Page 14 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 28, 2022 Eagles swimmers bring home road victory A fter a tough week of practices, the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School Eagles were back in the water at Greater Lawrence Technical School. The Eagles took the chance to shake up the lineup a little bit to get some different swimmers in different events, but the result was the same – the Eagles walked away with the 90-67 victory. Leading off the meet, the medley relay teams went with a one-two-three finish with the top spot going to the Mystic Valley A Relay of freshman Adrian Chang, senior Matthew Loue and juniors Ramy Elaafer and Daniel Nguyen. Following close behind was the B Relay comprised of freshman Lana Santos and grade 8 students Britney Nayiga, Khloe Co and Isabella Cirame. In the 200 Freestyle, sophomore Jason Yan led the way with a lifetime best of 2:01.59. Yan was followed closely by Grade 8 student Jaden Anthony in 2:02.94; Anthony continues to rack up points at a clip not seen by many at his grade level in Eagles’ history. As the lineup was a little different, sprint specialist junior Armando Indresano took on the challenge in the 200 IM, winning the event in a state qualifying cut of 2:10.91 and a top10 all-time Eagles swim. Jeremy Cheng continued his stellar junior campaign, leading an Eagles’ one-two-three finish in the 50 freestyle. Cheng’s time of 22.75 was a lifetime best. Cheng was followed-up by Elaafer and Matthew Loue. In the 100 butterfly, junior Aiden Acuna led another Eagles’ one-two-three finish, in a time of 56.41, a state cut and another top-10 all-time Eagles swim. Grade 8 student Thomas Sodeyama-Cardoso continued his dominance in the distance events with a lifetime best of 5:35.21. The 200 Freestyle relays continued the strong performances across the board. Acuna added another first-place finish in the 100 backstroke, while Indresano notched another first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. “After a rather tough week of practices…the team finished off with some major speed and dedication. We could not be happier with their performance,” said coach Andrew DiGiacomo. “As we move into the last month of the season everything we are asking the swimmers to do they are doing. If we continue on this path we expect a truly great end to this swim season.” MVRCS girls’ basketball team sweeps the week T he girls’ basketball team of Mystic Valley Regional Charter School captured a road victory over KIPP Academy before coming home to Eastern Avenue to turn away visiting Whitter High School, improving to 5-4. Early in the game against KIPP, the Eagles came out and established a strong rebound presence while looking to push the tempo. The first quarter ended with KIPP on top 10-8. The Eagles kept the same tempo into the second quarter with both teams struggling to score. KIPP ended the quarter ahead 16-15. Sophomore Ava Green, who grabbed nine rebounds, kept control of the boards underneath. Moving into the second half, the Eagles established control by getting after it on the glass and finishing close range. A 1110 third quarter knotted the contest at 27. From there, senior captain Liliana Palomino, who scored eight points in the fourth quarter, and freshman Bailey DeLeire, who chipped in nine points, stepped up and sealed the win with a final score of 41-30. “These girls continue to push for improvement game in and game out,” said coach Jonathan Currier following his team’s victory. “We have had a lot of different lineups with COVID and other setbacks, but we keep picking each other up. Losing Mairead St. Clair in the second quarter certainly hurt us, but Ava Green, Lily Palomino and Breana Nansamba [11 rebounds] stepped up.” Next up was Whittier. The Eagles had a simple game plan from the opening tip: to out-rebound their opponent and control the possession battle. The opening quarter saw great half court execution by DeLeire, who scored a career high 20 points and grabbed four rebounds. DeLeire opened the quarter with the first eight points for the Eagles. Nansamba continued her hot shooting, hitting two long jumpers and stabilizing the Eagles to a 14-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Mystic Valley executed on the defensive and offensive glass, but could not convert close range or at the free throw line, falling behind to a 23-21 halftime deficit. The Eagles crushed the rebound battle to the tune of 47-13 with Green grabbed 18 rebounds and scoring three points while Palomino pulled down 19 rebounds and scored four points. The Eagles used that advantage to pull away as DeLeire poured in 10 points in the second half of the 4133 win. Junior Sofia Blandino excelled on the defensive end all night, recording five steals and scoring two points. “I was extremely pleased by the girls focusing in at halftime and coming out aggressive on the boards and to the basket in the second half,” said Currier. “They proved to themselves they can battle back and take control of the game with the rebound advantage. Liliana Palomino and Ava Green racked up career highs on the glass, and Bailey DeLeire scored her career high to help lead us to victory.” New report examines state of education in Massachusetts amid pandemic T he Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy recently released its annual status report on public education to a virtual audience of nearly 300 state leaders, legislators, educators and community members. The 2022 Condition of Education in the Commonwealth examines data on schools and students as they enter a third year of living and learning in a pandemic and offers recommendations for better supporting teachers. After two years contending with the increased demands of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, from adjusting to changing public health protocols to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students living through trauma and isolation, teachers are stretched thin. Research shows that one in four teachers considered leaving their position at the end of the last school year. As the pandemic continues into 2022 there is an urgent need to better support educators. The Rennie Center’s new report, Investing in Educators: How Massachusetts can Support Educators Through the Pandemic and Beyond, offers recommendations for uplifting teachers right now as well as putting a system in place to offer long-term support and training for current and future educators. “The past two years are a testament to just how much educators can accomplish, even under the most challenging circumstances. But students need so much support right now and we can’t keep asking more and more of an exhausted, overwhelmed workforce,” said Chad d’Entremont, executive director of the Rennie Center. It’s time to adapt the way our education system invests in its key players: teachers. We need to come out of this pandemic stronger, and that means offering tools and resources to help teachers meet the diverse needs of their students.” The report highlights the promising work of districts and community organizations in Boston, Lawrence, Revere, and Springfield that have found innovative ways to support teachers “Even amidst everything going on, teachers continue to inspire their students. They’re working long hours and extending themselves far beyond their job descriptions to support students in and out of the classroom. There’s new technology, new curriculum, and we’re moving full speed ahead on helping students recover academically and socially. All of this takes time, both to do the work and to learn how to do it. While the work of educators is deeply rewarding, it can also be incredibly hard--as intellectually rigorous as it is emotionally draining,” said Shakera Ford Walker, Boston Public Schools’ assistant superintendent for Teacher Leadership and Development, whose department’s work to support educators through professional learning and collaboration is featured in the Rennie Center’s report. “Teachers want to feel valued, trusted, and respected. They want their voices to be heard and used to inform the policy and practices that shape their work and impact the learning and lives of their students.” The annual Condition of Education series’ Action Guide and Data Dashboard examine how schools are functioning during the pandemic, delving into a range of state and local data from school internet speeds to K-12 and college enrollment rates to student absenteeism. The report also looks at the impacts of key indicators like educator diversity and out-of-school suspension rates. The event featured remarks from Massachusetts Education Secretary James Peyser as well as a panel discussion with all three state education commissioners—Early Education and Care Commissioner Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley and Higher Education Commissioner Carlos Santiago. “The fortitude, flexibility, compassion, and just plain hard work that educators at all levels have demonstrated, and continue to display, is a testament to their unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of their students and their communities,” said Peyser. “I’m deeply impressed, although not surprised, by our educators’ response to this crisis, and I know I speak for the Governor and Lt. Governor when I tell you how deeply grateful we are for their service to the Commonwealth.”
15 Publizr Home