NORWELL - March 9, 2026 - The Norwell School Committee dedicated much of its Monday night session to a “Celebrating Excellence” presentation from Norwell Middle School, highlighting a shift toward “Universal Design for Learning” (UDL) and student-led initiatives. From sixth-grade “author studies” that sparked a surprise Zoom call with a Newbery Medal winner to seventh-graders building life-sized Samurai to learn feudal history, the meeting emphasized how giving students “voice and choice” has significantly boosted classroom engagement and academic results..
The Full Story
Middle School Principal James Dupille opened the evening by framing the school’s current focus on student engagement and building strong community relationships. The presentation was notably student-centric, with several grade-level cohorts explaining how they have taken ownership of their curriculum.
Literacy and Global Connections The sixth-grade ELA department, led by teachers Diane Uhlman and Jen Marani, shared the impact of a PTO-funded virtual author study with award-winning author Kwame Alexander. Student Genevieve Hutchison recounted how her personal email to Alexander—proposing a sequel to his book The Crossover from a girl’s perspective—resulted in a surprise Zoom visit for her entire class. This “chain reaction” of engagement inspired other students to reach out to authors like Sharon Draper and Anne Blankman, and even led to the formation of a student-run, after-school book club that meets every Thursday.
Universal Design in Social Studies Seventh-grade social studies teachers Jason Amato and Bethany Gavin detailed their implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). By offering “choice-based projects,” students now demonstrate their knowledge through various mediums rather than standard tests.
Hands-on History: Student Spencer Novick described building a life-sized Samurai out of paper to understand the warrior class, rather than just memorizing dates.
Lego Learning: Student Chase Mammi explained how he used Legos to recreate an ancient Indian city, noting that the physical build helped him “retain the information so well” that subsequent tests were much easier.
Music, Math, and Community Service
The committee also celebrated the Middle School’s broader achievements:
Music Excellence: The music program highlighted the growth of students from sixth to eighth grade, including a live vocal performance of “Gallop” by student singers.
Math Counts: The Norwell Math Counts team was recognized for taking first place in the regional competition, with student Joey Yazbeck placing 36th individually at the state level.
Project 351: Ambassador Elisa Trebicka announced a spring service project for “Cradles to Crayons,” collecting clothing at the Middle School to fight clothing insecurity for children.
“Every single thing that we talked about tonight was about student choice... It just shows that when you guys have that choice, it just seems like you’re so much more engaged... It really is like all about choice to engagement to joy.” [0:52:07] — Kristin McEachern, School Committee Chair.
Why It Matters
For Norwell residents, these presentations serve as a “progress report” on recent district-wide investments in professional development and curriculum shifts. The move toward UDL and “student choice” is designed to make the curriculum accessible to every type of learner, reducing the need for more intensive, costly interventions later on. Furthermore, the high participation in voluntary programs—like the 45-student Math Counts team—suggests a school culture that successfully balances academic rigor with student “joy”.
Official Minutes & Data
Key Motions & Votes
Motion: To approve the minutes of Feb 9, 2026, and Accounts Payable warrants 33-36.
Vote: Unanimous (0:54:45)
Motion: To approve an 8th-grade waiver for Girls JV Softball for the Spring 2026 season.
Vote: Unanimous (0:55:32)
Motion: To approve Middle and High School student activity accounts and funding sources.
Vote: Unanimous (0:56:14)
Elementary Progress: Tiered Support and Literacy
Director of Teaching and Learning Meredith Erickson presented the “Norwell Tiered Systems of Support” for elementary schools. The data shows that Norwell is successfully keeping its “Tier 3” (intensive support) numbers low—generally around 3-5%—by strengthening “Tier 1” core classroom instruction. However, officials noted that the loss of two literacy specialists following last year’s failed override has reduced the “flexibility” specialists have to model lessons for teachers in the classroom.
Student Opportunity Act (SOA) Update
Erickson also provided a mandated update on the Student Opportunity Act. Norwell’s 2025 MCAS data showed that 66% of third graders met or exceeded expectations. The district is currently focusing on narrowing the achievement gap for students with disabilities and high-needs subgroups.
Sustainability: Electric Vehicle Charging
Director of Finance and Operations Warren MacCallum presented a state-funded opportunity to install EV charging stations at district buildings for free. The committee expressed interest in moving forward with the investigation, provided there is no liability or significant maintenance cost to the town.
What’s Next
Capital Budget Meetings: March 16 and March 24, 2026.
Public Budget Hearing: March 30, 2026.
MSBA Update: The district has been approved for “Module 2” (Feasibility) for the High School project, with a School Building Committee beginning to meet later this spring.