Abington School Committee Welcomes New Member, Reorganizes Leadership
Ellis joins committee after winning the April 26 election; Coyle continues as chair
ABINGTON - April 29 - The Abington School Committee welcomed its newest member, Caroline Ellis, during Tuesday's meeting at the Middle High School Library. Ellis, who won Saturday's election, replaces Danielle Grafton who did not seek re-election.
"Welcome, Caroline. Looking forward to having you as part of the team," said Chris Coyle as he opened the April 29 meeting.
The committee immediately moved to reorganize its leadership positions, as required after elections. Coyle was unanimously re-elected as chair, with all five members voting in his favor.
Melanie Whitney received unanimous support to serve as vice chair, while Heidi Hernandez was unanimously elected to continue as secretary.
"She does it better than anybody I've ever seen anyways," Coyle remarked about Hernandez before the secretary vote.
The committee also discussed subcommittee assignments, which Coyle indicated would be finalized in June. He noted that Ellis could join committees as needed in the interim.
"Over the course of the next six weeks or so, you guys can just let me know," Coyle told committee members regarding their subcommittee preferences.
The meeting featured several presentations from school administrators, beginning with the introduction of Suzy Trahan, who will become the new assistant principal at Beaver Brook Elementary School effective July 1.
"I am so grateful and thankful for the opportunity to join Abington and for the confidence that you have in me joining your team," Trahan told the committee. "I'm a big proponent in working with students and families and being engaged with the community, and I'm really looking forward to joining Abington in this next chapter in my career."
Christina Park, director of guidance at Abington High School, presented on the department's work supporting students' academic, social-emotional, and post-secondary planning needs. She highlighted new dual enrollment opportunities through Quincy College that will allow students to earn college credits while taking courses at Abington High School.
"We are hoping we will see a change in is I feel like it's going to help our students be more marketable with their college applications," Park explained. "One of the questions on the Common App does ask, 'Have you taken a college university course?' And a lot of our students say no."
The dual enrollment program will initially offer environmental science and psychology courses to juniors and seniors, with students paying between $350 and $450 per course compared to approximately $1,200 at a four-year university.
Kristina Wilson, head of the Foreign Language Department, reported significant growth in student achievement across reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in Spanish. She noted that 19 students have signed up for AP Spanish next year.
"We're all pretty excited about that. Pretty proud of all the work the department has done, grade 7 and up," Wilson said.
Annie Robinson, director of the Abington Early Education Program, presented the preschool's improvement plan, noting that the program is at full capacity for community peers with a waiting list of more than 20 families.
Matthew MacCurtain, principal of Abington Middle School, outlined the school's improvement plan focused on curriculum enhancement and building a positive school community. He highlighted the success of the school's positive behavior reward system, which has seen nearly 4,800 tokens redeemed by students this year.
"What they're redeeming them for is anything from little trinkets and fidget toys, but with the more popular thing of privileges, mostly focused around lunchtime," MacCurtain explained.
The committee also addressed several other items:
* Set Thursday, June 12, 2025, as the final day of school for the current academic year
* Recognized baseball coach Steve Perakslis for becoming the school's all-time wins leader with his 339th career victory
* Announced upcoming events including the middle school's production of "Little Mermaid" on May 9-10
* Noted that May 22 is the seniors' last day of school and the senior reception
The meeting concluded with recognition of student representative Ana, who will be attending the University of Vermont's Honors College next year.
"Congratulations on graduation, which we'll see you at as well," Coyle said.
The committee then entered executive session to discuss negotiations with the Education Association Units A and B and non-union personnel. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. in the Middle High School Library.