Student Feature Friday: Isabella Ceresia

This week’s Student Feature Friday is senior Isabella Ceresia whose passion for the environment has led to many interesting and rewarding experiences. Isabella’s interest in animals started at an early age when she would receive books from her cousins and would spend long periods of time reading and learning about all kinds of animals. She also spent quite a bit of time at the aquarium when she was younger and in 9th grade, was invited to participate in ClimaTeens, a group of dedicated teens 14 to 18 years old who care about the oceans and want to contribute to a healthy future. Through her work in this program she was twice invited as a panelist to educate the public on the environment and the power of engaging youth.

Isabella’s passion and care for the environment extended to her own community of Holliston when she coordinated a large project with NHS students, New England Aquarium Live Blue Ambassadors and the Town of Holliston Conservation Commission to remove 9 different types of invasive species from the Holliston Rail Trail. To learn more about Isabella visit the Student Feature Friday section of the Principal's Blog.

School Committee Reaffirms New School Start Times for 2020-2021 School Year

At their December 12th meeting, the Holliston School Committee unanimously voted (with one member absent) to reaffirm and move forward with the plan they previously approved in May 2019, to adjust the school hours for the Holliston Public Schools as follows:

• HHS:             8:10AM – 2:43PM
• RAMS:          8:10AM – 2:33PM
• Miller:            7:30AM – 1:53PM
• Placentino:    8:50AM – 3:15PM

Originally approved in May, these revised school hours generated concerns among some parents in the community. In response, the School Committee engaged with these concerned parents and held a public forum that outlined the science behind the changes and offered people the opportunity to ask the Committee and Superintendent Jackson questions about the change. An open debate also took place at October Town Meeting.

Following these events as well as numerous meetings that individual Committee members held with concerned parents, the Committee reviewed a set of 10 proposed alternative start times scenarios proposed by this group of concerned parents. At their November meeting, the School Committee publicly reviewed each proposed scenario and concluded that eight of the ten proposed scenarios were untenable and removed those proposals from further consideration. The Committee then directed the administration to review the remaining two scenarios and report back to the Committee on their impact and viability.

At their December 12th meeting, the Committee reviewed the comprehensive analysis prepared by the administrative team and agreed with their conclusion that the drawbacks associated with either scenario were significant, making both remaining alternative solutions unviable. Following that discussion, the Committee unanimously voted to reaffirm their originally voted plan.

With this decision reaffirmed, parents and staff are strongly urged to begin planning for the impact that these changes could have on your individual family routines.  At the same time, Holliston administrators will begin finalizing the detailed plans needed to implement these new school hours. In addition, the School Committee and Superintendent will discuss the process we will use to collect the impact of these changes and how we will use that data to see if refinements of this plan are needed in future years.  

In addition to planning already under way at each school, the administration has already reported that they have a plan to open up a number of spots in our Extended Day program next school year to meet the anticipated demand for additional before and after-school care  Holliston Extended Day is also planning to offer an 80-minute “gap” program to cover the time between the dismissal of Placentino students and Miller students, so that siblings might be picked up together. The Holliston Extended Day program will formally announce the availability of their options later this winter and share sign-up information.  Further, the Committee reached out to the “Y” in Hopkinton regarding availability in their program for after-school care and that effort is showing promise. Interested parents should contact the YMCA directly if they wish to learn more about their after-school programs. Finally, the School Committee has authorized a transportation audit to see if we can find ways to make our bus system more efficient and/or convenient. The administration will share the results of this audit with the School Committee at one of their upcoming meetings as soon as the review has been completed.

Student Feature Friday: Riley Robinson

This week’s Student Feature Friday is junior Riley Robinson whose positivity and joy for life is evident the moment your start speaking with her. Her participation in Best Buddies, Beautiful Minds Campaign, Culture Club and the Wellness Council are all connected by her compassion, kind heart and genuine desire to help others. She recently traveled to Kenya with her family to help build soccer fields and bring medical supplies to those in need. Her trip to Kenya brought together her love of travel, having visited several countries throughout the world, with her strong desire to make the world a better place.

Riley is passionate about Wellness, nutrition and the mind-body connection. She is an active participant in the Wellness Council and is working hard to share her knowledge with others. Knowing how difficult it is to make consistent and sustained changes towards healthy living, she has found great support and comfort in her crossfit community. Future plans for her include becoming a dietitian and helping others change their lives for the better through wellness and kindness. To learn more about Riley visit the Student Feature Friday section of the Principal's blog.

Adjustments to EEE Protocol for HS Athletics

As the HHS Fall season enters the playoff phase, we are pleased to have several of our varsity teams advancing to the playoffs with several teams being high-seeds in their respective brackets – high enough where HHS will be hosting at least three home playoff games during the first full week of November. In addition, because Daylight Savings Time ended on Sunday, November 3rd, sundown will be an hour earlier, requiring us to consider adjustments to our EEE protocol to allow for adequate time for our teams to practice and also host local tournament games. The Holliston Health Department has notified me that weekend lows reached levels that satisfy the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s advisory that “when temperatures between 27-29 degrees Fahrenheit have occurred over wide geographic areas, risk from mosquito-borne disease is considered to have ended inside that area.” However, because Holliston’s EEE level is officially set by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, and they have not updated community risk levels since October 28th, Holliston is still designated to be in the Critical risk zone. Until such time as the Massachusetts Department of Public Health officially lowers Holliston’s risk level, we will be implementing an adjusted EEE protocol. These adjustments have been reviewed and approved by the Holliston Board of Health.

Effective, Monday, November 4, 2019, we are lifting the prohibition of all HHS outdoor athletic activities after sundown. Teams may practice under the lights at Kamitian Field and playoff games will be scheduled, where necessary, without regard to the time of sunset.

Because the EEE threat level is still officially high, we are making the following adjustments to our safety protocols:

1. Student-athletes who will be outside after sunset will be expected to apply spray mosquito-repellent prior to the beginning of the practice or game. This expectation will be enforced by team coaches, our Athletic Trainer and the Athletic Director.
2. Spectators are STRONGLY encouraged to wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants. In addition, spray mosquito-repellent will be available, free-of-charge, at our ticket booths located at the entrance to Kamitian Field to all spectators who wish to apply it at any time during the game. This information will be announced to spectators at least twice during each game that is held at Kamitian Field.

This revised protocol will remain in place until the Massachusetts Department of Public Health informs the Town of Holliston that our EEE risk level has been lowered to normal.

HPS’ Triennial State Review Scheduled for Week of December 9th

During the week of December 9, 2019, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Office of Public School Monitoring (PSM) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of Holliston Public Schools. The Office of Public School Monitoring visits each district and charter school every three years to monitor compliance with federal and state special education and civil rights regulations. Areas of review related to special education include student assessments, determination of eligibility, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team process, and IEP development and implementation. Areas of review related to civil rights include bullying, student discipline, physical restraint, and equal access to school programs for all students.

In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The review chairperson from the Office of Public School Monitoring will send all parents of students with disabilities an online survey that focuses on key areas of their child’s special education program. Survey results will contribute to the development of a report. During the onsite review, the Office of Public School Monitoring will interview a member of the district’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC). Other onsite activities may include interviews of district staff and administrators, reviews of student records, and onsite observations. Parents and other individuals may call Michelle Hennessy-Kowalchek, Public School
Monitoring Chairperson, at (781) 338-3704 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, the Department will make the necessary arrangements.

Within approximately 60 business days after the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the Superintendent with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The public will be able to access the report at www.doe.mass.edu/pqa/review/cpr/reports/.

Student Feature Friday: Ryan Taylor

This week’s Student Feature Friday is senior Ryan Taylor, who is passionate about Robotics, Music, and the Vermont Adaptive Ski program. Giving back to others and mentoring younger students is what unites all three passions. Ryan is an active participant in band, playing Alto Saxophone, an instrument that his older brother introduced him to when he was a student in Holliston. Ryan is taking on the role of Vice-President Student Conductor this year and sees it as an opportunity to display his talents while supporting others in the band. In addition to HHS, he plays in the Blackstone Valley Community Concert band and the Lions All-State band.

When Ryan isn’t playing music he is heavily engaged in Robotics. As a Captain of the Robotics Team this year, he will be responsible for planning, scheduling and building a competition-ready robot with his team. The build season is intense and once they receive the parts to build the frame/chassis,  the team spends nights and weekends over a 6-week period to pull it all together. The team must follow strict guidelines with restrictions on the timeline, size, weight and even locations where they are approved to purchase additional parts for their design. This 6-week race to the finish leads them to competition and the excitement of seeing all their hard work come to fruition. Although Ryan will be graduating this year and pursuing engineering in the future, he hopes to come back and mentor a Robotics team one day and I have no doubt that he will make a significant difference to future generations. To learn more about Ryan visit the Student Feature Friday section of the Principal's Blog.

Student Feature Friday: Nico Doyle

This week’s Student Feature Friday is Nico Doyle, a fantastic senior who is involved in many facets of HHS. Not only is he an integral part of the morning Jam Band at HHS, but he is using his musical talent to bring joy to others. When we sat down to chat about his interests, I asked him why he was involved in music and part of the band. He responded, “ Watching other people do what they love is contagious.” This humble attitude to supporting others and respecting the unique talents that each individual contributes to the world is a direct reflection of the character that Nico exhibits on a daily basis.

Nico is the type of person who is curious about life, seeks solutions for problems to improve the environment for all and isn’t afraid to step out of his comfort zone. He is a founding member of the Rowdy Repair Shop, a student-led (with the assistance of Mr. Calais) group who honed their skills in construction technology and are now fixing broken or rundown furniture for teachers throughout the building. After presenting this group to the entire Faculty, he is hard at work fielding requests. Nico stated that, “There is no reward better than doing something for someone else and seeing that smile.” Although helping others provides a sense of reward, it is his love of rock climbing, hiking and guitar that keeps him motivated and happy on a daily basis. His future goals include finding a career that can combine these three passions while continuing to help others and I have no doubt that he will have a big impact on his community. To learn more about Nico visit the Student Feature Friday section of the Principal's Blog.