high school

*Media Advisory* Pentucket High School Building Committee to Hold Meeting Tuesday

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Friday, March 8, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory* 

Pentucket Building Committee to Hold Meeting Tuesday

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew wishes to remind residents that the Pentucket Building Committee is having a meeting next week.

WHEN:

Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m.

WHERE:

Pentucket Regional High School Cafeteria, 24 Main St., West Newbury

WHAT:

The Pentucket Building Committee is holding a meeting Tuesday, March 12, at Pentucket Regional High School to review updated design renderings for the combined high school/middle school building project, the next steps in the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA) process and a schedule of upcoming community meetings.

“It is important that voters attend the public meetings we have scheduled about this project, familiarize themselves with the information available on the project’s website, and ask myself or another member of the committee any questions they may have,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We want voters to fully understand what they are voting on this spring, and what this project would offer students in the future.”

Since the committee’s Feb. 13 meeting, the district submitted a schematic design of the building project to the MSBA on Feb. 20. The district will meet with the MSBA in the coming weeks to review the submitted schematic design.

About the Pentucket Building Project

Pentucket Regional School District and the Building Committee have been working with the MSBA since 2015 to develop a building project to meet the needs of the district. The proposed building would solve critical infrastructure concerns facing both the middle and high school buildings, including the HVAC, water and electrical systems at the high school.

A 2015 report found that the high school’s HVAC and electrical systems are in  “imminent danger of possible failure.”

The high school building was built in 1956, and the middle school building was built in 1967. Both buildings are well worn and in need of replacement. Combining the middle and high schools into one new building presents a more cost-effective option than building separate middle and high school buildings. The proposed project would create a three-story facility that aligns with modern academic standards and best practices and would serve several decades of students to come.

Residents in Groveland, Merrimac and West Newbury will vote on Monday, April 29 whether to approve the funding request for the project and again in a ballot vote on May 6.

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Pentucket Launches Middle and High School Building Project Website

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Pentucket Regional School District
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew
22 Main Street
West Newbury, MA 01985

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 4, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Pentucket Launches Middle and High School Building Project Website

WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that Pentucket Regional School District has launched an official website about the proposed middle and high school building project.

The website PentucketProject.com will act as an official source of information for residents in Groveland, Merrimac, and West Newbury as they prepare to vote on Monday, April 29 whether to approve the funding request for the project and again in a ballot vote on May 6.

The project needs to be approved by all three towns, in both votes, to move forward. The votes represent the final step in the process.

“We’re excited to share this website as an official resource for residents looking to learn more about the project,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “It’s important going into town meetings and ballot votes that residents know all the facts about the project, the concerns facing the current middle and high school buildings, and how the details of this project came to be.”

A news blog on the website will be regularly updated with the latest information about the project. The website also includes video recordings of past presentations on the project, which can be seen by clicking here.

The proposed Pentucket Regional School District (PRSD) grades seven through 12 building would replace the current middle and high schools, which were respectively built in 1967 and 1954.

Both buildings are significantly worn and approaching the end of their useful life spans. The high school building faces several infrastructure issues, including an old, corroded plumbing system that is insulated with asbestos and frequently causes flooding and an outdated heating system that a district assessment of its condition revealed is in imminent danger of failing. To learn more about the state of the current buildings, click here. 

The project would build a three story, modern facility combining the middle and high schools into one building on a unified campus. This is a more cost effective option than building separate, new middle and high school buildings that exist now.

To examine renderings of the proposed building and learn more about its design, click here.

The total estimated cost of the project is $146.3 million. After ineligible costs are calculated and deducted from the total cost, the district estimates the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA) will fund approximately 40 percent of the project.

The MSBA will announce an official reimbursement amount in April.

At the project reimbursement rate and interest rates, based on the average assessed home value in each town in the district, it is estimated that, should the project move forward, the average Groveland homeowner’s taxes would increase $745, the average Merrimac homeowner’s taxes would increase $734, and the average West Newbury homeowner’s taxes would increase $755.

Four years ago, PRSD was accepted into the MSBA process for the first time since a proposed new high school building was voted down in the late 1990s. Since PRSD was re-accepted by the MSBA, the district has been working with the MSBA to develop the most cost effective plan to meet the needs of the middle and high schools.

“The proposed building would solve the infrastructure concerns in both buildings, and would create a facility that will enhance and support student learning for decades to come,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “We encourage residents to visit the website, learn about the project being proposed, and consider what the project will mean for future generations of Pentucket students.”

A School Building Committee formed in fall 2016 to oversee the MSBA process, and includes administrators, town officials, selectmen, school committee members, and residents. To learn more about the committee, click here.

To access the website, visit pentucketproject.com.

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Hull High School AP Spanish Students Visit State House for Annual MIRA Luncheon

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Hull Public Schools
Michael F. Devine, Superintendent
180 Harborview Road
Hull, MA 02045

For Immediate Release

Friday, Jan. 4, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Hull High School AP Spanish Students Visit State House for Annual MIRA Luncheon 

Front row, left to right: Seniors Sean Healey, Jessica Goode, Krista Carpenter and Katie Punchard. Back row, left to right: State Rep. Joan Meschino, seniors Michael DelGuidice, Leah Dunn, Hannah Lees, Alyssa Albert and Spanish teacher Elizabeth Wescott. (Courtesy Photo Hull High School)

HULL — To wrap up their first unit of study, Hull High School AP Spanish students traveled to the State House for a real-life lesson on immigration and citizenship.

On Nov. 20, AP Spanish seniors Sean Healey, Jessica Goode, Krista Carpenter, Katie Punchard, Leah Dunn, Hannah Lees and Alyssa Albert, along with teacher Elizabeth Wescott, attended the Our Shared Table luncheon. The event was hosted by the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) — the largest coalition in New England promoting the rights and integration of immigrants and refugees.

The annual luncheon celebrates newly sworn-in and aspiring U.S. citizens. During the students’ first semester, they completed a unit on “Personal and Public Identities,” where they worked on a project about the Hull’s immigrant community, and in the process came upon MIRA.

Given students’ excitement and dedication to the project, Wescott reached out to MIRA for a potential field trip opportunity, who invited them to the State House for the Our Shared Table event.

During the luncheon, the students served food and were able to listen to speeches about immigration and citizenship, including one from U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and immigrants from the Boston area who are working to help their communities. Students also got to practice their Spanish with some of the MIRA employees and immigrants, and tie their work back to their studies on global challenges and contemporary life and families and communities.

“AP Spanish students enjoyed the field trip and were also able to make connections to their curriculum with an authentic and memorable experience,” Wescott said. “I was so impressed with students’ maturity, enthusiasm and initiative. It was a great day.”

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Kearsarge Community Member Receives High School Volunteer of the Year Award

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Kearsarge Regional School District
Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Kearsarge Community Member Receives High School Volunteer of the Year Award

Left to right: Kearsarge High School Principal Rob Bennett, Henry Howell and KRHS Transition Coordinator Rebecca Hemingway. (Courtesy Photo Kearsarge Public Schools)

KEARSARGE – Superintendent Winfried Feneberg is pleased to announce that community member Henry Howell received the New Hampshire Partners in Education 2018 High School Volunteer of the Year award last month.

The prestigious honor recognizes school volunteers who demonstrate excellent management and leadership skills, unique and creative services/programs and originality of work during the 2017-2018 school year.

Howell, a Kearsarge High School volunteer, was honored during a ceremony on Oct. 26 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

Over the last couple years, Howell has volunteered hundreds of hours to work with high school students in a variety of ways. This includes creating, planning and coordinating alternative educational opportunities for a group of non-traditional learners at the high school through after school activities and programs.

Howell collaborated with community members and local businesses for a number of different student-led projects, like the high school’s new rain garden. The structure is dedicated in memory of former Kearsarge High School wood shop teacher Thomas McLoughlin who passed away from cancer two years ago.

Students, under Howell’s guidance, also created several new trail systems and foot bridges throughout New Hampshire forests and learned about the importance of sustainable energy via solar panel projects. Those with an interest in environmental studies worked with Howell to research and construct birdhouses for some of the state’s native species.

“Throughout all of the projects Henry worked on with students, he reinforced the importance of strong social skills, critical thinking and the importance of teamwork,” said Kearsarge Regional High School Principal Robert Bennett. “He expertly guided students to use what they learned in the classroom for outside projects, which is exactly what the district is focusing on through our competency based learning curriculum.”

Principal Bennett would also like to recognize KRHS Transition Coordinator Rebecca Hemingway for working side-by-side Howell, ensuring that he and students had all the necessary equipment, transportation and support needed to complete projects. Like Howell, she continues to connect students with community businesses and organizations to strengthen their learning and to help foster a stronger bond between the high school and greater community.

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