Falco: Congrats on a Great School Year!
As many of you know I take a great deal of pride representing you on the Medford School Committee and I am very proud of our students, teachers, staff, and administrators. I would like to congratulate everyone on a great school year and wish you a happy and safe summer, but I would also like to recognize our school system and students for some remarkable accomplishments and positive achievements. I apologize in advance if I have missed some, but I feel that this list is impressive and everyone should know about it. We need to celebrate these success stories!!!
This list is in no particular order:
– Medford High School and Vocational Technical High Schools are rated by the state accountability system as level 1 which is the highest designation.
– Medford High School students ranked #1 in percentage of students (87.9%) statewide who achieved a passing score on Advanced Placement exams.
– We have advanced several new vocational programs that will begin next year in key STEM areas of Bio-Tech/Environmental; Robotics/Engineering; Business/Marketing; Hospitality/Culinary; and Graphics/Design.
– We have completed the construction of seventeen new state of the art science labs.
– A new schedule was implemented at the High School and Vocational School that will allow students to take foreign language five days a week.
– We have completed re-construction of our Olympic sized swimming pool.
– We have implemented several programs to reduce bullying and other unacceptable behaviors.
– We have passed policies to ensure access for all students based on gender orientation.
– Our class size is among the best in the state.
– Our ELL student population is growing and they are outperforming the state averages.
– Medford High School students were selected for sixteen art and seven writing awards in the Boston Globe Scholastic competition.
– Our students earned 14 Gold medals in the National Spanish exam.
– Our MHS Robotics Team was recognized for its creative achievement and placed six out of twenty-two schools in the state competition.
– Our MVTHS carpentry students won several awards from the Furniture Trust.
– Medford High School senior Erica Budina won the state science fair two years in a row and won the national prize and the Genzyme Award.
– One of our MVTHS students won a Gold Medal (Graphic Communications) in the Skills USA competition. Another MVTHS student was elected to state office representing Massachusetts through June 2015.
– Our students have been accepted to some of the finest colleges and universities including Harvard, MIT, RPI, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, and Tufts University.
– Some students are proudly serving our country and have joined the United States National Guard, Coast Guard Academy, Marines, and Navy.
– Our Ethics Bowl Team defeated Phillips Andover Academy in the Tufts University competition.
– Our Athletic teams are competitive and our students have achieved multiple recognitions.
– Our Marching Band won top honors in several area competitions.
– We introduced iPads and Apple TV into the classroom to complement our system wide technology plan.
– All of our schools participated in community fundraising drives to help the needy and challenged.
– Medford students participated in the Medford Children’s Art Showcase.
– The McGlynn String Ensemble won another gold medal at the MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental and Chorus Conductor’s Association) Band and Orchestra Concert Festival.
– John Falco is a member of the Medford School Committee