State Senator Karen Spilka eyes run for Congress
Massachusetts state Senator Karen Spilka has one more reason for supporting Ed Markey's campaign for U.S. Senate. If Markey wins the seat vacated by John Kerry in the special June 25 election, Spilka said she will run for Markey's seat in the U.S. House.
"I'll make a formal announcement that I'm a candidate, once I can call him 'Senator Markey,'" Spilka said in an interview Thursday. "I'm working very hard to get Ed elected, and I believe he will be elected."
Markey, a Democrat representing the Fifth Congressional District, is leading Republican Gabriel Gomez in the race, 41 to 35 percent, according to a WBUR poll.
Efforts to reach Markey's campaign office for comment Thursday were unsuccessful.
Spilka is on a growing list of potential candidates for Markey's seat if he wins the Senate race. Others are Middlesex County Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian, state Senators William Brownsberger of Belmont and Katherine Clark of Melrose and state Representative Carl Sciortino of Medford, all Democrats.
Spilka said she has a strong track record in "fighting for the little guy" during her time in the Massachussets legislature, first as a member of the house, then as senator representing the Second Middlesex and Norfolk District, comprising Ashland, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medway, and Natick.
If elected, Spilka would represent communities from Holliston to Winthrop.
Among her accomplishments, she cited the overhaul of the Children Engaged in Services, or CHINS, law, for handling children who consistently get in trouble at home or at school, including runaways and students who are habitually truant.
She said she also helped change state law to allow communities west of Boston to create or join existing regional transit authorities.
Spilka said she would be able to work in the U.S. House, an often fractious and partisan body. "My background is in conflict resolution," she said. "People are tired of hearing about conflict, bitterness, and divisiveness."
She was elected to the Massachusetts House in 2001, before becoming sworn in as Senator in 2005. In January, she was promoted to Majority Whip after previously serving as Assistant Majority Whip since January 2012. She also serves on the Joint Committee on Rules, the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules, and the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy.
Spilka lives in Ashland with her husband, Joel S. Loitherstein. They have three children and three dogs.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Rabies case confirmed in Wayland raccoon
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has confirmed at least one case of rabies in a raccoon in Wayland. According to DPH representative Anne Roach, the animal tested positive for the virus last week.
Statewide, 19 animals tested positive for rabies between January and March, according to DPH, including 12 raccoons, five skunks, one bobcat and one bat. That's up from 15 animals during the same period in 2012.
Rabies is a very serious disease that affects the brain and spinal cord of mammals, according to the DPH's website. Rabies is caused by a virus and almost always causes death.
Roach said it is important to keep a safe distance away from any animal that is behaving strangely and to call the proper authorities. For more information, visit the DPH rabies website.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com. Follow @johnswinc on Twitter.
Wellesley officials warn residents of road closures, cannon firings this weekend
Photo courtesy of wellesleyweekend.com
Locals celebrate a previous veterans' parade in Wellesley.
Wellesley officials are warning that there will be road closures and cannon firings this weekend as the town holds its annual parade Sunday and celebrates "Wonderful Wellesley Weekend."
The annual veterans' parade will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. beginning at the intersection of Routes 16 and 9, and will end in Wellesley Square. There will be a concert at 6:30 p.m., and fireworks at dusk.
A full day of activities is also listed for Saturday, with events like a pancake breakfast, free eye exams, a town forest walk, art activities, and open houses at law enforcement and fire stations.
A cannon will be fired every hour during the day Saturday on the Town Hall Green, located on Washington Street in Wellesley Square. Officials warn that although the cannons may sound like an explosion, there should be no need for concern.
There will also be major road closures on Sunday due to the town parade. Washington Street from Route 9 in Wellesley Hills square to Oakland Street will be closed starting at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. At 12:30 p.m., Washington Street from Wellesley Hills Square to Central Street will be closed, as will Central Street from Washington Street to Cross Street. The Crest Road bridge will also be closed.
Roads will reopen at about 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
However, at 8 p.m. Sunday, Washington Street will be closed from State Street (Kingsbury Street bridge) to Forest Street (Rockland Street bridge) because of a local firework show. There will be a detour in place. Washington Street should re-open at about 9:30 p.m., officials said.
There will be temporary "No Parking" signs posted for Sunday’s events in and around the Washington Street area. Any cars who park in the closed-off area will be towed.
The Wellesley Police Department will send out reminder alerts on Sunday as roads close and open.
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Follow us on Twitter: @yourwellesley, @jaclynreiss
Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com
Parents of slain Wayland teenager urge lawmakers to enact teen relationship and violence education in schools
The mother of Wayland murder victim Lauren Dunne Astley today called on legislators to mandate comprehensive dating violence education in Massachusetts schools, saying that if her daughter had only received the “pearl of wisdom” never to go alone to visit an ex-boyfriend, she might still be alive.
“If only she had learned and internalized that singularly important lesson,” said Mary Dunne, who spoke with her former husband and Astley’s father, Malcolm Astley, to the Joint Committee on Education in the State House today. Behind them, their daughter beamed in a blown up version of her senior portrait. “That small pearl of wisdom should be ingrained in our children as deeply as buckling their seat belts and recycling their bottles and cans.”
Lauren Astley was 18 when she was was beaten, strangled and slashed to death by her high-school sweetheart Nathaniel Fujita in his Wayland garage after a tumultuous breakup their senior year. Fujita was convicted in March of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison.
Since their daughter’s death, Astley and Dunne have started the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, which supports programs to promote healthy teen relationships, as well as the arts and community service. They were joined this morning by a panel of mental health and education specialists who also called for legislative action.
“Relationships are the beginning and the end of what people are about,” said Malcolm Astley after the hearing. “Kids need a lot of training in what is one of the most paniful parts of being a human, and that is having a relationship come to an end.”
During his testimony, Astley urged the committee to implement “the best elements” of three House bills, all of which call for health education to include teaching about healthy teen relationships, dating violence and conflict resolution. He called the level of violence against women today “extreme.”
Three women are killed in America every day by intimate partner violence, he told the committee.
“We, over the centuries... in order to address, solve and prevent many terrible problems, have taken remarkable and effective steps, both grand and practical, from the abolition of slavery to the initiation of women’s right to vote,” he said. “We can take another step together now.”
Mary Dunneleft, and Malcolm Astley, finish questions after their testimony at the State House. Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
Eating disorder clinic may move from Waltham to Framingham
An eating disorder treatment center may open at the site of a former Catholic retreat center in Framingham, if the town's zoning board gives its approval.
In a press release, Walden Behavioral Care, a limited liability, for-profit company, announced it is proposing an 80-bed treatment center at the former Marist Retreat Center on 518 Pleasant St. The organization has signed a purchase-and-sale agreement to purchase the property from The Marist Fathers of Boston, pending approval of its plans.
Walden would move its corporate headquarters, and much of its staff and treatment facilities, from its current location in Waltham. It would continue to operate its 40-bed psychiatric services in Waltham.
Walden will need approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals for a special permit, because the area is a single-family residential zone.
ZBA Administrator Eugene Kennedy said on Friday that a public hearing on the application will be held June 18.
"The process is just beginning, " Kennedy said. "There will be full public discussion through the zoning board."
In a written statement Walden President and CEO Stuart Koman said, "Walden has always prided itself on being a friendly neighbor and important contributor to the local communities we serve. We are working hard to ensure that this opportunity provides the same experience and benefits."
According to Koman, a Walden facility in Framingham would provide the town with benefits, such as adding to the local tax base, a workforce of 136 employees, and internship opportunities for Framingham State students. The company also touted the benefits of having a local eating disorder facility serve the local population that will also provide outreach to schools to educate students about eating disorders.
The former Marist Retreat Center consists of 37.5 acres bordering the Mass. Pike and spans both sides of Route 30, on which sits a 45,000 square-foot retreat center known as the Marist House, a 5,000 square-foot residence hall called Bishop's Hall, and a pond. The Marists had lived there for 72 years when the six remaining Marist fathers and brothers left the property and moved to Waltham in 2011.
Walden plans to renovate the two buildings in 2015 and add new buildings in 2016. The Marist House will be renovated to house 24 beds for patients with eating disorders and 24 beds for patients with mood disorders, as well as offices for 20 Walden staff. The adjacent Bishop's Hall will be converted to offices for 10 employees.
The first phase of new construction will include a 16-bed, 12,000-square-foot residential facility to treat adults who are obese and a 16-bed, 6,000-square-foot facility for adolescents. The second phase will include construction of a 10,000-square-foot building for program offices, and intake and aftercare services.
Contact John Swinconeck at johnswinc@gmail.com.
Concord-Carlisle girls lacrosse: Down to the wire- Patriots 12, Warriors 12
Information in this report was provided on behalf of the CCHS girls lacrosse program.
With less than a minute remaining it appeared CC’s hard fought battle against the Wayland Girl's lacrosse team would be all in vain.
Just seconds prior the Warriors had won its 15th of 19 draw controls and zipped a goal past Patriot sophomore goalie Conley Ernst to take a 12-11 lead. But the Patriots showed dogged determination as sophomore Jenna Carlton took a pass on the ensuing draw control, raced half the field then dumped off a nice feed to freshman Hannah Dudley who hit the top left corner tying the game at 12-12.
The final score was indicative of just how well matched theses two team were as neither team could gain more than a 2 goal lead throughout the match. CC continued to show it’s enduring strength on defense as Johannah O’ Neil ( 3 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers) and Halle Burns (1 goal, 3 ground balls) provided standout plays at key points in the game to help the Patriots. The CC offense was lead by Captains Kate Wyeth (3 goals) and Allie Barrett (4 goals, 1 assist). Conley Ernst collected 3 saves in net for the Patriots.
The Patriots set the tone early as Becca Olsen (2 goals) took a feed from Barrett, then found the far side of the net. The Warriors followed up with two consecutive goals to take a one goal lead which they managed to maintain throughout the first half. Patriot goalie Conley Ernst would make 3 key stops in the half including a tremendous save on a wicked blast from Wayland’s Amy Cunningham on a near breakaway. The Warriors goalie proved equally as challenging making several saves as the Patriot took a total of 9 shots on net. The Warriors went into the half leading 6-5.
"We were in a similar situation at the at the end of the first half in our last game when we played Westford on Saturday" said Coach Paul Morrison. "we were holding the ball to play for the last shot of the half. In this game (Wayland) we were able to convert on a goal by Ali Barrett to close the gap to one, as opposed to Westford where we turned the ball over and they score to go up by three. To see us convert in a pressure situation just one game later is a great sign of the girls ability to learn from intense game situations."
The second half continued much like the first as each team matched goal for goal. A key play in the half came when the Warriors, up by two goals, were pressing in the CC end. Wayland appeared to be in scoring position to take a 3 goal lead but CC defender O’Neil made a great stick check on the Warrior attacker helping CC to gain ball possession on the caused turnover.
A second big play occurred when Patriot defender Halle Burns collected a ground ball in the CC end, sprinted the length of the field past several Wayland defenders, then drove to goal gaining a free position shot. Burns would collect her first goal of the season but more importantly tied the game at 10-10 with only minutes remaining.
The final minutes were pressure packed as both teams knew how important this game would be for DCL honors. Barrett would go on to make another crucial Patriot free position shot of to tie the game at 11-11, while the final goal by Dudley earned the tie.
Coach Morrison commented on the play of his upper classmen. "Captains Kate Wyeth and Allie Barrett provided great leadership in all three zones today. Juniors Emma Mahoney on the defensive end, and Becca Olsen on attack provided at steady presence that gave their teammates confidence as the game became more and more intense. Senior defenders Lucy Fell and Halle Burns played outstanding games with Lucy minimizing Wayland's best offensive threat, and Halle having the confidence to rush the ball into the attack zone and score a key goal."
Arts, cultural groups bring millions of dollars to MetroWest, study says
Museums, theaters, and art schools are bringing more than just culture and entertainment to the communities west of Boston. According to a newly released study, arts and cultural organizations are providing millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs to the region.
The MetroWest Visitors Bureau commissioned the study to quantify the economic impact of 21 arts and cultural organizations that are members of the bureau, according to spokeswoman Julie Dennehy.
According to the study, conducted by Carlisle Consulting of Concord, the 21 organizations have an economic impact ranging between $24 million in 2012 to a projected $29 million in 2016, totaling almost $375 million during the five-year span.
The 21 groups surveyed employed the equivalent of 528 full-time staff members in 2012. That number was expected to increase to 594 in 2016.
"These survey results were not surprising at all; in fact, they simply validated our knowledge of how important the arts and cultural organizations are to our region," said Susan Nicholl, executive director of the bureau.
Nicholl said the findings mean that arts and cultural organizations contribute in a meaningful, quantifiable way to the region's overall economic health.
“The MetroWest is rich in arts and cultural organizations that inspire, involve and connect us,” said Marilyn Martino, executive director of the Sudbury Foundation, which sponsored the economic impact study. “This study demonstrates how these agencies create jobs and contribute to the region’s economy. It’s important that we recognize this, and support this vibrant element of our region.”
According to the bureau, the study indicates that money spent by a creative organization — including operations, attendance from visitors from outside the MetroWest region, employees, endowments, and investments—spreads into the community. That creates a ripple effect that contributes to the region's total economy.
For example, an institution such as a museum draws thousands of different visitors from outside the region every year who often patronize other businesses, such as local restaurants.
Carlisle Consulting also estimated the impact on employment due to the indirect ripple effect on industries such as hotels, restaurants, and livery services, in combination with direct employment by the 21 groups. Carlisle estimated an average equivalent of 793 full-time jobs between 2012 and 2016.
Dennehy said she believed that the economic impact of cultural organizations may be even greater, since there were many organizations that didn't participate in the survey because they didn't fit the study's model.
Nicholl agreed: "This is really just a slice," she said. "We can only imagine what the impact is overall."
Participants in the study included: Amazing Things Arts Center, The Center for Arts in Natick, Commonwealth Ballet, Concord Museum, Danforth Museum of Art, The Discovery Museums, Five Crows, Fountain Street Fine Art, Framingham History Center, Franklin Performing Arts Company, Franklin School for the Performing Arts, Hopkinton Center for the Arts, Mass Audubon, Museum of Russian Icons, Natick Center Associates, Natick Historical Society, New England Wildflower Society, Palettes, Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, and The Wayside Inn.
John Swinconeck can be reached at johnswinc@gmail.com.
Ninety-two local students, from 58 schools, win national medals from National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Young Massachusetts artists and writers were honored with national medals— 57 for art and 35 for writing— in the 90th Annual National Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, according to a press release.
All the Massachusetts students qualified for this national competition by winning Gold Keys from the Boston Globe Scholastic Art & Writing Awards contest.
With 92 local students honored, Massachusetts was the country’s fourth largest medal winner. These winning students, grades 7-12, represented 58 schools, and 44 cities and towns in the state.
With 10 awards, Buckingham Browne & Nichols in Cambridge ranked first among Massachusetts schools.
Of the Gold Medal winners:
- Victoria White, a junior at Milton Academy, won “Best in Grade” for her poetry
- Lim Chungha from the Walnut Hill School in Natick won an American Vision Award for painting
- Imogene Robinson, from the Governor’s Academy in Byfield, won an American Voices Award for a short story
- Anna Xie, from the O’Bryant School Math/Science in Boston, won a $10,000 scholarship for her writing portfolio. Only five such writing scholarships were awarded nationally.
Winning students from around the country will be honored at a ceremony in Carnegie Hall in New York on May 31, 2013.
Winning artwork will remains on exhibit in the State Transportation Building, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, through April 19. It will be open to the public for free weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Saturdays; and open Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Here is a complete list of the Massachusetts winners:
Acton-Boxborough Regional High School, Acton
Amanda Davies, 12th grade, "Lost" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Oakmont Regional High School, Ashburnham
Meghan Garven, 12th grade, (Category- Art Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Tanner Gauvin ,11th grade, "Think" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Avon Middle High School, Avon
Ivanna Depina, 10th grade, "Pink" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Quabbin Regional High School, Barre
Rachel Perry, 10th grade, "The Piggy Bank" (Category- Art, Ceramics & Glass) Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Allyson St. Pierre, 10th grade, "Take Out" (Category- Art, Ceramics & Glass)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Belmont High School, Belmont
Kimberly Paquette,10th grade, "Reaching" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Talin Tahajian, 11th grade, "Chrysanthemums," "Of Blood and Butter," "The time is ticking," "A Beautiful Commotion," "Carrion" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Amy Wang, 10th grade, "Wang In A Blanket" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Samantha Xu, 10th grade, "Royal Flush" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Winthrop L Chenery Middle School, Belmont
Hayoung Jo, 8th grade, "Untitled" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Paul Roche, 8th grade, "Six Eye Portrait" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Julia Siegel, 8th grade, "Indigo with Flower Pot" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Boston College High School, Boston
Alexander Bailey, 12th grade, "The Happiness Salesman" (Category- Writing, Short Story)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Boston Latin, Boston
Dara Lin, 8th grade, "Confictura Bella" (Category- Writing, Science Fiction/Fantasy) Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Cole Wennerholm, 7th grade, "Poverty" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Commonwealth School, Boston
Melanie Abrams, 12th grade, "What She Learned" (Category- Writing, Flash Fiction) Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Francesco Drake, 10th grade, "Green Bottle" (Category- Art, Ceramics & Glass)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
International School of Boston, Boston
Louis Block, 12th grade, (Category- Writing Portfolio, Writing Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
O'Bryant School Math/Science, Boston
Anna Xie, 12th grade, (Category- Writing Portfolio, Writing Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Brockton High School, Brockton
Kevin Francois, 12th grade, "Shock And Awe" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Kate Cutlip, 12th grade, "untitled" (Category- Art, Printmaking)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Southfield School, Brookline
Ji Hyun Yeo, 8th grade, "Reflections Of Twisted Time Phase" (Category- Art, Drawing) Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Home School, Burlington
Jinsung Kim, 8th grade, "My House" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Burlington High School, Burlington
Christopher Coe, 12th grade, (Category- Art Portfolio, Art Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal with Distinction
Marshall Simonds Middle School, Burlington
Alyssa Healey, 8th grade, "2 Of A Kind" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
The Governor's Academy, Byfield
Myles Badger, 12th grade, "The Cotton Gin Curse" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Imogene Robinson, 12th grade, "The Cookbook" (Category- Writing, Short Story)
Awards: Gold Key American Voices Medal, Gold Medal
Helen Shi, 10th grade, "Clinging On Death" (Category- Art, Ceramics & Glass)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Cambridge
Alberto Ancona, 11th grade, "True Happiness" (Category- Writing, Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Wenli Bao, 12th grade, "Soundproof" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Wenli Bao, 12th grade (Category- Writing Portfolio, Writing Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal with Distinction
Harry Bator, 10th grade, "Dimmer;" "How It Was Done;" "Scorn;" "Monument" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Ami Clifford, 12th grade, "Joy Division" (Category- Writing, Short Story)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Sarah Dahl, 10th grade, "Bus" (Category- Writing, Short Story)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Jake Kuhn, 12th grade, "Holy Cow! A Profile of Dairy Farmer and Cow Caretaker Edgar Pless" (Catergory- Writing, Journalism)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Caitlin McCarey, 12th grade, "The Doctor Of Delight: A Profile Of Jay Stewart" (Catergory- Writing, Journalism)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Margery Tong, 12th grade, (Category- Writing Portfolio, Writing Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal with Distinction
Margery Tong, 12th grade, "Mori, The Lefty" (Category- Writing, Journalism)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Carlisle School, Carlisle
Daria Pietropaolo, 8th grade, "Hole In The Blanket," "Leaf," "Fence," "Monster Mud," "Yola's Little Italian Dictionary" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Concord-Carlisle High School, Concord
Emilie Carr, 12th grade, (Category- Art Portfolio, Art Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Hannah Ryde, 12th grade, (Category- Art Portfolio, Art Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal with Distinction
Alexandra Mackenzie, 12th grade, "Hydrant" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Home School, Concord
Miranda Cashman, 12th grade, (Category- Writing Portfolio, Writing Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
St. John's Preparatory School, Danvers
Liam Viles ,11th grade, "Untitled" (Category- Art, Printmaking)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Noble and Greenough School, Dedham
Akshan Dealwis, 11th grade, "When The Gods Leave" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Irena Maria Maier11th grade, "Karamazov Shock: My Non-epiphanic Epiphany" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Everett High School, Everett
Kevin Angulo, 12th grade, "Boylston Puddle Reflection" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Paul Vu, 11th grade, "Racing At The Speed Of Light" (Category- Art, Photography) Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
John F Kennedy Middle School, Florence
Mairead Blatner, 8th grade, "Pro Bono" (Category- Writing, Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Luke Haas, 8th grade, "Stock Of The Season" (Category- Writing, Humor)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Hunakai Studio of Fine Art, Foxborough
Elizabeth Civetti, 9th grade, "Apples" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Georgetown Middle/High School, Georgetown
Hannah Olbash, 12th grade, "Dark Walk" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School, Hamilton
Justin Finkenaur, 12th grade, "Elephant" (Category- Art, Sculpture)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Notre Dame Academy School, Hingham
Anya Petit, 12th grade, (Category- Art Portfolio, Art Portfolio)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Alaina Taylor, 10th grade, "Untitled" (Category, Writing, Flash Fiction)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Performing and Fine Arts High School, Lawrence
Elissa Salas, 11th grade, "Self Portrait" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Jonas Clarke Middle School, Lexington
Eva Kjelsberg, 8th grade, "Alone" (Category: Art, Digital Art)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Lexington Montessori School, Lexington
Alexander Lehr, 8th grade, "The Empty Men" (Category- Writing, Science Fiction/Fantasy)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
William Diamond Middle School, Lexington
Catherine Wang, 8th grade, "Chiesa Farm" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Longmeadow High School, Longmeadow
Kathryn Higham, 12th grade, "Sharpie Dress" (Category- Art, Fashion?
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Brookwood School, Manchester
Elizabeth Irvin, 8th grade, "Permanent" (Category- Writing, Flash Fiction)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Sebastian Carpenter, 8th grade, "Insect I" (Category- Art, Sculpture)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Manchester Essex Regional High School, Manchester
Julia Paccone, 11th grade, "Organic Glamour" (Category- Art, Fashion)
Awards: Gold Key, American Visions Nominee | Silver Medal
Marshfield High School, Marshfield
Lily Celino, 10th grade, "Shoes" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Melrose Middle School, Melrose
Gerard Frasca, 8th grade, "Landscape, Portugal" (Category: Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Milton Academy, Milton
Olivia Atwood, 12th grade, "The Conservative Synagogue At 11 East 11th Street," "Burglary at 88 Allerton," "Senior Year in Five Haikus," "La Guerra Sucia." (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Jessica Blau, 12th grade, "Tectonics," "The Things I'll Never Tell My Mother," "Mermaids" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key, AVN | Gold Medal
Jonathan Esty, 12th grade, "On the Removal of the Bald Eagle" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key/Silver Medal
Sarah Hombach, 12th grade, "An Agriculture Major" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key/Gold Medal
Victoria White, 11th grade, "Oncology," "Blackberry Winter," "Hardening," "Past Tense" (Category- Writing, Poetry)
Awards: Gold Key | Best in Grade, Gold Medal
Walnut Hill School, Natick
Emily Kessler, 11th grade, "Monopoly" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Chungha Lim, 11th grade, "Portrait Of Conveyance" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key, AVN | American Visions Medal, Silver Medal
Needham High School, Needham
Noah Baker, 12th grade, "Uncle John #11" (Category: Art, Mixed Media)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Newburyport High School, Newburyport
Jillian Conway, 11th grade, "Untitled" (Category: Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Newton North High School, Newton
Audrey Derobert, 12th grade, "1 In 8 Teenagers Have Self Harmed" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Xiang Ding, 12th grade, "Beach" (Category: Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Newton South High School, Newton
Olivia Hamilton, 11th grade, "Tractor" (Category: Art, Sculpture)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Algonquin Regional High School, Northborough
Jessica Sheldon, 12th grade, "Moonlit Adventure" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Landmark School, Pride's Crossing, Beverly
Phoebe Britton, 12th grade, "Self-portrait In White" (Category- Art, Drawing)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Corey Kramer 11th grade, "Red Riding Hood" (Category- Art, Printmaking)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Berkshire School, Sheffield
Kevin Xu, 9th grade, "Self-Portrait" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: GoldKey/Gold Medal
Fay School, Southborough
Soo Hyun Hong, 8th grade, "Three Apples" (Category- Art, Painting)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Coyle & Cassidy High School, Taunton
Mercedes Lamb, 11th grade, "Cuppa Dolphin" (Category- Art, Digital Art)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Masconomet Regional High School, Topsfield
Allin Skiba, 11th grade, "Baseball" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Innovation Academy Charter School, Tyngsborough
Spencer Royston, 8th grade, "The Storm" (Category- Writing, Personal Essay/Memoir)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Wayland High School, Wayland
Jameson Hunt, 10th grade, "Ashen" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Wellesley High School, Wellesley
Anya Pineau, 10th grade, "Dressing Up" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Gold Medal
Wellesley Middle School, Wellesley
Sam Baltrus, 8th grade, "Scream" (Category- Art, Photography)
Awards: Gold Key | Silver Medal
Westborough High School, Westborough
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Lauren Astley's parents hope to curb teen dating violence after first degree murder conviction
Looking back there were signs, but they were deceptively subtle. Her friends didn’t like him, he rarely came to her house, he couldn’t seem to let her go.
One day after seeing Nathaniel Fujita convicted of murdering his former girlfriend — her only daughter, Lauren Astley — Mary Dunne reflected on the ways parents can prevent tragedies like the one she is enduring.
She wants other parents to benefit from what she has learned so painfully about teen dating violence.
“I think it’s really important to pay attention to the way your child’s friends feel about their boyfriend. They did not like Lauren’s boyfriend, and I wish I had read more into that,” Dunne said in an interview with the Globe on Friday, the day after Fujita was sentenced to life in prison for killing Astley.
“She tried to break up with him a couple of times and it never quite went through,” said Dunne. “It was always renegotiated, and I came to feel like he was not allowing her to break up with him.”
Dunne and Lauren’s father, Malcolm Astley, have both spent their careers in education. Although divorced, they are united in wanting to channel their grief into action. To that end, they established the Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund, which supports programs on healthy relationships and teen dating violence. It can be found online at laurendunneastleymemorialfund.org.
For more than three weeks, Dunne and Astley sat in the courtroom while prosecutors and witnesses retold the horrific crime that took their daughter’s life. They were joined by such friends as Lisa Ting and Robyn Hunter, many of whom wore Lauren’s favorite coral pink in a show of support.
Dunne said Fujita never hit her daughter before July 3, 2011, when he beat and strangled Astley before slitting her throat and dumping her body in a nearby marsh. Prosecutors told jurors during the trial that Fujita was enraged over his recent breakup with his 18-year-old girlfriend.
“It’s not like she was coming home with bruises,” said Dunne, who now lives in Weston. “I think that’s what’s so shocking about this.”
That’s one lesson: In families where parents are closely involved with their children, she said, the signs of control would have to be less obvious — and not physical — to escape notice.
The young couple usually went to Fujita’s house. Dunne said she never felt like she got to know the boy that her daughter had dated for about three years.
She wishes now she had insisted on spending more time with him — another point she wants to make to parents. “My interest would be in continuing to speak to audiences about the incredibly subtle signs that we take as just teenagerness, when in fact they may be more than that,” she said.
Lauren’s father says he wants teens to learn how to better cope with heartache, especially young men who aren’t often counseled on their emotions.
In the same way parents would never put children in a car without the protection of seatbelts, they also need to give children emotional protection, such as the tools to cope with the loss of a first love, Malcolm Astley said in a separate telephone interview Friday.
“It’s one of the most painful experiences anybody goes through,” said Astley, referring to breakups. “We don’t really provide resources for kids to understand this.”
In his victim’s impact statement before sentencing on Thursday, Astley called on Fujita to use his life to atone for his crime by helping curb violence against women.
And he reached out to Fujita’s parents, embracing them in the courtroom after the conviction.
“We both lost our kids,” Astley explained.
The work Astley envisions could help countless Laurens and Nates. Because the problem of teen dating violence is so complex, the fund set up in his daughter’s name is approaching it from a number of angles.
The fund’s top priority right now is state legislation that would require as many as 10 to 20 sessions annually at every grade level to teach healthy emotions and relationships.
Another goal is to target young men and boys directly with programs on how to prevent violence between intimate partners, like “You the Man,” a play that stresses dating violence prevention and intervention. The fund is sponsoring a performance and discussion of the production, which is put on by the University of New England and will be staged on March 15, in Wayland.
Astley said the fund also hopes to support training for guidance counselors to help spot problems in teen relationships.
Dunne and Astley both said creation of the fund has given them a sense of purpose.
“The comfort is . . . that the community is standing up and saying we cannot abide, we will not abide this kind of violence and harm,” said Astley.
Lisa Kocian can be reached at lkocian@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @GlobeLisaKocian.
Nathaniel Fujita sentenced to life in prison in Wayland murder
WOBURN – Nathaniel Fujita was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Thursday after a jury of eight men and four women found him guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Lauren Astley, his former high school girlfriend.
Judge Peter Lauriat issued the sentence in Middlesex Superior Court at about 12:20 p.m. Appeal is automatic in first-degree murder cases.
Fujita, now 20, acted with both premeditation and extreme atrocity when he lured 18-year-old Astley to his Wayland home on July 3, 2011, told her to park her car out of sight, and then beat, strangled and slashed her to death before dumping her body in a marsh, the jurors found.
Before the sentencing, Astley's parents, who are divorced, gave statements describing the impact of their daughter's murder. Her father, Malcolm Astley, went first.
“We need to acknowledge the death, the absence, and the taking of the life," and then he began to weep, "of Lauren Dunne Astley, and the cutting off of all that she was and would be and contributed to the world. We need to affirm the high value of life.”
Malcolm Astley also talked of the toll that domestic violence takes across the nation. “We do need to expand our efforts to understand what led to this deeply harmful and tragic act,” Astley said. “Three women a day on average in our country are murdered” by a partner.
In describing the toll of his daughter's murder, Astley said he mourned the loss of future generations “since the eggs inside her have also died along with the chance to be a mother.”
Astley also addressed Fujita and the loss that his family is feeling. “He will have a most demanding challenge to even approach clearing his name,” Astley said.
As a beginning, Astley said, Fujita could acknowledge what he did and “he could apologize for it deeply and repeatedly. … He could dig deeply to understand himself and what led to this violence and this loss.”
The victim's mother, Mary Dunne, then gave her statement.
“I am the mother of Lauren Dunne Astley, but never again will I be called Mom or Mommy or Mother. Lauren was my only child and she brought instant joy and light into my life,” she said.
“What I treasure most about her was her uncanny ability to draw people into her circle,” Dunne said, adding that she deeply missed her daughter’s voice. “Whether singing or pleading for a new pair of shoes, her voice was lovely and now there is silence.”
Dunne talked of being haunted by her daughter's death.
"The image of her last excruciating minutes on earth will not leave my brain ever. They torment me and I feel powerless to stop them,” Dunne said. "Lauren does not have the privilege of reentering the world and it seems fair that Nathaniel should not either.”
Fujita did not make a statement before he was sentenced, and showed no reaction when the judge said he would spend the rest of his life in prison.
In convicting Fujita of murder, the jury rejected the defense’s argument that Fujita was psychotic, and therefore not criminally responsible, at the time of the killing.
“We’re disappointed with the verdict,” Fujita's lawyer, William Sullivan, said at a press conference after the sentencing. “We knew that this was a possibility. We were hopeful that the jury would have been able to grasp and understand the depths of mental illness.”
Asked why Fujita did not stand up and apologize in court, Sullivan said, "This is not the appropriate forum for an apology ... If there is ever going to be a conversation like that, it will not be done in public.”
Of Fujita's feelings after the verdict, Sullivan said, “He’s a little overwhelmed right now."
Fujita was silent and hung his head as the verdict was read at around 10:30 a.m., shortly after the jury began its second day of deliberations.
Astley's parents shook with sobs when the verdict came. Prosecutor Lisa McGovern went over and hugged both of them, telling the slain teen's mother, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Fujita's parents were silent as the verdict was read. But then Malcolm Astley walked toward them and put his arms out. The couple began sobbing, and all three hugged -- the defendant's parents and the victim's father.
Fujita’s lawyer had argued that Fujita was deeply depressed, and was suffering the effects of daily marijuana use and years of football head injuries, when he slipped into a “brief psychotic episode” that left him unable to control or understand his actions during the slaying.
Prosecutors maintained that Fujita was simply enraged over his recent breakup with Astley.
Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com. Lisa Kocian can be reached at lkocian@globe.com.
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