001The Situate School Committee is committed to providing an environment of respect during meetings. We ask all members to interact in a polite manner even when there is disagreement. We value the participation of our community and want all participants, including marginalized and minoritized communities, to feel welcomed and respected. We ask our committee members and all who participate to commit to these standards to support and respect our community. Uh with that, we'll call the April 7, 2025 school committee meeting to order here at 6 o'clock. Uh we're going to start with public comment as related to the other agenda items, not our special presentation. We wanted to give people an opportunity for public comment that flows nicely with that. Uh so we will start first with our student report. Yes. Hello. Thank you for having us. I
002am uh Willis Ames. My first meeting. Super excited to be here. Um awesome. Some updates from the school. Sports-wise, spring sports are underway with a large number of athletes competing this spring. this spring broke records for athletic performance in one season for the high school. Uh so best of luck to all of our student athletes this spring season. Uh Central High School sophomores took the English MCCAST exam on Tuesday, March 25th, and Wednesday, March 26th. Thank you to Mrs. Kirk, Mrs. Mesner, and all the sophomore students for doing such an awesome job on the exam. Central High School hosted the freshman sophomore dance on Friday, March 28th at the community center. Junior and junior parents attended a Situfacts prem event last Tuesday. Theformational presentation was from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the SHS library. Grades
003for term three closed on Friday and report cards will be issued on Wednesday. Our robotics team competed in Springfield April 2nd through April 5th and the team continues to have an outstanding season. Principal Ranger hosted his second annual is hosting his second annual AP breakfast on Wednesday, April 16th. For any students taking at least one AP course, Central High School has 364 students taking at least one AP. All AP students and their families are welcome to attend the breakfast. Boys and girls state uh is a week-long convention which teaches students about government and civics. Uh it's a great experience. I went last summer and over this past week, this summer's SHS representative students have been chosen. For the boys, we have Cole Levens, Patrick McCarthy, and Matthew Monahan as an alternate. And for the girls,
004we have Angelica Kajum, Alexa Tracy, and Olivia Cone as an alternate. Thank you. And on to our sailor of the month updates. Um, for all of you who don't know, sailor of the month can be nominated by teachers or peers or staff who um feel that someone in the school has made the community better. So for March tailor of the month we have Bill McNeel, Braden Fon Seca, Quinn Corkkins, Shay Tingman, Tingum, Finn, Finn O'Donnell, Quindsy, Jake Lenell, and Elizabeth Clancy. So congratulations to everyone. And in guidance news, this past week, the counseling department hosted the dress less, laugh more week from March 17th to the 21st, and it was a huge success this year. Um this initiative began in 2016 and it engages students and faculty in stress relieving activities during the school day.
005Um the goal is to raise awareness of mental wellness in encouraging students to develop and utilize healthy coping strategies and promot promoting connectedness and reducing reducing the stigma and promoting helpseeking behavior mental health. Um on Friday March 28th Miss Hasset and Miss Kamani took a group of 40 juniors to the NAC college fair in Boston. Students had the opportunity to hear from a wide number of college admissions offices. Over the past two weeks, Citro High School counselors met individually with all rising 10th through 12th grade students to review their course selections for next year. In the meetings, counselors review graduation requirements and work with students to map out their academic plans. Shout out to their counselors. And you any questions for us? Thank you. Thank you. All right, I'll turn it over to Superintendent Burrat.
006Thank you, Mr. Bolini. Good evening, everyone. This is one of the biggest crowds we've had in a lot a while, and I know you're all here waiting for number seven, policy number UNV. Let's get the small stuff out of the way. Um, in all seriousness, um, I'm really honored, uh, and proud of such a turnout tonight to acknowledge, uh, our principal of the year, Mr. Bey, who is at the head table tonight. Thought of some of the things we could do to embarrass him and, uh, but also honor him at the same time. So, welcome, Mr. Bey. Um, I'm going to say a few words and we've got some other folks that want to also speak up and then we'll have a public comment opportunity for anybody in the audience or online that would like
007to say a few words about Mr. Bey. um because I think we could all go on for a long long time. Um but I I do want to get uh thank some guests that we invited here tonight that on a busy night made it here. We appreciate that whether online or in person. Um I want to thank our current administrator Mr. Jim Budro select board members Karen Kenfield, Karen Connley, Susan Harrison, chair Andrew Goodrich and Jamie Gilmore for being here tonight. I know you got another meeting probably tomorrow and many more. So, it's really important you're here and uh because this is a community event. It's so good to see this energy in the room tonight. I also want to thank uh Miss Smith, our assistant principal at Gates who will be here tonight saying
008a few words soon. Um a couple of our great students. We'll have Mason McCaulay and Beatress here will also be up here. I want to thank the families also for coming tonight. I thank you for that. That's a surprise, but I've teased it a little bit there. um just our amazing school committee who have uh supported our district and our principles all along and I know Mr. Bey feels supported, challenged and um and proud to be here tonight. Our staff, administrators and um teachers who are in the audience now who are obviously a byproduct of this great school in Gates that Mr. is uh proud to be the principal of again he was the first one to say it when I you know shared the news with him was that that you know it's it's
009it's all of us and um it's not just me was very humbled obviously I wasn't surprised by that response but it is very true true of the culture at Gates that not only Mr. but the entire administrative team, staff and students and families. It's just magical there and it's it's good to acknowledge it. And I also want to thank um Representative Patrick Kenny who's here tonight. We'll probably speak a little bit. So, just a few words about Mr. Bey on um my thoughts. Um it's with men's pride and joy that I congratulate Mr. Brian Be is receiving the Mass Massachusetts School Administrators Association 220 2025 principal of the year award. I wrote my note somewhere. There's close to 1,800 public schools. We've got the one, 1800 to one. And this process is extremely um well
010vetted, challenging, difficult. You had to go through a lot to earn it. So uh just wanted to mention how how difficult it is to how uncommon it is. So congratulations Mr. Bey. Uh this prestigious award is testament to principal Bey's unwavering commitment to the students, staff, and entire Gates comm community. It recognizes ex exceptional leadership, his innovative approach to education and his genuine passion for fostering and nurturing empowering learning environment. Principal Bey, your vision, your dedication and your tireless efforts have transformed Gates Middle School into a place where students thrive, where teachers are inspired, and where families feel valued. Your ability to connect with each and every student to understand their unique needs and to empower them to reach their full potential is truly remarkable and certainly does not go unnoticed. But this achievement is
011not solely principal bees. As I mentioned, it's a reflection of the collective spirit and dedication of the entire Gates Middle School community. And so I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our incredible students who bring their energy, their curiosity, and their unique talents to our school every day. You are the heart and soul of Gates Middle School and your success is our greatest reward. Our exceptional staff whose dedication, creativity, and unwavering commitment to excellence makes Gates Middle School a truly special place to be. Your hard work and collaboration are the foundation of our success. Our supportive families whose partnership and involvement are invaluable. Your trust and support empower us to provide the best possible education for your children, our children. our engaged community whose commitment to our schools enriches the lives of our students
012and strengthens our town and the situ board school committee town administrator and community members for your unwavering support and commitment to education in our town. Your dedication to providing our students with resources they need to succeed as well as principal Dei and his team is deeply appreciated. Principal Bey, your leadership has fostered a culture of collaboration, innovation and excellence. You have created a school where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to learn and grow. You have inspired us all as you strived for excellence, and you have made Gates Middle School a beacon of educational excellence in Massachusetts. On behalf of the entire community, we congratulate you, Principal Ryan Bey, and this well-deserved honor. We are incredibly proud to have you as our leader, and we look forward to many more years of your exceptional leadership.
013Thank you. going to ask that assistant principal of Gates Middle School, Miss Jill Smith, come on up, please. I've never sat at a table with a microphone in front of me like this. No peeking. I'm Jill Smith, the assistant principal at Gates Middle School. Um, when I was hired, and actually before I was hired, um, last year, everyone told me how amazing Mr. Bey is. My predecessor, Sam Lesniak, hit the nail on the head when she described Ryan Bey as the real deal. After working closely with him for the last two years and laughing and learning a lot from him every single day, I can see what all the buzz was about. Mr. Mr. Be is an outstanding middle school principal and incredibly deserving of this re award. A big theme of the coursework when
014you're getting your masters in school leadership is the importance of school culture. School culture is an underlying force that influences and shapes the school climate. A positive school culture fosters a sense of belonging, promotes academic achievement, and supports the well-being of all individuals involved in the educational process. It's an essential component of a healthy and effective learning environment. A positive school culture directly correlates to a successful middle school. The tricky thing about a positive school culture is you can't just flick a switch to make it happen or just declare it as so. It involves staffs, students, and families. Part of what makes Mr. Mr. Bey an outstanding principal is what he has done and continues to do on a daily basis to foster the positive culture that exists at Gates. He's incredibly approachable, patient, thorough,
015and thoughtful in his work. He supports caregivers and students as they navigate through the three years of incredible growth. He also supports faculty and staff working with students during these often challenging middle school years. Whenever there's a buildingwide initiative, there's no shortage of faculty members who step up. Kids don't want to leave gates at the end of the day. They don't. Yes, these teenagers love the school so much that they may find many reasons to remain well after dismissal. I've never worked at a middle school where there are at least 10 staff members who volunteer to spend their Friday night at a school dance. And this is all directly attributed to the climate and culture that Mr. Bey has worked hard to build. The family, students, and staff at Gates are lucky to have him.
016Congratulations, Mr. Bey. Next up, we have two outstanding members of the Gates community. We have two eighth grade students here today to speak uh about Mr. Bey. We have Bee Hair and Mason McCaulay. You guys going up. Hi, I'm V. Hair um an eighth year at Gates and I'm so happy to be here to congratulate Mr. Bey on receiving this award. Every morning, rain or shine, Mr. Bey stands up front at the car drop off, greeting all of his students. Whether it's just a quick wave or a deeper conversation, the simple gesture signals to all of us that each and every one of us is welcome and supported when we walk through those doors. Mr. BD has created a safe and supportive environment where all his students and teachers do their best work. He leads
017with fairness and kindness. All of us at Gates know how lucky we are to share to have the best principal, but it's exciting that has been formally recognized for all in the state tonight. Hi, I'm Miss McCauley, eighth grade at Gates. I'm honored to be here tonight to recognize Mr. Bey as Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the Year. Massachusetts is known for its exceptional public school public education thanks to uh the effort of all the hardworking principles across the state. Mr. Be is a perfect example of one of these people who have given Massachusetts his reputation. There are many qualified people who could have won this award. But if you know Mr. Bey, you would not be surprised that he was chosen. Mr. Bey has everyone's interest always has everyone's interest best best interest at
018heart. He's extremely selfless. He works hard to ensure that every kid has many opportunities as possible to find what they're passionate about and get involved in new clubs and activities. He's really dedicated to making the school a better place for every student. Demonstrates extreme patience when working with kids, something that not everyone can do. He ensures that everyone always follows the rules and is demonstrating the age core values, but is always very calm and never raises his voice at anyone. Mr. Bey, the person who stands out in the cold to wish you a good morning. Mr. person I have no doubt deserves Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the [Applause] Year. We'd like to invite sorry like to invite Representative Kierney to the microphone. Uh I'm good. We're not. I'll just stand here. Uh members of
019the board, thank you for having me tonight. Superintendent Burkehead, uh members of the select board, parents, teachers, students, uh we're all here to celebrate you, Mr. Bey. Uh I just got back from a ways and means hearing in Attabaro High School. Um, I left a little early uh to come present a citation from a host of representatives uh to recognize what you do every day. As they said, look at the showing of a school building, students, teachers, faculty, members of the select board, school committee members, one out of 1,800 middle schools in the state. You make this community a better place. You foster a learning environment where these students are not just students there. You're prepping them to be high school students that are then active, civically engaged, positive citizens that continue to give back
020to the community. And that legacy is going to live on for generations that far surpass the lifespan of all of us. So, um myself and Senator Okconor uh have the opportunity every week to read into the official record um citations and congratulations uh to recognize significant milestones for people uh in our community. So, uh, today I have a citation from myself, Representative Kernney, the Speaker of the House, and all the members that recognizes your dedication, your commitment, and uh, your love for this community. So, if we if you don't mind, I know we clapped earlier, but if you could all join me in a round of applause for All right. Thank you. I'll turn it over to my colleagues if anyone on school committee would like to say a few words. specifically, Miss Ben. All
021right, I did write something. I couldn't let the occasion pass, but um while I'm reading, maybe um maybe Mr. Bey would like to open his gifts. Those are from us there. There's a card and also a little plant, but also something that we hope you'll find even more special than a plant. Um you can maybe do that while I'm reading. Um, so having been myself in over a hundred schools, um, I can attest that the Gates Middle School is very special. Um, as as others have noted, there's certainly a vibe. Um, kids are happy, teachers are happy, and has been mentioned multiple times already tonight. Mr. Bey himself is always outside with a smile, even in the coldest of temperatures and on the rainiest of mornings. Um, I think it's easy to look at this
022and say simply, "Wow, you know, Gates is the happiest middle school on the planet." Um and it might be um but that I think really oversimplifies um the work that goes into making that. So um just this weekend and I had the privilege to be at a national schoolboard conference. Um it's really great. Um and one of the sessions that I attended reminded me of some research by um John Hattie on collective teacher efficacy. So Ryan, you might you might know this, but that's uh the degree to which teachers believe that they collectively make a difference for their students. And his research finds really enormous actually statistical correlations between measures of teacher efficacy and student achievement and growth. And I say this because the happiness at Gates is an accidental and it's not surface. It's
023a signal of something both deeper and more meaningful for our students, our teachers, and indeed our community. To quote Hadtie's research, a school staff that believes it can collectively accomplish great things is vital for the health of the school. And if teachers believe they can make a positive difference, then they very likely will. So, thank you very much, Mr. Bey, for everything you've done and will continue to do to make Gates such a fantastic place to learn, grow, teach, and lead, and visit if you're one of us. Thank you. This is on. There we go. Congratulations, Ryan. Thank you. So, Maria eloquently talked about your effect on teachers and the students. Obviously, I guess I would say as a newish middle school parent, I would be remiss if I didn't mention how important you've been
024to the caregivers and families in the community. It would be very easy as an experienced and seasoned principal when you have a new a parent of a new middle schooler walking into your office several times to shrug it off and and not act like this is a big thing. But I felt like, you know, for me personally, each time I walked into your office to have a conversation, I felt like it was the first time you were hearing the thing I was sharing. And I think that is an exceptional gift because I know I wasn't the first time you were hearing this thing. So, so I just want to say for all the families, the parents, the caregivers, the grandparents, the neighbors that that contribute to our kids' education, just a heartfelt thank you for
025for also treating us like we were the first time you were hearing that. So, thanks Ryan. Thank you. I'm gonna go way back to when um I was lucky enough to be on the interview committee for the the next Gates principal and I will never ever forget how impressed I was by your interview and how I was like we don't hire this guy out of our minds because you clearly were made to be an educator and help kids. And I just want you to know how touched I was. And I literally will never forget that. [Applause] Well, thank you. I pretty much echoing what Carrie said. Just thank you, I guess, from a personal note for obviously uh taking in my two boys and as a reward, I'm going to send you two more really
026soon. So everyone, you know, I I can't echo enough everyone's sentiments and we're really really just proud of you and uh you know, so lucky to have you be here. Um I would love to invite anyone who would like to speak u to if you want to come up to the sit next to Mr. Ryan. Oh yes, we have some virtual anyone who wants to speak virtually as well. Okay, should be good. John, hi folks. Can you hear me? Okay. Awesome. Hey, so uh John Scopalleti, parent of a seventh grader and eighth grader at Gates, also a former colleague of Mr. Bey. Um I'm gonna keep it brief. Patience and grace. Let me say that again. patience and grace. Ryan, those were things that you preached. I remember those dark days of COVID. You said,
027"If we stick to those two things, we're going to be okay." And you were right. And you didn't just preach it, though. You helped others reach it. And you continue to help others reach it. And I know for myself, as I progress in my career as a leader, um, I keep trying to go back to those two words and I hold to those in your example. So, I want to thank you for that. And again, you're just a the epitome of patience and grace in your role and uh so so lucky, so fortunate as a colleague and as a parent caregiver to uh to have had that experience with you. So thank you. Congratulations. Thank you, [Applause] John. Let's have this uh One of the things that um has been spoken about is your care
028of family and students and I want to speak to the care that you take care of that you give so graciously to your staff. Um the word that comes to mind is faith. The belief that you have in every single person in that building and what they can bring to the community is reflected in the faith that we have in your leadership. We've been through some pretty tough times. Um I can't think of one of the the moments that tested us most where we didn't believe in what you told us um because we were purely reflecting the faith that you put in us. Um, so yeah, good [Applause] job. Not seeing any more virtual hands raised. Anyone else? I'll say back to Ryan. Oh. Oh. All right. Should be unmuted. Hi, this is uh Chris
029Bey, Ryan's little brother, calling in from New York City. Um, I had to embarrass him and join tonight. Um, my our father Paul is also in the room. Uh, our other brother PJ is watching. uh on behalf of our family, we're just so proud of Ryan. Um he's always looked at his career more as a vocation than a job. Uh and that's evidenced by him forcing us to play school down in our basement as we were growing up and grading our papers. Um but congratulations, Ryan. We're so proud of you. We know our late mom is is proud of you as well. H keep doing what you're doing and uh yeah, we love you very much. [Applause] have one more opportunity and then we'll let Oh yeah. Yeah. Okay. Looking like we're here. Say a
030few words. Thank you. All right. Well, uh, this is wonderful and I appreciate, uh, all the kind words from everyone. Good evening, members of the school committee, members of the select board, superintendent Burkehead, teachers, staff, students. It is truly an honor to sit here before you as the recipient of this year's MSAA Massachusetts Middle School Principal of the Year Award. While I'm incredibly grateful for this recognition, I want to make it clear that this is not just my award. This is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone who makes our school such a special place. First, I'd like to thank Superintendent Burkehead for nominating me for this award. Superintendent Burkehead, your support and encouragement over the past six years has been inspiring, and I continue to learn a great deal from you
031every day. Being acknowledged by my peers throughout the Commonwealth has been a humbling experience and it serves as a reminder of just how important the work is that educational leaders do. But let's be honest, being principal of the year isn't something you do alone. It takes a whole team of people, students, teachers, staff, families, everyone working together to create a community where everyone can succeed. I want to start by recognizing our educators. They bring their passion, creativity, and expertise to our classrooms each and every day. It's not just about teaching content. It's about inspiring our students to think critically, challenge themselves, and always strive to be their best. I'm constantly in awe of the dedication they show, and I'm fortunate to work alongside such a talented group. I also want to take a moment to
032thank our support staff who show up every day and make everything run smoothly. from our custodial team who worked tirelessly to maintain a clean and safe environment. They're upset with me right now because of our dance on Friday night, but the dye will come out of the of the floor, I promise. Um, to our office staff who handle the many behindthe-scenes tasks that make our school function. Every individual in this group is truly the backbone of our school. They make sure that everything is in place so that we can focus on what really matters, which is helping our students to succeed. Of course, none of this would be possible without our incredible students. Every single day, I'm inspired by their curiosity, their creativity, and their drive to learn. They inspire me every single day. From
033their endless curiosity to their ability to ask questions that make me stop and say, "Wow, you know, I've never really thought about it that way." They're the reason we all come to work every day, and they motivate me to be the better a better leader. Their growth, not just academically, but personally as individuals, is what makes my job so rewarding. My fellow administrators and colleagues, I'm grateful for your support and collaboration. Leadership is never a solo effort. It's about working together and learning from each other. We all share the same goal to ensure that our students have the best possible opportunities to succeed. and I am proud to have worked alongside each of you for the past 18 years to make that happen in the situ. While receiving this award is an incredible honor, I
034want to remind everyone that it's a reflection of our entire community. It's a testament to the culture that we've all created, a culture where we believe in each other, where we hold ourselves to high expectations, and where we never stop working to improve. And of course, I could never do this without the support of my family, my mom and my dad, my brothers, my niece and my nephew, and my little dog, Mabel. They've been there for me every step of the way, and I'm truly grateful for the love and encouragement they provide me. So, in closing, I want to say thank you. Thank you to our students, our staff, our families, and our community. This award belongs to all of us, and I look forward to continuing to work together to make our school and
035district an even better place for everyone. I'm excited for what's ahead and I'm grateful to be a part of this amazing I think we're gonna take just a five minute recess ourselves for a minute or two. Let's do that and then we'll recing. Sorry about that. Turn it over to Superintendent Burkehead with a discussion uh on the naming of the new Cushing. Okay. Thank you. Um so some exciting times coming up in the new building project the Halley Kitchener building project and one of them we mentioned um initially but haven't got back to it is that now's the time to start having a conversation about what the name of the of the new school will be. Um so my after speaking with many people and um talking to um our team my recommendation would be
036that the u the kids have a say in what the new name of the school is and something uh some kind of a process where it's very student driven and student centered. Ultimately the school committee would be to approve and vote any name obviously but my recommendation and rational would be to the goal would be to begin a student centered process of naming our new school in mascot while maintaining the pride memories and history of the two current schools. So that would be the challenge and task at hand. So working independently as a small group of representative members of our community to work on that and then report back to the committee on recommendations in which the committee would make the opportunity. But coming from the kids I think would be powerful been part of
037a few districts that have done that very successfully. Um but the process needs to be worked out obviously to be inclusive. Um so my repres my my recommendation would be that the committee establish a working group of stakeholders um to take on the mission um and report recommendations to the committee for the official approval and vote and I can help you know oversight manage that as far as timelines go as far as updates for the committee as you need input feedback all that type of stuff. So that's kind of part one of the naming. Get your feedback on that and if you are okay to move forward with that process. Thank you, Superintendent Bet. Uh any members of the committee thoughts I guess just cl a clarifying question. So I love the idea of the
038student centered and even community centered, right? I know we had I don't know if it was the athletic director came and talked to us about how the hockey teams came up with that sort of so I'm imagining that sort of process. Do you foresee as you work out the process, do you imagine coming back to us to to tell us what your final plan is for process or will the group do that? Like what do you I think either or. Okay. We got get the direction from the committee keep you posted and then say we got this this and this done. What would you like to see? I could do regular updates simply or if we're at a point now we're getting close maybe before the process stage. We could have the representatives or chairs
039if we have co-chairs of that committee come in and report out answer questions that type of stuff. Yeah. Um or if you know you're telling me tonight that you'd like um I would be smart to once we finish the process. Yeah. Before we move forward with it, get your approval for that because I think that's a major piece of it, right? How are we going to communicate this? How are we going to roll this out? So the idea is one thing, but it's actual, you know, the devil's in the details with some of this stuff. So getting your feedback on that, I think, would be the next general. I think that's what I'm thinking about. So like I feel like the spirit of what you're suggesting feels good, right? I would just love for us
040to see even if it's draft like what the plan is. So that because the other thing we can do to serve is like we all have different sort of folks that we see around town. So, what better way to communicate than for us to have a clarity on what the process is so we can help you with that, too. That'd be great. I agree with that. I guess just one clarifying question. Um, just the I think it's the idea two two parents, two teachers. Is it one from each school or two? One from each school. So, what the committee has that the community doesn't have is just my outline of some thoughts on that. school. My thought was to have representatives from each school equally. Yeah. Pushing it on both everything. Parents, community members, teachers,
041support staff, administrators, whatever we decide, but making the committee too huge, but also making it, you know, and it's a good opportunity, I think, to start bringing the two school communities together to make decisions and working together as a committee, getting to know each other. So, there's a there's a, you know, side benefit of that too would be that everything would be equal. Yeah, I think that makes sense. Yeah, and I do agree. I like to know more about sort of are they going to pay do and then you know whatever the process may be I guess just kind of detailing that a bit. Um will that committee vote their their choice to submit to us then you think? Yeah. And I think that will come out in the process where you as the committee
042can say, "Well, we'd like at least two options or do you want one?" Or if there's one that's just okay, you know, really the strongest come with that. That's all feedback. I'm sure the committee would want to know from you. Okay. But they can boil it down to whatever you want. Great. So that it's coming from, you know, it's it's pretty clear based on the process that you've approved. If they've got one um single recommendation, then we can do that. Okay. That sounds great. So, are we voting tonight just to approve the process because this says the name of the news, right? I think that's more of a a typo sort of a situation. So, for clarification, it is about forming a committee to motion together. Oh, okay. That's what I thought. Yeah. Yeah. I
043just want to We're not naming the new Cushing Academy School tonight. Yeah. for everybody. Just getting the ball rolling, getting people together to start. That makes sense. Yeah. Looking through a process to do that. Is there like a timeline that this has to be completed by? Yeah, I think we at least um got technically you got right up until the you know schools going in. But the earlier we can do it like anything else the better. Within a year I would say would be our goal. So this is real early. I guess the point is this is real early. So I think what's important now is they start looking at the mascot and logo put in the center of the gym for example on other PE places in the school. Um the history of each
044school, how is that going to be incorporated into the new school, you know, things like that this group can start rolling the ball on helping the architects when they design the school that might become part of the building of the project. So I guess the earlier we get it the better without rushing. Yeah. So, any other questions or have a motion that they would like to put forward? It's all got it. Can you can you I make a motion that the school committee vote to approve that the superintendent establish a representative working group of stakeholders with the charge of developing a studentled process naming the new elementary building in mascot reporting recommendations to the school committee for official approval and vote. Second. All in favor? I. Thank you. here. And second piece of that, the
045groundbreaking ceremony. Right. So, some more fun uh news is the shovels will go into the ground next fall. Again, the project everything is right now is on schedule and under budget, which is good things to hear, good things to report. Uh that being said, they're part of the MSBA process and any process to formally start um construction phases. to the to having the ground breaking ceremony and that will culminate with the ultimate ribbon cutting which will be fun when we start planning that about when it's going to open up for students, staff. Um so tonight is just um setting a target date so that we can move um you know there's a lot of planning that needs to go in this as well. MSBA is involved. They send people down we invite local people like
046we did tonight to come to that. So really we can get that date locked in. it's helpful to planning of this uh it's pretty involved involving both schools and getting you know that so we wanted to set a date so in working this and to keep in mind this is October third so even if they start this isn't literal shovel the ground so it's okay if this construction technically begins in September and we have this it's more ceremonial at the beginning of a projects it's very common so yeah we're not actually going to put anybody to work u we'll hopefully get everyone a nice shovel and it'll be great Um so similar to that last recommendation this would be we would like to put a rain date to make this is a Friday but a
047Friday during the school day would be something where the kids can get involved both schools or staff you know community members and things like that. So and then and again if you're going to do something during the day or anytime I guess now the earlier you set a date the more people that um are planning to come can put that in their calendar. Yeah. and the rain date will be the following Friday. If we do something outdoors, we might not, but that's just want to put both dates in there to lock things down for community. Um the recommendation would be that a small group just this room would be a little smaller than that because it's more just planning u with input certainly from the committee myself, Dr. Rab and Chairman Brandolini and Ryan Lynch
048probably worked together with our Vertex owners project manner architect. Again, this isn't the first time this has been done. There's a lot of models out there. So, we kind of just kind of organized that probably over the summer we could do that work and then we'd be ready to roll that out for again, I would recommend approval by the committee on what that looks like. If we miss anything, feedback before we go out and actually do it. I think it's always good to get committes entire committee's feedback on a draft plan of that goal. So this is just kind of okaying that date first of all the main date and then getting the ball rolling with a small group to kind of start the planning of it. Make a motion on the groundbreaking ceremony. Everyone's
049ready. Uh, I make a motion that the school committee authorize the superintendent to form a small leadership working group to plan the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cushing Havly building project with the groundbreaking date set for October 3rd, 2025 and a rain date of October 10th, 2025. The superintendent will report back with specifics of the ceremony for school committee approval before the event. Second. All in favor? Fantastic. All right, we finally made it. Thank you for your patience, everyone. Uh, who's been waiting for Mr. Thomas to present our fine and performing arts department updates. Great. Thank you. Good evening, everyone, and thank you for the opportunity to uh promote some of the great things that are happening within the fine arts department. I guess I would start by thanking some of my colleagues, Laura Burton, Andy
050Lorettes, Amanda Glover, Peter Muntz, and Christine Chan for their help in this. We'll we'll thank the students as we move through the presentation. Um, so the idea here is that we want to show the parallels between a fine arts education and the uh development of 21st century skills. And I've provided three different uh student examples for that. The first of which is a student directed brass quintet. And um it really focuses on the concepts of leadership, initiative, creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and problem solving. And if they they want to come up, I can say a couple words as you guys are getting settled. So I'm proud of these guys. They've done a pretty amazing job of really taking the initiative to create their own group, rehearse themselves, um, find the repertoire to perform and to
051represent themselves in a way that makes us all proud. So, they're going to play a quick excerpt for you first of all, then I got a couple questions for you guys. Okay, whenever you're ready. [Laughter] [Music] Thank you. [Music] Well done, gentlemen. We have Nikolai Bovich right here, Lamb Folding, Noah Shepard, Drew Webster, and Brenda McCarthy. My round of applause. So just to highlight some of the 21st century skills we have creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration and teamwork, adaptability and flexibility, leadership, social and cultural awareness, digital and media literacy and emotional intelligence. Um, so a couple questions as promised guys. I don't know who wants to take this. Um, what are the challenges in the in rewards of leading your own ensemble? Um, I think probably the biggest challenge is
052just coordinating, you know? I mean, it's it's really difficult to get everyone together, get everyone on the same page, and it really forces you and like us as a group to build leadership skills amongst ourselves and like influence each other to get there, rehearse without having, you know, that adult figure in the room that we've had all our lives. It's allowing us to build the skills that we need to lead an ensemble on our own. And I guess the reward is kind of seeing what we can build by oursel. You know, there's there's the aspect of being able to choose the music that we want to play and all that stuff, but I think the real reward is seeing what we've been able to do in a self-like group and being able to see the
053impact that that might have on um kids younger than us and being able to influence them to maybe take up the same initiative, but it's their turn. Yeah, well said. Uh one more question. Are there transferable skills which you can take with you into the future that goes perhaps beyond the quintet? Um, yeah. I I think one big skill that we've learned a lot is like flexibility and like problem solving. We've had like the challenges of finding music, organizing rehearsal time and rehearsal space, like finding gigs and and coordinating those. And I think that's really taught us a lot about like how we can be flexible in those times and also like how to like delegate issues and and solve some problems. I don't know if anyone wants to add on. Yeah, I mean like
054we all have different sports, different other extracurricular activities and just general like different classes, different things to study for and uh give time to. So we really had to learn how to be flexible and um really problem solve to find rehearsal times, you know, whether that meant showing up to school early, doing things late at night, you know, on weekends. So we had to really like think outside the box. So that's something you built on. Well, I can't thank you enough. Thank you. And as they're they're heading their way back, just as from an observer standpoint, just to see the pride with which you guys operate is pretty cool. Thank you. I have a question. No, you guys are a This is awesome. I love to see this. And I know I've known Noah, Liam,
055and Nikolai for a few years now. Just to see that you guys have grown and matured and turned this is awesome. Um, two questions for you. One is will you all continue your musical talent in college? And uh number two is do you think that the I know that one of the um goals or one of the things you saw was to influence younger students. Do you think that there's younger students who will participate and create their own type of um I guess what ensemble or what we what we call this ensemble next thing? I mean, I've heard the freshman and sophomores I've heard like after our performances. I've heard other trumpets um like talking about forming their own quartets or quintets. So, I feel like after our performances, it feels like a reward knowing
056that possibly we've inspired other younger people to form their own groups and kind of follow what we've been doing. You know, I hope they I hope they do because I think I think it's awesome. I think it's great. You guys can just kind of when you can play these instruments, I think is great. the fact that you take all this extra time as you said you you all or most of you do other activities as well as just music. So I think it's awesome and hopefully have inspired the younger kids. I'm sure you have. Well, they definitely have. I know freshman sophomores who definitely look up to you guys. So inspirational. Congratulations. Thank you. [Applause] Um, on the other end of the spectrum, we have Charlie Ross, who uh really gave a compelling essay. I'm
057not sure. I hope that you had an opportunity to look that over before tonight. We have Charlie here, and I'm going to actually invite Charlie and Andy Lorettes up to talk a little bit about his experience um in really building grit, determination, and perseverance. Hi, good evening. My name is Andrew Lorettes. I'm the elementary band teacher at all of the elementary school constituent. It's my honor to be here with you. Um, so Charlie's essay reflects on his first winter concert, highlighting the emotions he experienced. He learned valuable lessons about stepping outside his comfort zone, teamwork, how to overcome challenges, uh building confidence, grit, perseverance, emotional intelligence, and many other skills in the process. Um, so again, if you haven't read that, I I strongly encourage you. It brought tears to my eye to read uh
058what he wrote. Um, and it was just such a great narrative. So, Charlie, I do have a couple questions for you about uh your what you wrote in your narrative. Um, so what did you gain from this musical experience and will it help you the next time that you go through something like that? So I think the thing that really I benefited the most from was knowing that I'm not alone because that was the thing I was most nervous about before going into the concert. I was scared people would like point and laugh and like because I was the only fifth grader to join band that year or this year. And I was so scared that people were going to like make fun of me. But after the concert, I immediately understood that it wasn't
059just me. I was working as a team with all the other with all my other band like people that played along with me and my teachers. And it made me feel better after the concert that I wasn't alone. I was with a team that played along with me. Excellent. Yeah. And do you think uh the lessons you learned through the going through the anxiety of getting ready for a concert and then being through on the other side, do you feel like that's going to transfer to other situations in the future? And if so, what what would those be? So um I think this could like help me in a lot of other situations, but one that comes to my mind is just a small example when I'm presenting in school with like I have like
060super stage fright. Like sometimes I can't speak like I wouldn't be able to speak now if it weren't for the concert. And like as soon as the concert was over, my confidence just overcame that issue. And I've actually had a few presentations now that I've been speaking without stuttering stuttering. And it wouldn't I wouldn't have been able to like come up here and talk if it weren't for the concert. And it just really helped me be able to like help my stage. [Applause] Well, I can at least speak on behalf of myself that what a great presenter he is, right? Like, and just amazing speaker. So, we're we're so proud of the work that you do in band and we're so proud of the work that you're doing, sharing that with our whole community. So,
061thank you for being here. I also see my grandma. And we have a a third example. Our final example. So sorry. Um, this one's pretty cool. Um, Stitch Monsters. So, our grade one students um created a 2D design of a stitch monster and um they collaborated with our gates students. Um now, the gates students had to interpret the design and then create a 3D version of it. So, we're lucky enough to have two students here, Jack Ferris and Teddy Sutherland, and they're going to talk to you a little bit about the process or we have some questions actually for them. Um, but uh talk about a cool collaboration. Um, and there's the products right there. So, yeah. Can you tell us a little bit about what you think makes your monster special? Yeah. What do
062you think? Socks. Yes. Not all monsters are socks. That's true. Anything else? And then Mrs. Burton told me that the name of this monster is Rock and Roll. How did you come up with that name? Why rock and roll? Rock and roll. I like it. Good name. Did you have fun doing this? Yes. I think you've done an amazing job. And you excited to see what the monster really looks like? Yeah. Oh, wow. Thank you. And Teddy, I guess from your standpoint, what was it like to like interpret someone's work within our school district and like actually create a 3D version of it? Um, I thought it was cool. we got to work together with um first spirit to just create a project and I had lots of fun doing it. That's cool. Came out
063good too. Um was this somehow different knowing that your project that you were interpreting was a like a real life person that you were trying to uh match what their efforts what they had in mind. Um did that make a difference to the project? Um, yeah, a little bit. I mean, I felt like I had a little bit of pressure. Yeah, I'd say you did an awesome job. But, um, I'd just like to thank Laura and Amanda for creating an experience for students that's collaborative and really brings a sense of community. Um, very cool. [Applause] Is this the first time that you've seen your stitch monster in person? Yeah. Yep. This is a powerful moment right now. Wow. That is the coolest. Oh my god. Enjoy your five seconds. And then um to to cap
064things off, March is known as music in our schools month and I'd like to recognize Mr. Peter Munt for his efforts in creating a collaborative musical virtual musical performance. Um that he he went around to all of the elementary schools, Gates Middle School and the high school and had different members of uh the music program perform and put all that together. talk about building a sense of community. It was amazing. So, I hope that you had a chance to look at that. But like to just thank Peter M. And then finally, u we have a busy spring here coming and I'd like to just formally invite you to any or all of these events uh particularly the spring for the arts which is coming up on Thursday, May 15th. And u thank you for the
065opportunity to showcase some of what we're doing. Thank you so much, Mr. Thomas, for bringing bringing art to life in here in all its different forms. So, really appreciate that. Any questions or anything? Thank you. You're welcome. Thank you families for sticking it out with us. a little over an hour. [Music] Oh, well, we'll take care of the emotion. Bring it right back to Paul. I love Oh my. Who am I to judge? Be very emotional. All right. Uh, let's let's turn it back over it over to our policy. How do I get a slip? So, we're here for our second reading for our our technology policies. Um, I will say when Nicole and I were in Atlanta, I did attend a session on um AI kind of like a listening session to hear what
066other what's happening in other states and districts. I think we're right on track with what a lot of people are doing, which is trying not to overdo it on policy. Um, as AI is just so quickly developing and just sort of set something that we feel will help give teachers kind of what they need in order to say like, hey, I said no way on this and I really meant that. You know, we want teachers to feel that they have that behind them, but we don't want to be overly prescriptive or restrictive. And so I think we're right in the place where most people seem to be. Um, so I just wanted to add that new development since the last time we talked about these, but this is our second thing. So I'm not sure
067if anyone has any additional thoughts or comments. Clearly a timely subject is it was just sprinkled throughout the entire conference drive and and just the nuances to it. Target. Yeah, exactly. I don't have any data. That yes, exactly. That's exactly Ryan, did you have anything else on this? Uh, no. We just uh we had a suggestion at the last meeting for um just clarifying some language at the beginning of the the part on cheating. We clarified that just to essentially say it's using somebody else's work without their permission. Um, the only other thing I would add is that based on the feedback from the last meeting, we recognize that some of the the changes here, again, a lot of credit to Jackie Fangello, tech team, the staff have given their input um that we'll be
068making a plan for the implementation of the new policy and u Jackie is going to be presenting at school committee at an upcoming meeting. So, some of her presentation will just detail the steps that we'll take to both uh keep students and staff safe and also implement some of the policy changes in a way that's manageable. So, um, we just acknowledge that, you know, some of this has changed and we'll we're really happy to have a policy that's going to um be updated and also a plan for just communicating that with uh students, staff, and families. Thank that a motion on these I just I double check these are the right letters. I was gonna ask um I make a motion that the school committee uh vote to approve the updated tech policies JN DB
069I JN DBC I JN DBA as presented. Second. All in favor. Okay. Uh, we have some old business here. The last day of school boat, which no snow days. I have no questions. Anyone? Around the corner. There's nothing for question. Oh, I thought you said, no comment, no nothing. Just yay. I was like, yes. Yay. So just to remind us this is a Friday Friday June 20th 2025. Yeah. So we will have no school Thursday no school Friday. This is as June 19 as it was laid out. Y right. So we have no school. Don't worry we have solved that problem going forward. Hopefully well hopefully we have hopefully we have we know people are going to take one off and 20th is a half day with no lunch. So if you want those super
070short you blink and the kids are back home. I'm not gonna I'm just gonna go with it. Let's just let's just vote. Okay. I make a motion that the school committee vote to approve the last day of school, June 20th, 2025, as presented. Second. All in favor? I. We have some approval of minutes from March 24th. I make a motion that the school committee vote to approve the March 24 24th 2025 minutes as presented. Second. All in favor? Warrants. Nothing for today. Uh no correspondences that I am aware of. Just I don't know if you mentioned this last but the governor extended the I did not. So yeah, I don't know if that goes under other business or whatever, but I don't know exactly what it was. I think two year two more year two
071hybrid meeting [Music] meeting. I just have a correction. because I did the um weekly update. You said that this Wednesday's meeting started at 6 o' starts at 5:30. Oh, 5:30 coming out of my mouth and I'm like, yeah, but start can't remember where we landed on if we were going to I don't know that I'm ready. Okay, we wanted to share a little bit about just like what we learned at the conference that we were just at, but I I don't know that my mind is quite until like late last. I'm not ready mentally. Yes, but I did take notes and like we are excited to share with you some of the stuff that we great. It was great. It was really fun and it was neat to just kind of be in that national
072space with other school board people. Calling it a school board now. Yeah, next time just a short sort of about 70 people attended our our session. They didn't do any sort of they didn't collect any feedback like on their side. I know but we did get a lot of people who came up to us at the end and said it was really helpful. Fantastic. Okay. Any other future agenda items? Marie and I need to do the data. I think we should look at our goals. We need to look at our data. Our next corner meeting is until the right town meeting. So next meeting will be yeah town meeting on the 14th and then we jump to May 5th for the school meeting back here. Okay. Right. Second mile. get you out of here by
073seven o' Don't say that, Nicole. You just take stuff. Probably. All right. Nothing further. We'll take a motion to adjourn here tonight. Motion to adjourn. 7:15. Second. All right. All in favor? Uh time.