Alumni Came "Back to School"
SHS alumni enriching classrooms across the district
Former Students Helping Today's Students
During the very early days of the pandemic, alumni and high school students were connected together over shared subjects in "Alumni Chats". Six months later, alumni were again united with teachers and classrooms, in a "Guest Speaker" program. Both programs were so well-received by students, teachers and alumni, that we offered it again last December.
Most recently, we were able to connect 29 former students with 29 different teachers and after-school programs. Subjects included business, civics/local government, pharmacology, environmental science, acting/dancing, TV and film production, writing, entrepreneurship, and several other exciting topics. For a full list of topics and recordings, please visit Alumni Student Chats.
TV Production class visited by 2 former TV Production alums, Melissa Cooke '13 and Declan Quinn, '16
Alumni Guest Speakers
Kevin Chen, SHS '11, was a guest speaker in Erin Goulding's second grade class at Floral. He studied environmental studies in college and plans to become an environmental lawyer. His topic was Environmental Issues. Here is what he had to say about his experience: "I had a fantastic experience speaking with Ms. Goulding’s second-grade class about environmental issues. The students were engaged, curious, and much more knowledgeable about things like pollution and global warming than I was at their age. It was great to return to the Shrewsbury Public Schools and give back to the community that raised me."
Megan Downing, SHS '15, came back to speak in Moira Cristy's 6th grade class. Megan found her passion in criminal justice and would like to share this passion and inspire others. This is how her experience went: "As an alumni of the Shrewsbury Public Schools, going back as a guest speaker is something that felt so surreal to me. I felt like it was truly just recently I was sitting in those classes, unaware of what my future held. I remember the excitement of when a guest speaker came in, and it felt so special to now be that person. The students were so amazing and respectful and asked such thoughtful questions- which only shows how well the Shrewsbury schools continue to prepare students for these experiences. I really enjoyed my time..."
Nick Silverio, '13
Kevin Chen, '11
Megan Downing, '15
Community Members Delight Classrooms
Dr. Raffaella Umeton, a neurologist at UMass Memorial, came to speak at Ms. Powell's fourth grade class at Floral Street School. Dr. Raffaella's presentation was about the brain. Ms. Powell's class "enjoyed the experience" and hopes to have more guest speakers in the future. Dr. Umeton said she enjoyed the experience so much, she would definitely be a guest speaker again.
Dr. Karen Fine, a holistic veterinarian from Central Animal Hospital in Leominster, lives in Shrewsbury and often visited her son's elementary classroom. This past January, Dr. Fine visited Mrs. Porter's second grade class at Spring Street School. "I [had] an interactive discussion about veterinary medicine, showing some x-rays, and then giving each child some bandage material to bandage a stuffie from home and write a health record for it. It's fun for me and the kids!"
Students Captivated
Students benefitted from this experience in a variety of ways as well. Here is just a snapshot of what the students thought:
I loved how Ms. Downing took time to spend with us. She told us how she faced some adversity in her personal life, shared stories about her education in Shrewsbury and in college, and gave us some tips on how to stay safe when in danger."~ Pranav Gundu, Gr. 6
“I really enjoyed Ms. Downing's visit to our classroom to teach us about her experiences in criminal justice. It was really fun to learn how her personal experience led her to choose her career. I also liked her tips on how we could keep ourselves safe walking alone.”~Arya Vaidyanathan Gr. 6
Students adored Nick Silverio when he came back to speak with the students in Stephanie Halacy's second grade class at Paton. Nick, SHS '13, is a professional broadway dancer and actor who started Artswrk, "a professional network for artists and creatives". Their thank you letters say it all! (A sampling of those letters is below.)
"You are inspiring!!!"
"Thank you for answering all of our questions."
"I want to be like you when I grow up."
Teachers Thrilled
Teachers, as well, were overwhelmingly positive about the opportunity to have alumni back in their schools:
"Megan completely captivated our students with her personal stories about her education in Shrewsbury and beyond, personal events that led her to choose a career in criminal justice, and her current work experiences. She was so poised and enthusiastic as she engaged with students and delivered a thoughtful presentation with messages of hope, resiliency, perseverance and compassion. Our students loved asking her questions and she was so gracious with her time and attention." ~Moira Cristy Gr. 6
"I just loved having the opportunity to invite an SHS graduate into my classroom. Kevin Chen was so sweet with the kids and he did a great job explaining what he does for a living. When he brought up the face that he loved to play at Dean Park, the kids got so excited! That was the moment when it clicked that this adult was once just like them. This is definitely something I'd do again"
~ Erin Goulding, Gr. 2
"We had a wonderful zoom visit with Nick Silverio, who now resides in NYC. The children loved talking with him and learning about his dancing and acting profession. [The kids were so inspired, they even had a dance party together]."
~Stephanie Halacy, Gr. 2
Community Outreach
We continue to reach out to our community, looking for alumni and community members who work in or own local businesses, who would like to host high school juniors. We have about 15 different companies who are willing to offer job shadowing, internship or summer job opportunities to our students, but we are always looking to add more. If you are interested in offering a summer job, internship or job shadowing opportunity, please complete the form below.
Alumni are consistently answering the call for support of our students, programs and mission in Shrewsbury Public Schools. It is an honor to have so many former students who are inspiring role models, captivating speakers and generously willing to give their time, as well as opportunities, to current students.
Contact Us
Email: alumni@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us
Website: https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/alumni
Location: 100 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-841-8470
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPSColonialFund
Twitter: @SPSInnovates