It is time to vote for your representatives on the Driscoll School Council! The Driscoll School Council is a forum for addressing current school issues, and in particular, to develop and oversee the implementation of annual School Improvement Plan. Membership includes the principal, three or four teachers, and four parents (elected by the school parents).
Below you will find brief biographies of each of the six parent nominees. This year the Driscoll Community will be electing four members to join the Council for a two year term. The candidates are C. Scott Ananian, Rich Day, Dan Deutsch, Jonathan Golden, Patricia Salic, and Amandeep Singh. You may vote for up to four candidates.
Ballots are due before the end of school (2:30 PM) on Thursday, November 7, 2019. You can drop your ballot off in the Main Office, or email it to driscollpto@gmail.com. You may also mail your ballot to: Driscoll School, ATTN: Dr. Suzie Talukdar, 64 Westbourne Terrace, Brookline, MA 02446.
We will be emailing ballots as well as passing them out to the classroom teachers to include in your child's take-home folder. You may also pick up a paper ballot in the Main Office. If you would like a paper copy mailed to you as well, please call the school at (617) 879-4250. Each parent/guardian is entitled to one ballot entry.
If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Talukdar at 617-879-4250 or suzie_talukdar@psbma.org, or the Driscoll PTO at driscollpto@gmail.com. Thank you to these fine candidates for their participation and willingness to serve!!
C. Scott Ananian
C. Scott Ananian is parent of a Driscoll 1st grader and has a pre-K daughter who will enter Driscoll next year. Scott is a Brookline Town Meeting member, treasurer for the Campaign for Driscoll/Build Brookline's Future, and software developer for the Wikimedia Foundation, which is the custodian of Wikipedia and other collaboratively-edited educational projects. Scott received his PhD from MIT in 2007 and has spent over a decade working on robust and reliable systems to allow kids to discover, share, and learn.
Rich Day
My name is Rich Day and together with my wife Lori, we have and 8th and 6th grader at Driscoll. We have had kids in the building for the last 10 years (including BEEP) with one year off. Last year we took a 10 month road trip around the country as a family and home-schooled the kids.
Over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity to volunteer in a lot of rewarding ways. From
building art displays and helping with Art's equinox to doing an overnight on a Farm School trip,
plus countless field trips, room parent, fall flings, and more.
I have an interest in looking at the middle school experience at Driscoll and how this time can
be used to prepare all students for the next chapter in their education. I bring the perspective of a parent with a child in our special ed programs, both substantially separate classrooms and full inclusion classrooms, as well as being a graduate of special education myself. As such, I see the value of teaching children how to learn, and value the learning process, over the product of which they produce.
Dan Deutsch
Dan just completed his first term on the Driscoll Site Council and is seeking re-election. He has enjoyed working with rest of the council setting strategy and working to improve our school. Dan also serves on the Driscoll Building Committee.
Dan is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, where he earned a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Operations Management. He subsequently received an MBA from Northeastern University in Supply Chain Management. Dan has worked in the private sector for organizations like Hewlett Packard, Moody's Financial Services, and American Express, but in 2008 made the switch to the nonprofit arena which better reflected his interests and values. Dan's nonprofit experience includes directing an accredited gap year program in Israel for teenagers, as well as managing the Maccabi Games, an international athletic competition for Jewish teenagers. Dan is now is the Executive Director of Temple Israel in Boston, the largest synagogue in New England. Dan and his wife Amy live on University Road with their two children, Abigail in 5Z and Benjamin in 2H, and love being part of the Driscoll community.
Jonathan Golden
I am a parent of a kindergartner in KS. As a high school history teacher at Gann Academy in Waltham for over 20 years, I have held a range of strategic leadership positions including History Department Chair, Director of Academic Operations, and Assistant Head of School. I have been a mentor to teachers in multiple departments in a mentoring program built with Brandeis University and was a leader in curriculum redesign in our history and arts departments. My administrative duties included the design of professional development, day to day operations of the school, and close cooperation with the facilities staff.
I am excited by the possibility of serving on the School Council for Driscoll to help develop and support the School Improvement Plan and the possibility of transitioning to a new building. My years of experience as a teacher and administrator give me perspective on how to help the school develop and strive toward its goals. I approach this work as an active listener who takes a stance of inquiry to explore key issues and initiatives. With my experience as a high school educator, I welcome the chance to offer insight on how to prepare Driscoll graduates for the next step of their educational journey.
Patricia Salic
Patricia Salic has lived in Brookline since 2015 with her husband and two children, ages 7 and 8.5 years old. She has volunteered as part of the Driscoll School PTO for 3 years as Secretary and most recently as Co-Chair. She also is part of the Driscoll Extended Day Program’s Parent Board of Directors for the past three years. Patricia has over 8 years of non-profit fundraising experience in science and the arts with Whitehead Institute, the Society of Arts and Crafts and currently with Understanding Our Differences – an education based program focused on elementary school aged children. Prior to this, she spent over 14 years working in the luxury cosmetics industry in Marketing, Sales and Product Development, with L’Oreal USA and LVMH. A committed member of the Driscoll School community, Patricia would like to serve as representative on the School Council.
Amandeep Singh
Hi! I'm Deep Singh, the father of Jay (2Har) and Aria (KL). I grew up in Buffalo, and in full disclosure am a Bills fan. Education has always been a passion of mine. While in grad school, I founded and directed a non-profit organization (which is still running 13 years later) in New York City that teaches attendees about religion, culture, and community service. Currently, I am a gastroenterologist at Mass General Hospital and an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School. My role involves teaching Harvard Medical Students as well as MGH residents and fellows.
Driscoll is an amazing place that has the ability to foster growth in each of our children like few other schools can. Each day I am amazed by the students, diversity and energy I see on the school campus. Our role as parents is to create an environment which nourishes our children and allows them to thrive. I have served on the Driscoll school council for the last 2 years and hope to continue in this capacity to help ensure our Driscoll graduates to reach their full potential.