THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 6, 2021 Page 17 EHS students pair engineering with gardening By Christopher Roberson or the past month, 23 Everett High School students have been engaged in a rigorous nine-week internship known as Elevating Agriculture Technology. Science teacher Courtland Ferreria-Douglas, who is leading the program, said the crux of the internship is teaching students how to use engineering to solve problems that one might encounter in the garden. As an example, Ferreria-Douglas said, some of his students are working to create a device that will automatically water house plants. He also said gardening seemed appropriate as food insecurity continues to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. F “I like the topic that we’re doing,” said Ferreria-Douglas, adding that such a class is not always possible during the school year. “It can be very difficult to put engineering into a curriculum.” In addition, students have been using programs such as Fusion 360 and Tinkercad to design three-dimensional objects. They have also been learning about circuits using Arduino kits and about coding using Sphero programming. Ferreria-Douglas said some of this year’s guest speakers include Eric McGill, senior technology manager at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, Devona Stevenson, founder of Melanated Organics, and representatives from RightHand Robotics in Somerville and Boston Dynamics in Waltham. Ferreria-Douglas said there are plans to visit Everett Community Growers and MassRobotics in Boston. “We have some of the best tech companies here,” he said. During the internship, students meet from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday with the program scheduled to end on September 3. Ferreria-Douglas said that after completing the program, students could pursue careers in mechanical, chemical or biological engineering, adding that those sectors have experienced significant growth in recent years. The internship was made available through a partnership with the Boston Design Academy and is sponsored by the Timothy Smith Network in Roxbury. SOUNDS OF EVERETT Start of School For students in grades K-12, there will be a half-day of school on August 31 followed by full days on September 1-2. No classes will be held on September 3 or September 6. School will resume for all students, including preschoolers, on September 7. Parent Information Center The Parent Information Center (PIC) is located inside the Keverian School at 20 Nichols St. Please use the rear entrance to the school. The PIC hours are as follows: Monday: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesday: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday: 7:30 am to 5:30 p.m. Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday: 7:30 am to 1:30 p.m. Only students and parents/guardians should come to the PIC to register for school. COVID-19 testing extended through end of October M ayor Carlo DeMaria recently announced that the Stop the Spread program will continue through October 31. The city’s COVID-19 testing site will remain at Rivergreen Park at 1 Rivergreen Dr. Below please find the schedule: Mayor announces city’s End of Summer Extravaganza M ayor Carlo DeMaria recently announced that the City of Everett will be hosting the End of Summer Extravaganza on Friday, September 3 at Glendale Park at 5 p.m. “It was unfortunate that we had to cancel our Independence Day Celebration,” said DeMaria. “In lieu of this event, we are hosting the End of Summer Extravaganza. This celebration will be filled with food, games, and of course fireworks. I look forward to our community gathering to celebrate the end of summer.” During the celebration, there will be music, • Monday–Thursday: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. • Friday and Saturday: 12 to 6 p.m. Cataldo Ambulance Services will continue to administer these tests. This is a walk-up-only site; no appointment is necessary. games, face painting and more. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served beginning at 5 p.m. in the park along with other refreshments. Ice cream, slush and desserts will be available following the grilled food. The traditional fireworks display will begin at 8:30 p.m. Please note that Elm Street will be shut down between the Police Station and Russell Street. Parking is available at the Everett High School parking lot and the DCR parking lot in addition to on street parking. The rain date for the event will be Saturday, September 4 at 5 p.m.
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