Archive for the ‘History’ Category
Decolonizing Columbus
I love Columbus Day because it reminds me of a bygone era before children were taught to hate their own country, its founding and its history. Now, we teach students that they live on stolen land and are descended from genocidal oppressors. Must do wonders for their social emotional wellness. Our local Human Rights Commission […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 3 Comments
Tags: America, Christopher Columbus, Columbus Day, explorer, Galvin Middle School, General John Galvin, headdress, History, humor Wakefield High School, Indians, Indigenous People, Indigenous Peoples Day, Majorettes, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Native Americans, Opinion, Politics, restorative justice, schools, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield Human Rights Commission, Wakefield School Committee, Wakefield Warriors, Warrior logo
Secret summer retreat
Only the most jaded cynic would question the School Committee’s decision to discuss the “next steps” in the process for the Wakefield Warrior logo at a Saturday morning meeting in the dead of summer that wasn’t being recorded on ZOOM or cable. So, when a reporter and two members of the public showed up at […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 7 Comments
Tags: Ami Wall, apology, Critical Race Theory, culturally responsive teaching, Dorothy Presser, Douglas Lyons, education, Galvin Middle School, Humor, Indians, Indigenous People, Mark Sardella, Mike Boudreau, Native Americans, Open Meeting Law, Opinion, Politics, professional development, public meetings, retreat, schools, teaching, Town Election, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield School Committee, Warrior logo
If the sudden urgency to eliminate the Wakefield Warrior logo last spring after 75 years struck you as curious, perhaps it shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. In retrospect, you wouldn’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to conclude that the logo’s elimination was merely setting the stage for something bigger, like the local […]
Filed under: History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 7 Comments
Tags: America, American University, children, colonialism, colonizers, CRT, culturally responsive teaching, culture, educators, History, Humor, Indians, Indigenous Curriculum, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, melting pot, Mishy Lesser, Native Americans, Opinion, Politics, public schools, students, teachers, United States, Upstander Academy, Upstander Project, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield School Committee, Wakefield School Department, Wakefield Warrior Logo, WakefieldMA, Youth Council
High school confidential
If you thought the Warrior logo issue that roiled the Wakefield community last spring was just going to go away quietly, that’s what’s known as wishful thinking. At least that’s what the anti-logo side was wishing would happen. But the Warrior logo is back in the news, and once again, it wasn’t the pro-logo side […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: Ami Wall, Doug Lyons, election, Humor, Indian, logo, Mark Sardella, Native American, Opinion, Politics, public records, Richard Bayrd, school, School Committee, survey, Suzy Veilleux, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, warrior
Train in vain
WAKEFIELD, MA — The closure since last November of the Broadway commuter rail crossing has certainly been no picnic for many, and the damage to nearby businesses is not to be minimized. At the same time, I’m an optimist by nature, and in the spirit of this week’s theme of arcane 1970s pop culture references, […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Wakefield | 2 Comments
Tags: Boys & Girls Club, Broadway, crossing, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, Greenwood, gridlock, Harvard Mills, Humor, Mark Sardella, Massachusetts, Monty Python, New Englnd Dragway, Opinion, Politics, quiet zone, railroad, traffic, train, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wesr Side
Score one for the Warrior
The best news out of Tuesday’s Town Election is that Wakefield isn’t totally gone. Not yet, anyway. I guess I’m not supposed to use the word “normal” anymore, but Tuesday’s vote on the Warrior logo was a victory for those who value tradition, history and the people’s right to tell their elected officials what they […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 4 Comments
Tags: April 27, ballot question, Bayrd Family, compromise, election, grassroots, heritage, History, Indian, legacy, logo, Mark Sardella, Native American, News, Opinion, Politics, Richard Batrd, Save the Warrior, School Committee, signs, vote, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield MA, Wakefield Warrior, Warriors
Education of a Warrior
The Wakefield Warrior debate of the last several months has certainly been educational, which is only fitting since it involves a school logo. I, personally, have learned a great many things, the latest as recently as yesterday. After finishing my annual boiled dinner, I decided to relax with a pint of Guinness and watch last […]
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Politics, Wakefield | 1 Comment
Tags: boiled dinner, cancel culture, civil rights, culture, education, Facebook, forum, Guinness, Humor, Indian, Irish, learning, letter, logo, mailbox, Mark Sardella, mascots, Native American, Opinion, panel discussion, Politics, schools, scoreboard, signs, St Patrick's Day, survey, teaching, teenagers, Wakefield Daily Item, Wakefield High School, Wakefield Warriors, youth
Forum follies
It was a cavalcade of cancel culture, featuring a Who’s Who of Wakefield’s woke elite at their virtue signaling best. Last week’s online “public forum” on the Wakefield Warrior logo was utterly predictable in its participation and tenor. In fact, I did predict it.
Filed under: Columns & Essays, History, Humor, News, Opinion, Politics, Wakefield | 9 Comments
Tags: activists, cancel culture, culture, election, heritage, History, Human Rights Commission, Humor, Indians, Indiginous Peoples, Jason Lewis, logo, Mark Sardella, mascot, Massachusetts, Native Americans, networking, Opinion, political correctness, public forum, public opinion, School Committee, school logo, speakers, sports, technology, tradition, Wakefield, Wakefield Daily Itempolitics, Wakefield Warrior, warrior, WCAT, William Carroll, woke, Youth Council, Zoom
Mark Sardella 