Islington Branch hosts cheesy program
Residents take guided school tours
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Westwood residents – some with children in the public schools and some without – took part in guided tours of the Deerfield, Hanlon and Sheehan elementary schools last weekend. The tours were coordinated by Superintendent of Schools Emily Parks as part of the District’s efforts to give residents an opportunity to see for...
WY&FS seeking R.A.Y. nominations
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The Westwood Rotary and Westwood Youth & Family Services Department (WY&FS) are seeking the public’s help to identify young people in our community that have demonstrated a commitment to helping others. They would like to celebrate these individuals by honoring them with the R.A.Y (Recognize-A-Youth) award.
Recipients will have distinguished themselves through their initiative...
Women’s choir harmonizes the Center
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Wednesday mornings at the Westwood Council on Aging are relatively quiet. Usually, an exercise class will meet and SHINE counselors make themselves available to those with appointments.
But there’s one group that truly animates the Center through the power of music.
Though they don’t yet have a name, the...
Celtics are Westwood Girls Jamboree champs
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The Celtics, coached by Jeff Hurley and Brian Greally, eked out the championship win over the Magic, coached by Jason Macy. The games were a pleasure to watch - travel league teammates and friends on opposing town teams were blocking each others' shots one minute, then laughing and hugging the next. The girls'...
First Baptist team visits Rosie’s Place
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A group of teens and adults from First Baptist Church of Westwood recently visited Rosie’s Place in Boston, where they helped prepare and serve dinner for approximately 150 guests. In addition, they delivered twenty “comfort bags” containing socks, gloves, snacks, and toiletries that had been put together by the participants of FBC’s Kids...
Westwood’s Philbin is town’s energy man
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By Linda Thomas
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
There was a time not too long ago when there were lights at the library that didn’t work.
Streets weren’t always as bright as they are now. The town was burning money on outdated technology and inefficient energy systems.
Then, Tom Philbin came along.
Philbin, a New York City native with...
COA celebrates Valentine’s Day
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Tucked between Thurston Middle School and Westwood High School is the Westwood Council on Aging. Though it may be small in comparison to the two buildings that sandwich it, the senior center puts on some huge events, like the annual Valentine’s Day party last Wednesday.
In the center’s multi-purpose room,...
Westwood students excel in Academic Decathlon
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Westwood students recently competed in Academic Decathlon; their team performance was impressive enough to qualify them for States at Harvard University on March 3. Among the students competing were Annabel Cimbal (who earned a gold medal in Math), Isabella Georges (bronze medals in Math, Music, Essay; silver medal in Interview; ribbon for top...
Westwood Dems elect convention delegates
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On Saturday, February 10, Westwood Democrats met to elect delegates to the State Convention in Worcester. Forty attendees gathered in the Champagne room at Carby Street.
The election winners for the 2018 Westwood caucus: Ishani Tewari, Maryann Wattendorf, Sheila Hanley Longval, Dianne McCarthy, Bill Delay, Patrick J. Ahearn, Evan Walsh, and John Hickey....
Westwood’s Esposito delivers for MD family
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Westwood's Caterina Esposito was among a number of Santa's helpers to make a visit to a Maryland family, delivering a gift that promised to make their holiday season especially happy and bright: a walker custom-designed and constructed by a group of Johns Hopkins University engineering students for the family's smallest member.
RoseLynn Lidy was...
Community spreads ‘Messages of Hope’
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The World Health Organization estimates more than 300 million people suffer from depression. Depression doesn’t target any particular group; any person of any age of any race can be affected, but still, there is a social stigma surrounding mental illnesses.
To help eradicate the stigma and support those – particularly...
The art of appreciation
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
A group of seniors sat around the conference table at the Westwood Council on Aging, each studying a handout with three different photographs printed on it. On the left side of the page was a photo of Donatello’s bronze sculpture of David, who stood with a feminine build, a...
Wolverines score community service wins
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
“High school sports and being together only comes once in a lifetime, so let's make the absolute best of it,” Coach Ed Amico said to the players on the Westwood girls ice hockey team.
Amico doesn’t just mean on the ice, though.
For the past few years, the team...
Islington Branch Library hosts local poet
By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
She stood beside one of the large circular tables inside the Islington Branch Library. Behind thick, black-rimmed glasses, her eyes scanned the paper she held before her, occasionally looking up from the page to make eye contact with the audience. As she read the words on the page out loud, the...
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Westwood’s Haak plays Carnegie Hall
William Haak, a seventh grader at Thurston Middle School in Westwood, performed at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday, January 27, as a second-place winner of the Crescendo International Competition. He performed the Grand Valse Brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 18, by Frederic Chopin. He will be performing for...
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Woman’s Club hosts Dr. Edward Zarrow
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The Westwood Woman's Club welcomed Dr. Edward Zarrow, aka Dr. Z in the halls of Westwood High School, and just Ted, as guest speaker to their membership during their last January 18 meeting at the COA.
The much-sought-after language teacher arrived early to set up his interactive presentation with his friendly smile and signature bow tie. He...
‘Book Buzz’ inspires library patrons
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
With so many books available at the library and in book stores, voracious readers often ask themselves a perplexing question: “What should I read next?”
As librarians, the Westwood library staff members can empathize with their patrons, which is why they have begun a “Book Buzz Panel.” The idea is...
Rabies clinic offers low-cost vaccinations
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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Adopting a pet is an exciting time for animal lovers. However, along with cuddling on the couch, teaching tricks, and finding the perfect squeaky toy, adopting an animal also means looking after our furry friends’ health. For cats, dogs, and ferrets, this means staying up to date on rabies...
Experimental theater returning to Westwood
