Special to the Journal
In the fall, it was announced that Beachmont Elementary School was named a National “ESEA Distinguished School” by the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Education. Beachmont was one of two schools in Massachusetts to receive the honor.
In February, Beachmont Principal Chris Freisen and Revere Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Dr. Richard Gallucci traveled to Portland, Oregon, to pick up the school’s award during the four-day 2024 National ESEA Conference.
“Attending the National ESEA Conference in Portland was a tremendous honor for our school community,” said Freisen. “The Beachmont Veterans Memorial School was recognized as a Nationally Distinguished School, and there were special events that we participated in throughout the four-day conference.”
Freisen said the conference offered a variety of engaging sessions for educators from across the country.
“Our Beachmont team attended these sessions with plans to share what we learned with our Beachmont and Revere colleagues,” he said. “This conference gave us an opportunity to reflect on systems that we currently have in place and also identify areas of practice we can do better. It was great to meet educators and experts from across the country.”
Each year, ESEA Program Administrators invite each state’s Department of Education to identify two schools to be celebrated as a School of Distinction.
Schools that receive a National ESEA Distinguished School Honor must demonstrate high academic achievement, which may include high academic growth, or meet or exceed state-determined accountability criteria.
Freisen said DESE set a number of targets for Beachmont, as well as other schools in the state, to ensure they are closing the achievement gap.
Throughout the National ESEA Conference, select sessions feature “Stories of Success” from Distinguished Schools, highlighting the notable work they have done to make significant improvements for their students. Distinguished school attendees are celebrated during several exclusive conference events.
“I had the honor of attending the 2024 National ESEA Conference in Portland with an amazing group of educators from Beachmont Elementary School,” said Dr. Gallucci. “Beachmont Elementary School was recognized as a 2024 National ESEA Distinguished School based on their exemplary performance last year. Together, alongside my esteemed Beachmont colleagues, we had the opportunity to attend workshops that focused on academic learning, educational leadership, special education, and other critical topics related to our daily work. I am proud of the entire Beachmont Elementary community—students, staff, and parents—for this incredible accomplishment and look forward to their future work. Go Bees!”
