Issue No. 1 SEPTEMBER 2014

EXTENDING A HELPING HANDMystic Valley 2009 Alumni, Katy Cain and Olivia Keane are truly difference makers. FULL STORY PAGE 3

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Alumni NEWSMystic Valley RegionalCharter School

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MYSTIC VALLEYWE LOVE IT

from the desk of the CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARDIt is often hard for me to believe that the alumni base of Mystic Valley now totals over 450 graduates. The past 16 years have seen remarkable growth and change. Most of you can remember having classes in Everett or playing sports on borrowed fields, pools or courts.

Our first three graduating classes were smaller than what you will find in one classroom today. We have gone from an idea on paper to become one of the most successful schools in the country. You have helped us in that journey while you were students and it’s why we believe as alumni you will play an important role in our future. I am proud to know many of you and hope you enjoy this alumni publication.

Chairman of The Board

NEIL KINNON

It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this, the premiere issue of Mystic Valley’s Alumni publication. Although you are no longer physically present, the foundation you laid is strong and your legacy remains. With each successive graduating class, the bar that defines our success is raised one more notch.

Mystic Valley continues to see many important “firsts” as we move from a pioneering idea to a sustained, mature, and one of the most successful public schools in the Commonwealth. On the pages that follow, you will read updates of your classmates as well as highlights of the new generation of Mystic Valley students making their mark at your alma mater. I hope you enjoy reading this and future issues and that you use to stay in touch with us. We will be looking for more stories to tell so write us often.

Executive Director

welcome letter from theSCHOOL DIRECTOR

MARTIN TRICE

Cover Story............................................................................. Page 3Academic News....................................................................... Page 4Remembering Dr. Biegler......................................................... Page 5Our Inspiration....................................................................... Page 6Eagles Sports Soar................................................................... Page 7 & 8All About the Arts.................................................................... Page 8In Other News......................................................................... Page 9Alumni News.......................................................................... Page 9Class of 2014.......................................................................... Page 10

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COVER STORYExtending A Helping Hand

Mystic Valley alums, Katy Cain and Olivia Keane, Class of 2009, are truly difference makers. They both just received their Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Lowell having each received their Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering in 2013. The work they have done while at U Lowell will have a lasting impact. Over the course of the last two years they both have been working to extend a helping hand to those who literally need one.

Olivia and Katy currently have a patent pending on a prosthetic arm for children that extends as the child grows. In war-torn countries, the leading causes of loss of limb or amputation are land mines, terrorist bombings, accidents and the lack of basic public health, which often leads to infection and gangrene. The cost of a replacement limb is prohibitively expensive for most third world families. This is especially true because the limb itself needs to be continually changed. A prosthetic limb that does not fit is a serious problem because the ill-fitting arm causes the body to readjust to accommodate which causes back pain issues because of unequal weight on the arms. Their invention solves that problem by extending out as the child grows so that both their real arm and the artificial arm remain the same length. Their prosthetic arm also contains a cavity inside the device to add weight as the child grows so that the arms will stay at the same weight and therefore the spine will not need to bend to compensate for the different weight of each arm. The prosthetic arm will need to be adjusted approximately as often as a child needs to get a new pair of shoes because they outgrew the old ones. The prosthetic arm that they helped develop lasts for about five years. Their goal is to have a mass producible prosthetic that can be used to assist children throughout the world. They currently have a patent pending on the expanding properties and injection model.

The project started as part of their engineering capstone which is a requirement of graduation much like a Doctoral Thesis in a Ph. D. program. The University of Lowell has a program that is designed to help small companies and non-profits. Their involvement in the program led to creation of a startup company composed of engineering-students-turned-entrepreneurs, called Nonspec, which aims to make a difference in the world by fabricating low-cost, durable prosthetic limbs for children in developing countries. As a partof the program each group of students would pitch an idea to

businesses. Their idea was very well received and they have gone on to win several awards and several thousand dollars in a number of competitions. They were featured in “Young Entrepreneurs Magazine” as having a Top Ten new idea.

Nancy Saucier, Director, New Venture Development at UMass Lowell said of the project: “We are very proud of the passion with which Katy and Olivia have worked to help drive Nonspec. This student start-up has from its inception as a UMass Lowell Differencemaker team demonstrated that a company can succeed and have a larger social mission that will positively impact war torn and diseased regions as well as the global community at large."

Olivia is the daughter of Leo and Cathie Keane. Cathie is the MV Science Chair. Her brother Ryan graduated in 2012. Katy is the daughter of Nicsa and James Cain and sister to Audrey MV ’11.

Mystic Valley Regional Charter School ~ Our MissionTo provide the opportunity of a world class education characterized by a well-mannered, disciplined and structured academic

climate. Central to Mystic Valley's academic environment is the incorporation of selected core virtues and the fundamental ideals of our American Culture, which are embodied in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

Connie Lam Wins Posse ScholarshipConnie Lam, a senior at the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School has received a Posse Scholarship to Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania. Posse scholarships are awarded to high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential. Posse scholars receive a four-year, full-tuition leadership scholarship. Bryn Mawr is considered one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States. It is the second straight year that a Mystic Valley senior has won a Posse Scholarship to attend Bryn Mawr.

In addition to having an outstanding academic record, Connie was the Co-President of the Latin Club and active member of the Science and Youth in Government clubs. She lives in Malden with her parents and her brother Calvin who is a second grade student at Mystic Valley.

Students Host Holiday DinnersMembers of the Student Action Service Club at the Mystic Valley Charter School hosted 3 holiday dinners for residents of several senior buildings in Malden this past year. Nicole Rubin, Director of Student Youth Services organized the students and the meals delivery. Joe Amari and Dennis Irwin prepared the meals. Mystic Valley Board of Trustees Chairman, Neil Kinnon also came to each party to lend a helping hand. Meals were served at the Malden Housing Authority’s 630 Salem Street, 557 Pleasant Street and 89 Pearl Street facilities. After dinner, the residents were treated to a performance by the Mystic Valley Choir under the direction of Mr. Daniel Thompson.

The dinners and entertainment received rave reviews including one woman who wrote the school to say how much that she enjoyed the evening, saying that it was the best time in all the years that she lived in the building.

ACADEMIC NEWSJOHN AND ABIGAIL ADAMS SCHOLARSHIP41 of the 79 members of the Mystic Valley Class of 2014 won the prestigious John and Abigail Adams Scholarship given by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The scholarship which is given to students based on their MCAS scores, entitles the recipient to four years of tuition free study at any state college or university.

Mystic Valley Assistant Director for grades 9-12, Alex Dan, was very happy to receive the news and said: “Congratulations to the scholarship recipients and their families. Mystic Valley is proud that over half of its eligible seniors have qualified for the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship this year.”

The scholarship winning students are: Maaya Alagappan, Saja Alani, Therence Bien-Aime, Katherine Brown, Soraya Caballero, Sydney Carlino, David Chiccuarelli, Alexandria Cimetti, Joseph Dailey, Tania Fabo, Domenik Fabrizio, Ryan Foley, Rodney Fontile, Megan Grossi, Samantha Halloran, Shirley He, Connor Higgins, Michael Hooley, Hui Yan Kuang, Connie Lam, Jessica Lee, Brian Liang, Benjamin Lieu, Youssef Masoud, Emily Mui, Virginia Ng, Congtin Nguyen, Marina Novaes, Feliciana Panza, Breann Powell, Jonathan Powers, Justin Rizzo, Nicholas Saponaro, Selma Sinanovic, Sophia Smail, Raphael Stigliano, Joseph Swain, Mohammed Taaha, Isabel Waller and Emily Williams.

Isabel Waller, was selected as a finalist in the 7th annual Google national student competition. A team from Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California, came to Mystic Valley and announced that Isabel was the winner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A doodle is the logo design that appears on www.google.com periodically to celebrate special events, holidays, or the lives of artists and inventors. Thousands of students from around the country submitted their entries inspired only by theme, “If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place…” Isabel took this theme and on the heels of Earth Day celebration created what you see above.

ISABEL WALLER MV 2014 GOOGLE CONTEST WINNER

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In Memoriam of Dr. Biegler

Tania Fabo Mystic Valley 2014 will be attending Harvard College in the fall, concentrating in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology, with a secondary in Molecular and Cellular Biology. Her dream is to become a physician-scientist specializing in oncology.

While at Mystic Valley she was on the Varsity Basketball and Track and Field teams. She was also in Key Club, National Honor Society, Executive Student Council, and Latin Club.

What I liked about MV was the strong community within our graduating class. It is great to have been able to go to a school where I knew the names of all the people in my class. When there were

Q: What did Dr. Biegler do that helped make MV what it is today?A: There is no individual in Mystic Valley’s history that had more influence on the type of school we are today than Dr. Biegler. He oversaw the school’s transition to Saxon Math, the implementation of Core Knowledge and eventually the IB Diploma at Mystic Valley. In addition, he was responsible for the climate and culture that exists at the school today. His real success was creating an atmosphere in the school which had high academic expectations within a positive but structured learning environment. His presence made each of us that worked with him a better educator and a better person.

Q: What did he do that you try to emulate?A: No matter what was going on in his day, whenever you encountered Dr. Biegler he would take the time necessary to make you feel as if you were the only one in the building and your problems were his problems. He genuinely cared about each person, even those that didn’t always agree with his decisions. On his own time he often would visit ill students at their homes, or if necessary at the hospital. He would bring care packages (toys and food) over to student’s homes when tragedy struck the lives of their family just to show he cared and would be there for the family. He truly was the nicest person I have ever met.

Q: What was so special about him? A: Dr. Bielger was driven by a desire to impact the lives of those he touched in as much of a positive way as possible. He saw the good in all of us and did his best to make us better. OUR INSPRIRATIONDR. BIELGER WAS A TRUE INSPIRATION TO ME. His devotion and dedication to education was second to none. To me, he was a true leader, mentor and friend. Mystic Valley was not just a career for him but truly a way of life. The school and the Student Action Service Club meant a lot to him. He was the driving force behind the school and a key player in its success. He knew every student by name and would make sure to address them, as he passed them in the halls. He was the type of the guy who would not only make sure things were going well at school but would always take an interest in my personal life as well. Our calls would often start with business and end with him asking about my growing family. Even after his departure from Mystic Valley, he would often check in with me as he was genuinely interested in hearing about the continued success of the Student Action Service Club. This was a program that began under his leadership and grew to what it is today. Words cannot express how I feel about the privilege to have been able to work under his leadership and direction. I will never forget all that he has taught me from both a professional and personal standpoint. He is truly missed. Nicole Rubin, Mystic Valley Director of Student Services

Dr. Anthony Biegler was the first Executive Director of the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School. Unfortunately, he lost a long running battle with cancer. Although he left Mystic Valley to return to his Chicago home several years ago his influence is still felt at Mystic Valley and he is still missed by those who worked with him. Current Mystic Valley Assistant Director K-8, Chris Finn was asked about his memories of Dr. Biegler:

Dr. Biegler, as always,

with Mystic Valley students

Janine Salamy StathoRIP. Dr Biegler. You were part of a vision fewsaw at the time. Thank you for the journey

and be proud of the contributions you made. MVRCS is a great school. Thank you!!!

Karen McBain ArneilHe is missed. His enthusiasm for the school

and excitement for the children was contagious. God bless his family. The kids benefit daily

from his involvement.

Maria Anne Mitchell LutiSo very sorry to hear of Dr. Anthony Biegler's

passing. For the parents' who were here inthe beginning of Mystic Valley he was the

visible backbone of the school. Highlyrespected father of 5 and a wonderful man

may he rest in peace.

only 79 of us, as opposed to the 1000+ at some other schools, I could feel a lot more at ease. I could strike up a conversation with someone whom I don't talk to often without them potentially asking the dreadful question, "I'm sorry, but who are you again?"

In addition to all of her hard work in the classroom Tania went out of her way to work for others that are less fortunate: "For all 4 years of high school, I volunteered at Housing Families, a homeless shelter in Malden, where I was a tutor for their children's Program, tutoring children who were homeless, recently homeless, and at risk of becoming homeless. It was a woderful experience and I learned as much from the children as they did from me."

Two Gentlemen of Verona

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Mystic Valley alum from the Class of 2012 Greg Statho was recognized as the founding member of the Mystic Valley 1,000 point club. The former varsity shooting guard scored 1,052 points during his basketball career at Mystic Valley. He was honored with a presentation during halftime of Mystic Valley’s MIAA Tournament game and the school unveiled the 1,000 point club banner which so far only includes Statho’s name as the school’s first 1,000 point scorer.

“I first noticed Greg when he started playing in the Mystic Valley basketball program as a young boy at the middle

school level,” said Eagles’ head coach Tony Ferullo. “He caught my eye with his ball handling and outside shooting skills. He then went on to become a four-year varsity starter, and his sweet-shooting touch and overall play helped to lead us to four consecutive winning seasons and state tournament appearances. Greg finished his impressive high school career reaching a milestone sought by many, but achieved by few – becoming a 1,000-point scorer. I am very proud of Greg for everything that he accomplished during his playing days at Mystic Valley and I wish him continued success in the future.”

GREG STATHO FOUNDS MYSTIC VALLEY 1,000 POINT CLUB

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

The Mystic Valley High School Drama Club performed their adaptation of William Shakespeare’s famous play Two Gentlemen of Verona. The play was updated so that it took place in the 1960s and added music from the Beatles, The play featured Danielle

Bettano (as Silvia), Raphael Stigliano (as Valentine), Erika Furtado (as Julia) and Joe Swain (as Proteus). The auditorium at the former Emerson school was filled to capacity for both weekend performances after the show she said that “Our actors and crew have worked tirelessly and we couldn’t be more proud of them. This was a gargantuan task. From costumes, to set, to lighting to sound…. Everything has been built from the ground up. We could not have done it alone and we are indebted to those who helped us! Friday and Saturday nights’ productions of Two Gentlemen of Verona were a huge success. The music and setting brought Shakespeare to life for our audiences. We’re so proud of the hard work that the crew and cast put in, and eagerly anticipate next year’s productions!”

The volleyball team and the girls’ cross country team each won the Commonwealth Athletic Conference title.

Mystic Valley rowers finished 6th in the country in the Boys Varsity Double at the National School’s Championship Regatta in Saratoga Springs NY. The Boys Varsity 2x and the Boys Novice 4+ won the State Championship in their races this spring.

The 5th & 6th grade girls’ basketball “threepeated” as the North Shore Travel League Champs.

The girls’ varsity basketball team made it to the MIAA Sectional Semi-finals led by sophomore guards Meghan Foley and Jess Phinney who propelled them to victory in a very exciting round one win in front of a large and loud crowd.

The Mystic Valley Swim team won CAC again. Once again going undefeated, they have not lost a league meet in over 6 years!! Twenty of the twenty-six team members, including 4 eighth graders were named allstars!

All Star Swimmers

Lacrosse coach Marty Horkanbeing presented with his

100th win game ball

EAGLES SPORTS SOAR

Mystic Valley junior, Mairin King, earned national recognition as a Silver Medalist in the 2014 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards earning herself a trip to world-famous Carnegie Hall for the awards ceremony.

In winning the 100-yard breaststroke at the MIAA Division 2 Championship Meet, sophomore and Malden native Christian Kinnon made history. Not only did he shatter his own team record and blaze past the rest of the field, but, by swimming a time of 58.86, he also became the first Mystic Valley Regional Charter School athlete to be named state champion in any sport! Kinnon finished nearly two seconds ahead of the second place swimmer which is a lot of time in competitive swimming. To add some perspective on how impressive his time was consider that swimmers 2 through 6 all finished within 1.5 seconds of each other.

Kinnon also earned second place in a hotly contested 50-yard freestyle race, finishing with a time of 21.98. By finishing first and second, respectively, in his two individual events, Kinnon scored a total of 37 points individually the second highest individual score in the meet.

CHRISTIAN KINNON STATE CHAMPION SWIMMER

Mystic Valley Regional Charter Schoolis a full member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The school is proud to be a member of the organization's Good Sportsmanship Honor Roll.

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Maplewood Fire Station The former Maplewood Fire Station is now used by Mystic Valley as the home to its Special Education and several administrative offices including Executive Director Martin Trice. There is also a spacious kitchen and lunch area as well as a conference room and teacher meeting area. Work is nearly completed on a new gym area for lower school students which will be located in the spot formerlu used to park the fire trucks. Exterior renovations will restore the building to its original façade.

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95% of the Class of 2014 is going to a 4 year college 5% are going to a 2 year college 100% are going to college*

41 of the 79 members of the Mystic Valley Class of 2014 won the prestigious John and Abigail AdamsScholarship given by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

*Four Mystic Valley Charter School seniors were named Commended Students in the

2014 National Merit Scholarship Program. *

One graduating senior received a Posse Scholarship to Bryn Mawr College inPennsylvania and one senior is going to Harvard

Executive Director, Martin Trice considers this a rare opportunity. “Large facilities like Maplewood Baptist are few in the Maplewood Square area. To find one that is so close in proximity to our lower school made the opportunity too good to let pass by. Although the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has yet to grant our enrollment cap increase, we knew that additional space for our Lower School students was needed regardless. When we are eventually granted an increase, we will be assured of having the capacity to accommodate our growth.”

Maplewood Baptist Church Pastor Gary McClenthen said of the sale: “We believe that this week brings us to the

culmination of many years of intense prayer and unified reflection. For some time, we have been considering numerous ways to strengthen and streamline our work as a church. One such idea, among many considered, was to approach the leadership of the Mystic Valley Charter School and ask if our building and property would be of value to them.

In Other NewsMystic Valley has purchased the Maplewood Baptist church located diagonally across from the annex building.

Nicole Cuhna is going into her second year of graduate school at Simmons College, studying Library Science and Children's Literature. During this time she is concentrating on Young Adult Literature and looking to continue her education in Educational Technology and Instructional Technology and Design.

In the time between these degrees she has participated in research experience at Clemson University in South Carolina. Last year and this summer she has conducted video game design and game controller camps, where middle and high school students learn how to create their own video games. During these camps she is responsible for teaching the students how to use the GameMaker programming software and helping them to understand the storytelling elements used in video games. This camp aims to explore how students learn to code through design-based projects, determine how video game creation can connect with and motivate student interest in computing as well as allow them to express their creativity through a digital medium.

Class of 2009 Nicole Cunha

Jonathan Ace Knight Brittany AfonsoMaaya AlagappanSaja AlaniNatalie ArbouetDylan BarrettKenjii BarthelemyTherence Bien-AimeAnthony BockleyKatherine BrownDasmin BrutusSoraya CaballeroSydney CarlinoNicolette CerundoloDavid ChiccuarelliAlexandria Cimetti

Kerby ClergerKelsey CossetteAlicia CunninghamJoseph DaileyJenna DionKatarina DiPlacidoTania FaboDomeniko FabrizioRyan FoleyRodney FontileUryline GrandoitMegan GrossiJonessa GuarinoTianna HairstonSamantha HalloranShirley He

Connor HigginsMichael HooleyBrandon KelsoHui YanJenevieve KuangConnie LamRaymond LeungBrian LiangBenjamin LieuAlexis MartinoYoussef MasoudHannah McCurdyMark MillerSavahna MorenoEmily MuiVirginia Ng

Congtin NguyenJack NguyenMarina NovaesFeliciana PanzaKyle PereiraJoshua PetersonKarina PorzioBreann PowellJonathan PowersAllison ProtoAmanda QuintanillaKatherine RennieJustin RizzoAdam SaisadNicholas SaponaroElise Sheehan

Selma SinanovicSophia SmailRaphael StiglianoJoseph SwainMohammed TaahaMartisha TimotheeNicole UmanaMargaret ValdezAmanda ValentiAshley ValmeAlexia VillalobosIsabel WallerEmily WilliamsDalia Zeabi

Congratulations Class of 2014!

Contact Us

Martin Trice, Executive Director 781 388-2940 x2103 mtrice@mvrcs.org

Alex Dan, Assistant Director 9-12 781 388-2940 adan@mvrcs.org

Chris Finn, Assistant Director, K-8 781 388-0222x3018 cfinn@mvrcs.org

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Mystic Valley Regional Charter School

K-8770 Salem Street Malden, MA 02148 781 388-0222

High School 306 Highland Ave. Malden, MA 02148 781 388-2940

Mystic Valley Regional Charter School306 Highland Avenue Malden, MA 02148