Red Raiders determined to improve

The Red Raiders, by all accounts, are a work in progress.

What the Fitchburg High girls basketball team lacks in experience and confidence this winter, it makes up for in work ethic. And while wins may be hard to come by at the Doug Grutchfield Field House, Red Raiders head coach Paul DiGeronimo is certain he can begin to mold a cast of mostly underclassmen into a competitive group as the campaign goes on.

“They’re inexperienced and they’re trying. It’s not a lack of effort,” DiGeronimo said following Thursday’s 64-15 home loss to Doherty. “They’re trying to find some chemistry. It is what it is with a group that hasn’t played together a lot. We’re going to keep working.

“They’re going to get better. We focus on the positives. You have to point out the negatives, but we’re looking at the positives as much as possible.”

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Red Raiders remain red-hot

The Red Raiders just keep rolling.

Four contests into the 2022-23 campaign, Fitchburg/Monty Tech has yet to taste defeat or to even face much in the form of adversity. Wednesday night’s contest against St. Bernard’s was the latest in the string of comfortable wins.

The unbeaten Red Raiders took advantage of a hat trick by Cody Berkio and bested the shorthanded Bernardians, 6-3, in a Coughlin Conference tilt at the Wallace Civic Center.

“Tonight was a tough one. The score doesn’t tell the story; they’re dangerous,” longtime Fitchburg head coach Steve Lowney said. “(St. Bernard’s) is just going to keep getting better. They played a good game tonight, but we put the puck in the net enough to get the win.”

Berkio had three goals and an assist to lead the way for the Red Raiders (4-0-0, 3-0-0), while Sam Jaramillo dished out three assists. Colin Hines, Brett Mailloux and Jacob Pruneau also scored in the victory.

“It’s hard to complain when you score six goals,” Lowney said. “When you take 51 shots and a lot of them are high-quality, you’re probably going to get some in. We could have really been in business if we could have converted a few more, but we did enough to win.”

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Hoops legends to be recognized

Founded in 2001, the New England Basketball Hall Of Fame has long championed the region’s talent and legends on the hardwood through ceremonies and dinners.

Come Jan. 13, the organization will shine a spotlight directly on northern Worcester County, paying tribute to “North County’s major contribution to the New England basketball culture,” according to a release from the Hall of Fame.

While Fitchburg High visits rival Leominster High that night for a boys basketball clash, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame will recognize 19 individuals crucial to the advancement of the sport in the local scene. Those being honored – many of whom are already enshrined at their respective high school Halls of Fame – will receive a gold medal prior to tipoff.

The following individuals will be recognized: contributors Tom Mammone and the late Al Remington; outstanding coaches Kate Dellechiaie, Beth McNamara, John Cordio, Mark Daigneault, Dick Lamothe and the late Ted Damko; outstanding players Marty Caron, Zach McCall, Dick Armstrong, John Hulecki and Kathleen Johnson Sardo; legends Bob Johnson, the late Doug Grutchfield and the late Joe Spagnola; and Michael McEvily, Leominster Mayor Dean J. Mazzarella and David Palazzi for outstanding community contributions.

The New England Basketball Hall of Fame has also announced plans to recognize six communities in the region for “marked contribution to the New England basketball culture. ”Among them will be North County, with the 1926 Fitchburg High national championship team stepping into the spotlight at a dinner slated for Spring 2024, according to a release from the Hall of Fame.

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Councilors inspire students

Fitchburg High School senior Skyleigh LaRose sat in the front row of the auditorium and listened intently, as City CouncilorsAmy Green and Samantha Squailia talked to students in teacher K. Courtney Franklin’s Women and Gender Studies class.

“They are very inspirational and very well-spoken,” LaRose said.

Green and Squailia – Women in Politics guest speakers on Wednesday morning – were open and honest when fielding a plethora of questions, ranging from why they got into politics to juggling a work-life balance and how they can better serve the youth in the city.

“My goal was for the students to see who is involved in making the decisions that affect their town,” Franklin said, “and how they could get involved in bringing about the change they would like to see in Fitchburg. I think the candid response of both Amy and Sam that they need input from the students on what ideas they have was an opportunity to get involved in their community.”

All in all, it was a tremendous success, said Fitchburg Public Schools K-12 Social Studies Director, John Maderosian.

“I’d like to congratulate K. Courtney Franklin and thank her for her efforts to singlehandedly plan and facilitate this panel discussion,” Maderosian said. “Students were engaged and asked some really important questions to the two city councilors, who gave their time to come and speak with our students. Although K. Courtney Franklin is new to the Fitchburg Public Schools, she has been willing to jump right in with both feet and work to create more educational opportunities for students, which includes developing a Women and Gender Studies elective course from scratch. I’m so thankful that she accepted a position and is now part of the FPS family.”

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Recognizing Fitchburg High’s academic rebound

Things continue to look up for Fitchburg Public schools.

Fresh off an encouraging performance in the latest round of MCAS, interim Fitchburg High School Principal Tonya Jarrett was recently notified that the Commission on Public Schools voted to award FHS continued accreditation in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

The commission stated it was pleased that all of the Foundational Elements in the Standards for Accreditation have been met by FHS, as well as several other benchmarks.

This is great news for students and staff at Fitchburg High School,” Jarrett said. “It affirms the strategic work that staff have been working so hard to implement even during a global pandemic.

We want to ensure that all students have a quality education, so that they are college or career ready when they leave Fitchburg High School.”

The 2022 MCAS results indicated that Fitchburg, which had five schools listed in the bottom 10% statewide in 2018, elevated three schools from that position, due to test performance.

As a result, neither Memorial Middle School nor Fitchburg High School requires supplemental supervision and support from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The teaching teams and support staff at those two schools combined to produce significant progress as students returned to in-person learning.

“The effects of instructional improvement efforts are not only in the news of this accreditation, but also in the improvement of our last year’s MCAS results,” Jarrett said.

“Fitchburg High School moved from the 9th percentile to the 16th percentile accountability ranking for the 2021-2022 school year. Out of seventeen schools in the urban high school cohort, Fitchburg High had the greatest PPI gain from the previous year. While we are excited about this news, we know there is more work to do.”

FHS must submit a Three-Year Report of Progress and Planning, which is due on Oct. 1, 2024.

The high school’s accreditation status will be reviewed when the commission considers the Three-Year Report of Progress and Planning.

We congratulate the school system as a whole and FHS in particular for its ongoing academic progress.

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Chatting with the working pros

What do you want to be when you grow up?

It’s a question high school students face on a pretty consistent basis.

At Fitchburg High School, students got to listen to working professionals, who shared their passion, motivation and secrets to success in their given job xeld during Fitchburg High’s “Career Chat Series” on Wednesday morning.

“In order for students to be college and career ready after graduation, it is critical that they are given opportunities to explore different pathways and careers while they are still in high school,” Fitchburg High College and Career Coordinator Emma Brassard said. “I wanted to organize an event that was different from the large, traditional career fairs that we are all familiar with. While I believe those are a valuable opportunity as well, I wanted these Career Chats to be a smaller, more intimate format where students could spend an extended amount of time hearing from our guest speakers, asking thoughtful questions, and having discussions with like-minded peers who are also interested in the same topic.”

Wednesday’s guest speakers were: Tommy Duong, talent acquisition associate at DraftKings; Pat Haverty, captain at Fitchburg Fire Department; Derek Johnson, lead buyer agent at The Attias Group Real Estate; Tim McNamara, owner of McNamara Contracting; Tiffany Richard, owner of WE Rise Entrepreneurial and Sales Coaching; and Nikolas Vallejo, staff sergeant U.S. Army Recruiting.

“I hope that students walk away from this event not only with a deeper understanding of a career path that is available to them, but advice and insight on how to take the necessary steps to get there,” Brassard said. “I want them to have the opportunity to network with a local professional in their xeld of interest, potentially making lasting connections for future endeavors. Finally, I want our students to truly see themselves in positions like these in the future, which is why I tried to bring back as many FHS alumni as possible.”

The career chat was extremely helpful, said Fitchburg High senior Manny Encarnacion.

“It was really cool to have these very successful people from our community come into our school and allow us to choose who our mentor was,” Encarnacion said. “Which allowed us to kind of understand how hard they had to work to get to where they are in life today.”

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Fitchburg State’s Future Educator Academy addresses need for diversity in education

Recently 50 local high school students were welcomed to Fitchburg State University to take part in its Future Educator Academy, offering day-long training sessions that ultimately result in earning a Leadership Certixcate from the university.

Future educators engage in introductory coursework and experiences to show them the opportunities available as teachers of tomorrow.

Participating students from Fitchburg High School, Goodrich Academy, and Leominster
High School received certificates for the coursework they completed. Offerings included
cardiopulmonary resuscitation, facilitated by University Police Ofxcer Timothy Grant;
supporting mental wellness in the classroom, facilitated by Coordinator of Field Placement, Partnership & Recruitment Lourdes Ramirez of the university’s School of Education; and working with students who are underserved, traditionally marginalized, and disenfranchised, facilitated by Assistant Professor Scott Tyner of the School of Education.

The students also got to enjoy lunch in the university’s dining commons.

Venetia Boss, a ninth-grader at Fitchburg High School, said she is considering a career in
education. “I give today a solid 10,” she said.

Read more here and here.

FHS awarded continued accreditation

On Nov. 30 interim Fitchburg High School Principal Tonya Jarrett was notified that the Commission on Public Schools reviewed the First Report of Progress and Planning of Fitchburg High School at its Oct. 23-24 meeting, and voted to award FHS continued accreditation in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

“This is great news for students and staff at Fitchburg High School,” Jarrett said. “It afirms the strategic work that staff have been working so hard to implement even during a global pandemic. We want to ensure that all students have a quality education, so that they are college or career ready when they leave Fitchburg High School.”

The Commission stated that it was pleased that all of the Foundational Elements in the
Standards for Accreditation have been met by FHS as well as the following:

• The work with all of the district schools to create an aligned mission with core values,
beliefs about learning, and vision of the graduate
• The theory of action to ensure that every student will be ready to learn and access high
quality core instruction and social-emotional supports
• The work with Focused Schools to develop a school-wide instructional focus
• The ongoing development of a walkthrough tool to enhance work on areas of school
improvement

“Staff across content areas are collaborating so that all students can think critically and
communicate effectively, which are two key components that are so crucial to success in any career,” Jarrett said. “Teachers are participating in weekly professional development and are receiving consistent feedback from administrators through a walkthrough tool to improve their instruction.”

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