Education

Whittier Tech Communities Celebrate Step Towards Shared Campus Plan

By |

Officials from the 11 communities that send students to Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School celebrated their joint agreement yesterday afternoon with a signing ceremony on the 50-yard line of the school’s football field. The concept of a shared campus at Northern Essex Community College’s Haverhill site surfaced a year ago after voters in 10 of the 11 sending school communities rejected a $445 million standalone replacement. Only Haverhill voted in favor of building a new school on the current campus at 115 Amesbury Line Road. In order to pursue state financial support for the combined campus plan, all 11 communities had to agree to bring an application before the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Up until a month ago, Rowley had been a hold out.

Haverhill

Newly Protected Parsonage Hill Becomes Haverhill’s Viburnum Woods with Celebratory Hike

By |

Haverhill’s 111-acre Parsonage Hill conservation area has a new name—Viburnum Woods, inspired by the rich understory of mapleleaf viburnum that grow on the property. Essex County Greenbelt Association and the city purchased the land last year for $690,000 from the estate of Martin A. Chooljian and the Martin Almas Chooljian Revocable Trust. As WHAV reported last year, the land trust received a $217,600 in a state grant and $254,187 from the estate of former Haverhill mayoral candidate Maureen Corbett, who died in 2017. The final third was contributed by foundations and individuals throughout Essex County including Haverhill, according to Greenbelt President Christopher B. LaPointe. A recent celebratory hike through the woods was brought remarks by Haverhill Mayor Melinda E. Barrett, state Rep. Ryan M. Hamilton and LaPointe.

Community Spotlight

Haverhill Garden Club Again Spotlights Local Gardens

By |

The Haverhill Garden Club is seeking nominations for its popular Garden of the Month awards. To be eligible, gardens must be tended by their owners and gardeners are not required to be members of the garden club, according to Josiah Morrow, chair of the Garden of the Month Committee. Awards, given each month of the gardening season, are aimed at celebrating the creativity, effort and beauty of residential gardens throughout the city, Morrow added. “We want to recognize everyday gardeners who bring beauty to their neighborhoods through their own hard work and love of plants,” he said. “This is our way of saying thank you to those who make Haverhill bloom.”

Nominations are accepted on a rolling basis during the gardening season.

Haverhill

Public Meetings This Week: Haverhill Commission on Disability Issues Reviews Scholarships, More

By |

The public has opportunities to shape policy this week as various Haverhill boards meet. In the interest of transparency in government, WHAV provides this list of upcoming meetings every week. The Haverhill Commission on Disability Issues will meet for the first time since it was reactivated this spring on Wednesday, June 18, at 6 p.m. at Haverhill Citizens Center, 10 Welcome St. Commissioners will welcome its newest member, Alexandra Ponder, 25 Perspective Drive. The board will also look over applicants for its college scholarships and discuss a marketing and outreach plan.

Haverhill

Haverhill Firefighters and City Reach New Contract Terms at $1 Million Added Cost

By |

Haverhill firefighters are on track to receive an across-the-board 14.23% increase over four years that will cost the city an additional $1.01 million under a new contract negotiated with the city. The memorandum of agreement with International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1011 is expected to be filed for the required two-week period when it goes before Haverhill city councilors Tuesday night. It calls for a retroactive 3.25% pay raise for the 2024 fiscal year on top of a second retroactive hike of 2% for the current fiscal year and then 2% pay hikes the next two years. The latest pact builds on a long-delayed contract that Mayor Melinda E. Barrett resolved not long after she took office in 2024. Like the last agreement that expired almost a year ago, the new pact calls for “wage adjustments” on top off cost of living increases.

Education

Councilors to Consider Haverhill School’s Lease of Early Education Space at Little Sprouts

By |

The Haverhill school department plans to rent space at a private early education and child care outlet to add pre-school slots and also enable creation of an alternative elementary school. City councilors are being asked Tuesday night to approve leasing the second floor at Little Sprouts, 443 W. Lowell Ave., Haverhill, for $180,000 a year for five years beginning June 18. The lease also calls for the city to pay an initial $125,000 as a contribution towards renovating the space. As WHAV previously reported, the school department plans to move the (William H.) Moody Preschool extension, now operating at the Crowell School and expand the Greenleaf Academy alternative program, now offered to middle and high schoolers, to elementary students. Greenleaf Academy is designed for students who struggle in a regular classroom and need personalized support.

Education

French Becomes Permanent Principal at Moody Preschool in Haverhill

By |

Hailley French, who has served for the last year as interim director of Haverhill’s Moody Preschool, was recently named principal on a permanent basis. School Superintendent Margaret Marotta said in a statement, French has overseen pre-K programming, developed comprehensive progress monitoring systems, led research-based professional learning communities and built strong relationships with families and staff. “Her dedication to children and their growth—both academic and social-emotional—is at the core of her leadership. She is a tireless advocate for young learners and brings warmth, expertise, and unwavering commitment to everything she does,” Marotta said. French has more than 15 years of experience in education, specializing in behavior analysis, school administration and early childhood programming.

Haverhill

No Injuries in Haverhill Transport Refrigeration Unit Fire

By |

(Additional photograph below.)

A faulty refrigeration unit is blamed for a fire that destroyed one tractor-trailer rig and damaged another Saturday morning at Haverhill’s Broadway industrial park. Haverhill firefighters extinguished the blaze Saturday, about 11:15 a.m., at 10 Creek Brook Drive, Haverhill. Haverhill Fire Chief Robert M. O’Brien said the most damaged unit had just been loaded with yogurt and the driver pulled over to rest before leaving with the cargo when another driver alerted him to the fire. The drivers escaped safely and the fire contained to the two rigs. Engine 1 out of Haverhill’s High Street fire station was first to arrive and containment was overseen by Deputy Fire Chief Gregory R. Roberts.