Two Lawrence High Seniors Win Valley Patriot Scholarship

Two Lawrence High Seniors Win Valley Patriot Scholarship

  The Valley Patriot newspaper granted two, $600 scholarships at the 12th Anniversary BASH last month thanks to the sponsors and advertisers of the paper. Valley Patriot publisher Tom Duggan told the crowd that originally the scholarship award was $400, “but thanks to our platinum sponsors Kevin Leach, Joe Zingales of Team Zingales-Remax and Mike […]

Teacher Speaks Out on Poor Treatment in Lawrence Schools

Teacher Speaks Out on Poor Treatment  in Lawrence Schools

By: Amy Berard – August, 2015 I am one of the 59 Lawrence teachers whose contract was not renewed this year. Recently, on June 11, you reported on this. I would like to share with you and possibly your readers my experience teaching within the Lawrence Public School District. I have taught in Lawrence at […]

Here’s A Guaranteed Fix for Lawrence Schools: The Children of Lawrence Deserve Real Reform

Here’s A Guaranteed Fix for Lawrence Schools:  The Children of Lawrence Deserve Real Reform

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX SIMPLE MATH Only 25 percent of Lawrence’s eighth grade students, based on MCAS test results, are proficient in mathematics. The percentage of proficient students increases to only 27 percent in tenth grade (winter 2011), but this can hardly be considered progress since there are roughly 12 percent fewer students remaining to […]

Courts Rule in favor of The Valley Patriot … again!

Massachusetts Appeals and State Supreme Courts Reject Kevin Thompson’s Bogus Lawsuit … Again!   May, 2010 The Massachusetts Court of Appeals and the State Supreme Court have dealt a final defeat to Kevin Thompson of Methuen who unsuccessfully sued The Valley Patriot newspaper for libel and defamation of character stemming from an opinion piece published […]

An Exclusive Interview with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy

An Exclusive Interview with Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy

  By: Tom Duggan, May, 2009 Lawrence School Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy granted an exclusive interview with The Valley Patriot where he discussed for the first time to anyone, the details of recent media scandals involving his office, teachers and principals under his command and the spate of bad publicity in the daily newspaper concerning the […]

Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy Refutes Chief Romero’s Claim of Increased Arrests at LHS

Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy Refutes Chief Romero’s Claim of Increased Arrests at LHS

 By: Tom Duggan – May, 2008   July 29, 2008 — Following Police Chief John Romero’s issuing of the School Resource Officer (SRO) report detailing an increase in arrests in the District, Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy has issued a statement disputing the data in the report: The Lawrence Public Schools constantly monitors data pertaining to […]

Laboy: Race Politics is Ruining Lawrence

Laboy: Race Politics is Ruining Lawrence

Tom Duggan (07/03/07) Lawrence Superintendent of Schools Wilfredo Laboy has been under fire by critics over the last month for his decision to house newly arrived immigrant students with lack of English proficiency in the “old” high school building on Haverhill Street once the new $110 million campus is officially opened. Teacher’s union president Frank McLaughlin […]

Waste, Overruns & Mismanagement

By: Paula Porten & Tom Duggan – December 2004  For the last two years, residents of Lawrence have been calling the construction of a $110 million high school “The Big Dig of Lawrence,” because of its price tag. For months, School Committeeman Amy McGovern and Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy have been questioning the quality of work […]

Signs of Growth are Everywhere in Lawrence – By Lawrence High Principal Tom Sharkey

By: Tom Sharkey – September, 2004 The development of the mill buildings, the construction of a new rail center, and the repairs to City Hall and to Veterans Stadium speak to a community coming together to shape its future. Though still in its early stages, emerging as another success story for the City is Lawrence […]

Why Lawrence High School Really Lost Accreditation

Originally published on tommyduggan.com (02-08-00) PAYING ATTENTION! WITH TOM DUGGAN   Before there was a Valley Patriot (established in 2004) there was tommyduggan.com, a blog before there were blogs, a news webpage before there were news webpages. Long before there was an Eagle Tribune web page or a boston.com there was a tommyduggan.com. Valley Patriot Publisher […]