Dale Street School Student Council Takes on Project Encouraging Community Members to Support Local Restaurants

MEDFIELD — Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden and Dale Street School Principal Steve Grenham are pleased to share the work of fourth and fifth grade students to support and promote local restaurants during the pandemic. 

Earlier in the fall, the Dale Street Student Council, consisting of one student and an alternate from each fourth grade and fifth grade class, voted to begin an initiative that would support local restaurants by “sponsoring” them and promoting them within the school community.

The Student Council came up with 18 restaurants in the area, one restaurant to be represented by each classroom. To promote their assigned restaurant, classrooms create a brief write-up about the restaurant, often including events or specials to entice parents to visit the restaurant. The write-up is then submitted to Principal Grenham to be included in the weekly newsletter to parents. Two restaurants are included in the newsletter each week.  

Student Council representatives and alternates then discussed with their classmates other actions they can take to promote their assigned restaurant. Students have made signs for parents to see during drop off and pick up, as well as designed and hung posters or flyers in the school building or around neighborhoods. 

Students were then required to write a letter to the restaurant to introduce themselves and describe the project and the activities they chose to promote the restaurant. 

“I am incredibly proud of our fourth and fifth grade Student Council representatives and alternates who initiated, planned and very creatively carried out this project. It’s really amazing to see these young kids take on an initiative, quite independently, to help a sector of the community that has been very much affected by the pandemic,” Principal Grenham said. “Curriculum is important, but creating leaders and people who will find ways to benefit the community and the world is really a fundamental goal of the educational experience, and these kids are examples of that in action.”

The Student Council’s initiative began in November and will continue through February. The list of sponsored restaurants includes: Avenue, Basil, Blue Moon Bagel Cafe, CasaBella Pizza, China Sky, Cutlets, Griddle Cafe, Italian Groceria, Jing’s Garden, Juice on Main, Medfield House of Pizza, Noon Hill Grill, Nosh & Grog, Papa Gino’s, Royal Pizza, Sethji’s Indian Vegetarian Meals-to-Go, Subway and Takara.

“Jackson was amazing. His presentation was incredible. I had customers coming in because of it and mentioning to me that they saw his poster promoting us. It was well worth the Dale Street Student Council’s effort. He should be very proud,” said Linda Pigget, the front of house manager and lead host at Basil.

Added Eddie Khoury, the owner and head chef at Medfield House of Pizza, “Thank you very much to all the students at Dale Street School.”

The students’ write-ups on their respective restaurant can be found each week on the Dale Street Blog. 

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