By NICK GRABBE Staff Writer

It's been almost a year since the School Committees spent four hours on a Sunday debating who should be superintendent and, in a divided vote, picked Maria Geryk. Next Tuesday, the members will meet to review how she has done since then, and to vote on her official evaluation.

Over the last few weeks, parents, committee members, school employees and Geryk herself have submitted comments about her strengths and weaknesses. Committee member Debbie Gould of Pelham wrote a draft evaluation, and on Wednesday she reviewed it with Irv Rhodes, chairman of the Amherst School Committee, and Rick Hood, chairman of the Regional School Committee.

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Later-start forums: The first of three public forums on two proposals to start the secondary school day later will be next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center.

One proposal is to start both the secondary and elementary school days a half hour later. Under the other proposal, the elementary schools would start at 8:15 a.m. and the secondary schools at 9 a.m.

The other forums will be Jan. 31 at Crocker Farm and Feb. 7 at the middle school, both at 7 p.m.

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WELL USED: The ARHS Social Studies Department has received the 2012 School Library Advocate award from the Massachusetts School Library Association.

ARHS Librarian Leslie Lomasson, who nominated the department, said social studies teachers bring about 600 classes a year to the library, and frequently ask her to show classes how to search databases.

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CROCKER STEPS UP: Crocker Farm has requested grant money to study becoming an Innovation School.

Under this program, created two years ago, schools operate with greater autonomy and flexibility in curriculum, budget, schedule and staffing. Innovation schools, which receive the same per-pupil allocation as other schools in the district, must establish annual goals for student achievement.

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IDEA EXCHANGE: On Wednesday, Geryk and other school staff met with University of Massachusetts officials to discuss ways that UMass students can help the schools through internships and mentoring. They also discussed how public school teachers can help UMass.

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AND: Ann Paradis, an ARHS biology teacher, has received her doctorate after doing research on the woolly adelgid, a common pest of hemlock trees.