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Pepe, Roldan serve at final School Committee meeting

Date: 12/26/2013

By G. Michael Dobbs

news@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD – The Dec. 19 meeting of the Springfield School Committee was punctuated with both tears and laughter as two members of the committee attended their final meeting.

Antonette Pepe finished her term of 10 years while Norman Roldan completed his fourth year on the committee. Neither of them had won re-election.

Pepe received something she did not have: a high school diploma. Gil Traverso, the principal of Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, presented her with an honorary diploma denoting her years of advocacy for the school as well as a Putnam athletic jacket.

Pepe explained how much that gesture meant to her as Putnam is the school from which her husband and daughter graduated.

During Pepe’s tenure on the committee she became well known for speaking her mind.

“I’m sure you’re going to miss me sometimes,” she said with a laugh.

Mayor Domenic Sarno said, “We may not have always agreed but I respected her.”

He added the Pepe “fought ferociously for the underdog” and “she will be missed but not forgotten.”

Fellow School Committee member Christopher Collins said of Pepe, “We disagreed as often as we agreed … her heart has always been with the children.”

One of Pepe’s best-known achievements was instituting a school uniform policy for the district.

Roldan was known as a supporter of the Gerena School before he was elected to the committee and made the school his “pet project,” Sarno said. Under his watch there were upgrades to the schools physical plant and curriculum that resulted in improved test scores and the improved health of students.

“Norman, you made your mark,” Sarno said.

School Superintendent Daniel Warwick explained that thanks to Roldan’s work on the technology subcommittee the district has a full technology plan for the next five years.



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In other action, the School Committee commended paraprofessional Barbara Boucher and teacher Angela Weaver, who have worked together as team with special needs students for 30 years.

Warwick called the two women “an incredible team” who have “the toughest job in the school system.”

Boucher said, “It is such an honor to work with Angela.”

Weaver responded, “Our secret is that we smile, we laugh. We love our kids.”

The Frank Freedman Elementary School was also recognized for going from a Level Three School to a Level One School. Principal Dr. Gloria Williams and her staff described a comprehensive plan on how the faculty and staff helped the student achieve better test results.

Warwick also announced the district’s efforts have begun to replace the Homer Street Elementary School and Brightwood Elementary School. He said he wants to forward the proposal to the Massachusetts School Building Authority “as soon as possible.”

Both schools were built in the 1890s and Warwick said he believes the city would recently 80 percent funding for the new buildings.