Leaders with “Blue and Blue” in their veins

Past English High Heads Share A Combined 100 Years of Insight, Memories and Advice

Part 2 of 2

English High Heads as seen in the EHS yearbook during their tenures.  From left:  Sid Smith 1984-92;  Jose Duarte 2000-09; Ligia Noriega-Murphy 2012-17.

“No matter where you go or what you do, go with pride, courage, respect and determination. You can and shall prevail.”  – Sid Smith

Last month we brought you Part One of excerpts from interviews with three distinguished past English High School Heads. In this issue, we’re pleased to present Part Two, additional insights from these leaders who helped to shape our alma mater: Sid Smith (left) who served from 1984 to 1992 and is now retired, Ligia Noriega-Murphy (right) , who served from 2012 to 2017 and is now Superintendent of the Malden (Mass.) Public Schools; and Jose Duarte (center), Head from 2000 to 2009, still working as a principal.

What special accomplishments are you most proud of?

Sid: When I entered EHS, two-thirds of the students were forcibly enrolled because the school couldn’t attract students.  Within two years, we had a waiting list of 250 applicants.  When I entered, we were among the bottom three high schools regarding reading and math scores. Within three years, we had the highest scores in both among non-exam schools.  We were also the first high school in the city to require a 2.5 GPA to participate in sports and other extracurricular activities.  It’s now a requirement of all high schools.

Ligia: I’m proud that I was the first female Headmaster of EHS. I’m also proud that we were able to keep the school open and to overcome its chronic underperforming performance, unsafe school climate, toxic school culture, and dirty building. I always said that “Failure was Not an Option” – which meant the school was not going to close under my watch! My six-month assignment to EHS became five years during which  we restructured to become a great school.

We worked as a team to improve students’ achievement and to revamp the school climate and culture where teachers, staff, families, and students all felt welcome and safe. I’m proud that in a very short time we were able to get five Career Technical Pathways approved by the State, and within less than a year, these courses became English High’s signature programming. 

Jose: We created small learning communities to improve the culture of the school, support relationship building, and foster a sense of belonging amongst students and staff. We reorganized instruction to support implementation of new pedagogical practices; worked with the Mass. Department of Education to restructure EHS into a Commonwealth Pilot School; and the successes of our teams on the athletic field and extra-curricular events.

Name a few teachers who stood out during your tenure.

Sid:  I hate to mention particular teachers I admired, but here are a few: Karen Gelzinis and Mattie Shields were masters of the craft of teaching math and science. Ernie Green and John McShane were master role models for every student they came in contact with.  As administrators, Susan Burke, Susan Omsberg/Fleming and Muriel Leonard exemplified the kind of strength, sense of caring and dedication every young woman they came in contact with could look up to. 

Ligia:  There are several staff members who worked so closely with me to move the school forward. Renee Pattern was an outstanding English teacher for students with disabilities. She and I were invited to the White House to present our best practices. Renee was hired by John Hopkins University and later by BPS central office to lead the work on EWI data collection.

Caitlin Murphy (current English High Head) was a history teacher with great ideas, loved by all her students. She was the head of the History department. I asked her to join my advisory and Instructional Leadership teams. Xavier Rozas was a technology teacher with great vision and passion. He truly embraced English, saying he had the ‘Blue on Blue’ blood in his veins. He’s the reason we were able to create the Career Technical Pathways program.

Anne Minichino was our school nurse and the Boston Teachers’ Union Rep. She was a tough cookie but loved our students. During my first four months at EHS, she gave me a hard time, questioning everything I did. She ‘saved’ many lives, not because of her medical background, but for her strong personality and determination to make sure students who were assigned to her for academic support were going to be successful.

Jose: English always had an impressive cadre of teachers who were very skilled and who left their mark with the young men and women.  There were so many that it is not possible or fair to list any as they all tried their very best and contributed immensely to the betterment of our beloved school.

Reflections on your tenure at English High School.

Sid: I LOVED every minute I spent at The English High School.  I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to have had the opportunity to serve its kids and staff as well as I knew how.

Ligia: I am thankful to all the Alumni Board Members who supported me during my five years at English.There were some challenging times, but I do not regret a single day that I spent at English! 

Jose: I am still actively working as a principal and it’s still a joy and a pleasure to get up and go to school to work with young people every day. ​I tell teachers to understand and embrace the awesome responsibility you have before you every day, perfect your teaching practice, and remember that relationship building is the key to success.  I tell students to always try your very best, enjoy the time in HS, make connections for the future, and try different things to discover your passion. Success is yours to be had!