October was National Principals Month, and one of the suggested activities for principals was to invite an elected official to school, so Hildreth Elementary School Principal Sue Frederick did just that. State Senator Jamie Eldridge accepted her invitation and came to both Harvard schools on Oct. 21.
At Bromfield, Eldridge looked over the bulletin boards on candidates and ballot questions that students in the current events class were creating and heard about their plans for a mock election Nov. 4. He was escorted around the school by students Grace Barton, Paul Chapman, Chris Thorne, and Melissa Mazzu. Mazzu took the senator by surprise, telling him, “My mom taught you Spanish.”
Eldridge said he first got interested in politics while he was a junior at Acton-Boxborough, when his basketball coach was campaign manager for a state Senate candidate. Eldridge volunteered for the campaign and decided he would like to run for office someday.
As a state official, he told the students, “Every single day I get to work on interesting issues.” Eldridge is chairman of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, he explained, which means he is currently involved with issues such as regulating the ride services Uber and Lyft and the question of insurance coverage for Lyme disease treatment.
While Eldridge has been unopposed in several previous elections, this year Republican Ted Busiek campaigned for the same senatorial seat, the Middlesex and Worcester District. “Having an opponent makes me work harder and has made me a better legislator,” Eldridge told the Bromfield students, “but it leaves me less time to spend on government work.” Eldridge won re-election to a fifth term Tuesday.
State Senator Jamie Eldridge speaks with a group of peer leaders at Hildreth Elementary School, Oct. 21. From left: Ethan Dangle, Marissa Flynn, Associate Principal Josh Myler, Jahki Howard, Principal Sue Frederick, Eldridge, Christian Stevens, Emery Chipman, and Cavanna Aldrich. (Photo by Lisa Aciuekwicz)
Moving over to HES, Eldridge visited a kindergarten class and then a room of second-graders. In both classes students were eager to tell him what they liked best about school. Writing workshop, lunch, recess, and math all made the list.
Asked if they knew who their visitor was, most second-graders sat shyly silent, but one was more extroverted. “Senator Something,” a small voice announced clearly.
After his quick tour of HES, Eldridge met with the fifth-grade peer leaders, who explained their responsibilities to help younger kids and be good role models. They asked the senator if the state could reduce the time students have to spend on MCAS, the required testing program.
Eldridge heard both from students and from Frederick about plans to renovate HES, which several students said “gets really hot in the spring.” Asked what else needed fixing, students reported that the drinking fountain has warm water and the tetherball has come off its rope.
The peer leaders told Eldridge that they had been reading the book “Wonder,” by R.J. Palacio. As one fifth-grader described it, the book’s message is “Don’t judge someone just on their looks, but look inside to see if they’re nice.” In response, Eldridge explained that he had worked on the anti-bullying law Massachusetts passed several years ago.
Both Bromfield and HES students said that lunch was a favorite part of school for them. And Eldridge made it clear he had heard about Harvard’s Chef Paul before. “You have the most healthy food of any school in the state,” he said.
