Student Accident Raises Calls For More Safety Measures At High School Crossing

By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON—School officials have added a new crossing guard and are seeking other steps to prevent a similar near fatal accident at Brockton High’s entrance on Belmont like the one that has 16-year-old Redondo Constant struggling to recover from severe internal injuries after a van plowed into the teen before school Tuesday.
“We’re all praying for him,” said Michael Thomas, executive director of the district’s office of operations and administration who was headmaster of the high school’s Azure House where Thomas got know Constant.
“I know him very well—he’s a happy-go-lucky kid. He has a good sense of humor and is very popular…we’re all in shock and we’re all pulling for him,” he said.
Thomas said in his 20 years working for the school department he is unaware of a student suffering such a catastrophic accident as the one Redondo has suffered.
On Tuesday at about 6:45 a.m. officials said a white utility van driven by 20-year-old Jose Tacuri smashed into Constant as he tried to cross Belmont Street from the high school entrance to McDonald’s—a popular spot for students before and after school.
Officials said Constant headed into the busy 6-lane street and into a crosswalk despite the green light that allowed traffic the right of way heading east to west.
He was nearly halfway across the thoroughfare when Tacuri’s van smashed into Constant and sent him sprawling horribly 30-feet into the air.
Numerous people who saw what happened immediately called 911 and began to help the prostrate student.
Constant’s injuries were so severe, rescue personnel wanted to fly Constant by helicopter to Boston Medical Center, but because of high winds helicopters could not fly, and Constant was raced by ambulance with life-threatening internal injuries and a broken arm.
Officials in contact with Constant’s family said he is listed in stable but critical condition and has been placed in a drug-induced coma to aid in the healing process.
Officials said Thursday Constant showed signs of improvement.
The driver of the van, Tacuri, faces a charge of driving without a license.
Constant, a popular and active member of the school, was also a student leader on the school's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools, or REMS, team that prepares teachers, staff, students, police, fire and other personnel for school emergencies such as drug raids, potential Columbine-like shootings, and other emergency situations.
However, the federally funded grant program does not address student safety when it comes to crossing streets or proper pedestrian safety.
Wednesday night school officials called an emergency meeting that included Acting Police Chief Manuel Gomes and school officer Lt. Donald Mills to discuss measures to prevent another accident like this one—especially since school committee members have worked for at least the last 2 years to address the safety issue posed by the congested roadway.
Thomas said Superintendent Matthew Malone and the police department have been criticized for removing a police officer that monitored the crosswalk in the past or worse, ignored pleas from school officials to replace the officer.
Thomas said he contacted his predecessor who said it was not the police who removed the officer, but the state Highway Department which maintains and owns the road.
Thomas said the police officer has not guarded the intersection for 8 years.
He said the state advises against police officers because often the conflict between a police officer directing traffic and the changing of signal lights causes more confusion for drivers.
Thomas said the roadway has been studied several times and has been found to be dangerous, but it appears it will be studied again because the state plans to reconstruct the roadway beginning in August or late summer and after Constant’s accident officials want to provide more input on design plans.
Thomas said one option is to install new digital crosswalk signs that count down the number of seconds pedestrians have until the light turns green and motorists can go.
A whole host of improvements are planned, including widening of the roadway and the relocation and alignment of a BAT bus stop moved that are expected to create a less dangerous journey for pedestrians and motorists.
Either way any changes will be too late for Constant, and wheelchair-bound veteran Edwin Nelson who was killed by a motorist in the same crosswalk in October, 2011.
Thomas said as school officials work to better the crossing, their prayers will be with Constant for his full recovery—something Thomas himself is familiar with.
When he was 24, Thomas said, he was in a terrible accident when he broke his leg and suffered extensive internal injuries.
Like Constant, he was young and with the best medical care, positive attitude, family support and youth, he has overcome nearly all affects from the accident.
“When you’re young and healthy you have more of a chance. You’re body is more resilient and able to heal—we hope that is the case with Redondo,” Thomas said.

Spellman Readies For New Principal

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Cardinal Spellman High School officials have announced the private Catholic School has appointed Paul Kelly as the school’s new principal.
Kelly is the current principal of the St. Joseph Elementary School in Needham.
He has served in that position since 1997.
Kelly will begin his tenure July 1.
Current principal Dorothy Lynch will take on a new role in the admissions department.
Prior to his current position at St. Joseph Elementary School, Kelly served as a music teacher at Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree and as Director of Music at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham.
Cardinal Spellman began their search with 14 strong candidates.
A committee comprised of faculty, parents, and students assisted in interviewing six semifinalists and then Kelly was selected.
Cardinal Spellman President John McEwan said in a prepared statement he is very pleased to have appointed Kelly.
“I am confident that Paul has the enthusiasm, background and character to be an outstanding Principal for many years to come,” McEwan said.
Among Kelly’s many accomplishments, Saint Joseph Elementary earned New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation in 2004 and the school has experienced elevated standardized testing scores for all grades.
Kelly instituted an extensive Fine Arts Program, before and after school programs, and he oversaw the creation of the school’s web site and the development of the Parent School Association.
Kelly is a father of three children and a resident of Braintree.
Kelly also serves as the Director of Music at St. John the Baptist Parish in Quincy.

Ashfield Teacher Czymbor Awarded Abe Lincoln Fellowship

BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Peter Czymbor, a 6th grade teacher at Ashfield Middle School in Brockton received a surprise visit from the Horace Mann Co., Wednesday to announce Czymbor is one of 50 educators across the U.S. to earn an Abraham Lincoln Fellowship.
The fellowship includes a nearly-all-expenses paid five day trip to Springfield, Ill., during the summer to learn about Abraham Lincoln.
Czymbor and 49 other teachers will "walk in Abraham Lincoln's footsteps," through various historical sites in Illinois, including the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, Lincoln's home, Lincoln's tomb and the Old State Capitol State Historic Site.
School officials said Czymbor is a great teacher with a passion for history and is known in the community for his prowess as a juggler at a host of events.
(Photo courtesy Brockton Public Schools. Czymbor, in middle, with Ashfield School Principal Barbara Lovell at left, and, right, Don McGrath, a representative of the Horace Mann Insurance Co.)

Brockton B-Ball Falls Short In State Title Bid

BrocktonPost
By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
WORCESTER--In a 21-point loss Brockton High’s boys basketball team took the second place medal in the MIAA Div. 1 Championship, a finish that wasn’t hoped for, but one that showed a different type of mettle for Brockton’s boys.
Being second is hard to swallow.

It stinks actually, but after a tenacious battle in Saturday’s state finals, Brockton saw their title hopes sink behind Springfield Central’s pinpoint perimeter shooting and foul line give-me’s that led the Golden Eagles to a 67-46 victory--its first state championship since 1991.
While Brockton had to eat second place—they did so with dignity and grace.
There were no tantrums, and while some players hung their heads in dejection and others received hugs from family and friends, in all Brockton took the loss well.
As they should have.
It was a great run, by a group of young men Brockton High Principal Susan Szachowicz has called a great group of athletes, who are not only leaders on the court, but also in the hallways and corridors of Brockton High School who take sports, academics and their community seriously.
“They are a wonderful group of young men,” Szachowicz said.
During the season, the Boxers went 19-2, a mark few in the division expected. When the season opened, Brockton was unseeded.
At the end of the season, the team was the #1 seed in the South section of the Div. 1 tournament.
They almost made the top seed stick—rolling into the state final behind an overtime win against Madison Park.
However, Springfield Central was the #1 seed in Div. 1 Western division.
After a 19-1 season, the Golden Eagles capped it’s incredible season with an offensive takeover that began in the third quarter and decided the game by the middle of the fourth quarter.

On Saturday night at the DCU Center with about 5 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, Brockton’s Boxers—whose defense outshined its offense all year long--couldn’t stop the steady bombardment of timely 3-pointers from Springfield Central’s Tyrell Springer, and a corps of guards and forwards who kept sinking their shots as Brockton’s rolled around the rim or crashed heavily off the boards.
Brockton led the game 27-20 at the start of the 3rd period. By the 5:15 mark, Central had reeled off 9 straight points to tie the game.
Brockton was hanging on to a lead at 33-31 with about 3:40 in the quarter, but at about 1:50 Central took a 36-35 lead and never looked back.

Brockton continued strong rebounding in its offensive zone, but lobs and missiles to the basket bounced off the rim, around the rim, off the backboard, off finger tips and eventually turned into breakaways and points for Central. In a blink of an eye, at the end of the 3rd quarter, Springfield had taken a 5 point lead, 42-37 going into the fourth quarter.
Brockton opened the fourth with a 2-point basket and played tough defense as the Boxers tried to slow the Golden Eagles’ momentum, but after that basket, Brockton couldn’t post another point for nearly 4 minutes. Springfield didn’t have the same problem.

The Golden Eagles racked up another 12 points to lead 56-42.
Just as Brockton reclaimed its scoring touch, hope was squelched at about 3:26 and again at 2:56 when Springfield netted two, 3-pointers to take an insurmountable 62-42 lead.
Brockton hustled to add 5 more points, but Coach Bob Boen began putting in second-string players and essentially all Springfield had to do was run out the clock for the championship.

While we at BrocktonPost.com know how it feels to come up short in a championship game—Brockton’s boys should be proud.
They had a great run, and while people say no one ever remembers who came in second, we will here at BrocktonPost.com.
We had fun chasing the team around the tournament and while we would have loved to post the winning story, sometimes even when you lose you win, and that’s the case here.
Brockton’s boys rolled over nearly all-comers during the season and they won the South Sectional when very few thought they would go so far.

And while the copper medal hanging around their necks for second place may feel to the players as tinny as people saying stuff like, “at least they got to the final,” and “few even get that far,” etc., Brockton’s players showed us their true mettle Saturday night as they watched Springfield Central hoist the State Championship above their heads.
Losing with grace is harder than winning with grace.
It takes real mettle to watch the victor celebrate and not lose it or act out.
It takes courage.

You have to be fearless to work and strive as hard as you can and know you still may not win the game.
Win or lose it takes mettle.

Mardi Gras Madness For Brockton Day Nursery

By Lisa E. Crowley
BrocktonPost
BROCKTON--Eleven-year-old Maite-Abigail Denis didn't mind that she came in third in Brockton Day Nursery's Mardi Gras Madness best hat contest, she was just glad her hat stayed together while she danced up a storm against adult challengers for the prize.
"I was worried that my ribbons were going to come off," Denis said after the contest was over and she took a break from dancing to watch the festivities with her mother Nadege, and 4-year-old sister, Tamah. (Pictured, second photo from top, left)
Maite-Abigail may not have won the hat contest yet, but her mother Nadege said possibly next year because the family had so much fun at Saturday night's party which raised money for the center's scholarships, that there is no way they will miss the event next year.
"This is such a wonderful event," Nadge said. "They really did a great job," she said.
Brockton Day Nursery, a 117-year-old non-profit day care center that helps needy families and single parents, transformed the Shaw's Center into a cavalcade of purples, greens and yellows for the 6th annual New Orleans-style Mardi Gras, complete with jugglers, magicians, a pantomime and a flamboyant, tuxedoed performer on stilts.

And music filled the event from start to finish, beginning with the Hot Tamales, a foot-stomping, can't-sit-in-your- seat Dixieland jazz band followed by sensational dance music from the 70s to the present spun by DJ Rob Peters.
There was a cornucopia of silent auction items, food to fill the senses from Creole specialties to traditional King's Cake with its hidden surprise that earns the one who finds it a special prize.

Vanassa Leite, the nursery's executive director, said the event exceeded expectations with a crowd of 250 people--"a record night," and the group expected to collect more than $12,000--$2,000 more than last year's event.
Anita O'Brien, one of the daycare's teachers, who beat M for the honor of best hat, said the nursery is a super place to work and bring children--an enterprise that couldn't have lasted so long without the support of the staff and community.
"The message is to teach kids to learn to love and love to learn," O'Brien said. "Love is the answer--when you love, everything else in life is simple," she said.

Round 1: School Budget Talks Begin Tonight

BrocktonPost

BROCKTON--Brockton School Superintendent Matthew Malone tonight will present his recommended FY2013 budget.   

School spokeswoman Jocelyn Meek said in an email, tonight's budget hearing starts the budget process moving--noting the school committee and city council have the opportunity to retool budget items as they see fit.  

Meek said Malone's budget is largely a level service budget.

There will also be two other presentations during tonight's meeting. 

One will focus on the school department's wraparound services and an update on the “Edison Academy” project, which is a proposed afternoon-evening high school for non-traditional and working students.

The school committee meeting begins at 7 p.m. and will be held at the Little Theatre at Brockton High School. 

THIS WEEK IN BROCKTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS

MONDAY, MARCH 5

Registration for Kindergarten September 2012 Assignments begin

J - Q: (Last letter of parents last name) March 5th – March 23rd

School Registration Center 43 Crescent Street Brockton

Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Wednesdays Only 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Baker: Pennies for Pasta Fundraiser--through 3/2. During School

Hancock: P.T.A. Meeting, Library 6:30 p.m.

Plouffe: Pennies for Patients fundraiser--through 3/9 During School

Plouffe: P.A.C. Meeting, Café, 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

Brockton School Committee Meeting B.H.S. Little Theater 7 p.m.

Parents’ Academy--Family Night ~ Book Cook Night Pre K – Gr. 5

Arnone School ~ 6. to 7:30 p.m.

Arnone: P.A.C. Meeting, Teachers Lounge, 6 p.m.

Kennedy: Field Trip for Grade 5 to Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, During School

West: School Improvement Council Meeting, Room 110, 6 p.m.

West: P.A.C. Meeting Room 110 7:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

Davis: Title One ~ Family Talk Pizza – Gr. 4 10:30 a.m.

Downey: P.A.C. Meeting Library 6:00 p.m.

Raymond: P.T.A. Meeting Café 6:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

Parents’ Academy

Make Way for Literacy for the Pre K Group Workshop, Arnone School 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Baker: P.T.A. Meeting Community Room 7:00 p.m.

George: Title One ~ Family Book Bag – Gr. 2 Mrs. Higgins 9:00 a.m.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

Raymond: Student of the Month Assembly, During School

Hancock: Reptiles are Cool Presentation for K, Gr. 1 & 2, During School

Huntington: Field Trip for Grade 5 to Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, During School

MONDAY, MARCH 12

Gilmore: P.T.A. Meeting Café, p.m.