What Makes You Smile About Worcester?

Contest from the Worcester Historical Museum: draw a picture of what makes you smile about Worcester and write two or three sentences about it
winning entries will by put into a new book!
It can be submitted through smilebook@worcesterhistory.net or to
Smile Book
Worcester Historical Museum
30 Elm Street
Worcester, MA 01609
Deadline is November 18

Monday morning links

Should you have missed them over the weekend:

• You should read this great story from 1839 of how knowing how to read rescued a boy kidnapped into slavery. Also, I love that we have T&G reporters digging through the Worcester Historical Museum files! Nice work, Mr. Caywood!
• An important read on how the correlation between being married and avoiding poverty may well be for the reverse reason than is being forwarded.
• Matt Damon did an Ask Me Anything on reddit and tackled education policy. To wit: "We would never let businessmen design warheads, why would you cut out educators when you're designing education policy?" His mom is Nancy Carlsson-Paige, who we are fortunate enough to have as an early childhood ed advocate in Massachusetts, so he does know whereof he speaks. 
• There was a massive march at the North Carolina state capital on Saturday to support the Voting Rights Act, part of the "Moral Monday" marches that have been held there to protest an array of government actions, including some lousy education policies.
• I was saddened to learn that education advocate Ted Olsen of Oregon recently died. He was among the first to break publicly with Stand for Children when it became clear that they do not, in fact, stand for children. I share this column about his granddaughter's close friend and how our system continues to fail them in his memory. Thanks, Alain!
• OUR local education reporter, Jackie Reis, got a second place award  for education reporting in the 2014 New England Newspaper and Press Association awards.Congratulations, Jackie!
• Finally, more to come on this, but public comments on the  proposed changes to the charter school regs are due next week.

Worcester Historical Museum

Bill Wallace, Executive Director of the Worcester Historical Museum: new family galleries coming in December!
Supported by the Alden Trust
"It's not a just a door project...it's getting people through our much-malinged doors and into our gallery!"
Naming contest for the new characters who will be the interactive characters for the gallery
Classes are invited to enter with names: classes who win will win passes to WHM and tee shirts
And tomorrow is World Smile Day!

Under suspension

Yes, somebody's been to too many City Council meetings, where anything can happen under suspension...

Novick: mention of the 32 annual Valentine contest sponsored by the Worcester Historical Museum. Kids in grades 3-6 in WPS or those who hold a Worcester Public Library card can enter. Entries are due January 29 at 4pm at the Museum.

More info (including rules of entry) here.

You should enter!