2015 Hall of Fame

Jason Crowdle chuckles when he describes the little red wagon loaded with tools that he lugged around his Watertown neighborhood when he took care of people’s lawns as an enterprising 12 year old. Today, the landscaping business owned by Mr. Crowdle that grew out of those humble beginnings, J.A. Crowdle Corporation in Needham, generates $2 million in annual revenue, has a fleet of 12 trucks and over 25 full-time employees and has clients throughout the Route 128 belt. Some of his company’s projects bring in as much as $300,000, he said.

It was evident even when Mr. Crowdle was a youngster that he was focused, mature, industrious, and headed for a thriving career. His time at Minuteman studying horticulture enhanced his skills. By the time Mr. Crowdle was a senior, he had 50 customers and was steadily adding more. He competed in Future Farmers of America at the national level, and after graduating, he was an Advisory Board chairman.

Being chosen for the Hall of Fame reminded Mr. Crowdle “how much I really appreciate Minuteman and the time I had there. Minuteman was a great beginning for me. It laid the framework for me being who I am today.”  

Dana Ham’s career path certainly has been unpredictable, but one constant has been the success he has achieved in every position he has held. He studied welding at Minuteman and worked in that field for five years, then took the civil service exam and was hired by the Lexington Police Department in 1988. Mr. Ham was the first school resource officer in Lexington and he also was on the detective bureau investigating juvenile crime. Mr. Ham subsequently pursued a different interest by becoming Director of Facilities for the Lexington Public Schools for two years. In 2005, he was named Director of Facilities for the Cambridge Public Schools, with responsibilities that included 13 buildings with a total of 1 6 million square feet and nearly 100 employees.

When another superb opportunity beckoned in the fall of 2015, Mr. Ham accepted it. He is now Director of Facilities for Wynn Resorts International, and will be part of a team overseeing the first resort casino in Massachusetts being built in Everett literally “as it’s coming out of the ground.” It is scheduled to encompass over 3 million square feet on over 30 acres. Mr. Ham said that “Wynn will ultimately be cleaning up a contaminated site in Everett as well as a portion of the Mystic River.”

Mr. Ham’s involvement with Minuteman has continued in recent years. He has been associated with the Minuteman School Building Committee, and on a more personal note, his son graduated from Minuteman in 2014. “I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for Minuteman,” Mr. Ham said. “I took what I learned there and turned it into a lifelong career. It really was my foundation.” 

Some aspects of Richard Glynn’s life have remained largely the same since his days in the classroom and on the ice for Minuteman. He was in the Electrical program back then; today, he is an electrician. He lived in Stow as a student and still resides there. And his passion for ice hockey is as strong as ever.

Mr. Glynn was a truly outstanding ice hockey player for Minuteman, and he amassed the records to prove it. He was a Division III Boston Globe Player of the Year in 1985, a Hockey Night in Boston All-Star, and a Commonwealth Conference MVP. In his senior year, he scored a total of 96 points, and in 1985, he was the leading high school ice hockey scorer in Massachusetts. Mr. Glynn was also the leading scorer in Commonwealth Conference history, with a total of nearly 200 points scored in his entire high school hockey career. He was team captain for Minuteman during his junior and senior year.

Just reminiscing about those bygone glory days is very special to him. “Being on the team was tremendous as far as growing up was concerned,” said Mr. Glynn. “We had a lot of fun. We had great support from the school.” Of his Minuteman years, Mr. Glynn said, “I loved my high school days. I really enjoyed the school. I gave 100 per cent for Minuteman.”

Although A. J.  Loprete isn’t striding the halls of Minuteman High School in Lexington anymore, he has never forgotten the value his years there had in terms of his personal and professional development. “Minuteman is never far from my mind,” Mr. Loprete said. “It’s so much a part of how I got to where I am.” Now the principal at North Reading High School (he is married and the father of two children), this Arlington native who lives in Concord graduated from Minuteman in 1987.

A drafting student at Minuteman, Mr. Loprete worked at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington as a co-op job during his senior year. After graduating from Minuteman, he attended Purdue University in Indiana, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in education.

In 1991, Mr. Loprete became a long-term substitute at Minuteman in drafting, taught history, and got into coaching. In fact, coaching meant so much to him that he coached football for 20 years in various schools including Concord-Carlisle High School and Matignon High School in Cambridge.

Mr. Loprete left Minuteman in 2007 to be assistant principal at Littleton High School where he spent three years, one as interim principal. He arrived at Littleton High with an accomplishment-packed resume (including a master’s degree in education from Cambridge College and licensure as a school administrator from the Educational Collaborative, or EDCO, in Waltham) that spanned 15 years in secondary education, a fact that was probably not lost on those who hired him at North Reading High School as assistant principal, a post he held from 2010 to October 2014, when he was named principal. “Minuteman is so much a part of how I got to where I am. It was the people there who made the difference for me.” 

“My participation in sports was everything to me in high school,” says Kristin Herman White, who lived in Lincoln when she attended Minuteman and now resides in Marlborough. “As far as success in sports, that was accomplished through great teammates and outstanding coaches.” Ms. Herman White modestly deflects the credit for her accomplishments on the playing field, yet she was a versatile standout thanks to her own merits in field hockey, soccer, basketball, softball and track and field, earning 12 varsity letters. An unquenchable work ethic helped as well.

“As far as being an exceptional athlete, I never viewed myself that way,” Ms. Herman White explains. “Working hard, always giving 100 per cent - or at least trying to - was more like it. Being strong, dedicated and having the ability to persevere, both physically and mentally, helped in various situations both on and off the field.”

Ms. Herman White was the first woman on the all-male soccer team at Minuteman, another significant milestone that she humbly takes in stride. She denies seeing herself as a pioneer or groundbreaker for other females in athletics, even though she participated in establishing Minuteman’s first girls’ soccer team.

Today, Ms. Herman White is an Early Childhood educator working with children with special needs.

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.” 

Mr. George Curt was a beloved teacher and leader at Minuteman. His support and nurturing of students will never be forgotten. His students in Auto Body were widely recognized because he forged numerous parternships with local businesses. Mr. Curt was also, with his friend Jannine Baker, a stalwart with VICA (now known as SkillsUSA).

Minuteman’s 2004 varsity boys’ basketball team won the Division IV championship, the second state championship in the school’s history. The team also notched an impressive 19-6 regular season record. The team is remembered as a very special group of players whose character and desire to excel were second to none. Earning the championship brought the school together, and this recognition is well earned.

The team members were: Royce Veal, Ceasar Veal, Ian Tosti, Eduardo Rodriquez, Steven Woumnm, Quinten Ferrebee, David Edwards, Jimmy Young, Tawiah Buor, Dave Santos, Derek Smith, Peter Strong, Herchel Blemur, Niles Radl, Andrew Langione, Gregory Swain and Khari Hinson. 

Coaches: Steve Evans, Alan Colarusso and Richard Dean.