BOSTON — Superintendent of Schools Catherine Latham became emotional even before she took to the podium as one of 13 featured speakers during a School-Based Health Center Briefing at the State House.

“It’s hard for me to talk about this,” she told a crowd of approximately 100 people gathered for the event. Latham said it is hard for students to concentrate when their ear, teeth or throat hurt.

“Or when you’re called worthless by a family member before you leave for school in the morning, or you’re beaten or abused,” she said, her voice breaking.

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The purpose of the federally-funded Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Grant is to support additional learning time for students in grades K-12 before and/or after school and during the summer that provides creative and engaging academic enrichment opportunities that will help to address college and workforce readiness and success.

More information about the 21st CCLC Program may be obtained by visiting the following webpage on the website of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: http://www.doe.mass.edu/21cclc/

Questions or public input about the proposed 21st CCLC Program may be directed to Dr. Jennifer Wu, Wraparound Zone Program Specialist for the Lynn Public Schools, by phone at 781-477-7220 x3183 or by email at wuj@lynnschools.org.

Deputy School Superintendent Jaye Warry said "excellent" attendance this month by students enrolled in the Cobbet and Harrington schools tentatively points to attendance improvements in the public schools' summer program over last year's numbers. Regular academic year school attendance tops 95 percent, said Warry, but summer school attendance by elementary schools students was 70.2 percent in 2011.

"Last summer, attendance at elementary schools was not really good. We've got to get attendance up. The cost of running programs is significant," she said. Warry said about 1,000 elementary school students attend programs in seven schools that started on July 9 and end on Aug. 2. Some of the students' parents were encouraged throughout the academic year to enroll their children in the free summer programs.

Others, Warry said, attend following principals' conversations with parents after reviews of student tests scores. Janalle Keown's son, Mason, 8, and daughter, Nova, 7, attend Connery School's summer program because Keown wants to give them "a little more of a head start." "Basically, it's a way to keep everything fresh. They will have to fall back on what they learn in school for the rest of their lives," she said.

Warry said summer school is a chance for educators to "provide additional support to kids and enrichment," especially in English Language arts and mathematics. "Philosophically speaking," Warry said, she would like all of the public schools' 7,000 students enrolled in summer programs, but she understands many parents view summer in a different light than the fall-to-spring academic year. "Many kids' families travel. Many people feel, 'I want to give my kids a break,'" she said.

The School Department turned Brickett, Cobbet, Shoemaker and Tracy schools into regional summer schools this month. Students participating in the summer programs include students from other schools as well as students who attend each school during the academic year.

Warry said Ford, Connery and Harrington schools offer neighborhood-oriented summer programs focused on students. Keown's children spent last Friday on a field trip and they divide their summer days between mornings spent at Connery and afternoons participating in city Parks and Recreation programs. "It's a treat for her — he would rather be playing all day," said Keown.

Warry said public school officials work closely with after-school providers, including the Boys and Girls Club, the Greater Lynn YMCA, Girls Inc. and Gregg House. Public school teachers are spending time in those programs this summer tutoring students.

"This is the first time we've done it. The value is the kids are there and we're providing academic support. Those agencies are strong resources in the city of Lynn," she said.

Keown understands the viewpoint of parents who think "kids need to be kids," but she said the Connery summer program gives Nova a chance to be with her friends and gives both of her children an opportunity to learn year-round.

"I've seen a great improvement in this school," she said.

By Thor Jourgensen / The Daily Item
| Thor Jourgensen can be reached at tjourgensen@itemlive.com.

Ms. Louf received a Bachelor's Degree in psychology from Assumption College, a Masters Degree in Special Education from Salem State College and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies (CAGS) in Educational Leadership from Salem State College. She has worked for the Lynn Public Schools for the past eleven years as a special education teacher, a guidance counselor, and, for the past four years, a vice principal at Breed Middle School. She has extensive experience in data analysis, teacher evaluation, and school improvement planning and has served as an MCAS Portfolio Scorer for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. At Breed Ms. Louf directs the School Improvement Planning Team and is a member of the Parent School Council and the Breed Middle School Crisis Team. Her goals for Breed include improved teaching through the development of professional learning communities, a renewed focus on program evaluation, further use of student data to improve instruction, and continued attention to school climate and community building.

Mr. Rittershaus received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Salem State College and a Master of Education Degree in School Administration from Salem State College. He has worked for the Lynn Public Schools for the past sixteen years as an elementary music teacher, middle school English teacher, middle school athletic director, curriculum and instruction lead teacher and, for the past five years, as the vice principal at Pickering Middle School. Mr. Rittershaus has also served as an adjunct instructor at North Shore Community College. He has extensive experience in English language arts curriculum development, school improvement planning, and staff development planning and implementation. His goals for Pickering include increased focus on classroom instruction and the Common Core.

Instead, they were brought on stage and told they were one of 20 national finalists for Disney's Planet Challenge. Then, Mickey Mouse suddenly came out on stage. That's when they found out they had actually won the grand prize – four days, three nights at Disney World.

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Donna Whalen's class came up with the project "Think Before You Idle," which was an effort to decrease needless vehicle idling in Lynn. "We are on a very busy street. There's a lot of cars that idle around our school. So we said 'How does that affect our environment?'" Whalen told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

They pushed a local initiative and now cars can no longer idle outside Lynn schools, reducing pollution. "They actually presented it in front of the state legislator to pass a bill into legislation to take idling from five minutes down to three minutes. They created an entire awareness campaign and got the community engaged and it was just incredible," Disney's Christiana Maretens told WBZ.

Photo | Video and Story Courtesy of CBSBoston News