On Dec. 3 at the YMCA of Greater Westfield, Jillian Battles once again achieved her goal to stuff 800 “goodie bags” for members of the Armed Forces and veterans as a thank-you for their service.
“Yesterday was absolutely amazing! So many volunteers turned out to help Jillian stuff her 800 bags for our troops and veterans. It was so beautiful to see so many from the community come together,” said her mother Jen Battles.
Battles, a sophomore at Westfield High School, was joined by students from the Leaders Club, the Key Club, the Westfield YMCA Wave Swim team, the National Honor Society and members of the Westfield High School staff.
Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe, state Rep. Kelly Pease, Medic Now Foundation representative and City Councilor Nicholas Morganelli, Dave Sutton of One Call Away and many veterans and their families also joined in.
The reusable bags, donated by Big Y, were stuffed with instant coffee, hot cocoa, boxes of tea, ramen noodles, gummy bears, granola bars, trail mix, Rice Krispie treats, cookies, crackers, hard candies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss picks, disposable razors, lip balm, deodorant, hand sanitizer, tissue packets, decks of cards, pens, pencils and puzzle books and blankets or throws. They were brought to Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield to be sent to military bases.
“Dave Sutton from One Call Away was an absolute godsend helping us get the bags to Barnes and also to the various locations for our veterans,” Jen Battles said.
She said their friend Tom Heavren was another “godsend,” packing 111 bags into his minivan and delivering them to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. He then returned to load again and bring the rest of the bags to One Call Away to be distributed to veterans’ organizations.
The Battleses thanked Big Y, J.L. Raymaakers, Crestview Construction, Mestek, Advance Manufacturing, Westfield Stop & Shop, Westfield Bank, Sarat Ford, Bigelow Tea, Westfield Gas & Electric, Little Debbie McKee Foods, West Springfield Costco, Westfield Home Depot, Westfield Walmart, Albanese Candy, Shortstop Bar & Grill, Baystate Dental, Kasperowski Family Dentistry, MGM Springfield, Fitness First and many private donations that helped make the effort possible.
Her mother said for every “yes” that Jillian heard when asking for donations, she had about six “no’s,” because she doesn’t have nonprofit status for the project.
“It didn’t discourage her, though. She continued to email and call and pound the pavement asking in person, hoping for that one ‘yes.’ Because every little bit adds up to a whole lot in the end. Our troops and veterans should never, ever have to struggle for anything and they deserve nothing but the best,” said Jen Battles.
Extra donations will be split between the local veterans’ food pantries at One Call Away and Project New Hope.
Jen Battles said Jillian plans on doing this every year and hopes to get the community even more involved. At the end of the day, Jillian was presented with a Good Deed award from the American Legion Post 124 Auxiliary for her efforts on behalf of the troops and veterans.
https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/westfield-hs-sophomore-stuffs-800-goodie-bags-for-/
A local high school student, along with multiple volunteers, put together care packages on Saturday for troops and veterans at an event at the Westfield YMCA.
Jillian Battles, a student at Westfield High School, helped organize the filling of over 800 bags for soldiers.
The bags included items like instant coffee, hot cocoa, boxes of tea, pens, pencils, ramen noodles, and much more.
“I’m making 800 care packages for troops and veterans. They don’t nearly enough and they aren’t appreciated and I feel that something as small as this, just here in Westfield and gathering from people here in western Mass. will make a big difference,” Battles explained
Battles added that supporting veterans is very important and it also brings the community together in doing so.
https://www.westernmassnews.com/2022/12/04/westfield-teen-packs-hundreds-care-packages-soldiers-veterans/
On weekends downtown, shoppers may have been fortunate enough to run across Westfield High School students busking for their band. The Busking Project, initiated by Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane, has taken off, and is bringing extra joy to the holiday shopping season.
Matthews-Kane said she spoke to WHS Band Director Patrick Kennedy, who brought in senior Samantha Adamtsev to take charge of the project.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/12/westfield-high-school-musicians-take-band-to-the-streets-in-busking-fundraiser.html
If you missed this morning's episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight", click on the link below. This week we featured Westfield High School's Show Choir with Korey Bruno, chorus instructor, and Principal Jendrysik. The students performed live on the show and sounded wonderful. Westfield Technical Academy Culinary Arts students also treated our guests with homemade apple fritters to celebrate National Fritters Day. Thanks for watching! #NationalFrittersDay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfIxVZLT0CI
For anyone who is concerned about a loved one or who wants to learn more about a growing problem and the local resources available to help, Westfield Technical Academy at 33 Smith Ave., Westfield, is hosting a talk on “Preventing Accidental Overdose: Counterfeit Pills and What You Need to Know” on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m.
This free event facilitated by the Hampden County district attorney’s office will provide education and awareness on easy access to counterfeit pills and other drugs online, and is intended for parents and caregivers, community members and organizations.
WTA adjustment and substance abuse counselor Kristine Hupfer said she and Carrie Ann Fiordalice, her counterpart at Westfield High School, have been concerned about how much the drug culture has changed, even in the past few years, and want to help parents and guardians understand the trends.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/11/info-session-at-westfield-tech-will-focus-on-preventing-accidental-overdoses.html
Westfield High School is proud to announce our Q1 Honor Roll. Congratulations to our students who have worked so hard for this recognition. Click here to view the entire list https://5il.co/1la6p
Tune in this Thursday, December 1, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we will talk with members of the Westfield High School Show Choir. The show will also include live student performances. Thanks for watching!
Click here to see the latest edition of the Bomber Bulletin: https://5il.co/1l4w4 There are so many great things happening at Westfield High School, you don't want to miss this!
The statewide cross country competition wrapped up this past weekend and two local runners showed their speed. Westfield Technical Academy’s Kaylin Hawley and Westfield High’s Megan Moran finished tops in their respective divisions.
Hawley finished runner-up in Division 2 and fourth overall in the Mass Vocational Schools championship at the Wrentham Development Center, finishing with a personal best 21:33. That personal best did not last long, however, as she broke it on Saturday at the All-State Cross Country meet, finishing the race in 21:28. She placed 43rd out of 183 runners.
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/cross-country-runners-megan-moran-westfield-kaylin-hawley-westfield-technical-academy-use-quick-feet-to-achieve-notable-feats.html
If you missed last week's "Superintendent's Spotlight", click on the link below. In this episode, our District Instructional Leadership Team explains our Multi-Tiered System of student Support. We also recognized National Play Monopoly Day. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Owb4DOsO4Y
The Westfield School Department’s Thanksgiving meal drive went into overdrive this year, with co-chairs Sue and Ralph Figy and Eileen and Jimmy Jachym ordering and delivering turkeys and all the fixings to a record-breaking 230 families this year, 80 more than anticipated.
Ralph Figy said the district coordinated with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, which is providing 100 meals for area families. The school volunteers put together 230 meals, so that between them 330 families would receive meals.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/11/thanksgiving-effort-goes-into-overdrive-to-help-families-in-westfield.html
Share the Warmth Coat drive is ON!
From now until Dec. 14th, visit any of our participating members locations to make a donation to benefit Westfield Public School students.
On Saturday, Nov. 12, Westfield State University was the setting where hundreds of student musicians from high schools across Western Massachusetts auditioned for the Senior District Music Festival sponsored by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association. One dozen instrumental and vocal students from Westfield High School qualified for the district competition.
“These students went above and beyond practicing a prepared solo on their instrument or voice, were required to demonstrate proficiency in scales and sight reading — and in some cases created on-the-spot improvisations as part of their audition,” said Westfield High School Band Director Patrick Kennedy.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/11/westfield-high-schools-vocal-and-instrumental-students-make-districts.html
With the weather turning cold and stormy this week, School Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski is getting ready for another season of deciding when to call a snow day.
It is not a call that he makes by himself, however.
“We look at the weather forecast, which is a pretty good guide, although not always 100% accurate,” he said. “We check with the Maintenance Department, the Westfield Police Department, [school Transportation Director] Pam Kortarski, who checks with the bus company, and area superintendents,” Czaporowski said. ”We try to make the call as early as possible to not inconvenience families.”
https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/many-factors-influence-snow-day-call-westfield-school-superintendent-says.html
Tune in this Thursday, November 17, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we are talking with our Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Director of Special Education, and our Director of Assessment and Accountability about our Multi-Tiered system of Support. Thanks for watching!
One week after being eliminated from the state tournament, the Westfield High School football team sought to finish the season on a positive note. Mission accomplished.
Westfield rallied from a 15-0 deficit to defeat West Springfield in a high school football consolation game 24-22 Thursday night at Bullens Field. The Bombers victory cemented their final record of the 2022 season at 7-3.
If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" this morning, please click on the link below. This week, we recognized Sesame Street Day. We also talked about the results from our Youth Risk Behavior Surveys administered to students in grades 8, 10, and 12 last spring. Thanks for watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qODyYic7Urg
Westfield Public Schools and Offices will be closed on Friday, November 11, for the observance of Veterans Day. Thank you.
Tune in this Thursday, November 10, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we are talking with our Director of Curriculum and Instruction and our Substance Abuse Counselors about the results of our youth risk survey that administered last spring. Thanks for watching!
A reminder that there is no school for students on Tuesday, November 8. Thank you!
