Archive for the ‘Feature stories’ Category
WAKEFIELD — Greenwood native Thomas A.C. Ellis has written a new, comprehensive history of Wakefield’s role in the Civil War. It is a worthy companion to other volumes written on the history of the town. Ellis is an independent Civil War historian who decided to write the book after he searched for information regarding Wakefield’s […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Community, Feature stories, History, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: battle, book, Civil War, Confederacy, Cyrus Wakefield, History, Lakeside Cemetery, Major Horace M. Warren, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, military, Richardson Light Guard, South Reading, Thomas A.C. Ellis, Tom Ellis, union, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Mass, Wakefield’s Civil War Service, women
Theory of relativity
For something that supposedly doesn’t exist in any public school anywhere, an awful lot of effort and ink have been spent of late trying to convince us of it’s non-existence. Critical race theory, they insist in no uncertain terms, has no place in public education. The messaging usually goes something like this: “Of course we’re […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 14 Comments
Tags: Bakari Sellers, classroom, Critical Race Theory, CRT, Culturally Relevant Teaching, culturally responsive teaching, curriculum, Douglas Lyons, Dr. Clint Smith, education, educators, equity, Jamilah Pitts, Jason Pavey, Judith Briggs, Margaret Messier, Mark Sardella, Marxist theory, MASC, Massachusetts Association of School Committees, Opinion, Politics, schoold, social justice, Social Studies, students, Suzt Veilleux, teachers, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Public Schools, Wakefield School Committee
A simple choice
Out-of-state donors are pouring millions into an effort to forever alter the outcomes of Massachusetts elections. Unfortunately for them, the concept of ranked choice voting is so convoluted that it can’t be convincingly explained in a one-minute TV ad or even with an oversized, glossy, two-sided mailer.
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Tags: ballot question, ballots, candidates, carpetbaggers, elections, Humor, John Arnold, Laura Arnold, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, money, Opinion, Politics, ranked-choice voting, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Shauna Hamilton, Texas, vote, voting, Wakefield Daily Item
Pride of the Yankees
I was vaguely aware that John J. Round had been a town official way back at the beginning of the 20th century. But, like most people, I had no inkling about his more significant contributions to the town. I had no idea, for example, that he had purchased entire tracts of land in the areas […]
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Tags: altruism, Anglo-Saxons, Arthur G. Walton, Bandstand, Cornelius Sweetser, Crystal Lake, Cyrus Wakefield, Galvin Middle School, Gardner Campbell, Greenwood, JJ Round Park, John J. Round, Lucius Beebe, Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, Mark Sardella, money, old white men, philanthropy, Pilgrims, Protestant, Sweetser Lecture Series, trees, Wakefield Common, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Town Hall, Walton Field, Yankees
For those who like music spiced with a bit of history – or vice versa – last Saturday’s Polymnia Choral Society production of Franz Josef Haydn’s The Creation was a doubly rewarding experience. The sanctuary of Wakefield’s First Parish Congregational Church was a fitting venue in which to experience Haydn’s oratorio depicting the miracle of […]
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Tags: Bible, church, classical, concert, Dana Lynne Varga, Eileen Worthley, First Congregational Church, Franx Josef Haydn, instruments, John Milton, Joseph Holmes, Melrose MA, music, oratorio, Paradise Lost, Philip Lima, Polymnia Choral Society, Sylvia Berry, The Creation, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA
Give Bees a chance
Lake Quannapowitt is Wakefield’s jewel – an emerald, judging by the color. It’s August, and like the swallows returning to Capistrano, blue-green algae, aka cyanobacteria, has returned Lake Quannapowitt to the color of pea soup. Last week, the town issued a public health warning.
Filed under: Columns & Essays, Feature stories, History, Humor, Nature & Wildlife, News, Opinion, Photography, Politics, Wakefield | Leave a Comment
Tags: blue-green algae, boats, cyanobacteria, EPA, fertilzer, Frank J. Luciani Jr, Groundhog Day, Humor, Lake Quannapowitt, lawns, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Michael Collins, Opinion, phosphorus, Politics, SolarBees, sunlight, Wakefield MA, WakefieldDaily Item
Polymnia pays tribute to Elvis
Memorial Hall in Melrose was “All Shook Up” last Saturday night as the Polymnia Choral Society presented its “Tribute to Elvis, the King of Rock.” Polymnia and the King share a historical timeline. Polymnia was founded in Wakefield in 1953, the year Elvis Presley recorded his first demo at Sun Studio in Memphis. In 1956, […]
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Tags: Eileen Worthley, Elvis Presley, Jillian Casa, Lauren Abramson, Mark Sardella, Melrose MA, Murray Kidd, music, Polymnia Choral Society, rock, She Major, songs, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield MA
By MARK SARDELLA WAKEFIELD – She’s done it again. For the second year in a row, the New England Patriots are in the Super Bowl and for the second straight year local businesswoman and Patriots super fan Danielle Resha has scored free tickets to the big game. She’ll be in the stands in Minneapolis on […]
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Tags: Bose, CrossFit128, Danielle Resha, football, gym, Jacksonville Jaguars, Mark Sardella, new england patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl, Tom Brady, Wakefield Daily Item, WakefieldMA
By MARK SARDELLA CONCORD — If, like me, you enjoy stories in which everyone is despicable, David Mamet’s testosterone-fueled Glengarry Glen Ross is hard to beat. And under the direction of Wakefield native Nancy Curran Willis, these dishonorable characters are brought to vivid life by a strong cast at The Umbrella in Concord. Set mainly […]
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Tags: Adam Heroux, Bill Stambaugh, Brian Boruta, Chicago, Concord MA, Craig Ciampa, Dan Kelly, David Mamet, Eric Lamarche, Glengarry Glen Ross, Gordon Ellis, Jason Myatt, Mark Sardella, Nancy Curran Willis, real estate, The Umbrella, theater, theatre, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA
Remembering Phyllis Hull
It’s my favorite photo of Phyllis Hull. It’s Veterans Day, 2011, and she’s standing at the podium on Veterans Memorial Common, about to make her dedication speech in front of the just unveiled, brand new World War II Monument. She’s beaming, and she had every right to be proud. She was the first to say […]
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Tags: Betsy Sheeran, Board of Selectmen, election, fiscal conservative, Italian, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Phyllis J. Hull, Politics, selectman, selectmen. taxes, senior citizens, Somerville, taxpayers, The Savings Bank, veterans, Veterans' Day, voting, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, World War II Memorial
