CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OA CLASS OF 2021!!!

OA senior, Aeden Marcus has won Best in Show for her apron illustration entitled "Room 126" in the Congressional Art Competition in the Massachusetts 4th district. Her work will be displayed at the U.S. Capitol for the year!   Adeden's placement marks the 10th time in the 13 years the OA Art Department has had students enter into the Congressional Art Competition, that an OA artist has received the honor!

Congratulations Aeden!!!

Easton Public Schools Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent 50 Oliver St. North Easton, MA 02356

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, May 7, 2021 Contact: Leah Comins Phone: 781-428-3299 Email: leah@jgpr.net Easton Public Schools Announces Blanche A. Ames Elementary School Leadership Appointments From left: Ann Weintrob, Sam Cederbaum and Tom Higgins pictured at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Blanche A. Ames Elementary School in April. Weintrob, Cederbaum and Higgins will each hold a leadership position at the new school. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) EASTON -- Superintendent Lisha Cabral is pleased to announce the administrators who will lead the future Blanche A. Ames Elementary School. Principals Sam Cederbaum, Tom Higgins and Ann Weintrob, who currently serve as the principals of Easton's three elementary schools, will each hold a leadership position at the new school. "Sam, Tom and Ann are highly capable, experienced, valued principals at our current elementary schools who enjoy the support of staff and the community," Superintendent Cabral said. "They have significant experience as educators and leaders, and I am excited to see each of them grow in their new roles. I am confident that they will lead the Blanche A. Ames School with exceptional professionalism, and I am grateful to each of them for their outstanding service to the district." Cederbaum, current principal at Parkview Elementary, will serve as the Blanche A. Ames principal. Cederbaum is in his third year as the Parkview principal. He previously served as a principal in Douglas for five years. "I am very excited to be the Principal of the Blanche Ames Elementary School. I am looking forward to building a caring community of learners with our amazing Pre-K-2 students, staff and families," Cederbaum said. "Our staff and students will have a state-of-the-art school in which they can create, learn and play, which will only enhance the excellent teaching and learning that already exists here in Easton." He added, "The Blanche Ames School will also add greatly to our school community as its construction will finally allow all Easton students Pre-K-12 to be on the same campus. In addition, this beautiful new facility with multiple playgrounds, sports fields and gymnasium can be utilized by our entire community. Blanche Ames was many things in her life - inventor, activist, artist - and I hope to inspire our youngest learners to reach for their dreams as well!" Higgins, current principal at Moreau Hall, will serve as the associate principal for grades 1 and 2. Higgins has been the principal at Moreau Hall since July 2013. He had previously been a third grade teacher within the district for 13 years. "I'm most looking forward to supporting our wonderful educators, the life blood of our district, in their daily endeavors to help our youngest learners love school," Higgins said. "Having spent much of my career in deteriorating buildings with multiple limitations, I'm excited to support teachers in a building that matches the quality of the work they do! This beautiful building is not just a school but a community hub to be enjoyed by generations of Easton residents. To be a small part of this lasting legacy is an honor and privilege." Weintrob, current principal at Center School, will serve as the curriculum coordinator for Pre-K-2 and district coordinator of the English Language Learner Program. Weintrob is in her 28th year as an educator in the district. She has been the Center School principal since 2013. "I am grateful to the Easton residents for supporting this amazing project. The community is providing our youngest learners with a state-of-the-art facility designed specifically for their developmental needs," Weintrob said. "I am confident our students will thrive as the learning environment will now match the high quality instruction provided by Easton educators." She added, "In my new role as Curriculum and English Learner Program Coordinator, my priority will be to build upon the previous work of our curriculum leaders and teachers to facilitate the completion and implementation of units of study. As an educator, Easton resident and School Planning Committee member, it is with immeasurable pride and excitement that I look forward to the opening of the Blanche A. Ames School." A groundbreaking for the new school was held in April. Construction on the new building, which is being built on the current Parkview site, is scheduled to be completed in October 2022. Students, faculty and staff are expected to be in the building at the beginning of 2023, at which time demolition of the old Parkview School and completion of the fields and grounds will take place from December 2022 to May 2023.

Easton Public Schools Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent 50 Oliver St. North Easton, MA 02356 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, April 13, 2021 Contact: Leah Comins Phone: 781-428-3299 Email: leah@jgpr.net Easton Public Schools Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Blanche A. Ames Elementary School The Easton Public Schools held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Blanche A. Ames Elementary School on Friday, April 9. Representatives from the project team, schools and town, as well as several elected officials, were in attendance. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) EASTON -- Superintendent Lisha Cabral and School Planning Committee Chair Jane Martin are pleased to announce that a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Blanche A. Ames Elementary School was held Friday, April 9. The full ceremony, recorded by Easton Community Access Television, can be viewed here. "I'm incredibly, incredibly grateful to everybody who has contributed to this project so far," Martin said. "We are so fortunate to live in a state where our elected leaders and the governance that's in place strongly support progressive education, and that support comes through today really clearly in terms of this project." Martin opened the ceremony by thanking the Massachusetts School Building Authority; the town committees, community members and educators who have been involved in the process; the project team; and town leadership. Superintendent Cabral gave a brief history of Blanche A. Ames, including her architectural skills, inventions, suffragette efforts, botanical research and her drawings of orchids. "We found Blanche Ames to be extraordinary, not only for her contributions to this town, but as a role model for our youngest learners," Superintendent Cabral said. "We're extremely proud to have this building named after a woman who was a suffragette fighting for women's rights; she was an architect, of Borderland Mansion; she was an inventor, everything from designing ways to keep turkeys from becoming diseased, to toilets, to anti-aircraft devices for the military. She was a talented botanical artist and certainly a leader well before her time. We are absolutely thrilled that our young people for a century now will have this beautiful building in her name." She added, "Once you come to this building when it's completed, which we hope you will, you will see that it is absolutely developed in her honor -- spaces for creativity, innovation and civic possibilities, and exactly what I believe Blanche Ames would have wanted for our youngest citizens of Easton." Additional remarks were given by Massachusetts School Building Authority Deputy Chief Executive Officer Jack McCarthy; Congressman Jake Auchincloss; State Rep. and Majority Leader Claire Cronin; State Auditor Suzanne Bump; State Sen. Walter Timilty; State Sen. Michael Brady; State Rep. Carol Doherty; Easton Select Board Chair Dottie Fulginiti; and Town Administrator Connor Read. Parkview School Principal Samuel Cederbaum also gave remarks on behalf of the Pre-K-2 principals. "This groundbreaking event symbolizes the years of planning, visioning and designing that have gone into making the Blanche Ames Ames Elementary School a reality," Cedarbaum said. "Thanks to the commitment from our community, Easton's youngest learners will now begin their educational journey in a state-of-the-art building designed just for them. From the colors, to the themes and the creatively designed spaces, our students will have a place to explore, play, innovate and learn." Superintendent Cabral also recognized the members of the Easton School Committee; Assistant Superintendent Crissy Pruitt; Director of Operations David Twombly; Director of Finance Marilyn Gordon; Director of Student Services Theresa Skinner; and the Pre-K-2 administrative team, including Ann Weintrob, Thomas Higgins and Cederbaum. Representatives from design company Perkins Eastman, project manager PMA Consultants and general contractor Brait Builders Corporation were also on hand. "We are so indebted to [the taxpayers and community] for really being forward-thinking about the children of the future," Superintendent Cabral said. "Please know, that throughout the design process we had the community in mind. I think you will be very impressed at the sophistication of the designs in the way that they offer child-friendly spaces, but very generous community uses. We are excited to welcome the community into this building for many uses that, right now, we just haven't been able to do in our elementary schools. This will be a building for all residents of Easton." Construction on the new building is currently scheduled to finish in October 2022. ### Representatives from design company Perkins Eastman, project manager PMA Consultants and general contractor Brait Builders Corporation also attended the April 9 ceremony. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) Superintendent Lisha Cabral speaks in front of the construction site at the April 9 groundbreaking ceremony. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) Samuel Cederbaum (speaking), principal of the Parkview School, Moreau Hall Principal Thomas Higgins (right) and Center School Principal Ann Weintrob represent the Pre-K-2 administrative team at the April 9 ceremony. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) Easton Town Administrator Connor Read speaks at the April 9 ceremony. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools) Construction on the Blanche A. Ames Elementary School has begun and is currently scheduled to finish in October 2022. (Photo courtesy Easton Public Schools)

Easton Public Schools Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent 50 Oliver St. North Easton, MA 02356

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, April 9, 2021 Contact: Leah Comins Phone: 781-428-3299 Email: leah@jgpr.net Kelly Cavanaugh Chosen as New Principal of Easton's Oliver Ames High School Kelly Cavanaugh has been selected to become the new principal of Oliver Ames High School following the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year. (Photo courtesy Kelly Cavanaugh) EASTON -- Superintendent Lisha Cabral and Assistant Superintendent Crissy Pruitt are pleased to announce that Kelly Cavanaugh has been chosen to be the new Principal of Easton's Oliver Ames High School. "Kelly is an accomplished professional with the capacity and energy to meet the needs of the students and staff at Oliver Ames," Superintendent Cabral said. "She is passionate about serving Easton and initiating changes and improvements as we move into the future, while also preserving the honored traditions and history of Oliver Ames and the Easton community." Cavanaugh currently works as an assistant principal at Canton High School. She will take over for Principal Wes Paul, who is retiring at the conclusion of the school year. The selection was announced at the Easton School Committee meeting on Thursday, April 8. "I am most looking forward to getting to know the community and hearing from students, faculty and families about their experience at Oliver Ames High School," Cavanaugh said. "I am excited to celebrate the successes and learn about the challenges they face so that we can collaborate in our work towards continuous improvement." Cavanaugh has served as an assistant principal at Canton High School since 2019, and served as dean from 2018-2019. She previously worked at the Lexington Public Schools as dean of students and at Westwood High School as a special education teacher before being promoted to interim assistant principal. She began her career at the League School of Greater Boston as a special education teacher in 2001. She also served in administrative roles at the school including as admissions director, assistant director of education and director of education. "I am very passionate about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging," Cavanaugh said. "I am eager to learn more about the work Oliver Ames is currently engaged in and to collaborate with others to advance this essential work. Another passion of mine is creating a school culture that encourages teachers and students to take risks, try new things and see their unsuccessful moments as a positive step towards growth. I hope that together we can celebrate both the times we find success and the times we don't, but we learned from the experience and persevered." Cavanaugh received a bachelor’s degree in theater and arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She also holds a Master of Education in special education and a postgraduate certificate in special education administration from Bridgewater State University. Cavanaugh was selected following a comprehensive search process that included multiple interviews, a site visit at each candidate's school and meet-and-greets with Oliver Ames staff, students and families. "I'd like to express my gratitude to the other candidates and the search committee who devoted so much time and effort to this process as well as the community members who participated in the site visits," Superintendent Cabral said. "This was an inclusive and comprehensive process that ensured we found the best fit for this critical role. I would also like to commend Assistant Superintendent Pruitt on her exemplary leadership throughout the process as the chair of the search committee." She added, "We will be welcoming Kelly at the same time we will be saying farewell to Principal Paul who is the longest standing principal in OA history, and this district and community are indebted to him for his many years of tremendous service."

Congratulations Tatum Perry, Junior at OA who received the
National Silver Medal in the Scholastic Art Awards!

Note, only 1% in 300,000 place at the National level so this is quite an accomplishment for Tatum, well done!!!

Also, Congratulations to OA Art Teacher Kristyn Shea for receiving a National Silver Medal in Art Instruction!!

This marks the 9th National Medal OA students have received and the 9th that Kristyn Shea has received in instruction!! 

Massachusetts Art Educators Association 

High School Recognition Exhibit Awards:

Tatum Perry

Samantha Keefe

Emily Dionne



Emma Lawson



Aeden Marcus