Improved play space considered
The School Committee noted that they want to support improving the elementary school playground area, which was built in 1988, but do not have funds to commit to the project. Members agreed that a subcommittee drawn from a number of town boards and organizations should look into “a broader community focus” for the plan. Immediate concerns focused on the need for a fence between the play space and nearby parking areas.
Wave of retirements hits Bromfield
Superintendent Tom Jefferson alerted the School Committee to four upcoming retirements among faculty and staff at the Bromfield School.
Both Mike and Maryellen McGarty are planning to retire, Jefferson said. He praised Mike McGarty as “perhaps the most versatile teacher in the school” and called his departure “a huge loss.” The 30-year veteran of the Bromfield faculty has long been the mainstay of the school’s immensely successful drama program. Maryellen McGarty, who teaches eighth-grade social studies, was described as a great team leader, passionate about kids, and an extremely talented teacher.
Therese Keoseian, who is retiring after teaching French at Bromfield for about a decade, has been “a great department leader,” in Jefferson’s words, as well as a teacher whose commitment to the highest standards had a major impact on the district.
Also retiring is custodian Ray Carignan, who has been at Bromfield for about 10 years. During that time, Jefferson noted, Carignan has “taken a number of kids under his wing” and helped them through the often difficult high-school years. “He has literally been a lifeline” for some students, Jefferson noted.
Keith Cheveralls, chairman of the School Committee, pointed out, “That’s 70 years of institutional knowledge we are losing at one fell swoop.” He called Harvard a school district in transition with many veteran teachers approaching retirement, adding, “This is the tip of the iceberg of retirements to come.”
