Mayor Taveras Spends Afternoon Revitalizing Roger Williams Middle School

Last Friday, Mayor Angel Taveras joined more than 323 employee volunteers from Fidelity Investments and Serve Rhode Island, a HandsOn Network local action center, to conduct the third annual Transformation Day in the City. The Transformation Day took place at Roger Williams Middle School, where Mayor Taveras attended school as a child.

The Transformation Day was part of Fidelity Investments' national partnership with HandsOn Network, an initiative aiming to revitalize the learning environments and support the educational needs of middle schools across the country.

"Study after study have shown that the physical condition of school facilities is a strong predictor of academic achievement," said Mayor Taveras. "Students are more motivated and do better in well-maintained, freshly painted, well-ventilated, well-designed school environments. I am proud of everyone for volunteering your time today. Strong school, family, business and community involvement are key to lowering the dropout rate, fostering higher educational aspirations among young people and motivating them to succeed."

Volunteers completed close to 1,900 hours of service during this day-long effort. The projects included landscaping, carpentry, painting, and other repairs that resulted in an improved overall physical environment of the school. In addition, the new school lion mascot, selected during a Fidelity-sponsored mascot contest, was on-hand to cheer on the day.