These members of the Key Club at Classical High served food at My Brother's Table every third Wednesday this school year. From left to right, Linda Duong, vice president, Kim Tran, treasurer and Sophany Chau, president.
IN THE NEWS
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Classical High Key Club is Honored for Charity Work
LYNN-A dedication to the community and an enthusiasm to aid those who are in need has become the motto for students in the Classical High School Key Club.
Teen Drivers May Face Cell Phone Ban in Lynn
LYNN - City Council President Timothy Phelan has a text
message that he would like to send to every teenager in the city that is sure to
put a cramp in their driving styles.
A newly proposed ordinance may soon prohibit individuals under the age of 18
from texting and talking on a wireless phone while operating a motor vehicle
within the city.
A dangerous combination, according to Phelan, who said he had been thinking
about creating the ordinance for “quite awhile” after a close encounter with
a young, reckless driver in the city.
“I generated interest in this after I was almost killed one day by a young
girl while driving in my car,” he said. “She never even noticed me as she
had one hand on the wheel and one hand on her cell phone. She took a corner
really fast and missed my car by one inch and didn’t even know.”
If approved, teens could face a $200 fine for the first offense, $250 for a
second offense and $300 for a third offense.
Phelan said a public hearing would be held on Tuesday at city hall during an
Ordinance Committee meeting at 6:45 p.m. to further discuss the proposed
regulation.
Anticipating negative responses from teens throughout the city at the hearing,
Phelan said he is prepared to stand by his claim that new drivers should focus
on learning how to drive instead of being distracted by talking on the phone.
“Being on the road is not a right, it’s a privilege,” he said. “Kids
have to understand that a car is not a toy, but a vehicle that can kill people
and themselves.”
Although Phelan said the proposed ordinance calls for teenagers to abstain from
using cellular phones while driving, there are some exceptions to the rule.
Calls for emergency purposes such as health or safety concerns, or to report a
fire or other urgent situation are permitted if the driver pulls over to make
the phone call.
“This will be another tool for parents to use, because I think that a large
percentage of kids listen to their parents,” he said. “If this ordinance can
save even one life, then it’s worth it…I don’t want someone to die because
a kid was reading or sending a text message while driving.”
Phelan said he plans to extend an invitation to the police department and local
driving instructors for Tuesday’s hearing to gain input on the matter.
Cops KO Counterfeit Check
Scam "It was a good bit of police work,"
said Lt. Dave Brown, Lynn Police spokesman. Police first became aware of
the bad checks when a Lynn man tried to cash a $500 gift check at the State
Street Century Bank Monday.
Within hours, Lynn Police were working with the
U.S. Secret Service and arrested Lawrence Unegbu, 30, 34 Hanover St., Lynn.
Police charged Unegbu with possession of counterfeit notes and conspiracy.
Unegbu was arrested while in possession of a
Federal Express package containing 266 separate fraudulent notes, said police.
The fraudulent notes were separated into 35 individual envelopes, each with an
address and name for delivery. Police said the envelopes were destined for
addresses throughout the country.
According to Brown, each name represented a
"potential victim." Brown would not say if detectives would contact
the fraud victims. Police allege that Unegbu arranged to have the
checks delivered through Federal Express to a friend's address in Lynn. The Federal Express envelope was addressed to
David Johnson and was delivered to his residence. Police said Johnson did not
authorize Unegbu to have the package sent as such. According
to court records, Johnson did use a few of the fraudulent checks.
"He passed four of the checks, and gave one to his cousin," said
police. Johnson paid a debt to his cousin with the fake gift check, and when
Benjamin Rivers tried to cash it, the bank took notice. Rivers, a regular bank
customer, tried to cash the check not knowing it was counterfeit, said police.
Johnson was not charged.
"The denomination of $500 is the red
flag," said Brown. The highest dollar amount that American Express issues a
gift check is $100.
Investigators believe the counterfeit checks
were part of an ongoing Nigerian Internet scam. The fraud is a basic one, said
Brown. Potential victims are contacted through
e-mail and told they've won a prize of some sort. The potential dupe responds
and the counterfeit gift checks are sent in the mail.
"These checks were on their way to many individuals," said Brown.
After the checks arrive the victim sends money in return. With
variations on the theme, that's the basic scam, said Brown.
Police found Unegbu at Johnson's door with the
package in hand. Police heard Unegbu ask Johnson why the package was open. With
that police contend that Unegbu showed knowledge of the contents when asking
about a missing envelope. Police would not confirm
that Unegbu sent the package. Nor could police say if Unegbu, an immigrant, was
from Nigeria. Banks have been on the lookout for
American Express Gift Check in the $500 denomination, and Lynn police were
recently made aware during a briefing Ken Jenkins,
spokesman for the Boston office of Secret Service, would not speculate why
denominations of $500 were being manufactured when it's common knowledge that
the highest amount of issue is $100. "It's not
common, but we have seen them," said Jenkins.
A data base search revealed little in the
national news on the latest incarnation of Nigerian scams. Last month in South
Carolina, $38,856 in fake American Express Gift Checks surfaced that were tied
to Nigerian scams. When asked if Unegbu's operation
was part of something larger, Jenkins said that Lynn Police will oversee the
investigation. The Secret Service generally leaves investigations into the
smaller counterfeit operations with the original jurisdiction, said Jenkins.
Brown said the investigation is ongoing and
could not elaborate on its direction. Unegbu was
arraigned in Lynn District Court, where a not guilty plea was entered. Bail was
set at $2,500 cash, or $25,000 bond. Court records show Unegbu has a record of
deflating on bail, and faces deportation if convicted. Unegbu was sent to the
Essex House of Corrections in lieu of bail and is due in court on Dec. 13 for a
probable cause hearing.
By Greg Skinner, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday,
November 16, 2006
LYNN - A large
amount of counterfeit notes destined for a Nigerian Internet scam were
intercepted Monday by Lynn Police. In all,
$137,200 in counterfeit American Express Gift Checks, travelers checks and
postal money orders were confiscated.
Cops Grab Counterfeit
Merchandise Acting on information provided by a private
investigation firm hired by Nike, the Lynn Police Special Investigations Unit
acquired three search warrants for businesses on Union Street. In each store
police found what they expected: fake Nike shoes, Timberline boots, and NFL
clothing. The investigation firm, Powers and Associates, represents trademark
companies.
Central Sound, Franklin's CD2, and Y&B
International were named on the warrants as suspect businesses and raids were
conducted in each.
"The primary shoe was the Nike Air Force
One," said Rick Carrow, Lynn Police sergeant in charge if the SIU.
"Every business in Lynn has the shoes,
they're everywhere," said Moon Chang owner of Y&B. The investigator said all the stores raided
have been selling the counterfeit items for months. Charles Ward, owner of Central Sound, declined
to comment on the raids or his arrest. Police took 281 pairs of Nike shoes and
59 pairs of Timberland boots from his Freedman Square business.
All the items were determined to be counterfeit
by several employees of Powers and Associates. Chang said that police took the
shoes from the displays and the investigators called in numbers found on the
merchandise.
"They were able to determine instantly
that shoes were counterfeit," said Carrow.
In each store was found enough counterfeit
material to bring felony charges against the owners. Carrow said he doubts that
anyone will actually do jail time, though sentences of up to five years are
possible.
On the totem pole of crime in Lynn. counterfeit
shoes are near the bottom, said Carrow.
"It's the crime of the century," said
the lead private investigator for Powers and Associates. Merchants rarely do
jail time and most get a slap on the wrist, she said.
Chang would not say the value of counterfeit
stock he lost in the raid. Police cleared an entire wall of stock and took all
the money in the register and my pockets, said Chang.
The counterfeit shoes and clothing found on
Union St. connect to a world far beyond the downtown Lynn business district.
Lynn is on the street level of a $200 billion a year industry.
In August U.S. Customs officials in Norfolk VA
snagged a shipping container labeled "salt kelp and jellyfish" that
contained 1,061 cartons of counterfeit Nike Air Force One shoes. The shoes were
valued at $1,022,775, said Michael Balero, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border
Protection. Nike considers that amount as lost income, said the Powers and
Associates investigator.
Stretching farther beyond America's borders,
the International Criminal Police Organization testified before Congress in 2003
that counterfeit shoes and clothing fund AlQuada activities worldwide. And, the
FBI believes that the 1993 World Trade Center bombing was financed largely by
counterfeit T-shirts.
Most of the counterfeits captured are
destroyed. But, days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Gulf Coast in 2005
the U.S. customs announced that $14.7 million worth of counterfeit shoes and
clothing would be diverted from U.S. Customs incinerators and handed out to the
tens of thousands people left with only filthy and contaminated clothing.
Downtown merchants spread the word of the raid
and by Thursday the remaining "fakes" were being pulled from shelves.
"That's what we hope for," said an
investigator.
A Central Square merchant not caught in the
raid explained her perspective on the fakes on condition of anonymity.
"People sell knock offs of everything," she said. The idea to sell the
shoes came from a sibling who has been selling the shoes to friends for several
months.
The merchant hoped to attract more business
with the shoes and paid $70 for the shoes before selling them for $80 - $40 less
than Footlocker.Her fake Nikes come from a seller in Chelsea, "I though he
worked for Nike and sold shoes on the side you know." Pointing to the
quality of the fake Nike and the detailed packaging she asked, "Who could
tell these are fake?"
"This is high tech, high quality
counterfeiting," said the Powers and Associates spokesperson. "You
can't make these in America." China in the number one source for anything
counterfeit, said the investigator.
Chang explained that Y&B had no idea the
shoes were not authentic. They bought the shoes from someone they don't know and
there was no phone number, no name, no receipt.
"What did they think they are
buying," asked the investigator? To the retailer who justifies selling
counterfeit items as being and entrepreneur trying to make a buck, the
investigator says, "Sell the right item and sell it legally, pay your taxes
and be a good citizen."
The owners of Y&B and Franklin's CD2 will
be summoned to Lynn District Court on charges of violating the intellectual
property rights of the trademark holders and face unknown penalties. Ward is due
back in Lynn court on Dec 12 for a probable cause hearing. Ward faces up to
30-months in prison and fines of three times the retail value of merchandise
taken from his store.
By Greg Skinner, The Daily Item of Lynn, Monday,
November 13, 2006
LYNN - Police raids
on three downtown businesses last Wednesday took hundreds of pairs of
counterfeit Nike shoes from shelves, leading to one arrest on felony charges.
Over 1,000 items, representing $128,000 in retail sale value, were seized during
the raid.
Classical Dean Proud of
Student Progress "We had a great improvement in math, and
we're really happy about that," she said. "We saw improvements among
all levels."
Results in English Language Arts show that 10
percent of Classical students were advanced, down 1 percent from last year, 49
percent were proficient, up 4 percent from last year, 32 percent need
improvement, up 5 percent from last year, and 9 percent are failing, down eight
percent from last year.
In math, 29 percent of Classical students are
advanced, up 9 percent from last year, 29 percent are proficient, up 4 percent
from last year, 27 percent need improvement, down 4 percent from last year, and
16 percent are failing, down 8 percent from last year.
Lander said six students scored high advanced,
with a score of between 276-280, all in mathematics.
"That is the most we've had," she
said. "We had three last year, so we're really excited about that."
Some of the reasons Lander said she feels the
school has performed at such a high rate this year include the extra efforts put
forth by the teachers at Classical. She said home room has been turned into
"mentor period," giving students the same home room teacher for their
entire four years of school. She said this has given students the opportunity to
confide in their teachers and have someone to talk to when necessary.
"Also, we have teachers that are
considered highly qualified teaching our courses," she said.
Lander said the district's decision to be sure
that each 10th grade student in Lynn partook in geometry before taking the MCAS
was also a great help. And the addition of the PLATO software - a computer
assisted MCAS-prep course - also played a role in their success
"We're always proud of our students,"
she said. "They really are a credit to their families and community. They
really work hard."
By Nicole Martinez, The Daily Item of Lynn,
Thursday, September 28, 2006
LYNN - The statewide
MCAS results have been publicly released, Christine Lander, academic dean of
students at Classical High School, said she is very proud of the school's
performance.
Lynn Schools Panel
Drafting New Dress Code Policy
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday,
April 6, 2006
LYNN -- Shirts with
sexual messages, oversized t-shirts that could hide weapons and gang-colored
clothing are making their way into the city's schools and several officials want
to put a stop to it.
School Committee member Daniel Cahill, Bob Ferrari, school
resource officer at Breed Middle School, and former Councilor at Large Judith
Flanagan Kennedy met on Tuesday to discuss the Lynn Public Schools' dress code.
The meeting was the first of several Cahill has called to get
parental input on the policy. The only problem is no parents showed up.
Ferrari said he was disappointed with the turnout because the
city must address the way students are dressing at school.
"I think it's a big issue," he said. "Maybe the
parents aren't seeing what's going on with their own children. Unfortunately,
the big problem is trying to convince parents that these are the rules."
Ferrari said an enforced dress code is crucial to diffusing
gangs by preventing them from donning their "colors."
"I think the dress code would have an immediate impact on
the gang culture in the city," he said. "There would be no more gang
colors and you wouldn't have these kids that are wannabes dressing like
gangsters."
"Kids get very crafty today," he continued.
"They're wearing their colors through professional sports teams. They're
not necessarily Red Sox fans, but the Bloods are wearing the Red Sox hats
because it's their color. And the pants that hang off their rear end - that's
right out of prison. They don't give you a belt in prison."
Ferrari said the schools also have a problem with inappropriate
messages printed on T-shirts, such as shirts that read "Stop
Snitching" or depict a scene from the movie "Scarface."
"It's got a picture of Al Pacino holding a machine gun with a
pile of cocaine sitting on the table," he said. "That's totally
against what we're trying to teach kids. When is that appropriate to wear to
school?"
Ferrari said boys are not the only offenders.
"It is not unusual to have girls wearing shirts
that say things sexual," he said. "We had a girl with a shirt on that
said, 'You can look, but don't touch' across the chest. She's 11- years-old. We
have girls wearing shirts that say, 'Sexy babe' - what is a boy going to think?
The media bombards these kids with messages that it's OK to dress this
way."
Cahill said knee-length T-shirts that students can often be seen in
create a safety issue.
"Let's face it - you could bring in three baseball bats, a
sawed-off shotgun and a machete (under there)," he said.
Ferrari said student clothing must be addressed.
"I think we need a very strict dress code," he said.
"Possibly uniforms is the answer. I think it would allow for more
individuality because people would accept kids for who they really are and not
what they represent with their clothing. I think parents want us to do it so the
pressure is off of them."
"It would immediately affect bullying as well," he
continued. "There are a large number of kids who say their initial
experience with the bully was to make fun of what they were wearing."
Kennedy agreed.
"I think you're right - uniforms solve most of the
problems," she said, adding that the policy should be made broader.
"When you try to enumerate every banned thing, all you do is create ways
for kids to get around it. There should be a blanket ban on any clothing the
principal deems inappropriate."
Cahill stressed the importance of the community coming together on the
issue.
"We're educating our kids to try to prepare them for the outside
world," he said. "We're teaching them the reading, writing and
arithmetic, but are they going to show up for an interview wearing shirts around
their knees?"
Cahill said administrator enforcement of the code is also crucial.
"It's part of the job description," he said. "And I don't
know one principal that doesn't try to implement this. The problem is you can't
fight fire with a garden hose. The problem is we're not giving them the support
they need."
Ferrari said teachers could be used for enforcement as well.
"At Breed, the teachers have been vigilant because they see it
as a detriment to the learning environment," he said. "I think the
teachers want to see it."
The Dress Code Council is scheduled to hold its second meeting on April 18 from
5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Lynn Police Department Community Room. The gang unit will
give a presentation on gang-related clothing in schools. The public is invited
to attend.
Lynn School District Nets
$1M in Microsoft Vouchers
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Tuesday,
April 4, 2006
LYNN - Students
within the Lynn Public Schools will soon be noticing some substantial upgrades
to the technology they use each day, after the district recently learned it will
be receiving nearly $1 million in vouchers from Microsoft.
The district will receive the vouchers as part of the settlement of
a class action lawsuit that alleged Microsoft violated the state's consumer
protection and unfair competition laws.
"It's all good news," Lynn Public Schools Network
Administrator Daniel McManus said. "And all we had to do is say, 'Yeah, we
want to part of the lawsuit.' This Microsoft settlement is almost like an open
grant to us."
Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan said Lynn is
eligible for $475,000 in vouchers for new hardware, along with another $475,000
in vouchers for new software.
Specifically, the court said the vouchers can be used to buy
desktop, laptop and tablet computers, any software available to the general
public and specified peripheral devices used with computers. The vouchers will
only be made available to public school districts in which 50 percent or more of
the students are eligible for free or reduced meals under the National School
Lunch Program.
McManus said the vouchers would be put to good use.
"We need this pretty badly," he said. "Our current hardware
is - how do you say - ancient. This kind of money could improve our network hand
over fist."
With some buildings pushing 100 years old, McManus said it has
been a challenge getting them prepared to accept technology.
"Our wiring crew has done a pretty good job getting things
ready," he said, estimating that 70 percent of classrooms are wired for
computers. "We're in pretty good shape, not great, but good."
Still, McManus said some buildings could never handle the technology
required in today's world.
"Some of the buildings, like the old Marshall (Middle)
School, are really ancient and the electrical just can't handle it," he
said. "The most we can get is one connection per classroom, but one is
better than none."
In addition to the purchase of computers, McManus said the
vouchers will be used to upgrade the district's operating systems.
"We're going to do a lot of different things to improve
the infrastructure," he said, explaining part of the money would be used to
create faster network connections. "We're going to improve that actual
connection in the buildings so the technology can be better used. The cable
company donates broadband Internet to every school building and we're not able
yet to take advantage of all that because there is not enough service available
in the building."
Kostan did not indicate if there are specific schools that
would benefit from the new technology.
"We will be working with the technology department to determine where
those needs are," he said.
School Business Administrator Steve Upton said the district must first
purchase the technology and would then receive reimbursement from Microsoft 4-6
weeks after submitting the paperwork.
Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said the settlement provides
Microsoft with a great opportunity.
"We are pleased by the opportunity to help schools all across Massachusetts
get the computers and software they need," he said. "This settlement
allows us to focus on the future and building great software, and avoids the
cost and uncertainty of litigation."
General
Electric Workers Help Lynn Girls Dress for Prom
Jamie Brady,
left, gets help picking out a prom dress. (Jonathon M. Whitmore photo)
By Jill Casey, The Daily Item of Lynn, Monday,
April 3, 2006
LYNN -- Since when
did a right of a passage get so expensive?
With every passing year it seems that affording prom and all
the glitz goes with it, from dresses to jewels, is getting harder and harder for
the average girl to keep up with.
"From what I understand, girls spend hundreds and hundreds of
dollars on a dress alone," said Cathy Lyons, one of the General Electric
employees who volunteered and helped organize the fourth annual Princess
Boutique Saturday. "A lot of these girls shouldn't be spending their money
on a prom gown."
Approximately 130 girls from as close as Lynn and as far
as Leominster were given the full boutique treatment Saturday as they strolled
through racks of brightly colored dresses, jewelry and rows of shoes - most of
which are new - inside a makeshift department store set up inside a GE building.
All of the girls walk out with everything they need for a
fabulous prom night at no cost and receive fashion consulting from their very
own fairy godmother, otherwise known as GE volunteers. The event is organized by
GE for teens who want to attend prom, but couldn't otherwise afford the costs
associated with prom night.
"Our most challenging thing is to get the girls there,"
said Lyons, adding that the stigma associated with getting a free dress is
sometimes not worth it for some girls. But what Lyons has seen in the last
couple of years, is that once the teens get there and start sifting through the
racks, any embarrassing feelings they may have had are lifted.
"A lot of (mothers) will say to us, 'I didn't know how
they were going to go to prom," said Lyons. As if a
new dress and shoes weren't enough, each girl got a gift bag, just like
Hollywood stars do at big events, filled with makeup and gift certificates.
By CARY SHUMAN, The Lynn Journal, cary@lynnjoumal.com
Former Lynn Classical school teacher and hockey coach Bob Melanson will be inducted into the Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Hall of Fame at the annual awards banquet on May 11 at Montvale Plaza in Stoneham.
Melanson will be honored for his 35 years as an ice hockey referee and commissioner of officials for the Northeastern Conference and the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (CAC). He is the current CAC commissioner of officials.
Melanson was born in Lynn in 1932 and attended St. Mary's, High School of Lynn, graduating in 1950. He played hockey and baseball at St. Mary's and freshman hockey at Boston College, graduating in 1954. Melanson and his wife, loan (Horrigan) moved to Peabody in 1965. They have two children, Laura and Robert Jr.
He has taught and coached in the Lynn School System for 42 years, 35 of which were at Lynn Classical High School. He was inducted into the Classical Hall of Fame last year.
"I'm honored to receive this award from the coaches," said Melanson. "It's always been about helping student-athletes."
Lynn School Dress Code
Could Get a New Look
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Tuesday,
March 21, 2006
LYNN - Motivated by
what he says is sporadic enforcement of the School Department's dress code,
School Committeeman Daniel Cahill is setting up a series of community meetings
to see if there is a need to revamp the code.
"This policy, I'm 100 percent sure, is not being implemented
citywide," he said.
"(I would like to set up a committee) of parents, teachers and school
councils to meet three or four times before the end of the year to discuss what
people feel about our dress code," he said at a recent School Committee
meeting. "I'd like to sit down and hear what people have to say about
this."Cahill pointed to a student-written editorial published in The Daily
Item's Newspapers in Education section that backs the idea of school uniforms.
The editorial, written by English High School freshmen Staixi Batista and Alice
Cintron, suggests that uniforms be worn three to four times per week and should
include black shoes - not sneakers - and white socks to distinguish students
from each school.
"One reason that students need to go to school wearing uniforms is
that most of us do not respect the rules of the school," the students
wrote. "Some girls wear improper clothes to school. Some boys wear t-shirts
so long that they look like a dress. These clothes are not suitable for school.
School needs to be shown respect. We want uniforms."
Cahill said the editorial sheds some light on how students feel about their way
their classmates dress.
"I did not come here today to advocate for school uniforms, but this is an
important editorial," he said. "A lot of students are feeling
uncomfortable about what their classmates are wearing."
"It's not so much a moral issue, it's a safety issue," he continued.
"In a post-Columbine world, we can't take anything lightly."
The current dress code, written in 2001, prohibits hats, scarves, gloves, coats
sunglasses and headbands from being worn in school. It also prohibits tank tops,
sleeveless shirts, halters, mini-skirts, shoulderless tops, halter tops, tube
tops or tops that bare the midriff, spandex, see-through or skin-tight clothing,
regardless of length.
Clothing containing metal studs and shirts advertising tobacco, alcohol, drug
use, or those with obscenities are also prohibited, along with clothing which is
considered to be gang-related or in gang-related colors.
While Bermuda shorts are permissible, the code prohibits gym shorts, cutoff
shorts, athletic shorts, bathing suits and shorts advertising or displaying any
sports team or products of any kind.
Other items prohibited include beepers, cell phones, portable radios, Walkmen
and Discmen.
Any student caught violating the dress code will have their parents notified and
will be sent home to change and immediately report back to school. They will be
responsible for any missed assignments.
Cahill said he would like to see the policy include "Heelys," which
are sneakers that contain retractable wheels in the heel.
"With the new invention of Heelys, I look at them as I look at bikes- you
shouldn't be able to use them in school," he said. "They are not
appropriate at all for inside our buildings, our buses or any of our
facilities."
The Revere School Committee banned Heelys last week, after an East Bridgewater
student was killed while crossing the street in Heelys.
Cahill said he is taking steps to notify members of school communities across
the city of meetings he plans to hold on the dress code.
"I have to write up a letter and have (the administration) OK it and send
it out to the presidents of the PTOs and the principals to see if some of the
faculty might want to attend," he said. "I'd like to set up some dates
and ask people to come and listen to their concerns. By next week I should have
a clear indication of what's going on."
City Schools to Seek New Assistant Superintendents
By Jill Gadsby, the Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday, March 15, 2006
LYNN - With Deputy Superintendent Ray Bastarache announcing he will leave the Lynn Public Schools on June 30, a second vacancy will be created when Deputy Superintendent Bill Frost retires in August.
Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan said Frost had actually submitted his retirement paperwork two months ago, but the district had yet to make a formal announcement. However, with Bastarache's unexpected resignation to accept the newly created position of head of school at St. Mary's, Frost's retirement came into the limelight.
After working in the district for 37 years, Frost said the time had come to call it quits.
"It has just been long enough," he said. "It's time."
Frost, 58, said he will still remain active in education.
"I'm associated with two universities and will be expanding my role with at least one of them, both in administering their operations in the Greater Boston area and I'm also on a committee that reads dissertations and I'd like to expand my role in that. So I guess this is my leap into higher education as a change. I've done K-12 for 37 years, so this is what I'm pursuing."
Frost said he would stay through the summer to help Kostan with the transition of losing both of his right-hand men.
"I'm making the assumption that Nick is going to be posting the jobs to have people in place for the summer since the positions are critical," he said. "By staying through the summer, I can ease the transition and do a little mentoring to whoever occupies (the post)."
Frost began his teaching career at Breed Junior High in 1972. In 1987, he was promoted to vice principal, under Kostan as principal. The two men then assumed the same posts at Classical High School in 1994, before Kostan was appointed deputy superintendent and Frost was named principal in 1999.
"I owe Nick a huge debt of gratitude," Frost said. "Since 1987, when I first became his assistant at Breed, we've pretty much been an administrative team. All my administrative experience, he gave me my introduction to it."
Frost, who was appointed deputy superintendent in July 2004, said there is one thing he will miss most about the job.
"The kids mostly," he said. "The higher up academically you climb, the further you get away from the kids. I certainly don't regret coming into central administration, but you miss the kids. I've worked with so many great people and I'll miss them too."
Kostan said he and Frost have a long history together.
"Bill and I have known each other since high school and we've been working together since we started teaching at Breed Junior High," he said. "Bill served as my vice principal there for several years and then came with me to Classical. He took Classical over and did a great job as principal. He is probably one of my closest professional friends and also one of the closest personal friends for over 30 years."
Kostan said Frost has been a great asset to the Lynn Public Schools."Bill brought leadership, sensibility and stability to the system and got, certainly, the respect of everybody he worked with over the long period of time - teachers, parents and most importantly students who benefited from his knowledge and guidance and he should be commended."
Kostan said he hopes to post both Frost's and Bastarache's positions sometime in April.
Although they would first have to express an interest in the position, female favorites could include Ford School Principal Claire Crane, School Support Specialist Cathie Latham and Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jaye Warry.
Male favorites, should they apply, could include Washington Community School Principal Jeff Barile, Lynn Tech Principal Brian Coughlin, and Classical High School Principal Warren White.
Kostan said the two vacancies put him in a difficult position.
"This is a difficult time for me to lose two of my closest personal friends and professional associates at the same time."
Lynn District to Search
for New Deputy Superintendent : Dr. Bastarache Resigning
Former Lynn Classical football captain James Bransfield has been offered an
assistant coaching position in the Framingham State College football program,
his father, Keith Bransfield told the Lynn Journal this week.
Lynn Public Library Regains
Certification
Police Step Up Anti-Gang
Patrols in Lynn ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Six Gang-Bangers Arrested
after Downtown Shooting Lynn Students get Down to
'Serious Business' in Robotics Competition
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Friday,
March 10, 2006
LYNN -- With Deputy
Superintendent Ray Bastarache announcing his resignation Thursday, speculation
has already begun on who will be tapped to replace him as second in command of
the Lynn Public Schools.
Bastarache, who earned $127,265 in 2005, resigned to accept the newly created
position of head of school at St. Mary's High School.
"With mixed emotions I want to report that Deputy Superintendent Ray
Bastarache resigned this morning," Superintendent of Schools Nicholas
Kostan told members of the School Committee Thursday night. "He has been
with the department for 35 years as a teacher, principal and as deputy
superintendent. He has been offered the position of head of school at St. Mary's
and it is my understanding that Ray is planning on retiring from the public
sector. St. Mary's could not have found a better person and a more perfect match
for the job. It's a wonderful opportunity and we wish him well. We just think
the world of him."
Kostan, who said he was "floored" when Bastarache tendered his
resignation, went on to praise the deputy superintendent for his dedication to
the Lynn Public Schools.
"His loss is going to be a real impact on the system," he said.
"He was a great colleague and friend, and a man of competence, character
and integrity and certainly one of the finest people I've worked with in the
Lynn Public Schools. He has had a tremendous impact on many lives of many
children and will be very, very difficult to replace. We commend him on a
wonderful career in the Lynn Public Schools. He will be missed by all his
friends and colleagues."
Bastarache will not leave his post as deputy superintendent until June 30, which
gives the School Department plenty of time to fill the position, if it so
chooses. The position must first be posted, applicants screened and interviews
conducted. Kostan would then appoint the candidate of his choosing.
"We will definitely replace the position," Kostan said. "He
definitely has to be replaced. We will probably post something in
mid-April."
Historically, high-level administration jobs have been awarded to educators from
within the ranks of the Lynn Public Schools.
Kostan said it was too early to comment on who he'd like to see replace
Bastarache.
"Everybody who is certified has the opportunity to apply for the
position," he said. "It will be opened up to anyone who meets the
requirements."
Although they would first have to express an interest in the position, female
favorites could include Ford School Principal Claire Crane, School Support
Specialist Cathie Latham and Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Jaye Warry.
Crane has similar experience to Bastarache in that, as a longtime principal of a
diverse neighborhood school, she has spearheaded countless innovative programs,
including evening programs for students and parents.
Latham, a former math department head and recipient of the famed Milken Family
Foundation Educator Award, has been a key administrator under Kostan. She has
overseen the district's compliance with both federal and state education
mandates.
Warry, also a key administrator under Kostan, formerly oversaw the district's
Title I program before leaving the district to become principal of two
elementary schools in Haverhill. She returned to the district in 2002 and has
since spearheaded many changes to the district's curriculum and professional
development offerings.
Male favorites, should they apply, could include Washington Community School
Principal Jeff Barile, Lynn Tech Principal Brian Coughlin, and Classical High
School Principal Warren White.
Barile is known for his success in a diverse school with a large
non-English speaking population.
Coughlin, the district's former executive director of curriculum who left in
1998 to become superintendent of the Swampscott Public Schools, returned to Lynn
last year to replace Bart Conlon as the principal of Tech - a position some feel
he is overqualified for.
White, former principal of Breed Middle School, was named principal of
Classical in 2004. Since taking over, he has been faced with making education a
priority while the 6-year-old sinking building continues to be under the
microscope.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Lynn
Public Schools Deputy
Super to Take Over Helm at St. Mary's
By James Haynes and Jill Gadsby,
The Daily Item of Lynn, Friday,
March 10, 2006
LYNN -- Dr.
Ray Bastarache, Deputy Superintendent of Lynn's Schools, announced his
resignation Thursday to accept a position at the helm of St. Mary's Junior
Senior High School.
The unanimous choice of a search committee at St. Mary's, Bastarache will
begin his tenure as Head of School - a new position in the administrative
hierarchy at the Catholic junior/high school - in July.
A deputy superintendent of Lynn Public Schools since 2002, with 35 years
experience in public education, Bastarache was first a member of the
search committee, then a candidate himself - one of four interviewed and
seven reviewed - for the head of school position at St. Mary's.
"Being a member of the committee, I was able to develop an
understanding of what they were looking for, and the more I heard, the
more comfortable I felt that I could be that person," Bastarache
said. "It was important to me - for the sake of the trustees - that
the process play out.
"But I'm humbled that, after doing all that, they said 'This is the
person we want to offer the job.'"
Bastarache said he would stay on as deputy superintendent in Lynn until
his contract expires on June 30.
St. Mary's Pastor, Monsignor Paul V. Garrity, said the new administrative
position marks the culmination of a nearly seven-year process, a
"strategic plan" developed in 1999 determining the school needed
two administrators to thrive.
Bastarache's credentials, history with St. Mary's school and deep local
connections made him a natural choice, Garrity said. "He's a man of
incredible experience, and he understands the mission of St. Mary's, both
as a former student and as a Lynn resident. We're delighted to have him on
board."
Bill Mosakowski, chairman of the search committee, echoed the sentiments.
"He had the full compliment of qualification we were looking
for," he said. "He's an experienced educator and administrator.
He's worked with local boards and committees. He's got a very full
understanding of the Lynn and North Shore communities and he's got an
in-depth knowledge of St. Mary's itself."
A Boston College grad who took a masters at Salem State and earned his PhD
at UMass Lowell, Bastarache worked as an elementary school teacher in Lynn
from 1971 until 1992, when he was named principal of the Sewell-Anderson
school. A decade later, he advanced to his most recent position of deputy
superintendent.
Despite the long record in public education, the St. Mary's post will be
his first foray into parochial schools, aside from his own Catholic
education. Bastarache said he wasn't certain, at this point, what the most
significant differences between the two environments will be, but said he
feels his prior experience in Lynn should parlay into the new position.
"A lot of what I've done in the last four years is to work closely
with the principals of our schools to develop, achieve and maintain
quality educational programs," he said. "I see that as one of my
primary responsibilities here."
Bransfield Offered Coaching Position at Framingham
State
College Reprinted
from the Lynn Journal, 2/8/06
Bransfield is a 2002 graduate of Classical where he played four years of
football for head coach Matt Durgin. He has been a four-year lineman at
Framingham State, who like Classical, are nicknamed the Rams.
FSC head coach Mark Sullivan offered a position to Bransfield on his coaching
staff beginning in the 2006 season. Bransfield is considering that offer and a
possible return to Classical, where he would join Matt Durgin’s staff.
“A lot will depend on James completing his academic requirements at the
college,” said Keith Bransfield, whose son will turn 23 on Feb. 15.
If he accepts the Framingham offer, James Bransfield would be the unusual
position of coaching some of his former college and high school teammates. Lynn
Classical football alumni Joe Ford, Gary Mazzetti, and Sean Donahue are current
players for the Framingham team. Former Classical football player Corey Upton,
who transferred to Framingham this semester from Golden West Community College,
will be a candidate for the 2006 FSC team.
Keith and Maryann Bransfield were invited guests at the Lynn Classical football
awards banquet that was held Jan. 30 at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
“We appreciated the great job that Matt Durgin did in coaching James and when
he graduated, Matt Durgin asked us if we could continue to help out the
Boosters,” said Bransfield. “We still help out the program a little bit but
Peggy Phelps is the president of the Classical Booster Parents. Mike and Peggy
Phelps have been involved in the Boosters for a number of years as well. My son,
James, and their son, Timmy [a Classical assistant coach] came up through Little
League baseball together and played football at Classical together.”
By James Haynes, the Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
February 8, 2006
LYNN -- State
officials have voted to recertify Lynn Public Library.
A year after losing certification for failing to meet state requirements on
operating hours - the minimum is 53 hours per week and the Lynn library was open
only 44 hours a week in January of 2005 - library officials celebrated the Feb.
2 decision by the state's Board of Library Commissioners.
City officials were told Monday that the board granted the city's request for a
waiver - a conditional restoration of certification - allowing Lynn's library to
receive state aid and restoring patrons' privileges.
"It's very good news for Lynn and the library patrons," said Library
Director Nadine Mitchell. "Lynn (residents) can borrow from other libraries
and the inter-library loan system can continue. Later this month, we will
receive a check from the Board of Library Commissioners for over $100,000."
Many neighboring communities continued to extend borrowing privileges to local
residents during the last year. The state money will be spent on operating costs
and purchasing new materials.
The announcement comes as welcome news in City Hall, where considerable time and
money were dedicated to recertification.
The library is now open 65 hours a week and spends an estimated 12 percent of
its $984,000 budget on new materials. Achieving that required the city to commit
to increasing the library's budget by nearly $158,000 in fiscal year 2006. In a
budget cycle when many other city departments saw modest increases, the library
recorded a 19 percent boost.
And to fully regain certification - to ensure the city does not have to apply
for another waiver - a similar influx of cash is necessary again, said Mitchell.
"We've been talking and working with commission, the state delegation and
Beacon Hill, and it's clear we'll have to continue these kinds of hours,"
she said. "What has to happen on July 1 is the city has to meet the
municipal appropriation requirement. That means our budget will have to be $1.1
million - that means another huge infusion of cash in our budget."
By James Haynes / The Daily Item of Lynn, Saturday,
January 28, 2006 
Patrol cars are shown outside Lynn Vocational
Technical Institute on Friday. (Owen O'Rourke photo)
LYNN -- An increased
police presence greeted Lynn Tech students leaving school Friday, as the city
moved to clamp down on gang activity after two days of violence.
Prompted by back-to-back broad-daylight attacks in busy public areas on
suspected members of the Crips by rival gang members - a stabbing on Market
Street on Wednesday afternoon that left one youth with 25 knife wounds to the
back and torso, and an attempted shooting Thursday near the YMCA - Lynn and
State police ramped up patrols around Lynn Tech and in surrounding
neighborhoods.
"The activity of the past few days has been truly unacceptable," said
Lynn Deputy Police Chief Kevin Coppinger, watching school let out from an
unmarked cruiser in a nearby parking lot. "We're going to continue the
increased presence in this area until the violence we've been seeing is
(curtailed)."
Police were not subtle about sending this message: several police cars were
parked along Neptune Boulevard as a paddy wagon idled nearby. Nearly a dozen
uniformed officers mingled with students - and warned off undesirables.
Marked and unmarked police cars constituted a significant fraction of the
traffic on area streets, and members of both Lynn Police and the State Police
gang task forces were working the area. Probation officers and Department of
Youth Services officials and an officer from at least one federal law
enforcement agency were reportedly canvassing the area as well.
"It's been a bad week and we're trying to avoid any repeats," said
Mayor Edward Clancy Jr., riding along with Coppinger. "An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure here."
If the show of force was effective Friday, some students questioned what
long-term or city-wide prevention the city can put in place.
"Something is still going to happen elsewhere, they can only be in a few
places at once," said one teen, who identified himself as Johnny. "It
will never be perfectly safe here. Kids down here like to brawl -it's
Lynn."
At least two students in the area, however, said many expected a fight to break
out at dismissal Friday, and acknowledged the police presence probably prevented
it from happening on school grounds. Police responded to reports of a fight a
short while later on South Common Street, and several officers reported
observing or stopping known gang members in the area.
Neighbors of the area, also reticent to identify themselves, said they took
comfort in the police presence Friday, but added the city has to address the
larger problem of controlling students at the end of the school day.
"We have lots of little kids around here, and, after (Thursday) I'm worried
about one of them being hit by a stray bullet. The gang problem has been an
issue for two years now, but it seems worse this year," said one woman who
described herself as a long time Marion Gardens resident. "It's good to
know that the police are out here today, and they responded quickly (to
Thursday's shooting,) but I have my grandkids here, and when school lets out, I
tell them to go play in the backyard. The gangs and kids around here are a real
problem."
By Thor Jourgensen and James Haynes, The
Daily Item of Lynn, Friday, January 27, 2006
LYNN - Police
converged on a downtown street for the second consecutive day Thursday and
arrested six suspected gang members after gunshots were fired.
Witnesses told police they heard five shots fired at the corner of Blossom and
Harbor streets at about 2:40 p.m. Thursday. There were no reports of injuries
but police stopped and held the four teenagers who ran a block up Blossom Street
and past the YMCA to State Street.
Police released limited information on the incident Thursday night, but said the
weapon believed used in the shooting was recovered from a juvenile suspect
apprehended under the Shepard Street bridge by Officer Gary Hagerty.
The 15-year-old Lynn resident faces charges of assault with intent to murder,
carrying a firearm without a license (subsequent offense), carrying a firearm
with defaced serial number, firing the gun within 500 feet of a dwelling,
disorderly conduct and malicious destruction of property over $250.
The shots were fired a block away from the YMCA and JOI childcare centers. The
YMCA's branch director and child care services director handed out a letter to
parents picking up their children after the incident notifying parents that
their children were moved to another location in the facility after Y employees
learned of the shooting.
Lynn Vocational Technical Institute student Ramon Zapata said he typically walks
home from the school past the YMCA but did not walk that way Thursday after
friend Christopher Rodriguez suggested they take another route.
"If I hadn't listened to him I would have been right there,"
Zapata said.
The shooting occurred a day after a man was shot and slightly wounded on
Central Avenue. Two men were charged with the shooting and the man who was shot
was charged with violating the city's knife ordinance. This week has been an
unusually violent one in the city with Wednesday's shooting taking place an hour
after a teenager was stabbed on Market Street. The two shootings come as
District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett prepares to intensify prosecution of
firearms offenses in a newly created gun court.
In the minutes after Thursday's shooting, police captured one of the teenagers
after he ran into Shaw's Market on State Street. They detained another in the
parking lot next to the Subway sandwich shop opposite the supermarket.
Several of the teenagers initially detained by police are youth gang members
familiar to police according to District Court records.
Song Uth, 19, 108 Lawton Ave., tried to have his "alleged street gang
affiliation" kept out of court records after he was charged in May, 2004
with a firearms violations. Uth, arrested on a warrant yesterday, has a juvenile
arrest record dating back to 2000 that includes violent offenses.
Sophan Keo, 18, 21 Morris St., was arrested and charged with disorderly
conduct. He was arrested several times in the past year, including being charged
in August with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and
battery for allegedly taking part in a gang beating of a man on Huss Court. The
arrest came only two weeks after Keo was stabbed during another fight on Huss
Court. Last November after police gang unit members found him and other
teenagers in a Light Street building identified as a gang party house. Keo
admitted, according to the police report, to being a member of the "Young
Blood" gang.
Two juvenile males, both 16-year-old Lynn residents, were arrested and charged
with violating the terms of their probation in connection with the
incident.Thailand Dahn, 18, of 739 Lynnfield St., Lynn, was also arrested during
the incident and charged with Disorderly Conduct.
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
January 25,
2006
Lynn Tech teacher Chris Speropolous, GE
engineer Paul Woodley and student Oscar
Argueta work on their robot.
(Reba M. Saldanha photo)
A team of 30
students from Lynn Vocational Technical Institute and Classical High School are
using every free moment they have working on some "Serious Business."
That is the name of the robot the students are spending 32 hours per week
building as part of FIRST Robotics Competition (For Inspiration and Recognition
of Science and Technology), which will be held in March at Boston University.
Charged with creating a robot that can shoot balls into an elevated gap, a
floor-level gap and that can stop other robots from doing the same, the team has
a total of six weeks to perfect its brainchild.
"It really has to be capable of shooting high and low shots, of blocking
other people's shots and of climbing up a 30-degree ramp and parking
there," Lynn Tech electronics teacher and team advisor Chris Speropolous
said. "Whether or not we'll have all that stuff working is another
question."
This week marks the third week since the rookie team, which also includes
General Electric engineers, opened 130-pounds of materials to use in the
construction of the robot. They also received instructions for what tasks the
robot must accomplish and the layout of the playing field. Finally, the kit
included the extremely precise size and weight specifications the robot must
comply with in order to qualify.
"The day we opened the kit we were like 'wow,'" Tech sophomore Angel
Barrientos said. "We were overwhelmed."
Even if the team's robot is not successful in accomplishing its tasks,
Speropolous said the students can still be successful at the competition.
"You don't necessarily have to have the most points to still be in
the final round," he said. "The team with the most points chooses an
alliance, so if we're good at blocking or defense, a team that is good at
offense may choose us as an alliance and that may bring us to the final
round."
Speropolous said the team has made great progress since opening the kit on Jan.
7.
"We spent a couple of days brainstorming and then we really were gung ho on
building something," he said. "Our mission last Saturday was to get
something that would move and we came close. We had the electrical working, but
we had problems with the transmission. By Wednesday, we hope to drive it down
the hallway and into the faculty meeting." Barrientos said he is
pleased with the progress the team has made.
"We had no idea it was going to look like that," he said.
"We were excited when we were test running it. It was crazy."
Senior Dennis Jones agreed.
"Everything seems to be flowing," he said. "We haven't had too
many crashes. 'Keep it simple, stupid' - that was one of our mottos."
Despite the countless hours he has sacrificed to work on the project, Barrientos
said he has enjoyed the project.
"Now I'm learning some new things," he said. "It gives us
something to do after school. It's progressive and you get to learn."
Jones said he is excited to enter the competition with a "bang"
and said he, too, has enjoyed working on the project.
"I have fun doing stuff with my hands."
General Electric Electrical Engineer Paul Woodley has also benefited from the
project.
"It's been great working with the kids," he said. "They are all
willing to learn and I'm happy to have the opportunity to work with them."
Speropolous said the entire school has rallied around the team.
"The nice thing that happened in this whole situation is we enlisted the
help of all the Lynn Tech faculty and a lot have come forward with tremendous
help," he said. "The machine shop is available if we need specialized
parts - they can have them to us in a couple of hours. The metal construction
kids have also been key and are able to fabricate specialized items quickly. The
electrical shop gave us a bench with all the tools attached. CAD has been
willing to do drawings for us if we need them. Culinary feeds us. Everybody is
behind us."
Although part of the project is being funded by grants from General Electric and
NASA, the team still needs approximately $15,000 to compete.
Anyone wishing to sponsor the team should send an email to speropolousc@lynnschool.org
or call Lynn Tech at (781) 477-7420.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Season's Greetings from
Elfland
By Jill Gadsby, the Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
December 21, 2005
LYNN - Elves from
Santa's workshop, along with the big guy himself, made special needs students
from across the city smile a little brighter Tuesday. But Santa and his elves
didn't have to make the trek from the North Pole, instead they came from a
unique workshop on O'Callaghan Way, also known as Classical High School.
Tuesday's event has been a longtime tradition at Classical, known as Elf
Day. Students dress up in a variety of elf costumes, and one student is selected
to play Santa. The elves visit with the children, sometimes read stories, and
hand out goody bags, which, this year, were filled with cookies, candy canes,
lollipops, juice, a coloring book and crayons.
The students visited numerous classrooms at the Connery, Drewicz, Hood, Ingalls
and Shoemaker elementary schools.
"This is a tradition that started long before community service was
in," Classical Principal Warren White said. "It has to be 15 years, if
not more. This started with one of the senior classes and it's gotten to the
point where the special ed kids have started looking forward to the kids
coming."
Smiling from ear to ear, students in Christina Pineault's class at Connery
seemed ecstatic over the visit from Santa and his elves.
"It's really excellent that the students would come and take the time to do
this, particularly because the problem with this population is they don't get to
interact with the rest of the students," Pineault said. "It's nice
that they take a minute out to spend some time - it makes all the difference for
them. It brings out so much excitement in them."
Pineault said the students were so excited, she even saw positive changes in
their behavior.
"The fact that the kids are letting them touch them (is amazing)," she
said, pointing out one student. "She usually scratches people - that's her
way of interacting, but she's coloring with them."
One student, Tyler Gervasio, said he was excited that he got the opportunity to
ask Santa for a hand-mixer, a food processor, Tupperware and an Easy Bake Oven.
The event seemed just as rewarding for the Classical students.
"They were really shy at first, but they opened
up," said Ginny Champigne, an elf for the day. "Tyler shared his
pictures with everybody."
Elf Carla Fabian explained why she decided to get involved in the event.
"I wanted to do it just so they know Santa is real and they still
believe," she said.
Adam Tibbets, also an elf, agreed.
"I thought it would be a fun thing to do for the kids," he said.
"I think kids should believe in Santa Claus."
Tibbets said he also thought the event would be good experience.
"I want to become an art teacher," he said. "I like being
around kids and stuff."
Champigne had the same idea.
"I want to go to school to be a teacher, so I thought it would be
fun," she said. "I just wanted to do it for the kids - it's a nice
thing. It's real important for the kids just to have something. They really
think we're from the North Pole and I just like making kids happy."
White said Elf Day is an important learning experience for his students.
"This gives our kids a great opportunity to reach out to the community and
feel what Christmas is all about," he said. "It's a two-way street -
it's good for the kids they're going to visit and it's good for our kids."
__________________________________________________
Krispy Kreme doughnut shops closed yesterday in Saugus and Medford. Officials at the Jan Cos., a Cranston, R.I., company that is the Krispy Kreme franchiser for New England, did not return phone calls seeking comment. But a Lynn lawyer who leases the Saugus location on Route 1 to the franchiser, said Janice Mathews, a vice president at Jan Cos., notified him Tuesday , of the company's decision to close the two stores, along with one in Connecticut, effective yesterday. ''She really didn't give any reasons," Greg Demakis said yesterday. The Medford location was the franchiser's first Massachusetts store. The Jan Cos. operates five other Krispy Kreme shops, including one in Dedham, according to the company's website. (Kathy McCabe)
_____________________________________________
EPA Donates Computers to
Lynn Classical
By David Liscio, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday,
December 1, 2005
LYNN - U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency officials say Lynn Classical High was one of two
North Shore secondary schools to receive thousands of dollars in federal
computer equipment this year that otherwise might have been scrapped.
According to EPA spokesman David Deegan, the Lynn school and Lawrence High
School were the beneficiaries of free computer equipment that, if purchased new,
would have cost an estimated $80,000.
The giveaway program was implemented seven years ago at the EPA's New England
office as part of a larger, in-house effort to promote sound management of
agency equipment while helping the region's communities, Deegan said.
The EPA New England officer has donated nearly 600 personal computers and
related technology to schools and other non-profit organizations since the
program began. During the past year, Lynn Classical received 10 personal
computers and a printer, while Lawrence high received 37 personal computers and
20 monitors, according to Deegan.
In the last two years, the EPA also donated 151 cell phones to women's shelters
through the same program.
The computers are donated through a federal program called Computers for
Learning. In 1996, a law was passed mandating federal agencies give preference
to schools and non-profit organizations when donating educationally useful
equipment. The computer donations are part of a wider program known as the
Federal Electronics Challenge, which encourages better management of federal
computers.
"The PC donation program works out for everyone involved," said Robert
W. Varney, regional EPA administrator for New England. "The schools get
much-needed equipment to help them with online learning and computer education,
and our environment benefits because computers are used for a longer period of
time, and not scrapped or disposed of in landfills."
Varney said the program also saves the EPA the cost of having an outside vendor
recycle or dispose of the equipment, while schools save money on computer
purchases that can be re-directed to meet other needs.
EPA officials estimated it would have cost the agency about $4,000 to send the
600 computers to a recycling plant.
Schools and educational non-profit organizations can request computer equipment
through the Web site of the Computers for LearningProgram at http://www.computers.fed.gov/public/aboutProg.asp.
Varney noted that throughout New England, towns and cities help with the reuse
and recycling of old computers by collecting electronic waste. Massachusetts
enacted legislation to help prevent some hazardous materials from entering
landfills.
In April 2000, the state adopted a first-in-the-nation approach to reuse and
recycle discarded computer monitors and televisions, banning all cathode ray
tube (CRT) disposal in Massachusetts landfills and waste combustors due to their
high lead content.
Each computer monitor reliant on a CRT contains 4-8 pounds lead, which, if
allowed to enter the ground, could poison drinking water and cause cancer.
In 2004, Maine passed a law providing a system of shared responsibility for the
collection and recycling of electronic waste.
__________________________________
New Lynn Gang Unit Boss
Vows to Stay Tough on Thugs
By Jill Casey, The Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
November 30, 2005
LYNN - While there
has been a decline in gang-related violence from the first half of the year,
officials say they intend to remain vigilant knowing that crime waves occur
unpredictably.
Last winter the city saw an upswing in car thefts, fights, stabbings, drug deals
and shootings - crimes that are more typical in warmer months.
Much of the violence in the first half of the year was attributed to gang
activity, and triggered a crackdown a by police, courts and the adult and
juvenile probations departments.
The coordination among agencies has continued and police and probation officers
regularly hit the streets together in an effort to identify and arrest probation
violators, such as the recent Operation Harvest Moon, which netted several gang
members on probation violations before Halloween - a notorious night for gang
activity. The operation, police said, led to a virtually gang-free Halloween
night.
Officers in the Lynn Police Gang Unit estimate there are 20 gangs in the city
and between 1,200 and 1,400 gang members with Lynn addresses, which rounds out
to a little over 1 percent of the population.
The job of reducing gang crimes has been assigned to Sgt. Peter Holey, who
replaced Lt. Glenn Deveau as the head of the department's Gang Unit in late
September. Holey said the gang population is one of the most important issues
the city is faces, and his main goal is to significantly reduce gang-related
crimes by the spring and summer of 2006.
"Can we be successful, I don't know. But it's not going to be a lack of
effort that we're going to fail, because we're going to upturn every stone and
bring in every agency that we can," Holey said.
Since taking the reins, Holey has arranged for probation departments, both
juvenile and adult, to meet with police at least once a month to share
information. He has also made it common practice to arrest teens who hang out in
the parks late at night and to make the unit's presence known as school lets
out.
"If we see a group of kids gathering, we get out and engage them, because
all this gang stuff is basically group behavior. So, if you can bust up the
group, they're less likely to commit acts of violence or intimidation because by
themselves (gang members) are basically cowards," Holey said.
And while he admits there is a lack of activities available for the city's large
youth population, Holey said he does not consider arresting kids on misdemeanors
like trespassing to be the wrong approach.
"As far as we're concerned, every gang arrest is a good arrest... If you're
a gang member and we have something on you, you're going to be arrested,"
Holey said. "We're not out to hurt kids, I'm just trying to get across that
they've chosen a lifestyle that's going to cause them problems in the future and
I'm trying to make it as uncomfortable as I can for them to engage in that type
of lifestyle."
Detective Oren Wright of the Gang Unit agrees that vigilance is the best
approach and said there are only so many warnings officers can give to the kids
they see repeatedly breaking laws.
"They know right from wrong or else they wouldn't have been hiding and
running away when they do something or try do to something in the dark,"
Wright said.
And while opinions abound in the social service sector and with juvenile
advocates as to what causes teens to join the violent lifestyles many gang
members get wrapped up in, Holey said the root of the problem is not something
he needs to try to unravel.
"My opinion is that we're cops, not social workers and we have a job to do.
I understand and have empathy for the situations where these kids are coming
from, but their presence in gangs and what they do in these gangs is destroying
the quality of life in our neighborhoods," Holey said.
He also regularly promotes what he sees as an alternative for youths who
gravitate toward a tough lifestyle.
"If you want to be a tough guy, join the service, because all of our tough
guys are over in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.
____________________________________________________________
| Vandalism
in City Continues By Jill Casey, the Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday, November 17, 2005 LYNN - The target of senseless vandals who have been wreaking havoc all over the city since the beginning of the month appears to have shifted from motor vehicles to public and private properties. Over 50 vehicles have been vandalized in the last three weeks as part of a random violence spree, according to Lt. Dave Brown. Police believe the trail of destruction is the work of a single group of delinquents who remain at-large. Windows have been shot out with BB guns in the middle of the night and tires have been slashed since the start of the month. And while the number of reports coming in each morning for motor vehicle vandalism has tapered off, police in recent days have received a report of bricks being thrown through a downtown storefront and three public schools defaced with graffiti over the weekend. "It has diminished a little, but there are still incidents of vandalism," Brown said. "Obviously the public's help would be the best way to stop this." The Aborn School, 409 Eastern Ave., Hood School, 24 Oakwood St., and Thurgood Marshall Middle School, 19 Porter St., were all defaced over the weekend with "tags," which is essentially the initials or nickname of the spray painter. The object and point of tagging is to display that name on as many surfaces as possible in highly visible locations, according to FBI research posted on the Web. The motivation to tag is anything from fame, rebellion to artistic expression. Many of the same tags, such as "KK" and "Krank" were repeatedly found on the schools over the weekend. "We got hit," said Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan. "Whoever did this really spent some time doing this. I just can't believe nobody saw anything." Kostan said removing the graffitti is expensive and time-consuming. "We're in the process of taking it off, but it's difficult because the bricks absorb the paint." Police initially believed the tags were gang-related, but an investigation has ruled that out, Brown said. On Tuesday morning, police also received tagging reports from residents on Eastern Avenue and Victory Road, who woke up to find that their fences and apartment building were sprayed with graffiti overnight. The investigation has hit a dead end with most of these acts being done while most of the city is sleeping. Brown said police remain vigilant and are hoping that the public can help by reporting any information about those responsible for the damage. "It's most likely being done by the same person or persons," said Brown. |
Japanese Teachers Visit Classical
They flew from Japan to Chicago. They came to observe classes, eat lunch at the school, and met with teachers and students. These teachers are from elementary, middle and high school in Japan. They had interesting interactions with the teachers and students and exchanged their ideas and thoughts with them.
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Vandals damage dozens of
Lynn cars
By James Haynes / The Daily Item of Lynn,
Saturday, November 5, 2005
LYNN -- Lynn police
are urging city residents to be vigilant after at least two dozen vehicles were
damaged in an apparent vandalism spree over the last few days.
Police displayed a stack of vandalism reports Friday, documenting smashed car
windows, slashed or deflated tires and keyed paint jobs in East, West and Center
Lynn since Wednesday. There were at least 24 cars reported damaged, and more may
have gone unreported.
"When I went out this morning, I found they'd got both my cars," said
an Alley Street resident who asked not to be identified. "It looked like
they used a BB gun. Whatever they did, they must have done it pretty fast. They
got everyone on my side of street."
While vandalism is not uncommon in urban cities, police said this week's spike
caught their attention.
"This is a top priority for us right now," said Lynn Police Lt. David
Brown. "All the officers have been briefed and are looking out for this. We
need the residents out there, though to be our eyes and our ears. If you see
something - a license plate, a description of a car or occupants - call us
immediately. It doesn't matter the time, we'll have someone over there
immediately."
Vandals smashed out car windows with baseball bats, shot out windows with a BB
gun, and have scratched and defaced cars. Areas hit include Johnson Street,
Robinson Street, Magnolia Avenue, Tracy Avenue, Alley Street and Lovers Leap
Avenue. Most damage was reported to police by owners in the morning, but some
reports suggest the vandals are out as early as 9 p.m. The streak apparently
began on Halloween or shortly after, and has continued unabated for several
days.
"It seems like it's pretty random," said Brown. "But it's
throughout the city."
Lynn High School Dropout
Rate Lower than Inner City Average - Classical is Lowest
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday,
October 27, 2005
LYNN -- Lynn's high
school dropout rate increased slightly in 2004, but still remains substantially
lower than other urban districts that are similar in size.
Of the city's 4,345 high school students, 257 dropped out last year, which is
the equivalent of 6 percent of the population.
In Lawrence, 280, or 11 percent, of 2,501 students dropped out. In New
Bedford, 331, or 10 percent, of the district's 3,410 dropped out. The state
average was 3.7 percent, up from 3.3 in 2003.
"The drop out rates in Lynn have been low because of the fact that we have
effective alternative schools," Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan
said. "In Lynn, I don't think the dropout rate is anything to be alarmed
about, in terms of urban areas."
Kostan credited the low dropout rates to the success of the city's alternative
programs, such as the Lynn Alternative High School and the Career Development
Center (CDC).
"Administrators in (other) cities are surprised to see the number of
alternative programs we have, but they have been very effective," he said.
"Hopefully, budgetarily, we will be able to continue offering these
programs."
The number of dropouts has increased slightly each year since 1999, when a mere
2.7 percent of Lynn students dropped out. That number increased to 3 percent in
2000, 3.9 percent in 2001 and 2002, and jumped again to 5.5 percent in 2003.
Despite state Education Commissioner David Driscoll's statement that
"MCAS is not primarily what is prompting our students to drop out,"
Kostan said he thinks Lynn's increase in dropouts is due to a lack of MCAS
support. Students must pass the English and Math portions of the MCAS in order
to receive a high school diploma.
"I just wish the state would replace the MCAS remediation programs that we
need in place," Kostan said. "The kids who are most likely to be
effected are the kids that struggle with MCAS. They are the ones that are most
impacted by reductions in service. If we had more remediation programs in place,
I think it would result in a drop in the dropout rate. I would like to see them
reinstate some of the programming we lost."
Most students in Lynn, or 6.3 percent, dropped out in 10th grade - the year that
the MCAS was administered. Among twelfth-graders, 6.2 percent dropped out,
followed by 6.1 percent of eleventh-graders and 5.3 percent of ninth-graders.
School by school, the Alternative High School and the CDC had the highest
percentage of dropouts at 25 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
Kostan said those percentages appear high because both schools deal with only a
small number of students - 32 at the Alternative High and 143 at the CDC.
"Not only are they dealing with low numbers, but they are dealing with kids
that are there because they had attendance problems in the mainstream
schools," he said. "It's really not unusual at all and it's really
something we kind of expect."
English High School had the third highest dropout rate at 6.5 percent, or 105 of
its 1,616 students. Lynn Vocational Technical Institute saw 5.7 percent of its
1,092 drop out, which translates into 62 students. At Classical High School, 3.8
percent of its 1,462 students dropped out, which is 55 students.
More Lynn males than females chose to drop out in 2004 - 7.5 percent males
dropped out versus 4.2 percent of females.
Lynn's Hispanic students dropped out at a higher rate - 7.9 percent - than
any other racial group. Black students were the smallest group to drop out at
4.6 percent. Whites were slightly higher at 4.8 percent, Asians at 6.6 percent
and Native Americans at 7.7 percent. It should be noted that Native Americans
make up just .3 percent of Lynn's total school population.
--------------------------------------------------------
|
||
Students Reach New Heights
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Tuesday,
October 25, 2005
LYNN-Inspired by the
story of a blind man who climbed 29,035 feet to the summit of Mt. Everest, 75
Classical High School students ventured into Lynn Woods Friday to do the same,
walking nine miles - the equivalent of 29,035 feet.
Among the students was Stanly Javier Dominguez, a 15-year old English Language
Learner from Santo Domingo, who currently uses a manually operated wheelchair.
Although pieces of his timeworn wheelchair broke off as he traveled over the
Woods' rough and rocky terrain, Dominguez never gave up. His perseverance came
from the story of blind climber Eric Weihenmayer, which students at three Lynn
schools have been studying through a grant from General Electric.
Dominguez has an unknown disease that made his feet turn inward as he grew.
Knowing that the hike would be physically demanding, he trained with teacher
Craig Castleman during lunch breaks.
Still, Dominguez, speaking through a student interpreter, said he had second
thoughts about participating in what Castleman has dubbed, "Project
Everest."
"I felt bad about it, but people said, 'C'mon, c'mon, you'll have
fun,'" Dominguez said, adding that he's glad he did it.
"I had fun. I liked it a lot. At first I felt like I couldn't do the stuff,
but then I realized I could do it."
Like Weihenmayer, Dominguez said he had help navigating the terrain, but said
the trip was by no means easy.
"I got scared because there were a lot of rocks so I got scared that I
might fall down," he said.
"But I had a lot of people that helped me. Some people carried my
wheelchair up the hills."
Up until Friday's hike, Dominguez said the only challenge he ever
undertook in life was learning how to do wheelies in his wheelchair.
"That was hard for me to learn," he said, smiling.
Others in the group also overcame challenges.
Seven Muslim students, who are forbidden to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset
during this month of Ramadan, chose to participate.
Moroccan native Hamza El Andaloussi, who read Weihenmayer's book using an
Arabic/English dictionary, explained why he accepted the challenge.
"Sure, it's hard, but I walk to honor Erik who climbs mountains, and I fast
to honor Allah who made the mountains," he said.
At least two students also completed the hike while blindfolded.
Tenth-grader Bobby Adams said he feels he had an experience similar to
Weihenmayer's.
"It's amazing that he is blind and he can get around like that," he
said. "I was only blindfolded for three hours and I depended on someone
else just to get around. To climb Mt. Everest itself is incredible, but the fact
that he did it blind - it's unimaginable. We were just going through Lynn
Woods."
Adams said he had to put his life in the hands of his guide,
twelfth-grader James Kelly.
"I really had to trust him," he said. "I had to listen to him the
whole time. It was something I thought I could learn from. I learned about
teamwork and trust."
Kelly said he is baffled that Weinhenmayer was able to achieve his goal.
"I would never be able to do that," he said. "But I guess if you
put you mind to it, you can."
Classical High School Principal Warren White said Project Everest was a great
opportunity for his students.
"Erik Weihenmayer is an inspiration to all of our students and represents
the self-confidence and can-do attitude that marks the spirit of our
school," he said. "Education needs to take place in beautiful
resources like Lynn Woods, not just in the classroom."
After meeting Weihenmayer's guide Jeff Evans last week, 215 Lynn students will
travel to the Wang Center Wednesday to hear Weihenmayer speak.
--------------------------------------------------------
Girls Co-op Hockey Team
Gets New Coach
By Joyce Erekson, The Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
October 19, 2005
The combined
English, Classical, Winthrop and Revere girls hockey team has a coach.
English High athletic director Gary Molea said Bob Roach, who was involved
with the St. Mary's girls program and in Lynn Youth Hockey, will coach the team,
which will be called Lynn English, in its inaugural season.
"He has an extensive background in hockey," Molea said. "I think
he'll do a great job."
Molea said the early numbers look impressive, with nearly 50 girls coming to a
signup held recently at Connery Rink. He said Winthrop had about 11 girls with
extensive playing experience sign up and the other three schools having three or
four each.
Roach could not be reached for comment Tuesday night, but Molea said the team
will play an 18-game schedule with each community responsible for providing
three home games (English and Classical count as one community). He said the
girls will have three practices a week with each community responsible for one.
Molea said the plan is to get Roach some assistant coaches, but the
English AD said he'll likely help out in the early going as much as he can.
"I think a co-op program is a great way to go," Molea said, adding he
doesn't see a time when English or Classical will be able to offer their own
program, or even one that just combines the two Lynn schools.
"I don't see us ever being off on our own," Molea said. "But I
think right now this is a pretty good fix. I think it's going to work out
great." Although ice time is currently tight at Connery Rink, Molea said it
should improve next year once Revere's new rink opens. Currently, Revere gets
time at the Lynn rink for its high school and youth hockey programs.
---------------------------------------------------------
Students get Lesson from
29,035 Feet
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Tuesday,
October 18, 2005
LYNN - Jeff Evans
couldn't have made it to the summit of Mount Everest if it wasn't for teamwork
and a vision - two themes that he shared Monday with students at Ford K-8
School, Breed Middle School and Classical High School.
"If you put together a good team, you can go to high places," Evans
told students at Ford. "Not everybody is a strong physical person, not
everybody is a strong mental person, but if everyone works together, it's going
to be a great balance."
Evans helped lead his blind friend, Erik Weihenmayer, to the 29,035-foot summit
of the world's tallest mountain. Weihenmayer was the first blind person to reach
the peak and subsequently wrote a book about his achievement, "Touching the
Top: A Profile in Courage."
Through a General Electric grant, 215 Lynn students were provided with a free,
autographed copy of the book and, on Oct. 26, will hear Weihenmayer speak at the
Wang Center.
Evans spent Monday sharing his friend's message of not letting other people's
negative assumptions get in the way of personal success and of using "the
light inside of us" to achieve individual goals.
He told one story of being just a few hours from the summit, only to discover
that a rope needed to descend from Everest was buried under several feet of
snow. He said he had the choice of guiding Weihenmayer through an alternative,
but much more difficult route, or spending hours and what little energy he had
left chipping snow away to uncover the rope. Evans said he chose the latter
scenario and severely jeopardized his chance of reaching the summit.
"In everyone's life, you're given the opportunity to take the easy way
out," he said. "No one will know, but you will. Do you take the way
that is harder and more satisfying, or do you cut corners and take the easy way
out?"
After his grueling journey, Evans said reaching the summit was somewhat
anti-climactic but enlightening.
"Erik will be the first one to tell you that the view from the top is
overrated," he quipped. "It took us two months to get up there and we
stayed 20 minutes. But what I learned, I learned on the journey. I didn't learn
anything on the top."
Evans encouraged the students to create their own challenges.
"You don't have to climb Mount Everest to have adventures like this,"
he said. "Adventure is about attitude. You have to challenge yourself every
single day. Think of adventuring as every single day."
Following his presentation, Evans explained why he chose to share his
story.
"It's a timely, universal message that is good for kids and good for
adults," he said. "The earlier kids learn these ideas of teamwork and
challenge, the better suited they are to go through life."
Seventh grader Stephen Capano said he has enjoyed learning about the team's
journey.
"(Evans) was cool," he said. "It was a pretty good book, but it's
better to hear it in person. (I liked hearing) how he stayed tough."
Seventh grader Travonne Berry-Rogers agreed.
"(I liked hearing about) all the adventures he had and how he
survived," he said.
Ford Principal Claire Crane said she was "delighted" to offer the
program to her students.
"I had seen (the story) on cable TV and when I heard about it, I said
definitely," she said. "All the themes about working as a team and
having a vision - it was excellent."
Lynn Parents Demand Answers
on Classical High Repair
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Wednesday,
October 12, 2005
LYNN -- Most of the
150 Classical High School parents and staff who wanted to hear the city's
solution for the $40 million sinking school left a meeting Tuesday disappointed.
Many of those who attended the informational meeting, held in the school
auditorium, shook their heads and spoke words of disapproval after Mayor Edward
J. Clancy, Superintendent Nicholas Kostan and Inspectional Services Director
Michael Donovan said repeatedly that they could not answer questions pertaining
to a repair timeline or plans to relocate students. The men said those types of
questions would not be answered until a final engineering report is issued.
"The final report is due in about a month," Donovan said to one man
who asked how long repairs could take. "It will explain what repairs are
needed and how long each individual repair will take. What that comes in, I can
answer that question succinctly. It is unlikely the building could be occupied
(when the repairs begin.)"
After being peppered with questions from angry audience members, Donovan said
repairs to the building are at least a year away. First the city must get the
report, then it must draw up plans for repairs and put the job out bid, he said.
"Until that time, this is just speculation and gossip," he said.
"Why should I speculate on what I might do, based on a report I haven't
seen, that I have no idea what it is going to say?"
Kostan said much of the same, as the audience continued to ask questions.
"There are not a lot of options, he said. "This is such a serious
issue to throw out options off the top of our heads. That's not a good idea. We
don't have answers tonight. There is no easy way to locate 1,500 students
anywhere. Let's face it - it would be disruptive system-wide. But we shouldn't
be jumping to conclusions. We just want to keep everybody up to speed as to
what's happened so far."
Clancy's comments put an end to the meeting.
"We have tried to give you everything we have," he said. "None of
it is dispositive."
Donovan, Kostan, Clancy, an air quality specialist and an engineering specialist
assured the audience that the school is safe and continues to be monitored on a
weekly basis.
Clancy said the purpose of the meeting was to share information with those who
could not attend a joint meeting between the City Council and the School
Committee held on Sept. 29.
At that meeting, Donovan estimated the cost to fix the building would be upwards
of $10 million and said repairs could take up to 18 months.
The damage caused to the 6-year-old building is due to the settlement of
the slab-on-grade configuration built on a solid waste landfill.
Among the damage are crumbling walls, two-inch gaps where one part of the
building has pulled away from another, buckled ceiling tiles, cracked and lifted
floor tiles, shattered trophy case glass, misaligned doors, and jagged
floor-to-ceiling cracks in the walls.
Classical OK for Now, but
Repairs Still Needed
LYNN - Repairing the
settling Classical High School could cost well above $10 million, could take up
to 18 months to complete and faculty and students cannot be in the building
while the repairs are ongoing.
That news, given by Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan, was
met by whistles and gasps from the audience during a joint meeting of the City
Council and the School Committee Thursday. The majority of the audience was made
up of students and staff of the school.
"We don't know when or if there will have to be some clearing of the
building for some major repairs, but we do have major issues concerning the
long-term viability of the building," Mayor Edward J. Clancy said.
"Let me make it clearer - without major work, there is no long-term
viability of that building."
Clancy also made it clear that nothing is "cast in stone" until
an engineering firm hired by the city issues its final report.
"There are no firm answers until we see that report and the specific
conclusions contained within," he said. "We came here tonight to clear
the air, no pun intended."
Councilor At Large Loretta Cuffe O'Donnell asked that the community be kept
informed on any possible closures of the school.
"If Classical High School is closed down for
renovations, it's very important we know as soon as possible when this will
happen," she said. "Second to safety, it is very important to come up
with a time table."
At Councilor at Large Timothy Phelan's request, Clancy, Donovan and two
engineers who tested the building as recently as Wednesday stressed that the
building remains safe for occupation.
"I believe the answer to your question is the building is safe,"
Clancy said to Phelan.
Donovan agreed.
"Yes, the building is safe," he said, adding later in the meeting,
"Just for the record, I am a parent of a child at Classical High School, so
I have concerns and I don't take this lightly."
To further his point, Donovan introduced Jim Ash, of GEI Consultants in
Winchester, who essentially said air quality in the school was healthier than it
was outside. Donovan said the firm will continue to test air quality once a
week.
"This will give us a baseline - is it changing, is it always the
same," he said. "That will provide us with the information to know
without a doubt, is the air in the school safe?"
The damage caused to the 6-year-old building is due to the settlement of
the slab-on-grade configuration built on a solid waste landfill.
Among the damages are crumbling walls, two-inch gaps where one part of the
building has pulled away from another, buckled ceiling tiles, cracked and lifted
floor tiles, shattered trophy case glass, misaligned doors, and jagged
floor-to-ceiling cracks in the walls.
With the intentions of recouping the cost of the repairs, the city filed a civil
complaint this winter against 11 companies that played any role in the
environmental assessment, architectural services, site preparation or remedial
services on the $40 million project.
Assistant City Solicitor George Markopoulos said the trial is currently
scheduled for spring 2007.
"They have all been served, they have all filed answers and we are now in
the process of exchanging discovery back and forth," he said.
Phelan voiced his displeasure with work completed by the companies named in the
lawsuit.
"(When I think about this) I get very frustrated and borderline
angry," he said. "I agree with the mayor's statement that the
architectural firm and geotechnical firm failed miserably and should be ashamed
of themselves. I really want to use language that I can't use in a public
forum."
City Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer Richard Fortucci said the city has
found legislation used by the city of Everett in a similar case that would allow
it to borrow money and not repay it until a resolution is reached in court.
"We can borrow that money and not have to pay the principal or interest
until such time that things are settled," he said.
At the close of the meeting, Council President James Cowdell made sure two
things were clear.
"We do have a serious problem, but at the same time, nobody is at
risk," he said.
Romney's Education
Reform Draws Local Reaction
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Friday,
September 23, 2005
Classical and other
Lynn Schools Protect Students' Names
By Jill Gadsby, The Daily Item of Lynn, Thursday,
September 22, 2005
