All three Chester School Committee members participated in the Gateway 2025 visioning forum. (L-R) Shirley Winer, Diane Dunn, Martha Otterbeck. (Photo by Amy Porter)
HUNTINGTON – About 70 parents and 40 children joined Gateway administration and teachers Tuesday for a 2025 visioning meeting that began with dinner and offered child care, and was funded by the Gateway Educational Foundation. Gateway Superintendent Dr. David B. Hopson said that offering babysitting, provided by Gateway paraprofessionals along with National Honor Society volunteers, was the only way to get young parents out.
“They’re the ones that should be involved as we look ahead 10 years,” Hopson said.
Following dinner, adults were gathered into small groups with discussion questions. Hopson explained that the district had done a similar visioning process in 2005, asking what Gateway should be in 5 or 10 years. They were then asked to share their top three comments and concerns to the larger gathering.
Most groups commented on the sense of community and beautiful facility at Gateway, where everybody knows all the children, and there is a positive interaction between teachers and parents.
On the other side, many comments focused on a disconnect between the school and the people in the community, the taxpayers, and how to bridge that gap.
Suggestions included teacher and student presentations at town meetings, and surveys to residents asking them why they aren’t coming to events at the school. A practical suggestion included putting the school sign on Route 112, and not just in front of the school on Littleville Road. “Why would anyone drive down Littleville Road,” was one parent’s comment.
Russell parent Lyndsey Papillon said there should be more events like the forum to give parents the opportunity to collaborate. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Increasing parent volunteer involvement in the school was also a suggestion that came up in several group discussions – how to get parents more involved in the PTO, and other volunteer opportunities. The wide geographical spread of the district from Middlefield to Blandford was mentioned as an obstacle. Some suggestions included an interactive website, where people could have discussions and make comments. Several parents said that more events like this one that offered childcare and gave people the opportunity to have a face-to-face conversation would be helpful.
Giving students the opportunity for more project-based learning, and creating links between businesses and students was mentioned several times – how to ensure that the skills students were learning had real-world applications. Also mentioned was the need to expand programs for the whole child, such as music and art, and environmental activities. “Young people need to see that they are the community,” was one parent’s comment.
Increasing the investment in technology that Gateway has made, and making sure the school has the necessary curriculum to go along with it was also a concern. Increasing STEM classes that are the wave of the future was another. Also, one group emphasized that Gateway’s goal should be a Level 1 school rating.
Chester parent Michael Crochiere commented on the consistent themes that were raised at the Gateway 2025 visioning forum (Photo by Amy Porter)
Overall, the comments were positive, and a main concern of the parents was in changing the perception of the school district in the towns, which focus mainly on the budget battles. One parent said that many Gateway graduates are successful, and a series of “Where are they now?” might help to bring out these stories.
“I thought this was wonderful,” said Russell parent Lyndsey Papillon, Class of ’01, who has a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old at Gateway. “We need to have more events like this, where we can collaborate and come up with solutions to improve the education of our students.”
“I thought it was a very positive event, with a lot of great ideas,” said Chester parent Michael Crochiere, who also chairs the Finance Committee in his town. “It was interesting to note that at different tables there seemed to be consistent themes.”
Also representing Chester were all three School Committee members.
“I thought it was very well-organized, and there was a lot of thoughtful, positive input,” said Diane Dunn, who is also serving on the Gateway Collaborative Task Force.
“It was very motivating, very impressive,” said School Committee vice chair Martha Otterbeck. “There was a lot of talk about positive assets.”
Longstanding Chester School Committee member Shirley Winer said she wished more people from the community had come.
“It’s too bad that more people from the community don’t come to see what’s going on in the school. It’s the same apathy that keeps people from going to town meetings,” Winer said. “I wish the district as a whole felt like this was their school.”
Hopson said he would gather all of the comments and group them into topics. He said the comments would be used in the 2025 visioning plan.
