Wellesley school news: Hunnewell groundbreaking; Acatober tix; WHS All-Nationals in choir & band; Dana Hall open houses

October 20, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The latest Wellesley, Mass., school news:

Hunnewell Elementary School groundbreaking

Wellesley town and public school officials last week joined the big dig at the new Hunnewell Elementary School site, same as the old school site. The old school building had been there since 1938, and the new one is slated to open in February 2024. The Wellesley HHU website provides regular updates on the project.

The teardown began over the summer.

While Hunnewell is under construction, students and staff are divvied up among other elementary schools in town.

The new two-story building will boast 18 classrooms and is designed for a modern learning environment.

Hunnewell School groundbreaking — Shiny shovels at the ready for the Hunnewell Elementary School groundbreaking ceremony. From left: Michael Tauer, Permanent Building Committee chair; Melissa Martin, School Committee; Tom Ulfelder, Select Board vice chair; Catherine Mirick, School Committee; Ellen Quirk, Hunnewell School principal; David Lussier, superintendent; Sharon Gray, former School Committee member. Photo by The Swellesley Report

Act now for Acatober tickets

There are still limited seats available for Acatober on Fri., Oct. 21, 7pm and Saturday, Oct. 22, 7pm, at Wellesley High School, 50 Rice S.

Acatober will feature the WHS Choral Department, WHS A Cappella Groups, and guest groups Northeastern Pitch Please, featuring WHS Class of 2021 Alumnae Chloe Cohen, and the Harvard Veritones featuring WHS Class of 2022 Alumnae Eleni Livingston.

To order tickets, scan the QR code on the picture.

Wellesley High music students named All-Nationals

Wellesley High School students Frank Mendes and Isabelle Lee have been selected to perform with the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) Choir and Band, respectively.

WHS Choir member Mendes has been recognized through participation in the Massachusetts District and All-State festivals. His acceptance
into the Massachusetts All-State Choir qualified him to audition for the All-National Choir. While excited about this opportunity, Mendes says he’s also really looking forward to this weekend’s Acatober, the first WHS concert of the year.

WHS Band member Lee has also been recognized through participation in the Massachusetts District and All-State festivals. Her
acceptance into the Massachusetts All-State Band qualified her to audition for the All-National Band. She thanked her public school teachers and private lesson teacher.

The NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles take place Nov. 3-6 in National Harbor, Md. The ensembles will meet under the leadership of top conductors in the field.

Michael LaCava, K-12 Director of Performing Arts for Wellesley Public Schools, thanked the faculty for their role in supporting these talented young musicians.

Mr. Steve Scott, Isabelle Lee, Frank Mendes, Dr. Kevin McDonald — Music teachers Steve Scott (left) and Kevin McDonald (right) bookend students Isabelle Lee and Frank Mendes

Dana Hall School Open House events

Dana Hall School, a Wellesley-based independent boarding and day school for girls in grades 5-12 (boarding begins grade 9), has put together a few events to help prospective families learn more about academics, athletics and more at Dana.

Upper School open house: Nov. 5, 9-11 a.m.
Middle School open house: Nov. 5, 1-3 p.m.
Athletics open house: Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m.

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

Wellesley schools round-up: MassBay land acknowledgement; we get schooled by school construction managers; Dana’s new project is shovel-ready

September 22, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

MassBay land acknowledgement plaque installed

MassBay Community College last week unveiled a permanent land acknowledgement plaque in a ceremony attended by chiefs of three native tribes. MassBay is believed to be the first community college in Massachusetts to make this public acknowledgement with a permanent marker and a ceremony of reconciliation and healing. During the ceremony the college announced an Indigenous People Scholarship had been formed for current and future MassBay students, for which fundraising has begun.

“Today Indigenous people became visible,” said Chief Ladybug (Croatan) Native Heritage New England and Program Chair for Health Studies at MassBay. “As a Massachusetts indigenous person, today’s land acknowledgement that MassBay Community College campuses sits on land that belongs to the Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Massachusetts tribes was historic for me, my family, and my tribe. Acknowledgment is the first steps to our tribal healing.”

Nine tribes were present at the gathering including Croatan, Ponkapoag, Mi’kmaq, Mohawk, Cherokee, Blackfoot, Wampanoag, Natick Praying Indians, and the Nipmuc. Chief Black Wolf of the Nipmuc, Chief Eagle Rising (Mi’kmaq) from the Great Lowell Indian Cultural Association, and 8-year-old Sophia Wise Owl (Ponkapoag) all spoke at the ceremony of gratitude for this acknowledgement.

“We are proud to hold this important ceremony and to give proper recognition of the land on which our college sits,” said MassBay President David Podell. “As our plaque reads, we cannot change the past. But what we can do and will do is to is honor the land, the ancestors, and the indigenous traditions as we at MassBay use this sacred land as a communal place to nurture learners to move forward and make a more inclusive world.”

Chief Caring Hands of the Natick Praying Indians summed up the Ceremony by saying, “I leave you with a truth: a people honor themselves when they honor its original people.”

Donations to the MassBay Indigenous People Scholarship Fund can be made by visiting www.massbay.edu/give, using the dropdown menu.

Swellesley editors are residents, but we need to clean up our act

While walking in the Hunnewell School area, we came across a different sort of sign affixed to the chain link safety fencing that encircles the construction site.

Dang, by mid-morning today we’d already used foul language, loitered, and did one other thing on this list, which we’ll leave to your imagination.

Dana Hall groundbreaking

Dana Hall is another step closer to a major renovation of its Upper School Classroom Building, the school’s largest academic space, which dates from 1956.

Dana Hall, Wellesley, construction — Board of Trustees Chair Courtney Caruso ’05; Head of School Katherine Bradley; and Campaign Steering Committee Chair and Manton Foundation Trustee Sandy Niles, break ground on the Upper School Classroom Building project.

“Our students have been at the heart of all our decisions, discussions and desires,” Head of School Katherine Bradley said at the groundbreaking event. “We knew we needed a learning environment that would meet their needs and provide the space where they could explore their interests, engage with new challenges and realize their fullest potential.”

The project, designed by Dario Designs, is being funded by private philanthropy. Last fall, the Dana Hall announced a historic $15 million gift from the Manton Foundation, with $10 million designated to support the Classroom Building. The project’s general contractor, CM & B construction management, estimates a 15-18 month timeline for completion.

Groundbreaking date for Wellesley’s new Hunnewell Elementary School set

September 21, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Permanent Building Committee has confirmed that a groundbreaking ceremony for Wellesley’s new Hunnewell Elementary School will take place on Oct. 13 at 3:30pm. The old building, opened in 1938, was torn down over the summer.

Obligatory hard hats, shiny shovels, and speeches are expected, as Wellesley continues its tradition of naming countless things after the Hunnewells in honor of the family’s vital role at the town’s outset.

The new school will boast an 18-classroom, 76,500 sq. ft .building, which is expected to open in February 2024 (see project updates).

Hunnewell School in Wellesley opens doors for a final farewell (June, 2022)

Hunnewell Elementary School teardown in full swing

July 29, 2022 by Duncan Brown Leave a Comment

It’s no longer just an event far away on the horizon; Hunnewell Elementary School is actually coming down. The demolition of the elementary school began this week, as fences were set up around the property and bulldozers rolled in to get to work.

(Construction firm W.T. Rich also shared a video of the action.)

A farewell walk-through was held in June.

The old building, opened in 1938, will be replaced with an 18-classroom, 76,500 sq. ft .building, which is expected to open in February 2024 (see project updates). During this period of construction students will be divvied up among other school buildings in town. This division will take factors such as distance and capacity at other schools into consideration.

Hunnewell tear down — Not even the playground was spared

The project made its way through the town government decision process in recent years, having been given approval by the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2021, and then having the construction funds approved during a Special Town meeting in October, 2021. The estimated total project costs now sit at $64.1M. Part of this budget includes planning and design expenses.

The town has provided concept images of the new project, which provide a better idea of what the school will look like. One noteworthy detail is that the new school is planned to have two floors, while previously Hunnewell was a single-story building. The new design uses a modern style, similar to that of Wellesley high school.

We will be keeping an eye out for progress in the demolition and construction of the new Hunnewell Elementary School.

Update: 8/18/22: The construction team has made progress…

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

One final Hunnewell clap-out & shouts of “Judie! Judie! Judie!” for beloved crossing guard

June 21, 2022 by Duncan Brown Leave a Comment

Hunnewell families gathered at the elementary school today to applaud the students of the school as they walked out it for one final time.

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Hunnewell Elementary School is slated to be torn down and rebuilt beginning this summer, making this 5th grade class the last generation of students to graduate from the old building. Despite the building seeing out its last batch of students, spirits were high from both children and parents alike. Parents gathered in the center of the field behind the school, and the students walked out of the building, circling the applauding audience.

Hunnewell Clap Out — Parents corralled and waiting to cheer

The building is not the only thing leaving, however. Judie Johnson, who has been a crossing guard for the school for the past 58 years, is also retiring. Judie was showered with applause, given flowers, and serenaded with a chant of “Judie! Judie! Judie!” (More from WBZ TV-4)

The new building is expected to be ready by early 2024, replacing the old building which has been around since 1938. Hopefully this one will last just as long.

A public open house farewell was held at Hunnewell last week.

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Hunnewell School in Wellesley opens doors for a final farewell

June 17, 2022 by Deborah Brown 4 Comments

There’s something special about the elementary school years, a time when kids learn to work and play well with others, not run with scissors, and absorb concepts of language, literacy, and numbers. The building where so much growth takes place looms large to its young students. But as we heard over and over during Wednesday’s Farewell to Hunnewell event, “It looks so much smaller now.” If you’ve ever visited your former grade school, you understand. There are so many memories squeezed into those K-5 classrooms, it hardly seems possible that the walls can contain them all.

Hunnewell School, Wellesley — My tour companions, Hunnewell graduates Duncan Brown and Grace Seaborn, pose for one last picture outside the Hunnewell sign, an iconic photo-op spot known to all of the school’s students.

The open house gave current and former students, their families, and community members one last chance to visit classrooms before Hunnewell, built in 1938, is razed and replaced with a new 76,500 sq. ft. 18-classroom school slated to open in early 2024. Superintendent David Lussier told me at the event that fencing will go up around the school within days, marking the area as a construction zone. Staff and students will be divvied up among other schools under a swing space plan come fall. More on the school construction plans.

As I wandered the halls where I spent so little time volunteering back when my kids were at Hunnewell, a pack of excited friends darted past. “To the music room! Run!” When their school is going down, who’s going to tell the kids they can’t run in the halls if they feel like it? Not me.

Outside, I bumped into a trio of young men who I once could have named by spotting them across a crowded playground. No more. These were now college students, stopping by to remember the old days. Lifelong friends, said the mom of one of the guys. Hunnewell tends to have that effect on people.

I looked around for my tour companions, who had long since lost patience with my frequent stops to talk to old friends. A quick phone call gave me the predictable response. “We’re playing on the playground,” they said. Of course they were. Some things never change.

Free school transportation for Hunnewell Elementary School families: Sign up by April 8

April 5, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Hunnewell Elementary School building is slated to be closed for good at the end of this school year to make way for a new structure in 2024. Families are in for exciting swing space action spread across four other schools until the new building opens in early 2024, if all goes according to schedule.

The Wellesley Public Schools (WPS) system hopes to minimize challenges for parents who might have to shuttle kids to multiple schools, and reduce overall drop-off and pick-up traffic, and score sustainability points by offering Hunnewell families free busing.

wellesley school bus

The sign-up deadline is April 8.

To register, go to the WPS Fee Payment link. Click “Login”, and enter your username and password. Click on the photo of the yellow school bus located in the middle of the page to begin the registration process. To enroll Hunnewell student(s) only, choose the second Activity for FY23, “Hunnewell Bus Transportation enrollment.” More information on WPS transportation services.

Meanwhile, WPS has cut bus fees for all from $521 to a still-painful $500 under its FY ’23 budget just approved at Annual Town Meeting. Over the next 5 years, WPS looks to eliminate transportation fees entirely as one of its “moonshot” goals, Supt. Dr. David Lussier said recently at Town Meeting.