Curtain Rises on Chenery’s Production of ‘Cinderella’ This Week

May 18, 2016 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: The opening scene from the Chenery Middle School production of “Cinderella.”

The curtain goes up for the Chenery Middle School production of Rogers and Hammerstein’s ‘Cinderella,” with performances at 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, May 19, 20 and 21.

Under the direction of the school’s new Theater Director, Paige Revens, more than 60 students will take part in the production, from featured singers, dancers, chorus and more than a dozen leads.

“Please come and support our CMS students, and take advantage of the opportunity to share a theater experience with your children of all ages,” said Revens.

Student tickets are $8, and adult tickets are $10 when purchased online at www.cmstheater.weebly.com. Tickets will be sold at the door for $12.

The dressing room scene from the Chenery production of “Cinderella.”

Sports: Jr. Marauders Take Over Harris Field to Show Off Football Skills

October 6, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Half-time talk with the Junior Marauders.

It was an intense half-time talk from the coaches to the players at Belmont’s Harris Field.

“This is your house! This is your home field and your home crowd. All these people came to see you. This is what you work for. This is what football is all about. Now you have to want it!”

Look up at the coaches were the faces of a determined team, players willing to go the extra mile … even though none of them are old enough to shave.

The team on the field last week were 42 seventh and eighth graders comprising the 2015 Chenery Middle School Junior Marauder Football team, for the second year providing essentially an opportunity for middle schoolers to learn the fundimentals of the game while having fun.

“We like to tell the kids they are part of the program that leads to the High School even though some of the players just want to play in Middle School,” said Jamie MacIsaacs, the team’s head coach.

That connection with the growing football culture in Belmont was emphasized as the High School team stopped by to watch the action as Belmont took on Bedford in a game where both sides were on the upslope of the skills learning curve.

But the emphasise of the program is to learn the game and have fun doing so, said MacIsaacs.

And the team is starting to win games, winning in Winchester after losing the year before. And while the Junior Marauders weren’t able to engineer a victory against the visitors, they did appear to have a good time on their future home field.

Marauders in the Middle: Second Year of Chenery Football Underway

August 26, 2015 By Franklin B. Tucker Leave a Comment

Photo: Head Coach James MacIsaac with some of the players at Chenery Middle School.

The grass on the Chenery Middle School playing field was green and freshly mowed on Monday, Aug. 24, greeting 40 7th and 8th graders who “are going to learn football,” said James MacIsaac, the head coach of the Chenery Middle School team.

While the squad is a member of the Eastern Middlesex Middle School Football League, “I like to think of this as a 12-week football camp,” said MacIsaac who is running the program for the second year.

“It’s a great league because we don’t have playoffs or championships; it’s all about learning the game, being drilled in the fundamentals,” said MacIsaac, who is also Belmont’s assistant police chief.

Now in its second year after being dormant for nearly four decades, all but three of last year’s 7th graders have returned, “which says a lot about how we treat the players and how much they enjoy being part of this team,” said MacIsaac, a lifelong resident, as he put the players through their paces around the field.

The team will have three home games scheduled including one at Belmont High School’s Harris Field “which will be special. They love playing there, with the turf field and stands filled. It’s great fun.”

42 for 42: Chenery Football Ends Season a Success On and Off the Field

November 20, 2014 By Franklin B. Tucker 2 Comments

Forty-two students arrived on a sweltering August afternoon to the Chenery Middle School playground for the first day of football practice.

Two-and-a-half months later, 42 now experienced and tested players ended the first season of middle school football in Belmont in several decades with a big win over Watertown, 22-8, played at Victory Field on Nov. 5.

“The big news was that we began and ended the season with the same number of kids,” said Chenery Head Coach James MacIsaac.

“They showed a lot of dedication and grew as a team after each game,” said MacIsaac.

The season had its ups – playing on Harris Field vs Melrose, winning more games than they lost – and downs – losing at home – but above it all, the players spent the season improved their fundamental football talents on the field and learned life skills on the sidelines.

“I received a great deal of positive feedback and the kids all seemed to have fun,” said MacIsaac.

The 2014 Chenery Middle School football team included:

Ryan Hoffman, Mitchel Pereira, Joe Salvi, Peter O’Connor, Matthew Crisafi, Carlos Osgood, Robert Dolan, Jared Edwards, Frank Castagno Jack Hannibal, Avery Arno, Nareg Stapanian, Tommy Cranson, Tim Starr, Connor Estok, Rhaki Joseph, Sohail Hajri, Jake Parsons, Jason Santos, James Nally, Owen Strakowski, Joseph LaFauci, Brett Westgate, Connor Shea, Michael Alexander, Dijuan Moore, Ryan Santoro, Zachary Hubbard, Willy MacIsaac, Merrill Barnes, Parker Lutz, Emanual Clark, Thomas Brugger, Drew Finn, David Brennan, Joey Hurley, Brendan Noonan, Rafael Alejandre, Aiden Dowling, Demetri Stathadikis, Nathan Rose and Brendan Logan.

The coaching staff included MacIsaac, Robert Walker, Kevin Shea, John Arno and Mike Carew.