Marblehead Public Schools - Marblehead Current

Marblehead educators wrapping heads around ChatGPT

1Feb

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Top Stories

Marblehead educators wrapping heads around ChatGPT

Concerns that local students might tap into the cutting-edge artificial intelligence offered by ChatGPT to do their schoolwork for them have been realized, Superintendent John Buckey told the Marblehead Current. The powerful, multilingual chatbot can instantaneously perform literary analysis, compose original poems, write short fiction and compute complex math problems. "This is so new, districts are trying to get up to speed quickly as they discover more about it," Buckey said. "We just did a professional development on the topic." OpenAI, a private artificial intelligence research organization whose founders include Elon Musk, developed ChatGPT. The organization released the chatbot on Nov. 30 and it became wildly popular overnight. Today, its usage is in the millions. "It u...

Surveys to help guide MHS principal search

31Jan

By School Superintendent John BuckeyNo Comments

Community resources, Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters

Surveys to help guide MHS principal search

Good People of Marblehead: I recently joined the Rotary Club of Marblehead. I was a member of Rotary in each of my prior districts. It is a wonderful opportunity to be engaged in service to our community and to collaborate in advocacy for our schools. This past week, fellow Rotarian Jack Attridge reminded the group of the collaboration they launched this year with MPS. I share the following: “In September 2023, the Rotary Club of Marblehead gave a gift to the Marblehead Public Schools of a mindfulness program called ‘Inner Explorer.’ On Nov. 1, the Marblehead Rotary Club presented the program to the Marblehead School Committee. Since then, Tower School and Epstein Hillel were also given the program. The Marblehead Charter School and Devereux School have also been offered it and a...

Biotech founder-CEO chosen to fill Marblehead School Committee vacancy

23Jan

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Politics, Top Stories

Biotech founder-CEO chosen to fill Marblehead School Committee vacancy

For the next five months, resident Thomas Mathers will serve as an interim member of the Marblehead School Committee. The Marblehead School Committee and the Select Board picked Mathers in a joint meeting on Monday night, interviewing a half-dozen candidates in Abbot Hall over a two-hour period. Mathers will serve out the remaining months of Emily Barron’s three-year term on the School Committee. Tom Mathers, far right, during his interview in Abbot Hall on Monday, Jan. 23. CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD In the second round of voting, Alison Taylor and Erin Noonan switched their votes from candidate Don Dewitt to Mathers, giving him the five votes he needed to secure the seat. The pair joined Select Board members Alexa Singer and Moses Grader and School Committee Chair Sarah Fox...

Two drop out of running to fill School Committee vacancy, interviews set for Monday night

17Jan

By William J. DowdNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Municipal Matters, Politics, Top Stories

Two drop out of running to fill School Committee vacancy, interviews set for Monday night

And then there were eight running for the Marblehead School Committee vacancy. On Monday night, the Select Board and School Committee will convene a joint meeting to interview candidates and select one to fill the vacancy created when resident Emily Barron resigned in the fall. Eleven candidates submitted applications for the open position. One of those candidates, Ariana Contreras, was ineligible because she was not a registered Marblehead voter. Two others — Joe Patuleia and Laurence H. Winer — withdrew their names, leaving eight candidates as of Thursday afternoon. "It's not unusual for people to withdraw their names," said Kyle Wiley, executive assistant to the Select Board, "especially with such a large pool of candidates." School Committee Chair Sarah Fox said interviews...

Take note: MHS musicians shine in Boston

14Jan

By Submitted ContentNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools

Take note: MHS musicians shine in Boston

Seven Marblehead High School students performed at the New England Conservatory on Jan. 7 as part of the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Association Northeast District Festival. The student musicians passed a competitive audition in November. The MHS musicians who sang in the district chorus are: Griffen Collins, Yasen Colon, Mona Gelfgatt, Lani Gilmore, Anya Kane and Brady Weed. Benjamin Soon played the viola in the district orchestra. The chorus performed several pieces, including “Jubilate Deo” by Laszlo Halmos, while the orchestra played “Prelude to Die Meistersinger” by Richard Wagner and “Toast of the Town” by Quinn Mason. Four of the MHS singers — Collins, Colon, Gelfgatt and Weed — have been invited to audition for all-state chorus on Jan. 21. MHS singers (left...

Town reacts to MHS principal leaving: ‘Big, big shoes to fill’

10Jan

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

Town reacts to MHS principal leaving: ‘Big, big shoes to fill’

Reaction is pouring in to news that Marblehead High School Principal Dan Bauer is leaving this summer to take a job as superintendent of schools in Danvers. “The next person coming in has big, big shoes to fill,” Melissa Kaplowitch, president of the MHS Parent Council Organization, told the Marblehead Current. Kaplowitch was on the hiring committee that brought Bauer to Marblehead in 2016. “Dan came into Marblehead when the community was very disjointed," she said. "He was able to connect to the students, parents, community members and other administrators and really bring us back to together.” Kaplowitch pointed to several of Bauer's accomplishments at MHS, including his vocal support of Team Harmony and the World of Difference program. Team Harmony is a studen...

In ‘tough choice,’ Milton bypasses Marblehead Assistant Superintendent Murphy; visit in Dedham set for Monday

6Jan

By Kris OlsonNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

In ‘tough choice,’ Milton bypasses Marblehead Assistant Superintendent Murphy; visit in Dedham set for Monday

While members of the Milton School Committee raved about some of the qualities Marblehead Assistant Superintendent Nan Murphy would bring to the top job in Milton, the board voted unanimously Friday morning, Jan. 6 to offer the position to one of the other three finalists, Peter Burrows. For the past 10 years, Burrows has served as the superintendent of the Addison Central School District in Middlebury, Vermont, and that experience of having already led a district is among the qualifications that swayed the board. At least a couple of the board members also explained that they had been impressed that Burrows had not applied for other positions but had sought out Milton specifically as an opportunity that would offer both professional growth and the chance to work within a more diver...

29Dec

By Joe McConnellNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Sports

Roster depth comes through to keep Marblehead swimmers undefeated

The Marblehead swim and dive team (2-0), coached by Sue Guertin, hosted Danvers at the Lynch/Van Otterloo YMCA on Thursday, Dec. 22, and proceeded to defeat the Falcons rather easily, 108-67 to close out the 2022 portion of the schedule. “While a number of Marblehead swimmers were out with the flu, the team was still able to pull off a win against Danvers,” said Guertin. “The team has a lot of depth this season with the addition of the freshmen boys, and as a result it was able to keep on winning. They are all trying to make cuts for the upcoming state sectionals and state finals in February.” In the 200-yard medley relay against Danvers, Cale Nelson, Nate Rosen, Jack Grady and Logan Doody )1:50.95, sectional cut) teamed up to finish on top. Sophia Weiner, Bella Takata, Finn Bergqui...

Marblehead parents weigh in on school budget priorities

28Dec

By Leigh BlanderNo Comments

Local News, Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

Marblehead parents weigh in on school budget priorities

At the Marblehead School Committee meeting on Jan. 5, Superintendent Dr. John Buckey will present the results of a recent ThoughtExchange survey that asked residents to rank their budget priorities for the schools. The top three responses: Better staff compensation, updated curriculum and tuition-free kindergarten. “I’m not at all surprised by the results,” Buckey told the Marblehead Current. Nearly 340 residents took the online survey, which ran the first two weeks of December. Respondents offered 172 different “thoughts” about priorities and then offered 12,202 “ratings” on those thoughts. “Hands down, compensation was the top priority,” Buckey said. “We are currently doing a compensation analysis for the next round of collective bargaining that starts Jan...

UPDATE: Milton, Dedham school committees name Marblehead assistant superintendent finalist for districts’ top jobs

21Dec

By Kris OlsonNo Comments

Marblehead Public Schools, Top Stories

UPDATE: Milton, Dedham school committees name Marblehead assistant superintendent finalist for districts’ top jobs

Marblehead Assistant Superintendent Nan Murphy is one of three finalists for the position of school superintendent in Milton, the town’s School Committee announced at an open meeting Tuesday, Dec. 21. Around the same time, the Dedham School Committee was announcing Murphy as one of five finalists in its superintendent search. The other finalists in Milton are Assistant Superintendent of Medford Public Schools Peter Cushing and Superintendent of the Addison Central School District in Middlebury, Vermont Peter Burrows. The other four finalists in Dedham are Marlene DiLeo, current superintendent of Ware Public Schools; Renee McCall, currently assistant superintendent of the Newton Public Schools; Armand Pires, current superintendent of the Medway Public Schools; and June Saba-Mag...