SHARON — Reminding Sharon Center School (SCS) students that they can continue learning throughout the summer, the new Little Green Bus sat prominently in the school parking lot. It was a feature of the Slip and Slide event offered by the school on Thursday, June 15, when students visited a variety of learning-centered stations situated around the school grounds.
Coordinating the details of the day, SCS Remedial Reading teacher Heather Mathews had outfitted and renovated an old mid-sized school bus with the assistance of about $20,000 in ARPA funds and lots of volunteer talent working hard. Today the old bus is looking spiffy, completely renewed and featuring an awning for shade, exterior shelving for book displays and lots of free books to give away. Inside is a meticulously planned learning space.
The Little Green Bus even has a nickname already, “Roving Clover,” Mathews explained, indicating her father’s propensity for finding four-leaf clovers. The goal, she says, is to give away all of the books people have donated to her project, people from as far away as Manhattan and Westchester County.
“It’s amazing what the response has been,” Mathews said, describing a system of book collection points that have aided the project. Many of the donated books are new, she added.
“I’m very lucky,” Mathews said about the project. “I want parents and kids to realize that they worked hard throughout the school year. I don’t want them to lose momentum.”
Throughout the summer, the bus will go where the kids are, frequenting the town beach and other locations, distributing books at every stop.
“Don’t let the summer slide get you,” explained Leslie Klish, SCS technology teacher, detailing the theme of the day while overseeing book distribution at the bus.
At her learning station, art teacher Lily Barnett was leading the students in creating cyanotypes of their handprints. The process has been in use since 1842. It is a slow-reacting, photographic process that uses only water to develop the prints.
Groupings of students were of mixed grades as they moved among the stations to see a state trooper working with a K-9 companion, to climb aboard a huge Sharon fire truck and inside the Sharon ambulance. They could also blow giant bubbles and, of course, there was the slip and slide water course. After drying off, they could pet a turtle and see moose skulls and antlers at the Nature’s Classroom demonstration in the gym, arranged by the White Memorial Conservation Center of Litchfield.
Enthusiastic about books, SCS students Giuseppe Socci (2nd Grade), at left, and Layne Beman (5th Grade) explored the interior of the Little Green Bus during the Slip and Slide event held at the school on Thursday, June 15. Photo by Leila Hawken
Ready to serve Sharon Center School students wherever they are in town during the summer, The Little Green Bus strutted its bookish stuff for students as part of the Slip and Slide event held at the school on Thursday, June 15. Photo by Leila Hawken
The Slip and Slide water feature was a popular draw for Sharon Center School students nearing the end of their school year. The all-school event, titled Slip and Slide, included demonstrations and activities, making the point that students should continue learning during the summer so as not to slip and slide backwards, forgetting what they had learned during the year. Photo by Leila Hawken
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
