By Melissa Moore-Randall
Members of the Revere community recently participated in the Civics Community Outreach Event at the Susan B. Anthony Middle School. The event focused on allowing students to ask questions and share ideas with community leaders to learn more about the civic action project topics.
SBA Teacher Shalyn Peterbark provided an overview of the event. “Students have spent a few weeks working on their Civic Action Projects, which are a state requirement. They met with a few community leaders, who I listed below. When we return from spring break, students will use the knowledge they gained during this event to guide their research and complete their Civic Action Projects. “
“We plan to have the students present their projects to the community in late May/early June. All projects are focused on improving an issue in the City of Revere. Here are some of the topics: Vocational School Application, RHS Vocational Classes, Bike Lanes, Cost of Housing, Playground Accessibility, School Communication, Homelessness, School Funding, Littering, School Safety, Drug Awareness, School Recess, School Lunch, and Over-Development.”
The event was co-planned by Peterbark and Alexandra Butler (both 8th-grade civics teachers at SBA) who also had the support from Joanne Willett (Principal, SBA), James Bouhuys (Assistant Principal, SBA), Ann McLaughlin (Assistant Principal, SBA), Tina Petty (History Coach, Grades 6-12, RPS), and all of the 8th-grade teachers at SBA.
Event Presenters included Julie DeMauro — Transportation Coordinator, Matthew Kruse — Chief Financial Manager, Aisha Milbury-Ellis — School Committee Member, John Kingston — School Committee Member, Anthony Caggiano — School Committee Member, Ralph Decicco — Chair Revere Commission on Disabilities – ADA/Volunteer Revere Coordinator, Lauren Buck — Director of Public Health, Tom Skwierawski — Chief of Planning and Community Development, James Bouhuys — SBA Assistant Principal, Rep. Jessica Giannino — State Representative, Principal Christopher Bowen — Revere High School Principal, Sergeant Internicola — School Resource Officer, Officer Brenes — School Resource Officer, CarrieAnn Salemme — Program Manager SUDHI, Nicole Palermo — Social Worker, Yvonne Vu — Data Analyst, Information Technology Department, Revere City Hall, Claudia Correa — City of Revere Chief of Staff, Mayor Patrick Keefe — City of Revere Mayor, Madelyn Pineda Alvarez — Community Liaison Coordinator and Nada Abou Hadiba — Community Outreach Liaison.
Mayor Keefe is inspired and sees a bright future for Revere. “I’m inspired to see our schools engage community leaders and professionals to work with our student population on issues that they seek to address. Students were well prepared and touched on real life issues such as environmental concerns and housing affordability in our community. We had thoughtful dialogue and hope to see them engage in the important work.. it’s the constant gentle pressure and follow through that will help create solutions, so I tasked them with some homework and look forward to our next steps. Our future is bright.”
SBA Principal Joanne Willett was thrilled and grateful. “I am thrilled to share the success of our recent Civics Community Outreach Event held at SBA. This event was designed to provide our students with a unique opportunity to engage with community leaders and gain valuable insights into the civic action project topics they have been diligently working on. I would like to extend my gratitude to all those who played a role in making this event a success. Special thanks to Alexandra Butler and Shalyn Peterbark, our dedicated 8th-grade civics teachers, for their tireless efforts in co-planning the event, as well as History Coach, Tina Petty, and all the 8th-grade teachers at SBA. I am deeply appreciative of the esteemed community leaders who generously volunteered their time to serve as event presenters. Their willingness to engage with our students reflects their commitment to fostering civic engagement and youth empowerment in our community.”
