• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

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

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Environment/Sustainability
  • Events
  • About us
  • Subscribe
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • 2021 Town Election
  • Bulletin Board
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Boston Sports Institute, Wellesley

Patty’s Room: Wellesley High seeks fitting honor for athletic trainer retiring after 40 years

December 10, 2020 by Bob Brown 10 Comments

Update Dec. 22: The School Committee approved the naming of the WHS Athletic Training Room after Patty Hickey at its Dec. 22 meeting. Here’s a mockup of the plaque shared by Athletic Director John Brown.

Patty's room

 


Wellesley High School Athletic Director John Brown isn’t the mushiest guy I’ve ever met. But he waxes downright sentimental when speaking about Patty Hickey, the ubiquitous head athletic trainer who has been serving the town’s student-athletes for 40 years and retires this week.

“She truly thinks of every athlete as her own child,” he says. “When she talks about my football players, she means they’re her football players… she just cares about these kids, whether it be swimming or wrestling or you name a sport.”

Patty Hickey, Lucy Raeke
Patty Hickey in 2017 wth student trainer Lucy Raeke (photo courtesy of Eric Cohen)

 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the school system can’t throw a party for Hickey as it would otherwise have done.

But Brown and WHS Principal Dr. Jamie Chisum recently approached WPS Superintendent Dr. David Lussier with an even more special idea. They proposed naming the athletic training room in Hickey’s honor, and Lussier and Brown in turn made this request to the Wellesley School Committee this week (hear their comments starting at about the 1-hour and 56-minute mark of the Wellesley Media recording).  The committee welcomed the idea, and now needs to proceed with the logistical ins and outs of getting it done, hopefully by the time it has its last meeting of the year later this month.

Brown said during the School Committee meeting that Hickey has dealt with hundreds of thousands of student-athletes across the state over her career, which has also included mentoring a roster of excellent student trainers.

He praised her thoroughness, whether it was treating athletes directly, calling parents if their kid twisted an ankle at a game, or emailing the administration if an athlete got concussed or needed to get in an ambulance for treatment.

John Griffith, a WHS fitness and health teacher, as well as football and track coach, echoed much of what Brown said when we exchanged email with him about the trainer.

“Patty Hickey will be a tremendous loss to our teaching and coaching community,” he says. “She was such a strong figure that brought knowledge, confidence and a kind heart to everyone she was around.”

He adds: “I remember countless times that she was brought to tears worrying about the health and well being of countless athletes over the years.  As a head coach, I always knew my athletes were in good hands with Patty.”

Naming the training room in Hickey’s name, and putting up a plaque to formalize it, is an obvious way to recognize her, Brown says.

“Whenever anyone describes the door that comes into the building that’s outside the athletic training office, they call it coming in by ‘Patty’s room,'” he says. “If we’re going to say ‘come in by Patty’s room,’ why don’t we just name it ‘Patty’s Room?'”

Patty Hickey (Photo courtesy of Eric Cohen)
Patty Hickey, with her game face on (photo courtesy of Eric Cohen)

  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
Share

Filed Under: Sports, Wellesley High School

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wellesley Youth Lacrosse

Wellesley High basketball gets go-ahead for winter season

December 9, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley High School basketball teams will be adding a new drill to their regimens: moving 198 desks and 198 chairs in and out of the gym so that they can practice and play during the pandemic.

“There’s a huge buy-in for our kids,” Wellesley High Athletic Director John Brown told the School Committee on Tuesday night. “They know if they want to play then they need to do this.”

The outlook for basketball being allowed didn’t look good late last month when a handful of other sports, including ice hockey and gymnastics, got the School Committee and Board of Health’s OK, but basketball did not. It was listed as “pending further information” in light of COVID-19 concerns.

think beyond pink basketball

Since then, the various approval parties have been convinced by medical experts and play modifications outlined by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association that basketball is worth a go. This applies to freshman, JV, and varsity boys and girls teams, with practices set to start Dec. 14 and games vs. 6 teams in their league beginning on Jan. 5. There will be no state tournament games.

Brown, who along with other school officials got the Board of Health’s blessing on Monday, reviewed the basketball game plan with the School Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 8 (around 1 hour and 15 minutes on the Wellesley Media recording). Among the rules and new practices: No in-person spectators, the introduction of mask break areas, and limited roster size. Some play modifications seek to limit close contact between players, and Brown noted that close defense has largely gone away anyway as more players are launching 3-pointers and defenders switch more on the players they cover. The school will work with coaches to strongly encourage all players to get tested for COVID-19 even though WPS can’t mandate the students to do so.

School Committee members raised concerns about safety, about the teams Wellesley would be playing, and fairness issues in allowing sports to take place while other student activities are not allowed to take place in person. But in the end, the committee voted unanimously to approve play.

There’s still no plan for clearing school gyms for Wellesley youth basketball.


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
Share

Filed Under: COVID-19, Health, Sports, Wellesley High School

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley sports update: Hockey & skiing in, hoops out for now; student-athletes sign with colleges

November 25, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley High School has announced that the following sports have been approved to play during the winter season, set to begin in mid-winter (practices start Dec. 14, meets/games on Jan. 4).

Those approved:

  • Ice hockey
  • Boys swimming & diving
  • Alpine & nordic skiing
  • Gymnastics

Not on the list for now:

  • Basketball

Basketball, listed as “pending further information” on the School Committee presentation, is challenging in that it relies on indoor facilities at the school that are being used for other purposes during the pandemic. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association has approved the sport for the winter season, though it remains to be seen what other local schools do.

As for sports slated to be played, there will be no out-of-league competition or MIAA tournaments.

Dance, track & field, and wrestling have been moved by the MIAA to later seasons.


Congrats to local student-athletes who have signed national letters of intent to play sports in college:

  • Dana Hall School’s Kate Bossert ’21, a Needham resident, signed a letter of intent to play soccer at the University of
    Vermont. She led the varsity team in scoring during her first three years with the Dana Hall team (she wasn’t able to play any games during her senior year due to the pandemic).

KateBossert_DanaHall

  • Margaux Gryska, a Wellesley High senior, signed to attend Syracuse University and compete on the women’s rowing team (Wellesley High doesn’t offer crew).

Margaux Gryska

  • Wellesley High senior Grace Donahue signed a letter of intent to attend Holy Cross and play field hockey there.

Congratulations to Grace Donahue who signed her National Letter of Intent to play Field Hockey at Holy Cross. It is quite an accomplishment and honor to receive a Division 1 athletic scholarship.
Way to go Grace! pic.twitter.com/92h36Xhi9b

— Wellesley Raiders (@wellesleysports) November 20, 2020


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
Share

Filed Under: Dana Hall School, Sports, Wellesley High School

Stretch Lab, Wellesley

Wellesley won’t be seeing NBA player Gordon Hayward at Roche Bros. anymore

November 21, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

With reports that professional basketball player Gordon Hayward has signed a four-year $120M deal with the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, Wellesley loses one of its Boston Swell-tics. We won’t be seeing the 6-foot, 7-inch tall Hayward, his wife Robyn, or any of their young kids cruising the Roche Bros., aisles anymore (my only live sightings) after Hayward rejected a $34M deal to stick with the Celts for another year.

gordon hayward roche bros

The Haywards moved into a $3M-plus Wellesley home in 2017 when Gordon joined the Celtics, whose Coach Brad Stevens and GM/President Danny Ainge also live in town.

We all should have known something was up though when Hayward, whose time with the Celtics has been marred by injuries, snagged another $3M mansion in Fishers, Ind., near where he grew up and where $3M gets you a lot more house than around here. Word on the street recently was that Hayward was angling to join the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, but it looks like he’s winding up none too close to there in Charlotte (though granted, closer than Wellesley).

Robyn Hayward posted a farewell note on her Instagram account in which cast some obligatory blame on the media, then shouted out neighbors,  Roche Bros., Wasik’s, and the police (for checking on her every day?).

robyn insta

We wish the Haywards well, except when the Hornets play the Celtics, and now someone with a few bucks can soon have the claim to fame of living in a former NBA player”s house…


swellesley green ad

Share

Filed Under: Business, Sports

Spike in COVID-19 cases forces Wellesley High to go remote through Thanksgiving

November 11, 2020 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

Wellesley High School, which has been offering students a mix of in-person and remote learning this fall, has been forced to go all remote through Thanksgiving due to six new positive COVID-19 cases detected today via its surveillance testing program. Additional cases were revealed earlier in the week and last week, and 12 of 14 cases detected overall so far this school year have been at the high school.

Wellesley High athletics will be scrapped for the reminder of the fall season as a result of the spike in COVID-19 cases at the school. What becomes of winter sports remains to be seen.

“With this number of cases materializing in such a short period of time, the School and Health Departments agree that the most prudent step to take is to direct Wellesley High School to transition to full remote learning beginning tomorrow, November 12th, through the Thanksgiving holiday, with classes resuming in person on Tuesday, December 1st,” Wellesley Public Schools Supt. David Lussier and Wellesley Health Department Director Lenny Izzo wrote today to members of the Wellesley Community (full letter below).

All this against a backdrop of the state urging schools to get back in the classroom. “Fully remote instructional models should be implemented only as a last resort, and classrooms should reopen after appropriate mitigation strategies have been implemented,” according to the Commonwealth’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Wellesley High School, fall 2020WPS expects to receive more viral test results on Thursday from samples collected on Tuesday from students and staff.

The events at Wellesley High won’t immediately affect other schools in the system. WPS staff across the district, as well as Wellesley Middle School students, will continue to be tested under the voluntary surveillance program.

Lussier and Izzo wrote: “While we recognize that this news is disappointing, we are also reassured that we were able to identify these cases rapidly to stop any further transmission.  It remains critical that we each do our part to stop the spread of the virus including wearing masks at all times, social distancing, hand washing, and avoiding gatherings.  WPS will continue working in collaboration with the Wellesley Health Department to further assess this situation and determine any additional action steps.”

Wellesley High Principal Jamie Chisum added in a note to families that “I appreciate this is disappointing news for all of us. So many of us have worked so hard to keep our school open, we wish we didn’t have to move to remote learning right now.”

Chisum stressed his belief in the viral testing program, which is currently voluntary:

“I do want to thank all of the people who helped put our testing program in place. I do believe without a doubt it helped us here and that it has already prevented the spread of more cases than we already have. When we return it will be essential for everyone who can to be a part of our surveillance program moving forward.”

WHS is now closed to students, though they can arrange to pick up items if it’s urgent.

As we reported last week, some town officials and board members, including those from the Select Board, Board of Health and Advisory Committee, continue to raise questions about the testing program from a public health and financial perspective. They’ve all got some fresh data to mull now.

Lussier had cautioned recently that the upcoming holidays could be a flash point for members of the community letting their guard down related to COVID-19 protocols. Unfortunately, the virus has taken a toll on the school system even before we get to that point.

Thank you to those WPS parents who shared information with us, as well as the WPS and the town for sharing this info.

Download (PDF, Unknown)

Download (PDF, Unknown)


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
Share

Filed Under: COVID-19, Education, Health, Sports, Wellesley High School

Wellesley Youth Hockey registration is open

October 26, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Youth Hockey offers Learn to Play Hockey (LTP) and Pre-Mite Development (PMD) programs as part of a multi-year introduction for those new to the sport of hockey. Register your child born in 2014, 2015 or 2016 (or older kids wanting to skate for the first time) for the upcoming Learn to Skate or Pre-Mite Development programs. We look forward to seeing you on the ice during the 2020/21 season.

Wellesley Youth Hockey

HOCKEY SEASON: November 2020 thru March 2021 (32 skating sessions) —Saturday mornings at 7:20am and Sunday afternoons at 2:20pm
WHERE: Boston Sports Institute (900 Worcester St., Wellesley, MA)

What is the difference between Learn to Play & Pre-Mite Development?

Wellesley Youth Hockey

Wellesley Youth Hockey needs volunteer coaches — register here.

Skater registration.

Share

Filed Under: Sports

Wellesley Youth Basketball plotting ways to play

October 15, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Basketball is among the sports that is taking COVID-19 the hardest. Deemed a “high risk” sport, basketball basically just isn’t allowed so far under pandemic rules. Wellesley Youth Basketball is readying for the sport’s return as rules allow, but in an environment where the usual school and town gyms won’t be options.

That brings us to outside courts with coverings.

The possibility of temporarily or permanently covering the basketball courts outside of the high school near the track was discussed in some depth at a Playing Fields Task Force meeting earlier this month, and has come up at other town meetings as well (School Committee and Natural Resources Commission among them). The town’s Health Department and Wetlands Committee would also have a say in such matters.

As the Wellesley Public Schools system has learned, tents are hard to come by and expensive. The types of coverings being explored for protecting basketball courts and players would likely be more elaborate and pricey, especially if you rent them (think about the covering at the RDF’s give-and-take area).

Purchasing could be an option, but we’re talking tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and questions arise about how often they’d be used down the road, where they could be stored, what permits would be required, etc. One possible benefit, beyond basketball, is that the courts could be used for other activities, both athletic and academic.

Other ideas floated have been seeking other surfaces, such as tennis courts or parking lots, that could be temporarily converted into basketball courts.

Shorter term, Wellesley Youth Basketball is looking to hold programs uncovered on an outdoor court near the high school even without coverings, and the NRC has approved that use.

If you have any other brilliant ideas for how to salvage Wellesley Youth Basketball this fall and winter, let the organization know.

hunnewell basketball court whs

Share

Filed Under: Kids, Sports

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
Wellesley Square ad
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Admit Fit, Wellesley
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
image of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click here to read our Natick Report

Natick Report

Events Calendar

« March 2021 » loading...
S M T W T F S
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
3
Tue 09

Wellesley Council on Aging Community Outreach Session

March 9 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Wed 10

Open House at Boston Outdoor Preschool Network

March 10 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Wed 10

Super Frogs! Early Spring Wildlife of Vernal Pools: Part 1

March 10 @ 4:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Wed 17

Wellesley Police Department & Red Cross blood drive

March 17 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tue 23

Community Conversations: How Citizens Are Rebuilding the Public Square

March 23 @ 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm

Most Read Posts

  • World of Wellesley community book read, Mar. 7th
  • Newton-Wellesley Orthopedic Walk-In—no appointment needed
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: Wellesley Tavern to open; More small business grants; virtual networking coffee
  • Wellesley mourns passing of Toby Stover, a dedicated protector of the environment
  • Wellesley election results: Aufranc, Lanza win Select Board seats; Indigenous Peoples’ Day gets the yeses

Pages

  • Guidelines for Letters to the Editor
  • How to submit your flyer for the Community Bulletin Board page
  • Wellesley Community Bulletin Board
  • Wellesley coronavirus (COVID-19) updates
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads
  • Wellesley, Mass., fishing spots
  • Wellesley Choral Society
  • Wellesley College Notable Alumnae
  • Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
  • Wellesley outdoor art gallery
  • Wellesley restaurants offering take-out and delivery
  • Wellesley, Massachusetts restaurant — Amarin of Thailand

Recent Comments

  • Kelly on Wellesley’s post-election statistics
  • Bob Brown on Let the Morses Pond chatter begin!
  • Shelley on Let the Morses Pond chatter begin!
  • B Wood on Branches to take over when Wellesley Free Library’s main building undergoes renovation
  • Peter Watson on Branches to take over when Wellesley Free Library’s main building undergoes renovation

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (20)
  • Animals (382)
  • Antiques (48)
  • Art (540)
  • Beyond Wellesley (28)
  • Books (344)
  • Business (1,372)
  • Careers/jobs (44)
  • Churches (72)
  • Clubs (209)
  • Construction (280)
  • Dump (113)
  • Education (2,898)
    • Babson College (240)
    • Bates Elementary School (14)
    • Dana Hall School (29)
    • Fiske Elementary School (6)
    • Hardy Elementary School (33)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (34)
    • MassBay (48)
    • Schofield Elementary School (20)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (1)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (9)
    • Upham Elementary School (30)
    • Wellesley College (598)
    • Wellesley High School (891)
    • Wellesley Middle School (195)
  • Embracing diversity (44)
  • Entertainment (724)
  • Environment (674)
  • Fashion (134)
  • Finance (13)
  • Fire (142)
  • Food (328)
  • Fundraising (562)
  • Gardens (137)
  • Government (412)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
  • Health (747)
    • COVID-19 (141)
  • History (359)
  • Holidays (365)
  • Houses (120)
  • Humor (45)
  • Kids (816)
  • Law (3)
  • Letters to the Editor (13)
  • Media (63)
  • METCO (5)
  • Military (3)
  • Morses Pond (97)
  • Music (544)
  • Natick Report (28)
  • Neighbors (249)
  • Obituaries (60)
  • Outdoors (585)
  • Parenting (60)
  • Police (696)
    • Crime (351)
  • Politics (545)
  • Real estate (290)
  • Religion (127)
  • Restaurants (303)
  • Safety (142)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Senior citizens (110)
  • Shopping (123)
  • Sports (901)
  • STEM (104)
  • Technology (154)
  • Theatre (383)
  • Town Meeting (22)
  • Transportation (210)
  • Travel (11)
  • Uncategorized (1,207)
  • Volunteering (319)
  • Weather (167)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (259)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (5)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed

© 2021 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login