Looks like the Melrose school system is doing something right! As the college acceptances are rolling in I am hearing about acceptances and enrollments in Harvard, Yale, Annapolis, Amherst, Colby and Brown amongst others ! Nice testament to the school, the students and the city. Congratulations to all the kids going to college!

When are you people going to stop with this bull$hit propaganda? There are always exceptions that prove the rule.

Propaganda? Exceptions?? Give credit where credit is due! While the school system still needs work like every school system in America, they are still doing some ggood things at Melrose High. When are YOU people going to stop with the "chicken Little" attitude

These kids are the exception to the rule that is Melrose High, and only a propaganda spouting boob would attempt to insinuate they are the rule, and that facing the truth shown by the numbers is somehow a sordid attempt to denigrate those few who do have success. It's nothing of the kind, and you know it. You idiots don't fool anyone anymore, except maybe the K - 5 mommies.

Happy News, you must be reminded that you are not allowed to mention nor comment on any good things that happen at the school on this message board. For example, the fact that no one from MHS has gotten into Harvard is allowed to be mentioned several times in an effort to bash MHS - but if someone actually does get into Harvard this year, this fact suddenly becomes "noise" that can not be used to contradict any of the statements made on this board that the whole Melrose School System, the Administration, the School Board, and especially our Mayor, are terrible, terrible, terrible. If you remember these rules, then you will realize that strings like the ones you started in which positive messages are sent regarding the Melrose schools are offensive and inappropriate and must therefore be refuted immediately and vindictively. It took "What?" all of 16 minutes to bash your original post which is actually pretty slow for her, she will usually refute with an anti-Melrose schools post within 5 minutes of a positive message. So don't take it personally when she calls you names (and congrats to those kids, parents, and teachers that made such success happen).

Looks like the Spin Machine is in high gear, particularly frenetic. But it's budget season with a fall election, after all, one in which there are 4 School Committee seats, including mayor, and one in which they are planning to try and shove an override onto the ballot.

Don't know who this "she" is that is insinuated with the typical "hater" garbage, but it's also now predictable that the Spin Machine needs to characterize any and all who respond as a single handful of "haters." That's really okay, though, because underestimating one's opposition is also a predictably foolish thing in the small-minded circles of this administration. It only benefits the opposition to do so.

Bottom line is that kids are at stake here. Great if one or several excellent self-motivated students have gotten into a bunch of the most selective schools (typically it's one student who got into several, though the administration does its best to make sure it looks like throngs of students, hiding the real numbers). Their families and our community will indeed be proud of their accomplishments, as we should be. But this is not relevant for the larger portion of MHS students these days, where many are struggling because of our neglect as a community. In the end this kind of ploy to shift the focus to the Ivy League winner(s) only fools those who need to believe in fairy tales, like the MEF bunch who not only believe the myths but propagate them as well.

Bottom line is that MHS students as a student body have been neglected and left to sink lower and lower academically, especially the last couple of years, with national scores (SAT & ACT) that are at or below even the low state average, not even competitive within the diminished Middlesex League. What will be significant is data (all of it, willingly unmasked and offered for meaningful dialogue with the public) that shows significant improvement for the majority of MHS students. The administration can be thankful that real data won't exist for a number of years now, since the MCAS is done, what follows will be chaos for many years, SAT is being changed (though the next couple of years will still have the old test), and the "data-driven evidence" garbage will be effectively silenced for a few years since there will be nothing to compare.

Staff hiring and retention is worse and worse, as many are already aware. The best educators now shun the district and won't even apply (having zero to do with remuneration and everything to do with what is viewed as a highly toxic and dysfunctional system). Staff morale throughout the district has never been worse, and it's degrading further by the day. Watch any meeting or presentation and it's easy to see why. It's not difficult to grasp why national test scores of MHS students are so poor when the district is being run into the ground by a complete fleet of administrators who are incapable of higher thought processes (though they are "effective" in killing what's left of any joy in teaching or learning). Heck, it takes about ten minutes (or under) of listening before a full-fledged adult with a brain is turned off (unless one is a glassy-eyed political/administrative missionary like the gaggle of MEF), so it's no wonder that kids are withering under their reign. No override will fix that.

This other stuff is just put out there to deflect the public's attention away from the problems, which the administration is determined to hide at any cost, including the well-being of untold numbers of our students. These self-serving opportunists and their crazed evangelical followers couldn't care less about the kids (except perhaps their own, whom they are misguided into thinking they are "helping" with their crass political dealings). The community needs to grow up and stop neglecting its kids, stop leaving them to the machinations of cynical politicians and administrations. Until the community takes a more mature approach to the management of its education system, it has only itself to blame. Time for a realignment of basic values!

Well said, retired. Even though portraying those few noteworthy student success stories in some sort of negative light is the furthest thing from anyone's actual intent, these knuckleheads keep churning out the same idiotic responses to any post even slightly critical of the schools. This whole sad, sorry state of affairs makes me sick, as do the frauds who perpetrate such a hoax on an unengaged or willfully ignorant populace.

I'm still waiting for the next canned response - "If you dislike it so much, why don't you run?" I'll tell you why. It's because I couldn't sit through five minutes of the doublespeak horse$hit spewed at those SC meetings without exploding, and that wouldn't do anyone any good.

And for the record, I'm not a "she".

Can I ask one question? Are these acceptances or individual students? If we have a significant increase in the number of students getting accepted to very selective schools, that would indicate a major demographic shift here in Melrose. But from what I recall of my own childrens classmates, it is generally only two or three kids at the top of the class who account for those acceptances.

In other words, if you are applying to Harvard, it is quite likely you will also be applying to other Ivys or selective schools. And if you are good enough to get accepted to Harvard, it is quite likely you are good enough to get accepted to Brown, Yale, and Amherst. Kids are generally applying to close to ten schools each, so it is quite possible that these acceptances reflect the talent and hard work of only two or three students. At least that's how it was when my children graduated.


That doesn't take away from the hard work done by those students who got accepted to these prestigious schools...quite the contrary, I find it even more impressive that these students were able to achieve what they have in an environment where they probably didn't have the support and depth of instruction they deserved from many of their teachers.

So congratulations are in order, but I wouldn't read too much into this unless you know how many students these acceptances reflect.

Exactly! Am not female either, and it's pathetic that the "knuckleheads" need so badly to portray us all as one entity. So be it. Being underestimated will be just fine for those dumb enough to think that "they have the votes" for an override. Good. Let them play this out. It's time that They play this out and see just exactly how many of "us" there are. They have fractured and divided this community with their hateful foolishness and waste of resources (not just the monetary ones). It will take a major confrontation in the voting booth before anything substantial will change. Bring it on.

On both sides the MM crowd picks and chooses it's "facts" to suit their own agenda. As a parent of an MHS Student(s)I can state that my kids received very good education at MHS. As a parent around this years senior class I can state the many, many kids...both boys and girls...going to top notch colleges and universities this year deserve all the credit in the world for their hard work and accomplishments. They also should thank their teachers for the solid educational foundation they were provided over the last 4 year. These kids did not do this on their own and any belief to the contrary shows a clear agenda on behalf of the critics on this site. For the record, this college acceptance list is not one or two kids getting into several great schools. Its many kids getting into many great schools.

Hey What, are you a she/he

just wondering.[:)]

What is a he and retired is a she. They are both pretty petty though, as evidenced by the fact that they just can't say 'congratulations' to the kids that did a great job at MHS and instead need to use this thread as part of another avenue to vent on the Melrose schools. The two of them trash the schools on every other thread on this site - why can't they just keep this one positive and say "job well done"? Totally destroys their credibility and shows their agenda.

so now this district apologist is able to read genetic tea leaves! "the two of them" indeed! Just the usual "hater" bloviating again. Vuvu, Mikey and Brigid are very busy these days.

Get it through your thick skulls - for every student at MHS that excels in this fashion, there are 10 who are so shortchanged by the lack of a good education that they are affected negatively for life. It's those 10 who concern me, because those who excel have proven they are okay and will succeed. Whining about the lack of congratulations offered to them is just another pathetic way of avoiding dealing with difficulty this sad school system is setting the 10 up for.

Your 1 to 10 ratio is clearly coming from a completely biased view, as is your claim that they are damaged for life. You also completely discount individual responsibility and a family's responsibility to their children. The opportunity exists for all the kids to succeed at MHS. The bottom line is the top 10% of the class has the opportunity to go great colleges. The next 15% will have the opportunity to go to high quality schools, and for the most part if you are not in the top 25% of your class you didn't work hard enough in high school, but can still go to any number of colleges, including most of the state schools.

I bet the top students who are going to great schools did a lot for others in the community. It's likely that "community/service" is expected of them and they won't be scrambling for volunteer hours so they can graduate.

The original poster was talking out of both sides of his/her mouth. Yes, of course congrats to the kids, thats a no brainer. But then he went on to talk about how great the schools are and it completely killed his/her statement. People, even revere, everett, and malden send kids to these fantastic colleges and universities, we're not special. And fact is, the Melrose school system is still struggling and these accomplishments aren't going to change that or make people turn a blind eye to it. So stop with the mixed messages.

"even revere, everett, and malden send kids to these fantastic colleges and universities"

Right now we have two lousy dept chairs, who naturally had no experience in administration when Melrose snapped them up from revere (courtesy of Joe Casey) and city management philosophy courtesy of everett (with thanks to the RD family). The notorious former mayor of Malden was Dolan's "mentor" whom he chose to be his/our city solicitor, that is until the state Ethics board shut him down and said it was a conflict of interest (duh!).

Anyone here who thinks Melrose is all hoity-toity better than those other communities is delusional and just needs to justify their large mortgage and taxes. Plenty that's charming and attractive here, but you only need to take a glance at the local pols or the school system to see where Melrose has nothing to brag about in comparison to those three communities, one of which (Malden) sends significant numbers of students to the most selective colleges consistently every year. For those interested in what actually defines a school system you'd have to care enough to look beyond the small margin of highly successful students at the top (which is important but only a tiny measurement); look at things like staff morale and retention of the best teachers (nonexistent now in Melrose, especially since CT has stated that she's intent on getting rid of the senior staff so that she can hire all younger rookies that cost less and can be manipulated more easily). Look at how the majority of students are faring. Or you can look at the razzle-dazzle instead and sum it up as butterflies and unicorns (those pretty new science labs somehow washed away the 40% of Melrose students who failed in science, eh?). Your choice. Has nothing whatsoever to do with congratulating the students across the district who have accomplished good things (just a red herring from those who are stumping for easy mommy jobs in the district, political opportunities and an override at any cost).

You don't need to go to Harvard to feel a sense of pride. Congratulations to all the kids who have worked so hard to get into college!

And congratulations to those students smart enough to get into a MA State University.

Not all kids can afford anything but a MA state school, @$$wipe.

Do you know when the guidance dept is going to publish the list of college acceptances?

Weekly News did an article on football players going to great schools next year. Colby, Hamilton, Amherst, St. A's and even a kid to Naval Academy. I also understand that a kid got into Northwestern, and another to both Princeton and Brown...thats just the boys. I'm sure some girls got into some great schools as well. Nothing better then MHS kids getting the job done. Congrats!!!

One female student got into Yale and another into B.C. I'm sure there are others that got accepted to top schools. Not sure when list will be released but its sure to be a good one.

List usually comes out around graduation.