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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 school news: Wellesley High grads return to Hardy; German students feast; Get your kids into consulting

June 20, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

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.

WHS grads at hardy


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)

German class
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.


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Filed Under: Hardy Elementary School, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

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Free online summer journalism program registration opens for students, instructors

June 12, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

First to the Frontpage, a local summer program for middle and high school students interested in journalism, is now accepting applications for students and instructors. The online program, launched in 2020, is led by student journalists, including those with The Bradford at Wellesley High School.

The interactive program includes separate sessions for middle and high school students in mid-to-late July and mid-to-late August. Daily sessions will last from 1-3 hours and cover topics such as journalism fundamentals, news literacy, and social media. Special guests from the news industry will be among those delivering keynotes.

first to the front page

More: From Student to Teacher (by Fiona Zhou)

Wellesley’s role in modernizing legal notice publishing


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Filed Under: Education, Media, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

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Wellesley arts news: Student musicians selected; 2019 WHS grad producing off the court; Dana Hall opens Nexus dance concert to public; Wellesley Theatre Project makes mark at festival

February 26, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our roundup of the latest Wellesley, Mass., arts news:

Public school musicians selected

Congratulations to Wellesley High and Middle School musicians chosen for eastern district and all-state ensembles, per the Parents of Performing Students Facebook page.

2019 WHS grad Alex Stoddard producing off the court

Williams College student Alex Stoddard, a 2019 Wellesley High grad, tells The Williams Record that he got his start producing in 9th grade, and now his work with hip-hop artists is earning him awards.

If Drake is reading this, and of course he’s a big Swellesley fan, know that Stoddard (aka, A$tod) hopes to work with you one day.

astoddard
WHS 2019 grad Alex Stoddard (photo courtesy of Spencer Spivy)

 

In the meantime, according to The Record profile on Stoddard, he has been making a name for himself in music circle working with artists such as Yung Bleu, OMB Peezy, and Rod Wave. All this while taking care of academics and playing on the varsity basketball team.

A well-rounded young man, indeed.

Dana Hall’s annual Nexus dance concert open to the public

Dana Hall Dance presents its annual dance concert, Nexus, on Friday, March 4, and Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m., in Bardwell Auditorium. The
performances are free and open to the public.

“Our annual dance concert is a unique experience,” said Director of Dance Devon Fitchett, in a statement. “It is rare at the high school level for students and faculty to come together and show work in a formal theater setting with costumes and lights. This is the most exciting
time of year for our program, as the culmination of the students’ hard work, talent and passion comes to life on stage.”

This marks the school’s first live dance performance since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program includes works in modern, musical theater dance, contemporary, ballet, African diasporic dance, jazz, hip hop, and tap.

Bardwell Auditorium is located on the Dana Hall campus at 37 Cameron St. Bardwell is not wheelchair accessible. For more information, please contact
Devon Fitchett at devon.fitchett@danahall.org.

Wellesley Theatre Project makes mark at Junior Theater Festival

Wellesley Theatre Project’s audition-only IMPACT! group was the only outfit from Massachusetts to attend the recent Junior Theater Festival in Atlanta, and it came away with awards. The event attracted 5,300 participants from 110 groups, with 31 states, and several other countries represented.

At the festival, each group performed 15 minutes of a Broadway Junior musical for judges, with WTP presenting Mary Poppin, Jr. WTP also performed during the New Works Showcase.

Alex Irwin, a freshman at Wayland High School, won a Freddie G Award for Outstanding Performance by an Individual. Lexi Greeley, a 7th grader at Wayland Middle School, and Alex Ho, a 7th grader at The Rivers School, won All-Star Awards. Arabella Hardgrave, a 7th grader at Wellesley Middle School, Lydia Harrison, a 6th grader at Wellesley Middle School and Andrew Ho, a freshman at Rivers, made it to the callback for future video shoots for “how-to” choreography videos.

WTP performance in Atlanta
Students from IMPACT!  performing “Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat” from MTI’S Broadway Junior Revue: Raise Your Voice, a world premier pilot production on the main-stage in front of over 5,000 people. (Photo Credit Marcus Woollen)

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

Filed Under: Art, Entertainment, Music, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

Live theatre at Wellesley middle schools: Matilda & A Midsummer Night’s Dream

November 17, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Middle School this week invites the public to attend Matilda: The Musical Jr. in person from Thursday, Nov. 18 to Saturday, Nov. 20. This will be the first in-person theater performance at WMS since before March 2020.

Ticket are on sale now.

Masks are required for all attendees, regardless of vaccination status. In addition, seating will be assigned to support social distancing.

matilda wms

The Dana Hall Middle School presents its fall play, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, on Thursday, November 18, at 7:30 p.m., in Bardwell Auditorium. The performance is free and open to the public.

Like with Wellesley Middle School, this is the first public performance at Dana Hall since early last year.

In keeping with current protocols on campus, all students involved in the production and audience members will be masked while in Bardwell.

Bardwell Auditorium is located on the Dana Hall campus at 37 Cameron St. Bardwell is not wheelchair accessible. For more information, please call (781) 235-3010 ext. 2731 or visit www.danahall.org .

dana hall play


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Filed Under: Art, Dana Hall School, Theatre, Wellesley Middle School

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Wellesley Middle School reports ‘Slavery’ written on METCO bus window

October 22, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

Wellesley Public Schools’ longest week in memory got longer on Friday, when Wellesley Middle School Principal Dr. Mark Ito issued the following:

Dear WMS Community,

I write to you with deep concern that yesterday, a word that was written in a coat of dirt on a METCO bus window was subsequently altered to form the word, “slavery.”  It was reported to us by a teacher who saw it while passing by the bus, and it was quickly cleaned. Our investigation thus far indicates that this was done near the end of the school day. 

Regardless, this act directly contradicts our values of inclusivity and safety for all. In response, we will continue to investigate following our district policies and procedures, educate our students on anti-racism, and monitor our building for safety. Additionally, I hope that you will talk to your children about the impact this kind of behavior has on their classmates, and let us know if any further support is needed. 

We work tirelessly to try and prevent incidents like these because they negatively impact our entire school community. That being said, I feel confident in our ability to address this incident, and we remain as committed as ever to fostering an environment that is safe and inclusive.  

Sincerely,

Mark Ito
Principal, Wellesley Middle School  


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Filed Under: Wellesley Middle School

From Student To Teacher

September 9, 2021 by Fiona Zhou Leave a Comment

What a summer journalism course has taught me about teaching and working on the thing I love most.

Over the past two weeks I have been teaching journalism to young and aspiring middle school journalists. The program I taught was a student-run and student-established course called: First to the Frontpage, created in the Summer of 2020 by Wellesley High School students Suzie Kim (’23), Ian Lei (’21), and Felipé Lopez (’22). Their first summer teaching was my first summer learning.

At first, journalism seemed intimidating to me. There was so much to write and report about. The mentors I had threw information at me left and right. Journalism itself sounded so different from the creative writing and argument writing I had known. And to be frank, I thought the only forms of journalism out there were newspapers talking about politics or two people sitting in front of a huge television screen reading off a paper script. Honestly, sitting in front of my computer that summer, I couldn’t imagine myself as a journalist, not even one, but five years into the future. When I opened the doors to the world of reporting, I peeked my head instead of striding in like some peers. But as a student and even as a journalist, it’s important to step out of your comfort zone. Whether that be reporting stories that are tough to write about, ones that require more research, or even having to sit through long and boring conference meetings. As learners we have lots to figure out and improve on. 

Even teachers are still students. That was one thing I learned while teaching this summer. Little details mattered a lot more than I thought. There had been points and tips I had missed even as a writer which I realize now are crucial to the structure and layout of a piece. My students at times were confused, but that got me to take a different approach in teaching the lesson in a different style. A form for which middle school students would understand– also keeping in mind that I shouldn’t overload them with work.

As Albert Einstein more or less said: “If you can’t explain it simply, then you don’t understand it well enough.” Now this quote applied specifically to my teaching because I tended to go on long tangents explaining curriculum and giving advice. This didn’t give the students enough time to digest the feedback and information they were receiving. In the future, I strive to make my explanations more condensed as well as giving the students room to write by themselves instead of me leading them every step of the way. 

On a more daily basis, the program would work on building a news article– focusing on one key aspect every day until a sandwiched story was created. This included skills such as working in quotations, interview skills, the structure of each article– ultimately working up to their final project of writing their own news story, an opinion or feature. 

journalism instructors
Instructors Suzie Kim, Clementine Zei, and Fiona Zhou teaching Session 1 with slides

 

Over the course of these two weeks our efforts were not without struggle. The first session went pretty well with packed classes and heavily engaged writers. That wasn’t to say there were no difficulties reaching out to interviewees who had tight schedules or who simply just didn’t respond. But by making quick changes and finding a solution without altering the course of the story was good practice, even as a learning journalist myself. Making these tough transitions and finding a solution fast when a story idea is taken or when elements fall apart is something we as writers and teachers need to grasp. 

The second session this summer had only two students. Although their learning was more personalized, receiving feedback sooner, the environment was less engaging and the community of writers who could peer edit and learn together was restricted. 

Through these two weeks I have indeed learned more as a journalist and teacher. Knowing how to lead classes, provide focused feedback, make quick and easy changes to a story, and hand down the knowledge I have for one of my passions. It was a great learning experience for my co-workers and I as well as the students. I hope to continue teaching at similar programs so that I can pass down what I learn to younger students as I work on becoming a better journalist myself. 

P.S. If you are interested in the course I taught at, First to the Frontpage, please email us at: firsttothefrontpage@gmail.com. Our website is located at: https://firsttothefrontpage.weebly.com/

Filed Under: Education, Media, Wellesley High School, Wellesley Middle School

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