Former Councilor O’Brien and Bentley Lecturer LeBlanc Seek Consideration for Whittier Seats

A retired nurse who served 20 years on the Haverhill City Council and a Bentley University lecturer whose family runs a successful automotive business are among those wishing to serve on the Whittier Tech School Committee. Former City Councilor Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien and Jeff LeBlanc, who has taught business at Bentley, Boston University and Suffolk University, among others, both notified WHAV of their interests in one of the two available Haverhill seats at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School. “My successful and fulfilling 46-year nursing career as well as serving 20 years on the Haverhill City Council make me uniquely qualified and that I can bring valuable knowledge and understanding to the board.” O’Brien told WHAV. She added “I am very familiar with budgetary concerns, administrator transparency, working collaboratively on a team and, most of all, putting Haverhill’s priorities first.”

LeBlanc said, “My connection to Whittier VoTech runs deep. My father, Kenneth LeBlanc, got his start at Whittier VoTech, where he received the foundational skills and training that paved the way for his successful career in the automotive field and business.

Whittier Tech School Board Member Richard Early of Haverhill Plans to Seek Reappointment

One of Haverhill two representatives to the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee confirms he is seeking reappointment. Richard P. Early Jr., whose current three-year-term ends March 31, told WHAV Thursday he submitted paperwork to Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, chairperson, and School Committee Vice Chair Paul A. Magliocchetti. Early has served as one of Haverhill’s two representatives for nearly 24 years. As WHAV reported first Wednesday, the city is seeking applicants for both of its seats on the Whittier Tech School Committee. Besides Early, the seat held by former Haverhill School Committee member Scott W. Wood Jr. was declared vacant as part of a new policy adopted last week.

Northern Essex Community College to Present ‘An Afternoon with Andre Dubus III’

New York Times Bestselling author and Haverhill native Andre Dubus III will be reading from his latest books, “Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin” and “Such Kindness,” during an upcoming talk at Northern Essex Community College. Dubus speaks Tuesday, April 9, 12:30 p.m., at Northern Essex Community College Haverhill campus, C Building, Lecture Hall A, 100 Elliot St., Haverhill. “An Afternoon with Andre Dubus III” is presented by Northern Essex Community College’s Writing Associate Degree program, Parnassus literary magazine and Liberal Arts Division.

Haverhill Seeks Applicants for Both of its Seats on Whittier Tech School Committee by Monday

With one term already scheduled to end this month and another term cut short by a new Haverhill School Committee policy, the city is seeking applicants for both of its seats on the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee. The three-year appointment of longtime member Richard P. Early Jr. ends March 31 and the term of Scott W. Wood Jr. was to have ended in two years. The Haverhill School Committee, however, voted last week to implement a new policy that cut Wood’s term short. The policy declares, “If a Haverhill School Committee member is appointed to the Whittier Tech School Committee and chooses not to run for reelection or is not reelected before the end of their three-year term the position shall be considered vacated, and the appointee must reapply to the Haverhill School Committee if they want to finish their term on the Whittier Tech School Committee.”

Haverhill is asking those who wish to serve to send letters of intent by next Monday, March 25,  to Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, chairperson, and School Committee Vice Chair Paul A. Magliocchetti. Applicants must reside in the city and are asked to outline their motivation for serving and vision for Whittier Tech.

Haverhill SEPAC to Show How Kindergarten Readiness Helps as Far as High School

Research indicates kindergarten readiness can impact how successful a child is in high school. Haverhill’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council’s annual Kindergarten Readiness program next Monday shows how kindergarten readiness can lead to greater academic success, lower dropout rates and better health and lifestyle habits. Haverhill William H. Moody School Principal Kristi-Lynn Kurczy discusses the importance of preparing for kindergarten at the in-person presentation. Haverhill Promise and the Moody PTO will provide age-appropriate books on a first come, first serve basis with a preference to those families who sign up ahead of time. There is a limit of one book per family.

Growth at Haverhill’s Gateway Academy Takes Many Forms; Serves 130 Students at Former St. James

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Since it separated from Haverhill High School in 2022, the alternative school Gateway Academy has moved to the former St. James School and instructs around 130 students, though Principal Brian Edmunds said he expects the number to continue growing. The School Committee moved the Haverhill Alternative School and Therapeutic Education Assessment Center out of the building in 2019. With the district overcrowded, Superintendent Margaret Marotta called the school underused, serving 80 students in two special education programs when it could house up to 350 mostly middle-school age children. Students from the John C. Tilton School started there that fall.

Pentucket Regional ‘High Performance Training’ Open to Area Students This Summer

Rock band practice, video game development and strength and agility training are among the summer program classes available to students both living in and outside of the Pentucket Regional School District. Pentucket schools have opened registration for “High Performance Training,” focusing on both traditional sports and athletics, as well as digital technologies such as video production and computer programming. Classes start as early as June 11. “Our goal is to develop programs that enable our students to acquire the skills that they need to pursue their interests and career aspirations,” Executive Director of Operations Jonathan Seymour said. “Team sports, strength and conditioning and even robotics and programming: it’s all there to cater to diverse interests.”

Students may register for individual training, focusing on either agility or strength, or for team training, which includes tennis, soccer, baseball, cheering, football, volleyball, basketball and field hockey.

Haverhill School Committee Approves Call for More State Money, Defends Use of COVID-19 Aid

Haverhill School Committee members approved a resolution calling for the state to increase education spending as the district faces a projected $11.1 million shortfall. State education money, issued under Chapter 70 of state law, came in less than districts across the state were anticipating. Member Thomas Grannemann, who proposed the resolution, explained that, despite costs increasing significantly in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, aid did not increase accordingly. The law puts a cap on the size of the yearly boost, which he said has left Haverhill 6% behind where it should be in purchasing power. Grannemann said he would take his resolution to school committees around the state, and committee Vice Chairperson Paul A. Magliocchetti said he would march on Beacon Hill if the district did not receive the money it so desperately needs.