* Essex Tech to Host Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage Groundbreaking

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Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Monday, Oct. 7, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory*

Essex Tech to Host Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage Groundbreaking

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project this week.

WHEN:

Friday, Oct. 11 at 8 a.m.

WHERE:

Smith Hall, 562 Maple St., Hathorne

WHO:

  • Superintendent Heidi Riccio
  • Essex Tech School Committee
  • Cummings Foundation Representatives
  • Project donors including representatives from the Larkin Family and Laborers Local 22

WHAT:

Essex Tech students, faculty, staff, local legislators, donors to the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project, members of the public and media are invited to attend this week’s groundbreaking ceremony.

Those attending the ceremony will gather in front of Smith Hall on Friday, Oct. 11, and walk a short distance to the Larkin Cottage site, located directly across Route 62 from Essex Tech’s Farm Stand.

The Larkin cottage rebuild project will take approximately two years to complete, and will erect a new facility featuring an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The cottage will also house historic artifacts from the school’s long history, and will include a kitchen to support various events.

Students have already collected useful materials and items of historical significance from the original cottage, built in 1950 and named after a former student of the homemaking program and World War II nurse, Lt. Catherine Larkin, who died in a plane crash in 1945.

Essex Tech has set a fundraising goal of $1 million to fund the project. Those who have supported the project thus far include the Cummings Foundation, who awarded the school a competitive $100,000 grant to support the cottage, and donors including the Larkin Family, Laborers Local 22, CN Wood, New England Laborers Labor Management Corporation, Essex Aggie Alumnus Bob Woods, Hancock Associates and David Ray of Leslie Ray Insurance Company.

“We are thrilled to be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off this project, which will involve hundreds of our students over the coming months,” Superintendent Riccio said. “When completed, this new facility is going to be a wonderful resource for our students, faculty, staff and community, and it will also showcase the rich history of agricultural and vocational education in our area.”

Over the coming months, students in Essex Tech’s carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing and agriculture programs, among others, will come together to construct the cottage.

Pastries, made by culinary arts students, will be served at a reception after the groundbreaking ceremony at Smith Hall.

Those who plan on attending are asked to RSVP by emailing Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent Candy Levesque at [email protected].

To learn more about the project, purchase a ticket to the Homecoming Gala later this month or to donate, click here.

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Essex Tech to Hold Homecoming Gala Fundraiser for Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage

⋅ Client News, School News ⋅ , , , , , , , , , , , , , ⋅ 0 Comments

Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
Dr. Heidi T. Riccio, Superintendent
565 Maple Street
Hathorne, MA 01937

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019

Contact: Kelsey Bode
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Essex Tech to Hold Homecoming Gala Fundraiser for Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage

DANVERS — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech will hold a Homecoming Gala this fall to support the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project.

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

WHERE:

On ‘the lawn’ in front of Smith Hall at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School

WHAT:

Essex Tech is hosting a Homecoming Gala this October, which will raise funds to support the school’s Larkin Cottage project.

Essex Tech students from various disciplines, including carpentry, masonry, electrical, plumbing and agriculture, will come together this spring to rebuild the cottage, using any historically significant or otherwise useful materials from the original cottage in the process. The school has also partnered with designLAB architects, a Boston based architecture firm, on the project.

Built in 1950, the cottage once served as the hub for the homemaking program at Essex Tech, formerly known as the Essex County Agricultural School. The cottage is named after a former student of the homemaking program and World War II nurse, Lt. Catherine Larkin, who died in a plane crash in 1945. 

The new building, located directly across Route 62 from the Farm Stand on the school’s main campus, will include an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The facility will feature historic artifacts from the school’s long history, and will also include a kitchen to support various events.

“Rebuilding the Larkin Cottage is going to provide an invaluable, hands-on learning opportunity for our students, while also creating a new space for our classes to meet, showcase the historic past of our school and host community and private events,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We’re thrilled to rebuild the cottage, and I encourage our alumni, local businesses and organizations and the greater Essex Tech community to join us at the Homecoming Gala to support this project.”

The gala will take place under a tent on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, and will feature live music, hors d’oeuvres, a live and a silent auction and farm-to-table meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students. The event will also include a cash beer and wine bar. 

While the cost of the project is lower as a result of the work students will provide to rebuild the cottage, Essex Tech has set an approximately $2.5 million fundraising goal.

Tickets for the gala are $250 per person, and $2,000 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here. Those looking for additional ways to support the Larkin Cottage project can learn more at essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.

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