Natick High School seniors remember deceased classmates, school construction at graduation
Natick High School seniors reflect on their high school experience during the national anthem.
Threatening rain clouds did little to dampen Natick High School seniors’ spirits as they walked along the newly-constructed Memorial Field Sunday afternoon to receive their diplomas.
However, students did note their turbulent high school experience, citing endless construction for a school building they will never use, traditional upperclassmen privileges continuously lost, and two classmate deaths in the past year and a half.
“Like someone wrote down at Dug Pond, we are ‘Shafted ’12,’” said class president Benjamin Collins, referring to a prank graffiti strike this spring objecting to school changes.
The 295 seniors mark the end of a Natick era, as they are the last class to graduate from the current 58-year-old high school. The town’s new $78.5 million high school is slated to open this coming September.
“We are the last without heat in the winter, we are the last to perform on that stage, we are the last of the Red and Blue, and the last to love old Natick High,” Collins said, adding that seniors kept mum when it came to complaining about their school’s failing physical condition.
The joyous ceremony also felt sadness, as students remembered classmate and hockey player Justin Bailey, a senior who died suddenly in January, and Ayesha Chauhan, who died in March 2011 after battling cancer.
“Although Justin and Ayesha left us earlier than they should have, their spirits and smiles will live on with the precious memories we have of them,” Collins said.
“Throught the tragic loss of Ayesha and Justin, we have learned so much,” said senior speaker Harsha Amaravadi. “We have grown closer and changed perspective. Remember to never forget.”
The seniors, clad in royal blue caps and robes – some with golden stoles to mark academic achievements – sat nervously on the field, occasionally glancing up at the darkening rain clouds as school administrators bestowed words of wisdom.
“We hope in time, you will come to recognize that loving what you do, loving who you’re with, and having something to hope for is the most essential for finding happiness in life,” said Natick Superintendent Peter Sanchioni.
The class of 2012 also met challenges with maturity and respectfulness, said Natick High School Principal Rose Bertucci.
“Always remember the laughter and the good times you shared, and that the people around you are there for a reason, so cherish them,” Bertucci said. “Remember to respect yourself and others, continue to make good decisions, and look out for the best interests for your family and friends.”
Of the graduating students, 95 percent will go on to college, Bertucci said.
She said students will attend 122 institutions over 27 different states. Five students will pursue an Ivy League education, and many more will go on to prestigious universities like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University, John Hopkins University and New York University.
“I hope you reflect on your school years in Natick and remember us fondly as you meet future goals and live a productive, successful, and happy life,” Bertucci told the new graduates.
And as the seniors remembered bothersome experiences like losing open-campus privileges to new class scheduling, a ban on iPods and other entertaining personal technology, the demolition their beloved school’s B wing, and surrendering a parking lot for those who drive each morning, the graduating students seemed ready and willing to put the past behind them.
“Sure, it could have been easier, but life isn’t easy and the real world isn’t fair,” Collins said. “We didn’t have a red carpet laid out for us, but I’m glad we didn’t, because we’re better for it.”
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Middlesex DA warns local parents of child drownings, window falls, and car heat
The following is based on a prepared statement sent by the Middlesex DA's office:
The Middlesex District Attorney’s office is launching a three-prong summer safety awareness campaign aimed to educate parents, caretakers, and their children on how to be safe during the summer season, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone announced.
Last week, Leone’s office launched a “Splash into a Safe Swim Season” public awareness campaign focused on water safety. These efforts have been expanded to include window fall prevention and car safety, two additional areas of child deaths and near fatalities that occur often this time of year.
“With the onset of warm weather and the desire to be outside, come seasonal dangers we’d like parents to be aware of in and around water, cars and windows," Leone said. “All too often, we see the tragic results of accidental drownings, window falls, and overheating from being left in a car... the bottom line is that these child deaths and near fatalities are all completely preventable.”
The DA's office will distribute a safety brochure this summer, which features key prevention and safety tips around water safety, window safety and car safety.
The brochure will be distributed by Middlesex YMCAs, hospitals, and schools, as well as the Middlesex Children's Advocacy Center's multidisciplinary team, which includes members of the DA's Child Abuse Unit, law enforcement, and the Department of Children and Families.
Leone's office will also promote the information on its website, providing the information in a format easily accessible to parents and caretakers.
Every year, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, local Child Fatality Review Teams, the Office of the Child Advocate, and DCF review numerous accidental child deaths and near fatalities caused by water drownings, falls from windows and overheating after being left in a motor vehicle.
An estimated 5,000 children are hospitalized each year due to unintentional drowning related incidents, with 15 percent dying and 20 percent left with permanent brain damage.
The following are tips for parents and caretakers to ensure water safety:
- Actively supervise children at all times
- Never leave a child alone near a pool or other body of water
- Teach children to swim
- Stay within arms reach of preschool-age children
- Provide locked safety barriers for swimming area when not in use
- Keep climbable objects away from pool barrier
- Teach children about water safety
- Learn CPR – use infant CPR until age one, then child CPR until age eight
- Be alert when visiting homes with a pool
- Remove toys from pool after use
- Do not rely on air-filled or foam toys - they are not designed for safety
- Older children are most vulnerable in bodies of fresh water
- Always use US Coast Guard-approved life jackets when boating
- A four-foot-high barrier, not including a house, enclosing the swimming area, even if you don't have children
- Access gates that self-close, lock, and open outward from the swimming area
- Opening/locking mechanism that must be located 54 inches high or on the pool side of the gate
- Access ladders or steps that should be removed, locked, or secured to prevent usage by children
Contact your city or town hall for additional requirements.
Landscaped water features and koi ponds are also safety hazards for children, Leone's office said.
The DA's office also seeks to warn caretakers about window falls, which are the leading cause of injury to children. On average, 14 children a day are injured in window falls, Leone's office said.
The most common injuries are head and brain trauma, as well as extremity fractures.
To prevent window falls, parents and caregivers should:
- Be sure children are always supervised
- Lock all unopened doors and windows
- Keep beds, furniture, and anything a child can climb on away from windows
- Open windows from the top, not from the bottom
- Install quick release window guards - screens do not protect children from falling out of windows
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates a closed car sitting in the summer sun quickly turns into an oven, with temperatures rising from 78 degrees to 100 degrees in just three minutes, and to 125 degrees in six to eight minutes.
In addition, children can be injured while getting out of moving cars, or can be run or backed over by motor vehicles.
To keep young children safe in and around cars:
- Never leave children alone in a parked vehicle, even when they are asleep or restrained or if the windows are open
- Always lock your car and keep the keys out of children's reach
- Make a habit of looking in the vehicle - front and back - before locking the door and walking away
- Ensure adequate supervision when children are playing in areas near parked motor vehicles
- If a child is missing, check the vehicle first, including the trunk
- Ask your childcare provider to call you if your child does not show up for childcare
- Do things to remind yourself that a child is in the vehicle such as placing your purse, briefcase or something else you need in the back seat so that you will have to check the back seat when you leave the vehicle
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Natick Soldier Systems Center to host 5K event, build relationship with local civilians
The Natick Soldier Systems Center will host a 5K run to benefit a local soldiers' organization ando build a better relationship with the civilians who live near the base, center officials said.
Lt. Col. Frank Sobchak, Natick garrison commander, said heightened security in the post-9/11 world has often placed walls and fences between the American people and their Army.
“The objective is outreach to build bridges where, over the past 10 years, we’ve built fences,” Sobchak said. “In the Commonwealth, we probably have one of the most supportive populations where I’ve ever been stationed. A race seemed like an ideal way to reach out to them.”
Sobchak also said the race coincides with military values.
“In the military, physical fitness is a big part of our life,” he said. “It’s a staple of the identity of Boston and Boston MetroWest. It’s home to the mecca of runners – the Boston Marathon. It’s the granddaddy of all marathons. The marathon runs right through Natick.”
The 5K event, which will take place June 23, will also benefit the Natick Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers program.
The race is open to the NSSC workforce and to the public, and costs $10 for those ages 10 and older. Younger runners and walkers can participate free of charge.
Trophies will be awarded to the top three individual male and female finishers, and the first 200 to pre-register will receive race T-shirts.
Registration begins at 8 a.m., followed by a one-mile run run/walk at 9 a.m. and then the five-kilometer cross-country race at 10 a.m.
The event will also feature displays from the Massachusetts National Guard and static displays of the work done at NSSC.
The center also recently displayed new technologies at an educational State House event earlier this month. The center develops all things that touch an American soldier's life, including GPS navigation systems, precision air-drops for supplies, and food with a two-year shelf life.
On a recent visit, U.S. Secretary of the Army John McHugh touted the Natick base as “valuable,” and laid out an argument to protect it from another round of looming military cuts.
To pre-register for the 5K race, send your name, email address and shirt size by email to nati-imne-ssc-pa@conus.army.mil. Those wishing to volunteer for the registration table or as race monitors should e-mail John Harlow at john.d.harlow.civ@mail.mil.
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Local legislators visit Framingham's Open Mobile to celebrate small businesses
Local legislators visited Framingham-based Open Mobile last week to recognize National Small Business Week. From left to right: Chandra Bajpai, Open Mobile general manager; Rep. Tom Sannicandro; Leila Dillon, marketing/communications/IR vice president; Rep. Chris Walsh; Bob Angelo, chairman/CEO of Open Mobile; Sen. Karen Spilka; and April Anderson Lamoureux, assistant secretary of Economic Development.
Local legislators visited Framingham's Open Mobile headquarters last week to celebrate and promote National Small Business Week, an annual celebration started by then-President John F. Kennedy in 1963.
President Barack Obama had designated last week as National Small Business Week to recognize contributions of the nation’s nearly 27 million entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Legislators kicked off the week’s festivities by visiting local businesses in their home towns to thank them for their contributions to the state's economy, and to promote local shopping this spring.
State Representatives Chris Walsh and Tom Sannicandro joined state Senator Karen Spilka and assistant secretary for Economic Development April Anderson Lamoureux during the visit to the Framingham-based software firm working to deliver a 100 percent compatible and high performing application ecosystem to every mobile platform.
The group met with Bob Angelo, chairman and CEO of Open Mobile, and additional members of the staff to discuss their experience growing a small business in Massachusetts.
With offices in China, India, and Finland, Open Mobile could locate anywhere in the world but chose to have its headquarters in Framingham, Spilka said.
“Small businesses – like Open Mobile – are the backbone of our economy,” she said. “In order to ensure continued economic development and job creation, we must remain committed to supporting entrepreneurs and the growing small business community in Massachusetts.”
The State House also hosted a small business resource fair last Wednesday, where resource providers shared information on the state programs available that help assist small businesses with everything from designing a business plan to procuring state funding.
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Framingham State alumni group pledges $500k to FSU's fundraising campaign
The Independent Association of Framingham State Alumni has agreed to pledge $500,000 to the university, over multiple years, one of its largest contributions, according to Framingham State officials.
The half-million dollars will help fund the university's first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which aims to raise additional private support for student scholarships, faculty support, new programs and other initiatives.
The university will undertake the fundraising campaign over the next few years, corresponding with the school's 175th anniversary in 2014.
The campaign is still in the early planning stages, so a fundraising goal and exact timeline are not finalized at this point.
“We are extremely grateful for this generous commitment from IAFSA as we enter the early phase of our first-ever comprehensive campaign,” Framingham State President Timothy Flanagan said in a statement.
“We are genuinely excited about this collaboration that will advance our common goal of supporting Framingham State’s students and faculty.”
Already one of the university’s largest annual contributors, the alumni group plans to support the campaign through designated contributions and increased support of student scholarships and loans.
"The comprehensive campaign represents an important opportunity to increase financial support for Framingham State's students and faculty," said Kelly Raymond, president of the alumni group's executive board. "We see this pledge as a way to play a leadership role and continue IAFSA's long tradition of service by expanding our student scholarship and loan assistance."
Leaders from Framingham State and the alumni association have met several times over the past few months to discuss how they can work in a collaborative fashion to best support students, faculty and alumni.
In addition to increased financial support, the alumni group has also agreed to make its Alumni House on Adams Road available for university and community use.
Framingham State has seen much growth in the past few years. The university recently decided to limit the annual increase in its overall undergraduate enrollment to 2 percent this September, and is planning to build a new $42 million, 350-bed dormitory by 2015 to help deal with growing demand for on-campus housing.
The university also plans to work with Framingham town officials to renovate and lease town-owned property at 14 Vernon St. for the next few years to help alleviate growing pains.
The university is also taking broad steps to become greener, spending $3.35 million on converting its power plant from oil to natural gas – a move that is expected to reduce the university’s carbon footprint by 30 percent.
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Legislators seek to install MetroWest seat on council influencing tax breaks
The MetroWest area would be represented on a state council that influences tax incentives for companies throughout Massachusetts under a proposal adopted by the state's House of Representatives today.
According to the amendment, the governor can appoint an additional representative from the MetroWest region to the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, the group charged with administering the Economic Development Incentive Program.
There are currently seven gubernatorial appointees sitting on the council. If the Senate also adopts the amendment and the governor signs it into law, there would be eight appointees, plus seven state designees.
The EDIP is a tax incentive program designed to foster full-time job creation and stimulate business growth throughout the state, according to the agency.
Participating companies may receive state and local tax incentives in exchange for full-time job creation, manufacturing job retention, and private investment commitments.
The council also approves all Economic Target Area, Economic Opportunity Area, and Certified Project applications.
The approval comes after Framingham Town Meeting members voted overwhelmingly Tuesday night to allow substantial tax breaks to locally-headquartered TJX if the company agreed to stay in Framingham and spend $143 million on expanding.
The bill amendment is sponsored by 13 state representatives from the MetroWest area.
"The seat on the Council is well-deserved and overdue," said state Representative David Linsky, a Natick Democrat, in a prepared statement. "The MetroWest is a vibrant, economically vital area for the Commonwealth. It is the second largest employment base in the state and is leading Massachusetts in job creation."
State Representative Tom Sannicandro, an Ashland Democrat, agreed.
"MetroWest is a hub of the type of innovative industries that we are seeking to promote in this bill and as part of our long term economic development strategy,” Sannicandro said. “It only makes sense that MetroWest be represented as its own distinct region.”
State Representative Denise Garlick, a Needham Democrat, also touted the economic vitality of her town, citing its close proximity to Boston, ease of transportation to the city, and the area’s focus on local education to develop the next generation’s workforce.
“Having a voice from the MetroWest area on the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council is key to encouraging the further economic growth in this region and the Commonwealth," Garlick said in the statement.
"Our cities and towns will benefit from the opportunities presented, as members of the council, both in fostering full time job creation and the potential for business growth,” said Representative Kate Hogan, a Stow Democrat.
The council currently has gubernatorial-selected representatives from eastern, western, southeastern, and central Massachusetts, as well as Cape Cod and Merrimack Valley. The governor also must appoint a higher education official to the council.
There are no set communities defined in the amendment legislation currently.
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Natick-based Walnut Hill School to showcase choreography students' work in Boston
The following is based on a prepared statement from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts:
Natick-based private arts school, Walnut Hill School for the Arts, will showcase New Works: Performance of Student Choreography tonight and Friday at the Boston Conservatory.
New Works is a performance of student choreographies, a culmination of a year’s dedication towards the development of choreographic craft, creative process, and the art of making dances.
Weekly, the students delve into a series of tasks that involve creating movement in class allowing them to plan, problem solve and develop structured choreographic studies in solo, duet or group formats.
For their final projects, each choreographer draws from a personal source of inspiration and works in a style resonating their own uniqueness and vision. Movement styles, music, costumes, and lighting are the creative choices of each choreographer.
The process that leads up to the New Works performances is one that invites young choreographers to engage in a creative act which is collaborative. The students interact decisively with each other, and sometimes with musicians and designers. An exchange of ideas takes place contributing to the vision of each young choreographer.
Natick youth and Walnut Hill School senior Cacia LaCount will be one of 15 young choreographers debuting new works, according to the school.
New Works is at the Boston Conservatory Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25. Tickets cost $25 for adults or $20 for those under 18 and over 55.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit http://events.walnuthillarts.org.
Framingham Town Meeting members pass TJX tax break agreement
Worried that a major employer might leave, Framingham town meeting members Tuesday night passed a measure forgiving taxes on a $143-million expansion of the TJX corporate headquarters in exchange for the company staying in town and adding jobs.
The agreement calls for TJX to maintain 1,600 permanent jobs and create 225 new jobs over the next several years, and to invest $143 million for on-site expansion, renovations to existing buildings, and acquisition costs.
In exchange for these commitments, Framingham would forgive taxes on the $143 million expansion over 20 years.
"When I look at this article, I don’t see any downsides - all I see are upsides," said Framingham resident Irwin Blumer. "If Town Meeting chooses to support this, we will be saying publicly that we are a town that is friendly to business."
And support it, they did: the article passed in less than two hours with 139 positive votes. Only one person voted against the proposal, while two people abstained.
The agreement comes during growing worries that TJX corporate headquarters would relocate to Marlborough after officials there granted tax relief to the company. TJX is buying two office buildings for about $72 million in Marlborough.
Marlborough had agreed to forgive the company’s taxes on a $30 million expansion over 30 years, a deal worth millions of dollars for the company over that time period.
The Framingham tax break agreement would only exempt the $143 million expansion - the town would retain an estimated $64.8 million in existing property base taxes over the next 20 years, plus an additional $7.4 million to $9.2 million in taxes not exempt from the expansion.
TJX, in turn, would save between $7.6 million and $9.4 million from the exemptions, depending on what type of building the company decides to build on the nearby vacant cement lot.
According to the exemption schedule drafted by the town, TJX would receive a property tax exemption of 75 percent for 2013, slowly working up to an exemption of 90 percent for 2017 through 2019, and then slowly working the exemption rate down to 5 percent by 2032.
The agreement also would require the company to acquire 225 new permanent, full-time employees by 2017, starting with 25 new positions in 2013 and another 75 in 2014.
Framingham CFO Mary Ellen Kelley said the exemption would also not affect the town's property tax levy, which recently left residents smoldering as they saw an 11 percent hike - double last year's increase.
Framingham town officials also celebrated the company's acceptance of clawback language, requiring the corporation to pay back some of the exemption if they fail to meet hiring requirements, and all of the exemption if they shut down or move headquarters.
While Framingham has granted numerous tax breaks in the past few decades - such as to Staples in 1997, Computer Associate Technologies in 1998, and the Arcade Development Project in 2005 - the TJX agreement is the only one that includes clawback provisions, said town counsel Chris Petrini.
"When TJX moved to Marlborough, they had a tax break there," Petrini said. "We looked at our agreement to make it as strong, or stronger, than the agreement with Marlborough, and I would say ours is stronger."
TJX, which operates chains such as HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, and Marshalls, is among the state’s largest companies, with 11,000 employees in Massachusetts.
The agreement will be forwarded to the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council during its next regularly-scheduled board meeting on June 26.
MWRA to open aqueduct trails for public access west of Boston
MWRA-owned aqueduct trails in 14 communities, such as the one pictured above at the Weston Aqueduct in Framingham, will now be open to the public, the agency announced today.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority will open 40 miles of scenic aqueduct trails for public use in 14 communities, including Framingham, Natick, Needham, Newton, Wellesley, and Weston, the agency announced today.
With this policy, the MWRA is now formally encouraging public access through partnerships with neighboring communities.
Municipalities can enter into agreements with the MWRA to assume some stewardship responsibilities, allowing for the trails in their towns to be officially open to the public for recreational use.
Previously, anyone using the closed trails would be considered trespassing on MWRA property.
The aqueducts form a recreational trail network through 14 communities, including Berlin, Boston, Clinton, Framingham, Marlborough, Natick, Needham, Newton, Northborough, Sherborn, Southborough, Wayland, Wellesley, and Weston.
Local legislators, Senator Karen Spilka and Representative Chris Walsh, had also filed a bill in January 2011 to open the trails.
The bill would allow residents to engage in "passive recreation" along the aqueducts, unless the MWRA's Board of Directors votes to prohibit access to a particular area for security reasons.
Natick elementary, middle schools to establish STEM after-school program
The following is based on a prepared statement released by the Natick Education Foundation:
The Natick Education Foundation today announced that Boston's Museum of Science and MathWorks will jointly sponsor a grant to integrate science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM, curriculum into the Natick after-school program for students in grades K-8.
This initiative will enrich students’ experiences in the key STEM areas by expanding learning opportunities beyond the classroom, according to a prepared statement released by the foundation.
Through the foundation's grant, the Natick Public Schools After School Activity Program will adopt the Engineering Adventures program being created by the Engineering is Elementary team at the Museum of Science.
Engineering Adventures is being specifically designed for use in out-of-school time programs.
The grant will also enable the Natick Public Schools to train after school staff on the engineering curriculum materials through professional development workshops.
The initiative is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2012.
Peter Sanchioni, superintendent of Natick Public Schools, said integrating the engineering program will hopefully encourage and nurture Natick students' interest in STEM long-term.
"We face a big challenge today to increase student enthusiasm for STEM subjects and professions," Sanchioni said in the statement. "Engineering Adventures is designed to give students hands-on, practical experience with science and engineering concepts, building on the classroom studies already in place."
Rosemary Driscoll, president of Natick Educational Foundation, said the foundation is pleased to earmark the grant, and thanked MathWorks and the Museum of Science for their collaboration.
“These world-renowned STEM leaders share our goal to help stimulate student interest in these disciplines, which ultimately drive technological advances and innovations," Driscoll said. "We all believe that students are our future, and STEM studies are important tools they need to make it a bright one.”
Students participating in the after-school program at each of Natick’s five elementary schools and both middle schools will have access to Engineering Adventures.
The curriculum will complement, reinforce, and extend the existing science and engineering curriculum units during the regular school day, according to the foundation's statement.
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