First Glazing Session Draws a Crowd

What a fantastic day for the Empty Bowls Project!  Over eighty bowls were glazed this afternoon by students, parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends.  We were also happy to have a group from Oxford Academy join us.  We have a several photos here, and within a week we'll compile many more in an album that you can access from this blog.  Thanks so much to all who participated today, and a special thanks to Liz Egan, Melissa Ryan, and the parent & teacher volunteers.  We look forward to the next glazing session--for district teachers, staff and their families--on October 15th.  Our next session open to everyone will be on October 30th from 5-8pm.  Mark your calendars and join us for a fun and creative time!

The Place to go for Gourmet To Go !!!

Pasta Vita has offered to make their delicious chicken noodle soup for the Empty Bowls Dinner in January. Thank you Caroline and Rich for your support. We are grateful for your generosity.

Glazing Workshops Begin

  We have the bowls, we have the glazing supplies, now it's time to glaze!  Join us at our first glazing workshop in the WMS art room on Tuesday, September 30.  Drop in anytime between 2:30 and 5:00.  Keep in mind that you should begin to glaze by 4:30 in order to have enough time to complete a bowl.  All sessions are free and coordinated by Liz Egan and Melissa Ryan. All are welcome!

Empty Bowls Committee Meeting

Tonight we had a great meeting of the Empty Bowls Project Committee.  We received updates about the upcoming glazing sessions; the education & student action components of the project; the project blog; and the soup donation process.  Several committee members will be visiting shoreline restaurants in the next two weeks to invite them to participate by donating soups to our January dinner.  Thanks to everyone who came to the meeting!

Welcome Again to the Blog!

Tonight (6pm in the WMS Conference Room) the Empty Bowls Committee will have its second official meeting, and our blog creator, Dawn Hendrixson, will introduce members to this blog and teach us how to get involved with contributing photos and posts.  So if you're seeing the Empty Bowls blog for the first time, welcome!  Read our past posts and think about sending us a photo or idea for future posts.  This is a great tool to help us share what is happening with each other and the public.  It's also an interesting way for students to get involved with the Empty Bowls Project.  And if you like what you see, check out Dawn's other blog creation-- "Daisy Diggers"-- on the Daisy Ingraham school website.  Very cool!

Glazing Assistants

Yesterday, Liz Egan offered a "glazing assistant lesson" for Empty Bowls committee members who offered to help with the glazing sessions.  We learned about the bowl glazing process, were introduced to the art room, and found out how to best help kids and adults who might be glazing bowls for the first time.  Thanks to Liz for the session, and to the new volunteers who took the time to come.  Check with Liz Egan or Melissa Ryan, who are coordinating the glazing, if you would like to help with the sessions.  And come and glaze a bowl with us!  Our first session is next Tuesday (Sept. 30) between 2:30 and 5 in the WMS art room.

Welcome Bill's Seafood

Great news!!!  Bill's Seafood has offered to be our 2nd soup donor. Thanks to the generous support of Mark Leopoldino and everyone at Bill's. We are looking forward to having another wonderful soup to sample at the Empty Bowls Dinner on January 28th.

Board of Education Learns About Empty Bowls

The Westbrook Board of Education invited us to introduce the Empty Bowls Project to its members at the BOE meeting on September 9th.  Principal Ruth Rose spoke as well about Daisy Ingraham's own version of "orange day," which combined wearing orange with a successful food drive.  Both initiatives help demonstrate our district's commitment to positive school climate.  It's great to have so much support for end-hunger projects at all of our schools!

Our First Soup Donation!

Many thanks to Jim Schreck, of Lenny and Joe's Fish Tale in Madison, who has offered the Empty Bowls Project our first soup donation!  Jim has always been generous with his time and service to all of our Westbrook schools, and he has responded to our project with great enthusiasm.  We look forward to enjoying a delicious Lenny and Joe's soup at our dinner in January, and we are excited to see which other restaurants join us as well.

A Sea Of Orange

What a great day for WMS!  Students, teachers, parents and staff rallied together in a Sea of Orange to raise awareness about issues related to hunger and food insecurity. Thanks to everyone who contributed to making the day a great success.

Wear Orange to Fight Hunger

Wear Orange to Fight Hunger

September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide campaign aimed at raising awareness about the issue of hunger in our country. Organized by the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks, the campaign seeks to shine a light on the issues of hunger and food insecurity in our region and across America.

Won't you get involved in the fight against hunger? 

 On September 4th we encourage the entire WMS community to join end-hunger advocates across the country by wearing orange to raise awareness for hunger issues. There are enough orange ribbons available at WMS for everyone in the school to wear one if they choose to. There orange ribbons available in homerooms for anyone who wishes to wear one!

We hope students will think about what the orange signifies-- the boldness of our determination to call attention to issues of hunger and food insecurity. This can be a great time to think about ways to get more involved in our community.

Check out the new bulletin board!

Next time you go to the WMS cafetorium, check out the new bulletin board in the lobby.  In the weeks and months ahead, we will posting information about the Empty Bowls Project, including photos from our “wear orange” day, details about bowl-glazing sessions, and information about hunger and food insecurity issues.  See Mrs. Egan or Mrs. Selmont if you have ideas about what should be on the board!