Belmont High Girls Rugby Sweeps Past Lincoln-Sudbury For Seventh Straight State Title

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Photo: Here are your 2025 MIAA Division 1 Girls State Champions: Belmont High School

It’s seven heaven for the Belmont High Girls Rugby team, which secured its seventh consecutive MIAA Division 1 state championship title, sweeping past Lincoln-Sudbury Regional, 69-21, at Curry College in Milton on Saturday, June 14.

With the victory, Belmont completed the 2025 season undefeated with eight wins, as the Marauders outscored their opponents by a combined 463 to 28.

Senior Captain Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald holds the 2025 State Championship trophy for her teammates to see after Belmont High’s victory.

With 13 senior starters on a squad playing top-level rugby since each joined the team, Belmont had the skills and experience to come into the match as overwhelming favorites. With a significant advantage in running, speed, and tackling by the backs and front line, Belmont’s game plan was simple: Continue what they did all season and repeat.

“This team felt pretty clear cut [they would win the state title] from the beginning of the season,” said Belmont Head Coach Kate McCabe, who has led the Marauders since the inception of the girls’ program in the mid-2010s.

This year’s seniors had to compete so much with the seniors of two years before for any game time. “They were fully convinced, ready to go, saying, ‘this is our year, and we’re gonna do it’.”

After an exchange of possession, Belmont struck first as senior Lock Laila Lusis dove into try eight minutes into the game, with senior center Rebecca Michaud handling the two-point conversion.

The Marauders would double its lead with speedy senior Wing Anoush McCarthy turning the right edge into clear for the try, coming after Belmont built its running foundation from its front line. Low numbers, including senior Props Anika Gupta and Tabitha Kambazza, sophomore Lock Rebecca Christensen, and senior Number 8 Sadie Taylor, punished L-S with 10 to 20-meter runs while senior Flanker Lucy Hinds was a handful for the Warriors with a series of outstanding broken-tackle sprints.

“I’m so proud of them,” said McCabe of her front eight. “The off-loads, how they kept adapting to what they saw in front of them. We’ve been doing it in the second half of the season, and it came into play today.”

While L-S planned to hem in Belmont’s back line, the speed and elusiveness of McCarthy, Michaud, captain senior flyback Robyn Tonomura-MacDonald, senior Fullback Mira Gardner, and the decision-making senior scrumhalf Clarissa Field proved too talented to hold back.

Belmont would break open the match during five minutes as Kambazza powered her way into a try at the 19-minute mark. Three minutes later, Lusis had her second with relentless running, while Christensen finished off a series of quick passes, diving across the try line at 14 minutes to up the score to 31-0.

Gardner would finish the half scoring after eluding the Warrior backs around the edge to go up, 38-0. L-S would pound into try after time expired to come off the field 38-7.

The game’s highlight came early in the second half what a sideline official dubbed “a try of beauty,” as McCarthy, Gardner, and finally Michaud combined with a series of quick passes to open up L-S’s backs for a walk-in try. The Warriors would strike back with 27 minutes remaining to cut the score to 45-14 – the most points the Marauders gave up this season – but by this time, McCabe had taken off many of the seniors to allow the team’s role players an opportunity to participate in a state championship.

McCarthy was awarded her second score with a penalty try after an NFL-style tackle, while Michaud and junior wing Jil Costa finished the scoring for the Marauders. When L-S kicked the conversion after scoring their third try with no time left on the clock, teammates ran onto the field to hug and celebrate.

“There are a lot of people who love this program for good reason, because it’s such a great program,” said Tonomura-MacDonald after the match. “The coaches and athletes are so hardworking. We had a practice with our alumni a couple of days ago. It showed they appreciate the work you’ve done, because they know they’ve had such a good experience here.”

And like the past six times, the players lined up to have the MIAA winner medals hung around their necks while watching McCabe and their captain, Tonomura-MacDonald, receive the program’s seventh state champion trophy.

Belmont High Commencement Outran Rain As Approximately 350 From Class Of ’25 Graduate

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Photo: Caps head skyward at the 2025 Belmont High Commencement

Tara Westover certainly accomplished a lot attending Belmont High School. 

Honored with one of two School Committee awards for outstanding achievement at Belmont High School’s 2025 commencement held under threatening skies on Saturday morning, June 7, Westover undertook the most rigorous course load with a near-perfect GPA; she is a National Merit semifinalist, achieved a perfect score on the SATs, is a talented artist and rock climber, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanities who also found the time to publish an academic paper with her father and brother while being accepted at Harvard College to study maths. Whew!

While she could have spoken on any number of subjects, Westover decided to demonstrate the commonality of each graduate with their classmates in a game of elimination using their upraised hands. They would put down a finger with each “interesting thing” they did during the past four years.

“[Did] you complain when you first heard about the changes to the weekly schedule,” and “if you complained the phone hotels, or, as some people, but definitely not me, have called them phone prisons,” and “if you shopped for prom outfits during class,” she said.

At the end of the challenge, Westover asked the graduates to look around. “I hoped you noticed two things. One, that almost everyone had some fingers down, which highlights our connection, which we have through the school building, to our fellow Marauders, even with the ones we may not have met. And two, that not everyone has all their fingers down,” Westover observed. 

“There’s no one story of a Belmont High graduate,” said Westover, as the most impactful moments were in a new class, speaking to a teacher, or just hanging out with friends. 

“Though our paths converged here … the details of our roots have been different. We’ve each crafted our own unique story,” she said. And with high school ended, “a new chapter is beginning. Life is a collection of moments like the ones you’ve had in high school. Let’s each grab a pen and start writing the next chapter of our stories as Belmont High School graduates.” 

Belmont High Principal Issac Taylor welcomed the approximately 350 graduates and their families and friends to Harris Field. In his address, Taylor spoke of the advancements in global connectivity in the past 200 years through the development of international shipping, which, itself, represents one of the great dichotomies of history.

“[Shipping] led to the murderous eradication of hundreds of cultures and languages,” founded the international slave trade, and accelerated the destruction of natural habitats, “setting the stage for the climate and biodiversity crisis,” said Taylor. And yet it shrank the globe and made it more accessible, while leading to the pooling of human talent and resources, accelerating innovation and learning, resulting in “the mixing of languages and cultures that enrich our world today,” he said.

“Class of 2025, you face similar dichotomies,” said Taylor, with wealth and power flowing from the rapidly changing world ruled by computing, big data, and artificial intelligence. “It is all moving so fast, it’s hard to see what is really happening, how power is shifting, and what direction the world is going.”

Despite an unwritten future, Taylor said this graduating class has demonstrated “exemplify humanity at its best.”

“I observed as you looked after your friends and supported one another, expressing your love and care in dozens of languages. I have watched you celebrate the diversity and multiculturalism of your community through dance and play, through food and dress. I have heard you advocate against injustice and stay true to your beliefs, even when that means standing up to power, and I have taken great pride in your collaboration, courtesy, compassion and kindness,” Taylor said.

Class President Mark Guzelian spoke of the uniqueness of the senior class: the first to sell 587 prom tickets, to have a full senior thesis Capstone exhibition, and to NOT have a senior prank.

“In other words, we’ve not been first at very much … [S]o I went back to brainstorming, what makes the class of 2025 unique?” he asked. First, it “is all the people in it,” each contributes their own gifts – in sports, theater, music, and academic excellence – during the past four years.

“But all of us will go on to make greater contributions to society in our own way,” Guzelian said, whether running labs, getting advanced degrees, going on to trade school to learn skills that keep society functioning, starting businesses, or becoming teachers. He advised his classmates to face the challenges “thrown at us” with patience, which he said “is not much valued.” 

Saying that success will not be handed on a platter and that perseverance through challenges is necessary, Guzelian said, “We will need to have patience and not rush through life trying to achieve things when perhaps it’s not the right time. Just remember that sometimes patience will need to be part of the process.”

Honored with a School Committee award for outstanding achievement, Jordan McCarty—who was awarded the Yale Book Award, is a World Cup medalist in fencing, and is an outstanding jazz musician who will attend New York University—said his father advised him to “first do the things you have to do, then do the things you want to do.” 

While he and many in the class are “guilty of draining away time on our phones,” McCarty said. “Instead, what I would want is to spend my time with those close to me and make timeless memories with them. To me, this has begun to fall under the category of things I have to do. You have to be able to enjoy your time. So take a breather, enjoy the present, and appreciate all the little moments.”

“I believe true happiness comes from the connections you form with other people and how you spend your time with them. Time quickly becomes our most important asset, and is important how we use it in this world. The one thing you can’t get back is your time. So cherish the time that you do have, spend it with people you love, and don’t regret one moment. That’s all that matters,” said 

After a performance of Stephen Paulus’ “The Road Home” by the BHS Chorus, each graduate crossed the dais to receive their diploma and have dozens of photographs documenting their journey. Soon, caps were flung skyward as the ceremony would beat the rain by less than an hour. 

Here Are The Streets Belmont’s DPW Will Dig Up This Summer/Fall To Replace Water Mains

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Photo: Jay Marcotte, Belmont’s DPW director

The Select Board approved a $1.2 million contract to a familiar firm as part of Belmont’s long-running water main replacement program.

Belmont Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte announced to the Board at its Monday, June 9 meeting that Cedrone Trucking Inc. of North Billerica was the low bidder of seven firms that sought to undertake the 2025 replacement project. While the work will begin in fiscal ’26, it will be paid with last year’s funds.

“This is [fiscal] ’25 money,” said Marcotte. “We’re a year behind.”

The streets being dug up are:

  • Barnard Road
  • Jonathan Street
  • Worcester Street
  • Drew Road
  • Benjamin Road

The work will begin in mid- to late-July. The one peice of good news for residents anticipating is that once the streets are dug up and the pipes replaced, they will be in line for repair and repaving.

“This project is working in tandem with the pavement management program” so residents will have all work done over a short period of time,” said Marcotte.

This marks the 10th time over the past 11 years that Cedrone has won the job, which Marcotte was pleased with the decision.

“They’re a great company which we have a great relationship. They know what we want they actually are fairly proactive about getting it done,” said Marcotte.

Garvin Negoitates $1 Million In Donations To Secure Solar Array For New Belmont Skating Rink

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Photo: Three donations equaling $1 million will allow a roof solar array at the new municipal skating rink

The Belmont Select Board signed three Memoranda of Understanding at its Monday, June 10, meeting to accept $1 million in donations to install a solar array on the roof of Belmont’s new municipal skating rink. The goal is to keep operating expenses at the town’s sports facility down while reducing its carbon footprint.

Under the agreements, which were negotiated and finalized by Town Administrator Patrice Garvin, the town will receive funds from:

  • Belmont Hill School: $500,000,
  • the Belmont Day School: $200,000, and
  • Belmont Light Department: $250,000

“The goal has always been to operate the rink at an operational break even, meaning revenues that we come in will be used to offset any expenses we incur,” Garvin said back in May.

“I want to thank [Garvin] for really finding a way to bring all parties together to follow through … to get solar on the building” in a collaborative way, which has been a struggle in the past, said Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor.

While the construction of the $30 million Belmont Municipal Skating Rink is “on time and on budget,” that didn’t mean the promise of a rooftop solar panels was a certainty. With the rink under the financial guns – due to the uncertainty of tariffs imposed by Donald Trump on Canadian-made equipment and the reality of unexpected costs always around the corner – the Municipal Skating Rink Building Committee in April presented the Select Board two contingency plans to provide reduced solar coverage of one-third or half based on available money.

With the prospect of rooftop solar panels seeming less than confident, Garvin took up the challenge to secure the funds. “At the previous Special Town Meeting, I stated that we would find a way to put solar on the roof of the rink,” Garvin said on the first night of Town Meeting, May 12. 

In the spring, Garvin met with each of the largest “tenants” to discuss possible one-time contributions that would secure the renewable power component.

One area that Garvin discovered was not on any of the tenants’ radar was a formal PILOT – payment in leiu of taxes – agreement. PILOT has been a hot topic among residents in the past decade in the town’s attempt to increase revenue sources, especially from non-profits. Belmont Hill School – whose extensive and expanding land holdings are exempt from property taxes – has been reluctant over the years to discuss the subject, including in its rink talks with Garvin. 

“Generally, PILOT is not a word that anyone wanted to hear,” said Garvin. Rather than push for a binding and precedent setting agreement, the Town Administrator decided to use another word in her attempt to secure one-time funding for the panels. 

“As soon as I changed the topic to ‘donations,’ they were much more receptive,” said Garvin. After some give and take on the benefits for the schools – having a new in-town rink nearby (with some advantageous scheduling to boot) – the agreements were completed in June. 

No Discount On Rent

Garvin wanted to clarify that Belmont Hills half-a-million dollar contribution is not a “pay to play” agreement.

“There’s no discount” in renting ice time for their donation, said Garvin. “They will be renting the ice from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., three times per week. This is the current agreement [on ice time] at the prior rent agreed to many years before I was here as the Town Administrator,” said Garvin. “Belmont Hill will pay whatever that rated ice time is, which will gradually increase year over year,” she said. 

“The $500,000 donation will include a donation to the PV but also a prepayment of two seasons of ice time, meaning that we will waive the first two seasons” of the new rink. In 2027, the town and Belmont Hill will formalize a 20-year lease for ice time. 

Board Chair Elizabeth Dionne highlighted Belmont Day School’s $200,000 contribution, which “really is a true donation.” Noting the school will be using the rink for a minimum number of hours each week, “they’re asking for very, very little in return, and I’m appreciative of that,” said Dionne.

“Belmont Day is looking to have education initiatives with their students for science, technology, engineering, and math education,” said Garvin. 

Finally, the Belmont Light donation comes as the town agrees to sell any renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by the solar panels to the utility.

Garvin said the town has been planning the Belmont rink operations for some time, and getting to break even will be a three-step process, she said:

  1. Hiring a rink manager, Eric Harrington, on April 22. “He will be working with me to hire a staff to rent up ice time and to develop policies and procedures to run the ring,” said Garvin.
  2. Maximizing the rink’s revenue by locking in rents at market rates.
  3. Control operating costs. Solar is seen as key to minimizing the cost for the rink’s operation. And that component is best achieved by

“We need to work with the Recreation Commission to determine what the fees for that ice time will be,” said Garvin. “We plan to retain and secure long-term tenants that have used the rink for years and to maximize any utilization we can find to operate the rink.”

The complete solar array provides several benefits to the town’s bottom line and its residents:

  1. It makes good on a commitment to the residents to using renewable energy when the debt exclusion was passed in 2024 and to the Town Meeting Members when they were asked for additional funding to put solar panels on the rink’s roof.
  2. It reduces operating expenses by $7,000, an estimate calculated using Belmont Middle and High School solar generation as a matrix. “We’re also expecting increases in electricity for calendar year 2026, 2027 and 2028,” said Garvin.
  3. “We are challenged to find revenue to support the ring’s operations. So a path forward is the solar if we even want to attempt to break even on operations, and especially as costs increase year over year,” said Garvin. 

Rain Holds Off For Pride Celebration In Belmont

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Photo: Head of the parade at Belmont Pride Parade 2025

The threatening sky didn’t deter the joyous gathering of marchers who assembled on the Belmont Town Green on Saturday, June 1, as they came to participate in the Belmont Pride Parade and Celebration.

Seniors, kids, family, and friends commemorated the ongoing fight for equality with ice cream, activities, and the Freedom Trail Band.

The annual observation of Pride is indispensable because “every time an LGBTQ plus person is open about who they are, it helps others identify and understand who they are … and it gives people permission to be who they are,” said keynote speaker State Sen. Will Brownsberger Saturday. And it’s especially so in the current political climate.

“There’s a lot of bad things happening in our country right now,” said Brownsberger, “just the most barbaric things” pointing to mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and directives to with the intent to intimidate people, “to scare people into different kinds of behavior.”

“That is why I believe it’s very important that we not be intimidated, that we continue to feel joy in our everyday lives, and that we continue to feel pride in who we are,” he said, especially to the transgender community, which is under direct assault by the Trump administration.

“So I want to say ‘thank you’ to every single person I’ve ever met who has been out and every single person who is here today. It really matters that elected officials and community leaders who came out in support,” said Brownsberger, pointing out State Rep. Dave Rogers, Select Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor. Belmont Fire Chief Dave DiStefano, along with Middlesex District Attorney and Belmont resident Marion Ryan.

“One of the things that I spend a lot of my time on is really thinking about, in this very diverse county, how do we reduce the number of people, whoever feel and wonder, ‘Do I belong?” said Ryan. “And this today sends really a message of respect that everybody is valued in our community.”

Greg Paré brought his children from Quincy to spend the Saturday at Belmont Pride.

“We just wanted to support this celebration of all types of people,” said Paré. “It’s an important thing for our children to be here, see our values, and pass them on to [the children.]”

For Fran Yuan of the Belmont LGBTQ+ Alliance, Pride in Belmont is a coming together, “to affirm that we’re all in this together. It doesn’t matter who you are.”

“I think it’s important for people to know, whoever you are, whether you’re out or not, whether you feel safe or maybe you don’t feel safe. This is a place where you can feel like you are part of the community, no matter what,” she said.

Belmont World Film Presents Two Films During World Refugee Awareness Month June 9,16 [Trailers]

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Photo: Abou Sangaré as Souleymane, in Souleymane’s Story (Credit: Pyramide Distribution)

Belmont World Film is presenting two “buzz-worthy” films as part of its 23rd International Film Series FREEDOM ON FILM during World Refugee Awareness Month. The films will be screened on Monday, June 9 and 16.

Souleymane’s Story: The film is currently in release in Europe, but the only place you can see it in the US is at our screening on New England premiere, Monday, June 9, 7:30 PM at West Newton Cinema. A young immigrant from Guinea (Abou Sangaré) navigates the streets of Paris as a food delivery cyclist while striving to secure legal residency. With only two days to prepare for a critical asylum interview, he must balance the demands of his precarious job and the challenges of his uncertain status. This “storied” film won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival and four Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars. Buy advanced tickets for Souleymane’s Story here.

Under the Volcano: New England premiere on Monday, June 16, 7:30 PM at West Newton Cinema. While enjoying the final day of their vacation in Tenerife, Spain, a blended Ukrainian family’s world is upended when news breaks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, rendering their return to Kyiv impossible. Stranded on the island, they must navigate feelings of isolation, fear, and uncertainty, all while confronting the evolving dynamics within their family.

Belmont World Film is proud to partner with First Aid of the Soul, an organization providing accessible psychological support services to Ukrainians affected by the war. The NGO is hosting an optional pre-film reception from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the theater mezzanine, learn more about the impact of First Aid of the Soul’s work. All proceeds directly supporting their critical mental health work.

Patrons can either purchase tickets for the screening only or for both the reception and the screening. BWF encourage you to consider attending the reception in support of this incredibly worthy cause (the screening ticket is included in the cost of the reception). 

Buy advanced tickets for Under the Volcano here

Individual Tickets are

  • $14 per ticket in advance (no fees)
  • $16 at the door (with cash or check)

After Dominate Opener, Belmont High Girls Lacrosse Swept Aside By L-S In Sweet 16

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Photo: Belmont High vs Lincoln-Sudbury Regional in the Sweet 16

The 14-seed Belmont High Girls Lacrosse team faced a challenging task on Tuesday, June 3: a Sweet 16 away match against the 3rd-ranked Lincoln-Sudbury Regional in the MIAA Division 1 state championship.

Belmont (14-7) had seen its fair share of top-level opposition this season, facing five top 10 playoff seeds during the regular season, losing to the top three by two goals or less, and a big late-season victory over Central Catholic. However, L-S (12-5) was a different competitor, with a physical defense and experience in attack.

And those cumulative advantages L-S possessed resulted in the Marauders’ 12-4 defeat in the quarter-final matchup.

Belmont High junior defender Fiona Rodriquez-Clark barking out the defense against L-S Regional

“Lincoln-Sudbury’s a great team from a great program,” said Belmont’s Head Coach Dan O’Brien. “They won the state championship two years ago and are at the next level that we’re aspiring to get to in terms of execution.”

If there was a hopeful playoff vibe for the Marauders, it was the first round 12-6 victory over 19th-ranked Braintree in the opening round at Harris Field on Friday, May 30. O’Brien had one word for the team to remember as they headed onto the pitch: “Dominate.” It took half of the first quarter to get rolling – Braintree tied the game at 2-2 at the 6:38 mark – as Belmont would go on a 6-0 run over the next 12 minutes with senior attack Charlotte Mayall (2 goals and an assist) planting the ball to give the Marauders the lead for keeps at 5:14.

Junior all-star mid Niamh Lesnik scored four goals to her team-high season total. At the same time, sophomore draw specialist midfielder Natalie Merrow controlled the center circle and showed her scoring prowess with Belmont’s eighth goal to give the Maruaders an 8-3 halftime lead.

Belmont High’s Neive Lesnik vs. L-S Regional High

Belmont Goalie Brooke Whalen registered 10 saves to backstop Belmont’s strong senior-rich defense, which includes co-captains Keira Healy and Anna Santos, Tyler Mayall and Bailey Cumbo, junior Fiona Rodriquez-Clark, and sophomore Lily Cook.

On Tuesday, at L-S’s turf field – situated beyond a vast meadow from the parking lot – the key word was less “dominate,” but rather “control” the Warriors. And for the first half, Belmont put the clamps on L-S offense. After a less-than-confident start as L-S senior attack Lexi Morrissey scored twice in the first three-plus minutes, the Marauders hunkered down and stalled out the Warriors’ pressure game.

“We kept it really close [in the first half],” said Belmont’s Charlotte Mayall. “We were very prepared coming into this game. We watched film and had a plan in place how we were gonna play D and what we’re gonna do an offense. And in the first half, we really showed how prepared we were.”

While Belmont’s defense was holding its own, Belmont’s offense struggled, not coming up with draw controls as L-S had a nose for ground balls. More than once, when Belmont was in control, its cautious setup for a shot resulted in unforced errors. When a shot was taken, L-S’s outstanding goalie Lydia Mossi was lights out with big saves. Belmont’s Whalen, who surrendered a single goal in the second quarter, made a point-blank save with 25 seconds in the half to keep the deficit manageable.

Belmont High’s Noura Goulding (7) celebrates goal by Charlotte Mayall (21) against Braintree.

While the Belmont’s first half defense was successful in a “bend but don’t break” en mode, the third quarter L-S figured out the back line with six goals, two from sophomore Nina Fragale (including her second with five seconds remaining in the quarter) and a hat trick by fellow sophomore Emerson Acquaviva. While Belmont found the back of the net with its first two tallies from Lesnick and Mayall, the Marauders couldn’t generate the momentum needed to make a late-game rally.

But in the view of Mayall, the game didn’t define the team’s

“I think we played amazingly today. I really don’t think the score ever defines our games. We played so much better than the scores showed. We played one of our best games today, but it wasn’t in our favor on the scoreboard. I’m definitely sad, but I’m happy with the memories that I made,” said Mayall.

“You never stop fighting. Really proud of you all,” O’Brien told the squad after the final horn sounded.

“I feel good about [giving up] 12 [goals] against this team,” said O’Brien. “And if you told me it would be 12, I would have told you the game would be something like 12-10. Their goalie played great, and we were just a half step late on some passes, which was the difference,” he said.

And this year’s team has built a foundation for future success,” said O’Brien.

“We’re gonna bring back the whole offense. We’re graduating three of the four starters on defense, but our goalie’s back, and we’ve got young girls who are hungry to play. We’ve got some incoming girls from a really strong youth program, so we’ll keep getting better, hopefully.”

Belmont Farmers Market Opens Its 20th Season On Thurs., June 5

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`Photo: Belmont Farmers Market opens for the 2025 season on Thursday, June 5

Celebrate 20 years of the Belmont Farmers Market at its Opening Day on Thursday, June 5, in the Clafin Parking Lot, Belmont Center. The ceremony starts at 1:40 p.m., and the opening bell will be rung at 2 p.m.

The market takes place, rain or shine, on Thursdays in June to Oct. 30, 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (6 p.m. in October).

Special speakers and guests will help start the 20th season with a bang. The ceremony begins at 1:40 p.m.; the opening bell is at 2:00.

The market will host the fourth annual Food Assistance Information Fair to explore its efforts to help feed our neighbors.

Coming back this season is the POP Club, where young shoppers/club members $3 in POP Bucks to buy any produce or food-producing plants that they want! Parents say it helps kids try new foods, and they have more fun at the market. And they’ll enjoy our Activity Days on the last Thursday of each month.

You can contact market reps at https://www.belmontfarmersmarket.org/contact-us

On A Sunny Monday, A Ceremony For The Nation’s and Belmont’s Honored Dead

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Photo: A day of ceremony in Belmont on Memorial Day 2025

After seemingly weeks of rain and clouds, Memorial Day Monday, 2025, was full of sunshine and warm temperatures. For many, Monday was a harbinger of summer.

Bob Upton, the town’s Veteran Agent and host of the Belmont Memorial Day Ceremony at the Belmont Cemetery on Grove Street, told the assembled, “Memorial Day was a day to remember ancestors, family members, and loved ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

“But now there are some that celebrate the day without more than a casual thought to the purpose and meaning of the day. How do we honor the 1.8 million plus who gave their life for America since 1775? How do we thank them for their sacrifice? Upton believes the town’s Memorial Day ceremony “is one way for all of us here today to remember and honor our fallen heroes.”

Upton recognized Carmela Picone, who hand-washed the 65 veterans’ headstones in the cementery, the Belmont High School student athletes who took their time, in the driving rain, to placed flags at all veterans grave, and the town’s workers who prepared the site for the ceremony.

“That’s where you start. We remember those of Belmont who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice,” said Upton, who pointed out the community’s Gold Star families – the Curtis and Ray families – attending the service.

Elizabeth Dionne, Belmont Select Board chair and the day’s keynote speaker, said the command to “remember” appear more than 550 times in the Old Testament.

“It matters that we remember,” Dionne said. “As fellow Americans, we gather today to remember that it is at the heart of our Memorial Day observances. 2025 is a particularly poignant year, as on April 19 this year, I gathered with other elected officials on Lexington Battle Green to watch a re-enactment of the Battle of Lexington on the 250th anniversary of the day on which eight men were the first to die in defense of their families and their freedoms.”

“Our nation’s history is complex. There have been too many times when we have not extended full citizenship rights to those legally within our borders, yet we strive to exercise tolerance, and expand our tent. We embrace those who love liberty, who dream of contributing to a country where they could be judged, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” Dionne noted. “The US military has been one of the great equalizers in American history, a place where those who serve their country can demonstrate the content of their character.”

Dionne spoke of the Navajo code talkers who served in WWII, creating an unbreakable code that played a crucial role in securing victory for US forces in the Pacific Theater.”

“I read a memoir by Chester Nez, one of the six code talkers. Chester begins his book by stating, ‘I’m no hero. I just wanted to serve my country,’ even though his home state of New Mexico denied Native Americans the vote. Chester volunteered as a Marine in April 1942, a few months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Of that decision, he wrote, ‘I could have stayed in high school. Maybe I should have. But as a warrior, how could I ignore the fact that my country had been attacked’,” she said.

“At the close of his book, Nez writes about what he gained from his military service. ‘My fellow Code Talkers might become part of a new oral and written tradition, a Navajo Victory, with our culture contributing to our country’s defeat of a wily foe’.”

“The story of the code talkers has been told on … the reservation and recorded in the pages of history books forever. Our story is not one of sorrow like the Long Walk and the Great Livestock Massacre, but one of triumph.”

“As Americans, we are often self-critical, keenly aware of when reality falls short of our ideals. In a fallen world populated by imperfect humans, failures are inevitable, and learning from our mistakes is a good thing. But as we remember today, I want to focus on what we get right, on the ideals that motivate us to sacrifice for the common good,” she said.

Sharing her own experiences, Dionne said in June 2018, she visited the Normandy American Cemetery perched on the bluffs above Omaha Beach in France, where the remains of 9,400 US armed forces personnel who participated in the D-Day invasion. Forty-five of those graves contain paired sets of brothers, a memorial wall in the Garden of the Missing includes the names of an additional 1,500 servicemen whose bodies were never found.

“As I walked past rows of crosses interspersed with Stars of David, I read the names of men who had given their lives in the cause of liberty, and I wept. Each name, each set of dates told a story so much youth, so much promise, so much life and love snuffed out.”

Dionne also spoke about her son’s church-sponsored mission to Bolivia, a poor South American country experiencing great civic unrest.

“As his mother, I was worried, but he learned some profound lessons about the privilege of being an American. In one of our weekly phone calls, he said, ‘Mom, people at home criticize America and complain about everything wrong with our country, but everyone here just wants to be there. They would give anything to live in America’.”

“The most important way to honor those living and dead who have served in our nation’s armed forces is to take up our quarrel with the foes of peace and our democratic ideals, and we remember the tremendous privilege we enjoy of being Americans who have the right to vote, to work, to worship freely or not to worship at all, to assemble, to criticize our elected government and to change that government in free and fair elections,” said Dionne.

“Above all, we remember the sacrifices of those who have served in wars and times of war. To you, we say ‘thank you’ and pledge that we will always remember in memory of our fallen dead. I would like to close with the lyrics of the “Mansions of the Lord,” a hymn her church choir sang last week to prepare for Memorial Day,” said Dionne.

To fallen soldiers let us sing
where no rockets fly nor bullets wing
our broken brothers let us bring
To the mansions of the Lord

no more bleeding, no more fight
no prayers pleading through the night
just divine embrace, eternal light
in the mansions of the lord

Where no mothers cry
and no children weep
we shall stand and guard through the angels sleep
while through the ages safely keep
the mansions of the Lord

Upton then recognize Belmont High student, Eva Cohen, who participated in the Voice of Democracy last year, an annual nationwide scholarship program sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

“I think is such an important day, especially for our community, because we don’t take that much time in our daily lives to be grateful for everything we have,” said Cohen. “Think about everything that we get to enjoy these days. Think about going to school, voting, or playing in the marching band, and it’s all things to lay their lives down so we can have these things.”

Cohen then joined her fellow Belmont High School Marching Band members as they marching down Grove Street and Bright Road to the Veterans Memorial under a cloudless sky.

Special Town Meeting: Confusion Sinks Senior Center Citizens’ Petition

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Photo: Bob McGaw (left) speaking on the Citizens’ Petition at the Special Town Meeting

A citizens’ petition that would upend the transition of Recreation Department staffers into the Beech Street Center collapsed as Special Town Meeting voted on Wednesday, May 21, to table the Special Town Meeting article after members said the language of the article was “confusing” about what it was proposing to do.

“This is seemingly a simple motion. But, in fact, it’s rather confusing,” said Jack Weis (Precinct 1). “We are being asked to vote for something that is apparently not fully baked, and we haven’t even been given detailed information on what we’re being asked to approve.”

During the Special Town Meeting held on the final night of the annual Town Meeting season, the citizens’ petition—STM Article 3: “To Protect the Beech Street Center”—presented by petitioners Robert McGaw and Paul Joy was the most discussed article this spring. Senior Center supporters raised concerns about a proposal from the town to relocate three recreation personnel and the town’s Veterans Agent from the Homer Building to the Beech Street Center.

Supporters of the status quo believe the transfer violated a 2011 Memorandum of Understanding between the town and the Friends of Belmont Council on Aging in which the primary operation of the Center would be senior-based until 2049 unless Town Meeting by a two-thirds vote authorized a change of use. 

While it received approximately 300 resident signatures, the petition had an uphill battle in its attempt to undo the movement of personnel. The town presented a legal opinion by the Boston law firm Anderson & Kreiger saying that adding three staffers within the administrative offices did not constitute a change of use of the mission of the Senior Center and thus did not trigger the requirement of a two-thirds vote by Town Meeting, said Town Moderator Mike Crowley. 

Even if it came before members, a “yes” vote on the citizens’ petition article would be a “non-binding resolution that expresses an opinion about the [town’s] plan,” according to the Town Council. The town noted that the legal opinion was authored by the same person, Town Council George Hall, who wrote the MOU 15 years before.

Finally, the petition’s wording didn’t assist the petitioner’s case. Claiming the MOU did not specify how to stop changes to the Senior Center, the supporters were asking members to defeat the town’s proposal by voting “no” rather than writing the article where it would seek a “yes” vote.

The debate

Crowley placed a tight hold on the debate by establishing rules, including “experimenting” with a 40-minute limit (with a 20-minute extension if needed) on questions and comments. While saying members can certainly talk about proposed changes and advisability, Crowley said the meeting would not debate the legality of the 2011 memorandum nor question the management structure of the Beech Street Center or how senior services are managed, as all would be deemed out of scope.

Joy (Precinct 7) kicked off the debate by proclaiming Belmont to be more than “just a place. It’s a promise of community, trust, and care for every generation.” He evoked the work of former town meeting member Barbara Miranda, who was a leader in constructing the Senior Center, and how her legacy isn’t just history—”it’s a living promise. The 2011 memorandum is not just legal jargon. It’s Belmont’s word to the people who poured their lives into this town.”

Reiterating the article’s main argument, Joy said the MOU’s requirement that Town Meeting approve a change of use by a 2/3 vote is “not a suggestion, it’s a contract, it’s someone’s word binding us to those that came before and those still to come.” 

“Is it not unreasonable to conclude that these plans come with significant long-term implications,” Joy warned. “We must ask how these changes will affect the seniors’ identity as a senior center over time, especially if recreation expands.”

“So I ask you tonight, from the bottom of my heart, will you stand with them? Will you vote ‘no’ on Article 4 and tell the world that Belmont is a town that listens, that it keeps its word, that it believes in its people.”

McGaw (Precinct 2) pointed to the April 23rd COA meeting, which alarmed seniors and saw them sign the petition “to seek to protect the Senior Center, to keep the town focused on senior needs, to maintain the ability of the Senior Center to provide additional programming, to serve an increasing senior population, which is now over 25 percent of Belmont.” 

“Our position is simply this: if the town wants to convert portions of the Senior Center to other uses, it should follow the process outlined in the 2011 memorandum,” and obtain a 2/3 approval from the Town Meeting, said McGaw.

Select Board Vice Chair Matt Taylor—also the board’s liaison to the Council on Aging—defended the move, saying the Rec Department personnel “time and again” assist in tasks for a short-staffed COA to sustain COA services for seniors. This is a team effort.” 

“What the petitioners saw in April was us collaborating and consulting with the COA” without any demands by the town to create a separate space for the Rec Department staff,” said Taylor. “All of this was to support seniors in programming,” he said.

Taylor also reiterated the board’s support for a trial run of the staffers at the Center, which will monitor, gather data, and ” be responsive to any issues that may arise affecting Senior Services.”

“No one at any time is suggesting or trying to change the primary purpose of the Beech Street Center,” Taylor said. 

After Maryann Scali (Precinct 2) helped define what “junior” seniors and “senior” seniors as she advocated for a no-vote, the first whiff of trouble for the petitioners came from the third speaker, Mary Lewis (Precinct 1), who said she found “this motion … deeply confusing.” Lewis said the article required a no vote to support preventing the proposed alterations, conversion, and use of space at the Center by the Recreation Department staff. But at recent presentations, the town has said it will not be building out areas of the Senior Center, such as creating a new door to accommodate the recreation-related business.

“So if we vote yes, we are affirming something untrue. If we vote no, we are agreeing with something that we might disagree with,” Lewis said, summing up the dilemma facing members.  

“This is fundamentally a decision around the utilization of office space by town departments, and I would submit that a body of 288 people who have been given scant information about this is not the right body and not the right time for us to make a decision about that,” said Weis who said he would be voting “abstain.”

Angus Abercrombie (Precinct 8) was the first of three members who questioned whether the best use of the Beech Street Center would be accomplished by placing restrictions on having recreation personnel in the building. Taylor said that the town has “robbed the Recreation [Department] of staff and attention in order to sustain the services at the COA.” Having the recreation staff in the office space will allow 

Judith Feinleib (Precinct 6), who authored a lengthy online defense of voting no, said the debate isn’t about “all the great things” at the Beech Street Center but rather “whether the nature of the agreement between the town and its citizens, especially seniors, is being changed.” Since she believed it would be, Feinleib said voting no is the only option. 

After Ade Bapista (Precinct 3) attempted to call the question early on —it failed by a wide margin—Ann Marie Mahoney (Precinct 1) went before the microphone to outline the history of the choices and decisions made regarding creating the Beech Street Center.

Mahoney said her message was that “we make choices and that things change,” noting that Chenery Middle School was designed and built for grades five through eight but now houses grades four, five, and six, which have very different requirements. “The Chenery is still a school regardless of which grades are housed, and we’ve adjusted and created a wonderful environment.” 

“I view this reorganization of our department heads and staff as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity for senior programming, not an intrusion or incursion. With careful planning, the primacy of the senior citizens can be respected and promoted at the Beach Street Center, and the vibrancy of recreation opportunities can be added.”

“We make changes. We are one town. We should make changes for the positive. If I can close with my favorite person, Winston Churchill, “To improve is to change. To be perfect is to change often.”

Jean Widmer (Precinct 5) said that as the former School Committee chair, teacher, and educator, she had repeatedly contacted seniors to ask for their support of many Prop 2 1/2 overrides and debt exclusions for the town and schools. “Without the support of those seniors, the overrides would never have passed,” she said, and Town Meeting members should repay that debt by keeping the Center for seniors.

Christine Doyle, (Precinct 6) who is also the chair of the Comprehensive Capital Budget Committee, said no matter where citizens stood on the 2023 override vote, “both sides begged to the town staff and Select Board to look for ways to increase revenues and reduce expenses.”

“In my mind, this potential proposal improves services for constituents and residents, it improves services for employees … and improves space optimization” in several town buildings, said Doyle.

Glenn Wong (Precinct 7) came on Zoom to make a motion to dismiss. His reason for the postponement was the general confusion of the main motion, where a yes vote “did not reflect my understanding of the situation and voting no didn’t [reflect his] understanding from the debate.”

Several members attempted to use the debate to continue advocating, only to have calls of “point of order!” as the body had heard enough. After one hour and 40 minutes, the citizens’ petition was dismissed, 172-68-4.

And the rest of the night

A Special Town Meeting overwhelmingly passed a long-promised Senior and Veterans Tax Relief (STM Article 2), 227-3-1. However, members were far from happy with the details, feeling the amount of relief and the number of elder residents being helped were insufficient compared to the levels of support in cities such as Somerville and Cambridge.

Chair of the Senior Relief Task Force Geoff Lubien admitted to the body that the article was not the easiest to explain, but he got through it. The package is made up of several provisions: 

  • Adopting a state law providing an additional real estate exemption for taxpayers,
  • Adjust the veteran’s exemption to the state’s inflation rate,
  • Adopting a second state law allowing residents to pay less in taxes if their exemption is greater than the previous year, 
  • Provide a statutory exemption for low-income seniors with limited assets of $40,000,
  • Reduce the minimum eligibility age from 70 to 65.

Only 21 homeowners are currently taking advantage of the town’s existing program, but Lubein said that number is “the foundation of the future program.” 

Liz Allison (Precinct 3) asked how much the new program would cost the town and where it would be made up. Lubien said the immediate impact could be up to $50,000 in maximum benefits. The Select Board’s Matt Taylor said the Board of Assessors Overlay account – a state-required withholding to cover abatements and exemptions – will pay for the expense. Jack Weis (Precinct 2) said the amount in relief would have an “inconsequential marginal impact” on the town’s $150 million operational budget, so as “a matter of fairness,” it should pass. 

Town Administrator Patrice Garvin presented STM Article 4 on using $600,000 released from the Board of Assessors Overlay account for three one-time funding needs:

  • $100,000 to the Conservation Commission towards work required to establish a conservation restriction for Rock Meadow,
  • $275,000 to the Capital Stabilization Fund, and 
  • $225,000 to begin a playing field maintenance program.

Speaking on the first motion, Conservation Commission Chair Chris Morris said the funds will go towards resource mapping, title research, and creating a master plan for the popular conservation area—which includes the town’s Victory Garden—which will result in the land being placed under a conservation restriction, a legal agreement designed to permanently protect the conservation values of a property by defining allowed uses.

“This is step one … of all the work that will require us to be good stewards of this property and to actively maintain it appropriately,” said Morris.

Anyone who has walked or played on the town’s 23 acres of parks and playing fields will know “deteriorating conditions are becoming more evident to users each day,” said Town Administrator Patrice Garvin. The reduction of DPW staff, budget constraints, the continuous activity by youth athletics teams, and the damage from unrestricted dog use have resulted in the town “triaging our fields rather than maintaining them with a formal plan,” she said.

With an infusion of $225,000, the town proposes “ramping up maintenance by outsourcing professional expertise” to help the fields recover from years of deferred upkeep and “allow for a better understanding of usage patterns and long-term sustainability,” said Garvin.

“This is not a short-term fix. It’s the beginning of a smarter, more sustainable building management strategy that addresses past conduct and sets up the future,” she said.

Ira Morganstern (Precinct 7) asked if this plan is the best use of town funds, saying it’s not clear what the true cost of this long-term program will be.

Yes,” answered Garvin. “We have to start somewhere.”

Taken together, the three measures were approved 208-4-2. 

Back to the Town Meeting for a final article, the Community Preservation Committee approved $472,338 to revitalize the West of Harris Field softball field and effectively complete the Middle and High School campus. The restored JV softball diamond and grass soccer and field hockey pitch have been discussed for years by the School Committee that controls the field. Work will begin this fall, just as the rink construction is completed, with an opening date of Spring 2026.

Peg Callahan (Precinct 7) reiterated a point made by several members that the only reason the town is picking up the nearly half-million dollar tab for the renovation is that the Middle and High School Building Committee “completely abandoned” the $3 million reconstruction of the fields it had promised to complete as part of the original 2018 plan approved in a $213 million debt exclusion approved by voters.

“Fitzie” Cowing (Precinct 8), who is a strong proponent of youth sports, proclaimed, “I’m really sorry softball” when she said she’d be voting no as she believed that the funding “is an expenditure of community funds without a community process.” Had there been a public engagement on WoHF, citizens would have shown a lack of support, as the town can not maintain the current fields. Rather, the town should invest in “turf” or synthetic fields to take the burden off grass fields.

Chris Doyle said that under current state restrictions, a turf field can not seek Conservation Preservation Commission funding. Thus, any synthetic surface pitch, which would cost nearly $2 million to install, must be in the CCBC’s inventory, which is backlogged with a slew of projects, including replacing the Harris Field turf in two years at $1.9 million. 

Instead, Doyle advised the Town Meeting to “grab the money and run” from the CPC, but continue the dialogue to obtain the needed turf pitch.

The WoHF measure passed 167-19-5, and with the clock reading 11:23 p.m., the Town Meeting came to a quiet end. It will be back for the fall Special in October.