Education

Pentucket Regional High School’s Parrott and Bruno Win Competition to Perform at Music Festival

By |

Two Pentucket Regional High School music students were selected for the 2025 Massachusetts Music Educators’ Association Northeastern Senior District Music Festival. Junior Hailey Bruno and sophomore Ian Parrott competed against students in Grades 10-12 from across the northeast corner of Massachusetts to earn their spots. Both were accepted into the choir. The pair will perform in the choir in the Senior Festival Concert, which takes place Saturday, Jan. 11, at noon at Lexington High School, 251 Waltham St.

Education

All But One Whittier Tech Community Cross Fingers Hoping State Considers Shared Campus

By |

Ten of the 11 communities that send students to Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School last week pledged to support a possible shared campus between the school and Northern Essex Community College. The Memorandum of Understanding was developed by Northern Essex President Lane A. Glenn and Whittier Tech Superintendent Maureen Lynch in time for a meeting of the Massachusetts School Building Authority next month where members will consider letting a new building proposal in the pipeline. Only one of the sending communities, Rowley, withheld its support. All others—Amesbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Ipswich, Newbury, Newburyport, Merrimac, Salisbury and West Newbury—agreed to support a working group that would attempt to reach a consensus to approve, build and pay for a replacement for the 50-year-old Haverhill building. Members of the Rowley Board of Selectmen Monday criticized the plan, with board Chairwoman Christine A. Kneeland and board Vice Chair Sheri David identifying several concerns, including the timeline.

Education

New Consentino School Reaches Peak Height; Sixth Grader Explains Best Why the Milestone is Important

By |

(Additional photographs in gallery below.)

As the new $160 million Dr. Albert B. Consentino School reached its top height Wednesday, a sixth grader gave the most personal account of why the new building is needed. At a “Topping Off” ceremony at the Washington Street school, Consentino Principal Richard Poor introduced Graeme Gillogly as a future eighth grader when the building opens. Gillogly said he is the third in his family to attend the school and he and his siblings have seen plenty. “My brother was here when the roof was leaking and the PTO gave all of the teachers umbrellas for Teacher Appreciation Week. As you can imagine, it makes it harder to learn when the students and teachers have obstacles like these in the past.

Education

Haverhill School ESPs, City Negotiators Appear Far Apart After 18 Months of Talks

By |

(Update: The story has been updated to add more about the city’s last offer. Some ESPs would see their salaries increase at Step 4 at 16.4% and 20.2% at Step 5 over the course of the contract.)

The union representing Haverhill Education Support Professionals and School Committee negotiators remain far apart in reaching a new agreement for those who have worked without a contract for a year and half. Union representatives said negotiators have used legal mechanisms to avoid bargaining, while their city counterparts suggest there is more behind the scenes. Haverhill Education Association President Barry Davis said Haverhill school negotiators have been “very difficult to work with over this process.”

“The ESP workforce is a workforce that makes under a living wage. We’ve made it very clear that our priority is bringing these people through the length of the contract closer to a living wage,” he said.

Education

Northern Essex Community College’s Parnassus Literary Magazine Wins National Award

By |

The Associated Collegiate Press is recognizing Northern Essex Community College’s student literary magazine, “Parnassus,” with a national Pacemaker Award. The award makes Parnassus one of the top student collegiate magazines in the country, as this marks the fifth time the association has recognized the magazine with the distinction. “I’m so proud to be able to offer a national platform of recognition for the amazing work that our NECC community creates,” said Parnassus faculty advisor and college Writing Program Coordinator Patrick Lochelt. “It’s a huge benefit for students to help bolster their experience and resumes/portfolios for those wishing to go onto careers in creative fields and to add ‘feathers to their caps’ in ways they might not be able to otherwise.”

Parnassus was one of only six collegiate literary arts magazines from across the country and the only magazine from Massachusetts to be recognized in the two-year college category. Other winners this year included Auburn University, George Mason University, Oregon State University and the University of Miami. “The verbal and visual storytelling in the winning magazines is incredible and robust long-form stories combined with shorter quick-reads to pace the reader through the pages of the feature magazines,” noted Gary Lundgren, Associated Collegiate Press associate director and coordinator of the Pacemaker competition.

Education

Comments on Shared Whittier Tech and Northern Essex Campus Highlight Pros and Cons

By |

Those participating in a “listening session” Tuesday on the possibility of a shared campus for Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School and Northern Essex Community College raised traffic, organizational and student age difference concerns, on one hand, and the positives of making Haverhill an education “destination,” on the other. Comments were received during the third of four online focus group meetings. The public was invited to discuss whether they would support a shared campus between both schools. WHAV honored the moderator’s request not to list private individual’s names, but is listing public figures. One attendee said she would love for the city to “be a destination for education.”

“For me, that includes the trades because they are an essential part of our society.

Education

Association of School Committees Backs Haverhill’s Suggested State School Aid Overhaul

By |

A Haverhill School Committee member’s proposal to overhaul the way the state accounts for inflation in annual education aid payments recently won backing from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. The plan, brought forward by Association delegate and School Committee member Thomas Grannemann, was approved by the group at its delegate assembly last Friday in Hyannis. The resolution will be used to guide the Association’s efforts to convince legislators to make changes to the formula. It aims to automatically adjust minimum aid and the base amount for which all future budgets build upon. “If the legislature and governor adopt this proposal it would bring about $7 million to $8 million in state school aid to Haverhill each year and similarly help other districts.

Education

Custodia-Lora of Haverhill Becomes Urban College of Boston VP of Academic Affairs in January

By |

Dr. Noemi Custodia-Lora, who has served as Northern Essex Community College vice president of the Lawrence campus and community relations since 2014, will take in January the job of vice president of academic affairs and workforce development for Urban College of Boston. With more than two decades of higher education experience, Custodia-Lora of Haverhill will oversee and enhance the college’s academic programs and ensure they continue to meet the diverse needs of the student body and prepare graduates for meaningful careers. Custodia-Lora succeeds Dr. Chitra Javdekar who has served as interim vice president since 2023. Custodia-Lora succeeds Dr. Chitra Javdekar who has served as interim vice president since 2023. “Noemi is a visionary leader whose work with immigrant students, workforce training and social justice advocacy aligns with our mission to empower nontraditional learners by providing an affordable and flexible education.