Amidst a flurry of school-committee meetings, tours and open houses, Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson arrived at the September 14 public meeting of the Marion School Committee eager to share the impression made by student Nia Gonzalez, whose keynote address to the ORR faculty has become a topic of conversation in all season-opening school-committee meetings.
Invited by Nelson to provide a keynote address, the Sippican Elementary School sixth-grader and Project 351 participant wowed the gathering of faculty and staff.
“I’ll tell you point blank she took over the podium, and it’s one of the best Opening Day speeches that we’ve had in recent times,” said Nelson, who was gratified to tell the committee of the decision to involve students in Opening Day ceremonies. “I think that the public will hear a lot more from her, but she was very comfortable standing in front of the crowd. It was great having her family in attendance as well to support her and see her in action, and I think she did an excellent job setting the tone in terms of why teachers do what they do and why it is so important to the students even though they may not know it.”
Gonzalez also introduced final speaker Steve Gross of the Life is Good Foundation, who talked about the power of optimism and the role that teachers play in the lives of students and families.
“Honestly, the connection between Nia and the Life is Good message felt perfect,” said Nelson, who explained the Project 351, a statewide educational program, focuses on students as influencers.
Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Brown would open her report with news on Project 351 activities, including work with ORCTV.
Committee Chair April Nye called Gonzalez’s speech, “amazing.”
Nelson and Nye also publicly thanked the facilities staff for getting the school building ready for the new academic year.
The September 14 meeting opened with a recognition of faculty members for length of service, as well as new members and members with new roles.
Lisa Horan was recognized for her 20 years serving as a Kindergarten teacher. Elementary teachers Amanda LeMarier and Elizabeth Milde were recognized for 10 years of service.
Nelson welcomed into a new role Kristine Lincoln, a familiar face as he pointed out for her many roles in the ORR District, as interim director of Student Services.
Brown welcomed ELL Specialist Teah Keogh, Paraprofessionals Nadeen Mardo and Makayla Bumpus, Paraprofessional Officer Cassandra Craig and Student Resources Officer Jonathan Tracy of the Marion Police Department.
Debra Smith has moved from Grade 4 teacher to Special Education teacher, Leanne Dineen from Grade 2 teacher and Grade 4 and Emily Bourgeois from Kindergarten to Grade 2 teacher.
The district and Sippican bid farewell to Craig Davidson (director of Student Services), Kathy Dranchak (ELL specialist), Penny Sullivan (Special Education teacher), Bailey Sweet (PreK paraprofessional) and Taylor Swoish (Paraprofessional IX.)
Brown summarized changes to the Sippican Student Handbook. Report cards go home on December 8, March 15 and June 10.
The committee approved an OpenSciEd grant for Grade 5 in the amount of $4,100.
The committee approved two donations, a large, red book cart (double-sided) and cart cover to the Sippican Library from community member Bernadette Kelly and a $765 donation from the 2022-23 Sixth Grade Parent Group in VASE to the Sippican School Music Account.
The committee heard a report from Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber, who updated the members on finances, food services and facilities. Nelson also updated the committee on the progress being made in the gardens outside Sippican Elementary School, including the greenhouse.
Nelson reported that Tabor Academy offered a donation of up to $50,000 for playground equipment to be installed on the Sippican grounds. A new play station is anticipated this fall.
In her first Chairperson’s Report of the school year, Nye likened the school year to a blank canvas and the students to artists.
“They have a wonderful year ahead of learning new subjects, reading new books, being exposed to new ideas and cultures and expanding their own knowledge base,” she read, going on to talk about the social side of school, including new friendships and extracurricular involvement. “I cannot wait to see the magnificent work that will be created. No matter which artistic direction each of our Sippican learners decides to take their canvas, it will be spectacular to say the least. Their shared academic experiences will help foster and create their own educational masterpieces that will last for years to come.”
With that, Nye publicly thanked all the educational stakeholders, including the many volunteers that helped guide the process.
In her first address as director of Student Services, Lincoln thanked the summer staff for the work it did helping get students ready for 2023-24.
Nelson highlighted new features on the updated ORR District website and reported that a family phone app called ORR Connect is in development.
In committee reports, Michelle Smith reported that the ORR School Committee authorized Nelson to discuss with Acushnet that town’s interest in exploring tuition-based attendance at ORR High School.
The committee broke into executive session for the purposes Number 3 and 7 to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining or nonunion personnel and to comply with applicable state and federal law and grant-in-aid requirements.
The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, October 19, at Sippican Elementary School, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 28, at ORR Junior High Media Room. Both meetings start at 6:30 pm.
Marion School Committee
By Mick Colageo