Newburyport school officials could not have picked a better name for the new elementary school within the Nock Middle School that was formally dedicated last week.

The Molin Upper Elementary School is named in honor of Ed Molin. There was no better friend to local education.

Molin, who died in 2005, served as mayor, city councilor and School Committee member during a 20-year stretch between 1979 and 1999.

But that was only the beginning of his community service - his public life was an encyclopedia of civic activity: president of the local Chamber of Commerce; a founder of the local Society for the Development of the Arts and Humanities; a founder and first president of the Maudslay Arts Center; founder of Transitional Housing for Women and Children and a founder of Housing Support, which serves clients of the state departments of Mental Health and Mental Retardation.

He was also was president for a decade of the Friends of the Newburyport Public Library, and was so instrumental in raising the money for the library addition that it was named for him.

And that love of books spilled over into local education. He made sure every first-grader received a personalized book - something a number of older students recalled this week. Besides his work on elected committees, he was co-chairman of the Newburyport High School Building Committee and was a founder and president of the Newburyport Education Foundation.

Beyond all that, he was at various times a successful athlete, business entrepreneur, bank president, Boy Scout leader and private pilot.

School leaders should make sure that the memory of Ed Molin does not fade after the dedication. They should let incoming generations of students know about the towering achievements of a man who brought energy and love to the children of his city.

If they follow his example, Newburyport's future will be in very good hands.

Amesbury high school staff, students stand tall

Anyone who has ever had home improvement work done on an occupied home knows how disruptive it can be, especially when the "unexpected surprises" emerge. Those surprises almost always emerge, usually in an ugly fashion.

It's hard to keep your routine uninterrupted, to keep your cool at times and to remain upbeat.

That kind of scenario has been playing out at Amesbury High School for over three years now, where the building is undergoing a thorough rehab and expansion. There have been all kinds of "unexpected surprises" to contend with, the main one being that the project is taking many months longer than expected.

Students and staff have had to contend with a variety of makeshift arrangements that have only made things harder. Among them is a situation discussed last week in The Daily News: There are no hot lunches this year. Teachers and students alike have soldiered through it, like they have with every other inconvenience.

It should be noted that throughout this long ordeal, the high school staff has demonstrated its character. Teachers have professionally done their jobs in adverse conditions. They've focused on what's important - educating the students - and made the best of a tough situation.

When the project is done, the high school will no doubt be beautiful and comfortable. There's been a price paid, not just by taxpayers who are footing the bill, but by the school staff that has had to make the best of adversities that are beyond their control. Quietly and professionally, the school staff and the students have been accomplishing something that Amesbury can be proud of.