The Swellesley Report

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

State Rep. Alice Peisch congratulates Wellesley High School Class of 2021

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The accolades keep pouring in for the Wellesley HS Class of 2021 June 10, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment (Edit) SPONSORED CONTENT: Alice Peisch, Wellesley HS congrats Alice Peisch, Wellesley HS congratsCongratulations to the Wellesley High School Class of 2021!

 

While this graduation year may not have been all you imagined it would be, it is nonetheless a momentous occasion for all of you.

 

You have adapted, persevered, and thrived in the face of immense challenges this past year. I am confident that all of you will use the lessons learned and tools gained during your tenure at Wellesley High School to effect the positive change the world so desperately needs.

 

I join with your family and friends in congratulating you on this significant accomplishment and milestone. I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors, and I have no doubt that you will enjoy great success and happiness in the years to come.

 

Very truly yours,

Alice Hanlon Peisch
State Representative
14th Norfolk District

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Wellesley High sailing team cleans up in league, at states

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The Wellesley High School sailing team made up for last year’s COVID-canceled season by sweeping the team and fleet racing events this spring for the first time ever.

WHS sailing
Photo courtesy of Lew Franklin

 

The fleet racing championship within the Mass Bay League involved 13 teams, each with two boats, in a best-of-5-races event in Sharon, Mass., on Lake Massapoag June 1 and 2.

The state team racing event, held in Gloucester on May 26, pitted teams against each other in a bracket-style format that found Wellesley going head-to-head with its 3 boats vs. hometown Gloucester High’s 3 boats in the finals, which Wellesley won 4-0. Wellesley, which sails at Lake Cochituate with its own fleet of 13 Collegiate 420 sailboats, only lost one race during the season.

Junior Varsity Sailing Coach Doug Johnson, who joins forces with Varsity Coach Larry Lovett, said of the Gloucester venue: “We sailed in the middle of Gloucester Harbor, dodging fishing trawlers, with the constant smell of fish and chips coming from the Gorton’s fish processing plant. It was a wild sailing venue.”

The season’s opening was delayed by a month due to COVID-19 protocols, and WHS sailing coach Doug Johnson said things were touch and go at the start in terms of how the season would go. “We crammed in as many races as possible during the shorter season,” he said, noting that 30 students made up the varsity and junior varsity teams. Stars for the varsity team included seniors Will Kelleher, Ben Workman, Cole Bender, and Ella Kilgore, and juniors Jack Wellburn and Christo Macken.

WHS sailing
Photo courtesy of Lew Franklin

 

But all team members played big roles whether or not they were racing in the championships.

“At the fleet racing championships many of the sailors who were not competing come to root on their teammates. This is not easy, as boats are pretty far offshore… These kids made a flag with branches, had many cheers, and were loud enough for the sailors to hear them,” Johnson said. “The bottom line is we pulled together a great season in a short amount of time, faced with numerous challenges and restrictions due to COVID-19.”

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In case you missed the Wellesley High School Class of 2021’s car parade

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The Wellesley High School Class of 2021 deservingly got to double dip this spring with both a full-blown graduation ceremony AND a car parade.

We unfortunately weren’t around to provide parade banter like last year, but Wellesley Media caught the action, and we’ve embedded a recording of their video below. One exuberant spectator near the camera and mic did provide plenty of support to the students, many of whom were able to pop out of the top of their vehicles. Car tops were down and sunroofs were open, and black, red, and white balloons and streamers made for a festive sight.

Thank you to Darren Bovie & Sue Morris for sharing these action shots from before and during the parade.

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WHS car parade

WHS car parade WHS car parade WHS car parade WHS car parade WHS car parade

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D-Day veteran gets his well-earned Wellesley High School diploma

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Cosmo Uttero, the 97-year-old former Wellesley resident who left high school at the age of 17 to enlist in the U.S. Army during World War II, received his well-earned Wellesley High School diploma during Friday’s graduation ceremony. He viewed a livestream of the event from his home in Bradenton, Fla., with friends and family.

As we reported last month, the decorated veteran’s accomplishments included landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day.

 

Cosmo Uttero graduation
Cosmo Uttero, celebrating with friends and family in Florida (Photo credit: Kates Family Photography)

 

According to an announcement issued by the town of Wellesley, Mr. Uttero described getting his diploma so many years after leaving school as a lifetime highlight. “I think I’ve pretty much done it all. I went back to Normandy in 2014, and now this. I guess you could say it’s the final nail in my coffin.” Though to be clear, he also said he’s looking forward to his 100th birthday in a few years…

In remarks to the Class of 2021, Wellesley Public Schools Superintendent Dr. David Lussier urged graduates to use Mr. Uttero’s life story as inspiration for their own futures. “Regardless of where that path takes you, I hope you too will consider ways to serve your community and our country. Regardless of the form that takes, what matters most is that, like that 17-year old from Wellesley more than 70 years ago, you too choose not to be a bystander.”

A Department of Veterans Affairs program allows schools to award diplomas to qualified veterans.

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Big week for Wellesley High seniors: Prom Wednesday, Graduation Friday, car parade Saturday

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As COVID-19 restrictions have loosened up, Wellesley’s graduating seniors have been able to look forward to a robust slate of end-of-year activities, including an indoor/outdoor prom. Here are the highlights:

Senior Prom

The senior class is holding a semi-formal dance with entertainment, food, music and dancing in the Wellesley High School cafeteria and outdoors in the Courtyard. (Neighbors may hear some music as the Class of 2021 is only able to support dancing outside due to continued State COVID-19 restrictions). The community is invited to Wellesley High School between 6:30pm – 7pm to welcome seniors as they arrive. The event will end at 10pm

DATE: Wednesday, June 2
LOCATIONS: WHS Cafeteria & Courtyard
TIME: 6:30pm-10pm

Graduation

Members of the Class of 2021 will receive their diplomas on Friday, June 4, 6pm (note was moved from 5 to 6pm due to weather), at the Hunnewell Track & Field Complex. The in-person ceremony will take place outside, weather permitting, with assigned seating for families and general seating in the grandstand. Rain date is Saturday, June 5, 9am

Wellesley High School graduation 2020
Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum greets grads, July 2020.

Car parade

Line the streets to cheer on the Class of 2021 and their families as they parade through town. The parade route starts at Babson College, continues along Washington Street, Cedar Street, and Wellesley Avenue, and ends at Wellesley High School. If you’re a grad and need inspiration for vehicle decor, check out our livestream from last year’s parade.

DATE: Saturday, June 5
START TIME: 9am
NOTE: If the graduation ceremony on Friday is rescheduled due to rain, the car parade is cancelled.

Wellesley High School graduation 2020
Wellesley High School car parade, 2020

GraduationParadeRoute_2021

If you’d like to share any photos, reports, or anecdotes from the events, please do: [email protected]

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78 years later, Wellesley High issuing diploma to D-Day veteran who left school to enlist

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cosmo uttero
WHS’s Cosmo Uttero

If your own kid’s graduation doesn’t get you tearing up at Wellesley High School’s ceremony on June 4, then this surely will. World War II veteran Cosmo Uttero, who left Wellesley High in 1943 to enlist in the U.S. Army at the age of 17 and would soon be landing on Omaha Beach in Normandy on D-Day, will be receiving his diploma 78 years later.

Wellesley Public Schools Supt. Dr. David Lussier, a military dad himself, got the waterworks going early at Tuesday night’s School Committee meeting (see Welelsley Media recording about 30 minutes in), when he announced plans for this special diploma. Mr. Uttero, now in his mid-90s, will be watching the ceremony via livestream in Florida and get to hear his name called and the inevitable standing ovation that will follow.

Private First Class Uttero of the 175th Reg., 29th Division landed on Omaha Beach in France on June 6, 1944, and he returned 70 years after the historic day to revisit sites, including the Normandy American Cemetery, and be honored along with other veterans. His division landed in the face of enemy fire, and according to one recent interview with Mr. Uttero, he initially ditched his weapon in the water so as not to sink and wound up grabbing a replacement from a fallen comrade on the beach.

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The WWII hero returned to Normandy in 2014 thanks to a trip organized by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. A report from the museum recounts that “On D-Day, Uttero’s unit was not set to land until the day after but the horrific losses suffered by the first waves of the 29th Division forced his unit to go in at Vierville-sur-Mer around 12:00pm on June 6th.” Mr. Uttero told the Los Angeles Times that he was one of just 3 men in his unit not to be injured or killed during the invasion.

Mr. Uttero has been interviewed about his war experiences numerous times in recent years, and he’s even on a trading card honoring military veterans.

Wellesley reunion

Mr. Uttero told Wellesley Public Schools he grew up off of Weston Road near Morses Pond. From there, his world expanded greatly and quickly. After basic training, he shipped off to Scotland and then to England to train for D-Day.
“Mr. Uttero’s family reached out to us earlier this year to inquire about the possibility of him receiving a WHS diploma,” Lussier told us via email. “Naturally, we were thrilled to oblige and he will be issued his diploma along with our graduates next Friday (78 years later!)”
There are sure to be plenty of inspiring stories at the Class of 2021’s graduation ceremony, but Mr. Uttero’s will be tough to beat.
“I hope his story inspires our graduates and helps them put the past year of challenges in perspective,” Lussier says.
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