Fundraiser For Grove Street Fire Victims This Sunday at Conley’s

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Bringing some comfort to Grove Street fire victims

On the evening of Sunday, Feb. 26, two residents fled from their burning home located in Grove Street with little to no possessions. While all are safe and healthy, they are in urgent need of financial help to put their lives back together. 

IMG_8322

Alyssa Morley and Erin Lubien invite the public to Conley’s Pub & Grille on Belmont Street in Watertown on Sunday, March 12 beginning at 4 p.m. onward for a fundraising event. Surprises are guaranteed throughout the evening, including a fabulous raffle. All proceeds will be split equally among the fire victims.

“All are welcome and encouraged to participate in this fundraiser. With good music, food and an amazing raffle, I hope Conley’s can be that gathering spot for our community to feel as one while supporting our neighbors in need,” said Stephen Conley, owner of his namesake restaurant.

“While we are all relieved to know that the tenants in the fire are OK,” Steve continued, “it is daunting to think of the amount of rebuilding each of these people has to accomplish. I hope this event helps raise enough to get them back on their feet.”  

Here is how you can help:

  • Monetary donations are most graciously accepted at GoFundMe.com/p/rvb6z.
  • Checks made out to Grove Street Fire Fund can be mailed to 38 Unity Ave, Belmont, MA 02478.
  • Join us for the fundraising event at Conley’s Pub & Restaurant on Sunday.
  • Donate to our raffle by contacting Morley via email at alyssa@thegrommet.com

 

Record Players To Perform Annual JKR Conservation Fund Concert Mar. 4

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The 2017 Record Players, (from left), Sarah Freiberg, cello; Anne Black, viola; Ray Jackendoff, clarinet; Andrea Mason Nolin, flute; Colin Davis, violin. (courtesy The Record Players)

The Record Players will celebrate their 17th year of tribute to the Judith K. Record Memorial Conservation Fund with a chamber music concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 4 at The First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Ave.

The concert is free and open to all, with contributions accepted at the door. A reception for all attendees will follow the concert at this wheelchair accessible venue. 

The JKR Fund works to conserve and protect Belmont’s unique and historic property at Lone Tree Hill and other local open spaces enjoyed by the public.    

The program will include music for strings and wind instruments composed by Hovhaness, Quantz, Mozart, Wilson, and Reger. 

The JKR Fund was founded in 2001 to honor Judy Record’s dedicated efforts in support of Belmont’s conservation areas. The Fund’s principal work during the past year past has been continuing to oversee and underwrite the restoration of the century-old Pine Allee on Lone Tree Hill Conservation Land.

Tax-deductible gifts may be made to Mass Audubon/JKR Fund, P.O. Box 79138, Belmont, MA 02478. More information on the fund and open spaces in Belmont can be found at JKRFund.org.

Opinion: Time Is Now For Sleep To Be A Priority For High School Students

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Bedtime. 

(Editor: On Feb. 7, the Belmont School Committee heard a presentation from the chair of the Belmont Start School Later campaign, Jessica Olans Hausman, and from School Committee member Andrea Prestwich requesting a task force be formed to consider a later beginning of the school day for Belmont High School students. Hausman presented an opinion article [below] to the Belmontonian to inform the public of current and future activities of her group.) 

The science supporting later school start times for high school and middle school students is evident.  An adolescent’s optimal sleep cycle is at 11 p.m. and wake at 8 a.m. Just put a Fitbit on your teen and put them to bed at 9 p.m. They will toss and turn until 11 p.m. That means waking up at 6 a.m. rouses adolescents at the lowest point of alertness in their 24-hour sleep cycle. It is the equivalent of an adult waking up at 4 a.m. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and American Medical Association recommend starting middle and high school no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

Teens are physically and mentally healthier and higher performing with a school start time of 8:30 a.m. or later.  They perform better academically in school and experience 68 percent lower injury rate athletically after school. Incidences of mood and eating disorders, at-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse, and car accidents all decrease with later start times.  

Schools around the country, including Massachusetts, are making a move to later middle and high school start times with positive results.  

  • In fall 2016, Hanover High School changed its opening bell from 7:25 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. The school’s Assistant Principal Hugh Galligan has already reported “a 32 percent decrease in Ds and Fs in period one classes, and a 10 percent increase in As in period one classes this school year.”    
  • In 2012, Nauset High School changed to start school at 8:35 a.m with an immediate result of a 50 percent decrease in Ds and Fs.  These statistics have continued steadily at the school to date.
  • A Newton Start School Later working group has collected nearly 2,000 responses to its survey of six scenarios for starting their high schools as late as 9 a.m. According to the Boston Globe, the Newton School Committee is expected to vote this spring to implement later start times as early as the fall of 2017.
  • South Portland Middle School will move its start from 7:55 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and the high school will move its start from 7:30 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. in the 2017/2018 school year.
  • Boxford, Middleton, Mascomet and Topsfield formed a Start Times Advisory Committee in Spring 2016 that has already completed evaluations studying options for later middle and high school start times.

Much more examples of towns in the region can be found on the Start School Later Massachusetts Facebook page with additional updates available from the Start School Later Massachusetts newsletter.

What is happening in Belmont?  

Belmont may not be far behind these schools in moving to a later school start time.  In 2015, Middlesex League superintendents committed that, if their towns are going to change to later high school start times between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., they will change by Fall 2018. This will help to coordinate after-school sports schedules.  

Belmont School Committee is discussing starting a task force to explore starting school later for the 2018/2019 school year. Their preliminary discussion took place at the Feb. 7 school committee meeting at Chenery Middle School. They may vote on the question at the upcoming meeting on Feb. 28

Belmont residents are highly encouraged to attend this voting meeting at Chenery Middle School at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28.  At the start of the meeting, members of the community are welcome to voice concerns for up to two minutes each. If you wish to sign a petition in support of later school start times for Belmont middle and high schools you can respond here until the school committee vote on Feb. 28. Town task forces often take one year to explore different plans and logistics for starting school later.   

If the Belmont school committee votes to create this task force and follow the year timeline, they could vote in the winter of 2017-2018 on whether and how to start school later in Belmont.

What’s The Buzz? Keeping Honeybees In Belmont, Wed Night 7 PM

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Honeybee in nature.

Honeybees are pretty active. You might say they are … as busy as a bee.

A honeybee – whose wings stroke about 200 beats per second, producing its famous, distinctive buzzing sound – flies for up to six miles to visit between 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip, all the while helping to pollenate flowers and fruit and producing food in the honey made in the hives they occupy.

Some folks in Belmont have discovered this wonderful creature of nature and have allowed the bees to set up shop in all kinds of places in town. There are hives in open spaces such as Belmont Acres and adjacent to the busy intersection of Pine Street and Trapelo Road across from Moozy’s.

With interest in cultivating bees on the rise, the Belmont Board of Health is holding a Public Forum on “Keeping of Honeybees” on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. Learn things like where you can place a hive and the general practices of good beekeeping. 

Breaking: Parking Ban Begins 6 PM Thursday, Ends 6 AM Friday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Snow Emergency declared for Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m.

The Belmont Police has issued a snow emergency parking ban on all streets, municipal and school parking lots in Belmont effective at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9, until 6 a.m., Friday, Feb. 10. 

ALL VEHICLES PARKED IN VIOLATION OF THE BAN WILL BE TOWED AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE.

If you have any questions please call the snow emergency hotline at 617-993-2698. 

Obituary: Jason Georgitis, Star Lawyer, Beloved Husband, Father, Dies at 42

By 15 Comments

Photo: Jason Georgitis (Credit: Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.)

Jason Georgitis, a beloved husband, father, step-father, and neighborhood dad, died on Feb. 3, 2017, at the offices of the Boston law firm Mintz-Levin where he worked. He was 42.

The family said the cause appeared to be a sudden heart attack.

“We are all heartbroken at the passing of Jason. He was an excellent lawyer, a trusted advisor to his clients and a wonderful colleague and friend. He will be greatly missed,” said Dan Gaquin, a colleague at Mintz Levin.  

“This is extremely difficult for all of us,” added Stuart Offner, a Belmont resident who also worked closely with Georgitis at the law office.

Georgitis moved to Belmont 15 years ago when his step-daughter, Isabella Janosi began kindergarten at the Butler School. He and his wife, CC Maher, lived on Slade Street before their daughter, Chloe, was born. They moved to Bellevue Road where they developed deep roots while Chloe attended the Wellington Elementary School. 

“He would often lose the briefcase and appear with a tool belt ready to help any neighbor with any project anytime,” said Owen Carlson of Bellevue Road.

Known for his kindness and generosity, Georgitis would treat the neighborhood kids to ice cream and pick-up games of basketball. Georgitis was a neighborhood dad and co-organizer of the annual block party. He recently became a gifted woodworker and loved to share his craft with others in his basement workshop.

An athlete growing up, Jason took to long-distance cycling as his new sport and would go for long rides on weekends, sometimes finding himself in Maine. Jason took his dogs, Tonka and Tank, to the neighborhood playground and would often knock on neighbors’ doors to see if their dog wanted to join. 

He left a mark on the Chenery baseball field when his radio control plane flew into a tree on its maiden voyage. It can still be seen there today.

Originally from Kennebunk, Maine, Georgitis graduated from Tufts University summa cum laude, and received his J.D. from the Boston University School of Law. He was recognized as a Massachusetts Super Lawyers “Rising Star” practicing real estate law at Mintz Levin, where he became a partner in 2015.

In addition to his wife CC, his step-daughter Isabella, and his daughter Chloe, Georgitis is survived by his mother, Pamela Hogan, father and step-mother, Jim and Debbie Georgitis, and brother, Nathan Georgitis.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the First Church Belmont in Belmont Center. 

Donations can be sent to the Belmont Savings Bank to help the family through this very difficult time.  The account name is the Jason Georgitis Memorial Fund.

See The Three Plans For The New Belmont Library on Tuesday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: One of three designs now being considered for a new Belmont Library.

The Belmont Public Library Feasibility Committee is asking residents and patrons to join it in the Library’s Assembly Room for the final Open Public Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.

Feasibility Chairs Nancy Dignan and Elaine Alligood, Board of Trustees Chair Kathy Keohane and architect Stewart Roberts will walk through the work that went on during the study: what meetings were had, and what feedback they received.

The main portion of the evening will be reviewing of the floor plans, computer modeling, and cost estimating for each of the three options the committee is considering.

The study worked to develop a plan for:

  • A renovation of the existing space,
  • A renovation with an addition, and
  • new construction.

The study is nearing completion and the committee will be making its final recommendation on which of the three is the right fit and most cost effective to the Board of Library Trustees in the near future.

Come and voice your thoughts or bring questions to discuss. 

Library Director Peter Struzziero will be on hand with other members of the Feasibility Committee and Board of Library Trustees for conversation or other questions as well.

Light refreshments will be served. 

Trivia Night (And Beer) To Help High School Arts This Friday

By Leave a Comment

Photo: The poster of the event.

Do you love playing (and winning) “Jeopardy”? Are you wicked smaht? Or does the idea of drinking beer on a Friday night holds any interest for you?

If any of these traits sounds familiar, then here is an event for you: PATRONS (Parents of Performing Arts Students) is holding a Trivia Night Community Event/Fundraiser this Friday, Feb. 10 at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St. at 6:30 p.m.

Here are some of the many reasons to be there:

IT’S GOING TO BE FUN!

If you’ve never been to a Trivia Event before, it’s a great night out!  We are bringing in Stump Trivia Company to run the entertainment portion of the evening. Form a team of 6-10 people ahead of time, or join a team when you arrive (either is fine). There are three to four rounds of trivia questions, with a wide range of topics and difficulty levels – it’s not just for Mensa members! In between rounds, there’s plenty of time for mingling and socializing.

IT’S A GREAT CHANCE TO MEET PAC STAFF AND PARENTS!

PAC Staff will be there! This is a great opportunity to talk to some of the people you may have heard about from your children.  

It’s also a great opportunity to meet and mingle with a lot of PAC Parents who you may not know yet.

FREE FOOD AND DRINK!

Craft Beer Cellars has donated beer, there will also be wine, and “heavy appetizers and snacks” donated by Il Casale, El Centro, The Loading Dock and more.

IT’S FOR A GOOD CAUSE!

All proceeds from the event go to support PATRONS. Activity fees and ticket sales pay only part of the expenses for our productions. We rely on Patrons as an important funding source, especially for Equipment Purchases, Staffing Expenses, Scholarships, PAC Social Events, and more. This fundraising event will help fund new wireless microphone equipment for the shows.

THE DETAILS:

Date: Friday, Feb. 10.

Time: 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (The Trivia Portion of the evening will begin promptly at 7 p.m.)

Location: Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St.

Price: $35 per ticketBuy tickets online: 

Buy tickets online: http://bhs-pac.org/trivia-night.html

Belmont Groups Screen Films of Refugees With Goal Of Greater Understanding

By 1 Comment

Photo: After Spring, directed by Ellen Martinez

A coalition of Belmont organizations that are working to help resettle refugees in the Boston area is presenting a series of films on refugees and immigration beginning this week that spotlights issues in the headlines.

“With today’s more than 60 million refugees, we thought that coming together to watch and discuss these significant films would be a way to broaden the community’s understanding of what is happening around the world and what we have been doing to assist,” said Sam James, who is leading a resettlement program at First Church of Belmont Unitarian Universalist.

The Belmont Public Library, Belmont World Film, Beth El Temple Center, and First Church of Belmont presents “A Community Responds: Three Films on the Global Refugee Crisis,” a series of award-winning documentaries:

  • Sonita on Thursday, Feb. 2 and
  • After Spring on Thursday, Feb. 9, both being screened at the West Newton Cinema, 1296 Washington St., Newton, and
  • All of Me on Thursday, Feb. 16 at the Belmont Public Library, 336 Concord Ave.

All screenings begin at 7 p.m. and are followed by discussions.

Proceeds benefit the International Institute of New England, which provides information on resources to refugees and immigrants, and the Refugee & Immigrant Assistance Center (RIAC) which promotes community education, refugee resettlement, post-resettlement support services, counseling services and socio-economic development in Massachusetts refugee and immigrant communities.

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Sonita tells the story of an 18-year-old Afghan girl living as a refugee in a shelter in Tehran, who dreams of being a famous rapper. In Iran she gets counseling for the traumas she has suffered and guidance in shaping her future. But women aren’t allowed to sing in Iran and her family has a very different future planned for her: as a bride she’s worth $9,000. In an unconventional twist, Director Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami becomes personally involved in helping Sonita fulfill her dream. The evening also features the short film Refugee Blues by Stephan Bookas, which charts a day in ‘the jungle’, the recently destroyed refugee camp outside Calais in France. Nano Raies, a second-year voice student at the Berklee College of Music and originally from Homs, Syria, will speak after the film. 

screen-shot-2017-02-01-at-2-02-35-pm

Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart executive produced After Spring, directed by Ellen Martinez, which follows two Syrian refugee families in transition, as well as the aid workers fighting to keep the Jordan-based Zaatari Refugee Camp, the largest camp for Syrian refugees, running. With no end in sight for the conflict or the refugee crisis, everyone must decide if they can rebuild their lives in a place that was never meant to be permanent. It will be screened with the short film People of Nowhere by Lior Sperando, which documents the volunteers working to save Syrian immigrants trying to make it to the EU. Omar Salem, chairman of the Karam Foundation that provides emergency aid to the people of Eastern Aleppo, will lead the post-film discussion.

All of Me by first-time Mexican filmmaker Arturo González Villaseñor chronicles a group of women who stand by the train tracks near the Mexican town of La Patrona. Calling themselves “Las Patronas,” they wait for a freight train full of illegal Latin American immigrants—on a perilous journey in pursuit of the dream of a better life in the USA—to pass by. They throw them water bottles and packages of food they cooked themselves and never miss a single train. Although poor themselves, the women understand the suffering of others. Representatives from the International Institute of New England and the Refugee & Immigrant Assistance Center will speak after the film. 

screen-shot-2017-02-01-at-2-02-20-pm

Tickets to the screenings at the West Newton Cinema on Feb. 2 and 9 are $11 general admission, $9 students and seniors, and are available in advance online or at the door beginning at 6:30 p.m. Admission to the Belmont Public Library screening on February 16 is free, but seats should be reserved through the site listed above; arrive early as seating is not guaranteed.

Other community partners include Belmont Against Racism, Belmont Religious Council, Human Rights Commission, and Mosesian Center for the Arts. For more information call 617-484-3980.

Belmont Under Winter Weather Advisory; 3″ to 6″ of Snow Expected

By Leave a Comment

Photo: Snow’s a-coming.

Well, at least it was a nice morning.

The National Weather Service in Taunton issued a winter weather advisory in effect from noon today, Tuesday, Jan. 31 to 4 a.m., Wednesday, Feb. 1 as the service is predicting up to half a foot of snow blanketing Belmont and most of the state when the storm ends around noon Wednesday.

Snow is expected to develop in the afternoon starting off as a brief period of heavy snow in early evening, falling at an inch an hour. The snow will taper off overnight. 

As of 10 a.m., Tuesday, Belmont has not issued a snow emergency. 

The storm will result in hazardous travel conditions