THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 19, 2020 Page 15 Northeast Metro Tech announces appointment of school’s first Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator W AKEFIELD – Superintendent David DiBarri is pleased to announce that Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational High School has appointed its first Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator. The district’s School Committee approved the creation of the position and the appointment of Dawon Dicks to the role at its Thursday, June 11 meeting. Dicks has worked as a Prevention and Intervention Coordinator at Northeast Metro Tech for the past year and has worked with the administrator of student services and guidance department to identify student needs that require intervention and prevention services. He joined the district in April 2019, and also launched the Student Athlete Leadership and Mentoring (SALM) program at the school. He is additionally an assistant football coach. “Right and ‘wrong’ can be hard, but love, kindness, and integrity are choices we can all make in the pursuit of equality, and equality for all of us,” Dicks said. In his new position, Dicks is tasked with working on the district’s goal to ensure Northeast Metro Tech is supportive of all students and to reduce opportunity and achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender and other factors. As Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, he will be responsible for working with the administration to address issues of equality, inclusion and cultural proficiency through professional development and group curriculum implementation with students. “Systemic racism in particular is being examined and addressed at every level nationwide at this moment, and we felt it was our duty to take this step to promote diversity, compassion and acceptance at Northeast Metro Tech,” DiBarri said. “Dawon has become an invaluSTATEMENT | FROM PAGE 9 • Investment in the neighborhoods of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color through investments in parks, schools, community health, and housing; and in affordable housing throughout the city. • Immediately make available online for public inspection, any Malden Police Department manuals, protocols, trainings, or policies on police activity, including but not limited to use of force, immigration procedure, crowd control, vehicle stops, patrol, investigation, No Knock Warrants and internal affairs. • Regular public reporting from SPORTS | FROM PAGE 13 managed to hang on and wait for the judges, who went with Rosenblatt. Rematch with Pazienza, time for revenge The beat went on for Rosenblatt, as he won a pair of fights in early 1999 at Foxwoods (where he finished undefeated for his career at that venue) to go to 35-1, setting up a rematch with Pazienza. The old enmities resurfaced and Pazienza, then 46-7, started his “making it personal” harangue against Rosenblatt, but this time the Malden fighter responded in a Boston Herald article to a question about whether Pazienza’s incessant “trash talk” offended him, with this response. “He [Pazienza] can say whatever he wants,” Rosenblatt said. “Every time he opens his mouth he just puts more money in my pockets.” Rosenblatt successfully deNortheast Metro Tech’s first Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator, Dawon Dicks (right), stands with 2020 graduate Joshua Yandoli. (Courtesy Photo Northeast Metro Tech) able member of our community and we’re confident he will flourish in this role and that he’ll deftly identify opportunities for growth at our school and what our students need to feel valued, included and accepted.” Dicks is also the cofounder of the nonprofit Student Athlete Youth Academy (SAYA), an organization that works closely with young people in Lawrence to assist them with reading comprehension, life skills, sports and sports training. He also operates Grit Athletics Performance Strength in Methuen, a program that offers strength and conditioning training for football players. Dicks spearheaded the creation of Grit Athletics while working at Andover Youth Services. He has worked at Boston Sports Clubs as a sales manager and was the director of development and athletics at BFIT Exercise and Nutrition from 2007 the Malden Police Department on racial disparities in police actions, including actions taken by the Department to reduce racial disparities and to hold individual officers and their command chain accountable for any such disparities. • An independent civilian oversight board, representative of Malden’s majority minority population, with the power to investigate misconduct complaints involving the Malden Police Department. • A moratorium on law enforcement use and acquisition of surveillance drones, facial recognition technology, tear gas, and military-grade equipment, and an inventory of all Malden Police Deto 2014. He worked as a student liaison and world history teacher at Notre Dame Catholic High School from 2011 to 2013, and as a middle school reading and religion teacher, health and wellness coordinator and admissions committee member from 2007 to 2011 at Washington Jesuit Academy, where he created an in-depth health and wellness program. He also served as the vice president of athletic development at SiSu Systems from 2004 to 2007. He holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Georgetown University. He has been inducted into Notre Dame Catholic High School’s Hall of Fame for football and track, is a former assistant strength and conditioning coach for Washington’s NFL team, and as an offensive coordinator led his team to being among the top-ranked offenses in the New England Football League. partment assets. • A ban on civil asset forfeiture by the Malden Police Department and a report on the history of civil asset forfeiture by the Department. • A ban on chokeholds, No Knock Warrants, stop-and-frisk, and an end to the Qualified Immunity Act that provides legal immunity to police. • Regular de-escalation training for members of the Malden Police Department. • Ending the practice of posting police officers in our schools. • Eliminating cash bail. The Malden Democratic City Committee again affirms and declares that Black Lives Matter. fended his title that night of November 5, 1999, in another hardfought battle with Pazienza, a very close split decision, 115113, 113-115 and 114-113 for Rosenblatt. The two men went at each with gusto that night. Pazienza knocked Rosenblatt down in Round Three, only the second time the Malden fighter ever got dropped (both by Pazienza). But he quickly recovered and got back up. Both fighters were cut over their right eyes and the blood flowed liberally. As was his M.O., Pazienza continually tried to bull-rush Rosenblatt, which worked for at least one punch in the first matchup in 1996, but this time Rosenblatt kept his spacing and counterpunched, again and again. Pazienza continued to get battered, but he would not go quietly. A telling stat at the end of the fight was the punch count, as Pazienza far surpassed Rosenblatt in punches thrown, 602456, but the Malden fighter connected on 106 (23%) to just 84 on the night for the Pazmanian Devil (14%). The fight was emotional for Rosenblatt, and the tears flowed freely, according to accounts, as he thanked his longtime supporters, as he avenged his only loss. Both men took punishment in this one as Rosenblatt needed 32 stitches in a hospital after the fight to close cuts over both eyes. Pazienza stewed in the second-place locker room that night, raging about how he got cheated by the judges. Shocker. Was there a “Paz curse” every time he fought the Rhode Island boxer? Who knows? The very next fight ended in bizarre fashion for Rosenblatt when he bumped heads with James Crawford in April of 2000 at Foxwoods. The fight had to be stopped in the second round when a deep cut in Rosenblatt’s forehead spurted blood and could not be closed. It was declared a draw, the first of Rosenblatt’s career, as he went 36-1-1. The cuts and bleeding had become recurring at this late point in Rosenblatt’s career as it was the sixth consecutive fight that resulted in Rosenblatt going to the hospital for repair work of some sort, according to Hartford Courant (Ct.) sports coverage. Rosenblatt won his 37th – and as it turned out, final victory – with a 12-round decision over Will McIntyre at Foxwoods on October 13, 2000. Again, injuries began to plague the Malden fighter. Another hand fracture was compounded by a torn right shoulder rotator cuff, a separated left shoulder and a torn labrum. Injuries caused layoff, followed by retirement Another lengthy layoff to recover for Rosenblatt, about 20 months – but he was not finished. The comeback trail again raised up, this time after nearly two years between fights. It did not last long. With under a minute left in the third round in a matchup with Juan Carlos Villoria, a serious, large cut opened up on the side of Rosenblatt’s face after Villoria head-butted him several times in succession. Blood gushed from Rosenblatt’s badly split cheek, and the referee stopped the fight and a technical draw was called. It was the second time in three fights Rosenblatt met this fate, in a fight he seemed destined to easily win. It was another unfortunate ending for Rosenblatt, and the fight turned to be his last. A few months after the fight, Rosenblatt announced he was retiring from the ring after 40 fights, a tremendous 37-1-2 record, with 23 knockouts. He never fought for a widely recognized world championship, and the mega fight with De La Hoya never materialized, but for a decade he thrilled and entertained many local and eventually, national fans, helping to fuel a bit of a renaissance of interest in “the sweet science” of boxing. His legacy lives on and he will be remembered as not only a champion in the ring, but also in his community, through his outreach to youths and the memorable fight in his hometown of Malden in 1994 that ended up making a new stadium fieldhouse a reality. A true model for youths, Rosenblatt was regarded as a tough as nails puncher with a big heart and a true purpose. Thanks for the memories, “Dangerous” Dana!
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