Page 10 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 27, 2019 City, MRA celebrate FitzGerald Park improvements M ayor Gary Christenson and Malden Redevelopment Authority (MRA) Executive Director Deborah Burke joined community groups, advocates and project partners for a ribbon cutting event celebrating the reopening of FitzGerald Park, a pocket park located in front of the CBD garage on Exchange Street in downtown Malden. The mayor led dozens of children from My Little Best Friends daycare in a countdown to the park officially opening, and the children streamed in as soon as the ribbon was cut to play on the park’s new equipment. Joining Christenson and Burke were City Councillors Ryan O’Malley and Steve Winslow, MRA Board members Amanda Linehan and Robert Rotondi, members of Malden Arts CanStill She Rises Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo was a beloved 20-year employee of Metro Credit Union whose life was tragically cut short as a result of domestic violence in December 2018. Please join Metro Credit Union as we raise funds to benefit HarborCOV, the Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo Memorial Fund by Kiwanis and Portal to Hope in her honor. These organizations, located in Everett and Chelsea, provide comprehensive services to people whose lives have been impacted by domestic violence. Still She Rises Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Ersilia Cataldo Matarazzo Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 5:30 PM Holiday Inn Boston Bunker Hill 30 Washington Street, Somerville Keynote Speaker Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley The evening will include dinner, a silent auction, and notable speakers. Sen. Lewis announces $1.5B Student Opportunity Act T he Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education, Tickets: $75 per person Space is limited - visit MetroCU.org/StillSheRises to purchase your tickets now. Sponsorship Opportunities are available. For more information, contact Saritin Rizzuto at 617.851.6749 or SRizzuto@MetroCU.org. If you wish to make a donation, checks should be made payable to HarborCOV and mailed: Metro Credit Union Attn: Still She Rises Fundraiser 200 Revere Beach Parkway Chelsea, MA 02150 which is chaired by State Senator Jason Lewis and State Representative Alice Peisch, recently released the Student Opportunity Act. This legislation, an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in Massachusetts public schools, will expand opportunities for all students, especially those facing educational disadvantages, and provide more resources to all of our communities. The Student Opportunity Act Communities Overcoming Violence significantly helps school districts that serve high percentages of low-income students. At the same time, school districts across the Commonwealth will benefit from updates to the existing funding formula, along with increased state investment in other vital education aid programs, such as transportation, school buildings and special education. These new investments are coupled with policy updates designed to monitor and measure progress, support effective approaches to closing opportunity gaps, and deliver results for all students. Lewis and other legislative leaders commented on the bill’s launch. “The Student Opportunity Act will make an unprecedented $1.5 billion investment in our public schools, ensuring that school districts across the Commonwealth have adequate and equitable resources to provide all students, especially those facing adversity, with a high-quality public education,” said Lewis. “I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and all education stakeholders as this bill advances in the legislative process.” “We know that education drives opportunity, and that’s why access to a quality public education has been a guiding principle in Massachusetts since its founding,” said Senate President Karen Spilka. “With the Student Opportunity Act, we recognize that providing the resources and tools that students need is both our basic responsibility and our greatest path to creating opportunity in the 21st century. I commend the work of the Education Committee in developing a bill that will help create educational opportunities to serve students across the state, now and throughout their lives.” “The Student Opportunity Act builds on our ongoing efforts to support our neediest students and to close opportunity gaps,” said House Speaker Robert DeLeo. “The bill includes significant investments, placing a special emphasis on English learners and districts serving high concentrations of low-income students. In addition, this bill makes investments in school buildings, special education and transportation for districts across the state. Both the House and Senate have taken the noteworthy step of collaborating, side-by-side, to craft a bill that reflects a joint approach to support students. Thank you to Senate President Spilka for her leadership on this issue, and for the hard work of Chairs Peisch and Lewis to move this bill forward.” “The Student Opportunity Act is the result of the analysis of input from a wide variety of stakeholders, including students, parents, educators, the business community, as well as experts in the education field,” said Peisch. “I want to thank Senator Lewis – my co-chair – my fellow committee members, and legislative staff for their tireless efforts to craft this legislation. Today’s executive session was just the first step in the process of enacting this legislation. We all share the common goal of providing the highest quality public education for all our children, and this bill is a giant step towards achieving that goal.” Mayor Gary Christenson and MRA Executive Director Deborah Burke recently joined a number of advocates and project partners to celebrate the reopening of FitzGerald Park. (Photo Courtesy of the City of Malden) dace Julyan and Naomi Brave as well as students from the Asian Community Development Corporation’s youth voice program who advocated for the project. The project was funded through the City’s Community Development Block Group program, a generous donation from John Preotle of Preotle, Lane & Associates, and a Malden Arts grant through the Community Preservation Committee. “These improvements are part of our ongoing efforts to revitalize Malden Square, and we were proud to partner with the City, Malden Arts, and Preotle, Lane & Associates on this project,” said Burke. “These improvements have created more space for children to play and added more recreational space to our downtown.” Improvements included adding new play equipment, a drawing table for children, a talk tube, and benches. Existing benches were also repainted, complementing the existing “The Wonderful World of Ed Emberley” mural. In the coming weeks, Preotle, Lane & Associates will install a new hoop fence, planters and trash receptacles.
11 Publizr Home