WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew reports that Pentucket Regional Middle and High Schools are transitioning temporarily to remote learning tomorrow as a result of a water main break.
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Fine & Performing Arts Chair Marcia Nadeau are pleased to announce the virtual Pentucket Regional Middle and High School Art Festival is now live.
The virtual art gallery became available for viewing on Tuesday, June 16 and features over 280 pieces created by students in grades seven through 12. The art exhibited includes paintings, digital art, photography and 3D sculptures. To view the online gallery, click here.
Guided and self-guided virtual tours are available for those who wish to explore the student projects. The exhibit is organized by grade and class, and clicking on the art allows you to see which student the project belongs to.
“I started looking for a format to have a virtual exhibit once I realized that we would not be able to host our Annual Arts Festival at school due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Nadeau said. “It’s amazing to see what these students create and we love to be able to share their incredible work with community members.”
This is the second virtual art exhibit held this June by Pentucket students. On Thursday, June 4, the Virtual Senior Art Exhibit was published and continues to remain available online. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, community members and the media can access all of the exhibit through two viewing options: via slideshow or by visiting the Pentucket TV YouTube channel.
Each senior designed their own exhibit and chose meaningful pieces from art classes taken throughout their time at Pentucket Regional High School to display. Some seniors also chose to include a short biography, information on their inspiration and artistic process, and/or their plans for the fall.
Graduating seniors featured in the virtual art exhibit include: Lydia Baldini, of Groveland; Samantha Bellville, of Groveland, Alexa Berkley, of West Newbury, Samuel Bissitt, of Merrimac, Madeline Conover, of West Newbury, Nathan Conway, of Groveland, Brooke Daniels, of Groveland, Sasha Davis, of Merrimac, Molly Forget, of Groveland, Kayla King, of Merrimac, Grace McIntyre, of Haverhill, Maggie Peterson, of Merrimac, Katherine Rosa, of Groveland, and Mikayla Tilden, of Groveland.
“I’m blown away by the creativity of our students when looking at the art they’ve made and am grateful all the art teachers, including Marcia, were able to create this opportunity for students to showcase their work,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “While we unfortunately aren’t able to showcase students’ projects the way we normally do, I’m grateful for the work everyone did to allow this event to be held remotely.”
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Assistant Superintendent Brent Conway are pleased to provide an update on the development of a new, more culturally responsible and inclusive history and social studies curriculum for the entire Pentucket Regional School District.
Over the past year, members of the district have been working to update the curriculum in order to meet the new history and social studies standards set by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). The new standards create an added emphasis on teaching students civic responsibility; focus on including more diverse materials and discussions to create a more accurate representation of different genders, races and cultures; and include more lessons on local history and indigenous groups. These changes by the state were the first revisions since 2003, though much of the content still reflected the original 1997 version even after the revision.
Using the new standards as a foundation, district officials and teachers from all Pentucket schools met to review the current curriculum to find the gaps and needs in order to align with the new guidelines. The group was co-chaired by Assistant Superintendent Conway and John Siegfried, History Department Chair for grades seven through 12. A survey was also completed by staff and families in the district.
“Our goal is to help shape students into ethical and morally responsible community members by focusing on teaching them civic responsibility and important historical periods that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve in the past, including ones that bear particular importance for people of color and women,” said Superintendent Bartholomew. “These updates to the curriculum for all of the district’s students will help us to achieve that goal and ensure they are receiving an in-depth and thorough education in world history.”
Some of the key changes include:
To view a full summary of the committee’s report, click here.
Over the next approximately 16 months, work will be done to implement the curriculum, starting with the purchasing of textbooks and e-editions of textbooks for students.
“These new materials will support a critical step forward for our district, and provide our students with the knowledge and support they will need to become informed and thoughtful citizens,” Assistant Superintendent Conway said. “It is vital for our children to know and understand the history of all people and cultures, and we’re especially proud to include more lessons about the indigenous groups of Massachusetts and the Pentucket region.
Assistant Superintendent Conway gave a presentation about the new curriculum to the Pentucket School Board on Tuesday, June 16. To view the presentation, click here.
Terrence “Terry” Conant has been selected to become the new Pentucket Regional Middle School Principal beginning July 1. (Courtesy Photo Pentucket Regional School District)
Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that Terry Conant has been named the new Principal of Pentucket Regional Middle School.
Conant will assume his new role on July 1, and replaces Ken Kelley, who has been selected as the new principal of the Donaghue and Sweetsir Elementary Schools.
“I could not be more excited to be joining the Pentucket family,” Conant said. “I am looking forward to meeting students, families, and staff in the upcoming weeks to learn about the traditions that make PRSD a great place to be. I would like to thank Dr. Bartholomew and the selection committee for allowing me the opportunity to lead the PRMS community as we enter the next phase in teaching and learning. I can’t wait to get work.”
Conant most recently served as the assistant principal at the newly built Beverly Middle School in Beverly. Prior to working in this new building he served as an assistant principal at the Briscoe Middle School, the now closed middle school building in Beverly, since 2011. During his 20 years in Beverly he has facilitated a professional learning community (PLC) focused on social emotional learning and school climate. He also collaborated with the creation of a grade five through eight middle school building and program with the grand opening in September of 2018.
During his tenure in Beverly, he served on multiple teams to bring educational success to the district. He helped build the school culture, was a member of Beverly Public Schools’ data team, collaborated with content teams to discuss curriculum, facilitated the student support team, organized the sixth grade trip to Nature’s Classroom in Charlton, Mass. and was appointed as the middle school representative on the School Committee’s Curriculum, Instruction and Student Life Sub-Committee.
He was also selected to be the head facilitator of the STEAM and Technology specialists at the elementary level at Beverly Public Schools from September 2014 to June 2015 to transition to the Next Generation Science Standards and to align and develop curriculum. From 2005 until 2020, he served as the Professional Development Instructor at Beverly Public Schools.
“Terry has a truly remarkable resume– he brings with him a wealth of experience and insight, and we’re excited to welcome him to the Pentucket team,” Superintendent Bartholomew said. “His background demonstrates that he’s a well rounded, thoughtful educator, and we’re confident he’ll be a wonderful asset to our district moving forward.”
Conant also worked as a technology instructor at Briscoe Middle School from 2010 to 2011 and as a sixth grade science teacher at Memorial Middle and Briscoe Middle Schools from 2002-2010. He also served as the equity coordinator at Briscoe Middle School from August 2010 to June 2011.
From 2000 to 2011, Conant worked as the assistant varsity football coach at Beverly High School, and as the head freshman baseball coach from 2002-2011.
He’s also played in the school band, and highly values the skills and knowledge learned from the arts.
From 1996 to 2010, Conant additionally worked as the camp director for the City of Beverly Recreation Department’s Adventure Camp.
Prior to working at Beverly Public Schools Conant was a middle school math and science teacher at St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish from 2000-2002. While there, he also served as the school’s athletic director.
Conant has also volunteered previously for the Beverly Little League, North Shore Flag Football League and Beverly Babe Ruth Baseball.
MERRIMAC — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that Ken Kelley has been selected as the new principal of the Helen R. Donaghue and Dr. Frederick N. Sweetsir Elementary Schools in Merrimac.
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew is pleased to announce that construction for the Pentucket Regional Middle-High School building is set to begin this spring.
WEST NEWBURY — Superintendent Justin Bartholomew announces that the district has selected an interim principal to serve at the Helen R. Donaghue and Dr. Frederick N. Sweetsir Elementary Schools, and has named another at Pentucket Regional Middle School.
