P R E M I U M E D I T I O N

THE
K
MA ADE
GR
FALL 2016

BACK
TO STYLE
Be fashion forward
at school this fall

AFTER
HOURS
Homework that
keeps students
motivated

$3.95 MM

SMART GEAR BOXED LUNCHES CUT COLLEGE COSTS

 Hopefully Ill install They understand the

THEIR WORDS
in my students value of coming to a
the value of community college
self-preservation, and certainly
which choices give you the cost factor
the chance to have a plays into that.
healthy lifestyle. Eileen Shea,
director of Transfer
Terry Mahjoory, physical Affairs and Articulation at BCC
education teacher
[Page 10]
[Page 28]

I get that this is very contentious. We have

outstanding, very high-performing charter schools in the
commonwealth. I think we should look at opportunities to
expand seats, not restrict seats.
But I would much rather see this done
legislatively than by ballot.
Mitchell Chester, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
commissioner
[Page 4]

For an individual applying Socialmedia gives

to college, an Advanced me the ability to
Placement course
shows that theyre
share images,
taking the most thoughts, stories,
in a passive manner that
rigorous courses lets students and parents
and challenging access them on their own
themselves. time. It takes that
Colin Riley, a spokesman for classroom moment
Boston University and broadcasts it.
[Page 12] Jeremy Flagg MacNamara,
Framingham High School teacher
[Page 30]

2 LENS | FALL 2016

THE TEAM CONTENTS
Sean Burke
PRESIDENT, GROUP PUBLISHER
GateHouse Media New England

Lisa Strattan
BACK TO BASICS 5 State of education
From charter schools to
Common Core in Mass.
SVP/EXECUTIVE EDITOR

B
ack-to-school is out Page 6 for the A-to-Z guide to
& PUBLISHER
Wicked Local one of those times the hottest trends hitting the school-
IN FOCUS
6 Finding your school style
Chuck Goodrich of year that simul- yard this fall. Think Beverly Hills Be fashionably educated
PUBLISHER taneously evokes 90210 meets grunge, but with a
The MetroWest Daily News 14 Gear & gadgets
The Milford Daily News both yearning and clean edge. For the gadget-loving Find the latest tech, from
Mark Olivieri dread. elementary schooler, pick up a pair first grade to college
PUBLISHER On one hand, of cozy monkey headphones or a
The Enterprise 17 Top of the class
The Herald News its a reminder kid-friendly tablet, both of which are Meet local school leaders
The Patriot Ledger
Taunton Daily Gazette that the carefree featured on Page 14. and learners
days of summer Of course, intellectual growth is at
Linda Murphy
EDITOR
are winding down and for summer the core of education and these days, AT ISSUE
fans, theres nothing to like about kids have even more opportunities to 12 AP: A test worth taking
Emely DelSanto that. But its also a signal that its progress with after school programs Whats the benefit of
PAGE DESIGNER Advanced Placement courses
time to get back to more purposeful (read more about them on Page 21)
Lens is a premium edition of The Enterprise, pursuits, family routines and the and Advanced Placement courses (see 30 Piles (and piles) of paper
The Herald News, The MetroWest Daily News, business of learning. Its like a built- Page 12). How much homework
The Milford Daily News, The Patriot Ledger and is too much?
Taunton Daily Gazette. in parental voice saying OK, youve Pondering a return to college to
These papers will publish up to 12 Premium had your fun, now buckle down and boost your career? Or have a teen
Editions each year, with a surcharge of up to $2
for each edition. Current subscription term lengths
learn something. who hasnt signed up for college yet? TO KNOW
reflect basic subscription rates without additional In this Make the Grade issue of You might consider shaving the cost 10 The value of
charges for Premium Editions. These papers community colleges
will adjust the length of your subscription, which Lens, youll find ideas and inspira- of a college education by opting for A great education without a
accelerates the expiration of your subscription,
when you receive these special editions. tion to get into the back-to-school a community college. Get details on great tuition bill
2016 GateHouse Media. No reproduction or
mindset. community colleges on Page 10. 26 Beyond sports
reuse of material without the express written What parent hasnt discovered As much as many of us will miss Phys ed focuses on the whole
consent of GateHouse Media. All rights reserved.
To request permission to reprint any material from that the best way to sweeten the summer, dont forget theres plenty of person, not just athletes
this publication, please contact Mark Olivieri at
publisher@heraldnews.com.
transition is with a shopping trip for reasons to be excited to get back to 32 The comfort of home
clothes, shoes and gadgets? Before routines, back to style, and back to A look at homeschooling
To order additional copies, call 1-888-MY-PAPER
(697-2737). you head out to the stores, check learning. 35 It all adds up
Make the grade
numbers to know

TO DO
24 Brown bag it, better
Pack a healthy lunch that
kids will want to eat

INNOVATORS
Linda Murphy 21 After hours
Clubs, creativity, competition
and class credit after school
28 Staying connected
Technology is changing the
way parents and teachers
communicate
34 Jump on in
Parent Teacher Organizations
are more active than ever

PL LENS | FALL 2016 3

state
education
S
ome major moving
pieces could have
a profound impact
on the future of
public education in
Massachusetts.
In November, voters will
be asked to decide whether
Massachusetts should raise its cap
on charter schools. As voters weigh
that ballot question, the state
Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education is continuing
its work to develop an updated
system of standardized exams.
Charter schools, which are run
independently of local school dis-
tricts, are public institutions oper-
ating under a state-approved charter
4 LENS | FALL 2016
OF
and overseen by a board of trustees.
While charter schools propo-
nents including Gov. Charlie
Baker say the institutions
higher degree of autonomy allows
them to offer individualized
instruction and take different
approaches to boost student per-
formance, their opponents say
they divert public resources away
from traditional public schools.
When a student living in a school
district goes to a charter school,
the funding follows the student.
Massachusetts Teachers
Association president Barbara
Madeloni has helped lead opposi-
tion to the charter schools ballot
question.
STORY BY GERRY TUOTI
If that ballot measure were
to pass, the bad news is it would
open the door to the incredible
privatization of public education
and the crippling of public schools
that meet the needs of every single
child, Madeloni said. They not
only siphon funds, they push stu-
dents with special needs out, which
is the antithesis of the foundational
ideas of public education.
State law limits the percentage
of a districts budget that can
be allocated to charter schools,
effectively capping the number
of charter institutions. The
Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education estimates
that 32,600 Massachusetts stu-
FROM CHARTER
SCHOOLS TO
COMMON CORE,
MOVING
FORWARD IN
MASS.
dents are on
charter school waitlists.
All across the state parents are
seeking high quality educational
opportunities for their children,
only to be shut out by arbitrary
caps, said Marc Kenen, execu-
tive director of the Massachusetts
Charter Public School Association.
Its time to lift these caps on
public charters to provide these
parents with more choices and
their children with the opportuni-
ties they deserve.
While DESE commissioner
Mitchell Chester said he supports
expanding opportunities for stu-
dents to attend charter schools,
he has reservations about putting

complex education policy issues
on the ballot.
I would much prefer the leg-
islature tackle this, he said. I
get that this is very contentious.
We have outstanding, very high-
performing charter schools in the
commonwealth. I think we should
look at opportunities to expand
seats, not restrict seats. But I
would much rather see this done
legislatively than by ballot.
Chester also said efforts are
underway to continue development
of an updated standardized exam
system, which will be administered
next spring. After piloting the
Common Core-aligned PARCC
exam, the Massachusetts Board
of Elementary and Secondary
Education voted last year to
instead develop a new generation
of MCAS. Board members said the
new exam will incorporate the best
features of MCAS and PARCC.
Madeloni, however, predicted
the new exam will likely just be
PARCC by another name. She has
vocally advocated for the elimina-
tion of high-stakes standardized
testing, which she characterizes as
harmful to students.
Courtesy Photos
From charter
schools to the
Common Core
standards and
new tests,
the states
approach to
education
is always
changing.
I think MCAS 2.0, if its any- according to the courts ruling. standards she helped develop are
thing like what weve seen, will The Common Core, which
help fuel an uprising against the Massachusetts adopted in 2010, is
high-stakes use of standardized a set of standards detailing the skills
testing, she said. If youre only K-12 students should losophy that we wanted to have
hearing the voices of master by the end of
disconnected each grade. Sponsored by
policy- the National Governors
makers, [Closeup] Association and the
that may The Boston Latin School Council of Chief State
sound like was the countrys School Officers, it was
an absurd first public school. developed with the inten-
Established in 1635, the
statement, schools alumni include tion of establishing con-
but were Benjamin Franklin, sistent standards across
either going John Adams and states while preparing
to reclaim our John Hancock. students for life after high
schools, or the school, either in college
system itself is or the workforce.
going to break. Common Core detrac-
What was perhaps the tors, though, say it takes a one-
largest variable in the world of size-fits-all approach, curbs local
Massachusetts education was decision-making and is ineffective.
taken off the table in the begin- Theyve said they will continue to
ning of July, when the Supreme explore their options following the
Judicial Court ruled that Attorney court ruling.
General Maura Healey had erred Common Core critic Sandra
in certifying a ballot question Stotsky, who served as senior
seeking a repeal of the Common associate commissioner in the
Core curriculum standards. The Massachusetts Department
decision will prevent the pro- of Elementary and Secondary
posed measure from being placed Education from 1999-2003,
on the 2016 statewide ballot, maintains the previous set of state
superior.
When I helped develop the
state standards, we had a phi-
everyone do better, she said. That
was the philosophy behind the
Massachusetts Ed. Reform Act of
1993, an excellent piece of progres-
sive legislation The Common
Cores philosophy is about closing
gaps, not about raising everybody,
even though it claims to do so.
Chester said abandoning the
Common Core would be disas-
trous.
Our teachers and adminis-
trators, our school districts, our
school committees have been at
work over five-plus years now
implementing a program of
instruction for students consis-
tent with the 2010 frameworks
we adopted, Chester said.
Those included whats called the
Common Core as part of our state
standards. We augmented and
customized the Common Core to
make sure it represented what we
wanted for Massachusetts and rep-
resented a forward direction, not a
backward direction.
LENS | FALL 2016 5
 STORY BY DANA BARBUTO

g one are the days

when Mom or
Dad bought five
pairs of pants, five
shirts, and a value
pack of socks and
underwear. Since
back-to-school
shopping is the second biggest
season for retailers after Christmas,
clothes, shoes, supplies and elec-
tronics for the school year, reported
the National Retail Federation in
the most recent data available. As
kids across the region gear up for
back-to-school
shopping,
distressed
denim,
athletic
Converse
shoes are
still a go-to.

theres a lot more at stake about

$68 billion in 2015, reported the
National Retail Federation.
Last year, the average
family with children in
grades K-12 planned
to spend $630.36 on

Bohemian, Be bold with

preppy, plaid bright 80s
and stripes are colors.
tried-and-true
styles that are
revamped for
this year.

6 LENS | FALL 2016

 Dont forget
a bit of bling!

Layering is the way

to go start with
a T-shirt, and add a
flannel shirt, bomber
jacket and more.

wear and attitude T-shirts domi- Its a mix-and-match men- over that. T-
nate this falls hottest trends with tality with plenty of choices. shirts are the
boys are girls taking their cues Solomons favorite back-to- number one basic
from the androgynous 90s. Its school splurge is the sporty and for back to school.
Beverly Hills 90210 all over ubiquitous bomber jacket, which They are versatile
again. she said will have staying power soft whether layered up
The overall look is a touch of for a couple of seasons. Buy a fabrics or worn by them-
grunge and Courtney Love, but plain jacket and decorate it your- are a pri- selves. Choose fun
more preppy and cleaned up, self. Do-It-Yourself is another ority, Solomon T-shirts with your
said Stephanie Solomon, fashion trend. Adorn pins or patches, said. Jeans, leggings and jeggings favorite characters, designs and
director at Lord & Taylor, which your initials. Use your imagina- combination jean and leggings messages, advises Solomon.
has stores in Braintree, Boston, tion, she said. work best as layering tools Denim, part of the fashion
Natick and Burlington. As the temperatures dip, lay- paired with tunics, long T-shirts, landscape for nearly 145 years
But this yesterday look has ering is another longtime trend boyfriend cardigans, ponchos or because its fashionable and
been updated with contemporary that shows no signs of slowing vests. functional, remains as popular as
colors, cuts and down. Comfort Everybody needs to layer, ever this shopping season. The
fabrics. and T-shirts Solomon said. It all starts with options are endless. A search for
made of a great T-shirt, which is the boys jeans on Kohls web site
super mainstay of your whole ward- returned 195 results in a variety
robe. Build from there with a of washes, cuts and colors plus
plaid flannel the of-the-moment destructed
shirt and a denim.
bomber Its a staple fabric and its
jacket not just jeans. Its coats, skirts
and dresses, too. Denim
is the quintessential
Loafers
are back.
all-American fabric,
Solomon said. Popular
for fall are distressed jeans

LENS | FALL 2016 7

back-to-school
A great T-shirt is
T R E N D S perfect alone or as
a base for layering.

from
A Z TO
Athletic separates
Bomber jackets
Corduroy
Denim
Earrings
Flannel
Grunge
Hoodies
iPhone
Jeggings
Khakis
Loafers
with frayed for the
metallic edges and above- 99 percent.
Necklaces the-ankle flaring.
Think: more boy-
The stores Fall
Lookbook offers outfits for back-
Olympics friend cut and less
skinny jean style. Classic
to-schoolers comprised of prints,
plaids, cargo pants and washed
Preppy 80s acid-washed denim is also denim. Old Navy is also playing

Quality
making a comeback. As are neon with stripes and pattern-mixing.
hues just pops of color, not Newly imagined Breton stripes
red full-on Cyndi Lauper.
Speaking of updating an old
come in colors like lemon zest and
cherry red. Expect to see trendy
Stripes trend, Old Navy, one of the
regions most popular clothing
pieces from ultra-cozy brushed
plaids to puffer vests to chunky
T-shirts stores for school-bound youths, textured sweaters in attention-

Utilitarian fabrics
revamped versions of tried-and-
true styles including bohemian,
Velvet preppy, plaid and stripes. On
point with election season,
Washes Old Navy is touting Layers
grabbing brights.
Other must-haves are a pair of
loafers. Kind of nerdy, isnt it?
Solomon said. But loafers are
hot. Vintage Converse sneakers

X-tra layers
yoga pants Bright colors, plaids
and patterns all come
Zip-up jackets together this fall.

8 LENS | FALL 2016

are an apt alternative, she said. down to it, kids can forget about
And belts. Get a good belt. giving kudos to any generation or
Waists are back, Solomon said. trend. The final fashion stamp of
For those who hate to wear approval is bestowed in the hall-
jeans or other fall-fashion staples ways of school.
like khakis or cargoes, the ath- Most kids wait until they
letic look is also scoring big this get to school to see what
year, per usual. Under Armor, everyone else is wearing,
Nike, Puma, T-shirts, hoodies, Solomon said.
track pants with stripes are all hot
sellers. T-shirts with slogans like
Beast Dont Rest or Play Like
a Legend are popular with boys.
Olympics-inspired Team USA
gear lines the shelves at Macys in
Braintree. In the childrens depart-
ment there, shoppers will also find
Get Back to Style signs with
Accessorize with
racks of backpacks decorated scarfs and hats to add
with those ubiquitous emojis, to that layered look.
graphic T-shirts and loads of
Levis. Macys was also stocked
with Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtle hoodies and Star Wars
gear. Stock up on essentials
Color is falls other like jackets, jeans
and jewel tones.
essential, Solomon
said. Look for
jewel tones
such as purples,
green, emerald,
ruby, amethyst.
They are deep, rich
and saturated.
Casual and comfort-
able is the name of the
shopping game at Kohls,
which is offering lots of
Boho-inspired tops with
built-in bling for girls. Plaid
soft cotton flannels in pat-
terns of turquoise and
deep blues and pinks
hung on racks. On
shelves for boys were
jewel-toned colored
long-sleeved T-shirts
and super soft
striped Henleys.
Corduroy, another
comfort fabric,
gets a thumbs-up
this year.
Channeling the
1990s might be
this seasons fad, but
when it comes right

LENS | FALL 2016 9

 the V A L U E of
C O M M U N I T Y
C O L L E G E S
STORY BY BENJAMIN PAULIN

I
ts inevitable. plans, transportation, sup- We hear this from stu- willing to accommodate. Photo by
Jannie Gilson, plies, more fees. The list goes dents all the time. They The stigma of attending a Dave Souza
the registrar on and the dollar figures go will start out at a four-year community college is slowly The Bristol
at Massasoit up. school, the cost is very over- shifting as students see it as Community
Community With the cost of col- whelming, they will come a more viable option than College campus
features the new
College, sees it lege tuition rising each year, to a community college and going to a four-year school John J. Sbrega
every year. more and more students are then go back to get their for all four years. Health & Science
College stu- finding themselves in degree from a four-year This year was their sixth Building. With
dents at four-year schools the hallways and school, Gilson said. largest graduating class at the cost of col-
(and their parents) see classrooms of the Its an emerging trend Massasoit. Last year was lege rising each
year, students
the bills start piling up states community local community colleges second largest and the year are viewing com-
and anxiety and colleges as a way have been noticing in recent before was the largest, Gilson munity colleges
the reality of the true to supplement the years and its something said. like BCC as a
cost of a higher bottom line of their theyre more There is a stigma, viable path
education beyond education. than there always has to higher
education.
tuition sets been, especially
in. Fees, in the 90s.
books, Weve
residency, been
meal

10 LENS | FALL 2016

really trying to dispel a lot
of myths about community
college, Gilson said. People
look at it as their last resort
school when in actuality some
of the adjunct professors that
we have are the same at the
local four-year institutions.
At Massasoit in Brockton,
the cost of tuition and man-
datory fees this past school
year was $5,910, according
to the state Department of
Higher Education. Thats
34 percent cheaper than
Bridgewater State University
($8,928), 53 percent less than
UMass Dartmouth ($12,592)
and a whopping 85 percent
cheaper than the private
Catholic school Stonehill
College in Easton ($38,740).
The numbers are similar
for Bristol Community
College in Fall River. With
tuition and fees set at $5,444
last school year, the cost was
39 percent less than BSU, 57
percent lower than UMass
Dartmouth and 86 percent
cheaper than Stonehill.
They understand the
value of coming to a commu-
nity college and certainly the
cost factor plays into that,
said Eileen Shea, director
of Transfer Affairs and
Articulation at BCC. They
take a lot of the general edu-
cation courses like English
and history and then transfer
those credits on to a four-
year school. They understand
when they get here how good
the education is. They have a
lot of personal attention and
often times they stay on to
get their associates degree.
Theyve seen a large
number of people taking
summer courses as well.
It comes down to cost,
Gilson said. Its the ease of
being able to register to the
course, sometimes its location.
Theyre coming from out-of-
state back home. Why pay
several thousand dollars when
you can pay a couple hundred
dollars for summer classes?
Outside of cheaper tuition,
other options like Pell grants
or the MassTransfer program
allow for those who qualify to
see even further reduction in
their tuition costs.
Students eligible for Pell
grants can have some or all
of the total amount of their
tuition at a community col-
lege paid for each year, Gilson
said.
Those who meet the cri-
teria for the MassTransfer
program will be guaranteed
to transfer to a four-year
school, have a minimum of
60 credits transfered and can
receive a tuition discount at
their new school, Shea said.
There are more and more
of these transfer pathways
that I think people are begin-
ning to understand, Shea
said. That message is getting
out and certainly parents are
more intrigued.
Both schools say they have
added programs, classes and
services to help cope with the
demands of their evolving
and growing student body.
We realize that this is
happening and were looking
and recruiting those students
because we can service those
students very well, Shea
said.
In general, the cost of
going to any college is rising.
Massasoit, BCC, BSU and Photo by Marc
UMass Dartmouth each Vasconcellos
increased their tuition Students walk
between 5 and 10 percent around campus
between the fiscal year 2015 at Massasoit
and 2016, state data shows. Community
College in
Over the last 20-plus Brockton.
years, the amount of services
students require now sup-
port services, mental health
counselors, campus safety,
campus police, safety cam-
eras, advising tutors those
things cost money. They
didnt have that stuff when
I was first going to college,
Gilson said. Its a lot more
than paying for a room and
paying a teacher to turn on
the light.
LENS | FALL 2016 11
 A TEST WORTH TAKING
STORY BY CHRISTIAN SCHIAVONE
AND CHRIS BURRELL AP PHOTOS BY LAUREN OWENS

W
hen Namita Arunkumar was that are becoming increasingly common in high
heading into her sophomore A P T E S T S T A K EENN school course offerings.
year at Braintree High School, I didnt want to be bored, said Arunkumar,
High school 2006-07 2015-16
she had little idea of what to who graduated as her class valedictorian in June
expect when she signed up for Fall River 311 457 and is heading to Boston Universitys seven-year
Advanced Placement chemistry. Framingham 707 880 medical program in the fall. I have a basic foun-
In the following two years, she loaded her Quincy 213 590 dation for college-level classes in each subject that
schedule with nine more of the college-level classes Im really lucky to have.

Students
work as
teacher Justin
Galusha
passes out
papers during
an Advanced
Placement
class at
Weymouth
High School,
above. Joshua
Walat and
classmates,
left, and
Jud-Ann
Geneus, right,
tackle the
work.

12 LENS | FALL 2016

 An increasing number of stu-
dents are opting for the rigor and
stress of AP courses as early as the
10th grade. Some want to tackle
a new challenge while others are
hoping to secure an edge when
they apply to top-level colleges
and universities, or a mix of both.
At the end of each course, stu-
dents pay a fee to take an exam.
The fee this year is $92 per exam.
High scores can translate to credits
or an opportunity to skip lower-
level classes at some colleges and
universities.
The Advanced Placement pro-
gram run by the College Board
the nonprofit organization that
also administers the SATs has
been around for decades. But the
number of tests taken by students
when they finish each course has
exploded in recent years.
Massachusetts high schoolers
took more than 88,600 AP tests
last year. Thats twice the number
of tests taken in the 2006-2007
school year, according to the state
Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education.
In Quincy, students took 590
AP exams last year, compared
to 213 eight years earlier. In
Framingham, high schoolers com-
pleted 880 exams, up from 707
in the 2006-07 school year. In
Fall River, the number of AP tests
NUMBERS TO KNOW
88,600
The number of AP tests
2x
state has doubled since
Massachusetts high the 2006-2007 school
schoolers took last year. year.
SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION
jumped from 311 to 457 over the
same time period.
Nearly 40 percent of
Massachusetts high school seniors
took AP courses last year. The rate
was close to 31 percent of seniors
in Quincy, more than 58 percent
in Framingham and more than 25
percent in Fall River.
The College Board provides
curricula for almost 40 AP
courses, but the number offered
varies widely among different high
schools. In schools districts that
do offer them, taking AP courses
can give students a boost when
their applications land in front of
college admissions departments.
For an individual applying to
college, an Advanced Placement
course shows that theyre taking
the most rigorous courses and
challenging themselves, said
Colin Riley, a spokesman for
Boston University.
Justin Galusha, who has taught
advanced placement psychology
The number of
tests taken in the
40% The per-
centage of
high school seniors
in the state who took AP
courses last year.
at Weymouth High School since
2008, said that a trend among
high school seniors to apply to
college early in the fall has fueled
pressure on students to enroll in
AP classes in their junior year.
Eleventh graders are feeling
the pressure to do this college
admission process earlier and ear-
lier, said Galusha.
The question is: Are high
school juniors ready for college-
level work?
That kids really like a sopho-
more when they come back on the
first day of their junior year, and
they just enrolled in a college level
course, said Galusha. Theres a
transition period there, and we try
to communicate that to parents.
Weymouth High School cau-
tions students not to sign up for
more than two or three AP classes
in their junior year, he added.
Keith Kosierowski, an educa-
tional consultant in Scituate who
works with high school students
Nicholas Abbott
looks through
his schoolwork,
left, during
Justin Galushas
Advanced
Placement class
at Weymouth
High School,
right.
and their parents, agreed that
theres pressure on students to
stack up AP classes to beef up
their college applications.
My concern is that theres a
lack of balance, he said. Its so
pressure-packed that theyre giving
up sports and a social life to get
on that track.
Kosierowski said some of that
pressure comes from parents who
reflect a culture fixated on brand
names. He tries to advise parents
not to lose perspective and ask if
their college-bound child really has
to go to Princeton or would a solid
education at a lesser-known school
like Stonehill College be acceptable?
While students endure the
pressure of playing the college
admission game, Galusha said he
and other teachers try to focus not
so much on the AP test scores as
on seeing AP classes as a tool for
getting students ready to survive
college.
With the price of higher edu-
cation, there is a moral obligation
to really prepare our students for
college, he said.
Galusha said that translates into
high expectations in the context
of a supportive high school. He
makes sure students learn how
to handle all the things theyll
encounter in a college classroom,
starting with a syllabus.
LENS | FALL 2016 13
 GEAR
FIRST GRADE

& TO HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE

STORY BY KERRIANN KELLEHER

GA DGET S

B
ackpack, books, time to start thinking about seem endless.
pencils, crayons, exchanging beach bags for back- Whether youre an aspiring
calculator, new packs and plug back into the musician or a number-crunching
sneakers ... Smart school year. mathematician, there are a
phone? For the gadget-loving students number of different high-tech
As Labor Day out there, the list of back-to- tools that can make the return to
approaches, its school supplies and necessities can the classroom a little easier.

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RETRACK ANIMALZ

MONKEY HEADPHONES
$14.99 Best Buy
These headphones help elementary schoolers tune in
at a clear but safe volume to protect their ears. The
soft and fuzzy ear pads also make them super com-
fortable to wear.

VTECH - KIDIZOOM
SMARTWATCH DX
$44.99 Best Buy
With a 3-D digital and analog display and eight
games, this watch helps students learn to read time
easily. It also has video and photo capture.

SAMSUNG
KIDS
GALAXY
TAB E
LITE
$129.99 Best Buy
With tons of kid-
friendly apps and 8GB
of space, this tablet
makes learning fun. The
bumper case protects
it from accidental drops
and parental control
settings help limit play-
time.

14 LENS | FALL 2016

MIDDLE SCHOOL GORILLA
POWER
BANK
JANSPORT $18.99-$29.99 Staples
DIGITAL Easily charge a cell phone,
tablet and other devices any-
BURRITO where. Middle schoolers can
charge their cell phones so
POUCH you can always stay in touch.
$17.99 Staples
This burrito can be filled with
cords, chargers, and head- FUJIFILM
phones for safe storage.
INSTAX MINI 8
INSTANT FILM
CAMERA
$54.99 Best Buy
HIGH SCHOOL Students can capture all of
the best moments of the
school year with this easy-
to-use camera. It works with
LIFEPROOF film packs so you can pro-
FRE POWER duce pictures instantly.

WATERPROOF
BATTERY
CASE FOR
IPHONE 6
$87.99 Best Buy
Students can protect their
iPhones against anything high
school throws at them. This
case is water, dirt, snow and
drop resistant and also has
an integrated battery to keep
phones powered for longer.

FITBIT
BLAZE
SMART
FITNESS
WATCH
$189.99 Best Buy
This smart watch can help
high school students track
and manage their fitness
goals with a heart monitor,
sleep tracker, and step
counter. The watch wire-
lessly syncs with your com-
puter to store data.

LENS | FALL 2016 15

 BEATS
PILL 2.0
PORTABLE
SPEAKER
$139.95 Staples
This durable speaker provides
clear sound for any music-
loving teenager. Its also
Bluetooth friendly so it can
wirelessly connect to devices.

COLLEGE

MICROSOFT KEURIG K200

SURFACE BREWER
PRO 4 $119.99 Best Buy
12.3 128GB Intel Core i5 The quick and single-serve K-
Silver cups can give a college student
$999.99 Best Buy the caffeine they need to get
through study sessions and all-
This devices combines the nighters.
best of a laptop and tablet
in a lightweight and portable
design. Perfect for the college
students trip from dorm to
classroom.

CASIO
FX-9860GII
GRAPHING
CALCULATOR
$79.99
Got math problems? Casio
BOSE QUIETCOMFORT has a number of calculators to
help you find a solution. The
35 WIRELESS fx-9860GII allows for powerful,
HEADPHONES quick calculations on a gen-
erous screen size. It also fea-
$349.99 Best Buy tures a new LCD backlight for
These wireless, noise-cancelling headphones help superior visibility, and natural
students concentrate and enjoy their favorite music. display shows expressions and
The headphones are Bluetooth friendly and have a results exactly as theyd appear
long-lasting battery. in a textbook.

16 LENS | FALL 2016

 M E E T L O C A L S C H O O L
T O P O F T H E C L A S S
L E A D E R S & L E A R N E R S

PHOTOS BY
TEACHER GREG DERR

R O N A D A M S

STORY BY JESSICA TRUFANT the city.

In a project
spanning several

T
eacher Ron Adams said
he over-planned his generations, stu-
lessons when he first dents completed
started teaching in a Winnie the
1975. Its something Welder oral history
new teachers do because they project to document
want to feel prepared. the stories of women
He said each lesson felt like who worked in local
a race, as he tried to cover as shipyards during
much material as possible. But World War II.
that approach was missing the Most recently,
impromptu moments that can In Quincy, Broad Meadows Brandi Isaacs spent
Middle School teacher Ron
graders who are trying to get Adams works with a group
lead to greater understanding. the Equal Rights Amendme
nt passed this past June.
of seventh- time in seventh
So Adams began preparing and eighth grade
only 80 percent of each lesson, digitizing and tran-
letting students take the lead on scribing the videos of
the other 20 percent. village the following year, Broad the women. The col-
I create these predictable Meadows students took up his they brainstorm, and they own the lection is available at the Thomas
moments when I stop and say, cause, launching a letter-writing material, he said. My teaching Crane Library.
what are you thinking right now? campaign against child slavery has evolved and the reason the Now a junior at UMass Boston,
And for a while, theres silence, and raising money for a school students are so active is because Isaacs said she was quiet and
but then the hands start creeping in Masihs village. Students won Ive learned to not try to teach shy prior to having Adams as a
up, said Adams, a seventh-grade a $12,000 Reebok International it all. Im here to facilitate their teacher.
English language arts teacher at Youth in Action Award for their learning, not to script it. Hes the type of teacher who
Broad Meadows Middle School in efforts and within a year had raised Adams said other projects helps bring your voice out, and
Quincy. Its a magical moment $100,000 for the school. have resulted from the student- I think a lot of students feel that
when my 80 percent is over and Adams said he incorporates led discussions that take place way, she said while visiting Broad
their 20 percent begins. 20th and 21st Century non- in his classroom. For example, Meadows on a recent afternoon.
That 20 percent has yielded fiction into his lesson plan so six girls dubbed the History Never underestimate the
countless student-led projects students can better relate to the Girls got approval last year from power of a seventh grader, Adams
both in and out of the classroom content. The he gives them the the U.S. Board on Geographic said with a chuckle.
during Adamss 33 years at Broad opportunity to bring it home, Names to have the marsh next to For Adams, it boils down to
Meadows including some that by relating it to something in their their school renamed in honor giving students the time and the
have brought national attention to own lives. of its earliest inhabitants, the space to experience learning on
the school. When students express frustra- Massachusett Native American their own terms. And that, he
In 1994, Adams arranged for tion or discontent with some- tribe. The project grew from a said, has proven most effective.
12-year-old Iqbal Masih, who had thing, Adams said he has one homework assignment in which With the students, its never
escaped slave labor in Pakistan, to simple response: What do you Adams asked students to research Remember when you said
visit the school and speak to stu- think we should do about it? a historical site in Quincy that that? Adams said. Its always,
dents. After Masih was killed in his It generates discussion, and they would show tourists visiting Remember when we did that?

PL LENS | FALL 2016 17

STUDENT
M A R I E G A L L E Y
& A L L Y S O N
R O B A T Z E K
STORY BY LIAM HOFMEISTER
M
arie Galley and
Allyson Robatzek
took their first com-
puter science class
two years ago on a
whim. Now, the Pembroke High
School 11th graders, both 17, are
winning national recognition for
developing an altruistic mobile
application.
The app, Hungry Hungry
Helpers, connects restaurants
willing to participate with people
who want to make donations to
buy a meal for someone in need.
Though no restaurant partner-
ships are yet in place, Galley and
Robatzek said they hope to get
local restaurants interested in
the program. Diners can make
a mobile donation to Hungry
Hungry Helpers whenever they
buy a meal. Donations would go
to the apps online bank in return
for rewards points and coupons at
participating restaurants.
People in need of a meal can
ask to use the Hungry Hungry
Helpers fund at a participating
restaurant. The cost of the meal
would be subtracted from the col-
lection bank.
It started with an idea how
can we help the hungry? Robatzek
said. First we thought ah, a pay-
it-forward system, and we had our
solution without a computer. Then
we began designing the app to
match our solution.
Hungry Hungry Helpers began
as a project assigned by Pembroke
High School computer science
18 LENS | FALL 2016 PL
From left, student
Al
food to those wh lison Robatzek, teacher Elaine Gr
o cant afford it.
teacher, Elaine Griggs.
Griggs tasked her class with
finding a solution to any problem
with a mobile app. Galley and
Robatzek thought beyond the
classroom and addressed a problem
that afflicts the world: hunger.
There are 700,000 to 800,000
people who are food insecure in
Massachusetts, alone, Galley said.
Thats about 12 to 13 percent
of the state population, and that
number works nationally, too.
After finishing their app in
December, Galley and Robatzek
entered it in the Congressional
App Challenge, a national com-
petition that challenges students
to code software applications.
They won the challenge for
Massachusetts 9th Congressional
District, resulting in personal
commendations from 9th District
Rep. William Keating.
When you see the app, its
clear, very user friendly, Keating
said when he met with the students
in March. Theyve created a pay-
it-forward approach to hunger.
iggs and student
Marie Galley, created an app to
allow users to do
nate
The thought process was
good, but the application is even
their program with a Pembroke
better.
restaurant.
Griggs said Galley and
Griggs also said Galley and
Robatzek spent at least a combined
Robatzek are the only girls in their
160 hours to develop the app and
computer science class. According
concept. The pair developed a
to a study conducted by the
business pitch for Technovation,
National Center for Women and
a middle/high school app invest-
Information Technology, only 25
ment challenge for girls.
percent of computing occupations
Hungry Hungry Helpers was
are held by women.
not selected to receive invest-
It seems like women have to
ments, but Griggs said the team
work much harder to prove our
wont be discouraged. Next school
place in the tech industry, Griggs
year, theyll be pitching the pay-it-
said. They ended up working
forward system at adult level pitch
more hours but with much more
nights to find real money for
reward.
investment.
Robatzek recognized the chal-
The team is still looking for
lenges of being a young woman
a third party banking system to
pursuing computer science, but
hold donated money, which they
she said it drives her and Galley to
hope to find after converting their
prove their capabilities.
app to a website platform.
This class is mostly guys, so
Our next step is figuring out
its empowering to be the ones
how to reach the population who
who won, Robatzek said. We
we would target, Robatzek said.
want to do this, and were proving
By next October, Galley and
to ourselves that we can do this.
Robatzek said they hope to pilot
COACH

B O B R O D G E R S
STORY BY MIKE LOFTUS our relationships with friends and that you accomplish pieces of a cheating yourself.
family. larger goal at different times 6. Enlist company to share your
Here are 10 coaching tips from 4. Create a plan on how you goal. When you can get a team-

B
ob Rodgers faced a deci-
sion when he and NESN Rodgers that can also be applied want to achieve your goal. (Again, mate to share in a goal, you have
parted ways in 2004, to attaining personal goals. you should write the plan down.) someone who can push you and
after a 17-year career that 1. Write it down. It is very 5. Keep yourself accountable by train with you.
included calling Red Sox important to write your goals monitoring your own progress. I 7. Tell people about your goals.
games. down and then post them some- give my players a blank calendar When you talk about it you put
Broadcast offers began rolling place where you have to see them and I ask them to put it in their more pressure on yourself to actu-
in, but Rodgers was also feeling daily. Choose smart goals that are room so they can see it every ally work toward what you have
the tug of the sideline and the specific, measureable, attainable, day. I tell them to write down set out to do.
classroom. relevant and time-bound. each day what they did to work 8. Be realistic, but dont be
I thought that this was an 2. Set a time frame to achieve toward accomplishing their goal. afraid to fail. More players set
opportunity to do something the goal If you see a lot of blank days, then their goals too low than too
Ive always wanted to do, 3. Dont be afraid to break up you know you are high. You cant be afraid of
said Rodgers, who had started the goal into chunks so coming up short in your
coaching at the high school quest to achieve a goal.
level while he 9. Take honest inven-
was still attending tory of your progress. You
Emerson College. already set a time frame
So I thought Id try for achievement, but dont
teaching, and see if I just wait until that date
liked it. to see how you did. Have
Rodgers hasnt check-in points for you
left campus since. to assess and reevaluate
Currently the Athletic your plan if necessary.
Director at Whitman- 10. Dont overwhelm
Hanson Regional yourself with a huge list.
High School, where he Narrow your focus to
marked his 17th season three to five goals that
as varsity boys basket- are measurable. This
ball coach by leading doesnt mean you wont
the Panthers to the Div. be achieving other
2 state semifinal game things along the way,
at TD Garden, Rodgers but your mind should
previously coached var- be focused on those
sity baseball at Silver specific goals.
Lake Regional (starting
at age 21) and Hingham,
and varsity basketball at
Holbrook.
The best part about
coaching is having the
opportunity to help kids
grow into healthy, happy
adults, said Rodgers, now
47. Playing on a team ach Bob Rodgers
teaches us all so many gio na l Hi gh Sc hool basketball co
Re
Whitman-Hanson 11 game.
important values that help play during a 20
calls the defensive
us not only later in the work
environment, but also in

PL LENS | FALL 2016 19

PRINCIPAL

C H U C K C O R M I E R
STORY BY CHRISTOPHER BURRELL

I
ts a fair assumption that few The scientific observations and Cormiers passion for nature and eat her.
school principals have bird inquiry, their senses of touch and and discovery is infectious. His Cormier drafted a few second-
eggshells, a dried-out horse- smell, are all meshed with writing burgeoning collection of natural graders to help plant peas in a
shoe crab and snake-skins lying skills. Cormier also turns to the finds were brought through the schoolyard garden thats overseen
about their office. schools art teacher to teach chil- front door by kids themselves. through a collaboration with a
A microscope sits right in the dren about drawing from nature. When a second grade teacher local farmer, Janice McPhilips.
middle of it all, a detail that knits Some of the greatest scientists learned of a rescued red-eared As Cormier and his trio walked
together the educational vision in history were also artists, said slider turtle that needed a home, through the playground, they
and practice of Chuck Cormier. Cormier. she knew it would fit right in at passed by an entire class of third-
Cormier, who has been at Bringing children out of the Plymouth River School. graders eating lunch at picnic
the helm of Plymouth River classroom and into the outdoors Not content to allow their tables.
Elementary School in Hingham has another pay-off. turtle to live all day in a glass You look at the high-stakes
since 1994, believes in the educa- Kids in nature, especially kids tank, the second-graders are testing, but kids need this to
tional power of nature. with special needs or ADHD building an outdoor habitat. develop, Cormier said approv-
Theres a theory called nature (attention-deficit/hyperactivity dis- Alex, one of the second-graders ingly as he took in the scene.
deficit disorder that says all humans order) relax and can become very working on the project, was Out at the garden, students
need to interact with nature, said successful, said Cormier. And already thinking about necessities. Christina McGrath, Danny Porter
Cormier, who has fashioned his kids who cant write well are able We need a roof, he said ear- and Julia Baldwin were already old
kindergarten- to fifth-grade school to sketch a scientific observation. nestly. So a hawk cant fly down hands, grabbing pieces of arugula
into an innovative laboratory for and snacking right off the stalk.
hands-on learning and exploration
that mirrors what scientists do in
the real world.
Teachers at Cormiers school
immerse their 465 students in
the natural world. Kids grow
vegetables and compost leftover
food scraps, spend recess on a
playground that is fused with a
surrounding forest that flanks the
school grounds and spend the first
week of fourth-grade on a camping
trip on Cape Cod doing hands-on
lessons in marine science.
In a world increasingly devoted
to digital skills and high-stakes
testing, Cormier is convinced that
children need to learn science
with their hands.
Kids are mucking in tide
pools and in the salt marshes and
asking big picture questions: how
do plants and animals adapt?
said Cormier.
Students narrow their lens on
a single periwinkle and try to
discover how a marine animal
can withstand three hours in the
At the Plymouth River School
hot sun when the tide has fully and students. The students
in Hingham, principal Chuck
Cormier has a love for nature
receded, added Cormier. have a vegetable garden and that is spread among the sch
take part in nature programs ool staff
at school and on field trips.

20 LENS | FALL 2016 PL

 afterHOURS
CLUBS, CREATIVITY, COMPETITIONS AND CLASS CREDIT
STORY BY CODY SHEPARD | PHOTOS BY DAVE DeMELIA

t
Ross Shore and Noah Schulze perform their skit
to fight homelessness as part of The Destination
Imagination Dream Team from Stoughton High in
2015. They went to the global competition that
year and won second place.
he sun was set. The coffee was
out. And snacks were running low.
But the Stoughton High School stu-
dents were still in the classroom not
working on homework, but perfecting
a project as part of an after-school club.
LENS | FALL 2016 21
 From left, Increasingly, students are
Gigi DeNapoli spending more and more
McKenzie
Finnerty and
time at school. But, in some
Amanda Gallant cases, most of the hours are
perform their logged after the final bell
skit to fight rings.
homelessness It got to the point
as part of The
Destination
where these students were
Imagination spending hundreds of hours
Dream Team. after school, specifically as
a club, said Tim Norton, a
Stoughton High engineering
and robotics teacher, who
oversees the Destination
Imagination club.
22 LENS | FALL 2016
Each year, about 50 stu-
dents take part in Destination
Imagination in Stoughton,
which is a hands-on learning
experience aimed at fostering
creativity through various
categories from science to
fine arts to service learning.
And while, across educa-
tion, some school activities
are becoming more a part
of an extended day learning
model, the Stoughton club
has done the opposite.
Years ago, when we
started doing DI, it started
with just 14 kids and even-
tually it grew to somewhere
around 60, Norton said.
These kids who are out
there making the school look
good, doing this great work,
why dont we give them
some opportunity to get class
credit? So, with the help of
the administration, the last
few years, weve offered it also
as a class if they can fit it into
their schedule.
Students can strictly take
a project management design
class, which meets every day,
or, as many do, they can also
take part in the after-school
Destination Imagination
club, with a chance of com-
peting in regional, state and
global competitions.
But some after-school
programs still remain activi-
ties that require many hours
in the evening and dont
offer school credit.
Musicals, often due to the
high number of participants,
are strictly an after-school pro-
gram at Oliver Ames High School
in Easton.
But its not something that
seems like a responsibility to many
students, but rather a unique
opportunity they dont want to
miss.
For the last several years now,
the term Ive heard used by the
students is, Theyre putting it
on their bucket list. By the time
theyre a senior, they want to
get the courage to get involved
in a musical, said Charlene
Dalrymple, the longtime Oliver
Ames musical director, who
is also the head of the Music
Department. Some wish they had
done it much earlier when they
find out how much of a rewarding
experience it is.
Even musicals have evolved
since Dalrymple led her first show
at the school in 1982.
At my first musical, which
was, My Fair Lady, in 1982, I
was everything. I conducted the
orchestra, choreographed, taught
music and directed, Dalrymple
said. As things got better through
the years and I created a budget,
I started adding people. I have a
choreographer, someone who does
the orchestral music, and parents
have helped out along the way.
You want to keep improving.
Dalrymple said musicals, like
The Wizard of Oz that the
group staged this spring, are an
after-school experience because
its hard to get dozens of students
together during the day. But being
a strictly after-school activity
doesnt exclude students who have
other responsibilities in the after-
noon.
We get students from every
walk of life participating,
Rebecca ORouke plays the Wicked Witch of
the West in Oliver Ames production of the
Wizard of Oz in Easton, top right.
Dalrymple said. For kids that
cant participate because theyre in
a sport and couldnt make prac-
tices, they come and help out by
being an usher. A lot of the stu-
dents come to see the shows, too.
And a lot of the teachers come.
Its supported by the whole school
community.
Dalrymple also directs the show
choir, which is more a balance
between the school day and after
hours, with two rehearsals per
week during the day. The students
must take either concert choir,
show choir, concert or band as a
class to participate in the show
choir club, which goes to compe-
titions.
But even many of the students
in the musicals have some portion
of practice during the day.
Certainly, if the student is in
my class, what they learn during
the school day is directly applied
to what theyre doing in the
musical, she said.
In Stoughton, Destination
Imagination even leads to
opportunities outside of school
all together. One of the teams
dubbed the Dream Team
placed second in the world at
a recent global competition for
their project to bring awareness to
homelessness among veterans.
The really successful DI
teams are still putting in extra
hours after school. Ive also
noticed that our kids have gotten
a reputation around the state,
and even nationally, because
theyre going way above and
beyond, Norton said. Theyve
taken a lot more pride in their
work the last few years. The size
and scope and the amount of
involvement that these kids have
has grown drastically.
Photo by Marc Vasconcellos
Oliver Ames High School show choir pre-
sented Panache Holiday Show in 2013,
below right.
LENS | FALL 2016 23
 brown bag it. better.
STORY BY JEANNETTE BESSINGER, THE CLEAN FOOD COACH | PHOTOS BY DAVE SOUZA

I
ts back to school ally unhealthy. Streamlining
EATING EASE: Kids arent given much time
season and time to lunchbox production in your to eat during their lunch break, so keep the
think about feeding home with quality foods your portions reasonable and dont include any
your children during kids will actually eat is a power foods that are complicated to assemble or
unwrap. Making their sandwich neat and
their long hours away move for both their health and easy to eat will make it more appealing. Cut
from home. school performance. it in half or into quarters and dont use wet
Sadly, most school lunch Check out these tips to help or runny fillings. Cutting veggies into sticks
and slicing full-sized fruit like oranges and
programs are still nutritionally you send them on their way apples will help them get eaten.
sub-par, and many are actu- with confidence.

24 LENS | FALL 2016

 WATERMELON
MACRONUTRIENT BALANCE:
Include a hearty protein and
small amount of fat for staying
power in every lunch. Also try
to include at least one fruit
and one veggie to help them
get enough produce servings
into their daily diet. Skip the
sugary drinks offer cold water,
clean milk or chilled herbal
tea (tisanes only, no caffeine!)
instead. If youre keeping your
kids gluten-free or they dont
like traditional sandwiches, try
making them a compartmen-
talized bento box-style lunch.
Heres a great concept from my
coauthor and friend, Tracee
Yablon Brenner, RD:
ASIAN-STYLE BENTO
LUNCH-BOX
PROTEIN: 3-5 slices of deli or
leftover chicken or turkey breast
roll-ups, topped with black sesame
seeds
VEGGIES: 1 cup raw cucumber,
red pepper, carrot, or celery sticks,
or pea pods (snow or sugar snap)
FRUIT: 1 small apple or pear,
unpeeled, sliced with a little lemon
juice for freshness, 1/2 cup sliced
strawberries, or 1 slice watermelon
FAT: avocado cut into chunks
with a little lemon juice for freshness
or small handful of tamari almonds
RICE CRACKERS: Try a few
Lundberg rice chips, Eden Foods
brown rice tamari crackers, or Nut
Thins
PEPPERS
LEFTOVERS FOR LUNCH: As
the weather turns colder, kids
will naturally start to crave
denser and warmer lunch offer-
ings. Using leftovers is a key
way to make a lunch box meal
work well during the late fall and
winter it saves time, money
and energy. When organizing
your dinner, think about the
next days lunch. Make extra
servings at dinner, set them aside,
and when they are cool put them
in lunch containers and refrig-
erate for the next day so theyre
ready to go. If you make a pasta
dish for dinner, set aside some of
the cooked noodles for a pasta
salad with oil, a protein and
ASIAN DIPPING
SAUCE:*
Yield: cup
1/4 cup low sodium,
gluten-free tamari
sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vin-
egar
2 tablespoons lemon
juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic
powder
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
2 tablespoons sesame oil
In a bowl or measuring cup
whisk all ingredients together until
well-blended.
*Drizzle on pea greens or other veggies.
It would also be great on lettuce wraps
with shredded chicken or ground beef.
ALMONDS
chopped veggies for lunch. If
youre making a meatloaf, double
the recipe and cook the extra in
oiled muffin tins to freeze into
mini-loaves for a quick protein
centerpiece. To save time, buy
prewashed and cut fresh veggies
for crudits, i.e. baby carrots,
mini-cucumbers, sugar snap
peas, etc. to toss in with your
leftovers, and dont forget the
healthy dip (hummus is a great
one)!
FOOD SAFETY: Food-borne
illnesses can develop from dif-
ferent types
of bac-
teria
that grow and multiply rapidly
in the danger zone between
40F and 140F. To avoid con-
tamination risk, keep everything
clean when packing the lunch,
not only the food, but also food
preparation surfaces, utensils,
and your hands. Keep cold
foods cold and hot foods hot.
The best way to keep food cold
is with an insulated lunch box.
Add a freezer gel pack or chilled
fruits and veg. For hot foods,
keep them hot to the touch
(that will be at or above 140F)
in a vacuum bottle. Use a stain-
less steel or glass-lined thermos
rather than a plastic-lined one.
Preheat the thermos by filling
it with boiling water for a few
minutes in extra-cold weather.
BEST BOXES: Bento boxes
are very popular these days and
some of them have insulated
covers. Try Yumbox for a fun
selection: www.yumboxlunch.
com. If you buy a more tradi-
tional lunch box, look for some-
thing with separated and/or easy
to clean sections; an ice pack
compartment; and a strap or
space for a thermos. Make sure
its BPA, lead and PVC-free;
easy to open and close, pack
and unpack; leak-proof; insu-
lated to keep food cold for at
least 2 hours; stain-resistant and
durable (reusable).
Jeannette Bessinger is the Clean Food
Coach. For more information, visit
www.thecleanfoodcoach.com or
like her on Facebook under
The Clean Food Coach.
LENS | FALL 2016 25
 BEYOND
STORY BY
GREG SULLIVAN
S P O R T S PHOTOS BY
DAVE SOUZA

Phys ed teacher ifty-five min- Elementary School will A Durfee High School thrown into any movement

F
Terry Mahjoory utes, twice impact their lives beyond graduate and a former Big situation.
talks with student
Jariana Castillo
a week, isnt physical education class. 10 field hockey all-star at And shes getting it done in
in the gym at going to make Hopefully Ill install in Michigan State University, a couple of classes per week.
the Frank M. a child physi- my students the value of self- Terry (Pacheco) Mahjoory What can we do in that
Sivia Elementary cally fit. preservation, which choices has been teaching physical short time? We can keep
School in Fall Terry give you the chance to have education at Silvia for four them moving. We can teach
River.
Mahjoory a healthy lifestyle, she said. years. Her passion is to make them motor skills, eye-hand
knows this, which is why Teach them to under- the children physically lit- coordination, Mahjoory, 44,
she hopes what she teaches stand the body is just like a erate, which she defines said. A lot of it is building
her students at the Silvia machine. as being comfortable when self-esteem.

26 LENS | FALL 2016

 Since children come to her with
widely varying degrees of physical
gifts speed, coordination,
strength Mahjoory has more
than one game plan in a typical
phys-ed class. If class is about
throwing a ball overhand, one
child might be a baby pro, while
another needs the activity broken
down into its fundamental ele-
ments, gripping the ball, bringing
the arm back to the proper posi-
tion, and then the forward action
and follow-through.
She said a child who may
lack the natural throwing ability
will often understand the steps
involved and therefore embrace
the learning process.
Mahjoory uses national stan-
dards, from Shape America, in
teaching phys-ed. A second-grader,
for example, should be adept at
skipping. This year, fifth-graders
learned to punt the ball with They learn what BMI (body mass Were not taking away from
proper form and reasonable accu- index) means, what their target the academic side, Mahjoory
racy. The overhand ball throw was fat-burning heart rate is. said. Were enhancing it. Its part
a fourth-grade standard. They have of the school culture now. Its
And while introduction accepted that chal- helping kids to focus better.
to formal sports lenge. Take a stroll So proud of her students
may encourage a [Clo s e u p ] through Silvia was Mahjoory that she made
student to play In the past 10 years, the
Elementary and a video and entered it in the
them in middle Massachusetts School youll find stu- Interactive Health Technologies
school and high Building Authority has dents stretching PE Video Challenge, sponsored
school, phys-ed at made more than $12.1 and jumping in by adidas. In a contest deter-
Silvia isnt all about billion in reimburse- the hallways, on mined by online votes, Silvia fin-
ments to cities, towns
that. and regional school
the playground, ished second to a middle school
Since Mahjoory districts for school and in many with its smart-phone carrying
wants her students to construction projects. cases, in the students from Green Bay,
be able to normalize classroom. Wisconsin.
what they learn in phys- Mahjoory Had Silvia won, it would have
ed, she teaches them how to get said studies have received high-tech PE equipment
their heart and lungs cranking. shown active children perform and a bunch of other sports gear
The children learn yoga moves, better academically. And shes from adidas. Mahjoory said Silvia
calisthenics, dynamic resistance pleased to report the faculty and will be back next year, when, she
exercises. And they are encour- staff at Silvia, from Principal Jean said she was told, middle schools
aged to take what they learn and Facchiano down, have embraced and elementary schools will have
use it beyond the gymnasium. what she is doing. their separate divisions.
LENS | FALL 2016 27
 T -TEACHER C
OM
EN M
R U
A
P

N
IC
D
N

ATION
A
GY
LO
NO
CH
TE

A W A Y T O
CONNECT STORY BY BRITTNEY MCNAMARA
PHOTOS BY EM DelSANTO

i
t used to be that students got
their assignments in class and
parents got school reports
during parent-teacher meet-
ings. Those days are long
gone, though, as the internet
and the rise of social media
have made constant contact
not only the norm, but a necessity.
According to the Center for
Excellence in Teaching at the
University of Southern California,
technology presents new and
useful ways for teachers to com-
municate with both students
and parents. Locally, teachers are
exploring how email and social
media can reach families where
they are at, creating more family
engagement in education.
Christine Mulroney, co-presi-
dent of the Framingham Teachers
Association, said technology has
changed how teachers communi-
cate by leaps and bounds over the
years. While Mulroney started out
calling parents when she needed
to reach them, she said now email
is the primary way to be in touch.
I think initially you called
home, Mulroney said. With
more and more parents working,
you ended up leaving a message.
I would say over the last 10 years,
email has become significant as
probably the primary method for
communicating with parents.
Email is also beneficial,
Mulroney said, because it allows
teachers to document communi-
cation with parents, fulfilling a
requirement of the states educator
evaluation system.
Over the past few years, apps
and social media have also become
a great way to communicate
with both parents and students.
Hudson High School teacher
Judy Pavao said she favors a
smartphone app called Remind
that allows her to basically text
with her students without using

28 LENS | FALL 2016

their personal phone numbers.
According to the apps website, it
is designed specifically for educa-
tors as an easy way to reach stu-
dents and parents.
Essentially the students text a
phone number that the app gener-
ates to sign up for text alerts from
my class, Pavao said. After that, I
can generate text messages to send
to students without knowing their
personal phone numbers. It is a
really great way to get information
out to them because they always
have their phones.
Mulroney said she also uses the
app to message class groups or
individual parents to keep them
up to speed on assignments and
other updates.
While Mulroney and Pavao
said they dont use social media
H E PRI
... T
S B E COME
HA
IL
A
M
E
to keep in touch with families, images, thoughts, stories, in a pas- ioned ways of communicating:
some teachers see it as a great way sive manner that lets students and letters and phone calls. While it
to celebrate classroom accom- parents access them on their own may not have been the minute-to-
plishments. Framingham High time. It takes that minute updates many today crave,
School teacher Jeremy classroom moment Vacchina said he got his message
Flagg said, in a and broadcasts it. across by being available.
message from his
teacher Facebook [Closeup] People share it,
and at the end, its
Mulroney said she doesnt use
social media either, but knows
account, that he Considering a college a morale booster many teachers who use Twitter to
major? Of the 1,840,000
uses the platform bachelors degrees
for the kid. communicate with the school com-
to connect with stu- conferred in 201213, For Hudson munity. Fewer teachers, she said,
dents and broadcast the greatest numbers teacher Peter connect with students on Facebook
their achievements. of degrees were in the Vacchina, who because of privacy concerns.
I use social media fields of business, retired in June, While Flagg said he doesnt use
according to NCES.
to communicate with social media was social media for any kind of urgent
students, parents, just outside his or direct communication, he
and the community reach. Vacchina thinks the old model of phoning
as a whole, Flagg said. Being said he would home is slipping away. Since stu-
cramped inside a classroom can have liked to use social media to dents now have grown up in con-
be isolating in regards to how connect with families, but said he stant contact on the internet, Flagg
we access our population. Social never set up the accounts. Instead, said its important for teachers to
media gives me the ability to share Vacchina counted on the old fash- be where their students are.
R CO I
FO M NG W TH
OD MUNICATI
T H
PARENTS
ME
Y
M AR
.
Christine Mulroney,
co-president of the
Framingham Teachers
Association
LENS | FALL 2016 29
 piles
and piles piles

and
of paper
KEN McGAGH
BENSO N | PHOTO BY
STORY BY BRIAN Wayland.
ent who lives in ill Terren, 11,
yve just sp Her son W rly dislikes
A fter all, the in class icula
hen Pami day
uch of the Terrem said said he part projects at home
m e r

W
Terren s at
udying wh increasingly rig- doing larg ther tackle them
st ra
childre n g e t an and would ring the school
seems to be lum. d u
home fr o m curricu ome, with peers
y orous e they get h en,
school, the B y th e ti m day.
said Terr
nt h a ve th e stamina th e yre exhausted,
often do ework.
urs of hom
to tackle ho

30 LENS | FALL 2016

 But Pami Terren said she
also appreciates that teachers in
homework.
Wayland understand the chal-
We really abhor busywork officials dont want students to
lenges and are flexible and recep-
and we really want students to spend more than 90 minutes on a WickedLocal article.
tive to parents questions and
have family ties, said Diana homework per night, said Lynne The Patriot Ledger reported
concerns.
Rigby, super- Beattie, who was in December that districts such
School leaders around eastern
intendent the schools as Duxbury and Norwell have
Massachusetts say they try to pro-
of the principal for offered no-homework vacations or
vide meaningful assignments that
Concord the 2015- holiday weekends.
help students grow academically.
Public 2016 school At Vinal Elementary School in
And districts have been experi-
Schools and year. Norwell, staff in the 2015-2016
menting with new homework
the Concord- Beattie said school year piloted individualized
polices and practices.
Carlisle Regional some teachers homework, where the work is
Deb Sayre, who runs tutoring
School District. have experi- designed in part to be meaningful
organization Kids Connect in
The guidelines, mented with and make students feel connected
Natick, said homework should
according to a draft flipping the to the assignments, Principal
be more tailored to the needs
of the student handbook for the classroom, where students might Patrick Lenz said.
of individual students. If a stu-
upcoming school year, indicate up watch a video or complete a tuto- Students, parents and teachers
dent demonstrates that he or she
to 10 minutes of homework per rial at home. The teacher facili- collaborate on a goal-oriented
understands a concept, he or she
night Mondays through Thursdays tates projects in class that show approach and set measurable aca-
should not have to do that home-
for first graders, increasing by 10 how students understand the demic goals. The homework is
work, Sayre said.
minutes per grade through fifth information. designed to help meet those objec-
Ive run across kids that are
grade. Weve got a very dedicated tives, Lenz said.
very bright who refuse to do
Officials, though, offered staff trying some pretty innovative Lenz said the school plans to
homework because it is very
caveats, including that the amount things, she said. expand the pilot program in the
boring, Sayre said, adding that
of time needed for homework Concord-Carlisle Regional upcoming school year to include
she was speaking generally rather
varies from day to day and student High School has worked toward more teachers.
than about any one particular
to student. reducing student stress around The goal of homework is to
district.
Rigby said officials are trying to homework and explored measures really foster a love for learning,
In Concord, administrators
be transparent in outlining time such as ensuring students have motivate learners to be invested
worked with elementary teachers
requirements. time after a vacation before major (in their work) and align to stan-
on guidelines on the amount of
At Concord Middle School, assignments are due, according to dards, he said.
time students should spend on

LENS | FALL 2016 31

 F R O M
comfort
O F
home
a
STORY BY LINDA MURPHY
s kids head to the
bus stop and off
to schools in a few
weeks, some of
their peers will stay
home. But that doesnt mean they
get a break from the school year.
Instead, theyll hit the books at
home as part of a growing move-
ment of homeschooling.
Several years ago, Somerset resi-
dents Krysten and Jason Callina
made the decision to homeschool
their son, Seth, as he was entering
fifth grade.
Math teacher Lloyd Lamarre, above, talks about measuring the angles of different geometric
shapes, during a class at Somerset Public Library for home-schooled students, below.
32 LENS | FALL 2016
T H E
| PHOTOS BY JACK FOLEY
He has ADHD; hes very
smart, but hes easily distracted,
said Krysten of the reason they
decided to give homeschooling a
try.
It worked out so well, they
decided to bring his younger
brother, Luke, who was in a spe-
cial program at school, home for
schooling four years later as he
was approaching fifth grade, said
Krysten.
The improvements in the boys
schoolwork at home were apparent
right from the start, said Krysten.
In part, she attributes the turn-
around to the school day working
around her sons style of living
(staying up later and starting the
school day later) and the course-
work tailored to their interests.
Seth has already written an entire
tabletop role-playing game and
Luke wrote a novel about an alter-
native universe, she said.
At the same time, experiencing
being the teacher for the first time
also gave Krysten more apprecia-
tion for teachers who have to meet
the needs of 20 to 30 kids in a
classroom.
For us, bringing them home
made it easier for us to meet their
needs. It takes a fraction of the
time to teach them what they
need to learn, and it ended up
being a lot easier than them trying
to fit in with the school regime,
said Krysten.
Parents opt to homeschool for a
variety of reasons such as religious
belief, school environment, a child
on the autism spectrum, and dis-
satisfaction with Common Core
standards. Krysten said Common
Core, a set of standards for public
schools, is one reason many of
the parents she knows opted for
homeschooling.
According to the most recent
data from the U.S. Department
of Education, National Center
for Education Statistics, 3 percent
of children from kindergarten to
Grade 12 were homeschooled in
2011-2012. In 2007, only 1.5
percent of students were home-
schooled with parents citing
concern about the environment
of other schools as the primary
reason for homeschooling.
The range of curricula available
through online homeschooling-
related sites are as varied as the
parents reasons for homeschooling,
said Krysten. One such site,
Discovery K12 offers a free 180-
day, secular, non-Common Core
curriculum for the following seven
courses: Language Arts, Reading/
Literature, Math, Science, History/
Social Studies, Visual/Performing
Arts, and Physical Education.
Some parents also co-op home-
schooling to share teaching time,
said Krysten. In the case of high
school math, the Callinas paired
up with a few other families to
hire a math teacher for the small
group of students who meet
weekly for math classes at the
Somerset Public Library.
Additionally, lessons include
field trips to museums such as
the JFK Library, the Museum
of Science and various childrens
museums. And for competitive
kids, theres homeschool science
fairs to show off their skills.
As for the social time that
schools provide, homeschoolers
also have clubs and teen meetups
that range from cosplay days
to nature hikes and art groups.
Depending on the homeschoolers
town, they may also have oppor-
tunities to take part in school
extracurricular activities. For
example, the Callinas son Seth
was on the Somerset Berkley
Regional High School Debate
Team for the past three years.
Its worked for our family,
said Krysten. The teachers weve
hired tell us its a pleasure to work
with homeschooled kids: Theyre
self-directed, they have good man-
ners, they have a different feeling
about their schoolwork, and they
learn early on to take responsi-
bility for their own learning.

Jamie Roballo,
13, works out
some geometry
problems during
a math class for
homeschooled
students,
above. At left,
shes pictured
alongside Seth
Callina and
Avery Allen,
both 17.

Courtesy Photo
The Callina
family, right,
has been home-
schooling for
several years
now.

LENS | FALL 2016 33

JUMP ON IN
I
n an age of increasing
technology use and
tight school budgets,
some people say Parent
Teacher Organizations
or Associations are more
important than ever.
While the names and struc-
tures differ slightly, their objec-
tives are the same: PTAs and
PTOs are the groups of parents
and teachers behind the scenes
who raise money to make
events and purchases within
their associated schools possible.
PTAs must pay dues to
and abide by the rules of the
national PTA organization.
PTOs, on the other hand, are
independent groups which
keep all the money they raise.
According to PTOtoday.
com, the number of PTAs is
shrinking drastically from
12.1 million members in 1962,
to about 5.8 million in recent
years. At the same time, the
website estimates there are
more than double the number
of PTOs than PTAs.
Christine Detore of the
Brookside Elementary School
PTO in Milford said that she
thinks modern day PTOs have
a larger role as budgets get
tighter.
As budgets have increased
theres less money for funding
things such as field trips,
34 LENS | FALL 2016
PARENT TEACHER ORGANIZATIONS
ARE MORE ACTIVE THAN EVER
STORY BY CORIN COOK
Halloween dances, Detore
said.
The role of the PTO, she
said, is to provide students
with an experience thats more
cultured or social, especially
in an age where schools are so
centered around academics.
Thats where theyre
spending all their time and
energy, she said.
Stephanie Bahl, a member
of the Fitzgerald School
PTO in Waltham said she
believes PTOs have shifted
from mainly focusing on
fundraising to providing more
programs that enhance the
curriculum through enrich-
ment programs.
The Fitzgerald PTO has
implemented the Boks pro-
gram, an early morning exer-
cise program through Reebok, the stigma of being mom are exclusive to specific needs, Photos from
and brought in presenters groups. such as music, art or sports. Brookside
This year, she said, the Nipmuc Together is geared PTOs
including authors who teach Facebook
the children about writing and group had the same amount of toward academic and pro-
give them each a book. dads on our board as moms. gram support, helping with The Henry
I think thats kind of inter- whatever it can with the P. Clough
The group has also held Elementary
events that tie the school com- esting that its branching out, resources it has. School PTO in
munity together, such as a she said. We do not do fund- Mendon hosted
wiffleball tournament, and trips At the high school level, the raising, Wickstrom added. a program
to Red Sox and Celtics games. school districts PTO group Instead, the group recruits called The
called Nipmuc Together is a less volunteers and pools local Tumble Bus,
Because of the ability to above, while
utilize social media and conventional one, according to resources when trying to get a the Brookside
(the) internet, Bahl said she member Collette Wickstrom. project done. PTO put
believes PTOs are not just Were a modern day, social For example, when students together
the teachers and the parents, media, grassroots organization, requested more picnic tables field day,
said Wickstrom. We use social outside for lunch, Nipmuc below.
but now involve the whole
community. media to get the job done. Together reached out to the
She also said she Many high schools do not Upton Mens Club, which was
believes PTOs are losing have PTOs, she said, and most able to help build
high school support groups the tables.
 76 IT
.2%
The
percentage
of Massachusetts
high school graduates
86.8 ALL
OR A B-PLUS
from 2014 who were
planning to attend
a college or
university.
ADDS
The grade
with which
Massachusetts
leads the nation
in education.

1020 to UP
The nation received
an overall grade of C
for 2016, with a score of
74.4 out of 100 points.

1,854
The number of public
The National PTA
recommends
students in the
MAKE
THE GRADE
schools from elementary
to high school in the state.
first grade
do 10 to 20
minutes of
NUMBERS
homework
per night.
TO KNOW

SOURCES: MASS.
DEPT. OF ELEMENTARY
AND SECONDARY
EDUCATIONS MOST
RECENT DATA FROM
2013/2014

QUALITY COUNTS
EDUCATION WEEK
RESEARCH CENTERS
2016 QUALITY COUNTS
ASSESSMENT

Students in Massachusetts ORGANISATION FOR

are required to complete more ECONOMIC CO-OPERA-
than 900 hours of compulsory TION AND DEVELOPMENT
(OECD)
instruction per year. No state in the
U.S. requires as few hours as Finland (608
hours) even though Finland scores near the
top of nearly every international assessment.

LENS | FALL 2016 35