Lifetime Achievers sit on AV School Committee

PHOTO/SUBMITTED Joseph Valarioti, Lynn Ryan and James Denman, from the Assabet Valley School Committee

Region - Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School has a School Committee made up of seven dedicated individuals from seven different communities: Hudson, Marlborough, Northborough, Southborough, Westborough, Berlin and Maynard. Currently, three of these members have been recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award through the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC). This award is reserved for "present or former school committee members who have conscientiously served the educational community through participation on boards, committees and commissions or task forces."

Joseph Valarioti of Marlborough has served on the Assabet Valley School Committee for 17 years. He has also served on the Marlborough Licensing Board, the Cultural Affairs Board, has been president of the Marlborough Rotary Club, and has served for over 30 years on the Marlborough Recreation Commission. He is also a long-time member and former president of the Marlborough Boys & Girls Club.

The representative from Southborough, James Denman, was initially a write-in candidate on the ballot 27 years ago. He has served as secretary of the School Committee since 1982, and has been a member of the Southborough Planning Board, the Waste Disposal Study Group, the Scholarship Committee and the recipient of a special award from U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Denman has also been a member of the MIAA Athletic Council, where he has served as chair, and was the recipient of the MIAA Distinguished Service Award.

Denman has been secretary of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees, a warden of his church, vice president of the Southborough Historical Society and a member of the New England Rose Society.

Lynn Ryan, the Berlin representative and School Committee chair, ha s served Assabet Valley for 25 years. She has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Regional Schools.

"To have three of seven members of our School Committee recognized as Lifetime Achievement Award recipients is really huge," Superintendent Eugene Carlo said. "These folks have given, collectively, almost three-quarters of a century of time to this school district, championing causes from new athletic fields to adding additional technical programs. They've provided the leadership to ensure that we stay at the cutting edge of technology and that every student is challenged academically and vocationally. The students and staff at Assabet are very fortunate to have such dedicated individuals on the School Committee."