Education Connection Presents Lights On! After School

By Larissa Lytwyn

Education Connection, a regional service center dedicated to providing educational and related services to district schools, will be holding its annual Lights On! After-School at Reed Intermediate, and Sandy Hook, Hawley, and Head O’ Meadow elementary schools October 9.

Lights On! After School is a national event celebrating after-school programs and their important role in the lives of children, families, and communities. The event will call attention to after-school programs and the resources required to keep the lights on and the doors open, said Melissa Pescatore, program coordinator for Education Connection’s school-age program.

Reed Intermediate School students will be presenting skits and discussing the importance of after-school programming with parents. Hawley families will join together to make ice cream sundaes during an open house scheduled from 4:15 to 6 pm. Sandy Hook School students and their parents will enjoy an Italian-style pasta dinner from 5 to 6 pm. Head O’ Meadow will be having an open house between 4 and 6 pm. In honor of Education Connection’s Lights On! theme, students decorated “light bulbs,” which will be on prominent display throughout the event.

“After-school programs keep kids safe, help working families, and improve academic achievement,” Ms Pescatore said.