Butler’s Principal McAllister Named to Chenery’s Top Post

Photo: Mike McAllister. 

Daniel Butler Elementry Principal Michael McAllister is returning to the Chenery Middle School where he started his Belmont career as a fifth-grade teacher.

But this time, McAllister is coming back in September as the Chenery’s new principal.

“Principal McAllister was chosen from a field of very strong candidates who participated in a rigorous interview and selection process,” said Belmont School District Superintendent John Phelan. 

McAllister, a Bedford resident (who is on his town’s School Committee for the past three years), replaces Kristen St. George, who announced she would be leaving her position in March. He was a finalist for the Chenery position with Belmont High School Assistant Principal John Muldoon and Watertown Middle School Principal and Belmont resident Kimo Carter.

A Bedford native (as is his wife, Meg), he graduated from Bedford High School in 1995. He and his wife have two children. McAllister holds a B.A. in Political Science and English from Northeastern University and an Ed.M. in Teaching and Curriculum from Harvard University.

McAllister was named principal of the Butler in 2009, having previously been the district’s social studies director and a teacher at the Chenery. 

“McAllister is a proven leader in the district, who brings a breadth and depth of knowledge and experience as an educator and leader. I am confident in his ability to advance the good work already happening at the Chenery and to work together with the Chenery staff,” said Phelan.

US News: Belmont High 8th Best in State, A Top STEM School in US

Photo: Belmont High School.

It something special when you’re in the top 100th of 1 percent.

And Belmont High School has some serious credentials when it comes to producing smart kids. For the umpteenth time, Belmont High was named a gold medal school by US News & World Report in its annual report of the best of the 21,000 public high schools in the United States. Only 2.5 percent of schools nationwide receives the gold standard. 

Belmont High was ranked 213th in the country and 8th in Massachusetts. The school has been slipping a few places each year; it reached its zenith in 2009 when Belmont was the 100th best high school. In 2014, the rank was 151st and last year, 200th.

But according to an analysis of the report, it’s not that Belmont is slipping educationally but rather it is the surge of specialized charter schools that emphasize high-level study and test taking with a select base of pupils that are jumping passed the local high school. 

In the analysis of the US and state, Belmont is grouped with test schools such as Boston Latin and  charter school. Regarding “open enrollment” high schools – in which all students in the district attend – Belmont ranks third behind Medfield Senior High and Hopkinton High and just in front of Lexington High (which Belmont trailed last year) and Dover-Sherborn Regional High

According to the ranking, a little more than seven out of ten students takes at on average four Advanced Placement tests with nearly all of them passing at least one AP test. Nearly all the pupils at the High School have tested proficient or advanced in English and math. The school does lag behind nearly 80 percent of Massachusetts high schools in terms of student/teacher ratio at 17 to 1. 

For the second year running, Belmont stands out in a new category of the analysis. In STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and math) education, Belmont repeated its 103rd US ranking with students, outpacing some of the same test and charter schools ranked higher than the Concord Avenue school. 

Foundation Honors Seven Belmont Educators as 2016’s ‘Outstanding’ Teachers’

Photos: The Burbank’s Lisa O’Sullivan was caught up in the moment being named one of seven Outstanding Teachers in Belmont.

Two teach English, one is your children’s first music teacher and they all prepare Belmont students for life-long learning.

And those seven Belmont public school teachers were chosen as recipients of the 2016 Outstanding Teacher Awards, the Foundation for Belmont Education announced today, Friday, April 15. 

“These honorees are recognized for their excellence in the classroom and for consistently making a difference in the lives of Belmont’s children,” said Hannah Fischer, who handles marketing for the foundation.

As it was last year, the teacher’s were visited in their classrooms by members of the Foundation and Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan who handed out balloons, a certificate and congratulations.

Now in its second year, the Outstanding Teacher Award recipients were nominated by students, parents, colleagues, and community members. 

The 2016 honorees are:

Martha Bloom, Belmont High School, English

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“She creates an engaging learning environment where the students work as a team and feel safe to share their writing, ideas, and opinions.”

Kathleen Calhoun, Winn Brook Elementary School, Grade 3

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“Ms. Calhoun is able to recognize and encourage skills and promote a positive and enriching learning environment.”

Justin Chiu, Butler Elementary School, Grade 4

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“There aren’t outliers in his class, there are unique students, each of whom brings a relevant perspective.”

Michelle Connors, Chenery Middle School, Grade 8, English

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“When I walked away from her class…I had learned things that applied not just to an English class, but to every aspect of my life.”

Cheryl Lyons, Wellington Elementary School, Grade 1

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“Her students are loved, they are cherished, they are safe, they are understood, and most importantly, they learn.”

Lisa O’Sullivan, Burbank Elementary School, Grade 3 

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“She has the natural insight and sensitivity to connect with her students on multiple levels.”

Sharon Phipps, Multi-School, Music

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Ms. Phipps is a wonderful, energetic, enthusiastic and encouraging teacher who sees potential in students and turns it into self-esteem and success.

A ceremony to honor Belmont’s Outstanding Teacher Awards winners will be held on Wednesday, April 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School. The award celebration, sponsored by Belmont Savings Bank Foundation, is open to the public. 

For more information about this event or the Foundation for Belmont Education, please visit the foundation’s web site or send an email to info@fbe-belmont.org.

Belmont High’s Wind Ensemble Plays Symphony Hall Saturday, And You’re Invited

Photo:Belmont High School Wind Ensemble

The old vaudeville chestnut goes:

“A stranger asks a New Yorker, ‘How do you get to Carnegie Hall?'”

“Practice!”

But for the Belmont High School Wind Ensemble, its path to the stage of Boston’s historic Symphony Hall was paved with gold … a gold medal.

The Wind Ensemble has been invited to perform at Symphony Hall on Saturday, April 16, as a result of its winning performance at the recently-completed Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association festival. 

And Belmont residents can join in the achievement as its gig is open to the public for free. 

The Wind Ensemble will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. sharp, and its performance will last about 20 to 30 minutes.

“If you are looking for a wonderful way to kick off your April vacation, please consider coming to hear this performance by our Wind Ensemble,” said Arto Asadoorian, director of Fine & Performing Arts for Belmont’s public schools.

Asadoorian said this year’s Wind Ensemble is an unusually wonderful group of kids, most of whom are seniors.

“This will be a fitting capstone to their music years at Belmont High School, and something that they’ll remember forever. Having a large, supportive audience made up of their teachers would make the day even more special,” he said.

“Let’s pack the place!” said Asadoorian.

Belmont High’s ‘Urinetown’ Opens Tonight, Thursday, April 7, Runs to Saturday

Photo: Benjy Cunningham singing “Don’t be the bunny” in the musical “Urinetown.”

The curtain is going up at 7 p.m, Thursday, April 7 for opening night for the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s production of “Urinetown, the Musical.”

In a Depression-era metropolis, a 20-year drought has caused such a water shortage that the city government has banned private toilets. The citizens must use “public amenities,” regulated by a monopoly that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs.

Amid the people, a young, idealistic hero, Bobby Strong, decides he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them running to freedom! Along the way, the audience is kept informed of the plot with Officer Lockstock assisted by a street urchin named Little Sally.  But, by the end, good intentions don’t always lead to the best outcome. But you’ll have to see the musical to find out what happens.

Performances are:

  • Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8, at 7 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets will be online and at Champions Sporting Goods in Belmont Center. Tickets are $10 for students (BHS students get half-price tickets Thursday) and $15 for adults ($18 if they wait to buy them at the show).

Letter to the Editor: Snow Days From a High School Student’s Perspective

Photo: A long way to school.

To the editor:

My name is Lloyd Ellison, and I am a senior at Belmont High School. For the third or fourth time this year, Belmont public schools will stay open even with the threats of six inches of snow.

I have a couple of issues with this; the first is obviously that I don’t get a snow day in which I get to sleep in and not take tests, but there is a much larger problem with the safety of getting and leaving school. Every time it has snowed this year, the large parking lot is not plowed before school. The lines are nearly invisible leading to confusion in where to park and disruptions in the flow of traffic in the parking lot. It is also not plowed during school, which makes it tough to get out.

I also find the main road is also not plowed particularly well, and this makes it very tough to get out of the school and onto Concord Avenue in addition to dropping off and picking up students in front of the school. I also get out early most days, so I find these troubles even before the bulk of students leave.

I’m not sure who is responsibility for clearing, but in my opinion, the removal needs to be better. I know it is tough to get this work done, especially early in the morning before staff and students come in. But this is why we have snow days because if it is too dangerous to get or to leave school then we don’t have it. Just because the roads are clear doesn’t do anything if the last roads and parking lots are not. I’m not saying that tomorrow needs to be a snow day, I’m just saying I want to feel safe going and leaving school.

Lloyd Ellison

Learn the Social Host Laws at BHS Presentation Wednesday Night

Photo: Know the law.

Prom, graduation and warm spring nights are just around the corner. And with them will come requests from many teens to host a party. It is up to parents to know what’s legal and what isn’t when it comes to having a social event at your house.

Middlesex District Attorney (and Belmont resident) Marian Ryan, in conjunction with the Belmont Police Department and the Belmont Public Schools, is hosting a presentation for parents on the state’s strict Social Host Law on Wednesday, March 30. 

The goal of the presentation is to educate parents on the laws related to furnishing alcohol to minors as well as the effects that drugs and alcohol have on underage children. The event will take place in the Little Theatre at Belmont High School beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Not Holding It In: ‘Urinetown’ Belmont High’s Number One Musical

Photo: Rehearsal for “Urinetown.”

For three days in April, the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company is turning the “Town of Homes” into “Urinetown.”

But don’t worry folks. Unlike the residents of the mythical city, it’ll still be free to pee for the steady stream attending this year’s spring musical. Rumors to the contrary are just yellow journalism.

With a big banner over Belmont Center and placards dotting yards announcing the show, the response from many curious residents upon seeing BHS PAC’s choice for the spring musical is:

  1. “Urinetown? What the … !”
  2.  Yew!

But before you pass judgment, even the characters know that the show’s title and subject matter “could a kill a show pretty good!” as Little Sally tells the audience. Urinetown is, if anything, full of wit and humor about a subject that isn’t normal musical material.

Anyone who might be squeamish to buy a ticket due to the title, cast member Belmont High senior Jocelyn Cubstead said the show has universal appeal, for obvious reasons. 

“If you know what it’s like to go to the bathroom really bad, this show is for you,” said Cubstead who portrays Penelope Pennywise, the strict matron of the filthiest urinal in the city.

While many might initially believe a musical about urinating is limited to a more mature audience, “‘Urinetown’ is anything but an ‘adults only’ event,” said Ezra Flam, the producer and director of this edition of the award-winning musical.

“People who aren’t familiar with ‘Urinetown’ and just hear the title or a brief description might not realize that this show is a musical comedy at heart, and the bizarre premise and dark plot are part of the humor and comedy,” said Flam, who has been rehearsing the students since December. 

The musical is just as much about civil revolution and star-crossed lovers as it is the need to pay for “the privilege to pee.”

“Anyone from 4th grade and will get the show and appreciate the humor. Parents of kids younger than 4th grade might want to do a little more research before coming, but the title is definitely the most “un-PG” thing in the show,” said Flam, who noted the musical has “been a high school, college and community theater staple for the past decade.

And the plot is as contemporary as a billionaire trying to take control of the people only to have a courageous progressive standing in his way.

In a Depression-era metropolis, a 20-year drought has caused such a water shortage that the city government has banned private toilets. The citizens must use “public amenities,” regulated by a monopoly that profits by charging admission for one of humanity’s most basic needs.

Amid the people, a young, idealistic hero, Bobby Strong, decides he’s had enough and plans a revolution to lead them running to freedom! Along the way, the audience is kept informed of the plot with Officer Lockstock assisted by a street urchin named Little Sally.  But, by the end, good intentions don’t always lead to the best outcome. But you’ll have to see the musical to find out what happens.

The plot moves along with a raw, jazzy Kurt Weill-inspired score (think of Urinetown as the “Spend a Penny Opera”) and lyrics that could have come from 1930’s progressive musicals such as “The Cradle Will Rock” only that the characters are not just freeing the masses but also their bladders.

The show was a hit on Broadway with Hunter Foster in the lead with Broadway legend John Cullum in the role of the ‘evil’ Caldwell B. Cladwell. The musical won Tony Awards for the script, score and direction in 2001.

“It opened on Broadway just after 9/11, (it was originally scheduled to open on Sept. 13 but was pushed back a week) which was a tough time for theater in New York, so that’s a big reason people haven’t heard of it,” said Flam.

But once the word filters out, Belmont will be ready to stand in line for the privilege to see “Urinetown.”

Performances are:

  • Thursday and Friday, April 7 and 8, at 7 p.m. 
  • Saturday, April 9 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Tickets will be online and at Champions Sporting Goods in Belmont Center. Tickets are $10 for students (BHS students get half price tickets Thursday) and $15 for adults ($18 if they wait to buy them at the show).

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School Committee QW: Where Do You Stand on High Stakes Testing?

Photo: The candidates: Bicer, O’Mahoney, Prestwich.
The Question of the Week (QW) for the School Committee candidates:
There is a bill in the legislature (H 340) sponsored by the state’s teachers union to halt statewide student testing, calling for a three-year moratorium on the implementation of PARCC – which Belmont has been a test community – and to remove the “high stakes” nature of the existing MCAS tests, ie. in which high school senior would no longer need to pass MCAS to graduate. Teachers say tests take too much time away from educating and don’t reveal just how much a student has learned. Opponents say removing MCAS and other tests could lead to a return of lack of standards and accountability. As members of the school committee, you may well be asked your opinion on this measure. Question: Where do you stand on high stakes testing?

Andrea Prestwich

The MCAS has been to used fulfill the requirements of the Federal No Child Left Behind act (NCLB). NCLB was enacted with the best of intentions: to use rigorous standardized tests to ensure that all children receive a good education. Tests were used to track individual students progress, evaluate teachers and identify “failing” schools. The stakes were high: schools that did not make sufficient progress were closed, teachers fired, and students prevented from graduating.

Unfortunately, NCLB was a failure. Kids from wealthy families did better on the test than poor kids. Teachers were penalized for working with disadvantaged kids! To improve scores, teachers would focus on test preparation to the extent that other areas of the curriculum suffered. There were reports that struggling high school students were pressured into dropping out to make the average scores better. The tests are extremely stressful for students.

One of the few issues our hideously divided congress could agree on is that NCLB is a failure. Last year congress replaced NCLB with the Every Student Succeeds Act with overwhelming bipartisan support. The ESSA maintains the requirement for states to test, but gives states more freedom to define “school quality” and “accountability”. Given the new responsibilities under ESSA, I support the H340 requirement that the Commonwealth establish a task force to review the use of MCAS or PARCC data. Previous policies have failed, and it is time to re-evaulate what use we make of standardized tests. I also support the moratorium. Test results should not be used for teacher evaluation or student graduation while the task force does its job. To clarify: I fully support standardized testing. Standardized testing is crucial to identify problem areas and measure progress. However, we need to take a break and think about how test data is used in view of the failures of the past decade.

Murat Bicer

I am not generally in favor of standardized testing. Research shows that test results correlate above all to socio-economic conditions and may be unable to parse the quality of education at the individual or classroom level.  Many tests are criticized for being biased and the system of test taking disadvantages students who have difficulties with structured, timed activities. I believe that multiple-choice tests are not a good indicator of how much a student has learned, or whether that student has the qualities that good students should have – like creativity, critical thinking, and curiosity. Any student who is struggling with basic skills should be identified and supported well before a test result points out his deficiencies. It is true, however, that Belmont has in the past used test results to identify areas of relatively weaker performance and make positive changes in those areas.  

The Massachusetts Education Reform Laws of 1993 necessitate “a variety of assessment instruments” whose purpose is to evaluate student performance and to “improve the effectiveness of curriculum and instruction.” Tests have been credited with ensuring a certain quality standard across the state, but they’re imperfect. Unfortunately for all, many of the other “assessment instruments” such as descriptive reporting and subjective, essay-based testing are more difficult to administer and often put additional burden on the teachers, and that’s likely why testing has become the primary “instrument.”  

We can probably all agree that accountability and adherence to a basic standard curriculum is necessary, but that needs to happen on a day to day basis within the school community, not as a result of, or in pursuit of, a test score.

Kimberly O’Mahoney

Personally, I have never been a big fan of standardized tests,  but my only experience has been in the seat of a test-taker.  I never felt that the tests provided the “bigger picture” of my educational experience and abilities. The testing also is narrowed to only include certain subjects, leaving behind the notion that a well-rounded educational experience (including extra-curricular areas) is most beneficial to the children. That being said, there are also benefits to the testing that is being administered. It does help support accountability and possibly identify those areas in the curriculum that may need review and reinforcement. Belmont, though, has always prided itself on the high quality of education that it affords the children in the District. With or without standardized tests, Belmont will keep this a priority. I don’t believe that the high standards that our educators are held to will diminish if this moratorium is put in place. It may allow for greater flexibility in instruction and allow classes to delve further into subject areas without the constraints of focusing on and preparing for the “test material.”

School Committee Drop Religious Holidays from Calendar, Start Year Post Labor Day

Photo: Speaker at the School Committee meeting. Dr. David Alper is at right.

A year after joining most neighboring communities by adding Yom Kippur and keeping Good Friday as school holidays, the Belmont School Committee did a complete “about face” and voted on Tuesday, March 22 to rid the 2016-17 school calendar of all days off for religious observation.

The board voted 5-0 to strip out existing Christian and Jewish observations which were installed on a one-year “pilot” basis. 

The reversal came after the committee and School District heard from a large number of parents – including many first-generation Asian residents – who declared the policy disruptive to the educational process and did not reflect the growing diversity within Belmont’s schools.

“I would hate for the message to be that Belmont hates religion” but rather a vote is a nod to the growing pluralism in the district, said School Committee member Tom Caputo. 

“This is about being respectful and not anti-holiday,” said member Lisa Fiore. “That’s the headline, that we must respect you whether you are 87 percent or three percent of the population,” she said.

“But we also need to make steps towards making it as easy as practically possible to observe religious holidays,” Caputo said, saying the district should now embrace the opportunity to explain why these days are important and why students observe them. 

Before this year, district policy was Jewish students were not “penalized” for taking the High Holidays as an unexcused absence. 

The board also decided, 3-2, to support taking an official day off for the quadrennial Presidential election day including the one this November for “safety concerns” as three elementary schools – Winn Brook, Butler, and Burbank – are home to one of eight precinct polling locations. 

In a separate decision, the committee bowed to parents by rejecting a proposal to start the school year before Labor Day on the last week in August. Sponsored by Belmont Superintendent John Phelan and backed by district teachers and several national studies, starting pre-Labor Day provides an easier transition into the school year by “easing” into educating then having a three-day Labour Day holiday before moving directly into teaching post-Labor Day. But family vacation and summer plans trumped the idea on an online survey.

Residents spoke to keep the current “pilot” schedule including Dr. David Alper, who led the drive last year to recognize Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism, which a significant number of students observe.

Alper stressed the nature of the observance, a day of fasting and prayer in Temple and at house, which requires students to miss a day early in the school year – the high holiday occurs between early September to mid-October – and despite assurances from principals, teachers will schedule tests and new work on and after that day.

But for the sizable number of first-generation Asian residents – an unusual step of engagement from a group largely in the background in town politics and policy – who sent statements to the Superintendents office and voted to end all religious observations on an online poll, the issue was educational rather than spiritual. 

Speaking before the committee and after the meeting with the Belmontonian, Jie Lu said what brought Chinese, Korean, and South Asian parents to speak out on the issue was its direct impact on the educational process.

While noting the importance of religion in many person lives, Lu said he is supportive of parents taking children out of school and teachers taking a personal day to celebrate with their family.

“But I don’t agree [to close] the entire system because it’s disruptive and a lot of [a] burden for lots of other families,” said the Concord Avenue resident and parent of children in the district. 

Phelan and some school committee members noted that disruptions could continue these days as a significant number of teachers have expressed a wish to take off on Good Friday and to a lesser extent Yom Kippur. While the remaining students will be in school, it won’t be a “typical” day with no new work or exams and substitute teachers employed.

Other parents spoke of the exclusion of other “not-too-big-groups” that celebrate important religious dates such as Ramadan for Muslims or cultural celebrations like Chinese New Year in which celebrants are expected to stay up all night “which would be hard for children to attend then school the next day.”

Judi Hamparian said by adding one religion’s observation, such as Good Friday, it would “be opening a Pandor’s box” if the district would attempt to be as inclusive as it should, noting the Armenian Genocide is an important historical event that many in Belmont observe as a solemn occasion.

“Why not also a day [for recognizing the geneocide]?” she said. 

After the vote outside the meeting, Lu and Alper discussed their positions.

“We are not trying to argue should we have holiday or [not]. The important thing is how do we observe the religious and how do we let the children know there are different religions, and everyone should respect them,” said Lu. 

“The major concern is that we will have soon too many religious celebrations and that we disrupt the education,” he said. 

While there will be a break in the teaching with children and students out, Alper believes religious observations “is an opportunity for educating these kids that will last a lifetime.”  

“I don’t mind seeing [Yom Kippur] not observed as long as “the school committee and superintendent follow through by acknowledging these holidays and especially in the elementary schools that these children are taught that David and Rachel are not here today because they need to be in temple and fast and Mr. Lu’s children will not be in school because they are celebrating New Year,” said Alper, who said he will be vigilant that the committee follows through on its promise. 

“I agree that if the kids learn then they can tell their parents. That’s how I know about Yom Kippur, my kids told me because their teacher told them,” said Lu. 

“We need to make this less a calendar change and make it a teachable moment,” said Alper.