Wellesley Middle School students make cameo appearance on CNN

By bbrown | Published: May 17, 2012

News junkies from Alyssa Connor’s class at Wellesley Middle School kick off the Student News segment on CNN today:

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Check out Wellesley’s newest garden on Saturday

By bbrown | Published: May 17, 2012

Morses Pond, Wellesley

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Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend schedule

By bbrown | Published: May 15, 2012
3:00p.m. – 6:00p.m. Annual Hunnewell Fun Fair*  — Hunnewell School PTO
Hunnewell Elementary School, 28 Cameron Street, Rides, games, crafts
7:00p.m. Masterworks Concert featuring WHS Performing Arts Department at Wellesley High School Katherine L Babson, Jr. Auditorium
— 50 Rice Street
Saturday – May 19th
All day Wellesley Square Scavenger Hunt — Wellesley Square Merchants
7:00a.m.—2:30p.m. Pancake Festival* at the Wellesley Middle School — Rotary Club of Wellesley
7:00a.m.—2:30p.m. Free Eye Exams at the Needham Lions Club Eye Mobile at the Wellesley Middle School — Needham Lions Club
Saturday—Sunday
(decamp after parade)		 18th Century Military Encampment at Town Hall Grounds
The Royal Irish Artillery, Tours all day, Cannon Firing on the hour on Saturday
9:00a.m.—Noon Tours of Wellesley High School — 50 Rice Street
Including green tours showing off the new green features of the building
9:00a.m.—10:00a.m. Guided Walk of Morses Pond — Wellesley Trails Committee
Meet at gate to Town Beach at end of Turner Road
10:00a.m.—11:30a.m. Dog Contest*
Natural Resources Comm. , Board of Health, & Wellesley Animal Control
Warren School Field, 90 Washington Street (Route 16) Prizes awarded in various categories including “shaggiest”, “best grooomed”, “best tricks”, “wiggliest”, and many more!
11:00a.m.— 3:00p.m. Open House at Wellesley Police Station — 485 Washington Street
11:00a.m.— 3:00p.m. Open House at Wellesley Main Fire Station #2 — 457 Worcester Street (Route 9)
1:00p.m. — 3:00p.m. Build Your Own Woodland Troll & Fairy House — Wellesley Conservation Council
Cochituate Aqueduct, Russell Road / Kendall Road (for elementary school kids)
2:00p.m. — 3:00p.m. Ricardo Frota’s Ecology of Sound — World of Wellesley & the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries
Wakelin Room, Main Library, 530 Washington Street
4:00p.m. Wellesley High School Dedicationat Wellesley High School Katherine L Babson, Jr. Auditorium — 50 Rice StreetRefreshments will be served in the Commons immediately following the Dedication. There will also be additional public tours of the building
4:00p.m. Veterans’ Ecumenical Memorial Mass at Saint Paul Church
Wellesley Veterans’ Council
6:30p.m. Kids’ Movie Night at Wellesley High School Gym — 50 Rice Street
Featuring a screening of The Goonies in the new WHS Gym
Sunday – May 20th
9:00a.m.—3:30p.m. Gardeners’ Fair at Elm Bank — Mass Horticultural Society
Elm Bank Horticulture Center, 900 Washington Street
1:00p.m.—3:00p.m. 44th Annual Wellesley Veterans’ Parade
Wellesley Celebrations’ Committee
4:00p.m.—5:30p.m. Grace Knight Babson Fund for Religious Education — 53rd Annual Program
Knight Auditorium, Babson College Campus, Wellesley Avenue
5:00p.m. — DUSK Picnic in the Park at Hunnewell Field
Food*, drinks*,kid’s rides*, crafts, games & other fun
6:30p.m. Main Attraction Concert for Wellesley at Hunnewell Field
Featuring the Reminisants
DUSK Fireworks —the Biggest Ever! at Hunnewell Field
*Please note, asterisk indicates a small fee may be charged.
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Wellesley major league baseball prospect Nate Freiman slugging his way up

By bbrown | Published: May 14, 2012

Nate Freiman, Wellesley’s best bet for a major league baseball player in years, has moved up the ranks again in the San Diego Padres minor league system and is off to a blistering start this season.

Freiman, a star player in Wellesley Little League, Wellesley High School and Duke University, has progressed from the Padres’ Class A teams in Lake Elsinore, Fort Wayne and Eugene to the Double A San Antonio Missions, where the 6-foot-7-inch first baseman was hitting .324 with a Texas League leading 13 homers through the first 35 games. The Padres have 13 homers as a TEAM so far this season, so it looks like they could definitely use a slugger or two on the roster, and no one on their AAA team appears to be in the same class of slugger as the 25-year-old Freiman or his teammate Cody Decker, who also plays first base. (More here on Freiman, Decker).

RELATED: Jack Sanford, Wellesley’s Major League Baseball star

Jack Sanford: The greatest Wellesley athlete you probably never heard of

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Wellesley Little League all-star weekend ahead

By bbrown | Published: May 14, 2012

This annual event, featuring 4 games and a skills competition (fastest base runner, home run derby) showcases Wellesley Little League athletes Friday and Saturday at Reidy Field on Washington Street.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, May 18
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm           National League All-Star game #1
7:30 pm – 9:30 pm           National League All-Star game #2

Saturday, May 19
7:30 am – 2:30 pm            Pancake Festival at Wellesley Middle School
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm           10/11 year old American League All-Star Game
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm           Skills Competition:  Fastest Base Runner and Home Run Derby
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm           Ceremonial First Pitch by Max Tischman (Wake Forest pitcher from Wellesley); recognition of 2011 Williamsport South Section Champions; announcement of winner of new Wellesley Little League logo
7:00 pm – 9:30 pm           12 year old American League All-Star Game

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Schofield Elementary School Shopper’s Corner stretches its hours

By bbrown | Published: May 14, 2012

Shoppers' CornerShopper’s Corner, the Schofield Elementary School of Wellesley’s PTO-run clothing resale shop, is making a final push before the school year ends to promote its inventory, which includes a recent influx of good stuff, including designer items for infants to adults. Prices start at $1 and most items cost no more than $8 (cash/checks only).

The shop, located at the school at 27 Cedar St., will open on Tuesday, May 15, from 3:00 to 4:30pm in an effort to encourage teachers and staff of Wellesley schools to come by.

Separately, the shop will be open on Thursday, May 17, from 5 to 6:30pm for a “Working Parents Night”.

The shop is always open on Wednesdays from 8:30am to 12:15pm and on the first Saturday of each month from 10am to noon.

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Wellesley High boys lacrosse team holding car wash fundraiser on Saturday

By bbrown | Published: May 14, 2012

Look for members of the Wellesley High School boys lacrosse team, who will be washing cars from 10am-130pm on Saturday, May 19, at the 165 Linden St., parking lot to raise funds for the team as well as other charities. Will be very impressed if they use their lacrosse sticks to do the scrubbing.

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Wellesley 1 miler road race gets Sunday off to fast start

By bbrown | Published: May 13, 2012

Wellesley 1 miler start 2012More than 300 runners from Wellesley and surrounding communities kicked off Mother’s Day by completing a 1-mile race that started and ended at Whole Foods. A number of families could be seen running the course together, and below, the superfast Tully Hannon, who crossed the finish line first (full results here).

Proceeds from the race benefit the Children’s Hospital Boston and the Hannah Randolph Memorial Fund.

Results here

Wellesley 1 miler2012 wellesley 1 miler winner

 

 

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Wellesley Middle School principal finalists: insider vs. outsider

By bbrown | Published: May 11, 2012

Interim Wellesley Middle School principal Jamie Chisum has announced that the pool of candidates to take on the job permanently has been narrowed down to two:

*Mark Ito is currently in his third year as chair of the Wellesley Middle School English Department.  Ito has been an English teacher at the Wellesley Middle School for eight years.  Prior to this, he worked as an executive in corporate technology as a business strategist and in marketing.

*Peter Cohen is currently in his sixth year as principal of the Stony Brook Middle School in Westford, Mass.  Prior to this, Cohen was a middle school social studies teacher in Lexington for 10 years.

Cohen makes the rounds with staff, School Committee members, students, parents, etc. on Monday, while Ito does the same Tuesday. A final decision — the first big one for newly hired school superintendent David Lussier –  is expected by the end of next week.

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Wellesley 1 Miler road race set for Sunday

By bbrown | Published: May 11, 2012

The new Wellesley 1 Miler road race kicks off Sunday at 9am at Whole Foods at 442 Washington St., in Wellesley.

Proceeds from the race, which takes place on an out-and-back course along Smith and Rice Streets, will benefit the Children’s Hospital Boston and the Hannah Randolph Memorial Fund.

It costs $25 for adults, $5 for students and will be followed by a festival. Kids, don’t go out there and beat mom on Mother’s Day though.

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Wellesley-Weston PMC Kids Bike Ride spins into Babson June 3

By bbrown | Published: May 11, 2012

Wellesley PMC Kids Ride

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Wellesley High students encouraged to GoSmart next week

By bbrown | Published: May 10, 2012
Wellesley Green Schools and the Wellesley Trails Committee are co-sponsoring a program called GoSmart during the week of May 14-18. GoSmart encourages all Wellesley High School students to reduce carbon emissions by walking, biking or taking the bus to school during the entire week, which leads up to the “Turn On the Lights” official opening ceremony for the new school on May 19.
Participating students can enter a daily draw for prizes such as a backpack, bike lock and gift certificates. On Friday, May 18, all daily participants will be entered into a grand prize draw for a new commuter bike, fully equipped with rack, panniers, water bottle holders, kickstand, lock and helmet. To kick it off,  free bike tune-ups will be offered at the school on May 14.
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Vernal pool party in Wellesley this weekend

By bbrown | Published: May 10, 2012

vernal pool

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Beal Bank changes ahead in Wellesley

By bbrown | Published: May 9, 2012

UPDATE: 5/10: A sign on the door at Beal Bank on Linden Street says the bank branch will be shutting down on May 18th. BUT  the sign also says a new Beal Bank USA branch will be opening at the same location on May 21. So sounds like the branch will be more patriotic than the old one.

Beal, which has headquarters in Dallas and has its biggest presence there and in California, opened just a few years ago in Wellesley as one of a slew of banks to fill vacant real estate in town. Wellesley is Beal’s only Massachusetts location.

(Thanks to GM/LM for passing along original tip)

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Wellesley makes choice for new school superintendent: David Lussier

By bbrown | Published: May 9, 2012

david lussier, wellesley superintendentWellesley School Committee Tuesday said David Lussier, executive director of the Office of Educator Quality for the Austin Independent School District in Texas, is its unanimous choice to replace Bella Wong as Wellesley Public Schools superintendent. Lussier has tentatively agreed to take the job, which paid Wong about $180K per year. More from the Globe.

Judith Paolucci,  superintendent of the Yarmouth School Department in Maine, was the other finalist. A third candidate, Gerald Hill,  earlier this week dropped out of the Wellesley Public Schools superintendent competition, opting instead to take a job in West Bloomfield, Michigan, according to the West Bloomfield Patch.

Lussier will give Wellesley a fresh start after more than a year of controversies in the school system, including many surrounding its business practices. Earlier in the week, the Boston Globe reported that the former Wellesley Public Schools business manager had filed a lawsuit regarding her termination. Among issues that lie ahead: deciding who will offer food services and naming a Wellesley Middle School principal.

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