To the editor:
This past weekend the city of Beverly celebrated an unscheduled convocation as we cheered for the young people participating in the first major musical production at our new Beverly High School.
As usual, Beverly High leaders Carolyn Pilanen-Kudlik, Ray Novack and Betty Taylor worked with other dedicated teachers, parents and students to put on a top-notch performance, this time it was "My Fair Lady." The show, which was well-performed and attended to capacity, seemed this time more than just a high school play; it was a moment, amidst the chaos in our lives and society, to be hopeful and proud in this community.
The parents and friends in the auditorium were delighted to see their children in a warm, modern academic environment with teachers just starting to seize upon this new potential to help students dream, achieve and succeed. We were excited for the teachers who struggled to provide our children a quality education in the remnants of a once-adequate facility, now experimenting and challenging themselves to put a new face on learning.
Local community leaders took stock in what they achieved in advocating and fighting for Beverly High School, seeing the critical importance of their accomplishment beyond simply putting up a building. The youth in this community now have more than an adequate opportunity to learn, recently attested to by the commonwealth's education assessment evaluators.
This past weekend, Mayor Scanlon, Beverly city councilors, school administrators and others, saw the students, parents and teachers putting the building to work, giving Beverly High School a deeper character for meaningful future learning.
Our family is committed to public school education in Beverly, and it has paid off, as both of our kids are college-ready and have benefitted from making friends with students diverse by academic achievement, race, gender, class, religion and values. It is also clear that children who work hard at Beverly High School are intellectually competitive with students of more elite academic backgrounds.
We are grateful for the educational experience Beverly has given our children, because they have the grounding to engage in the world wherever they choose to explore careers. The teachers, parents, children and leaders in this good community made that possible.
This weekend was a moment for the Beverly community to be proud, especially among those already contributing to our schools. It will be exciting to see what the future will bring, and to hope and urge others to get involved to find ways to donate, volunteer or otherwise support education in the city of Beverly.
It is neither practical nor fair to cede our children to the school system without the broad support it is able to offer.
Our teachers, administrators and local leaders did their part by getting the new Beverly High up and running. Our kids deserve the best. As a community we can and should act to help this school be successful at every possible level.
John Lozada
Beverly
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