Art Haul: Belmont Schools Artists Take Top State-Wide Honors

Yoon Jae Kim awarded one of the top awards in the annual arts show.

Forty-six students from Belmont Schools received honors – including one student who was awarded one of the top prizes – at the annual Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. In total, more than 13,000 pieces of artwork from students across the state were submitted for judging in 13 categories.    Belmont High's Yoon Jae Kim received an American Vision Award for her painting, “Fruit of the Universe," awarded to one of the top five most outstanding works by a student in the state. "The number of art students who are producing work of such high quality is a testament to their outstanding and dedicated teachers, and a community that places such a high value on art education," said Arto Asadoorian, director of Fine and Performing Arts for the …

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Authors Talk, Signing at Chenery Book Festival Today

Four local young adult authors will autograph books at the annual middle school library fundraiser.

A collection of local young adult authors will talk about their books and the writing life from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 6, at the inaugural Chenery Winter Book Fair and Author Festival.  Those attending will be able to purchase the author's books and have them signed which are great gifts for the holidays. All sales benefit the Chenery Middle School Library which does not have a book budget and relies on two book fairs to raise funds to purchase new books.  The authors attending the festival are:  Chenery Author-in-Residence Julie Berry grew up on a farm in western New York as the youngest of a family of seven book-loving kids. She writes books such as Secondhand Charm and The Rat Brian Fiasco for young readers and …

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Bullying Online and In School Highlights Middle School Talk Tonight

An educational presentation on bullying and cyberbullying for parents at Belmont's Chenery auditorium from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Just a decade ago, the most likely place to find children bullying their peers was on school playgrounds and in the halls. Today, technology has created an entire new arena for students, as young as those in elementary school, to target and torment their fellow classmates: in on-line communities such as Facebook and via text messages.  On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Chenery Middle School auditorium, Dr. Elizabeth Englander – who has been an important contributor to the national conversation on peer aggression in our schools and on-line – will speak on bullying and cyberbullying for Belmont parents. The talk is sponsored by the Foundation for Belmont Education. A professor of Psychology and director of the Massachusetts Aggression …

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Report: Alcohol, Suicide Concerns in Youth Risk Study

More than a third of all High School student drink once a month, 60 percent of seniors.

A comprehensive survey of Belmont Upper Middle School and High School students reveals that alcohol remains a significant problem especially among upper classmen while the number of serious suicide attempts have risen sharply at the middle school in the past two years. The results of the 2012 Youth Risk Behavior Survey – taken by 95 percent of students in the 7th and 8th grade at the Chenery Middle School and 84 percent at Belmont High School – was released to the public by the Belmont School Department at the meeting of the town's School Committee Tuesday, Nov. 20. In the report, more than 56 percent of high school senior girls and 61 percent of senior boys reported having at least one drink at one sitting in the past month, while more …

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State Elections in Belmont, 2012

Belmont League of Women Voters Sets Candidates' Night Oct. 24

Candidates for State House of Reps, State Senate, Gov. Council and Middlesex Sheriff.

The League of Women Voters of Belmont is holding a Candidates' Night on Wednesday, Oct. 24.   The event will be held at the Chenery Middle School, 95 Washington St. in Belmont at 7:30 pm. The program will be covered live by our local cable television station. The races to be included are Representative 24th Middlesex District         Jim Gammill         Tomi Olson         Dave Rogers Senator in General Court, 2nd Suffolk and Middlesex District         Steve Aylward         Will Brownsberger Governor's Council for Middlesex County         Marilyn M. Petitto Devaney         Tom Sheff Middlesex Sheriff         Peter Koutoujian         Ernesto Petrone

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Slices of Life

Stranger Danger Anger

Stay away from columnists irritated by “stranger danger” philosophy

Early last week, the Belmont School Department issued a “Stranger Danger Alert” in response to a Chenery Middle School staff person’s report of having seen a “suspicious, unknown adult [male]” hanging around a street corner in close proximity to the school.  According to the report: “When approached by a staff member, the adult left the property and proceeded to drive away.” I have no issue with how this event was handled. Adults who linger around a middle school, peering at the playground area, should certainly be requested to move along. Kudos to the unidentified staff person who took action.  And I appreciate that the community was notified that this event occurred. One thing, however, bothered me in the follow-up email to the community…

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Suspicious Adult Near Chenery Triggers 'Stranger Danger Alert'

Middle school, Winn Brook on notice as Belmont Police cooperating in investigation.

A "Stranger Danger Alert" was issued Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 2, by the Belmont School Department after a "suspicious, unknown adult male" was seen lurking at a street corner near Chenery Middle School, according to Belmont School Superintendent Dr. Thomas Kingston. "It was not determined what he was doing but he did leave after Chenery staff confronted him," said Kingston at last night's School Committee meeting held at the Chenery. According to Chenery Principal Kristen St. George, the unknown man – the only description is that he was a "white male" – was seen lingering near the Middle School play area during lunch or recess. When approached by staff, he left and drove off in a vehicle. "Although this does not constitute illegal activity…

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Belmont Creates Pinwheels to Express Peace

Third-year participating in world-wide event.

For the third year in a row, Belmont After School Enrichment Collaborative (BASEC) students at the Chenery Middle School and Burbank Elementary School participated in the global Pinwheels for Peace project.  Students created pinwheels with drawings and words of peace and on Sept. 21, International Peace Day they joined millions of other children around the world to "plant the pinwheels" and create an outdoor art installation. BASEC students created more than 300 pinwheels, and as the wind blew their thoughts of peace were spread in Belmont and throughout the world.

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Meet Your Community at Meet Belmont Tuesday

Now a decade old, information fair introduces to new comers and lifelong residents to what's in Belmont.

All Belmont residents are warmly invited to Belmont’s tenth annual community information fair: Meet Belmont this Tuesday, Aug. 28, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Chenery Middle School at 95 Washington St. (Parking can be found off Oakley and along the street.) Meet Belmont is free and accessible. All are welcome. First organized to meet the needs of newcomers to Belmont, and now enjoyed by many longer-term residents as well, the event’s exhibitors represent town offices, schools, houses of worship, clubs, volunteer and service organizations and other community-based programs. New residents will be able to register to vote, apply for a library card, and find information about schools and kids’ activities. For the first time, Meet Belmont will …

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Primary Candidates' Night Monday at Chenery

Those running for State Rep., Congress, Gov. Council will discuss issues beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The Belmont League of Women Voters will be holding a Candidates' Night on Monday, Aug. 27 for all candidates who are contested in the Primary Election on Thursday, Sept. 6. The event will be held at Belmont's Chenery Middle School, 95 Washington St. at 7:30 pm. Of particular interest will be the Democrats running to replace Will Brownsberger as state representative in the district comprising Belmont and precincts in Arlington and Cambridge. Dave Rogers of North Cambridge and Belmont's Margaret Hagerty and Bobby Reardon will answer questions on a issues facing the voters of the 24th Middlesex district. Including those running for State Representative in the General Court for the 24th Middlesex District on the Democratic ballot, the races to…

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