The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School (MVRHS) committee met Monday for its first meeting of the 2015-16 school year. There were a number of familiar faces in new roles.
They included Margaret “Peg” Regan, who retired in 2008 and accepted the job of interim principal following the unexpected resignation in July of Gil Traverso after one year at MVRHS. Also present was superintendent Matthew D’Andrea, who took over the leadership role following the retirement of James Weiss on July 1, and former Oak Bluffs School principal Richie Smith, who took over Mr. D’Andrea’s role as assistant superintendent.
In his opening report, Mr. D’Andrea said the opening of schools was “very terrific.” He also thanked Ms. Regan for returning to the high school helm.
“She was more than happy and very enthusiastic to do it, so it really worked out very well,” he said.
Ms. Regan said it’s been a pleasure to be welcomed back. “In the 16 years that I’ve lived on Martha’s Vineyard, the one thing that’s really unique about this community is that for the kids, it’s not only about what they learn at our high school, it’s who they learn it from,” she said. “They really remember their teachers and the opportunities that they had here, which makes it even more imperative for us to continue to do a great job with them, because they don’t forget us as they go forward with their lives.”
Mr. D’Andrea outlined the search for MVRHS principal candidates.
“I’m thinking that we would advertise in October, assemble a search committee that reviews the applications, and put about a two to three week time frame for applications to be submitted,” he said.
An initial round of interviews will narrow the field to two or three candidates who will be invited back to spend the day at the school and meet with stakeholders, parents, students, and staff. From there, he said, school leaders may travel to where the individuals are currently employed, talk to them about their experience, and make a decision.
“It could be something that spills over past Christmas, it most likely would, but I’m okay with that, just to make sure we get the right person,” he said. “It’s a process that we used when we hired the Oak Bluffs principal just recently, and I think that turned out alright.”
The condition of the high school was also a topic of discussion. “We’ve been very busy this summer; the custodial staff here has been extremely busy trying to maintain the building as well as outside contractors to help us with various parts of the building and it’s systems,” school finance manager Mark Friedman said. “So we’ve had a lot of activity there and we show quite a bit of spending there already.”
Over the summer, engineers and contractors conducted various studies to determine how to proceed with needed renovations. A track renovation feasibility study, HVAC (heating, venting, air conditioning) systems evaluation, and a building envelope condition survey was completed. The library and media center architectural study and space needs study is ongoing. A facilities subcommittee is overseeing the progress of the studies. That subcommittee, along with school administration, will review the reports and meet with an engineering firm to determine how to move forward.
“We’re kind of looking to them, in their whole overview of the building, to incorporate these reports and put together an overall plan for how we want to go forward with the building,” Mr. D’Andrea said. The firm anticipates they will be done in mid-October and will have a report for the school to utilize.
“It’s ongoing, we’re staying on top of it, and I’m glad that we have this facilities subgroup that’s making sure that we’re moving forward with it,” he said.
The exploratory program, which encompasses vocational career paths, will expand this year under the direction of newly hired vocational director Barbara-Jean Chauvin. Ms. Chauvin was formerly vocational coordinator at Norfolk County Agricultural High School.
This year, health assisting is a new program that will introduce students to different facets of the health field including nursing, nutrition, EMT, and paramedics. Maritime sciences will develop into a full state-certified program with a memorandum of understanding with MV Sail. A program in its infancy is a radio station, WYOB 105.5, which will be run out of the high school.
“We tell students that the career path is where you can gather in the high school to help prepare for your next step, and realize that there will be all kinds of decisions that they’ll make throughout their adult life, but take whatever you can get from here, because it’s free to them,” Ms. Chauvin said. “High school is a great place to practice.”
Mark McCarthy, MVRHS athletic director, submitted a request to allow eighth-grade boys to play JV ice hockey for the 2015-2016 winter sports season, which is acceptable under MIAA rules. This would be the second year that numbers within the high school are too small to form a JV team.
“I’m very concerned about pushing a 13-year-old on a sheet of ice with a group of 18-year-olds, and, for that matter, I think in any contact sport,” committee member Robert Lionette said. “I think the age discrepancy is concerning. At the very least I’d like to hear from both the coach and the athletic director.”
Member Janet Packer said that it was very sad that there was not a JV team last year.
“Even though they had a coach all set up and everything ready to go, there was no JV team, so there was no place for maybe eight of them, no place for them to play,” she said. “Anybody who wants to be part of the team and have an opportunity, it’s nice to support that.”
The committee voted to wait until next month and hear directly from Mr. McCarthy.
In other business, the committee voted to rename the student activities scholarship fund, a revolving fund that helps needy students afford participation in field trips and extracurricular activities, in name of Mr. Weiss.
The committee accepted the donation of a baseball pitching machine from Steve Rabin of Edgartown. They approved a request from Michael Tinus, performing arts and music teacher, to take 15 to 20 students to the University of Rhode Island in October to rehearse and perform with the URI marching band at a football game.
Mr. D’Andrea reported that all busses went through two sets of inspections and all have passed. “Safety is a priority,” he said. “Our busses never go on the road unless [they have] passed.”
The school will purchase three new large busses, which has not been done in about five years, he said. Some of the older busses will be used as spares.
District-wide, Mr. D’Andrea said student enrollment numbers are up to 2,171 from 2,151 last year. “We seem to be trending upward in our number of students,” he said.