Bray, in gutsy performance, pitches Fitchburg past Oakmont

Bray threw 118 pitches and struck out nine Spartans en route to his fifth win of the season and ninth of his interscholastic career, but it had its bumps as Fitchburg held on to beat Oakmont, 8-7, Tuesday afternoon.

The Raiders improved to 13-4 overall, which marks the first time Fitchburg baseball has hit the 13-win mark since 2001. A win in Thursday’s regular-season finale against Gardner — which will be the final game coached by Wildcat legend Gregg Picucci — would be the first time FHS reached 14 wins since 2000, and would help FHS share the Mid-Wach C title at 6-2 with North Middlesex Regional.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/highschoolsports/ci_31910096/bray-gutsy-performance-pitches-fitchburg-past-oakmont

Leominster Boosters band together to help rivals

Leominster Boosters band together to help rivals – donate $1,000 to FPS to help Crocker Elementary.

Fitchburg Superintendent Andre Ravenelle said the willingness to assist goes both ways between Fitchburg and Leominster.

When cyberextortionists took control of the Leominster Public Schools computer system last month, Ravenelle said members of the Fitchburg Public Schools IT Department went to Leominster to help.

“Even though there are rivalries on the football field, we’re all in it together,” he said.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_31904131/leominster-boosters-band-together-help-rivals

For young area readers, stories are just an app away

In the year since Fitchburg Flourishes launched, city children have read millions of words on Footsteps2Brilliance, an app purchased by the district that allows anyone who lives in the zipcode to access interactive storybooks in Spanish and English.

Through public and private partnerships, the program has now spread to 15 communities in the region, organizers announced at the Early Literacy Summit at Fitchburg High School Thursday.

“Literacy is not just the work of the public school, it’s the work of the whole community,” Fitchburg Superintendent Andre Ravenelle said.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_31904126/young-area-readers-stories-are-just-an-app

2018 Student Achiever Landon Tucker

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette is pleased to honor high school seniors from throughout Central Massachusetts as part of our annual Student Achievers program. The students, chosen by their schools, are an accomplished group. They have excelled in academics, sports, music, theater, student government and more. Many have volunteered in community service and juggled school commitments with part-time jobs. And they have big plans for the future, with most planning to attend college in programs ranging from biology and premed to international studies to mechanical engineering.

Resilient Red Raiders rally to secure postseason berth

Three runs in the home half of the fourth and three more in the home half of the fifth — the fifth inning seeing Johnson crank a three-run home run to straightaway center to deliver Kammarie Pelland and Emma Auger ahead of her — leveled the game at 7.

And after getting out of a solid jam in the top of the seventh, Pelland’s double to left found itself followed up by Johnson’s double to the left centerfield gap to plate the winning run.

Hannah Faulkner went the distance for the Red and Gray on Senior Day, allowing six hits while fanning seven and walking three.

“These kids just don’t go away,” said Fitchburg skipper Mike Pelland. “They’ve done it all year, and they make teams earn it.”

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/highschoolsports/ci_31908425/resilient-red-raiders-rally-secure-postseason-berth

Region-wide Early Literacy Innovation Zone unveiled

A press conference to unveil The Early Literacy Innovation Zone of North Central Massachusetts was held Thursday, May 24 at Fitchburg High School.

The Innovation Zone is the first education collaborative to create a region-wide “collective impact” model to provide the resources needed so that all children enter kindergarten ready to learn and read proficiently by third grade.

The United Way and Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts has created the first model in the nation for pooling resources to create a birth through higher education ecosystem that unites multiple communities and institutions around early literacy. This proactive approach is fostering a vibrant culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in a region comprised of small cities and suburban and semi-rural districts. By prioritizing early literacy, the Innovation Zone school districts and partnering organizations will be at the forefront of creating the trajectory needed to fuel the workforce and economic development of the future for this region.

The Innovation Zone consists of the following key partners: The Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts, the United Way of North Central Massachusetts, FLLAC Educational Collaborative (which serves Leominster) Fitchburg State University, the cities and towns of Fitchburg, Leominster, Ayer-Shirley, Athol-Royalston, Clinton, Narragansett, Lunenburg, Ashby, Pepperell, Townsend (North Middlesex), Winchendon and Gardner, and Footsteps2Brilliance.

Research shows that the greatest disparity of knowledge among children is the vocabulary gap — the number of words a child knows from birth through third grade. Children from low-income families hear 30 million fewer words before the age of 4 than their more affluent peers. This problem is compounded by the fact that 61 percent of low-income children don’t have any books in their homes. The Innovation Zone levels the playing field by providing award-winning comprehensive apps in English and Spanish for free to all children aged birth through third grade in the region.

Read more: https://www.leominsterchamp.com/articles/region-wide-early-literacy-innovation-zone-unveiled/

7th heaven for Fitchburg High’s inaugural Envirothon team

Students at Fitchburg High School worked all year and studied soil, water, wildlife, forestry and focused on community issues to prepare for a presentation of their findings at the 31st annual Massachusetts Envirothon Competition last Friday.

In its first Envirothon ever, the team placed seventh overall out of 26 teams, while earning fifth in soil ecostation and receiving the Community Research Award, Community Action Award and Best Use of Current Theme T-Shirt Award at the competition held at the Blackstone River Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge.

“Overall, they did very well,” said adviser Sarah Johnson, who is assisted by Ann Taft. “As the coach, my hope is that students took away from this experience a sense of environmental stewardship and a desire to become further involved in their community’s environmental issues.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_31901816/7th-heaven-fitchburg-highs-inaugural-envirothon-team

‘Live! Good morning Memorial Middle School!’

          

The daily student-led announcements and morning show, which plays on school televisions, are also broadcast on Fitchburg Access Television and archived on the station’s website.

“It gives the parents a chance to see, because middle school students don’t always tell their parents what is going on,” said Principal Francis Thomas. “I think it also gives the community an insight into stuff that goes on in the school.”

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/news/ci_31901905/live-good-morning-memorial-middle-school

Big hearts for little feet at Fitchburg charity race

     

What big hearts for some little feet.

Sunday’s 5K for Little Feet Road Race — an event organized by Fitchburg High’s National Honor Society (NHS) chapter, which is designed to provide sneakers for underprivileged children in Fitchburg Public Schools and to help support the Fitchburg High School Unified Track Program — turned out to be the best so far, says senior and NHS secretary Erin Primeau.

“I’d say the event was a huge success, we had over 100 participants and raised a little over $4,000, enough to donate 100 pairs of sneakers,” she said. “The rain held off just enough for the race to finish. We had the biggest turnout, with not only individuals from Fitchburg High School and even the city of Fitchburg, but runners all the way from Worcester signed up to run the event.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/highschoolsports/ci_31901903/big-hearts-little-feet-at-fitchburg-charity-race

Fitchburg High grad Tourigny named MIAA Official of the Year

A standout high school basketball player, Renee Tourigny had the same goal many players have after graduation: to step on the hardwood in college.

Though her collegiate career was derailed by an injury before it could begin, Tourigny still found a way onto the court. It just came in an unexpected uniform.

A referee for nine years now, Tourigny, 26, has officiated both college and high school games. And her hard work and dedication to the sport will be recognized next week as the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association will honor the Fitchburg native as its 2017-18 Official of the Year in girls’ basketball.

“It’s great and it’s an absolute honor,” Tourigny, a 2010 Fitchburg High School graduate, said Wednesday afternoon. “I love officiating, so it’s nice to be recognized for what I’m doing.”

Tourigny’s award will be presented in Franklin on May 30 at the third annual MIAA Official of the Year Banquet.

Read more: http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/highschoolsports/ci_31901817/fitchburg-high-grad-tourigny-named-miaa-official-year