The Old Rochester Regional School District and Massachusetts Superintendency Union #55 is proud to announce that Superintendent Michael S. Nelson, Dr. Shari Fedorowicz, Lauren Millette, and two students, Molly Wronski and Jaymeson Gunschel, presented at the 30th Annual Paul J. Andrews Executive Institute hosted by the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) this month.
Their presentation, titled “Building a Culture of Influencers – Embracing Student Leadership and Voice as Catalysts of Change,” highlighted the district’s commitment to fostering student leadership and its positive impact on school culture.
“Our students have worked tirelessly to create an environment where student voices are heard and valued,” said Nelson. “Presenting at the M.A.S.S. conference was a fantastic opportunity to share our successes and inspire other districts to embrace student leadership as a driving force for positive change. We look forward to continuing this work in our schools during the upcoming school year.”
Dr. Shari Fedorowicz added, “It was a privilege to present at M.A.S.S. with dedicated administrators and our remarkable students, Molly Wronski and Jaymeson Gunschel. Our work with Project 351 and the Boston Celtics Playbook Initiative has been a framework for building and empowering student leaders as change agents which are tailored toward the needs of our district.”
Lauren Millette reflected on the experience, saying, “It was an honor to present alongside Superintendent Nelson, Dr. Fedorowicz, and our amazing students, Molly Wronski and Jaymeson Gunschel. Empowering students to become leaders and influencers as school change agents and having strong administrative support is key to building the best learning environments.
“Project 351 and the Boston Celtics Playbook Initiative have served as catalysts for developing our young leaders into upstanders and bridge builders. I am thankful that we were able to share how we implemented the Playbook Initiative into our district with other educators and stakeholders across Massachusetts at the Institute so that they may do the same.”
The Celtics Playbook Initiative, in partnership with Project 351, is led by students across the Commonwealth, as Playbook Trainers. These trainers, who receive in-depth training and coaching from Celtics and Project 351 staff, facilitate interactive workshops and serve as champions of change, modeling inclusion and sharing tools to intervene in challenging social situations. The initiative has been widely adopted by school districts across Massachusetts.
Wronski, who will be a junior in the fall, and Gunschel, who graduated in June, shared their experiences and the significant role student leadership has played in their education. Molly also participated in another panel event at the conference where students from across the Commonwealth discussed the impact of Project 351 in their schools, sharing meaningful moments and stories about how the initiative has shifted culture through student leadership and voice.
For more information about the Playbook Initiative and Project 351, please visit nba.com/celtics/community/playbook.