As the first quarter of school starts to come to a close, fall festivities are in full swing. This year, the Beebe School continued their four-year tradition of Pumpkins on the Plaza. The event was free to participate in, and anyone who came was given a free pumpkin and decorations to use and be sent home with.
The event, run by Friends of Oak Grove, Inc. (FOOGI), Ward 3 City Councilor Amanda Linehan, Ward 3 School Committee member Jennifer Spadafora, and the Beebe School’s Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO), has been a multi-year success.
“We started during COVID, so the first year we did it, it was a drive-through with pumpkins and goodie bags,” Linehan explained. After the turnout they received that year, they decided to take it a step further the year following, not having the same restrictions from the pandemic. “Three years ago, we made it a big fall festival,” she explained, and they have not looked back.
This year, Malden High’s Key Club and Math National Honors Society volunteered to help distribute pumpkins and snacks. “Honestly, I’m so lucky I have so many volunteers that come,” Linehan praised. “My nervousness is always that we won’t get enough people or we’ll have a lot left over… but I find that community loves neighborhood events.”
Key Club volunteers, from left to right: Zeina Khatib, Nicura Robinson McCaskill, Tiffany Vo, and Reporter Abigael Fesehaie. MACK KEATING
Math National Honors Society and Key Club volunteers, from left to right: Chloe Chen, Managing Editor Jessica Li, Gilberto Linares Maravilla, Erica Lu, Editor-in-Chief of PrintNathan Dean, (senior) Jessica Li, Aryan Kumaar, and Yuxin Zeng. MACK KEATING
Sherri Jackson, who has been a part of Beebe’s PTO and this event for two years now, enunciated this point, pushing that “the hardest part is estimating how many people are going to show up and having enough stuff for everybody.” Not having enough supplies or volunteers would lead to a smaller event that would have to end early, but too many supplies lead to excess equipment with no usage of it.
Jackson also boasted about the hard work Linehan put in to make this event the success it was: “The PTO’s part is relatively small compared to what [Linehan] does.” This year, the PTO made and handed out hot chocolate. “The PTO portion, the hot chocolate, comes from different fundraisers we do during the school year.”
By the end of the two-hour stretch, almost two full crates of pumpkins had been distributed, several boxes of hot chocolate and snacks had been torn into, and the event was considered a success for all involved.
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