The Plainville
Cit itiz ize en
Volume 12, Number 13
Plainville’s Only Weekly Newspaper
www.plainvillecitizen.com
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Students rockin’ the show at PHS By Julie Sopchak The Plainville Citizen Sophomore Jacob Masco and junior Lissa Little have been recognized as the latest recipients of Plainville High School’s Students Rock award. The two received the seventh installment of the award after being recognized for their dedication to setting a good example and instilling positive behavioral attitudes in their peers. “Assessments of good schools and good kids are not about possessing absolute qualities of excellence and perfection,” said Anna Norland, PHS faculty member, “but of possessing the ability to anticipate challenge, welcome change, care for those that belong to their community, and ap-
preciate the gift of life.” Principal Steven LePage was wholly supportive of Little receiving the award, citing her solution to curb the amount of wasted fruits and vegetables left for disposal every day after lunch. New state laws require students to take fruits and vegetable, but most just end up throwing the food away. Little saw this and decided to start a collection bin for students to put the food in – rather than the garbage – which then gets donated to a local church and distributed to those in need. “Her daily effort to collect and deliver this food is truly impressive and commendable,” LePage said. Little said she didn’t realize how big the award was and that she was even
being recognized for what she did. “After lunch, I looked in the garbage can and it was just a bunch of fruit at the bottom, and that was all going to waste,” she said. “So I wanted to figure out a way to not waste it.” Additionally, PHS art teacher Lena Pietri said Little is a “ray of sunshine” in class and demonstrates a solid work ethic. “She is a conscientious student, takes great care in her work, and has a positive impact on her community,” Pietri stated. Masco, who is part of the Friends of Rachel Club, said he was shocked to be a recipient. “I didn’t think I could win an award like that,” he said. See Show, page 6
Citizen photo by Julie Sopchak
Jacob Masco and Lissa Little’s names have been added to the Students Rock plaque.
‘Girl Rising’ documentary may play in Plainville By Julie Sopchak The Plainville Citizen
If there is enough interest, Loews Theater will hold a viewing of Girl Rising, a documentary film about the power of education to change a girl’s life. Directed by Richard Robbins, the film chronicles the lives of nine girls from nine countries and how they rose through suppression to better themselves in society through schooling. Wendy Swift, a Farmington resident, is spear-heading the attempted screening at Loews, which is scheduled for Thursday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. One hundred tickets need to be sold in order for the film to be screened. Swift serves as vice presi-
dent on the board of directors for Pathways Togo, a non-profit organization that helps girls in the African nation of Togo pursue an education. Through her work, Swift has discovered the pivotal role that education plays in a girl’s life, and how it makes a difference. “When we look at all these global problems, and poverty, it seems education for girls
in particular is instrumental in mitigating those problems,” she said. “To make a difference, it has to be through school and education.” Swift said she came across Girl Rising by chance when trying to find an appropriate film for a lecture she was to give at the Farmington Public Library. When she came across this particular film, she was impressed with how much it lined up with her organization’s goals and how it communicated so many of the issues encountered by these girls. “Girl Rising is just incredible because of how well it presents this problem,” Swift said. Each girl in the film acts out her own respective story,
which was written and adapted by writers of each girl’s respective country. One story, of a girl named Sohka from Cambodia who was nicknamed “The Phoenix,” chronicles how Sohka’s life rose literally from the bottom – picking through garbage on the streets to survive – to the top. “Through a series of mira-
cles,” as described on the film’s website, Sohka is able to attend school, where she became a top student. Swift added that once girls receive an education, it seems they are more likely to bring it back and “carry the torch” for their native community or village.
See Film, next page
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