Throughout the United States, the second Monday of October is observed as Columbus Day. Beginning this year, the North Andover schools will recognize it as both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. The vote in favor of the change was 4-1 Thursday night. David Torrisi was the sole dissenter. He said the move is "diminishing" Columbus Day, which he noted is widely regarded as an Italian ethnic holiday. It became a national holiday in 1937. 

Torrisi, whose grandparents immigrated to the United States from Italy, said he takes pride in his Italian heritage. Columbus Day commemorates Oct. 12, 1492, the day Columbus, a Genoese sea captain sailing for Spain, and his crew landed on San Salvador, an island in the Bahamas. As they say, the rest is history.