LYNN — In a normal year, the 100th day of school wouldn’t be much more than a footnote. In 2020, it can draw the attention and admiration of the lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth.
St. Mary’s opened its building for teacher training on Aug. 24, making Wednesday the 100th day of in-person operation, no small feat in the COVID-19 era.
To mark the occasion, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito met virtually with St. Mary’s leadership and students Wednesday morning.
“These are very challenging times,” Polito said. “It’s important to find the silver linings and blessings, and it’s clear that St. Mary’s is one of those blessings. Keep doing what you’re doing.”
Polito – a graduate of a Catholic elementary school (St. Mary’s, Shrewsbury), high school (Holy Name, Worcester) and college (Boston College) – congratulated the students for “doing what you have to do to keep the school safe” and, acknowledging the new STEM building, called St. Mary’s “one of the most state-of-the-art schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”
Freshman Joseph Goyette told Polito students’ biggest motivation for following the health guidelines is to not lose the ability to have in-person learning. “It’s a lot better to be in school,” he said. “We want to be here physically, so that makes us follow the rules.”
In addition to Goyette, students who participated in the meeting with Polito include senior Ava Benzan, junior Kassandra Teixeira, sophomore Chris Lutchman, freshman Roman Daniel, eighth-grader Riley Maguire, seventh-grader Sam Phelps and sixth-grader Ruthshell Cazeau.
“Our success is a tribute to our students and teachers who have made this work,” said Head of School Dr. John F. Dolan.
