AMONG THE RETIREES honored by the School Committee June 12 were (from left): Colleen Pennie, Jo Anne Thorlin, Barbara Fitzgerald, Maureen Cusolito and Carol MacHugh. (Neil Zolot Photo)

 

By NEIL ZOLOT

NORTH READING – The School Committee honored resident Geof Simons with an Award of Appreciation for his landscaping work near the entrance to the Middle School at its meeting Monday, June 12.

“It had been neglected and overrun with knotweeds,” Simons said of the area outside the windows of the office of the school principal and other administrators. “I planted pollination plants that will attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s a movement in the gardening world to mitigate weeds with pollination plants that will provide habitats.”

 

AN AWARD of Appreciation was presented by the School Committee to Geof Simons for his volunteer work sprucing up this garden at the Middle School and replacing an invasive species with plants that attract pollinators. (Neil Zolot Photo)

 

Eleven retiring teachers and staff members were also honored at the meeting. Among them were Special Education paraprofessionals Kathleen Casazza and Colleen Pennie; Batchelder School teacher Bill Cassell; Anne Lundell, the executive assistant to Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly; Middle School administrative assistant Maureen Cusolito; Middle School science teacher Joe Davis; Middle School paraprofessional Carol MacHugh; English as a Learned Language (ELL) teacher Barbara Fitzgerald; Little School paraprofessional Jane Korhulis; Little School digital learning paraprofessional Dianne Maguire and Special Education teacher Jo Anne Thorlin. (Cassell and Korhulis did not attend the meeting.)

“Thank you for all your years of service,” School Committee Chair Scott Buckley told them. “You’ve been a big influence on the district and students.”

One of Davis’ former students is School Committee member Noelle Rudloff. “We’re saying goodbye to some wonderful people,” she said.

 

RETIRING Middle School science teacher Joe Davis was congratulated on his retirement by his former student, current School Committee member Noelle Rudloff, at the June 12 meeting. (Neil Zolot Photo)

 

“There’s quite a class of graduates this year,” Daly added. “I could go on and on about each one.”

Daly called Lundell “my right hand for many years. Our relationship has grown over the years. We’re really going to miss her.” He noted that during her 25-year tenure she had worked for five superintendents.

Each retiree was presented with a gift of a crystal bowl. Picking out the gift for the retirees each year has been one of Lundell’s many tasks.

 

ANNE LUNDELL, the executive assistant to Superintendent Dr. Patrick Daly, worked for five different superintendents during her 25-year career for the NRPS. (Neil Zolot Photo)

 

Parent Associations donate funds

In other action, the School Committee accepted gifts of $90,000 from the Hood School Parent Association for a playground structure and $15,000 from the Batchelder School Parent Organization to synchronize clocks in the school, which were running at different speeds. “They got out of sync,” Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Michael Connelly said of the clocks.

The Hood School playground structure will be similar to one previously installed at the Little School and the $90,000 donation will cover 90% of its cost.

The full cost of synchronizing the clocks at the Batchelder School will be $20,000. “It’s sad we use these donations, but it’s where we are,” Buckley noted about the expenditures.

 

PARAPROFESSIONALS Dianne Maguire and Kathleen Casazza have retired from the NRPS. (Neil Zolot Photo)

 

 

Buckley described the clock synchronization as “a needed expense that couldn’t get funded. We have parents funding the clocks because we don’t have money in the budget. We appreciate them stepping up, but it’s a little embarrassing.”

“There are too many things that don’t get funding,” member Jeff Friedman added.

Previously, these school parents groups had donated money to fund field trips and school supplies. The value of these gifts totaled $39,392.87 at the Batchelder School; $24,965.21 at the Little School and $13,338.98 at the Hood School.