Bank to match up to $3,000
in donations for the MLK Project
JEWETT CITY — Jewett City Savings Bank Foundation will be matching donations up to $3,000 to help bring the MLK Mural Project in Putnam.
The goal of the mural project, which is organized by RiseUP for Arts, is to bring 39 large-scale murals to communities across Connecticut, each representing one year in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Each mural will celebrate the diversity and culture of the community, while highlighting the messages of Dr. King.
The matching grants from the Foundation will help organizers meet their final goal of $15,000, which will be used to create a mural at the Hale YMCA in Putnam. Expected to be revealed in the spring of 2022, additional events will be planned including community volunteer paint days and a block party celebration. The mural will be the 15th produced with more planned across the state.
President Michael Alberts said: “Public art and the works of Dr. King serve as powerful tools to acknowledge and celebrate our diverse community. We are proud to support this initiative and hope that our pledge of matching grants will help the project reach its ultimate goal.”
Dot Burnworth, chair of the MLK39 mural committee in northeastern Connecticut, said, “I’m thrilled and honored to help bring this mural to Putnam. I am fully in support of this project, both because it exemplifies the ideals and values I want to see in my community and also because public art engages people and brings them together. This mural’s message of equality and diversity is one that will reflect the values of our community: Everyone is welcome and valued.”
For more information about the state-wide campaign, or to make a donation to the northeast Connecticut mural, visit www.gofundme.com/f/putnams-mlk39-diversity-and-equity-mural or www.ctmurals.com/mlk39.
What do you get for the team that has everything?
How about a 7-foot, 217-pound shotblocking machine who can also handle and shoot the ball like a guard?
Because that’s what the Putnam Science Academy Prep team — undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the country at the beginning of last week — got in midyear transfer Ugonna Kingsley, whose play in his first four games helped keep the Mustangs unbeaten and No. 1 in the country at the end of the week as well.
“Ugonna is a game-changer for us,” said coach Tom Espinosa. “He’s a 7-footer who’s athletic, skilled. He’s something. With him in the game, guys get into the rim and instead of going up, now they’re looking to pass the ball. He changes the whole game. He’s going to be really good for us.”
He already has been. In four games over four days last week, the 17-year-old native of Nigeria averaged 11 points, eight rebounds, and a shade more than four blocks. He nearly became the third player in school history to register a triple-double, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds, and 10 blocks in his debut, a 90-87 win over No. 2 Mt. Zion.
“Blocks … even if I close my eyes, I get blocks. That’s my specialty,” said Kingsley, a member of the Class of 2023. “When I started playing basketball, all of my attention was on defense, protecting the rim, rebounding, because I had the length. I was told to keep doing what I do on defense, and the offense will come. I’m not worried about offense. My main focus is still to do my job protecting the rim and blocking shots.”
Kingsley only started playing basketball in 2016, after the death of his father, who did not want him to play any sports. But he wanted to give it a shot, and played for his local team in Nigeria for two years, then spent three years in Senegal where he earned a spot at the NBA Academy there. That was where he really started growing as a player. And PSA is reaping the immediate benefits, especially with starting center Momo Cissé (also a 7-footer) out with an injury.
Kingsley said he was about 6 feet tall when he first started playing, so he’s got some guard skills in his toolbox, but quickly hit a growth spurt, for which he is quite thankful.
“I love my height because I am capable of doing what the guards can do,” he said. “I just need to work on my craft. I’ve got that guard stuff in me. So I actually prefer being tall like this, and doing my thing.”
He put it on display in a 91-78 win over Woodstock Academy Gold when he went coast-to-coast and finished with a monster dunk.
“Getting a big block on someone, it doesn’t move me because that is my thing,” he said. “But getting dunks like that…yeah. I don’t celebrate when I do something big. I just go back (and play). But plays like that, it gets me hyped.”
PSA held off Mt. Zion in the clash between the top-two ranked teams, as Arturo Dean had 21 points, Desmond Claude added 19, and Darryl Simmons turned in a strong performance with 15 points. PSA then took care of up-the-road rival Woodstock Academy Friday, behind DayDay Gittens’ 15 points and four steals, Claude’s 17 points, and Barry Evans’ 11 points and six boards.
The Mustangs moved to 22-0 after a 76-58 win over Upper Room Christian Academy Saturday (Mouhamed Dioubate had 14 points and seven rebounds) and a 115-81 victory Bridgeport Prep Sunday (Evans led five players in double figures, finishing with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists).
In other PSA boys’ basketball action last week, the Elite team lost twice, both times by one point. Ned Fitzpatrick scored a team-high 17 points, Jorge Trueba had 11, and Jaiden Brown 10 points in a 67-66 loss to St. Thomas More. New York Military Academy rallied late and made two free throws inside the final seven seconds to steal an 85-84 win from the Mustangs Feb. 5. Jalen Claude had 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Fitzpatrick and Lamar Watkins both had 11 points for the Mustangs.
The Varsity team also lost a one-score game, falling 66-64 to Hillside, despite getting 16 points from both Taylan Cengiz and Ethan Senkyire, 13 from Pau Amengual, and 11 from Joseph Magne. The Mustangs trailed by 14 midway through the second half before mounting a comeback that fell just short.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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Icy Spine
The icy weather had some fun with form in this brook in Pomfret. Looks like a spine made of ice. More photos on page 4. Linda Lemmon photo.
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Crunch
time
for MLK
mural
Get your surveys in!
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
It’s all gotten very real for those involved locally with the MLK Mural project for northeastern Connecticut.
The Hale YMCA Youth and Family Center recently agreed to provide the “host wall” for the 12 foot by 48 foot Martin Luther King Jr. mural. Amanda Kelly, executive director for the Y, said the Hale YMCA will be hosting the mural for the first “three years, at the least.” The mural is designed in panels which can be moved.
With that nailed down, the next order of business is for the community to let the committee know what they believe King’s message means to this northeast corner. Each of the 39 planned murals in Connecticut will reflect the area it is installed in. Matt Conway, executive director for RiseUp for Arts, said the 39 murals represent the 39 years that King lived.
Emida Roller, who heads mural creation effort, asked that those answering the survey on what Martin Luther King Jr. means to this area please respond within the next seven to 10 days.
The link for the survey:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs39Lh7V-P02fJtrGIFNFREmKGe9F1scYq2CUJm UYhxirr7w/viewform
Following that, she said, the creation/painting will begin. She said the panels are done on Polytab, a non-woven fabric that will be adhered to aluminum panels. Those will be screwed into the tallest section of the YMCA.
She said that the panels should last 20 to 30 years.
When it’s painting time, she’ll be looking for help from the community. She plans to have at least two “community paint days” at the Hale YMCA.
On the funding side, Dot Burnworth said large and small donations are being sought to match the $15,000 grant from RiseUp. She said almost $10,000 has been raised and Jewett City Savings Bank this week pledged up to $3,000 in matching funds. “Diversity is celebrated here. That’s what I love about where I live,” she said. “We celebrate diversity and equality.”
To make a contribution … the Go Fund Me link is:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/putnams-mlk39-diversity-and-equity-mural
Organizers are looking to have it completed in April.