WORCESTER – When the 25,000 students in the Worcester Public Schools head back to the classroom Monday, they will be welcomed with open arms and open minds by teachers, administrators, and staff who are excited to start the new school year.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” said Superintendent of the Worcester Public Schools, Maureen Binienda, in her remarks at the Opening of School Convening and Recognition of Excellence Ceremony at the DCU Center on Friday, August 23.
“All 5,000 of us are a team, and today I get to be with my team. We’re making a statement to the community that we welcome every student back to the classroom, and we are committed to their academic success.”
Welcoming schools are part of the strategic plan for Worcester Public, and the idea was mentioned by Mayor Joseph M. Petty, Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, who also spoke briefly about funding for the new Doherty High School.
Teachers and staff cheered as Superintendent Binienda spoke to an increased budget for new teachers, staff, books, equipment, and facility improvements.
Keynote speaker Jaime Casap, Global Education Evangelist for Google, Inc., shared his experience, and the importance of welcoming technology into the classroom, not just as a new way for students to learn, but to plan for their future.
“Don’t ask kids what they want to be when they grow up. Ask them what problems they want to solve” said Casap. “This changes the conversation from who do I want to work for, to what do I need to learn to do that. It welcomes new ideas.”
School committee members recognized recipients of the Thomas Jefferson Award, the Unsung Heroes Award, and the Distinguished Awards, including Worcester Public School 2019 Teacher of the Year, Lauren Sargent, ESL Teacher at the Dr. James A. Caradonio New Citizens Center.
There were Spirit Awards for the school with the loudest cheer, student artwork projected onto the large screen, mascots dressed up and running through the crowd, and a musical performance by performing arts students from throughout the district.
The most inspiring moment though, came when three-year-old Ily (abbreviated from I Love You) Mave Dereda, an incoming preschool student at Chandler Magnet Elementary, was welcomed to the stage with her mother to lead 5,000 people in the Pledge of Allegiance: A perfect kick-off to the 2019-2020 school year.
Welcome back!
Lead photo: Worcester teachers rally at DCU Center on Friday, Aug.23/Photo: Darcy Schwartz for ThisWeekinWorcester.com
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