Recognition of Retirees

Transcript (~7 min @ 1:54)

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▶ 0:59 Speaker 3: So, great. Thank you very much. I know we do have one agenda item. I'd also like to add something very quickly before we join in to celebrate our retirees and recognize them. I just want to give a quick update on kindergarten registration, even though it's not on our agenda. But that has been completed. Letters were sent to families on May 29th. Currently, we have 250 students registered for kindergarten across 14 classrooms. So, that means that our average kindergarten classroom has about 18 students. And just for the specifics, 95% of our families received their first choice school, 2% received their second choice school, and 3% received their third choice school. There was a lot of work that was done by Tara Durant, our registrar. She really took care in our placement. For those families who maybe did not get their first choice, there is a process and we're following that process for a wait list, and/or if there is some type of hardship that they want to share with us. So, that is ongoing and certainly something we can continue to report out on. So, I will jump into our agenda item. And so, this year we have seven retirees to honor, and I want to thank each and every one of them for their time, education, collaboration, love of learning, and for serving the Melrose Public School District. We are so grateful for their service to our students and families. So, we have five retirees who are not present during this evening. I just would like to highlight quickly a little bit about them before we talk about the two who are here with us. So, Anne McCarthy has worked in the district for 22 years as a paraprofessional. She has been a pillar of the Roosevelt School community, and has left a positive mark on the lives of students and staff alike. Whether navigating the needs of the general education classroom or providing intensive one-to-one support in our developmental learning classroom, she never wavered. She led with kindness, patience, and a mild-mannered grace that made every student feel safe and capable. Thank you to Ms. McCarthy. Next up is Melissa Evini. She has been the administrative assistant at the Franklin Elementary School for the last four years. Ms. Evini is the heart of Franklin School. She always has the answers, she keeps everything running smoothly, and somehow manages to do it all with a smile and ease. Her knowledge, dedication, and constant support make a difference each and every day. The school simply wouldn't function without her, in the words of Principal Lecow. Thank you, Ms. Evini. Next up is Robin Adams, who is also retiring from the Franklin. Nurse Adams has provided the Franklin School with 17 years of service and exceptional care to our preschool and kindergarten students. Her kindness, patience, and commitment have comforted countless families and supported so many young learners throughout the years. Her impact on our school community is deeply appreciated and will always be remembered. Moving on to the high school or the secondary, Ms. Nancy Arrington. Ms. Arrington has spent the last 10 years as the guidance secretary at Melrose High School. She has helped thousands of students and families transition into and out of Melrose High School. She is always calm and kind. More importantly, she is truly a team player and willing to help in any way that she can. Nancy is one of the many people who works with Diane Carpenter and the MHS team in order to make graduation come alive. We will always be thankful for her help and commitment to Melrose High School. You will be missed. Next up is Ms. Bernardi. Ms. Bernardi retired in September, and I want to be sure to honor her. I've known Ms. Bernardi since I started in 2001, as we started around the same time. She has served in many administrative assistant roles at the secondary level and has spent most of her time at the middle school. She was always kind and a funny, friendly face as you walked into the school or office. In the last few years, her hellos often turned into hugs, and she was always so excited to hear about how things were going across the district and with me personally. Her dedication to the district, our students, families, and the staff is greatly appreciated. So, now I would like to turn your attention to the two retirees we have present tonight, Ms. Susan Herrick and Scott Shelley. So, I'm going to start off with Ms. Herrick. Ms. Herrick began teaching in Melrose in 2001. I just learned tonight that came off of a prior 20 years in the banking industry. So, she really was a career changer as she joined us in Melrose. So, she has held a variety of positions in the district, including the position as a fourth-grade teacher, a third-grade teacher, a long-term sub, a paraprofessional, a computer teacher for grades four and five, and an enrichment teacher.In addition to being in the classroom, Ms. Herrick has been a lead teacher, an MEU building representative, the technology building leader, a PBIS team member, a school council member, and a building labor management participant. Outside of the walls of Melrose, she is known as a birding expert, a "Titanic" enthusiast, and a nature lover. I've had the privilege of getting to know Sue a little bit better in her last year. I really appreciate seeing the guidance, support, and compassion that she shows to the newer teachers, the students, and the Winthrop families. It was a pleasure learning more about you, and thank you for serving our students and families of Melrose. You will be missed.

▶ 7:01 Speaker 3: All right. So next up is Mr. Celli. So Mr. Celli began teaching in Melrose in 1999, and he has spent over 30 years teaching math. Not only is he a beloved teacher by all students, he also is a state champion volleyball coach, which is something he will continue to do so beyond this year. Mr. Celli is a great colleague and one of the kindest people one will ever meet. I personally had the opportunity and pleasure to co-teach with him in the classroom for many years. During this time, he was the math teacher, and I was the special education teacher. In all of our time, I took away a few things, all of which are still true. Mr. Celli rarely gets mad, and even when he does, he still smiles. He is always fair but firm. He rarely takes a day off, and he always trying to find a way to connect with students. Mr. Celli has been a staple of the math hallway, and it won't be the same without him greeting students at the door every day. He will be greatly missed by staff and students alike. Mr. Celli, thank you for your service.

▶ 8:19 Speaker 1: Okay. Well, thank you very much. Does anybody have any questions for the superintendent?

▶ 8:23 Speaker 4: I just have a- Trustee Thomas ... thank you, a moment of personal privilege. I just would like to thank, in particular, the two educators that are here who came to celebrate their retirement with us. It's a huge milestone in your lives to make such a big change. I know it comes with a lot of emotion, because working in schools is-- It's not a job, it's a vocation, and it sounds like both of you gave everything that you could to the job, and you were flexible and kept changing with the times. You went through a pandemic with us and everything. So I just want to say thank you, first of all, to both of you here, but also to the five other educators. The total accumulation of years of service is 130 with these seven educators, and that's just remarkable. So we'll always be grateful for your service to our students, and enjoy your time of open space, because that's pretty special, too.