Our library was created from the ground on up this year. It was a lot of work to get up and running, but we are excited to say we have a great collection of books for children to now check out. We had many books gifted to us through families for birthdays, special events, thanks, etc.  In addition, we recently were awarded the Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Kindness Library. This is an amazing collection of hard covered books that all center around social/emotional growth and kindness. They are a wonderful addition to our library. In addition to our book collection, we also have a great collection of Chromebooks, and the children are doing awesome learning how to use them.  We thank all of the parent volunteers for getting the ABECC library ready for our children!! 

May has been an exciting and educational month for all NAMS eighth graders in their social studies classes as they participated in the Fifth Annual NAMS Civics Day on May 3. I also will have completed six trips to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston at the end of May and through the beginning of June. This coincides with a new change in the Massachusetts History Frameworks which will switch to an intensive year of all Civics instruction for eighth graders starting in 2020. This new end-of-year tradition at NAMS for over three hundred fifty students on the three eighth-grade teams has resulted in engagement, an increased knowledge base in Civics and most of all fun.

NAMS Civics Day started out as an idea from former 8B student Kaitlyn Parks who is now graduating from NAHS and pursuing a career in government at American University in Washington DC. She brought her social studies teacher, Patrick McGravey, and State Representative, Diana DiZoglio, together in 2014 which started with a small program involving only two speakers for one eighth- grade team. This has now grown to a celebration of Civics with over a dozen speakers providing seminars to ALL eighth-grade students on a rotating basis for the entire academic day.

Highlights this year included new NAMS Principal, Jorge Goncalves, participating as a naturalized US citizen with local Lawrence judges and representatives from the Immigration Department. Students also heard from newly elected State Representatives Tram Nguyen and Christina Minicucci, as well as Senator Diana DiZoglio, Michael Ryan from the Jury Duty Commission, various local government representatives from the School Department, 

School Committee, Board of Selectmen, and the office of Congressman Seth Moulton who is also running for President in 2020. Bringing government from all levels together was a massive success, and the students impressed all of the speakers with their high-quality questions, model behavior and overall application of the RAISE values throughout the day. The next part of this enhanced experience in Civics Education will take place throughout six trips to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston. At this hands-on and interactive site, students will participate in a simulation of being a U.S. senator, crafting and debating legislation on Immigration Reform which can be a complex and controversial issue. Students will be sworn in, given Senator profiles, placed in committees, and provided with the opportunity to vote for various bills that would be sent to the House of Representatives and eventually the President to become law. It will be a very exciting day for all that attend and hopefully an experience that will be long lasting for the students soon to be future engaged citizens and possibly U.S. leaders.

The eighth-grade social studies department continues to work diligently to provide meaningful experiences for all students in Civics Education and looks forward to future opportunities as the implementation of the new Civics standards become a reality in 2020. This will include an eventual MCAS assessment in Civics, as well as a Civics Community Leadership Project, which was recently signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker, that will require all eighth graders across Massachusetts to complete by the end of their Middle School experience. 

New Director of Student Services is Announced

There will be a familiar face back with us in the Special Education Department beginning in July, 2019.  Happily, Marci Boccuzzi has accepted the position as Director of Student Services. Twenty-two people applied for this position and eight were chosen for initial interviews.  The field was narrowed down to three very strong candidates  who participated in additional interviews, meetings with stakeholders, and completion of performance tasks.

Throughout the search process, Ms. Boccuzzi impressed us with her depth and breadth of special education knowledge across all levels, as well as her extensive experience with special education programming, IEP implementation, professional development and 504s. Ms. Boccuzzi possesses 

strong  communication skills and a collaborative approach to leadership. She is very excited to serve North Andover in her new capacity.Ms. Boccuzzi is currently a Special Education Administrator at Wakefield High School.  From 2011 to 2016 she was the Special Education Coordinator and Out-of-District Coordinator in the North Andover Public Schools.  She has worked as a Special Education Coordinator in Newburyport, Danvers and at Coastal Collaborative. These experiences included working with 504s, Out-of- District Placements, and a 45-Day Assessment Program.  She is certified as a Special Education Administrator and holds a Masters Degree in Moderate Special Needs and an Undergraduate Degree in Communication Disorders.

outstanding volunteers in our district at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. I don’t think there is a greater reason for an award, and our district is so fortunate that each year, we have so many qualified nominees that it requires a vote to choose just three. 

The committee also recognized our own Cheryl Barczak, who was named the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization’s School Nurse Administrator of the Year. So with the high school football team’s success and Cheryl’s honor, North Andover can boast two “Best in State”s this year.

Finally, as I wrap up my last Knightly News, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve as Chair and the confidence that my fellow committee members have shown in me. It has been a tremendous and valuable learning experience, made easier with their support and help. I’d also like to thank Dr. Gregg Gilligan for his tireless leadership, both behind and in front of the scenes, and his dedication to our students. It is easier to serve on the school committee when we know that he always has the district’s best interest in the forefront of all of his decisions.

Happy Summer!

Holly Vietzke-Lynch, Chair