SPS District Newsletter

Congratulations to senior Layla! She earned second place in the prestigious Massachusetts School Building Association (MSBA) Building a Logo contest. State Treasurer Maria Popolo and the Executive Director of MSBA presented Layla with her award. Layla is a top achiever in the Career and Technical Education Graphics program and has an incredible passion for design. She plans to continue on a creative path after graduation. Well done, Layla and thank you Graphic Communications teacher Mr. McElroy. Watch the award ceremony. Layla's design is pictured.

Through an audition process, six SPS students in grades 4 to 6 were chosen to sing in the selective All-State Treble Chorus. Students worked countless hours at home and after school to prepare for the auditions and performance. Students came from the Winter Hill Community Innovation School and the John F. Kennedy School. This is an annual event sponsored by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA).

SHS Robotics Coach and STEAM educator Ms. Laura Peters won the 2025 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Educator Award for Massachusetts! Ms. Peters has expanded access to engineering through events like the Family Creative Computing & Robotics Night and the Girls Who Code Club. Congratulations Ms. Peters!

You can view beautiful artwork by SPS students in the Massachusetts Art Education Association (MAEA) Virtual Statewide Youth Art Month Exhibit. Four students were recognized for Artistic Excellence. Three high school students were recognized as Emerging Artists by MAEA.

Students in the Career and Technical Education Automotive Program collaborated with Second Chance Cars, a nonprofit that refurbishes affordable used cars for people who desperately need reliable transportation to reach better job prospects. After making extensive repairs, including new tires, brakes, alignment, check engine light, wiring repairs, and detailing the used car, they participated in a donation ceremony to hand off the vehicle. The car recipient Ronald expressed his joy, saying “I’ve never really had anything like this happen to me!” Car recipients in this program report an annual 88% increase in annual income after they work with the program. Automotive teacher Mr. Richardson sees the program as a win for everyone, saying "this program gives us the flexibility to fix these vehicles when we have shop time. The cars become valuable learning tools to show the students various repairs needed on the vehicles. We are proud to be working with Second Chance Cars and allowing students to help change people's lives one vehicle at a time." Thank you to the Automotive students, Automotive teachers Mr. Raposa and Mr. Richardson, other staff, and to Second Chance Cars.

Community members volunteered to talk about their career journeys at the annual WHCIS Leadership Day — the first one since before the pandemic! Middle graders met employees from local non-profits, a food blogger, a software engineer, and staff from the Department of Public Works and Somerville Police Department. Sessions were conducted in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

The Kennedy School held a door challenge for Neurodiversity week. Each homeroom created beautiful celebratory artwork to post on their doors. The winning classrooms were Ms. Dickson’s Life Skills class, Ms. Dingman’s Life Skills class, and Teacher Ward’s 6th grade class. You can view a slideshow of all the doorways.

The annual SomerStars event at Somerville High School was another huge success. Talented students performed for 700 of their peers. They sang, played instruments and showed off their talents. Along with a supportive and enthusiastic audience, staff and student 'judges' provided performers with constructive feedback. Eclipse F. took first place, Analysse B., Leonor R., and Estelle B. took second place and Ben C. and Violet G. took third place. Congratulations! You can watch the SomerStars 2025 SHS Talent Showcase online! Thank you to Choral Director Max Evrard for organizing this wonderful event!

Students took a contemporary approach to the Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing in this spring’s Highlander Theatre Co production. The City Cable department was on hand to record the entire performance, which you can watch online. Thank you to the volunteers and educators who worked on this student performance to make it a success.

Read about Marlis, a leader on campus and a role model for future students and her sisters in this article about her career at UMass Lowell.

Any activities listed below are free, unless otherwise indicated.

April 10 from 5:30–7:00 p.m. Celebrate Week of the Young Child at City Hall with music, fun, and activities. Check out the webpage to learn about ways to participate all week long.

April 15, 30. Watch a special screening of Counted Out, a documentary that explores how math shapes our world. The movie lasts 90 minutes (with Spanish subtitles) and a discussion follows. Recommended for staff, caregivers, and students in grades 6-12. You can register in advance but that is not required. Brought to you by the Academic Department, Equity & Excellence Department and Somerville Family Learning Collaborative.

• Tuesday, April 15th. 3:00–5:00 p.m. SHS Highlander Forum, 81 Highland Ave

• Wednesday, April 30th. 6:30– 8:30 p,m. SHS Highlander Forum, 81 Highland Ave. Spanish interpretation will be provided during the discussion.

April 30, 8:30–11:30 a.m. The Somerville Public Schools conducts preschool screenings to check a child’s development and help identify children who may need further evaluation for special education services. Screenings are by appointment only. If you are a Somerville resident and have concerns about your child's development, please fill out our Screening Intake Form or register by phone (617) 629-5670 ext. 3657.

May 7, 14, 21, 28. 2–2:45 p.m. Parents and caregivers for pre-verbal children ages 4 months and up are invited to participate in a 4-part virtual program about communicating through sign language. Register.

April 14, 30 and May 13. Somerville Special Education Parents Advisory Council is hosting several in-person social events to build community and support. Visit the Somerville SEPAC website for more information or email SomervilleSEPAC@gmail.com.

April 27, 1–3:00 p.m. Families are invited to Tufts University for a fun event with Tufts student-athletes, student groups, and local community organizations. The event is FREE and families can visit whatever activities they are interested in. Find more information on the registration page.

Early in March, educators from the Multilingual Learner Education (MLE) department and the Unidos dual language program attended the Multistate Association for Bilingual Education (MABE) annual conference in Springfield, MA, for a day filled with advocacy, connection and learning. During the event, Multilingual Learner Education Director Paulina Mitropoulos accepted an award on behalf of Somerville Public Schools in recognition of their dedication to Bilingual Pathways Awards, which includes the Seal of Biliteracy.

In 2017, Massachusetts passed the Language Opportunity (LOOK) Act, aimed at promoting bilingualism and bilingual programming in Massachusetts schools. Under the leadership of World Language Supervisor Dr. Lisa DaCunha, Somerville has awarded the Seal of Biliteracy to over 100 Somerville High School graduates. Many recipients of the award began their studies in the Unidos Dual Language program at East Somerville Community School, and continued their multilingual journey through World Language Department courses at Somerville High School. Together with MABE, Somerville aims to increase the number of English Learners and Former English Learners that receive the Seal of Biliteracy and will continue to stand strong in our public support of bilingualism and biliteracy for all students.

Photo: SPS educators from the MLE Department and East Somerville Community School/Unidos Dual Language Program celebrate the Certificate of Excellence awarded to Somerville Public Schools for their dedication to Bilingual Pathways at the 2025 MABE Conference in Springfield, MA.