Lynn Grads - Still Being Updated

Lynn Grads Post An Impressive List of Post-Secondary Achievements is still being updated. Please check back for new names and accomplishments from former Lynn students.

Lynn Public School Grads Post An Impressive List of Post-Secondary Achievements

Despite their many accomplishments, there is an unfortunate and often unfair stereotype about students attending Lynn public schools. Most notably, there is a belief that most Lynn students are not destined to do much as a result of a variety of factors (poverty, parenting, poor academic preparation, etc.). I found the following comment on citydata.com in response to a person seeking advice about LPS:

Lynn schools are the worst on the North Shore, unless you want your child to end up in a gang or jail, I would stay away from them. Although I know someone who went to school there and ended up at Babson, but that's an exception.

Lynn schools do indeed post lower test scores than surrounding communities. Additionally, there is likely a higher percentage of discipline problems in Lynn as well as increased psychosocial stressors and lower resources among other challenges within the Lynn student body when compared to towns like Marblehead or Danvers. Still, there are a significant number of Lynn students doing well in school and committing themselves to positive activities such as sports, volunteering or part time work in their spare time. Just this year, Lynn Tech grad Victor Vazquez won the Gates Millennium Scholarship while two students (one from English, one from Classical) were both accepted to Harvard for the fall. Thus, contrary to the opinions of some who opt out of LPS in large part so their children "can attend college," there are a significant number of Lynn public school graduates who have attended or are attending college and are posting an impressive list of post-secondary accomplishments. In 2011, 83% of Lynn students planned to attend a 2- or 4-year college/university. Below is just a small sample of the post-secondary accomplishments achieved by former Lynn public school students. While I acknowledge the problems that Lynn and its schools system face, it is also important to note the positive things that Lynners have accomplished in an effort to combat the stereotype which follows all of its residents regardless of the validity of these negative preconceptions.

Asma Adan (LVTI '12) - University of Massachusetts - Boston '16
Azatuhi Ayrikyan (LEHS '02) - Barnard College '06 (BA, Biology), Boston University '14 (PhD, Engineering)
David Ayrikyan (LEHS '05) - Boston University '09 (BS, Engineering)
Maria Aybar (LEHS '04) - North Shore Community College '14
Gabriella Aragon (LEHS '05) - New England School of Photography '09
Basant Badr (LCHS '09) - Boston College '13
Thahn Bui (LEHS '12) - University of Massachusetts - Amherst '16
Seth Buks (LEHS '02) - Northeastern University '07
Jon Caron (LEHS '06) - Merrimack College '10
Daniel Burns-McKernan (LEHS '04) - United States Air Force (2006 - 2011)
Chris Carroll (LEHS '06) - Bentley University '10 (BA)
Rasi Chau (LCHS '99) - Allegheny College/Mt Ida/UMASS-Boston/Lincoln College
Alex Chieng-Henson (LEHS '06) - Bentley University '10 (BA)
Lindsay Clements (LEHS '05) - Hawaii Pacific University '09 (BA, Psychology), Harvard University '12 (M.Ed, Educational Neuroscience); Primary Learning Specialist Punahou School (HI)
Shawn Cogan (LEHS '05) - Northeastern University '10 (BS, Behavioral Neuroscience)
Freddy Cole (LEHS '05) - Franklin Pierce University '09 (BS, Sports and Recreation Management, Minor in Marketing); Former College Baseball Player
Bill Connolly (LEHS '69) - Production Supervisor
Maggie Connolly (LEHS '09) - St. Andrew's University '13 (Equine-Assisted Therapy)
Paris Connolly (LEHS '02) - Salem State University (PR, web design)
Techla Connolly (LEHS '96) - Salem State University '00 (BA English/Secondary Education), Gordon College '08 (MAT), Salem State University '12 (CAGS Educational Leadership); Revere Public School Teacher
Marki Conway (LEHS '05) - Merrimack College '09 (BA, Communications), Syracuse University '10 (MS - Public Relations, 4.0 GPA)
Zachary Conway (LEHS '05) - Massachusetts Institute of Technology '12
Nikkie Corzo (LVTI '11)  - Massachusetts College of Art
Briana Cronin (LEHS '05) - Salem State University '10, American International College '13 (Master's Elementary Education)
Matthew Curtis (LEHS '05) - Harvard College '09 (BA)
Meredith Cyr (LEHS '05) - Curry College '09 (BA Communication, magna cum laude)
Phanny Duong (LEHS '02) - Tufts University '02 (Civil Engineering), University of Michigan '13 (MBA)
Lan Duong (LEHS '05) - Simmons College '09 (BA)
Lien Duong (LEHS '03) - Tufts University '03, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill '14 (MBA)
Elsadig Elsadig (LCHS '05) - Yale University '09
Gabriella Galeazzi (LCHS '11) - Providence College '15
Cara Garrity (LCHS '10) - Tufts University '14
Ashley Garuti (LEHS '06) - Merrimack College '10 (BA)
Jules Gouthro (LEHS '06) - University of New Hampshire '10
Kim Hartshorn (LEHS '06) - Merrimack College '10
Tamar Hayrikyan (LEHS '03) - Harvard College '07 (BA, Government), London School of Economics and Political Science '11 (MSc International Political Economy)
Mina Healy (LCHS '11) - Massachusetts Institute of Technology '15
Sheryle Henry (LEHS '06) - Salem State University '10
Annalisa Hereford-Plourde (LEHS '10) - American Career Institute '13
Cleo Hereford (LEHS '05) - Wellesley College '09 (BA, Psychology, cum laude)
Eva Hidalgo (LEHS '11) - Empire Beauty School/North Shore Community College
Shaniqua Holcombe (LVTI '10) - University of New Haven '14
Dennyna Huynh (LEHS '03) - Emmanuel '07 (BA), Hamline University School of Law '12 (JD), George Washington University School of Law '13 (LL.M)
Denny Huynh (LEHS '04) - Bentley University '08 (B.S.), Bentley University '09 (M.S.F.)
Nisa Im (LVTI '09) - Worcester Polytechnic Institute '13
Amy Johnson (LEHS '05) - Salem State University '09 (BS, Criminal Justice), Western Governor's University (MBA, Management and Strategy) '12
Casey Johnson (LCHS '10) - Harvard College '14
Kenyora Johnson (LEHS '06) - Simmons College '10, Boston University School of Social Work '12 (MSW)
Minori Keefe (LEHS '06) - University of Rhode Island '10
Malynda Kidney (LEHS '05) - Salem State University '10 (Elementary Education/Sociology), Salem State University (Master's, Elementary Education); Lynn Public School Teacher; Lynn English Girls Soccer Coach
Alexandra Kolwicz (LEHS '11) - Northeastern University '16
Joshua Ladd (LEHS '05) - Salem State University (BS, Finance); Financial Analyst
Emily LeBlanc - (LEHS '05) - University of Tampa '09 (BA, Secondary Math Education), University of Massachusetts Lowell grad student (Curriculum Instruction); Teacher at Trition Regional High School & Travel Club Supervisor; Starting AP Stats program
Marissa Long (LEHS '04) - Harvard College '08
Cecilia Lujan (LEHS '05) - University of Miami/Universidad del Norte (BA/Masters Program) '11
Jacqueline Ma (LEHS '12) - Harvard College '16
Ashley Messina (LCHS '06) - Harvard College '10
Rachel Pennellatore (LEHS '04) - Worcester Polytechnic Institute '08
Samantha Picone (LEHS '05) - Merrimack College '09 (BA)
Anna Proshko (LEHS '06) - Worcester Polytechnic Institute '10
Hunter Richard (LEHS '08) - Harvard College '12
Lismary Rodriguez (LEHS '05) - Wentworth Institute of Technology '09
Melanie Scully (LCHS '01) - Boston University '05, University of Colorado-Denver '14 (PhD, Biology)
Rachel Scully (LEHS '05) - Emmauel College '09
Aurora Shahini (LEHS '05) - University of Massachusetts-Amherst '09 (BS, Kinesiology/Biology, Minor in Psychology), Master's student - Occupational Therapy
Zosia Simpson (LEHS '04) - Ward 1, Lynn  Homeowner
Jessica Starbard (LEHS '09) - Northeastern University '13
Stephanie Starbard (LEHS '12) - Bridgewater State University '16
Nelson Terry (LEHS '06) - Salem State University '13
Jonathan Thibault (LEHS '05) - Boston University '09
Kathy Tran (LCHS '12) - Harvard College '16
Ashley Turner (LEHS '09) - Harvard College '13
Sue Vancelette Walker (LCHS '82) - Salem State University '15/'16
Victor Vazquez (LVTI '12) - Worcester Polytechnic Institute '16
Ann Walker (LEHS '04) - Salem State University '08 (BA, summa cum laude), Salem  State University '13 (Mental Health Counseling); Lynn Public School Teacher
Lily You (LEHS '05) - Ward 3, Lynn homeowner


*If you know of others, please leave a comment and those names can be added.

A Look at Lynn's Special Education Population

In Lynn public school system, special education students currently make up 16.5% of the student population. One hundred percent of Washington's student population is special ed while other schools vary in their percentages of this select population. This is a close look at Lynn's special education population.

Demographics

Below is how the special ed population breaks down in terms of demographics.

Asian	4.8%
Black/African American	15.8%
Hispanic	48.2%
Multiracial	4.4%
Native American	0.3%
White	26.5%

Female	33.5%
Male	66.5%

Low Income	84.1%
Limited English Proficiency	11.9%
First Lang. Not English	44.3%

The disabilities with the highest student counts in Lynn are:

• Specific Learning Disability (644)
• Intellectual Disability (412)
• Developmental Delay (330)
• Emotional (326)

The age with the highest student count is 13 (212 students) followed by 14 (202), 12 (197), and 11 (186).

MCAS

Special ed students were among the subgroups not making Adequate Yearly Progress at all grade levels in 2011. Students with disabilities had a 12% proficiency rate on the 2011 English language arts  (ELA) exam and a 9% proficiency rate on the math exam. Proficiency rates do vary for this group at individual schools. At Shoemaker, for example, students with disabilities had a 17% proficiency rate in ELA and a 22% proficiency rate in math; at Classical just 12% of students with disabilities received a 'Warning/Failing' grade on the ELA exam. The Composite Performance Indices (CPI) for special education students has increased 2 points in ELA and 1.5 points in math since 2009. CPIs are a measure of the extent to which students are progressing toward proficiency in ELA and math; the goal is a CPI of 100.  More specifically, each student participating in the MCAS is given a score based on well they perform on the exam which is later averaged to determine the school or subgroup's CPI; possible scores are 0 (Warning/Failing - Low), 25 (Warning/Failing - High), 50 (Needs Improvement - Low), 75 (Needs Improvement - High), and 100 (Proficient or Advanced). In 2011, the ELA CPI for students with disabilities was 60.8 while the math CPI was 51.6.

Educational Outcomes

In terms of educational outcomes, special education students in Lynn tend to graduate at a lower rate than 'general education' students. This is much in line with state trends. See below for the graduation rates from 2006 - 2010.

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Special Ed	40.2%	41.8%	44.1%	47.3%	44.0%
General Ed	69.7%	74.2%	75.6%	75.5%	74.3%
All Students	64.4%	68.5%	70.5%	70.7%	68.5%

The graduation rate for this population increased slightly to 48.1% in 2011 for Lynn as a district. Lynn has four secondary schools - Lynn English, Lynn Classical, Lynn Tech and Fecteau-Leary. At Lynn English, 56.6% of special education students graduated in four years or less; this figure was 59.1% at Lynn Classical, 45.3% at Lynn Tech and 19% at Fecteau-Leary.

Special ed students also tend to dropout at a higher rate than the general ed population. Below is the annual dropout rate for the years 2006 - 2010.

	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Special Ed	11.4%	10.1%	11.1%	12.7%	10.9%
General Ed	4.3%	4.6%	4.9%	4.2%	4.4%
All Students	5.3%	5.4%	5.8%	5.4%	5.4%

The four year dropout rate for special ed students was 24.8% in 2011, down from 31.9%  in 2010. At the state level, special ed students had a 13.2% four year dropout rate.

In 2009-10, a little less than half of the special ed students were going to attend a college or university with 70.2% of this group attending a Massachusetts community college. Nineteen special ed students were reported to have taken the SAT in 2009-10 with average scores of 312 in Reading,  285 in Writing, and  331 in Math. In terms of Advanced Placement participation and performance, there was no data reported for special education students in 2009-10.


*All Data Taken from: http://www.doe.mass.edu/

Lynn Graduates Post-Secondary Plans 2010-11

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) reports the plans of high school graduates at the district and individual school level. This information recently became available for the 2010-11 school year. 

	MA
4 yr Private College	31%
4 yr Public College	28%
2 yr Private College	1%
2 yr Public College	22%
Other Post Secondary	2%
Work	7%
Military	2%
Other	1%
Unknown	6%

Overall, 59% of Massachusetts students planned to attend a 4 year private or public college/university while 23% planned to attend a 2 year public or private college/university.

	Lynn
4 yr Private College	12%
4 yr Public College	21%
2 yr Private College	8%
2 yr Public College	42%
Other Post Secondary	1%
Work	7%
Military	3%
Other	1%
Unknown	5%

In Lynn, 83% of students planned to attend college at either a 2 or 4 year college or university. The highest percentage of students planned to attend a 2 year public college which is unsurprising given the close proximity of North Shore Community College as well as other 2 year schools like Bunker Hill Community College. In comparison to the state statistics, Lynn had lower percentages of students plan to attend 4 year public or private colleges or universities but a higher percentage of students planning to enroll in a 2 year public college; the rates of students joining either the military or the workforce were essentially the same as at the state level.

	Classical	English	Fecteau-Leary	LTVI
4 yr Private College	14%	14%	0%	6%
4 yr Public College	26%	25%	0%	7%
2 yr Private College	9%	9%	17%	4%
2 yr Public College	39%	40%	67%	46%
Other Post Secondary	1%	0%	0%	4%
Work	2%	3%	6%	25%
Military	2%	3%	0%	5%
Other	3%	0%	0%	1%
Unknown	6%	4%	11%	3%

At the individual school level, both Lynn English and Classical had a higher percentage of students planning to attend a 4 year private or public college.university than the city average. A quarter of students at Lynn Tech planned to enter the workforce while nearly half planned to attend a 2 year public college. Rates of military enrollment ranged from 2% to 5% while the rate of students with 'unknown' plans was considerable particularly at Fecteau Leary. Still, it appears as though the great majority of students graduating from Lynn Public Schools have established some sort of post secondary plans.

*All Data Taken from: http://www.doe.mass.edu/

Are Lynn Students Prepared for the SAT?

Previous posts looked at Lynn's test scores in terms the MCAS and AP exams. Here we look at how Lynn high school students taking the SAT fare on the oft used college entrance exam. 

Below are the average 2009-10 SAT scores for Lynn along with eight other similar districts (in terms of demographics).

	Reading	Writing	Math
Boston	439	435	466
Brockton	440	432	446
Holyoke	429	434	450
Lawrence	402	397	409
Lowell	457	447	482
Lynn	439	423	453
New Bedford	449	436	457
Springfield	415	398	413
Worcester	436	428	446

Out of a possible 800 on each section of the exam, Lynn students tend to score in the mid-400 range. This is consistent with scores achieved by students in similar districts. It should be noted that approximately 412 students took the SAT during the 2009-10 school year with 45% of the test taking population being male and 55% female. Further demographic analysis reveals that the majority of students taking the SAT that year were either Caucasian (38.3%) or Hispanic (32%). 

In terms of SAT participation, of the 412 students taking the exam 166 were from Lynn Classical, 210 from Lynn English and 36 from Lynn Tech. Scores at individual scores varied such that the average scores at each high school were as follows:

Lynn Classical 

Reading: 453
Writing:  432
Math: 470

Lynn English

Reading: 437
Writing: 428
Math: 449

Lynn Tech

Reading: 385
Writing: 356
Math: 392



See below for a comparison with other communities on the North Shore.

	Reading	Writing	Math
Beverly	526	512	522
Danvers	509	517	526
Lynn	439	423	453
Marblehead	558	551	571
Peabody	494	492	511
Revere	459	450	480
Salem	467	458	481
Saugus	493	483	496
Swampscott	520	511	522

From this we see that while Lynn's SAT scores are consistent with similar communities, they are much lower than surrounding communities particularly Marblehead. A major contributing factor to this difference is likely a difference in resources - students in towns like Marblehead and Swampscott not only attend schools that are better funded than the Lynn schools, but are also more likely to be able to afford SAT tutors and/or test prep guides. Additionally, students in wealthier communities often have the opportunity to take the exam more than once which results in higher test scores the second or third time around. 

Again, while test scores are the most important indicator of academic success, exams like the SAT can serve as the gateway to college acceptances. It is important to know these numbers so we can better understand the ways in which Lynn can better prepare and aid its high school students in getting that coveted college acceptance letter to the school(s) of their choice.

*All Data Taken From: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/sat/sat_perf_dist.aspx?orgcode=01630000&orgtypecode=5&

Average Student Loan Debt By State

As previously discussed here, the amount of student loan debt that college graduates are incurring. Below is the average student loan debt by state. This data includes both public and private non-profit 4 year universities. It should be noted that if, for example, a student attends college in New York, but resides with his or parents in Texas, the average debt would be included in the information presented for New York.



State	Avg. debt
Alabama	24,009
Alaska	26,344
Arizona	17,393
Arkansas	19,880
California	17,326
Colorado	20,866
Connecticut	25,038
Delaware	17,200
District of Columbia	30,033
Florida	20,766
Georgia	16,568
Hawaii	N/A
Idaho	N/A
Illinois	22,049
Indiana	25,246
Iowa	28,883
Kansas	20,454
Kentucky	19,112
Louisiana	19,677
Maine	29,143
Maryland	19,984
Massachusetts	24,484
Michigan	25,458
Minnesota	27,467
Mississippi	22,566
Missouri	21,360
Montana	22,346
Nebraska	22,361
Nevada	16,742
New Hampshire	29,443
New Jersey	22,731
New Mexico	21,478
New York	25,739
North Carolina	19,983
North Dakota	22,030
Ohio	25,842
Oklahoma	20,469
Oregon	22,417
Pennsylvania	27,066
Rhode Island	26,573
South Carolina	22,277
South Dakota	23,581
Tennessee	20,678
Texas	20,015
Utah	12,860
Vermont	27,786
Virginia	19,918
Washington	19,780
West Virginia	22,054
Wisconsin	22,904
Wyoming	17,084

Source:

http://projectonstudentdebt.org/state_by_state-data.php