introducing pg 4 9-26-24
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Introducing a furry, friendly face
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — New faces/new school year. But this new face was furry and he doesn’t have a name yet.
The Putnam Elementary School PTO introduced a mascot to students attending the school’s first Touch A Truck Sept. 21.
The mascot for the Wolf Pups doesn’t have a name yet, but, according to PTO Vice President Nicole Paradise, he will soon. They plan to hold a contest to name him.
Paradise said she and fellow board members — President Heidi Fischkelta, Secretary Brianna Walsh and Treasurer Caitlin Hughes —and some volunteers were at a meeting in July when the idea of a mascot came up. And then it just blossomed from there, she said. “We started looking into options,” Paradise said. And they found the perfect “wolf pup” costume. They wanted to introduce the mascot at the Touch A Truck event and it arrived just in time from China.
The PTO dads are swapping off mascot duties. Chris Fischkelta did the honors Saturday.
Paradise said the PTO is very active. They meet once a month and plan events. They have plans for an event every month. When they meet, they look at the upcoming month’s event and make sure that they have everything in place for that.
The PES PTO is always looking for more volunteers, she said. Anyone interested is urged to email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Asked why a mascot, Paradise said “It’s for student engagement. It’s something to be excited about!”
Another PTO member said, “It’s a friendly face.”
.
captions:
Nash Fischkelta gives the mascot a giant hug.
At the Putnam Elementary School PTO's first Touch A Truck the yet-as-unnamed mascot was a huge, friendly hit. Expanded photo array Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger.
more pg 4 9-26-24
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
More fun
in the wings
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
EAST PUTNAM — Although they opened earlier, there was still much fanfare Sept. 19 at the official ribbon cutting for Montana Nights axe throwing.
And that’s only half of the fun plans for the building formerly occupied by TJMaxx at the Putnam Parkade.
Mihir Shah said they are looking to build an indoor entertainment park in the other half of the Montana building. The plans, before the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission Oct. 16, include trampolines, Ninja courses, multi-sport courts, soft play and two party rooms.
Montana Nights is a franchise. The owners are Krupa Shah and Mrunal Desai. Mihir Shah and Reena Desai are helpers. Shah said their indoor entertainment park next door is not a franchise. He said he was looking for something to put in the other half of the building and noticed that the nearest trampoline place was in Waterford, over an hour away. He started with that, researching, and then added the other fun courses/courts. If the permit is approved, he is planning on using the same company for the buildout that was used for Montana Nights.
During the ribbon cutting and celebration for Montana Nights, Northeastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce President Joseph Carlone Jr. asked Putnam Mayor Barney Seney if he’d made an appointment to throw axes yet. Seney said no and Carlone joked “that’s good, steer clear.” But later Seney scored a bullseye in one of the six axe-throwing pits. He threw up his hands and said “one and done.”
Kate Cerrone, representing the Putnam Business Association, said Montana Nights will be great for families, especially when winter hits. “There’s something for everyone.” Seney said later “It’s the new age of games. This has become a national sport that’s really taken off.”
Montana Nights also has two private group rooms, each with targets. There is also an arcade with games, a bar, corn hole and Woodfellas, which brings wood-fired pizza, wings and more to the (picnic) table.
.
caption:
Top: The official ribbon cutting for Montana Nights. Above: Mayor Barney Seney after hitting the bullseye. More photos on Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger. Linda Lemmon photos.
audubon pg 5 9-26-24
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Audubon Center at Pomfret hosts
science teacher ed workshop
POMFRET — On a glorious, sunny September day, local middle and secondary school science teachers met at Connecticut Audubon Society’s Center at Pomfret to attend a free, day-long, indoor/outdoor workshop presented by Harvard Forest staff and Connecticut Audubon Society teacher-naturalists.
Instructors introduced participants to the “Our Changing Forests” long-term ecological research project, teaching them how to establish and monitor a schoolyard plot in order to document forest change over time. This year’s participants were from Griswold, Thompson, Windham, and Woodstock.
Established in 1907, Harvard Forest is Harvard University’s 4,000-acre, field-based classroom and laboratory, located in Petersham, Mass. It has a dual mission of teaching and research. “Our Changing Forests” is designed to answer two questions. How do forests grow and change over time in response to different environments and land use? How will forest composition and growth respond to future natural and human-caused disturbances?
The Harvard Forest/Connecticut Audubon collaboration encourages the expansion of “Our Changing Forests” in Connecticut. Sarah Heminway, the director of the northeast region for the Connecticut Audubon Society, said: “Over the next couple of years, my hope is to get at least one study transect established in each town in Windham County. We currently are about halfway there.”
During the teacher workshop, hands-on training included practice in setting up a study plot, site surveying, tree measurement, plant identification, and data recording. Participants visited the Center’s two study plots. Take-home kits contained all the tools needed to launch the project at their schools.
Teachers learned how to not only implement the project but also actively engage their classes in authentic and relevant scientific research. Their students collect real data and submit it to Harvard Forest’s comprehensive phenology database. A field site survey sheet is used to record data from a plot, such as topography/physical features, forest canopy characteristics, and evidence of distinct types of disturbance. Disturbance might be as a result of forest pests, human activity, weather events, wildlife, and/or invasive plants. There was excitement about getting students outside and recognition of the value of experiential learning and citizen science. Brainstorming generated lesson ideas, including cross curricular learning opportunities.
The aim of collecting, submitting, and studying data is for students to become versed in the scientific process and develop an appreciation of the natural world. While students may not become full-fledged environmental scientists as a result of the “Our Changing Forest” project, they will become good land stewards, with the ability to analyze information as part of real-world conservation decision-making.
.
bins pg 5 9-26-24
- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Bins donated to Putnam school district
PUTNAM --- Through the coordination of Marc Coderre, Casella Waste Systems donated 55 recycling bins to the Putnam School District. The Helping Hands Transition Program distributed the bins throughout the three schools to classrooms that were without them. For many years the Transition program has managed recycling at both PES and PMS. The PMS LEAP Program and PHS Stride Program will be helping to collect recycling weekly.
.