Published April 14, 2021
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — The Select Board and School Committee celebrated students’ full-time return to the classroom last week.
Students in grades 3-12 returned to full-time in-person learning on Monday, April 5 after spending most of the academic year in a hybrid learning model. Students in grades K-2 resumed in-person learning a few weeks ago.
Superintendent Kristen Vogel said during the Select Board’s April 5 meeting that the first day back was “a very exciting day in Lynnfield.”
“There were lots of happy voices and smiles in the schools,” said Vogel. “It was great seeing students coming in happy. It was really exciting and it was fun watching all of the great stuff going on.”
Vogel noted that she and other school staff missed having all of the students be in school together.
“One of the best things about being an educator is hearing the noise and the joy of learning,” said Vogel. “It’s kids running around outside, kids talking in the hallway and kids talking to each other in the lunchroom. That has been missing for a year and it is back. We could not have done this without the support of the Emergency Management Team, the Administrative Leadership Team and the Lynnfield Teachers Association.”
Select Board Chairman Chris Barrett said the first day back was “a wonderful day for the town of Lynnfield.” He commended Vogel and other officials for diligently working to reopen all four buildings.
“There is no playbook for what we have gone through for the past year,” said Barrett. “I want to commend you for getting us to this point.”
Barrett is also pleased that traffic around Lynnfield Middle School is back.
“I know that can be a challenge, but that is part of the normalcy we want back in our community,” said Barrett.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said students’ return to the classroom was the culmination of hard work undertaken by a number of people.
“Lynnfield is one of the first school districts in this area to open fully,” said Dolan. “If anything positive comes out of this, it’s that we have a wonderful group of people working together who put kids first.”
Dolan said it was a pleasure working with the Lynnfield Teachers Association during the reopening process.
“The teachers have been incredibly kind, pro-student and while they acknowledged the safety issues, they wanted to work with everybody,” said Dolan. “I have worked with a lot of associations, and these are some of the finest people I have ever met in my career. We should all be super proud. I want to thank the Select Board and School Committee for their leadership.”
School Committee member Tim Doyle said he is happy that students are back in school full-time.
“I thought I have seen everything, but I wasn’t prepared for a pandemic,” said Doyle. “I want to thank the janitors, teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, the Emergency Management Team, the previous superintendent, the current superintendent and the School Committee. It was an awesome team effort. To get everybody in on April 5 is pretty darn special. It’s been a long haul, but it is great to see everybody back. It’s a great accomplishment.”
School Committee Chairman Jamie Hayman agreed.
“The Emergency Management Team has gotten us through this,” said Hayman. “The LTA has been just amazing to work with. It has taken a full community effort to get us here. I am very appreciative that we have a town that is willing to put all of the resources and dedicate so much to our kids’ education. I want to thank the Select Board for everything they have done as well. We are in the eighth inning, and we have to just keep on swinging. Hopefully we will have a very successful last 10 weeks of the school year.”
During the School Committee’s April 8 meeting, Vogel thanked the four PTOs for “showering teachers with gifts over the past month.”
“From ice cream trucks to cupcakes to treat bags to lunches to breakfast, it was just amazing,” said Vogel. “It made them feel incredibly special.”
Vogel also told the school board that administrators, teachers and school staff will be supporting students during the transition process.
“It’s going to be harder for some students and easier for others,” said Vogel.