LITTLETON — Superintendent Dr. Kelly Clenchy and Principal Michelle Kane are pleased to share that Shaker Lane Elementary School Grade 2 students were awarded an honorable mention in the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) 2024-2025 Poster Project.
Grade 2 students Janet Tin, Odesza “Dezzy” Botko, Emma Seale and Austin Cody were given an honorable mention at the elementary level for their poster “We Care for Our Community.”
More than 145 entries from 22 schools were submitted to the poster project. Winners were selected by a group of public safety and school officials, including art teachers, school counselors, superintendents and principals.
MPY has hosted the poster project since 2009. Each year, schools across the state submit posters in line with a theme to engage students on important topics, giving them a platform to share their voices.
This is the first year Shaker Lane students have participated in the contest. School Psychologist Danya Sclar introduced the idea to the students after discovering the MPY initiative.
This year’s theme was “CommUNITY,” which encouraged students to reflect on the impact of actively participating in a community.
The Shaker Lane students wanted to design a poster that captured all of the places within Littleton that make their community a safe and happy place. The poster, which reads “We care for our community… and our community cares for us,” features the Firehouse, Shaker Lane, the Police Station (featuring school K-9 Rhett), Reuben Hoar Library, Littleton Board of Health and the Senior Center and Parks and Recreation Department.
The students chose to have these buildings drawn around a globe to signify that there are cultures around the world that make up their community. Two of the students have family members from other countries, and the globe allowed them to express pride in all the places that contribute to their sense of community.
While exploring the different agencies that cared for them in Littleton, students learned about the specific responsibilities of each organization. Inside each building, the students wrote a paragraph about what each organization does to maintain community in Littleton.
It was also important for the students to include pieces of themselves in the poster. Each student drew their house and included a drawing of something they were passionate about.
Botko, a Halloween lover, drew a ghost and spiderwebs on his house. In the corner of the poster is a cat and an alien, symbolizing Seale and Cody’s respective passions for animals and space.
The students also signed the artwork.
MPY Executive Director Margie Daniels remarked that the students did an excellent job of showcasing their community, and that she learned a lot about Littleton through the poster.
The students also reflected on the things they love most about Littleton. For Cody, he expressed that he loves going to the library to learn more about science. Seale said she loved being a part of a school community that shows the school’s motto of H.E.A.R.T (Honesty, Effort, Acceptance, Respect and Take Responsibility) and makes everyone feel welcome. For Botko, the answer is simply: “everything.”
“I am so proud of these students for creating a beautiful piece of artwork that tells the story of our community,” said Principal Kane. “When I look at the poster, I can tell that they have a deep love for the community and the people who serve and live in it. They did a wonderful job capturing the “H.E.A.R.T” of Littleton and our school, and I am so happy that they got to share that with others through the poster project.”
A copy of the poster now hangs in Principal Kane’s office.
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