Rockland

Rockland’s Esten School Students Give Back Through Charity Volleyball Game

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

Rockland Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Rockland’s Esten School Students Give Back Through Charity Volleyball Game

ROCKLAND — Principal Marilyn Smith is pleased to announce that Rockland’s R. Stewart Esten Elementary School held its third annual Charity Volleyball Tournament this week, in an effort to teach students the importance of giving back to those less fortunate.

On the evening of Tuesday, Oct. 8, Esten third and fourth grade students were invited to play volleyball with faculty, staff and their families.

“We had 50 students and 20 staff divided up into four teams, and a fun time was had by all,” Principal Smith said. “Volleyball is a perfect sport for an event like this because just about anyone can play it, and kids love seeing and spending time with their teachers after school hours.”

This was the second year the event raised money for the Rockland Food Pantry and the Holiday Magic Program, which helps families in need during the holidays. More than $800 was raised this year.

“We like to hold the event in early October so the food pantry and Holiday Magic can use the money raised in the time leading up to the busy holiday season,” Principal Smith said.

Students played for free and adults paid $5 to participate. The Esten Parent Advisory Council also sold candy and held raffles to raise additional money, and parents were able to donate toys.

As part of the event, four teams (red, white, blue and black) played in a round-robin tournament so that each team played two games. Team blue was victorious in the championship game.

“The students really get into it and love competing against their friends,” Principal Smith said. “And parents really enjoy seeing their kids have so much fun while helping to raise money for such a good cause.”

Principal Smith said town officials played as well, including Rockland Fire Chief Scott Duffey competing on the red team. Former students returned to the school to take part as well.

About the Rockland Food Pantry

The Rockland Food Pantry is hosted by the First Congregational Church of Rockland, and has been helping to feed the community since 1989. It distributes approximately 100,000 pounds of food annually. Residents can bring donations of non-perishable items to the church on Sundays. The pantry is also open Wednesdays from noon to 2 p.m. and on the third Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

About Holiday Magic

Founded in 2000, the Rockland Holiday Magic Program is a group consisting of members from local civic organizations, businesses, Parent-Teacher Organizations from the Rockland Public Schools, sponsors and volunteers. The program coordinates funds with the mission of helping less fortunate families in town during the Christmas/Hanukkah holidays.

###

Rockland Students Participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

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

Rockland Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Friday, Oct. 4, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Rockland Students Participate in Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

ROCKLAND — Rockland High School Principal John Harrison and Rockland Middle School Principal Beth Bohn are pleased to announce that Rockland students from both schools participated in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk on Sunday, Sept. 29.

The group of approximately 150 students spent Sunday morning in Boston along the Charles River at the David R. Mugar Hatch Shell. Dressed in all pink, the students arrived at the starting line at 8 a.m. and chose whether to walk six miles or two miles. The students also visited different kiosks, listened to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and cancer survivors who spoke of their journeys. 

The students were accompanied by student government council adviser Kirsten Bartoloni, seventh grade middle school teacher and assistant adviser Jacqui Gervais,  high school social studies teacher and assistant adviser Greg Rowe and several parents. 

Along with attending the walk, the students, sponsored by the Rockland High School and Rockland Middle Schools Student Government Councils, planned and held fundraising events in the few weeks before the walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society. High school students raised $2,300 through t-shirt sales, penny wars and donations from the Sept. 27 Rockland football game. Middle school students raised $3,425 through t-shirt sales and teacher “Jean Day” donations. The donations will be used by the American Cancer Society to fund breast cancer research and provide patient services.

Rockland High School senior and Student Government Council Community Services Chair Zach Webb, along with other council leaders, organized the fundraising events and recruited students to attend the walk.

“All you really can do is just put the information out there with announcements, flyers and just talking to people,” Webb said.

Council advisers also worked to educate students about the impact of breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, one in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime and 41,760 women are estimated to die from breast cancer in the U.S. this year.

“A group of our high school students participate in the walk each year and we were excited to welcome middle school students this year as well,” Bartoloni said. “Our groups raised a record amount of money to donate to the organization and it was great to see our students be a part of the 25,000 participants of the walk. We’re very proud of them for wanting to support and participate in such a wonderful cause.”

The Making Strides Walks take place across the country each year, along with a network of other events. The organization works to support survivors and caregivers by not only funding research, but also giving patients rides to chemotherapy, helping a survivor look good so they feel better and being available to answer caregivers’ questions at any time of day.

 

###

New Mentor Program Helps Rockland Freshmen Students Transition to High School

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

Rockland Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Alan Cron
34 MacKinlay Way,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

New Mentor Program Helps Rockland Freshmen Students Transition to High School

ROCKLAND — Principal John Harrison is pleased to announce that members of Rockland High School’s freshmen class were welcomed to their new school by 23 high school juniors and seniors who are part of a new peer mentoring program.

The Helping Your Peers Excel (HYPE) program consists of junior and senior mentors who volunteered to help ease their freshmen mentees into high school. On Aug. 21, mentors and mentees attended the Freshmen Open House where freshmen met their mentors and accompanied them on a tour of the building.

“We wanted to provide a sort of bridge between junior and senior high so that people could have a familiar face when they enter their freshman year,” said Adrienne Donovan, Family Consumer Science teacher and faculty adviser to the mentor program.

During the school year, mentors will check in with their assigned freshmen once per month and make themselves available to help their freshmen mentees who have questions or issues. They are also encouraged to have informal conversations with their freshmen and create a friendship with them to make them feel welcome.

“The freshmen mentoring program is an opportunity for us to create a more supportive community where our upperclassmen are looking after their younger classmates,” Principal Harrison said. “My hope for the program is that each freshman feels connected to an upperclassman student.”

The mentors were selected after an in-depth application process. They attended a training program on Aug. 14 where they learned what they should expect from their participation in the program and went through scenarios to practice and improve their leadership skills.

The program has already received a positive response from the senior mentors who say it has taught them to be better leaders, helped them make personal connections with other students and allowed them to share their experiences and advice with younger students.

###

Rockland Residents, Business Owners Advised to Conserve Water Following Major Water Main Break

⋅ City/Town News, Client News ⋅ , , , , , ⋅ 0 Comments

Town of Rockland
Town Administrator Douglas Lapp
242 Union St.,
Rockland, MA 02370

For Immediate Release

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Rockland Residents, Business Owners Advised to Conserve Water Following Major Water Main Break

ROCKLAND — Town Administrator Douglas Lapp would like to advise residents and business owners to conserve water following a major water main break at the Abington & Rockland Joint Water Works.

The town’s water is currently safe to drink and use and there are no anticipated concerns with the quality of the water.

At approximately midnight Thursday, town officials were notified of a water main break at the facility that treats and distributes water to both communities.

At this time, officials believe that a pipe leading out of a large storage tank that feeds water service to the town has cracked. Officials are in the process of draining the two million gallon tank in order to repair the broken pipe.

There have been no issues with flooding or road closures as a result of this incident.

Once the issue is resolved, the tank will need to be refilled, at which time notification will be made that the conservation advisory has been lifted.

“At this time, we are asking residents and businesses to avoid using water unless absolutely necessary,” Town Administrator Lapp said. “If you must use water, we ask that you be as conservative as possible. As this is an active and ongoing situation, we do not currently have a time estimate for when service will be fully restored. We thank everyone for their patience and understanding ahead of time while crews work diligently to fix the problem.”

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has been notified of the incident.

Those who are seeking more information are asked to please call the Abington & Rockland Joint Water Works at 781-878-0901.

###

1 2 3 4 5 >»