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The rumors are true. Last night, I received a call from Athletic Director Brian Martin, who is also a former Lowell councilor, mayor and city manager, announcing that he will be the chief of staff  district director for our newly elected Congresswoman Niki Tsongas, working from her office here in downtown Lowell. As much as I am excited for Martin, it is a loss for Lowell High School’s athletics department. In his brief tenure on the job, he managed to increase student participation in athletics by 30% while also increasing minority participation by 31%–huge factors when you consider how being involved in school activities often helps keep students engaged in their education.  As athletic director, Martin was also key to developing more sports offerings at the middle schools, which served as feeder programs for the high school. During our conversation last night, he promised to “not leave us in the lurch,” but I know he is also anxious to get started in his new role of serving the Fifth District. For my part, I promised him that he’d be hearing from me regarding increased federal spending for education. (The federal government spends an astoundingly miniscule amount on education—less than one percent of the entire budget.) So, congratulations to Brian Martin, and we’ll be in touch!

Don’t miss the premier this Thursday, Oct. 25, of “Immigrant Stories of Lowell,” a film produced this summer by five Lowell High students and five graduate students from UMass, which will be shown at the Revolving Museum at 7 p.m. Working as a team, the students (whose members originated from four continents) spoke with 25 people from Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and several African countries about why they chose to come to Lowell, how they adapted to life in the city, and how they maintain their culture for future generations. Looking past differences in culture and traditions, the students discovered that most people, no matter what their background, strive for the same thing: a better life and a bright future for the next generation. The team compiled what they learned as part of this summer’s CITA project and incorporated it into the 25-minute I-Movie.