The Swellesley Report

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

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Wellesley Business Buzz: Goddard School looking to open; Storefront art project up through April

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

Goddard School looking to open in town

The Goddard School, which operates early childhood education centers across the state and country, is seeking town approvals to open a 16-classroom facility at 141 Linden St., that will also include two outdoor playgrounds and an indoor play space.

141 linden st

Goddard’s plan would be to renovate some 15,000 sq. ft. of the property. LINX, which runs summer camps, will continue to operate its offices at the building, and HYP Yoga, making its return to Wellesley, is a new tenant.

The Goddard School had been looking to do a big renovation at the St. Paul School on Washington Street a couple of years back but plans for that fell through due to financing issues. Private school Star Academy wound up moving into that space last year.

More than a dozen Goddard Schools are located in Massachusetts, including nearby in Wayland, Weston, and Dedham. The Goddard School serves more than 70,000 students from six weeks to six years old in more than 570 locations in 38 states, according to the business.

The design plans for the property will include improved parking and traffic circulation, and an all-stucco veneer, according to a presentation made about an hour into the Wellesley Media recording of the April 13 Design Review Board meeting.

The project team must receive design and other town approvals before going forward.

Storefront art project up through April

Art Wellesley has revealed a craft paper project to enliven some of the remaining empty shop windows in Wellesley Square.

Partnering with local property owners Bullfinch and Linear, Art Wellesley hosted a couple of maker nights in an empty store to work on the pieces, which use a limited palette of black, white and yellow paint on brown craft paper. The theme is “peace,” and the art will be on display throughout the month.

Participating artists included two Wellesley High School students, Clementine Zei and Evan Chu; a handful of local
artists, including Lala O’Neil, Jenny Schneider, Elizabeth Cohen-Pratt, and Chelsea Sebastian; and Art Wellesley founders Annie Newman, Laura Robert and Julie Vari-Nikolewski.

art peace
Photo courtesy of Art Wellesley

Jesamondo welcomes new stylist

Jesamondo SalonSPONSORED CONTENT: Congratulations to long-time Swellesley supporter Jesamondo Salon & Spa as the Natick beauty business welcomes back Master Stylist Morgan McDonald and her unique flair for creating looks that make her customers look and feel in. Whether it’s a blunt bob, a balayage, or long lock with undercuts, her creations are always on-trend and extraordinary.  Please call (508) 907-7171 or go online to schedule your appointment at https://jesamondo.com/book-an-appointment.

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Linden Square, Wellesley
Riverbend, Natick

Wellesley Holiday happenings, 2022

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Our roundup of holiday activities taking place in Wellesley:

Don’t see your low-cost or free community-oriented holiday event here? Contact Deborah at deborahcb100@gmail.com for inclusion.

The gift of free parking—through Jan. 2, 2023

Wellesley free parking
Church St., Wellesley, 2021

Shop and dine locally and park for free at all 2-hour street meters in Wellesley during the holiday season.

Running through Monday, January 2, 2023, drivers are permitted to park free of charge for up to two hours at all street meters. The Select Board offers this opportunity during the holiday to support our local merchants.

Please adhere to the two-hour time limit. Cars parked for more than two hours will be ticketed.

Free parking meters are marked with bags. Parking fees are still in effect during the holidays at all 4-hour and 10-hour meters, and in all municipal parking lots.

Visit the Parking Clerk webpages for more information.

Mass Hort Festival of Trees—through Dec. 31

Mass Hort, Festival of Trees
Mass Hort Festival of Trees, 2020

Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s 14th Annual Festival of Trees showcases dozens of decorated trees, the Snow Village, and a festive model railroad display, Nov. 25-Dec. 31, at the Garden at Elm Bank, 900 Washington St., Wellesley.

Don’t miss the Snow Village, an indoor model train exhibit, or the holiday lights and decorations that fill the Garden. The firepits will be going strong, and s’mores and hot chocolate will be available.  Tickets are on sale now. 

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Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Obituary: Mary Laurette Murdock Thompson, former Wellesley HS teacher

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Mary Laurette Murdock Thompson of Wellesley died on November 10, at Mary Ann Morse (rehabilitation center) in Natick.

Her hundredth year was passed comfortably at Heritage (assisted living facility) of Framingham. She had many friends there, along with friends and former students who kept in touch in Wellesley.

Mary Thompson grew up at Harvard University, where her father, Kenneth Murdock, was a dean and house master. After college at Vassar she married Cameron Thompson and they moved to two boarding schools, the second of which was Phillips Exeter Academy, in New Hampshire. Her husband then became a teacher at Pine Manor, first in Wellesley (a junior college on the campus of Dana Hall until 1964), and then at Pine Manor’s new campus in Chestnut Hill, Newton. The Thompsons remained until 1977 in Wellesley, where they raised three children.

Mary obtained an M.A. degree during this time and started teaching in the Special Education department at Wellesley High School. This was her career until 1982, and she was beloved by students and colleagues for her patience, insight and good humor.

Her lifelong gift was humor and the elegant craft of words.

This period encompassed her important contributions to the book Philosophy and Literature; her husband’s retirement; and their move to South Natick. There she was active in the Natick Historical Society, the Shakespeare Club, and the Eliot Church. At the latter she was a deacon and diligent committee member. She continued on in South Natick after her husband’s death in 1989, finally moving back to Wellesley in 2001, where she participated in that town’s German Club, along with a book club.

Mary’s heart was always drawn to the members of her family, no matter how distant, to language and its riches, to many charities, and to New Hampshire where the old Murdock place was her summer home. She also felt the pull of her birthplace, Boston, where her mother, Laurette Potts Murdock, lived until 1994.

She leaves her children, Gordon, Peter and Sarah, and her grandchild Cawley. Her passing was peaceful, surrounded by family.

Services will be private; gifts in memoriam may be sent to Habitat for Humanity.

Let the Wellesley community know of your remembrances at theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Wellesley sports update: Little League Williamsport baseball team in state Final 4; Fleming signed by NHL’s Golden Knights; Wellesley High coaching changes

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The latest Wellesley, Mass., sports news:

Little League’s Williamsport baseball team in state Final 4

Update: The Wellesley team made it to the finals of the states, but fell 10-4 to Middleboro. The local team gave it a good go. They lost their first game in the tourney, won two, then dropped the final to a powerful Middleboro team. Congrats to all.

For the first time since 2016, Wellesley’s Williamsport Little League baseball team has made the state finals, with a chance to advance to regionals and eventually Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series.

But seriously, first things first. This team of 11- and 12-year-olds starts the Massachusetts final four with a game on Friday, July 29 in Braintree at 7:15pm vs. Middleboro. This is a double-elimination tournament that the winner advances from to play in a regional competition.

The Wellesley team has advanced this far with balanced play, and a couple of big come-from-behind wins, including a 7-inning, 3-2 win over Melrose to clinch its Section 3 title.

Coach Greg Ciongoli, who says he is coaching his fourth son among the 12-player roster, says every member of the team has played an important role. “We don’t have that one 6-foot guy who throws 70 MPH, we have a lot of good players and we’ve worked our way through all phases of the game,” he said.

The tournament so far as been “a lot of fun, but super stressful” considering the comebacks. “It’s been great for the families and kids,” he says. “No one wants this to end.”

Last year’s Wellesley Williamsport team won its District title but that’s where the tournament ended due to COVID-19 restrictions.

https://www.facebook.com/WellesleyLittleLeague/posts/pfbid0fjf9Z6Nb35E9X6QQSaRsd5Ex65oKmFhAvxVvchxjdJ3T7YgKLWe4mC9EC1DkNipbl

Fleming signed by NHL’s Golden Knights

Wellesley’s Joe Fleming has signed an entry-level contract with the National Hockey League’s Vegas Golden Knights, now led by former Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.

Fleming played at Wellesley High School before moving on to Proctor Academy.

He has been playing in junior hockey’s US Hockey League for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders, and is known as a tough and smart defenseman. Fleming comes from an athletic family, with his sister Erin playing college hockey following a strong career with the Wellesley High School Raiders, and his dad, also named Joe, having played in the Canadian Football League. Fleming had been planning to attend Northeastern University and play hockey there.

New Wellesley High coaches

Jen Dutton, who led the Wellesley High School Swim & Dive team to multiple state titles, has stepped down as head coach and moved to Florida. Outside of coaching, Dutton has been a force in open water swimming.

Doug Curtin takes over as coach.

Separately, Marc Davis has been named the boys’ cross country coach, replacing Colin Corkery. Davis brings Olympic pedigree to the job, having participated in steeplechase in the 1996 Summer Games. Former WHS boys’ cross country coach Tim Broe, who led the team to its first state title in 2016, took part in the 2004 Olympic games.

More: Wellesley kid stuff (sports clubs and more)

Wellesley sports news: Young golfer flourishes; Congrats to All-Scholastics

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Our roundup of recent Wellesley, Mass. sports news:

Young golfer flourishes

Wellesley been an absolute golfing hotbed of late. Wellesley High’s girls’ team took third at states. Wellesley High grad Michael Thorbjorsen played at the U.S. Open (which about half of Wellesley must have attended based on the amount of swag I’ve seen around town…) and then finished fourth at the Travelers Championship shortly after.  Then Conner Willett of Wellesley grabbed headlines by winning the Massachusetts Amateur Championship under the most difficult of personal circumstances.

Under the radar: Wellesley’s Skylar Kotzen, a 5th grader at the Rashi School. She qualified for a spot at the US Kids Golf World Championship in Pinehurst, N.C. this summer.

Kotzen got her start in golf at the age of three, thanks in large part to early play with her paternal grandparents.

Skylar Kotzen 2015 (3 years old)
Impressive form & focus at age 3

 

She really began to focus on the game during the pandemic. “Once team sports all shut down in the Spring of 2020, the one sport Sky could reliably continue was golf,” says her mother, Elyssa. “Leading up to the end of the school year, she was playing 6-7 times a week.”

Kotzen plays in US Kids Golf Tournaments year-round, and her performance during 2021 qualified her for an invite to the girls’s event for ages 9 and 10. She’ll be the only Massachusetts golfer in that group.

She’s getting used to taking her game on the road. Kotzen traveled to Florida at the start of this summer to play and receive instruction at IMG Academy (I’ve rarely played golf, but even I know of IMG). The young golfer says it’s great to have exposure to different courses, so loves to play wherever she gets the opportunity.

While Kotzen loves golf, she also enjoys many other sports, including tennis and biking. Around the house, she cooks and bakes.

Kotzen’s motivation in golf includes being in a sport where she can always improve, where she can challenge herself to get better by adapting to courses, terrain, and elements. She also enjoys meeting kids from around the country, and soon, the world.

Though the multigenerational aspect of golf is also a draw for Kotzen, who likes playing with older family members and their friends, too. Though you’re more likely to find the young golfer’s dad caddying for her.

Skylar Kotzen 2021 (10 years old)
Skylar Kotzen 2021 (10 years old)

 

Congrats to All-Scholastics

Athletes from Wellesley have been recognized as Boston Globe All-Scholastics for their spring sports season performances (subscription may be required to access Boston Globe article).

Wellesley All-Scholastics:

  • Rory Clare (WHS girls’ track & field—running)
  • Harry Collomb (WHS boys’ tennis)
  • Alanna Dumalac (WHS girls’ lacrosse)
  • Jacqueline Lee (girls’ tennis at Rivers)
  • Edward Webb (WHS boys’ track & field—javelin)

Coach of the Year in girls’ track: John Griffith

Also recognized are the Phelps Scholar Athletes, and this included Wellesley’s Mark Henshon, who excelled in basketball, baseball, and cross-country for Roxbury Latin.

Many other Wellesley athletes were recognized for honorary mention or as all-stars.

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

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Wellesley Fire Rescuers Camp gives youths an insider’s view

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Earlier this month the Wellesley Fire Department and the Wellesley Youth Commission hosted their annual Wellesley Fire Rescuers Camp. Kids ages 12-14 spent the week at the fire station seeing the different aspects of firefighter life.

Lt. Paul Delaney and Chief Rick DeLorie started this camp 20 years ago, and over the years more than one camper has gone on to be a firefighter. The camp is back after a couple of years of COVID cancellations.

Day 1

The week began with a presentation of the history of the Fire Service and a tour of the station. Deputy Matt Corda helped each of the campers dress up in firefighter turnout gear. This included the airpack and tools, which totaled 60 pounds.

The day ended with a ride in the bucket of the ladder truck. Each camper wore a special firefighter harness and clipped into the bucket as a safety measure while Lieutenant Gerrans and Firefighter Brady raised the ladder up. The kids got a view that only the firefighters usually get to see.

fire rescuers camp day 1 fire rescuers camp day 1

Day 2

Campers used the Jaws of Life to cut up a car donated by Roadside Rescue.  In the event of a serious car accident, access to the patient in the vehicle inside can be difficult. As a result, firefighters use the Jaws of Life to cut the car away from the patient. Lt. Gerrans and Lt. Delaney helped the kids use the heavy tools to remove the doors and roof. By the end it looked like a convertible. They then talked about the safety features of the car that protect the driver and passengers by setting off an airbag.

fire rescuers

Day 3

Day 3 started out with a demonstration of prying open a locked door. Firefighters prefer to use keys to access a building during an alarm as this limits unwanted destruction. In the event of a fire when time and speed are important, firefighters will use their tools to break through a door and gain access to a building. A recently purchased door prop allows firefighters to practice a technique known as forcible entry with tools. Campers worked in teams of two to break through the door prop.

One of the highlights of the week was the visit from a Medflight helicopter and crew. Medflight is the equivalent of a flying ambulance that is used when there is serious trauma as you see in a car accident. The pilot landed their helicopter on the Fiske School field and conducted a drill with firefighters while the campers watched. After the drill the children talked with the helicopter crew. Afterwards they sat in the helicopter.

fire rescuersfire rescuers

Day 4

The camp was not just fun but there was an educational component of well. Campers learned the science behind a fire. Deputy Corda taught the Fire Triangle where heat, oxygen, and fuel are needed in order to start a fire. Campers applied this knowledge to

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Wellesley Theatre Project presents Legally Blonde

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Legally Blonde, Wellesley Theatre Project

Wellesley Theatre Project’s (WTP) is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a revival production of Legally Blonde, The Musical, August 19-21, at the Wellesley Community Center at the WTP Outdoor Theatre, 219 Washington St. Attendees are asked to bring a folding/lawn chair or blanket to sit on. Parking is located next door at the Wellesley Hills Church at 207 Washington St. Wellesley. 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.

Legally Blonde, The Musical features 23 hard working students between the ages of thirteen and seventeen years old, who have worked diligently over three weeks. These cast members reside in Wellesley as well as neighboring communities including, Needham, Newton, Natick, Framingham, Wayland and Cambridge.

DATES/TIMES:

Thursday, August 19, 8pm
Friday, August 20, 8pm
Saturday, August 21, 8pm

Legally Blonde, Wellesley Theatre Project
From left: Leo Harmon (as Warner Huntington III), Nicole Kirschy (as Vivienne Kensington), Riley Constantino (as Elle Woods), Louis Chiasson (as Prof. Callahan), Frankie Mendez (as Emmett Forrest).

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