Faculty Inductees

James Amara’s career at Minuteman spanned 1975 to 2007, a period of significant transition, progress and innovation for the school due in large measure to his exceptional leadership and vision. Mr. Amara held a number of positions at Minuteman including science teacher, science department head, Academic Coordinator, and Principal.

Perhaps his most enduring accomplishments were securing a total of $3,451,000 in state, federal, private and workforce development grants for Minuteman, and playing a key role in establishing the Biotechnology, Environmental, Robotics and Engineering programs.

Mr. Amara credits the generous support of Minuteman’s member communities, teachers, administrators, and local businesses for the success he had in moving career and technical education to the forefront of education in Massachusetts. “More than anything,” he said, “I had strong encouragement from the Minuteman School Committee and Superintendent
Dr. Ronald Fitzgerald.”

“We changed the perception of career and technical education in business, for parents and for students,” Mr. Amara said. “We affected a lot of students in a positive way.” 

Jannine Baker of Rockport served Minuteman in many ways: teacher, advisor, and colleague. Baker is best known for advising SkillsUSA for 23 years. Her endless time and effort paid many dividends for students at Minuteman. From organizing, fundraising, coaching, and chaperoning, she set the standard of excellence. The numerous SkillsUSA medals won under her watch are no coincidence. She also garnered the Teacher of the Year Award.
 

Obituary

William Blake of Arlington has been with Minuteman for 35 years. He was an English teacher, co-chairman of the English Department from 1978 – 2003 and 2003 - 2008, and has served as director of curriculum, instruction and assessment since 2008. Blake is a driving force behind the Minuteman vision. He has a remarkable ability to engage students of all levels through his wit and intellect. He continually strives to better himself and others.

Words like caring, dedicated and wise describe William Callahan as a person and as a former Minuteman administrator. Mr. Callahan had a long, distinguished career at the school beginning in 1976, just two years after Minuteman opened its doors to students for the first time.

He was Dean of Students from 1976 to 1979, Principal from 1979 to 2003, and Superintendent from 2003 until his retirement in 2006.

Minuteman was a very different place back in the late 1970s, Mr. Callahan recalled. The student population of approximately 1200 was significantly larger than it is today. There were 12 communities in the Minuteman district; in 1981, four more towns were added. The students who attended Minuteman came from a staggering total of 48 district and non-district locations.

As Minuteman continued to evolve in myriad ways over the years, Mr. Callahan said, its students, teachers and parents “all grew together.” He presided over that period of vigorous growth and rapid change with a steady hand. He believed that he was at the helm to serve as a guide who helped others make the right decisions themselves. He was adept at relating well to all those around him.

“I always considered my role was to lead people to where they need to be to do what they have to do,” he explained. Rather than insert himself into every situation that arose, Mr. Callahan preferred to stand back a little, listen, then react, he said. “Education is a people profession. I did a lot of listening.”

He also made it a priority to acquaint himself with the students. Mr. Callahan knew each one’s name and something about his or her background. He encouraged the teachers to be similarly well-informed.

Minuteman was very good to me,” says Joyce Cusack.  “You felt like you were part of a family.  I had very good relationships with a lot of people.”  Ms. Cusack, who retired on Sept, 1, 2016 after working at the school for 30 years, was in the business office doing purchasing for 25 years, then was an administrative assistant in various departments including Guidance for the last few years of her time at Minuteman.  

No matter where she was assigned, however, Ms. Cusack was highly valued for her diligence, professionalism, and her regard for the students, whom she still affectionately calls “my kids.”  

Getting to know many of them, especially during her time in Guidance, made leaving Minuteman much more emotionally wrenching for her. “It made leaving harder,” Ms. Cusack said. “I really do care about them.”

And they obviously care about her. The Class of 2015 called her up on stage at their Graduation in appreciation for everything she has done for the school, and the Class of 2016 established an award in her honor.

Steve Fernandes worked at Minuteman from 1982 to 2012, first as a teacher and later as a Department Chair and coach. He was respected for his collaborative leadership style during his tenure as Humanities Chair in charge of several programs including social studies, foreign languages, music, and art.  He established a departmental culture that reflected a philosophy of collegiality and mutual respect. “You don’t work for me,” he told the teachers. “I work for you.”

Working cooperatively with his department, Mr. Fernandes helped to lead initiatives that moved Minuteman forward: redesigning the social studies curriculum, hiring and training new teachers, and maintaining excellent professional relationships with his staff.  He enjoyed his interactions with members of the department, connecting with each teacher on a daily basis. 

Mr. Fernandes enthusiastically embraced his primary role as a history teacher, taking great pride in his daily lessons and his ability to challenge students to think critically. He was recognized as a leader at Minuteman for his successful implementation of Accelerated Learning techniques and History Alive strategies. Most of all, Mr. Fernandes was highly regarded as a beloved and popular teacher who made history “come alive” for his students.

Mr. Fernandes also enjoyed an outstanding coaching career at Minuteman.  He excelled at coaching varsity soccer (15 years) and golf (10 years).  Under Mr. Fernandes’ direction, Minuteman’s soccer team, which had never experienced a winning season, was transformed into a fierce league contender compiling a record of 186 victories. Over the years, the team had 13 winning seasons, including a season in which his team posted a record of 16-1-1, followed by an undefeated season.  Deflecting the credit from himself to the soccer team, he stated proudly, “I had a great group of players over the years.”

The golf team flourished as well, winning over 100 matches and qualifying for the State Tournament in all 10 years that Mr. Fernandes coached the squad. “Minuteman was very good to me.” he said.  “I enjoyed every minute of it.  It was an exciting place, a fun place.  I’d do it all over again.”

Superintendent-Director of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District, January 1976-August 2004. His tenure at Minuteman was distinguished by innovative leadership and marked by an unparalleled commitment to vocational education, academic integration and a learning styles approach to teaching students. Dr. Fitzgerald played a major role in establishing Minuteman’s stature as one of the best vocational/technical schools in Massachusetts and Minuteman being named as the best vocational school in the Northeast region of the United States. Dr. Fitzgerald has continued his work with presentations and by authoring several books. See his website for more information.

Dr. Fitzgerald took charge with a vision that Minuteman was not to be “just another vocational school.” He was determined that this facility would become a true center of learning for students, staff, parents, and the community. Throughout Dr. Fitzgerald’s term, he was relentless in seeking the best new educational philosophies, techniques, and ideas. He got actively involved by mastering processes first, and then assisting staff to learn, adapt, and apply to their own group of students.
 

Obituary 
 

Class of 2012

Bruce Flood was posthumously nominated to the Minuteman Hall of Fame after working as an automotive instructor at Minuteman for 19 years. He was named Teacher of the Year in 2004, a regular chaperone and judge at SkillsUSA competitions, and received several awards for being a master automotive technician. Bruce was well known for staying extra hours to help students with automotive projects or anything they needed. He would do whatever it took to help students struggling to understand automotive skills and would routinely provide a listening ear to students and provide them life advice. He would regularly cook food for colleagues and as a friend to many. 
 

Obituary 
 

Class of 2022

John Gibbons of Melrose is a 30-year contributor to the Minuteman School District. Gibbons had the task of operating transportation for a school that served 30-plus communities and did his job flawlessly. He also received the Teacher Service of the Year Award for all his efforts with the job of safely ensuring the commute of thousands of students in his years of service.

Henry Hall of Lexington can be properly characterized as a superman of service to Minuteman. He was a founder of Minuteman, serving as a member and chairman of the 12-town Planning Committee that proposed the school district that was launched in 1971. After the district was formed in 1971, he became Belmont’s representative on the School Committee until 1983. He served as the first chairman of the new Minuteman School Committee for the first four years of the new district, 1971-1975. He is currently a member of the Task Force proposing changes to the Minuteman District Agreement.

Hall was selected as a member of the Governor’s Commission on School District Reorganization and Collaboration from 1971-1973. He was named a full partner in the Ropes and Gray Law Firm in 1973. He retired as a partner on Dec. 31, 1997. He was an active member of the Massachusetts Moderators Association from 1991 to retirement, including service as the organization’s president, chairman of its Technical Assistance Committee, and membership on its Legislative committee. He is a Legacy member of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst Alumni Association (1953 graduate).

James Hayes graduated from the University of Maine at Orono in 1972 with a degree in physical education/health and history. Three years later, he was hired at Minuteman to teach physical education and oversee the swimming pool by teaching swimming and supervising the staff in that department. He also coached football and basketball.

But it was in the capacity of Dean of Students that Mr. Hayes really left his mark during his eventful and productive 31-year career at Minuteman. The position, which entails enforcing discipline, requires many innate traits that can’t be taught – wisdom, patience, restraint and perspective among them. As the Minuteman community soon found out, Mr. Hayes had all of that and much more, earning him the well-deserved respect of the teachers, parents and students he dealt with throughout his long, distinguished tenure.

No one had held this uniquely challenging post for more than three years prior to Mr. Hayes. Demanding though it was, however, he savored it because he knew he was contributing tremendously to the character development of young people.  As he mentioned, his longevity in the job “helped put things on an even keel” by ensuring that disciplinary rules and regulations were consistently adhered to and that an equal standard of discipline was applied in all classrooms.

Even more importantly, Mr. Hayes insightfully sought to “get students on track” by treating them like adults via sitting them down and calmly talking matters through so they emerged all the better. His approach emphasized the value of thoughtful reasoning, not merely punishment. “This isn’t a discipline issue,” he would often tell himself, “this is a people problem.” He never raised his voice except in cases where safety was an issue. Sometimes, Mr. Hayes recalls, students would gratefully thank him for being so compassionate. To him, they were all good kids who sometimes made bad decisions and needed to be firmly but gently set straight.

More than anything, Mr. Hayes loved seeing students “blossom and find their passion” at Minuteman. “I really enjoyed what I was doing,” he says – and it always showed.

A Swampscott resident who served on the Minuteman faculty from March 1990 until his retirement in July 2012, Kevin Kilfoyle was Cluster Chair of Business and Information Technology. In addition to his responsibilities to the students and staff at Minuteman as teacher, senior teacher, cluster chair, mentor of new staff, Minuteman Faculty Association negotiation team, Kevin also served as DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America–an association of marketing students) advisor as well as on the Massachusetts DECA State Board of Directors for over ten years. Kevin was actively involved in the Massachusetts School Bank Association and was vice-chair of the Massachusetts Retail Institute through the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

Ask Mr. Kilfoyle what his proudest achievement was at Minuteman and he will tell you that it was seeing his students operate the school store and Cambridge Savings Bank branch at Minuteman with so much professionalism. “People came up to me and said [we had] the best high school store in the state,” he noted. When he retired, his former students, some of whom graduated 20 years earlier, gave him a surprise party at Prince’s House of Pizza in Saugus. “It warmed my heart,” Kilfoyle recalled. “It’s good to know you made a difference.”

Sandy has served Minuteman for more than thirty years as an administrative assistant, primarily in the Athletic Department. Sandy has been a standout at Minuteman in many areas, be it scheduling, administrative help, organization, and supporting the student athletes. Sandy also coached field hockey and cheerleading. Sandy continues her service to the Minuteman district by assisting and supporting the Minuteman athletic programs.
 

Obituary 
 

Class of 2012

When asked about his stellar, decades-long career at Minuteman, Dick Lee says modestly, “I just did my job.” Yet his positive and indelible effect upon the students he served is beyond measure, earning him a well-deserved place in Minuteman’s Hall of Fame.

Mr. Lee began working at Minuteman in the 1975-76 school year, when he was hired to run a program for significantly disabled students that was self-contained academically but integrated with the technical programs. He remained in that capacity for 20 years, supervising a small staff associated with this effort. Much of his time was devoted to admissions work.

From 1996 until 2006, Mr. Lee was Minuteman’s Director of Special Education. He saw his role as helping the students he served to find a niche through experiential learning, which they often did, thanks to staff members’ expert guidance and unflagging commitment. Many of these young people, as Mr. Lee says today, graduated from Minuteman after four successful years and moved on to technical colleges. They subsequently became outstanding employees in a variety of organizations.

He was also chairman of a state organization for vocational special education directors for several years.

Looking back at his time at Minuteman, Mr. Lee warmly praised colleagues for their high level of professionalism and dedication. He particularly lauded the school’s vocational teachers. “I was very respectful of them,” he mentioned. “There was an art to what they did.”

Mr. Lee retired from Minuteman in 2006. The achievement he is still most proud of involved “seeing students get traction on their future and develop confidence. They came to realize that they were much more capable than they had initially believed.”  To this day, he retains “great faith in the notion of vocational education - that it remains an underrated vehicle for achievement in today’s economy and culture.”

Beverly retired in 1997 after 30 years of dedication and commitment to Minuteman. An original member of the Minuteman District Planning Committee, she was an inspirational force in the planning, development, and construction of Minuteman and served as Assistant Superintendent for 20 years. A state and national expert on equality in public education, she was a pioneer in the implementation of Title IX and gender equality. She championed instituting non-traditional technical majors at Minuteman. A tireless advocated of student equal rights, she was at the forefront of the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace with a focus on schools.
 

Obituary 
 

Class of 2012

Alice Maclnnis, for a long time at the start of Minuteman’s history, was the embodiment of the female athletics program. She was the school’s first female physical education instructor and was head coach for field hockey, softball, and basketball. She received the NIAAA (the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Distinguished Service Award in 2005 and the MSSADA (the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association) Distinguished Service Award in 2004-05. She is an active contributor to many state associations. MAHPERD (the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) presented Maclnnis with the Honor Award in 2003, the same year she received the MSSADA Presidents Award. She has served as President of MAHPERD, Vice President of the Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Directors Association, on the Board of Directors for MIAA, and on the MIAA Field Hockey Committee. Alice is an active member of the MIAA Equality Committee and a participant at the MIAA Girls and Women in Sports Day.

Class of 2012

Words like beloved and legendary certainly describe the late Norman Myerow (1938-2010), master teacher of baked goods and pastry at Minuteman.

According to his wife, Carolyn, Norm’s passionate love of baking began at his family’s bakery in Malden, and for 34 years he kindled that same heartfelt affinity for preparing fine culinary creations in his students. In 1985, Mr. Myerow was awarded Outstanding Vocational Teacher of the Year by the Epicurean Club of Boston.

He was also an active member of the American Culinary Foundation, the Epicurean Club, Les Amis d’Escoffier Society, the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque, The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Massachusetts Teachers Association, and SkillsUSA. Norm was also a Past President of the Massachusetts Chef de Cuisine. Mr. Myerow was a Certified Executive Pastry Chef, Certified Culinary Educator, and a member of the American Academy of Chefs (Norm is in their Hall of Fame). Perhaps one of Norm’s most enduring legacies is the fact that his students earned 16 medals at the rigorous national competitions held annually by SkillsUSA, an organization for vocational students.
 

“He loved working with kids, loved Minuteman, and loved teaching,”
Mrs. Myerow said.

Obituary 
 

Class of 2014

Nick started the boys’ basketball program at Minuteman, coaching from 1975 to 1984. His record at Minuteman was 142 wins and 43 losses, and the team made the Massachusetts State Tournament eight times. Nick has 479 career wins in his 37 seasons at Minuteman, Melrose, Burlington and Buckingham Browne & Nichols. Throughout his career, Nick has earned many awards: the Leo Miller Award in 2007 from the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) for outstanding contributions to high school basketball in Massachusetts, the Sherm Kinney Award in 2004 from the MIAA for dedication to high school basketball in Massachusetts, the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award, and the Sons of Italy Award for outstanding service, success and unselfish devotion to the game of basketball. Nick has also earned numerous Coach of the Year Awards from the MBCA – 1981, 1984, 1989, 1996, 2003, and the 1989 Boston Globe Division I Coach of the Year. Nick is a member of MAHPERD and served as the Vice President of Boys’ and Men’s Athletics from 1991-1993. Nick is also a member of the Watertown High School Hall of Fame.

Class of 2012

“My thirty years at Minuteman (1980-2010) were and are meaningful to me,” said retired English teacher Sebastian Paquette.  “I had the great pleasure of working with some extraordinary people at Minuteman at all levels.  Superintendent-Director Ron Fitzgerald and others were instrumental in developing my teaching ability.  For that, I am most grateful.”

So are the young men and women who were Mr. Paquette’s students.  He was nominated for the Minuteman Hall of Fame by a former student, and even now, six years after his retirement, Mr. Paquette said he still receives dozens of letters, notes and cards from those who learned the fine points of English in his classroom.

A summa cum laude graduate of UMass-Boston who did post-graduate work at Salem State University, Mr. Paquette taught grammar, punctuation and literature to students in grades 10 through 12.  He teamed with fellow teachers working on brain-based teaching and learning, portfolio system design and implementation, AIDS education for students and staff, new teacher mentoring, and evening and summer computer courses for adolescents and adults.  He also taught “English for the Entrepreneur,” a course he developed.  It was given state approval and earned a federal grant.

In thirty years, Mr. Paquette said he never had a confrontation with a student or sent one to the office for misbehaving.  He is deeply grateful for a generation’s worth of indelible memories forged during his teaching career. “I feel I was very lucky,” he remarked.  “It was a happy, wonderful time in my life.”

With 33 years of service to Minuteman, Janice Smith is the second-longest serving employee at the school after William J. Blake, Jr., who is one of her current supervisors.  Ms. Smith arrived at Minuteman on April 24, 1983 for a four-week stint as Superintendent Ron Fitzgerald’s executive secretary–and she’s been there ever since. 

Ms. Smith served in that capacity for 21 years.  She worked for Superintendent Bill Callahan for three years, then worked for Superintendent Ed Bouquillon for one year.  She is now the administrative assistant to Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Bill Blake; Director of Career and Technical Education, Michelle Roche; and Director of Educational Technology, Annamaria Schrimpf. 

The last three-plus decades have been extremely hectic.  Her responsibilities have included preparing her bosses for School Committee and other meetings, surveying teacher salaries in local school districts, doing newsletters and pitching in behind the scenes to assist with preparations for the Minuteman Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  Whatever the task, Ms. Smith always handled it with laudable efficiency. 

This is Ms. Smith’s final year at Minuteman.  When she reflects upon her time at the school, she thinks of how rewarding her position has been. She said she still keeps in touch with colleagues who retired as far back as 15 or 20 years ago, and witnessing the success of the students has also pleased her immensely. 

“Knowing that the work I do helps the students and the staff, and has helped Minuteman become what it is,” Ms. Smith said, has been tremendously satisfying.   

Former Superintendent Fitzgerald expressed his appreciation of Ms. Smith’s capability in a statement that will be read at the induction.  It says in part: “Her loyalty, communication skills, computer skill, discretion, and steadfast friendship were a powerful contribution to my work and to Minuteman until I retired in August of 2004.  Thank you to a great professional and special lady.”

Ford Spalding has been the Dover representative to the Minuteman School Committee for eight years.  He is also chairman of the Minuteman School Building Committee and the Campaign for Minuteman’s Future.  Both have played an instrumental role in bringing the dream of a new Minuteman school building closer to fruition.

The pride Mr. Spalding takes in the favorable outcome of the recent district-wide referendum on funding the new facility is unmistakable.  “Our overwhelming ‘yes’ vote was a ‘yes’ vote for the new building and a ‘yes’ vote for future Minuteman students. It was the right thing to do.”

Mr. Spalding, who is in the insurance business, has also served on the Dover Board of Selectmen, the Dover Warrant Committee, the Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committee, the Small Business Association of New England and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education. For someone with such a high level of interest in civic involvement, a position on the Minuteman School Committee was “a perfect fit,” he said.

“I care about education, students and the workforce,” Mr. Spalding added.  “My goal is for Minuteman to become the career and technical education school to go to for the right student who wants a specific education for the right goal.”