Reed Interact Students Help Food Pantry

By LAURIE BORST

Published: Sep 22, 2006 12:00 am

By Laurie Borst

In remembrance of the events of 9/11, Reed Intermediate School held its fourth annual food drive earlier this month, sponsored by the Interact Club. From September 11 through 15, students were asked to bring in donations of nonperishable foods. A total of 1,014 items were donated. The items were donated to food bank at Newtown Social Services.

âOur goal was 911 food items, so we consider this a success,â said Assistant Principal Anthony Salvatore.

Dr Salvatore is one of the advisors to Reedâs Interact Club. Karen King and Gina Swanson, teachers at Reed, are also advisors.

The Interact Club is sponsored by Rotary Club of Newtown, an international service organization with local chapters. Interact Clubs provide a venue for students to participate in service-oriented activities. Reed School has one of the youngest Interact groups in the state.

On the afternoon of September 15, approximately 30 students attended the first meeting of the Interact Club for the 2006-07 school year. President Alison Kron and treasurer Emily Peters, both sixth graders, welcomed new students and explained some of the projects their group participates in.

Dorothy Day Hospitality House and Ashlar of Newtown are two places the Reed group helps out. In the spring, a blood drive is held at the school and the Interact students serve refreshments to donors. They are the youngest group in the state that helps out with Red Cross Blood Drives.

On Monday, September 18, the students helped out at the Rotaryâs weekly dinner by busing tables and filling water glasses for the Rotarians.

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Laura Wildman

It’s important to clarify that while public process matters, so does the right of a property owner to reasonably develop land they legally own—especially when they follow the rules and engage with the town in good faith. The Board of Selectmen (BOS), whether one agrees with their decision or not, did not “give away” anything. The land in question was part of a road that had been unused and undeveloped for generations. There was no public access, no signage, and no infrastructure—just an overgrown path most residents never knew existed. Mr. Ackert calls the discontinuance “illegal,” but state law grants municipalities the authority to discontinue roads, subject to procedural requirements. The fact that this matter is in litigation shows that questions of law are being properly addressed in court—not in letters to the editor. If the court finds procedural flaws, they’ll be corrected. That’s how the legal system works. Real solutions are found through public process and the courts, not through social media outrage. What’s missing from this conversation is a recognition that towns need to balance many interests: history, environment, public access, private property rights, and economic development. And while the newly championed Revolutionary War heritage is important, there are also pressing modern realities: towns need housing, economic vitality, and responsible development. These things don’t happen in a vacuum—they require compromise, planning, and often, yes, change. If residents truly wish to preserve this trail as public space, the appropriate path is through purchase, conservation easement, or formal designation—not by expecting private landowners to bear the burden of public sentiment. If the writer believes so strongly in its value, perhaps they might consider investing in its preservation themselves. We can honor our history without freezing our town in time. Development and preservation aren’t mutually exclusive—but vilifying one side of the conversation only deepens division. Let’s focus on solutions that balance respect for the past with the rights and needs of those who live here now.

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Thank you both for running my letter and the excellent editor's note. I deeply appreciate the Bee and what it means to Newtown.

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Dan was a real gentleman. I had the honor of knowing him for about 10 years from high school and into early adulthood. He was always upbeat and amiable. His love of golf was boundless. I remember him droning on about the type of wedge this or that professional golfer was playing at any given time. He loved to play also. Dan made the winning putt that clinched a championship for NHS men’s golf in 1984. It was a snaking, downhill putt that few people would have had the nerve or imagination to have holed at such a critical moment. It was magic!! You are a true gem, Dan. May your eternal reward be endless days of long, straight drives and the sound of difficult putts finding the bottom of the hole.

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Congratulations John! This is quite a feat & shows a lot of perseverance, endurance, & commitment while becoming more healthy & having fun! The ultimate achievement! Wishing u a long healthy life!

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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The 1st Amendment does NOT say "except when there's a budget problem, or when some people wish things would quiet down." There is no way a proposed ordinance can be construed as other than singling out RockthisDemocracy, and also no way the town does not get expensively buried in court should it be foolish enough to go down this path.

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Reed Interact Students Help Food Pantry

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