ROCKINGHAM, Vt. – It takes a village, and we have one of the best. Community supporters from all over southern Vermont, New England, and beyond help give back to the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union community in many ways, particularly during the holidays and through the winter months.
Numerous folks step in each year to ensure the Central Elementary School (CES) students and families have their needs met. From the Elks Club providing boots and snow pants, to the hats and mittens generously supplied by the Knitting Club, an effort spearheaded by Suki Russo and their knitters, community partners, and CES supporters have been working tirelessly to ensure that our school is remembered, especially around the holidays.
Students are also supported during this time of year to participate in the CES Winter Sports Program. Chroma Technology Corporation of Bellows Falls provides gifts to fulfill the students’ own wish lists, with CES staff Jen Burke, Alexa Martins, Tamara Evanson, teachers, and many other school elves making sure that the wish lists have the correct sizes for snow pants, boots, clothing, toys, and more. The Amy Barre Charitable Trust donated funds to help sponsor ice skates and pay for ice skate sharpening, helmets, and more to support the students’ involvement in the Winter Sports Program.
Central Elementary School staff Kerry Pickering, Kelley Green, Cindy Rounds, Millie Barry, Jane Steuwe, and many, many other staff members help prepare for the annual Shopping Mall at CES, which is a hallmark event for our students so that they might participate in some holiday cheer. Items are collected all year round, classroom logistics and scheduling are orchestrated, and funds are secured to ensure that students can participate in holiday shopping for members of their families. The school’s local neighbors contribute cash, gift items, wrapping paper and accessories, and more. This year, some Bellows Falls Union High School students donated community service hours to help students shop, wrap, or organize the donations. The Bellows Falls Women’s Club always sends members to CES to help wrap up each special gift.
And while the spotlight this month has been on winter activities, the support to CES families extends beyond the holiday season, this year and in years past; personal donors, some living as far away as New Jersey, provided funds to support food purchases at Lisai’s Market for our CES families, with matching gifts from corporations like Goldman-Sachs. Lisai’s Market also donated gift cards for families in need. Mr. G’s Liquidation Center generously helped collect needed items for the Shopping Mall, food drive, and more over the past few years. Organizations such as the Bellows Falls Rotary, Bellows Falls Fire Department, Bellows Falls Police Department, Rockingham Free Public Library, Parks Place Community Resource Center, Greater Falls Connections, Turning Point Recovery Center, Cota & Cota Oil Company, Windham and Windsor Housing Trust, and many more help with Central Elementary School’s Back to School Carnival and fall activities such as the Trunk or Treat. Halladay’s Harvest Barn with Kathleen Govotski donated dips and mixes for our Harvest Celebration, and supports classroom projects throughout the year, Gassett Grange supplies personal dictionaries for our third graders each year, and many local businesses donate every year to help support our Rockingham 5K event, making CES feel very lucky to be part of this community.
And as a true testament to the tight-knit community, the support is mutual. Throughout the year, CES students, staff, and families also give back with a Thanksgiving Food Drive that brought in over 800 items donated to Our Place Food Pantry in town.
We thank our CES village for all you do to make our days brighter and ensure our students and families have what they need. Happy Holidays to all!