"Latinos Beyond Reel", will be screened on Tuesday, February 26, at 3 p.m. in the ARHS Library. This movie is described as a "hopeful examination of Latino stereotypes in U.S. media." Jointly sponsored by the library and Latinos Unidos.

The Wellness Committee of the Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools is pleased to announce a FREE screening of the highly-acclaimed, four-part HBO documentary, The Weight of the Nation. The film examines the facts and myths of nutrition, obesity and fitness in American society. The screening will encompass Part 1 Consequences and Part 3 Children in Crisis. Information about the film can be found at www.hbo.com/theweightofthenation. This event is FREE and the public is invited to attend.

Attention parents/guardians of seniors AND juniors! The 2nd meeting for this year's senior party will be held on Wednesday, February 27th, at 7:00 pm, in Room 13 at the high school. For the party to be a success we need all the volunteers we can get. Typically the party requires a total of 300 volunteers, so please consider attending this meeting, and giving some of your time. Senior parents/guardians make up the bulk of our volunteers, but we need to pull in as many junior parents/guardians as possible both because we need them for the shifts that occur during graduation, and because it creates continuity the following year when those parents have seniors. We are still looking for several Committee Chairs, so if you are willing to head up a committee, please attend the meeting!

On The Same Page - Amherst is designed to bring the local community together, reading the same book and encouraging discussion and communication about the book and the themes it contains. Lynne Weintraub, coordinator of the Jones Library ESL Program, will lead a panel of Amherst immigrants as they share some reflections of their experiences as immigrants in our local community. Free and open to the public, Tuesday 2/26 @ 7PM in the Woodbury Room

It's almost here! Auditions for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is this Monday 2/25 from 4:15-6:15 in the ARMS cafeteria. There are roles for ages K-12--put on your smile and BE THERE! Questions? alsct.org/childrens_theater or call 461-6722

Come to the Flavor & Rhythm Dinner Dance! Latin American Food, Music & Dance on Fri. Feb. 22 from 5-7pm. for dinner & 6-9 pm for the dance instruction & performance. Held at First Congregational Church of Amherst, 165 Main Street in the dining rm. Tickets are $8. - $20 (sliding scale). All proceeds go to Not Bread Alone - a free community meal program. More info. please contact Hannah Elliott at HElliott@chd.org

The College of Natural Sciences' Women In Science Initiative at the UMass invites you to a lecture by Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta, Professor of Psychology: “STEMing the Tide: How Female Experts and Peers Act as "Social Vaccines" for Girls and Women in STEM" on Thursday, February 28th from 4:00pm-5:00pm*at the UMass Campus Center Auditorium. Everyone is welcome.

As part of its Women In Science Initiative, the College of Natural Sciences presents a lecture by Dr. Nilanjana Dasgupta, Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Dasgupta is a leading expert

The Amherst Regional High School’s “Schools for Africa” Club will hold its Third Annual Man Pageant February 15th at 7:30pm at the ARHS auditorium. Twelve talented, poised and irreverent young men will compete for the title of Mr. AHRS in a fundraiser to build their second school in the African country of Cameroon.

The ARHS Man Pageant has a Miss America meets American Idol format, including a talent competition, interviews, vocal performances and chatty, wise-cracking faculty judges.

This past Tuesday, the boys and girls Nordic ski teams competed in the State Championships at Notchview. The boys placed 2nd in Western Mass and 5th in the State. The lead skier from Amherst was Thomas Jeffries who placed 12th overall. The girls placed 5th in Western Mass and 13th in the State. The lead skier was Charlotte Price who placed 45th overall. Go Nordic! Congratulations to all of you!

The 4th Annual ‘Canes for the Cure raises funds for the Cooley Dickinson Cancer Care fund by selling cool T-shirts. Anyone wearing this T-shirt to the boys varsity basketball game MONDAY, Feb. 18th will receive free admission to the game. Please join the fight against cancer and support our basketball team by attending the game and by buying a T-shirt for $10.

The boys’ teams will play MONDAY vs. Westfield at 4:30 pm. So bring your Canes for the Cure shirt and get ready to see student Jaimon Olmsted face down against Mr. Jackson in one on one during halftime!

At the February 12, 2013 Regional School Committee Meeting, Superintendent Maria Geryk presented a report on the proposed FY14 Amherst-Pelham Regional School District budget, including the impacts of addressing the budget gap. Details are available here.

Don't forget about the wonderful Winter Farmer's Market held every Saturday from to 10 AM to 2 PM at ARMS. You will find fabulous live music every week, vegetables, bread, meat, cheese, specialty foods, sweets, body care items, crafts, plants and prepared foods. Support local vendors, hear great music and visit with your neighbors.

Two screenings of this film SOLD OUT. A third screening is scheduled for March 14th. Girl Rising tells the stories of 9 girls from around the world who face – and overcome – unbelievable obstacles on the path toward getting an education. Each girl’s story was written by an author and is narrated by a cast of great actresses, including Meryl Streep, Kerry Washington, Anne Hathaway, Salma Hayek, Alicia Keys, and others. The film was created by 10x10, a global campaign to educate and empower girls.

The Amherst College Jazz Ensemble performs the world premiere of Erik Applegate’s new work “Phosphorescence” on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 8 p.m. in Buckley Recital Hall in the Arms Music Center. The concert benefits the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts. Admission is $5 and a donation of nonperishable food items. Seniors, students and children will be admitted for $3 or a nonperishable food donation.

Amherst is governed by a 350 year-old institution called Town Meeting which is both wonderful and frustrating.  Town Meeting sets the budget for our schools, town, library, and creates all the laws that govern our wonderful small town.  Did you catch that first part?  Town Meeting sets the budget for our schools!

We need more parents with kids in our schools to join Town Meeting to help ensure our town has the resources to continue to invest in our schools.  PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING TOWN MEETING.  The commitment is about 7-10 nights/year at ARMS auditorium, where the 240-citizen body meets.  The only experience you need is a passion for our town.