Education

J. G. Whittier School Serves About 400 at Third Annual Thanksgiving Feast Celebration

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Up to 400 families received full, hot Thanksgiving meals last night as Haverhill’s John Greenleaf Whittier School sponsored its third annual Thanksgiving Feast Celebration. Like last year, because of the ongoing pandemic, organizers Barbara Greenwood and Tiffany Midolo assembled a drive-up at the Concord Street school. Greenwood told WHAV the idea evolved to help families who would otherwise not enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. She explained the origins of the event and how it has changed. “We always give out turkeys every year.

Education

Whittier Tech Students Pool Talents and Collect Nearly 7,000 Food Items for Pantries

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Students at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School collected a record-breaking amount of food—6,973 canned goods and non-perishable items in total—during this year’s collection. Superintendent Maureen Lynch said Whittier Tech’s Skills USA chapter spearheaded the drive, pooling talents of students in various programs. They increased their efforts after learning food insecurity increased in Massachusetts due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Skills USA members began planning the drive with advisors Jane Moskevitz, Bruce Boiselle, and Jonathan Warne in September. Chapter President Jaidyn Craig, a junior in Medical Assisting from Haverhill, used morning announcements to share facts about food insecurity with fellow students. Maddy Dawkins, a CAD junior from Haverhill, became the student organizer, collecting student donations and shopping for additional food items.

Design and Visual Communications students led by teacher Cate Cashman designed and created the posters placed in every classroom and hallway, with the support of CAD Drafting.

Education

Greater Lawrence Tech Students Repair Donated Car, Allowing Veteran to Keep His Job

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Greater Lawrence Technical School students recently repaired a donated car that enabled a veteran to commute to work and keep his job. Students, staff and representatives of the non-profit Second Chance Cars presented the Ford Fiesta to U.S. Army veteran Kevin Trayers of Melrose. Trayers works full-time in security in Boston. His old car with 180,000 miles on it was no longer safe and Trayers risked losing his job. “For 32 years, people have been telling me, ‘Thank you for your service.’ I want to tell each and every one of you, ‘Thank you for your service,’” Trayers told the group.

Education

D’Amato’s ‘Mullet’ Brings Online Fame to Northern Essex Community College Basketball Player

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It used to be, as the old Clairol commercial goes, that “only your hairdresser knows for sure.” Northern Essex Community College Knights basketball player Matthew D’Amato has turned that notion, um, on its head. College alum Andrew Comeau, who contributes to the popular @ballislife social media accounts, took a video of D’Amato’s distinctive ‘do during a Nov. 3 game. After obtaining permission to share it, the video went viral online Monday night. “I had no idea the video would blow up the way it did.

Education

Officials Say Haverhill ‘Kids are Struggling Mightily;’ School Fights Not Gang-Related

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Since the start of the school year, Haverhill High School has experienced 15 fights involving a total of 44 students. Contrary to popular guesswork, though, police say the fisticuffs are not gang related and school staff find those involved tend to be younger students. Haverhill Police Capt. Wayne Tracy told a gathering of families Tuesday night at Haverhill High School “there is no evidence to suggest an increase in violence is due to gangs.” Rather, high school Principal Jason Meland reported differences are largely rooted in social media taunts outside of school hours. Superintendent Margaret Marotta also noted pupils involved tend to be freshmen and sophomores—particularly those who did not have a normal transition between middle and high school because of the pandemic. “Our kids are struggling mightily,” Marotta said.

Education

HHS Plans Family Meeting Tonight After Student Fight; Cell Phone Violators Face ‘Consequences’

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After what was described as a “challenging week,” involving a fight among students and a staff member getting struck, Haverhill High School is having a “family meeting” tonight. Led by Haverhill High Principal Jason Meland and Superintendent Margaret Marotta, the meeting is intended “to address the harm done to our community and to prevent future incidents from occurring.” Meland said the school will share information and answer questions at 6 p.m., in the High School Auditorium, 137 Monument St. “As has been widely reported, across the state and nation students are having a difficult time readjusting to in-person school after 18 months of COVID restrictions and limited in-person schooling. However, I want to be clear: this does not mean that behavior that violates our expectations or our code of conduct is acceptable. It is not and will not be tolerated,” Meland said in an email to families Sunday.

Education

Whittier Tech Opens Coffee Café to the Public, Adding to Student Hospitality Career Pathway

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More hospitality learning opportunities are available to students of Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School with the opening of a new coffee café. Whittier Tech opened the coffee café in mid-September, first to faculty and then to the public. Adjacent to the school’s Poet’s Inn restaurant, it includes a bakery case, espresso machine and point of sales systems to allow students to learn operations for takeout orders, said Superintendent Maureen Lynch. It is an expansion of Whittier Tech’s Hospitality pathway with real-world job training and opportunities for students upon graduation. “One of our main goals at Whittier Tech is to anticipate market needs and prepare our students to fill those emerging jobs,” Lynch said.

Education

Podcast: Hillies Shop at Haverhill City Hall Teaches Business While Ready for Peak Holiday Shopping

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Haverhill High students are taking advantage of a learning opportunity that’s perfectly timed with the holiday shopping season. They are learning about retail, while operating the Haverhill Hillies Shop is in the basement of Haverhill City Hall. Matt Scanlon, one of the faculty advisors, was a recent guest on WHAV’s morning program. “I’m one of the special education supervisors for the school district, and last year we started rolling out the idea of a Hillies Shop that would be accessible to the community and I have been overseeing it. I’m not in there every day.