Marblehead schools’ effort pleases Patrick

MARBLEHEAD – Gov. Deval Patrick says he visits local schools once or twice a week “to see what’s working and what’s not.”He spent more than an hour touring Marblehead’s Hillel Academy Tuesday morning in recognition of Hillel’s 20-year partnership with the Ford School in Lynn.Patrick, who was accompanied by U.S. Rep. John Tierney, D-Salem, and state Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead, told reporters “These kids are very serious, very engaged in what they’re doing.”Hillel seventh- and eighth-graders tutor Ford’s third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in math and read to younger children.Cynthia Mitsiaris, a fourth-grade teacher at Ford who has been part of the relationship for the past five years, knows that the tutoring is working.A study she prepared for Ford Principal Claire Crane indicated that 43 of the 44 tutored students passed the MCAS exam in math.Her teacher-in-training, Salem State University senior Kaylen Handren, puts it more enthusiastically.”I love the interaction between these kids,” she said. “It’s awesome.”Crane recalls the program’s beginnings.She was volunteering at My Brother’s Table with Karen and Jerry Madorsky, who were active in Hillel, and their conversations resulted in the start of the tutoring program.Today Hillel students tutor Ford children every Friday from January-March.Eighth-grader Danielle Shiloh thought some students might act casual about the governor’s visit, but she enjoyed her conversation with the governor and classmate Alex Taglieri “just happened” to have a picture of Patrick in his desk to be signed.Patrick also signed student work folders, thanked tutors and encouraged the tutored students.In quick succession, Patrick saw a gym class doing a parachute exercise, students dressed as characters from their book report books and a line-up of young students with a sign welcoming him to Hillel.He even got a Hillel shirt and a demonstration of “The Dougie,” the dance that ends tutoring sessions.In one class, Ehrlich showed him a math competition between two tutoring pair-ups.Chuckling at a complicated problem, Patrick told the students, “Welcome to my world.”Hillel teacher Ann Noorani recalled the early days of tutoring as “an eye-opener for me” and her son, Zachary, now 30, and Head of School Ken Schulman said, “Every time the kids are here it’s a proud day for me, but I’m glad to see us get some recognition for this program, which benefits our kids as well as the Ford School kids.”