people & places

16 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, January 21, 2022 PEOPLE PLACES& Westborough High School community walks to erase hate

By Delaney Vallee and Maggie Hanlon WESTBOROUGH - Westborough High School faculty, staff and students participated in a school-wide Unity Walk on Monday afternoon, working to celebrate diversity at the school and to stand up against racism.

This followed several incidents of racist graffiti in WHS.

Despite the cold temperatures, students and staff walked outside of the school to show their solidarity as a community.

Many held signs that expressed their support for all students as well as the need to erase racism in the community.

One of the teachers who planned the event was ELL teacher Alkeia Conerly.

“This event is so important because it brings not only everyone together, but it brings all cultures together,” she said. “It’s a celebration of diversity and it’s so important because, here at Westborough, we are very diverse.”

At the end of the walk, the community gathered in front of Westborough High School for an “Erase Hate” chant and for a reading of Amanda Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb.”

Gorman wrote and recited that program at President Joe Biden’s inauguration last year.

WHS faculty and staff took turns reading in different languages including Portuguese, Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, and English.

Senior Autumn Lieber was one of the individuals who helped recite Gorman’s poem.

“Reading a part of the poem was a great experience for me,” she said. “…I felt like this poem really hit home for many people.”

“Hearing others read, like

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PHOTO/SHAWN LEVINE From left to right, Matty Burger, Hunter Bramley, Tommy McGinn hold signs during yesterday’s Unity Walk at Westborough High School.

Erase hate | 17

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Shrewsbury school district receives $20,000 anonymous donation

By Laura Hayes Senior Community Reporter

SHREWSBURY - An anonymous donor recently contributed $20,000 to the Shrewsbury Public Schools’ Colonial Fund.

The School Committee unanimously accepted the donation during its Jan. 5 meeting.

“We’re deeply appreciative of the fact that we have such a generous member of the community willing to invest in our students and our staff in this way,” said Superintendent Joseph Sawyer.

According to the district’s website, the Colonial Fund finances “high impact innovations” in Shrewsbury schools, including opportunities that are too costly or arise outside of the district’s budget cycle.

The Colonial Fund has raised over $365,000 for projects since 2012, such as inspirational speakers and

“We’re deeply appreciative of the fact that we have such a generous member of the community willing to invest in our students and our staff in this way.

Joseph Sawyer

Superintendent

renovation of hands-on and STEM learning spaces at the high and middle school.

Sawyer thanked the district’s co-coordinators of development and volunteer activities, Michelle Biscotti and Kathleen Keohane. He said they created a lot of communications to send to the donor list for the Colonial Fund that highlighted projects undertaken using the fund.

“This new gift will help us to continue that work to provide innovative opportunities that may not be covered initially in the budget — sort of seed money — to continue working toward finding ways to support our students,” Sawyer said. “Right now, given

Westborough High School community walks to erase hate

Erase hate | from page 16 me, added more meaning and emotions to it,” she continued. “I also felt like the walk was a good way for more people to connect and really get together, showing respect for one another…”

There have been a number of racist acts also committed in other schools in Massachusetts during this current school year.

Back in Westborough, though, there was an open meeting and discussion among faculty and staff on the afternoon of Jan. 12 to continue this work on diversity and anti-racism.

“I think it’s really important for us to stand up together as a school to fight against racism and other issues,” sophomore Nithika Krishna said.

“[The unity walk] not only makes our school better, it makes each one of us, I believe, better,” Principal Brian Callaghan added.

This article was published in collaboration with Westborough High School’s student newspaper, the Lobby Observer. everything that’s going on, the more opportunities we have to find ways to support our students and help our staff move things forward, the better.”

School Committee member Lynsey Heffernan echoed Sawyer’s thanks. She said Biscotti and Keohane’s communications have been “impressive” and “paying dividends.”

“While we can’t specifically thank whoever this anonymous person is, I hope they all know how appreciative we are, and the opportunity this allows for us is certainly excellent,” Heffernan said.

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