Latest news with #AgawamPublicSchools
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmakers gather input on behavioral health initiative in Agawam schools
AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) – State lawmakers are getting feedback Tuesday evening on a new behavioral health initiative launched in Agawam Public Schools. State lawmakers led a discussion in Agawam Tuesday evening, in the fight to improve student mental health. Holyoke Community College to offer free course in AI essentials There, they solicited feedback on the state's new behavioral health initiative called 'MC-PAP' for schools, which launched a year ago within the Agawam public school system. 'It's hard being a kid these days,' says Senate President Karen E. Spilka. 'And we need as adults to make it easier to provide mental health services as early as possible.' It is meant to connect available resources for each student's individual needs through a systemic approach, improving behavioral health support, using data points from nurse visits to attendance as well as social-emotional screenings to identify students who might otherwise fly under the radar. Senator John Velis adds, 'Wow, this is sad. A lot is going on with the kids, but also they are raising their hands and talking about it, I don't know if that would have been the case 6,7 years ago.' The program also assesses district-wide mental health strategies and how families are being reached. 'We've made a lot of great gains this year, increasing student access to community providers,' says MCPAP Consultant Jen Brennan. 'Our main goal is to think about a sustainable process that school districts can follow.' The key takeaway as the first year of the initiative comes to a close. Real progress is possible if schools, families, and the community work together to meet the student where they are. 'It's really about increasing access and increasing it more quickly for kids that need it,' adds Sara Whitcomb, Associate Director of Research and Evaluation for the Boston Children's Neighborhood Partnerships Program. In addition to this program, Senate President Karen Spilka says they are working on legislation to address cellphone use in the classroom, telling 22News it only adds to the mental health crisis. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Agawam Public Schools hosts 5th annual Multicultural Festival
AGAWAM, Mass. (WWLP) – Agawam's annual 'Multicultural festival' was on Sunday and showcased the region's rich cultural tapestry. It was a celebration of diversity and inclusion as families gathered to learn and enjoy each other's traditions. For the fifth year in a row, Agawam Public Schools has hosted the multicultural festival at School Street Spray Park. Giving families a chance to learn about different cultures through a wide array of traditional music, dancing, food, and various activities. 'It was like really fun and like the food was also good,' said Masa Ghanem of Springfield. Those who came out to the pak recieved passports and waalked around several country tables, trying to pronounce words in different languages and earning stickers as they went along. Once they visited all the countries they earned free face paint and balloon art. 'It makes us more excited. It's like that young generation is like excited to learn different languages. That's yeah, we got to keep keep it up this year,' expressed Ayla Alkan, Agawwam Family Resource Center Coordinator. Some of the vendors shared their joy in being able to share their culture with others. One such vendor was the Parus Turkish Market in West Springfield. 'it means a lot to me. I love telling everybody about my culture and where it's from. Today I got a lot of questions about where the food is from specifically and what's the culture and ingredients in the food,' said Parus Turkish Market's, Hadiya Azizvoa. This festival not only promotes cultural awareness and appreciation, but also fosters unity and togetherness within the community. 'Makes the community realize that we're more connected in more ways than what we realized. It really brings people together and makes us a tight knit community,' said Agawam Public School social and emotional learning director, Marlene Dejesus. And these meaningful connections and memories are to be cherished for a long time. Organizers and volunteers hope to see this festival continue to grow and inspire even more community engagement in the years to come. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
