A legacy of learning
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
PUTNAM — More than 100 third-graders descended on offices in the Municipal Complex and the Gertrude Chandler Warner Boxcar Children Museum last week.
This trip, designed to educate kids about part of the town’s history, is now a tradition.
Third-graders travel to the Municipal Complex and visit offices including the Aspinock Historical Society, the Town Clerk’s Office, the Putnam Public Library and more. They also go to the Boxcar Museum to learn about Putnam’s most famous author and teacher, Gertrude Chandler Warner.
The recently completed Fred Hedenberg pavilion offered protection from the sun for the “crafters.” The pavilion, the 250-foot fence installed last week by Killingly Fence, picnic tables and the concrete and electrical work (by Chaput Electric) were funded by a grant of $45,000 from the Spirol Foundation.
In addition, each student received a Gertrude Warner Boxcar book, courtesy of Jewett City Savings Bank.
This is the third year the bank has funded the book giveaway, according to JCSB President and CEO Michael Alberts. This year the students received a copy of Warner’s “Snowbound Mystery,” which happens to mention one of Warner’s former students, museum docent Roger Franklin.
Alberts said he and Museum Director Pat Hedenberg were talking about three years ago about how the bank could help support the museum. It was a joint idea, he said, between them for the bank to cover the cost of the books. This year 120 books were purchased. Any extra go to teachers and also to the library.
“This furthers the mission to help educate the kids about the history,” he said. The idea is near and dear to Alberts’ heart as his parents had a book store. “It still touches hearts. It’s a pleasure to do this,” he added.
“We want to encourage literacy,” he said. “There are many kids in the area who don’t have access to books.”
Bank staff who helped pass out books to the excited students said they were also touched. One staffer said: “A student stared at the book in his hand and looked up at me and asked ‘I can keep this?’”. Yes, you can.
caption:
Brett Lovett and Mike Alberts from Jewett City Savings Bank, stand in back of third-graders who received a Warner book from the bank. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photo.