The Healey School is working to integrate two different communities into one school next September.

New plan will integrate both learning communities

By Samantha Hutt

As school officials prepare to unify the Healey School from a building with two learning programs into one school community, language issues are being raised.

At Monday’s School Committee meeting concerns were raised that parent participation may suffer due to language barriers.

Committee members cited the Mystic Avenue housing projects as one area for outreach. Principal Jason DeFalco of the Arthur D. Healey School and the committee discussed the importance of translators at meetings where crucial issues were to be discussed.

For almost 30 years, the Healey school operated two separate educational programs, the Choice program – an alternative, project-based approach to learning that is so popular it has an annual lottery for admission – and the Neighborhood program, where most students live in the Mystic Avenue housing projects.

In May, a motion was passed to integrate the students from the two programs. Students in the Choice program will matriculate with the larger population, while the School Committee’s proposed plan is to incorporate ideas from the Choice program into every classroom.

Ideas such as closer parent and guardian support for the students both inside and outside the classroom, mixed-grade environments and looping – in which students will have the same teacher for two years.

The year to come will be a planning year, with fun and educational activities planned to re-introduce both student populations. Ultimately, there is “just going to be the Healy School” says Principal Jason DeFalco, who plans to tailor the curriculum to the “best of both programs.”

The committee hopes its new plan of action will increase retention of students and provide a higher quality of learning. DeFalco said there is always room to “modify and adjust” the program given its new implementation.

Also, the committee plans to expand the Healey school council by six members, and form working groups that will be open to the community. One such group will deal with communication and public relations, in an effort to raise awareness about the unification process.