Hi there Ward 7 folks,
Hope this message finds you well. Spring has finally sprung in the area, and as we welcome the warmer weather, our school children are getting ready to wrap up the school year.
There are numerous updates in the Burlington School District, among them much hiring going on to get teachers and staff in place for next school year. One big accomplishment that we've made was putting in place 6 Principals across the district. Two of our current Principals are transferring schools, Lashawn Whitmore Sells is moving from the Sustainability Academy where she's been for 4 years, to our own neighborhood school Flynn Elementary, while Bobby Riley is moving from the Integrated Arts Academy, which he has led for the last 8 years, to head up the Horizons & OnTop high school programs also in the NNE. Principal Noel Green will continue his role as building leader of BHS for at least another 2 years, while 3 of our schools will receive people new to the district. Joe Resteghini who comes to us from North Hero where he is principal to lead Champlain Elementary, while Kevin Robinson, who is currently Principal at Bristol elementary, will take over the leadership at the Integrated Arts Academy. Last but not least, the Sustainability Academy will receive a dynamic woman Nina Oropeza, who is currently principal-in-residence of a Boston area elementary school and is also currently completing a master's degree in School Leadership at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. We are excited about these changes in our district and wish these folks all the best in heading up our schools.
The BHS ReEnvisioning project is on its trajectory for groundbreaking to happen in just over a year from now, spring 2020. This week the board approved the Owner's Project Manager, who was thoroughly vetted by the Facilities & Finance committee of the board. The OPM is an experienced local by the name of Tom Peterson, whose company, Peterson Consulting, is located on Pine St. The OPM will provide some oversight in the multi-year project and is part of the agreement (MOU = Memorandum of Understanding) between the City of Burlington and BSD.
The school year is quickly coming to an end, with the final day of school being June 13th across the district. Both our magnet schools are celebrating 10 years, and each will have their own celebration. SA will host a Sustainability Fair on Wednesday, May 29th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the school. While IAA will host a celebration to be held in the BHS Auditorium on Thursday, May 30th, starting at 6pm. Please plan on attending one or both of these celebrations to learn more about the magnet schools.
Please come join me and my fellow commissioner Martine Gulick for a bagel and a cup of coffee next Sunday, May 19th at 10am at The Bagel. We would love to sit down and chat with you about many of the goings on in BSD.
See you then,
Monika
Monika Ivancic, PhD
Ward 7 School Commissioner
Oct 14, 2024, 7 to 8:15 PM
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