Medford Honors Retired School Committee Member Paulette Van Der Kloot

MEDFORD, MA — The Medford Public Schools honored Paulette Van der Kloot Monday night as she retired from the school committee after 32 years.

Van der Kloot was one of the longest-serving school committee members in Massachusetts. A Long Island native, she came to Medford to attend Tufts University and settled there to raise her family with her husband Rob.

Van der Kloot became active in Medford's Home and School Association, a parent group that encompassed the city's 14 school, and won a seat on the school committee while pregnant with her third child. Her slogan, "Give a Hoot, Vote Van der Kloot," was a common refrain over her many campaigns.

"Paulette's vision for the school system was one that served the whole child and every child," the district said in a statement. "Through her advocacy for the arts, early education programs and vocational education, to name a few, Medford is much closer to that vision because of her leadership and service."

While serving on the school committee, Van der Kloot earned her master's degree in education from Cambridge College, opened a toy store called Catch a Falling Star in Winchester and directed the junior volunteer program at Winchester Hospital, all while making time to be at every school event she could attend.

"Her guidance, patience and direction will be greatly missed by all," Superintendent Marice Edouard-Vincent said.

Prior to the school committee meeting, both the middle school strings and the Medford High School orchestras performed at City Hall. Those in attendance at the meeting included Van der Kloot's husband Bob and her children Kate, Megan and Liz, along with former superintendents Phil Devaux and Roy Belson, former deputy superintendent Beverly Nelson, former associate superintendent Diane Caldwell and former school committee members Patty Brady, Ann Marie Cugno, Fred Laskey, Jack Buckley, Erin DiBenedetto, Ed Nolan and Beth Fuller.

Former Medford High School principal Paul Krueger, former Building the Future co-chair Rick Orlando and Executive Director of Mass. Association of School Committees Glenn Koocher also attended, along with a number of present administrators.

Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn presented Van der Kloot with an engraved chair, and Edouard-Vincent gave her an engraved bell. Current school committee members Melanie McLaughlin, Jenny Graham, Kathy Kreatz, Mea Mustone, and Paul Ruseau presented Van der Kloot with citations from Rep. Katherine Clark, Gov. Charlie Baker, State Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Sen. Ed Markey.

Van der Kloot thanked her longtime friends and colleagues in her retirement speech and welcomed incoming school committee member Sharon Hays.

"I will miss everyone, but I can't wait to spend a lot of quality time with my three grandsons, Harry, Charlie and Ezra," she said.

This story was written using information from the MPS Blog.