Charles A. Huston Middle School hosted a Burrell Community Connections Night in April to build community ties, attracting about 1,000 community members and more than 60 local businesses and organizations.

The event also drew Burrell students, staff members, and volunteers from other local school districts, connecting families and students with local industries, careers, and organizations. The event also helps introduce students to future career options and the community to the positive things happening at Huston. 

This was the second year for the event, which drew about 250 people last year. This year's goal was to broaden the scope and attraction of the event, said Dr. Autumn Turk, Burrell's Curriculum and Development Director. 

"We were excited to build upon last year's event to create an even bigger and better experience for our community," said Krista Pisano, Huston's Dean of Students and a planner for the event. 

"We wanted to have an opportunity for community members to get into our schools, mingle, advertise their business, and take advantage of any workforce opportunities," said Courtney Barbiaux, a personalized learning coach and Makerspace facilitator who helped plan the event. "We wanted to showcase our STEAM activities." 

The event featured a “clothing closet” for the distribution of free clothes, hygiene products, and food that families could take home. It also offered student musical performances, an interactive STEAM Playground area for science and technology games, and six food trucks.

Barbiaux focused on the event's STEAM activities, along with the support of ABC CREATE and student engagement activities. Pisano coordinated with businesses, vendors, and the food trucks that attended. Turk and Parents as Allies co-lead Twaina Williams organized more than 40 student volunteers who helped support the event. Other partners included Pittsburgh Area Communities Schools, Kidsburgh, the City of Lower Burrell, and the Burrell School District.

"We have grown so much from last year," Turk said. "I would love to continue to look for ways to showcase the positive things our students are doing, as well as the positive things happening in our schools and community."

The goal for the event in the future is to encourage more celebration of school and community activities, recognizing the exceptional work that happens each day in Burrell classrooms and the positive influence the community brings to local schools.

"So many wonderful things happen within the walls of our schools and in pockets of our community," Pisano said. "I hope that these occurrences can be showcased even more prominently as we continue to grow and evolve."