Three Needham teams participated in the Western Massachusetts First Lego League (FLL) robotics state tournament on Saturday, December 17, and each walked away with a prestigious Judges’ Award trophy.
FLL is a dual initiative of inventor Dean Kamen’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organization and the Lego toy company; per their...
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Boosters Club holds 2016 Christmas Sale
By Ethan Lee
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
The Needham High School Boosters Club held the 2016 Christmas Tree & Wreath Sale between November 26 and December 22.
The Boosters Club is a parent-run organization that supports and promotes Needham High School athletics through several fundraising events throughout the school year. One of these annual events is the Christmas...
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Needham bids 2016 adieu
As a calendar year closes, an opportunity for reflection and remembrance opens.
12 Months. 52 weeks. 366 days (lest we forget, 2016 was a leap-year). Countless stories of highs and lows, victories and defeats, occasions of joy and sadness.
Even the smallest and sleepiest of towns could fill thick tomes with their comings and goings over...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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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