Students give testimony; principals and long-serving committee members honored

The meeting opened with a student "speak out" in which middle- and high-school students described experiences and asked for opportunities.

Gabriela Torres, a sixth grader at Duggan Academy, praised enrichments and the school climate, saying Duggan "offers many new and exciting opportunities" and describing Foodsmart, which teaches cooking and lets students eat what they prepare. Kobe Ni, a senior at Duggan, described college application success and said he received a full scholarship offer to Western New England University's engineering program.

Josiah Williams, an eighth grader from John F. Kennedy Middle School, said the school "gave me hope for the future" and credited staff for supporting his progress. Students from Van Sickle and other schools described clubs, athletics and a desire for expanded middle-school sports like baseball.

Later the committee recognized Bowen, Glickman, Kennedy and Van Sickle for achieving pre-pandemic MCAS levels; principals accepted the award and thanked staff and teachers for the work. Principal Lisa Bukowski of Bowen credited classroom staff and family partnerships for student success.

The committee also honored long-serving members Christopher (Chris) Collins, Attorney Peter Murphy and Josiah Gonzalez. Members praised their institutional knowledge, commitment to children and work on budgets and policies; Collins and Murphy offered remarks reflecting on service and urged new members to learn the system.

Student representative Alexandra Rivera of Springfield Central delivered a report on spirit-week events, upcoming JROTC inspections, AP African American studies advocacy and the launch of Central's mock-trial team.

The public portions concluded with brief superintendent remarks and administrative updates.