Phelan: District At ‘Breaking Point’ As Covid Cases Skyrocket In Belmont Schools

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Photo: Belmont Superintendent John Phelan

A snow day this past Friday couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for the Belmont District Schools.

As the Omicron variant of the Covid coronavirus sweeps through Belmont schools after students returned from the winter recess, absentees among educators and staff has placed the district close to a breaking point whether there’s enough teachers in each building.

The numbers say it all.

In the final week of 2021, 16 Belmont students, educators and staff reported being infected with a new case of COVID-19. A week later, on Jan. 5, that tally exploded to 228 novel positive cases across the district’s six schools.

New Covid positive cases
(students, staff, teachers)
Week endingnumber
01/05/2022228
12/29/202116
12/08/20214
11/17/20216

“The impact of the staff attendance and staffing levels is a real concern of the district,” Belmont Schools Superintendent John Phelan told the School Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 4 as 72 and 73 staff members were out on Monday and Tuesday respectively. And while praising substitute teachers and district employees for stepping up and filling in, Phelan told the committee the current patchwork approach for cover classrooms “is not sustainable.”

On Monday, Jan. 3, a staggering 605 district students (out of a total of approximately 4,600) were not in class while Tuesday showed an improvement where 473 were out due to Covid, traveling and those waiting for results of Covid tests. The usual number out on an average week is about 275. This is occurring in a system that has impressive numbers of vaccinated students. (See chart below)

“We believe that that we haven’t seen the worst of this phase of the virus at this point in time,” said Phelan, with the next weeks seeing staff and families make some “truly hard choices” related to going to school. Friday’s snow storm was a blessing for many teachers and family as it provided an extra day away from the classroom and added a day towards a quarantine total.

Phelan and his leadership team calculated teacher attendance would hover just below 90 percent which posed significant challenges requiring the district to set up a educational “triage” system to allow school to open on the first Monday of the new year.

On Sunday, teachers and staff came to Belmont to receive take home tests while on Monday the start of schools were delayed by one hour so teachers could receive KN95 masks, “ensure that we had time for our educators to get together, our principals with teachers and other administrators to support the setting up of the school day.”

Staff, central office personnel and other non-educators were redeployed and placed in classrooms to support teachers. The district also doubled its rate for substitute teachers while proactively recruiting to ensure it has sufficient numbers to place before students arrived on Monday

But even with adults in the classroom, Phelan said certain aspects of the school day have been lost such as small group instruction and parts of the traditional school day schedule that teachers can best perform effectively.

The challenge of lunch

Phelan also pointed to student lunch time as “one of the largest challenges moving forward.” With the large tents at the elementary and Chenery schools allowing for an outside option taken down for the winter, Phelan said he is attempting to balance Covid safety with feeding students. That will require keeping masked in the cafeteria, assigned seating, shortening lunch times by sending students to recess early, keep talking to a minimum and keeping their distance.

Sports and extracurriculars will soon see restrictions on the number of who can attend contests, restrictions on using locker rooms and a greater emphasize on proper mask wearing during play. This comes after a growing number of student/athletes and at least two sporting events were cancelled due to Covid outbreaks.

Phelan has been in discussion with his fellow area superintendents on possible changes to the schedule or length of the school day for elementary, middle and high schools as a way of keeping them safe from spread while providing adequate education.

“We want to keep our options open,” Phelan told the committee. Moving forward, the district will be keeping an eagle eye on in-school transmission rates, new positive cases in the community and keep appropriate staffing levels to allow schooling to take place.

While more parents and guardians are calling for the district and committee to consider the role of remote learning during this surge, Belmont – along with school districts statewide – finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Districts are prohibited by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to return to full-time remote learning. And while DESE has established a protocol for when a school or entire district can seek permission to re-impose virtual learning, it has been done only in “a very few cases,” in the past months, said Phelan.

“{DESE) is keeping a very tight rein on [granting waivers],” he said.

Please Remember

When asked by the Belmontonian if the district has set a benchmark of when it would be prudent to close schools due to staff shortages, Phelan said there was no set percentage.

“We will assess our staffing levels daily to determine our coverage models. This looks different at each level. We need to assure that all students are engaged and properly supervised,” he said.

If a school or district simply must close due to staffing shortages, Phelan said DESE has informed districts they will need to use a “snow day” with the requirement it is made up at the end of the school year.

The district’s actions this week are at best a stop gap until the pandemic peters out which health experts said will not happen soon enough. All this is being played out as the district is facing ever “shifting guidance” from state and federal agencies on Covid safety.

Phelan told the committee the recommendations from the CDC and DPH are, at best, “inconsistent” such as the CDC requiring 10 days out of class and DESE five; no requirement for testing to return that many parents and school administrators find and DESE and CDC not on the same page on contract tracing (Belmont has abandoned it due to staffing issues).

The district will also step up its promote parents to sign up their students for pool testing, which “is more important now than ever for us to get a very clear picture through pool testing mechanism … for this upcoming year,” said Phelan.

While it has a plan in place to continue in-school education, Phelan said the new reality of variants and their impact will remain with the district when this current surge subsides.

“This is only one step in a long journey,” said Phelan.

Snow Day: Belmont Schools Closing On Friday Due To Pending Winter Storm

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Photo: Snow day in Belmont

Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan’s Thursday afternoon announcement was short and concise:

“Due to the storm, Belmont Public Schools will be closed on Friday, January 7, 2022.“

The storm is also moving the scheduled Boys’ and Girls’ away varsity basketball games up a day to Saturday, Jan. 8 vs. Woburn.

Belmont Schools Start An Hour Later Monday For Masks, Possible Covid Testing For Teachers

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Photo: A KN95 mask will be given to Belmont educators and staff on Monday, Jan. 3 (Credit: ProtoplasmaKid Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)

Belmont’s six public schools will return from the holiday break on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022 with an hour delay in start times to allow teachers and staff to be equipped with state-issued KN95 masks so educators will comply with new Covid-19 guidelines which the state’s Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary Education have adopted for all school districts.

Start times with a one-hour delay are:

  • Belmont High School: 8:35 a.m. with first classes at 9 a.m.
  • Chenery Middle School: 8:55 a.m.
  • Burbank, Butler, and Wellington: 9:40 a.m.
  • Winn Brook: 9:50 a.m.

In addition to the delay:

  • Morning preschool sessions are cancelled on Monday, Jan. 3.
  • LABBB Collaborative Administration has cancelled for Monday. Jan. 3.
  • If your child(ren) attends a before-school program, the program leaders will communicate directly with parents and guardians about their plans for Monday morning.

In addition to the masks, staff will take Covid-19 tests if the state-provided kits arrive by Monday morning, a press release issued on Jan. 1, 2022 from the Belmont School Superintendent John Phelan. The one-hour lead time will also allow school nurses to answer emails concerning health questions from parents and guardians.

 “If you have emailed the nurse with a question about a COVID scenario, please keep your student home until you receive a response from the nurse,” said Phelan.

The delay comes after two state teacher unions called for schools to be closed on Monday to allow teachers to be tested over concerns of potential exposure to the Covid-19 virus during the holiday vacation. During the past week, Massachusetts recorded the highest infection rate since the beginning of the pandemic with more than 21,100 new cases.

Adherence to the guidelines

“Our Belmont community has done a great job since September monitoring symptoms and staying home when sick,” said Phelan. “Your conscientious adherence to the guidelines has allowed us to keep schools open. Following the guidelines will be even more important in the coming days and weeks as we face the increase in cases due to the Omicron variant.”

Reminders and recommendations are:

  1. Use the symptom checker every morning. Submit the form to your school nurse and keep your student home if they exhibit symptoms.
  2. Send your student to school with the best masks possible. N95, KN95, or KF94 masks are recommended for the best protection. The district has purchased additional masks as a back-up for students if needed.
  3. If you haven’t already done so, register your student for Routine COVID Pooled Testing. Here is the link to register. Pooled testing is important for vaccinated students as well. 
  4. Get your student vaccinated and boosted. 
  5. If you have access to at-home testing, please use this as an additional safety measure. We are reviewing our ability to modify our pool-testing schedule.

“This year it has been our primary goal to open safely and to remain open. We remain committed to this goal through our multiple mitigation strategies, which include universal masking, air purifiers in all classrooms, strict adherence to monitoring symptoms and staying home when sick, participating in pooled testing, and getting vaccinated and boosted when eligible. We are reviewing protocols for all aspects of the school day, especially lunch and snack, in order to maximize social distancing,” said Phelan.

Restrictions On Side Streets To Control HS Student Parking Start Jan. 3

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Photo: Concord Avenue adjacent to the new Belmont Middle and High School

The Belmont Select Board on Monday, Dec. 20, approved a four-week trial plan to force the majority of high school students who drive to the new Belmont Middle and High School off of side streets and back to parking on the main thoroughfare that runs by the facility.

The proposal will take place from Monday, Jan. 3 to Friday, Jan. 28 afterwards the plan will be reviewed and extended, ended or revamped.

Advanced by the Traffic Working Group – Middle and High School, it comes after town officials heard an earful from local residents concerning throngs of high school pupils who found the best parking spaces to the building was right off the main road.

“One of the purposes of the proposal is to restore the status quo of students not parking on side streets,” said Martin November, a task force member who led the effort.

The high school’s parking plan for seniors and juniors is a temporary one itself as there will be no student parking on site until the middle school wing is built. One hundred spaces along the north side of Concord Avenue was allocated to students by the school through a lottery. The spaces are in two sections along Concord Avenue from Underwood Road to the Belmont Public Library with another 90 off-street parking spaces linked to a new skating rink that would be built on the west side of Harris Field.

But soon after the September opening of the new high school wing complaints from homeowners started that their streets were teeming with cars during school hours; parking close to driveways and intersections, creating pinch points where traffic can travel and making deliveries and trash collection much more difficult. When they did call to complain, police response was slow due to current staffing levels.

An October survey conducted by residents on behalf of the working group found approximately 120 student cars coming daily to the school with 56 parking on Concord, six on Goden Street, 12 on Oak Street, approximately 20 in the Orchard/Orchard Circle/Stone Road loop and 20 occupying the jug handle site opposite the library.

November told the Select Board’s Mark Paolillo and Roy Epstein – Select Board Chair Adam Dash recused himself from the discussion and vote as he lives on Goden Street – that students, some who possess reserved passes for the coveted 100 lottery spaces, were parking along adjacent roadways such as lower Orchard Street for a simple reason: it’s less of a trek to the school than parking on Concord Avenue closer to Harris Field and the skating rink.

“We do want them back on Concord (Avenue),” said Paolillo.

The proposal will consist of four steps:

  • Identify the side streets to be targeted.
  • No parking from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. on school days unless the vehicle has a town-approved placard.
  • Commercial vehicles and those on public business will be exempt.
  • Residents will receive a placard that exempts them from the parking ban.

And the targeted streets are:

  • Goden Street below School
  • Oak Street
  • Orchard Street below School
  • Trowbridge Street
  • Underwood Street
  • Baker Street
  • Concord Street east bound (the southside of the roadway) from Cottage Street to Louise Road.

No parking signs will be placed on cones and on existing posts on the targeted streets.

Welcome Back: One-Time Classroom Teachers At Burbank, Butler Named Interim Principals

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Photo: Mary Lee Burbank Elementary

A pair of veteran educators were named interim principals at the Belmont schools where they once were classroom teachers in announcements made by the Belmont School District on Thursday, Dec. 2.

Brenda Maurao and Julie Babson, who both taught third graders – Maurao from 2000 to 2005 and Babson from 2010 to 2016 – at the Mary Lee Burbank and Daniel Butler elementary, respectively, are returning to their former schools but now as the educator in charge.

After saying back in November the district would “do our best to ensure that we hire the qualified and capable principal that your children deserve,” Superintendent John Phelan said in an email to parents of both schools that “I believe we have made good on that promise.”

Each of the candidates came from an initial pool of 19 applicants and were the preference of parents/guardians, school staffs, and the district’s leadership team during the interview process, said Phelan.

Both Maurao and Babson will be in their posts until the end of next school year on June 30, 2023 as the search for a permanent replacements will commence in 2022. Offering an extended 18 month interim tenure “was a critical part of attracting a candidate as highly qualified as Julie to leave her current position in the middle of this year” while providing each school community “consistency during this important time,” said Phelan.

In the coming days the district will be releasing information about “Meet and Greet” opportunities when and where the community can meet the new interim principals.

Background: Brenda Maurao

Maurao comes to the Burbank from the Framingham Public Schools where she is the Assistant Director of Talent Growth and Development. Prior to that she served as the Assistant Director of Elementary Education and as an Elementary Principal in Framingham for three years. Additional school leadership work includes as Principal at the K-3 Stall Brook Elementary School in Bellingham and as an Assistant Principal from 2012-2017 at the Fred W. Miller School in Holliston.

Brenda Maurao, Mary Lee Burbank Elementary

She was an elementary classroom teacher for 13 years from 1999-2012 which included Grade 3 classroom leadership experiences in Holliston, Arlington and Belmont.

Maurao grew up in Massachusetts and spent her high school years in Connecticut, matriculating at Western Connecticut State University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Human Relations in 1996. After college she attended the University of Bridgeport where she received her Master’s Degree in 1998 in the field of Elementary Education. She holds a Principal’s Certification from Lesley University. 

Background: Julie Babson

Julie is currently the Assistant Principal at the Hopkins Elementary School in the Hopkinton Public School system, where she has worked for the past five years. Prior to that she was an elementary classroom teacher in Grades 2, 3, and 5, a career that spanned 21 years from 1995-2016, the last seven at the Butler. She also taught in Lawrence and Colombia.

Babson grew up in Delaware and attended the University of New Hampshire where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies in 1993. She earned her Master’s Degree from UNH in Elementary Education with a concentration in Reading and Writing in 1994. She holds a Principal’s Certification from Endicott College. 

Julie Babson, Daniel Butler Elementary

Belmont High School’s ‘Gem’: Grand Opening Of New Theater With Bands and Boston Brass On Dec. 2 [Videos]

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Photo: Alley Lacasse, Belmont High’s Band Director, on stage at the school’s new theater and concert hall.

Alley Lacasse is snapping her fingers as she is standing at the front of the stage of the new Belmont Middle and High School theater. The Belmont High Band Director then begins slowly hand-clapping, all the while listening intently to the sound emulating from the hall.

“I’m listening to how the sound reverberates from the stage,” said Lacasse, in the midst of workers putting the initial finishing touches (there’s a few more touch-ups to come) to the town’s newest performance space.

Last week was a chance for Lacasse to get a feel of the place since, well, neither she or anyone else has had the opportunity to perform in what is the gem of the new Belmont Middle and High School: A spacious two-tier 700-seat theater that is a true concert hall with professional quality acoustics and equipped with up-to-date audio and light systems.

“I have never opened a new performance space as a performer [Lacasse is a professional flutist and chamber musician] or director so it’s going to be so special for all of us,” said Lacasse who is in her third year as

On Dec. 2 at 7 p.m., the theater will hold its grand opening concert featuring the school’s two band ensembles, the symphonic band, and the wind ensemble with special guest artists, Boston Brass. Tickets [General Admission: $15] can be purchased at the POMS website here.

The former auditorium – built in 1970 and demolished in the fall to make way for the new middle school section of the building – was far from the optimum site for holding the myriad of concerts and theatricals that were presented by a music program that has earned multiple local and national honors and awards.

“This space is going to accurately now reflect the quality of music and art in a theater that happens with the Belmont High School, performing arts department all the time. We finally have a space that matches that quality,” she said.

From a design by architects from Perkins+Will which has experience in theater and performance design and construction, the hall’s design and material used – from the wall panels to the fabric upholstered seats – was selected to enhance the listening experience. And getting the right sound begins on Dec. 1 when the bands officially arrive in their new home.

Boston Brass

“We’ll start with dress rehearsals where we’ll be doing a lot of sound checks. I’ll have people in the hall listening for me both at the orchestra level and upstairs just to see how balance is working. And it’ll be a lot of adjusting,” she said.

“But it’s kind of fun. It’s the music business. It’s a mystery until you actually do it and the audience is going to hear that for the first time.”

For Lacasse, the concert will also be an opportunity for her students to experience performing with “my personal dear friends,” the five-member Boston Brass, an ensemble with a worldwide reputation.

“They’re known for putting classical music on a concert stage but dressing it up and changing it up and kind of blending genres and giving the audience a really personal human experience. They’re high-energy and very funny. They’re some of the kindest people I know. And they most importantly, truly care about music education, and they love working with students,” Lacasse said.

While the concert will provide the highlight of this primer week, it will be the seemingly ordinary that Lacasse is anticipating.

“It’s gonna be a really magical moment the first time the ensembles steps on stage and we play the first chord or tuning note or just warm up. So it’s going to be a whole bunch of surprises. But it will be a beautiful, beautiful moment there.”

1 in 5 Middle School Students Consider Self Harm, 9 Percent 7-12 ‘Made Suicide Plans’: Youth Risk Behavior Survey

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Photo: the 2021 Belmont Youth Risk Behavior Survey (credit: CDC)

Jamal Saeh was shocked by what he had heard.

In March, 89 high school students and 56 middle schoolers in Belmont told health professionals that in the past year they had gone so far with a possible suicide to write out or record plans on taking their own lives.

“To say I’m stunned is an understatement,” said Saeh. “[It’s] mind boggling and frightening.”

The concerning statistics come from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey of Belmont’s 7-12 grade students presented to the Belmont School Committee on Nov. 9.

The survey’s data justifies Saeh concern: in terms of raw data nearly one-of-five middle school students has considered suicide and approximately 9 percent in both high and middle schools have gone so far as to detail the ultimate act of self-harm.

And among students who identify as gender Queer, the percentages are exponentially greater; 36 percent in high school have considered suicide while 31 percent have planned suicide.

“That is way too many kids,” said Lisa Gibalerio of the Belmont Wellness Coalition who authored the survey with the Education Development Center.

The survey comes as school systems nationwide are witnessing “a growing crisis” on mental health and risk issues, said Committee Chair Amy Checkoway. “Districts are not equipped to handle the number of issues that are arising,” she said after attending a conference of school committees.

The survey is the second conducted by the coalition surveyed a statistically large 1,710 students in 7 – 12 grades (655 at the Chenery Middle School and 1,055 at the high school) on substance abuse and mental health concerns before (in 2019) and during the Covid year 2021.

A PowerPoint summary of the survey can be viewed by linking to this site.

Survey highlights include:

  • a reduction in use of most drug categories including vaping and marijuana from 2019 to 2021.
  • a decline in bullying in the high school while it’s in-school bullying at the middle school has increased.
  • Stress continues to lead to loss of sleep and coping through risky alternatives such as alcohol and drugs.

The survey also looked at the top five stressors at the middle and high school, according to Ellie Lesser, a Belmont High sophomore serving as the study’s student ambassador. A third of all students point to school demands as the top reason for pressure in their lives with a busy school and extra curricular schedule and worries about the future such as college choices and career paths.

The Covid pandemic which halted in-school learning for more than a year added more to the plate of students with 70 percent feeling angry, fearful and sad.

For Belmont Superintendent John Phelan, the survey’s results are “startling” just how much stress – which has been at consistent levels for several years – is impacting so many students and how vulnerable they are to the repercussions that include abusing alcohol and self-harm. In recent years, Phelan admitted the district has not been keeping up with the professional services that students and staff need such as adjustment counselors, consulting services and professional development for teachers to identify and assist students.

But change has occurred during the pandemic. He pointed to the district hiring four social workers – the first hired by the district since Phelan came to Belmont in 2013 – in the current school year to meet the increasing demands for their services. He said the survey data calls for a two-fold approach focusing on providing community and school support from social emotional assistance.

“And [that district-wide clinical model] will be part of what we’re asking for moving forward,” Phelan told the committee.

“School is just not a place where it’s all about academics. If we are not having children feel safe, heard and valued, and able to be respected and known by the adults in the building, they’re not going to learn,” said Phelan.

The committee members all expressed a need not to allow the issue to fall by the wayside.

”The numbers should shock us,” said Mike Crowley of the data on suicide planning, which should force the committee to support the clinical model in future budgets. In additional, a community conversation with students, parents, the public and educators “because any child would be thinking of self harm in our schools, our community, we have to be concerned.”

Saeh said the conversation on risk behavior must be followed up with additional meetings on the proper level of staffing and assistance to students “because we cannot look at his data not react with incredible urgency.”

By reviewing the pre and post pandemic numbers, “the pandemic is not necessarily the culprit here, this is the environment of our high school and middle school,” said Saeh.

Ann Wang of the Education Development Center said Belmont can find successful programs being used in nearby communities such as Lexington and Newton which had student suicides. “These appear to have some impact that can be measured in reducing suicide attempts,” she noted.

Phelan said the solution in the schools is to start to put in place multiple layers of support to students at every level of the district.

“We are not looking to put numbers [in the upcoming school budget] right now, but we want to acknowledge the need and start with students talking about solutions and then start to price out those solutions so that the community can know whether they’re going to support that need or not.”

Welcome Back: Jones To Fill Vacant School Committee Seat; Will Not Seek Full Term In April

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Photo: Ralph Jones

Venerable town official Ralph Jones returns to the public stage after being appointed to fill the final five months remaining of Andrea Prestwich’s term on the School Committee.

Jones received five votes from the combined members of the Belmont Select Board and School Committee, outdistancing resident Jeff Liberty who garnered three votes at the joint meeting held on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

“I am prepared to serve as required and anytime it is necessary to get the job done,” said Jones.

Jones was also emphatic that he will not use the temporary five month post as a springboard to a full term.

“It takes a big person to take on this job in this climate,” said Adam Dash, chair of the Select Board. “You’re basically parachuting onto a ship that is in the middle of a hurricane.”

Jones’ extensive town experience was a chief factor in his selection, having once chaired each of the “Big Three” governmental bodies in town; the Select Board (then known as the Board of Selectmen), and the School and Warrant committees. Jones’ selection is a return for him to the committee he served on for three terms and also headed two decades ago.

“I understand the authority and responsibilities of the committee,” he said, noting his role in creating past budgets and twice leading bargaining between the committee and the teachers’ union. “I believe that my experience in negotiating those contracts would be a contribution to the committee as it enters into that final negotiation process.”

Jones said starting a conversation on diversity, equity and inclusion would be a priority of his with the hope that the hiring of Chon’tel Washington, the district’s first DEI director will bring immediate improvements to the issues.

A majority of the committee and board agreed a successful candidate needed the necessary background demonstrated by past successes. Select Board member Mark Paolillo said looking at the skills and experiences the group said it would consider, “which candidate … meets all of these expectations, understanding the issues facing the school committee and has the communication skills … the only conclusion I reached is Ralph Jones.”

”[If] you have a round hole, [Jones] is the round peg that fits in the hole at the moment to do what needs to be done,” said Dash.

And Jones’ long-standing political mentoring of many residents just entering town politics was noticeable as both Dash and the School Committee’s Meg Moriarty reported before the deliberations Jones had held important positions in their most recent election runs – as campaign manager for Dash and Treasurer for Moriarty’s successful 2021 committee run – while the Paolillo noted Jones was also his campaign manager in the past.

The night started with nine candidates in the field as three dropped out and later two more did not answer the call to the gate with seven remaining. In addition to Jones and Liberty, Alessandro Miglio, Frances Leighton, Glen Robertelli, Jung Yueh and Amy Zuccarello finished off the field.

In the first round of voting to see who would go into the five questions and answer portion of the selection process, Liberty and Zuccarello each received the maximum of eight votes with Jones at seven. Yueh took in six with Leighton and Robertelli tied for the final slot with four.

Liberty’s background as a principal and district leader in Boston and now a consultant proved an interesting mix for those looking to bring change to the town.

Mike Crowley said while areas such budgets and union negotiating are some of the most important, the committee and district needs a candidate who will bring a more holistic approach to educating Belmont’s children. “Jeff was a harsh critic during this past year, but I’ve found him to be extremely thoughtful, intelligent and he’s experienced design educational matters beyond measure.”

“I think we need Jeff,” said Crowley.

When the Q&A section ended, it was clear from the remarks from the joint group that the temporary seat would either go to Liberty or Jones. It appeared the board’s familiarity with Jones as the three Select Board members voted for the former Selectman. And it was the School Board’s newest members – Moriarty and Jamal Saeh – who backed Jones providing him the margin needed to claim the seat.

Jones’ decision not to run will likely result in a wide-open horse race for the three year term up for grabs in April.

BHS Performing Arts Company Presents ‘The Servant Of Two Masters’ For Fall Play

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Photo: From the poster of The Servant of Two Masters presented by the BHS PAC on Nov. 18-20.

The Belmont High School Performing Arts Company is presenting its fall play, THE SERVANTS OF TWO MASTERS, on Thursday, Nov. 18, Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20 in the high school’s Black Box Theater.

Written by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni in 1746 and revised in 1789, The Servant of Two Masters is a comedy for audiences of all ages. Based on the traditional Commedia dell’arte, the play features physical comedy, wordplay, music, slapstick gags, wild costumes, candy colored scenery, and a madcap plot that will leave your head spinning.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $7 for children and $5 for BHS students/staff. Tickets can be purchased online, and advance ticket purchase recommended as these performances sell out.

Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with a special 2:40 p.m. performance on Friday just for BHS students/staff.

Details about the show and ticket sales at bhs-pac.org

As we invite audiences back into our schools, here are some guidelines for those who plan to attend theater events this year:

  1. MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED for all audience members.
  2. Food/drinks will not be allowed in performance spaces.
  3. The size of our Black Box Theater means that there is not a guarantee of distancing for audience members. We encourage family units to sit together, but at sold out shows, you will be seated directly adjacent to others.
  4. Some students performing on stage for theater events will be unmasked. These students have been required by the Belmont School Committee to be vaccinated.
  5. Anyone experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19 should not attendperformances. You can reference the BPS Student Symptom Checker here.

We appreciate your compliance with these requirements. 

School Committee Chair Responds To Rash Of Hate Incidents At Belmont Schools

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Photo: Racial, homophobic and anti-Semitic incidents have occurred in Belmont schools in the past three years.

In October, there were multiple reports of racist, homophobic, and antisemitic hate speech scrawled on the walls of Chenery Middle School and racist slurs posted in the library of Belmont High School. These incidents, and the beliefs that they reflect, are not new to Belmont or any other community, and cannot be interpreted as another troubling outcome of the pandemic. 

I write as an individual School Committee member, Town Meeting member, and parent to condemn these acts. Every time a slur is written or spoken, there are people who feel less welcome in Belmont. We should all be concerned about the impact of recent incidents and what could happen next. I also worry about how to ensure that responses not only help heal and bring us closer together, but also help prevent future incidents.

I urge everyone – especially those with systemic privilege and power – to not stay silent, to denounce injustice when it happens, and to contribute to actions to improve our systems.

Amy Checkoway, Belmont School Committee

I witness the hard work that our leaders, educators, and staff are doing to foster safe and supportive environments for all students. More detailed protocols are being developed to ensure immediate and effective responses. The district is working to add layers of preventative measures to try to stop incidents before they happen.

Achieving a more inclusive and equitable school communitywill not happen overnight. As leaders, we must identify where the system is falling short. One current focus is the external equity audit of the Belmont Public Schools. The audit is identifying issues and challenges that the district – and our students and families – face with the goal of supporting each student to reach his/her/their potential. With the audit findings in hand by early 2022, the district will develop a strategic actionplan that includes concrete steps forward by the spring.

I urge everyone – especially those with systemic privilege and power – to not stay silent, to denounce injustice when it happens, and to contribute to actions to improve our systems. We must be clear that racist, homophobic, and antisemitic actsare unacceptable, that those who threaten others will face consequences for their actions, and that it is our collective responsibility to speak up for one another. We especially owe this to our children, who are watching, listening, and counting on us. I should have made this public statement sooner.

Amy Checkoway

Pequossette Road