Wellesley schools news: Middle School celebrates Year of the Rat; Film about prescription drug dangers: Addams Family coming to Dana Hall

February 25, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Our summary of the latest Wellesley schools news.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a future edition of Wellesley School News, please reach out to us.

Middle School celebrates Chinese New Year

The 10th annual Wellesley Middle School Chinese New Year Celebration hosted by teacher Min Zhou and her Mandarin language students drew hundreds of attendees for some Year of the Rat fun.

With support from the Middle School PTO and Parent Chinese New Year celebration committee led by Lily Cho, attendees were treated to traditional entertainment, including a lion dance, Guzheng music performance by Amanda Wang, and a yo-yo display by D. Zhang. Dumplings and lo mein were among the menu items, and games including chopstick races and Jianzi (hackysack). Calligraphy, brush painting and trivia were also on the agenda.

Everyone even received a red envelope filled with treats on their way out.

(Photos courtesy of Alicia Talanian)

chinese new year wellesley

wms chinese new year

Screening of If Only, film about prescription drug dangers

The Wellesley High School PTSO and Wellesley Youth Commission will present a screening of If Only, a film that demonstrates the dangers of prescription drug misuse and abuse. Put out by The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation and Millennium Health, the film follows the story of two teenage boys who experiment with and become addicted to drugs. The screening will take place on Tues., March 17, 7pm, at the Katherine L. Babson Jr. Auditorium at Wellesley High School.

If Only film screening, Wellesley

Dana Hall presenting The Addams Family musical in March

The Dana Hall Middle School presents its spring musical, The Addams Family, on Wednesday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, March 5, at 2 p.m., in Bardwell Auditorium. The performances are free and open to the public.

The Addams Family [email protected] musical keeps the spirit of the original Broadway show intact while making changes to songs and scenes for younger actors.

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

Addams Family

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Wellesley POPs Cabaret fun and fundraiser at TCAN, Feb. 7

February 4, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Cabaret, TCAN Wellesley Parents of Performing Students (POPS) invites the community to POPS Cabaret. Be part of a magical evening supporting performing arts in our community on Fri., Feb. 7, 2020 at 7pm at The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) at 14 Summer St., Natick. At this benefit event, Wellesley Public Schools parents and supporters of performing arts education will join together in an evening of celebration and community to benefit the K-12 educational program.

Expect a fun evening of show-stopping entertainment by 10 selected student performing groups from Wellesley High School and Wellesley Middle School, a delicious strolling dinner catered by Bakers’ Best, and fabulous silent and live auctions.

Info here on tickets and more.

Wellesley viewing of PBS documentary Race: The Power of an Illusion

January 12, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Please join World of Wellesley in partnership with the Wellesley Community Center for a film showing of Race: The Power of an Illusion, followed by a community conversation. Everyone is welcome. The 2004 PBS documentary shows how US history was impacted by the creation of the idea of race, and how the concept of race affects every aspect of society today.

DATES: January 16, 23, and 30, 2020 (come to Part 1, Part 2, or all three)
TIME: 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Community Center

Check out the preview or read more about the series.

January 16, Part 1: The Difference Between Us

Episode one in this three-part series follows a dozen students, including African American athletes and Asian American string players, who sequence and compare their own DNA. The results surprise them — and us — when they discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other “races” as their own. Much of this episode is devoted to understanding why. Looking at skin color differences, disease, human evolution, even genetic traits, we learn there’s not one characteristic, one trait, or even a single gene that distinguishes all members of one “race” from another. One by one, our myths about race —including “natural” superiority and inferiority—are taken apart.

January 23, Part 2: The Story We Tell

January 30, Part 3: The House We Live In

[Read more…]

It’s not the end of the world, or is it? — Wellesley Repertory Theater to present “boom”

January 9, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Repertory Theatre, the award-winning professional theatre company in residence on the Wellesley College campus since 1998, will bring playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb’s boom to the Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre at Wellesley College on January 16 — February 9, 2020.

With its upcoming performances of boom, Wellesley Repertory Theatre will help audiences explore our modern times through the post-apocalyptic romp’s peculiar lens. Pictured above (L-R), Nicholas Yenson, Stephanie Clayman and Chloe Nosan rehearse a scene. Photo Credit: Micah Fong

The three-person show hilariously explores the relationship between the two survivors of a global catastrophe and what it means about our modern world

At an evolutionary museum far in the future, a curator tells the story of two present-day people on a first date interrupted by a comet hitting the Earth, with globally catastrophic repercussions. This couple soon finds themselves as the last two people on the planet; the fate of humanity suddenly lands on their shoulders as they realize they could be the new Adam and Eve. Spanning billions of years, boom riotously looks at the depths of humanity – what we want from one another, how we take care of each other, and how our stories become important.

[Read more…]

Wellesley Theatre Project presents Impact! Throwback

January 5, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) presents Impact! Throwback!, a concert presentation of classical musical theater, Jan. 10 – 12 at the WTP Studios at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St.

General admission is $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors in advance or $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors at the door.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.wellesleytheatreproject.org or by calling the box office at 781-235-1550

Senior IMPACT! will perform selections from classical musical theatre including favorites from Oklahoma, Kiss Me Kate, Guys and Dolls, Peter Pan, My Fair Lady, and many others.

Junior IMPACT! will present a selection from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which they will perform at the Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia, January 17th-20th.

[Read more…]

Holiday happenings in Wellesley

December 20, 2019 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

There are lots of opportunities around Wellesley to get into the holiday spirit:

Holiday worship schedules in Wellesley, 2019

Happy holidays, Wellesley. By now you’re probably ready to slow down, set aside the to-do list, and contemplate the reason for the season. Some of Wellesley’s houses of worship celebrate with all the formality you might expect from historic churches with Puritan roots, while others have a more casual flair or take a non-denominational approach to the holidays. All the services bring people together, and all are welcome. Here’s a list of upcoming Wellesley services.

Town of Wellesley, Holidays schedule

The Town of Wellesley will follow a holiday schedule on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Here’s the breakdown.

Town of Wellesley has kicked off the festivities

The Town of Wellesley has draped trees with holiday lights from the Hills to the Square. The tree lights and wreaths throughout Town are made possible by very generous donors and businesses in the community and are hung by Wellesley’s own Municipal Light Plant workers, all to make Wellesley festive during the holiday season.

In addition, look in front of Town Hall for the menorah, the Christmas tree, and the crescent to appear soon. And of course, the high holy tradition of free metered parking has been put in place.

Details on free 2-hour parking in Wellesley:

The Board of Selectmen has waived parking fees at all two-hour street meters in Town through Tuesday, December 31. This includes two-hour meters in all municipal-owned parking lots.

Parking fees are NOT waived at four-hour meters, private parking lots and commuter rail lots.

Wellesley Free Library activities for kids, teens, and adults

The Wellesley Free Library has a full roster of fun holiday activities planned including a holiday wrapping station at the Hills branch; a holiday jazz concert with the Kareem Sanjaghi Band; gingerbread houses construction with graham crackers and icing; Sankta Lucia story and craft; holiday sing-a-long with David Polansky; a LEGO Winter Village set-up; Giant Snowpeople craft; and more.

Details here.

MassHort Festival of Trees

December 27 – 29, Snow Village and garden lights

DATES FOR TRAINS AND LIGHTS: December 27 – 29
LOCATION: Massachusetts Horticultural Society, 900 Washington St., Wellesley, MA
HOURS here.

[Read more…]

Wellesley Theatre Project presents “Frozen, Jr.”

December 6, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley Theatre Project, Frozen Snow and ice will be here soon as Wellesley Theatre Project (WTP) presents Disney’s FROZEN, JR Friday, December 13th at 5pm and 8pm and Saturday, December 14th and Sunday, December 15th at 2pm and 5pm. All performances will take place at the Sorenson Center at Babson College, located at 19 Babson College Drive, Wellesley, MA 02482.  Tickets are priced $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org in advance, or at the door for $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

Based on the 2018 Broadway musical and the 2013 Disney film, Disney’s FROZEN, JR brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. A story of true love and acceptance between sisters. When faced with danger, Princesses Anna and Elsa discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, it is sure to thaw even the coldest heart!

[Read more…]

LINX Theater program spotlight: The Year of the Underdog

November 7, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: LINX Theater program has themed its 2019 – 2020 season “The Year of the Underdog!” and selected Aladdin, Peter Pan, James (from James and the Giant Peach), and Marliana as the underdogs everybody will love to root for. While the underdog is a character traditionally expected to lose, the underdogs in these LINX Theater productions triumph over extreme odds through their powers of kindness, wit, imagination, and intuition.

The underdog theme clearly resonates with families because Broadway, Company, and recreational classes are fully enrolled. Additional classes have been opened for James and the Giant Peach JR and Marliana, which begin the week of February 3rd, 2020. Auditions for these productions take place on November 15th and 16th, and registration for the 15-minute, supportive audition process is free. Sign-up to audition

LINX Wellesley — Actors of the Company program strike a pose in Sherwood forest, ready for whatever adventures await in *Robyn Hood.*

“It is important that our students see themselves in the characters they play,” says Director of LINX Theater Ari Chernoff-Lamb. “So often, children feel less than powerful in the face of a big world full of big adults and big ideas. The stories that we have chosen to explore on stage this year, demonstrate to our young performers that your size and origins do not matter if your heart is pure and your mind is open.”

The underdog theme extends to all of the 2019-20 LINX Theater junior (3 years old – 1st grade) and recreational (2nd – 12th grades) classes. Participation in these programs does not require an audition. Learn more

The Tempest—and 11 tons of sand—coming to Wellesley

October 20, 2019 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Theatre Project’s edition of Shakespeare’s The Tempest to be performed this month will feature 12 students between the ages of 11 and 15, and nearly 1 ton of sand per each cast member.

One of Shakespeare’s last plays, The Tempest takes place in a single day on a deserted island—a 22,000-pound island in the Wellesley Theatre Project’s case.

The show will run from Oct. 24-27 at the Wellesley Community Center, 219 Washington St., in Wellesley Hills. It will take place at 7pm Oct. 24-26, and 2pm on Sunday, Oct. 27.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and $10 for students and seniors, and may be purchased online at http://wellesleytheatreproject.org in advance, or at the door for $18 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

In the play, 12 years before we got to the deserted island stage, Prospero was Duke of Milan. But he left management of his state to his brother Antonio, who took control of Milan himself, and sent Prospero and his baby daughter Miranda out to sea. Now, an angry Prospero seeks revenge – using his powers, with the help of the spirit, Ariel, to create a powerful storm that shipwrecks a boat carrying Antonio and some of his family and friends on an island. What will happen to the characters on the island? Will Prospero get his revenge? Will his daughter, Miranda, find love? Will anyone make it out alive? Attend the show to find out.

the tempest rehearsal — The cast of The Tempest rehearses. From left: Hayden Morken (Adrian/Spirit), Mary Litterio (Gonzalo), Zachary Green (Stephano).