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Wellesley High holds special August ceremony for grad injured in car crash

August 11, 2022 by Duncan Brown Leave a Comment

When Maria Paz Lopez-Benitez entered the Wellesley High School auditorium on Thursday, she moved confidently on crutches through a tunnel of teachers and applauded by friends and family. More than two months after hundreds of classmates secured diplomas at the traditional graduation ceremony, she was on the way to pick up hers at a special event.

Lopez-Benitez was severely injured in a car crash on the morning of June 3, when she and her friends were driving to the graduation rehearsal. The senior sustained a broken leg, along with other injuries, and was hospitalized for a month.

The hospital wasn’t all bleak, however. Lopez-Benitez said her friends made sure there was someone at her side at all times. They even made a spreadsheet so they knew who should be there and when.

maria paz lopez-benitez

Many were also there on Thursday, at a special ceremony that included speeches from WHS Principal Dr. Jamie Chisum, teachers, and several friends.

The cross country team co-captain was described by friends as “the strongest person I know,” and “incredible,” and “loud,” which elicited quite a few laughs. While a briefer event minus the reading of hundreds of graduate names, the ceremony included many of the usual graduation proceedings. Lopez-Benitez was called to the stage by the class president, received her diploma (and a hug) from Dr. Chisum. She threw her cap in the air after moving the tassel to the left side. 

 

 

Lopez-Benitez will be taking a gap year, to, as she put it, “learn how to walk again.” After that, she’ll head to Pomona College in California, where she plans to study biology, in the hopes of later joining the medical field. 

The new grad’s recovery hasn’t been completely straightforward. She had to return to the hospital several times due to infections related to her injuries, and she has yet to get the green light for physical therapy. That being said, Lopez-Benitez seemed in good spirits, and like at the hospital, she was surrounded by friends as she left the ceremony. 


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In remembrance: Martha ‘Martie” Cherry Fiske, award-winning Wellesley teacher who fought for job rights

August 2, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The passing of Martha “Martie” Cherry Fiske on July 21 at the age of 86 in her Weston home is memorialized in an online obituary that highlights her strong presence as a Wellesley High School teacher in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s.

According to the obituary: “In 1970, she became an English teacher at Wellesley High School. When she did not receive pension benefits because she was part-time, she protested, leading to pension benefits for part-time teachers. For more than 20 years at Wellesley High School, Martie was a highly respected and beloved teacher. In 1985, she was invited to the White House as a “Distinguished Teacher” after one of her students, a Presidential Scholar, named her as his most influential teacher. Less than a year later, she had become so dissatisfied by the lack of respect and support for teachers, that she resigned and publicly criticized the town for not supporting good teaching. She was featured in a televised interview (Martha Fiske Wellesley High School Resignation 1986). In 1988, the town asked her to return, and she resumed her teaching, until her retirement in 1996.”

Fellow Wellesley High teacher Jeanie Goddard told us: “Yes, our Martie was a warrior. Many teachers were outspoken in the sixties, seventies, and eighties, but Martie actually quit the job she loved when she pinned her objections on her classroom door and walked out. She spoke passionately about educational reform for two years. We were lucky to lure her back.”

Our condolences to family and friends.


Please reach out to us to post a remembrance on Swellesley: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

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Filed Under: Obituaries & remembrances, Wellesley High School

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Wellesley Public Schools work to reduce food insecurity & food waste

July 25, 2022 by admin 1 Comment

Special to The Swellesley Report by Grace Wheelan, Wellesley High School ’23

Food Insecurity

In the cafeterias at Wellesley Middle and High schools, roughly 40 pounds of food per day is discarded — enough to feed 10 people a day.

Much of this food is high quality ingredients left unused in the kitchens, which are not ready to be disposed of. Matt Delaney, General Manager of Whitsons and the Public Schools District’s Director of Food Services, works with his team to match supply to demand as precisely as possible. However, there are often vast quantities of food that go uneaten. As the distribution center for the district’s cafeterias, Wellesley Middle School carries the brunt of this waste.

To help address this issue, Delaney partners with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine and has donated 800 pounds of food in the past six months. This non-profit organization matches vendors with excess food, such as the Wellesley Public School cafeterias, with those experiencing food insecurity.  That includes veterans organizations, Wellesley Community College and shelters throughout the region.

Rescuing Leftover Cuisine relies on local volunteers to perform food “rescues,” where they pick up the leftover food and transport it to its destination. According to Rescuing Leftover Cuisine’s branch manager Dana Siles, “the organization’s greatest obstacle is securing the volunteers necessary to ensure that no food goes to waste so that we can feed people, not landfills.” If you are interested in helping with their cause, “rescue opportunities” are available on their website.

Have excess food in your organization? Follow Wellesley Public School’s lead and contact Rescuing Leftover Cuisine. This is an ideal way to simultaneously reduce wasted food and food insecurity.

Food Waste

wellesley food wasteAnother program aimed at reducing food waste finally launched at Wellesley High School. Due to student and volunteer engagement, the long awaited composting pilot program went into effect during the last few weeks of this past school year. Alongside trash and recycling bins stood green compost bins, which received food waste as well as compostable cafeteria trays. The contents of these bins was then picked up by Cero, a partner company that brought the compost to be used at local farms. The bins were monitored by volunteers who helped students correctly sort their waste, with the goal being that students learn to do so independently, eventually eliminating the need for volunteers. Correctly sorting waste is crucial to ensure that the school is not charged contamination fees when the compost is collected.

This program remains in its test stage, and although many are enthusiastic about improving sustainability potential by reducing food waste, there are still obstacles to overcome before it can become permanent. The program’s funding currently comes from a Wellesley Education Foundation grant, and in order to be implemented in the long term, it will need to be included in the district budget when it is reassessed in coming years.

Much of the student body proved engaged and enthusiastic about the composting initiative. However, some disregarded the need to properly sort waste into trash, recycling and compost, which caused contamination that threatens the program’s feasibility. In order to combat this apathy, organizers and students are working to raise awareness about the importance of combating food waste for both humans and the environment.

Sue Morris, a leader of the effort and member of the town’s Climate Action Committee, noted that because of its cafeteria set-up, where students select their own sides instead of having them provided automatically, Wellesley High School experiences less food waste than most. A large proportion of waste was made up of the cafeteria’s compostable serving trays, which were previously sent to landfill but are now being properly composted. Ultimately, Morris reflected positively on the pilot, saying, “I am glad we were able to get the food waste diversion pilot program started this Spring. Despite the many challenges, we learned a lot and we will take that information and regroup on a plan for the start of the upcoming school year.”

These efforts are key to helping Wellesley meet its waste reduction goals as stated in the Town of Wellesley’s Climate Action Plan. Between the composting pilot and partnership with Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, the Wellesley school system is making strides towards reducing its wasted food as well as increasing community awareness about opportunities and benefits of zero-waste.


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Filed Under: Environment, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

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Wellesley sports news: Young golfer flourishes; Congrats to All-Scholastics

July 21, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of recent Wellesley, Mass. sports news:

Young golfer flourishes

Wellesley been an absolute golfing hotbed of late. Wellesley High’s girls’ team took third at states. Wellesley High grad Michael Thorbjorsen played at the U.S. Open (which about half of Wellesley must have attended based on the amount of swag I’ve seen around town…) and then finished fourth at the Travelers Championship shortly after.  Then Conner Willett of Wellesley grabbed headlines by winning the Massachusetts Amateur Championship under the most difficult of personal circumstances.

Under the radar: Wellesley’s Skylar Kotzen, a 5th grader at the Rashi School. She qualified for a spot at the US Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. this summer.

Kotzen got her start in golf at the age of three, thanks in large part to early play with her paternal grandparents.

Skylar Kotzen 2015 (3 years old)
Impressive form & focus at age 3

 

She really began to focus on the game during the pandemic. “Once team sports all shut down in the Spring of 2020, the one sport Sky could reliably continue was golf,” says her mother, Elyssa. “Leading up to the end of the school year, she was playing 6-7 times a week.”

Kotzen plays in US Kids Golf Tournaments year-round, and her performance during 2021 qualified her for an invite to the girls’s event for ages 9 and 10. She’ll be the only Massachusetts golfer in that group.

She’s getting used to taking her game on the road. Kotzen traveled to Florida at the start of this summer to play and receive instruction at IMG Academy (I’ve rarely played golf, but even I know of IMG). The young golfer says it’s great to have exposure to different courses, so loves to play wherever she gets the opportunity.

While Kotzen loves golf, she also enjoys many other sports, including tennis and biking. Around the house, she cooks and bakes.

Kotzen’s motivation in golf includes being in a sport where she can always improve, where she can challenge herself to get better by adapting to courses, terrain, and elements. She also enjoys meeting kids from around the country, and soon, the world.

Though the multigenerational aspect of golf is also a draw for Kotzen, who likes playing with older family members and their friends, too. Though you’re more likely to find the young golfer’s dad caddying for her.

Skylar Kotzen 2021 (10 years old)
Skylar Kotzen 2021 (10 years old)

 

Congrats to All-Scholastics

Athletes from Wellesley have been recognized as Boston Globe All-Scholastics for their spring sports season performances (subscription may be required to access Boston Globe article).

Wellesley All-Scholastics:

  • Rory Clare (WHS girls’ track & field—running)
  • Harry Collomb (WHS boys’ tennis)
  • Alanna Dumalac (WHS girls’ lacrosse)
  • Jacqueline Lee (girls’ tennis at Rivers)
  • Edward Webb (WHS boys’ track & field—javelin)

Coach of the Year in girls’ track: John Griffith

Also recognized are the Phelps Scholar Athletes, and this included Wellesley’s Mark Henshon, who excelled in basketball, baseball, and cross-country for Roxbury Latin.

Many other Wellesley athletes were recognized for honorary mention or as all-stars.


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Filed Under: Sports, Wellesley High School

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Building a big list of writers who went to Wellesley High

July 13, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Roots and Wings: Wellesley High’s Legacy of Nurturing Creativity will be a celebration of authors who went to Wellesley High School, and of the many teachers who have inspired, mentored, and nurtured them— from Pulitzer Prize winners to young people just publishing their first poems.

The Roots and Wings committee, led by WHS grad/author Beth Hinchliffe and former WHS English teacher Jeanie Goddard, is looking for names of living or deceased writers to include on the list.  Email Beth.hinchliffe@aol.com with candidates, and their contact information if possible.

Organizers plan to make the list of writers and publications available online, and are readying for an event in the fall to honor them.


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Wellesley High School graduate wins Miss Massachusetts pageant

July 11, 2022 by Deborah Brown 3 Comments

Wellesley High School graduate Katrina Kincade is no stranger to donning an evening gown and answering tough questions on the fly, with grace and poise. The winner earlier this month of the 2022 Miss Massachusetts pageant at the Hanover Theatre for the Performing Arts in Worcester, the precursor to the Miss America competition, started gaining experience as a Wellesley Middle School student.

We knew her way back when. Katrina Kincade, far right, and company during a 2014 Wellesley High School drama presentation of “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Kincade, a 2015 WHS graduate, listed participation in school plays, hanging out with her friends and then-principal Andrew Keough during his open pottery studio sessions, and her involvement with the METCO program as highlights of her time at WHS.

“I started in pageants when I was in middle school, with Miss Black USA,” Kincade, a WBZ-TV reporter, said in a telephone interview. Her supportive family of two brothers, her mom. and her dad have been with her every step of the way, but she shouted out her “pageant dad” for special recognition. “He helps with fashion, outfits, accessories. When I won Miss Massachusetts he was so proud and said, ‘finally! You won one!'”

Besides the title, Kincade received a $15k scholarship, which she says has cut her college loan burden by more than half.

Winning aside, Kincade cites a great feeling of pride in her accomplishment. She’s the first Muslim woman to be named Miss Massachusetts. “I understand what it’s like to be the first and only,” she said, acquired wisdom that informs her social impact initiative work. Although demonstrating dedication to such work is a requirement for all Miss Massachusetts contestants, Kincade has lived her message of representation and diversity since long before a pageant application listed it as a box to be checked. Whether performing in WHS plays, entering American University’s College of Communications, or going for a job at a major television network, she has tried to embody the confidence and go-for-it attitude she encourages in others.

Katrina Kincade, Miss MassachusettsWellesley
Katrina Kincade is crowned Miss Massachusetts (photo by Miss Massachusetts Scholarship Foundation)

Since winning Miss Massachusetts, the Boston-area resident speaks at YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, public schools, and other places where she can reach youth with her message that representation matters. “I encourage kids to enter fields where they’re not seen and say why it’s important to look at different career fields. I want to talk to marginalized and under-represented kids” who aren’t seen in certain fields.

“My message is ‘because of them, we can—representation matters.'”

Kincade will in December vie for the Miss America title at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. There, competitors from 50 states and the District of Columbia will demonstrate their talents (Kincade sings), show off their evening gowns, engage in a private interview with the judges, and answer an on-stage question.

A Massachusetts representative has never been crowned Miss America. Not that we’re biased or anything, but we think it’s about time.

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Filed Under: Careers/jobs, Education, Embracing diversity, Wellesley High School

Wellesley Natural Resources Commission approves School Committee proposal to install lights at Hunnewell Track & Field

July 8, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission‘s seemingly endless discussions over whether to allow lights to be installed at the Hunnewell Track & Field concluded like this: The NRC on Thursday night voted 3-2 in favor of the School Committee’s proposal.

The topic has been on the NRC agenda for months, with numerous debates and discussions among members fueled and informed by input from professional subject matter experts as well as those whose expertise stems from them living in the neighborhood or using the park. The NRC has in recent months gone back and forth with the School Committee to get its questions answered. (The NRC oversees the property even though it’s so close to the high school and is used heavily by the schools.)

Those in favor of the lights say they will even the playing field for Wellesley High sports teams by allowing night games and practices (or completion of practices), improve athlete safety, and foster community spirit. Those against say lights will harm the environment and that night events will disrupt a neighborhood that savors quiet nights.

A change in the board’s makeup this spring during the town election made clear that those in favor of lights would likely prevail. Voting in favor of the proposal were Chair Jay McHale, and fellow board members Bea Bezmalinovic and Lisa Collins. Allison Burson and Laura Robert voted against it.

nrc motion

The June 7 NRC meeting (see Wellesley Media recording) began with Citizen Speak, and two residents took the opportunity to urge the NRC not to vote in favor of the lights proposal. One cited an ongoing field utilization study and said the town should get the data from this and related consultant recommendations before assuming lights are needed to accommodate sports schedules. Another referenced prominent new scientific reports on the harm noise and light cause wildlife and dismissed “toothless” guidelines accompanying a change of use for the parkland.

From there, town counsel Tom Harrington addressed a June 13 letter submitted to the NRC by a handful of Precinct H Town Meeting members with legal questions (embedded below) related to installing stadium lights, including rules for deciding who can use the facility at night and rules around the permits and codes required for installing the lights. Among these questions was whether there’s “a legal means by which to codify restricted use of the lights at the stadium, and if so, how?” Harrington said it’s really up the the NRC, as owner of the parcel, to decide what happens or not on it. A very specific bylaw could be adopted but it would be difficult to pass, he said. Harrington also said the NRC can decide how strictly it sticks to its policies, including for change of use.

“Every parcel of land in Wellesley has a board that oversees it… We give each of those boards broad and kind of all encompassing authority over those parcels,” Harrington said.

The Commission then turned its attention to its draft lighting usage policy in a discussion led by Bezmalinovic, who referred to this is a “living document” that will be updated as the commission agrees on enforcement, accountability, and more. This continued a discussion from the NRC’s previous meeting on June 16.

“Our existing policy allows for enforcement of violations on the field, but I think perhaps it is neither specific, measurable, or detailed in the way that allows us to use it for enforcement purposes, and I think that makes it difficult for the neighbors to feel there is an enforcement approach…”

Following more discussion on that, it was time for a motion to be introduced about the light proposal.

“This is an emotional decision, and it’s a difficult decision, and it’s not an easy decision, but I think we’ve gone through this process as much as we can. The schools spent an enormous amount of time working on a project to try to address how they would get their priorities set…” said McHale. “We’ve got to represent everybody. We’ve got to show the neighbors to that field that we’re very serious about making sure that while there’s positive intent on the behalf of the schools we will hold schools accountable if things go sideways.”

Collins made the motion, and after a bit more discussion on trash and traffic, the NRC took its vote about half an hour later.

Some of those from the public who are against the lights expressed disappointment. Track & Field abutter Cliff Canaday shared the following with us after we reached out for comment:

“The Friends of Hunnewell Fields is disappointed that the NRC, whose mission it is to protect, preserve and enhance the natural resources of our town, would vote to degrade the natural habitat of the Fuller Brook Park at Hunnewell Field. Setting aside NRC policies and criteria, Commissioners voted to install privately-funded 80-foot lights on Article 97 parkland. This is a dramatic change of use and imposes unfair burdens on this Wellesley neighborhood. The unexpected vote was not on the agenda, thereby denying the public a valuable vetting process for the town.”

On the other hand, School Committee member Linda Chow, who has spearheaded Hunnewell Track & Field efforts, said she is grateful for the NRC vote. She also expressed thanks for collaboration across town boards, committees, and departments, including the School Department, Department of Public Works and Police Department. “It will certainly address the key priorities we identified as a School Committee back in February of 2021 for track and field enhancements,” she said. Those priorities include not just lights, but bathrooms and team rooms.

Chow says the School Department, student-athletes and their parents, and the town as a whole will benefit from “community-building through various night games.”

When exactly those night games will happen remains murky. “The key next step is starting to look into fundraising” for the lights, team rooms, and sound system, Chow said. While the School Committee can’t involve itself in private fundraising directly, it can give targets as to what funds will be needed. That’s currently estimated to be about $1 million, though that figure will need to be revisited.

The track & field rebuild was funded by a combination of private monies and taxpayer dollars. The revamped facility opened in 2016.

In addition to funding, more town meetings and approvals will need to happen before the lights are installed. Wetlands, the Select Board, Design Review Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals will all have at it.

Download (PDF, 26KB)


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