Reorganization and recognitions were on the agenda at Thursday’s School Committee meeting.

Kyla McSweeney was elected chair and Susan Stephenson was chosen as vice chair.

As it was her last meeting before retiring, Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh thanked the community, students, parents, faculty, staff and administrative council as well as executive administrative assistant Georgette Wagar for their support over the last nine years.

She also thanked all the School Committee members past and present, showing a list of names on the screen and noting it has been interesting having five bosses.

“You get different perspectives … and I’m very grateful,” the superintendent said.

She said her successor, Evan Bishop, is a “brilliant choice,” describing him as “smart and invested. He’ll be wonderful.”

Member Nancy Cavanaugh expressed gratitude for the superintendent’s work leading the district through growth and “ups and downs” like COVID.

“The district came out in a better place from having had you [here],” she said.

The superintendent and School Committee members also paid tribute to the board’s student representative, Savannah Rivera, talking about her insightful reports, sense of humor and tolerance. They wished her well at West Point and presented her with a gift as well as her nameplate.

Rivera described her tenure with the board as “an incredible experience,” saying that she hoped her successors would get as much out of their service as she did. Rivera also gave the superintendent a gift before leaving to attend a banquet for the track and field team.

Carol Cavanaugh also paid tribute to HCAM’s Bob Hamilton, who is moving away.

In her final superintendent’s report, Cavanaugh showed photos of Loop Road, which now has donated banners on every lamppost reading “Home of the Hillers,” a gift from the class of 2024.

She also showed progress of the Hopkins School addition/renovation project, including the new gymnasium and multipurpose room that will be used as the temporary cafeteria next year while work continues.

The superintendent said she did a walk-through, noting construction is moving quickly and is “exceeding my expectations.”

Gymnastics option approved

In other business, athletic director Ricky Andrade presented a proposal for Hopkinton to join an existing gymnastics co-op for the winter season 2025-26. Andrade explained that the co-op is hosted by Medway and includes Milford and Holliston.

The co-op expects to be down to only a few participants this winter, and he said it would be “a good step” for Hopkinton to provide another option for female student athletes.

A student survey indicated seven rising ninth graders were interested in joining, with an additional five students as potential participants.

The practice facility is in Ashland, the practice schedule is set and a coach is in place, Andrade said.

The cost of $2,400 will be split by the number of participants. Andrade said user fees and the athletic equipment budget could cover uniforms and other items that may be needed.

The board unanimously approved the proposal.

Lease payments, board appointments made

The School Committee also approved lease payments of $171,192 with Apple for the 1:1 laptop program at the high school, teacher laptop replacements, replacement iPads at Marathon School and graphics lab renewals at the high school.

Technology director Ashoke Ghosh said funding would come from the fiscal year 2026 technology budget.

In an unrelated matter, the board agreed to have Bishop, the incoming superintendent, serve on the board of directors for the ACCEPT Collaborative and the Education Collaborative as Cavanaugh has done.

Other business included:

— Approval of a two-year contract for Jessica Beattie, the new director of student services, who will begin July 1;

— Acceptance to the Hopkins students gift account of $16 from Box Tops for Education, $150 from Holliston Candy College, and $5,737 from ShowTix4U-Digital Theatre LLC;

— Approval for sixth graders to travel to Freedom, New Hampshire, from Nov. 17-19 and Nov. 19-21 for Outdoor Classroom. The program and transportation costs $435 for participants. middle school assistant principal Ann Benbenek invited Carol Cavanaugh to be a chaperone;

— Establishment of a meeting schedule, including 6:30 p.m. starts to meetings on July 24 and Aug. 14, followed by 7 p.m. meetings on Sept. 4 and 18, Oct. 9 and 30, Nov. 6 and 20 and Dec. 4 and 18. The meetings will be in-person with virtual options for members who may be away.