THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, October 18, 2019 Page 13 Now I want to look at the Olden Times & Today By The Old Sachem, Bill Stewart ack in the days when I was in Saugus High School, the seasons of 1948 and 1949 were stellar. The Lynn Daily Item decided to create an award in a contest between the top team in the Northeast Conference, which would play a game against a top team of Eastern Massachusetts. The award was to be known as the Exchange Bowl Trophy, and the first team to win it twice would own the trophy. The name Exchange Bowl was named for the location of the Item on Exchange Street in Lynn. Saugus lost only one game B during the 1948 season, a 1412 (I believe the score was) to Beverly, which was never completed due to a riot before the half in a dispute where “Sardi” Nicolo and a Beverly end both leaped for the Beverly pass; Sardi pulled it away and dashed 80 yards for an apparent touchdown. The referees after a consultation decided that both players received the ball at the same time; therefore, the pass was complete to the Sachem 20-yard line, and it became a dead ball because of ASKS | FROM PAGE 10 School Committee Chair Jeannie Meredith The goal of all educational leaders is to provide our students with a solid foundation for learning and success. This takes a team of educators and administrators working together with a shared vision of academic excellence. This team should include the Superintendent, the curriculum director, teachers and paraprofessionals. While MCAS scores are only one of many ways to evaluate and assess a student’s level of achievement, I do not believe that MCAS scores are the most accurate tool to measure a student’s educational growth. Achievement indicates whether performance is below, above or on par with grade-level expectations. Growth, on the other hand, demonstrates the progress a student is making over time. Last year the School Committee voted to fund a new program called Star 360. This prothe dual reception. The coach, John Janusas, pulled the Sachems off the field, and a riot ensued without the completion of the game. The Sachems only the lost the one game – under controversy – that season, and the Item declared them the area champions and the local team to take on the best of Eastern Massachusetts. In 1948 the opponent was the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) State Champion, Weymouth. Weymouth led for most of the game, six to nothing, but late in the fourth quarter Richie Nicolo, the Sachem quarterback, completed a pass to his brother, Sardi, who dashed it in for the game-winning touchdown. The Item awarded the trophy to Saugus to be held until the next season. Little thought was given to the fact that a team could win it twice so early in the competition; however, the following season the Sachems were once again on top after losing Sardi to graduation. Richie was probably the best quarterback in the state that year, and he led the team to beat a team from Brockton 2012 to not only win the trophy, gram provides teachers with a more individualized look at students’ academic growth and achievement and identifies areas that need improvement. Teachers can compare students’ respective annual growth and compare it to their peers. Student Growth Percentile is a method of characterizing and measuring growth used in Star 360 assessments. Student achievement is always a priority and a goal of the Superintendent and School Committee; however, there are several other factors upon which the School Committee evaluates the Superintendent as well. The Superintendent’s overall performance, which includes the MCAS scores, is used to determine his/her salary increase. Although we all want our MCAS scores to improve and see Saugus become a level 1 district, I do not think that a cost of living pay raise for the Superintendent, or any teacher, should be based on any one method of measuring a student’s academic achievement. Bill Stewart The Old Sachem but to own it forever. Brockton had two linemen who became players for Boston College and then the NFL, but the Sachems overcame the competition. During this period there was only one division for Eastern Massachusetts; nearly all teams could field a sizeable squad of around 50 players. There were no other sports for the boys to play in the fall than football. Winter saw two sports for the athletes, basketball and ice hockey. In spring you could play baseball. There were no girls’ sports at the time. Cheerleading and band were the only options for girls. Few students went to Catholic or private schools in this era so high schools all had large populations for the few sports team openings. Now for today. Girls have soccer, field hockey, cross-country, basketball, volleyball, softball, tennis and track, along with cheerleading and band as extracurricular activities. The lads have soccer, cross-country, basketball, ice hockey, golf, baseball and track, along with band. I have seen many situations where a student has straight A’s in all of his/her subjects, but suffers from testing anxiety and as a result, he/she doesn’t score well on this test. The Committee plays an integral role in providing the teachers and the students with the tools they need to succeed. It is the educational experience and expertise of the Superintendent to research and advocate for these tools, while it is the responsibility of the School Committee to secure and allocate the funds to provide what is needed for student success. Candidate Darren S. Ring MCAS results should be taken into consideration; however, they are not the only component factor to be considered when deciding on a pay raise for the superintendent. It is his responsibility to make sure that our students are fully prepared for the MCAS test through the teachers and classes in our school system. HowASKS | SEE PAGE 18 football situation today. Instead of one division the MIAA has eight in the North, eight in the South, six in the Central (no teams in division one and two) and four in the West with divisions 3, 5, 7 and 8. The divisions are decided primarily by school population of eligible players. The Northeast Conference has only Peabody in MIAA Division 2; Danvers, Beverly, Lynn Classical and Lynn English in Division 3; Revere, Marblehead and Gloucester in Division 4; Swampscott and Saugus in Division 5; and Winthrop and Salem in Division 6. When we look at the enrollment within the conference, Peabody is 1,943, English is 1,629, Revere is 1,530, Classical is 1,513, Gloucester is 1,373, Salem is 1,539, Beverly is 1,268, Danvers is 1,020, Marblehead is 994, Saugus is 715, Swampscott is 700 and Winthrop is below 700. Looking at the Cape Ann League Masconomet has an enrollment of 1,143 and dominates in most sports. The other enrollments are North Reading, 812; Newburyport, 774; Pentucket, 742; Triton, 719; Hamilton-Wenham, 680; Lynnfield, 648; Amesbury, 592; Ipswich, 516; Manchester-Essex, 443; and Georgetown, 401. But that’s not the way the Northeast Conference sees the competition. First off they decided a few years ago that although the MIAA asked the Conference and the Cape Ann League to merge so the smaller schools of each league would meet comparable teams, the Athletic Directors of both leagues decided that it was not in their best interests. They pointed out that longer distances to travel for games would not be reasonable. Saugus did do one year in the Cape Ann League three seasons ago but decided to return to the Northeastern Conference. Newburyport, Amesbury, Melrose and Wakefield (that I remember) were opponents in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. As far as travel goes, Saugus to Beverly and Gloucester is quite a trip – even longer for Winthrop. The Cape Ann League has Masconomet in Division 2 with Peabody; North Reading in Division 4 with Marblehead and Gloucester; Pentucket, Lynnfield, Newburyport, Amesbury and Triton in Division 5 with Swampscott and Saugus; Ipswich, Hamilton-Wenham in Division 6 with Winthrop and Salem; and Manchester-Essex and Georgetown in Division 7. We should reinstitute the old Essex County League with Peabody, Masconomet, Gloucester, Lynn English and Lynn Classical in Level 1; Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, North Reading and Newburyport in Level 2; Pentucket, Triton, Saugus, Swampscott and Lynnfield in Level 3; and Winthrop, Hamilton-Wenham, Amesbury, Ipswich, Manchester-Essex and Georgetown in Level 4. This would level off the opponents to the level of eligible players, which is way out of whack in the present leagues. Maybe the day will come when Essex County League rules again in the area, but I doubt that equality will reign in the near future. Vote for Paul Allan for Board of Selectmen Dear Editor: It is vital that we vote with our values. This November, I’ll be casting my vote for Paul Allan for Board of Selectmen. In his role as my Town Meeting representative (Precinct 3), Paul gave his heart and soul to our family. I reached out to Paul with the goal of changing the rule regarding pets in Town Hall. Paul did not waver in his commitment to his constituents. He helped me gather the required signatures and brought them to Town Meeting and as a result we were able to get to our desired outcome. As a parent with a child currently in the Saugus Public School system, I am impressed with Paul’s desire to enhance the school budget through a capital improvement plan. With this plan, the Board will be able to focus on improving our schools standardized test scores through a partnership with the School Committee. I am enthusiastic about Paul’s call for transparency. As a nonnative Saugonian, I moved to this town with an expectation of being able to understand where money is being allocated. I’m excited at the thought of his proposed public budget process that will ensure we can all make more informed decisions for our families. It is for these reasons that my family will be casting our votes for Paul on November 5. Sincerely, Leigh Gerow Springdale Ave.
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