Published in the May 21, 2019 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD – The dedication and grand opening of the Meghan S. Burnett Makerspace at Wakefield Memorial High School will be held on June 6 at 6 p.m., school Superintendent Douglas Lyons told the School Committee last week.

Last December, the School Committee approved the naming of the “makerspace” at the high school library for Meghan Burnett after hearing a presentation from WMHS Librarian Diane Ho and Marlissa Burke of the Health and Life Skills Department.

Meaghan passed away last June just days after graduating from WMHS.

A “makerspace” is a space that provides technology, equipment and educational opportunities to students to design and work together on projects. The makerspace at WMHS is a large room off the library that is outfitted with educational technology and is used by students and classes from all disciplines as a place to meet and create.

“We cannot think of a more positive example of a ‘maker’ than Meghan due to her dedication to inquiry and service,” Ho told the School Committee last December.

Last week, the School Committee voted to accept with gratitude the donation of $1,000 from the Meghan S. Burnett Foundation for furniture and other supplies for the Wakefield Memorial High School Meghan S. Burnett MakerSpace.

In a letter accompanying the donation, Meghan’s parents Ellen and Bob Burnett and her sister Mary Kate expressed their feelings.

“This is such a wonderful thing you all are doing for Meghan,” the family wrote. “She would be so honored and we are so touched. We are happy that we are being afforded the opportunity to contribute in some small way and thereby show our appreciation.”

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Lyons updated the School Committee last week on processes that will result in a couple of changes to the school district’s administrative team.

He noted that Galvin Middle School Vice Principal Jennalee Coyne will be leaving to take a position in the Duxbury school system. He said that Coyne, who lives in Quincy, has recently started a new family and has been finding the daily commute untenable.

He said that Galvin Principal Adam Colontuoni and the other assistant principal, Andrew Tetrault, have been conducting interviews for Coyne’s replacement.

The other change is at the Woodville School where Principal Michelle Zottoli is leaving to take a position at a smaller school. The deadline for applications was last Friday, and as of last week more than 50 had applied for the position.

Lyons discussed the selection process going forward, which he said would include some limited public participation. He said that he would have an update for the School Committee at their May 28 meeting.

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At next Tuesday’s meeting, the School Committee is expected to vote on two updated School Department policies, one on religious holidays and the other covering student athletic concussions. As has been the School Committee’s practice, they brought the policies up at last week’s meeting and then laid them on the table for a period of two weeks to allow School Committee members and the public the opportunity to ask questions or weigh in with comments.

Among other proposed changes, the updated policy on religious holidays would include the following:

“Teachers shall refrain from teaching difficult to make-up material, scheduling exam preparation, tests, quizzes, homework, due dates for long-term assignments, and other one-time events (field trips, athletic games or contests, music performances, theater plays, and productions, auditions, as well as back to school meetings), on these major religious and ethnic holidays/observances as listed on the school calendar.”

The proposed changes to the concussion policy expand on the protocol to be followed by persons involved in the prevention, training management and return to activity decisions regarding students who incur head injuries while involved in extracurricular athletic activities.

Both policy documents, with proposed changes highlighted, are available on the Wakefield Public Schools website.