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The Swellesley Report selected for Google News Initiative Startups Lab

September 16, 2022 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The Swellesley Report is 1 of 16 independent publishers selected to take part in the 2022 GNI Startups Lab on Managing Money and Risk. The program, a collaboration between the Google News Initiative and the LION Publishers trade group that we belong to, is designed to help outfits like ours build sustainable news operations. In our case, this includes Swellesley and our newer Natick Report.

The program, which kicked off for us this week, will provide training, funding and coaching on:

  • Navigating risk and uncertainty
  • Financial management
  • Setting goals
  • Developing key business and financial documents
  • Growth opportunities

We’re lucky to be paired with coach John Davidow, a longtime news industry professional with WBUR, WBZ, and other organizations.


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Filed Under: Media

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Wellesley Media now has somewhere to put its high-def programming

August 16, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Media has announced a new high definition TV channel—2139—for Verizon cable TV subscribers

Wellesley Media has been broadcasting high definition programming for a few years but Comcast and Verizon have not provided a high-def TV channel for Wellesley cable subscribers. Verizon has agreed to deliver the high-def channel under the current 5-year contract, and Wellesley Media is hoping Comcast will follow suit.

Check the TV guide at Wellesley Media for program information, which consists of sports, government meetings, and other community events.

wellesley media


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

Filed Under: Media

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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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‘Decoding the News’ at Wellesley Free Library on June 2

May 31, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

This sounds a Wellesley Free Library program that we, at least, shouldn’t miss: “Decoding the News.”

The program pledges to help you learn new tools and tactics to stay informed about politics, elections, and pandemic details, and not get buried in bias, hype, and disinformation. The workshop is for all ages, to sharpen your news literacy whether you get updates via print, broadcast, online, social media, or direct messages.

Leading the presentation and discussion will be David Wallace, a former news/business/tech reporter for The New York Times and Reuters, and journalism adjunct lecturer at Boston University (though perhaps best known as a one-time Swellesley contributor).

The event takes place on Thursday, June 2, from 6:30-8pm in the Wakelin Room at Wellesley Free Library, 530 Washington St.


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Filed Under: Education, Media

Thank you Swellesley Report supporters & on to Year 17

February 7, 2022 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Thanks to all of you who have supported The Swellesley Report over the past year and before that. We reassess our situation annually, and what the heck, we’re doing it again in 2022.

As you may or may not know, we’re a small community-focused operation consisting of residents Deborah and Bob Brown. Deborah works on our Reports (including Natick Report) full time, while Bob squeezes in his writing around his day job. We laugh when people ask if someone from “your staff” can cover an event.

As we try to stress, please keep your expectations in check. We do what we can, but our resources are limited.

We do however thank those who help us do what we do. This includes those of you who:

  • Pass along tips and ideas
  • Share memos from the schools and others that are of community-wide interest
  • Send photos of the darnedest things
  • Add to the conversation by commenting on posts or social media posts

We’ve also loved having students contribute their work, including Athlete of the Week articles.

Thank you as well to the many readers who support us financially, some on a regular basis. This backing means a lot to us and helps cover the cost of everything from web hosting to the software and services that power everything from our newsletters to our events calendar.

Thank you to our advertisers, too. Dozens of organizations and individuals sponsored Swellesley in 2021, enabling us to do what we do. One breakthrough this past year was that the town began running some legal notices in Swellesley, aware that outdated state rules requiring publication in printed newspapers aren’t necessarily getting the word out.

Entering Wellesley, Bob and Deb
Photo by Beth Shedd

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Once more thank you, and here’s to another great year of local news coverage.

Deborah & Bob

Filed Under: Media

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Wellesley Business Buzz: lots of movement in Wellesley Square; Nourishing Wellesley program gets funding; Wellesley Hills Living shuttered—for now

October 7, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our round-up of the latest Wellesley MA business news:

Sushi joint eyes Wellesley Square

Wellesley’s Health Department has met with a high-end sushi business looking to set up shop at 90 Central St., in Wellesley Square, former home to Florijn Home, a European-inspired home goods retailer.

Word on the street is it will be Laughing Monk Cafe. We’ve reached out for confirmation from the restaurant, which has a Boston location.

Got more details on this? Let us know: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com


Grand opening for We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym

We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym,  at 34 Central St., in Wellesley Square, previously the location of Kidville, has a grand opening scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 9 from 10am-5pm ($20 for open play, refreshments).

The sensory gym is designed to be inclusive for all children, though will cater to those with autism and other special needs.


Lauren Grove to move a couple doors down

We came across a sign in Wellesley Square window trumpeting that Laurel Grove is “coming soon” into the former Cashmere Sale (and before that, LF boutique space) just a couple doors down from Laurel Grove’s current 35 Central Street location. The go-to spot for home decor and gifts with a farmhouse/vintage design aesthetic appears to have moved some of its goods into the much larger space.

Laurel Grove, Wellesley
Laurel Grove, Wellesley

No word on the official opening date yet, but their socials are full of teasers such as, “We have a huge announcement coming…”


The Cashmere Sale to get cozy in Church Square

Back to keep Wellesley warm and snuggly for its 11th big year is The Cashmere Sale is set to pop up at 32 Church St., the former Lyn Evans location (Lyn Evans has reopened in fashionable new digs at 87 Central St., the former home of Wildflower. Wildflower is still in Wellesley Square—more on that below).

The Cashmere Sale, Wellesley

The shop will have its usual high-quality cashmere goods such as sweaters, throws, hats, gloves, and more, perfect for gift-giving or self-care. Yes, wrapping yourself in cashmere all winter counts as self-care. The pop-up’s dates and times are Oct. 22 – Dec. 18, Monday to Saturday, 11am-5pm; and Sunday, noon-4pm.

Any questions? Contact them at Boston@thecashmeresale.com


Pattee’s opens in Wellesley Square

Pattee's, WellesleyWellesley resident, silversmith and textiles upcycler Pattee Lebner has, along with Wildflower, taken over the 91 Central St. storefront that in the past has been home to Pop 91. Lebner has worked on the creative side of high-end retail for over 18 years, partnering with brands such as Chanel, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, and more. This venture, callled Pattee’s, however, is all about her own designs. “I make everything in Wellesley,” she says of her handcrafted jewelry pieces, “and I have a clothing line where I upcycle vintage goods into new, one-of-a-kind masterpieces.”

Wildflower (jewelry, candles, body scrubs, handmade scarves, wreaths, vases, and more) has joined Pattee’s at 91 Central St., which made way for Lyn Evans to move into 87 Central last month.

The Pattee’s/Wildflower storefront’s hours are Tue. – Sat., 11am-6pm.


Nourishing Wellesley program gets funding

The Charles River Regional Chamber has announced that its Nourishing Newton and Nourishing Wellesley programs, which provide financial support for restaurants and healthy meals to those who need them, has been funded for a second year.

The programs delivered more than 7,500 meals from more than 50 restaurants in the 2 communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The chamber has been awarded another $115,000 from the state to keep the programs going. The timing is key, as restaurants face a likely downturn with the outdoor dining season winding down for most.

The chamber is again partnering with Rotary Club of Newton,  the Wellesley Youth  Commission and volunteers in both communities to arrange meal deliveries between restaurants, local food pantries, senior programs and individual households. 


Wellesley Hills Living shuttered—for now

Wellesley Hills Living, a print magazine that arrived in town in 2014, has announced “with a heavy heart,” that its October issue will be it last, “at least for now.” The publication introduced itself as being focused exclusively on the “historic Belvedere/Country Club Neighborhood in Wellesley Hills” and relied on contributed articles and photos from residents.

Last summer, the Hometown Weekly newspaper put its Wellesley edition on hiatus during the heart of the pandemic.

You’re still stuck with Swellesley.

wellesley hills living


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Filed Under: Business, Media

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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