Sports: Top-Ranked Acton-Boxoboro Ends Belmont Field Hockey Playoff Run

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Photo: Belmont’s penalty corner team: senior co-captain Molly Thayer, junior Molly Goldberg, sophomore Christina MacLeod, junior AnnMarie Habelow and junior Julia Chase.

A bit of nerves, a defending champion, and a numbers game all combined to end a brilliant season and strong playoff run by Belmont High School’s Field Hockey team as number-one seed Acton-Boxborough Regional High defeated the fourth-ranked Marauders, 3-0, in the Divison 1 North Sectional semifinals in Reading, Wednesday, Nov. 11.

“I’m so, so proud of you guys. I had a blast coaching you. You proved me wrong at the beginning of the season,” said an emotional Head Coach Jessie Smith to her team, many in tears, as they huddled on the field for the final time under the lights on a cool, damp night at Reading Memorial High School.

“We didn’t know what team we would have this year; there were so many young players who we didn’t even know their names. But it because such a great group to play with,” said co-captain and senior defender Molly Thayer, who with her fellow Molly, junior Molly Goldberg bookend standout junior sweeper midfield Julia Chase in the defensive backline. 

In the game, Belmont’s tempo could not match the Colonials’ which had several fast forwards and a big rangy defense. The typical short and long-ball passing accuracy was not in evident and the quick ball movement was frustrated by the athletic Colonials. 

Smith believed the team “sort of psyched themselves out” playing a top-ranked team and with it the confidence a team needs to defeat such a squad. 

“I wanted to shake them and say, ‘They’re not an army of field hockey players. They’re just high school kids who are applying to college and studying for exams just like you’,” said Smith after the game. 

Belmont’s cautious approach allowed Acton-Boxborough to pressure through the midfield where they took advantage with a long-shot from sophomore Emma Kearney eluded Belmont’s sophomore keeper Christine MacLeod just past the 10 minutes mark in the opening half.

Now on the front foot, the Colonials kept the pressure on, leading to a pair of penalty corners and a goal taken questionably away from the one-seed team. 

Smith called a timeout in an attempt to calm the team, but only to see the Colonials up their lead to two as junior Camille Grigsby scored 10 meters out of the fourth penalty corner of the first half.

It was the second goal that woke the Marauders from its malaise. Led by the midfield tandem of senior co-captain Serena Nally and junior MVP AnnMarie Habelow, passes began to connect, pressuring Acton-Boxborough backs and leading to a series of penalty corners. 

An apparent goal off a Habelow shot was not tipped inside the 15-yard scoring circle, a pair of outstanding pushes inside five yards just missed the far post or a Belmont stick before going out of bounds while senior Kerri Lynch’s turnaround shot from 7 yards out was barely kicked out by Colonials’ goalie.

At the half, with shots (4) and penalty corners (6) equal, Smith continued to urge the players to take every opportunity to take shots and crash the net “because we will only have a few, so we need to score.”

But it was the Colonials that came out with a rush on Belmont’s goal, only to see MacLeod, in her first year in the varsity net, make two point-blank saves. 

Belmont’s offense started clicking, especially down the right-hand side with sophomore midfielder Lilly Devitt making critical stops and quickly transitioning to freshman Morgan Chase, who continued her outstanding season with an excellent display of dribbling and passing. 

Belmont’s forwards, Lynch and Kate McCarthy, were also connecting with McCarthy’s heads up play caused the Colonials’ goalie to scramble to parry an in-close shot from going into the net.

But just as the Marauders attack began to take shape, the Colonials scored against the run of play, by Kearney for her second goal midway through the period. 

With Acton-Boxborough experience in the defensive end of the field – many of the nine seniors were back line and midfielders – the chances for Belmont were rare as the Colonials laid back to absorb Belmont’s efforts forward. 

When the final horn came, the Marauders left the field feeling they may have left a little too much on the sideline.

But Smith was philosophic about the game against a team from a school in which the coach has 400 more girls to select from for her team. (Acton-Boxborough’s enrollment is closing on 2,000 students to Belmont’s 1,200).

“How can you not be proud at all they accomplished,” she said.

In fact, the 2015 Belmont High Field Hockey team’s list of honors is quite long: 

  • A 14-2 regular season, likely the best in program history and a final record of 16-3. 
  • The Middlesex League Liberty division championship.
  • Defeating several Boston Globe ranked teams in the regular season and the playoff while ending the regular season at number 15. 
  • A prolific offense with 91 goals, a top five total in eastern and central Massachusetts. 
  • A stellar defense securing 12 shutouts in 19 games (including a 3-0 whitewash in the quarterfinals over Masco Regional)
  • Of the three losses, two were to currently undefeated and untied defending state champions (Watertown and Acton-Boxborough) while the third was redressed in dominating fashion with a 2-0 victory over Winchester, another playoff team. 
“This was a team that liked to work, especially the seniors and it showed on the field,” said Nally, speaking of her follow 12th graders in Lynch, McCarthy, Thayer and Sophia Stratford. 
“It was a good team to be on,” said Nally.

Belmont High Students Connecting All Over Belmont

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Photo: 

by Samantha Kelts, (2016), Alexia Stefanovich (2016), and Jackie Jiang  (2018)

On Saturday, Oct. 17, Belmont High School students participated in the 17th annual Connecting With Belmont community service event that included everything from gardening, farming, and sandwich making, to reading with young children at the library and removing invasive plants.

According to Alice Melnikoff, the event’s organizer and school’s Community Service Director, the yearly Connecting Wih Belmont event is not only about getting high schoolers involved in the community, but also about working to make improvements to our town that will motivate others to get involved as well.

“It’s important for students to give back to the community that nurtured them. It spotlights what the students can do for the town, and how everyone can be involved in helping make Belmont a better place,” she said.

At the Belmont Food Pantry, a group of student volunteers worked on sorting and organizing the sea of donated food items onto designated shelves. Freshman Lily Hoffman Strickler, expressed her motivation behind volunteering for this event, telling us that “there are so many people out there that don’t have as many resources as we do, and it feels good to give back.”

On the opposite side of the high school, a group was also working hard to restore benches on the softball field while inside the school’s cafeteria, another group was assembling sandwiches for the Middlesex Human Services Agency, which has runs shelters, a soup kitchen, and detoxification and rehabilitation programs.

“It was really rewarding because it showed what we could do when we all worked together” commented senior Ammu Dinesh; “we got into a rhythm and cranked out 312 [sandwiches] in two hours.”

Students also spread out to locations all over Belmont to contribute their time to improve the Belmont community as a whole.

Two groups of students made their way over to the Belmont Public Library and the Woodland Garden, located on Concord Avenue. The first group stayed indoors and helped wash baby toys, organize books in the young adult section, and read with children.

“I like this particular community service event because it does good for the community while also building a structure for Belmont High School,” said Sasa Gutterman, Class of 2017.

Kylie Sparks, Young Adult reference librarian, described how before the event, the “room was totally packed full of books” and that it “is a really big help” when student volunteers can provide service.  She also loves that it brings people into the library.

Sophomore Teresa Frick read with a young kindergartener and commented that “he’ll use reading skills for the rest of his life, so it makes a big impact.”

Outside of the library, at the Woodland Garden, students gave their time in order to remove widespread euonymus ground covering that was preventing the garden’s vinca leaves from flourishing and surviving.  As summarized eloquently by junior Bo Lan, the motivation behind doing this type of physically challenging work is that, “we need the community of Belmont to enjoy this place.”  

Although difficult, students find it rewarding to see how their individual efforts can have a positive impact on our community.  Sarah Sos of the Belmont Garden Club stressed the fact that “it is important to get people started on a lifelong habit of not just acting for themselves but for working for the community as a whole,” an idea that is central to the purpose of the Connecting with Belmont event.

The Woodland Gardens was not the only location where students got involved in nature.  At the Mass Audubon Habitat, students cut back overgrown vines and weeds on the outskirts of Weeks Pond and Meadow. They cut down bittersweet leaves, which are invasive vines, in order to prevent them from taking nutrition from the trees, thus keeping the trees alive and healthy. Senior Katrina Rizzuto commented that “the scenery was beautiful,” and that “Habitat is definitely the best place to experience autumn.”

Students greatly enjoyed spending time in this peaceful atmosphere. After an afternoon of immersing himself in nature, Freshman Ken Chen said that he felt “a sense of accomplishment after all the work, because seeing the original pile of thorns disappear was rewarding.”

Students even had the opportunity to go as far as the Beech Street Senior Center, where many hands were desperately needed to manage the garden surrounding the building. The four students assigned here raked leaves and gathered the piles into leaf bags, and also learned how to identify and pull many different varieties of weeds.  Although having never met before, these students showed excellent group effort in helping in our community.  

“It’s important to help out and make connections with your community, and it’s also important to make connections with your peers, which is why this event is so significant,” explained senior Ritika Saxena.

The work of the volunteers was much appreciated by the group’s supervisor, Claire Stanley, for when asked for her opinion on the Connecting With Belmont Event, she disclosed, “I think it’s wonderful that students are required to do community service here in Belmont.  That did not happen when I was young in Michigan. It’s a great use of volunteer time and the senior center desperately needs more people than just me to take care of the garden.”

Back in nature at Belmont Acre Farms, students cleared over 1,000 square feet of plants from the farmland to leave room for crops. Mayura Thomas, Class of 2019, stated that she enjoyed the activity because “it felt good doing hard work for a good cause.” Farmer Michael Chase highlighted the outstanding point that “it’s important to make the connection to where your food comes from” and, also, that through this event, “you can directly see how multiple people working together can accomplish quite a lot.”

Overall, Connecting With Belmont was a huge success, and everyone is anxiously looking forward to participating again next year.

Belmont High Cheer Team In Regionals for First Time in 58 Years

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Photo: Screenshot from a video of the Belmont High Cheerleaders (courtesy Marauder Media)

It was in 1957 when the Frisbee was introduced, “American Bandstand” had its first broadcast, the Soviets launched the first space satellite named Sputnik and Elvis Presley was on everybody’s transistor radio.

It was also the last time a Belmont High School cheer team was in a regional competition.

That was until last week, when Belmont High Cheerleaders, with a flawless performance at the Middlesex League meet in Woburn, advanced to the Massachusetts Fall Cheerleading North Division 2 Regional championships to be held Sunday, Nov. 15, at Woburn High School.

Congratulations go to Amanda Bonilla, varsity cheerleading coach, and the boys and girls of the team which have upped their game in the past few years.

Below is the performance captured by Marauder Media:

Sports: Belmont Field Hockey Dominates Masco, Heads to Sectional Semis

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Photo: Morgan Chase (6) passes to Bridget Gardiner (center in white) for Belmont’s third goal vs Masco Regional.

Two goals by junior sensation AnnMarie Habelow and a smothering defense was more than enough to send Belmont High School Field Hockey to the Division 1 North Sectional semifinals as the 4th-ranked Marauders dominated 5th-seed Masconomet Regional High School, 3-0, in a quarterfinals matchup at Belmont’s Harris Field, Saturday, Nov. 7.

“Everything happened the best way it possibly could, defensively and on offense. They couldn’t compete with you today,” said Jessica Smith, Belmont’s head coach while congratulating the team.

“I’m psyched. I didn’t know what to expect coming into this game,” said Smith, adding that she wanted the team to win this game because it proves that Belmont “deserves the four seed.” 

“We’re coming from the Middlesex League, maybe the towns aren’t as big but in the past few years, Belmont is really proving itself as a solid field hockey school in the state. Year-after-year we make it a couple of rounds (in the playoffs) and now it’s time to take the additional step and be one of the great ones,” she said.

While the game was supposed to be a wide-open affair between two athletically-inclined teams, Belmont (16-2-0) would command long stretches of the contest while keeping Masco, the Cape Ann League Kinney champions, on their heels especially in the first half when the Middlesex League Liberty titleholders outshot the Lady Chieftains, 14-1, and had seven penalty corners while Masco would go the entire game without a penalty corner. 

And it was the fifth corner when Belmont took the lead when Habelow – who ended the afternoon with nine shots – took the inbounds pass from sophomore forward Bridget Gardiner and rocketed a shot from 15 meters past senior goalie Amanda MacPherson-Peachy with 11 minutes left in the half.

“The big thing about the game before (a 5-3 victory over Central Catholic on Nov. 5) is we didn’t score on any corners, and they are a time you have to capitalize and I took advantage of that today,” said Habelow, whose play especially in the defensive midfield was critical for Belmont’s quick transition to offense. 

Masco were playing a slower more deliberate game, sending all but one player into the defensive zone when Belmont came within the 25-yard area from its goal, then push up players while delaying their restart until they were in position.

“It’s really hard to maneuver inside but sometimes that makes it easier because they will bump into each other so when you beat one person, you’re actually beating two,” said Habelow.

The Chieftains’ tactic worked in the Marauders’ favor as it allowed Belmont to set up its defense, clogging up the passing lane. Led by co-captains midfielder Serena Nally, Lilly Devitt, Sophia Stratford, Meron Power and the two Molly’s, defenders Goldberg and co-captain Thayer, thawed many Masco passes and attempts at dribbling the ball and by the Marauders’ ability to quickly close down on the attackers.

Offensively, senior forwards Kerri Lynch and Kate McCarthy, sophomore Bridget Gardner and freshman Morgan Chase harassed the Masco defenders on their outlet passes while taking ever opportunity to rush the Chieftains’ net.

“What it was is that we were passing to each other and they were hitting the ball and hoping that somebody would pick it up. And we were ready for that, so our kids were moving to the ball just like their players,” said Smith.

Not helping Masco was playing all but two of their previous games on a grass pitch, as opposed to the uniformity of the Harris Field “Turf” pitch.

“You have to be so much faster on ‘Turf’ and I think their style of play was to bring everyone up and back, and you can’t keep that up on an artificial field because the ball is moving so much faster,” said Smith. 

Down a goal after the first half, Masco came out running and passing, keeping the ball in Belmont’s end for the first three minutes.

But a quick turnover at midfield led to Belmont’s first corner of the second half and Belmont second goal as Habelow from a step within the scoring circle slammed the ball from Molly Goldberg by a charging MacPherson-Peachy for a 2-0 lead after five minutes.

Masco now dedicated players to the offense leading to it best scoring chance as senior defender and co-captain Tessa Ives made a stellar solo run to within 10 meters of Belmont’s sophomore goalie Christina McLeod (her 11th shutout this season) but her pass never hit a stick as it went skating by the net.

The final time Masco came close to threatening Belmont’s goal was with 12 minutes remaining when a midfield miscue saw five Lady Chieftains racing towards Belmont’s goal. But Julia Chase stepped in front of the first attacker taking the ball and with it Masco’s momentum.

Belmont sealed the game in the final minute when Morgan Chase squeezed a pass by MacPherson-Peachy’s pads to a wide-open Gardiner on the far post.

Belmont’s semi-final opponent will be known after the match between one seed Acton-Boxborough and 8th-ranked North Andover taking place on Sunday, Nov. 8. If the Marauders meet Acton-Boxborough, ranked 11th nationally by Max Field Hockey, it will be a game of taking advantage of every chance provided.

“When you play a team like Acton-Boxoboroug, you don’t know how many times you’ll have offensive opportunities and working on those. It’s also making the offense understand how important every touch is in the scoring circle which I think we improved a lot this game,” said Smith. 

“Defensively it will be practice on moving our feet and forcing them out wide. And just being confident because you play the game because you don’t know who’ll win,” said Smith.

Habelow noted that Belmont has some experience with highly-touted teams.

“We’ll prepare for them just like we did for Watertown (the fifth-ranked team in the country and undefeated in 160 games). We respect the best teams like it’s an honor to play the nationally best teams because it makes us better and it makes the entire program better,” said Habelow. 

Sports: Belmont Swimming Back on Top Winning League Meet Championship

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Photo: Jessica Blake-West waiting to swim at a recent meet.

A week after a dispiriting loss in the season’s final dual meet to rival Reading Memorial High School, Belmont High School’s Girls’ Swimming and Diving team followed the lead of one of the great swimmers in program history and a freshman phenom to take home the Middlesex League Meet Championship title contested at Bentley College on Thursday, Nov. 5.

Belmont took 369.5 points for first with Reading second with 349.5 followed by Lexington with 226.5 and Winchester at 218.

Senior Jessie Blake-West set a meet record in her favorite event, the 100 yard butterfly and came in second to a boy in the 200 Individual Medley while 9th grader Nicole Kalavantis took both freestyle distance events, the 200 and 500 yard, to go along with a slew of mid-level swimmers garnering points and positioning themselves to set times that will allow them to head to the state championships in two weeks. 

Blake-West’s 57.47 second time in the butterfly erased a record going back to 1989, destroying Belmont’s Lena Eriksson’s past record of 58.22, and winning the event by more than four seconds. Her 2 minute, 14.52 second time in the IM was two second clear of the next girl as Blake-West finished second to Wakefield’s Christopher Anastasiades who swims with the girls since the school does not have a boys’ program. 

In the relays, Blake-West threw in a 25.76 fly leg in the 200 Medley Relay (with Molly Thomas, Emily Quinn and Solvay Metelmann), a time faster than all but a few freestyle legs as Belmont finished second to Reading. 

Kalavantis has become a big time scorer, first winning the 500-yard race the day before in Belmont breaking the 5 minute, 30-second mark (5:29.61) while tying for first with Bryan Filard of Woburn in 2:03.41, coming home in 31.25. Kalavantis also anchored the 4×200 free relay, cutting a seven-second deficit to two to see Belmont finish second. 

With Belmont needing only to finish second in the final event, the 4×400, to win the title over Reading, Belmont’s junior Julia Bozkurtian and senior Sara Noorouzi kept the team within striking distance of Reading when Kalavantis, who swam a 56.87 third 100 yard, touch off to Blake-West who proceeded to cap the night with a stunning 52.79 last 100 to catch and out touch Reading by three-tenth of a second, 3:47.66 to 3:47.95.

Also of note in the meet were senior Emily Quinn, junior Dervela Moore-Federick and freshman Angela Li qualifying for the state championships in the Medley Relay, while the same swimmers finished second, third and fifth respectively, in the 100 breast stroke with state times. 

Belmont’s long-time head coach Ev Crosscup said he was a little disappointed with some of the times posted by his charges at the Middlesex League Meet Championships held at Bentley College on Thursday, Nov. 5.

“Some didn’t do what I thought they could,” said Crosscup. “We’ll see hope things work out.”

But in talking to him, one could tell that he was proud at what the girls accomplished in taking home the championship crown a week after falling to Reading at Belmont’s Higginbottom Pool.

Next for the team is the North Sectionals which Belmont will be placed with powerhouse programs such as Andover, Chelmsford and Acton Boxoborough. Crosscup said he will be focusing on girls who are within reach of achieving a state qualifying time.

Then, it will be the state championship meet in which Belmont finished second in the past two years.

“It’s looking good, it really is. I think this meet meant a lot to where we want to be heading to states,” said Crosscup. 

Sports: Belmont Field Hockey Wins Nail Biter over Cent. Catholic, 5-3

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Photo: Senior co-captain Serena Nally led Belmont to victory over Central Catholic, 5-3, Nov. 5.

In a game that saw three lead changes and the home team falling behind for only the second time this season on Harris Field, Belmont High School Field Hockey scored two goals in the final five minutes of the second half to secure a hard-earned 5-3 victory over an underrated Central Catholic High School squad in a first-round game in the Division 1 North Sectionals playoffs.

“Belmont will be paying for my early retirement,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Jessica Smith after the nailbiter that saw the Marauders (15-2) outshot the Raiders, 20-8.

Belmont’s senior leaders stepped up in the game as co-captain Serena Nally scored a pair and assisted fellow senior Kate McCarthy on the game winner while co-captain Maggie Thayer anchored the defense. 

Belmont will host 5th-ranked Masconomet Regional High School (16-2-1), which easily defeated Haverhill, 5-0, on Thursday, at Harris Field at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7.

Usually, a match between a 13 and 4 seed is not that competitive but Central Catholics’ record (10-6-2) was deceiving as their six losses came from only three teams in the strong Merrimack Valley League, losing twice to the likes of 17-win Andover, 15-win North Andover and Chelmsford with 13 victories.

“They were better than I expected. Not at the beginning but they turned it on later in the half. Their offense was powerful,” said Smith.

And it was Belmont that got off to dream start as the Marauders broke the ice just two and a half minutes in when Nally slotted in a shot by the Raiders’ goalie after a solo run.

“I just lifted it a little and it went to the far post,” said Nally.

And for most of the first half, the game was one-way traffic going Belmont’s direction as the Marauders’ pressure provided some golden opportunities for Belmont to put the game to bed early.

But for the remaining 27 minutes of the half, the Marauders’ drew blanks. Even when Belmont was awarded a penalty stroke midway in the half (essentially the equivalent of soccer’s penalty kick) the team’s leading scorer, junior AnnMarie Habelow, sent a screamer wide of the net.  

“Everything was happening except for the execution at the end. Granted the goalie was good, she was there for the initial stops but we couldn’t get the touch on the ball coming through,” said Smith.

Late in the half, Central Catholic did not let their scoring chances go wanting, scoring from forward Mary Lambert with three minutes remaining in the half. 

“At the beginning we were having a tough time finishing our shots. We had a lot of opportunities on their end from [penalty] corners and our passing,” said Nally.

And Belmont would pay for their missed opportunities as Central Catholic was awarded its penalty stroke, which the Raiders’ leading scorer Courtney Woronka buried five minutes into the second half.

Despite being behind for only the second time at home this season (the other time was against Watertown), Nally said the team never lost the confidence that they could not come back to tie and go ahead. 

“Once we were behind, we realized we needed to turn it on and finish those balls to the post and tipping them in. We also did a good job talking and communicating and being open for one another,” said Nally. 

Within six minutes, Belmont tied the score through freshman wing Morgan Chase, who slotted in a Nally push pass at the post. And the Marauders retook the lead two-and-a-half minutes later as Nally scored off a Habelow “bouncy hit that I got a little piece of it and I tipped it in.”

But the Raiders were not about to surrender as the Raider’s Casey Thompson navigated by four Belmont defenders on a 60-yard run before beating Belmont goalie Christine McLeod to tie up the score once again with 13 minutes remaining.

As Central Catholic took advantage of the momentum switch, Belmont’s defense stiffened led by junior sweeper Julia Chase, who stopped several attacks with one-on-one battles within the attack circle. Thayer, Molly Goldberg, Sophia Stafford and Lilly Devitt set up a rolling wall in front of McLeod, who made two good stops over the next five minutes. 

Soon, Belmont took control of the ball and through Habelow and Nally put the pressure on the Raiders backline. It paid off with just under five minutes remaining when senior forward Kate McCarthy directed in the eventual game-winner off a pass from Nally who capitalized on a defensive lapse to steal the ball deep in the Raiders’ zone.

The Marauders kept the pressure on Central Catholic and scored an insurance goal with a minute, and change left as Bridget Gardner redirected a Habelow shot at the near post. 

Two things Smith will be drilling to the girls at practice is scoring and more scoring.

“Every opportunity, especially in a playoff game, has to count. I hope this game results in them knowing that feeling a little bit more and knowing the urgency of scoring.”

“If we scored on just a few of our chances in the first half, I wouldn’t be having heart attacks in the second,” she said.

Sports: Postseason Begins Thursday for Four Belmont High Teams

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A quartet of Belmont High School teams will begin their postseasons within a few hours of each other on Thursday, Nov. 5 

Belmont Field Hockey will host Central Catholic of Lawrence in a first-round Div. 1 North Sectional match at 4 p.m. at Harris Field. Here is your chance to see the 4th-ranked Marauders (14-2) in action against the 13th-seeded Raiders (10-6-2).

Belmont Girls’ Soccer travels to the edge of Logan Airport to take on the 6th-ranked Jets of East Boston High School (11-3-2) in a first rounder in the Div. 2 North Sectionals at 3:30 p.m. The Marauders are ranked 10th with a record of 11-6-0. 

Girls’ Swimming and Diving are in Waltham at Bentley College to participate in the Middlesex League meet. The event at the school’s Dana Center gets started at 2:30 p.m.

Finally, Cheerleading will be off to Woburn for the Middlesex League meet that begins at 7 p.m.

The Opportunity and the Challenge of ‘The Laramie Project’

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Photo: A moment at the end of Act One of The Laramie Project.

The high school play, the annual tradition that, at times, have a certain “sameness” to what is produced. 

The most popular plays performed by US high schools include romances (Almost, Maine); Shakespeare (Midsummer Night Dream) the classics (Our Town) along with comedies (Noise Off, Harvey, You Can’t Take It With You) and dramas (The Crucible, 12 Angry Jurors), all trendy choices  for multiple decades.

And schools select those scripts for very practical reasons.

“Most high school teachers need a big cast, lots of female roles, and something that won’t scare your grandma,” said Don Corathers, editor of Dramatics, a monthly magazine for theater students and teachers, speaking to NPR in 2015. 

This fall, Belmont’s production isn’t trying to scare away anyone. Rather, this year’s play is seeking to bring a thought-provoking performance that centers on themes and events that are as current as today’s news.

“Every show is an educational opportunity,” said Ezra Flam, Belmont High School’s Theater Specialist and Director/Producer of the Performing Arts Company, who selected The Laramie Project. 

The Laramie Project will be performed Thursday through Friday, Nov. 5, 6 and 7 at 7 p.m. at the Belmont High School auditorium. Tickets are $15 adults, $10 non-BHS students, no charge for Belmont High students and staff.

The three-act play concerns the 1998 murder of Matthew Sheppard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, chronicled by the Tectonic Theater Project which traveled to Laramie, Wyoming to interview the town’s inhabitants about the incident that was determined to be a hate crime.

The Laramie Project is hardly standard fare for a high school play – the content focuses on homophobia, violence, and gay acceptance – and still generates controversy around the country (The play is the most objected to by school administrators and community groups). This production comes with a caution that it is unsuitable for children and parental discretion is strongly advised for young teens.

But the play, according to Flam, is meant to challenge the actors and the audience, as to confront attitudes and prejudices, both personal and communal.

The Belmontonian: Why select a play with such strong adult content?

Flam: “One of my priorities for the fall play is that we do Shakespeare in alternating years, last year being Twelfth Night. In other years, my goal is to expose or students and audiences to a variety of theatrical genres. Every show is an educational opportunity, whether that is in the content, the form or the technical aspects of the show. I chose The Laramie Project because of both the acting opportunities and the important themes and message.

The Belmontonian: Did you discuss this with students before deciding on the play? What has been their reaction?

Flam: “Students have been extremely receptive to the show, from the moment I announced it. Most students hadn’t heard of the play, but throughout the fall as I have explained what the show is about or students have read it, I’ve heard a lot of comments along the lines of, ‘that sounds really awesome,’ or ‘that’s really cool that we’re doing this kind of play.'”

“I think as the cast and crew started reading and rehearsing the show they ‘got it’ very quickly and tuned in right away to what was important and production-worthy about the show. I’ve also heard from a lot of parents and community members who are very happy to see the show presented in Belmont because they recognize the importance and opportunity of bringing these themes to our community.”

The Belmontonian: The Laramie Project is not your typical play; short scenes, actors playing multiple roles, speaking directly to the audience. Has it been a challenge for you in helping the actors with this technique that they may not have had experience?

Flam: “It’s certainly been a different kind of rehearsal process. I actually think it’s been a great dovetail with the new theater classes the school is offering this year. In both rehearsal and theater class there’s been a little bit of ‘back to fundamentals’ in the acting process. It’s not just about the staging or the production but about analyzing the text and talking a lot of about what’s going on underneath the words, then going back and translating that into performance.”

The Belmontonian: Unlike other plays, you are reaching out to the community and audience before the performances and after Friday’s show to discuss the issues and concerns this show highlights. What are you attempting to accomplish?

Flam: “The Laramie Project is a show that almost demands this, particularly in a High School production. The themes and content of this show are powerful and emotional, and audiences are going to have a strong desire to talk about the show, so we’re trying to make room for that to happen.”

“One of the themes of the show is the ways in which Laramie represents not just a single town or moment in history, but all of America. It asks us to take a look at our own communities and draw comparisons to Laramie.”

The Belmontonian: What does this play mean to you?

Flam: “I first saw and read The Laramie Project when I was in college. It’s an extremely powerful piece of theater and one that is unforgettable. It’s one of the shows that helped me understand the power theater has to transform; to leave an audience changed affected or different in some way after seeing it. Giving the chance for our students and community to share even a small part of that experience means a lot to me.”

Sports: Belmont Girls’ Soccer Jets Off to East Boston for Playoff Opener

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Photo: Belmont High School Girls’ Soccer team.

The Belmont High Girls’ Soccer team will be heading to Eastie on Thursday, Nov. 5 to begin postseason play as the 10th-ranked Marauders visit the 7th-seeded Jets of East Boston High School in the first round of the MIAA Div. 2 North Sectionals.

Head coach Paul Graham’s team (11-6-0) will take on the Jets (11-3-2) which is coming off being upset by Latin Academy, 4-2, in the City League title game, the first time since 2010 East Boston has not been the champs.

The game will take place in the newly renovated East Boston Memorial Park adjacent to Logan Airport on Thursday. It is unknown at what time the game will be held.

If victorious, Belmont will meet the winner of the second-seed Marblehead High (15-2-1) and Melrose (7-9-2). A Melrose upset would result in a home game for Belmont on Monday, Nov. 9. A Marblehead win will result in a long, difficult drive to the home of the Magicians.

Sports: Belmont Swimming Can’t Defuse Rockets at Home, Sets Sights on League Meet

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Photo: Jessica Blake-West swimming the 100 butterfly against Reading.

“No tears,” said long-time Belmont High Head Coach Ev Crosscup as he talked to his girls’ swimming and diving team after falling to the visiting Reading Memorial High School in the final dual meet of the season, and clinching the regular season Middlesex League championships to the Rockets on Wednesday, Oct. 28. 

And like a good coach will also do, Crosscup took the blame for the 96-84 defeat at the Higgenbottom Pool. 

“I told [the girls] they should hold their heads up high. It was just some little things that, in hindsight, we could have done better, and I accepted the blame for that,” said Crosscup.

“They did nothing wrong. I should have had them just a little bit better prepared. But we can’t take anything away from Reading. They were the better team today,” he said.

In fact, the meet came down to the final relay, the 4×400-yard freestyle, in which Belmont needed to win and a second for a win, and a win and a third place finish for a tie. By the final leg, as Belmont’s senior captain Jessie Blake-West took off from the blocks, she was nearly 10 yards behind Reading’s sprint specialist senior captain Christina Tzianabos, who finished eighth in the 100-yard freestyle in last year’s state championships. But in one of the most impressive swims of the season, Blake-West cut seconds off the advantage, chasing down and nearly catching Tzinanbos, being inched out by less that a half a second as the standing-room-only crowd urged her on.

“She’s exceptional. [Blake-West] is a once-in-a-lifetime swimmer to coach,” said Crosscup.

While Reading, coached by Hall of Famer Lois Margeson – in her 28th season – threw down personal best times, the Marauders appeared less than sharp in the water.

The sense that something was amiss came in the first event, the 200-yard medley relay in which Belmont is the defending Div. 2 state champions. While Blake-West (in her favorite butterfly) and breaststroker Emily Quinn established a lead, it wasn’t enough of a buffer as Tzinanbos swam down Belmont’s Solvay Metelmann to out touch the senior by six-hundredth of a second (1:55.50 to 1:55.56).

And while Belmont won the same number of events as Reading (five to five with a tie), the Rockets came up big in what has been a Belmont bug-a-boo for the past two years, the sprint freestyles, (the 50 and 100 yards) taking home a total of 22 points to only 10 for the Marauders.

One bright spot in the frees was Belmont’s freshman Nicole Kalavantis, who dominated the distances, winning the 500 yard going under five-and-a-half minutes (5:28.91) and the 200 (2:04.59) where she pulled away from Reading’s freshman phenom and winner of the 100 yards free, Marie Letendre.

“Our freestylers did a wonderful job. [Reading] just has some real strong ones,” said Crosscup.

Blake-West dominated the two individual events in which she won at last year’s state championship, the 200 individual medley (2:14.62) and the 100 butterfly, in which she swam in 57.10. 

Belmont’s diving stalwart Cynthia Kelsey took home a comfortable 266.70 to 199.73 point decision over freshman Maddie Doyle in the 1 meter. 

In some surprising results, Belmont lost each of the relays (200, 400 and medley) and Quinn, who finished third in last year’s state championships, was caught and passed in the 100 breast by yet another Rocket freshman, Anna Roberts, 1:11.00 to 1:11.57. 

When Blake-West could not make a remarkable comeback in the final event and the handshakes given, the team sat before Crosscup, who was sitting on a starting block. Rather than speak about the meet, he congratulated swimmers who set times that qualified them for the coming sectional and state championships.

And Crosscup was already thinking about the league meet being held Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 4 and 5, at Bentley College. 

“We should be solid at the league meet. I think we could win that,” he said. “I’ve always felt that the League meet is the true test of who is the best.”

Before leaving the pool, the senior co-captains led the team in the team cheer, as they looked forward to the league meet and the state championships.