WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to announce that Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) recognized Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District Superintendent Edward A. Bouquillon with the 11th annual Dr. Patrick A. Schettini Jr. Memorial Award today during a virtual ceremony.
The award recognizes Superintendent Bouquillon for his longstanding commitment to the safety of the students and staff at Minuteman.
More than 120 school superintendents, police chiefs and fire chiefs and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan came together virtually to honor Superintendent Bouquillon in a remotely held ceremony on Tuesday. The annual event brings together staff from the district attorney’s office, law enforcement, educators and community leaders to collaborate on student safety, juvenile justice and crime prevention strategies.
“It’s a tremendous honor for Minuteman High School to be recognized for our strong investment and commitment to the safety of our students and staff,” Superintendent Bouquillon said. “The technology infrastructure of our new school building, along with our dedication to fostering a safe and welcoming environment, has allowed Minuteman to become a leader in school safety. We thank our partners in the law enforcement community for their deep collaboration in this important effort.”
The Schettini Award, named after the late Reading Public Schools Superintendent, is presented annually to a school superintendent, fire chief or police chief for their commitment to the health and safety of students in their communities. In selecting Superintendent Bouquillon for the 2020 award, MPY cited his district’s numerous use of security cameras, tap-card systems and other security features in the new Minuteman High School building that opened in September 2019.
“We are continually impressed with Minuteman’s commitment to proactively address safety and social-emotional support for students,” Daniels said. “Under Dr. Bouquillon’s leadership, the lines of communication have always remained open between the school and law enforcement, and students receive the support they need. Seizing upon the opportunity to enhance these efforts with the opening of a new building was tremendous.”
Minuteman’s response to COVID-19 was another reason MPY selected Superintendent Bouquillon for the Schettini award. Shortly after schools closed in March, Minuteman donated mroe than 300 packages of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the Lexington and Lincoln police and fire departments.
Superintendent Bouquillon led an extensive effort to develop the hybrid learning model to safety reopen school this fall. His commitment to effective communications with families led to the creation of a video, linked here, about the new health and safety precautions, which was later shared by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as an example of highly effective digital communication.
Additionally, Superintendent Bouquillon had a building on campus reoutfitted to accommodate the children of teachers and staff members engaging in remote learning.
During Minuteman’s partnership with MPY over the past 13 years, the organization has involved students and staff in critical thinking and culture-building workshops and provided important networking opportunities for staff with public safety officials in the region. Minuteman staff have attended countless professional conferences organized by MPY, while students have benefitted from numerous in-school workshops pertaining to bullying, substance use and impaired driving.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501.c(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. Member organizations include more than 140 public school districts, charter schools, private schools, special education schools, educational collaboratives, and youth community service organizations in the Commonwealth. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
The nonprofit is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission.
To learn more, visit www.mpyinc.org.
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