To the editor:

Located in Wellesley, Mass., Centennial Park is a sight to behold. It is a serene environment, where people hike, run, and walk their dogs in tandem. The 87-acre park has a thriving ecosystem of animals, between woodland, grassland, and Bezanson Pond. However, 40 of these acres are owned by MassBay Community College, and designated by the State of Massachusetts as surplus land, putting them in danger of being bulldozed to build affordable housing. We need to fight against this development of Centennial and protect our natural spaces from urban development.

Centennial Park is an important space for many Wellesley residents. These natural spaces are where kids learn to explore the outdoors, where older adults can walk to stay fit, where moms can catch up while walking their dogs, and more. It isn’t fair to take away part of Centennial, especially since trails go through both the Wellesley owned part and the MassBay part. As a kid, exploring the outdoors is a major part of growing up, and even as an adult, spending time outdoors in natural spaces could be relaxing and beneficial. Everyone should have access to these natural spaces and it’s unfair to take away Centennial for our generation, previous generations, and our progeny.

Home to a diverse ecosystem, Centennial Park must be conserved for the sake of its animals. Centennial park has numerous natural habitats, from the woodlands and forests, to the fields and meadows, to aquatic environments like Bezanson Pond. The woodlands compromise 90% of the park, including Northern Red Oak, Hickory, and other pine species. The area is a sanctuary for white tailed deer, coyotes, turkeys, raccoons, squirrels, muskrats, and many more. Birdwatchers typically spot songbirds, while great blue herons are prevalent near the water. The ecosystem of Centennial Park is too valuable for us to see it destroyed, we need to protect the park and advocate on behalf of animals.

Concerns of traffic issues are to be noted with this impending development of these 40 acres of forest and 5-acre parking lot. With upwards of 180 homes planned for construction, traffic concerns are raised. Where do we put another 180 cars? With building on the parking lot, we eliminate a key way to manage this influx of people and their cars. Additionally, this parking lot is used by MassBay students every day. Around 500 students park on the MassBay campus, and the parking lot people are so eager to destroy is used by around 135 students. Where will all these students park? Where will the owners of these new homes park? Clearly this development has not been fully thought through, and shouldn’t be carried out, as the costs drastically outweigh any benefits.

As we discuss the pros and cons of this development, we need to take a step back and ask the key question: Is this new housing needed? Wellesley is already committed to advancing affordable housing and has made exceptional progress getting out of a deep housing crisis. The Town is working with the Commonwealth on building affordable housing and has built around 550 multi-family homes in recent years. Wellesley already exceeds the State’s 40B affordable housing requirement and is compliant under the MBTA Communities Act. So as our town continues to debate this development, we should take a step back and consider if we really need this new housing and what we are willing to sacrifice for it.

Deforestation is already a problem in Massachusetts. We lost 50% of tree cover between the years 2001 and 2024. Annually, we lose around 5,000 acres of natural forest per year. So, statewide, we need to protect our forests and natural spaces from deforestation. And it starts now. So Wellesley residents, let’s fight for Centennial Park. Fight for your childhood, growing up outdoors, playing in the woods. Fight for the animals, who inhabit this park and rely on it to live. Most importantly, fight for our environment, because if we don’t take action now there will be nothing left for our generation. People of Wellesley, I encourage you to speak up against this development, in any way shape or form. It could be as simple as voicing support for the cause or telling a neighbor about the situation. It could also be emailing a government member or voicing opinions in meetings. No matter what you do, remember that your voice counts, so use it well.

Thank you!

Camila Cortes, 8th grader at WMS

To the editor:

Five to six hours a day on screens. Fewer than three field trips in three years. How can we get students off their iPads and back to experiential learning? Wellesley Middle School must take action by establishing a student-run clothing store that would raise funding for curriculum-based field trips. This store would not only create a source of sustainable funding for the school, but also would address clothing affordability for families in the community.

Does this sound too ambitious? Think again, because the model has existed right here in Wellesley since 1952. At that time, a clothing store called Shopper’s Corner was established at the Warren Elementary School and later relocated to Schofield Elementary School. This simple business model of reselling donated clothing and accessories has thrived, raising more than $50,000 for the PTO annually and funding zero-cost field trips (no bus or entrance fees) for every Schofield student.

It is widely reported that average Americans spend 7 hours on screens daily but only get outside for 30 minutes. At WMS, the pattern isn’t much different. As screen time has increased, field trips have decreased. Over the last 15 years, students have taken fewer than 3 field trips for their entire WMS experience.

In 2022, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to make it illegal to throw out old clothing. Taking this into consideration, the WMS store would be the perfect solution for the community, giving local residents a place to donate their used clothing, while also fundraising for WMS and re-selling clothes at low prices.

I can’t remember the last time our grade went on a field trip together. But I do still remember pumping water from a well with my second grade class at Sturbridge Village, learning how to start a fire out of scratch at Hale Reservation, and managing money in a mini game with my fifth grade friends at Gillette Stadium. These small moments can’t be replicated by watching a YouTube video, but they are the ones that stand out the most to me.

Why has screen time soared while field trips have gone away? Why wouldn’t we use a model that already exists just down the road at Schofield? Why are WMS students the ones being left inside while other students are experiencing the world beyond the classroom? The School Committee has the authority to change this. Give WMS a space to open a store, open students’ minds and open the door for the community to protect the planet and access affordable clothes. It’s time to power down our iPads and power up our proposal to fund field trips.

Thank you,

Ryan O’Connor
Grade 8 student, WMS

To the editor:

I believe there should be more electric vehicles in Wellesley because they decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and make Wellesley more sustainable. Right now, gas prices are at an all-time high. They rose 11.6% in the past year. Carbon emissions are rising, and so are the dangers of climate change. 43% of carbon emissions in Wellesley are from gas powered cars. Electric Vehicles produce 60% to 70% less greenhouse gas emissions than normal gas powered cars. And there are a lot of savings! You can get a $3,500 MA rebate, and $95 per month! Also, Massachusetts passed a law where all new cars should be sold electric by 2035. If you buy an electric vehicle, you would be ahead of the sustainability game!

EVs are a good choice for Wellesley because they reduce carbon emissions, while gas cars contribute more to climate change. Transportation is a large factor in climate change, so if Wellesley switched to EVs it would lower the carbon in the atmosphere. They are also cheaper than gas powered cars, because they need fewer check-ups. If residents in Wellesley switches to EVs now, we will be ahead of other towns, and future generations won’t have to suffer from climate change.

Finally, I want more electric vehicles in Wellesley because I want to live in a town with clean air. Lots of kids that are younger than me play outside, and the cleanliness of the air matters for their health. Whenever I watch the weather, I can directly see the effects of climate change happening to us. That makes me feel sad, because I know there is so much we can do to prevent climate change, such as incentivizing Wellesley to buy more electric vehicles. Choosing to drive an EV is not about the car—it’s about the desire for our Earth to have cleaner air and less climate change in the future. Buy an Electric Vehicle today!

To end, you can do a lot to make Wellesley more sustainable. If you buy, or even think about buying an electric vehicle, you’re directly stopping climate change. Buy an electric vehicle!

Thanks so much in advance,

Dylan Lacey
8th grade student, Wellesley Middle School

To the editor,

Under the banner of solving Massachusetts’ housing crisis, the Healey Administration i—s pushing to sell a 45-acre lot in Wellesley consisting almost entirely of prime public forest to a private developer. This, from an administration that brands itself a national environmental leader. The contradiction is hard to ignore. The environmental cost to the town appears secondary to a top-down high density housing agenda that dismisses the value of local knowledge. This one-size-fits-all “Big Brother” approach—centralized, rigid, and indifferent to context—is inappropriate, especially in this sensitive conservation area. Plans to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to build 180 units of mostly market rate housing there are moving forward at breakneck speed, without adequate studies, or meaningful input from the community.

Wellesley’s record makes this disregard even more striking. The town has long been a leader in thoughtful, community-driven planning: among the first in the nation to adopt zoning laws, an early adopter of Representative Town Meeting, and a pioneer in affordable housing policy—meeting the 10% threshold under Chapter 40B and going further to require 20% affordability in new developments. It also led the Commonwealth in municipal recycling. These are not symbolic gestures; they reflect a consistent commitment to balancing growth, sustainability, and community character.

Yet the State’s proposal ignores this history and the importance of balancing these factors to residents. The planned 180-unit development is not sited near transit or other essential services, but in the town’s largest downzoned conservation area. The consequences of a development of this scale in this location are predictable: degradation of protected Article 97 land, fragmentation of Wellesley’s largest wildlife corridor, destruction of critical habitat, risks to wetlands and a water supply protection district, reduction of natural water recharge and filtration capabilities, and strain on a neighborhood defined by small, historic homes dating to the Colonial era on an even older, narrow, winding road. Overnight, the State would triple housing density in the area, imposing a scale that more closely resembles downtown Boston and that would completely overwhelm an 80-acre forest and adjacent neighborhood. Despite protestations to the contrary, there is no “saving” of the forest (or whatever is left of it) with a development of this size built on its doorstep and into its interior.

The State’s new Affordable Homes Act and regulations override local zoning and planning. The State has also sidestepped essential questions from town officials, dismissed the concerns of more than 3,300 residents advocating for saving this conservation area, and refused to consider alternative solutions that would avoid destruction of this conservation land. This, despite Wellesley’s consistent compliance with—and often exceeding—all state housing mandates.

The Massachusetts Municipal Association recently sent comments* to the State on the Surplus Real Property draft regulations, and commented, “By limiting a municipality’s capacity to enforce local bylaws, the regulations do not simply “streamline” development, they effectively bypass essential municipal oversight.” It went on to comment that these democratically enacted bylaws protect critical local resources, including infrastructure, and those of an ecological nature.

The message is clear: local leadership and environmental stewardship are expendable when they conflict with centralized authority. Big Brother doesn’t want smart planning— it wants planning by decree and high density urban-style housing at any cost!

Sincerely,

Doug Youngen
President, Friends of Centennial

*Massachusetts Municipal Association letter to Secretary Juana B. Matias RE 760 CMR 77.00 Surplus Real Property Draft Regulations, dated April 13, 2026

To the editor:

Have you ever been out fishing and caught something that looked seriously wrong? You might have just encountered a northern snakehead, a nightmarish, sharp-toothed fish native to Asia, which has colonized U.S. waters. They eat other fish, out-compete native species, and throw ecosystems seriously out of whack. Yes, that means fewer bass, trout, and other fish that anglers like you actually want to catch. Oh, and they can survive—and walk (kind of)—on land. They’re pretty scary! It’s not all bad, though. There is one simple way you can combat this, and it’s not even hard: just kill that loser on sight.

According to the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service, the first confirmed discovery of a snakehead in the U.S. was in California in 1997. Among several other sightings, one was discovered right here in Massachusetts in the Canton Reservoir Pond a couple years ago. There are two theories of how they might have originally been introduced into U.S. wildlife. One idea is that they were released through live fish markets, as some people began raising and selling them there. The other hypothesis is that aquarium owners illegally released them. Luckily, in Massachusetts, they haven’t reproduced. However, that could change quickly if even one is released—they would proliferate and take over our lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.

If you’re out angling and catch a snakehead, don’t panic. Killing a snakehead is easy. All you have to do is place it on ice for an extended amount of time. If you want a quicker way, decapitation is also a solution, as it is a humane way to dispatch the snakehead. (Just make sure to take a photo and report to MassWildlife first at (508) 389-6300.)

Why should you kill it, you ask? Firstly, it’s illegal to release them back into the water. But there’s also perks in it for you. They are the ones competing with you for the other fish—and they regularly out-compete you, as they carry an extensive appetite almost for other fish, crustaceans, and basically anything that they can fit in their mouth. Even one caught out of the water is a huge threat removed for local ecosystems.

So, to sum it all up, if you catch one, here’s what you should do: don’t admire it, don’t hesitate, and definitely don’t give that dolt a second chance.

By Liam Chou
Wellesley Middle School 8th grader

To the editor:

Wellesley is known for its outstanding school system, yet they are missing one key unit from the curriculum—financial literacy. Financial literacy is the ability to understand and effectively apply various financial skills, including budgeting, investing, saving, and managing debt. These are skills that many students lack when entering adulthood. Without this knowledge, young adults often struggle with real world financial responsibilities and make costly mistakes. By supporting Massachusetts legislative bill H.636, requiring financial literacy courses in public schools, we can ensure every student gains the vital financial skills needed for adulthood.

According to the Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center, only 48% of adults in the U.S. are considered financially literate. This low percentage reveals that many adults lack the knowledge and skills needed to make informed financial decisions. This highlights the need for stronger financial education, especially through the school system, to better prepare emerging adults for their up-and-coming financial responsibilities.

The Massachusetts legislative bill H.636, introduced in February 2025 would require financial literacy education to be a mandated unit in Massachusetts public schools. The bill also set up funds for these courses for the salary of the teachers and the training of these teachers, as well as the materials needed for the course. The bill specifically targets under-served schools and communities to encourage economic growth in the communities. This bill accompanies house bill H.627 which aims to strengthen financial literacy throughout Massachusetts. So far bill H.636 has passed unanimously in the house, but has yet to pass in the Senate.

If we continue to not educate our future generations on financial literacy, we are essentially setting them up for failure. When an individual is not financially literate, they are more prone to make unwise decisions with their assets, which can lead to costly mistakes and more added stress to their daily lives. However, by teaching financial skills, the costly mistakes can be eliminated as well as the distress caused by lack of understanding, leading to rates of financially literate citizens to skyrocket.

After years of struggles and costly mistakes, it is time for change, time for us to better prepare young adults for their financial future. If you want to help our future generations to thrive as adults vote, yes for bill H.636.

Sincerely, members of WMS Civics Action Project
Madison Santoro
Le’a Charmaraman-Lau
Juliette Wright
Chloe Pastore
Payton Dimarino

To the editor:

Right now, an animal is waiting in a cage for someone that may never come. Our goal is to help local shelters by encouraging Wellesley residents to adopt, donate, volunteer, or complete other acts of service to ensure each animal’s wellbeing.

According to the website of Lake Norman Humane in Mooresville, NC, “With pet adoptions down nationwide, the role of adopters, fosters, and advocates has never been more crucial.” In animal shelters, many animals face overcrowding, limited resources, and uncertainty. Each day, countless dogs, cats, and other pets wait for someone to care for them, and without support from communities, some may never be able to receive the care necessary, or therefore find a forever home.

By adopting, you could save a life. By donating or volunteering, you could provide food, care, and comfort to animals in need. In addition, most animal shelters and organizations, especially non-profits, rely predominantly on donations and support from local communities. These acts could help combat one of the major challenges many shelters face of overcrowding, which can restrict their capacity to care for all animals requiring help. Local shelters, like Off the Rocks Rescue in Wellesley, often allow individuals to foster cats and kittens to free up space in shelters and give them temporary homes before adoption.

Finally, animal shelters can serve to decrease the population of stray animals in communities. While Wellesley has a minimal number of stray animals, some shelters will rescue animals from areas with higher stray populations and/or unsafe conditions. For example, Off the Rocks Rescue transports cats from the U.S. Virgin Islands—where dangerous weather events are prevalent and populations are high—to Wellesley to give them a chance at safety and a loving home.

Even small acts of service help more animals stay safe and healthy while simultaneously creating a more caring and compassionate community. Every animal deserves a chance. Today you can volunteer, donate, foster, or adopt to support your local shelters and give each animal the life they deserve.

@adoptdontshop_savealife 

Thank you for your consideration,

Sophia Spaulding
Wellesley Middle School 8th grader

To the editor:

“The future starts today, not tomorrow” – Pope John Paul II. You may have heard about a movement to push school start times back, but not much action has happened. That’s because no one is stepping up. Well I am, and I invite you to join me. Wellesley public schools should push all start times back. Currently, the middle school starts at 7:45am and the high school at 7:30am. What’s more, buses pick up students as early as 6:50am, forcing students to wake up even earlier.

I remember the first couple days of middle school, where my bus came at 7:10 and I had to wake up at 6:30 to prepare. Because of this, I was getting much less sleep than I was used to and was very sleepy in class. It got to the point where, during my science quiz, I fell asleep mid-quiz! Thankfully, I still did well but that just shows how much early start times are affecting students. And it’s not just me! My Civics Action Project group surveyed over 150 students and over 83% of them agreed that we should change school start times to be later, with one noting “Whenever I come to school a bit late at 8:15, my day is always so much smoother and I feel so much better.” This is also backed up by science; According to the National Library of Medicine, schools that start at 8:30am or later reported lower suicide attempts, significantly higher student performance, less tardiness, and even lower dropout rates.

In addition, it is not just the students that are impacted. Every day, my dad wakes up at 6am to prepare breakfast for me and my siblings. If school started later, then perhaps he could get an extra half hour of much-needed sleep every day. I also just wanted to give a shoutout to my dad for always waking up early in the morning to help us no matter what. Furthermore, I’m sure this is not only the case for my parents. Parents all over the town are getting up far earlier—to prepare breakfast or lunch, wake up students, and/or drive them to school—than necessary.

You may be thinking, “Good article, now I’m going to move on with my day.” Don’t! This is about our future generation. Every day, students, who will someday be leaders, politicians, and inventors, are sleep-deprived and do poorly in classes because of that. Join the growing movement by petitioning for later school start times and the bill in the Massachusetts State House!

Andrew Liu
Wellesley Middle School 8th grader