Nine OA Students Named to Girls State

The 67th Annual Girls State will be held at Stonehill on June 16

Submitted to Easton Patch: Oliver Ames High School is pleased to announce the participants for this year’s Girls State Program.  Nine members of the junior class have been selected to attend this year’s program.  The 67th Annual Massachusetts Girls State will be held at Stonehill College, Easton, MA Saturday, June 16 through Friday, June 22, 2012.  This program is a one-week course in government, politics, and leadership conducted by the American Legion Auxiliary.  More than 26,000 Massachusetts girls have participated in this citizenship program since its inauguration in 1945.  Three hundred girls from all parts of the State will participate in the week’s study of local and state government.  They will establish and operate their own City…

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Should the State Ban School Bake Sales?

State health officials want to put restrictions on school bake sales to discourage unhealthy eating habits, but will this hurt fundraising efforts?

Fundraising efforts at Easton Public Schools is about to change. Massachusetts state health officials recently recently approved regulations that would prevent bake sales from being held during school and in the 30 minutes before and after school to discourage unhealthy eating habits. Gov. Deval Patrick has backed down on the regulations after criticism from parents and organizations that say putting restrictions on bake sales would negatively impact fundraising efforts for the schools and nonprofit groups, according to USA Today. Legislation passed in 2010 will still require schools serve healthy snack options in the cafeterias and limit sugary foods. Do you think Gov. Deval Patrick should enforce the bake sale ban to help encourage …

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Officials Look to Finalize Budget Process

The School Department has submitted a budget summary to the Finance Committee and Board of Selectmen

Easton Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Green said Friday that both the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee should have enough information to make a vote on whether or not to recommend the Fiscal Year 2013 operating budget. Article 16 on the Town Meeting Warrant, which deals with a town operating budget in the amount of $68,388,097, has yet to be recommended by either committee because of a lack of detail for the budget's largest line item: $33,731,471 for the Easton School Department. Both Boards met this past week (Selectmen on Monday and Finance Committee on Wednesday) and chose to forego an official recommendation until further detail was provided. On Thursday, however, the School Committee released a budget summary to …

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Photos: Easton Residents Enjoy Spring Weather at Stonehill

It may raining today, but the spring weather has gotten a lot of walkers out and about at Stonehill.

Easton has become known for it's 300 acres of conservation land which provides residents with plenty of places to walk. Often overlooked, however, is the Stonehill College campus. While it has been rainy for most of this week, residents have been out on campus enjoying the spring weather this past month. Click here for a look.

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Yahoo Director To Step Down After Stonehill Alum's Resume Controversy

Patti Hart, Yahoo Director, May Step Down From Board Over CEO, and Stonehill Alumnus Scott Thompson's Resume Scandal

Stonehill Alum, Yahoo CEO, Apologizes for Resume Error

Scott Thompson apologized this week for errors on his resume relating to his Stonehill College education.

After it broke last week that Stonehill Alum and Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson's resume was incorrect, the CEO issued a memo apologizing. Last week, Thompson was accused of an "inadvertent error" in his resume, which stated that he graduated from Stonehill College with degrees in computer science and accounting. In fact, Stonehill did not offer a computer science degree until four years after he graduated and Thompson's degree only consisted of "accounting." Now, the CEO is apologizing to employees, but shows no indication that he is stepping down, as some have suggested.

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Photos: Parkview Recognizes Educators For Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week has begun.

Educators at Parkview Elementary were met with a surprise Monday morning as they walked into their work place. A group of parent voluneers at the school spent the day Sunday decorating the for the teachers. The decorations kicked off Teacher Appreciation Week. Below is a statement from Parkview Principal Chris Getchell: Thanks to the efforts of a group of very appreciative parent volunteers this past Sunday, our faculty will walk into school this morning and enjoy an overwhelmingly beautiful display of flowers, color and gratitude. Every faculty member will take a teacup of flowers, as seen in the picture "teacups" attached. The smell of freshly cut lilacs fill the hallways. Poems and quotes plastered around the school express the …

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Outgoing Richardson Principal Says Westwood Provided a Good Fit

Donna Tobin says she has been "very happy" in Easton and the decision to leave was "extremely difficult"

Outgoing H.H. Richardson Principal Donna Tobin said that she decided to move to Martha Jones Elementary in Westwood next fall for a number of reasons. Overall, though, the school was just a good fit for her. "I didn’t interview anywhere else," she said. "I didn’t send my resume to any place else. I’ve been very happy in Easton, but sometimes opportunities come along that peak your interest and that’s what happened." Above all else, Tobin said she liked the Grade K-5 model at the Westwood school. Before coming to Easton and working at the Grade 3-5 age level, Tobin was a teacher in a K-5 school in her hometown of Milton. The "diversity" of six grades in one school was something she wanted to experience again. "It’s fun for a principal to …

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School Committee Approves 4.23 Percent Increase in Operating Budget

The budget would fund two additional positions to the High School while eliminating three Elementary School positions.

The Easton School Committee voted unanimously Thursday night to approve an operating budget for the 2012-2013 school year in the amount of $33,731,471. The budget represents a 4.23 percent, or $1,367,929, increase from last year's $32,363,542 budget. Superintendent Dr. Michael Green said that certain challenges came with constructing this year's budget - particularly the loss of Federal Jobs money funding Special Education programs, which ran out and left the School Department with a $500,000 deficit. "That $500,000 loss is huge for us," School Committee member Donna Abelli said. "But, I think we’re managing well." The School Department will restore a position in the Oliver Ames High School social studies department that was lost last year…

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