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Category Archives: Needham

Arts for USH holds Awareness Walk

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter On Wednesday, dozens of people gathered in front of the Needham Town Hall for the first ever Winter Solstice USH Awareness Walk, held by Arts for USH. Jan Weinshanker and Nancy Corderman are the two co-founders of the non-profit who organized and sponsored this event. “The first time we’ve...
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Rockets robots on display

On December 9, Needham High School conducted a “gallery walk” in which students from Robotics and Computer Science classes showed their work and projects. Among those displaying their work, Edward Blake, Jacob Gorenburg, Jonathan Borowsky built a robot for the FIRST Tech Challenge competition. Their work features autonomous code that uses a position integral controller,...
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Needham girls Take Back the Night

Needham High School celebrated its 10th annual Take Back the Night event in November. The event, which revolves around raising awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault, has become a Needham tradition....
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Ballet to perform for New Year

Thirty-eight students from Needham’s classical ballet school, Charles River Ballet Academy, will perform on the Needham Town Hall stage on December 31 at 3:45 p.m. as part of New Years Needham. The performance will feature classical pieces from “Swan Lake,” “Raymonda,” and “Romeo and Juliet,” as well as original choreography to such toe tapping favorites...
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Two pedestrians struck over holiday week

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Pedestrians were struck by vehicles in two separate occurrences last week, shocking the town. The first incident occurred on December 20, when Needham Police and Fire reported to a report of a collision by Webster and Powers Street. Upon arrival, they noted a vehicle had struck a pedestrian, driven through a fence, and struck...
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Elliot Bridge opens to snow and celebration

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter The night of December 16, big flakes began to fall from the sky, covering the ground in a fresh blanket of snow, the first real snow of the season. However, to think that this would dampen the spirits of those celebrating the opening of the Elliot Street Bridge is...
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High school hosts GBML

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By Ethan Lee Hometown Weekly Correspondent On Wednesday, December 7, Needham High School hosted the Greater Boston Mathematics League (GBML), a mathematics competition involving schools across the state. The GBML, carried out over the span of the school year, consists of five different meets, of which the Needham High School edition was the third. Held...
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Historical Society hosts Pop-Up Exhibit

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter On any given day, the Needham Historical Society is a fascinating place to be. However, this past Sunday, it got just a little bit more fascinating with the addition of a Pop-Up Exhibit. From 2:30 to 4:00, local Needhamites and those in the surrounding area could drop by to see...
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COA brings ancient Chinese culture to light

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter Most of us learn extensively about the history of the United States, as well as the history of Europe. However, many of the cultures to the East remain a mystery. There may be a smattering of information here and there, but many of us are not afforded the same...
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Needham to light ice-carved Menorah

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The Chabad Jewish Center has welcomed the entire community to celebrate the Festival of Lights at the annual public Menorah lighting ceremony. The Chanukah celebration will take place on Sunday, December 25 (the 2nd night of Chanukah), starting at 4:30 p.m. on the Needham Town Common. Following the kindling, the program will feature music,...
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Clerk encourages prompt census reply

The Town Clerk’s Office will be sending out the 2017 Annual Census by mail during the first part of the New Year. This census package also includes a dog license application for those dog owners who sometimes forget to license their pooches. The Board of Registrars is required by state statute to verify and update the...
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Blue Tree illuminates Needham’s holiday spirit

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In a continuation of a beloved Needham tradition, the town illuminated its Blue Tree over the weekend. Needham Lights, which began in 1954, started when Clarke Wertheim, president of The Board of Trade and Needham Rotary, proposed placing a maple tree in front of Town Hall and adorning it with blue lights. The tree...
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TOPSoccer participants get their kicks

The Needham TOPS program recently celebrated the completion of its fall session. TOPS - The Outreach Program for Soccer - is a youth soccer training and placement program for athletes with disabilities. The program is focused on bringing soccer to members of the community with physical or mental disabilities. It is an extension of US Youth...
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Generations meet through pen pal program

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter The divide between generations can be hard to bridge, especially when it comes to the very young and the older. However, the brilliant minds at Mitchell Elementary School and the Needham Council on Aging have come up with a plan to help bridge this gap and facilitate the transfer...
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Vintage Voices soar at COA

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter They say people don’t change. Whether that’s true or not, there is ample evidence to suggest that at least passions don’t wither. Every Tuesday, a group of 25 to 30 seniors gather at the Center at the Heights to sing. No experience or musical background is required, simply a...
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Conductorless Orchestra to play Powers Hall

The Olin Conductorless Orchestra, the nation’s only collegiate ensemble to perform without a conductor, will offer a free public concert in Needham Saturday, December 17, from 8 – 10 p.m. The concert will take place in Powers Hall in Needham Town Hall, 1471 Highland Ave.   The orchestra will perform music for the theater by Mozart, Gershwin...
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Ogbebor named RAY of Hope

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Erika Ogbebor is a junior at Needham High School. She was nominated by her supervisor at Charles River Center for her volunteer work with kids. She originally volunteered at the Charles River Center with her brother, but later began to work there on her own two days a week. She is a recreational...
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N.C. Wyeth’s legacy explored

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter Many modern Needhamites probably think that the only important person to come out of our suburban Boston town is Aly Raisman. While the gymnast is certainly impressive, there is a former star whose fame at the time eclipsed even that of an Olympic athlete. N.C. Wyeth was born in...
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Terrific Toddlers thrive at Needham Library

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By Katrina Margolis Hometown Weekly Reporter The Needham Public Library is a popular destination for a wide demographic. High schoolers pile in after school to socialize with their friends while doing homework or to meet with tutors and adults come in to find their next book or to have a quiet place to read. But...
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A Thanksgiving Story: My Brother, The Patriot

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By Carol Stento Hometown Weekly Correspondent The year was 1969 and the draft was in full force, calling up men to fight in Vietnam. While most young men were praying not to have to go to war, my brother, George Hasenfus, known by all as Gigi, went to the doctor for a letter. The doc...
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