Two Greenfield students make dean’s list in Worcester
GREENFIELD — Greenfield residents Cassie Cloutier, a junior at Clark University in Worcester, and Josefine Cloutier, a junior at Worcester State University, were each named to the dean’s list for the fall semester at their respective universities.
Cassie is majoring in psychology and Josefine is majoring in elementary education.
Mayor’s Office addresses phone system security breach, spam warnings
GREENFIELD — The city is notifying residents that several official city phone lines have been incorrectly flagged as “spam” by major cellular carriers.
As a result, residents attempting to call the city may hear an automated message warning that they are dialing a spam number. The Mayor’s Office advises that this is a result of the carriers’ filtering systems and does not mean the city’s offices are compromised. Callers should verify that they have dialed the correct number and remain on the line; the call will connect once the message concludes.
During the week of March 9, city staff identified a security breach within the network of its third-party phone vendor. This breach allowed unauthorized outside actors to use city phone numbers to place high volumes of robocalls, primarily to out-of-state area codes.
In response to this unusual activity, major telephone carriers automatically marked the compromised city numbers as spam. The Mayor’s Office advises there is no evidence that these actors are impersonating city staff or seeking personal information from residents.
Greenfield’s Information Technology Department is working with the vendor and service carriers to secure the vendor’s network and block unauthorized access. The city and its vendor have petitioned carriers to remove the spam designations.
LAVA Center to host closing reception for student exhibit
GREENFIELD — Students at The Academy at Charlemont will hold a closing reception for their exhibit, “Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind,” at The LAVA Center, 324 Main St., on Saturday, March 21, from noon to 2 p.m. The event was rescheduled from March 7.
The exhibit consists of independently developed works by 12 high school artists. Each artist chose the medium and meanings they wanted to explore, yielding artworks that range from aesthetic experimentation to political allegory to absurd comedy.
More information is available at thelavacenter.org/exhibits/charlemont.
Grants available from Greenfield Garden Club
GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Garden Club has small grants available for gardening projects, ranging from $50 to $500, to groups and organizations in Franklin County.
These grants, for new or existing gardening projects, are intended to help promote a love of, and appreciation for, gardening in the community, especially for those who work with children. Teachers in particular are encouraged to apply, with a focus on gardening, plant science, ecology or a related subject matter.
The Greenfield Garden Club is a community organization made up of people who are interested in gardening, with the intent to stimulate community interest in gardening; to help maintain public gardens, monuments or other community properties; and to promote knowledge, awareness and interest in gardening through programs and demonstrations.
For more information about the Greenfield Garden Club, and to access the grant application, go to thegreenfieldgardenclub.org.
Conway artist to display work in April
GREENFIELD — Conway resident Elaine VanGelder will display her art at The LAVA Center in April. The exhibit will kick off with an opening reception on Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and there will be a closing reception on Friday, April 24, from 5 to 8 p.m.
VanGelder, a native of Mattoon, Illinois, attended Charleston University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a minor in art. She then earned a master’s degree in special education from Northeastern University in Boston.
She now lives with her husband, Robert, who is also an artist and designer, in Conway. After years of painting watercolors, she began to experiment with oils and casein paints. Her recent work has been in the study of patterns in natures, resulting in a series of mandalas, painted in casein paints.
“As a painter, I am fascinated and challenged by these patterns in nature, such as the skin of a pineapple in a bowl of fruit, the nautilus shell on a beach or the fractal design of branches in a tree,” VanGelder wrote in an artist’s statement. “The paintings themselves, done in casein paint, take a life of their own, the end result different than what I initially imagined them to be. Once completed, I loved observing and letting them take me into peaceful realms versus the frenetic state of suffering we see in our world today.”
For more information, visit thelavacenter.org/exhibits/elaine-vangelder.