Musau Dibinga, of OrigiNation, Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune, Holmes Principal Lianne Hughes Odom, Holmes Board Chair Lisa Goncalves, and Shaumba-Yardje Dibinga, of OrigiNation. Seth Daniel photos
The Oliver Wendell Holmes K-6 School in Dorchester hosted Dr. Christina Grant, a board member of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), as the keynote speaker for its teacher and staff back-to-school day on Aug. 31.
The Oliver Wendell Holmes School welcomed back students with a grand “clap in” ceremony on Tuesday morning this week, closing down the street and welcoming students like Isabel Saintamat and Adonis Kerr (pictured here) with a rousing round of applause. Guests included Police Commissioner Michael Cox, state Sen. Liz Miranda, and Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune.
With Principal Lianne Hughes Odom beside her, Grant told educators in the school auditorium to not give in to the “soft bigotry of low expectations” by making sure to hold students just as accountable as they would their own. She also advised to “protect your house,” and not let any negativity creep into the building.
Longtime crossing guard Mary Newsom helped a Holmes family cross Thane and Harvard Streets on Tuesday.
The school near Four Corners has climbed from a Tier III school to a Tier 1 school in three years.
