Wellesley College Hosts Boston Marathon Vigil

Students, staff gather for vigil for Boston Marathon victims and survivors at Wellesley College's Houghton Chapel.

  Wellesley College went from screamed support to silent reflection on the Boston Marathon yesterday afternoon. The college hosted an interfaith vigil on campus to reflect on the bombing that shook Patriot's Day.  Student members of Wellesley College's Multifaith Council shared reflections and thoughts from their traditions to the assembly at the vigil (see video), before lighting candles for the Boston Marathon explosion. Five candles were lit: one with a wish for healing the injured--be it in mind or spirit; one for remembrance of the dead; one for strength for the emergency responders, police, and runners who leapt into action; one for renewal of the physical spaces and the sense of safety; the final for cooperation, between Boston, the…

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White House Insider Valerie Jarrett Named Wellesley College's Commencement Speaker

At Wellesley, students essentially get to pick their speaker.

Presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett will address Wellesley College's Class of 2013 at graduation exercises next month. Jarrett is Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama and Chair of the White House Council on Women and Girls. Unlike many other colleges and universities, Wellesley's commencement speaker selection process is student-driven. According to students, Jarrett is an ideal choice to address graduates of a leading liberal arts institution known for its remarkable track record of introducing women's voices into traditionally male-dominated spheres of power. Senior Class Co-Presidents Vivian Hu '13 of Bellaire, Texas and Anoush Youssoufian '13 of Boston, Mass. said, "We are incredibly excited to host Valerie Jarrett as our …

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Babson Students Question Kerry Healey Selection

Students express concerns about the College's new president, Kerry Healey, a decision administrators say came after considering 170 candidates.

  When Babson College introduced their new President, Kerry Healey, she said she would be on campus and encouraged students to say hello. She closed her press conference speech saying, "My door and mind will always be open." There are still some students in the Babson Community concerned about her leadership of the college. Several students spoke with Boston.com about the transition, and expressed concern about Healey's appointment. They feel the selection process was hasty. Babson College's press release indicates that 170 candidates were considered, and that ultimately Healey was selected. She will be the first female president of the college, and replaces Len Schlessinger in the role. “It will be interesting to see how things change …

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Support the High School with Poker and an Auction

The Wellesley High School auction and casino night aims to raise some money for upcoming class of 2014 events.

  The house always wins, and tonight the proverbial house is Wellesley High School. Casino Night and the Auction, happening at the high school tonight at 7 p.m., will benefit the current juniors, class of 2014 as well as an organizations called Birthday Wishes which provides birthday parties to kids at homeless shelters in Mass. The games, and silent auction, begin at 7 p.m. and continue until 8:50 p.m.--when some of the games will start closing down ahead of the live auction. At 9:45 p.m., the silent auction closes up and people start picking up their prizes. According to the Casino Night Auction Facebook page, you can pick up a flashing dice pin for $20 to join in a game of heads or tails. Depending on the number of players, the winner …

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Will You Take the Wellesley Schools Survey?

The Wellesley Public School department has created a survey to generate some feedback on their plan for the coming years.

  What do you want to see at Wellesley's schools over the next few years? To help shape the school's next three to five years, Superintendent David Lussier sent an email this morning with a link to a survey he hopes parents will take. According to Lussier's e-mail, the survey is built off of a number of listening forums and meetings with stakeholders.  Lussier adds in the email, "Your ideas are very important to us and will help shape the work of the school system in the future. Thank you for being part of this important process." The survey is available until Friday, April 12.  See the Wellesley Public Schools survey here. 

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Wellesley States Interest in Schofield School Renovations

The Board of Selectmen and School Committee vote on submitting a Statement of Interest for three school-related projects.

  By the end of the summer, Wellesley may know whether to expect repairs to the Schofield School next year. At last night's Board of Selectmen meeting, the School Committee came to present statements of interest they intend to send to the Mass. School Building Authority (MSBA) for an accelerated project at the Schofield School, and for two others at the Hunnewell and Hardy Schools. Both boards voted in favor of submitting all three statements of interest.  The Schofield project will address some air quality issues which have been raised in the past, with changes to the heating and ventilation systems, and windows on the docket.  "We know there’s still more work to be done to address not just air quality but some learning environment issues…

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Grahame Turner

1:09 am on Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Frankly, it's a little unfair to accuse me of double-speak. I am still learning the schools and the town, so I have more or less only got the information presented at this meeting and in the Patch archives. I am not attempting to conceal anything, because I am genuinely not aware of anything that requires concealing--many of these issues are new to me.   more ›

Babson College Introduces New President Kerry Healey

Former lieutenant governor speaks at press conference Monday.

  Former Lieutenant  Governor and Beverly resident Kerry Healey was introduced as the new president of Babson College at a press conference earlier today. The college made the announcement last night in a press release.  Call me superstitious, but I would rather be known as Babson’s first woman president than as Babson’s 13th president," Healey joked.  Healey spoke at a press conference Monday morning, emphasizing some of her goals for the college, which include preparing for the school's 100th anniversary in 2019 and promoting its status as a top-tanked business school for entrepreneurship. See the press conference on demand on the Babson College website, listed as "Babson College Announcement" dated March 25. Babson's goals and ambitions…

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Wellesley Schools Can Give Your Kids a High-Tech Education

Wellesley has the second highest number of citizens with advanced degrees in the United States, is home to three colleges, boasts a high school ranked among the top 100 public high schools in the country, and has very technology-oriented classrooms.

Should Stand-Alone Honors Nights Be Scrapped?

One nearby school district thinks so.

Over in Ipswich,  school officials have decided to fold the district's Middle School Honors Night into a wider school assembly this year, saying it made students who weren't honored feel left out, the Salem News reported this week. The Ipswich Middle School principal reportedly sent parents a letter explaining the decision, saying an exclusive honors night can be emotionally damaging and can impact a student's academic growth. "The honors night, which can be a great sense of pride for the recipients’ families, can also be devastating to a child who has worked extremely hard in a difficult class but who, despite growth, has not been able to maintain a high grade point average,” the principal's letter read, according to the Salem News. …

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Michael Fleming

12:10 am on Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Well said   more ›

Threat of Winter Storm on Tuesday Postpones MCAS Testing

Due to the expected winter storm on Tuesday, the state announced that the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25.

[Update: Wellesley police issued the following alert early this moring: "There will be no school in Wellesley on March 19, 2013 due to snow." No test, no school. 9:24 a.m.] Since much of Massachusetts is expecting a winter storm on Tuesday, and with it the possibility of numerous school closings or delayed openings, the MCAS English Language Arts Composition test for students in grades 4, 7 and 10 has been postponed until Monday, March 25, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced on its website.  Originally this composition test was scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, but in an effort to make sure all schools administer the test on the same day, "all schools must administer the ELA Composition test to …

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