Saturday, November 21, 2009 1:19 AM EST
BOSTON- State Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton) was pleased to support Taunton Catholic Middle School students' petition to name the quahog as the official shellfish of Massachusetts at the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Cultural Development held today at the State House.
"When you listen to the testimony from Taunton students, I hope you will be convinced as I have that they literally have done their homework on this topic," said Pacheco. His support for this bill is based on the students' ability "to bring forward the historical significance" of the quahog.
William Ruggiero, an American History teacher at Taunton Catholic Middle School, and his students have been attempting to pass the Senate bill for nearly four years. "We are here to justify [the quahog] politically, historically, economically, and socially," stated Ruggiero "and explain the contributions it made during early colonial Boston." Inspiration for this petition began when students were learning about how legislation was passed in Massachusetts.
