Triton High School senior Daniel Norton was presented with The Massachusetts Association of Superintendents Award for Academic Excellence at the Dec. 9 School Committee meeting. Norton is ranked No. 1 in his senior class, and he also has been the student representative to the School Committee for two years.
In addition, Norton was named the Moynihan Lumber Student-Athlete of the month for November and also was selected by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association as its "Student of the Month" for November 2009.
Among Norton's many accomplishments is a Rensselaer Scholarship medal for his achievements in science and math, and the rank of Triton's Top Student 13 times over his high school career. Norton is a National Honor Society member and captain of Triton's Robotic Team.
"We congratulate Daniel on his many accomplishments, both in the classroom and on the athletic fields," said Superintendent Sandra Halloran when presenting the award to Norton. "His contributions to Triton have been many, and we express our sincere gratitude for all that he has given his school, as well as wish him continued success in the future."
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A recent yes vote to taking two furlough days by the Triton Teachers' Association has saved five of the 13 positions in the district that were set to be eliminated Jan. 4 due to a state transportation budget decrease of $390,000. "On behalf of the Triton School Committee and administration, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Triton Teachers' Association for their recent agreement of two furlough days," said Halloran in her weekly newsletter to staff and parents.
Many suggestions for cutting costs were suggested at recent public meetings regarding the cuts. Some questions were: Are the administrators making any concessions? Why don't we charge for busing? Can we cut either the middle or high school principal and have one combined principal for the middle/high school campus? What efforts have been made to cut utility costs? The answers to these questions and more, including a list of salary concessions made by the district staff, are listed in the superintendent's weekly update from Dec. 18, which can be found on Triton's Web site at www.trsd.net.
Budget planning for the new year begins in January. Parents are encouraged to get involved in the upcoming budget discussions and rally local legislators to avoid further cuts.
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Don't stop the presses! Upon hearing that the budget for the school newspaper was frozen, students who work on the paper — Triton Voice — put on their sales hats and obtained enough advertisements to fund a hard copy newspaper this month. The paper, which was issued midmonth, featured nearly 30 stories, despite a staff of only five students.
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Triton high school graduate Nathan Hunter will receive the honor of Eagle Scout at a ceremony on Jan. 2 at the Byfield Parish Church.
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Eighth-graders Madison Williams, Maddie Solomon, Carolyn Parks and Madeleine Winslow will have their geometry project from sixth grade featured on the Web site for a new PBS TV show, "SciGirls," which is an innovative series in science, technology, engineering and math for middle-school tweens. The girls gave credit to their math teacher Alicia Cuoco at Newbury Elementary School for encouraging them to be independent and creative with this math project that has gained such attention.
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Absences due to H1N1 and other flu-like illnesses at the district schools have decreased significantly, and no new cases have been reported, as was noted in the Dec. 11 newsletter from the superintendent.
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Michelle Pelletier Marshall reports on the Rowley and Triton middle and high schools for The Daily News. She can be reached at marshallsinmass@comcast.net.
