Natick teen recognized for Alzheimer's charity work
Max Wallack, 17, of Natick, was one of 10 teens from across the country recognized by the Helen Diller Family Foundation as a leader in volunteerism. Wallack was awarded $36,000 as a Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Award recipient for his work helping those afflicted with Alzheimer's Disease.
According to a statement released by the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards, Wallack witnessed his great-grandmother’s decline with Alzheimer’s first-hand, and found that puzzles had a therapeutic effect and contributed to her sense of accomplishment. After her death, Wallack launched Puzzles To Remember in 2008, a charitable organization that provides puzzles to nursing homes, veterans facilities, and other facilities that care for Alzheimer's and dementia patients, according to PuzzlesToRemember.org.
Puzzles To Remember has distributed more than 23,000 puzzles to 2,000 nursing facilities around the world, and Wallack has involved hundreds of students in community service according to the Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards Awards. He has also partnered with a major puzzle manufacturer to create specialized puzzles tailored to the needs of those with Alzheimer’s.
Those who would like to donate puzzles should email PuzzlesToRemember@gmail.com for more information.
Wallack is now a student at Boston University, and according to theTikkun Olam Awards, Wallack is studying neuroscience.
He is also the co-author–along with Carolyn Given–of "Why Did Grandma Put Her Underwear in the Refrigerator?" a book that explains Alzheimer's Disease for children.
According to the Tikkun Olam Awards website, each of 2013 recipient demonstrated a commitment to "tikkun olam," a central precept of Judaism meaning to repair the world. The teens provided unique solutions to some of our world’s most critical social issues by developing projects that support social justice, equality and education, environmental sustainability and engagement opportunities for their peers.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
McAuliffe school announces new leadership structure
Christa McAuliffe Regional Charter Public School is restructuring its leadership positions with a new Dean of Culture.
Kim Ferguson will serve in the position at the Framingham-based Expeditionary Learning school, working to engage McAuliffe teachers in professional growth, and to support curriculum development, assessment and instruction, the school announced in a press release.
Ferguson and school’s executive director will share responsibilities held by a traditional principal.
“McAuliffe’s Board of Trustees believe that this leadership structure will guide the school to effectively implement its long-term goal to become a nationally recognized Expeditionary Learning school,” stated Executive Director Kristin Harrison.
Two new hires, Alison Rheingold and Christina Morello, will be joining the school as Instructional Coaches. Rheingold and Morello will support teachers on curriculum development and instruction a model in tandem with Expeditionary Learning schools nationwide.
Harrison said that increasing staff allows for more “time spent guiding students in their own path to learning.”
McAuliffe students are admitted by lottery. Students live in Framingham, Natick, Ashland, Holliston, Sudbury, Southborough, Hopkinton, and Marlborough. Founded in 2002, Christa McAuliffe is a Charter Public School, educating at full capacity with 306 students in grades 6 through 8. McAuliffe is one of 15 Expeditionary Learning schools in Massachusetts.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Natick resident wins Boston College Community Service Award
Natick resident Christopher Darcy, an associate director in Boston College’s Office of Residential Life and volunteer in his community and on campus, is the recipient of the University’s 2013 Community Service Award. The college announced the award in a press release June 20.
Sponsored by BC’s Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, the award highlights the contributions of a Boston College employee whose actions exemplify the Jesuit spirit of service to others. It was presented to Darcy by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, at a recognition dinner in late May.
“This award truly means so very much to me personally and professionally. I am honored, but extremely humbled and moved. I was absolutely overwhelmed by being recognized as the recipient for this year,” Darcy said. “There are so many incredibly giving and caring faculty and staff in our BC community who serve and give of themselves on a daily basis, it is a blessing and honor to be chosen amongst all of them, and as a representative of the work we engage in each and every day.”
A 17-year member of the Boston College, Darcy is responsible for the ministerial components and programs of the Office of Residential Life, and serves as a part-time campus minister for the division of University Mission and Ministry.
He received award nominations from three members of the BC community, and letters of support from several students.
Among his volunteer activities, Darcy has served for nearly 30 years as a baseball coach in Natick. He also has volunteered for more than 15 years at St. Ignatius Church as a liturgical coordinator, Eucharistic minister and lector; for Little Brothers/Friends of the Elderly, and has participated in five Dana-Farber/Jimmy Fund Half Marathon Walks.
Among his activities at Boston College, he has been a mentor, staff person for numerous international immersion programs, serves as a retreat director and assists in co-directing an annual 48 Hours retreat for first-year students.
“I have always been inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola, who gave unconditionally of himself by ministering and teaching others so genuinely, caringly and lovingly,” stated Darcy. “Boston College has afforded me some incredible opportunities to serve and give, here and outside of BC. I feel strongly, if I can make a difference in some small way, that fuels my passion to be a person with and for others, especially because of how I have been formed through my Jesuit education, and by the wonderful experiences and people of the BC community.”
“Christopher Darcy has been one of the most amazing people that I’m grateful to have crossed paths with during my time at BC. He’s been a wonderful mentor, adviser and a friend,” wrote student Lyz Alexandre. “When I need advice, Darcy never tells me what to do, he asks me questions so I can come to my own conclusions.”
Darcy, who grew up in Natick, moved back to his hometown in 2003.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Wilson School principal appointed as Natick assistant superintendent
Wilson School Principal Anna Nolin has been named the new Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Innovation for the Natick Public Schools, the superintendent said.
In an email message to community members, Superintendent Peter Sanchioni said that Nolin “brings a wealth of knowledge and a wide range of experience to this role." She spent the last ten years as an administrator at the Wilson Middle School, four years as Vice Principal for four years and as Principal for six years.”
Nolin also taught at Fuller Middle School in Framingham for eight years, and holds a B.A. in English from Middlebury College, a Master of education from Harvard University. She is enrolled in a doctoral program in educational leadership at Boston College.
Sanchioni stated he is in the process of finding an interim principal for Wilson Middle School.
“I am confident that Ms.Nolin's combination of technology, leadership, and design skills, along with her experience in all aspects of district and building management, and her experience as an instructional leader will benefit all of the staff and students of Natick,” Sanchioni wrote.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
MetroWest Health Foundation announces $329,000 in grants
The MetroWest Health Foundation announced in a press release on Thursday that it approved $329,000 in grants to local organizations to improve the health of elders and adolescents, and to assess how some school districts are able to handle students' mental health needs.
Four school districts in Holliston, Framingham, Natick, and Needham will conduct mental health capacity assessments that will evaluate the procedures currently in place to identify, prevent and refer students to mental health treatment and intervention services. The schools will receive training from Boston’s Children’s Hospital researchers on how to complete the assessments, interpret the results and identify areas of improvement.
Mental health issues among students are an area of focus for the foundation. The foundation’s 2012 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey found that one in five high school students reported symptoms of depression, and 5 percent of youth had attempted suicide in the past year.
“It’s clear from our health survey and from talking with school officials that more needs to be done to ensure that students have access to appropriate mental health services and supports,” said Martin Cohen, president of the foundation.
In addition to the school mental health capacity assessments, the foundation’s board of trustees approved an additional 13 grants, including:
From the Framingham Union Grants Panel:
Framingham Public Schools – $25,000 grant to help adolescent boys obtain information and skills needed to build healthy relationships and prevent teen pregnancy.
Framingham State University – $10,000 grant to offer the Lifelong Learning Series Program, which provides social support and enrichment to older adults.
Jewish Family Service of MetroWest – $48,266 grant to train volunteers to assist elders with medical appointments.
New England Eye Institute - $6,000 grant to provide eyeglasses to low-income children.
From the Leonard Morse Grants Panel:
Natick Fire Department - $20,000 to train and certify Natick High School students in CPR, cardiac defibrillation and first aid.
Grants from the Distribution Committee:
Ashland Public Schools - $18,515 to reduce marijuana use among Ashland’s adolescents ages 10-19.
Franklin Council on Aging - $12,245 to offer in-home respite care relief for caregivers of elders in Franklin and Bellingham.
Jewish Vocational Service/ReServe Greater Boston - $48,481 to establish a MetroWest hub for ReServe Greater Boston to enhance the lives of older adults.
Millis Public Schools - $6,740 to train counseling staff in dialectical behavioral therapy, resulting in a reduction of self-harming behaviors among middle school students.
Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts - $33,747 to expand sexual health education programs for parents and teens in Milford and Marlborough.
REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Inc. - $23,511 to address teen dating violence and increase bystander intervention.
Senior Support Foundation/Holliston, Dover and Sherborn COA - $9,775 to offer evidence-based fall prevention programming.
Share Our Strength - $42,056 to educate parents of young children on good nutrition and healthy eating habits.
The MetroWest Health Foundation states that it provides more than $4 million in annual financial support for preventative and responsive health programs. To date, the Foundation has provided more than $37 million in financial support that helps residents and their families lead healthier lives. For more information, visit www.mwhealth.org.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Natick's July 4th parade will pay tribute to Boomtown's Rex Trailer
For a time in January, it looked like Natick's decades-old tradition of a July 4 parade wouldn't happen. But the parade will go on, and this year it will pay tribute to arguably its most famous participant, Rex Trailer, host of the long-running Boston children's show "Boomtown."
Trailer died early this year after spending the holidays with his family in Florida. He was 84.
The Western-themed “Rex Trailer’s Boomtown” premiered on WBZ-TV in Boston in 1956. It ran until 1974. The show included cartoons, educational games, and outdoor adventures. Trailer showed off cowboy tricks he learned when he was growing up in Texas.
The show was a weekend morning fixture on local TV. Trailer made more than 1,000 episodes. A filmmaker who made a documentary about the show estimated that more than 4 million baby boomers grew up watching it and nearly 250,000 appeared in the show’s live audiences, the Globe reported in 2004.
His young fans once included Jay Leno, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Barry (Jordan’s Furniture) Tatelman, and Jimmy Tingle.
Natick's Maureen Sullivan recalled a day when her Brownie troupe was in Boomtown's studio audience. "You're there, and you're seeing all the sets, and you might be disappointed because it was a bunch of plywood backdrops," she said.
She said her sister, Kathleen, got to introduce that day's cartoon because Kathleen "could yell the loudest." Sullivan said Trailer took time after the show to shake every child's hand. "It was a very nice experience," she said.
In a statement released by Emerson College after Trailer's death, Trailer's business partner Mike Bavaro said, “The key thing about Rex is that, with kids and young people, he never talked down to them. He always treated them with respect as if they were adults, and I think that’s what kids want the most."
Trailer, a Sudbury resident, starred in other shows in the 1970s, including “Earth Lab” and “The Good Time Gang." He also owned a television production studio in Waltham.
Trailer also used to his fame to help charitable causes. According to the Boomtown website Jerry Lewis named Rex as national spokesman for Muscular Dystrophy one year, and encouraged his young audience to run "Backyard Carnivals" to raise funds for a cure. He also led a wagon train throughout Massachusetts in 1961 to raise awareness for children with disabilities.
This year, Natick Friends of the 4th will honor Trailer by naming him "Grand Marshall In Memoriam."
"Rex entertained thousands upon thousands of us when we were kids, without swearing, without drugs. This guy was the genuine article. As adults, we realized what a treasure we have had for so many years," said Sullivan, who is a Natick Friends of the 4th committee member. "To have the committee name Rex Marshal In Memoriam is about the best show of respect we could muster for this wonderful man."
According to Sullivan, Trailer's involvement in the parade started in 1955 and continued into the early 1980s. He returned in the early 1990s and continued with it up until last year. Sullivan said that Trailer would ride his horse, Goldrush, along the parade route.
Natick Friends of the 4th co-chairman Peter Mundy recalled seeing Trailer during the parade, and remembered how adults would be singing the "Boomtown" theme at the tops of their lungs, bewildering their children.
"He was the original Boston legend," Sullivan said. "He was genuine. He was one of the nicest people you could ever meet."
This year's parade almost didn't happen. According to Sullivan, parade organizers were feeling burnt out. When it was announced the parade would be cancelled">cancalled, however, supporters rallied and volunteers began coming out of the woodwork. Sullivan said the planning and logistics for the parade are now divided between several subcommittees.
"We're here. We never went away," Mundy said. "We almost did, but we revitalized."
Natick Friends of the 4th does not use any tax dollars and its programs, including this year's 58th annual parade, are possible through fundraising efforts, Mundy said.
A "Boomtown"-themed fundraiser will be held Tuesday Palettes on 29 Main St. starting at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $35.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Buses to replace trains on part of Framingham-Worcester rail line Saturday
Buses will replace commuter rail service on part of the Framingham-Worcester cmmuter rail line Saturday evening while officials test the line’s signaling system, the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company announced.
On June 15, replacement bus service will run between West Natick, Framingham and Worcester stations for the following inbound trains: P564, from Framingham at 9:45 p.m. to West Natick at 9:49 p.m. to South Station, and P566, from Worcester at 12:50 a.m. to West Natick at 1:33 a.m. to South Station; and for the following outbound trains: P565 from West Natick at 9:15 p.m. to Framingham at 9:21 p.m., and P567 from West Natick at 11:46 p.m. to Worcester at 12:30 a.m.
“Part of the process in the transfer of the train dispatching system from CSX to MBCR requires us to test the signaling system,” the company said in an e-mail. “To minimize the impact of this phase to our customers – this work will take place from Saturday evening into Sunday morning.”
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this work,” the e-mail added. “We thank you for your patience during this disruption to the service.”
E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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Brazilian festival coming this weekend in Framingham
Brazilian communities across the world will be celebrating traditional June festivals, or Festa Junina, and Framingham’s Brazilian population will be no exception.
A festival will be held Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at St. Tarcisius Parish and the adjacent Brazilian-American Center on Waverly Street in Framingham. Rain date will be Sunday at noon.
The festival will showcase traditional food and beverages, as well as live music.
Parking is expected to fill up quickly. A shuttle bus will be provided, and participants are encouraged to use the following lots:
Barberi Elementary School, 100 Dudley Rd.;
Loring Arena, 165 Fountain St.;
Sewfisticated Discount Fabrics, 136 Howard St.;
TD Bank, 15 Park St.;
Organizers are asking participants not to park at the Columbus Club or Walgreens.
About 4,500 participated in last year’s celebration, according to festival organizers, and more are expected this year.
The celebration marks the birth of John the Baptist and is a celebration of rural life, and participants often dress as farm hands. According to organizers, the Festa Junina came to Brazil during its colonial period by the Portuguese, but the celebration also has French roots.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Natick residents placed on MassBay dean’s list
MassBay Community College has announced that 14 Natick residents were placed on the spring 2013 semester dean’s list.
Dean’s list students who recently graduated MassBay include:
Naira Antonian, Associate in Science Degree in Accounting;
Alexander Burinskiy, Associates in Arts Degree in Psychology/Sociology/Anthropology;
Crystal Correia, Associate in Science Degree in General Studies;
Melissa Sue Gemmill, Certificate in Surgical Technology;
Ashley Latoya Maldonado, Associate in Arts Degree in Liberal Arts.
Natick students who earned a spot on the dean’s list but have not yet graduated include:
Caraleigh Hope Birchler, Sarah Joan Flynn, Jang,Mi Hwa Jang, Jiasi Liu, Morgan Ashley Norberg, Daniel John Rea, Anastacia Elizabeth Roman, Kirsten Lyn Smyrni, and Gemma C. Verdelli.
To be eligible, a student must be full-time, carrying a minimum of 12 credits, maintain a 3.5 semester grade point average, and have no course grade lower than 2.0 at the end of the given semester.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Troy Flutie commits to Boston College
Troy Flutie is following in the footsteps steps of his father, Darren, his Heisman Trophy-winning uncle, Doug, and his first cousin, Billy, to play football at Boston College.
On Wednesday, the Natick High junior quarterback verbally committed to attend BC with the Class of 2014, accepting an offer from first-year coach Steve Addazio after an on-campus visit. He had made quite an impression on the coaching staff in a workout at The Heights on Sunday.
“It’s an athlete-slash-wide receiver scholarship,” said Flutie, who also plays baseball and basketball at Natick High.
“The second half of the workout they put him at receiver,” said Darren Flutie, who snared 134 catches in four seasons (1984-87) for Jack Bicknell's Eagles before starring with three franchises (BC Lions, Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats) in the Canadian Football League, where he ranks third all-time in receptions.
It’s too early to say if Flutie will get a chance to play quarterback at BC. His uncle, Doug, went to BC in similar fashion. He was thought to be undersized and was given no promises that he’d play quarterback. But he rose on the depth chart and went on to win the Heisman Trophy in 1984.
“The recruiting similarities between Doug and Troy are unbelievable,” said Darren Flutie.
A terrific two-way threat, Flutie utilized his nimble feet (167 rushes, 1,075 yards, 14 TDs) and accurate right arm (3,153 yards, 35 TDs, 8 interceptions) to direct the Red Hawks to the EMass. Division 2A Super Bowl last fall.
As with Doug, there have been concerns with Troy’s size. “He’s just under 6-feet and 178 pounds,” said Darren, about the same size Darren was when he played for the Eagles.
Darren said there were doubters whether Troy had “the size and arm strength to play Division 1.”
Addazio may use the versatile Flutie in creative ways on offense. “He was very honest with me,” said Troy.
For the past three months, he has worked with former BC quarterback Mark Hartsell at East Bridgewater High and St Sebastian’s in Needham. “He helped me most with technique and getting more power in my throwing,” said Flutie.
He also worked out for the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “I thought that went well, but I threw the ball better at BC," he said.
If BC hadn’t come through, Flutie said “I had no clue where I’d go. Maybe Rhode Island, UNH, Maine.”
That’s reminiscent of Doug Flutie’s recruitment days also.
He is the sixth in-state recruit to commit to BC for 2014, a group that includes Millis-Hopedale lineman Jon Baker and Connor Strachan, a linebacker from St. Sebastian's in Needham.
