The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Walkers raise millions more for Jimmy Fund

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Thousands of people walked all or part of the Boston Marathon course in Wellesley and beyond on Sunday to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

We caught a glimpse of walkers, many donning their red Jimmy Fund Walk t-shirts, as they headed down the hill past the Warren Building on Washington Street. Many wore inspirational slogans, such as “Defy Cancer, “or images of loved ones lost to cancer or battling the disease.

The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $155 million for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in its 33-year history.

jimmy fund walk

jimmy fund walk

 

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Linden Square, Wellesley
Dedham Country Day School, DCD
Wonderful Wellesley

Roots and Wings event on Oct. 12 to celebrate writers who graduated from Wellesley High & their teachers

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The “Roots and Wings: Wellesley High’s Legacy of Nurturing Creativity” program at Wellesley Free Library (530 Washington St.) on Oct. 12 at 7pm will celebrate Wellesley High School’s long history of graduates who are writers, and the teachers who inspired them. Those attending are invited to a reception at 6:30pm where they can have a chance to speak with the writers and writers.

You can attend the event in person or online via Zoom. Registration for the event is required either way.

The program,  sponsored by Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries, will feature a discussion with:

Town historian Beth Hinchliffe, herself a presidential speechwriter and town historian, will moderate the discussion along with longtime WHS English teachers Jeanie and Brooks Goddard.

“The response has been tremendous—we have over 125 names on the authors’ list, and are astounded at the variety of accomplishments,” says Hinchliffe, referring to a work-in-progress list of Wellesley High graduates who are writers that will be hosted on the Wellesley Free Library website.  “This project (which will be ongoing) will be a way to share with the town the special way that WHS nurtured and encouraged these writers.”

The project celebrates writers of all kinds, including fiction, nonfiction, scriptwriting, journalism, and poetry.

The event and project are in honor of Katharine Lee Bates (WHS Class of 1874), Sylvia Plath (Class of 1950), Wilbury Crockett (WHS English teacher 1944-1980, Chair for 30 years), and all WHS writers and teachers past, present, and future.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley Athlete of the Week: Cheerleading’s Abby Coleman

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Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete Of The Week: Abby Coleman

Siblings: Older brother who was a part of the 2022 WHS class. He’s now at Penn State.

Favorite Class: Math

Pregame Song: “Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore

Favorite Pre-Game Meal: Baked Ziti

abbyc
Abby Coleman

 

After back-to-back years of COVID-19 restrictions that forced it to perform only during home football games and compete virtually at cheer events, the Wellesley High School cheerleading team is truly back in action. Coach Odessa Sanchez and sophomore star Abby Coleman are returning to a “normal” year with high expectations… 

Coleman holds one of the most important positions on the team. As the flyer, she gets catapulted into the air during stunts and is responsible for wowing the crowd.

Coach Sanchez describes Coleman as not only an “All-Star on the team,” but also a “hardworking individual who inspires the rest of the team to work harder and push forward during every practice.” Sanchez also notes that last year “Coleman’s performances impressed people on the team, judges, and even opposing cheer squads.” 

Coleman has been passionate about cheer since 3rd grade when she rooted for her brother at his basketball games. Coleman has cheered formally for 4 years, two of those at WHS. 

Sanchez notes that Coleman’s skills have come a long way as she consistently leads the cheer team to “show-stopping performances.” Sanchez highlighted that cheer is a sport that requires “hours and hours of work to get ready. You need to be well rehearsed in gymnastics as well as being an all-around athlete to succeed.” 

Sanchez further stressed the importance of mental strength and preparation. “You need to know every role because you never know when you may need to step in and help fix a situation,” she said 

Coleman’s talent combines hard work and dedication. This hard work stems from her role model, her mother. 

“I look up to her because every day she pushes me to be the best and work my hardest,” she said.

Because of her work ethic, Coleman is a role model for her peers on and off the field. 

Coleman and Sanchez are excited by the opportunities for the Fall season. Their main goal is to have fun while also achieving success as a group and proudly representing Wellesley.

Sanchez said, “As school ambassadors, it is important for us to provide a strong image for Wellesley and its sports. We pride ourselves on being fair, kind, and hardworking competitors, and we hope to demonstrate that value for all of Wellesley” 

While sportsmanship is a major value for the cheer team, they strive to compete and win at competitions in addition to supporting the football team during its games. Coleman loves getting ready for each event to showcase her skills. Her pregame ritual includes tuning in to Macklemore’s hits, specifically “Can’t Hold Us,” to “get her in the zone.”

Coleman is a well-rounded student and athlete. She loves math and the sense of pride she feels after correctly solving a problem. Outside of school, she loves to bake, cook, and dance. Her specialty in the kitchen is baked ziti, a favorite pre-game meal. 

Article written by John Battaglino, Bradford ‘24

 

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley

Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-In

Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk rolling through Wellesley this weekend

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The annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk to benefit Dana Farber Cancer Institute is this weekend. Walkers will be following the same course on Sunday, Oct. 1, as the Boston Marathon, which follows Rte. 135 past Wellesley College into Wellesley Square, then Rte 16 through Wellesley Hills and on to Newton. Some participants will do all 26.2 miles, while others will take shorter routes.

T-shirt pickup and registration will take place at Wellesley High School on Saturday afternoon.

Among Wellesley residents planning to walk are Dana Lepper, Mark Lepper, Meredith Lepper, Makara Cayer, Ellen McCormack, Tina Wang, Keiya Myles, Ellen Morrison, Katharine Wright, and William Near.

This is the first time in two years the walk returns to the Boston Marathon course.

Wellesley Jimmy Fund Walk

 

Bar Mitzvah Expo
Call and Haul, Wellesley
National Children's Chorus

Newton-Wellesley Hospital hosts purple flag ceremony to recall residents lost to opioids

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Newton-Wellesley Hospital earlier this month hosted a ceremony in front of 2,290 purple flags to remember Massachusetts residents lost to opioids.

The ceremony was part of a month-long effort focused on reflection, support, and education across the United States and locally.

Newton-Wellesley’s Substance Use Services program teamed with SOAR Natick to host the Purple Flag Project (See also: “Purple flags in Natick are an unsettling visualization of lives lost to opioids”).

Purple Flag Ceremony 2
Robert Lewis Jr., President, Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston Alyssa Adreani, MA, BCC, Interfaith Chaplain, NWH Catharina Armstrong, MD, MPH, Associate Director, NWH Substance Use Services Antje Barreveld, MD, Director of Education and Outreach, NWH Substance Use Services Marian Ryan, Middlesex County District Attorney Errol R. Norwitz, MD, President and CEO, NWH Ted Wayman, Wellesley resident and WCVB-TV/Channel 5 Reporter

 

Purple Flag Ceremony 2

Rick Cram, leader

Natick’s KOHR Golf on target with practice & training focus

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This is a guest post from Wellesley resident Robert Dwyer, who will be writing for us occasionally about local golf options. He also blogs about wine at The Wellesley Wine Press.

Back in the day if you wanted to go hit some golf balls you’d head over to the Natick Golf Center, park in the lot behind Ziti’s restaurant, and drive a golf cart up to the range. The conditions left a bit to be desired, but kids enjoyed the ride in the golf cart and it was nearby.

I always wondered though: What if someone took the place over and spiffed it up?

Enter KOHR Golf.

When you visit now, the site will be familiar but it’s been enhanced to become not only a great driving range but one of the top practice facilities in the region.

We recently met with KOHR Golf Co-General Manager Nathan Boroyan who walked us through improvements made since they took over. Along with a heightened interest in golf related to COVID, business has been booming.

“I’d say, pre-pandemic, 150-200 buckets was a good day. Post-pandemic, we like to see 250-300 buckets during full operating hours (Summer, 9am-9pm). During great stretches the past couple of summers, we routinely sell over 300 per day. Our best day on record happened last June when we sold 505.” Boroyan said.

Driving Range

kohr_target

Typical driving ranges have a few yardage markers in a pasture-like field which tends to encourage hitting balls as far as possible.

At KOHR the setup encourages more target-oriented practice because you’re hitting into dozens of greens with bunkers and pins so you can really get a feel for how well your shots are holding.

The net effect is that practice at KOHR tends to translate to game improvement because you’re practicing the wide variety of shots required in a round of golf. 
 

Trackman Range

 
 

New for 2022 is Trackman Range that allows golfers to track the distance, speed, and flight characteristics of their shots. It boasts similar technology to that used on the PGA Tour and in golf simulators–but rather than installing dedicated devices in each bay they’ve managed to figure out how to measure flight data through trackers at various locations on the range.

Ball flight data is relayed to your smartphone depending on which bay you’re hitting from which enables accurate measurement of carry and total distances of each club and more. Games like “Bullseye” make target-oriented practice fun for kids and adults alike.

Best of all Trackman Range is complimentary for all guests.

 

 
 
 

Membership

kohr_private

Customers who find themselves addicted to hitting buckets of balls might find a membership beneficial. Two levels are offered.

A Season Pass includes unlimited range balls and access to the putting green. The break-even point is around two or three buckets a week, but I’ve found I hit more buckets each time I’m there and go more often with a Season Pass.

The Club Membership adds access to a private short-game area with two manicured, bunkered greens designed to enable practicing a wide variety of shots. Driving range guests might not even realize this area exists, but check it out next time you’re there hitting balls.

Instruction

kohr_range

Depending on when you visit, you might not realize the extent of training that occurs at the facility.

Kids clinics and camps are offered, and for serious juniors a year-round KOHR Golf Academy is available.

Adults can improve their game through private lessons or small group clinics. Nine instructors are available.

Coming Soon

Golf has become a year-round endeavor in the Northeast thanks to indoor simulators.

They’re building out five indoor practice bays to enable instruction during colder months. Boroyan said “The goal is to open this winter,” with space initially reserved for Academy golfers and private lessons. Stay tuned for more on that front as winter approaches.

KOHR Golf

218 Speen St., Natick, Mass.

888-622-5647

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley

Wellesley Public Schools issues health warning about ‘One Chip Challenge’

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Wellesley Public School on Wednesday issued a warning to families and staff about a social media-fueled fad called the “One Chip Challenge” that has been making some kids sick across the country.

The memo reads in part:

The challenge involves a person eating one extremely spicy tortilla chip made from some of the hottest peppers in the world such as the Carolina Reaper, Scorpion and/or Ghost peppers (ingredients also found in pepper spray)…

Serious side effects include gasping, severe coughing, asthma, serious burning in the eyes, nose, and throat, sweating, mouth pain, general discomfort, nausea, and vomiting.  The chip also causes the tongue to turn blue.

The memo, signed by Supt. Dr. David Lussier and Director of Nursing Ashley Hulme, encourages parents and staff to discourage kids from taking part in the challenge and discourages adults from buying the product.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a local school system issue a warning related to a social media trend. Natick Public Schools last year was among school systems to warn families about a viral message on social media late last year that indicated violence would happen across districts.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley
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