Published by The Boston Globe
Part of "Counting to Ten: A regional update on the first decade of the 21st century"
Ten years ago, green was the color to describe someone looking a little ill. Nowadays, however, it also symbolizes a worldwide movement to protect the earth’s environment.
In the past few years, Massachusetts communities have been taking green to a level above reduce, reuse, recycle. Hopkinton was the first town in the state to add solar panels to municipal buildings, setting up 1,800 panels on four structures as part of an energy-conservation plan.
The panels were built even before the town applied to become a Massachusetts Green Community, a designation established in 2008 as part of the Green Communities Act.
The program allows any town or city that meets five criteria for reducing energy use to apply for grants to fund future green projects, said Mark Sylvia, Green Communities director.
“The Green Communities criteria for the grant program are a high bar,’’ said Sylvia. “Municipalities that meet the five criteria are committed to do a number of things. . . It really demonstrates them as leaders in the Commonwealth.’’
Hopkinton was among the 35 municipalities named in the first round of the Green Community program in May, while 18 more earned the designation two weeks ago. Area communities also on the list are Acton, Arlington, Harvard, Lexington, Lincoln, Marlborough, Medway, Natick, Newton, Sudbury, Watertown, and Wayland.
It was several years ago that Hopkinton selectmen formed the town’s Sustainable Green Committee, which then organized a plan to fulfill the Green Community requirements, said committee member John Keane.
“Sustainability is important to us,’’ said Keane, president of a local energy consulting firm. “When the governor announced the program, it was very much in keeping with goals of the town.’’
The program allowed the town to move conservation plans forward and receive grants for more projects, he said.
The program requires adoption of the Stretch Building Code, an optional addition to the state’s set of regulations covering construction projects; the new code sets higher energy-efficiency standards, among other requirements.
Hopkinton Town Meeting passed the stretch code, which adds about $3,000 to the cost of building a typical single-family home, but also sets up an average of $400 in annual savings on energy bills, including rebates and tax credits, officials say.
“Obviously, there was some lively debate,’’ said Keane. “Some people felt it was, in this particular economic climate, tough to put more burden on new development, but more people were in favor of it.’’
The stretch code is scheduled to become mandatory for all new buildings statewide in 2012 anyway, said Keane.
The cost of implementing energy-saving changes will be about $2 million, according to the town’s plan. The federal Energy STAR program is providing rebates and incentives worth about $540,000. Whatever parts that couldn’t be funded by rebates will be covered by the Green Communities grant, said Keane.
Hopkinton expects to save $428,373 on energy annually after about three and a half years, with a 29 percent return on investment, the committee’s plan states.
“A payback like that is overwhelmingly justified,’’ said Keane. “Moving forward, all the benefits are cost free.’’
All of Hopkinton’s planned projects are on schedule, he said.
Other than adopting the stretch code, participating communities must generate, research, or manufacture alternative sources of energy; approve expedited permitting for alternative-energy companies; reduce energy consumption by 20 percent within five years; and use fuel-efficient vehicles in municipal fleets.
Local officials have been eager to implement these changes to reduce costs, improve energy efficiency, and show their town is “on the cutting edge,’’ said state official Sylvia.
Sometimes, residents or grass-roots organizations push local leaders to apply for the program, as is the case of Marlborough. Resident Jennifer Boudrie, who founded the group Green Marlborough in 2007, was the first to audit her city’s energy usage in 2006.
“In some ways, we were the engine behind this drive to become a Green Community,’’ Boudrie said of her organization. “But we worked shoulder to shoulder with municipal staff, people in the business community, and residents.’’
Marlborough, which created its Sustainability Action Plan in 2008, was among those named as a Green Community two weeks ago. When the City Council saw how much could be saved in energy and money, its members were inspired to “help lead the community in a greener direction,’’ said Boudrie.
“The state was very wise to create the Green Communities program,’’ she said.
Priscilla Ryder, Marlborough’s conservation officer, said now is the time for builders and officials to learn about energy efficiency, because the economy is slow and there is more time to develop new skills. When the economy picks up again, Marlborough will be ready to use those skills, she said.
“Clearly, incentives for the grants fold right into where we’re going anyway,’’ said Ryder. “We might as well get some benefits that help us to advance it.’’
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label journalism. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sex ed update with 'Net in mind
Published by The Boston Globe
Needham parents praised a proposed new sex-education curriculum for the public schools that would include discussions on new social networking media and technology, but some worried that until the program takes effect certain students would be missing important lessons.
“I think it’s wonderful you’re doing this,’’ Pamela Rosin, who has two children in sixth and ninth grades, told district officials during a presentation on the proposal Monday at the high school. “I thought we were doing it already. It’s an eye-opener.’’
Kathy Pinkham, director of the school system’s wellness department, said she would try to find a way to fill the transitional gap between the old and new programs, but parents may need to teach the material to their children themselves. She is working on a website that will display the curriculum and give suggestions for ways that parents can talk to their children about sex, she said, with the goal of having the site up before Christmas break.
“We really looked at this as a relationship with parents,’’ Pinkham said.
She said that under the new program, which the School Committee will consider next month, older students would be given materials from the sex-ed classes to take home for their parents, helping them become more involved in the discussions. Pinkham has been offering outlines of the curriculum to parents all week. She will offer another presentation today at 9 a.m. in Needham High’s media center, with other sessions planned for after the winter break.
On Monday, Pinkham said the new curriculum would endeavor to help students develop mature attitudes toward sex in the Internet age, when sexual encounters often start with texting. Answering a parent’s question, she said the classes will promote abstinence but also confront the reality that some students will have sex before marriage.
“The culture has changed. It used to be people got married at 18, 19, 20 or 21. Now it’s later and later,’’ she said. “We will put it into context of what they want in life and their goals.’’
Needham does not offer much sex education in the schools, after cuts and changes in health programs multiple times over the years, said Pinkham. The district decided to reexamine the program in part because of new issues in teen sexuality brought about by changes in media and technology, she said.
The current curriculum provides lessons about puberty for fifth-graders, and limited courses in sixth, ninth and 11th grades. The proposed curriculum would expand the existing courses and add some sex-ed topics for students in seventh, eighth, 10th and 12th grades, said Pinkham.
The new program will focus on providing the skills to help students make good decisions, said Pinkham. For example, students more often are making plans via text message or online, taking away the thought that goes into asking someone on a date, she said.
“The risk is easy. . . Sometimes people end up with someone else because of happenstance,’’ she said. “We will emphasize the importance of face-to-face communication, and that spending time together is important.’’
Traditional sex-ed programs usually only teach about anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases, and abstinence, said Pinkham. Those elements will still be taught, but the new program will also look at delaying sex and giving students the tools for healthy sex and relationships when they are adults, she said.
Kari Hayden, who has children in fifth, eighth and 12th grades, said during the forum, “The safest sex is abstinence, and students need to hear it in the classroom.’’
Pinkham told her that the program would promote abstinence, but not as the only point of discussion. She said students who decide to have sex and those who become sexually active as adults both will need to know how to negotiate safe sex.
A subcommittee of the School Health Advisory Council that developed the program over the last two years will present it to the School Committee at the end of next month, said Pinkham. A pilot program might begin next semester, but probably only for freshman and sophomores. If approved, the entire program would be implemented next fall, she said.
Some parents voiced concerns that sixth-graders would miss out on crucial lessons in the new curriculum for their grade level if the program is implemented next school year rather than next semester. The sixth-grade program would include teaching the difference between sex and sexuality, cover behaviors such as oral sex, and discuss sexual identity, said Pinkham.
Pinkham said she hopes parents can use the website being developed to discuss some of these topics with their children. She said the homework assignments for parents will involve a series of questions to be discussed after their child covered the material in class. Similar assignments are encouraged and successful in the fifth-grade program, but the school wants to extend them, she said.
“I appreciate the homework assignments, the face-to-face time, and the way the questions were structured to develop a conversation over things that were a little unsettling,’’ said Jan Keeler, parent of an eighth-grader and an 11th-grader, as well as two high school graduates.
Keeler also suggested a partnership between parents and the schools to create guidelines for parents of even younger students. She said she was concerned with the messages her children are exposed to every day on television, even at a very young age.
Needham parents praised a proposed new sex-education curriculum for the public schools that would include discussions on new social networking media and technology, but some worried that until the program takes effect certain students would be missing important lessons.
“I think it’s wonderful you’re doing this,’’ Pamela Rosin, who has two children in sixth and ninth grades, told district officials during a presentation on the proposal Monday at the high school. “I thought we were doing it already. It’s an eye-opener.’’
Kathy Pinkham, director of the school system’s wellness department, said she would try to find a way to fill the transitional gap between the old and new programs, but parents may need to teach the material to their children themselves. She is working on a website that will display the curriculum and give suggestions for ways that parents can talk to their children about sex, she said, with the goal of having the site up before Christmas break.
“We really looked at this as a relationship with parents,’’ Pinkham said.
She said that under the new program, which the School Committee will consider next month, older students would be given materials from the sex-ed classes to take home for their parents, helping them become more involved in the discussions. Pinkham has been offering outlines of the curriculum to parents all week. She will offer another presentation today at 9 a.m. in Needham High’s media center, with other sessions planned for after the winter break.
On Monday, Pinkham said the new curriculum would endeavor to help students develop mature attitudes toward sex in the Internet age, when sexual encounters often start with texting. Answering a parent’s question, she said the classes will promote abstinence but also confront the reality that some students will have sex before marriage.
“The culture has changed. It used to be people got married at 18, 19, 20 or 21. Now it’s later and later,’’ she said. “We will put it into context of what they want in life and their goals.’’
Needham does not offer much sex education in the schools, after cuts and changes in health programs multiple times over the years, said Pinkham. The district decided to reexamine the program in part because of new issues in teen sexuality brought about by changes in media and technology, she said.
The current curriculum provides lessons about puberty for fifth-graders, and limited courses in sixth, ninth and 11th grades. The proposed curriculum would expand the existing courses and add some sex-ed topics for students in seventh, eighth, 10th and 12th grades, said Pinkham.
The new program will focus on providing the skills to help students make good decisions, said Pinkham. For example, students more often are making plans via text message or online, taking away the thought that goes into asking someone on a date, she said.
“The risk is easy. . . Sometimes people end up with someone else because of happenstance,’’ she said. “We will emphasize the importance of face-to-face communication, and that spending time together is important.’’
Traditional sex-ed programs usually only teach about anatomy, sexually transmitted diseases, and abstinence, said Pinkham. Those elements will still be taught, but the new program will also look at delaying sex and giving students the tools for healthy sex and relationships when they are adults, she said.
Kari Hayden, who has children in fifth, eighth and 12th grades, said during the forum, “The safest sex is abstinence, and students need to hear it in the classroom.’’
Pinkham told her that the program would promote abstinence, but not as the only point of discussion. She said students who decide to have sex and those who become sexually active as adults both will need to know how to negotiate safe sex.
A subcommittee of the School Health Advisory Council that developed the program over the last two years will present it to the School Committee at the end of next month, said Pinkham. A pilot program might begin next semester, but probably only for freshman and sophomores. If approved, the entire program would be implemented next fall, she said.
Some parents voiced concerns that sixth-graders would miss out on crucial lessons in the new curriculum for their grade level if the program is implemented next school year rather than next semester. The sixth-grade program would include teaching the difference between sex and sexuality, cover behaviors such as oral sex, and discuss sexual identity, said Pinkham.
Pinkham said she hopes parents can use the website being developed to discuss some of these topics with their children. She said the homework assignments for parents will involve a series of questions to be discussed after their child covered the material in class. Similar assignments are encouraged and successful in the fifth-grade program, but the school wants to extend them, she said.
“I appreciate the homework assignments, the face-to-face time, and the way the questions were structured to develop a conversation over things that were a little unsettling,’’ said Jan Keeler, parent of an eighth-grader and an 11th-grader, as well as two high school graduates.
Keeler also suggested a partnership between parents and the schools to create guidelines for parents of even younger students. She said she was concerned with the messages her children are exposed to every day on television, even at a very young age.
Carlisle is tops in rate of college graduates
Published by The Boston Globe
CARLISLE — At Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, the town with the highest percentage of college graduates in Massachusetts, dozens of children were running between the shelves or working at computers yesterday afternoon.
“People utilize the library, and that’s generally a reflection of a community,’’ said Angela Mollet, the library director. “People are fully involved in the library and school system, and I think that’s a celebration of knowledge.’’
According to the American Community Survey, released yesterday, about 87 percent of Carlisle residents over 25 years of age have an undergraduate degree or higher, while more than 50 percent over 25 have a graduate degree or higher. The national average for a bachelor’s degree is about 27 percent, and the statewide average was 38 percent.
Leslie Thomas, 52, said she moved to this town northwest of Boston because of Carlisle’s rural quality and because she thinks the residents are more educated.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on education in Carlisle, and the parents are very involved,’’ said Thomas, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern University. “People are more open to different things.’’
Mark Quinn, 58, said census statistics showing Carlisle with the highest percentage of college graduates “just makes sense.’’ He remembers his two daughters, now working for the government and studying pharmacy at the University of Connecticut, were always studying or working on group projects while they were in school at Carlisle.
“My daughters had high-achieving friends; practically everybody did,’’ said Quinn, who has a master’s from Lesley University. “My youngest daughters’ friends were really into the sciences.’’
Quinn was at the library yesterday picking up five books he had on hold. He says he always reserves novels and history titles online and sometimes has up to 10 books waiting for him at the front desk.
CARLISLE — At Gleason Public Library in Carlisle, the town with the highest percentage of college graduates in Massachusetts, dozens of children were running between the shelves or working at computers yesterday afternoon.
“People utilize the library, and that’s generally a reflection of a community,’’ said Angela Mollet, the library director. “People are fully involved in the library and school system, and I think that’s a celebration of knowledge.’’
According to the American Community Survey, released yesterday, about 87 percent of Carlisle residents over 25 years of age have an undergraduate degree or higher, while more than 50 percent over 25 have a graduate degree or higher. The national average for a bachelor’s degree is about 27 percent, and the statewide average was 38 percent.
Leslie Thomas, 52, said she moved to this town northwest of Boston because of Carlisle’s rural quality and because she thinks the residents are more educated.
“There’s a lot of emphasis on education in Carlisle, and the parents are very involved,’’ said Thomas, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Northeastern University. “People are more open to different things.’’
Mark Quinn, 58, said census statistics showing Carlisle with the highest percentage of college graduates “just makes sense.’’ He remembers his two daughters, now working for the government and studying pharmacy at the University of Connecticut, were always studying or working on group projects while they were in school at Carlisle.
“My daughters had high-achieving friends; practically everybody did,’’ said Quinn, who has a master’s from Lesley University. “My youngest daughters’ friends were really into the sciences.’’
Quinn was at the library yesterday picking up five books he had on hold. He says he always reserves novels and history titles online and sometimes has up to 10 books waiting for him at the front desk.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Needham weighs new sex ed program
Published by The Boston Globe
The Needham schools may devote more time to teaching sex education if the School Committee approves a proposed pilot program, the district’s wellness director said.
Kathy Pinkham, director of the schools’ Wellness Department, said she will introduce the new sex ed curriculum to parents and welcome feedback in three different presentations next week.
She has already met with some parents and is offering one-hour, open forums on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week.
Proponents hope to introduce the curriculum in a pilot program later this school year, and implement it permanently next fall.
Needham does not offer much sex education in the schools because health programs have been cut and changed multiple times, and sex ed has been lost over the years, said Pinkham. Needham has maintained education about puberty in fifth grade, but health classes in other grades devote less time to sex ed, she said.
The school district was aware of the missing component for some time and decided to study the sex education program because it has become a topic parents expect their children to learn about, said Pinkham.
Pinkham said students can be influenced or confused by new media such as cellphones and social networking. As an example of the changing landscape, she cited the controversial new website www.rateBU.com, where students can rate photos of their peers.
“Kids are maturing so much quicker at younger age,” she said. “They’re more interested in things. I think they need some language and some guidance to navigate life.”
The School Health Advisory Council spent two years comparing Needham’s program with those of other districts, holding focus groups with students and parents and conducting other research, she said.
The current health program teaches social and emotional learning skills related to drugs and alcohol, such as making good decisions, communication and healthy relationships, said Pinkham. The new health program will apply these same skills to sex-related contexts, she said.
The program will also introduce “homework” assignments for parents and families involving a series of questions to discuss after class lessons, said Pinkham. Similar assignments are encouraged and successful with the fifth grade program, but the school wants to extend them to sixth, ninth, and 11th grades, she said.
“We’re really trying hard to create partnership with parents around health,” said Pinkham. “The response has been fairly positive actually. Parents are very appreciative of the effort to include parents in the process.”
Monday’s forum is at 12:30 p.m. in the upstairs conference room of the Emery Grover Administration Building at 1330 Highland Ave.
Wednesday’s meeting will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at Needham High School, 609 Webster St., in room 728. On Thursday, Pinkham will present at 9 a.m. in the Needham High School Media Center.
Pinkham will meet with parents again after the winter break and present a pilot program to the School Committee for approval in January, she said.
The Needham schools may devote more time to teaching sex education if the School Committee approves a proposed pilot program, the district’s wellness director said.
Kathy Pinkham, director of the schools’ Wellness Department, said she will introduce the new sex ed curriculum to parents and welcome feedback in three different presentations next week.
She has already met with some parents and is offering one-hour, open forums on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday of next week.
Proponents hope to introduce the curriculum in a pilot program later this school year, and implement it permanently next fall.
Needham does not offer much sex education in the schools because health programs have been cut and changed multiple times, and sex ed has been lost over the years, said Pinkham. Needham has maintained education about puberty in fifth grade, but health classes in other grades devote less time to sex ed, she said.
The school district was aware of the missing component for some time and decided to study the sex education program because it has become a topic parents expect their children to learn about, said Pinkham.
Pinkham said students can be influenced or confused by new media such as cellphones and social networking. As an example of the changing landscape, she cited the controversial new website www.rateBU.com, where students can rate photos of their peers.
“Kids are maturing so much quicker at younger age,” she said. “They’re more interested in things. I think they need some language and some guidance to navigate life.”
The School Health Advisory Council spent two years comparing Needham’s program with those of other districts, holding focus groups with students and parents and conducting other research, she said.
The current health program teaches social and emotional learning skills related to drugs and alcohol, such as making good decisions, communication and healthy relationships, said Pinkham. The new health program will apply these same skills to sex-related contexts, she said.
The program will also introduce “homework” assignments for parents and families involving a series of questions to discuss after class lessons, said Pinkham. Similar assignments are encouraged and successful with the fifth grade program, but the school wants to extend them to sixth, ninth, and 11th grades, she said.
“We’re really trying hard to create partnership with parents around health,” said Pinkham. “The response has been fairly positive actually. Parents are very appreciative of the effort to include parents in the process.”
Monday’s forum is at 12:30 p.m. in the upstairs conference room of the Emery Grover Administration Building at 1330 Highland Ave.
Wednesday’s meeting will be from 7 to 8 p.m. at Needham High School, 609 Webster St., in room 728. On Thursday, Pinkham will present at 9 a.m. in the Needham High School Media Center.
Pinkham will meet with parents again after the winter break and present a pilot program to the School Committee for approval in January, she said.
Needham parents barred from speaking on hazing allegations at meeting
Published by The Boston Globe
Parents of Needham High girls’ soccer players will not be allowed to present information related to an alleged hazing incident to the School Committee tonight as they had requested, the board's chairman said.
‘‘Details of student issues, we won’t discuss in public,” said Connie Barr, chair of the committee.
The Boston Globe reported last month that several members of the varsity girls' soccer team were suspended for hazing, but they returned to school while an appeals process began to determine whether to extend those suspensions.
Barr declined to comment on the appeals process.
At the last School Committee meeting, Mary Ellen Dunn, whose sophomore daughter is on the team, requested permission on behalf of the team’s parents to publicly present information related to the incident.
Dunn said parents are concerned that the soccer players’ civil rights may be violated if they are suspended. Dunn said that after she requested to present information at the committee meeting, Barr and Marianne Cooley, the committee’s vice-chair, offered to meet with her and other parents.
The parents met with Barr and Cooley, then with Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst, before the Thanksgiving break, said Dunn. She said she does not know whether the information she gave administrators has made an impact on the appeals process.
“We have provided them with all the information we have, including the information we have regarding the due process and civil rights violations that occurred with the suspensions,” said Dunn.
Dunn said the parents are not opposed to taking action against hazing behavior, but they believe the athletes should have had appeals before facing suspension. She said other punishments less harsh than suspension would have conveyed the message.
“We certainly agree they should investigate it, and there should be some consequences,” she said. “I would support a no tolerance message; every parent would, short of suspension from school.”
Parents of Needham High girls’ soccer players will not be allowed to present information related to an alleged hazing incident to the School Committee tonight as they had requested, the board's chairman said.
‘‘Details of student issues, we won’t discuss in public,” said Connie Barr, chair of the committee.
The Boston Globe reported last month that several members of the varsity girls' soccer team were suspended for hazing, but they returned to school while an appeals process began to determine whether to extend those suspensions.
Barr declined to comment on the appeals process.
At the last School Committee meeting, Mary Ellen Dunn, whose sophomore daughter is on the team, requested permission on behalf of the team’s parents to publicly present information related to the incident.
Dunn said parents are concerned that the soccer players’ civil rights may be violated if they are suspended. Dunn said that after she requested to present information at the committee meeting, Barr and Marianne Cooley, the committee’s vice-chair, offered to meet with her and other parents.
The parents met with Barr and Cooley, then with Superintendent Daniel Gutekanst, before the Thanksgiving break, said Dunn. She said she does not know whether the information she gave administrators has made an impact on the appeals process.
“We have provided them with all the information we have, including the information we have regarding the due process and civil rights violations that occurred with the suspensions,” said Dunn.
Dunn said the parents are not opposed to taking action against hazing behavior, but they believe the athletes should have had appeals before facing suspension. She said other punishments less harsh than suspension would have conveyed the message.
“We certainly agree they should investigate it, and there should be some consequences,” she said. “I would support a no tolerance message; every parent would, short of suspension from school.”
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Sudbury mourns soldier killed in Afghanistan
Published by The Boston Globe
First Lieutenant Scott Milley of Sudbury was captain of his high school ice hockey team and a cum laude graduate from college, but since the age of 3 his ultimate goal was to join the US Army.
Milley, 23, was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan’s Logar Province when insurgents attacked his unit, according to the Department of Defense.
Milley, a 2005 graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, was the first person from Sudbury to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sudbury’s director of veterans services, Brian Stearns. News of Milley’s death rocked the community.
“He was the most lovable kid I ever coached,’’ Peter Elenbaas, one of Milley’s hockey coaches, said in an e-mail to Lincoln-Sudbury staff. “He combined the toughness of a prize-fighter with the effervescent joy and energy of a teenage boy. Truly, a treasure of this high school.’’
Milley’s father, Steve, said yesterday that the family was devastated.
“From the time he was 3 years old, that was his absolute dream, to be an Army man,’’ Steve Milley said. “His dream has now become the family nightmare. The family’s heart has been broken. Our baby son has gone.’’
Scott Milley was caught in a firefight outside Baraki Barak, his father said. Milley was an Army Ranger in the 10th Mountain Division and had been in Afghanistan for only a month.
“He was the happiest, most joyful person without a care in the world,’’ his father said. “His first e-mail home was, ‘Boy, this country’s beautiful.’ ’’
The family was flying to Washington, D.C., yesterday to meet Milley’s body, his father said.
Milley was captain of the ice hockey team at Lincoln-Sudbury and a Dual County League All-Star. He joined ROTC at the University of New Hampshire, from which he graduated cum laude in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
“Scott was an exceptional young man,’’ said Lieutenant Colonel Paul Webber, professor of military science at UNH, in a statement. “He was everything we could have asked for in a cadet, and his death is such a loss. Scott was the best that our organization represents.’’
Milley was a member of the Second Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Polk, La., the defense department said.
His goal after serving in the military was to join the FBI or the CIA, his father said.
Lincoln-Sudbury’s superintendent, Scott Carpenter, said Milley was popular in school and a prominent student athlete. “The type of scholar he was here and the type of leader he was amongst his peers would have prepared him well for anything,’’ said Carpenter, who was Milley’s house master.
Visitors streamed in and out of the Milleys’ home to comfort the family yesterday, said Alison Corwin, who lives next door.
“It’s such a quiet little town; you don’t expect anything to happen,’’ she said. “It’s definitely a shock to the community.’’
Town officials released a statement yesterday afternoon extending condolences to the family and said they would wait to hear from the family before planning a memorial.
Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
First Lieutenant Scott Milley of Sudbury was captain of his high school ice hockey team and a cum laude graduate from college, but since the age of 3 his ultimate goal was to join the US Army.
Milley, 23, was killed Tuesday in Afghanistan’s Logar Province when insurgents attacked his unit, according to the Department of Defense.
Milley, a 2005 graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, was the first person from Sudbury to die in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Sudbury’s director of veterans services, Brian Stearns. News of Milley’s death rocked the community.
“He was the most lovable kid I ever coached,’’ Peter Elenbaas, one of Milley’s hockey coaches, said in an e-mail to Lincoln-Sudbury staff. “He combined the toughness of a prize-fighter with the effervescent joy and energy of a teenage boy. Truly, a treasure of this high school.’’
Milley’s father, Steve, said yesterday that the family was devastated.
“From the time he was 3 years old, that was his absolute dream, to be an Army man,’’ Steve Milley said. “His dream has now become the family nightmare. The family’s heart has been broken. Our baby son has gone.’’
Scott Milley was caught in a firefight outside Baraki Barak, his father said. Milley was an Army Ranger in the 10th Mountain Division and had been in Afghanistan for only a month.
“He was the happiest, most joyful person without a care in the world,’’ his father said. “His first e-mail home was, ‘Boy, this country’s beautiful.’ ’’
The family was flying to Washington, D.C., yesterday to meet Milley’s body, his father said.
Milley was captain of the ice hockey team at Lincoln-Sudbury and a Dual County League All-Star. He joined ROTC at the University of New Hampshire, from which he graduated cum laude in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
“Scott was an exceptional young man,’’ said Lieutenant Colonel Paul Webber, professor of military science at UNH, in a statement. “He was everything we could have asked for in a cadet, and his death is such a loss. Scott was the best that our organization represents.’’
Milley was a member of the Second Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based in Fort Polk, La., the defense department said.
His goal after serving in the military was to join the FBI or the CIA, his father said.
Lincoln-Sudbury’s superintendent, Scott Carpenter, said Milley was popular in school and a prominent student athlete. “The type of scholar he was here and the type of leader he was amongst his peers would have prepared him well for anything,’’ said Carpenter, who was Milley’s house master.
Visitors streamed in and out of the Milleys’ home to comfort the family yesterday, said Alison Corwin, who lives next door.
“It’s such a quiet little town; you don’t expect anything to happen,’’ she said. “It’s definitely a shock to the community.’’
Town officials released a statement yesterday afternoon extending condolences to the family and said they would wait to hear from the family before planning a memorial.
Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Monday, November 29, 2010
‘Buy local’ movement aims at holiday shoppers
Published by The Boston Globe
Karen Masterson has been knitting for most of her life, but there are times when she needs help with a project like crafting an afghan for a family friend.
So she is glad that there is a nearby place like the Iron Horse, a yarn store in Natick Center where she can talk to its owner, fellow Sherborn resident Deborah Smith, whenever her knitting projects need untangling.
“Nothing compares,’’ said Masterson. “You don’t get this kind of knowledge anywhere else. You’re in a relationship, you’re not just shopping.’’
This holiday season, Natick is among a number of area communities joining a nation-wide “buy local’’ movement, encouraging consumers to get their holiday gifts in their local downtowns instead of at the mall or online.
Masterson, however, said she has been a longtime supporter of local businesses because as the owner of an independent restaurant in Lexington, she understands the importance of cultivating relationships within a community.
She turned to the Five Crows gallery in downtown Natick for the stained-glass windows decorating her Massachusetts Avenue restaurant, Nourish. “The competitive business model is so destructive,’’ she said. “We’re supporting each other with a cooperative business model.’’
Smith said she has been running her yarn store for 12 years, first from her Sherborn farm and within the last year from the Pond Street store in Natick, where she moved to get more space. Her shop offers yarn spun from animal wool at Smith’s farm, along with knitting lessons and handmade gifts.
Smith said her customers are loyal because even though the high-quality yarn is slightly more expensive, patrons receive attention they won’t get from a chain.
“A lot of people do want to buy and support local,’’ said Smith. “After 9/11, a lot of people wanted to get back to creating basic things for their families and loved ones.’’
Though small businesses have struggled during the economic recession, Natick Center hasn’t lost any storefronts and has welcomed a couple of new businesses to its community, said Margaret Sleeper, administrative assistant at the Natick Center Associates.
The nonprofit community organization is helping promote local holiday shopping by providing free, two-hour parking downtown during December, encouraging shops to stay open later, and helping businesses decorate for the holidays, said Sleeper.
“We want to help our own,’’ she said. “There’s no reason to go to China or somewhere else to get these beautiful gifts.’’
The Natick Merchants Council voted last week to launch a new campaign, “Discover Natick Center,’’ as part of an effort to attract customers, Sleeper said.
Some stores have been successful in the center for years, however, like Five Crows on Court Street. The shop started eight years ago with works from five local artists, and now features 145 from across the area, said Ginger McEachern, one of its owners.
“We could send you out of here with a beautiful holiday gift for $25,’’ said McEachern. “In this day and age, that appeals to people.’’
Natick Center is also hosting a Holiday on the Common event Dec. 5 to bring shoppers downtown, with a tree-lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Many other communities are hosting similar events, including Holliston, Hudson, Lexington, and Needham.
Mary Jo Bohart, executive director of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, said her group has arranged for the Lexington Symphony to perform two holiday concerts on Dec. 3, at 4 and 8 p.m., to draw people to shops in the center of town.
Buying local “is certainly something everyone’s focusing on more,’’ said Bohart. “What better time to put it into action other than holiday season?’’
Bohart said the chamber is also promoting “Small Business Saturday,’’ an American Express-organized campaign for this weekend.
American Express Open, which provides credit cards to small-business owners, has designated the day on the biggest shopping weekend of the year, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as a way to boost its member stores, said senior vice president Rosa Sabater.
American Express Open is offering $100 worth of free advertising on Facebook to the first 10,000 small-business owners who sign up. The company is also giving a $25 statement credit to the first 100,000 cardholders who register their card and use it at a local business on Saturday.
“Our customers say, ‘We need more people walking in the door,’ ’’ said Sabater. “The only way to have the confidence to hire that new employee and invest in infrastructure is to see a demand turnaround.’’
Sabater said she thinks people are increasingly shopping local as a way to support job creation. Small businesses account for 60 to 80 percent of new jobs, and for every dollar spent in local stores, 68 cents goes back into the local economy, she said.
The Hudson Business Association is trying to get people to do more shopping downtown with a Buy Local campaign, said D.J. Collins, an administrator with the association. The town has gained 10 new businesses in the past year, but a misconception that small businesses have higher prices than chains has been a challenge to overcome in attracting customers, she said.
Still, many people have responded positively to the campaign, said Collins. Hudson’s annual Holiday Stroll to showcase its downtown will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4, instead of the Friday night schedule of previous years, to accommodate the festival’s growing size, she said.
Holliston is hosting its annual Holiday Stroll this weekend, from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Last year, about 1,400 people took part in the event, said John Drohan, president of the Holliston Business Association. Residents are trying to support the local stores to mitigate effects of the recession, he said, and keep businesses in the downtown area.
“Everyone is aware that everything’s not just perpetually going to stick around forever,’’ said Drohan.
A few stores in Wellesley, however, have had to close recently, said Demian Wendrow, director and cofounder of the Wellesley Center Merchants Association. He said local stores have had to intensify promotions and work together to keep up with growing competition.
Still, many customers appreciate local stores and prefer to shop in town centers.
“The mall doesn’t offer me anything,’’ said Marie Caradonna, who lives in Ashland and works in Natick. “I don’t like cookie cutter stuff . . . there’s a moral component to this, too.’’
Caradonna said she is planning to do her holiday shopping at Iron Horse and Five Crows because she thinks the handmade crafts offered there make better gifts than anything she could find at a mall.
“It all looks the same,’’ said Erica Dinerman, a Belmont resident who also works in Natick. “I pride myself on being able to get through the holidays without going to the mall.’’
Karen Masterson has been knitting for most of her life, but there are times when she needs help with a project like crafting an afghan for a family friend.
So she is glad that there is a nearby place like the Iron Horse, a yarn store in Natick Center where she can talk to its owner, fellow Sherborn resident Deborah Smith, whenever her knitting projects need untangling.
“Nothing compares,’’ said Masterson. “You don’t get this kind of knowledge anywhere else. You’re in a relationship, you’re not just shopping.’’
This holiday season, Natick is among a number of area communities joining a nation-wide “buy local’’ movement, encouraging consumers to get their holiday gifts in their local downtowns instead of at the mall or online.
Masterson, however, said she has been a longtime supporter of local businesses because as the owner of an independent restaurant in Lexington, she understands the importance of cultivating relationships within a community.
She turned to the Five Crows gallery in downtown Natick for the stained-glass windows decorating her Massachusetts Avenue restaurant, Nourish. “The competitive business model is so destructive,’’ she said. “We’re supporting each other with a cooperative business model.’’
Smith said she has been running her yarn store for 12 years, first from her Sherborn farm and within the last year from the Pond Street store in Natick, where she moved to get more space. Her shop offers yarn spun from animal wool at Smith’s farm, along with knitting lessons and handmade gifts.
Smith said her customers are loyal because even though the high-quality yarn is slightly more expensive, patrons receive attention they won’t get from a chain.
“A lot of people do want to buy and support local,’’ said Smith. “After 9/11, a lot of people wanted to get back to creating basic things for their families and loved ones.’’
Though small businesses have struggled during the economic recession, Natick Center hasn’t lost any storefronts and has welcomed a couple of new businesses to its community, said Margaret Sleeper, administrative assistant at the Natick Center Associates.
The nonprofit community organization is helping promote local holiday shopping by providing free, two-hour parking downtown during December, encouraging shops to stay open later, and helping businesses decorate for the holidays, said Sleeper.
“We want to help our own,’’ she said. “There’s no reason to go to China or somewhere else to get these beautiful gifts.’’
The Natick Merchants Council voted last week to launch a new campaign, “Discover Natick Center,’’ as part of an effort to attract customers, Sleeper said.
Some stores have been successful in the center for years, however, like Five Crows on Court Street. The shop started eight years ago with works from five local artists, and now features 145 from across the area, said Ginger McEachern, one of its owners.
“We could send you out of here with a beautiful holiday gift for $25,’’ said McEachern. “In this day and age, that appeals to people.’’
Natick Center is also hosting a Holiday on the Common event Dec. 5 to bring shoppers downtown, with a tree-lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Many other communities are hosting similar events, including Holliston, Hudson, Lexington, and Needham.
Mary Jo Bohart, executive director of the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, said her group has arranged for the Lexington Symphony to perform two holiday concerts on Dec. 3, at 4 and 8 p.m., to draw people to shops in the center of town.
Buying local “is certainly something everyone’s focusing on more,’’ said Bohart. “What better time to put it into action other than holiday season?’’
Bohart said the chamber is also promoting “Small Business Saturday,’’ an American Express-organized campaign for this weekend.
American Express Open, which provides credit cards to small-business owners, has designated the day on the biggest shopping weekend of the year, between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, as a way to boost its member stores, said senior vice president Rosa Sabater.
American Express Open is offering $100 worth of free advertising on Facebook to the first 10,000 small-business owners who sign up. The company is also giving a $25 statement credit to the first 100,000 cardholders who register their card and use it at a local business on Saturday.
“Our customers say, ‘We need more people walking in the door,’ ’’ said Sabater. “The only way to have the confidence to hire that new employee and invest in infrastructure is to see a demand turnaround.’’
Sabater said she thinks people are increasingly shopping local as a way to support job creation. Small businesses account for 60 to 80 percent of new jobs, and for every dollar spent in local stores, 68 cents goes back into the local economy, she said.
The Hudson Business Association is trying to get people to do more shopping downtown with a Buy Local campaign, said D.J. Collins, an administrator with the association. The town has gained 10 new businesses in the past year, but a misconception that small businesses have higher prices than chains has been a challenge to overcome in attracting customers, she said.
Still, many people have responded positively to the campaign, said Collins. Hudson’s annual Holiday Stroll to showcase its downtown will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. Dec. 4, instead of the Friday night schedule of previous years, to accommodate the festival’s growing size, she said.
Holliston is hosting its annual Holiday Stroll this weekend, from 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday. Last year, about 1,400 people took part in the event, said John Drohan, president of the Holliston Business Association. Residents are trying to support the local stores to mitigate effects of the recession, he said, and keep businesses in the downtown area.
“Everyone is aware that everything’s not just perpetually going to stick around forever,’’ said Drohan.
A few stores in Wellesley, however, have had to close recently, said Demian Wendrow, director and cofounder of the Wellesley Center Merchants Association. He said local stores have had to intensify promotions and work together to keep up with growing competition.
Still, many customers appreciate local stores and prefer to shop in town centers.
“The mall doesn’t offer me anything,’’ said Marie Caradonna, who lives in Ashland and works in Natick. “I don’t like cookie cutter stuff . . . there’s a moral component to this, too.’’
Caradonna said she is planning to do her holiday shopping at Iron Horse and Five Crows because she thinks the handmade crafts offered there make better gifts than anything she could find at a mall.
“It all looks the same,’’ said Erica Dinerman, a Belmont resident who also works in Natick. “I pride myself on being able to get through the holidays without going to the mall.’’
Powder puff game lives up to towns’ rivalry
Published by The Boston Globe
WELLESLEY — Clad in blue shirts, goldenrod shorts, and black leggings, the Needham girls powder puff football team stood along the sideline yesterday, hopping up and down, as much from adrenaline as from the chilly weather.
“I’ve been waiting all four years of high school for this,’’ said Courtney Steeves, 18, staring across the field at the rival Wellesley High team.
The Wellesley girls, wearing red shirts and black pants, were screaming so loudly they drowned out the Needham players across the field. They had nothing to lose. Needham had beaten them three years in a row, hanging on to a powder puff trophy Wellesley was determined to win back.
“We’re really competitive,’’ said Erin Baker, 18, of Wellesley. The Needham-Wellesley powder puff football game has been held the day before the boys’ Thanksgiving Day matchup since the 1980s, a boys’ rivalry that the towns contend is the nation’s oldest public-school sports rivalry.
Until the past decade, however, the powder puff games were secretly held by students in the woods and would attract underage drinking and violence between the schools.
“It was very unorganized and wasn’t very safe,’’ said Officer Tim Barrows of the Wellesley police. “It got pretty carried away to the point where police were called every time the game was played to break up fights.’’
It got so bad that the towns’ police departments volunteered to take over the tradition and coach the senior girls to compete for a trophy each year. Now the game is quite a bit more peaceful, but no less passionate.
At yesterday’s game, a group of shirtless boys with blue paint on their faces and chests spelling “NHS!’’ cheered on the sidelines, blowing blue plastic horns. “I love this,’’ said Tyler Reilly, 17, a Needham High senior.
Said Christina Gagosian, 17, “It’s a women-bonding thing, a rite of passage’’
Wellesley played Needham to a 6-6 tie in regulation time, with Needham’s Katherine Rayner scoring a touchdown with only 20 seconds remaining. Then, the two teams had a sudden-death “kick-off,’’ won by Wellesley.
“There was so much more community as a group,’’ said Leah Dowd, 17, who scored Wellesley’s touchdown. “We got really good at our positions and were really able to excel.’’
The Wellesley team, with about 30 girls, was smaller than usual this year. Needham’s team had about 50 girls.
The Wellesley girls will take a victory lap with the trophy at Needham High School’s Memorial Field during the football game today.
Yesterday’s game was a far cry from the pranks of years ago.
In 1991, some Needham students planted a rocket on the Wellesley field to show support for their mascot (the Needham Rockets), but officials at first thought the device was a bomb and the Thanksgiving game was delayed a day.
The Globe reported the rocket incident at the time, along with fans’ concerns that the prank and the powder puff “rumbles’’ were taking the rivalry too far. The Globe quoted one graduate as saying that students looked forward to the powder puff fight more than the game.
“We were chasing them through the woods,’’ said Officer Mike Schlittler, who coaches the Needham team. “The kids were put into a situation where they were going to get injured.’’
Now-retired Holliston Police Chief Tom Lambert, who was a sergeant in Needham at the time, led the effort to get the police involved with the game in 2000, said Schlittler. The first couple of years had a low turnout, but participation has grown ever since, he said.
The organized games now attract family, friends, and even teachers in the stands, although the event is still not school-sanctioned and the football team is not supposed to attend, said Barrows.
“They’ve really taken what could’ve been a bad experience for many people and turned it into something great and positive,’’ said Diana Parkhurst, a wellness teacher at Needham High.
WELLESLEY — Clad in blue shirts, goldenrod shorts, and black leggings, the Needham girls powder puff football team stood along the sideline yesterday, hopping up and down, as much from adrenaline as from the chilly weather.
“I’ve been waiting all four years of high school for this,’’ said Courtney Steeves, 18, staring across the field at the rival Wellesley High team.
The Wellesley girls, wearing red shirts and black pants, were screaming so loudly they drowned out the Needham players across the field. They had nothing to lose. Needham had beaten them three years in a row, hanging on to a powder puff trophy Wellesley was determined to win back.
“We’re really competitive,’’ said Erin Baker, 18, of Wellesley. The Needham-Wellesley powder puff football game has been held the day before the boys’ Thanksgiving Day matchup since the 1980s, a boys’ rivalry that the towns contend is the nation’s oldest public-school sports rivalry.
Until the past decade, however, the powder puff games were secretly held by students in the woods and would attract underage drinking and violence between the schools.
“It was very unorganized and wasn’t very safe,’’ said Officer Tim Barrows of the Wellesley police. “It got pretty carried away to the point where police were called every time the game was played to break up fights.’’
It got so bad that the towns’ police departments volunteered to take over the tradition and coach the senior girls to compete for a trophy each year. Now the game is quite a bit more peaceful, but no less passionate.
At yesterday’s game, a group of shirtless boys with blue paint on their faces and chests spelling “NHS!’’ cheered on the sidelines, blowing blue plastic horns. “I love this,’’ said Tyler Reilly, 17, a Needham High senior.
Said Christina Gagosian, 17, “It’s a women-bonding thing, a rite of passage’’
Wellesley played Needham to a 6-6 tie in regulation time, with Needham’s Katherine Rayner scoring a touchdown with only 20 seconds remaining. Then, the two teams had a sudden-death “kick-off,’’ won by Wellesley.
“There was so much more community as a group,’’ said Leah Dowd, 17, who scored Wellesley’s touchdown. “We got really good at our positions and were really able to excel.’’
The Wellesley team, with about 30 girls, was smaller than usual this year. Needham’s team had about 50 girls.
The Wellesley girls will take a victory lap with the trophy at Needham High School’s Memorial Field during the football game today.
Yesterday’s game was a far cry from the pranks of years ago.
In 1991, some Needham students planted a rocket on the Wellesley field to show support for their mascot (the Needham Rockets), but officials at first thought the device was a bomb and the Thanksgiving game was delayed a day.
The Globe reported the rocket incident at the time, along with fans’ concerns that the prank and the powder puff “rumbles’’ were taking the rivalry too far. The Globe quoted one graduate as saying that students looked forward to the powder puff fight more than the game.
“We were chasing them through the woods,’’ said Officer Mike Schlittler, who coaches the Needham team. “The kids were put into a situation where they were going to get injured.’’
Now-retired Holliston Police Chief Tom Lambert, who was a sergeant in Needham at the time, led the effort to get the police involved with the game in 2000, said Schlittler. The first couple of years had a low turnout, but participation has grown ever since, he said.
The organized games now attract family, friends, and even teachers in the stands, although the event is still not school-sanctioned and the football team is not supposed to attend, said Barrows.
“They’ve really taken what could’ve been a bad experience for many people and turned it into something great and positive,’’ said Diana Parkhurst, a wellness teacher at Needham High.
A prosperous turkey day for other local purveyors
Published by The Boston Globe
While some family-owned turkey purveyors are struggling this Thanksgiving season, others are still booming with business.
“We sell out every year,” said Don Owen, who runs Owen’s Poultry Farm in Needham. “We’ve actually done a little better because of the recession. People aren’t going out as much and are entertaining at home more.”
Owen’s, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, sells about 4,000 local turkeys strictly by order every Thanksgiving, he said. The company has two turkey farms in the state, and they expect to attract more customers next year with other nearby farms closing down.
“We’ll pick them up, too, because they’re used to the same type of quality,” said Owen. “During the holidays, people tend to splurge on food.”
Owen said his turkeys taste better than store-bought birds because they are killed the week before they’re delivered, and Owen’s local poultry carries more fat for the cold New England climate than Southern birds sold at grocery stores.
A couple of towns over, Natick Organic Community Farm raises its own turkeys from spring to October and has so far sold about 180 birds, said Trish Wesley Umbrell, farm administrator. Most customers ordered their turkeys in October, which are transported to another site to be slaughtered and frozen, but the farm had a little over a dozen left for sale last week.
Local meat is more expensive—the Natick farm sells turkeys for $4.50 a pound—but customers are happy to pay the price because they taste better and they know where the food is coming from, said Umbrell.
“They see the birds in June and the care and love that go into them,” she said. “It makes you appreciate every bite.”
The farm is certified to sell organic vegetables, but the turkeys aren’t officially organic, said Umbrell. The birds are, however, raised humanely, roam free and are fed organic grain, she said.
“It’s a better flavor because of the meatier texture. They’re naturally moist; our birds don’t have to be brined to be delicious,” said Umbrell.
Lynda Simkins, the farm’s executive director, said she knows families may find local meat expensive in the current economy, but she is encouraging customers to put at least one local product on their Thanksgiving table this year.
“We’re a cranberry state—you don’t have to import those,” she said. “But farms are shutting their doors.”
Indeed, this Thanksgiving season has been a long, tearful goodbye for Gerard Farms Kitchen and Deli as the 80-year-old Framingham institution prepares to close for good.
Though the restaurant’s owner, Michael Gerard, said financial woes have forced him to close the kitchen, customers expressed sadness to hear they can no longer get their Thanksgiving turkeys and favorite sandwiches at Gerard’s.
While some family-owned turkey purveyors are struggling this Thanksgiving season, others are still booming with business.
“We sell out every year,” said Don Owen, who runs Owen’s Poultry Farm in Needham. “We’ve actually done a little better because of the recession. People aren’t going out as much and are entertaining at home more.”
Owen’s, celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, sells about 4,000 local turkeys strictly by order every Thanksgiving, he said. The company has two turkey farms in the state, and they expect to attract more customers next year with other nearby farms closing down.
“We’ll pick them up, too, because they’re used to the same type of quality,” said Owen. “During the holidays, people tend to splurge on food.”
Owen said his turkeys taste better than store-bought birds because they are killed the week before they’re delivered, and Owen’s local poultry carries more fat for the cold New England climate than Southern birds sold at grocery stores.
A couple of towns over, Natick Organic Community Farm raises its own turkeys from spring to October and has so far sold about 180 birds, said Trish Wesley Umbrell, farm administrator. Most customers ordered their turkeys in October, which are transported to another site to be slaughtered and frozen, but the farm had a little over a dozen left for sale last week.
Local meat is more expensive—the Natick farm sells turkeys for $4.50 a pound—but customers are happy to pay the price because they taste better and they know where the food is coming from, said Umbrell.
“They see the birds in June and the care and love that go into them,” she said. “It makes you appreciate every bite.”
The farm is certified to sell organic vegetables, but the turkeys aren’t officially organic, said Umbrell. The birds are, however, raised humanely, roam free and are fed organic grain, she said.
“It’s a better flavor because of the meatier texture. They’re naturally moist; our birds don’t have to be brined to be delicious,” said Umbrell.
Lynda Simkins, the farm’s executive director, said she knows families may find local meat expensive in the current economy, but she is encouraging customers to put at least one local product on their Thanksgiving table this year.
“We’re a cranberry state—you don’t have to import those,” she said. “But farms are shutting their doors.”
Indeed, this Thanksgiving season has been a long, tearful goodbye for Gerard Farms Kitchen and Deli as the 80-year-old Framingham institution prepares to close for good.
Though the restaurant’s owner, Michael Gerard, said financial woes have forced him to close the kitchen, customers expressed sadness to hear they can no longer get their Thanksgiving turkeys and favorite sandwiches at Gerard’s.
Last Thanksgiving for Framingham's Gerard Farms
Published by The Boston Globe
This Thanksgiving season has been a long, tearful goodbye for Gerard Farms Kitchen and Deli as the 80-year-old Framingham institution prepares to close for good.
Though the restaurant’s owner, Michael Gerard, said financial woes have forced him to close the kitchen, customers expressed sadness to hear they can no longer get their Thanksgiving turkeys and favorite sandwiches at Gerard’s. Here are photos of of the store's final days.
“The outpouring has just been so sad, people come in not even to buy something, just to say goodbye,” said Gerard. “I’ll maybe make it into the second week of December until they shut my power off.”
Gerard took over the business after his father died 15 years ago, and giving up the store feels like his father’s wake all over again, he said. His uncle, however, will continue to run the Marshfield store, said Gerard.
Jean Teague said Gerard’s has been a family tradition since she was young. Her family lived in Framingham and would visit once a week. She has since moved to Maine, but every time she comes back to visit friends, she always makes a stop at Gerard Farms.
"We’re losing a part of our town’s history," she said. "They’ve been a wonderful family of people."
Dale Gudejko of Framingham said she has been coming to Gerard Farm for 30 years. She said she loves to buy Gerard’s sandwiches for lunch.
"I don’t make turkey gravy all year because of this," said Gudejko after buying a big bag of gravy. "[Gerard Farms] is an icon."
Gerard Farms sells turkeys from a farm in New Oxford, Penn., though when Gerard’s grandparents first opened in 1931, the farm raised its own birds. The deli is also stocked with prepared Thanksgiving favorites like macaroni and cheese, potatoes, pies and even homemade dressing.
The turkey sandwiches are a favorite with customers, and Gerard’s usually sells about 200 a day, said Teri Amle, who has been working for Gerard for four months.
Bruce Stone of Framingham said he discovered Gerard Farms more recently. He visits family in New York for Thanksgiving, and he first brought a turkey from Gerard’s two years ago.
"Everybody loved it," he said. "I’m going to miss it terribly."
Nancy and Bill Koerner of Carlisle and Bill Brown of Chelmsford said they are regulars at the store. Gerard’s special turkey sandwiches are Nancy’s favorite, she said.
"This is a real Mom and Pop organization, and I hate to see it go," she said. "It’s a shame."
This Thanksgiving season has been a long, tearful goodbye for Gerard Farms Kitchen and Deli as the 80-year-old Framingham institution prepares to close for good.
Though the restaurant’s owner, Michael Gerard, said financial woes have forced him to close the kitchen, customers expressed sadness to hear they can no longer get their Thanksgiving turkeys and favorite sandwiches at Gerard’s. Here are photos of of the store's final days.
“The outpouring has just been so sad, people come in not even to buy something, just to say goodbye,” said Gerard. “I’ll maybe make it into the second week of December until they shut my power off.”
Gerard took over the business after his father died 15 years ago, and giving up the store feels like his father’s wake all over again, he said. His uncle, however, will continue to run the Marshfield store, said Gerard.
Jean Teague said Gerard’s has been a family tradition since she was young. Her family lived in Framingham and would visit once a week. She has since moved to Maine, but every time she comes back to visit friends, she always makes a stop at Gerard Farms.
"We’re losing a part of our town’s history," she said. "They’ve been a wonderful family of people."
Dale Gudejko of Framingham said she has been coming to Gerard Farm for 30 years. She said she loves to buy Gerard’s sandwiches for lunch.
"I don’t make turkey gravy all year because of this," said Gudejko after buying a big bag of gravy. "[Gerard Farms] is an icon."
Gerard Farms sells turkeys from a farm in New Oxford, Penn., though when Gerard’s grandparents first opened in 1931, the farm raised its own birds. The deli is also stocked with prepared Thanksgiving favorites like macaroni and cheese, potatoes, pies and even homemade dressing.
The turkey sandwiches are a favorite with customers, and Gerard’s usually sells about 200 a day, said Teri Amle, who has been working for Gerard for four months.
Bruce Stone of Framingham said he discovered Gerard Farms more recently. He visits family in New York for Thanksgiving, and he first brought a turkey from Gerard’s two years ago.
"Everybody loved it," he said. "I’m going to miss it terribly."
Nancy and Bill Koerner of Carlisle and Bill Brown of Chelmsford said they are regulars at the store. Gerard’s special turkey sandwiches are Nancy’s favorite, she said.
"This is a real Mom and Pop organization, and I hate to see it go," she said. "It’s a shame."
Monday, November 22, 2010
Needham High parents want to address school committee about hazing controversy
Published by The Boston Globe
A parent of a sophomore on the Needham High girls’ soccer team tonight asked to address the town's school committee about the hazing controversy that led to the suspension of several girls earlier this month.
Mary Ellen Dunn, a parent of a girl on the team that was allegedly involved in hazing incidents last month, said she was speaking on behalf of the team when she addressed the committee during the public comment period of the meeting tonight. She said the group would like to make a presentation when the school committee meets again on Dec. 7.
Dunn, echoing other parents' comments on the matter over the last several days, said the hazing occurred on Oct. 29 outside of school and was resolved among the girls involved before the next school day.
The decision by the school administration to suspend senior girls involved was “a misjudgement,” she said.
“There was no intention to harm, nor was any harm perceived by our children,” said Dunn. “The school has come to a hasty, erroneous interpretation of the event.”
Dunn said the parents have unsuccessfully tried to give the administration information about the incident, and they would like to present an account of what happened to the committee at their next meeting.
In an interview after the public comments, Dunn said the administration has jumped to conclusions without knowing all the facts of the incident.
Another parent, Todd White, said the parents have been meeting since the incident occurred, and they all disagree with the way the administration has handled the situation, even the parents of underclassmen. White said his daughter, who is an underclassman, never received a copy of the anti-hazing policy from her coach.
“If our children were aggrieved, we wouldn’t be all taking this position,” he said.
Another Needham resident, J.P. Pages, spoke during the comment period about the incident. He said the school suspended the girls under a statue forbidding hazing, but the same statue requires the school to give copies of the hazing policy to all coaches. The coaches, in turn, are supposed to relay the policy to each athlete, he said.
Pages said his two children who have attended Needham High never received the policy, and he has spoken with other parents who have said their children never received it, either.
“It seems to me an adult in charge of educating children can not hold them liable or responsible for conduct under law that they themselves violate,” he said. “[The administration] are the ones that failed students.”
Connie Barr, chair of the school committee, said that the committee does not respond to public comments, but the administration has made an effort to handle the situation in a way that is best for everyone involved.
Barr did not give any details of the hazing, and Superintendent Dan Gutenkanst did not mention the incident in his comments.
The Globe reported last week that two other parents said 10 girls on the team were suspended from school and 12 or 13 were prevented from playing in a district tournament game against Brockton.
Three parents, providing new details in separate interviews, said the seniors drove the girls around for a short time until they arrived at a field off school grounds where the team practices. They said the girls were told to remove their blindfolds on the field and were taunted. At least one was told to wear a dog collar and two were hit in the face with whipped cream pies. Others were made to sing songs or sing the praises of the seniors.
But each of the parents interviewed insisted that the episode was all in fun, a team-building exercise that might have gone too far but didn’t leave any of their girls harmed.
Late last week, Needham High School's principal said the students' actions "were not in keeping with the school's core values, mission, or code of conduct.''
A parent of a sophomore on the Needham High girls’ soccer team tonight asked to address the town's school committee about the hazing controversy that led to the suspension of several girls earlier this month.
Mary Ellen Dunn, a parent of a girl on the team that was allegedly involved in hazing incidents last month, said she was speaking on behalf of the team when she addressed the committee during the public comment period of the meeting tonight. She said the group would like to make a presentation when the school committee meets again on Dec. 7.
Dunn, echoing other parents' comments on the matter over the last several days, said the hazing occurred on Oct. 29 outside of school and was resolved among the girls involved before the next school day.
The decision by the school administration to suspend senior girls involved was “a misjudgement,” she said.
“There was no intention to harm, nor was any harm perceived by our children,” said Dunn. “The school has come to a hasty, erroneous interpretation of the event.”
Dunn said the parents have unsuccessfully tried to give the administration information about the incident, and they would like to present an account of what happened to the committee at their next meeting.
In an interview after the public comments, Dunn said the administration has jumped to conclusions without knowing all the facts of the incident.
Another parent, Todd White, said the parents have been meeting since the incident occurred, and they all disagree with the way the administration has handled the situation, even the parents of underclassmen. White said his daughter, who is an underclassman, never received a copy of the anti-hazing policy from her coach.
“If our children were aggrieved, we wouldn’t be all taking this position,” he said.
Another Needham resident, J.P. Pages, spoke during the comment period about the incident. He said the school suspended the girls under a statue forbidding hazing, but the same statue requires the school to give copies of the hazing policy to all coaches. The coaches, in turn, are supposed to relay the policy to each athlete, he said.
Pages said his two children who have attended Needham High never received the policy, and he has spoken with other parents who have said their children never received it, either.
“It seems to me an adult in charge of educating children can not hold them liable or responsible for conduct under law that they themselves violate,” he said. “[The administration] are the ones that failed students.”
Connie Barr, chair of the school committee, said that the committee does not respond to public comments, but the administration has made an effort to handle the situation in a way that is best for everyone involved.
Barr did not give any details of the hazing, and Superintendent Dan Gutenkanst did not mention the incident in his comments.
The Globe reported last week that two other parents said 10 girls on the team were suspended from school and 12 or 13 were prevented from playing in a district tournament game against Brockton.
Three parents, providing new details in separate interviews, said the seniors drove the girls around for a short time until they arrived at a field off school grounds where the team practices. They said the girls were told to remove their blindfolds on the field and were taunted. At least one was told to wear a dog collar and two were hit in the face with whipped cream pies. Others were made to sing songs or sing the praises of the seniors.
But each of the parents interviewed insisted that the episode was all in fun, a team-building exercise that might have gone too far but didn’t leave any of their girls harmed.
Late last week, Needham High School's principal said the students' actions "were not in keeping with the school's core values, mission, or code of conduct.''
Class turns social consciousness into business plan
Published by The Boston Globe
For 19 global marketing students at Wellesley High School, getting their homework done means more than just maintaining a good grade-point average. Since September, they have become one of the largest employers for a neighborhood in Haiti.
Their class has gone beyond its usual curriculum to form a nonprofit organization, the Cite Soleil Opportunity Council, to help impoverished artisans in Haiti sell their wares in Wellesley and raise money for medical care in the troubled country.
“It’s unbelievable how much we’re helping,’’ said Mark Mulligan, a 16-year-old junior. “It’s not about the grades.’’
Their products will be among the items for sale at the annual Wellesley Marketplace, taking place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wellesley Middle School, 50 Kingsbury St.
The class has made $1,000 selling colorful tin sculptures, said Dr. Lawrence R. Kaplan, who purchases the art while on medical relief trips to Haiti and delivers it to Wellesley for the students to sell. The profits go to Haiti Clinic, a nonprofit group in Port-au-Prince’s Cite Soleil neighborhood.
“It motivates me a lot more to know we have an impact,’’ said junior Tim Hill, 17.
“We have to be creative, because selling is always a challenge. We can’t just sell in the school, we have to get out into the town and raise awareness.’’
Kaplan, a physician who traveled to Haiti days after the devastating earthquake in January, visits the class every week to talk about what he has seen in the country and why helping the artists there is important.
The class is supporting 12 artists, but about 140 members of their extended families depend on their income, said Kaplan. All of the artists are men in their 20s and 30s, but soon the students will start selling weavings from Haitian women, he said.
Blake Dowling, a senior, said he had been planning to study business in college next year, and this project has reinforced that goal. Dowling, 17, also said helping the artists is more important to him than scoring straight As, but his focus on making the project a success has boosted his grades.
“It makes the class more interesting . . . learning hands on,’’ he said. “This class does take priority. People are surprised at the nature of what we’re doing; you wouldn’t expect high school kids to be doing something this substantial.’’
Dowling and several of his classmates want to continue working on the Cite Soleil Opportunity Council for their senior projects, expanding the marketing and sales elements, he said.
The students had their first big successful sale in September at the high school, they said, and are also selling the pieces in a seasonal holiday shop at 102 Central St.
Kaplan pays the artists half the price upfront so they can purchase supplies, then he buys the finished product for the class to sell. The system provides a fair price for the artists and still leaves room for donations to the Haiti Clinic, he said.
The students said a little bit of help can go a long way in Haiti.
“One person there is sometimes all it takes,’’ Mulligan said of Kaplan’s role. “It shows how much they need our help.’’
The class has started deciding on what to order and how much to charge for the art, comparing the offerings of other companies that sell Haitian goods.
“It’s important they’re taking on those responsibilities,’’ said Kaplan. “They’re learning about the problems of the country and how they affect international trade.’’
Kaplan said he has offered to take any of the students in the class along on one of his trips to Haiti.
“It would be an incredible experience for these kids,’’ he said. “Wellesley kids have been to much different places than Haiti. The French they speak in Haiti is much different than the French they speak in France.’’
Gerry Murphy, a retired Wellesley history teacher, is helping to advise the class. He said that since September, he has increasingly seen the students interact with each other and take initiative.
“They are becoming more articulate, involved, and confident,’’ said Murphy. “Students who seldom spoke are now speaking. They’re feeling better about themselves, and it shows in their work.’’
Wellesley High business teacher Jane Lord, who leads the class, said when Kaplan and Murphy approached her with the idea, she realized the project was a “perfect match’’ for her students. It is the first time she has integrated a real product into the global marketing course, Lord said, and she would love to start the project from the ground up again next year.
The class combines lectures on business with time to work on the project, Lord said. The students chose which part of the operation to join, from production and finance to human resources and communications, she said.
“That helps us as teachers. The advertising people, for example, are extremely artistic, and that comes out again and again,’’ said Lord. “You hear all their voices. Because they’ve had success, they feel good.’’
For 19 global marketing students at Wellesley High School, getting their homework done means more than just maintaining a good grade-point average. Since September, they have become one of the largest employers for a neighborhood in Haiti.
Their class has gone beyond its usual curriculum to form a nonprofit organization, the Cite Soleil Opportunity Council, to help impoverished artisans in Haiti sell their wares in Wellesley and raise money for medical care in the troubled country.
“It’s unbelievable how much we’re helping,’’ said Mark Mulligan, a 16-year-old junior. “It’s not about the grades.’’
Their products will be among the items for sale at the annual Wellesley Marketplace, taking place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wellesley Middle School, 50 Kingsbury St.
The class has made $1,000 selling colorful tin sculptures, said Dr. Lawrence R. Kaplan, who purchases the art while on medical relief trips to Haiti and delivers it to Wellesley for the students to sell. The profits go to Haiti Clinic, a nonprofit group in Port-au-Prince’s Cite Soleil neighborhood.
“It motivates me a lot more to know we have an impact,’’ said junior Tim Hill, 17.
“We have to be creative, because selling is always a challenge. We can’t just sell in the school, we have to get out into the town and raise awareness.’’
Kaplan, a physician who traveled to Haiti days after the devastating earthquake in January, visits the class every week to talk about what he has seen in the country and why helping the artists there is important.
The class is supporting 12 artists, but about 140 members of their extended families depend on their income, said Kaplan. All of the artists are men in their 20s and 30s, but soon the students will start selling weavings from Haitian women, he said.
Blake Dowling, a senior, said he had been planning to study business in college next year, and this project has reinforced that goal. Dowling, 17, also said helping the artists is more important to him than scoring straight As, but his focus on making the project a success has boosted his grades.
“It makes the class more interesting . . . learning hands on,’’ he said. “This class does take priority. People are surprised at the nature of what we’re doing; you wouldn’t expect high school kids to be doing something this substantial.’’
Dowling and several of his classmates want to continue working on the Cite Soleil Opportunity Council for their senior projects, expanding the marketing and sales elements, he said.
The students had their first big successful sale in September at the high school, they said, and are also selling the pieces in a seasonal holiday shop at 102 Central St.
Kaplan pays the artists half the price upfront so they can purchase supplies, then he buys the finished product for the class to sell. The system provides a fair price for the artists and still leaves room for donations to the Haiti Clinic, he said.
The students said a little bit of help can go a long way in Haiti.
“One person there is sometimes all it takes,’’ Mulligan said of Kaplan’s role. “It shows how much they need our help.’’
The class has started deciding on what to order and how much to charge for the art, comparing the offerings of other companies that sell Haitian goods.
“It’s important they’re taking on those responsibilities,’’ said Kaplan. “They’re learning about the problems of the country and how they affect international trade.’’
Kaplan said he has offered to take any of the students in the class along on one of his trips to Haiti.
“It would be an incredible experience for these kids,’’ he said. “Wellesley kids have been to much different places than Haiti. The French they speak in Haiti is much different than the French they speak in France.’’
Gerry Murphy, a retired Wellesley history teacher, is helping to advise the class. He said that since September, he has increasingly seen the students interact with each other and take initiative.
“They are becoming more articulate, involved, and confident,’’ said Murphy. “Students who seldom spoke are now speaking. They’re feeling better about themselves, and it shows in their work.’’
Wellesley High business teacher Jane Lord, who leads the class, said when Kaplan and Murphy approached her with the idea, she realized the project was a “perfect match’’ for her students. It is the first time she has integrated a real product into the global marketing course, Lord said, and she would love to start the project from the ground up again next year.
The class combines lectures on business with time to work on the project, Lord said. The students chose which part of the operation to join, from production and finance to human resources and communications, she said.
“That helps us as teachers. The advertising people, for example, are extremely artistic, and that comes out again and again,’’ said Lord. “You hear all their voices. Because they’ve had success, they feel good.’’
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Symposium to celebrate art of gardens
Published by The Boston Globe
As Allyson Hayward walked through World War II-era gardens in the English countryside, she could tell exactly whose hand had guided them. She recognized the design style and flower choice of Norah Lindsay, a famous English gardener.
“I always go beyond the garden,’’ said Hayward, a Wellesley resident whose decade of research resulted in the book, “Norah Lindsay: The Life and Art of a Garden Designer.’’ “I look into what makes these people tick.’’
However, Hayward says, horticulture enthusiasts don’t have to travel to Europe to see beautiful gardens.
This weekend, Hayward will be presenting her research on two landscapes on either side of the Charles River: the Hunnewell property in Wellesley that gave the town its name, and the Elm Bank Reservation in Dover and Wellesley.
Her talk is part of a daylong symposium on the history of gardening and landscape design that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is holding Saturday at Elm Bank, its headquarters at 900 Washington St. in Wellesley.
The day will start with a 9 a.m. presentation by Gerry Wright as Frederick Law Olmsted, providing a biography of the 19th-century landscape architect whose famous designs include Central Park in New York City and the Emerald Necklace in Boston.
Olmsted also designed the original gardens at Hunnewell and Elm Bank, said John Cronin, the event’s chairman. Olmsted studied romantic gardens in Europe and brought the informal style to the United States, and his influence can be seen in New England’s gardens today, said Cronin.
The symposium will be hosted by John Furlong of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, another Olmsted park.
Other events include a talk about a plant collector in China; a discussion on romantic gardens led by Elizabeth Eustis, past president of the New England Wild Flower Society; and a presentation by Meg Muckenhoupt, author of “Boston’s Gardens & Green Spaces.’’
The symposium ends at 4 p.m.
Neal Sanders, spokesman for MassHort, said the event is part of new outreach efforts that the nonprofit organization started two years ago after a “turbulent period’’ of severe financial problems.
According to Hayward, whose talk is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the Elm Bank and Hunnewell properties were developed as summer homes during the late 19th century, when wealthier families wanted to escape Boston’s noise and heat for the clean air out west.
The 182-acre Elm Bank estate was once the home of Benjamin Pierce Cheney and then his daughter, Alice Cheney Baltzell. According to Hayward’s research, the elder Cheney, who lived in Boston’s Back Bay during the winter, bought the property at an auction in 1874 for $10,000. He built a Victorian house there the following year, and transformed the land by creating colorful Victorian gardens, hedges, meadows, and fields.
After Cheney’s daughter took over the estate, the Olmsted brothers changed the character of the land again with an aquatic Temple Garden evoking Asian influences, the Formal Italianate Garden, and expanses of lilacs, dahlias, roses, and vegetables. The estate is now owned by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which leases part of the property to MassHort.
Hayward was an interior designer for 20 years before she decided to return to school to study landscape design and discovered landscape history. But she has gardened since she was a little girl, when her parents would leave a plot of land in their backyard for her to grow annuals.
“There are three different times of the year when I’m happiest: when my roses are in full bloom, when my lilies come, and when the dahlias come,’’ said Hayward.
She rises at 5:30 every morning to tend to her garden, Hayward said, coffee in one hand and her cat, Norah, named after the English gardener, in the other. She carries Norah around in a cage to protect her from coyotes.
“I’m staring at the bare earth, watching things move inch by inch,’’ said Hayward. “I spend a little part of every day in the garden.’’
As Allyson Hayward walked through World War II-era gardens in the English countryside, she could tell exactly whose hand had guided them. She recognized the design style and flower choice of Norah Lindsay, a famous English gardener.
“I always go beyond the garden,’’ said Hayward, a Wellesley resident whose decade of research resulted in the book, “Norah Lindsay: The Life and Art of a Garden Designer.’’ “I look into what makes these people tick.’’
However, Hayward says, horticulture enthusiasts don’t have to travel to Europe to see beautiful gardens.
This weekend, Hayward will be presenting her research on two landscapes on either side of the Charles River: the Hunnewell property in Wellesley that gave the town its name, and the Elm Bank Reservation in Dover and Wellesley.
Her talk is part of a daylong symposium on the history of gardening and landscape design that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society is holding Saturday at Elm Bank, its headquarters at 900 Washington St. in Wellesley.
The day will start with a 9 a.m. presentation by Gerry Wright as Frederick Law Olmsted, providing a biography of the 19th-century landscape architect whose famous designs include Central Park in New York City and the Emerald Necklace in Boston.
Olmsted also designed the original gardens at Hunnewell and Elm Bank, said John Cronin, the event’s chairman. Olmsted studied romantic gardens in Europe and brought the informal style to the United States, and his influence can be seen in New England’s gardens today, said Cronin.
The symposium will be hosted by John Furlong of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, another Olmsted park.
Other events include a talk about a plant collector in China; a discussion on romantic gardens led by Elizabeth Eustis, past president of the New England Wild Flower Society; and a presentation by Meg Muckenhoupt, author of “Boston’s Gardens & Green Spaces.’’
The symposium ends at 4 p.m.
Neal Sanders, spokesman for MassHort, said the event is part of new outreach efforts that the nonprofit organization started two years ago after a “turbulent period’’ of severe financial problems.
According to Hayward, whose talk is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, the Elm Bank and Hunnewell properties were developed as summer homes during the late 19th century, when wealthier families wanted to escape Boston’s noise and heat for the clean air out west.
The 182-acre Elm Bank estate was once the home of Benjamin Pierce Cheney and then his daughter, Alice Cheney Baltzell. According to Hayward’s research, the elder Cheney, who lived in Boston’s Back Bay during the winter, bought the property at an auction in 1874 for $10,000. He built a Victorian house there the following year, and transformed the land by creating colorful Victorian gardens, hedges, meadows, and fields.
After Cheney’s daughter took over the estate, the Olmsted brothers changed the character of the land again with an aquatic Temple Garden evoking Asian influences, the Formal Italianate Garden, and expanses of lilacs, dahlias, roses, and vegetables. The estate is now owned by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which leases part of the property to MassHort.
Hayward was an interior designer for 20 years before she decided to return to school to study landscape design and discovered landscape history. But she has gardened since she was a little girl, when her parents would leave a plot of land in their backyard for her to grow annuals.
“There are three different times of the year when I’m happiest: when my roses are in full bloom, when my lilies come, and when the dahlias come,’’ said Hayward.
She rises at 5:30 every morning to tend to her garden, Hayward said, coffee in one hand and her cat, Norah, named after the English gardener, in the other. She carries Norah around in a cage to protect her from coyotes.
“I’m staring at the bare earth, watching things move inch by inch,’’ said Hayward. “I spend a little part of every day in the garden.’’
Parents, students react to Needham soccer suspensions
Published by The Boston Globe
Parents, students and former players reacted strongly to Needham High School's decision to suspend several players for an alleged hazing incident, with some Needham parents insisting that the school went too far.
The mother of a junior on the Needham High School girls soccer team says that the suspensions of several players on the team for alleged hazing were too severe for what she called a "misguided attempt at team building.''
In an email to the Globe, Needham parent Sharon Lund said that the team was supporting both the players and the team's coach, who also reportedly has been placed on leave. She said her daughter is a junior on the team who was not implicated in the incident.
Other supporters of the team, including the godfather of one of the players, also criticized the school.
"As the parent of an underclassman, I can safely say that the ENTIRE Needham Girl's Soccer team and parents are UNANIMOUS in supporting each senior who has been placed on suspension and the coach who has been placed on administrative leave, and assert that the event in question in no way warrants the issuing of suspensions by Needham High School,'' Lund said in the email. "In a nutshell, there was no intention to harm, nor was any harm perceived by team members, during a misguided attempt at team building.''
She continued:
"In my personal opinion, these girls have handled a serious mistake in a more mature fashion than either the NHS administration or the press has to date. This was an isolated intra-team issue that they resolved to everyone's satisfaction amongst themselves with active support from the coach, and in the process strengthened the bonds amongst them. As some of the parents have so aptly pointed out, aren't these the life skills that we want our daughters to have?''
Separately, Brendan Copley, a Needham High senior, said he thinks hazing is not as big an issue as bullying at Needham, because hazing is more like a ritual. He said his coaches have never talked about hazing before, and sometimes, underclassmen on his teams would get "picked on," but he thinks it may make some freshmen feel included.
"Some freshmen enjoy it; they're big kids now in the high school," he said. "Some take it a different way, and the seniors who do it should keep that in mind."
"The newscasters are brutal," he said of the news coverage of the Needham incident. "It's been blown out of proportion. Parents are overreacting because their kids just got to the high school, and they don't know what's going on."
Several members of the Needham High School girls’ soccer team were suspended before Monday night’s state tournament game for allegedly hazing younger players on the team.
WBZ-TV reported that the hazing victims had been blindfolded and led around on dog leashes, then hit in their faces with pies. The team’s coach, Carl Tarabelli, was put on administrative leave, the station said. He could not be reached for comment.
In an interview, a 1988 graduate of Needham High School who said he was the godfather of one of the suspended students said he was shocked and disappointed that the girls were suspended.
"This is something that has been going on for years. It is nothing major, and everyone jumped to conclusions so quickly," said Joshua Melia, a Needham resident. He said he was "angry and disappointed" on behalf of his goddaughter, a senior co-captain, and her teammates for "something so minor."
"This was not bullying and it was not hazing, but that's what they are calling it. To just label the kids in that way isn't fair," said Melia, who said he was a member of Needham High's wrestling team, and recalled that minor-league teasing of freshmen team members was common in his day.
In an email to the Globe, Benji Eisenberg, who identified himself as a Needham High graduate, said, "Hazing/initiation rites are one of the most important aspects of team building and bonding ... tryouts are almost a hazing experience in themselves.''
Parents watching the Lincoln-Sudbury varsity boys soccer playoff vs. Brookline today said they felt that, overall, Needham school officials had acted properly.
"Hazing is a form of bullying," said Nancy Childress, who said she was a teacher and the parent of a Lincoln-Sudbury freshman. "When you are put in a position of having to do something you didn't want to do, it's bullying."
School officials have said little to explain the suspensions.
“The Needham High School Community is saddened about recent events involving the girls’ soccer team,’’ said a statement from the superintendent’s office Tuesday afternoon. “The high school administration, staff, students, and families urge the local Needham community to support our team as they face Brockton tonight.’’
Parents, students and former players reacted strongly to Needham High School's decision to suspend several players for an alleged hazing incident, with some Needham parents insisting that the school went too far.
The mother of a junior on the Needham High School girls soccer team says that the suspensions of several players on the team for alleged hazing were too severe for what she called a "misguided attempt at team building.''
In an email to the Globe, Needham parent Sharon Lund said that the team was supporting both the players and the team's coach, who also reportedly has been placed on leave. She said her daughter is a junior on the team who was not implicated in the incident.
Other supporters of the team, including the godfather of one of the players, also criticized the school.
"As the parent of an underclassman, I can safely say that the ENTIRE Needham Girl's Soccer team and parents are UNANIMOUS in supporting each senior who has been placed on suspension and the coach who has been placed on administrative leave, and assert that the event in question in no way warrants the issuing of suspensions by Needham High School,'' Lund said in the email. "In a nutshell, there was no intention to harm, nor was any harm perceived by team members, during a misguided attempt at team building.''
She continued:
"In my personal opinion, these girls have handled a serious mistake in a more mature fashion than either the NHS administration or the press has to date. This was an isolated intra-team issue that they resolved to everyone's satisfaction amongst themselves with active support from the coach, and in the process strengthened the bonds amongst them. As some of the parents have so aptly pointed out, aren't these the life skills that we want our daughters to have?''
Separately, Brendan Copley, a Needham High senior, said he thinks hazing is not as big an issue as bullying at Needham, because hazing is more like a ritual. He said his coaches have never talked about hazing before, and sometimes, underclassmen on his teams would get "picked on," but he thinks it may make some freshmen feel included.
"Some freshmen enjoy it; they're big kids now in the high school," he said. "Some take it a different way, and the seniors who do it should keep that in mind."
"The newscasters are brutal," he said of the news coverage of the Needham incident. "It's been blown out of proportion. Parents are overreacting because their kids just got to the high school, and they don't know what's going on."
Several members of the Needham High School girls’ soccer team were suspended before Monday night’s state tournament game for allegedly hazing younger players on the team.
WBZ-TV reported that the hazing victims had been blindfolded and led around on dog leashes, then hit in their faces with pies. The team’s coach, Carl Tarabelli, was put on administrative leave, the station said. He could not be reached for comment.
In an interview, a 1988 graduate of Needham High School who said he was the godfather of one of the suspended students said he was shocked and disappointed that the girls were suspended.
"This is something that has been going on for years. It is nothing major, and everyone jumped to conclusions so quickly," said Joshua Melia, a Needham resident. He said he was "angry and disappointed" on behalf of his goddaughter, a senior co-captain, and her teammates for "something so minor."
"This was not bullying and it was not hazing, but that's what they are calling it. To just label the kids in that way isn't fair," said Melia, who said he was a member of Needham High's wrestling team, and recalled that minor-league teasing of freshmen team members was common in his day.
In an email to the Globe, Benji Eisenberg, who identified himself as a Needham High graduate, said, "Hazing/initiation rites are one of the most important aspects of team building and bonding ... tryouts are almost a hazing experience in themselves.''
Parents watching the Lincoln-Sudbury varsity boys soccer playoff vs. Brookline today said they felt that, overall, Needham school officials had acted properly.
"Hazing is a form of bullying," said Nancy Childress, who said she was a teacher and the parent of a Lincoln-Sudbury freshman. "When you are put in a position of having to do something you didn't want to do, it's bullying."
School officials have said little to explain the suspensions.
“The Needham High School Community is saddened about recent events involving the girls’ soccer team,’’ said a statement from the superintendent’s office Tuesday afternoon. “The high school administration, staff, students, and families urge the local Needham community to support our team as they face Brockton tonight.’’
Pollard renovations approved by Town Meeting
Published by The Boston Globe
Town Meeting members last night approved spending $325,000 for repairs to modular classrooms at the Pollard Middle School which would house Kindergarten students and pre-schoolers from the Newman Elementary school while the Newman undergoes renovations.
But members rejected $875,000 for a new parking lot and access road at the Pollard.
Town meeting members also approved a measure to swap the town-owned Hersey parking lot on the corner of Great Plain Avenue and Broad Meadow Road for the MBTA-owned Needham Heights lot on West. St. The Needham Heights lot is the location selectmen have endorsed for a new senior center.
A vote to provide funds for the design of a senior center on the Needham Heights lot is expected when Town Meeting resumes tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Newman School.
Town Meeting last night also approved a measure revising dog regulation bylaws, allowing for better enforcement of a law that bans dogs on Memorial Field on Rosemary Street and DeFazio Field on Dedham Avenue.
The debate over the Pollard School renovations was the longest last night.
Marianne Cooley, vice-chair of the Needham School Committee, said the proposed parking lot and access road off Dedham Avenue would provide spaces for parents to safely drop off their children. Some staff at Pollard and those staff members coming from the Newman will park on the street, she said.
But Town meeting members expressed doubt that the boards involved with planning the Pollard project were thorough enough in examining all possible options for additional parking spaces.
“We’ve heard a good case for why the modulers should be fixed for the kids coming in September,” said Ron Ruth, from precinct E. “I don’t think we’ve heard a case for why 60 additional parking spaces are necessary for 170 Kindergarten kids.”
Several Town Meeting members asked how many site options were considered for the parking lot and why details on the plan were not documented along with the Newman School renovations.
George Kent, chairman of the Permanent Public Building Committee, said the town hired an architect to choose a site for the new parking. He said a lot could not go behind the school because of the athletic fields, and the lot could not go on the east side of the school because the road would not be easily accessible.
“In my opinion, Town Meeting is not the place to do design,” said Kent. “It restricts the process.”
But Ruth submitted a motion to separate the funds for modulars from the funds for parking and the motion passed.
Then, at the urging of selectmen, Town Meeting voted to expedite the appropriation of the money for renovating the modulars so that the Newman School project would not be delayed.
Town Meeting members last night approved spending $325,000 for repairs to modular classrooms at the Pollard Middle School which would house Kindergarten students and pre-schoolers from the Newman Elementary school while the Newman undergoes renovations.
But members rejected $875,000 for a new parking lot and access road at the Pollard.
Town meeting members also approved a measure to swap the town-owned Hersey parking lot on the corner of Great Plain Avenue and Broad Meadow Road for the MBTA-owned Needham Heights lot on West. St. The Needham Heights lot is the location selectmen have endorsed for a new senior center.
A vote to provide funds for the design of a senior center on the Needham Heights lot is expected when Town Meeting resumes tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at the Newman School.
Town Meeting last night also approved a measure revising dog regulation bylaws, allowing for better enforcement of a law that bans dogs on Memorial Field on Rosemary Street and DeFazio Field on Dedham Avenue.
The debate over the Pollard School renovations was the longest last night.
Marianne Cooley, vice-chair of the Needham School Committee, said the proposed parking lot and access road off Dedham Avenue would provide spaces for parents to safely drop off their children. Some staff at Pollard and those staff members coming from the Newman will park on the street, she said.
But Town meeting members expressed doubt that the boards involved with planning the Pollard project were thorough enough in examining all possible options for additional parking spaces.
“We’ve heard a good case for why the modulers should be fixed for the kids coming in September,” said Ron Ruth, from precinct E. “I don’t think we’ve heard a case for why 60 additional parking spaces are necessary for 170 Kindergarten kids.”
Several Town Meeting members asked how many site options were considered for the parking lot and why details on the plan were not documented along with the Newman School renovations.
George Kent, chairman of the Permanent Public Building Committee, said the town hired an architect to choose a site for the new parking. He said a lot could not go behind the school because of the athletic fields, and the lot could not go on the east side of the school because the road would not be easily accessible.
“In my opinion, Town Meeting is not the place to do design,” said Kent. “It restricts the process.”
But Ruth submitted a motion to separate the funds for modulars from the funds for parking and the motion passed.
Then, at the urging of selectmen, Town Meeting voted to expedite the appropriation of the money for renovating the modulars so that the Newman School project would not be delayed.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Arnold Aboretum to study climate change's impact on forests
Published by The Boston Globe Green Blog
A joint research program at the Harvard University Arnold Arboretum has received a $631,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study forest changes around the world, according to the arboretum.
The Center for Tropical Forest Science, which has 40 locations in 21 countries, will use the grant over five years to fund various workshops in Asia and North and South America for early-career scientists and exchange students, said Dr. Stuart Davies, director of the center.
The program’s international nature aims to balance protection of the world’s most valuable forests in developing countries with economic growth of those countries, he said.
“We’re not going to tell these people how to manage their forests but put them in position to help train [them] on the background science required to manage the forests themselves,” said Davies.
Scientists already know forests are sensitive to environmental change, said Davies. For example, a project conducted in Maryland found trees were growing faster than a decade earlier because warmer temperatures extend the growing season, he said. The Northeast has warmed significantly in the last 40 years and springs have lengthened.
The missing information from research thus far, however, is the extent to which forests are responding to climate change. Davies said scientists are unsure is forests across the country are responding in the same way, how drought affects the trees and how widespread the changes are, questions that students in the program will look to answer.
The program will send American students to study in the field in East Asian countries like China and Singapore, while students from that region will visit American forests. The center, which is also part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, will reach out to young scientists specifically, said Davies.
“They’re going to change the future,” said Davies. “The old boys are not going to do that.”
A joint research program at the Harvard University Arnold Arboretum has received a $631,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study forest changes around the world, according to the arboretum.
The Center for Tropical Forest Science, which has 40 locations in 21 countries, will use the grant over five years to fund various workshops in Asia and North and South America for early-career scientists and exchange students, said Dr. Stuart Davies, director of the center.
The program’s international nature aims to balance protection of the world’s most valuable forests in developing countries with economic growth of those countries, he said.
“We’re not going to tell these people how to manage their forests but put them in position to help train [them] on the background science required to manage the forests themselves,” said Davies.
Scientists already know forests are sensitive to environmental change, said Davies. For example, a project conducted in Maryland found trees were growing faster than a decade earlier because warmer temperatures extend the growing season, he said. The Northeast has warmed significantly in the last 40 years and springs have lengthened.
The missing information from research thus far, however, is the extent to which forests are responding to climate change. Davies said scientists are unsure is forests across the country are responding in the same way, how drought affects the trees and how widespread the changes are, questions that students in the program will look to answer.
The program will send American students to study in the field in East Asian countries like China and Singapore, while students from that region will visit American forests. The center, which is also part of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, will reach out to young scientists specifically, said Davies.
“They’re going to change the future,” said Davies. “The old boys are not going to do that.”
In Massachusetts, our foam plastic cups runneth over
Published by The Boston Globe
Few modern conveniences induce more frustration among environmentalists, and guilt among the rest of us, than the plastic foam coffee cup.
Its insulating qualities — 2 percent polystyrene, 98 percent air — are unparalleled. The same material, twisted into bulky, nearly weightless “peanuts,’’ is perfect for cushioning breakables.
But its unbearable lightness of being (and low scrap value) also makes plastic foam too cumbersome and expensive for most communities to transport to recycling facilities.
“It’s like shipping air,’’ said Robert Beaudoin, superintendent of environmental services for Lexington.
While some environmentalists contend the best solution is to stop making the stuff — McDonald’s put an end to its “clamshell’’ burger boxes 10 years ago — some local communities and businesses are starting to make headway in the battle to keep what is commonly called styrofoam out of landfills and incinerators.
Newton began a trial drop-off program several months ago. Concord collects plastic foam at semiannual swap events, and Framingham is working to reduce the school district’s use of foam trays and food containers.
“You have to make your program so that it’s easy for people to want to do it,’’ said Thomas Daley, Newton’s public works commissioner. “Styrofoam can take up a lot of space, and in Newton, you only have a 64-gallon trash container’’ for the city’s single-stream curbside collections.
Newton began its pilot program after the city’s electronics recycler, CRT Recycling of Brockton, offered to haul away plastic foam at no extra charge, Daley said. Residents can drop off clean, white plastic foam at the Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center.
“We’re very pleased with the response. Feedback has been great,’’ said Daley. “We’d like for it to keep going as long as we can.’’
Trademarked “Styrofoam’’ was invented by Otis Ray McIntire, a research chemist for the Dow Chemical Co., which patented the material in 1944. It is widely used for building insulation, but not, Dow emphasizes on its website, for disposable foam products such as coffee cups and packaging.
Though both are made from polystyrene, the white stuff most people think of as styrofoam uses a different manufacturing process.
Several years ago, a company in Framingham, ReFoamIt LLC, started a pick-up service for local businesses and communities looking to recycle plastic foam.
The company sends the material to KWD Warehouse in Rhode Island to be processed into small pellets, which are then recycled into products like picture frames, children’s toys, and car bumpers, said Barbara Sherman, who cofounded ReFoamIt with her husband, Dave.
In 3 1/2 years, ReFoamIt and KWD Warehouse have recycled 1.5 million pounds of plastic foam, no small feat considering how little the material weighs, she said. ReFoamIt hosts free collection days, where the Shermans bring pellet samples to educate the public about recycling the material.
Businesses are the company’s primary sources of plastic foam, but ReFoamIt is also looking to increase its partnerships with area communities, Sherman said.
Framingham’s schools have recently started looking at recycling plastic foam lunch trays, said Brendan Ryan, director of food services for the district. The Framingham High School cafeteria has also stopped providing trays for some food stations that already serve items in wrappers, such as wraps and burgers, he said.
Ryan said that eventually the school system hopes to restore dish rooms that were converted into offices 15 years ago, and switch from plastic foam to reusable lunch trays. He said just one school can use 72,000 lunch trays in a year.
“It’s the national attitude that’s changing. . . It’s all part of sustainability,’’ said Ryan. “Change is not something that comes overnight. We’re taking baby steps.’’
From a technological perspective, recycling plastic foam is nothing new. According to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 69 million pounds were recycled in 2008, and companies such as IKEA, Walmart and Sears have piloted plastic-foam recycling in their stores.
Still, very few communities in Massachusetts recycle the material because it is not worth the cost of transportation, said Brooke Nash, chief of the municipal-waste reduction branch at the state Department of Environmental Protection. Most towns just encourage residents to bring waste like packing peanuts to local shipping services to be reused, she said.
Cambridge tried a program to recycle plastic foam but ended it five years ago after local budget cuts, said Randi Mail, the city’s recycling director.
“The focus on styrofoam really needs to be eliminating it because it’s so hard to handle,’’ she said. “Recycling it doesn’t make sense, even if we had the money for it.’’
Ann Dorfman, interim operations manager for the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition, a Concord-based statewide advocacy organization, said finding an alternative material for polystyrene foam is challenging. Some restaurants have started using biodegradable materials for take-out, she said, but one-time use containers are wasteful in general.
“In our fast-paced, on-the-go world, what are the other options that provide the same benefits without the costs?’’ said Dorfman.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not collect specific data on polystyrene foam, because it is considered a No. 6 plastic — supposedly part of the recycling stream. But a 2008 EPA report on municipal waste generation and recycling in the United States reported that plastic containers and packaging constituted more than 13 million tons of discarded materials, about 13 percent of which was recycled.
Containers and packaging account for about 30 percent of total waste generated, according to the report.
Lexington has begun recycling rigid plastics, such as old recycling bins, but has not considered plastic foam because of the cost, said Beaudoin, the town’s environmental chief.
A few years ago, the town began collecting broken or otherwise unwanted bins because the material has a high value, and they can be recycled for the same cost as just throwing them away.
Concord collects plastic foam at swap events twice a year and sends the material to Framingham for recycling, and the town hopes to find additional ways to recycle the material, said Rod Robison, the town’s environmental services program administrator.
“Styrofoam is one of those areas that has good potential,’’ Robinson said.
The cost of transporting the material to the facility, however, is covered by an admission fee to the swap event, which is usually around $5, he said.
Newton, meanwhile, is considering a publicity campaign to encourage even more plastic foam recycling.
“We need to take a close look at how the pilot goes, but if it makes good financial sense, we’ll absolutely move on it,’’ he said.
“This is really cutting-edge stuff.’’
Globe correspondent Sarah Thomas contributed to this report.
Few modern conveniences induce more frustration among environmentalists, and guilt among the rest of us, than the plastic foam coffee cup.
Its insulating qualities — 2 percent polystyrene, 98 percent air — are unparalleled. The same material, twisted into bulky, nearly weightless “peanuts,’’ is perfect for cushioning breakables.
But its unbearable lightness of being (and low scrap value) also makes plastic foam too cumbersome and expensive for most communities to transport to recycling facilities.
“It’s like shipping air,’’ said Robert Beaudoin, superintendent of environmental services for Lexington.
While some environmentalists contend the best solution is to stop making the stuff — McDonald’s put an end to its “clamshell’’ burger boxes 10 years ago — some local communities and businesses are starting to make headway in the battle to keep what is commonly called styrofoam out of landfills and incinerators.
Newton began a trial drop-off program several months ago. Concord collects plastic foam at semiannual swap events, and Framingham is working to reduce the school district’s use of foam trays and food containers.
“You have to make your program so that it’s easy for people to want to do it,’’ said Thomas Daley, Newton’s public works commissioner. “Styrofoam can take up a lot of space, and in Newton, you only have a 64-gallon trash container’’ for the city’s single-stream curbside collections.
Newton began its pilot program after the city’s electronics recycler, CRT Recycling of Brockton, offered to haul away plastic foam at no extra charge, Daley said. Residents can drop off clean, white plastic foam at the Rumford Avenue Resource Recovery Center.
“We’re very pleased with the response. Feedback has been great,’’ said Daley. “We’d like for it to keep going as long as we can.’’
Trademarked “Styrofoam’’ was invented by Otis Ray McIntire, a research chemist for the Dow Chemical Co., which patented the material in 1944. It is widely used for building insulation, but not, Dow emphasizes on its website, for disposable foam products such as coffee cups and packaging.
Though both are made from polystyrene, the white stuff most people think of as styrofoam uses a different manufacturing process.
Several years ago, a company in Framingham, ReFoamIt LLC, started a pick-up service for local businesses and communities looking to recycle plastic foam.
The company sends the material to KWD Warehouse in Rhode Island to be processed into small pellets, which are then recycled into products like picture frames, children’s toys, and car bumpers, said Barbara Sherman, who cofounded ReFoamIt with her husband, Dave.
In 3 1/2 years, ReFoamIt and KWD Warehouse have recycled 1.5 million pounds of plastic foam, no small feat considering how little the material weighs, she said. ReFoamIt hosts free collection days, where the Shermans bring pellet samples to educate the public about recycling the material.
Businesses are the company’s primary sources of plastic foam, but ReFoamIt is also looking to increase its partnerships with area communities, Sherman said.
Framingham’s schools have recently started looking at recycling plastic foam lunch trays, said Brendan Ryan, director of food services for the district. The Framingham High School cafeteria has also stopped providing trays for some food stations that already serve items in wrappers, such as wraps and burgers, he said.
Ryan said that eventually the school system hopes to restore dish rooms that were converted into offices 15 years ago, and switch from plastic foam to reusable lunch trays. He said just one school can use 72,000 lunch trays in a year.
“It’s the national attitude that’s changing. . . It’s all part of sustainability,’’ said Ryan. “Change is not something that comes overnight. We’re taking baby steps.’’
From a technological perspective, recycling plastic foam is nothing new. According to the Alliance of Foam Packaging Recyclers, 69 million pounds were recycled in 2008, and companies such as IKEA, Walmart and Sears have piloted plastic-foam recycling in their stores.
Still, very few communities in Massachusetts recycle the material because it is not worth the cost of transportation, said Brooke Nash, chief of the municipal-waste reduction branch at the state Department of Environmental Protection. Most towns just encourage residents to bring waste like packing peanuts to local shipping services to be reused, she said.
Cambridge tried a program to recycle plastic foam but ended it five years ago after local budget cuts, said Randi Mail, the city’s recycling director.
“The focus on styrofoam really needs to be eliminating it because it’s so hard to handle,’’ she said. “Recycling it doesn’t make sense, even if we had the money for it.’’
Ann Dorfman, interim operations manager for the Massachusetts Recycling Coalition, a Concord-based statewide advocacy organization, said finding an alternative material for polystyrene foam is challenging. Some restaurants have started using biodegradable materials for take-out, she said, but one-time use containers are wasteful in general.
“In our fast-paced, on-the-go world, what are the other options that provide the same benefits without the costs?’’ said Dorfman.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not collect specific data on polystyrene foam, because it is considered a No. 6 plastic — supposedly part of the recycling stream. But a 2008 EPA report on municipal waste generation and recycling in the United States reported that plastic containers and packaging constituted more than 13 million tons of discarded materials, about 13 percent of which was recycled.
Containers and packaging account for about 30 percent of total waste generated, according to the report.
Lexington has begun recycling rigid plastics, such as old recycling bins, but has not considered plastic foam because of the cost, said Beaudoin, the town’s environmental chief.
A few years ago, the town began collecting broken or otherwise unwanted bins because the material has a high value, and they can be recycled for the same cost as just throwing them away.
Concord collects plastic foam at swap events twice a year and sends the material to Framingham for recycling, and the town hopes to find additional ways to recycle the material, said Rod Robison, the town’s environmental services program administrator.
“Styrofoam is one of those areas that has good potential,’’ Robinson said.
The cost of transporting the material to the facility, however, is covered by an admission fee to the swap event, which is usually around $5, he said.
Newton, meanwhile, is considering a publicity campaign to encourage even more plastic foam recycling.
“We need to take a close look at how the pilot goes, but if it makes good financial sense, we’ll absolutely move on it,’’ he said.
“This is really cutting-edge stuff.’’
Globe correspondent Sarah Thomas contributed to this report.
1902 time capsule reveals glimpse of Needham's past
Published by The Boston Globe
When Needham built its town hall over a century ago, officials buried a copper time capsule in the cornerstone.
Emery Grover, namesake of the school administration building, and others sang hymns, recited prayers, and presented tools to the architects. They poured corn, wine, and oil over the burial as a symbolic blessing, according to a program surviving from the ornate Sept. 2, 1902 ceremony.
In a final touch, they made ‘‘an application of jewels to the corner-stone.’’
On Saturday night, during the kick-off weekend for the town’s yearlong tercentennial celebration, the capsule was finally opened.
Thoughout the day, residents speculated what would be inside, from buried treasure to old grocery lists. They wondered what the mouldered keepsakes might reveal about Needham at the turn of the 20th century.
“I’m curious to know what people 100 years ago thought we’d find interesting,” said Jill Oetheimer. “It’s not that old, just a third of our history, but it’s interesting nonetheless.”
Ten-year-old Evan Anderson, however, thought he knew what the capsule held.
“There’s probably going to be a newspaper about the time then,” he said. “There wasn’t as many electric things.”
Before the opening, hundreds of residents sat around a stage on the high school football field watching a group of dancers donned in silver sequins and red, white, and blue hats. State Senator Richard Ross congratulated the town for turning 300 and read a piece of Senate legislation recognizing the importance of Needham’s historical landmarks.
Finally, officials took the stage.
Board of Selectmen chairman John Bulian and Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick held the faded grayish green box, 7 by 10 inches square and 6 inches deep, with protective gloves and invited people to move closer.
The crowd ran forward, children sprinting to the front of the stage and adults shouting they couldn’t see. Then, after everyone settled down, the capsule was opened.
The first item to come out was a copy of The Needham Recorder, a 4-cent newspaper in crisp condition.
Another newspaper called the Needham Chronicle, which cost 5 cents, came next. The paper was dated May 31, 1902, signed by the editor and included stories about the new town hall, the cornerstone, and a soldiers’ monument dedication.
‘‘There is a question among printers as to the quality of this paper,’” Bulian read from a paper in the capsule to laughs from the audience. The original papermakers will never know that the programs, envelopes, and cards placed in the capsule were quite well preserved.
A map of the town, crumbling books of Town Meeting records, and a telephone catalogue listing the first phones came out, one by one. Bulian held up a directory of all the phone numbers in town, which was a single page long and contained numbers like “G. A. Adams, 44-2.”
Programs for clubs and societies around town included the Monday Club, the Sons of Temperance, and the Tea and Toast Club for women.
When a list of residents qualified to vote in town, county, and state elections came out of the capsule, people in the crowd shouted, “Are there any women on that list?”
“Only men,” said Bulian. “But wait… there’s a separate list…”
Bulian pulled out a list of women in town qualified to vote that year, and everyone clapped and cheered.
“…the list is of women qualified to vote for school committee only,” said Bulian. Everyone laughed.
The time capsule was removed Oct. 28 from inside the cornerstone of Town Hall, which is currently undergoing $18 million in renovations, said Sandy Cincotta, assistant to the town manager.
The town knew about the time capsule from the program, “Order of Exercises for the Laying of the Corner-stone of the Town Hall,” and old newspapers in the Needham Historical Society library, said Cincotta.
The cornerstone was hidden behind the wheelchair ramp at Town Hall, but workers were able to cut the date out of the stone and remove the box during renovations, she said.
The items from the time capsule will be on display for the public, but officials aren’t sure where yet. The Needham 300 committee plans to bury a new time capsule in the new Town Hall sometime this year.
They are still planning what to put inside.
When Needham built its town hall over a century ago, officials buried a copper time capsule in the cornerstone.
Emery Grover, namesake of the school administration building, and others sang hymns, recited prayers, and presented tools to the architects. They poured corn, wine, and oil over the burial as a symbolic blessing, according to a program surviving from the ornate Sept. 2, 1902 ceremony.
In a final touch, they made ‘‘an application of jewels to the corner-stone.’’
On Saturday night, during the kick-off weekend for the town’s yearlong tercentennial celebration, the capsule was finally opened.
Thoughout the day, residents speculated what would be inside, from buried treasure to old grocery lists. They wondered what the mouldered keepsakes might reveal about Needham at the turn of the 20th century.
“I’m curious to know what people 100 years ago thought we’d find interesting,” said Jill Oetheimer. “It’s not that old, just a third of our history, but it’s interesting nonetheless.”
Ten-year-old Evan Anderson, however, thought he knew what the capsule held.
“There’s probably going to be a newspaper about the time then,” he said. “There wasn’t as many electric things.”
Before the opening, hundreds of residents sat around a stage on the high school football field watching a group of dancers donned in silver sequins and red, white, and blue hats. State Senator Richard Ross congratulated the town for turning 300 and read a piece of Senate legislation recognizing the importance of Needham’s historical landmarks.
Finally, officials took the stage.
Board of Selectmen chairman John Bulian and Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick held the faded grayish green box, 7 by 10 inches square and 6 inches deep, with protective gloves and invited people to move closer.
The crowd ran forward, children sprinting to the front of the stage and adults shouting they couldn’t see. Then, after everyone settled down, the capsule was opened.
The first item to come out was a copy of The Needham Recorder, a 4-cent newspaper in crisp condition.
Another newspaper called the Needham Chronicle, which cost 5 cents, came next. The paper was dated May 31, 1902, signed by the editor and included stories about the new town hall, the cornerstone, and a soldiers’ monument dedication.
‘‘There is a question among printers as to the quality of this paper,’” Bulian read from a paper in the capsule to laughs from the audience. The original papermakers will never know that the programs, envelopes, and cards placed in the capsule were quite well preserved.
A map of the town, crumbling books of Town Meeting records, and a telephone catalogue listing the first phones came out, one by one. Bulian held up a directory of all the phone numbers in town, which was a single page long and contained numbers like “G. A. Adams, 44-2.”
Programs for clubs and societies around town included the Monday Club, the Sons of Temperance, and the Tea and Toast Club for women.
When a list of residents qualified to vote in town, county, and state elections came out of the capsule, people in the crowd shouted, “Are there any women on that list?”
“Only men,” said Bulian. “But wait… there’s a separate list…”
Bulian pulled out a list of women in town qualified to vote that year, and everyone clapped and cheered.
“…the list is of women qualified to vote for school committee only,” said Bulian. Everyone laughed.
The time capsule was removed Oct. 28 from inside the cornerstone of Town Hall, which is currently undergoing $18 million in renovations, said Sandy Cincotta, assistant to the town manager.
The town knew about the time capsule from the program, “Order of Exercises for the Laying of the Corner-stone of the Town Hall,” and old newspapers in the Needham Historical Society library, said Cincotta.
The cornerstone was hidden behind the wheelchair ramp at Town Hall, but workers were able to cut the date out of the stone and remove the box during renovations, she said.
The items from the time capsule will be on display for the public, but officials aren’t sure where yet. The Needham 300 committee plans to bury a new time capsule in the new Town Hall sometime this year.
They are still planning what to put inside.
A huddle to celebrate Needham's 300th
Published by The Boston Globe
Walter Cardinali and Ed Eastman can’t remember a fonder moment during their year as cocaptains of Needham High’s football team in 1952 than the Thanksgiving Day game when they defeated Wellesley High, 51 to 0.
A mischievous smile creeps across Cardinali’s face when asked how it felt to beat Needham’s biggest foe in the oldest public high school football rivalry in the country.
“It was good,’’ he said with a nod.
The famous match, first played in 1882, is just one aspect of Needham football’s rich history.
High school sports have been such a part of the town’s fabric over the years that the Needham 300 Committee will kick off a yearlong celebration of the town’s tercentennial with a football game, Needham vs. Dedham, tomorrow night. The committee has also commissioned a documentary, “100 Years of Needham Football,’’ in which Cardinali, Eastman, and other old- and not-so-old-timers talk about the glories of past Rockets squads. It will be shown at 6 p.m. on a drive-in-movie-sized screen at Memorial Field, with the game to follow at 7 p.m.
For the film, alumni who played football for Needham between 1940 and the 1970s shared their stories in front of a camera set up at the Village Club on Morton Avenue last month.
“Needham High football games bring the whole community together,’’ said Kathy Walker, who worked with her husband, Jamie, on the documentary. “It’s a cool thing to do on a Friday night.’’
Needham football players and cheerleaders, past and present, will be invited onto the field to be recognized tomorrow night, she said. Walker, whose four children have all played football or been cheerleaders for Needham High, said the games are a chance for all generations to gather.
And the committee’s documentary is sure to capture a span of generations. One former player featured in the film, Bob Giumetti, 70, is part of the only known father-son pair of captains in Needham history. Giumetti coached his son, Rob, on a Pop Warner team, and Giumetti Jr. went to become captain of the high school squad in 1993.
“I didn’t push him into it, but he became a great athlete,’’ Giumetti Sr. said. “He has a bunch of trophies; I’m really proud of him.’’ Giumetti Jr. said having his father for a coach made him work even harder in Pop Warner, and as captain he tried to live up to his father’s accomplishments.
“At one point, you just want to be the best you can be,’’ he said.
Giumetti Sr., who played from 1956 to 1958, said one of his favorite football moments was speaking as captain at the Friday night pep rallies, back when the games were played on Saturday afternoons.
“We didn’t have lights then, so we’d get the team motivated on Friday night,’’ he said. “Having your own teammates looking up to you . . . it’s an honor I’ll never forget as long as I live.’’
Charlie Wright, who used to work on Needham’s local-access cable TV system and made a short documentary about the Needham-Wellesley rivalry in 1987, was chosen to help with the film project. His old videotape, however, had been lost, so Wright began his research from scratch.
“I thought, let’s see if we can get some old-timers to come; they know this stuff,’’ he said.
Eastman and Cardinali were witnesses to many landmarks in the team’s history during their stint playing for Needham, from 1950 to 1952. Legendary physical education teacher Mario “Mike’’ DeFazio was the team’s assistant coach, the Booster Club was formed, and, Eastman said, the team’s nickname went from the Hilltoppers to the Rockets.
Back in their day, the rivalry between Needham and Wellesley was a respectful one, said Eastman, 75, and Cardinali, 76.
They even visited the Wellesley High pep rally the night before the Big Game when it was being played in Wellesley, and spoke in front of the opposing student body.
“We demonstrated what a nice relationship we had. Weren’t you taken with one of the Wellesley cheerleaders?’’ Eastman asked Cardinali, who laughed.
Cardinali, however, said the seriousness of the rivalry could be seen at every Needham practice, when DeFazio would place the names and numbers of Wellesley players on the tackling dummies.
It all began when the section of town known as West Needham broke away in 1881 to form Wellesley, said Gloria Greis, executive director of the Needham Historical Society. In November 1882, the Wellesley team’s captain, Arthur Oldam, issued a challenge to continue the East Needham-West Needham game as an intertown match, she said.
“They all knew each other; it was easy to make the challenge,’’ said Wright. “And the original games were mad chaos . . . it was more like rugby. They played with ringers, their older brothers who had graduated, and Wellesley even claimed once Needham was using [someone’s] father.’’
The Needham football team didn’t become official until 1904, when the high school introduced rules of academic eligibility, said Roy Johan, a current assistant coach at Needham. The name back then was the Needham Athletic Association.
The reason behind the shift from Hilltoppers to Rockets is a bit uncertain.
Johan said the nickname was changed in 1954 to recognize the military’s new Nike missile site in town. Eastman, however, said a father of one of his hockey teammates dubbed Needham’s hockey players as “Rockets’’ in 1951, and then the name was adopted by the other teams three years later.
The nickname wasn’t the only change the team has seen: Equipment has evolved, the team’s games moved from Greene’s Field to Memorial Park, and the players have gotten bigger, said Cardinali.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the strength of the football program’s involvement with the community, said Ralph Toran, who played from 1958 to 1960. Toran, whose wife is a former Needham cheerleader, remembers watching the older players and looking forward to his turn on the field.
“Three-quarters of these guys still live in Needham, and they continue to give their time and effort to building the community,’’ said Toran, 67. “And in these hard times, young folks pushed to get appropriations and raise money for the turf field, and that tradition is continued.’’
Walter Cardinali and Ed Eastman can’t remember a fonder moment during their year as cocaptains of Needham High’s football team in 1952 than the Thanksgiving Day game when they defeated Wellesley High, 51 to 0.
A mischievous smile creeps across Cardinali’s face when asked how it felt to beat Needham’s biggest foe in the oldest public high school football rivalry in the country.
“It was good,’’ he said with a nod.
The famous match, first played in 1882, is just one aspect of Needham football’s rich history.
High school sports have been such a part of the town’s fabric over the years that the Needham 300 Committee will kick off a yearlong celebration of the town’s tercentennial with a football game, Needham vs. Dedham, tomorrow night. The committee has also commissioned a documentary, “100 Years of Needham Football,’’ in which Cardinali, Eastman, and other old- and not-so-old-timers talk about the glories of past Rockets squads. It will be shown at 6 p.m. on a drive-in-movie-sized screen at Memorial Field, with the game to follow at 7 p.m.
For the film, alumni who played football for Needham between 1940 and the 1970s shared their stories in front of a camera set up at the Village Club on Morton Avenue last month.
“Needham High football games bring the whole community together,’’ said Kathy Walker, who worked with her husband, Jamie, on the documentary. “It’s a cool thing to do on a Friday night.’’
Needham football players and cheerleaders, past and present, will be invited onto the field to be recognized tomorrow night, she said. Walker, whose four children have all played football or been cheerleaders for Needham High, said the games are a chance for all generations to gather.
And the committee’s documentary is sure to capture a span of generations. One former player featured in the film, Bob Giumetti, 70, is part of the only known father-son pair of captains in Needham history. Giumetti coached his son, Rob, on a Pop Warner team, and Giumetti Jr. went to become captain of the high school squad in 1993.
“I didn’t push him into it, but he became a great athlete,’’ Giumetti Sr. said. “He has a bunch of trophies; I’m really proud of him.’’ Giumetti Jr. said having his father for a coach made him work even harder in Pop Warner, and as captain he tried to live up to his father’s accomplishments.
“At one point, you just want to be the best you can be,’’ he said.
Giumetti Sr., who played from 1956 to 1958, said one of his favorite football moments was speaking as captain at the Friday night pep rallies, back when the games were played on Saturday afternoons.
“We didn’t have lights then, so we’d get the team motivated on Friday night,’’ he said. “Having your own teammates looking up to you . . . it’s an honor I’ll never forget as long as I live.’’
Charlie Wright, who used to work on Needham’s local-access cable TV system and made a short documentary about the Needham-Wellesley rivalry in 1987, was chosen to help with the film project. His old videotape, however, had been lost, so Wright began his research from scratch.
“I thought, let’s see if we can get some old-timers to come; they know this stuff,’’ he said.
Eastman and Cardinali were witnesses to many landmarks in the team’s history during their stint playing for Needham, from 1950 to 1952. Legendary physical education teacher Mario “Mike’’ DeFazio was the team’s assistant coach, the Booster Club was formed, and, Eastman said, the team’s nickname went from the Hilltoppers to the Rockets.
Back in their day, the rivalry between Needham and Wellesley was a respectful one, said Eastman, 75, and Cardinali, 76.
They even visited the Wellesley High pep rally the night before the Big Game when it was being played in Wellesley, and spoke in front of the opposing student body.
“We demonstrated what a nice relationship we had. Weren’t you taken with one of the Wellesley cheerleaders?’’ Eastman asked Cardinali, who laughed.
Cardinali, however, said the seriousness of the rivalry could be seen at every Needham practice, when DeFazio would place the names and numbers of Wellesley players on the tackling dummies.
It all began when the section of town known as West Needham broke away in 1881 to form Wellesley, said Gloria Greis, executive director of the Needham Historical Society. In November 1882, the Wellesley team’s captain, Arthur Oldam, issued a challenge to continue the East Needham-West Needham game as an intertown match, she said.
“They all knew each other; it was easy to make the challenge,’’ said Wright. “And the original games were mad chaos . . . it was more like rugby. They played with ringers, their older brothers who had graduated, and Wellesley even claimed once Needham was using [someone’s] father.’’
The Needham football team didn’t become official until 1904, when the high school introduced rules of academic eligibility, said Roy Johan, a current assistant coach at Needham. The name back then was the Needham Athletic Association.
The reason behind the shift from Hilltoppers to Rockets is a bit uncertain.
Johan said the nickname was changed in 1954 to recognize the military’s new Nike missile site in town. Eastman, however, said a father of one of his hockey teammates dubbed Needham’s hockey players as “Rockets’’ in 1951, and then the name was adopted by the other teams three years later.
The nickname wasn’t the only change the team has seen: Equipment has evolved, the team’s games moved from Greene’s Field to Memorial Park, and the players have gotten bigger, said Cardinali.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the strength of the football program’s involvement with the community, said Ralph Toran, who played from 1958 to 1960. Toran, whose wife is a former Needham cheerleader, remembers watching the older players and looking forward to his turn on the field.
“Three-quarters of these guys still live in Needham, and they continue to give their time and effort to building the community,’’ said Toran, 67. “And in these hard times, young folks pushed to get appropriations and raise money for the turf field, and that tradition is continued.’’
Garlick wins in 13th Norfolk House District
Published by The Boston Globe
Democrat Denise Garlick beat out Republican John O’Leary for state
representative in the 13th Norfolk district, which covers Needham,
Dover and Medfield.
Garlick will replace Democrat Lida Harkins, who is leaving the seat
after 22 years.
Garlick received 10,642 total votes to O’Leary's 8,589 votes, according to unofficial results.
“I believe the voters trusted me,” said Garlick. “I feel like these
are most serious challenging times we’ve faced as a Commonwealth in
several generations, and there’s important work to be done.”
O'Leary conceded around 8:45 p.m., less than an hour after the polls closed.
“I commend Denise Garlick and I wish her the best representing the
towns of Needham, Dover and Medfield, and thanks to all who supported
my candidacy,” he said.
According to the results provided by Garlick's campaign, Garlick won every precinct in Needham with 8,271 votes while O’Leary received 5,433 votes.
In, Medfield Garlick won precinct 1 but lost precinct 2. She took a total of 1,367 votes in Medfield. O’Leary picked up 1,435.
Garlick lost in Dover, however, with 1,004 votes. O’Leary received 1,721.
Garlick is a nurse at Wellesley College and a Needham Selectwoman. She
has advocated for protecting local aid and social services, especially
for seniors and education. She has also said she would promote green
technologies as a way to improve the economy and fight climate change.
O’Leary is a researcher at Harvard University who worked for three
state agencies under former Gov. Mitt Romney. He has argued throughout
his campaign that Beacon Hill is inefficient because Democrats enjoy
special interests as an overwhelming majority. He has promised to make
the state more efficient and cut the income tax to 5 percent.
The last time a Republican was elected to the seat was in 1986 when Ellen
M. Canavan of Needham was elected, said Brian McNiff, communications
director for the Secretary of State. She was the state representative
right before Harkins.
Both candidates named creating jobs, improving the economy and
containing healthcare costs as top priorities.
O’Leary voiced support for casinos, provided that the town
where the casino is built welcomes the development, and he is in favor
of charter schools.
Garlick has argued against both, stating that casinos hurt local
business and charter schools drain resources from the public school
system.
Democrat Denise Garlick beat out Republican John O’Leary for state
representative in the 13th Norfolk district, which covers Needham,
Dover and Medfield.
Garlick will replace Democrat Lida Harkins, who is leaving the seat
after 22 years.
Garlick received 10,642 total votes to O’Leary's 8,589 votes, according to unofficial results.
“I believe the voters trusted me,” said Garlick. “I feel like these
are most serious challenging times we’ve faced as a Commonwealth in
several generations, and there’s important work to be done.”
O'Leary conceded around 8:45 p.m., less than an hour after the polls closed.
“I commend Denise Garlick and I wish her the best representing the
towns of Needham, Dover and Medfield, and thanks to all who supported
my candidacy,” he said.
According to the results provided by Garlick's campaign, Garlick won every precinct in Needham with 8,271 votes while O’Leary received 5,433 votes.
In, Medfield Garlick won precinct 1 but lost precinct 2. She took a total of 1,367 votes in Medfield. O’Leary picked up 1,435.
Garlick lost in Dover, however, with 1,004 votes. O’Leary received 1,721.
Garlick is a nurse at Wellesley College and a Needham Selectwoman. She
has advocated for protecting local aid and social services, especially
for seniors and education. She has also said she would promote green
technologies as a way to improve the economy and fight climate change.
O’Leary is a researcher at Harvard University who worked for three
state agencies under former Gov. Mitt Romney. He has argued throughout
his campaign that Beacon Hill is inefficient because Democrats enjoy
special interests as an overwhelming majority. He has promised to make
the state more efficient and cut the income tax to 5 percent.
The last time a Republican was elected to the seat was in 1986 when Ellen
M. Canavan of Needham was elected, said Brian McNiff, communications
director for the Secretary of State. She was the state representative
right before Harkins.
Both candidates named creating jobs, improving the economy and
containing healthcare costs as top priorities.
O’Leary voiced support for casinos, provided that the town
where the casino is built welcomes the development, and he is in favor
of charter schools.
Garlick has argued against both, stating that casinos hurt local
business and charter schools drain resources from the public school
system.
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