In today’s daily 5 Things You Need to Know feature, ThisWeekinWorcester.com explores five important items and stories that Worcester and Central Massachusetts residents should keep a close eye on.
These five things can cover a whole range of subjects and issues that we feel are pertinent to understanding what’s going on in the city and the cities and towns surrounding Worcester.
In today’s edition — Friday, Dec. 6 — the city wants your help in planning the parks, Kelley Square’s lighting up this weekend, WPI got big money to make a cool game app for kids, Clark students were honored for helping children in Main South and Preservation Worcester is hosting a holiday stroll.
Kelley Square Lights Up for the Holidays
No, it’s not a smoke-a-thon. It’s Kelley Square’s 2019 tree lighting extravaganza! Head over to Kelley Square (yeah, the one in Worcester) on Saturday, Dec. 7, as the area sparkles with the Canal District Holiday Stroll from 2-6 p.m. The event includes an appearance by Santa Claus, who takes photos with adoring fans in his sleigh. There are also horse-drawn wagon rides available from 2-4 p.m. Many local sports and business mascots roam around, including those from the WooSox. Businesses also hand out free do-dads, food and beverages. WXLO, too, is on hand playing tunes and hosting games, and Table Talk Pies, Dunkin, Tom’s Deli, Insomnia Cookies, Anthem Bagels, Subway, the Queen’s Cup and many others are handing out treats.
Your Input is Appreciated, and Essential, in the Future of Worcester’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space
There’s an Open Space & Recreation Plan 2020 Project Website that doesn’t have a whole heck of a lot on it at this time, but surely will as the city works on its plans for its parks, recreation and open space.
That said, your input is greatly appreciated, desired even, for the future of these endeavors. So much so, that there are a number of upcoming meetings at which your presence is requested to share input and ideas as they relate to parks and open space.
Here are the upcoming meetings:
There’s also a survey up through February that the community is urged to take.
WPI Gets Grant to Make Site Where Kids Can Design Math Games
Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researchers have received a $745,612 grant to develop a website that children can use to design and play math games that develop computational thinking skills, the school announced.
Ivon Arroyo, associate professor in learning sciences and technologies at WPI, is principal investigator on the three-year project.
As Arroryo explained, computational skills aren’t typically taught until college, but children are quite capable of learning them before then because they naturally create and play games with complex rules and sophisticated thinking.
“Computational skills are important because they can improve access to higher-level STEM careers,” Arroyo said. “We want everybody, regardless of socioeconomic status, to have access to a skill that could pull them toward STEM careers.”
The WPI team will build on previous research developing the Wearable Learning Cloud Platform (WLCP), a website for teachers and students. With the help of teachers, students use the platform to play games and create math games for other students.
Pretty cool.
Two Clark Students Get Award For Serving Needs of Children and Teens in Main South
And to continue with amazing news out of Worcester colleges, Nia Slater-Bookhart ’19 and Hannah Brier ’20 have received the John W. Lund Community Achievement Award for their service to children and teens in the Main South neighborhood, the school announced.
Slater-Bookhart is a student leader with All Kinds of Girls, which cultivates pride, leadership, self-esteem, and self-expression in girls ages 9 to 16. Brier is a founder of Main IDEA at Clark U, which creates art-based curriculum and afterschool programs for students at area schools.
Slater-Bookhart worked with All Kinds of Girls (AKOG) throughout her undergraduate years, joining as a mentor and rising to the position of mentor/administrative coordinator. In her leadership position, she helped expand the program to serve 70 to 80 girls with 30 to 40 Clark mentors.
“I had the great opportunity to be a part of the lives of so many strong and amazing young women who have changed my life in the best way possible,” she said in a statement. “Receiving this award pushes me to continue to pour as much love and care as I can into any community that I am in, and my hope is that others will do the same — it is what our world really needs.”
In her sophomore year, Brier began working with Main IDEA, a Worcester-based nonprofit that makes art-based programs accessible for Main South youth. With support from Maria Connors, Joy Murrietta, and other interns, she created the Main IDEA at Clark U club as a way for Clark students who are passionate about art or education to share their talents and get hands-on experience by teaching youth in the community. In the year and a half since the club’s creation it has flourished, and now operates three afterschool programs at University Park Campus School, Woodland Academy, and Claremont Academy with almost all Clark volunteers. “I recognize that this award is not only mine — the work I have done to receive this I did not do alone,” she said.
Preservation Worcester Hosts Popular Annual Holiday Stroll
Admit it. When you drive by some of these larger-than-life homes over on the West Side, you really wonder what they look like inside, right? Preservation Worcester understands and, years ago, created an annual holiday stroll, when several Worcester families decorate and open up their homes to visitors.
Tour an eclectic selection of Worcester’s finest homes on Sunday, Dec. 8, from noon to 4 p.m.. Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to view exceptional architecture and design of Worcester’s gracious homes. Enjoy fine architecture, good company, and support Preservation Worcester while you visit some of Worcesters architectural hidden gems. All proceeds support Preservation Worcester’s advocacy, education and action.
Pick up your holiday stroll brochure, which acts as your ticket at 10 Cedar St., on Dec 8 starting at noon. Tickets are $30 for nonmembers and $25 for members.
Lead photo credit: Elm Park/Patrick Sargent for ThisWeekinWorcester.com
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