School Committee Accepts $10,000 Donation for Library Refurbishment
New leadership elected for 2025-2026 academic year as committee approves removal of outdated books
COHASSET - June 4 - The Cohasset School Committee has accepted a $10,000 donation from the Parent School Organization to continue the multi-year library refurbishment project at the middle and high school.
Superintendent Sarah Shannon presented the update on behalf of the middle and high school library media specialist, Kathy Cerruti, highlighting the project's success.
"This year alone resulted in 603 new books on our shelves and 1,322 checkouts in September, which is a 56% increase over last year," Shannon says. "I think that's amazing as a former English teacher, the fact that kids are reading that much makes my heart happy."
The committee also approved the removal of outdated books from the library collection, a process known as "weeding." The books being removed are first offered to staff and community members before being donated or discarded if in poor condition.
Committee member Lance Dial noted that some of the books being removed were from the 1960s and 1970s, including titles like "UFOs: Is There an Answer?" from 1976.
In expressing gratitude for the donation, Shannon describes the PSO as "a true partner for the schools" that supports "everything from field days to field trips to staff luncheons and more," adding they are "essential to our work, and we're incredibly grateful for all the big and small things they do to help make the district who we are."
The committee voted unanimously to accept the donation and approved the weeding list.
In other business, the committee elected new leadership for the 2025-2026 academic year. Jennifer Lesky will serve as chair, replacing current chair Craig MacLellan, who will move to the vice chair position. Lance Dial was elected to serve as secretary.
The changes will take effect at the next committee meeting.
The committee also heard several other reports and updates:
* Athletics Department Review: 86% of high school students (349 out of 406) participate in athletics. The review highlighted the program's strengths, including dedicated coaching staff and strong parental involvement, while recommending improvements in areas such as developing a clear mission statement and improving communication with stakeholders.
* School Improvement Plans: Principals from Osgood School and Deer Hill School presented their school improvement plans, highlighting initiatives including additional recess time, community partnerships, and efforts to enhance social studies and science education through field trips and hands-on learning experiences.
* Cell Phone Policy: The committee continued discussions about potential changes to the high school cell phone policy following a task force review. High School Principal Brian Scott presented information from a pilot program that restricted cell phone use. A community member spoke in support of restricting phone access, noting that during the pilot, "the kids were talking, they were laughing loud... School should be about interacting and having fun."
* Handbook Updates: The committee approved updates to student handbooks for all schools, including changes to align with the district's new mission, vision and core values, updates to language regarding family vacations as unexcused absences, and legal updates regarding student rights and disciplinary procedures.
* French Exchange Program: The committee approved a 2026 French exchange program for high school students. The program will allow 12 students and two chaperones to travel to France at a cost of $3,200-$3,400 per student, with French students visiting Cohasset in February 2026.
* Superintendent's Update: Superintendent Shannon provided updates on spring sports achievements, noting that all teams except one made the state tournament this year. She also highlighted upcoming events including graduation for the class of 2025 on Saturday.
The meeting concluded with the approval of several sets of meeting minutes from previous sessions.
The next school committee meeting will mark the transition to the newly elected leadership team and include the executive session that was postponed from this meeting.