Awards and Recognition 2007

LYNN - Lynn Classical English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher Hanna Blucek was realistic when she began organizing a new summer school program for immigrant students during this past school year.

After all, she was asking teenagers to arrive at the Classical Academy on North Common Street at 8 a.m., four days a week in July for a program that is not worth any credit toward a diploma.

Blucek expected six students at best to sign up, but was shocked to see that 15 of her ESL students volunteered to take the 90-minute class and work on improving their English before the start of the fall semester.

Funded with a Hardscrabble education grant, the ESL summer class is designed to help immigrants who take ESL classes polish their skills and gain confidence with the language before they return to school.

With the backing of department head Julie Cushing and Freshman Academy Principal Judith Taylor, Blucek penned the grant proposal last year. Along with the 15 students in her classroom, fellow ESL teacher Melissa Winchell teaches students off-site and seven additional students are studying at the New American Center at a reading group.

Foreign students are expected to learn English and are held to the same standards on the MCAS test as Americans, but budget cuts have reduced staff in the ESL department and teachers like Blucek have difficulty keeping up with each student's unique individual need.

With this summer course, Blucek and fellow ESL teacher Jamie Jamieson are able to take the time to help students individually and make sure that everyone is at or near the same level come September.

"The value here is that come September I am going to have 15 kids in class that have that basic understanding," Blucek said. "I just can't leave the class for an hour a day to help with the A's and B's. There was a time when we would have reading specialists that would do that, but the funding just isn't there, especially with 120 layoffs this year. ESL was saved, but nothing was added."

Many foreign students, especially those who speak Arabic, have a difficult time understanding English because the characters are different and many languages are read in the opposite direction.

Blucek said that she has a few students who are fluent in speaking and understanding English, but are essentially illiterate when it comes to reading and writing because they simply do not understand how the language works.

The summer program is not organized like a typical ESL class, rather students explore the language in many unique ways, one of which is through song.

Each day Blucek and Jamieson lead the students in renditions of English songs such as John Lennon's "Imagine" or the Reggae classic "Beautiful Girls."

Along with loosening up the classroom and building friendships, singing helps the students understand the meaning and pronunciation of English words and allows them to feel more comfortable with the language.

"The benefit of the singing is that in their first language music represents hope, love, fun and staying safe. English to them represents things like school and studying," said Jamieson, who routinely uses singing in her ESL classroom. "Now with the songs English is the language of 'No One' and 'Imagine' and they are learning the grammar."

Blucek is hoping to meet with the School Committee this fall to have the program accredited, and is hoping that more parents will become involved, something that is a struggle when dealing with immigrant families.

"This is exciting from a teacher's standpoint, but it is for parents too," she said. "The problem is that most don't know about it yet. My hope is that the family sees (the fliers and workbooks the students take home) so that maybe the little brother sits down with his sister and tries to learn some of these words."

The Agganis Foundation has selected its 2008 scholarship recipients, and as usual, the winners are an impressive group who will be off to some of the top colleges and universities in the country next fall.

With this year's class, the Foundation has awarded $1,253,525 in scholarships to 798 students since its inception in 1955. Agganis Scholarship recipients receive $1,000 for each of the four years they are in college. There are four student-athletes chosen as Yawkey/Agganis scholarship winners, with the scholarships funded by a donation from the Yawkey Foundation.

Two recipients from Lynn receive Michael J. Agganis scholarships, funded by a cousin of Harry Agganis who owns a professional baseball team in Ohio. One recipient, who is a resident of either Swampscott or Marblehead, receives the Angelopulos/Oppenheim scholarship, donated by Chuck Angelopulos in memory of his friend, Peter Oppenheim.

The scholarship winners will receive their awards at the Agganis awards ceremony July 13 at 10 a.m. at Fraser Field.

This year's winners, who are headed to colleges such as Boston College, Harvard and Princeton, include Taylor Callahan, Marblehead, Fairfield; Kathleen Cliffe, St. Mary's, Northeastern University; Courtney Colantuno, Marblehead, Bowdoin; Jane Cui, Boston Latin, Boston University; Jordan Edgett of Lynn/St. John's Prep, Bowdoin; Ann-Marie Elvin, Boston Latin, Princeton; Jaclyn Kapnis, St. Mary's, Stonehill; Christopher Kefalas, St. Mary's, Stonehill; Kristyn Kelley, Peabody, Stonehill; Peter Kinchley, Swampscott, Middlebury; Ngozi Nwaogu, English, Harvard; Kathleen Roche, Boston Latin, Salve Regina; Eric Silva, Classical, Boston College; Alexander Watler, Classical, Harvard; Kristin Shaw Wyke, Salem, Indiana; Amelia Youngstrom, Boston Latin, Barnard; and Alexander Capano, St. Mary's, Providence College.

Silva and Nwaogu are the Michael Agganis Scholarship winners; Kinchley is the Angelopulos/Oppenheim Scholarship winner; Capano will receive the Agganis Foundation Chairman's Scholarship; and Cui, Elvin, Roche and Youngstrom will receive Yawkey/Agganis scholarships.

For 40 years he kept a lid on memories that move him to tears even now, memories of breathtaking missions he flew as a Navy pilot in Vietnam.

“What I came home to in 1969 was so disheartening,” E.J. Breen recalled. “We were called criminals and worse. So I clammed up, and, putting one foot ahead of the other, just began doing whatever I had to do to begin a new life.”

For 20 years he worked for Eastern Airlines, then went into business for himself before finally embarking on what had been his original dream before heading off to war; Breen, who played hockey for Snooks Kelley at BC, became a teacher-coach.

Then about a decade ago, when a Memorial Day program was planned by Vietnam vets at the middle school in Lynn, he was asked to speak.

“My father came to hear me,” Breen said. “By now he was almost 90. I had never spoken a word to him about my experiences in the war and he had never asked about them. He was old Irish, very stoic.

“I began talking about an orphanage my squadron built outside of our base at Camranh Bay where nuns were caring for these kids. We used cement and wood, putting in plumbing and electricity. Suddenly, I was recalling this spot on the edge of the jungle where we saw movement one day. So we grabbed our M16s, jumped into a Jeep and went to see what it was.

“A little boy, not more than three feet high, was standing there with an infant girl in his arms and a baby brother by his side. He had scrapes and cuts all over his body. Our guess was their parents were killed and he knew enough to come to the lowlands.

“So we took them with us, and whenever I returned, that little boy would come running to me with his arms out.

“Remembering the kind of spirit he had, I said I hoped he had somehow made it over here and was an American today. For the first time ever, I saw tears in my father’s eyes.”

Breen never talked about it again, keeping those memories to himself, until last Monday morning.

A column here told of a Presidential Unit Citation about to be presented to U.S. Navy Squadron VO-67 “for extraordinary heroism.” In life-threatening maneuvers it enabled 1,800 Marines to escape certain slaughter at the hands of 20,000 Viet Cong who had surrounded their base at Khe Sanh.

Breen, 64, sitting at his desk in Lynn English High School, waiting for his sophomore history class to arrive, was thumbing through the Herald when he came upon that piece.

“As the kids began filing in, one asked, ‘What’s the matter, Mr. Breen? Is everything OK?’ ”

“As a teacher,” he said, “I wanted them to have a feeling for our history, to feel a connection to it. So I said, ‘I have something I’d like to read to you.’ ”

He had almost reached the end of that column when he began to choke up and had to excuse himself.

“As soon as I stepped back into the classroom,” he said, “they were all over me: ‘Are you going to the ceremony? You’ve got to go!’ I wasn’t planning on going, but they kept insisting I had to be there.”

An adage holds that when the student is ready the teacher will appear, which is pretty much what happened last Monday in the sophomore history class at Lynn English.

Breen flew to Washington to participate in Wednesday’s ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial.

“It was the first time I’d seen those guys in 40 years,” he said. “We’ve all aged, but as soon as we spotted each other there’d be this incredible hug. No words. Just hugging. I couldn’t be happier that I went. That might have been our last chance to ever see one another again.”

“I couldn’t wait to tell the kids what happened,” he said. “I also couldn’t wait to thank them for making me drag my sorry butt down there. They opened a door that’s been shut for a long, long time, and I am so glad they did.”

LYNN - Like so many veterans of the Vietnam War, Nahant native E.J. Breen has been reluctant to discuss the details of his time spent flying low over the hills of Laos as a U.S. Navy pilot during the height of conflict in the late 1960s.

His family and friends, the students in his Lynn English High School history class and the players on the hockey team that he coaches had little knowledge of Breen's experiences in the war, and no idea that he was part of a heroic, top secret mission that saved the lives of more than 1,800 marines battling the North Vietnamese during the 1968 Tet Offensive in Khe Sanh.

Breen gave no clues of his involvement with the VO-67 Observation Team, known as the "ghost squadron" because technically it never existed, even after a 30-year military enforced gag order expired in 1998.

It was not until Breen himself learned that the squadron would be receiving the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation earlier this month for "extraordinary heroism" in Khe Sanh that he decided to share a piece of his experience with his class at LEHS.

To understand the significance of the honor, one must first understand the significance of VO-67's top-secret mission, carried out between February 1967 and July 1968, and the powerful effect it had on Breen's life.

As 20,000 North Vietnamese surrounded 1,800 U.S. Marines on a hill near Khe Sanh, Breen and his fellow squadron members buzzed over the heavily settled jungle, flying as low as 500 feet, close enough to risk being hit by ground fire.

Their goal was to drop sensor fields or eavesdropping devices to the Marines below to alert the soldiers to the movements of enemy troops.

The VO-67 Squadron lost 20 men during this mission, but managed to cut the amount of American casualties in half and aid in an eventual rescue mission for those troops.

"Because it was a secret mission, to us it was just a Marine outpost. We had no idea we were at Khe Sanh," said Breen. "We were originally based in Thailand and we were going on flying missions over Laos."

After the confidential mission was complete, Breen and the remaining members of his squadron returned to Camranh Bay where, among other things, he helped build an orphanage for children affected by the war.

His efforts both at the orphanage and in the air have had an equally strong effect on Breen, who says he still thinks about those children to this day and hopes that they were able to escape their war-torn homeland and come to the United States to start over.

"Every time I see an Asian kid come in to a classroom I think 'It has to be the blood of some of those kids,'" he said. "I hope that they got out of there."

Breen returned home after six years of active duty to work as a pilot for Eastern Airlines for the next two decades. After a brief stint owning a nightclub, he decided to follow his dream and become a teacher/hockey coach.

Now 64, Breen had kept quiet about his experiences in Vietnam for 40 years, until the news of the Presidential Citation surfaced earlier this month.

Breen learned of the honor by chance, thumbing the pages of a Boston newspaper, which had printed a story honoring local members of VO-67, as he waited for a class of sophomores to arrive for the day's lesson.

Shocked and filled with emotion, Breen decided to share the story with his class, explaining the mission and the significance of the honor.

"I wanted to give the kids a feeling of history, so I decided I was going to read the article to them. I got near the end and I started to get kind of choked up, and I had to walk out of the class," he said. "When I came back in they started asking me if I was going to go (to Washington to receive the citation). They told me I had to go, they even offered to take up a collection for me if I couldn't afford to make the trip."

On the advice of his students, Breen made that trip and met with his brothers in arms May 14 at the U.S. Navy Memorial. While he has seen some of his squadron mates in the past, Breen said this trip was different - more meaningful even - as the sole purpose was to receive this prestigious citation.

"I went down to Washington and I met with 45 of my buddies that I hadn't seen in probably 5 years," he said. "This wasn't like one of our reunions where we are laughing and telling stories and having drinks, this was just to receive the unit citation. It was to thank us for saving the 1,800 marines."

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The North Shore Chamber of Commerce’s Awards Dinner honored the top 5% Academic students from

Classical High School along with Seniors from other schools on Tuesday night. Photos by Lori D. & D. Silva

LYNN - High school students from across the city took over City Hall Tuesday as they assumed the roles of city officials for Student Government Day.

The annual event is devised to give students first hand experience as to how a city government operates as well as the ins and outs of the system.

After spending the day walking in the shoes of their assigned city councilors, the students assumed their duties and mock debated various council orders, recommendations and requests on the council agenda.

Classical High School senior Alexander Ritterhaus, who is planning on attending Suffolk University and majoring in government in the fall, shadowed councilor Paula Mackin for the day.

"I have a strong love for our city, and student government day really accentuates that," he said. "One of my teachers said government works like a marble cake and that each of the layers work together, and we got to see that today."

Briana Galeazza, also a senior at Classical High and a future student of Quinnipiac University, agreed with Ritterhaus and said she was happy to catch a glimpse of how local government really works behind the scenes.

"We got the chance to practice a run through of an actual council meeting in the afternoon and we saw how everything works underneath the superficial layers," she said.

While some of the students said they participated in the event solely to gain insight into the world of politics, Gerryanne Jean, a senior at Classical, said she is actively considering pursuing a role as a future city councilor.

"I'm looking at it as a possibility to serve the city," she said. "We'll see what happens."

Jean said she was contacted by councilor Judith Kennedy to work alongside her for the day.

"She said she remembered me from when she was a librarian at my elementary school, and said I used to pick out all of the challenging books to read," she said. "I was surprised she remembered me."

During the mock council meeting, the students discussed hot topics ranging from the feeding of geese at Flax and Sluice ponds, loitering on school property, and designating May 1 as "Silver Star Day" to honor the wounded military soldiers of the city.

A lively back and forth banter from the students amused both the audience and the council members as they guided them through the process.

The students passed several of the requests, such as a trans fat ban in the schools and city restaurants and the donation of used computer printer cartridges from city hall to the school department, while others were determined to need further discussion.

LYNN - It is difficult to imagine anyone could be busier than Lynn resident Nicole Bluefort these days, but the Lynn Classical grad found time between courses at the Northeastern School of Law and public health courses at Tufts University last week to accept the 19th annual Black Judges Book Award at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston.

Bluefort was one of nine award recipients, one from each of the state’s law schools.

Each year, the Massachusetts Black Judges Conference awards stipends to deserving second-year law school students to assist them in covering the costs of their law books for the following year. Law schools nominate students based upon academic achievement, leadership qualities, potential trial skills, and need. The Book Award Committee selects the winners from the list of nominees.

Bluefort is in her second year at the Northeastern Law program, which she began attending after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Boston College in 2006. Although she is very involved with the program, and one of the top students in her class, she said she was shocked to find out that she would be receiving the award, even knowing that Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Bettye Freeman had nominated her.

“It was totally unexpected because Northeastern has a really diverse group of people that study law,” she said. “But ever since I walked in to Northeastern I felt like I was really involved in the program.”

Bluefort is heavily involved in the program, which also does volunteer work, including spending time at Cradles to Crayons in Quincy to help raise money for toys and books for their organization’s disadvantaged youth.

While law school is usually more than enough for one student to handle, Bluefort somehow finds time during her week to attend classes at Tufts University, pursuing a master’s degree in public health.

Commuting from her Sarrell Road home in Lynn every day, she is usually gone for 12 hours at a time attending classes, meetings and functions.

Bluefort will graduate from both programs in 2009, and says she still isn’t sure what she wants to do. One thing that she has determined is that she wants to work to help the disadvantaged.

“Overall, I don’t know specifically what I want to do, I am interested in helping those who are vulnerable, because I feel that it is important to represent that portion of society,” she said. “I know that I want to pursue my clerkship after graduation, so I can get the experience of working with a judge to advise them, write my own opinions and eventually have an opportunity to get published.”

Bluefort has excelled at a trifecta of prestigious Boston schools, and credits much of her success to the education that she received while attending Lynn Public Schools.

“Being from Lynn helped me a lot, especially Classical. There was a lot of support at Classical from teachers that were committed to making sure I reached my potential,” she said. “I also had a great chance to experience leadership positions that helped me to be confident and effective as an attorney.”

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And the decision is... Alex will be attending Harvard, with an Academic Scholarship ! Good Luck, Alex

LYNN -- Most high school kids would be thrilled just to know that a school such as Harvard or MIT deems them worthy of admission.
But Classical senior Alex Watler has the luxury of being able to choose between the two. Not only that, he can also weigh the two against the likes of Worcester Polytech and Dartmouth.
Watler, who was the starting quarterback for last fall's Classical football team, seems to have the choice whittled down to either Harvard or MIT, and he'll be visiting both schools within the next two weeks.
Watler, who wants to major in either computer or electrical engineering, said it's always been a dream of his to get into both schools.
"It's been my goal ever since I started getting good grades in middle school," Watler said. "I wanted to go to the best schools, and Harvard and MIT are the best schools."
He said he has several criteria for choosing a school.
"Obviously, I'm looking for a good environment," he said. "But I also want to have a good time, since I'll be living there. But most of all, I want a school that will enhance my academic experience."
Besides being honored by all these acceptances, Watler has found out he's been picked for the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame. He'll receive his award at a ceremony May 12 at Lombardo's in Randolph.
"I don't know many of the details yet," he said, "except that coach (Matt) Durgin says it is very prestigious (he's one of 22 players in the country to receive the honor).
"I just know that I'll have to make a speech."
Watler says his father, Harold, a computer engineer, has had a huge influence on him.
"His work ethic is inspiring to me ... and to many others," Watler said. "He gives me the will to work harder in the classroom and the athletic field, and it's really paid off."
One thing that could affect Watler's decision: He'll likely play varsity football if he goes to MIT, but would play Intramurals at Harvard.

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LYNN - For 20 years Girls Incorporated of Lynn has been holding its annual fundraising luncheon, and the 2008 version was the largest and most successful yet as Girls Inc. alumni shared success stories and presented Girl Hero awards to two Lynn residents Thursday at the Danversport Yacht Club.

Girls Incorporated alumnae Patricia Tarrance and Bopha Tum were the keynote speakers and award presenters at the event; marking the first time that Girls Inc. has been able to mark the success of its own members, rather than ask an outside speaker to attend the luncheon.

A Lesley College graduate, Tum is a bank manager at Enterprise Bank in Lowell, while Tarrance graduated from Harvard and is currently a math teacher at the Pacific Rim Charter School in Hyde Park. Both are still deeply involved in the organization.

Girl Hero award scholarships were presented to two members of the organization this year, Lynn English senior Gisell De la Cruz and Lynn Classical senior Sokleang Keo, who will both be attending the Wentworth Institute of Technology in the fall.

Sokleang Keo has been a member of Girls Inc. for just over a year, and has participated in many programs, including an internship at the Peabody Essex Museum where she produced a documentary on immigrants called "Old Places, New Faces."

She said Girls Inc. introduced her to new people, programs and ideas that inspired her to try new things and improve life for herself and her community.

"Girls Inc. made a huge difference in my life, it introduced me to so many things that I never would have experienced anywhere else," she said. "There are so many opportunities and it made me want to better myself. I love the staff, too. The staff wants girls to succeed and we are able to succeed because of them."

Sokleang Keo will study engineering at Wentworth, and hopes to become a part of the medical field.
The Girl Hero award comes with a $2,500 scholarship for winners, to be used in any way that will help them when they get to college.

Having lived in the United States for just two years, De la Cruz has been a member at Girls Incorporated nearly as long as she has been a citizen of Lynn, participating in a host of programs, including financial literacy and career planning classes that have helped her adapt to the culture and achieve success both in and out of the classroom.

Ranked 41st in her graduating class at English, De la Cruz has succeeded despite having to learn English on the fly, and has contributed to Girls Inc. with her bilingual skills through the production of a public service announcement for Latino families, encouraging students to take part in Girls Inc.

"When I first came here I was intimidated because of the language barrier, but Girls Inc. helped me figure out who I am and where I wanted to go," she said. "When I found out I was accepted to Wentworth I went through all of the emotions possible. But after I told my parents the only thing I wanted to do was run to Girls Inc. and tell everybody because the staff is so great, they were always there for me and all of my peers, too."

De la Cruz, who wants to be an architect, will not venture to Wentworth alone, as her good friend and fellow award winner, Keo, will be her roommate at college.

Girls Inc. also presented the Strong, Smart and Bold Women Award to alumnus and donor Francis Dichner, an adopted Greek immigrant who moved on from Girls Inc. in Lynn to start her own business, R & L Associates, Inc. in Beverly.

Dichner, a current board member at Girls Inc., joined the organization at age nine after her adoptive father died suddenly of a heart attack. Through her time as a member, she thrived in the safe environment and built her confidence to become one of the area's most successful business women.

Touched by the award, Dichner spoke of the support she received in her time at Girls Inc., and how now it is more important than ever to support the organization to help teenage girls realize their dreams.

"I entered Girls Inc. after my adopted father died of a heart attack, leaving my mother to raise me as an only child, alone. That is when I began to see the world full of options, not obstacles," she said. "That is why it has never been more important for this organization to be fully funded because it is giving young women a chance to benefit in their lives, which in turn gives us a chance to benefit as a society."

The two-hour luncheon was hosted by Channel 7 News Anchor Frances Rivera, and featured dignitaries from throughout Essex County. A charity raffle and auction were held to raise money for Girls Inc., and the organization's chorus performed as entertainment during the event.

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LYNN - Massachusetts high school students put forth an impressive showing on the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) exams in 2007, according to the organization's fourth annual "Report to the Nation," released Wednesday.

The AP program allows qualified students the opportunity to take a course with college-level content while they are still in high school, and if a student scores high enough on the exam at the end of the school year, they may be eligible to receive college credits for their efforts.

In Massachusetts, 17,060 public high school students took the test in the offered subjects in 2007, up nearly 1,000 participants from the previous year.

The state's scholars put together a good showing on the test, with 20. 3 percent achieving a grade of 3 or higher, which is the mark identified as suitable for college-level learning. The 12,208 students to achieve that mark is a giant increase in proficiency since 2006, when only 11,536 students achieved a 3 grade.

Massachusetts' results were well above the national average of 15.2 percent, and a larger percentage than any other state. Additionally, the number of students who took classes in math and science is also higher than the national percentage, with 10.5 percent of students taking an exam in science and 11.9 percent taking an exam in math, compared to 8.1 percent and 9.4 percent nationwide in those subjects.

Although the College Board did not provide statistics, the report also noted that Massachusetts was among the nation's leaders in minority and underprivileged students' participation on the tests.

"Massachusetts educators, administrators and policymakers have made progress in creating access to AP courses for undeserved students," said Gaston Caperton, College Board president. "But there is still work to be done in preparing underrepresented students to succeed in these challenging courses that open the door to college and opportunity."

In Lynn, all three high schools offer Advanced Placement courses to qualified students, and traditionally those test-takers have succeeded when given the opportunity.

In 2007 at Classical High School alone, 14 students achieved AP Scholar status, scoring a 3 or above on the test.

"Competing in the world economy requires students to achieve at ever-higher levels, particularly in math and science," said Dana Mohler-Faria, Bridgewater State College President and Special Education Advisor to Gov. Deval Patrick. "I congratulate students and teachers for their hard work and commitment that went into these good results. Equally important, I encourage students, teachers and communities to consistently increase expectations and the rigor of coursework in all of our schools."

LYNN - Three Lynn high school students will take the stage at Boston Symphony Hall next month as part of the All State Chorus after a successful audition last Saturday.

Lynn English Sophomore tenor Jason Diamond will join Classical seniors Dimitrios Pelekoudis, who is a bass, and Deborah Pierre, who is a soprano. The three students successfully auditioned for the New England district chorus last December, and eventually beat out a total of 1,800 students from across the state for the right to perform in the All State Choral performance at Symphony Hall.

All three students are accomplished musicians, and are looking to study the art after finishing high school.

Pelekoudis will sing at Symphony Hall for the second time, and is also a member of the district's jazz band. He hopes to attend Clark University next year to study psychology and music.

Pierre will also take her musical talent to the college level, attending the Berkeley School of Music after graduation. In addition to the chorus, she is also a member of the district string band and a recipient of the Handel and Hyden music scholarship.

A sophomore, Diamond still has a few years of performing at the high school level ahead of him, and says he is honored and excited to take the stage at a storied performing arts facility like Symphony Hall.

"I am excited about it, it is going to be an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life," he said.

The trio was honored by Superintendent Nicholas Kostan, deputy Superintendents Jaye Wary and Catherine Latham, along with Fine Arts Director Joseph Picano in Kostan's office Tuesday morning.

"This is a great thing for these students and a great thing for the district," said Kostan. "Congratulations to all of them and good luck."

All three students will participate in the district's high school and middle school concert Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in the Lynn English Auditorium. The concert will feature both middle and high school concert bands, jazz bands, string ensembles and orchestras, including the debut of the Lynn Public Schools Middle School Orchestra.

1/31/08 - Kelsey Cowdell and Evan D’Avolio were awarded the Certificate of Academic Excellence last night at the Lynn School Committee meeting. This award is given through the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents to high school students who have distinguished themselves in the pursuit of excellence during their high school careers.

Senior Kelsey Cowdell produced the highest GPA of any student in Lynn Public Schools over the last four years, finishing her senior year with a 4.510 average. A member of Mock Trial, College Bowl, Key Club, Spanish Club and varsity swim team, Cowdell has received awards from the National Honors Society, Rotary Youth Leadership Institute, AP Scholar Institute and the National Merit Scholarship.

Finishing just behind Cowdell in the Classical senior class of 362 is Evan D’Avolio, who earned a GPA of 4.509. He is the president of the National Honor Society, captain of the varsity tennis team, captain of the varsity bowl team and plays violin for the Lynn City Orchestra. D’Avolino also volunteers at Union Hospital and plans to attend medical school after graduation.

LYNN - From Shakespeare to Broadway, live theatre has survived for centuries through the advent of moving pictures, radio broadcasts, television and iPods, and remains a thriving art form into the 21st century.

A great production requires top-notch performances from actors and crew alike, but none of that can get off the ground without a strong writer and a great script.

One group of Lynn Classical students is taking the first step in becoming the next great American playwrights by participating in a unique program at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, where they will work one-on-one with theatre professionals to polish their scriptwriting skills and produce an original work.

The program, titled "Young Voices Playwriting," is designed to mirror the process of professional play development. Participants attend an intensive six-day workshop with the Huntington's Literary Manager, followed by ongoing one-on-one mentoring by other local playwrights as the students draft and revise a short play. The program culminates with a staged reading of the students' work.

English Department Chair Jerry Burke says he has worked with the Huntington in the past on other programs and after school activities, and the theatre had originally asked for one student from the school to participate in the 10-student workshop.

But Burke felt strongly that all four of his nominated students were right for the program, and eventually convinced the theatre to take all of them because they were strong writers, who were motivated and had a deep interest in participating.

The four students, sophomore Cassandra Murkison, junior Samantha Fret and seniors Sarah Gillis and Shannon Coombs are all writers by definition, but their interests and goals vary when they put pen to paper, opening the door for some unique interpretations of traditional theater.

For Murkison, script writing is a large piece of her creative works, and she says she has always wanted to be a professional scriptwriter after school. In her spare time she does a lot of writing, and she is also an actor, participating in the school theatre group.

"I write everything, I have written novels and I have written a lot of scripts out of boredom," she says. "I always think of things in terms of scripts when I am writing, but some things work better as a novel. It depends on the way I am thinking of the story - if it is in first person it is usually a novel, but third person would be a script."

Also an actor, Fret was inspired to participate in the workshop because of the opportunity to "create something great," even though she is not sure what she is going to write about when she sits down to pen her original work.

Gillis, an editor on the school newspaper and a fan of writing about politics and history, is hoping the opportunity to work with professionals will help her organize her thoughts and focus more on her original writing.

She already has some ideas in mind for her one-act piece, in which she is hoping to use the example of King George III to illustrate President Bush's leadership over the past eight years.

"In my writing I have been trying to do a lot of original work, but I have been having trouble pushing it out of my head," she said. "I am hoping this will help."

Gillis says she is also interested in acting, inspired by her father who is a photographer and filmmaker to produce her own work while she is in high school.

While her friends and classmates are interested in both writing and acting, Coombs tends to avoid the stage, as she does not like to perform in front of people. Although very interested in the scriptwriting component of the workshop, she would prefer to stay in the background as a writer manipulating the actors on stage with her words.

"I was recommended for the program. I have never tried scriptwriting and I thought it would be fun," she said. "I am mostly interested in writing romance novels."

The workshop will help all four students learn the ropes of scriptwriting, as well as valuable lessons in technique and style, which may go beyond the standard classroom curriculum.

Theatre class and creative writing courses touch on some of these aspects, but all four writers agree that it will be fun to step away from the literature and grammar-dominated English courses, and spend some time learning about the writing that they are most interested in.

The girls begin their workshop next week, and will step on stage to read their one-act play at the end of the program in April.

He burst on the local athletic scene when he was a sophomore in high school - thrown into a huge local football game because the guy ahead of him on the depth chart managed to get suspended.
He performed admirably in that game, and even though his team lost in a most heartbreaking manner, Eric McGrath could hold his head high. In fact, that night turned out to be the coming-out party for one of the city's most gifted - and popular - high school athletes of the decade. McGrath played every down for Lynn Classical from that point on, and doubled as a pitcher/first baseman/outfielder on the baseball team. In his final game, in Andover, he ran practically the equivalent of the two-mile-run chasing fly balls in the spacious outfield.
These days, McGrath is playing football and baseball for Trinity College in Hartford, Conn - again, with positive results.
The Bantams were 6-2 this past fall, but McGrath wasn't around to see the end of the season. He broke his hand in the first quarter of the seventh game, and had to shut it down.
Overall, he says, the season went well.
"We lost a couple of tough games," he said. "It was a weird season. I started off real hot for four weeks. Things were going really well.
"The two games we lost, I, unfortunately, didn't play as well as I'm capable of playing. I singlehandedly didn't lose the games, but didn't make enough plays to win."
What made it tougher for him was one of those games was at Tufts, and "a lot of people from home were there. And I laid an egg. But it makes you better in the long run. I'm certainly excited for next season."
McGrath, a junior, is anxious to get started on baseball for a number of reasons. First, he feels he had a subpar year on the mound in 2006 - at least for him.
"I struggled a little last year with baseball," he said. "I was the No. 2 starter to start the year, but I had trouble finding the strike zone. I didn't have as much success as I'd have liked.
"I know I have good enough stuff to get people out," he said. "I had some solid outings. But I also had a few games where I really didn't have it."
A lot of the problem, he said, was due to location.
"If you fall behind guys, you get ripped around," he said. "I really don't know why that happened. I think it was just that I was struggling with mechanics. I don't think my mechanics were right.
"I was leaving myself open, my arm was behind, and I was missing high in the zone," he said. "That's what usually happens with me."
Team-wise, though, the Bantams were one of the top teams in Division 3. And they should be better this season, McGrath feels, with him - hopefully - back in from as well as Swampscott's Tim Kiely.
"He should be one of the top Division 3 pitchers in the country," McGrath says.
He played a lot of ball last summer, though, some of it with the Swampscott Sox of the North Shore Baseball League.
"I think," he said, "I got it straightened out a little last summer."
And what about this summer? Would he be interested in the playing for the fledgling North Shore Navigators of the New England Collegiate Baseball League?
"It's hard to really answer that question," he said. "I haven't been approached by anyone. I've heard that there's interest, but until I'm actually approached, I can't really say.
"But would I be interested if someone asked me? Absolutely," he said.
In the meantime, he's taking it slow, not only because he feels instinctively he needs to heal from the broken hand, but because his coaches have told him to.
"I'm just starting now to get back into it," he says. "I didn't' want to rush it, plus coach told me to take it slow."
McGrath and a few of his teammates are headed for Florida this week to start training.
On the home front, McGrath said he was happy to see that his alma mater had a good football season, but was chagrined to see that the Rams lost - yet again - to Gloucester in heartbreaking fashion - just like they did in his first-ever start.
"They just have to get over the hump once (and win one of those close games)," he said. "I don't think that, talent-wise, there's much of a difference."
He also was surprised to hear that English's Gary Molea would no longer be coaching football.
"He coached me in an all-star game, and we've always had a good relationship," he said. "I wish English well. I hope they win every game until Thanksgiving, and I hope they lose every Thanksgiving," he said. "You know what I mean ..."

MIGUEL CASTRO, Classical - Sophomore forward ... NEC all-star ... Led the conference with 33 goals and 43 points ... One of the top scorers in Eastern Mass.

CARLOS CIFUENTES, Classical - Junior captain ... NEC all-star ... Two-time captain ... Had 10 goals on the season ... "He is a leader on the field," according to coach Joe Skahan.

COURTNEY SULLIVAN, Classical - Senior captain ...Two-year NEC all-star ... Made over 200 saves each of the last two years ... Great leader ... Team Most Valuable Player.

VINNY AMENTA, Classical - Senior ... Northeastern Conference/North all-star .. Played No. 1 for most of the season for coach Jay Fiste ... Two-time Item all-star ... Represented the Rams at the Northeastern Conference Open at Tedesco.

JOHNNY LONG, Classical - Senior ... Turned in firstplace finishes against both Saugus and English ... Finished among the top five in all his races.

Classical’s Student Linguists Help Out Families who Struggle with English

By Dan Baer/The Daily Item, 12/2/07

LYNN - Classical High School junior Sam Ludin speaks English well. In the four years since the native of Afghanistan, who grew up in Pakistan, has lived in Lynn he has learned to speak with virtually no accent.

His parents cannot say the same. While they have adapted to the lifestyle and language to a point, Ludin still communicates in his native tongue at home, and is asked to provide interpretation for the rest of his family whenever they need to interact with English-speaking residents.

For too many families in Lynn, language barriers are a harsh reality of the challenges faced when moving to a new country. While the city takes pride in its diverse population, it is impossible to overlook the problem that language creates on a daily basis for these immigrants.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in the school system. In a world where parents are encouraged to take a strong interest in their children’s education, immigrant parents struggle when talking to teachers or attending annual open houses because they simply cannot understand what is being said.

Ludin, along with 29 other Lynn Classical students, are working to change that. Under the supervision of Foreign Language Department Head Jacki Harrington, the school has organized a student-translator program, where multi-lingual students volunteer to translate for teachers and parents in the city’s elementary schools.

Since the experiment got off the ground in early November, Harrington says she has 30 volunteers who speak a total of 13 different languages, including at least one she had to look up on the Internet because she had never heard of it.

“We were at a meeting speaking with Kim Powers, the principal at Ingalls Elementary,” explained Classical Principal Warren White. “And it came up that it is frustrating for immigrant parents because we try so hard to get them in the schools, but when they finally come they cannot speak the language so it is difficult to get them back.”

The conversation lit a fire in Harrington, who went to her foreign language classrooms and presented the idea of interpreting to any students that spoke other languages well enough to translate. Initially 12-14 students showed interest, but after talking to their friends Harrington quickly had a group of 30 volunteers on her hands.

“This is wonderful just for students to want to help out and volunteer. It is great also because they need these volunteer hours, and it looks great on a college application,” she said. “Above and beyond all of that, it is an awful lot of fun and I know the parents really appreciate it.”

Harrington informed all of the elementary schools, along with the administrative offices of the offering, and says she has had a great response. She is hoping to organize the framework of the program this year when the demand is light, in preparation for next year when she expects requests for interpreters at most elementary school open houses.

Anyone who agrees to interpret must sign a confidentiality agreement, and must agree to be responsible and accurate when translating.

Students that participate in the program say they were inspired to help because of their own family situations.

Junior Cesar Castro says his family speaks mostly Spanish, and he often has to interpret for them. Junior Kelly Yin, who is Cambodian, says she was in a similar situation in elementary school, and she wanted to help others in the community that speak her native Khmer.

“I love working with little kids, and a lot of parents don’t know how to speak English so they really need the help,” she said. “When I was a kid, the other kids make fun of you because you don’t speak English. It is easier now, but I want to help the other students.”

Along with the public service, students say that interpreting helps with learning to speak other languages, as many are enrolled in classes to learn even more.

“Knowing Spanish helps me with French and learning other languages,” said senior Jackie Batres.

Harrington says schools can contact her if they need an interpreter. As of this month, the group is available to help in 13 languages: Spanish, Khmer, French, Creole, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Laotian, Swahili, Russian, Arabic, both common and traditional, Farsi, Urclu and Pashto.

Ludin, who is fluent in the last three languages on the list, says he is yet to actually interpret for a parent, but he looks forward to his first assignment so that he can help another family who is going through the same obstacles that he has had to overcome.

“Learning and helping, if I can help anybody it would be an honor for me,” he said. “I know what it is like with parents that cannot speak English. Everywhere my parents go, I have to go with them, so any way that I can help would be an honor.”

LYNN-Sealed in plastic and closed shut with stickers, the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) tests are protected as if they possessed all the answers of the universe.

After a full year — summers included — of studying at the level of a college sophomore, the exam is administered to high school juniors and seniors enrolled in the AP program to determine if the students are worthy of college credits in that subject.

While the courses are demanding on their own, students say the test is challenging on a level that makes the SAT and MCAS look like coloring books.

But a group of Lynn Classical students managed to conquer the AP program last spring, as 10 individuals earned the designation of AP Scholars, and four as AP Scholars with Honors.

To become an AP Scholar a student must achieve a grade of three or higher on three or more exams, which are scored on a scale of one to five. AP Scholars with Honors achieved a score of 3.75 or higher on at least four AP exams.

“The AP test is more in depth and a lot more difficult than the MCAS,” said AP Scholar Eric Silva. “You have to know more specific things, rather than just general information like ‘what is photosynthesis.’”

Classical offers the program in several subject areas, including biology, history, calculus, English, statistics, English literature and composition, French, Spanish, German and economics.

Teachers who want to offer a course must prepare a curriculum for the program that is reviewed and approved by the College Board.

Students can enroll in as many courses as they would like, but must complete a series of summer assignments on deadline and projects during the school year. As a reward for their hard work, the AP test awaits them at the end of the year, covering the subject in detail and testing the students’ knowledge at a college level.

In 2006, juniors Amy Bourgeois, Kelsey Cowdell, Evan D’Avolio, Gerry Anne Jean, Emily Pring and Silva joined seniors Corey Cheever, Vincente Gonzalez, James Khun and Sandra Korpalska as AP Scholars, and juniors Brian Coffill, Eliana Field and Maria Renken joined senior Courtney D’Entremont as AP Scholars with Honors.

Depending on the colleges these students attend, their passing scores on the test could mean an extra three college credits in each course, and at the very least, mean a very noteworthy distinction to be included on applications.

“Since we are taking the college level courses, it helps to prepare you for the subject in college,” said Pring. “It is definitely something to put on the application.”

Of the 1.4 million high school students in the country who enroll in the AP program each year, only 18 percent achieve AP Scholar distinction, which comes with a certificate and the possible college credit. The College Board does not offer monetary scholarships for these students.

“These students work hard for the courses, for a student to take three or four of these courses it isn’t just being in the classroom, they have work to do over the summer with deadlines they have to meet,” said Classical Dean of Students Christine Lander. For a student to put in that sort of dedication really says something.”

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LYNN - As academic standards continue to rise at the Department of Education (DOE), Lynn Classical biology students have a leg up on new MCAS requirements, becoming the first school in the city to pass the biology portion of the test, which is now required for 10th grade students to graduate.

While most sophomores in the city will take the test this spring for the first time, Classical science teachers elected to give the test to the freshman honors biology class at the end of the 2006-2007 school year, the same time that the school's 10th graders were taking a pilot version of the test that did not count.

The results were impressive, as 50 of the 52 freshman students who took the test passed, fulfilling the science and technology portion well ahead of schedule.

School administrators say the decision to take the test early was made because students in the honors biology class had already completed two years in the subject, as opposed to other students who would take the course again in 10th grade.

If the honors students had waited until 10th grade, they would have been taking the test after a year of chemistry classes, which would hurt those who choose to take the biology science test.

Students in the honors program who took the test said the questions were a mixture of challenging material and common sense science, usually presented as multiple choice and open-ended questions.

"It was a mixture of stuff we had learned and stuff we should already know," said Lucio Galvan, who said he did not have much trouble with the test.

"There was some stuff on evolution, anatomy, and we had to explain cycles," said Rith Roung. "I am glad I don't have to take it again next year."

The DOE has made it challenging for some students to pass the science portion of the test, as they will not offer a re-test in any science subject until 2009. So if a student took and failed the biology portion this year, that student would then have to pass a chemistry, physics or engineering test in its place.

In data released by the DOE, 10th graders who took the test last year when it did not count scored a 55.4 percent Composite Performance Index (CPI) rating, 13 percent lower than the state average. English High students scored a 54.6 percent rating and Lynn Vocational and Technical Institute students scored a 31.2 percent rating.

Because the honors class is a mix of freshman and sophomores, some of the students who took the test were not required to pass. The freshmen test-takers said the sophomores did not take the biology test seriously because they knew it did not count, and spent a lot of time guessing on the answers rather than studying. This would suggest that the DOE's preliminary numbers from the pilot tests are somewhat deceiving, as students for whom the test counted scored much higher than those who did not have to pass.

"They kept making fun of us, saying they were glad it didn't count for them," said Abby Field. "So I don't think they took it very seriously."

Students said that biology teachers did a good job in preparing them to take the test, and suggested that when their peers take the exam this year, they listen to the teachers and study what is covered in class and they will have a good chance of passing.

"It was a difficult test, but we spent the month before going over how to take the test and what would be on it, so that was really helpful," said student Jarred Fay.

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LYNN -- Go golfing with friends in Florida or spend a Saturday night at Connery Rink dressed for the Iditarod.

It's a tough choice.

But after 30 something years in the Lynn schools, Classical High teacher, coach, assistant athletic director and, most recently, guidance counselor Penny Pension has decided to give Plan A a try.
Pension's last day at Classical is Friday. Although she can't say she'll miss the 12-14 hour days that go along with teaching, coaching two seasons of tennis and serving as assistant athletic director, Pension said she's looking forward to retirement, even if it means tackling some home repairs that were put on the back burner. She said her first project will be scraping off some wallpaper that dates back to 1929, the year her house was built.
"I'll definitely miss the kids," Pension said. "And I'll miss a lot of my co-workers."
Pension's retirement comes on the heels of former Classical athletic director Dick Ruth's retirement at the end of the last school year. The two, who have been friends since they were first graders at St. Pius Grammar School, spent the last 17 years keeping the Classical athletic programs running smoothly.
"I don't think I could have done the job for 19 years if it wasn't for her," Ruth said. "She made things a lot easier ... I could be out of the building and not worry about things."
Ruth said Pension's ability was never more evident than when he served as acting principal and she took over as acting AD.
"She handled everything as well if not better," he said.
Although Pension has been working in the high school level since coming to the old Classical on North Common Street in 1988, she started her teaching career in Lynn at the old Cobbet Junior High in 1973. When Cobbet closed in 1980, she ended up at Eastern Junior High, now Thurgood Marshall Middle School. She stayed there for eight years, making the move to Classical around 1988.
Pension's career as a physical education teacher began around the same time as that Title IX , which prohibited discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity receiving federal funding, started to change the face of women's sports.
"People finally realized that females can play sports and if they're going to play, they need to be strong and be taught correctly," she said.
Although Title IX wasn't around when Pension played field hockey, basketball and softball at English High School, or when she was a student at Boston University, sports were and continue to be big part of Pension's life.
Pension played softball up until last year and she continues to play golf, a sport she took up about 20 years ago, and bowl. She said she's hoping to play even more golf in her retirement as well as spend more time canoeing and kayaking at her vacation home in Maine.
Ironically, the one sport she really didn't know much about was tennis and that's the sport she ended up coaching for 19 years.
"I got into coaching (tennis) because Dick Ruth made me," Pension joked.
Pension ssaid Ruth had just taken over at athletic director at Classical and she had just arrived at the school.
"He turned to me and said 'you're the new tennis coach.' I said I don't want to coach tennis .He said 'if you don't coach they don't have a team."
Ruth won that battle.
"I enjoyed coaching the boys and girls. It's two completely different things," she said.
Pension also refereed basketball, although she's gotten away from it with the exception of doing the elementary school tournament.
Pension said she's enjoyed teaching in a school with a diversity student body.
Pension said the kids all get along fine, for the most part, and when you take them to other schools that aren't quite as diverse, they get along with everybody.
"They're used to being with other cultures. When they get out into the work world, they're not afraid of other cultures," she said.
As for those cold nights spent at the hockey rink (Pension had the choice between basketball and hockey), the outgoing assistant AD said with proper attire, and that includes the long underwear, it's really not that bad.

BEVERLY - The Endicott College women's soccer team will play in its sixth straight Commonwealth Cost Conference title game Saturday afternoon as the Gulls defeated Gordon College, 2-0, Wednesday in the league semifinals.

Endicott, looking for its fifth-straight title, opened the game with a beautiful goal by senior forward and Lynn Classical alumnus Paula McGinn in the 14th minute.

Senior Ashley Clark found a streaking McGinn in the middle of the field and hit her with a perfect feed. McGinn took the pass and buried a shot in the top-right corner past Gordon goalkeeper Abby Ytzen, who came off her line to challenge the shooter.
The lone Endicott goal would be all the scoring in the opening half, as the Gulls held a strong 8-1 advantage in shots thru the first 45:00 minutes of action.
Gordon turned up the intensity in the second frame as the Fighting Scots began to challenge the Endicott defense and goalkeeper Amy Meuse of Saugus. However it would be the Gulls who would strike again, this time on a shot by Margreta Weber.
The senior midfielder found the back of the net off a pass from sophomore Kellie Lajoie, placing the ball just out of Ytzen's reach for the 2-0 advantage.
The lead would prove insurmountable as the Endicott defense clamped down to seal the victory. Meuse made two saves to earn the shutout, while her counterpart Ytzen turned away three shots for the visitors.
With the win, Endicott improves to 15-5 overall.
The top-seeded Gulls will host the No. 3 seed Roger Williams University in the CCC Finals on Saturday afternoon (1).
The Hawks upset Western New England College, 1-0, Wednesday to advance to the championship game.

Principal Warren White of Lynn Classical High School announced today that Amy L. Bourgeois and Kelsey M. Cowdell have been named as Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Corporation Program. A letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program was presented by the principal to these scholastically talented seniors.

Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.4 million students who entered the 2008 competition by taking the 2006 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSWQT).

The Commended Students in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program are distinguished by their strong academic performance in this rigorous competition.

Principal Warren White of Lynn Classical announced that Alex Watler was presented with a certificate from the National Achievement Program recognizing his achievement on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT Test).

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LYNN - Taking a break from his challenging class schedule, Lynn Classical Senior Class President Johnny Long offers his voice for the daily announcements before last period classes every day.

When he is not planning fundraisers and events after school, such as the prom and other school activities, he is working one of his two jobs, one at CVS and the other as a manager at the McDonalds Restaurant located inside Wal-Mart on the Lynnway.

So when his history teacher suggested that he prepare for his senior economics class by applying to attend an Economics for Leaders program at Cornell University last summer, no one would have blamed him if he politely declined for scheduling reasons.

But Long saw an opportunity, not only to improve his knowledge in his favorite subject, but to learn leadership skills that will help him now as class president and manager, and in the future when he starts his own business.

Long was one of only 50 high school seniors in the country to attend the weeklong seminar at the university, located in Ithaca, NY. His days were spent at economics seminars, his nights participating in a variety of leadership activities.

He says the math came easy to him, but the course was very helpful knowing that he would be entering economics class this year. He credited the teacher with doing a great job helping the students understand the concepts of economics, but it was the leadership activities — some physical; others mental — that he said helped him the most.

“The leadership helped me a lot,” he said. “I knew that I needed it to help me with being class president and also in the future when I go to open my own business.”

At the end of the program, Long took an economics exam which he passed with a score higher than 80 percent, meaning he was awarded with a certificate from the Foundation for Teaching Economics, the organization that organized the seminar.

Long is preparing to apply to several area colleges known for their business programs, including Babson, Boston University, Brandeis and Boston College. He hopes to major in business, and says his future plans are to “become an entrepreneur, open my own business and then become a teacher when I am in my 30s.”

His week in upstate New York was not all work. Long said he took time to tour the campus and everything that Ithaca had to offer, and he also fostered lifelong friendships with the other students there, setting up a Facebook.com web page so they can all remain in contact.

“For me the most important part was the leadership training, meeting those 50 people really helped me,” he said. “This is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, and everyone else that was there thought so too.”

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I am pleased to announce that Johnny Long, a Senior at Lynn Classical High School , has been recognized for his outstanding accomplishments while attending the Economics for Leaders program at Cornell University this past summer. This was one of the fifteen Economics for Leaders programs conducted by the Foundation for Teaching Economic throughout the United States this year.

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