Lynnfield's School Year Ends June 21

Note: This article was updated at 12:55 p.m.

Lynnfield public school students will begin their summer vacation on June 21 this year, following a vote by the school committee Monday night before town  meeting.

In its vote, the committee unanimously approved the final day of the school calendar, which will be a half day for the students and a full one for teachers. The date is of course contingent on whether any unforeseen cancellations occur between now and then.

Fagan Named New Committee Vice Chair

In other business Monday night, the school committee approved James Fagan as its new vice chair, which will allow the previous vice chair, Tim Doyle, to focus full time on his work with the school building committee.

In fact, next Wednesday the committee will be interviewing three project manager candidates for the upcoming high school expansion project, which was approved in late November by town voters.

Destination Imagination Trip Moving Forward

Finally, the school committee also voted to approve a trip by several groups of Lynnfield students to participate in the Destiniation Imagination global finals in Knoxville, Tennessee in May. Member Michael Craffey abstained from that vote.

As the vote took place, some parents of Destination Imagination students were outside the Middle School selling raffle tickets to help defray the students' travel costs. The group is also raising funds by selling and even planting flats, pots or hanging baskets of pansies, with more information available at pansyfundraiser@comcast.net.

Destination Imagination students are holding an additional fundraiser on Saturday May 14, when they will be collecting old electronic equipment for a fee, to be recycled. More information will be posted on Lynnfield Patch in the coming days about both of these events, and more information about the electronics recycling can be obtained by emailing DI.fundraising@verizon.net.

New Superintendent Next Year

The passing of the current school year will also mark the end of Superintendent Robert Hassett's term in office. In the fall, Dr. Thomas Jefferson will be superintendent of the Lynnfield School District. Last night at the outset of town meeting, School Committee Chair Dorothy Presser took some time to praise the superintendent's performance in Lynnfield.

According to Presser, Hassett was "the right person in the right place at the right time" when he came to the Lynnfield School District. "I know there's eight weeks left, but he will be missed," she added.