Education - Marblehead Current

‘Ave atque vale’: Former MHS Latin teacher dies after battle with ALS

29Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Uncategorized

‘Ave atque vale’: Former MHS Latin teacher dies after battle with ALS

Jennifer Chavez, who taught Latin at Marblehead High School for years, has passed away after a battle with ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Friends and former colleagues at MHS posted about her death on social media with the Latin phrase, “Ave atque vale,” which means “I salute you and goodbye.” The saying was used in eulogies to Roman heroes. “Jennifer was our rock,” Spanish teacher Candice Sliney told the Current. “Her kind and compassionate personality combined with her wit made her an absolute joy to be around. She was always teaching us, we turned to her for so much support.” Former MHS Latin teacher Jennifer Chavez, center, is surrounded by friends and teachers, left to right, Andrea West, Candice Sliney, Mary Francois, Elmer Magaña, Holly Grose and Laura Alvarez last Oc...

Two finalists for interim superintendent announced

28Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

Two finalists for interim superintendent announced

A familiar face is one two finalists for the interim superintendent position, the screening committee announced Thursday. Theresa McGuinness, former Village School principal, is one of two finalists for the interim superintendent position. COURTESY PHOTO “The Interim Superintendent Screening Committee, after reviewing several applications and performing interviews, has selected Dr. Theresa McGuinness and Dr. Jannell D. Pearson-Campbell as finalists to present to the Marblehead School Committee,” School Committee Chair Sarah Fox wrote in a press release Thursday morning. McGuinness served as the Village School principal from 2012 to 2016 and was a finalist the last time Marblehead hired a permanent superintendent. The job ultimately went to John Buckey. The School Committee came ...

27Sep

By Lizzie Assa, parenting strategistNo Comments

Education, Life Style, Local News, Top Stories

ASK LIZZIE: Why is my child a complete disaster after school?

The Current is proud to welcome new columnist Lizzie Assa, founder of The Workspace for Children, a parenting strategist, play expert and mother of three who lives in Marblehead. Read more about Lizzie at the end of the column. Dear Lizzie: We're a couple of weeks into the school year, and my son is a complete disaster area each afternoon when he gets home. Is he learning terrible new habits at school? What the heck is happening? Help! Hi reader, If you were to glance into houses throughout your neighborhood, I suspect you'd witness a similar situation unfolding in numerous households during the initial weeks of school. You're not the only one experiencing this, and there's a specific term for such challenges. It's called "restraint collapse." Before you worry, “restrain...

LWV, APL team up for ‘Intro to Intellectual Freedom’ program on Oct. 4

25Sep

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Abbot Public Library, Education, Local News

LWV, APL team up for ‘Intro to Intellectual Freedom’ program on Oct. 4

The League of Women Voters of Marblehead, in partnership with Abbot Public Library, is hosting an "Introduction to Intellectual Freedom" program on Wednesday, Oct. 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will take place at Abbot Public Library, 3 Brook Rd., and will also be accessible online via Zoom. Featured speakers include Jennifer Billings, a 20-year educator from Marblehead, and Susan Caulfield, co-chair of the Massachusetts Library Association Intellectual Freedom/Social Responsibility Committee. Abbot Public Library staff and board members will moderate the discussion. The program pays tribute to Joan Ehrich, a former Marblehead school librarian and League of Women Voters member. A gathering in Ehrich's memory will precede the program at 6 p.m. Advance registration is ...

25Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Fashion, Local News

Picture day!

Kindergartener Maximilian Averback at the Epstein Hillel School went all out for picture day on Sept. 19, wearing a snazzy, sparkly suit. Here he is waiting in line for his close-up. Averback received many compliments from EHS teachers, including “You look like a Maximilian bucks” and “I can’t tell if this is the Oscars or school photos!”

23Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Community resources, Education, Health, Local News, Nonprofit corner

Body & Soul Health Fair at COA

The Council on Aging is hosting a Body & Soul Health Fair on Thursday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at 10 Humphrey St. The event is an "introduction to integrative, complementary and alternative health," according to the COA. "One topic of discussion is to explain the difference between a DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine), ND (naturopathic doctor) and MD," said the COA's outreach coordinator Sharon Doliber. "Other practitioners will talk about their treatment modalities, what illnesses or conditions might be revalent in their day-to-day practice that cause them concern. "[State Rep.] Jenny Armini has her name on a few bills that were created to get help to caregivers and their loved ones. She will talk about those and some others on which legislators are working," Doliber ...

School Committee discusses demolishing the old Coffin School, fixing Brown School roof and more

22Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

School Committee discusses demolishing the old Coffin School, fixing Brown School roof and more

**This story was updated to reflect that additional money from the Brown School project (that might be used to demolish the Coffin School) was appropriated by Town Meeting, but was not borrowed. The School Committee and acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta spoke about possibly demolishing the old Coffin School at a meeting on Sept 21. The elementary school closed in October of 2021. It has been discussed as a potential site for affordable housing. “The building on the property is not only a nuisance, if they go to sell it… it will devalue the property,” said School Committee Chair Sarah Fox. Cresta said that Town Finance Dir. Asleesha Benjamin told her money to demolish the Coffin School might come from surplus funds, appropriated but never borrowed, for the Brown School project...

School Committee, acting super ordered to try to retrieve deleted texts

20Sep

By Leigh Blander and Kris OlsonNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

School Committee, acting super ordered to try to retrieve deleted texts

The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office has given the school district 10 days to seek to retrieve text messages initially reported as having been deleted in response to a public records request from the Marblehead Current. Manza Arthur, the supervisor of records in the secretary’s office, wrote in a letter dated Sept. 19 to the schools’ records access officer, Lisa Dimier, that it was Arthur’s “understanding” that “the School intends on providing a further response to [the Current’s Leigh] Blander to address her records request.” “Accordingly, the School is ordered to provide Ms. Blander with said response in a manner consistent with the Public Records Law and its Regulations within 10 business days,” Arthur wrote, requiring that the schools provide a copy of any such respo...

MCAS results show improvement in every school, category

19Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

MCAS results show improvement in every school, category

Marblehead’s MCAS results improved in every school and every category from 2022 to 2023, with the largest growth in high school math. “The initial results indicate that the post-pandemic academic slide has ended, and academic recovery is fully underway,” Julia Ferreira, the new assistant superintendent for learning, told the Current. Most results are still below pre-COVID levels, however. (See charts below.) '... academic recovery is fully underway.'CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER “One particular result to highlight is Marblehead High School, which demonstrated double-digit percentage growth in their proficiency ratings on both ELA (English Language Arts) and math MCAS assessments,” Ferreira said. “We believe our academic growth is connected to the district-wide initiatives...

MHS student, Scout leads greenhouse groundbreaking

19Sep

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Education, Environment, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

MHS student, Scout leads greenhouse groundbreaking

After more than two years and 400 hours of work, Marblehead High School senior and Scout Tyler Earp joined Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta and other school leaders — all with shovels in hand — for a groundbreaking for Earp’s greenhouse project. “I’m so glad to see this coming to fruition,” Earp said. “It will be nice to see it here.” Earp started working on his greenhouse idea, an Eagle Scout project, in February of 2021. At the groundbreaking for a greenhouse at Marblehead High School are, from left, Groom Construction’s Dwight Groom, architect Jeff Tucker, Tyler Earp, Acting Superintendent Michele Cresta, MHS Assistant Principals Lindsay Donaldson and Dan Richards, and Principal Michele Carlson. CURRENT PHOTOS/LEIGH BLANDER “There were six months of planning, three mo...