Dartmouth ramps up ALICE drills; ORR restructures; Acushnet campus gets 'facelift'

NEW BEDFORD — As SouthCoast area schools stand ready for a new academic year, The Standard-Times surveyed the districts of Dartmouth, Acushnet and Old Rochester Regional to get an idea of what new developments students and families can expect when returning to school.

Highlights include Acushnet Public Schools' noticeable new campus aesthetic, a significant administrative restructuring at Old Rochester Regional School District, and what Dartmouth Public Schools are doing to ramp up safety precautions.

Dartmouth Superintendent Dr. Bonny Gifford said that this school year brings opportunity to address school security and safety more robustly than the past two years have allowed.

"One of our top priorities as we move toward normalcy is to revisit and enhance our safety and security protocols. COVID presented challenges when trying to find time and space for safety drills and training," she told The Standard-Times.

Dartmouth to introduce active shooter drills at elementary schools

At the most recent School Committee meeting, Gifford shared that one major step toward that end will be introducing ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training drills — designed to mimic active shooter or attacker scenarios — to the elementary level.

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"... we have had in the past, say pre-COVID, the evacuation drills with students. The elementary we did it a little bit differently with the reading of the book, explaining to them ‘stranger danger,’ where to go — those kinds of things," Gifford said. "We’re going to ramp that up at the elementary schools this year. We’re running actual drills. They will be exiting the building, they will be sheltering in place, because back in the past I think folks were saying let’s not scare them, etc. Well, it’s time to. We needed to move on beyond that because life happens and it’s not so good sometimes."

Other new developments relative to security to debut this school year will be the addition of a school resource officer, or SRO, bringing the district to a total of three; and a new reporting protocol requiring all building principals to submit documentation of all safety drills and trainings performed, Gifford said.

Other than security, major focuses for Dartmouth Public Schools this year will include strengthening "partnerships with organizations that offer professional development and family support around social emotional/mental health and well-being," developing an updated district-wide strategic plan, and "renewing and re-invigorating our focus on teaching and learning," Gifford told The Standard-Times, noting "So much of our time was spent on COVID issues over the past two years that it was challenging to invest every effort into education."

Native American curriculum work starting soon; 'Working group' formation moving along

When it comes to the district's goal of developing a more comprehensive curriculum around Native American education — an idea that's been under the public spotlight in conjunction with the long-running, high-profile debate around schools' use of the Dartmouth Indian logo — Gifford said development will begin in the fall as key administrative faculty members settle into their new roles. "With two new directors of teaching and learning transitioning into their positions, the focus has been on learning about the expectations of the role including how to manage systems, DESE data, organizing professional development, grants and planning for the administrative retreat," she said. "Curriculum work including work on Native American curriculum will begin in the fall when teacher teams are formed and begin meeting."

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Meanwhile, School Committee Chair John Nunes updated the committee on the creation of a new public body that will be charged with overseeing matters that have to do with district-tribe relations and Native American education, reporting that the Select Board plans to meet after Labor Day to form what he called "a working group" and to "try to come up with a mission statement."

In other new developments relative to the group's formation, School Committee Vice-Chair Mary Waite was voted in as the committee's representative on the group, which Nunes said will also likely include a Select Board member, Historical Commission member, one school department staff member, and "possibly two community at-large members" who would have to be Dartmouth residents.

Lots of administrative staff changes in Dartmouth

The school year will also start with many administrative staff changes: former Dartmouth High Principal Ross Thibault is now director of Teaching and Learning for Secondary, with former assistant principal Ryan Shea stepping up as principal, and Graham Coogan coming in from Fall River Public Schools to replace Shea as an assistant principal.

Former DeMello School principal Catherine Pavao is now director of Teaching and Learning for Elementary, with former assistant principal Elizabeth Correia stepping up as principal, and Adam Hill — a former special education coordinator in Easton — replacing Correia.

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Gifford also reported that Dartmouth Middle School Principal Darren Doane plans to retire in March 2023, and Assistant Principal Peter Rossi has already been appointed to replace him when the time comes. "We will be posting Mr. Rossi’s vacancy soon," Gifford said.

Earlier this month, Gifford said the district had four teacher positions to fill. "While we are confident we will be able to fill all positions, it is obvious education is seeing a significant decrease in the number of candidates we get for various positions in general," she said.

The first day of school for all buildings in the district was Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Acushnet campus spruces up; Admins look forward to 'normalcy'

Acushnet Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Paula Bailey says the two-school campus "received a long overdue facelift this summer" that families, staff and visitors are sure to notice. "Students and families will be greeted with new and attractive school signs, wayfinder signs around campus, and a marquis electronic sign that will provide school and community information for all."

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Acushnet Elementary School Principal Leah Chesney highlighted the reopening of the school library, which she called "a much needed resource" that's been closed for several years. "We are coupling our library opening with school-wide initiatives that celebrate students’ reading efforts and choices," she said.

And as the process of "building back our school community after COVID" continues, Chesney said students can expect more school gatherings as part of the effort to "foster a sense of belonging for all our students."

"We will hold more school-wide assemblies to help students make positive choices, continue to highlight students who exemplify targeted character traits, and continue with school-wide efforts to connect with our community partners," she said.

Ford Middle School Principal Michelle Silva said one push for this year will be to hold more social occasions such as dances, movie events and "perhaps an outdoor mini golf event," as she looks forward to an "increased sense of normalcy."

Both principals reported there were no teacher vacancies remaining in their respective schools. Staffing changes include: new Ford Middle School Assistant Principal Kyle Gallivan, transitioning from his role at the school as an 8th grade civics teacher; and two new central administrators: Technology Director Patrick Mistler, and Business Manager Patrick McIntyre.

The first day of school for grades 1-8 was Aug. 31. Pre-K and kindergarten return Sept. 7.

Old Rochester Regional changes principal model

At Old Rochester Regional School District, this school year will be the first under a new administrative restructuring of the Old Hammondtown School and Center School in which each school will have its own principal rather than having a principal and associate principal who are charged with leading both schools in tandem.

With that, former Old Hammondtown School associate principal Kevin Tavares has been named principal there. He has been at the school nearly three decades and has served in various roles, Tavares said in a press release.

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At the Center School, a candidate search for a new principal resulted in the hiring of Dr. Linda Ashley — who comes from Franklin Public Schools —  to replace Rose Bowman upon her retirement. Ashley most previously served as Pre-K-12 curriculum director for English Language Arts and History/Social Studies in her former district, according to a press release.

At central office, Shari Fedorowicz was hired in June as superintendent of Teaching and Learning, coming from Abington Public Schools where she most recently served as director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.

Superintendent Michael Nelson told The Standard-Times Old Rochester educators are looking forward to a refreshing new start. "It is our hope that this past summer has allowed some of the pandemic fatigue to fade away and our focus will be on ensuring memorable teaching and learning experiences for all our students," he wrote in an email.

Old Rochester Regional schools' first day was Tuesday, Aug. 30.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Back-To-School: What's new at Dartmouth, Acushnet, ORR schools?