On Sunday, June 8, the Hyde Community Center and the Newton Highlands Neighborhood Area Council (NHNAC) offered bouncy houses, caricature drawings, free pony rides, kids songs sing along, contemporary jazz, a demonstration from Atom Jiu Jitsu & Science, face painting, cupcakes, and a wide array of crafts and jewelry. The…
Posts published in “interns-freelance”
On June 2, eight out of the School Committee’s nine members held their regularly scheduled meeting and discussed student cell phone policy, physical education curriculum, policies on gifts and support organizations like PTOs, the five-year strategic plan, and the Superintendent’s evaluation. (Ward 8 Committee Member Barry Greenstein was absent.) The…
On May 28, a joint meeting of the Zoning and Public Facilities committees discussed details for the updated 2026-2030 Climate Action Plan. Work on the update began in April, when City Department Heads conversed with Caroline Weiss, the City’s Climate Action Coordinator, on ways to mitigate and adapt to climate…
When about two hundred immigrants were sworn in as new U.S. citizens at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston on May 22, Newton North High School student Michael Barbalat was the featured guest speaker at the ceremony. A first-generation American citizen, Barbalat has created The American Mosaic Project,…
On May 19, the Newton City Council voted unanimously to approve Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s proposed $623 million FY2026 budget. (Ward 6 Councilor Alan Lobovits and Ward 3 Councilor Pamela Wright were absent.) The Council took several different votes regarding the appropriation of various funds for FY2026 before the final vote…
In recent weeks, Newton South High School’s Jazz Ensemble has received no shortage of recognition. On May 8, the NSHS Ensemble, which is directed by award-winning educator Lisa Linde, was named the winner of the Large High School Jazz Ensemble category in Downbeat magazine’s Student Music Awards. Each year, the…
On May 19, Countryside Elementary School held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new school building. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Superintendent Anna Nolin, Countryside Principal Beth Herlihy, and Mary Pichetti, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), spoke at the ceremony. The new Countryside School…
On March 22, the Las Tigresas team from Newton North High School (NNHS) placed first in The Tenacity Challenge – an annual academic scholarship competition for Black and Latinx students from urban and suburban high schools across Massachusetts. Each NNHS Las Tigresas team member – Margaret Urdaneta, Gabriella Urdaneta, Chiara…
On April 22, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and Chief Financial Officer Maureen Lemieux presented a $623 million City budget for FY2026 to the City Council. In her address, Mayor Fuller spoke about several hot-button issues related to the budgeting process, including funding for the Newton Public Schools (NPS) and government retiree…
On April 17, the City Council Programs and Services Committee held a joint budget meeting with the Finance Committee to discuss the Newton Public Schools (NPS) budget for the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski presented their rationale behind Nolin’s proposed budget, which has…
On Thursday, April 3, the West Newton Cinema held a screening of the documentary Made in Ethiopia, followed by a panel discussion. Part of the Cinema’s “Behind the Screen” series, the event was organized by the West Newton Cinema Foundation, a nonprofit organization raising funds to restore and renovate the…
On Thursday, March 27, Newton Public Schools (NPS) Superintendent Anna Nolin and School Committee Chair Chris Brezski (Ward 2) held a Community Budget meeting to explain the district’s $3.7 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year for a packed auditorium at Brown Middle School. The audience included community members,…