2026-10-07 - School Committee

00:30My name is Rachel Sharief, chairperson

00:32of the Shrewsbury School Committee.

00:33Welcome to our meeting for Wednesday,

00:35October 7th. Tonight's meeting is being

00:37broadcast live on Celo channels 29 and

00:40329 and streamed live on Shrewsbury

00:42Media Connections website. Thank you to

00:45Liz Papalowski and the Shrewsbury Media

00:46Connection for their assistance with our

00:48broadcast this evening. Tonight's

00:49meeting will be rebroadcast on SMC's

00:52website and their YouTube channel

00:54between now and our next scheduled

00:56meeting. The first item on the agenda is

00:59public participation. Tonight we have

01:01received um a couple of requests to

01:03speak at public participation. Um so

01:06those do we have?

01:08>> We do.

01:10>> Do we have anybody who wanted to speak

01:12tonight?

01:13>> We have both of them.

01:14>> We have both of them.

01:16>> Okay. Um

01:18then um Hari, do you want to go first?

01:21Come on up.

01:22>> Sure.

01:23>> You can come um right up to the podium.

01:32>> Okay. All right. So, you all have three

01:35minutes to address the committee. All

01:37speakers are encouraged to present their

01:39remarks in a respectful manner. Public

01:41participation is not a time for debate,

01:43nor is a time for response to comments

01:45made by the school committee. The

01:47absence of a response from the school

01:49committee should be understood as

01:50adherence to procedural rules, not as

01:52agreement, endorsement or acquiescence

01:54to the speaker's statements. So before

01:56you speak, can you just say your name

01:58and address for the record?

02:00>> Yep. Um Harik Kunda World one elderberry

02:03circle.

02:05Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

02:08Um I'm here to ask and request to

02:11reconsider the blanket food ban in

02:14regulation 12. Just wanted to ask if

02:17this can be made flexible and uh making

02:21our public facilities useful to

02:24families, nonprofits, cultural groups

02:26and the entire Sushbury community. Um

02:29just respectfully I want to ask if that

02:31regulation can be reconsidered for the

02:34food the full food ban. Um currently I

02:38think um most of our facilities do not

02:40allow food. Uh just wanted to um request

02:43if that can be flexed. Um so

02:47you know the rent so that it helps all

02:50the renters and school may also get some

02:52money out of it. Um but it most probably

02:55it is useful for entire community is the

02:58is the request. Um that's all that's

03:02>> Thank you.

03:03>> Thank you.

03:04>> Okay. Um And then we had one more come

03:08on up.

03:16Welcome. And then can you just say your

03:19name and your address as well?

03:20>> Yeah. Hi, my name is Khal Mangaya and

03:22Bergen, 15 Waterville Lane, Shrewsbury.

03:28>> Right. Go ahead.

03:29>> Can I proceed? Yeah.

03:30>> Yep. Absolutely. I'm a proud resident of

03:32Shrewsbury for past more than closer to

03:35two decades and uh I run my cultural

03:39dance school supporting bdanatium it's

03:43Indian classical form we have a huge

03:45number of students studying here and the

03:47request I came for the committee before

03:50the committee is to allow us to use the

03:53space the auditorium and the cafeteria

03:56for the upcoming or the programs

03:58happening in Shrewsbury The only

04:01challenge what we face is finding when

04:03every year we do our annual day recital

04:06for a nonprofitable cause supporting an

04:08organ nonprofitable organization based

04:10on Shrewsbury sorry based on

04:11Massachusetts and New England and the

04:14main challenge what we space find is a

04:16space since the Shrewsbury auditorium

04:19are not provided or most of the time so

04:21far we are not getting it we go to the

04:23nearby community supporting them and uh

04:26it'll be a great chance for the local

04:28artist local teachers if you are allowed

04:30to use the auditorium and many time even

04:33few times our application got rejected

04:35by the Shbury cultural council since it

04:37is not directly benefiting the Shbury

04:40residents. So considering if you can

04:43consider the fact that you know if we

04:45can provide the auditorium we also know

04:47the rules and regulations and we do

04:49respect the rules and regulations

04:51whatever the town is providing us we

04:53will do that we will follow it strictly

04:55we all belong to the same community we

04:57respect and we also make sure we follow

05:00the rules what shoes very town is

05:02providing us do please it'll be a great

05:05uh ch opportunity for all the local

05:07talents if our auditorium was provided

05:10for us for the local talents and the

05:12students. Thank you. That's my request.

05:14>> Thank you.

05:17>> Right. Thank you to both of our

05:18presenters tonight for bringing this

05:20forward. Um the next item on the agenda

05:23is chairperson and members report.

05:24Colleagues, did we have anything to

05:26share this week?

05:28Okay. Um I will give a little bit of an

05:31update just following public comment

05:32tonight. Um the school committee values

05:36community feedback. Um, and we recognize

05:38that this is an important part of

05:39strengthening our district when we all

05:41work together. We've certainly heard the

05:43feedback um, when it comes to the school

05:46facility rental policy, specifically

05:48when it comes to the ability to have

05:50food on our campuses and in our

05:51buildings. The school committee will

05:53review this policy during the current

05:55school year as part of a much broader

05:57review of all of our policies. More of

05:59that is to come later um, in this

06:02meeting. There are a number of policies

06:03that will need to be addressed as part

06:05of this work. So I can't provide a

06:07specific timeline for when this

06:09particular policy will come before the

06:11committee. However, um it will be

06:13included in the work that we do this

06:15year.

06:17Um okay, the next item on the agenda is

06:19superintendent report. Dr. Ostrander,

06:22>> um I do have a couple of things to

06:24report on this evening. First, I wanted

06:26to take a moment to acknowledge National

06:29Custodian Appreciation Day, which was

06:31this past Friday, October 2nd, and

06:33recognize the incredible that takes care

06:36of our schools and everyone in them. Um,

06:38our custodial and public buildings teams

06:40are a central part of our daily work.

06:42They make sure our buildings are safe

06:44and clean, welcoming, ready for students

06:46every morning and certainly over the

06:48evenings. Um, as we have many events

06:51running into the night, their impact

06:53goes far beyond uh the facility care and

06:56we're really fortunate to have them. So,

06:57I wanted to be sure to share our

06:58appreciation

07:00>> and also wanted to give a shout out and

07:02a thank you to um Kathleen Kiohane.

07:05Oak's lunch and learn program started

07:07and it's off to an amazing start. This

07:10week, 38 Oak students joined Dr. Jason

07:13Rodriguez and a thank you to him for his

07:15support as well to learn about the

07:17fascinating world of gene therapy and

07:20how it's used to fight cancer cells. So

07:22students were incredibly engaged, asked

07:24really thoughtful questions about how

07:26gene therapy works, how treatments are

07:28developed and tested, whether cancer can

07:31return, and um how Dr. Rodriguez in

07:34particular became interested in this

07:36profession and in this field. So

07:38students really had an amazing

07:40opportunity and even got to watch some

07:42videos from Dr. Rodriguez about a te-

07:44cell attacking a cancer cell under a

07:46microscope. Um and they were hooked. So

07:49thank you to Kathleen and certainly to

07:51Dr. Jason Rodriguez.

07:54Great.

07:55Okay. Um, the first time scheduled

07:58appointment tonight is for student

08:00recognition for the superintendence

08:02awards. The Massachusetts Association of

08:05School Superintendent requests that each

08:07superintendent on its behalf recognize

08:09outstanding members of the senior class

08:11in each district's high school. Based on

08:14the size of this year's graduating

08:15class, Dr. Ostrander is allowed to

08:17present the award to two students. Dr.

08:20Ostrander has selected to Ail Hassan and

08:25I'm so sorry with how I'm going to say

08:27your name um Sedarth Siva Rama Krishnan

08:32as this year's recipients due to their

08:34outstanding academic performance. And

08:37then we also have the New England School

08:39Development Council gives superintendent

08:42in affiliated districts the opportunity

08:44to present the National School

08:45Development Council Award for Academic

08:47Growth and Student Leadership in

08:49Learning to deserving high school

08:51seniors. Due to the size of our school

08:53district, Do Dr. Dr. Ostrander is

08:55allowed to present the award to two

08:57students based upon the recommendation

08:59of Miss Naen, the Shrewsbury High School

09:01assistant principal who is the grade

09:03administrator for the class of 2027

09:06along with Mr. Bizidlo, principal of

09:08Shrewsbury High, Max Lynn, and Elise

09:11Sergeant have been selected as this

09:13year's recipients. So, Dr. Ostander, I'm

09:15going to hand it over to you now.

09:18>> Great. And I would ask um our four

09:20students who are here to come up to the

09:22table. So when I talk about you, you're

09:24here on the screen for all of our

09:26community to see. You can come sit in

09:27these seats here.

09:30>> Welcome.

09:31>> Welcome. Thanks for coming. We're really

09:34proud of you. Um so what I will do is

09:37just share a little bit um about each of

09:40you and following the remarks um you may

09:43go up and um give some remarks of your

09:46own if you'd like. Um so I will start

09:48with Hassan. Um so you are A recipient

09:53of the Harvard Book Award and student of

09:55exceptional academic distinction. Ahill

09:58is an outstanding scholar whose

10:00intellectual curiosity bridges the

10:02ancient world with the modern science.

10:04Having exhausted our high school Latin

10:06curriculum, he earned a perfect five on

10:09the AP Latin exam and pursued advanced

10:12post-secary studies through the Padilla

10:14Institute while maintaining top honors

10:17um across a rigorous multi-AP schedule.

10:20Whether he's breaking down complex math

10:22problems, analyzing chemistry, or

10:24translating ancient texts, he brings an

10:27incredible focus and curiosity to

10:29everything he does and approaches every

10:31academic challenge with genuine passion,

10:33rigor, and discipline. Beyond his

10:36remarkable academic record, a Hill is a

10:39transformative student leader. as state

10:41president of the Massachusetts Junior

10:43Classical League. He grew he grew our

10:45local program from a single student into

10:47a thriving club of over 60 members,

10:50becoming the upcoming 70th state

10:52convention right here in Shrewsbury High

10:54School. Whether he is serving as a

10:56varsity captain, crew captain,

10:58presenting for our world's championship

11:00first robotics team, representing

11:02thousands of his peers on the student

11:03advisory committee, or spending

11:05countless hours tutoring classmates he

11:08leads with kindness, patience, and

11:09humanity.

11:10He truly embodies the ideals of

11:12scholarship, service, and character that

11:14our district strives to foster. We are

11:16immensely proud of his work, and we

11:18welcome you to share a few words.

11:30Thank you. I would like to thank the

11:32entire Shrewsbury public school system

11:33superintendent and the school committee.

11:35Mr. Mr. Bizillo's down to earth energy

11:37was one of the first things that made me

11:38feel like SHS was home and Miss W and

11:40Mr. Okonnell always care about how every

11:42student is doing on a personal level.

11:44Without you, there wouldn't be nearly as

11:46many opportunities for students to do

11:47all that they can. SHs is such a magical

11:49place because it values the niches of

11:51every single student, whether that's

11:52robotics, crew, or Latin. I would like

11:55to thank Miss Nancy Sinakola, my seventh

11:57and eighth grade Latin teacher, who

11:58instilled a love of Latin in me and went

12:00the extra 100 miles for each and every

12:02one of her students, introducing me to

12:04the Junior Classical League. I want to

12:05thank Mr. Bellmer for always being kind,

12:07patient, and supportive in efforts to

12:09bring a classics club to SHS and being a

12:11role model for me, as well as Dr.

12:13Thompson for teaching Latin all the way

12:14up to AP. Miss Buso is a fun, quirky

12:17math teacher who has always urged us to

12:19think about how formulas were derived

12:20and taught us all about the rules of

12:22statistics. And Miss Palazo is an

12:24amazingly witty teacher who taught me

12:25that English is about breaking rules

12:26where it matters. I want to thank Mr.

12:28Brown for his unique approach to

12:30learning, always assuring us that it

12:31only mattered if we tried our best. Miss

12:33Satderfield has an unparalleled

12:35excitement for math that infects her

12:36students to love it as an art. Sophomore

12:38chemistry with Mr. Stwins, the goat,

12:41sparked a curiosity and passion for

12:42chemistry that Miss Mohan would nurture

12:44as she carried us through the class with

12:46skill to teach and make the AP exam feel

12:48doable, all while reminding us to still

12:50have fun. Miss Miller, whom I will drive

12:52crazy for the next few months, is always

12:54armed with a few jokes and some

12:56supportive advice. Mitch, thank you for

12:58investing so much time into Shrewsbury

13:00crew and also letting me miss practice

13:02to be here right now. I want to thank my

13:04robotics family, especially Carol, Joe,

13:07Euan, Paula, and all five John's for

13:09being unwaveringly by my side. My final

13:12thanks goes to my blood family for

13:14always being there, literally. Hi, Mom.

13:17Hi, Abby. Hi, Dad.

13:20>> Thank you.

13:25You can sit back at the table for

13:31our second recipient this evening is

13:34Sedarth Shiva Rama Kushnam

13:37and um beyond his exceptional academic

13:40record, Sedarth is a true polymath whose

13:43mind operates seamlessly at the

13:44intersection of analytical STEM and

13:47creative expression. As the lead

13:49programmer for the first robotics team

13:521735,

13:53he not only writes complex code, but

13:56actively mentors his teammates in high

13:58pressure environments. On the academic

14:00front, he serves as co- captain of the

14:02Shrewsbury High School Quiz Bowl,

14:04leading the team through rigorous

14:06auditions for WGBH's

14:09high school quiz show. Sedartha's

14:11intellectual drive is matched only by

14:13his musical versatility. a hobbyist

14:16music musical composer. He plays

14:19trombone across SHS's wind ensemble,

14:22jazz band, and pep band. He also serves

14:25as principal trombonist for the

14:26Worcester Youth Symphony Orchestra,

14:28leading sectionals and performing on

14:31worldclass stages from Carnegie Hall to

14:34Chachnia,

14:35excuse me,

14:37what truly sets Sudarth apart is his

14:40generosity and genuine passion for

14:42helping others grow alongside him.

14:45a few words.

14:52>> Thank you and I'm honored to be here

14:54tonight. I would firstly like to thank

14:55my mother, father, and sister for

14:57supporting me through everything,

14:58whether it be academics,

14:59extracurriculars, or whatever happens. I

15:03thank my friends for being there for me

15:04and always giving me a good laugh. I

15:06extend my gratitude to Miss Cuddy, my AP

15:08chemistry teacher, and Mr. Brown, my AP

15:10US history teacher, for being amazing

15:12teachers and teaching me the importance

15:14of critical thinking, problem solving,

15:16and analysis. Finally, I thank Miss

15:18Wardwell, my band director, Mr.

15:20Lapamardo, the department head for the

15:22performing arts department, and the

15:24entire performing arts department at

15:25Shrewberry High. It has been an

15:27incredible experience to be part of that

15:28community, and it is only thanks to the

15:30passion and dedication of all of those

15:33involved. As I enter my last year of

15:35high school, I also look forward to my

15:37future. I intend to I intend to attend a

15:394-year university while majoring in

15:41mechanical engineering as engineering

15:43has been my long-term passion. As well,

15:45I would like to continue to pursue music

15:47both in performance and composition,

15:49whether be professional or just for fun.

15:51Once again, it is an honor to be here

15:53tonight and to accept this award and I

15:54could not have done it without the

15:55support of my friends, families,

15:57teachers, and everybody involved. Thank

15:59you for your time.

16:08Um, next we'll recognize um, Goyu, Max

16:11Lynn. So, Max began his education with

16:14SHS in 10th grade, having moved to the

16:17United States just one year before. He

16:20quickly established himself as a

16:22motivated and dedicated student, moving

16:24from level one English language

16:26development classes to honors, AP,

16:29Project, Lead the Way, and capstone

16:31coursework. With everything manages

16:34pertaining to his family's relocation.

16:36He is a standout member of the track

16:37team and earned a spot as a mentor

16:40volunteer, mentoring others on their

16:42transition into high school. He does

16:44this all with a tremendous amount of

16:46resiliency, friendliness, and kindness.

16:49And he's never without a smile. Max, we

16:51invite you to give a few words.

17:00>> Good evening everyone. My name is Guying

17:03and also Max. It is my honor to be here

17:06and I would like to take this

17:08opportunity to thank the people who

17:09helped me throughout my journey. First,

17:11I want to thank Miss H for selecting me

17:14for this award. She was the first person

17:16who find out when I have a family crisis

17:18going on and helped me get through all

17:20those hard times. I also want to thank

17:22my counselors, Miss Ariel and Mr. Munus,

17:25who helped me a lot during that time,

17:27too. Miss Ariel has been especially

17:30supportive since I came to Shbury High

17:32School in my sophomore year. She

17:34explained how classes were here, helped

17:36me with my transcript and course

17:38selection countless times. Sometimes I

17:41felt guilty for asking her so many

17:42questions, thinking that I might bother

17:45her, but it turns out it was just me

17:47overthinking.

17:49I'm also very grateful for my parents.

17:51They try their best to support me even

17:53while taking care of my autistic brother

17:55that requires a lot of time and

17:57patience. Um they are my most precious

18:00gift.

18:01I'm also grateful for all the friends I

18:03have met. No matter will we be a part

18:05after few years, no matter will we never

18:07talk to each other anymore. I think of

18:09myself as a puzzle made up of pieces

18:12from every person who has entered my

18:14life. A habit, a way of thinking, or a

18:16hobby you introduced me may become a

18:18small piece of who I am. Wherever we go

18:21after high school, I will carry those

18:23pieces with me. In the future, I plan to

18:26attend college and major in the medical

18:28field. I don't know what challenges are

18:30coming, and I like to say that I might

18:32not ready for it, but I will adapt, step

18:34over it, and keep moving forward. Thank

18:37you.

18:45All right. And now we will recognize

18:47Elise Sergeant. Elise exemplifies the

18:50transformative power of perseverance,

18:52self- advocacy, and dedication.

18:55Overcoming early academic challenges,

18:57Elise discovered that learning takes

18:59many forms. By turning a personal

19:02passion into a thriving reality, she

19:04successfully completed an internship at

19:06a new school and earning her

19:09professional license. She went on to

19:11found her own business, Nails by Elise,

19:14an experience that ignited a desire to

19:16study business in college and build upon

19:18her success. Beyond her entrepreneurial

19:21experience, Elise embodies the core

19:24values of effort, positive attitude, and

19:26personal discipline. She serves as an

19:28inspiring role model to her peers,

19:30proving that confidence is found when

19:32you embrace how you learn best.

19:40Thank you. I'm very honored to receive

19:42the NSDC award for academic

19:45growth and student leadership and

19:47learning. For the past few years at

19:48Shrewsbury High School, I've learned

19:50that growth doesn't mean everything

19:51comes easily. It means showing up,

19:54asking questions, and continuing to try

19:56when something is difficult. I'm

19:58thankful for my teachers and counselors

20:00for encouraging me and helping me

20:01recognize how much I'm capable of. and

20:04for especially for Miss Wyn for giving

20:06me an opportunity to discover what I'm

20:08passionate about and believe in what I

20:10can accomplish. I'm also grateful for my

20:13family and friends for always being by

20:15my side and supporting me. Through my

20:18experiences in and outside of school,

20:20I've discovered a passion for the beauty

20:22industry and for the idea of building a

20:24business of my own one day. I'm looking

20:26forward to college where I can keep

20:27learning, explore those interests, and

20:30explore what I'm deeply passionate

20:31about.

20:33I hope my future includes building

20:35something of my own and helping others

20:37feel confident in themselves. Thank you.

20:44>> Thank you. Colleagues, do we have any

20:45questions or comments for our students

20:47tonight?

20:49>> Wow. Are you all impressive? Oh my

20:51goodness. Do you have time for anything?

20:54Um really really outstanding. I'm Latin

20:56robotics quizbowl. Like I mean opening

21:00up your own nail like that is just so if

21:02you're taking clients I'm in. Um super

21:05super impressive. I have no doubt that

21:08you'll all be so successful in the

21:10future. It's just so exciting to to see

21:12what you all are up to. But

21:13congratulations on your award. So welld

21:15deserved.

21:16>> Thank you.

21:16>> Thank you. Thank you.

21:19>> I'd also like to extend my

21:20congratulations to all of you. All so

21:22impressive. All the things the different

21:24things that you all have accomplished in

21:26your young lives. very very impressive.

21:28I'd also like to congratulate your

21:29families who are all here looking behind

21:32you very proudly um and for all of their

21:35support of all of you as well. So

21:37congratulations to all of you.

21:39>> Thank you.

21:39>> Thank you.

21:40>> Yeah, congratulations. I think this is

21:42very impressive. It's not just one field

21:44that you have been you in engineering,

21:47medicine, entrepreneurs. So like we have

21:49the full spectrum of future stars here.

21:52I think this is what uh makes sushi

21:54special. Uh this is what um us our jobs

21:59more important in supporting you in your

22:01in your growth and in your need. I think

22:04you've shown exceptional leadership

22:06skills and and also

22:08courageous accomplishments across the

22:11different not only academics across like

22:13charity

22:15uh starting up the clubs helping peers

22:19that's very important. I think that

22:21shows a long way. So congratulations

22:24keep up the good work and we look

22:25forward to seeing you go places.

22:29>> Thank you. Um, I also want to extend my

22:31congratulations to each of you and your

22:32families. Um, it is a tremendous amount

22:35of achievement in a relatively short

22:37lifespan that you've had so far. Um, you

22:40are each role models whether you realize

22:42it or not. Um, and there are people,

22:45students, people you pass in the hallway

22:48who may not necessarily know you, but

22:50you inspire them um, with what you've

22:52achieved thus far. And if if that

22:55ignites an spark in them to do

22:57something, then um job well done. Um but

23:01really, you are um you embody exactly

23:04what we're here to do and put the

23:07resources, your teachers, your um your

23:09assistant principles, your principles,

23:10your guidance counselors put so much

23:12time. Um and when you succeed the way

23:15that you do, um that's your way of

23:16saying thank you to them. So um

23:18congratulations. We do have some some

23:21gifts for you. Um, so Dr. Austriander is

23:24going to have you guys come up. You can

23:26shake our hands. We'll take a photo op

23:29so your families have something to look

23:31at. And then you can be off.

23:33>> Great.

23:41>> Congratulations.

23:44>> Congratulations.

23:46>> Congratulations.

23:48>> Well, now I got your nails.

23:50Congratulations. Congratulations.

23:56>> Congratulations.

23:58>> And if you'll come right here in the

24:00front.

24:02>> Perfect. Right up next to the school

24:04committee. Settle up behind you.

24:06Perfect. And if there's anyone who wants

24:09to take any photos, you can certainly

24:11get out of your chairs and closer. We'll

24:13scooch between everyone.

24:15>> You're a very tall bunch.

24:16>> Yes.

24:18>> All right. And smile.

24:35All right.

24:36>> All right. Great.

24:37>> Thank you. Congratulations.

24:39Congratulations.

24:39>> Congratulations.

24:48>> All right. Um, our next time scheduled

24:51appointment for tonight is a report from

24:53the Shrewsbury High School student

24:54advisory committee. Under Massachusetts

24:57Education Reform Act, school districts

24:58are required to have a student advisory

25:00committee consisting of five high school

25:02students who are elected by their peers

25:04at SHS. The SACE is required to meet

25:06with the school committee during the

25:08year to review various issues of concern

25:10to the student body. Mr. Andrew Smith,

25:13Shrewsbury High School social science

25:15teacher, serves as a faculty adviser for

25:17the SACE. Um, this is the first time

25:20SACE is presenting to us this school

25:23year. So, I'm going to hand it over to

25:25the chair of the SACE, Grace Boucher.

25:28Welcome.

25:29>> Hi, everyone. My name is Grace Buchet.

25:31I'm a senior at Tresbury High School and

25:33I'm the chairperson of the student

25:34advisory committee. Thank you so much

25:35for having us here today to share our

25:37agenda. My fellow members can now go

25:39down the line and introduce themselves.

25:41>> Hi, my name is Prada Kowaki and I'm a

25:44member of the senior class. Hi uh my

25:46name is Aal Hassan and I'm a senior.

25:48>> Hi my name is Chamomi Bju and I'm also a

25:51senior.

25:51>> Hi my name is Arya Panadan and I'm a

25:54junior.

25:55>> Student life. The start of the school

25:57year. New opportunities and challenges

25:58have arisen in the SHS community.

26:01Student general feelings. The first

26:02quarter always presents a period of

26:04transition for students. But the SHs

26:06student body is adapting very

26:08successfully. Underassmen are

26:10establishing their daily routines while

26:12upper classmen are fully engaged in

26:13their demanding co coursework. The

26:15initial weeks have required a strong

26:17focus on time management as students

26:19balance increased academic expectations

26:21with early preparations for exams like

26:24the October PSATs. Between adjusting to

26:27new schedules, attending fall sporting

26:28events, and exploring new electives and

26:30clubs, the atmosphere around the school

26:32is highly positive. As everyone settles

26:34into the academic year with anticipation

26:36building for hallmark events like spirit

26:38week and homecoming, students are

26:40excited for what the coming year holds.

26:43>> As senior year kicks into gear, students

26:45are settling into their new privileges

26:47and freedom, along with the

26:48responsibility of planning their next

26:50steps after graduation. SHs has laid out

26:53a range of paths beyond graduation from

26:55four-year colleges to community college,

26:57trade school, the military, a gap year,

27:00or even heading straight into the

27:01workforce. To support that

27:03decision-making, the school has rolled

27:04out several resources this fall. In

27:07early August, students could attend a

27:094-day application boot camp to get a

27:11head start on their college

27:12applications. We had two sessions, one

27:14in the morning and one in the afternoon.

27:16During the week of August 3rd through

27:186th, students worked on completing their

27:20common application while also revising

27:22their college and supplemental essays.

27:25On September 16th, SHS held nuts and

27:27bolts night for seniors and their

27:29parents, guiding families through the

27:31often confusing college application

27:33process. Compared with previous years,

27:35however, turnout was relatively low.

27:38Counselors have also made themselves

27:39more accessible than ever, sitting in

27:41during lunch periods to field questions

27:43and visiting every senior English class

27:45for a two-day workshop. Students

27:48considering paths beyond college haven't

27:49been left out either. Mrs. Aries, the

27:52career and technical education

27:53coordinator, is running workforce

27:55workshops ahead of an upcoming career

27:57fair. And students weighing a military

27:59path can look ahead to the armed

28:01services vocational aptitude battery

28:03test on November 4th. We're excited to

28:05see where the class of 2027 goes from

28:08here.

28:09>> Overcrowding. Shrewsbury High with a

28:11capacity of around 100 1,250 members by

28:15modern building standards currently

28:16houses around 1,900 students. This

28:19results in difficulties including

28:21arriving to classes a few minutes late,

28:22overcrowded bathrooms, spending long

28:25amounts of time in the lunch line and

28:26not having enough time to eat, and

28:28general discomfort in packed hallways.

28:30The robotics club is one of the clubs

28:32limited by building space with a

28:33capacity of students it can serve due to

28:35the 85 person limit in the space it is

28:37allotted. The SHS building committee

28:40formed at a town meeting in May 2025 and

28:42having designated a $3 million study of

28:45a potential expansion in the October of

28:46that same year expects that the study

28:48will be completed this December with a

28:50schematic design in August 2027 and a

28:53townwide vote this fall. Despite the

28:55difficulty that students face with this

28:57issue, they thank the school board for

28:58their care and commitment to the matter.

29:01>> In terms of co-curriculars, students

29:03have also begun to participate in the

29:04school community outside of the

29:06classroom. Clubs have always been a very

29:08important part of the community here at

29:10SHS. In early September, the annual club

29:12fair was held during two advisory

29:14periods for freshman and sophomore

29:16students looking to get involved in one

29:18of the different 85 clubs that we have

29:21offered at the high school. Students

29:23looking to get creative can turn to

29:24clubs like calligraphy club, while the

29:26spring musical and south Asian dance

29:28team offer outlets for performance. For

29:30those drawn to science and technology,

29:32options range from astronomy club to

29:34engineering club. Students interested in

29:36health and medicine can explore clubs

29:37like biomed club, and those who want to

29:39give back have plenty of ways to do so

29:41through opportunities like cooking for a

29:43cause. SHs is also home to a wide range

29:45of cultural and identity based clubs

29:47where students can connect over shared

29:49backgrounds and experiences. Meanwhile,

29:52academically competitive teams like

29:54speech and debate as well as DECA give

29:55students a chance to test their skills

29:57against other nearby schools. This year,

29:59given the high demand for membership in

30:01both robotics and speech and debate, the

30:03high school has launched two new novice

30:05programs for underassmen. The speech and

30:07debate team introduced a two semester

30:08novice initiative, allowing 60 new

30:11students, 30 each semester, to

30:13experience the team and learn the

30:14fundamentals before trying out for

30:16varsity next year. The robotics program

30:18has started a freshman only first tech

30:20challenge team which can accommodate 15

30:23additional freshmen and their build

30:25build season has already started and

30:27they will start competing in December.

30:29And separate from the club roster, SHS

30:32also hosts a strong lineup of honor

30:34societies. These groups recognize

30:36students for excellence in specific

30:38subject areas and often require an

30:41application or a minimum GPA to join.

30:43With so many clubs and honor societies

30:46to choose from, informational meetings

30:48this year have seen record turnout as

30:50students look for the right fit. None of

30:52this would be possible without the

30:53faculty adviserss who dedicate their

30:55time and energy to running these clubs.

30:57And a special thank you goes out to Mr.

30:59Leaporto for making this all happen. And

31:02on the topic of athletics, with summer

31:04conditioning and tryyous complete, the

31:06fall sports season has officially

31:08commenced at Shrewsbury High School.

31:09Following a highly competitive tryyout

31:11phase in late August, many students are

31:14now registered across our fall rosters

31:16and are actively competing. The athletic

31:18season is already delivering exciting

31:20competition highlighted by recent home

31:22and away victories across our programs

31:25in including football crew, field

31:27hockey, soccer, and volleyball.

31:30Additionally, a growing team manager

31:32program has involved more students in

31:34new roles across sports teams.

31:36Enthusiasm remains high across our home

31:38games as teams build momentum for the

31:40season ahead.

31:41>> Events at SHS. Sherbury High School has

31:44hosted a variety of programs and events.

31:47Fall fundraising at Chooser High School

31:48has started this year featuring major

31:50drives from both athletic and performing

31:52arts programs. For SHS athletics,

31:55student athletes participate in the

31:56annual Gold Card Blitz Day. Licensed

31:59upper classmen drove their teammates

32:00through assigned neighborhoods from 9:00

32:02a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to sell gold cards

32:04doortodoor. This annual drive will help

32:07fund equipment, uniforms, and other

32:08needs for the season. At the same time,

32:11our music and theater programs held

32:12their 71st annual SSMA music drive.

32:16Replacing the traditional one-day

32:18door-to-door event, students will send

32:20will sell $10 season tickets from

32:23September 26th through October 12th,

32:25giving admission to all six SHs concert

32:27evenings across October, December, and

32:30April. supporters. Supporters could

32:32purchase tickets directly through

32:34students or order online at mysma.com or

32:38make direct donations. These major

32:39drives are important because they give

32:41our athletes and performances and

32:43performers the resources they need to

32:45succeed.

32:46>> And the annual spirit of Shrewbury

32:48festival and preva and parade as always

32:51provided a prominent platform for SHS

32:53students to demonstrate their community

32:55engagement this fall. A diverse array of

32:57student organizations participated,

32:59reflecting the broad spectrum of

33:01interests within the school. The

33:02Shrewsbury High School community showed

33:04a strong presence throughout the

33:05weekend's events with organizations

33:07ranging from athletic teams to the

33:09marching band and robotics programs

33:11actively engaging with the public. This

33:14extensive involvement across numerous

33:15extracurriculars highlighted our

33:17students dedication to both school pride

33:19and the Shrewsbury community at large.

33:22Colonial Way is an annual tradition at

33:24Truce High School that brings students,

33:26faculty, and community members together

33:28to celebrate our school spirit. Held

33:30every September before a home football

33:31game, the event gave many students the

33:33opportunity to showcase different clubs,

33:35organizations, and athletic teams that

33:37make up the Shrewsbury High community.

33:39The upper field was filled with booths,

33:41activities, and games, creating a lively

33:43atmosphere for all. From drinking boba

33:45tea with the Asian culture club to

33:46playing cornhole with student council,

33:48attendees could learn what is available

33:50to them at Shrewsbury High while

33:51spending time with friends and

33:52supporting classmates. As the event as

33:55the event began to wind down, students,

33:57families, and community members all

33:58headed down to beaches to cheer on the

34:00Shrewsbury High football team. The crowd

34:02being a sea of blue and gold student

34:04section is always an energetic place to

34:06support the Colonials who went on to

34:08defeat the Framingham Flyers with a

34:10final score of 21 to 12. Colonial Way is

34:13an event that all look forward to and

34:14one that sets the tone to a great school

34:16year ahead.

34:17>> All school assemblies, Chris Herren, a

34:19basketball star who has struggled with

34:20substance abuse, came to SHS this past

34:23Tuesday as a motivational speaker. A

34:25documentary of his difficult journey

34:27with substance abuse was played during

34:29home room the day prior. On Tuesday, he

34:31spoke to the whole student population in

34:33the fieldhouse about the dangers of

34:34substance abuse and his story of

34:36overcoming it. Students were moved by

34:38his talk, taking away several important

34:40lessons. Students learned not only the

34:42dangers that substances hold, but how

34:44hardship does not define an individual.

34:46>> Another all school assembly was that of

34:48the bell ceremony. The ceremonial bell

34:50gifted by the class of 2026 serves as a

34:52new tradition for SHS, ringing out a

34:54motto reflective of our school

34:56previously concentrated within the

34:57athletic department. Upon victories in

34:59any facet, ranging from class

35:01celebrations to sports events, the bell

35:03is rang three times with a chance of

35:04effort with the first chime, attitude

35:06with the second, and discipline with the

35:08third being yelled by the ringer and the

35:10chance of earned being responded by the

35:11audience after every strike. The bell

35:13serves as a reminder of the standard of

35:15hard work and unity SHs consistently

35:18expects and meets. A bell committee has

35:20been formed consisting of students from

35:22various grades and backgrounds as well

35:24as teachers to oversee the new part of

35:26our community meeting on various

35:27Thursdays after school throughout the

35:29year. The bell was revealed and rang for

35:31the entire school and all school

35:33assembly on September 2nd. We are all

35:35excited to see how the belt tradition

35:36evolves and motivates us to do better in

35:38academics, athletics, and life.

35:42>> Thank you for supporting the student

35:43advisory committee. We'll now take

35:45questions.

35:46>> Thank you colleagues. Do we have

35:48questions for our students?

35:50>> M start. Thank you for the presentation.

35:53Um it's amazing to see what you're all

35:55up to, especially we're a month into

35:58school, so it's really incredible. I

36:00just have a question. I know um the low

36:03turnout was mentioned on the workshop.

36:05>> Is there anything that you all might

36:08credit that to? I think that there was a

36:11lot of um people who were really

36:13interested in the application boot camp

36:14and a lot of people did attend except

36:17there was a fee in place obviously

36:18because so many different people from

36:20different colleges had to come. I think

36:23the low turnout was also because there's

36:25so many online resources and I think it

36:27might not have been publicized enough

36:29because a lot of parents might have only

36:31realized like after um the event

36:33actually happened. But I do know that

36:36the recording went out and a lot of

36:37families, including mine, were able to

36:39watch that video and be able to kind of

36:41get information as needed. But that

36:43might be one of the things that could be

36:45credited is just that maybe wasn't

36:46publicized enough to a lot of students,

36:48the senior class.

36:49>> And that recording, was that made

36:51available to everyone or did you have to

36:53register?

36:54>> I think it was made available to

36:55everyone for all seniors. They could

36:57like access it on score. Um, but yeah.

37:01>> Well, thank you.

37:04Thank you very much for the

37:06presentation. Always so informative to

37:07hear from you the students directly. I

37:10do have a question. Um it's about AI and

37:13I know that could be like a separate

37:14meeting where we could talk to you guys

37:15for like an hour or two or three. Um,

37:19but I just kind of as the school year

37:21kicked off, I was just kind of curious

37:23as to how teachers kind of approached

37:26you or let you um made you aware of how

37:30they were going to treat AI in their

37:31classrooms this year and if there was

37:33like a consistent approach or if they it

37:35was like kind of different um per

37:37teacher and if you guys could just kind

37:39of give us like a little taste of that.

37:42>> I think that going in teachers are very

37:44explicit about what constitutes as

37:47cheating. At the start of the school

37:48year, most of my teachers sat us all

37:51down and told us that unless they told

37:54us explicitly that AI was allowed, then

37:57AI was not allowed. And they're also

38:00really good at explaining the why and

38:03how like AI can stunt your growth as a

38:06learner and the reasons behind the AI

38:09policy.

38:10>> I think um I can add to that. I think at

38:12this point in the year and after we've

38:15sort of dealt with this influx of AI AI

38:18policies, all this discourse around it,

38:20the consensus that a lot of my teachers

38:22have been sharing with us, especially in

38:24the beginning of the year, is that after

38:27a point AI stops being able to make

38:29interesting and differentiating work and

38:32it's ultimately hurting you. If you're

38:35using the same resources that all of

38:36your classmates are using, your work

38:38will just be that much less interesting.

38:41So there's I think an understanding

38:43among students as well that putting in a

38:45little bit of effort to get at least a

38:48unique product even if it's not a

38:50perfect product is the ideal situation

38:53and I think especially in higher level

38:56classes this is becoming more and more

38:57clear because during AP exams during

39:01standardized testing these resources are

39:03not something that we can access. So I

39:05think that argument for kind of having

39:08that individualized thinking is a strong

39:12deterrent for taking that shortcut.

39:14>> I also do think that like in our class

39:16we moved kind of away from AI is super

39:20bad, don't use it into how to kind of

39:21use it responsibly. Um, in my English

39:23class this year, we had a day where we

39:25did use AI and we were like learning how

39:28to prompt it and how to be able to use

39:30AI in our own work because AI is

39:32something that obviously is such a big

39:34part of our world and we need to know

39:35how to use it responsibly. So, I do

39:37think that we've definitely moved away

39:38from also just like not using AI for any

39:41assignments and kind of using it in a

39:43way where it does help you and your

39:45thinking but not necessarily like what

39:47you put out as a whole.

39:48>> Yeah, as a side detail to that, that's a

39:50really good point. Um, several of my

39:53teachers, including my math teachers,

39:55have prescribed using AI as a tool to

39:59generate practice problems and things

40:00like that, just with the caveat of not

40:02relying on the answers that it puts out.

40:06>> Thank you.

40:07>> Yep.

40:08>> Wonderful. Thanks. Um, wonderful. As my

40:11colleagues mentioned, it's a great

40:12start. Looks like a lot of lot of things

40:14happening. Um, thanks for bringing the

40:17student life directly to us. It's very

40:20helpful to understand what's happening

40:22and what are the pain points are if any

40:25if any. So over the so between the

40:29application boot camp and nuts and

40:31bolts. So so is application boot camp is

40:34only for students and nuts and bolts is

40:36only for parents or is it is that my my

40:40understanding?

40:40>> So application boot camp was for seniors

40:43only. So we would go I think for like

40:45around three hours either if you're in

40:46the morning session or the afternoon

40:47session and we worked with college

40:49counselors and admission officers from

40:51like nearby universities like Clark and

40:53I think Emerson came and kind of just

40:55was able to get a head start and then

40:57nuts and bolts was a bit more of like

40:59the logistical part of it and like how

41:01to apply how your parents can help you

41:03with the financial aid aspects and how

41:05to really work with the counselor's

41:06office in order to ensure that you're

41:08getting your things in on time. So nuts

41:11and bolts night was really for the whole

41:12family whereas college application boot

41:14camp was more of the college specific

41:16essays and stuff that students really

41:18focus on.

41:19>> Wonderful. One quick question follow up.

41:22Um so it's it's it's great to see that

41:25the clubs are spinning off the for the

41:27for to accommodate um the more pe more

41:32students into those so that who do not

41:33have experience so that they can start a

41:35freshman special like especially with

41:37the robotics and also with the speech

41:39and debate they're spinning it off. So

41:40that's a good good way to um bring in

41:44the uh students who are interested but

41:46not able to participate previously. Um

41:49so one so between the overcrowding and

41:52uh career resources what would be the

41:54one thing that you would um would like

41:58to see uh change that will help in this

42:01year?

42:03>> I'd probably say like the overcrowding

42:05is probably the biggest issue at the

42:06high school right now. I just think

42:08getting to classes and also lunches I

42:11feel like are the biggest issues that we

42:13see. Um yeah.

42:15>> Yeah. I mean already the student body

42:17has seen surveyors on the site, people m

42:20marking measurements, things like that.

42:22So that has also generated some buzz and

42:25equipment that in the coming years, even

42:27though I I don't think the senior class

42:28will be here to see it, but the younger

42:31grades will be able to see a bigger high

42:34school, a place where there's more place

42:36to breathe, a place where, you know,

42:38clubs aren't limited by that kind of

42:40space. So the proof of progress that's

42:43been happening even around us that we're

42:44just seeing tacitly has been a big help

42:48to show the Shrewsbury High School

42:50community that you know change is near.

42:52>> At the end of the day it's kind of a

42:54good issue to have that like we're

42:56helping so many students that

42:57overcrowding is the issue.

43:01>> Nice. Thanks.

43:02>> Actually I'm that feeds into my my

43:04question. Um, obviously the school

43:06committee is very involved in in the

43:09overcrowding and what's happening. Um,

43:11and we've had many many conversations

43:13about this, but when as students,

43:18what do you hope that we keep in mind or

43:20the adults that are going to be making

43:22these decisions, being part of listening

43:25groups, and really, you know, we're

43:28going to have to have a bigger townwide

43:29discussion on whether this makes sense

43:32for the town. What do you hope that the

43:35adults keep in mind? Not just fitting

43:38the number of students into the

43:39building, but when you think about your

43:41high school experience, do you feel like

43:43you're missing something that maybe

43:46friends in other towns might have

43:48because we're sort of stuck with the

43:50space of of our school? Is there

43:51something that you want? Like if you

43:53could tell us something that like please

43:55keep this in mind when you're having

43:56this discussion, what would that be? I

43:59think for me one of the biggest things

44:00is the five minute passing periods is

44:03very difficult with the so much

44:05overcrowding. Um getting from like

44:07English to gym in just like that much

44:10traffic is very difficult and obviously

44:12it does kind of affect like the tardies

44:15and the absences that sometimes more

44:16teachers are strict about than others.

44:18That being said, I do think that

44:20something that would be great to keep in

44:21mind is that the five minutes obviously

44:24is getting from one place to another,

44:25but also it's a time to kind of relax

44:27and kind of walk from one place to

44:29another without thinking about what

44:31happened in the previous class or what's

44:32going to happen in the next class. And

44:34that five minute period might get longer

44:36or shorter depending on how much the

44:38building changes over time. But that

44:40would be definitely something great to

44:41keep in mind that it is also a time for

44:44people to kind of calm down before

44:46moving on to the next class. And if that

44:48has to be made shorter or longer

44:50depending on how the rest of the

44:53building goes, that'd be great to keep

44:54in mind.

44:59>> Dr. Ant, do you have anything for our

45:01students?

45:02>> I just wanted to say thank you for such

45:04a clear um report and really grounded in

45:07your student perspective. It's really

45:10helpful to us. So, we deeply appreciate

45:12the cander, hearing about the great

45:14parts of your day, like co-curriculars,

45:16um, and the challenging parts, thinking

45:18about the stress of college applications

45:20and overcrowding. Um, we don't live in

45:22that environment. I don't get lunch in

45:24that cafeteria every day like you do.

45:26Um, but I did say on a visit recently to

45:28Mr. Bazil, I'm like, how do you find

45:29your friend during lunch? Even that, um,

45:32seems like it could be a challenge for

45:33all of you. So, I we appreciate it. it

45:36helps us to think about how we can

45:37support the high school and um gives us

45:40essential insight um for the future. So,

45:42thank you and thanks for coming on

45:44behalf of your peers too.

45:46>> Thank you so much.

45:47>> Thank you so much for having us.

45:49>> Okay. Um the next time scheduled

45:51appointment for tonight is a report on

45:53the future plans of SHS class of 2026.

45:57Each year, the high school

45:58administration provides data on the post

46:00high school plans of the most recent

46:02graduating class. Mr. Dr. Chazidlo, SHS

46:05principal and Miss Angie Flynn, director

46:06of school counseling at SHS are here

46:09with us tonight and will present an

46:10overview of the report that was enclosed

46:12in our packets this week. Um, given that

46:16the vast majority of students go on to

46:17post-secary education, the report that

46:19we got focused on the colleges and

46:21universities where students were

46:22accepted and where they metriculated.

46:24Welcome, Mr. Vizidlo and Miss Flynn.

46:27>> Thank you.

46:28>> Great. Thanks for having us. I'm try and

46:30get on here. Sorry.

46:41Hold, please.

46:43>> Holding.

46:44>> Oh god, I don't have the password. My

46:47notes with me. Dr. Roander, can I share

46:50this with you?

46:52>> Yes. I was actually just gonna pull it

46:53up from my

46:54>> Great.

47:01feel a little bit like our teachers when

47:02technology doesn't work. A little bit of

47:03a sweat moment here. Spotlight's on.

47:06>> Well, thanks for having us and I think I

47:08want to thank uh the school counseling

47:09department uh and Mrs. Flynn for putting

47:12together a report that you that we

47:13shared with you and just really high

47:15level overview of just uh for the

47:17community is sharing the results of the

47:19class of 2026 and where they're what

47:22they're doing this year. Uh we have

47:24pretty robust system for as you heard a

47:27little bit about the boot camp and the

47:28nuts bolts night and preparing students

47:30for opportunities.

47:31Today this morning I had an opportunity

47:34to meet with the uh our CT advisory

47:36board which is a a group of uh business

47:39leaders and also members of our school

47:41commute to talk about the changing

47:44dynamics and associated with artificial

47:46intelligence and what it could have on

47:47careers in general. We think that's a

47:49force multiplier in the next five three

47:52to five years and 10 plus years which we

47:54get a major displacement of careers. So

47:56we're truly really working on trying to

47:58figure out what that will look like as

47:59we talk about a program internship

48:01opportunities but really connected to

48:04our postsecary

48:06um opportunities for students and what

48:08they do and this may shift and we've

48:10already seen some some shifts a little

48:12bit within the report that we'll share

48:14with you if and when um

48:17>> um Mr. visits also not letting me on.

48:20>> All right, that's great.

48:21>> So, I'm going to disconnect from the

48:22internet and try to reconnect. Um,

48:24however, the future plans report and the

48:27presentation was in the book. Um, of

48:29course, we would prefer to project it,

48:31but we'll do the best we can.

48:33>> I'm coming on here.

48:35>> Should I try?

48:36>> Let's see if it works. There we go.

48:38>> There we go.

48:39>> Well, thank you.

48:40>> There we go.

48:41>> Sweat moment over.

48:46says I practiced my extemporaneous

48:48speaking there. Um

48:52yeah, basically looking at metriculation

48:53rates of postsecary what happens with

48:55the class of 2026. Um and we'll go

48:58through this will be as quick as

48:59possible and share kind of high level uh

49:01outcomes of reports available be

49:03available online for people to review as

49:04well but really a comprehensive

49:07relatively long report that gives a lot

49:10of details of what our students in the

49:11class of 2026 are doing this year.

49:15So the students in the class of 2026 um

49:18of the it was 493 graduates 80% went to

49:24four-year colleges. So 392 students

49:27enrolled in a four-year institution. Of

49:30that 204 which is about 52% attended

49:34public schools and 188 which is about

49:3748% attended private schools. Um, we saw

49:42about 15% of the class enroll in

49:45two-year community colleges and trade

49:48schools. Um, majority of those were

49:52community college, particularly QCC in

49:55the neighborhood. And then we had 5% um

49:58go on to the either the workforce, took

50:00a gap year or enrolled in the military.

50:06Uh, is this is a look at the last six

50:10years. And as you can see, um the

50:13biggest jump from the last year was in

50:15the two-year technical. We went from 12%

50:18to 15%.

50:20And after diving into that, that that 3%

50:23was really in the community college. Um

50:26we had quite a bit of students attend uh

50:29Quincigamin Community College. And we

50:31believe I mean I know antidotedly too

50:33that it was from students because it's

50:36free for two years. So students will go

50:38there and then they can transfer on to a

50:40four-year school.

50:44>> We take a look at subgroups both by

50:46gender and other subgroups and we'll

50:47share the next two slides, but this is

50:49just a breakdown of male and female

50:51metriculations and rather metriculations

50:54and future plans. As you'll see, 73% of

50:56males at the high school graduating

50:58class of 2026

51:00uh enrolled in a four-year school.

51:03Comparatively, 87% of females went on to

51:05a four-year college or university.

51:08Two-year colleges, 15% 39 students were

51:10males, 23 10% for females. In the career

51:14trade, as you see, is more popular with

51:16males, 4% 10 uh with 10 students. And

51:19again, employment with 10 students and

51:204% of the class for male students. And

51:23then uh again, female career and trade

51:26uh less than 1% and then employment was

51:29six. Uh and then military gap year

51:33enlisting in the military or conducting

51:35a gap year. Gap years are becoming more

51:37popular in a sense of trying to

51:38determine what we really want before we

51:40make an investment in uh a college

51:43university. So again, the the key

51:45takeaway is the difference between the

51:47male and female metriculation for year

51:50four-year universities. I think we'll

51:52we'll learn more about what this means

51:54in the in the coming years as we

51:56continue to see expansion of uh you know

52:00what the economy holds as relates the

52:01influx of how artificial intelligence

52:04going to impact the workforce.

52:06We also take a look across subgroups. We

52:08do this with our discipline and

52:10attendance but we also do this with our

52:11graduating students as well. Uh taking a

52:14look at our special education

52:15population, they had 46% or 13 students

52:19went on to four-year colleges while uh

52:2110 students went on the two-year trade

52:23and uh five went on to work a gap year.

52:26In terms of our lowincome students, uh

52:28again 54% going on the four-year

52:30colleges, 34% to two-year college or

52:33trade school, and 12% head off to the

52:35worker workforce or gap year or

52:37something else, military. And then the

52:39English learners, which is again a

52:41smaller cohort. That cohort has been

52:43declining over the last year within our

52:45community. Um 7% of those students went

52:48on to four-year college and then 50% to

52:51your trade and then another 43% went on

52:53to uh the workforce gap year or

52:57military.

53:00So this year we had the highest number

53:02of applications we've processed 4,38

53:06um applications in our office and that

53:10was 347 sort of unique colleges. What we

53:14see is that students are applying to

53:16more and more schools. Um the average

53:19number of applications per student is

53:2110. However, 62 students submitted 15 or

53:25more and our highest this year was 31

53:28applications.

53:29Um, and what we're seeing is the more

53:33students apply to so many schools, the

53:36more competitive it gets. Um, so we're

53:39trying to really talk to students about

53:41narrowing that list. What is the best

53:43fit for you? And we're hearing from

53:46colleges because of this, because

53:48students apply to so many schools, what

53:50they're now looking at is um they want

53:54to see demonstrated interest. They want

53:56to see students go through interviews,

53:59things that they can't get from the

54:02application and they know AI plays a

54:04role in applications now. So if they

54:06interview students, they get sort of

54:08that unique um student perspective or

54:11demonstrated interest is just because if

54:13you apply to 20 schools, where are you

54:15really interested in? Um so we're

54:17hearing that more and more this year. Um

54:19so sort that's sort of the trend. Um you

54:22know, all of our counselors meet with

54:24our students individually. This year the

54:27one of our counselors has 73 seniors. So

54:29that's that's a high number.

54:31um we meet with the students, we review

54:34the application, we write letters for

54:36every student and so it's it's a very

54:38time consuming um process in our office

54:42along with all the other things that we

54:44do.

54:46A key thing, key takeaway from my

54:47meeting this morning and what we've

54:48heard even from college application or

54:50admissions officers rather is the fact

54:52of students um who have part-time jobs

54:55that have a full schedule and can

54:57balance that demonstrated part-time work

54:59is a um something that they look for

55:02because it shows that there's they can

55:04hold the job. They've actually can

55:06interact with people generally speaking.

55:08They're looking for longevity in

55:09positions. uh things that you can't

55:12necessarily put down or quantify in in

55:14in a resume um but certainly can talk

55:17about in an interview. So some of those

55:19things that we see

55:21um that have gone away are coming back

55:23to try and figure out how to separate

55:25people from that. So the from the

55:26community I would say you know certainly

55:29have a robust schedule in terms of your

55:31academics and also your co-curriculars

55:32but also try and look for some work

55:34experience in terms of what that might

55:36be and the and the benefit of doing

55:37that. uh that can certainly be a

55:40separator when we come to how we look at

55:42admissions as admissions officer looking

55:44at admissions. Now, that's one of the

55:46things that we've heard loud and clear.

55:47And additionally, our CTE advisory board

55:50today was basically saying um some

55:52graduates from bachelor's programs will

55:55be hired at entry- level positions and

55:57and they struggle with actually doing

55:59the work. So, some of our jobs which are

56:02in demand right now in our regional

56:04labor force um are actually

56:08uh really our high school graduates are

56:10well positioned to take those jobs and

56:12then a lot of those companies have

56:13tuition reimbursement. Uh so basically

56:15they learn a job and role and if they

56:18can show up and show up on time they'll

56:20qualify for those things and determine

56:21whether or not they want to pursue that

56:22through their employer's uh education

56:26benefit. So interesting stuff coming out

56:28of that. We'll have another report on

56:30that I'm sure soon but uh some really

56:32good conversations this morning. Yeah, I

56:34would also say even the colleges are,

56:37you know, we were on a webinar with

56:38UMass Amherst and they're talking about

56:40their Eisenberg School of Business and

56:43they're even worried about job placement

56:46um for students particularly in finance

56:49and so do they have enough internship

56:51placements for these students because of

56:53AI and the number of um opportunities

56:56out there. So it is an everchanging

56:59field um and we're going to see a lot of

57:01changes in the next few years.

57:04>> Can you just tell everyone what uh

57:05demonstrated interest means for a

57:08viewing audience?

57:09>> So demonstrated interest means that you

57:11are actively seeking out that college.

57:13So you're going on the campus, you're

57:16doing a campus tour, you're meeting with

57:18the admission reps, you're actively

57:20showing that you're interested and

57:21really want to attend that school.

57:23Because if you're applying to 30

57:25schools,

57:26what schools are you really interested

57:28in? Um, so it's really showing what

57:30schools you're you're interested in

57:32>> and with technology they keep track of

57:33everything.

57:34>> So it goes in the algorithm and they

57:36figure out who has demonstrated how many

57:37times they've been for a visit, how many

57:39times they met by admissions, how many

57:40emails they've received. So all that

57:41stuff is being calculated somewhere.

57:43>> And we have college um admission reps

57:46that come to our school, they meet with

57:48our seniors, they can sign up, and

57:49that's that's a piece of that. So, do

57:51they come and speak to the the rep

57:53that's going to read their application?

57:57Uh, so this is just showing our

57:59longitudinal data of over the years of

58:02how many applications our students have

58:06um put through our office. And you know,

58:08I will say the graduating class of 2026

58:11was very high. We had 493 students

58:13graduate. So, some of these other

58:15classes were not as high. um they

58:18applied to 347 unique schools. They were

58:21accepted to 288 and they actually

58:23enrolled in 125.

58:26>> Yeah, I'll add on historical context.

58:282020 was the largest class in our

58:30enrollment history, just so you know. Uh

58:33and again, pandemic played some role in

58:35that, I'm sure. But most of those

58:36applications, nearly 60% of our students

58:39are going to do something early, whether

58:40it's early action, early decision.

58:43Yeah, I think I've it's about 85% or 90%

58:46that apply early in our office.

58:49>> Um this is just the next slide. Sorry,

58:52is just a graph showing um how we've

58:55really increased our applications.

58:59>> Yeah. And just to show you kind of the

59:01the work that uh Mrs. Flynn talked about

59:03as it relates to individual counselors

59:05meeting with individual students to

59:06review the application.

59:08We sit down, we have conversations, we

59:10look at the common app, make sure that's

59:12in line. We look at the uh individual

59:15essays. We have to write individual

59:16letters of re school counselors have to

59:18write an individual letter of

59:19recommendation. If they have 73

59:21students, they have to have 73 letters

59:23written to colleges. And we have a high

59:25number of people that are um applying

59:28early. the volume uh between

59:33the end of school and our first deadline

59:36which will be October 15th and then

59:38another big deadline is November 1st and

59:40another deadline is November 15th. Uh

59:42happens really quickly. So our councils

59:44are working really really hard on the

59:46weekends at night to process not only

59:48the application piece to make sure

59:49things are in order uh but also to make

59:51sure letters are in place and ready to

59:53go for when our students want to hit

59:55send. So, I think uh I'm not entirely

59:57sure what other school districts do as

59:59it relates to this. I think our our

1:00:01school counseling department is a

1:00:03fullervice

1:00:05college counseling department in the

1:00:07fall. That's really what they spend a

1:00:08majority of their time on and triaging

1:00:10other problems. But once the early

1:00:12deadlines come, certainly uh the load

1:00:14lessons, but it's it's intense and

1:00:17highly pressured for the first couple

1:00:18months. So, I want to I want to thank

1:00:20them for their hard work and dedication.

1:00:22our students, but our case loads are

1:00:24this is to demonstrate our case loads

1:00:25are bigger than around the area. Um, and

1:00:28we've talked about in this p in the past

1:00:30as it relates to our area schools and

1:00:33certainly the amount of uh applications

1:00:35that we send and the amount of work they

1:00:37have to do to pull those things together

1:00:38for students and families.

1:00:41>> Is this me?

1:00:42>> That's you.

1:00:43>> Great. So just ba basically it's a demog

1:00:46demograph geographic breakdown rather of

1:00:49where students are enrolling

1:00:51>> and this is kind of

1:00:54see this every year 80 to 85% of people

1:00:56usually attend school within their

1:00:58region they live usually within a couple

1:01:00two three hours of where they live

1:01:02generally a couple hours within they

1:01:03live and this kind of corresponds with

1:01:06uh with where our community is but

1:01:09certainly we have students that travel

1:01:11out west we have people in the Midwest

1:01:13we have people in the Mid-Atlantic. Uh

1:01:16in top public enrollments, if you look

1:01:17at the bottom, uh UMass has 52 members

1:01:21of the class of 2026. So, we're a small

1:01:23community out there. Uh if you're living

1:01:25in southwest at University of

1:01:27Massachusetts, Amherst, you're on the

1:01:29second highly concentrated population on

1:01:31the eastern seabboard, second to New

1:01:33York City, which I don't know if

1:01:34everyone's aware of that, but the

1:01:35southwest area of UMass is packed with

1:01:38people. Um but Quinn Seigga, again, 51

1:01:42students there. uh University of

1:01:43Connecticut again right down the street

1:01:45from us close to us another

1:01:4819 students there and UMass Boston is uh

1:01:51becoming popular with our students as

1:01:52well and UMass Boston has built out

1:01:54their campus pretty significantly over

1:01:56the last 15 20 years so there's more

1:01:58there it's it's a nice place and again

1:02:01we're surrounded by some really

1:02:02top-notch institutions in New England so

1:02:04we're at advantage and slash our

1:02:05students are at a disadvantage because

1:02:07they're geographically in the region um

1:02:09but again right down the street we have

1:02:10WPI which we have tons the students

1:02:12apply and we had 19 go. That's a

1:02:14fantastic assumption. Again, 16 right

1:02:17down the street from us. Uh and that

1:02:20presents challenges too. You know, some

1:02:22students don't want to go too far away

1:02:23and others feel like I'd love to go to

1:02:24WPI, but it's a little too close for me.

1:02:27Assumption, too. So, those numbers are

1:02:28actually strong for us. Nor Eastern is

1:02:31really, really, really competitive. Um

1:02:35the numbers of applications just my

1:02:37opinion are really outrageous, but the

1:02:39percentage of acceptance is really low.

1:02:41Um, so that's a great news story for Nor

1:02:44Eastern and and I think kids are drawn

1:02:45to North Nor Eastern for the co-op

1:02:47programming

1:02:48>> um and the connections they have within

1:02:50the city. And again, another another,

1:02:52you know, another regional um highlight

1:02:55is Providence where our students seem to

1:02:57be super successful down there and seem

1:02:59to have a real good fit of the campus

1:03:01and just feels right for them. So, uh,

1:03:04seven there for the private enrollments.

1:03:06Yeah, I will add that many students love

1:03:09the South, they love the SEC schools,

1:03:12they apply, they don't always attend.

1:03:14Um, and we are really, and a lot of this

1:03:17is driven by social media. So, we're

1:03:18really talking to our students this

1:03:20year, like don't believe everything you

1:03:21hear on Tik Tok and Instagram, like do

1:03:24your research just because it's popular

1:03:26and they say this is where to go, you

1:03:28know, go to University of South

1:03:30Carolina, but do your research. So,

1:03:32we're trying to really put that out

1:03:34there that don't believe everything you

1:03:35hear on social media. So, I just had to

1:03:37put that out there.

1:03:39>> Yeah. And I think that the the our

1:03:40philosophy hasn't changed. It's trying

1:03:41to find the right fit and we try and get

1:03:43people on campus to see what is a good

1:03:45best fit. The most prestigious school is

1:03:47not can might not be the best fit for

1:03:49people. It's like where you feel like

1:03:50you feel a sense of belonging,

1:03:52>> where you find your kind of people or

1:03:54where you think you'll find your people.

1:03:55That's really important. um because

1:03:57where students feel a sense of belonging

1:03:59and feel comfortable where they're going

1:04:00to be successful and won't transfer out

1:04:01and all those things. So yeah, there's a

1:04:03lot that goes into it, but we're happy

1:04:06to take any uh questions you may have.

1:04:09>> Colleague questions.

1:04:12>> Yeah. Um thank you for that

1:04:14presentation. A lot of data went into

1:04:16that. Um primarily about the

1:04:18applications. Is there a national trend

1:04:20that applications are going up as well?

1:04:22Okay. Yes. So it's not just something

1:04:25>> No. And I think it's because um in many

1:04:28reasons it's easy with the common app.

1:04:30You can just keep adding schools. I mean

1:04:32there are supplemental essays that they

1:04:34have to respond to for each school, but

1:04:37it does make it a little easier like I'm

1:04:39just going to add the school and the

1:04:40school. And I think they want to feel

1:04:43like they have a list so they have some

1:04:46choices. Um

1:04:49so we try to tell them there's there's a

1:04:51sweet spot there. You know, about 10

1:04:53schools is is okay. That's good. um you

1:04:55don't need to be apply to 30. So

1:04:58>> yeah, as a followup um how how are the

1:05:01counselors doing adjusting to that level

1:05:04of volume? Obviously you said workload,

1:05:05weekends, nighttime, but that's a

1:05:08substantive change.

1:05:09>> Yeah. and and they have been doing that

1:05:11over the years and I what I think is the

1:05:14hardest for them is that we see a lot of

1:05:15more other issues that come through our

1:05:18office whether it's social emotional

1:05:21um there's lots of things that we do

1:05:23besides the post-secary planning. So

1:05:25that's the tough piece. It's constant

1:05:27triaging like what do we put first? You

1:05:30know we have an assistant principal

1:05:31coming to us. We have to meet with this

1:05:32student. There was this happening in

1:05:34class. We have a student coming to us in

1:05:37in tears. And so it's, you know, and

1:05:40then we attend different meetings, IEP

1:05:41meetings, SWT meetings. So it's just

1:05:43kind of managing all of it.

1:05:46>> Then at 11 o'clock you're like working

1:05:48on letters, I'm sure.

1:05:49>> Right. Yeah.

1:05:50>> Yeah. That sounds like a really tough

1:05:51job. Um, but thank you for supporting

1:05:53them through that and seeing all the

1:05:55different options for students. I

1:05:57reflect back as being a college senior

1:05:59and I feel like it was like four-year

1:06:00college or go to work. It just wasn't

1:06:03maybe discussed as much. Um, so thank

1:06:06you for all the work that you're doing

1:06:07with them.

1:06:10>> Um, I'd like to thank you for the

1:06:12report. I am the parent of a high school

1:06:15senior, so I'm in the thick of this with

1:06:17this year. Um, she attended the, uh,

1:06:20boot camp, which was really helpful

1:06:22like, you know, over the summer to get a

1:06:25a jump start on all of the application

1:06:27pieces. And then I attended the nuts and

1:06:30bolts night um that we discussed earlier

1:06:32which was also super helpful just

1:06:34setting out like the Shrewsbury specific

1:06:36kind of timetable for all of the

1:06:38information. But I just wanted to

1:06:40express my thanks to your office. Um you

1:06:43know I've been through this once before

1:06:44with my older daughter and you do an

1:06:46excellent job helping navigate all of

1:06:49this for families students. Um, you

1:06:52know, our experience has been super

1:06:54positive um with getting things

1:06:56transcripts sent and letters, you know,

1:06:59completed and I just I know it's a lot

1:07:02of work and um I just wanted to say

1:07:03thank you.

1:07:04>> Oh, thank you so much.

1:07:07>> Yeah. So, yeah, thank you to all our

1:07:09counselors, high schools team, entire

1:07:12team in supporting the students uh

1:07:14achieve their their academic uh goals.

1:07:18Um so I think as as as part of the

1:07:21Swishberry moto is like every student

1:07:23deserves to go to wherever they want to

1:07:26whether it's a four-year college,

1:07:27two-year college, gap year I think we we

1:07:30have that perfectly fit in everyone had

1:07:34a chance and then they all got

1:07:36opportunity like 85% went to four years

1:07:3815% went to tech tech school five 5%

1:07:42went like a gap year or service that's

1:07:44perfect I think that's that tells us

1:07:46that we we are surveying we're providing

1:07:49all the tools that they need and then

1:07:51they're taking advantage of that and

1:07:52everything is great. Um so I have few

1:07:55questions related to data. Um so uh

1:07:59related to 4,300 applications right so

1:08:02um in the in the book we page number 18

1:08:05for reference. Um so we have an uptick

1:08:08um there something happened in 2024

1:08:12that created a significant raise in

1:08:14applications.

1:08:16So can we attribute that to any specific

1:08:20event? Is it common application? Is it

1:08:22uh is it more access to colleges or

1:08:26information or more colleges coming to

1:08:28us? So what what might be the reason?

1:08:30>> I think it's it's a combo of everything.

1:08:32So I'm looking at the graph. It was 3,00

1:08:363,400 in 2024 and now we're up to 4,300.

1:08:40Um I think it's a combination of

1:08:44students just applying to more because

1:08:47they feel they need to have more

1:08:50options. they want to feel secure and

1:08:52like oh I don't know if I'll get into

1:08:54this school I want to have another

1:08:55option um and and I don't know I can't

1:08:59remember exactly the number of students

1:09:01in that class either so every class is

1:09:04unique right so the number of seniors

1:09:07who makes up that class so there's

1:09:09there's lots of different factors

1:09:11>> um in there but that is a national trend

1:09:14that is definitely a national trend um

1:09:17students are just applying to more

1:09:19schools they But not only do they want

1:09:21more options for

1:09:24acceptance, but also financially.

1:09:27>> So, they need to really think about, I'm

1:09:29going to apply to the school, but will I

1:09:31get the financial aid I need?

1:09:32>> So, they apply, you know, to make sure

1:09:34they have those financial safety

1:09:36options,

1:09:37>> right? Thanks. Um, follow up.

1:09:40>> So, with the with the

1:09:43accepted applications, right, students

1:09:45get that got accepted into the all the

1:09:47colleges that you've shared. Um so what

1:09:50what would be the total number of can

1:09:52can we track how many applications went

1:09:55there to that particular college and how

1:09:56many got accepted to and see a

1:09:59percentage

1:10:00>> of acceptance for Shrewbury itself.

1:10:02>> We do we use score which is a program um

1:10:06that students use to put all their

1:10:08colleges in that they apply to. always

1:10:10send our transcripts to there so I can

1:10:12pull up a college and see how many

1:10:15students applied,

1:10:16>> how many students were admitted and how

1:10:18many students have it actually enrolled.

1:10:20>> So we do have that data.

1:10:21>> Okay. So do we do track like a year over

1:10:24years like so what I'm trying to see is

1:10:28if it's just a volume that we are just

1:10:30sending so many applications or is it

1:10:31like we're getting more opportunities

1:10:35because we are our education is better

1:10:37or the students are excelling in multi

1:10:39multiple uh academically and also

1:10:42extracurricular. So now they are opened

1:10:44up for more opportunities across

1:10:46different multiple colleges. So if we

1:10:48can see year-over-year

1:10:50increase in applications and acceptance

1:10:52rate then we can see where they are

1:10:55prioritizing and then maybe prepared

1:10:57like of course amst is one of our

1:11:00preferred region. So how many

1:11:02applications went into ast of 57 or

1:11:05whatever I got accepted right so that's

1:11:07what I'm trying to say. So like tracking

1:11:08like if you like Northeastern

1:11:11>> if you had 50 apply one year and 25 get

1:11:14in and then you'd like to see

1:11:16>> 60 apply the next year

1:11:18>> did 50 get.

1:11:20>> Yeah. So like northeast maybe 10 applied

1:11:21and nine got in. That's a good rate or

1:11:24maybe 100 applied and nine opportunity

1:11:27just to see.

1:11:28>> Yeah. So within score you can correct me

1:11:30on this. Within score we have scatter

1:11:31plots. The data goes into scatter plots.

1:11:33kids can see students can see exactly

1:11:35what students metrics are as it relates

1:11:37to SAT or ACT and then who gets accepted

1:11:39and who doesn't. Now, it doesn't drill

1:11:41down and share the anecdotal data of

1:11:43like what co-curriculars you are in or

1:11:46>> that. So, it kind of gives a a good

1:11:48range of like GPA, SAT, ACT scores and

1:11:52the dots are like green accepted,

1:11:55>> blue weight listed or red didn't get in.

1:11:57So, when you start tracking this, I

1:11:59think Mrs. Bush has probably seen this.

1:12:00When you start tracking, you can see

1:12:01like, well, I got 1300 on my SATs and

1:12:04looking for 1560. That's probably going

1:12:05to be a reach for me.

1:12:07>> Um,

1:12:08>> I think some people also believe that

1:12:10they have unique something unique on

1:12:12their transcript. I think the trend is

1:12:14um a lot of resume building based upon

1:12:17uh what students are trying to do to

1:12:18separate themselves. And I think

1:12:20admissions officers would tell you

1:12:22there's a lot of stuff in there that

1:12:23they do wonder like okay that's great

1:12:26that you're the CEO of the company of

1:12:28the nonprofit like what's that mean

1:12:30what's the impact you've had so I think

1:12:32demonstrated interest in interviews are

1:12:34going to play critical role for those

1:12:35really selective schools uh and I've

1:12:38always said like geographically we're

1:12:39kind of in a juxtop position of being in

1:12:41a difficult spot um we have a number of

1:12:43students that apply to University of

1:12:44Texas and University of Texas in their

1:12:46charter says they have to accept out of

1:12:47state schools first like 90% of people

1:12:49at university University of Texas Austin

1:12:50are like people instate. So the

1:12:53percentage of acceptances out of state

1:12:55might be 5%. So when students at Shbury

1:12:58High School say I'd applied to UT

1:13:00Austin, I'm like well good luck because

1:13:01they got to take everything from Texas

1:13:02first and then you get in that pool and

1:13:04the pool is very it gets very shallow

1:13:07for accept deep but yet shallow for

1:13:09acceptances. And a lot of a lot of state

1:13:11schools have uh within their charters

1:13:14the number of students they can accept

1:13:15out of state. Um, so that's written

1:13:18within there depending on it's different

1:13:20for every school.

1:13:22>> So we do track it. Uh, we can take a

1:13:24look at it. Um, we also it's some of the

1:13:27stuff is it's can be identifiable by

1:13:29depending on if you hear one person

1:13:31applies at one school and doesn't get

1:13:33accepted, you know they applied. There's

1:13:35some identifiable data within that. So

1:13:37we have to be careful about what we

1:13:38share with that, too.

1:13:39>> Uh, we're there a bunch of years ago. We

1:13:41actually reported this out and took it

1:13:42back because there was too many things

1:13:44that people could identify people from.

1:13:46Mhm.

1:13:46>> But we can take a look at it and maybe

1:13:47share some overall trends and take a

1:13:49look at that data. Yeah.

1:13:50>> Yeah. I mean they do a holistic review

1:13:52most of these colleges. So they're

1:13:54looking at everything and some colleges

1:13:57and they'll tell us outrightly they

1:13:59place their priority on their their

1:14:02mission of that year. So maybe they want

1:14:04to accept more firstgen students or

1:14:07lowincome or you know students from

1:14:10different geographical regions. So, it

1:14:12really depends also on the college's

1:14:14mission and what they're looking for.

1:14:16Um, and every class, not only from

1:14:19Shbury, but from the US or New England

1:14:23is uniquely different. So, it's it's

1:14:25it's it's really hard to sort of track

1:14:28that. It's it's just Yeah. Yeah. It's

1:14:31it's hard to kind of put your finger on

1:14:32it.

1:14:34>> Ask one last question. Sorry. So with

1:14:36the low low income and uh English

1:14:38learners um so the especially with the

1:14:41English learners I think we see a trend

1:14:43or the data says shows that they're are

1:14:46going two-year college um so is that

1:14:50accessibility

1:14:52or academics uh can we do um can we is

1:14:56there an ambition to go to 4year but

1:14:59cannot afford or cannot this the the

1:15:01outcome from the college from the school

1:15:03is not enough for them to go to four

1:15:06years. So, is there anything that we can

1:15:07help to bring those um students to

1:15:12achieve or aim for more?

1:15:15>> Yeah, sure. I I would say um we could

1:15:18always try. I think part of this is the

1:15:20messaging. I think the messaging in

1:15:21America has uh been that or at least in

1:15:24our this community for a number of years

1:15:25since manufacturing left America is like

1:15:27we need the service industry exploded as

1:15:29a result of manufacturing moving

1:15:31overseas. We see that the Midwest. Um,

1:15:35so manufacturing jobs, good paying jobs

1:15:37that people might be able to get within

1:15:38local communities are gone. So the key

1:15:40to that was this push towards in the 80s

1:15:43with the push towards everyone needs to

1:15:44go to college because there's no more

1:15:46manufacturing jobs. We need to train

1:15:47people for service. We have the number

1:15:48one service industry in the world,

1:15:50right? Financial services, you name it.

1:15:52We're really really good at that and

1:15:53have a lot of people that need a lot of

1:15:56uh credentiing and education.

1:15:59Again, I'm going to say is a challenge

1:16:00is when we have artificial intelligence

1:16:02displacing those workers. Now that's the

1:16:04challenge and I think the narrative will

1:16:06probably have to change at some point.

1:16:07Like how do you AI proof yourself? Like

1:16:09go into a trade.

1:16:11>> Computers aren't going to do plumbing.

1:16:12Computers aren't going to do

1:16:13electrician, do your electrical work.

1:16:16And literally you can make a six figure

1:16:17income doing that work. It takes five to

1:16:20six years to get a license. Uh a lot of

1:16:23these companies will pay for you to go

1:16:24to school and train you and give you a

1:16:26job right out of school. Um so there's

1:16:28great opportunities. So some of that's

1:16:30messaging not only that we've had within

1:16:32our local community but also the

1:16:34national stage uh a push towards STEM.

1:16:37Certainly we need more engineers, more

1:16:39doctors. Um, but the challenge for our

1:16:43our community, our state, and our

1:16:45nation, the way I see it, is the impact

1:16:47that artificial intelligence will have

1:16:50on job displacement. And how do we

1:16:52create a school to career pipeline and

1:16:55start messaging to families like college

1:16:56might not be for everyone

1:16:58>> and how do we future proof oursel from

1:17:00that? That's a bigger conversation that

1:17:02has to happen at national level. I could

1:17:04talk to you for hours about it, but um,

1:17:07speak to this. In terms of your L

1:17:09question, we certainly provide

1:17:10opportunities. Some of it is academics,

1:17:12some of it's language acquisition, some

1:17:13is some of it's messaging from families

1:17:15about we're going to earn, we're

1:17:16workers, we're going to work. Um, and

1:17:18that's comes from, you know, a variety

1:17:20of different things. People come from

1:17:21different cultures, different

1:17:22backgrounds. Um, opportunities are there

1:17:25and you'll see from our metrics around

1:17:26advanced programming like we're putting

1:17:27more and more people in advanced program

1:17:29to give them opportunities to explore

1:17:30things. Uh, but it comes down to finally

1:17:33making a decision. And some some

1:17:34decisions are like we're going to work

1:17:36and provide for our family or we're just

1:17:37going to go to work and figure it out

1:17:38later. So I think Quinc Sigman has been

1:17:41a little bit of game changer in terms of

1:17:42providing free education too. So

1:17:44>> yeah,

1:17:44>> it has and we really do um give our L

1:17:48students exposure. We take them on field

1:17:50trips. We've taken them to state

1:17:52assumption quinc. We really try to show

1:17:55them the different opportunities um that

1:17:57are out there. We work with our L

1:17:58department very closely um with that.

1:18:02>> Thank you. I totally uh respect all your

1:18:05efforts and commitment towards students

1:18:07success and achievement. So thank you

1:18:10for handling almost 5,000 applications.

1:18:13It's an incredible task in itself. Um

1:18:16thank you. Thank you very much. Thanks

1:18:17Dr.

1:18:18>> Wow. Thank you. My question was actually

1:18:20similar to yours is that um you know for

1:18:23a lot of students who have financial

1:18:24barriers where college may not

1:18:26necessarily be an option or they think

1:18:28that it may not be an option um you know

1:18:31like what we were doing to educate them

1:18:33that you know they may not have to pay

1:18:35for application fees or that these

1:18:38opportunities are available. what kind

1:18:39of work goes into like prepping students

1:18:42that take the chance, go ahead, apply,

1:18:45these are these are the this is what's

1:18:47available to you, right? We do we talk

1:18:49we really educate our students because

1:18:51we meet with them individually. We go

1:18:53into our English classes. Um we let them

1:18:56know the different opportunities the

1:18:58community college two-year, you know,

1:19:00you can go for free.

1:19:02>> Um that was really a game changer. You

1:19:04have application fee uh fee wavers. you

1:19:09um will help them access MEIFA to do

1:19:12FAFSA. Um we do we sort of give them all

1:19:15the different options that are available

1:19:17to them. Um because there are a lot of

1:19:20different options. I mean a lot of

1:19:21colleges now too if your income is below

1:19:24a certain level you can get free

1:19:26tuition. So we'll kind of put that out

1:19:28there depending on the college. Um so we

1:19:31really try to to say everything that's

1:19:34out there. I will say that some of the

1:19:36students I meet with, they don't I give

1:19:39them credit. They're smart. They're

1:19:40like, I don't want loans, so I'm going

1:19:42to go to I want to go to Quincig for two

1:19:45years. I don't want to carry a $400,000

1:19:49loan. Um, so they're really they're

1:19:52really smart. They really are doing

1:19:53their research. They're knowing um what

1:19:55the best fit for them is.

1:19:58>> Um I think, you know, when I look at

1:20:00this report, we have tremendous staff up

1:20:02at SHs. Um, and this report for me is

1:20:05not only a testament to the individual

1:20:08students and how smart they are and how

1:20:11um, well-rounded they are, but it's also

1:20:13the amount of support and guidance that

1:20:14they get up at the high school that puts

1:20:16them on that path so that we have

1:20:18reports like this that we should be very

1:20:21proud of. So, thank you for the amount

1:20:24of work that goes up at the high school.

1:20:25Um, whether the students thank you or

1:20:28not, but we

1:20:29>> No, they do. This is um,

1:20:31>> we have great students. We really do. We

1:20:33have great We're very thankful whether

1:20:35it's the classroom leaving classroom and

1:20:37saying thank you to teachers or leaving

1:20:38the school counseling office or

1:20:40>> even the assembly we had on Tuesday like

1:20:42the number of students that have come up

1:20:43and thanked us for just coordinating

1:20:44those events. I mean we have really

1:20:46really great students.

1:20:47>> Even a student tonight, you know,

1:20:48credited Miss Ariel, one of our

1:20:49counselors. I mean they really are

1:20:51they're great.

1:20:53>> Uh Dr. Strander, do you have anything?

1:20:55>> Yes, I do. Um just wanted to say thank

1:20:57you to Mr. Bizo and Miss Flynn for their

1:21:01report this evening. I know this is a

1:21:03robust report with lots of data and we

1:21:05appreciate you taking the time to

1:21:07communicate with us and just really

1:21:09impressive um information that you

1:21:10shared you know with 95% of our students

1:21:13attending two and four year colleges um

1:21:15I particularly wanted to say thank you

1:21:18as well for talking about the subgroups

1:21:22in the way that you did and showing just

1:21:24the strong college and technical school

1:21:26rates that you showed and um you know

1:21:29when you look a little bit more deeply

1:21:30into like students with disab

1:21:3382% of those students went to two or

1:21:35four year colleges. 78% of low-income

1:21:38students went to two or four-year

1:21:39colleges. And the state average for

1:21:42low-inccome students is someplace around

1:21:4340 40 to 50%. And that really um is such

1:21:47a high rate of of kids who are going to

1:21:50two or threeear colleges that are in

1:21:51that low-inccome subgroup. And that's

1:21:53just really impressive and speaks to the

1:21:55testament of the work that you're doing

1:21:56to support them to apply to school to

1:21:59figure out if they if they want to go

1:22:01and if they do how they can financially

1:22:02make that happen. Um and it's trajectory

1:22:05changing for their lives. And so it's

1:22:07just really exceptional work that's

1:22:08happening at the high school um from the

1:22:11school leadership, the counseling team,

1:22:13educators who are writing all these

1:22:14letters. So thank you to everyone at SS

1:22:17SHS for their exceptional exceptional

1:22:20support.

1:22:20>> Great. Thank you.

1:22:21>> Thank you. Thank you.

1:22:22>> Thank you.

1:22:24>> Okay. The next agenda item is under

1:22:26policy and it is a first reading of an

1:22:28updated policy policy 325 physical

1:22:31restraint effective August 17th, 2026.

1:22:35The Massachusetts Board of Elementary

1:22:36and Secondary Education amended 603 CMR

1:22:4046.00

1:22:42regarding physical restraint standards.

1:22:44To align with these revised state

1:22:46mandates, the policy subcommittee in

1:22:48consultation with our legal council

1:22:49updated district policy 325, policy

1:22:52prevention of physical restraint and

1:22:54requirements if used, retitling it as

1:22:57physical restraint and revising its

1:22:59provisions accordingly. So um Miss Taus

1:23:04and I are on the policy subcommittee. Um

1:23:08so for this policy, these updates align

1:23:10with recent DESIE regulatory changes

1:23:12concerning physical restraint. I'm not

1:23:14going to go into the actual reading of

1:23:16the policy, but it concerns physical

1:23:18restraint, seclusion, and timeout. The

1:23:21changes that were made provide greater

1:23:24clar clarity around definitions,

1:23:26establish additional safety

1:23:28requirements, and strengthen safeguards,

1:23:31documentation, and reporting required

1:23:33when emergency interventions are used.

1:23:35So, we're updating our policy

1:23:37accordingly to remain fully aligned with

1:23:39DESIE requirements. This isn't

1:23:40necessarily changing how we do this.

1:23:43These are things that we've been doing

1:23:44standard practice anyway, but um we're

1:23:46just rewarding the policy so that it

1:23:49aligns with the state standards. So that

1:23:52is the policy that you have in front of

1:23:54you. Again, a lot of it is very similar

1:23:57language to other districts that also

1:24:00have to update this policy um at the

1:24:04same time as us. But colleagues, do you

1:24:06have questions or comments about what

1:24:08was sent to you?

1:24:09>> No.

1:24:10>> Okay.

1:24:11Um, Dr. Astrander, do you have anything

1:24:14to add?

1:24:15>> I just wanted to reiterate um that the

1:24:18policy aligns directly with Desi's new

1:24:20model. Um, and Mrs. Belceto, the

1:24:23assistant superintendent of student

1:24:25services, also supported um the vetting

1:24:28of this policy along with our legal

1:24:30counsel. Um, and really that our

1:24:32commitment, you know, remains focused on

1:24:35uh supportive and safe environments for

1:24:38our students. and we feel really

1:24:39confident that these revisions ensure

1:24:41that our staff operate with clear

1:24:42guidance that's required by the state

1:24:44law.

1:24:45>> Great. All right. So, we are not voting

1:24:48on this tonight. We will do it um at our

1:24:50next school committee meeting. So, um

1:24:52for the public, um these will be up on

1:24:55the copy of the new updated policy will

1:24:58be on the website tomorrow morning. Um,

1:25:01if you would like to contact the school

1:25:03committee after looking at it about this

1:25:04proposed policy and provide us with any

1:25:06kind of feedback, um, please do so by

1:25:08emailing us at school committee

1:25:10shrewsbury.k12.mma.

1:25:14us. We will plan to vote on this policy

1:25:16at our next regularly scheduled meeting

1:25:17which is October 21st. Um, so if you

1:25:20have comments, please make sure to send

1:25:21it into us uh, prior to then.

1:25:25Um the next item on our agenda is also

1:25:28under policy and it is an update on the

1:25:30policy subcommittee um and a potential

1:25:33policy review project. Um, so the MA the

1:25:37school committee is evaluating a

1:25:40comprehensive policy review with the

1:25:42Massachusetts Association of School

1:25:43Committees, which is MASC to ensure our

1:25:47district's governing framework remains

1:25:49legally sound, efficient, and aligned

1:25:51with statewide standards. Education

1:25:53laws, federal mand mandates, and state

1:25:55regulations evolve constantly. So, a

1:25:58full MASC audit provides expert review

1:26:01to verify that all of our local policies

1:26:03strictly comply with current legislation

1:26:05mitigating legal and financial risk for

1:26:08the district. Um,

1:26:11we have talked a lot about this about a

1:26:14need for a substantial policy review. We

1:26:16have very many policies on our books. um

1:26:20and they've been in place for years and

1:26:22I think it's important that we take a

1:26:24comprehensive look at it to make sure

1:26:26they're current, they're accurate,

1:26:28consistent, and that they're aligned

1:26:29with how our district is operating

1:26:32today. Um and I think for me, um I think

1:26:35this is a particularly timely as we

1:26:37begin a new chapter with Dr. Ostrander.

1:26:39Um and the work that this policy

1:26:43subcommittee does with our

1:26:44administration to do these policies is a

1:26:47lot. Um, and considering this is Dr.

1:26:50Ostrander's first year and really how

1:26:53much we want to look and dive into our

1:26:55policies just to make sure that

1:26:57everything is aligned. Um, I think that

1:27:00partnering with MASC is smart because it

1:27:04isn't changing, it's not taking the

1:27:06place of the work of our committee. It's

1:27:08still our policies. We still can frame

1:27:10it to exactly how we would want it. But

1:27:12it does have experts looking at it with

1:27:15us and saying this is this is common in

1:27:17other districts or like this is out out

1:27:20of out of date. Um and I think that this

1:27:23would be just something that would be

1:27:26beneficial to us at this time so that we

1:27:28continue on supporting Dr. Ostrander,

1:27:30supporting the district, pushing the

1:27:32strategic priorities um while also doing

1:27:34this but having a little bit of the the

1:27:37lift taken off of us. Um so again, this

1:27:40is just something we did reach out to

1:27:42MASC. Um there was um a proposal in our

1:27:46books about what this would look like

1:27:48and there's different options that we

1:27:50don't necessarily have to do all of

1:27:51them. Um but I sort of wanted to open it

1:27:54up. Um again, we won't vote on this.

1:27:56This is kind of more of a where are we

1:27:58thinking because like I said, we had

1:28:00talked about it earlier too, there are

1:28:02policies that we can take a look at

1:28:04again. Um, and

1:28:08um,

1:28:09yeah, that this is just where I kind of

1:28:11want to think about like where where are

1:28:13we thinking for policy because we know

1:28:14we have work to do,

1:28:17>> but where do we want to start? I don't

1:28:18know if anybody has

1:28:20>> Yeah, I I would be supportive of

1:28:22partnering with MASC for a policy review

1:28:25for the uh, school committee. I think

1:28:28it's a it's timely. I think it's um, you

1:28:32know, with Dr. Austriand are starting. I

1:28:34think it's a good time for us to take a

1:28:35look comprehensively at all of our

1:28:38policies and see where we are. I think

1:28:42um you know there's a lot of opportunity

1:28:44here in terms of some policies may be

1:28:46out of date. We might not need them any

1:28:48longer. Others may need to be updated.

1:28:51So I think having another set of eyes

1:28:53outside of the district take a look will

1:28:55bring a different perspective to that.

1:28:57Um, there's also a lot that MSC MASC

1:29:01offers in terms of model policies which

1:29:04I think will also be helpful and like we

1:29:05wouldn't have to start from scratch.

1:29:07Like they could provide us with

1:29:08templates and we can customize them to

1:29:11kind of what our needs are

1:29:13>> and based on kind of a preliminary look

1:29:15at um, you know, what they're proposing,

1:29:18I think it it would be kind of a maybe

1:29:20an 18 to 24 month review. Um and it

1:29:24looks like the um the you know the fees

1:29:28that we would have to you know pay them

1:29:30potentially you know would be spread out

1:29:33over that time period. It wouldn't be

1:29:34like a lump sum up front. So we could

1:29:36kind of um and then I think also they

1:29:38offered some different services. I think

1:29:41you know whether we need them to host

1:29:42our policies versus us having our own

1:29:44pol you know I think there's things that

1:29:46we can kind of you know make it the

1:29:48right fit for our for our um for our

1:29:50needs. So, I'd be supportive of um you

1:29:53know, proceeding with this. I think it's

1:29:55a it would be a good use of our

1:29:56resources.

1:29:59>> Um yeah, just to add, I look at this in

1:30:02really three different prongs. So, MASC

1:30:05being the voice of authority um or one

1:30:07of the voices of authority to really

1:30:08help guide us to make sure we're not,

1:30:11>> you know, for us it's a very very

1:30:13overwhelming process. We have to triage

1:30:16based off of all of our policies um

1:30:18while keeping up to date. I mean, we've

1:30:20already had two policies that we've had

1:30:22to, you know, update this year, and

1:30:24we're only in the beginning of October.

1:30:26So, having them, again, really being a

1:30:29voice of authority on this, I think, is

1:30:30huge.

1:30:31>> The breadth of the review, as I

1:30:33mentioned, I don't know that we could do

1:30:35this in 18 months um on our own. But

1:30:38then I think from a fiscal perspective,

1:30:40I agree, it's broken up into chunks. And

1:30:43most likely it's going to be actually

1:30:45cheaper to do it this way as opposed to

1:30:47whenever we have a policy and we need to

1:30:49send it to council for review and you

1:30:51know we have back and forth. This just

1:30:54feels like it'll overall over the course

1:30:56of the project actually end up saving um

1:30:58with a cost savings. So I would

1:31:01definitely be in support of it as well.

1:31:06>> I totally uh agree to um the colleagues

1:31:10recommend u sentiments. I think

1:31:13especially with in this situation where

1:31:16the federal and state regulations are

1:31:18changing very rapidly and then all the

1:31:20policies coming out uh

1:31:24now out of blue surprise. Um so I think

1:31:28the looking at comprehensively what we

1:31:30have to across the board historically

1:31:33and then looking very thoroughly deep

1:31:36dive

1:31:37at at one time. Um this is perfect

1:31:39timing to deep make that deep dive

1:31:41analysis and see which ones are out of u

1:31:45we may not need it right like the covid

1:31:47ones which we uh pulled out. So that so

1:31:50the rather than this will be a proactive

1:31:53approach rather than a reactive approach

1:31:55to u ongoing um efforts by uh state and

1:32:00federal um regulations. So there's also

1:32:05lot of regulations are yet to come like

1:32:08cell phone bell-to-bell bans and all

1:32:09those things that has to come uh which

1:32:11we it's very very within that this time

1:32:14frame I think this would help us uh in

1:32:17alignment

1:32:19um bringing our policy up to date and

1:32:21also to see we the model districts as

1:32:23you as miss Bush mentioned um so to see

1:32:28we what we can learn from model

1:32:30districts and then how can we adopt

1:32:33those to our own needs uh is very well

1:32:36worth exercise uh and and worth uh

1:32:40spending the resources. Um that gives us

1:32:43a um leg up

1:32:45>> and then we can be able to keep track of

1:32:48all our ongo ongoing changes uh and own

1:32:53the uh future

1:32:56version updates uh internally. we can

1:32:59see based on how much volume it will be

1:33:01but I totally totally in agreement with

1:33:04the going with MAS's proposal and then

1:33:07we can definitely discuss the what the

1:33:10nitty-gritty is.

1:33:12>> Yeah. Um, I think also again, I think I

1:33:14said it before and but just reiterating

1:33:17that we would still be very hands-on

1:33:19with this. So that these are our

1:33:21policies and we would still be actively

1:33:23involved in the developing and you know

1:33:25quite frankly they can bring us models

1:33:27and we can see what other districts are

1:33:28doing too. But as it applies to

1:33:30Shrewsbury and where we want to go, we

1:33:33we know the district best. So if

1:33:35something isn't necessarily going to fit

1:33:37for us, then you know we would still

1:33:39have the wiggle room to change that to

1:33:41to how we do. So, and that's another

1:33:43thing that I like with this is that, you

1:33:44know, they can put something in front of

1:33:46us and we can look at it and say, "Yeah,

1:33:48like I like that, but um otherwise we're

1:33:51coming up with this ourselves and like

1:33:52reinventing the wheel." And I just for

1:33:54me, I think that there's other things

1:33:56that we need to focus on as well. So, I

1:33:59think this just helps us do all of it at

1:34:02the same time. So, um Dr. Astron, do you

1:34:05have anything to add?

1:34:06>> I I agree with the sentiments I've

1:34:08heard. I would encourage the committee

1:34:10to take this proactive step to work with

1:34:12a field expert and partner with MASC. It

1:34:15helps keep the critical work of this

1:34:18comprehensive policy review in the

1:34:19forefront while also providing me an

1:34:21opportunity especially in my first year

1:34:24um to continue to work on strategic

1:34:25leading strategically leading our

1:34:27district and really engaging in this

1:34:30robust entry plan while ensuring this

1:34:33important work is still happening um in

1:34:36relationship with this field expert. I

1:34:38think it's important to note like you

1:34:40said um the tree before about the local

1:34:43decision. There's still a lot of voice

1:34:45here um there, you know, MASC can share

1:34:49with us this is the state law. Here's

1:34:51the part that's firm and here's the part

1:34:52that's flexible to build in the local

1:34:54decision and um just the information

1:34:57that we know that's important to our

1:34:58community. So, I think it it would be a

1:35:01really great way for us to do this work

1:35:04comprehensively.

1:35:06Um, so I think maybe the next step is

1:35:09we'll reach back out to MASC just to get

1:35:12some more information and then we can

1:35:15bring this back to another meeting and

1:35:17we can decide whether to move ahead or

1:35:21whatever it is. But we will we will move

1:35:23this to another meeting to discuss.

1:35:26>> Good.

1:35:27>> All right. Great.

1:35:29>> All right. Um the next item on our

1:35:31agenda is under new business and it is

1:35:33the superintendent's annual goals. Each

1:35:35year the superintendent of schools

1:35:37presents performance goals to the school

1:35:38committee as part of the evaluation

1:35:40process. Consistent with the evaluation

1:35:42process mandated by the department

1:35:44department of elementary and secondary

1:35:46education. Dr. Ostrander will present

1:35:48her proposed goals for the school

1:35:49committee's review and approval. Dr.

1:35:51Ostrander's proposed evaluation goals

1:35:53and the action plan for the 2026 27th

1:35:56school year. We're enclosing our packets

1:35:57this week uh for review ahead of

1:36:00tonight. So Dr. Ostrander,

1:36:02>> thank you. Um I did not prepare slides

1:36:05this evening. I was going to talk openly

1:36:07a bit about the goals. Um but if there

1:36:10was anyone looking or watching at

1:36:12another time, the the information I'm

1:36:14speaking about in the book is on pages

1:36:1662

1:36:18um to 68. But I'm excited um to present

1:36:22these goals to you this evening under

1:36:24the Massachusetts Department of

1:36:26Education um the evaluation framework.

1:36:29This these goals are aligned

1:36:30specifically following state guidance

1:36:32for new superintendent and a new

1:36:35superintendent who's participating in

1:36:36the induction program and they're also

1:36:40goals that are aligned with the

1:36:42strategic priorities. Um at this point

1:36:44our upcoming district goals uh are under

1:36:47draft. So, I did consult these goals.

1:36:50Um, however, because I am in my first

1:36:53year of superintendency, I I chose to

1:36:56lean more heavily on that new

1:36:58superintendent process. So, I structured

1:37:00my goals around three particular

1:37:02pillars. Um goal one being focused on

1:37:05effective entry and strategic direction

1:37:07setting. Goal two maintaining momentum

1:37:10and leadership coherence and goal three

1:37:13is about participation in the new

1:37:16superintendent induction program. Um

1:37:18that third goal is really focused on my

1:37:20individual professional practice and the

1:37:23first two goals are district improvement

1:37:25goals. So um going back to goal one the

1:37:29effective entry and strategic direct

1:37:30setting. This goal is really focused on

1:37:33executing the four phase entry plan

1:37:35listening and learning framework across

1:37:37all nine schools and establishing a

1:37:40communityinformed roadmap for the

1:37:42upcoming strategic plan. The key

1:37:45benchmarks and action steps in this plan

1:37:47would be completing 100% of the

1:37:49scheduled listening sessions across all

1:37:51nine sites this fall, gathering the

1:37:53quantitative and qualitative data

1:37:56throughout the district, completing a

1:37:58thought exchange survey, synthesizing

1:38:01the information that I count, see, and

1:38:03hear this winter, and then providing and

1:38:05publishing a final report of entry to

1:38:07the school committee um later this

1:38:10spring. In goal two, maintain momentum

1:38:13and leadership coherence. The focus is

1:38:15sustaining for momentum across our

1:38:17strategic commitments, educational

1:38:20excellence, enhanced well-being of all

1:38:22and optimization of resources while

1:38:24supporting the administrative team in

1:38:27the school leadership. So the key

1:38:29benchmarks here are using vector which

1:38:32is the software we use for educator

1:38:35evaluation uh to be sure that we

1:38:37establish goals with principles and

1:38:40completing formative conferences and

1:38:42endofear reports with principles.

1:38:44conducting instructional rounds and site

1:38:47visits at all of the nine schools and

1:38:50then supporting the work of the district

1:38:52leadership team by having coherence

1:38:54meetings where we're learning together

1:38:56as a leadership team about topics that

1:38:59are important to all um age, you know,

1:39:02prek to 22. Um so that it's important to

1:39:05move all of our leadership practice

1:39:07together and um as well as finishing

1:39:10summitive reports for our principles by

1:39:12June 30th. And then goal number three is

1:39:15participation in the new superintendent

1:39:17induction program. This goal focuses

1:39:19primarily on developing my executive

1:39:22leadership capabilities in strategy

1:39:24development, data analysis,

1:39:26instructional leadership, and municipal

1:39:28partnership throughout the first year of

1:39:30superintendency.

1:39:32The key benchmarks and action steps

1:39:34include um attending professional

1:39:37development modules that are provided by

1:39:39MASS, engaging in one-on-one coaching

1:39:42sessions with Jean Trembbley who came

1:39:44earlier this year to meet with all of

1:39:46you who's my executive coach and

1:39:48completing the assignments uh that are

1:39:51given to me from this particular group

1:39:54as well as using that information to

1:39:56directly inform my practice here in

1:39:57Shrewsbury. um including you know a

1:40:00robust entry analysis and strategic

1:40:03plan. So those are the goals and action

1:40:06steps I plan to execute over the course

1:40:08of the year and I'm excited to share

1:40:11with you along the way in the community

1:40:13about um how I'm doing and meeting those

1:40:15goals and um that's what I want to share

1:40:18with you this evening. So I'm available

1:40:20for any questions you have.

1:40:23>> How are your listening sessions going?

1:40:25>> Great.

1:40:26>> Great. Yeah, they really are great. Um,

1:40:29I do have to reschedule one. Um, I had a

1:40:31family circumstance come come up. Um, so

1:40:34I do have to reschedule the Floral

1:40:36Street School listening session. Um, but

1:40:38I emailed families directly and they

1:40:40were really um, appreciative of the

1:40:42early email. Um, so I will reschedule

1:40:44that one in particular, but there's been

1:40:46a lot of um, great information. I can

1:40:49certainly see trends coming together

1:40:51already. Um, one of them happens to be

1:40:54screen time. So, I'm sure we'll all be

1:40:56talking about that again soon. I see

1:40:59Kelly Finan still here who's giving me

1:41:01giving me the signal. Um, so screen time

1:41:04seems to be something coming up in all

1:41:05the community groups, whether that's a a

1:41:08staff group. Um, the student group

1:41:10actually spoke about it as well

1:41:12>> and families.

1:41:14>> Attendance is good at the listening

1:41:16groups.

1:41:17>> Attendance is good in the listening

1:41:18groups.

1:41:20>> Okay, so far so good.

1:41:23the RSVPs have been helping um you know

1:41:26the numbers of RSVPs help me know going

1:41:28in how many to expect and it's always

1:41:30been the number that's been expected

1:41:32if not a little bit higher. That's

1:41:34great. It's usually not that

1:41:36>> people are signing up. They're they're

1:41:37committing good which is great which is

1:41:39a great sign. That's great.

1:41:43>> I'd just like to say thank you for

1:41:44putting this uh plan together. I think

1:41:46it's extremely thoughtful and I think

1:41:48it'll really be a great first year. It

1:41:50seems like, you know, you're going to

1:41:52get a lot of information that's going to

1:41:54be super helpful to all of us. Um, not

1:41:57just you, but for our committee as well

1:41:59to especially as we're moving forward

1:42:01and, you know, probably developing

1:42:02another strategic plan coming forward.

1:42:04So, thank you. I think it's um looks

1:42:07very good. It's very ambitious,

1:42:10but um no, I think um it'll give you a

1:42:12really great overview of our district.

1:42:16>> Yeah, I would I I agree. It's um I

1:42:19thought that these goals were

1:42:20thoughtful, very intentional, um lofty.

1:42:24>> There's a there's a lot, but if

1:42:26somebody's going to get it done, it's

1:42:27going to it's going to be you. Um but I

1:42:30really I really do and we've said this

1:42:31before, I really appreciate the learning

1:42:33and the and the listening that you're

1:42:34doing and that um you know, these

1:42:37listening sessions aren't people

1:42:38listening to you, it's you listening to

1:42:40them. So um and it's a lot for you to

1:42:43take on, but I think it's really

1:42:44important in that first year. I think

1:42:46that, you know, a lot of people get

1:42:47worried about when new people come in,

1:42:49what's the change going to be

1:42:51immediately? Um, and that is not the

1:42:53point of this. This is the point of this

1:42:55is to listen and see and develop and

1:42:57where is the the district going and

1:42:59where do we want to go and like really

1:43:01taking that time to listen to families,

1:43:03students, staff, like the whole the

1:43:06whole gamut. So, um, I think that this

1:43:08is this is really good. I'm actually

1:43:10curious for for your last goal that

1:43:13since this is your first year as a

1:43:14superintendent, what about your own

1:43:17leadership do you want most want to

1:43:19develop like as a leader? You know, this

1:43:22is you have been a leader in your

1:43:24building um but this is a different

1:43:26leadership. I'm just curious if you have

1:43:28something that you would really like to

1:43:29not that you're not good at it now but

1:43:31just you would like to

1:43:33>> So I'm sure it's no surprise to you that

1:43:35I have never evaluated principles

1:43:37before.

1:43:38Um so that has been a shift and

1:43:41certainly um the principles are my

1:43:44colleagues but they're a colleague in a

1:43:46in a different way now and that is a

1:43:48that is an area of professional growth

1:43:50for me thinking about um

1:43:53>> you know what what it looks like and

1:43:54sounds like to coach principal when I'm

1:43:56visiting their building and their school

1:43:59um while also feeling you know being

1:44:00sure that they're being celebrated and

1:44:02supported. So that's an area where I'm

1:44:04I'm really engaged and excited about. um

1:44:08it's just new to me. Yeah.

1:44:09>> But um it it's it's been certainly an

1:44:12exciting part. And then I would say uh

1:44:15secondarily, I think the municipal side

1:44:18of things is is new for me as well. Um,

1:44:21and I know that we recently had a joint

1:44:23workshop with the select board and um,

1:44:26you know, I really prepared for that

1:44:29opportunity and I I know that it's

1:44:30important to have um, a great

1:44:32relationship with the other boards in

1:44:35town and the other municipal leaders.

1:44:37Um, so I've really invested a lot of

1:44:39time, you know, with Kevin Msikar and

1:44:42that's something that I want to continue

1:44:43to grow and do over the course of the

1:44:45year.

1:44:46>> Great.

1:44:48Okay. All right. Um, we do need to take

1:44:52a vote tonight on Dr. Ostrander schools.

1:44:55Um, so may I please have a motion that

1:44:58the committee vote to approve the

1:44:59superintendent goals for the 2627 school

1:45:02year as presented.

1:45:03>> So moved.

1:45:04>> Second.

1:45:05>> All right. Moved and seconded. All those

1:45:07in favor, please do so by saying I. I.

1:45:09>> Right. Motion carries. Thank you.

1:45:13Um, the next item on our agenda is the

1:45:15approval of minutes. We had a lot this

1:45:17week. Um, we have a few minutes to

1:45:18approve tonight. The minutes from the

1:45:20school committee workshops held on

1:45:21September 14th and September 28, 2026.

1:45:25The minutes from the all school

1:45:27council's meeting held on September 28,

1:45:302026. And the school committee meeting

1:45:32held on September 23rd, 2026 were all

1:45:35sent to us for review. Does anyone have

1:45:38any changes or revisions to any of the

1:45:40minutes?

1:45:40>> No.

1:45:41>> Okay. Seeing as there are no changes,

1:45:43these can be marked as accepted as

1:45:45distributed. We do not need to go into

1:45:48executive session tonight. So if there

1:45:50is no further business before the

1:45:51committee, may please have a motion to

1:45:53conclude our meeting.

1:45:54>> So moved.

1:45:55>> Second.

1:45:55>> Okay.

1:45:56>> This recall requires a roll call vote.

1:45:58Miss Torres.

1:45:58>> I.

1:45:59>> Mr. Vallega.

1:46:00>> Hi.

1:46:00>> Miss Bush.

1:46:01>> I.

1:46:01>> Myself. Miss Shrior. I. Thank you and

1:46:03good night.

1:46:04>> Good night.