Issue 1, May 2015
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WPS DISTRICT NEWS
Good News in Worcester
PUBLIC Schools
Issue 1, May 2015
Learn which Worcester schools
received Life Science grants.
Massachusetts Life Sciences grant announcement
Parent EXPO
N.E. Patriots at NHS
W4W
See how volunteers helped
Worcester Public Schools.
Learn about Worcester
Public Schools and our
special programs.
News About Our Schools Across the District
Introducing a new publication by Worcester Public Schools, “District News”! Each month, we
will feature special events, programs, and initiatives taking place at our schools across the
district. In this issue, we highlight an exciting announcement for WPS by the Massachusetts
Life Sciences Center, the great things Working for Worcester (W4W) has done for our schools,
the Parent/Guardian Expo presented by Worcester Public Schools and Worcester Education
Collaborative, and more! We hope you enjoy.
~ Superintendent Dr. Melinda J. Boone
Jennifer Roy, Communications/TV Production, royj@worc.k12.ma.us
Issue 1, May 2015
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Worcester Public Schools Receive Life Sciences Grant
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center awarded nearly
$11 million to schools and colleges in the region this year,
about a third of the $35 million the investment agency has
given out across the state in total.
The bulk of the money for Central Massachusetts went to
the University of Massachusetts Medical School and
Quinsigamond Community College, which each received
$5 million, the largest award the life sciences center
makes available through its competitive grant program.
Burncoat Middle School eighth-grader
Aisling Novick, spoke at the announcement
Nine other schools or school districts received a
of life sciences grants to schools and
combination of more than $900,000 for
colleges.
smaller life sciences projects. The largest
grant of that bunch went to the Worcester
school system, which will use its $265,142
award to buy equipment and ensure laboratory curriculum is the same across the district's six
middle schools.
Aisling Novick, an eighth-grader at Burncoat Middle School, where the grants were
announced, said science is one of the less popular subjects in her class, in part because of that
lack of resources and coordination across the district. As a result, she often finds herself
surrounded by students from private schools when she participates in regional science
competitions. "I hope with the funding from this grant, we'll be able to do better in the
future," she said.
TWELVE WORCESTER SCHOOLS RECEIVED
ANNUAL HEALTHY START AWARD FOR
THEIR WORK IN OFFERING FREE
BREAKFAST TO STUDENTS
Eos Foundation Honors 53 Schools in Support of Awareness and
Education on the Importance of Breakfast Access for Students
Twelve Worcester schools were honored last week for being
among the schools in Massachusetts that are known to reach
80% school breakfast participation rates. The dedicated efforts
of these schools’ administrators, teachers, custodians, food
service staff, secretaries and nurses ensure hungry children in
Worcester start their school day with a nutritious breakfast,
ready to learn. The schools – Belmont Street, Burncoat
Prepertory School, Canterbury Street School, Chandler Magnet,
Elm Park, Goddard School, Grafton Street, Jacob Hiatt, Lincoln
Street, McGrath Elementary School, Vernon Hill, and Woodland
Academy - were presented with the award in a ceremony at the
Massachusetts State House on April 30.
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From Left to Right, Ivonne Perez, Principal,
Chandler Magnet School; Lynn Handleman,
Assistant Principal, Chandler Magnet
School; Deborah Catamero, Principal,
Burncoat Prep, Diane Aubin, Café
Supervisor, WPS; Donna Lombardi, Director,
Child Nutrition Program.
Issue 1, May 2015
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Working For Worcester Lends a Hand to Worcester
Public Schools
Let’s hear it for Working For Worcester (W4W)!
The coalition, established by students at the College of the Holy Cross in the fall of 2012, worked with
community volunteers and corporate sponsors to refurbish nineteen school playgrounds and community centers
on Saturday, April 25.
1,500 volunteers joined for the effort, including students from 10 Worcester
college campuses, providing an estimated $100,000 worth of investment.
W4W worked on the following WPS schools and projects:
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Belmont Street School: improved small courtyard garden
Burncoat Middle School: rearranged and added furniture to
school library, and repainted interior
Chandler Elementary School: created a playground that can be used by all students, fixed basketball
hoops, and provided recreational equipment
Columbus Park Preparatory School: painted sidewalk map, provided landscaping, and removed
gravel bed
Elm Park Community School: created playground with swing set, soccer field with goal posts and
lines, worked on basketball court maintenance, painted Four-Square and hopscotch lines, finished
general landscaping
May Street School: Installed basketball hoop, painted lines for basketball, hopscotch, Four-Square, repaved areas to smooth them out
Rice Square School: cleared out current teacher’s office, rearranged library and computer lab,
beautified auditorium
South High Community School: beautified food pantry by replacing old shelves with new shelves,
added more shelving and equipment to Andy’s Attic, completed overall outdoor maintenance and
beautification
Tatnuck Magnet School: designed garden and erected community garden shed and rain catcher. WPI
engineers constructed shed
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Parent/Guardian EXPO
On Saturday, May 2, 2015, the Citywide Parent
Planning Advisory Council of the Worcester Public
Schools presented the Parent/Guardian EXPO at
WPI’s Harrington Gymnasium. Worcester Public
School students performed musical acts and dozens of
WPS programs presented information about their
innovation schools, visual and performing arts
programs, and college and career readiness programs.
Superintendent Dr. Melinda Boone and Mayor Joseph
Petty kicked off the event with opening remarks.
The event was co-sponsored by Worcester Education
Collaborative and CPPAC.
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Katherine F. Erskine
Awards, Honoring Women
Leaders in the Community
Arts and Culture
Honoree: Stacey Lord (Art Teacher,
Worcester East Middle) is an artist
and art educator who has taught
art to adults and students at the
Worcester Art Museum, Worcester
Center for Crafts, and Worcester
public schools. She is co-founder
and co-director of stART on the
Street.
Education
Honoree: Marie Morse (Principal,
Union Hill School) has been a
teacher and curriculum specialist,
assistant principal and principal in
the Worcester public schools for
more than twenty-five years. She
was able to help Union Hill School
recover from being a failing or
Level four school. She has
spearheaded food drives, toy and
clothing drives, and created the
“Union Hill Helping Hands”
program.
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Issue 1, May 2015
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Congrats to the inductees to the Worcester Public Schools 2014/2015 High School
Athletics Hall of Fame!
Sharon (Price) Broadard – South/Doherty High School
Jerry Creamer – South High School
Richard Dube – Commerce High School
Adrian Machado – Burncoat High School
James O’Donoghue – North High School
Dennis O’Leary – Doherty High School
Arthur Papandrea – Worcester Boys Trade
Stephen Scannell – Burncoat High School
Tina (Oliveri) Seabury – Burncoat High School
Allan Sullivan Jr. – South High School
Ollie Wilson – Doherty High School
An induction ceremony took place at Wachusett Country Blub in West
Boylston on May 1.
You can watch the program on TV 11, Channel 191.
For those living outside of Worcester, the show is simulcast at:
channel-11.worcesterschools.org
Once there, you can watch all WPS archived programs by clicking on
Resources, then Archived Programs, then find the show you want
and enjoy!
WEA-TV11 Station Manager
Joe Brindisi
WPS IN THE NEWS!!!
Worcester School Uses Theatre To Engage English-Language Learners (May 3, Telegram)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150504/ENTERTAINMENTLIFE/305039829/0/SEARCH
Recovery High School to Open in Worcester (May 3, Telegram)
http://www.telegram.com/article/20150503/NEWS/305029755
Culture LEAP - Worcester Students Take LEAP Into Learning City
Culture (May 4, Worcester Magazine)
http://worcestermag.com/2015/05/04/worcester-students-take-leap-into-learning-cityculture/33256
Redefining Labels: Worcester's North High Students Fight Stereotypes
In Photo Project (May 4, Mass Live)
Patriots Running Back,
Jonas Grey, at North High
http://www.masslive.com/news/worcester/index.ssf/2015/05/photographer_aims_to_capture_n.html
Patriots Player Talks to Students at North High (May 6, Charter TV 3)
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2755653940001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAvznJyNk~,ySIaKlvw3DA2_sZ
UNebMWPbPbhc098bo&bclid=979131591001&bctid=4221441488001
Jennifer Roy, Communications and TV Production, royj@worc.k12.ma.us
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