News
Nashoba Looks at Measures of Success
By Ann Needle
Last night’s Nashoba School Committee meeting focused on how the district measures success among both students and staff, with a view toward how these measures could change in the future.
One Committee discussion centered on whether to become part of a new, national student testing system. Superintendent Michael Wood announced that Nashoba must decide, before the end of the school year, whether to continue participating in the national PARCC (Partnership for Readiness for College and Careers) testing system. A few classrooms throughout the district participated this year, though those students also took their required MCAS tests.
Catching Up to Cameron Kerr
By Ann Needle
Mother’s Day is the time for brag alerts from moms, and last Sunday was no exception. Cameron Kerr, a 2005 graduate of NRHS and son of John and Mary Kerr of Stow, continues to stride on and make not just his mother proud.
Nashoba Cautioned on Drugs
By Ann Needle
Head to a major sporting event, and it is hard to imagine seeing one of the game’s stars standing outside the venue in full uniform. Former Boston Celtics starter Chris Herren did just that one evening—but, rather than being fan-friendly, Herren called himself “desperate,” waiting for his drug dealer to breeze by with his pre-game supply.
School Committee Looks at Police Action
By Ann Needle
At last night’s School Committee meeting, administrators rushed to assure that, in light of recent commotion at Nashoba Regional High School involving the police, Nashoba is working to keep students safe. And, there may be a proposal involving Stow to ease up what is becoming a space crunch at the high school.
SC Candidates Speak Out
By Ann Needle
This election year, Nashoba schools face a variety of challenges old and new, from a frugal budget through concerns for safety. The two candidates for the one open Stow seat on the Nashoba School Committee, Nicole Odekirk and Artur Jurczyk, both have young children, giving each a stake in Stow’s schools. Here the candidates answer questions from the Independent regarding their perspectives on how to best tackle the issues facing the district’s schools.
New Calendar for Nashoba
By Ann Needle
The Nashoba School Committee gave its nod to the district’s calendar for next school year — another version from the ones previously proposed. It also voted to establish a capital spending fund to help shore up local special education facilities.
The long-awaited calendar for the upcoming school year was approved unanimously, though it wasn’t the versions “A” and “B” the district has been looking at since December. Until last night, the School Committee appeared to favor “B,” which replaces the all-day parent/teacher conferences on Election Day (November 4) with a vacation day, and keeps a full professional development day the Friday before April vacation. (Proposal A would have kept Election Day as a conference and professional day, and made the Thursday and Friday before April vacation early release days.)
DECA is Out to Win
By Ann Needle
A successful business is a growing one. Just by that standard, Nashoba Regional High School DECA chapter (Distributive Education Clubs of America) is an unqualified smash. Since 2010, membership has exploded, along with members qualifying for state and national competitions.
Nashoba Debates Kindergarten Day
By Ann Needle
Last night, the Nashoba School Committee continued debate on changes coming to district kindergarten in the fall. There were also several pieces of good news coming out of Nashoba Regional High School, and a glimpse at a new law calling for Massachusetts districts to continue educating suspended and expelled students.
Narcotics Dog Takes a Bow at Nashoba
By Ann Needle
The human cooing that greeted a guest canine at Nashoba Regional High School on March 4 could make an unsuspecting visitor believe they were dropped into a dog show. Actually, it was a show—state police were recently showing off just how a narcotics-sniffing dog can, very effectively, hunt down illegal substances at the high school.
Nashoba Approves the Budget
By Ann Needle
After a public hearing that drew few comments, the Nashoba School Committee officially approved its proposed budget last night, which comes in now at under $50 million. Meanwhile, some parents — especially in Stow — continue to question one of those spending items.