"It was wonderful to see the community pull together and provide such a wonderful opportunity for school children and their families," she said.
"It was organized beautifully and set the tone for the school year by making sure every child will be able to start the school year with the supplies they need, some new clothes, fresh haircuts and even some books," the assemblywoman added.
The even drew hundreds of students to the school, where they had an opportunity to shop for clothes, get haircuts, pick up school supplies and meet with school officials.
She noted tables in the cafeteria were piled high with gently used clothing throughout the four-hour event, and students left with supplies –- ranging from pens and pencils, notebooks and even backpacks – needed for the new school year. Books donated by the American Federation of Teachers were also available.
The assemblywoman said she was even more impressed when she walked into the courtyard and saw cosmetologists from the community volunteering their time to provide back-to-school haircuts for students.
Assemblywoman Jenne said she was thrilled to see the partnerships that have been formed between the school district and the community, ranging from unions and churches to the more than two dozen agencies and organizations that were represented at the Ready4School event.
The assemblywoman, who has two children heading back to school next week, said the start of the school year can be stressful for families living in poverty and those living from paycheck to paycheck.
"We have a high number of hard-working men and women in the North Country, many working two or three jobs, struggling to pay their monthly bills. The beginning of the school year –- and the need for new clothes, sneakers and school supplies –- can be very difficult for those families," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
She said the Ready4School event helped ease that burden and also served to strengthen the relationship between the school district and the families it serves.
"The beginning of the school year can be an extremely stressful financial time for families and seeing the school community - and its partners - going out of their way to help families shows true understanding, concern and compassion. It’s a model that will hopefully spread to more schools," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"It's an expensive time of the year. If you start the school year and have just dropped a couple hundred dollars on school supplies, clothes and shoes, you might not be feeling all that warm and fuzzy," she noted.
"But if you come here and see the community has taken time to help you deal with that stress, I think it helps you feel you are part of something bigger," the assemblywoman added.
Assemblywoman Jenne said she visited the event because it was the first of its kind in the region and ended up pitching in to assist families as they picked out clothes for their children.
"I wanted to come and see what it was all about to be here, to show my support for the people here putting it on. A tremendous amount of time and energy went into this event," she pointed out.
"It's very special. We here in the North Country seem to be able to figure out ways to take care of each other. This really is in that spirit," she suggested.
Assemblywoman Jenne said she is hopeful the success of the event at Massena Central will lead to the creation of similar programs at other school districts in the region.
"It was great to see how happy and appreciative the families were. It really means something to people so I hope others will make sure our students can come to school ready to learn and feel good about coming back to school and their parents have a really good feeling as well," she noted.
The assemblywoman said The People Project, a union-led initiative, is striving to have community school coordinators at each school in St. Lawrence County.
The community schools site coordinator's role is to emphasize family engagement, build stronger partnerships with the community, provide additional supports for students and families and try to reduce the barriers that get in the way of a student achievement.
"Our schools are the centerpiece of our rural communities, and it really makes sense to use them to meet student needs that fall outside of the traditional educational scope . Massena Central and its partners certainly showed the benefits of community schools this week," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne helps a family with several young children pick out clothing for the new school year. More than 1,000 students and parents were served at the Ready4School event.
TOP BOTTOM PHOTO:
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne (r) visits with Kristin Colarusso-Martin, community schools site coordinator for Massena Central Schools, at the Ready4School event. Sixteen volunteer hairdressers provided 150 free haircuts for children. There were 35 community partners present with tables providing information to families. In addition, 1,500 books donated by the American Federation of Teachers were passed out.
