Superintendent of Schools Joseph V. Erardi, Jr, shared a brief update with the Board of Education during its meeting on Tuesday, October 6, about this week’s visit to Newtown High School by representatives for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

“I remain very positive that the end result will be a celebration within that building,” said Dr Erardi, after explaining the NEASC representatives had arrived on Sunday, October 4.

Following a visit during the 2005-06 school year, NEASC placed NHS on warning status, mostly due to overcrowding. By March 2011, then-principal Charles Dumais received a letter announcing the warning status had been removed, thanks in large part to the completed high school expansion.

A steering committee at NHS has been working to prepare for this visit since May 2013.

As the school board learned during a September 1 meeting from NHS Principal Lorrie Rodrigue, regional accreditation is a voluntary process and the NEASC visits are conducted by teachers and peers from other districts in the region. While accreditation happens every ten years, Dr Rodrigue told the school board the cycle of preparation for a visit typically takes 12 to 18 months, and preparation includes self-study reports and collecting data for seven standards. The standards include curriculum, instruction, assessment, school resources, culture, and leadership, said Dr Rodrigue.

According to the September presentation, recommendations from the visiting NEASC representatives will be received by NHS within four to five months after the visit.

The board’s student liaison to NHS, senior Rilind Abazi, also spoke during the meeting about his involvement with the NEASC visit.

“NEASC visitors have been in the high school for the past two days,” said Riland. “They have been sitting in classes, monitoring the hallways of the school, and asking questions.”

Rilind reported on his experience with being shadowed earlier in the day by an NEASC representative.

“It was a really good experience and I think we are doing well,” said Rilind, who also reported that his personal involvement with the Safe School Climate Committee helped him answer questions regarding civic responsibility and the atmosphere at the school.

The welcoming ceremony for the NEASC representatives on Sunday, according to Rilind, included student members of the school’s Link Crew and Honor Society representing the student body.

“I think that was a really nice touch in terms of having students there so the evaluators could see our school spirit; well, some of it at least,” said Rilind.

On Wednesday, October 7, the final day of the scheduled NEASC visit, Dr Erardi said he was “certain that the visit will validate an extraordinary faculty and administration working hard every day for students.

“In addition, I am further certain that the self-study done by NHS to prepare for the visit will be validated by the committee, which will create an ongoing school improvement plan that makes a difference for every student at Newtown High School.”

October Community Forum Slated

Monday evening, Dr Erardi also announced the next event in the district’s Community Forum series will be held on Wednesday, October 28. The superintendent said everyone who attended the September Community Forum is challenged to bring a friend to attend the October forum.

“We’re going to focus the hour on school discipline and safety,” said Dr Erardi.

The Community Forum will be held at NHS’s Lecture Hall from 7 to 8 pm.

During the meeting’s public participation, the school board heard a presentation from Newtown Middle School social studies teacher and Newtown hockey coach Paul Esposito, who shared the history of how concepts for a Newtown ice arena morphed as the town looked into community center options.

Mr Esposito said the Newtown Ice Arena Group has been working on a proposal for an ice rink in town since 2011.

“When things opened up with the community center plans, we inserted ourselves into the discussion about having a skating rink, and we also came forth with what we’d envisioned as a all-around multifaceted community center,” said Mr Esposito, before sharing some of the research behind the current concept design.

Mr Esposito said he was speaking before the school board because he believes an ice arena will benefit the town and the school district, by enhancing school programs. Mr Esposito also shared an idea of being able to hold graduation ceremonies and other events at the ice arena, with a temporary flooring conversion over the rink.

“It’s not just for hockey,” said Mr Esposito. “I could go and tell you all the different uses — figure skating, ice skating, sled hockey — but also I’m trying to show the benefits of this type of facility where a pool and a rink work hand in hand, the new types of recreation that would be added into town.”

More information about the Newtown ice arena, Mr Esposito said, is available online at newtownhockey.com or on the Facebook and Twitter “Newtown Ice Arena” account pages.

Mr Esposito also spoke before the board ahead of the final date for the Newtown Community Center survey, available online through October 10. A separate story on the Tuesday, October 6, Community Center Commission meeting is available here.