Many of you may not have had the chance to meet our Guests of Honor - Steve and Donna Beaupre - but our school has been participating in Beaupre Community Service projects for over 15 years since they retired from Plainfield Elementary School. Donna was our librarian and Steve was most recently a 7th/8th science teacher who also served as Principal back when this school was built nearly 50 years ago! The two individuals standing here in front of you are two of the people who showed me what it means to be “in community.” I moved here from Atlanta where I lived IN a community next to neighbors, most of whom I did not even know. When I moved here, people like Steve and Donna showed me that to be part of a community means that we reach out and welcome one another, get to know each other, do things together, and help one another out. They also showed me that being part of this community - the community here at Plainfield School - we value being part of a larger community - our town, our state, our country, and even the world. This “BEE” I’m holding is one of the many examples of community service projects that Donna led when she was a librarian. This particular year, students learned about Heffer International - an organization that helps families in rural villages around the world - by donating farm animals, bees, and agricultural supplies so the families can feed themselves and even raise and grow food for others in their community. Students would draw an animal and Donna Beaupre would make beautiful artwork like this and then sell it in the community. She would then take the money she earned and donate it to Heffer International. This particular bee was based on one my son Sawyer drew way back when he was in 1st or 2nd grade. Steve Beaupre serves his community in a number of ways. He has served many years as a volunteer firefighter, supports friends and neighbors by visiting them and helping them with errands and appointments, and continues to help with our annual leaf project in the middle school science classes. When Steve and Donna retired over 15 years ago, our community came together and decided the best way we could honor their many years of service, teaching and leadership here at PES was to take time every year to continue their tradition of giving back to our greater communities.
Plainfield School