Familiar summer activities got Wellesley into the spirit of the season this week.
This included the musical stylings of the Reminisants at the Wellesley town hall green for the first summer concert in three years, plus the 11th annual Summer Solstice race, an informal jaunt around Elm Bank Reservation.
Friends and family of Tom Zinck, the longtime Wellesley High School building manager who passed away last year, kicked off summer by dedicating a bench to Zinck near the school. Zinck himself was a Wellesley High grad.
More than 100 individuals donated $20 apiece to raise funds for the bench, which was months in the planning. The bench is located across Rice Street from the school and play structure, on the stadium side.
(What wasn’t planned for was a turtle possibly laying eggs under the brick pad for the bench, but Wellesley’s Department of Public Works checked out the situation and confirmed no eggs were there.)
The dedication had a great turnout, including Zinck’s family and friends, WHS staff, parents and students. Wellesley High Principal Dr. Jamie Chisum shared heartfelt thoughts.
The plaque on the bench reads:
Tom Zinck
Loving father, husband, friend and caretaker to all.
Always in Wellesley’s hearts.
In the end, kindness may be our ultimate achievement.
Katherine and Diane Zinck
WHS Principal Jamie Chisum speaks
A turtle that does frequent the spot was dubbed “Tom”
The Wellesley High girls’ lacrosse team had been on a great run, earning a bye in the MIAA Division 1 state tournament, crushing two opponents in early rounds, then upsetting #1 Walpole to make the finals. Wellesley knew what it would be up against in the finals vs. Westwood High, which in April topped Wellesley 16-6, and discarded its earlier tournament opponents by scores of 17-2, 16-5, and 16-2. In defending its state title, Westwood finished the year 25-0, led on Monday by senior Lindsey Diomede’s 5 goals.
The Raiders (19-5) actually took a 1-0 lead on Monday night under the lights at Babson College in the state finals on a goal by star player Alanna Dumalac, but Westwood answered with a goal of its own less than 3 minutes later, and another at the 20:19 mark for a 2-1 lead. With methodical passing, successful draws, and great hustle throughout, Westwood extended its lead to 8-1 at the half, and dominated the second half as well for a 16-1 victory.
Congrats to the Raiders for a strong season and exciting post-season run.
Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, Mass., school news:
Wellesley High grads remember their Hardy roots
A proud Wellesley High graduate’s mom share this photo of WHS seniors returning to Hardy Elementary School on graduation day.
“The teachers there were so happy to see all the seniors, that I thought everyone should do it. Every year,” she wrote.
German students feast to end the school year
Recently at Wellesley Middle School, German students completed a unit on German, Austrian, and Swiss food specialties and eating habits, and learned how to compare their way of eating with ours. In celebration of the end of the unit (and the end of the school year), the students made a range of dishes, from Swiss fondue to Black Forest Chocolate Cake. We were also joined by one student’s German grandmother, so the students could practice speaking German with someone actually from Germany. And she brought us a delicious Linzertorte! (Shared by WMS German teacher Alex Bennett)
8th graders Ashley Moulton, Nicolas Vigil, Thomas Zhou, Henry Ofenloch, and Ellias Lukic prepare food for the German class party.
Yet another reminder to get your kids into consulting
Never mind STEM. Consulting seems to be where the action is based on watching Wellesley’s various board and committee meetings. The School Committee on June 14 (see Wellesley Media recording about 40 minutes in) approved spending about $19K with FutureThink to do a demographics/enrollment study (the firm did one for Wellesley Public Schools just two years ago). Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Cynthia Mahr told the School Committee it had to seek out three bids but only got two—the other bidder aimed high, coming in with a bid of $78K, clearly looking to play the “Wellesley tax” game.
Rick DeLorie, with the Massachusetts basketball team
Joslin Diabetes Center’s night at the Pops
Wellesley residents Peter Seibert and Marjorie Nealon Seibert earlier in June attended Joslin Diabetes Center’s night at the Pops at Boston Symphony Hall where 26-year-old Duxbury resident, Kevin Coakley, received the Frank and Jean Ring Memorial Award in the Fight Against Diabetes. The event included a pre-concert seated dinner and a ceremony to present Coakley with his award as well as hear remarks from Joslin’s President and CEO, Dr. Roberta Herman and others. Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, Keith Lockhart, also said a few words and sang “High Hopes” with the guests before the show.
Peter Seibert and Marjorie Nealon Seibert (Photo Credit: Regan Communications Group)
Golfing for the Y
The West Suburban YMCA in Newton raised nearly $90,000 through its annual golf tournament at Belmont Country Club. The event supports the Y and its programs “that enable families of all backgrounds to develop healthy habits, build confidence and foster strong relationships.”
Golf foursome pictured, from left: Mark Mancuso, principal at Wellesley‘s Kincora Development; Ray Ciccolo, founder and owner of Village Automotive Group; Jack Fucci, president and CEO of the West Suburban YMCA; and Darryl Settles, president and managing partner at Catalyst Ventures Development.
Wellesley’s interim system for getting rid of nasty chemicals dubbed PFAS6 from the water processed by its Morses Pond treatment plant has done the trick, and the plant is set to go back online this Saturday, June 18. The plant has been shut down since May of 2021 after elevated levels of these forever chemicals was detected in the town’s drinking water from four groundwater wells.
Town Meeting approved $1.5M to install the mitigation system, and the town was able to use American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the cost of the system, expected to run for about 16 months. While taxpayers got off easy there, the purchase of Per- and PolyFluoroAlkyl Substances (PFAS)-free but pricier water from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) will lead to a steep hike in water bills.
And just because the plant is going back online and PFAS6 is now at a non-detect level doesn’t mean residents and businesses can run their sprinklers around the clock. The Morses Pond treatment plant will only be operating at about 40% capacity, so outdoor watering restrictions are back in place likely throughout summer.
The Department of Public Works will seek to recommend a long-term solution to the PFAS problem at an upcoming Special or Annual Town Meeting. It originally looked as though the town might implement a $5M-plus permanent system, but it reconsidered in light of other possible options, including working with the MWRA on a way to get more water from it. PFAS mitigation is a moving target, as the state and feds mull broader testing.
Also underway are efforts to determine the source of PFAS in Wellesley’s water.
