By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Wednesday, November 13, the Westwood Library welcomed visitors for the monthly meeting of Community Spotlight. This time around, the group welcomed author Neal Sanders of Medfield to give his talk, “Gardening is Murder.” The program, which was equal parts comedic and informative, had the audience in stitches by the end...
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FBC prepares for Holly Fair
Preparations for the traditional Holly Fair are well under way at the First Baptist Church of Westwood. The fair will be held in the church’s Fellowship Hall on Saturday, December 7, from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Tables will offer baked goods and other food items, Christmas crafts and decorations, knitted and crocheted items, other...
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Temple Beth David hosts Westwood community
By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly
Part of living in any community revolves around understanding and celebrating the differences in religion, belief and culture of one’s neighbors. But the chances to explore these different cultures - and particularly faiths - is often limited.
Enter Faithful Women in Action, who have organized an opportunity to introduce their fellow Westwood residents...
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Alex Frank inspires Westwood students
Since graduating from Westwood High School in 2008, Alex Frank has built an illustrious athletic and academic career. First, she played NCAA Division 1 lacrosse at Northwestern University, where she helped her team win three national titles. Then she moved into coaching, with stints at Boston College and the University of Colorado. Now she is...
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Downey PTO celebrates Welcome Back Picnic
On Friday September 13, the Downey PTO celebrated the new school year with a Welcome Back Picnic. Families, students, and staff enjoyed pizza and face painting while reconnecting with their Downey friends. Ms. Hillary Mosca lead the students in some fun line dancing as others chose to begin fall with one last ice cream from...
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John Pritchard receives Quarter Century Award
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By James Kinneen
Hometown Weekly Reporter
When you think about Massachusetts industries, odds are that seafood, higher education or some form of finance are going to come to mind well before confectionery or candy will. But on Tuesday night, John Pritchard taught a room of people how prevalent the industry once was in the...
Hale-O-Ween returning Oct. 26
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Hale-O-Ween is back by popular demand. This Hale family favorite returns on Saturday, October 26, from 2 to 5 p.m. The event is free and will include hikes, arts and crafts, games, a bouncy house, and more.
“Our property is open 365 days a year and while we encourage people to come out...
WHS to present ‘Argonautika’
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Westwood High School is presenting the play "Argonautika,” written by Mary Zimmerman and adapted from the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts. It tells the story of Jason, who is sent by his uncle to find the “golden fleece” taken from a winged ram. He does this based on promise that, if...
Westwood’s Viti a writer and fighter
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By Ella Kohler
Hometown Weekly Intern
“He said, ‘Do you write poetry now?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, I never show it to anyone.’”
For much of Westwood resident Lynne Viti’s life, she kept her writing private. However, she is now an award-winning poet and author with numerous published works. Along the way, Viti learned —...
Spotlight learns fire safety
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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Thursday October 3, the Westwood Council on Aging received a visit from some very special guests. The guests had been invited by Community Spotlight, a new group in Westwood formed to help understand the community and what it has to offer residents. Attendees at this Spotlight session -...
Mustangs outlast Wolverines
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By Mike Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
So far this season, Westwood High boys soccer holds a respectable 3-4-1 record at home. Playing away from Flahive Field, however, has been a problem for the Wolverines, who are 0-5-0 on the road this season and 3-9-1 overall (3-8-1 TVL).
On Thursday, the Wolverines made the...
Downey Elementary named Blue Ribbon School
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The U.S. Department of Education has named Westwood’s Downey Elementary School a National Blue Ribbon School for 2019, joining 362 other schools from around the nation. Schools are awarded a National Blue Ribbon based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups.
“It is an honor to be named...
Westwood students are responsible Digital Citizens
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Give children a computer and the world is at their fingertips, but with that access comes a host of potential pitfalls. How do they learn to manage their time? How do they identify fact from fiction when searching Google for information? When Westwood Public Schools gave each of its high school students a...
COA cooks at Powisset Farm
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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
Visitors from the Westwood Council on Aging visited Powisset Farm on Thursday, September 26, to learn all about cooking with herbs during a class taught by Didi Emmons. Emmons is a professional chef who has founded four successful restaurants. She is also the author of several books, including...
Westwood reworks social studies curriculum
They say you can’t rewrite history, but in Westwood the school department is reworking its entire social studies curriculum to comply with new state education standards. Teachers at every grade level worked over the summer to ensure the material they present this school year meets the new requirements.
“The greatest change is in the 8th grade,”...
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Fun for all at Westwood Day
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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
On Saturday, September 21, residents of Westwood met up to celebrate their wonderful town. There was no shortage of fun with so much to do, including a road race, a shopping area, and activities for all to enjoy.
“You guys going to run fast today?” one mom asked her child...
Historical Society to feature John Pritchard
On Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m., John Pritchard will talk about Boston’s chocolate industry, based on his extensive experience with the Confectionary Division of NABISCO. In 1986, John was sent to Itapetinga, Brazil as a technical adviser for a facility being constructed to manufacture black Dutch cocoa. He is also familiar with the history...
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Harvest Arts Festival brings in poets
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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
As fall begins and the weather cools down, local communities take advantage by hosting a number of festivals and community events. This year, Westwood had a fresh arrival on its list of season festivities: Saint John’s Episcopal Church hosted its Harvest Arts Festival, a brand-new celebration of local artistic...
District announces new preschool director
Lisa Freedman started her career at the Westwood Public Schools 20 years ago. This fall, she takes over as director of the Integrated Preschool, replacing longtime director Aprile Albertelli, who retired at the end of the last school year. Freedman came to Westwood High School in 1999, and for the past two years, has been...
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Kids learn soccer skills through play
