Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Teachers, students and volunteers team up to renovate outdated woodshop and classroom at Ottoson Middle School.
Over February break, volunteers, students and teacher Allison Oropallo teamed up to to renovate an outdated technology education woodshop and classroom at Ottoson Middle School. The project started when Oropallo, of "All American Handyman" fame, received a call from an old high school classmate, P.J. Davey, who runs New Hampshire nonprofit Paint It Forward. Together they are repainting the entire technology education wing, replacing the flooring and putting in improved lighting. All of this is to create a more usable and innovative learning environment for students, Oropallo said. Oropallo and Davey have one week to complete the classroom makeover. With more than a hundred volunteers from the community and Arlington Public Schools, the duo…
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A simple solution saves Ottoson teacher Allison Oropallo, of Stoneham, from delays in vacation to Hawaii.
Since it is the holiday season I know a lot of you will be travelling. With winter arriving Thursday, I wouldn't be surprised if on your trip home you hit snow. In any case I thought I would share a "MacGyver"-type moment I had while traveling this summer on a plane. This summer I traveled to Hawaii and on my way home I had some delays because of Hurricane Irene. I ended up staying in Hawaii for a week longer than I was supposed to (I mean who doesn’t want to stay in Hawaii for an extra week? But I did have to get home and back to reality). I was supposed to be back on a Monday, but due to Hurricane Irene plans changed. It took 2 1/2 attempts to fly home; the first being Irene, the second being a problem with the plane, and the half point …
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A freezer that was "broken" for more than a year gets a quick fix.
[About this column: Stoneham resident and former HGTV "All American Handyman" contestant Allison Oropallo discusses home improvement projects. Check out her column on Wednesdays.] I was doing a variety of work for a friend last year – all sorts of odd jobs like installing a new GFI, fixing a porch, painting, hanging curtains, fixing blinds, and installing a new medicine cabinet. After completing all the general odd jobs, I went back to take a look at the smaller issues around the house to see if I could do anything else for my friend, who we'll call "Mallory." She walked me around the house pointing out the little things that she really wanted fixed. Let me preface this by telling you how great Mallory was to work for. She is hilarious and…
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Allison Oropallo teaches you to make a window seat to help man's best friend get a glimpse of the outside.
Have you ever thought about life through a dog’s eye? I did recently. I have a Bassett Hound and he is what I call a low rider—a full-size body with legs as long as my hand. He isn't athletic, so he can't just jump up on high things, and will never be able to see from a different point of view. He lives down where I’m sure the air smells of feet and dust. Windows aren't made so dogs can see the outdoors, except for Great Danes. My Basset Hound stands on his short hind legs with his front legs resting on the windowsill just to get a glimpse of the outside world. He has done this quite a bit for a long time, but this weekend I decided that I was going to make his dreams come true. I started by rummaging around the basement for scraps of wood…
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Nonprofit Paint it Forward vows to help transforming technology education classrooms into optimal learning environments for Arlington's middle school students.
Have you ever seen the movie “Pay It Forward?” If you haven't, you should check it out. And if you have seen the movie, I think you know where this is going. Ottoson Middle School is teaming up with nonprofit Paint it Forward to make the Technology Education classrooms optimal learning environments for Arlington's students. Paint it Forward takes classrooms and transforms them from white-walled cluttered spaces to warm, inviting, organized environments where kids love to go and learn. I thought we did a pretty decent job with what we had done with our generous donations. But after meeting with Paint it Forward founder PJ Davey, I was blown away with this nonprofit’s focus on networking and getting so many people to dedicate their time and …
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
After countless hours of work, sweat, designing and teamwork, they've finally done it.
After countless hours of work, sweat, designing, and teamwork, Ottoson Middle School technology engineering students finished renovating our room. It looks great and we can now fit everyone in the room. The students were given the chance to stay after school to work on the room. And even though no grades were given for this, students decided to help because they wanted to. They were a pleasure to work with and I am very thankful for their efforts. Students cooperated with each other and helped each other when in need. Those who weren’t directly involved with the project were very impressed the next day during class when they saw the result. “It's like a new room,” some said. I would like to sincerely thank all the parents and members of …
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Last week I asked the community for help with one of my classrooms. And they're responding with much-needed assistance in transforming a sterile room into a colorful wonder.
Last week, I asked the community for help with one of my classrooms. The technology department at Ottoson Middle School has two classrooms: a woodshop and an old computer lab with a very outdated carpet and a 35-year-old paint job. There are no windows in either room, and this year our class sizes increased quite a bit. When my students are working on projects, they have very little space to work. Because my class is based on hands-on learning, space is a necessity. You might be asking, "Okay so what are you doing about it?" My answer: a classroom renovation. I plan for this renovation to take one week of serious work. Students who are interested in helping will be painting and assisting me in turning the old existing tables into counter …
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Halloween is a fun time for kids, but it is full of store-bought items. Allison Oropallo is on a mission to change this, by teaching parents and kids how to make their own decorations.
This weekend, I’m making Face-Cut-Out-Board Halloween lawn ornaments with kids. Anyone can buy or make one, but to build one is a different, more meaningful experience. Too often, young people are taught to go to a store for whatever they want and need. Kids are young and inexperienced, but come on, they aren’t stupid—they learn how to get things done easily. And if they see how easy it is to get anything they want without ever trying to figure it out, they’ll never appreciate anything. Frequently, kids don’t know what it took to make the money to buy the toy, and they don’t know what—or who—it took to make, assemble and ship it. All they have been taught is that, if they want something, they pick it off a shelf. When I was a teenager, I …
Melisa Passanisi Thorne
1:13 pm on Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Awesome Story! I bet the passengers were glad you were there! Merry Christmas. more ›