It’s a Busy Time for Methuen Schools

It’s a Busy Time for Methuen Schools

By: D.J. Deeb – December, 2015 November and December are traditionally busy months for school districts. This year too is no exception and there are several things to report on this month in the paragraphs that follow: The City Elections, John & Abigail Adams Scholarship, MHS Band Disney Trip, and the PSATs in Methuen. First […]

Peace on Earth ~ TEEN TALK with ANA DEBERNARDO

Peace on Earth ~ TEEN TALK with ANA DEBERNARDO

By: Ana DeBernardo – December, 2015 The sound of vehicles honking their horns at jaywalkers jolts me from my sleep. The smell of exhaust already suffocates me, barely letting me catch my first breath of the morning. It’s another frigid day in December, and I don’t have a coat or socks, or even shoes without holes. […]

An Opportunity to Get Standardized Testing Right

An Opportunity to Get Standardized Testing Right

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is due to make a formal recommendation on whether to adopt the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test or to continue with the MCAS test at their meeting on November 17. In the final weeks leading up to the decision, the debate […]

Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve ~ TEEN TALK WITH ANA

Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve ~ TEEN TALK WITH ANA

By: Ana DeBernardo – Nov. 2015 It’s a truth universally acknowledged that teenagers all come accompanied by a bad rep. Whether they’re being moody, stubborn, angry, or just plain brats, I’m pretty sure no one would want to be stuck living this age forever. Many people even view the teen years as nothing more than […]

Are Anti-Bullying Programs Counterproductive? ~ BABIES AND BRIEFCASES

Are Anti-Bullying Programs Counterproductive? ~ BABIES AND BRIEFCASES

By: Cheryl Hajjar, Nov. 2015 In days past, bullying was somewhat of a norm, or almost even seen as a rite of adolescent passage. Most kids at some point were victims of some sort of bullying whether it be physical, emotional, or a little of both. Today, it is recognized as a serious mental health […]

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – November, 2015

Tom Duggan’s Notebook – November, 2015

PERISOCOPE – With the advance of technology, The Valley Patriot is now using a cell phone application called Periscope to do live video interviews online. On Election Day, we were able to get out to Lawrence and Methuen to interview the candidates and some of their supporters. As soon as we got LIVE on the […]

Questions Every Parent Should Ask to Learn More About Their Child’s School

Questions Every Parent Should Ask to Learn More About Their Child’s School

By: Amy Berard – November, 2015 1. How often is the SpEd (Special Education) teacher in the inclusion classroom? At an IEP meeting, parents will be notified if their child is in an inclusion class. A class is labeled as an inclusion class when a SpEd teacher is pushing in to provide extra support for […]

First Muslim Elected in Lawrence Being Pressured to Resign … Does Lawrence Have Islamophobia?

First Muslim Elected in Lawrence Being Pressured to Resign … Does Lawrence Have Islamophobia?

  Kemal Bozkurt is the first Muslim elected to public office in Lawrence. Bozkurt, the city’s acting library director, ran a sticker campaign for school committee last month as there was not even one candidate on the ballot to fill the seat.  Now, Bozkurt is being pressured by members of the city council to either […]

School Cover-ups Must Not Be Tolerated ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL, Nov. 2015

School Cover-ups Must Not Be Tolerated ~ VALLEY PATRIOT EDITORIAL, Nov. 2015

Last month, The Valley Patriot broke three exclusive stories on-line concerning cover-up situations in the Methuen and Lowell Public School systems. First: Lowell High School Headmaster Brian Martin and his administrative staff tried to cover up the fact that Lowell School Committeeman Steve Gendron’s son, Chris, was engaged in racist behavior at school. Gendron’s son […]

The War on Public Education ~YE GAY OL’ VALLEY

The War on Public Education ~YE GAY OL’ VALLEY

By: Dani Langevin – November, 2015 A study conducted by the America Federation of Teachers in 2013 revealed that U.S. students spent as much as thirty days taking practice tests and/or learning test-taking strategies. Considering how much rhetorical energy is spent by politicians and school administrators about time on learning, how is the time dedicated […]

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