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State Champions Manchester Essex Regional High School Boys Tennis Team Honored at The State House

Superintendent Pam Beaudoin, Principal Julie Sgroi, and Athletic Director, Cameron Molinare are proud to share the success of the Manchester Essex Regional High School Boys Tennis team, which this year won the MIAA Division 4 State Championship, Cape Ann League (CAL) Baker Championship, and CAL Open Championship.

The team finished its season with an overall record of 19-4, and was led to victory under the mentorship of Head Coach Robert Bilsbury and Assistant Coach Barrett Alston.

“What an incredible group! This season was just a magical ride, and this team was the deepest I have ever coached,” said Bilsbury, who has coached at MERHS for 25 years. “There’s talent at every position.”

Through their commitment, dedication, perseverance and grit, the team not only clinched the league title but the CAL Open and Division 4 State Championship titles.

In celebration of its victory, the team was invited to the Massachusetts State House on Wednesday, July 17 for a recognition ceremony and was presented with official citations courtesy of Senator Bruce Tarr and Representative Ann Margaret Ferrante. The team and MERSD staff were honored to be able to attend and receive such a high level of recognition for their achievements.

Team members include: 

• Jack Bediz, Grade 11

• Finn Birkeland, Grade 11

• Alexander Breuker, Grade 12, Captain

• Andrew Cahill, Grade 10

• Jack Cummins, Grade 11, Captain, CAL Open Champion

• Shay Englehart, Grade 11

• Charlie Langendorf, Grade 11

• Peter Langedorf, Grade 9

• Jack Lawler, Grade 11

• Marius Roser, Grade 10

• Henry Swerdloff, Grade 11

• Ernest Taylor, Grade 11

• Benjamin Tobin, Grade 10

• Brodie Tolo, Grade 12

• Charlie Virden, Grade 12, Captain

• Jan Vytopil, grade 12, Captain, CAL Open Champion

“We truly could not be more proud and excited for the Manchester Essex Boys Tennis team. Under the exceptional leadership of Coach Bilsbury, the four captains, and seniors, the team reached new heights this year,” said Athletic Director Cameron Molinare. “The championship match is one of the best I’ve ever seen - a testament to the strength of both programs. On behalf of the entire Athletic Department, congratulations to the team and Coach Bilsbury on their state championship win.”

“We are incredibly proud of our student-athletes and celebrate their huge achievement. This is Coach Bilsbury’s first state championship, and the first for MERHS since 1998,” said Principal Sgroi. “It was an exciting match and the team fought for every point. They demonstrated true sportsmanship on and off the court all year long.”

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The Manchester Essex Regional High School Boys Tennis team clinched the MIAA State Championship, Cape Ann League (CAL) Baker Championship, and CAL Open Championship. (Photo Courtesy MERSD)

From left, Nina Goodick, Coach Robbie Bilsbury, Finn Birkeland, Charlie Virden, Brodie Tolo, Jack Lawler, Athletic Director Cameron Molinare, Principal Julie Sgroi, and State Rep Ann Margaret Ferrante at the State House on July 17. (Photo Courtesy MERSD)

From left, Brodie Tolo, Charlie Virden, Jack Lawler, State Rep. Ann Margaret Ferrante, Finn Birkeland, and Coach Robbie Bilsbury at the State House. (Photo Courtesy MERSD)

MERSD Boys Tennis team members are presented with official citations courtesy of the State Senate and House of Representatives. (Photo Courtesy MERSD)

District Newsletter May/June 2024

Manchester Essex Regional High School Green Team Honored for Environmental Efforts

Superintendent Pam Beaudoin and Principal Julie Sgroi are pleased to share that the Manchester Essex Regional High School Green Team has received an Environmental Eagles award from the Department of Environmental Protection for their outstanding environmental stewardship. The Green Team – students Aiden Brown, Paul Coughlin, Gavin Davis, Ian Carlin – developed a plan to reduce carbon emissions on the school campus by highlighting the "No Idle" State Law. They obtained signage to post, and pamphlets for distribution from the Mass DEP. Their goal was to educate the students who drive and parents who pickup students.

Their second project was to design and obtain reusable water bottles for distribution to graduating seniors, faculty, and staff.

Green Team is a statewide program sponsored by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and MassDEP. For more than 20 years, the Green Team program has been open to Massachusetts students who share in the goals of reducing pollution and protecting the environment with a focus on recycling, composting and sustainability. More than 55,000 students at 318 schools – participated this year.

"From the time I began working with students in Green Team, I have found that the concern for the environment and commitment to moving toward a livable future has been unprecedented,” said MERHS Science teacher Keith Gray, who supports the Team. “Many have chosen to pursue a career that involves various aspects of the class, which makes this award and its recognition of our Green Team so very important.”

MERHS’s Green Team was one of 63 recognized by the state this year.

“Congratulations to Mr. Gray and the Green Team for this achievement. Mr. Gray's passion and enthusiasm for the Green Team is contagious, and his students are fortunate to have this experience with him,” Principal Sgroi said. “It has been fun to watch his students come up with ways to connect their learning to the community.”

 

Essex Elementary School Fifth-Graders Learn About Local Watershed through Mass Audubon Program

Essex Elementary School Fifth-Graders Learn About Local Watershed through Mass Audubon Program

Superintendent Pam Beaudoin and Principal Sheila McAdams would like to share that Essex Elementary School fifth-graders recently participated in Mass Audubon’s Rivers to Sea program, where they learned about important concepts and challenges in the local watershed.

EES’ Fifth-Grade Teaching Team was awarded a grant from Mass Audubon for students to participate in the Rivers to Sea program, in which students work with Mass Audubon educators over the course of a year to strengthen their skills and confidence in integrating watershed topics into their curriculum, both in the outdoors and in their classrooms. 

During the program, experienced educators from the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary coached EES students and teachers in nine lessons.

In one lesson, student scientists looked at a topographical map of Essex. The goal was to identify how precipitation would flow from different parts of the town into streams, marshes, rivers and the ocean.

For two weeks, students used a model of a generic town in a series of hands-on experiments to investigate the role of people in polluting our environment and to better understand how to mitigate those effects. 

In their final lesson, the fifth-graders visited Conomo Point salt marsh, where they conducted three tests to gather data about the watershed. At the first station, students identified and measured plant growth, and at the second station, they measured the volume of fish caught in the marsh's channels over 24 hours. At the third station, they measured the salinity of the water at different depths by drilling down into the peat. 

After this promising program launch in 2024, EES looks forward to partnering with Mass Audubon’s Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary in the upcoming school year to coach a new class of fifth-grade students on the importance of watershed topics. EES is proud to help deepen the community’s understanding of watershed issues essential to Cape Ann’s community health, environmental health, and coastal maritime industries.

Click here to learn more about the Rivers to Sea program. 

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Essex Elementary School fifth-graders explore the Conomo Point salt marsh as part of their participation in the Mass Audubon’s Rivers to Sea program. (Photo Courtesy Manchester Essex Regional School District)

An experienced educator from the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary coaches EES students. (Photo Courtesy Manchester Essex Regional School District)

An EES student looks through a magazine for images to include in a collage as part of one of the program’s lessons. (Photo Courtesy Manchester Essex Regional School District)

EES student scientists use a model of a generic town in a series of hands-on experiments to investigate the role of people in polluting our environment. (Photo Courtesy Manchester Essex Regional School District)

District Newsletter April 2024

SEL Presentation featuring Michael Eatman

SEL Presentation featuring Michael Eatman 

May 1, 2024- 6:00-7:30 p.m. (Virtual event)

How does learning work best, and how can this knowledge help parents and students?

All across the country, there are those committed to learning – in life, at work, at home, and in school – and many people are working to help others learn too. Sometimes it works beautifully. Other times, we get stuck in resistance or frustration. What’s the secret to finding your way through this “puzzle”?

Join this insightful, interactive “Community Cafe” to explore some ideas surrounding the neuroscience of learning, and how to use “Emotional Intelligence” as a powerful ingredient for creating optimal conditions for growth.

You will learn about:

• Obstacles to learning and how those apply to you, employees, students, and others.
• How emotions can block or fuel learning, and how emotional intelligence can help us use emotions in a more effective way.
• Principles from the Six Seconds Learning Philosophy, a framework for creating emotionally intelligent processes – which we can use for ourselves and to teach others.

Who: Anyone interested in practicing emotional intelligence – for themselves, at work, home or school, or as a coach, trainer, or educator.

Michael L. Eatman

EQ practitioner and Leadership Strategist

For more information and a link to this event, please contact Joanne Maino.

Mainoj@mersd.org

Sponsored by MERMS Council