Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee, April 12, 2023

Masconomet Students Honored in the 6^th Congressional District High School Visual Art Competition

The Masconomet Art Department is pleased to announce the Masconomet winning entries to the 2023 6^th Congressional District High School Visual Art Competition. 

From left to right:

Vanessa Basame (’23), “Letter Building”, Best of School Award

Jenna Lindsay (’24), “Leave a Mark”, Honorable Mention

Haley Serafino (’23), “Don’t Be Afraid of Color”, Honorable Mention

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district.  Masconomet’s students submitted their entries to Congressman Seth Moulton’s Office and panels of local artists from the 6^th Congressional District selected the winning entries.

Masconomet Middle School Student Awarded National Silver Medal at Scholastic Art and Writing Competition

The Scholastic Art & Writing National Awards were recently announced and the Masconomet art department is proud to announce that Masconomet Middle School Student Bella Denis won a National Silver Medal this year for her sculpture, “Scorpion”.

Bella’s piece was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice. This year more than 260,000 works of art and writing were submitted to the 2023 Scholastic Awards and less than 1% of works received a National Medal! Gold and Silver Medal artwork will be published online at artandwriting.org in June.

Masconomet High School Student Wins National Silver Medal at Scholastic Art and Writing Competition

The Scholastic Art & Writing National Awards were recently announced and the Masconomet art department is proud to announce that Paige Panagos won a National Silver Medal this year for her oil pastel self-portrait, “Submerged”. 

Paige’s piece was selected by some of the foremost leaders in the visual arts for excellence in originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice. More than 260,000 works of art and writing were submitted to the 2023 Scholastic Awards and less than 1% of works received a National Medal! Gold and Silver Medal artwork will be published online at artandwriting.org in June.

Congratulations to the Cast, Crew and Advisors of Women and Wallace

Congratulations to the Cast, Crew and Advisors of Masconomet’s production of the one-act play Women and Wallace.  Our Theater Company progressed to the state finals of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s Drama Festival, where they performed their play on Saturday, April 1^st at the Back Bay Events Center in John Hancock Hall.  The following students were recognized by the festival’s judges:

• Quinn Tierney for Excellence in Acting Award which is also an All-Star Acting Member award
• Dorian Florestal and Aidan Venckus for Technical Excellence in Musical Composition and Performance
• Campbell Robinson for the role of Featured Dancer

Congratulations also to our Theater Director, Mr. Brian Pereira.  This is the first time that Masconomet has entered this competition on over 30 years.  Reaching the state finals on the first attempt is a remarkable feat.

D’Amato Wins National Press Club Journalism Institute Scholarship

Congratulations to Masconomet Senior Alexa D’Amato, who is the 2023 recipient of the National Press Club Journalism Institute’s Richard G. Zimmerman Journalism Scholarship. The National Press Club Journalism Institute’s  press release on Alexa’s Award is here. 

The Richard G. Zimmerman Scholarship is named for a long-time National Press Club member who died in 2008 and endowed a scholarship in aid of high school seniors who wish to pursue a career in journalism.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged global citizenry through an independent and free press, and equips journalists with skills and standards to inform the public in ways that inspire a more representative democracy. As the non-profit affiliate of the National Press Club, the Institute powers journalism in the public interest.

High School Principal Search Update

The posting for the position of Principal of Masconomet Regional High School closed on Friday, April 7^th.  There currently are 22 applicants for the position.  Resume screening will take place later this week and semi-finalists will be invited to interview at Masconomet during the week of April 24^th.  I am in the process of finalizing the members of the interview committee, which consists representatives from district administration, department heads, faculty, parents, school committee and a high school student.  The interview committee will narrow the pool down to two or three finalists, who will be invited to Masconomet for a series of public interviews during the week of May 1^st.  Part of the public interviews will entail an online session with parents and interested members of the public held in the evening via Zoom.  More information on these sessions will be sent out in late April.

Masconomet Hosts State Office of Public School Monitoring for Tiered Focused Monitoring Review

During the week of May 15, 2023, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public-School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Masconomet Regional School District. The Office of Public-School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students. In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public-School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report.

During the onsite review, the Office of Public-School Monitoring will interview the chairperson(s) of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations. Parents and other individuals may contact Jill Lange, Public School Monitoring Chairperson, at gillian.e.lange@mass.gov to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements. Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the district with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at http://www.doe.mass.edu/psm/tfm/reports/.