Thanks to our Media Sponsor, The Gloucester Daily Times, all of our Sponsors and Artists will be featured in 3 separate quarter page ads (excerpt on left) due to begin running over the next few weeks. We are excited to announce that we will be having all the chairs professionally photographed in mid-May and the GDT has graciously offered to feature ads containing photographs of the chairs throughout the summer months. Our PR firm, McDougall and Duval Advertising designed the ads in addition to our new CHAIRS for CHILDREN logo featured above.

One of our major Chairs for Children sponsors, Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc., provided Pathways with a wonderful collaborative opportunity. The company’s level of sponsorship entitles them to keep their chair after the conclusion of the event, and because of this, they wanted the design to reflect the nature of Varian Semiconductor's products. To address this unique challenge, Pathways turned to the graphic design department of Montserrat College of Art, where instructor John Colan put us in touch with junior graphic design major Andrew Bablo. Andrew in turn pulled in illustration major Alyssa Watters to form the VSEA artist team.

We’re grateful to Varian Semiconductor manager Peter Souza and to Allison Marsh, who is working with the students to select a design. Andrew and Alyssa brought their portfolios to the initial meeting at VSEA, and all agreed that the project would provide both challenge and fun! Many thanks to Pathways board and sponsorship committee member John Byrnes for his ongoing stewardship of the process.

As our May 1st deadline for the artists is fast approaching, we hope to be able to offer Sneak Peaks of some of the finished chairs in this newsletter. Youth chair artist Christopher Gurshin completely WOWED our committee members with his chair featuring Gloucester’s Good Harbor Beach (sneak peak above). Gurshin’s design captures a child’s summer day in Gloucester. Highlights include references to the Twin Lights, Mike’s Pastries, and even greenheads!

Lawrence Martin-Bittman, another youth chair artist, is currently displaying his chair at Local Colors in downtown Gloucester as part of a exhibit entitled “Fish, Fishing and Fisherman”. The chair will be on display in the gallery through April 22nd. Be sure to stop by and check it out!

Children from Pathways’ School Age Program, along with volunteers from the Children’s Art Committee created some very special gifts for our CHAIRS for CHILDREN Sponsors. The children planned their designs on paper and used paint and other decorations to make them come alive. Each chair is unique, reflecting the personalities of the young children that decorated them. These small, novelty chairs will serve as place-holders until the event chairs arrive in July. Members of the Sponsor Liaison Committee will be delivering the gifts by mid-April.

Sneak Peak of Marilyn Swift's "Octopus Chair" - Next issue we'll share Marilyn's Bio and Octopus Musings.

Pathways is delighted to announce that according to recent results from the Head Start National Reporting System, our children have scored above the national Head Start average in every category of the assessment, which includes English/ Spanish Language Screener, Vocabulary, Letter Recognition, and Early Math Skills. We are proud to say that our students surpassed the national averages in each of the four skill categories when tested in the fall of 2005.

The assessment, given in both the fall and spring, is required nationally for all Head Start programs, and tests all children preparing to enter kindergarten. A total of 86 children from our Gloucester and Rockport sites were tested, most of which will again be tested this spring. The assessment is used to chart the abilities, growth, and skill level progression of children throughout their last Head Start school year.

If you would like to read more about the National Reporting System and Pathway’s results, click here to access the .PDF document.