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

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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.

Recycling Saturday: Town, Butler Elementary Ready To Reclaim Material May 9

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Photo: Recycling Saturday in Belmont.

This Saturday, May 9, Belmont residents will have the opportunity to recycle just about anything they could ever hope, thanks to the town and the parents at the Butler Elementary School. 

• The town’s Department Public Work will have its annual Recycling Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Town Yard, 37 C St. Residents can recycle:

  • large, rigid plastics,
  • textiles (even ripped or stained),
  • clothes,
  • styrofoam,
  • DVDs,
  • CDs and
  • eyeglasses.

They will also provide secure paper shredding with a five box limit.

In addition, children’s clothes collected will be given to the Nepalese employees at dado tea in Cambridge who are flying to Nepal to volunteer with post-earthquake relief. 

Used, clean books should be donated to either the Belmont Public Library or at the Benton Library for their used books sale. Donors can take the donation as a tax deducttion.

• Butler Elementary, 90 White St., is holding its yearly Electronics Recycling and Disposal Drive from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Butler parking lot. For a small fee, you can drop off your old televisions, computer monitors, or anything with a plug. Prices for disposal are lower than the town’s, and there’s no need to purchase a pickup sticker.

The fees are:

  • $10 each for computer monitors,
  • $15 each for TVs 27” diagonal or less,
  • $20 each for TVs more than 27” diagonal or wood console TVs,
  • $25 each for projection TVs,
  • $15 each for large appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners, dehumidifiers, etc., and
  • $35 for all you can bring: laptops, CPUs, cameras, CD ROM/DVD drives, servers, speakers, iPods & accessories, computer accessories, mice, keyboards, video equipment, copy/fax/scanner/printers, wires and parts, plugs, audio equipment, phones and phone systems, DVD players, stereos, UPS (back up systems), VCRs, Walkmans and microwaves.

One note: They accept cash or checks only.

Butler Students, Superheroes Fun Run for Enrichment

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The dank, misty conditions this past Friday was no match for the likes of Batman and Captain America as the superheroes stood superhero like in the middle of the Butler Elementary School playground.

Nor was a mere 1 mile jog around the grounds of the Waverley Square school going to stop the duo from assisting Butler’s entire student population of 340 in running the same distance.

“This is a fantastic idea,” said Ann Ozawa, who came with her husband to cheer on her third grader, Zoe, as she did laps around the schoolyard.

“The kids were up and ready to go this morning and all the kids were here early,” she said as groups of parents cheered on the kids.

Yet the morning run was not some collective act of super-dopper strength, but part of a school-wide Fun Run fundraiser that exceeded the goals of students and staff.

With a goal of raising $10,000, the students – through online pledges from family, relatives and friends – smashed the objective and took in more than $18,000 with an extra $3,400 from corporate sponsors.

“The kids really surprised us. They really came through and really amazingly,” said Butler PTA’s Miriam Lapson.

(In fact, the only act of bravery was that of Butler Principal Michael McAllister who wore the Batman outfit for the entire morning as part of an agreement to get into a super hero costume if the fundraiser exceeded its goal.)

In past years, the school’s Parent Teacher Association ran an auction every three year to raise funds, said Lapson, who was on the fun run committee.

But with the school’s population changing demographics – the Butler students are more multicultural and have a wider income disparity than the other five schools in the district – “an auction just wasn’t going to work,” she said.

“We wanted something that everyone could take part in, whether you could or could not contribute, your parents don’t have to speak English. The only qualification was that you are a student at the school,” said Lapson.

That’s when the group thought of the fun run, said Lapson, which would have the added benefit of being a healthy activity and promoting physical education.

With help from The Original Get Movin’ Crew, a fun-run company based in Milford, Michigan, Butler students collected the $10,000 goal with three days to spare.

The funds raised will provide for two years of enrichment programs such as field trips, in-school enrichment, library books, teacher supplies and professional development for the Butler staff.

One superhero said the funds raised are greatly needed by staff and teachers.

“It’s huge for us. It allows us to purchase things and offer opportunities to kids we wouldn’t otherwise,” said Batman/McAllister.

“Unfortunately, some of the enrichment funding has been pulled out as we standardize our curriculum,” said McAllister. “The PTA comes through for us on that front.”

Butler Students Fun Run-ing with a Super Hero on Friday

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If you are going by the Daniel Butler School in Waverley Square this Friday morning, Nov. 7, you’ll be able to see the entire school’s students running with a Super Hero to promote health and fitness while raising money for the school.

Beginning at 9 a.m. and lasting the entire morning, each class in the school, from kindergarten to 4th grade, will participate in a one-mile Fun Run. Family and friends are encouraged to attend and run with the students or cheer them on. Ted Trodden, the school’s physical education teacher, will set up the course and will be leading the event. Every child will get a pedometer to track the number of steps they take. Students will each run a mile or 2,500 steps.

With help from The Original Get Movin’ Crew, a fun-run company based in Milford, Michigan, Butler students have been busy collecting online pledges from family members, friends, and neighbors.

And as of today, Monday, Nov. 3, the school reached their financial goal of $10,000. Funds are still being raised as all the proceeds go to field trips, in-school enrichment, library books, teacher supplies and professional development for the Butler staff.

Because the school raised the $10,000 benchmark, Butler Principal Michael McAllister will be running with each class wearing a superhero costume. Which one will it be? Come by and find out.

Here’s the schedule for the event on Friday, Nov. 7

  • 9 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.: Fourth grade.
  • 9:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.: Third grade.
  • 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.: Kindergarten
  • 10:30 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.: Second grade.
  • 11 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: First grade.

 

DPW, Butler Elementary Ready to Recycle on Saturday

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Got recyclables but they won’t fit or won’t be accepted in the blue/green recycling bins?

On Saturday, May 3, there will be a pair of location where you can dispose of non-toxic (those have to be recycled once a month in Lexington) materials in Belmont.

• From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the DPW Water Division Yard at 35 Woodland St,. residents will have the chance to recycle things like textiles, bulky-rigid plastics, Styrofoam and paper to be shredded, courtesy of the Belmont Department of Public Works.

Since the event will take place during the DPW Day celebration, residents coming only to recycle items should enter by the DPW Water Division via Woodland Street and exit via Prince Street.

Any questions about the recycle event, call 617-993-2689.

• The annual Butler Elementary School Electronics Recycling Day will take place from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the school at 90 White St. This is a convenient, environmentally-friendly way to recycle electronics at rates lower than what the town charges.  So gather up your old monitors, TVs, – anything with a plug counts.  Rates will range from a buck to $30 for disposal.
Residents can swing by the Butler to drop off unwanted electronics before heading over to the DPW event.