Belmont Honored As a ‘Best Community for Music Education’ in US

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Photo: Performers at the “Bandarama” concert in December 2014.

Belmont is known as the “Town of Homes.” It should also be called a community of music.

For what has been an annual event for the past decade, Belmont has been named one of the “Best Communities for Music Education” in the US by the NAMM Foundation.

Communities are selected for this honor based on the level of comprehensive music education offered to students at all grade levels, the willingness of the school district devote instructional time and resources to music education, and the community’s commitment to providing their children with a well-rounded educational experience the schools.

Belmont is just one of 388 school districts nationwide and one of 14 in Massachusetts to earn this distinction.

“To me, this says as much about our community as it does about our music program,” Arto Asadoorian, Belmont School’s director of Fine & Performing Arts, told the Belmontonian.

“When communities support music, art and theater programs in their schools, it says a lot about their values and the kinds of experiences they provide for their children. This is the reason why I felt so fortunate for the opportunity to come to work here in 2006, and it’s why my wife and I chose to move to Belmont and raise our children here,” he said.

Asadoorian said the award also recognizes “the outstanding work of the teachers in our music department.”

“They are among the most dedicated and accomplished music educators in the state, and they deserve a great deal of recognition for helping Belmont earn its distinction,” he said.

Those teachers are:

  • Kate Hayashi (Winn Brook, PreK-4 Music)
  • Vicki Livermore (Burbank, K-4 Music)
  • Craig McMahan (Wellington, K-4 Music)
  • Rosanne Mili (Butler, K-4 Music)
  • Laura Messina (Elementary Strings)
  • Morgan Scagliotti-Driban (Elementary Strings)
  • Nate Haywood (CMS Music)
  • John McLellan (CMS Band, Elementary Instrumental Music)
  • Christine Moser (CMS Chorus Director)
  • Sharon Phipps (CMS Band, Elementary Instrumental Music)
  • Paul Ketchen (BHS Band, Elementary Instrumental Music)
  • Sean Landers (BHS Chorus Director)
  • Margot Reavey (BHS & CMS Orchestra Director)

In what has been a difficult budget year, it is important and encouraging to remember that Belmont is a community that has always valued music and art education as an important component of our core curriculum, said Asadoorian.

“As much as this is an award for excellence in music education, it is also recognition of a community that provides a wide range of high-quality educational experiences and makes them available to all students. It is a distinction that should serve as a source of pride for our entire school district and for our community,” he said.

Belmont Savings Running Commercials Highlighting Customer Service

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Photo: Jamie, an employee at Belmont Savings Bank who is part of a commercial campaign by the bank.

If the people in the commercials being aired during televised Boston Red Sox games looks familiar, they probably are. And you likely saw them working for Belmont’s own savings bank.

That because Belmont Savings Bank launched last week an employee-driven TV/video campaign aimed at demonstrating their commitment to personalized customer service.

As part of the campaign, created by Boathouse Group in Waltham, the bank will begin airing a series of commercials featuring employees offering personable, active and knowledgeable customer service.

“By offering commercials focused on our actual colleagues, we capture the personalities driving our bank and connecting us to the community,” said Bob Mahoney, President and CEO of Belmont Savings Bank.

“These commercials highlight our greatest asset – our people – and what makes banking at Belmont Savings such a uniquely local, and professional, experience.”

The commercials spotlight different employees, with each colleague sharing their personal commitment to their customers and why working in community banking matters to them.  This is the latest innovation from Belmont Savings designed to contrast the bank from the traditional banking campaign which often relies on actors playing bankers.

“With these commercials, we present our employees’ unscripted, passionate responses to why they love working with customers, a contrast to the way big banks traditionally operate,” said Hal Tovin, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Belmont Savings Bank.

As the brainchild of Boathouse, the campaign is the result of the agency’s collaborative relationship with bank. The settings for the commercials include the bank’s bustling supermarket in-store branches and even the homes of several employees.

“We believe the Belmont Savings team approaches banking the right way, demonstrating genuine understanding of their customers in the communities they serve,” said John Connors, founder of Boathouse Group.

The commercials began airing Thursday, March 26 in the markets north and west of Boston using Comcast spotlight. The spots will be viewable on the following stations: AMC, TBS, MTV, ESPN, Discover, Brave, LMN, ABC Family, and on NESN during telecasts of the Boston Red Sox.

 

Letter to the Editor: The Steak and Potatoes of Voting ‘Yes’ for the Override

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Photo: Young “Yes” campaigners in Cushing Square on Saturday, March 28.

To the editor:

To the “distinguished” gentleman in the Lexus who gave me a thumbs down this morning [Saturday, March 28] when I was holding a YES for Belmont sign in Cushing Square:

Congratulations on your success.  I’m sure you worked hard for it.  As my 84-year-old father would say, you are driving the “steak and potatoes” of cars.

Maybe you own a house in Belmont. Maybe you bought it long before I bought mine in 2005, when home values were not so high. Maybe you had kids in the Belmont School District, a steak and potatoes school district if there ever was one.

And maybe your kids have done well too, partly as a result of that school district.  I congratulate you.

But the failure of the last override has already taken some steak and potatoes from my son, who did not enjoy fifth-grade foreign languages as those who preceded him in the school system had.  He wants to be an engineer some day; speaking Spanish will help.

My son is in sixth grade, and I purchased my condo in Waverley Square in great part to give him a steak and potatoes education.  I love Belmont and intend to spend the rest of my life here.

This morning [Saturday, March 28] he, an eighth grade friend and a tenth grade friend held signs in Cushing Square in support of the override (photo attached).

If this override does not pass, BHS juniors and seniors will be limited to five courses instead of seven.  This means almost two hours of “free time” in the school day! Chenery Middle School students will have larger class sizes and will lose the “small school within a big school” team teaching system that strengthens learning and helps them through the difficult early teenage years.  And elementary students will lose the intervention that helps struggling students catch up to their peers.

I urge all Belmont residents to vote YES April 7. Below is another way of looking at it. Belmont’s last operating override passed in 2002, 13 years ago. Since that time, similar communities have passed numerous overrides, totaling as follows:

$6.8 million in Acton
$12.5 million in Arlington
$6.2 million in Concord
$10 million in Lexington
$5.8 million in Milton
$7.6 million in Needham
$19.9 million in Newton
$10.3 million in Sudbury
$6.6 million in Wayland
$14.5 million in Wellesley
$5.9 million in Winchester

Belmont, $0

By the way, I drove over some nasty “hamburger and French fries” potholes this morning on my way to hold that YES sign. Those will be fixed too with this override!

Kate Searle

Beech Street

This Week: Final Precinct Meeting, Two Great Concerts, Recycling Q&A, Rugby Mega Match

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On the government side of “This Week”:

  • The Board of Selectmen is meeting a little earlier than normal, convening at 5:45 p.m. on Monday, March 30 at the Beech Street Center prior to the final precinct meeting of the spring. It will be accepting the latest statement of interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help fund a new Belmont High School. 
  • The Board of Health meets on Tuesday, March 31, at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall where they will meet with Artur Nergaryan, owner of Art’s Specialties, the new cheese shop in town.
  • The Warrant Committee will be holding its bimonthly meeting on Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. at the Chenery Middle School.
  • Tree Hearing will take place in Town Hall on Thursday, April 2, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

• The Saturday Morning Music School will be holding the All-Town Concert on Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m. at Belmont High School. The many ensembles featured on this concert include the SMMS All-Town Chorus (Grades 3-5), the All-Town Beginning and Advanced Orchestras (Grades 3-5), and the All-Town Beginning and Advanced Bands (Grades 4-5). This concert is open to the public and admission is free.

• The final precinct meeting on the fiscal 2016 budget and the Prop 2 1/2 override jointly hosted by the Belmont Board of Selectmen and the Financial Task Force will take place on Monday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Beech Street Center. 

• Storyteller and comedian David Shikes presents a collection of humorous situations and subjects including New England jokes at the Beech Street Center on Tuesday, March 31, at 1:15 p.m. Shikes has been enthusiastically recommended anytime – so come join in the fun.

• An Easter tradition continues as the Belmont Public Library hosts a Peeps dioramas party on Tuesday, March 31 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the library’s Assembly Room.

• After a postponement on Saturday, there is a good bet that the Belmont High School spring sports season will get underway on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:30 p.m. as the Belmont High Boys’ Lacrosse team hosts Shawsheen Valley Reg Tech High School at Harris Field. 

• Sustainable Belmont will host Carolyn Dann, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Municipal coordinator, and Mary Beth Calnan, Belmont’s Recycling coordinator, along with local experts for the group’s second annual Recycling Q&A. The meeting takes place on Wednesday, April 1, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Belmont Public Library’s Flett Room.

• On Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m., a concert featuring the Belmont High Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band and Jazz Collective will take place at Belmont High School.  The Wind Ensemble will feature BHS Concerto Competition winner Hannah Messenger in a performance of Strauss’ Horn Concerto, Opus 8. The Jazz Collective is fresh off of a Silver Medal performance at the MAJE State Finals where senior Rowan Wolf was awarded Outstanding Soloist for all Division 2 bands in the state. This concert is open to the public and admission is free.

• The most anticipated matchup of the regular season in New England High School rugby takes place on the Harris Field pitch Wednesday as last year’s state champion Bishop Hendricken High School of Warwick, RI (the Rhode Island school is included with Massachusetts teams for the title) takes on Belmont High School Rugby Football Club at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 1. The teams have been the finalists in the state championships for three consecutive years with Belmont winning in 2013 and coming within five meters twice of defending its championship last year.  

• It’s LEGO time at the Belmont Public Library on Thursday, April 2! The library’s LEGO club is for kids in kindergarten through second grade who want to meet and create their own unique structures. All LEGOs will be provided so just bring your imagination to the Assembly Room from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• The Friends of the Belmont Public Library will meet on Thursday, April 2, from 9:30 p.m. to  11 a.m. in the Assembly Room.

• Half day of school on Friday due to the Good Friday holiday on Friday, April 3.

Owner Readies Loading Dock While Rolling Out a New Convenience Store

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Photo: Faud Nicolas Mukarker, the owner of the Loading Dock, oversees renovations on Brighton Street.

The inside of what will soon become the new The Loading Dock at 11 Brighton St. is filled with men and women speaking English, Spanish and Arabic. The interior is a busy place as the workers bring together the electricity and plumbing, setting up new equipment and completes the detail work.

In the middle of the activity you’ll find Faud Mukarker, the owner of the business at the corner of Flanders Road, approving and overseeing the renovation of what will transform the location that once was home of a White Hen Pantry into an international bistro, kitchen and specialty store with a full liquor license.

“It may not look it, but this will open in about three weeks,” said Mukarker, likely by mid-April.

He points to areas inside the well-lite building where the kitchen will be located, talks about the coffee area and leads visitors where the dining area will be set up, once the convenience store is closed in the next week.

It’s been nearly a year since Mukarker was rewarded the coveted full liquor license by the Board of Selectmen at a well-attended meeting at the Beech Street Center on May 1, 2014. Mukarker said he understood some residents were beginning to wonder about the progress of the transformation of the store.

But Mukarker said he took his time “because I wanted this store to be something special,” referring to the all new equipment, the use of “green” material and systems (bamboo exterior siding and a unique lighting system) and creating extra public spaces.

As Mukarker prepares for the opening of his new flagship store, his other new business is about to have a quieter kickoff. The Zaytoun Market in the strip mall at the corner of Concord Avenue and Bright Road will open its door next week.

Zaytoun – which translates as “olives” in several languages – will take a space at 62 Concord Ave. next to the East Boston Savings Bank loans branch. Mukarker had his eye on the spot for a while, having initial architectural design work done in July 2014.

According to Mukarker, the 1,198 sq.-ft. site will be a traditional convenience store much like the business he runs at Brighton Street with a coffee “bar,” produce for sale and “things you want at the last moment,” said Mukarker.

“Now people have to go to Fresh Pond or [Belmont] Center and they hate that. [Zaytoun] will be here to help get what you want,” he said.

And those needs include lottery tickets and tobacco products, said Mukarker.

Mukarker said, “right or wrong, there is a demand for these, so I want to be able to meet that demand.”

Mukarker gave up his business’ lottery license and stopped tobacco sales as two of the conditions the Board of Selectmen mandated for receiving the full-liquor license a year ago.

One reason Mukarker is opening Zaytoun is for the steady cash stream the lottery brings into a business.

“That’s important for businesses to make a profit. It keeps many stores open,” he said.

This Weekend: AP Art Showcase, Broadway in Belmont, Teens ‘Tempest’ for Teens, Lacrosse Begins

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Photo: Art that will be at the AP Arts show.

• The talented students who participate in Belmont High School’s AP Art class are hosting an arts show on Saturday, March 28 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Beth El Temple Center, 2 Concord Ave. The show will give a chance for residents can see and understand what the student do. It’s free and there will be food and music at this kids friendly event. 
• The Great White Way comes to Belmont as a group of graduate students from the Boston Conservatory’s Theater Division present “Broadway Magic: from the Golden Age to the Hits of Today” in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library on Saturday, March 28, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Music on Saturday concerts are free to all thanks to the sponsorship of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library.
• The Belmont High School spring sports season gets underway – in the snow if the forecast is correct – with Belmont High Boys’ Lacrosse taking on the Newton South High School Lions at Harris Field on Saturday, March 28 at 9 a.m. That’s right, 9 a.m.
• The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company finishes its run of the Cole Porter musical “Anything Goes” with two shows on Saturday, March 28, a 1:30 p.m. matinee and at 7 p.m. Tickets: Adults: $15 in advance/$18 at the door; Students: $10; Chenery 8th Grade Students: $5. 
• Teens performing The Bard as the Boston Theatre Company’s Teen Touring Troupe will perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest on Sunday, March 29, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Belmont Public Library. Don’t miss this amazing theatrical performance for teens, by teens.

District Adds Jewish High Holiday Observance to Belmont School Calendar

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Photo: Dr. David Alper speaking before the Belmont School Committee. 

The Belmont School Committee approved a pilot program to close school for one day in observance of the Jewish High Holidays beginning in the coming 2015-16 school year.

In addition to the decision made Tuesday night, March 24, Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan once again voiced his support to begin each school year the week before Labor Day, rather than the traditional first Wednesday of September.

“We felt it was very important that we made sure we were respectful to our community,” said Phelan, who discussed the issue with the six school principals and senior staff. The move came after the committee requested on March 10 that Phelan review possibly changing the school calendar’s traditional makeup.

Two weeks ago, School Committee member Elyse Shuster questioned why the Belmont schools calendar traditionally had a half day scheduled for Good Friday and not any other religious holidays as well as the annual hardships Jewish families encounter.

For Jewish parents and students, the current policy of not penalizing students for taking a day to observe one or both of the High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur – has never been a satisfactory compromise as children are expected to make up any missed class and homework scheduled on those days, said Shuster.

With the holidays coinciding with the first month of classes, the prospects of falling behind so early in the school year has many observant Belmont families having to make difficult choices.

Shuster also pointed out that many surrounding communities such as Winchester, Arlington, Newton and Milton observe one or both of the high holidays.

“We are an outlier not … closing for either or any of the Jewish holidays,” said Shuster.

Dr. David Alper, who has children in the district for the past dozen years, told the board he has “suffered with this for 12 years.” Every year Alper said the prevailing calendar “adds stress to my children while we try to have them focus on observing our holidays.”

Alper said the need for a day away from the secular and to the religious is also important on a broader plane.

“The fact is that we need to be able to have the opportunity to let children across the community understand that religion is an important part of our lives,” Alper told the committee, saying a discussion of any observance is a way to introduce tolerance to others.

“We need to be able to do these types of [observances],” he said.

Amy Tannenbaum is a life-long Belmontian, who missed school for 12 years to attend services. But expectations of students – especially in High School – is much greater than when she was attending the district. So her children would come home from services and immediately hit the books to complete homework rather than be observant.

“I think there is a stress piece … that these kids feel like ‘the class got taught, and most kids were there and I got to make it up’,” said Tannenbaum.

In the end, the School Committee accepted a 2015-16 school calendar closing the school for one day – Shuster and the board believed that day should be Yom Kippur, a day of atonement and repentance in which Jewish people fast for the entire day and spend that time in prayer. Yom Kippur will be observed on Wednesday, Sept. 23 this year. Good Friday in 2016 will remain a half day.

If Yom Kippur should fall on the weekend, such as in 2017, the day off will revert to Rosh Hashanah.

Sold in Belmont: Renovation Rescues Ranch, Sees A Nice Bounce

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Photo: 104 Winter St.

A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 104 Winter St. Brick Ranch (1950). Sold: $725,000. Listed at $735,000. Living area: 1,900 sq.-ft. 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 104 days.

There is a show on the HGTV cable channel called Renovation Realities in which DIY (do it yourself)-ers upgrades rooms in their homes using their brawn to put some needed value in their abode.

But sometimes, only a pro can do the proper job. That’s the case of the brick early ranch on Winter Street. Before a new owner put down $65,000 into the structure in 2009, the house was a dump, and a dangerous one to boot. A home inspector noted the building – which was owned by the same family for more than 50 years – had “severe structural damage” and a “very dated condition” of its interior leading the town assessors to rate the house as “very poor” with the assessed value falling below $500,000 in 2010.

The new owner – who purchased the house for $550,000 – put in replacement windows, remodeled the kitchen and both bathrooms, finished the basement as well as the necessary structural work done after 2008 sale. The assessors upgraded its ratings to “at least above average.”

And nearly six years later, photos show an inviting “new” house; polished wooden floors, an open floor plan (not very energy efficient) providing nice sight lines. The living room “area” has a great fireplace with ceramic tiles which provides a nice touch. The basement has new wood floors (but why is the stairway carpeted?) with French doors leading outside to the backyard.

But potential buyers soon realized that, while a bright space, there’s not much space; the new basement nearly doubles the livable space. In fact, the town still calculates the total space as 1,200 sq.-ft. While the seller placed a bed in the cellar, the official number of bedrooms is just a pair.

That’s why this fine space would only handle a $735,000 list price when it went on sale in early December. When no one nibbled by the New Year, down went the sales price to $719,000 in mid-January.

But unlike many Belmont houses, the drop in the listing brought people to the site. By March, there was more than just interest; buyer activity pushed the price up to $725,000.

So, spend some now, cash out later.

League’s Candidates’ Night Features Selectman Race, Override Question

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Photo: The Belmont League of Women Voters’ annual candidates’ night will be held at the Chenery Middle School. 

The Belmont League of Women Voters annual Candidates’ Night – being held tonight, Thursday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School auditorium – will give most residents the opportunity to hear directly from the two men seeking to secure a seat on the Belmont Board of Selectmen and, possibly, learn from both sides of the override issue the arguments for and against the ballot question.

Tonight’s schedule is:

  • 7 p.m.: Meet your Town Meeting Members in the lobby and inside the auditorium. 
  • 7:30 p.m.: Town Meeting Members will introduce themselves in order of precinct number.
  • 7:45  p.m.: The candidates for Belmont Board of Selectmen – incumbent Andy Rojas and challenger Jim Williams – will give an introductory statement and will answer questions from a League moderator. 

Time will be set aside at 9:15 p.m. after the selectman candidates have spoken for a question and answer on the $4.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override ballot question. 

The night’s events will be broadcast by the Belmont Media Center.

PHOTOS: Sail to Belmont High to see Performing Arts Co.’s ‘Anything Goes’

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Photo: Zoe Miner as Reno Sweeney leading the ensemble in “Blow, Gabriel, Blow” in the Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s production of “Anything Goes.” 

Who knew you had to rehearse final bows?

But for director/producer Ezra Flam, nothing can be left to chance, especially when you have more than 70 students on the stage in the last scene of Belmont High School Performing Arts Company’s production of Cole Porter’s musical “Anything Goes” that opens Thursday, March 26. 

Playing a theater’s version of a traffic cop on stage during Tuesday’s dress rehearsal. Flam is calling out directions to a slew of students who first came together in try outs before Christmas to claim a spot in the annual spring musical. 

Just minutes before, Flam’s choreographer Jenny Lifson demonstrates to Reno’s Angels – the 10 featured female dancers – just how to hold up the hands and for the sailors to remember to “smile” while performing a series of tap steps before lifting their “Angels” in the finale. 

“Not one of them knew how to tap,” said Lifson, pointing to the boys’ in uniform on the stage.

“Look at them now. That’s impressive,” she said.

And while there were some hiccups during Tuesday’s run through – someone forgot to grab a chair at a scene change and the spot light went hunting for a feature actor during a scene – the majority of the afternoon rehearsal showed a polish few other high school groups could match.

Performances are Thursday, March 26 and Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. and two shows on Saturday March 28; a matinee at 1:30 p.m. and the final show at 7 p.m.

Tickets are adults: $15 in advance, $18 at the door. Students: $10, Chenery 8th Grade Students: $5.

Tickets can be purchased online and at Champions Sports in Belmont Center.