| Highland Park
was the venue for a Back 2 School Festival designed to encourage
students to attend school every day held on August 30, 2014 at Highland
Park. Students engaged in three-on-three basketball and face painting
and were given a book bag of donated school supplies that included
pencils, notebooks, folders, crayons, and markers. Organized by activist
and social work student Jeremy Lavoie and Jason Springer, a physical
education teacher at Doran
Elementary School, the event was sponsored by BayCoast
Bank, Representative Carole Fiola,
Greater Fall River Re-Creation, Bristol
County District Attorney Sam Sutter, the Office
of Mayor William Flanagan, PieZoni's
Pizza and Varela Apparel.
Lavoie and Springer stated that they wanted to give back to the
community and bring kids together. "We want our community to be
better," Springer was quoted as saying in the Fall River Spirit.
"We are about creating outlets for our youth to do positive
things," he added. Click
here for the Fall River Spirit article. For further
information, contact Fall River Youth Services Director Christian
McCloskey at 508-679-0922. (Photos
courtesy of Michaela Hetzler) |
|
(Top
row, left) Students sit under the Empty
Chair sign and in front of one of the many red chairs displayed all
over the community to remind students and parents of the importance of
attending school every day. (Top row, center) Event organizers Jeremy
Lavoie and Jason Springer, a Fall
River School Department Physical Education Teacher,
talk during a game on the basketball court in front of the Truesdale
Health office on President Avenue. (Middle row) Students enjoy a lunch of
pizza donated by BayCoast Bank, a donation of school supplies by Valera
Apparel, and face painting done by Donna Lavoie.. (Bottom row)
Students continue with a basketball tournament as Jeremy Lavoie and Jason
Springer pose for a photo with Mayor Flanagan.
|
