May 11, 2012 -- Next week will be MCAS math testing for 10th grade students. Testing will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 15-16. While the testing is taking place, most of the 9th grade students will just continue with their regular classes, while the 11th and 12th grade students will be involved in some special programming in the auditorium and the gym. These programs will revolve around student safety; a pledge to stamp out violence against women, sponsored and presented by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone; and a personal safety training by the Lowell Police Department.
May 11, 2012 -- We have come through the first week of AP testing. Earlier today I met with my Student Advisory Board, and I asked the students what they thought of the new procedures. There were still a few students who said they would prefer the testing to be off-campus, if possible. However, they also agreed that testing in the high school was a better experience than they had anticipated, and the provisions that we made to keep their testing area quiet and isolated seem to work well. Also, we turned off the bells that end classes, and that change has received positive responses. Many students, and some teachers, actually said they prefer the school without the bells every hour, as they think that the building is calmer that way, passing times are less crowded because not everyone moves at exactly the same moment, and teachers can finish their class at a logical breaking point, rather than exactly when the bell rings.
April 30, 2012 -- In past years, the AP tests have been administered at locations off-campus, away from Lowell High School. Continuing this practice has become a problem, for two main reasons: 1) the two locations that we have used most recently have become unavailable; and 2) the cost associated with rental of the location, tables and chairs is increasing. We are also concerned with transportation problems if we schedule testing at a location that is outside walking distance from the high school. So this year, the test will be administered in a quiet hallway on the third floor, where the only traffic will be other AP testers. I realize this is a change for our students, but I am confident that they will have a good testing experience. Another question connected to this change revolves around student attendance. When students tested out of the building, they did not generally return to school. But with the test back in the building now, they will be able to attend class for the remaining half of the day. With senior exams coming only a week after the AP tests, I think this continuity in class is important. However, for parents who wish to have their children excused following a morning AP test, or arrive late in the morning for an afternoon AP test, you may write a note to the housemaster as you would for dismissal or absence on any other day. Anyone with questions about this testing policy may call me in the main office -- 978-937-8901.
April 25, 2012 -- In an effort to increase communication out to the community, and to continue pressing forward into the 21st Century, the High School took a big step yesterday. We opened a Twitter account. I will endeavor to keep this reasonably current and, as I learn more and more how to use it, I will make efforts to post... er, "tweet" ... news about the school. If you want to FOLLOW me (I'm learning the vocabulary already), the screen name is LHS_HM. Please share the news with others.
April 24, 2012 -- Over the past few weeks, questions have arisen about the concerns of mice at the high school. It is true that some mice are occasionally seen in the building, but we are doing what we can to address the situation. Perhaps the biggest problem/cause is food that is taken (primarily by students) out of the cafeteria to other areas of the building. Please speak with your son or daughter and ask them to do their part to limit this.
The following report summarizes the efforts that the school has taken, and continues to take, to keep this problem to a minimum:
Regarding the ongoing concern of mice infestations affecting Lowell High School, here is a brief outline of the past school year:
· Our current pest control vendor, WPC, makes monthly site visits to all schools to check on traps and bait set up in areas where pests are most prevalent (cafeterias, kitchens, serving areas, teacher’s lounges). In addition WPC responds to individual calls we receive on other areas and/or calls where the baited areas are still having issues.
· Central Office started receiving additional calls to LHS in November (E-House) and December (C-House) and dispatched the vendor for every complaint. The vendor often works after school is dismissed so the occupants of the areas may not be aware that they have visited.
· Toward the end of February and beginning of March, we started to receive several calls and e-mails expressing concern about the mouse population getting out of control at LHS. A particularly upsetting concern was a partially eaten candy bar in a vending machine. Unfortunately, a slow response from the machine vendor to clean out the machine gave staff the impression that their complaints were not being taken seriously. WPC was dispatched and responded to the individual areas cited and also checked the original traps in their visits. Eventually the calls slowed down and things were back to “normal.”
· In the beginning of April (4-4-12) the Superintendent heard from some students that there was a mice epidemic at LHS, the students also mentioned that they were allowed to eat everywhere in the school. I don’t believe this is condoned by Administration but there may be some students/staff eating in undesignated areas. WPC was dispatched to investigate.
· On 4-11-12, a caller on the local radio station called to say that LHS is infested with mice, specifically mentioning the library. The second shift custodial supervisor, Patrick Harrigan, is adamant that the library is thoroughly cleaned on a daily basis and there is no lingering food source there. WPC was dispatched to investigate. WPC has stated that they are doing everything the law allows them to do to remedy the situation.
· On 4-17-12, I met WPC’s owner and lead technician at the high school to investigate areas of concern and develop a plan moving forward. We interviewed on-site employees who opined that some of the recent anecdotes were based on earlier instances and the situation had been improving. Regardless, we inspected the perimeter of the building and found some possible areas of entry that can and will be addressed. WPC will return to the site hopefully this week with a team to block any open areas in the foundation with mesh and caulking. Some of the frame work around the lobby doors are deteriorating from ice melt and salt. These points of entry will be buttoned up when the exterior doors are replaced.
An unfortunate side effect of the bait that the exterminators are allowed to use in school buildings is that the rodents become disoriented and are often more visible right before they die. Thus the tail end of an infestation can give building occupants the impression that the population is increasing. However, the vendor is not taking anything for granted and continues to closely monitor the situation. Please respond with any questions that I haven’t answered.
Brian Curley
Director of Operations and Maintenance
Lowell Public Schools
April 23, 2012 -- Well, we have been away for a while. I hope that all our students, staff and families had a restful and enjoyable spring vacation. Here is a quick rundown of some of the big events we have ahead of us for the rest of the school year:
EPP testing (4/26-27)
MCAS Math testing (5/15-18)
AP testing (May 7-16)
MCAS Science testing (6/6-11)
3 early dismissals (4/25, 5/23 and 6/4)
Senior Final Exams (5/22-25)
Graduation (June 6)
Last day of school for undergraduates (June 14)
This list doesn’t even include the numerous sporting events, concerts and awards presentations that come up at the end of the school year. Undoubtedly, the spring is a very busy time of year in the life of a large public school and busy, in particular, for our students. Please, as parents, do your best to help your students keep focused on their school work, even while all these other things are pulling away their attention. Time management is often a daunting prospect. If your son or daughter is having trouble keeping everything going or meeting deadlines, please reach out to his or her guidance counselor. We have supports that we can offer in school that should be able to help.
3/12/2012 - Earlier this evening, I had the privilege of welcoming our very talented student athletes, along with their friends and family members, to our Winter Sports Awards night, organized and hosted by our very busy Athletic Director Jim DeProfio. The evening began with the presentation of two new honors. On behalf of the School Committee, Mr. Robert Gignac and Mr. David Conway presented the "Athletic Excellence Award" and the "Outstanding Supporter of Athletics Award." The first award was presented to members of each team, selected by their coaches, for effort, determination, attitude, improvement, and strong academic performance; the second award was presented to members of the community -- parents or other supporters -- who have been helpful and supportive of the teams. These two awards, given in the name of the Lowell School Committee, symbolize the strong support that we know we already have for our athletic programs. Following those awards, Mr. DeProfio recognized the academic achievements of our student athletes. Overall as a school, the Lowell High School winter varsity teams earned the academic GOLD MEDAL, the highest ranking recognized by the MIAA, for an average GPA of over 3.0 on an unweighted 4.0 scale. Congratulations to all of our winter sports athletes, and thanks to their coaches, assistant coaches, and all of their supporters for a strong season.
3/10/2012 - You may have seen an article in the Sun recently about a rise in the number of students who drop out of high school before graduating. This is a troubling concern for all of us and is something that we are investigating seriously. At Lowell High School, we have begun work on several different levels to address this problem:
· Housemasters and counselors are focused on communicating early with students who could be at risk of dropping out.
· Teachers will be participating in professional development work to identify at risk students early, and to recognize ways that they can help keep students in school.
· Administrators and department leaders are studying data of passing and failing rates, to target ways to give students additional support.
· Tutoring is being provided before school and after school, for which additional funding is assured at least through December 2012.
Academic research on the subject of students dropping out of high school seems to target a variety of factors: students’ interest in classes; motivation; excessive absences; student pregnancy; care for family members. This is a tricky problem and is something that we work on every day. Every time a teacher plans a lesson, he or she is working to keep students in school. Every time a housemaster or counselor meets with a troubled student, that person is taking steps to keep students in school. Every time we plan a schedule, design curriculum, discuss course offerings – we do all these with an eye toward making our program useful, engaging and motivating for students, and a useful, engaging and motivating curriculum is the best way to keep students in school.
If you are interested in reading more on this subject, consider these articles: “Dropouts,” http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/dropouts/; “The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts,” http://www.civicenterprises.net/reports/the_silent_epidemic.pdf.
2/28/2012 - As Headmaster of Lowell High School, I have the opportunity to serve on many different committees and boards in the city. One of those is the Lowell Youth Development Collaborative, a group that started several years ago under the direction of the City Manager as the "Gang Task Force," but which has grown and expanded its focus to address many issues to help the youth of Lowell. Regular participants in these meetings include City Manager Bernie Lynch, Middlesex Community College President Dr. Carole Cowen, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, Lowell Police Superintendent Ken Lavallee, as well as representatives from a variety of youth-focused organizations, hospitals, and the court system. One of the strengths of this group is the regular sharing of information and collaboration on a variety of topics to help our students remain healthy and safe. Along those lines, one of the group members recently sent me the following link to an article from the New York Times that may be of interest to parents of LHS students: facebook-posts-can-offer-clues-of-depression.html. This article addresses some of the warning signs of serious depression among students, and gives parents some suggestions in recognizing those signs and then dealing with them. If you ever suspect that your son or daughter may be dealing with depression, we recommend that you seek professional help. We have counselors and social workers here at Lowell High School who may be able to assist you as well. Please feel free to contact us.
2/28/2012 - This evening, in the Little Theater, we welcomed our incoming group of students who have been accepted into the Latin Lyceum as next year's freshmen, the Class of 2016. This is always an exciting time, welcoming 8th graders who are seeing Lowell High School as their future for the next four years. Under the direction of Dr. Wendy Jack and Mr. Darrin Berard, with additional support of Latin teacher Mr. Dermid Reardon, we met with the new group of Lyceum students and their parents to welcome them in to the program. After some brief introductions, the students were let loose to tour the school along with current Lyceum students, so they could ask whatever questions they wanted, and the current students could answer freely. These tour groups always leave the Little Theater very quietly as shyness seems in control, but the same groups come back 20 minutes later with everyone talking, sharing stories, and enjoying each other's company. I spoke with several families who told me that they had multiple options to choose private schools, and they were making the choice to come to Lowell High School. I am very proud of this school and this program, and the comments that I heard tonight convince me that there are many other people who feel the same way.
2/27/2012 -- I haven't written anything in the past week, because I've been away for February Break. I haven't just been away -- I've been out of the country, travelling to Cape Verde along with a group of our students. One of our teachers, Dr. Julio de Carvalho, who is a native of Cape Verde, organized a trip to his home country. Travelling with him were a group of students, teachers, myself, and a few parents and friends. The group quickly came to realize that Dr. de Carvalho is a very well known figure in Cape Verde, and we were treated like visiting dignitaries. We were treated to a luncheon reception with the President of the country, along with his wife, daughter and staff, on our very first day. We were also hosted by the mayors of two cities and the US Ambassador. We visited a number of public schools, the University of Cape Verde, and a residential school for homeless and orphaned children. Our students made connections with many Cape Verdean high school students and exchanged letters and email addresses. While the trip started out as a vacation, it turned into much more. We saw villages dealing with severe poverty and drought, and we met students who were so poor that they swarmed around us when we were handing out something as little as a pencil or a few stickers. And yet, the overall attitude of the Cape Verde people is a positive one. They are a fairly young country, having won their independence just 40 years ago, and they are proud of their democracy and their growing educational system. I believe that our students came away with a true sense of understanding of just how extreme true poverty can be, and how lucky they are to be able to live as they do in the United States.
Not to leave anyone out, I will mention also that Lowell High School had two other groups of students travelling last week. One group, led by teacher Michael Arwe, travelled to Italy, while another group, led by Kendra Bauer, travelled to London and Paris. All the trips were successful, everyone returned home safely, and from what I've heard so far, everyone had a great time and a wonderful learning opportunity.
2/17/2012 - Vacation is certainly in the air at Lowell High School today. Whether people are traveling, or just looking forward to some time away from classes, there is an air of excitement and expectation in the building today. We are fortunate enough to be sending three groups of students and teachers on overseas excursions this week: Kendra Bauer is leading a trip to London and Paris; Michael Arwe is leading a trip to Rome and Sicily; and Dr. Julio deCarvalho is leading a trip to Cape Verde. Our students are fortunate to have these opportunities to see other parts of the world and experience other cultures, and we are grateful as a school to the district administration and the School Committee for supporting these travel opportunities.
2/15/2012 - At the School Committee meeting tonight, Dr. Sharon Clark, our department chair for the Fine Arts Department, presented a "Spotlight on Excellence" to highlight the talented students and teachers in our Fine Arts and Communications departments and some of their recent activities and events. She started with the Northeast District Massachusetts Music Educators Senior Festival, which Lowell High School has proudly hosted for 15 years. This is a very competitive music festival that combines orchestra, choral, jazz and stage band performances. This year, four LHS students qualified to participate: Tyler DuBreuil (choir), Darnell Kenney (choir), Will McAndrews (orchestra) and Zachary Michaels (orchestra). Next, our show choir, called "Sound Impressions," hosted the 11th Annual Mill City Show Choir Festival, where over 1000 students came to LHS to sing and dance on our stage (not all at the same time). Our dance classes, directed by teacher Rose Bubanas, presented a dance concert to the general public and also presented a show to our own students in school. Our visual art students were recognized as participants and winners in the Boston Globe Scholastic Art Contest; our students earned 4 "Gold Key" awards, 8 "Silver Key" awards, and 12 "Honorable Mention" awards. Finally, the spotlight mentioned our theater students, who presented the play "The Crucible" to an appreciative audience. Our students and their teachers have a lot to be proud of, and they give Lowell High School and the community a lot to be proud of, as well as a lot of enjoyable shows and performances to watch. Thanks to Dr. Clark and all the fine arts and communications staff for their direction and leadership.
2/14/2012 - Lowell High School athletes had a very successful weekend. I was met in the office on Monday morning by the coaches and members of three of our winter teams: Girls Gymnastics, Cheerleaders, and Boys Indoor Track. The Girls Gymnastics team finished as the MVC-DCL Division Champions for the first time in school history, and qualified for the sectional tournament for the first time. Our Cheerleaders participated in the Holyoke High School Invitational Tournament, where they were the winners of their division and the Grand Champion for the tournament. Finally, the Boys Indoor Track team became the MVC Conference Champions. What a great way to start a week!!
2/7/2012 - Hello, and welcome to the "Headmaster's Notes." This new page is going to be an ongoing feature on our web site, that I hope will let me communicate with a broader audience and share information with students, parents and friends about things going on here at Lowell High School. I will be updating this page frequently, and I hope you will make a point to check here often to learn about things going on at school. I think we have an exciting school with a lot of great things going on for our students, and this is just one more way that we are going to use to try to get the word out to the community. Please feel free to contact me by email (erozmiarek@lowell.k12.ma.us) or by phone (978-937-8901) with any comments or questions. Thank you for your attention and for your ongoing support of Lowell High School.