Peabody Comfort Puppy Lifts Spirts In Ella's Memory: Patch Sunday

Peabody MA

13 March, 2022

1:55 PM

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PEABODY, MA —The past two years have forced school committees across the North Shore to make some hard decisions and tough votes. On Tuesday night, the Peabody School Committee got to make one easy call that should bring joy and comfort to students for years to come when it voted unanimously to accept "Ella: as the district's new school resource offer comfort dog. Ella is named in memory of Ella Jade O'Donnell, who died one month shy of her 11th birthday in 2017 of pediatric brain cancer and whose battle inspired "Ella's Army" in search of a disease cure. "With the full support of the O'Donnell family, Ella is named for Ella O'Donnell, an extraordinary young girl who lives on in our memory and our hearts within everyone in our community," Peabody Schools Resource Officer Eric Ricci said. On this start to St. Patrick's Day week read about Ella, and anything else you may have missed on the North Shore this past week, in this edition of Patch Sunday: Meet Ella!: The New Peabody Public Schools Comfort Dog The spirit of a young girl who was taken from the Peabody community too soon will live on in the first Peabody Public Schools comfort therapy dog charged with bringing a lift to those students in times of trouble and trauma. "Ella (O'Donnell) had the ability to put smiles on everyone's face she encountered. Just as I hope, and the department hopes, that our new furry police member will as well." Peabody School Resource Office Eric Ricci. Cinema Salem Special Film Screening To Benefit Ukraine Relief Cinema Salem will host a special free screening of the Ukraine-based film "The Guide" on Sunday with all donations going toward Ukrainian relief efforts. Oles Sanin, the film's highly regarded director, is set to speak live from Kyiv via Zoom prior to the screening. Peabody Generator Opponents Make Late Plea To Halt Project Climate advocacy groups made a late — and perhaps ultimately final — push for the state to reopen the approval process for the proposed 60-megawatt fossil fuel-powered peak capacity generator at Peabody's Waters River substation on Thursday. Salem Schools Prepare For Mask-Optional Monday Transition As Salem schools prepare for the shift to mask-optional classrooms at most grade levels for the first time in two years of the COVID-19 health crisis on Monday, teachers and staff will have conversations with students this week about respecting each other's choices when it comes to masking. Beverly Fire Crews Meet Challenge Of 3 Fires In 4 Days "Three fires in four days really drives home the importance of a properly staffed fire department," Beverly Fire Union 1669 said. "Recently we put our newest piece of apparatus in service — a dedicated ladder. We now have a total of four companies in the city of Beverly at all times." Salem's Charlie Brown Show Draws Students Back To Collins Stage Salem Collins School Drama Director Ben Chertok told Patch the students embraced the show's themes of "discovering self-worth, finding joy in the little things and celebrating the happiness of being together." Beverly Bootstraps To Put $10K Donation Toward Evolving Services Beverly Bootstraps, which has served families with emergency and long-term assistance for three decades since its inception as a food pantry in a church basement, continues to expand its programs around education, stability, sustainability and self-sufficiency for youth and adults in Essex County. Beverly Bootstraps is adding services for families in Essex, Hamilton and Wenham to its services for those in Beverly and Manchester By The Sea. Swampscott's Cole Hamernick MIAA Student-Athlete Of The Month The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has honored Swampscott High three-sport athlete and Super Bowl champion Cole Hamernick as its Student-Athlete of the Month for February 2022. How To Help Ukraine From The North Shore During two weeks of unrelenting and heartbreaking images of war-torn Ukraine many North Shore residents are looking for ways to help the Ukrainian refugees and those who have stayed in their homeland during the Russian invasion. The flag of Ukraine flies outside Peabody City Hall this week in support of the people of war-torn Ukraine. (City of Peabody) Door-To-Door Solicitation Scam Spreads Across North Shore North Shore residents are urged to be wary of door-to-door salespeople who may be offering home-improvement estimates and services, but instead are stealing deposits or items from the house. Swampscott police said their detectives recently found someone leaving business cards in town who is believed to be part of a greater scam across the region. Salem Chief Issues Alert After 3 Pedestrian Strikes In 2 Days An alarming rash of pedestrian strikes in Salem has Police Chief Lucas Miller urging caution both for drivers and those walking through intersections in the city after dark. 'Big Baby' Glen Davis Looks For Laughs At New Beverly Comedy Club Big Baby is hoping to bring big laughs to the new Off Cabot comedy theater in Beverly. Glen "Big Baby" Davis, the former Boston Celtics forward who was a member of the 2008 NBA championship team, is set to play the new Wallis Street collaboration between the Cabot Street Cinema Theater and John Tobin Presents on April 7. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)