Central Falls Scavenger Hunt

 

4.      How many schools are in the city?

When doing my scavenger hunt around the city, I was able to locate several schools. Since I use to live in Central Falls, this was fairly simple. In Central Falls there is only one high school, and one middle school named Calcutt. I was surprised to find that what formally was known as Calcutt Too, is now instead a charter school called The Segue Institution for Learning.  Next to Segue is a public elementary school named Veterans Memorial Elementary. There is also several other elementary schools I located around the city, these include; Robertson Elementary, The Learning Community Charter School and the Ella Risk school. The fact that I found six schools for a city that is only one square mile is surprising. This indicates the dense population of the city.

 

6.      Where is the satellite office of one of the oldest Child Welfare agencies in the city?

  This question was one I didn’t know off hand. I did some internet research before going out to do the actually scavenger hunt, and I found that the oldest Child Welfare agency in Central Falls is called Administrative Offices and Family Support Center. It is located on Summer St, which is off of Dexter St and only down the street from the high school.

 

8.      Is there a post office in town?

The post office is located down the street from the high school between Dexter St and Summer St. This was fairly easy to find since I have driven by it every Tuesday since class has started.

 

9.      Is there a fire station? A police station? How are fire emergencies handled? What crime statistics are available for the community?

There is a police station and a fire station and they are located besides on another. They are located on Illinois Ave, between Darling St and Garfield St. When I arrived I went into the police station and asked the officer behind the counter about how fire emergencies are handled. She seemed surprised and just answered by telling me “Residents call 911, and then dispatch is sent out as needed.” When I asked about crime in the community I was told that she didn’t have information available for me. Not really the answers I was expecting, but she seemed irritated by my line of questioning so I did not pry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.  Are there public parks?

Jenks Park is the most visited park in the city. It is located behind the high school and features a small playground, open space and a beautiful clock tower. I visited the park right as it was getting dark out so I was able to see the beautiful lights coming down from the tower.

14. I spoke with a resident about a local newspaper. She graduated from Central Falls High school last year. She informed me that Central Falls does not have a newspaper, but she mentioned that the high school use to have its own paper. I could not find any other information about a local paper but I found that Pawtucket, the next town over, produces its own paper called The Pawtucket Times.

15. One monument in Central Falls that is well known is the Jenks Park Cogswell clock tower. The tower is named after Caroline Cogswell. The tower was built in 1904. It has four clocks on the top, one facing each direction of the city. The tower itself stands 70 feet tall, and stands on Dexter’s Ledge. Dexter’s Ledge was used in 1675 during King Phillips war to look down at the valley below. The tower itself was built much later, but for has over a century remained the defining symbol of Central Falls. The clock is also visible from the highway and has recently been relighted.

17. I spoke to a man and woman about a place that they enjoyed dining at in Central Falls. They told me that they enjoyed eating at the local Columbian bakery called “Las Sorpresa”. I visited the bakery myself, which is located on Broad St next to Cumberland Farms. Inside they had an array of both pastries and fresh food. I tried an empanada, which the man and woman I spoke to told me was their favorite food at the bakery. It was delicious. They also served rice, chicken, and a variety of foods. 

22. The first mayor looks down at the students as they enter the high school. I never noticed this before. I asked a couple of students from the school if they have ever noticed the face above the entrance to the school. The students I spoke to informed me that they actually had never noticed it before I pointed it out. I found this strange, and it made me think that the school should make it a point to educate students about the importance of the remembrance and the history behind it.

 

24. Max Surkont (1949-1957), Jim Siwy (1982-1984), Charles Bassett (1884-1892)

26. This was Caroline Cogswell, who donated 50,000 to build the Cogsworth Clock Tower that was built in 1904.