Our 4th annual Meet and Greet event at Monument Park is on Wednesday August 23rd from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Come share in the fun located in Downtown Gardner. This event is an opportunity to meet your Principal, teachers, central office staff, and the many community agencies that support Gardner Public schools. It is a “fair-like” atmosphere, which includes: Olympic activities, a dunk tank, face painting and treats. We hope to see you there with your family!

At riverside Trauma Center, we encourage efforts to raise awareness about mental health challenges and about suicide because such efforts reduce stigma, help those struggling to feel less alone, and lead people to access help. So you would think that when a popular Netflix series comes along and brings the conversation about suicide into the mainstream, we should be on board. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. As with most difficult topics, the issue of suicide is incredibly nuanced.

Most Likely to Succeed (MLTS) offers an inspiring look at what students and teachers are capable of — if we have the vision and courage to transform our schools. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Greg Whiteley, the film has been an official selection of two dozen of the world’s top film festivals, including Sundance, Tribeca, AFI, Cleveland, Dallas, Milwaukee, Sarasota, Seattle, Virginia, and Bergen. It’s been featured at leading conferences on education, including ASU/GSV, SxSWedu, Harvard/GoldmanSachs, and NewSchools Venture Fund. Audience members call it the most compelling film ever done on the topic of school. Most Likely To Succeed is the best film ever done on the topic of school — both its past and its future. The film inspires its audiences with a sense of purpose and possibility, and is bringing school communities together in re-imagining what our students and teachers are capable of doing. After seeing this film, you’ll never look at school the same way again. This film can only be seen at selected hosting sites and is being provided FREE by the RC Mahar, Petersham, and Orange Elementary School Districts at Ralph C. Mahar on September 29th at 3:30 and 6:00 p.m. .