total time: 4.72 minutes
total words: 69
[John Intoppa]: Hello all, my name is John Lewis Intoppa, and I am a candidate for re-election to the Medford School Committee. I was born and raised in the Heights, I attended the Medford Public School System, and now I am a member of the Medford School Committee and a first-time renter in the Hillside. I am the product of public education from K to BFA, and I now work as a higher education professional in the realm of student engagement. Whether it be here in Medford as a member of the school committee or in Boston at my day job, I dedicate every waking hour to the continued success and well-being of students. I also work alongside their families and friends to help them learn how to support their students' journey through higher ed. This is one thing I really love about my work, taking my experience and using it to help advocate for and raise awareness about various needs so that students and their support systems can better acclimate to them. whether that be navigating the anxieties of having a food allergy in elementary school or battling imposter syndrome in a classroom of other artists and designers. As a practice artist and designer, I bring a unique nonlinear perspective on problem solving and procedures, considering human factors techniques, that's the theory of why people do the things they do and interact with systems, to make sure that all policies, decisions, and actions are made to fit within the systems we have in place, but also knowing when to completely disrupt those systems, revisit them, and make sure they are serving our students, faculty, and staff equitably. I've had a term full of plenty of highs and lows, and I would love to continue the work of showing up for and serving our community to the best of my ability. I find interest in not only hearing people's viewpoints, but also what led them to make those conclusions, why they feel the way they do, and how we can better work together to better improve the lives of our Medford Public Schools community members. My term has been nothing but normal. I joined the school committee in March of 2024, two months after my colleagues started, and right in the beginnings of an upsetting budget cycle. At the time, I had also just accepted a contract working in residence life as an on-call support person for resident assistance. I quickly had to learn how to operate as a member of the committee in real time and at a quickened pace due to the budget season quickly approaching its deadline. I did so between 3 a.m. incidents, fighting to become full-time in my current position, all while showing up for our community's occasions, in chambers, and more. I use this as an example to prove my dedication to the students, faculty, and staff of this district by always going above and beyond what is needed to ensure I get the job done. My first policy I wrote was in response to the lead water incident that happened across the district. By writing this policy, Medford is now one of only a handful of districts in the Commonwealth that actually has a clean drinking water policy and is one of the most detailed as well, giving step-by-step insight into how the district tests and responds to irregularities in our water supply. This is the first of its kind here in Medford and will hopefully prevent other incidents like that from occurring again. Also in my brief tenure, I have amended and supported policies surrounding LGBTQ plus youth and immigrant families in our schools. As this is being recorded, I am awaiting a report from the district around entry points in our schools to make sure we have actual accessible entryways. I'm working with our health department to hold conversation on allergens in our schools with families and what they need for support. I work tirelessly to make sure perspectives around allergens, disabilities, the arts, and more are met with every policy we consider and address. To always support a sense of belonging, whether that be through policy writing, policy support, or showing up when requested to cheer on and support our students, faculty, and staff in any way I can. It's how I felt supported as a student, and I always want to pass that along in any way I can. I haven't just been watching the school committee over the last six years when I first spoke to you. It started in the classroom when I observed the members then doing just that. You'd be surprised how much showing up really matters. It's why I'm here today. I'd love to continue my work surrounding voting engagement and education amongst our students. This support system has mainly been implemented by dedicated faculty who want to help their students become civic leaders, but I believe the district should have an increased role in helping our students get educated on voting and civic engagement. To continue the important stress of art and design education and the applied life skills that come out of it making our students proactive and independent, stressing how important our nursing staff is and continuing to uplift them in budgetary and advocacy actions. to work with the district on creative problem-solving with our after-school programming, helping increase capacity and relieving stress from the families and friends of our students. Above all, to continue to use the message that our Center for Citizenship and Social Responsibility continues to deliver, the importance of purpose-driven leadership. Medford, I cannot do this without you. It has been an honor to live out this childhood dream and serve the district in this capacity. I hope to have one of your six votes on November 4th so that I can continue to be the strong public advocate for our public school system that little me always admired. Thank you.
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total time: 4.72 minutes total words: 69 |
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