At the start of Thursday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Evan Bishop welcomed newly elected member Sandra Irwin and congratulated Kyla McSweeney on her reelection.

McSweeney subsequently was chosen to remain chair, and Jamie Wronka will serve as vice chair.

Shared use path plans outlined

Peter LaGoy, chair of the Hopkinton Trails Committee, talked about upcoming plans for a shared-use path between Loop Road by Field 11 and Chamberlain Street and for an on-campus cross-country course by Field 13.

He said the Conservation Commission had given its approval for a stone dust path with the purpose being to allow students to walk to school without having to walk down Chamberlain Street, which does not have a sidewalk.

“It has the potential to open up other uses down the road,” LaGoy said, mentioning a connection to Lumber Street/West Main Street or as part of the Upper Charles Trail as examples.

The work on the 10-foot-wide path is expected to begin on June 1 and will be coordinated with school officials because the paving of Loop Road is set to start on July 1.

“We want to make sure the two contract groups are not getting in each other’s way,” LaGoy noted.

He said the summer work would take a couple of months, weather permitting, and cause as little disruption as possible.

As to the other part, LaGoy said coaches support moving the cross-country course onto school grounds. In the past, he said, coaches and students had an attachment to where the teams have been running — at Hopkinton State Park.

Noting the park has a lot of rocks and asphalt, Lagoy said the new course should be an improvement for the cross-country teams.

He added that an Eagle Scout is working on smoothing out the surface to make it more appropriate for racing.

Technology leases approved

In other business, the committee voted to approve the lease payment for the 1:1 laptop program with Apple Inc. at a cost of $41,684. The money comes from participant payments into the initiative’s revolving account.

After receiving more information since the last meeting, the board approved a contract with American Capital for fiscal years 2027 to 2029 for 1,300 Lenovo laptops totaling $664,300 for Elmwood and Hopkins students. The laptops are returned at the end of the contract, although 100 are kept in the district in case they are needed as loaners.

HOSA trip planned

Sophomores Ishana Khurana and Akshadha Ghantasala spoke to the committee about the upcoming HOSA national-level competition June 17-21. The students belong to the school club, designed for those who have an interest in health care as a career.

Khurana and Ghantasala are on a team that placed first in the community awareness category for the students’ work on the topic of endometriosis. A total of 12 students qualified at the state level to proceed to the event in Indianapolis next month.

The conference features competitive and networking opportunities, as well as informational workshops, according to the students. Those qualifying for the competition had to finish in the top three at the state competition, Bishop said.

The committee’s next regular meeting is June 18.