Since 1974 fo r
rs
Supp or
sm
cal Journ g Lo ali tin
ea O ver 5 0 Y
Wildwood Steakhouse endured for nearly a century in Marlborough
Proudly 100% local content
COMMUNITY
ADVOCATE
100% FREE
MEDC, MRCC team up to help local students discover career opportunities
MARLBOROUGH | 7
MARLBOROUGH | 21
Marlborough Hudson An edition of the Community Advocate
Vol. 52 | No. 11 | March 13, 2026
Longtime Forest Marlborough Robotics team Avenue principal among state’s best to retire By Paul Hopkins Reporter HUDSON – David Champigny’s career in public education has been all about supporting students and parents. Champigny is retiring after 17 years as principal of Forest Avenue Elementary School, and a total of 35 years working in public schools. “I started as an English teacher in 1990 and joined the Hudson Public Schools in 1997 as a guidance counselor,” he said in an interview with the Community Advocate. He was later named assistant principal at Hudson High School, where he was a freshman basketball coach and a varsity track coach. He absolutely loved it. But then, another opportunity came. “The best thing that happened to me, in 2009, I became principal at Forest Avenue,” he said. “I loved what I did at the secondary level, but then had a great opportunity to do some summer work with an MCAS preparation program for grades 3 to 11.” He finally discovered the possibilities at the elementary level. He said: “Some of the stuff you saw at the secondary level, kids who were in trouble or parents who were having a rough go of it, I thought, ‘I want to intervene in first-grade, second-grade.’” Champigny believes that if children have a positive experience early in their school life, “by the time they get to be a junior in high
Marlborough High Robotics Team 43440X2 members Edgar Xante Gomez, captain Atul Modur, and Anderson Lopez with their robot, Lezly, and Club Advisor Kyle Mager. (Photo/Leighah Beausoleil)
By Leighah Beausoleil Assistant Editor MARLBOROUGH — Standing atop the raised playing surface in the robotics classroom at Marlborough High School, a student used a manual air pump to begin to power the pneumatic system of the team’s robot,
unofficially named Lezly. At a computer, another student engaged the preprogrammed code, and within seconds, Lezly was zipping around, collecting blocks and shooting them into goals as quickly and as accurately as possible. Lezly has been practicing so much for the state competition – which took place March
mu n i
t
y
om
ports up
CommunityAdvocate
Robotics | 6
nalism s ur
c
LOCAL WRITERS WANTED
local jo
Principal | 5
No formal experience needed — just a deep passion for keeping the community informed. We’re eager to hear your ideas and interests — whether it’s town government, schools, sports, or hidden heroes — and we can help you craft them into meaningful articles. It’s been our mission to share the community’s stories for over five decades.
email adguy@communityadvocate.com