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Thursday, September 29, 2011 Dedham Transcript WickedLocalDedham.com

LOVE STORY

It started in Riverdale
By Andrea Salisbury
asalisbury@wickedlocal.com

They call it serendipitous love. The story of Billy Lewis and Louise Molander spans decades, starting with them meeting as twinkly-eyed middle schoolers in Riverdale and ending with a chance meeting at Lowes. Forty-four years later, Louise said, smiling and shaking her head. She was on Day 3 of being Louise Lewis. Billy sat across from her in their Norwood living room as Louise explained their history. They grew up in the same Riverdale neighborhood. Louise said in grade school she would bike past his house, but it wasnt until middle school that Billy started to notice her. He eventually gave her his tie clip. As they got older, the two attended junior high dances, but they became closer through church. The two attended Riverdale Congregational Church, sang in the choir an organized various events. It is this shared faith, Louise said, that sets the foundation for their relationship today. Upon graduating high school in 1967, Louise and Billy went their own ways. They each started families and they each got divorced. In 2009, Louise joined the Dedham High Alumni Association to help plan a 60th birthday party during the annual grand reunion. Part of her job was to send out invites. She got about 70 envelopes back as undeliverable. Billys wasnt one of them, but he never responded to the in-

Dedham natives Billy and Louise Lewis were recently married. COURTESY PHOTO

vite. To this day he insists he never received one. The party came and went and there was still no word from Billy. Then he went to Lowes in Dedham. A mutual friend who worked at the hardware store part time saw Billy and shouted from the ladder, Lousie Molander is looking for you. Email addresses were exchanged and eventually Billy and Louise met for dinner at Joes American Bar and Grill on Providence Highway. That was July 9, 2010. Perhaps it was a matter perfect of timing, Louise said, that they met when they did. We can get into this destiny thing. If Billy had gone to the party, he was involved with someone and I was involved, nothing would have happened, she said. It was just, it was just amazing. And it was just our time because back in the day, maybe we wouldnt have made it. Over the following year

their relationship evolved over with nights out at the Oasis in Dedham, dancing to songs performed by Demetri Tsaniklides and becoming reacquainted. And then there was the proposal. With high school girl excitement, Louise shared the story, which involves spinach. Her daughter had given them a gift certificate to Olivadi in Norwood. Now it was only seven months later, she said. I said, lets go use that gift card. At that point I didnt know what he had up his sleeve. The two planned on a nice night out, but didnt consider reservations. There were no seats in the inn, Billy said. Yup, we didnt make reservations, she said. We go in there and the place is empty, but it was all reserved. The waitress eventually came out and said a table opened up. Anyway, I had something on a bed of spinach. And I was smiling and a laughing and Billy said to me would it be appropriate for a boyfriend to tell his girlfriend that she has spinach on her tooth, Louise said. She then ran to the bathroom and when she came back, he had taken his mothers ring out of his pocket. There really was spinach on my teeth he said, look to your left. Louise said she took the ring and pushed at back to him and said, put it on. And I said yes. Then bang-bang before you knew it, it was (our wedding day) and that was it, she said.

AYP
From Page 1

In 2011, for English language arts, the state target for AYP was 95.1 percent of students being proficient, and 90.6 percent in mathematics. Only two of Dedhams six schools Dedham High School and Oakdale Elementary School made AYP,

but the four who failed arent alone. According to state figures, 82 percent of schools failed to make AYP in 2011, up from 67 percent of schools that failed in 2010. Under the No Child Left Behind federal law, schools that fail to make AYP multiple years in a row suffer consequences. The greater the number of years a school fails, the greater the consequences, according to the state Department of Educations website. However, late last week President Barrack Obama announced that he would like to allow the states to decide if they will take part in No Child Left Behind. He wants to provide them with the option of creating their own plans to improve student performance. Currently the current rules, schools that receive money under the federal Title I program, which strives to improve academic achievement of disadvantaged children, must have further impositions when failing to make AYP. The Avery School is the only school receiving such funds among the Dedham Public Schools. In the second year, schools that receive federal Title I money must offer students a choice of another school within the district where they can go if their parents wish. All schools must develop a two-year plan to turn the school around. Of Dedhams elementary schools, Oakdale and Greenlodge have no status with the No Child Left Behind Law. Avery and Riverdale have both reached the lowest level of needing improvement. The Dedham Middle School has failed to make AYP for three consecutive years and Dedham High School had failed three consequent years, but made AYP

this year. Reaching the AYP marks for two years in a row pulls a school out of danger. Principals took turns presenting tactics Dedham schools will employ to raise test scores to the School Committee. Included among them are using a new reading program for first through third grade called Treasures; establishing focused hour-long reading groups for older elementary students, continuing specialized MCAS classes for six weeks in advance of testing and working with newly hired library media specialists, which had previously been cut from the budget, but were restored this year. Its been three years since we had full time library media specialists, Riverdale Principal Doris Claypool said. After two weeks that has made a huge difference to the whole morale of the staff. I think if we were suffering a little with English language arts, that was a component we were missing. Superintendent June Doe said the district would continue to focus on mathematics as well as English language arts. I wouldnt want anyone to think were neglecting math, Doe said. At the middle school, more accelerated math classes will be offered, according to Dedham Middle School Principal Debra Gately. She also requested the use of the districts math coach, who had previously focused on elementary school math. In other business, the board approved extending Does contract for another two years. Her contract will now expire on June 30, 2014.
Staff writer Dave Eisenstadter can be reached at 781433-8336 or deisenstadter@wickedlocal.com.
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