Saugus residents support plan to honor late teacher

SAUGUS – More residents are voicing support to name the Saugus High School auditorium after late drama teacher Nancy Lemoine after more than 380 people have signed a petition in support of the idea. Saugus High alumnus James Wlodyka started the petition on change.org in support of naming the auditorium for Lemoine. The petition calls for changing school policy to allow for the naming of parts of school buildings.On Wednesday, the School Committee Policy Subcommittee met to recommend changing policy FF, which prohibits the naming of parts of schools after any one person.The subcommittee struck this portion of the policy out and added a portion that says parts of schools would be named after individuals based on extraordinary circumstances. This would be done after a subcommittee is formed to evaluate the proposal.School Committee member Frederick Doucette said the current policy was enacted in 2000 and noted he didn?t have a problem with changing it because it?s an extraordinary situation.?In this specific case, someone who dies tragically while teaching at Saugus Public Schools, I don?t have a problem with that …” said Doucette. “This is not a normal situation, teachers don?t normally die in the course of their service. Retirement and passing is a more normal course of events.”School Committee member Arthur Grabowski said the committee was opening up a can of worms because the committee would have to make a “value judgement” based on who deserves it.?I agree some recognition should be done, but I don?t think naming of limited spaces is the way to do it,” said Grabowski, who noted other teachers who have influenced people would be slighted.Curriculum and Instruction Director Geoff Bruno said he supports naming the auditorium after Lemoine based on the impact she?s had on “generations of people in this town” and called it “appropriate and meaningful.”?I just think it?s a little silly to have a policy in place to prohibit something like this that would be so meaningful to so many people,” he said. “It?s more than just one person. It represents a program and some very meaningful things to a lot of people.Bruno acknowledged there was a “slippery slope,” but said there needs to be a way to do it.?It?s nice for people to connect a space … to a person,” he said. “It personalizes it, it gives it life, it gives it meaning.”The subcommittee will meet again in two weeks to update the school?s social media policy.The full School Committee will meet at 7 p.m. tonight.