Social Studies teacher Thomas Bly will run summer school this year, replacing English teacher Eric Johnson.

“Mrs. Flanagan and I made recommendations to [the vice principals Mrs. Nancy Kurty and Mr. Michael Halpin] that Bly would be an excellent candidate for the position. We both believed that it was important that the job was given to someone who was familiar with the school and the students of Ludlow,” said Johnson.

Bly looks forward to a successful year.

“I am ready for the challenge and everything it brings. I have been involved with summer school for two years now, and am looking forward for this extra experience,” said Bly.

Along with being the new director, Bly will be looking over and narrowing down all the applications for the teaching jobs before he sends them to Mrs. Flanagan for a final decision.

“It’s not easy to narrow down the choices. I have received a total of 105 applications from all over the world, even one from Russia, but I mostly look for someone with background knowledge of teaching and experience with summer school,” said Bly.

Summer school classes this year will be social studies, math, and English.

The teachers have not yet been hired and usually are not finalized until weeks before summer starts.

“How many teachers we hire all depends on how many students sign up,” Bly said, “and many wait until after final exams.”

“This is a self-funding program and many must show enough interest for it to occur. The cost is between $150 to $200 per student, and teachers are paid by that required cost,” said Bly.

Summer School this year begins on July 11 and ends in August. Unlike the normal school schedule, the summer school days are broken up into two blocks, one from 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and another from 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Students can only take up two summer school classes per year.