Be PAWSitive Therapy Pets, Friends of Fitchburg Dogs, and the police department announced the winners of the third “ Dog License Awareness Poster Contest” Monday. The contest was open to students in the public schools and Boys & Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster, and more than 60 entries were submitted.
The contest was judged by Police Chief Ernest Martineau, Lt. Jeffrey Howe, and Fitchburg/ Leominster Animal Control Officer Todd Pickett. A gift bag of goodies was provided by the police department and Be PAWSitive.
First prize went to Ella Comeau of Memorial Middle School.
According to Pickett, her image was the clear winner because “ the dog looks happy to be home. If your dog has a license on, it will be easier to return him home.”
Honorable mentions were given to Alyra Vilavong and Ellie Bragdon of Crocker Elementary School.
“All the entries were colorful, imaginative and created by children who love dogs, and the winners were just outstanding,” Howe said.
This year’s MCAS exams will feature “significantly” reduced testing time for third through eighth graders, and no schools will be newly named underperforming in the upcoming school year, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley told superintendents in a memo Tuesday.
“ The sudden shift to remote learning last spring, and the continuation of hybrid/remote learning this school year has likely led to significant learning loss for students around the country. The extent of the learning loss in the Commonwealth is not yet known,”
Riley wrote. “ The Department continues to believe the MCAS test is a crucial diagnostic tool to promote student success and educational equity and we remain committed to administering the assessment this spring, while recognizing the need for adjustments and flexibility.”
Riley’s memo cited a national study from McKinsey & Co., which he said “estimates the shift to remote learning in spring 2020 set back all students’ academic progress by months.”
Riley said in a phone interview that the MCAS tests present the first opportunity to obtain data measuring “ where the holes are,” and that education officials frequently hear from parents concerned about how the pandemic has affected their child’s learning.
“ My focus is primarily on using the data to assess where our kids are and what gaps have been created and how we can fix them,” he said.
Supporting student- athletes is such a big factor in the overall high school experience. Parents and guardians are there to help their loved ones and give them that much- needed encouragement from the stands during athletic contests.
But with COVID-19 still a major concern in the community and in the country, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association handed down sport- specific modifications to winter sports, while athletic directors voted to institute a no- fan policy at sporting events due to safety concerns.
In Fitchburg, that means no fans to watch girls’ and boys’ basketball at the Doug Grutchfield Field House, or no spectators at the Wallace Civic Center to watch the Fitchburg/ Monty Tech co- op ice hockey team.
Certainly, it’s tough for any parent/guardian to not be able to watch their high school athletes play from the comforts of the gymnasium or rink, especially for any senior student- athlete. But in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19, it’s a must in Fitchburg.
But that’s where Fitchburg Access Television has stepped in to save the day on Fitchburg’s winter athletic seasons.
FATV Executive Director Nate Glenny and his hard working staff and volunteers are making sure to bring enjoyment directly to the parents and guardians who want to see their athletes compete. While the fans won’t be allowed access into these sporting events, they will, however, be able to watch their favorite athletes on their phone, computer or television, as FATV has committed to cover these home sporting events all throughout the winter.
Talent and experience are two words any coach worth his or her whistle like to be able to use to describe their team entering a new season. Steve Lowney, the longtime head coach of the Fitchburg/Monty Tech boys’ ice hockey team, just so happens to be one of those coaches.
“We have a nice core of experienced, talented players returning,” Lowney said recently. “That combination should make us competitive against any opponent.”
Leading the way for the Red Raiders in the experience and talent departments is Max Beaulac. Last season Beaulac, a senior forward, scored 18 goals and assisted on 17 others — both team highs — as he helped lead the Red Raiders into the Central Mass. Division 3A Tournament.
Fitchburg/MT finished the regular season 8-8-4, a mark which included a 4-2-2 record in Coughlin Conference play. The Raiders, who were seeded sixth in the eight-team tournament, lost a hard-fought game, 2-1, to Grafton/Blackstone Valley Tech, the No. 3 seed, in the quarterfinal round.
Make no mistake, however, as good as he is Beaulac was no one-man band for Fitchburg last year, and a lot of that 2019-2020 talent and experience returns this year, including classmate Ryan Johnson (5-9-14), Winchendon junior Liam Hickey (4-8-12), and sophomore Riley LeBlanc (9-6-15).
Lowney said his first offensive line, heading into the Red Raiders’ opener Wednesday against Lunenburg (3:30 p.m., at the Wallace Civic Center), will feature Beaulac at center, Johnson on the right wing and either freshman Colin Hines (Westminster) or junior Christian Rodriguez (four goals last season) at right wing.
Freshman Cooper Hall (Westminster) will center the Fitchburg/MT second line, Lowney said, while fellow ninth-grader Sam Jaramillo will skate the left wing and LeBlanc the right wing.
“The third line is still a work in progress,” Lowney said, “but it will be a combination of junior Lucas Wiebe (two goals last year), sophomore Tyler Brassard, junior Jake Pruneau, and Rodriguez or Hines.”
Defense, always a point of emphasis for Lowney-coached teams, returns a core of players that logged a lot of ice time in 2019-2020.
The group includes senior Andrew Auger, juniors Peter Stephens (a goal, three assists in 2019-2020), Robert Brogan (Westminster), and Zack Robillard (Hubbardston), and sophomores Nick Mackenzie (Winchendon) and Wyatt Peters (Hubbardston).
“Peter and Robert are the most experienced guys back and both are very solid players,” Lowney said. “I expect Nick and Wyatt to be bigger contributors as sophomores, while Zack has made huge gains and is opening up some eyes. Andrew rounds out what is a pretty solid unit for us.”
Starting the season in net for the Red Raiders is senior Spencer McCrillis (Baldwinville), who allowed 33 goals in 10 games last season. Backing up McCrillis between the pipes is sophomore Marcus Aubuchon.
FITCHBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE NEWS 