Empty Bowls is a grassroots international fundraiser to relieve hunger. Parker Academy has been involved with Empty Bowls for at least ten years as an annual effort to raise awareness of hunger and support food security in our local area.

4 stages of bowl making: from forming and decorating clay, under glazing, glazing, and firing

Everyone in the Parker Community is able to participate in this event. Parents, staff and even former students, provide soups and breads for the evening. Students of all levels enrolled in ceramics classes create the bowls, and a student volunteer group transforms the “big room” into a dining room for our event.

This event has become a joyful celebration of community at Parker Academy. When we all work together we can not only share a meal, but give to others as well.

In the true spirit of giving the middle school students have spent the past few weeks making scarves to hand out. They designed and created scarves for those who are cold and in need this winter. The students went downtown and tied the scarves to trees and posts for those who may want or need them.

‘State House Scarves’ or ‘Scarvesgiving’ has been a Parker Academy tradition held for many years and we hope to continue giving back to the community throughout the year.

This Wednesday afternoon November 7th, Parker Academy hosted a special visitor, Hal Liberty.

Hal has an extensive woodcraft shop in Bradford, where for 33 years in his retirement, he has been making wooden toys for children who otherwise would have little if anything under the tree. Parker students have been volunteering to help Hal with this project for ten years, and it has been a great collaboration.

Hal spoke to the school about his background, how he got into this project, and who are the volunteers and beneficiaries. He also brought many samples of his work, to the delight of students and teachers, including planes of all types, cars, trucks, and even a cradle.  All are handcrafted from a variety of woods – including mahogany, maple, and walnut – and are designed to be completely safe for use by any child.

When Parker students are volunteering at his wood-shop, Hal walks them through safety procedures, then sets each up at a particular station, instructing them how to operate the various machines used to make the toys at different stages in the process.  Hal is personable, jovial, and very patient, and his love of making toys for kids is infectious. At the end of his presentation, Hal was presented with a Parker t-shirt and a certificate conferring on him the title of “Honorary Industrial Arts Teacher.”  Oh, and he is 85.

By Joe Webster

Thank you to the students and faculty that showed up on Sunday to support Making Strides! We completed our five mile walk and are steps closer to finding a cure. A special thank you to all that donated to this important cause. We reached our goal of raising $1000, together we can make a difference!

See you next year!

We at Parker Academy are always looking for new ways to reach out to families to include them in our adventures and successes. This is our second installment of ‘Taking Part’ in our 2018-2019 year and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Multicultural Festival: Our mission is to create a Welcoming Community for all by fostering a culture of appreciation for diversity, providing engaging learning opportunities, and empowering new Americans with opportunities to successfully integrate and be part of our community.

We at Parker Academy are always looking for new ways to reach out to families to include them in our adventures and successes. This is our first installment of ‘Taking Part’ in our 2018-2019 year and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

Parker Academy took part in Granite United Way‘s ‘Day of Caring’ this morning. They tackled five different locations to make a difference in their community! From painting a building, removing brush or picking up litter, these kids put their all into the tasks at hand. #dayofcaring2018