Weston School Committee approves Ash Baird memorial tree, FY24 fee schedule

WESTON — June 5, 2023 — Weston School Committee unanimously approves memorial tree for late soccer player Ash Baird. The committee voted Monday to conditionally approve planting a Japanese maple and inscribed rock near Proctor Field in memory of Baird, a Japanese exchange student who played for the Weston Girls Varsity Soccer team, earned all-state honors as a sophomore, was recruited by Georgetown University, and died of cancer in April 2018 at age 20. Coach John Power, who presented the proposal, said the tree and rock — inscribed "Go Fight Win — AB7" — are intended to be in place before a June 17 alumni memorial game. The board also approved the FY24 fee schedule with minor device-fee adjustments and opened a discussion on potential new bus and parking fees for grades seven through twelve, with members signaling a possible decision by early August. Earlier in the meeting, literacy and math curriculum coordinators reported that more than 80 percent of elementary students are scoring at or above the 75th national percentile on STAR assessments, while flagging informational-text comprehension in grades three through five and interventionist staffing at Field School as priorities for the coming year.