Belmont World Film Proves ‘Streaking’ Is Alive And Well In Switzerland

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Photo: Streaker

A high school teacher bets his school’s athletic field money on a fixed soccer match to raise money to build a museum celebrating his favorite Swiss poet Gottfried Keller, only to see his scheme crash when the winning goal was stopped by a streaker on the field.

In his attempt to get back the school’s money and still build his museum, the teacher decides to take bets on how long a streaker can stay on the field. The more bets he takes, the more streakers he needs to recruit and train. Soon, the entire Swiss soccer league is turned upside down awash in streakers!

“Streaker” (“Flitzer”) will have its East Coast premiere tonight, Monday, April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Belmont World Film 17th annual International Film Series at Belmont’s Studio Cinema, 376 Trapelo Rd. The 2017 feature is in Swiss German and German with English subtitles.

 

Upper Concord Avenue Closed Vacation Week, April 16 – 20

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Photo: Can’t go here!

A major portion of one of the main roads to and from Lexington will be closed for most of the day this coming week.

Upper Concord Avenue from Pleasant to Mill streets will be shut down from Monday, April 16 to Friday, April 20 due to infrastructure construction related to the Belmont Day School. There will be a police detail at either end of the road to enforce the closure. 

The work schedule is:

  • Monday, April 16: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday to Friday, April 17-20: 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Through traffic from Lexington to Belmont will be detoured down Mill Street, onto Trapelo Road and onto South Pleasant Street where it will connect with Concord Avenue at the Belmont Police Station.

Those excluded from the ban will include Concord Avenue residents and members of the Belmont Hill Club. 

Sophomore Shows The Way To Become A Belmont Idol [VIDEO]

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Photo: Mia Hallet, winner of Belmont Idol 2018.

For Mia Hallet, being up on stage performing is “where I’m supposed to be.” 

The Belmont High School sophomore proved that statement was on point as she wowed the audience and judges at Belmont Idol 2018 to walk away with the title on Friday, April 6. 

The dance ensemble Dance the Music made up of Yolei Chen, Dinara Mardanova, Kamila Mardanova and Nitya Sharma placed second with three-time contestant Krasma (Stefan Ingesias, Eamon O’Connor, Andrea Russi) coming in third. 

Performing solo accompanied by her gorgeous orange-stained Gretsch Electromatic Hollowbody guitar, the long-time singer let loose a rendition of BØRNS’ “Electric Love” to the receptive audience in the High School’s auditorium and three judges made up of local professional musicians.

With a father was in a band in his younger days and she has been singing since elementary school, Hallet first picked up the guitar two years ago with the idea of playing first before her classmates and then a wider audience. 

“My goal is to perform on stage, to make a living as an artist,” she said. “And this is a step towards that.”

New Belmont School Committee Meets … And Needs One More Member

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Photo: The new School Committee: (from left) Lisa Fiore, Andrea Prestwich, Susan Burgess-Cox, Tara Donner and Catherine Bowen. 

The first meeting of the newly-constituted Belmont School Committee after the town’s election on April 3, was quick – just a little bit more than a half-hour long – as the committee’s big vote was to select its new leader.

For the next year, Susan Burgess-Cox, who won re-election for another three-year term in last week’s election, was unanimously selected committee chair by the five members. She succeeds Lisa Fiore who takes on a one-year term on the board. The committee also welcomed newcomer Tara Donner, who was elected to the other three-year seat. They join Andrea Prestwich and Catherine Bowen on the committee.

Yet there is unfinished business on the committee; namely, it’s missing one member. With Tom Caputo’s election to the Board of Selectmen, the committee has an unfilled slot for the remainder of Caputo’s term, ending April 2019. To rectify the empty seat, the committee will fill the position by an appointee chosen jointly by the School Committee and the Board of Selectmen.

Anyone interested in filling this vacancy can submit a letter of interest to Cathy Grant in the Superintendent’s office by Thursday, May 3 at 4 p.m. via email to cgrant@belmont.k12.ma.us or U.S. mail to Cathy Grant c/o Belmont Public Schools, 644 Pleasant St.

The two boards will meet jointly on Friday, May 11 at 8:30 a.m. in the Board of Selectmen’s meeting room in Town Hall to interview applicants and to vote to appoint the new member of the School Committee.

The Yellow Room Set To Bring Color To Second Friday Coffeehouse On Friday

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Photo: “The Yellow Room” (Facebook)

Second Friday favorites “The Yellow Room” aka Heather Quay and Jon Svetkey headline this month’s Second Friday Coffeehouse on Friday, April 13, from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the First Church Belmont situated at the intersection of Common Street and Concord Avenue (404 Concord)  just outside Belmont Center.

Quay and Svetkey have been singing and strumming together for nearly 20 years. Their original songs combine elements of classic pop, folk and country music while showcasing their love of two-part harmony and fun. As one half of Quay & O’Conor, Heather performed at colleges and clubs throughout the Northeast, including Columbia University, CBGBs and Club Passim, and released an album of original music. Jon, and his band, The Loomers, have performed at venues such as The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, The Hatch Shell in Boston, Club Passim, Caffe Lena, and Fenway Park. He co-headlined writers-in-the-round nights with folks like Kristian Bush of Sugarland, Dar Williams, and Ellis Paul. Jon has released 10 albums of his music and his songs have appeared on CBS, Cinemax, The CW, MTV, NBC, and PBS.

As a special added bonus, Jeff Isen will join them for a few songs.

  • General Admission: $12
  • Students and Seniors: $8

Belmont Hires State Bureau Director To Run Town/School Facilities

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Photo: Stephen Dorrance.

Belmont has been on a hiring spree since the beginning of the New Year with a new Town Administrator, Light Department director and a principal for the Wellington all coming on board.

And this week, the town welcomes a new facilities director who comes from the ranks of the state bureau of facilities.

“We finally found someone,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin as she introduced Stephen Dorrance – an hour later than expected – to the Board of Selectmen at its Thursday night meeting, April 12. Garvin said Dorrance was one of four finalists and his qualifications rose to the top.

Dorrance comes to Belmont having worked for the past four years as a multi-site facilities director for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, responsible for the building management and maintenance, regulatory compliance and environmental services at four hospital campuses – Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, Tewksbury Hospital and Western Massachusetts Hospital – that houses 45 buildings, 800 beds, high pressure boiler/power plants, 10 miles of roadway, 1,000 acres of land, and 20 acres of parking.

“I’m looking forward to this. I’ve been a member of the National Trust for Historical Preservation for 20 years and love the character of Belmont,” Dorrance said, and will seek to “make these old, beautiful buildings even more beautiful.” 

Dorrance, who has a BS from Suffolk and a Master’s from Harvard, is now responsible for maintaining more than one million square feet of buildings and grounds under the control of the Board of Selectman and the School Committee since the operations merged seven years ago.

Concord’s Assistant Director Selected To Head Belmont Light

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Photo: Christopher Roy.

Christopher Roy, the assistant director of the electrical utility in neighboring Concord, was selected Monday afternoon by the town’s Light Board.

Roy “is a rising star in the field. He’s got a vision, a drive and the ability to take Belmont Light to the next level,” said Light Board Chair Adam Dash as the board voted unanimously for Roy who was interviewed by the board, April 9, along with the other finalist, acting Belmont Light General Manager Craig Spinale.

According to Rick White from Groux-White Consulting who facilitated the candidate search, Roy will be hired once a successful negotiation of a contract is finalized, The contract will be from three to five years with a salary ranging from $140,000 to $180,000. 

Tall and confident, Roy carries himself like the athlete he was a 6’4″, 240-pound tight end playing for Tufts back in 2004. In fact, Roy said he values the discipline and respect that a sports background provides him.

The assistant director in Concord for the past five years, Roy said he comes to Belmont knowing the way municipal utilities are structured today may not fit that same way in the future.

“The role of the general manager is to oversee your operation and make sure the utility is growing. In the short term, it’s personnel” with career paths and succession plans while long term, it’s rate adjustments and implementing the greenhouse gas reduction programs” in 2050. “But you have to establish a foundation today.” 

Rates in Belmont, Roy said, are poised to provide revenue for progressive initiatives … “everything is there, the potential is there. It just has to be unlocked.”

The board struggled with the decision saying the decision was “a close call; it would be a tough choice” noting how Spinale took over the general manager’s position in September after “a very difficult and tumultuous time,” said Dash, while also taking up the task of decommissioning the town’s three retired substations.  

I don’t know what more [Spinale] could do and he has done a really, really great job,” said Dash.

If there was one area that impressed the board was Roy’s ability to break down an issue and produce a solution. The members each pointed to Roy’s answer of one of the interview questions which required each candidate to make a seven-minute presentation on Belmont’s electric rates which are higher than surrounding communities and how to maintain or lower them as residents demand energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases.  

Member Mark Paolillo – a self-professed “numbers guy”  – was “fascinated” how Roy dug deep into the Belmont data with an “in-depth analytical analysis of the rates” that showed many areas where Belmont could make great savings. Dash said Roy looked through the numbers and “saw the issue and called it out … and that shows some level of sophistication and then took the numbers and ran with it.” 

Roy also stated while under state general law he has the ability to set policy apart from the board, he would always first look to town government and residents priorities in a collaborative manner rather than strike out on his own. 

“He’s someone who is focused on building a team, the importance of cultivating that team … and a keen idea of making it succeed,” said new board member Tom Caputo. 

“Chris seems really passionate by public power and where he wants to go,” said Paolillo. 

Rinse, Repeat: Belmont High’s Principal Search Back To Square 1 With Interim Head For Next Year

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Photo: Belmont High School

They got the candidates they were looking for but like the belle of the ball, everyone wanted to dance with Jonathan Bourn to Belmont’s chagrin. 

While Wellington Elementary has found the right person to lead the school, the search for the educator to succeed Dr. Dan Richards at the helm of Belmont High School – and lead it possibly into its new building in 2022 – goes back to square one as Bourn, the current principal of Norwood High School since 2015 and sole candidate selected by the search committee turned out to be a popular candidate for many communities other than just Belmont. With a good reputation as a youngish educator who can connect with staff and students (but who also rubbed some school committee members the wrong way when he pushed and succeeded to move the school from the Bay State to the Tri-Valley athletic conference), Bourn was sought after to become high school principal in both Medway and Braintree, where he was the only candidate selected from 25 finalists.

Something was amiss when Mary Pederson, the district director of human resources, sent an email on Tuesday, April 10 an “update … on the status” of the high school principal’s search rather than an announcement on a new hire in the opening paragraph.  

Bourn, who resigned as principal of Norwood High School in mid-March, met with Belmont High students, staff, parents and administrators on April 2. But despite passing over a number of qualified candidates to only go forward with Bourn, Pederson said, “after a thorough review and thoughtful consideration of all information gathered through this rigorous process, the decision has been made not to move forward with Mr. Bourn as the next Principal of BHS.”

Coincidently, Braintree announced on Tuesday, April 10 that it would be reopening its search for a new principal as Bourn would not be coming to the South Shore town. Bourn is one of three candidates for the Medway position, which is close to his Walpole home. 

With the ability to hire a principal to manage a highly successful program before the new school year all but nil, Belmont District Superintendent John Phelan is starting a two-pronged approach to run the school. The first is redo a full-fledged candidate search beginning early in the coming school year in the fall of 2018.

But with the reality that Belmont High will not have a permanent leader on board until July 2019 at the earliest, Phelan will appoint by June 1 an interim principal for the 2018-2019 school year from the ranks of retired principals, an internal candidate, or other qualified educational leaders. While interim leaders are in the unenviable position of being a short-term fill in, one needs only look at Belmont’s last interim head, superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston, whose three-year tenure was celebrated as bringing stability and professionalism to the district. 

Somerville’s Franke Selected Next Wellington Principal

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Photo: Allison Franke (Linkedin)

Wellington Elementary has found its new principal.

“I am happy to announce that Allison “Alli” Franke has accepted the position of Principal of the Wellington Elementary School. Her work in the District will begin on July 1,” said Mary Pederson, the district’s director of human resources. 

Franke takes the school’s reins from Amy Spangler, who left after five years at the school.

Franke is an assistant principal of Somerville’s Capuano Early Education Center, a pre-K, and Kindergarten school, for nearly four years, after working for four years as a literacy specialist at the Franklin Elementary School in West Newton. She’s held numerous posts in and out of elementary education – including two years as a teacher at Boston Renaissance Charter Public School – after starting her career as a kindergarten and second-grade teacher in the Los Angeles schools for nearly four years beginning in 1998.

A DC native, Franke graduated with a computer science degree from Amherst, earned an Ed.M in Language and Literacy from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, and a masters in organizational management from Endicott. 

Opinion: Criminal Justice Reform Lightens Up On The Little Guy

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Last week, the legislature sent a broad reform of the criminal justice system to Gov. Baker with a unanimous vote in the Massachusetts State Senate and a near-unanimous vote in the House of Representatives.

The bill is about lightening up on the little guy – the person who has made some mistakes but wants to turn a corner and live right.  If possible, we want to lift that person up instead of locking them up.  And we want to cut away the web of bureaucratic entanglements that make it hard for them to get back on their feet.

For the most dangerous offenders though, the focus has to be on public protection and the bill also gives police and prosecutors a number of useful new tools.

Last fall, both branches produced and approved comprehensive criminal justice packages that examined the system from front to back.  The bills that each branch produced differed from each other in approach and in hundreds of details.

A bi-partisan, bi-cameral conference committee including three members from the House and three from the Senate (two Democrats and one Republican from each branch) spent the last four months sorting through all the pieces. We considered and discussed each piece individually and we hope we succeeded in re-assembling a balanced bill, each piece of which actually works. We hope and believe that the final bill is really a better bill than either branch started with.

On the same day that the legislature approved the results of our conference negotiations, it also voted through a bill that speaks specifically to the challenges of in-prison rehabilitation programming and the re-entry process. That bill, which grew out of negotiations in the 2015-6 session, complements the larger package.

Much of the conversation in the press over the past few years has been about a few hot-button issues, especially mandatory minimums for drug offenders. The package does knock out some of the mandatories that currently apply even to little guys who are not selling opiates. 

But people serving drug mandatory minimums account for a relatively small portion of incarceration (10 or 15 percent) at the state level and the need for reform goes beyond the problem of high incarceration rates.  The criminal justice system is a sprawling bureaucracy. As a case moves through the system, dozens of decisions get made and offenders ultimately have to work very hard to meet the sometimes-conflicting requirements of officials who control their lives.

We have passed a bill that makes responsible changes in every stage of the system to reduce the burdens that the system places on people and their families. At the same time, we have passed a bill that, in many respects, makes the public safer.

Most issues in criminal justice involve hard judgment calls and many are deeply controversial. They are the kind of difficult issues that many seek to avoid. I’m very grateful to the leadership of the House and Senate for giving us the green light to move a big bill forward. And I’m grateful to every single member of the House and the Senate for stepping up to the plate to offer creative ideas and to cast difficult votes on many complex issues.

I’ve published complete details on the package at willbrownsberger.com and will also be very happy to answer questions or hear concerns at William.brownsberger@masenate.gov or 617-722-1280.

Will Brownsberger

State Senator, Second Suffolk and Middlesex