School Board Workshop & Business Meetings 01/15/2026

001Good evening and welcome to the Scarborough Board of Education workshop. The day is Thursday, January 15, 2026. Can we please, can everyone please join me for the privilege. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Yes. Ms. Jacobs? Mr. Kelleher? I'm here. Ms. Lindstrom? Here. Ms. Maurer? Here. Mr. Rockenstein? Here. Ms. Perpinian? Here. Ms. Raskina? Here. Ms. Clark? Here. Thank you so much. Agenda item 4.0 is new business. 4.1 is Scarborough's equity framework using data to close gaps for all learners. So turn this over to Jane. Yeah. Ray and I are really happy to present for you tonight. We know that equity has been a major focus. For the district, it certainly

002is one of our district goals. And so we wanted in part this evening to give you an update in terms of where we are and how we are using data from an equity lens to help us know where our students are and next steps to take with them. Right. Well, the first thing we want to pull up here was the district mission statement. And as we all read through it, what I really want to emphasize there is about a safe and inclusive learning environment where each and every student is empowered. Because I think that each and every student is really kind of what drives us. We want to make sure we're reaching each and every student and giving each and every student what they need to be successful. with that. So I think you, like

003that's definitely a theme that runs through our work every day and really, you know, hope that's a theme that you'll see run through this. And this is, I think Diane said this was developed in 2017. So like this has been, you know, an underlying piece of Scarborough for a long time. And, you know, I really look at it as kind of like a spiral where we keep. keep spiraling forward and working to improve what we're doing because we're never done with it. Yeah, and these really do demonstrate like the through lines for us, right? And so, you know, I know that in many places, inclusivity is something that has taken hold in the last three to five years. But we really wanted to share this with you to just point out that we didn't only

004begin this work or looking from this lens. once that became a buzzword, we actually were digging in and doing that work here in Scarborough well before that. So this is one of our district goals for this year that truly does line up to the mission statement, where it says expand our culture of inclusion for all learners by advancing educational practices, strengthening student supports, integrating social emotional learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies to improve student outcomes. And what we're going to walk through tonight is really taking a look at like. When we say we want to advance the educational practices, we want to strengthen supports for all kids, like an example of how we dig deeper into that data to help us better understand how to best support our kids and how to look at our

005curriculum and how we get the results that we expect from the curriculum that we're using. When we look at like, you know, that we do look at right down to the individual child with that. So that's kind of where we'll... lead through with just sharing some of the process that will take and this here um is like Just some of the stuff that we have done and worked from the previous years that we're continuing to move forward with that. You know, every year and through the budget process, through the summer, looking at the, you know, what are our student needs at every school and the staff availability to meet those needs. You know, one example of that is like, you know, in reviewing. reading data last spring and looking at the achievement levels of students

006at our various schools, looking at that we really, you know, we had the right number of resources, but they weren't put in the right schools to match the data of the students. And so it did, you know, shifting some staff around to make sure we were better able to reach the needs of all students. And, you know, that's also done at the budget time as well as we're sitting down now looking at cost centers and working with them is really looking at to make sure that we have the school resources available to us for the needs of that school. with that and the schools do have different needs based on the data. The second one there is the student data review and use of data teams in regular meetings. This is something that Katie has

007really done an amazing job with is really pulling a lot of data together for a specific grade level, specific school and then sitting down with the data groups and going over the data and talking with the staff. what does this data mean to all of us? And then having that time for that discussion and then proactive planning on what can we do to help specific children or all children, depending on what the data tells. And those happen. regularly with all staff. And then a lot of that data is used. We're going to talk a little bit more about the MTSS process. A lot of that data and additional data is used in the regular MTSS review meetings that happen through each MTSS cycle of learning for children. But we'll go into that a little bit

008more later on. Each building has attendance review teams that sit down on a regular basis to look at student attendance. And sometimes those discussions are like, what can we do proactively to help certain children? What do we need to do reactively for children that are not coming? What supports do we need to? An example of, we'll see Kelly Crosby here in a little bit, but I know what a Kelly Crosby story is. Her team was... The child had a really hard time getting up and it wasn't the supports to do that. She bought him an alarm clock and taught him how to use it. And the child started coming to school. You know, like those are the things that like really on that micro level, like what can we do to help get you to

009school with that? And like, and all schools are doing things like that, you know, with that. And then we do have a district committee that looks at the individual schools that also looks at like really, you know, a lot of proactive communication so we can get out and look at our data as well. This was one of the nice things. I know we've shared this with you that the state actually reached out to us about how the attendance is improving here and really wanted to find out. what we're doing to see a marked improvement in terms of compared to some other schools around. So that was a nice call from the State Department on that, with that ongoing professional development focused on impactful strategies. This is another part that Katie and instructional coaches lead in

010really looking at data to determine what needs to be worked on with small groups, with teachers and small groups of students as well. Ruler and MindUp are the social emotional curriculums that were in the year three of, and I know they both presented last year to the school board to give you an example of what that looked like. We're still in the development of that with that. And then the last there is really that programming and curriculum shifting, you know, based on student parts, looking at that data to help tell us, you know, what we need to do differently to help improve. So those are the things we're doing just based, you know, working on improving from previous years. MTSS is the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. This has had a lot of different titles over

011the years. It's really the programs that provide the supports for children that they need. And this can be in the regular classroom or this can be outside of the classroom. It can be in a lot of settings. So the additional changes for this year are, and this is something we've already talked about, is that regular grade level data meetings in all phases to examine student progress. And there really are robust discussions. And at my time at Blue Point, it was really enlightening to see how robust those discussions are and how much they do dig into the data. And they really talk about like what can be done in the classroom, what can be done out of the classroom. And another thing that they have worked on is making sure that we have, you know, really

012consistent entry and exit criteria for all the guys that need different levels of support so that we make sure that, you know, if you're at eight corners or you're at Pleasant Hill. if you have a meeting and not have it different for the different schools and really throw that up and really clarify the vocabulary and terminology so that we're all talking the same X's and O's across the, you know, the different schools and teams. The next part of those data meetings that they're doing with MTSS, the, in most, you know, school districts and, you know, what we have been doing in the past, we really relied on teachers to bring kids to us that were struggling, that we would take a look at it. And this, you know, we're doing a much better job of

013pulling in universal assessments that everyone's assessed on and allows us to be proactive to look at the data that we don't need to wait for a teacher to notice something that we're looking at the data and then talking to the teacher and the teacher, you know, will. then you can talk about other data because we don't want to ever look at just one data source to triangulate the data to see if what that one test or two tests are telling us is an accurate portrayal. So it allows us to better make sure that when we talk about equity, that if there's a need, we're going to have a better chance of finding it. And then there in the bottom, just the assessment calendar so that all the schools, especially the K-2 level, are doing the

014same things at the same time. And that all students, when they're in an intervention cycle through MTSS, are getting progress checks as we go. So I think they've done a really nice job of that consistent use of data many times throughout the year to make sure that kids are moving. Katie, I know this is yours, but anything that you want to add to what I said? Because you do really hit this one quite well. Well, I think you covered it well. Yeah. When we talk about data. I pulled this slide from Katie's last presentation when she was here because I started typing in the different datas that we were putting in. And then I remember that Katie had the slide and I'm like, oh, this is... So like when we talk about like triangulating data,

015pulling different data points to look at everything, like these are just the list that Katie came up with for the last one. We do use quite a bit of data to pull with that. So I just want to take a walk you through the process we use when looking at data. You know, typically we will start very good. looking at district data or phase level data with that. And then after we look at the district level data, then we might break it down by grade level or smaller subgroups. Subgroups are different, identifiable groups, and we'll go through a couple of different subgroups later on that help us better understand the data. And then once we have looked at it at a more micro level, then we start really looking for analyzed trends. and have those

016as Katie used the terminology. Sometimes the data makes us wonder and sometimes like this is what we look at. We start looking at wonder and then we'll look at like, does it line up to the curriculum? Are these children getting the interventions that we need? So like there's really the three steps. So I'm gonna just walk through some data here. with you. So like this is data from, it doesn't say it at the bottom, that part should come off my slide. But so this is Wentworth reading data. So Wentworth is on the left and the state is on the right. Yeah, and I apologize for on the slideshow. In yours, it's looking like that. So like if I look at this Wentworth reading, 75% of the students are making, you know, are reading, you know,

017at grade level or above, you know, right? You know, for those 75%, that's great data. And when we compare it to the national average, the NWA is a nationally normed test, you know, they're about 25 points higher than the national average. So like that's something that, you know, we would. you know, look at and say, you know, we're doing well with that. But like, that's where we really need to make sure we don't stop. Yeah. And so this is really just the beginning, right, for us. And from that, we can start, you know, pulling apart. And again, I think, you know, Ray's going to show you that in the next couple slides. But then we can say, okay, this is how they're performing as a school. How are they performing as a grade level? Right.

018And then you just keep going and digging deeper and deeper, because, again, we want to make sure that overall our schools are doing well. We want to make sure our individual students are are performing well or getting supports when they need it. And then we also want to look for some of those trends. Are there certain subgroups of students or categories of students that. that may not be doing as well as other categories and then that's where we really start asking questions about what you know what other things we might explore further. So now the next slide like we could have broken it down by grade I'd fold this this is the reading scores by gender and with that and this is I pulled it based on proportionality. Okay. So the blue column is the

019percentage of females or males in the school. So male females are 48% of the school. So we would, of the proficient students, we would expect if both groups were performing the same, they would be 48% of the students that are proficient. And they are, those two lines are similar. So they're proportional and the males are 52% and they make up 52% of that 75% that are meeting grade level. Yeah, it's interesting because it's like actual data and it comes out like exactly like you have 48% of females and they represent 48%, you know, 48% of those females, 48% of females are achieving proficiency. And they also make up 48% of the student population. Yeah, I thought that was remarkable. Yeah. Yeah, it was like, okay, we didn't fix this. I promise you it's not. If

020you go to the 100th place, they're a little bit different. But you'll see the next slide isn't completely the same. So then, so like, yeah, so like that's, you know, something good to look at. This is based on that proportionality, again, with that, where multiracial students make up 1.5% of our student body there. And if it was a proportional relationship, it would be 1.5 here too. It's higher than that. So they're outperforming the whole school. And this has the five different subgroups here. And if you look at the white students here, it's percentage of the whole school, they're 84% and they're 85%. So they're pretty close, the columns are pretty close. I'm gonna go to the next column because the next slide, it's the exact same data with the white students taken off it. So

021the columns show up a little bit. So when we look at the proportionality, we really looked at the white students and those two columns were pretty equal. And if we look at this, we look at the multiracial students, we look at the Latino students, and we look at the black and the Asian, the three groups are outperforming the whole school and one group is underperforming the school. So then that's something that we then need to dig in deeper to look at what we're doing. and learn more about those students and learn about how we're servicing and helping provide the different supports that are needed with that. So like this is, looking at that, so this is breaking it down by subgroups by race, but there's a lot of different other subgroups that we will pull

022and look at. Right. So like, if we look, you know, at this on its face, we might say it's, you know, there appears to be an equity gap for students who identify as black. And so That, you know, is something that we can directly see from this slide. But then from that, we begin to generate questions like 3.8% of our student population at Wentworth. How many students represent 3.8%, right? And then that starts, we start asking questions like, okay, so, you know, the smaller the group size is, the less statistically significant that is. Right. Because when you start looking at percent of percentages, that sample size is really telling. Right. And so the larger your sample size is, the more statistically significant that is. But like this is like Ray said, that starting point. And

023from that, we entertain and ask each other lots of questions to get more information. if that's one example of looking at data differently within there, within one test, and that's just one test. So then we're also looking at many other data sources from Katie's earlier slide to triangulate our data. And then if I go to the, the part after we pull the data, this is really looking at, you know, that analyzing trends and looking at it differently to get a better understanding of what's going on. We're looking at the question, how does this data line up to other data we have about our students? Like looking at this compared to, are they doing it like unit assessments, iReady, or other tests that the children are taking? The confidence level, as Diane spoke to the statistical

024significance of the data, we need to look at that. How does this data line up to our curriculum and instruction? I think one of the examples, if we look at the data, when it breaks the reading down by different things is, and Katie can probably speak to this, is knowing that we brought in Hegarty as a phonics. program last year, my guess is breaking down, because I was part of that decision, was when you break down, like looking at the data and then lining up to the curriculum we're using, a lot of districts, and I know we found this in the past, we weren't hitting the phonics the way we needed to and made the same decision to add Hegarty because the curriculum wasn't lining up. We weren't teaching something and the kids weren't learning

025it. Go figure. If we're not teaching it, they're not learning it. That's a natural. So that is something that was added to the... elementary curriculum this year. Does the assessment examine what we're teaching? This gets into the same thing. What is that assessment on and does that assessment line up to what we're doing? A common thing in math is we give an assessment in May and a lot of the books that we use in math, statistics is the last unit in the book. Guess which area we do the lowest on? the unit that's taught after the standardized tests. That's a thing that happens in a lot of districts with that, depending on the timing of the tests with that. So then we look at how does this data inform our instructional decisions, either today or

026with individual students or in the curriculum as a whole. So when we talk about in those data meetings with the teams and the teachers, we're talking about individual students and how we're addressing those students. As Katie is in a math review right now looking at curriculum, they're looking at the data as a whole to make sure we have data that's going to line up to what we want to be teaching our children and that lines up to our assessments that we're getting assessed on. Then also looking at the data as a lineup to the academic supports that we're providing. Like, are we providing, you know, if children have, you know, low comprehension, is that a focus that they're getting? Or is it just they're getting extra phonics support? You know, so we look at that

027to make sure that. And we're always looking at what we can do differently to improve our outcomes. You know, with that, I think that we, you know, it's something that, you know, I don't think anyone ever feels like we're done with this. We're always looking at data and always trying to figure out how we can get better. Ray, can I ask you a question? Can we go back one slide? And I might just be missing something or didn't hear it right or I don't know. Yeah. If blue is the percent of the school, how is the red higher than the blue? And so, okay, so I think I just missed it. So it's proportionality. So like the Asian students are 6.7% of the school. of the total school population. So if we expect every subgroup

028to perform identical, their red column would be 6.7. Okay, so they just did better than... Yeah, so yeah. But I wanted to make sure. There are 7% of that 75% that we talked about. as opposed to 6.7%. So this is the percent of 100, and this is the percent of 75, and they should be the same. Okay. I put it in proportion now. There's a lot of different ways to present it. Wait a second. And it just stuck in my head. I'm like, wait a second. So said another way, Asian, the Asian, the students that identify as Asian make up 6.7% of Wentworth. But when you look at the 75% that are at grade level in reading, they make up 7%. That's right. Okay. That's what I thought. I just want to make sure that

029I got that right. So thank you. Good question. No, that's a great question. Are there any other questions right now for Ray or Diane? I presume you can pull other subgroups, like when I'm thinking of reading, I'm thinking of language. And what's my first language that I speak? And if it's not English, right, that's probably going to be harder for me to read at grade level. So maybe multi-language learners would be another subgroup. Absolutely. Students who receive special education services, again, like our intent this evening. wasn't to deliver here's our district data. It was really let's use some district data to help explain the processes that we're using. Yeah and you could do this for many subgroups like you could keep right like yep you could do it right for MLL students you could do

030it for students who are in academic support. You could do it for students who receive direct special education services. You could do it for Mr. Smith's class, right? You could do it for X learning community or this primary school versus another primary school, right? But there are many different ways that we could slice and dice that. But I think, you know, again, what we were trying to show you is We are really focusing our efforts on. getting as much information as possible as we can so that we're not just saying this is, you know, whatever grade level curriculum and here's how our students are doing. We think that's pretty good. Right. But we're saying, OK, like even when, you know, to look at that first slide to see, you know, that 75 percent of our

031students at Wentworth last year met proficiency as compared to half. of the norms, you know, the national norms that we could just sit back and be like, that's great. We're outperforming the national norm. But we don't sit on that, right? We say, okay, that's a great number to start with, but we're always in this cycle of continuous. Oh, because you do better. Yeah, because what about the 25%? Yeah, something, yeah, which is your inclusion issue. You want to bring everybody along. So you want to reach that 25%. In the back of my truck, we'll take it. Yeah, and then the other thing is, is, you know, like we didn't, you know, create a slide to talk about. who makes up those data teams. But in those data teams, you have professionals at the school that

032wear a variety of hats, right? So not everybody is a classroom teacher. You might have somebody who's in academic support. You might have a special educator. You might have an instructional coach. And we all come to the work a little bit differently, right? And so the way in which we look at that. brings value when you have a diverse team that's looking at that. I just wanted to say, express my appreciation that you're using data this way. I mean, there's a lot of data generated and a lot of people don't even use it. So, I mean, the fact that it's actually being looked at, combed through, discussed, and really compared and seen. how it actually, you know, how children are doing and then using that to inform decision making is really, I mean, I think

033great. Right. Like, so for example, like this, you know, this example that we pulled for tonight, this is a required state assessment, right? And yeah, it would be easy to say, what are we required to do? We're required to give the state assessment. We gave it, check, done. Right. But we really are in a culture of data inquiry where the giving the assessment is the first step, not the only step. Right. So, yeah. So just to reach just in process. Thank you. Are there any other questions? Right. There will be before we end the second half. I'm hoping that this was helpful. I think that found me. I think anytime that we have an opportunity to open the window shade and give you a peek into what things look like, then our hope is that

034that's helpful to you as a board in looking at the big picture as well. It's great that our kids have... whole teams of people looking after them and saying, you know, checking in and how can we help this child to progress, you know? Yeah. I mean, the goal, of course, but always like in any of our subgroups, right, we're hoping we get as close to 100% as we can. And so what we can do for those that are not where they should be and what does that look like? I think it's really, really important, right? And when we talk about We talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion for Scarborough, what that means specifically, which is what we as a board, we're going to talk about tonight. It's almost, it feels to me, it's very much

035making sure that everybody has the tools they need. All of our students have the tools they need to be successful, right? And that's what I take away from this. And so for me, it's really helpful. Just out of curiosity, when a student takes the standardized test and you know 25% aren't at grade level, do you know those specific kids? So you're able to then go back to Johnny Smith? Yes, it's all identified. So you get information. Yes. Right. And so that, you know, so for example, if we looked at the list and Diane Netto was on the list, you know, we would say, okay, what other points of information do we have about Diane? Oh, okay. You know, how did she do on this assessment? What is her classroom performance look like? So that we

036can then determine, you know, was that one testing day an outlier? You know, maybe I went to school and I was just. getting over the flu or not feeling well, right? And so that's why that triangulation of data is really important because we never want to make all of the decisions just based on one piece of information. I'm curious, our proficiency level over time, you know, I know all these systems change, but staying the same, I'm just curious in terms of reading proficiency for Blackworth, you know. I think that Scarborough historically, we have definitely had high scores. I think we outperformed the state and the national average on a regular basis. I think, I also think not unlike all districts, there was a dip during that, you know, period of COVID, you know, and those

037are things that, again. That's why it's really important that we're focused on continuously looking at things. Right. All right. Any other questions? Do we have stats on the Redskins as opposed to the Red Storm? I don't know if we're going back to when I was in school, if we're doing better than they're doing now. We're definitely doing better than you're doing. You know, John, although I understand that you made a joke, I think I can take something from that. And there's a point I think that I can make from what you said, which is it's really difficult to compare how our students are doing when assessments change. Yeah. Right. And so, for example, the state is using the Maine through year assessment that's only been used for a few years. So if you said to

038me, you know, as you just asked, Cressy, how are we doing, let's say, last year versus 2018? I would say that's a really hard comparison to draw because the state was using a different assessment tool at that time. And even in a lot of these assessments, they get re-normed. So like looking at RSAT scores compared to now, they've been re-normed so many times that it's not a direct comparison. You can't go back in time and say, yeah. Right. So it's more important for, you know, like I think having that, you know, knowing what that trajectory is, is important. But what is most important is let's look at the students who are in front of us and what are they showing us about what they know and are able to do? And then what are the

039resources and tools that we have and how are we ensuring that our staff has the most high level of skill to be able to address those gaps? But do we ever look at, you know, like, you know how. there's even though they change but you know in this one you could say okay we were doing here and in this new one we're doing here do we ever compare how we were doing and compared even though it changed you can still say all right and this even though it was different we were doing this well, and are we doing this well? You know what I'm saying? I do know what you're saying. I think it's just a hard, it's a hard comparison to draw because, right, like this test might just... The skill is comparing everyone

040against everyone else now compared to everyone against everyone else. I think that's why I started with, I think Scarborough historically, regardless of the assessment, has outperformed the state average and the national average. Perfect. But again, like that is a point of celebration, but that's not our focus in using the information, right? Like we're using the information to say, what else can we be doing? Because we're always trying to make our best. I just want to go back for a minute because I understand you're trying to make a joke. And I'm not trying to be David Downer, but I just want to be really conscientious of the fact that we're in public, that we're models for students. And when we use terms that are offensive to large groups of people, that we need to be mindful

041of that. I can't change the fact that that's what I was when I was. I understand you, but we have a fault and we've learned. And sometimes we realize that things have done in the past, but we can celebrate our history and our where we come from should be that we learn better ways. We know better. Right. Okay, so we have this base level of knowledge now around the data we're using and the data or the data that the district is using and how we're using it. What I want to move into next in our 20 minutes that we have left, we might have to carry this over, we'll see how we go. I really want to talk about what DEI or Debt, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion specifically means for Scarborough. And now that we've,

042well, two years now ago, I think that we decided to remove the DEI committee from our board's work. We had tasked the committee with really taking a look at Scarborough and seeing what our deficiencies are, where our needs were, what gaps existed, and then coming up with recommendations to help. fill those gaps was the initial goal. But now that that committee is no longer in existence, what I would like us to do is really think about what this means now. What does DEI mean for Scarborough? How do we define it so that as goals are made in the future, we know exactly we're all on the same page and boards going forward are all on the same page as to what we need when we say that. diversity is important and equity is important in

043the district. So we go back to, for example, the goal that was on the fifth slide. We said that we integrate social emotional, the district said that they, integrating social emotional learning and diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies to improve student outcomes. And so what I'm interested in that's talking about now is what that looks like at Scarborough, what that definition is for Scarborough. We want to start from where our definition used to be, because we have a definition in the team pledge. In the DEI Committee's forum, there's a definition in there that I think we may want to consider that was drafted by the sub-award, not by the committee. And what it was in the purpose section of the DEI Committee is that diversity can be defined as, but not limited to, celebrating every student,

044staff, family's individuality. Equity can be defined as, but not limited to, giving every student, staff, and family the tools they need to be successful. And inclusion can be defined as, but not limited to, ensuring that all student, staff, and family feel like they belong. Right. What do you, is the year on here? It's January 18th, 2021 updated. It was originally drafted in 2021. I believe. I can try to pull the original. We do have it. We're probably not going to miss the interview. Good. Okay. Okay. So that's where we were roughly 2021, where we, how we defined DEI. Does that still hold? Is there an interest in updating that? What are our thoughts around that? definition as you heard so one more time I'm just looking over your shoulder diversity can be defined as but

045not limited to celebrating every student staff and family's individuality equity can be defined as but not limited to giving every student staff and family the tools they need to be successful and inclusion can be defined as but not limited to ensuring that all students staff and family feel like they belong and I think you know like if you look at Or if you reflect back on the slides that we presented with you tonight, I think that you see those things represented in our approach, right? In terms of looking at individuality, certainly we're talking about data, so this isn't necessarily about celebrating individuality, but it really is drilling down to that individual level. It is also related to ensuring that, you know, our students have the tools they need to be successful. I think that's also

046true for our staff, making sure that our staff have the tools they need to be successful. And I think that the sense of belonging is certainly represented in the SEL specific efforts that have been made. Let me just share this. I mean, personally, I think that those definitions are are broad enough so that they're not, you know, there's no sense that they're focused on one particular thing where as diversity can mean 150 things or more. I do like and appreciate the definition of equity. Really, that is what we're aiming for, right? I mean, we're aiming for just ensuring that everybody can be successful in the space they're in, regardless of any other factor. And then I think. I mean I think inclusion is very simply, I think I wonder if they whoever put this together

047they maybe had like a little there was no chat GPT that so they did a really good job. Definitely no chat GPT then. Or whatever Microsoft. I thought I think they're very simple. I don't necessarily have anything that I would like to add or change. But I'm open to, I'm interested in what others think. I feel like some of those statements, I was reading other community DEI definitions and different approaches. And I feel like a lot of them come down to that. It's about making sure that we're helping find barriers. sort of not resolve them but work within them and not just barriers people strong suits to me that plays into diversity absolutely i think that goes along with what's the word celebrating in there i think that goes along with strong suits and everything

048like that as well yeah it's not entirely it's not really a negative connotation how that's written yeah yeah Absolutely. I'm actually looking through it. The original DEI committee for the history was run by an outside organization based on the grant, I believe, for the first year. And that charge wasn't part of that. I think it was the second. The second year, once the board continued without the support of those others, I think we clarified the charge. And that's when the definition was added. So I think that was a board addition. it was the original mission and function but how it how it worked at the beginning was really different yeah i think that um i didn't know i just pulled out the document but i don't have the i think the date wasn't included but

049i remembered the same that it was the second year um i think we actually did a very similar workshop to this where we having from the perspective yeah where we did the best that definition in its entirety. I forwarded it to everybody on the board so you have the documents so you can see it. But I would like to say something about that. I think, and I'm very proud of the committee that we have, the EI committee that was here. I'm proud of the work that we did on that committee. I think there was a lot of very dedicated paperwork for a very long time and made their best efforts and made recommendations for it. which have been, I think, fulfilled and incorporated the mission and purpose and continue to, the work is continued at

050the individual school level, which is important. I think this workshop is really critically important and I really appreciate that you have kind of guided us and insisted. that we need to have this discussion because I think when we hear the words DEI, they get bandied about in the public discourse in a lot of ways and they mean very different things to very different people. And some of the things that they mean have really negative connotations to them. And people use those words when they're not defined. However, they want to, whatever firsts they want to. So I think... This definition is something I'm really comfortable with because I don't think there's anything in there that anybody objectively can find fault with. The words, as we are defining, as Scarborough has defined it, and as Scarborough has

051incorporated it into its mission and clearly into its actual practices, which is really about making sure every individual person that moves through our school system as given the same opportunity and to met where they are no matter how they come to us so that they can have the best chance to move successfully into adulthood, which is really what we're trying to do is prepare children and help them develop into really great adults. And so that, you know, I think that's the highest. I think that's our highest mission at a basic level of what we do. Whether their interests, no matter what their skills are, no matter where they're going to end up or what they're going to do, making sure that we as the adults in this system have tried our best to meet them

052and help them along that path. And so that, I think, you know, I don't want to get into a political discussion on DEI as I hear it. in the press. But I do really appreciate this district's commitment to making sure all students are comfortable here. And I think there are times when they haven't been that we've heard about. And I think confronting that head on is part of our mission as well and making sure that where we can find places to push correct. We can and should do that. And instead of being embarrassed or ashamed that we haven't been perfect, that we embrace the opportunity to learn how to do better. And so I think, I think it works. And I have not, I didn't set you up, Shannon. I just had this memory of

053this. I remember like two years ago, I was driving here and was like, I think we've done that before. Yeah. So I wanted to, I would have emailed it to you. No. We did. We definitely have done this before. But I think it's okay to also just revisit and reaffirm, right, that we are on the path that, you know, that we discussed before with progress, right? And I think that's also why I really wanted to start with the mission statement, right? Because, you know, that is, you know, approaching the 10-year mark. And if you pull the language in there, right, each and every student. right to their full potential. That really is a living document for us, not just something that is on our website because every district should have a mission statement. Do we

054have a defined GEI statement still or was that just within this government? That's the only place I've ever found. Me too. So I just wasn't sure if maybe, maybe that was something we want to do. I think it's. I think that's what this is. I think that is because it's not really defined anywhere yet. There's places where we say we're pushing for that and that can lead to a political discussion about where I feel like this definition helps kind of prevent that if it were added somewhere. Yeah, yeah, definitely. In the past, it was different because it, not different, it was... I don't even know if readily available is a good statement to say, because I don't think it really was to your point, but it was part of this document. It was part of

055the committee's work. And so it was there somewhere, but now the committee's gone. And so there is no place where this definition lives and breathes. But yet when the district is making goals, they are, they very clearly talk about DEI and what it means when they're doing their goals. And so without this definition, how are those things, right? Should it be set up as like a part of a board goal or? Yeah, that's a good question. Or not really policy, but board principles or somewhere like that where you can say we're looking to this and then call back to that. Remember, that was a big part of what we were going for, board goals and board. I wonder if you go back to, right, like if you look on the district website, we have our

056strategic targets. We have our values and commitments that are laid out. And I wonder if it might be worthwhile to dig into those further and pull them apart to see where we see pieces of. HAB-Masyn Moyer- The definition that you've been talking about in action, because I think. HAB-Masyn Moyer- That we could point to some of that you know that can certainly make it more explosive if that was the will of the board. HAB-Masyn Moyer- it's obviously it's not enough for the process chemicals. HAB-Masyn Moyer- yeah. HAB-Masyn Moyer- I also wonder if on our. where we, I'm not going to spend time digging right this minute, but where we keep our, to your point, where our values and our mission live, the statements live, maybe this is a place where we put that this is

057the definition for the board. Yeah. And then it's very clear, right? And so to your point, like the political, leaning that this or where people, you know, view it in one lens is kind of gone, right? Because now we're very clear on what this means here in Scarborough. Yeah. Or right there it's thrown whatever your preconceived notions of whatever definition you have for DEIR can be brought. Like that's where you can argue from. So we'd want like a So the term really only lives in our board goals. I don't know if you want to like asterisk it and put it at the bottom. Is it asterisk? That would be a possibility. I think because I'm looking at the other doctor's where I started actually also with this, which is the long-range vision for continuous improvement,

058which is on our collective value statement, which is under the superintendent page. I was going to be the one trying to find it to go out. But until I found it now, I found it. But it's, those documents don't use those terms. And as much as I believe in our definition very strongly, I think keeping buzzwords or like words that are like triggering out of places, because DEI is a word that I consider to be a fad. Like it's like there are things that move through our popular culture and are. you know, bad may become something they're not. Yeah, that acronym definitely has a connotation. It does. And I don't, I don't want, you know, like, I'm perfectly happy to be in that connotation with anybody. But I don't think I don't want that debate

059here. Right. In our school. I want that debate out in the public discourse where it belongs, where people should absolutely debate it. But when we're talking about schools, I want it really clear, because it's not about the debate. It's about what we're doing. Right. yeah so trying to take away that i don't want to insert it places right for that reason yeah but where we do have it i think i don't know like it's our board goals is the only place i could like it yeah that's not what i have to um so like what are we trying to what what what area are we trying to look at when we're talking about this You know, are the board goals publicly accessible? Yes, they're published on the law. Yeah, so someone can look at it.

060So yeah, maybe a couple of bullet points under that specific goal saying this is what that is. I might even, it was a strict set the first time we used it and put the definition with an asterisk of the law. I mean, something that's just, that's what we need. Yeah, so you don't leave it open to interpretation. No, that's what I don't want to do. Yeah. And that's where you're happy to debate it. I mean, that works. I mean, does that work for everyone else here to do it? I'm stressed, good, and put it on our goals page. I mean, I guess, too, the other thing is if it's on our goals page every year, what happens when we do our goal setting is we just take another look at it and make sure that

061everything is still in line with. with how we view the work that this district is doing. Yeah, and certainly, you know, I think at our board retreat. That will happen, you know, in early summer. It might be worth spending some time looking at some of those other documents, like their shared values and commitments, and just reviewing those because they've lived there for a while, you know, just as a reflection of, you know, and if that is work that the board was interested in, we as a leadership team could do that on a parallel track and share with you. um the impact of our team yeah you know in terms of this practitioners of the workforce how we see it on a day-to-day basis yeah i know we talked a little bit about that this year

062but i think it'd be good if we dug into that a little bit for 10 years it's a long time All right, so it sounds as just to wrap up before our meeting. So it sounds like we're, everybody appreciates the definition as it is now and leaving it as is and putting it on our goal, the board goals webpage so that it's readily accessible to the public, asterisk, the first time we use the word DEI and then noted at the bottom. Does that sum up what we've said? Yeah. All right, any other thoughts or questions? Okay, so if their agenda item 5.0 is adjournment, if there are no objections, we will adjourn at 6.59 and come back. And I will say, let's give us a couple minutes and then we'll come back. Thank you. All

063right, good evening and welcome to the Scarborough Board of Education business meeting. The date is Thursday, January 15th, 2026. Would everyone please join me for the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Agenda item 3.0 is attendance. Ray, can we call the attendance, please? Yes. Ms. Jacobs? Here. Mr. Kelleher? Here. Ms. Lindstrom? Here. Ms. Maurer? Here. Mr. Rockenstein? Here. Ms. Tarpenian? Here. Ms. Trepenny-Huff? Here. Ms. Roskina? Here. Ms. Claret? Here. All right. Thank you so much. Agenda item 4.0 is approval of the January 8, 2026 business meeting minutes. And if there are no objections, we will approve them as presented. All right, wonderful. Agenda item 6.0 is spotlight

064recognition. 6.1 is the staff recognition. So for this, we'll turn it. Do you want to go back to 5.0? Oh, yes. Yes, thank you. I apologize in advance. I'm a little tired today. Agenda item 5.0 is adjustments to the agenda. I do have one adjustment to make. Under 8.0 presentations, we are going to, I'm proposing we switch. flip the two so that 8.1 would be the high school stem pathway endorsement with Mr. Terrio and 8.2 would now become Wentworth School Kelly Crosby presenting. So moved. Thank you. Second. Second. Thank you. Any discussion? All in favor? All right, thank you so much. All right, now we will move on to 6.0 spotlight recognition. 6.1 is the staff recognition. So for this, I'll turn it over to Charlotte. Thank you. For our January 2026 spotlight award, I'm

065really excited to be able to honor Amy Ranko, if you want to move along. Amy was nominated by Becky Dwyer. And Amy Ranko works in the Student Services Department of Scarborough High School as a clinical social worker. She's been with the district for 11 years, so since 2015. She was nominated due to her unparalleled commitment to students that she serves and colleagues she works with. The board is really honored to shed a spotlight on Amy and the work that she does for our community. And at this time, I'd love to welcome up Becky to say a few words. Oh, go to help right over here to this podium. I'm deeply grateful and I worship while under your supervision. Your patience, insight, and commitment to help is an action factor that has not only strengthened my

066work as a social worker, but also built my confidence in this difficult profession. Thank you for creating a learning environment for a simple world. Growth was encouraged and challenges became opportunities. I truly appreciate the time and care that you've invested in not only me, but our team, our staff, and our students. You truly deserve to be celebrated. We have some other staff comments that were gathered that I'd like to read. Amy Renko works tirelessly to meet the needs of her students. Her expertise makes her a go-to resource for staff, parents, and students. A hardworking professional, Amy is a reliable and valued member of the student services team. Allison Lane. Amy is a committed and compassionate social worker who works hard to make a difference in the lives of the students that she serves. She is

067always willing to go the extra mile for students and peers. Christina Gerber. Amy goes above and beyond to support students emotionally and academically. She provides meaningful support to our students and she is an invaluable asset to our community and department. She brings her experience and expertise to our department in a professional and collaborative manner. We are lucky to have her. Wendy Spaulding. Amy is a true professional and a quality team player. She demonstrates great empathy towards students and colleagues alike. She's dependable and organized. She's always willing to assist others within the office, especially during difficult cases. The Scarborough High School Student Services Department is lucky to have someone as caring and dedicated as Amy, Ryan Soucy. And then there are some really lovely videos from some students shared with parent permission that were gathered by

068Becky. So we can start with Grace Leisure. Hello, my name is Grace Leisure and I am here to honor the most thoughtful teacher who is the most loyal, talented, caring, helpful, friendly, and brings a brings you a nice smile, sweet, kind, and caring. She can help you solve any problems you have. She brings so much joy to the school. She deserves the world. What do I have to say about Ms. Ranko? She's a really nice woman, very nice lady. She's always there when I need to talk to her, even if I'm even if I'd be all that or which it's not I don't usually yell at her but if I get mad I guess something she usually calms me down she's a very nice woman. But my opinion this reward should definitely go to Miss

069Renko. No one deserves it more than Miss Renko. Hi, Ms. Rinker. I just wanted to let you know that you're the best social worker that this school has ever, ever had. I just want to let you know that I love and I appreciate you so much and all your work that you do. And I appreciate you for being there for me through my ups and my downs. And I appreciate you just for... Leaving me with a smile on my face. Like every time I see you during A.E. your kind words always lift me up and motivate me to keep going. And I love and I appreciate you so much. And don't ever forget to keep shining and keep making people smile. And I do have one more anonymous student comment. Mrs. Ranko has not only

070helped me, but so many other students and staff at Scarborough High School. She is kind, understanding, patient, and really easy to talk to. I feel safe with her. I can always rely on her when I need it. I think she deserves the Spotlight Award for so many reasons, but a huge one being that she's such a sweet staff member at the high school and cares about every single student that she might come across. I think all of this just speaks volumes and it's an honor like on behalf of the school board and the community outreach committee to give you this January spotlight award. So first the photo. Oh, we want to see the award. Yep. I'm speechless. Those videos, I mean, tears in my eyes. So thank you. I wanted to say thank you to

071Becky and the school board for this honor. It truly means a lot to me. We're really lucky to have Becky as part of our team this year. She's done an amazing job kind of moving in and doing. doing the tough job that we do every day. So to be acknowledged by people who are committed to education and the well-being of our students is incredibly meaningful to me. I'm proud to be a school social worker, and I genuinely, most days, enjoy the work I do. My role allows me to support students not only academically, but socially and emotionally, hopefully helping them feel seen, heard, and supported. It's a privilege to walk alongside our students and families during both the challenging time and successful times. I also want to thank my colleagues in the Special Services Department

072and our administrators for their collaboration and support. Our work is never done, and I'm lucky to be part of such a great team that cares about students. Thank you again to the board and to Becky for this award and for your continued support of mental health in our schools. All right. Are there any comments on the board? I just want to say teenagers are a very tough crowd. And the fact that you have not one, not two, but three teenagers who got up on there and made videos and said what they said, you mentioned that you hope that people feel seen, heard, and supported. And it's very evident that from the student comments and from your colleagues' comments that you do exactly that. So thank you for all you do in this district every day.

073Thank you. All right. Agenda item 6.2 is our student recognition. So this is very exciting. This is our first one for this year. So I'll turn it over to Abby. Okay. So our first spotlight winner is Lucas Klinkowski. He was nominated by Miss Avery. What Ms. Avery said was, Lucas has shown that he is always thinking about how to improve experiences for others. He has taken the initiative to help come up with activities and modify the curriculum for our Computer Science 2 class. After going through the class himself, he has some suggestions and took on reworking some assignments to better facilitate success for AP Computer Science based on what he experienced in both classes. Lucas has also shown this in our robotics club. He has shared many resources to help new club members be successful

074with both building and coding their robots. Congratulations, Lucas. Lucas, did you want to have it say anything? You're welcome. Well, I didn't prepare anything, but I'd like to start off by thanking Miss Avery because Not only did I suggest it, but she was willing to let me and she didn't have to let me. She could have just told me, no, it's an insane idea. But she's been really willing and open to working with me to help me with this. I can't do it by myself and I really couldn't do it without her. That's awesome. The second January 2026 Spotlight Award winner is Henry Rudowsky. He was also nominated by Mrs. Avery. And what she said about Henry is Henry has been very impactful in our robotics club. Over the past four years as an active

075member, Henry has shown a passion for this club and a desire to help others learn and have success with their robots. This year, he has taken the initiative to share resources and help mentor new club members learn about their their about robotic construction and programming. Henry and his family have also been very involved in fundraising for the club to ensure that the program remains successful when he graduates. I also didn't really prepare anything. It means a lot to me. These past four years with the Robotics Club has been very informative. I've learned a lot through mistakes and through good things. These resources have not only helped new members, but they've also helped me learn because when you become some sort of a teacher figure, you start learning things that you didn't think of when you

076first started. So thank you. Any comments from the board? Congratulations to both of you. I love that you had ideas and took initiative to go talk. to Ms. Avery. I think that that is awesome. And I also love that you both are, both of these mentioned your mentoring and your sharing of resources. And that's really helpful, not only now for the kids that are looking up to you, but as you go on in your careers and you become leaders in whatever career path you choose, that's a really important thing to keep in mind and to remember that ability to mentor and to share is really, really important and really valuable. So thank you for doing that. Congratulations. for being our first Student Spotlight Award winners this year. And I hope that this is a really

077meaningful step for you as well and a really meaningful nomination that comes from one of your teachers at the school. So it's really, it's a cool, it's a cool honor. So congratulations to both of you. All right. Agenda item 7.0 is recognition. 7.1 is the high school arts and performances. Yeah. So we're really excited this evening to kick off an edition. this year. As you know, in years past, we have made time each season to recognize our athletes, and it struck us that there is a whole lot to celebrate in our district beyond just those students who have athletic abilities. And so we wanted to be really deliberate about providing space for recognition of the high school's arts and performance. and activities. So we're really excited to kick that off with you tonight. And so

078I'd ask Mr. LeGage to go up to the mic, please. Well, Dr. Netto stole my introduction. I was going to kick us all off by just saying thank you for giving the other half of our department, the club and activities, an opportunity to speak. And there'll be a series of talks over the next few months. Take us into May, actually. And so I first wanted to start out and introduce Nicole Marceau. Nicole will. We'll kind of head this up for us moving forward. I'll kick us off with the first one. Nicole is our activities coordinator and helps me out a lot with managing all of our club programs between the middle school and high school programs. And Nicole is actually going to present one of them tonight, so we get a chance to hear her

079as well. So first, we're going to kick off with Tim Ebersole, our jazz band advisor. Hi, my name is Tim Ebersole, and in addition to being the director of the jazz band, I'm also the high school band director. Jazz Band is a weekly year-long ensemble that meets Tuesday nights. We play music as a big band, which is traditionally saxophones, trombones, trumpets, and a rhythm section. But any instrumentalist that can play at the appropriate level is welcome to join us. We perform at the Winter Band Concert and as our big performance at Jazz Night, which is with the Middle School Jazz Band, which is on March 18th. Mark your calendars, please. You are all invited. Jazz education has a strong history in the state of Maine and is supported by a professional organization, the Maine Music

080Educators Association, which is MMEA. Having a jazz program gives Scarborough students the opportunity to participate in MMEA state and regional festivals. Scarborough students have auditioned and individually participated in Maine Jazz Allstate and the District 1 Honors Jazz Band. The MMEA also has an honors... jazz adjudicated festival where full school ensembles compete with other schools in our region to earn the opportunity to perform at the state festival. But more importantly, it gives more opportunity to our instrumentalists. Standing here is Senior Trevor Casey, who came to show his support for the jazz band. He is a four-year jazz band member and our lead trumpet player. If you ever heard the jazz band before, you probably heard... us perform a tune called Second Line. And the second line for the last four years has always been started with

081Trevor's trumpet call, which you will also hear on March 18th if you'd like to join us for that. Jazz is widely considered America's greatest art form. It is... It is celebrated across the country and around the world. It is something that could only be done here in the United States, and I don't think any music department is complete without a jazz part to it. It's also just more of a challenge for students. It's almost like an honors group, which is really great. Our jazz band this year is a full ensemble, which has been growing for the past four years. I don't know if Trevor remembers what it was his freshman year, but I think it was around like 10. But now it's doubled in size. We're at 20, which is a full-size jazz band. But

082I'd like to thank you all for giving me the opportunity to share information about our jazz band. If any of you have any questions, please reach out to me. And again, Jazz Night is March 18th. It's at the high school. It's in the cafeteria. We turn it into like a jazz club. Nice light, mood lighting. There's snacks. and nice jazz that's being played all night. So thank you very much. What is the time on March 18th? Oh, it is at 6.30 or 7. We sometimes had to move it around because of another performance that's happening, but I believe it's, we try to make it earlier because of younger students, but I think it's 6.30. I refuse to participate in such a joke. And next up is Jeff Mosier, who's, I will tell you that Jessica

083Dumas is our Oak Hill Players director and our One Act Play director. Jessica couldn't be here tonight, so Jeff was our music director for Oak Hill Players this year, so Jeff is going to speak about Oak Hill Players. Good evening everybody. So Mike stole my introduction. So I'm Jeff Mosier, I'm the choral director of the high school and I'm here tonight as the music director. Again, Jess Dumas says that she sends her regrets that she couldn't be here, she had a prior commitment. So the Oak Hill Players of Scarborough High School present a full musical production each fall, typically in November. The program is designed to foster a strong sense of community while teaching students the essential skills such as time management, accountability, collaboration, all within the engaging and creative environment of live theater. At

084the same time, the production provides students with a meaningful opportunity to share their work with the broader Scarborough community. This past school year, students demonstrated remarkable perseverance while bringing The Wizard of Oz to the stage. Despite a condensed and challenging production timeline, students and staff rose to the occasion, successfully mounting a full-scale production in just six weeks. The Oak Hill Players presented four highly successful performances, selling more than 300 tickets per show and completely selling out the front of the house each time. At its core, the mission of Oak Hill Players is to provide a safe, inclusive space where students with a passion for theater can express themselves while pursuing what they love. Through participation in the program, students develop foundational theatrical knowledge and skills, stage direction, technical production, and set construction, while also building

085essential life skills such as teamwork, perseverance, responsibility, and self-confidence. This intentional balance of artistic growth and personal development is central to the Oak Hill Players experience. Though Jesse and I didn't start this school year in our roles, we have been honored to serve the students, the district, and the community in this new capacity. Finally, the Oak Hill players would like to extend our gratitude to the Athletic and Activities Director, Michael Gage, and to his office for their continued support and guidance and behind-the-scenes work that helped make this program possible. Thank you all. And Nicole is going to speak about, Ms. Marceau is going to speak about the one-act play. As I said, Jessie can't be here, so I have her read up for one-act play. Scarborough High School's one-act play is an MPA-sanctioned audition-based program

086in which students prepare and perform a short theatrical production each spring. by competitive festival participation. Similar to the Oak Hill Players musical, the program supports community building while providing students with a structured and meaningful performing arts experience. The one-act play places a strong emphasis on foundational theater skills, including audition preparation, character development, and technical production. In recent years, the program has demonstrated consistent success at the regional and state levels. Last year, Scarborough High School served as a regional host, welcoming nine other schools to compete. This year prior, SHS earned first place at the regional competition and advanced to the state festival, where we placed among the eight. regional champions. Instruction within the program is intentionally student-centered and collaborative. Students work closely together to analyze scripts, develop characters, and understand motivation behind dialogue and movement. This

087process helps actors fully engage with their roles and results in authentic, high-quality performances. In addition, the costumes and props teams are entirely student-run, and nearly all technical elements of the production are managed by students. By emphasizing strong fundamental and student ownership, the One Act Play program continues to be both competitive and educational. Student participation and interest continues to grow, which we view as the clearest indicator that the program is successful, engaging, and rewarding to our students. We would also like to thank the Athletic and Activities Department for their ongoing support of the One Act program, which plays an important role in providing students with meaningful opportunities beyond the classroom. Okay, as you've heard me say before, I think you could hear in the presentations about this kind of education-based approach to things and that we're

088always looking to... Use those tools, whatever it is, drama or music or theater, whatever it is, to really provide an opportunity for additional education for the students, additional growth for students, so that we can really focus in on a holistic education. So thank you all for coming. Really appreciate it. Thank you for having us. All right. Thank you. Are there any discussion from the board? Before you hurry off, thank you for coming. This is really exciting that we got to do this and get to hear from other activities. We hear from sports every quarter, but this is really awesome that we get to hear from you guys as well. So thank you for coming and thank you for sharing with us what you're doing. All right. Agenda item 8.0 is presentations. 8.1 is the high

089school STEM pathway endorsement. So we're going to invite Mr. Terrio up. Thank you. So I wanted to come tonight, as most of you know. Every year the high school comes before you to present its program of studies, which will be happening, I believe, at our next meeting. And we have this, we've been exploring this special edition, I would say, to the program of studies. So I wanted to come before the board a little bit before we presented the program of studies to call your attention to this, hopefully, new item that we'll be putting in. And so I think it would feel, if we had waited, I think it would have felt a little bit like a sidebar. or maybe a tangent. So I just wanted to make sure that you had an opportunity to understand

090this, to ask questions about it, so that when you saw it in the program of studies, it wouldn't be a surprise or wouldn't raise any unneeded scrutiny. With that being said, so I wanted to come to you tonight to talk a little bit about a STEM endorsement on the Scarborough High School diploma. So I'm going to start by zooming out a little bit and just kind of talk a little bit about what that is, why. those things are coming, why it's coming before you, talk a little bit about our journey to getting to this point, and then take you through some of the finer points of it as well. And then certainly if there's any questions, I'm happy to take those as well. So what are high school diploma endorsements and why do we use

091these? So high school diploma endorsements are really special designations on a diploma. It sounds like a sophisticated thing. It's really words on a diploma that have a significant meaning. their special designation on the diploma that really indicate a student's strong interest and performance in a certain subject area or a cluster of areas, depending on how they're organized. They're kind of like a mini major. If you, if you think about it from a college standpoint, it's that kind of model, but turned into a, turned into something for high school students within a high school program of studies. So, you know, they, the big thing for us is I think that they can distinguish our students from other candidates when it comes to employment after high school or when it comes to a college application process or

092any other post-secondary opportunity. So there are these little things that we can put into diplomas that I think have a big meaning, especially when I think we, if we go in the direction that we want to go in that I'm going to lay out before you here tonight. So what's the landscape? You know, why are we... where do we come up with this or what is it these are things high school endorsements have been around i would say probably longer if we really stretch back but they've become increasingly popular in the last 10 to 15 years as the state has committed as the state doe has really committed at the high school level to multiple pathways high schools have really started to embrace that and endorsements are one of the ways in which they've expressed

093a commitment to that so A lot of different high schools around the state are starting to cluster learning in different ways and identify that as either a pathway or an endorsement, potentially, depending on performance levels. Some area high schools, I would say they're getting increasingly popular statewide and they're getting increasingly popular in our area. There's a number of high schools around us that have started offering these. And it's something that's been a conversation at the high school for at least a few years now, especially as our STEM programming has grown in the last couple of years. We've really had a great opportunity to build out pathways as we've added space. programming, staffing. And so this has sort of been an outgrowth of that evolution in our programming. STEM, I didn't go through every, you know,

094program of study or high school website across the state, but I would say STEM is far and away the most popular endorsement out there. That's in part because, you know, STEM programs, particularly at the collegiate level, are very competitive. And so students in schools are trying to find a way to distinguish themselves and their programming in that process. And the STEM field in general is obviously very popular. It's growing. And it's a rigorous field. You really have to know what you're doing. And so... Like I said, STEM is probably the most important one. The other thing I would note is that there's no universal standard for what a STEM endorsement or any high school endorsement is. It's something that the high school itself defines. So even as we look to transition kids into, say, you

095know, the college ranks or universities. university stem programs this is something we're going to have to educate some of those colleges around it's something every school has to do when you look to launch it you know inevitably a college will call us up and say well what does this mean for you guys we know what it means for this school or that school what does it mean for you and so that's something that those are materials that we're probably going to be developing down the road but just so you know like you know our stem endorsement may not match another stem endorsement but i think it's one of those things where everybody gets to customize it around their own programming. And for us, that's a tremendous opportunity because of the scale and rigor of our

096programming. If I could get the next slide. So what is that? What's in our proposed STEM endorsement? So that's what I really wanted to take you through. Pictured there is actually a document that we've developed. And I do want to call attention to the fact that this wasn't something I cooked up in my office. This is actually an outgrowth of a professional learning team from last year. We had professional learning teams really focused on SEL strategies, one of which was student engagement. In a high school, especially a large high school, engagement can look a lot of different ways. Sometimes it's classroom-based. Sometimes it might be how an office chooses to engage with students. Sometimes it's more organizational. This one lent itself to that organizational lens as sort of we're going to set a benchmark, we're

097going to set a goal we want to see and sort of push kids to try to achieve at that level. That group, there was a group that formed last year for PLTs. And at the end of the year, really at the start of this year, they started coming to see me about we have a proposal. So this is what they came up with. And I think it's really exciting and worthy of your consideration. So our STEM endorsement is comprised of really two categories. broadly speaking, and three smaller, or two subcategories, I would say, within one of those. A major driver of it is academic coursework. So, and really we're looking at things beyond graduation requirements. We're not looking at things that are just graduation requirements. In order to get this, we want to set the

098bar high. So students would have to take an additional year of math, as you might know. Scarborough High School students have to take three years of math in order to be eligible for the endorsement. they would have to take a fourth year. Same thing with science. A minimum of four AP or dual enrollment STEM courses. So that's, again, a pretty rigorous course of study. An additional semester of technology. Currently they take... 0.5, so half a credit of technology. We're really looking for students to take an additional semester of technology. And then this is where I think we can kind of wrap things around our unique Scarborough programming is. Three unique STEM-related extracurricular opportunities, and one experience must be in two years. So we really, there's a little bit of stretching this out so that they

099indicate an interest over time, not just trying to jam it all into one semester and say, look, you know, like maybe second semester junior year, where they're kind of preparing the college education. We really want to see it over time. And then the other last bullet there that I think makes this really interesting is a minimum of two career pathways experience with 30 hours in each. So those are some of our more robust offerings in our career pathways program. So all told, it's a very rigorous academic course load. And then the other two things are pulling from really what we're calling enrichment experience, one of those being extracurricular activities. We've got a number of clubs and other extracurricular activities that are related. to science, technology, engineering, and math. So we want to see students participating

100in those. And then we also have a really awesome career pathways program that provides many different STEM-related offerings to students. I think what's exciting for me about it are a couple of things, really. One, it's truly interdisciplinary. I think when we talk about STEM, it's easy to fall into a trap of just math or just science or just technology. I think what we're trying to do is really embrace STEM in its full scope and to make sure that there's a variety of experiences across these different fields. They overlap a lot, but it's also easy to walk through them in isolation and never experience their true interdisciplinary nature. So I'm excited that this is really truly interdisciplinary as an offering. I think that distinguishes it in terms of its rigor level from some of the other

101STEM. offerings we looked at at other high schools. Another thing that I'm really excited about is that there's a wide range of classroom and field experiences. We're not just saying you have to do three AP classes and you're done. There's actually this great mix of... theory-based, more classroom-based, and then there's this application component where you're going out into the field, you know, through Ms. Savasnick's Career Pathways program to do something and see that in action. I think that's really exciting. Sometimes when we say applied, that word can have very different meanings in education. I tend to think it's a word that actually can have a lot of rigor behind it, and I think that's what this offers. They're going to learn a ton in the classroom, but we're also asking for them to go out

102and use that and demonstrate expertise. So that's really exciting. And I think something that makes us unique is because we have. those additional opportunities that we can leverage here. And the other thing, truth be told, is I think it's just a really high bar. We're not first in launching an endorsement, a diploma endorsement or a STEM diploma endorsement. And that might be to our advantage here. We had the opportunity to take a look around and see what other schools are doing. And I think we've set a really high bar. It's not supposed to be something that 50 or 60 kids in a class achieves. really thinking like on a good year maybe five to eight most years probably three to five we want it to be a high bar because we want it when we

103communicate to colleges when they call us up and say what is this we want to be able to say this is this is tremendous like not every kid gets this you should you should weight this heavily in your consideration of our students i suspect if we had launched this two years ago there's a couple of students who were in the room earlier who might even have been eligible for it um deservedly so um but i think we want it to be a high bar we want it to be hard to get to um because again we want that endorsement to mean something we want umo to see it and say oh my god that kid got it a STEM endorsement from Scarborough, we got to look at them. I think it's easy to water these

104down, but I think we've really avoided that trap here, which is exciting to me. Next slide, please. So in terms of just logistical questions, it's sort of an interesting thing. What we've really talked about, what I've talked about with the team is this is something that really takes time. It's not something that a kid can do in a year or two years. At the same time, we're not launching anything new. We're really clustering an area of learning that already exists and calling it something. And so we are officially starting with the class of 2029. Those are current ninth graders. One of the things that we've talked about is really having a declaration process that has to happen by sophomore year. In other words, a student has to tell us they're going for this by sophomore

105year so that we can support them and so that they have enough time to do it. We'll do a case-by-case review per student request for members of the class of 2027 and 2028. So those will be, those are current sophomores and juniors. Because we're not creating anything new here, it's very possible that we have kids on our books that are set to graduate, maybe not this year, but next year, who maybe meet some of this because they've just been. this is an interest and they've been clustering their learning in this way. So if there's a student who thinks they meet these requirements that's in next year's graduating class, it's something we would review and probably award the endorsement for, provided we're ready for it on the back end and make sure everything's set. But if

106a student wants us to take a look at their transcripts and say, I think I might, you know, I've been kind of doing this anyways, we would take a look and honor it. So we would have two years of that and then we would go through a more formal declaration process. starting with sophomore year students, they would have to tell our student services department, their school counselors that they're doing this so that they can support that. We do, if we do, part of our approach here is we're not going to handhold through it. Students declare, it'll become part of, student declares it'll become part of the academic advising process for that student when they meet to talk about. you know, scheduling for the next year with their counselor. Their counselor would check in on that.

107Hey, you declared, you know, how are you doing with that? But it's not something where they're going to be actively monitored. It's really something we want to put the onus on the student. Certainly if they have questions or, you know, about what about this, what about that, will that count? We'd absolutely support that. But really we want students to declare and then we're going to kind of just monitor from a distance and just sort of run those through our natural academic advising processes and timelines. But otherwise, in terms of what remains to be done, we're planning on putting a write-up about this to describe it in the program of studies. So that's where you'll see it probably in its fullest form. We're going to put a shorter version of this in the student handbook for

108next year, just so folks are aware that it's there as well. And then we need to finalize some supporting internal and external materials. Something like this is usually something you want to get on your school profile, which is a document we often send off to colleges and sometimes employers as well. We also need to just finalize writing. We have sort of a tracker that we've developed. I think we just want to make sure that that looks good. So there's just some of that logistical paperwork stuff we need to make sure looks good and everybody feels good about it. The last thing we need to finalize is a plan for monitoring. We've had a couple different conversations about this. And I think I was in a meeting about a month ago, maybe a month and a

109half ago now, with Sean Bushway, who's our student information system specialist. He's our power school guru. He was kind of working on a side project about graduation. tool tracking tool in power school and this kind of came up in the meeting he's we're working with him to try to explore whether that might be possible and it could be integrated into that tool the nice thing about that tool is it's a really nice display for graduation progress in general and so he's exploring could we integrate this into that because it'd be something that parents and students could just track as something is As something is acquired or completed and submitted, it could be just tracked on that. So we're still finalizing a plan. Like I said, there have been a couple of different iterations. We're just

110trying to find the one that's going to be best for family, students, and for us. But really, overall, it's going to be something that, like I said, for a lot of kids, it's going to feel like a National Honor Society type thing where here's the criteria. you go after it. We'll help. We'll talk to you about it if you've got questions, but we really want kids to get after it and demonstrate their interest. So that's our proposal for Scarborough High School STEM pathway endorsement. I am happy to take any questions you might have about it. Thank you so much. Are there any questions? Yes, Chrissy, go ahead. First, congratulations. I think it's a wonderful idea and I hope and plan. I am curious as to what other endorsements we currently have. None. None. This would

111be the first one for Scarborough. And considerations, if this does go well, would there be others that you would consider? yeah yeah i think um you know different departments and different staff members would be at different places with that i think this is one where we absolutely as the first one we want to get it right um you know part of my conversations with the with the team of people who are working on this was you know if we go in this direction we need to make sure we're laying out a process and we're laying out materials that other people could then utilize So we haven't had much conversation about if this endorsement goes, what one comes next. For me, my rubric for kind of for analyzing that, I think would be the same as

112you saw. Like, is it interdisciplinary? Is it rigorous? It's not. We're not looking to just hand these out just for fun. We really want it to be work and we really want it to be meaningful. You know, it's meant to distinguish students. So we're trying to set a high bar with that. So I don't know. I mean, I'm sure there'll be some conversation afterwards around, you know, what about arts? What about humanities? What about some other disciplines? There haven't been any of those conversations so far as I'm aware, at least not in my presence. But yeah, I could see it evolving. I'm not sure I would, you know, there's a school out there, I think that in Maine, that has as many as nine. I'm not sure we could craft nine that would meet that

113bar. You know, if we're serious about doing this and having a really high bar, I'm not sure I could come up with nine that would feel... worthy, worthy of the title, I guess I would say. But yeah, I could see maybe another one or two coming out of this if this goes well. Would you say that it's safe to say like the closest comparison that you now? currently have is like the seal of biliteracy. Yeah. So the seal is actually, some schools are calling the seal of biliteracy and endorsements. We haven't done that, but that could be something, you know, we could change, we could change the language we use to talk about the seal of biliteracy. But when students complete the seal of biliteracy testing, they do get an endorsement. Essentially, they do get

114language on their diploma that says they completed the seal of biliteracy and such and such a language. So yeah, it's pretty similar to that in that regard. So maybe we do have one if you want to count that one. Other questions? I'm just curious what the seal of biliteracy is. Yeah, so the seal of biliteracy is a program that it's really the crowning jewel of world language. So it's a program that really runs through the state. And the seal of biliteracy, it is what it sounds like, I guess I would say. It's a seal, really an endorsement of sorts. A student has to complete a test at the... through the world language department we administer the tests and if a student passes that test they receive basically an endorsement on the diploma that says you

115are biliterate you can read and write and speak and listen in two languages it's actually been great that program's been going on for a couple years now at the high school it's a heavy lift but it's awesome in part because you don't have to speak English. You don't have to just speak English in another language. It's a lot of languages that count. And so we've got a lot of students who are bilingual and maybe, you know, some of them are even in our English as a second language program. So they might be learning English as a second language, but it might even really be a third. So we've got a lot of students that that seal has really enabled us to, I think, celebrate all students, which is really cool. It's not just kids who

116speak English as a native language and learn another one through high school. Any other questions? I'm excited too. So I'll be back. Like I said, no action tonight, but I'll be back. It'll be in the program of studies when we send it over to you and it'll be part of that vote when you put that through. Thank you so much. All right. Agenda item 8.2 is Wentworth schools. We'll invite Ms. Crosby up. Okay. Hi. We brought some support. They've been very patient out there and we're excited to hear from them. So I'm Kelly Crosby. I'm the principal at Wentworth School and joined by our assistant principal, Gabriella Perrier. And we are here to do our Wentworth School highlights presentation to give you a sense of the work that we do and to give you a

117reminder of why you serve on the school board. So we're really excited. Next slide, please. Thank you. Nope. There we go. Okay. We always start with a mission in these presentations and you guys sort of served us up a really perfect platform in your workshop just before. So thank you for that. Our mission, as you know, is stated here and tonight we're going to focus on the each and every part of the mission. This was completely coincidental and exactly in line with the workshop that you just presented. That's our theme for our presentation, and we purposefully set out to make Wentworth School a place where students really want to be. And I think that we're really great at that. Every day is important, and every day matters, and every day we recognize and honor the

118strengths and unique gifts that each and every member of our school community brings to our school. And we were going to have... some representatives from our chorus club be the grand finale, but they have waited a long time already. So they are going to kick us off and you guys can come on in. Some of our fifth graders from our chorus club are here with our incredible director, Kristen Goodall. And they were going to sing one song, but they've waited a while. So they're going to sing two. I think he's just gonna mic you up. Thank you, John. We're gonna sing Dona Nobis Pacem, which means grant us peace. And our last song is I Love the Mountains. That was so beautiful. Thank you for joining us tonight. And thank you for being so patient.

119Good job. Good job. So many future students for the theater program. For taking some notes. Yes, yes. Thank you. Thank you. Well, they're a tough act to follow because they're so adorable and they're so talented and they've been really patient. If you could go to the next slide, please. We're going to transition into, you know, sort of the foundation here. What makes a high performing school and what are we most proud of at Wentworth School? And so. I know that you've seen presentations about our district-wide data and our test scores and you just discussed in the workshop before we are consistently outperforming the state of Maine and national trends so as you can see on the left hand side that's our comparison our school Wentworth is are the red bars and the average for the

120state of Maine are the blue bars for reading on the left hand side and then for math on the right hand side. So of course we're incredibly proud of these test scores but that doesn't happen by accident and that doesn't happen by just making sure that they are study, study, studying their math and their reading. There's a whole bigger picture to this and we're also regularly recognized in, you know, U.S. News and World Report and those types of publications, Niche and School Digger, and those pieces were in the top 10 of elementary schools very consistently, sometimes higher, often higher. And we want to talk a little bit about how we reach this level of performance with our students. And so Ms. LaPerriere is going to... dig into the thoughtful planning that really drills into the

121individual student back to that each and every. This work is so essential because our collective success is not attainable without purposeful and individualized focus. Next slide. Thank you, Kelly. So I'll start us off with talking about our MTSS structure, which is a multi-tiered systems of student support. And it's an integrated framework that really drills down on identifying how we can uplift and support our individual student. So Wentworth has a strong history of thinking about the individual child, as Kelly kind of mentioned earlier, considering all aspects of their social, emotional, and academic learning. progress and our student support systems truly reflect this integrated approach, including that of our MTSS process. So multiple times a week we have an interdisciplinary team meet to look at specific students who might have a skill deficit or an area of

122concern that we really want to develop a purposeful and narrowly tailored plan for. through this process we're able to really have some meaningful dialogue about not only the area of concern but also their strengths and harness those strengths in a way that kind of propel and facilitate student progress. We also utilize data to really help inform this process, of course, looking at a wide array of data points, including our district and statewide assessment information, but also our classroom assessment and anecdotal data. And through the triangulation of these pieces, we're able to really kind of focus in and support students in making meaningful progress that we continue to monitor and evaluate. Another thing that I also really want to highlight when it comes to our MTSS team is the summer work that a group of our

123teachers and staff really dedicated some time into. We understand that these processes are always evolving, and MTSS for us is more than just a buzzword or a framework. It's really a robust system, and so we wanted to make sure that every aspect of the process was really refined and purposeful. And so we looked at our referral. We looked at our data summary sheets. said, even the simple aspects of our system, such as the agenda structure to make sure that every minute was appropriately accounted for and student-centered. And I'm really proud of our team for the work they did. In addition to that, we've also provided staff development on MTSS, hoping to create clarity around the tiers of instruction, UDL, and the fluidity of student intervention support, understanding that it is a team approach and we

124can really captivate the expertise and capacity of all staff in the process. In addition to that, we've also tapped into some data days. So our Wentworth School has partnered with our curriculum department to start really improving our data literacy and becoming more fluid and looking at things from a global perspective, focusing on collaborative discourse rather than like some siloed conversations. And it's proven to be really transformative. And we're hopeful to continue to build on that momentum and support students in a way that is not only individualized, but also if... and efficient use of our resource and time. Another aspect of this data-informed decision-making slide that we want to touch upon is the importance of enhancing our Tier 1 instruction and leveraging our instructional coach partnerships in doing so. So MTSS, of course, touches upon Tier

1251, but it's really focused on the intervention, the Tier 2 and Tier 3, the more intensified and narrowly tailored support. And we don't want to neglect the importance of our robust curriculum and how we bring that to life in the classroom. So our instructional coaches, Kelly. Tuki, Tammy Sweat, and Joellen Clive work in partnership with classroom teachers to support the delivery of this tier one instruction and enhance the curriculum when indicated and collaborate with teachers on how to manage and implement. the curriculum and also provide authentic opportunities for differentiated instruction. I really want to highlight our instructional coaches. They do some really tremendous work. Last year, they delivered some really impactful professional development that focused on collecting, analyzing, and applying data in the classroom. And they're continuing this effort during our curriculum time, but also

126supporting the PLT work of our staff. And lastly, I really want to highlight some teacher work because I think teachers are at the heart of what we, out of our school. And we have three third grade teachers in our blue learning community that really. stepped out of bounds in some ways in a really innovative fashion. And they had this idea for flexible grouping in phonics. And that began through initial exploration of the science of reading research and reading this book, shifting the balance. And through that, they recognized that a one-size-fits-all approach, regardless of the quality of the curriculum. isn't always sufficient and doesn't always meet the need of each and every learner. And so with that being said, they wanted to address this concern through a developmentally appropriate flexible grouping model that provided explicit, targeted,

127and timely phonics instruction that was aligned to student skills and areas of strength. And so they developed a plan in collaboration with our instructional coaches. And this included a variety of action steps. So informing parents of this model, assessing students using the phonics to reading comprehensive phonics and spelling surveys, forming groups based off these outcomes, and regularly reassessing and moving and shifting students as indicated through. data checks. So they did a really nice job. They're super enthusiastic about the work and they're noting not only academic progress as a result, but also enthusiasm and confidence in their learners and increased engagement. And there's also the fringe benefit of all teachers, you know, touching all students in the blue learning community and be able to broaden those relationships. And on that vein, we also have our professional

128learning team. So last year, our work was really oriented on our ruler curriculum, which certainly is incredibly important and impactful. And as we continue to implement this curriculum, we recognize that we need to allocate some time and energy to other aspects of learning. And so our PLT time remains focused, but builds in more opportunity for teacher voice and choice. classroom teachers were provided an opportunity to tap into some purposeful topics within their practice, largely as social emotional learning or MTSS. And within that, they were able to tap into specific subtopics as indicated on the slide or even propose additional subtopics that were an area of interest to them. And we truly find that this restructured professional learning time empowers teachers to engage in work that is meaningful, but also provides opportunity for reflection and collaborative

129problem solving, which supports more cohesive instructional practices within the classroom and improved outcomes for students academically and also socially, emotionally. I wanted to highlight a couple of this PLT work. We have one PLT that's really focused on creating increased accessibility with our ruler tools. This curriculum is... very meaningful in its design, but it sometimes, I would say, lacks an elementary flair, right? And so our students aren't necessarily intrigued by some of the resources that are included. And so we wanted to make sure to not only increase engagement, but also broaden the scope of accessibility and make sure all of our learners, regardless of their reading proficiency, would be able to tap into tools such as the blueprint or the mood meter so that they can appropriately benefit from. those opportunities. We also have our library

130ambassadors. So as part of our Learning Commons PLT, Meg Blakemore, Hilary Durgan, Lisa Perago, and Carrie Boyd started digging into extending their reach of the Learning Commons into the broader Wentworth community, which included a plan to pilot a library ambassador program. So each selected library ambassador is responsible for a section of the library collection. They're tasked with keeping the section neat and tidy, selecting books to put on display. The library ambassadors have also created bookmarks to promote their favorite books and also have done book reviews. And you can see in that image, it's really quite endearing. And in addition to... supporting the extension of the reach of the Learning Commons, the students are also developing some really strong solid skills in terms of professional communication and library skills. So we're really proud of them and

131also our Learning Commons staff for this really meaningful work. And lastly, we also have our literacy small groups that our literacy support and academic support teams are kind of tapping into. Typically, they deliver tier two and tier three interventions. And this can be really narrow in scope and quite intensive, often extending throughout the course of the year. But they recognize that there was a gap and an opportunity to identify and remediate very narrowly, narrow targeted skill deficits. And so they delivered lessons in five to six week cycles in partnership. with classroom teachers to uplift students in a specific reading skill, but also build some reading confidence. And it's certainly paying dividends. So we're excited about the PLT work. Okay, next slide, please. And so just to take you on a little tour through time, we

132spoke to you previously about in 23-24, we really were launching our RULER and SEL implementation. We built an implementation team and researched and selected and engaged in professional learning around adult SEL. And then last year, we came and spoke with you about how we began with our ruler implementation for students, which was a very kind of lock step. We were all really on the same lessons at the same time. across the entire school. In fact, the beginning of the lesson was taught at a whole school assembly and then they broke into their smaller group sessions. And so in line with our each and every theme, this year we're very focused on drilling down and getting super specific. So there are grade level lessons for third, fourth, and fifth grade across the school. And so we

133still do launch at the whole school assembly, but it has a little bit of a different flair that we'll talk about. later and our very specific lessons in addition to the signature tools in RULER are going really well and we're hoping to see some indication of that on our upcoming panorama survey. And so staying on brand here, we discussed our foundational commitments, which is kind of the like heady as you speak part of our presentation. And we're going to transition into like really what this each and every translates to with the intangibles at our school. Our shared commitment to making sure that each and every student feels seen and valued and supported and to provide meaningful connection and space to be able there. to be their authentic selves. This little artwork on the right hand

134side was at the beginning of one of our learning communities and just something that a student created on just a huge giant poster board and it was on an easel. just the sweetest thing. And so I think that they do really find opportunities to shine their light. And we're going to highlight some of those things. So the very next slide is actually a video that we did last year at the end of the year. And this highlighted each and every student and celebrated our success with our SEL implementation over the course of the year. So enjoy. That's pretty much the end. So, yes, we did that in one take. One take. And I've probably seen that, I don't know, 85 times at this point. Doesn't get old. Doesn't get old. And just an opportunity for

135every single student to just have their little moment. You can see the different learning community colors represented. And then we show it at the final assembly and they lose their minds. And it's really fantastic. And then we counterbalance all of the energy with a little bit of peace. Yeah. So we've been really leaning into the concept of hygge, which I've heard many iterations of how to pronounce this. Hygge, hygge, hygge. But we're leaning, we're sticking with hygge for right now. And it's the Danish concept of contentment and joy. And it really focuses on gratitude and leaning into those simple moments that are often. not within reach some days because of how busy, you know, our students and our staff and our families are. And so we really wanted to provide an opportunity for students to

136center themselves and find some joy and gratitude at school. And so during one of our. ruler assemblies, we launched this. And it also happened to be the 67th day of school. So you can imagine that it was a dynamic assembly, but students were very much so thrilled and excited for the opportunity to do this again. And so when we launched Hugo, we do a spirit week, typically the week before that winter break. coordinate some activities and opportunities for students such as making a gratitude chain, writing letters of thanks to staff across the building, cozy reading by like a virtual fireplace, some opportunities for, you know, within their learning community to you know, play board games or do an arts and craft activity together. We also had friendship lunch on that Friday so students could sit

137outside of their classroom and be with people that they don't typically get to interact with. So it was just a really lovely time and kind of set the tone and tenor as we entered the new year. And it's something that we take a lot of pride in. And this year we extended that because one of our goals is connecting with the community. And so we extended our Hygge Week into Hygge Family Engagement Night at Wentworth. It took place last night. If you look at the upper left-hand corner photo, that is the line to get into Wentworth for our family engagement night. So they all came out in full support. They were really excited about these stuffies that we had donated, but it got them through the door. And then we had the best night ever.

138So it was really joyful, bracelet making, cozy reading, you know, all of the things that we did over the course of the week leading up to break. We opened up to families. We had 526 participants come last night. So we're really tired today, actually. But we had some wonderful volunteers and the students were fantastic and just they're always so proud to show off their school and show off what they do at school to their families. And so it was an incredible time. On that same theme, you could go to the next slide of community partnerships that I kind of alluded to how we're kicking off our assemblies each month a little bit differently. So we still. I think it's super important to come together as a whole school community and our school as large as

139ours, where we're purposefully designed to kind of have that school within a school model and our smaller learning communities where students are super connected with their, you know, six to nine homerooms. We also think it's important to say we are still one large school community. And so we have been bringing in community partners each week, each month to open up our assemblies. And so here are a couple this month. You'll see the second and fourth photo. We had an author come and the name of the book is A Dog and His Boy. And it was just such a beautiful presentation about inclusion and how even if you are. differently abled. You can find connections and common ground. Our students were absolutely riveted and the school was a buzz after and now each we purchased the

140book for each classroom and it was just a really wonderful presentation by Lisa Wenzel and her son Scotty and his dog Spillway, stuffed dog. And the other two photos are from some of our super talented parents who are professional musicians and our super talented Music teachers, Kristen and Tristan. We love that it rhymes. So musical. And then there's their children. So we have a two, a third and a fourth grader in our school who play along. And we did embed a video, but we took it out because we knew we were going to be up here for a while. And it was really sweet. They played incredible music for our whole school. So showing kind of like what that pathway could look like and just giving students and their families opportunities to shine at our

141school. The next thing that we want to talk about is just connection and engagement and the pure fun that takes place in our co-curricular clubs. This is just such a, this whole presentation connects to something that you already spoke about this evening. And so in terms of the clubs at Wentworth, they are very popular. It's kids' first time to join a club. at school with their friends. And so each year we try to get ahead of it and we open more sections and we simplify the signup process. But each year. These clubs fill up in like six minutes flat. We've really compared it to, you know, getting into the Beach to Beacon or getting tickets to a Taylor Swift concert. And that's not the intention, but they are so popular. We have, you can see

142up there, Lego Club, Chess Club, Volunteer Club, the Yearbook Club. This year we expanded, again, trying to get ahead of and making sure that there is room for everyone who wants to participate. We doubled the size of our chorus. So now there are 80 spots for chorus. doubled the size of our floor hockey club, and we doubled the size of our art club. Those were our three most popular last year. And so we also added some new clubs this year. We added theater club, which has been a really nice addition, something we had long ago, but brought back and has sort of filled a need for some students who are just ready to perform. We added American Sign Language Club, which has been... very popular, very sweet. And it is not only the learning within

143the club, they're learning some just like conversational American Sign Language. For one, we welcome students who use American Sign Language to our school to be able to greet them and communicate more effectively. And there is a... video display after each club and it's teaching you know it's the kids in the club teaching American Sign Language to the rest of the school and you see kids kind of huddled around it and trying to like emulate the, you know, the signs. So it's been really, really impactful. And we're so excited to continue that work. And we also are piloting a STEM Lego League. So they have entered the STEM Lego robotics statewide competition in the upper right hand corner in their practice competition, you may notice the number one team up there, which is titled Wentworth something,

144something that they created. So our team, took the top seat in their very first practice competition and they have been having a blast. So this year we have, I counted it up, 1,050 seats over three sessions for club participation. So there is enough room for everyone to participate in a club and most kids really do engage in that. And this is when we were going to have the kids sing. Pretend that that's happening now, but you already saw that. Okay. And so if you could go to the next slide, please. Oops. There we go. So as we conclude, we just want to kind of return to what matters most, which are those foundational commitments that we started with that continue to guide our work at Wentworth, but also those intangibles that we walked you through,

145the joy and the connection and the opportunity that's woven into each day for all of our students. That really truly defines the student experience. They don't remember eight years from now. section 4.2 in math and focus they don't but they remember hugo week and they remember family night and they remember their club participation and they remember how they feel being a part of wentworth school and that's really important to us to make sure that they all feel seen and valued and supported to offer that meaningful connection and space for them to shine in whatever way what they bring to us each day They are in third, fourth and fifth grade just discovering their light. They're kind of coming into their own little. selves and becoming their authentic selves. And it is truly, truly an honor

146and a privilege to be able to witness that transformation over three years and support them academically, socially, and emotionally. That is the heart of Wentworth. And that's the heart of what we do. And it's why our work matters. And it's also why your support matters in the roles that you play. So thank you for giving us this opportunity to brag on our school for a little while and talk about our students. and we're happy to answer any questions that you have. Thank you so, so much, both of you. Thank you. Are there any questions or comments? So I got a text message last night. I was not able to come to Wentworth, sadly. I had to be somewhere else. But my phone, I looked down at one point and saw this is like a Taylor

147Swift concert. Because there was like the line. I got, that was great. It was like, this is like a Taylor Swift concert. The lines, the screaming, the excitement. I was like, is the music good? I'm going with this, but. I just wanted to congratulate you on a tremendously successful event. It was a buzz. and quite a big hit in our little neck of the woods. I know the kids were very excited about it and thrilled about that. So I think that's great. I think having a child in Wentworth, I don't know, I think a couple of, at least one other member up here does. I am delighted by the education and by the experience that my children are experiencing there, or childhood experience in there, soon to be two. But it is a fabulous environment.

148I think every child has ups and downs, but consistently going to school and really struggling with the idea of being there is not one of them. It's a place where she feels safe. And that is allows her to be able to do everything else she needs to do while she's there to learn to be, you know, a sixth grader one day. So thank you very much. I think the work that you do to make sure that the school shines is absolutely, it's clearly. demonstrated. And it really, there's just kind of a through line through that. And Wentworth is, it's a beautiful school, but it's not just the building. That's not what really makes it special, even though that's what you first see. It's really the feeling when you get there. And that's obviously intentional, creative.

149It takes a lot of work to maintain. So really impressed by you and your staff. Thank you so much. Thank you. And it is our pleasure. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your time so very much. All right, agenda item 9.0 is general public comment. Is there anyone here or online wishing to make general public comment this evening? No participants. All right, we will close that down. Agenda item 10.0 is new business. 10.1 is a donation approval requested backpack program fund drive. Yeah, so. I've come to you a couple of times already this year with some memos from our esteemed Kate Bolton. And I have another one this evening. And so you have this memo in your packet. I will read it into the public record. At the time of our last communication to

150the board on November 20th, our fundraising drive for the school nutrition backpack program had already reached a total of $16,160 in cash. donations as well as multiple gifts of food and supplies. Since that time an additional $4,151 has been received including $756 from funds collected at Wentworth School $500 from the Scarborough High School School Store and a very generous $2,000 donation from the annual winter fundraiser of the Windward Heights, Abigail Way, Ridgeway, and Layton Farms neighborhoods. All told, that means to date this year, we have raised a total or received a total of $20,311 in donations. towards our school nutrition backpack program. The letter goes on to say that it's truly gratifying to see the continued commitment of our school community as they reach out to offer a hand to those in need. We respectfully

151request that the school board approve acceptance of these donations on behalf of the school nutrition backpack program with many thanks. It's amazing. And I would just add, I know the other day we were having a conversation about something unrelated to the backpack program, but about filling needs. And, you know, I said, I think one of the really strong hallmarks of this community is when there is a call for support that's made, we have very generous citizens here that look to help. whether that be in monetary or in-kind donations. And if you take a look at the slide. That is in front of you. You'll see that there's, you know, boxes and boxes of food donations that were also received from some of our schools. I think these photos happen to be from the Wentworth School

152Fund Drive, but I know that other schools within our district also had food drives recently. And I know in talking with... One of our really dedicated food service staff members, Ty, she said to me, like, she's just astounded by the sheer donations. And the challenge is how to organize it and make it readily available so that as they build these food boxes each week, that, you know, that they can get things at the ready. So we're incredibly fortunate here. That is absolutely the truth. All right. Are there any questions for Diane? All right. Do I have a motion to approve the donation request for the backpack program fund drive as presented? So moved. Second. Is there any public comment? All right. All in favor? And that shows unanimous. Thank you so much for everyone's generosity.

153Agenda item 11.0 is adjournment. If there are no objections, we will adjourn at 8.32 p.m. Thank you so much and have a good evening.