Psychologist Claude M. Steele to Deliver Tufts Commencement Sunday

Around 1,300 seniors will graduate on Sunday.

Tufts University celebrates its commencement Sunday. Ceremonies begin at 9 a.m., and Claude M. Steele, a Stanford psychologist who specializes in stereotypes, will deliver the commencement address. Read more about Claude M. Steele. Somewhere around 1,300 undergraduate students will graduate. Among them is 71-year-old Jim Boyd, who spent 36 years as a reporter and anchorman at WCVB in Boston. Boyd graduated from high school in 1958. Fifty-five years later, he'll receive a bachelor's degree in sociology from the Somerville- and Medford-based university. Read more about Jim Boyd's journey to a college degree. Not every graduating senior will be at Sunday's ceremony. Members of the softball team will be playing in the NCAA Division III College…

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At 71, Veteran Boston Newscaster Will Graduate from College

Jim Boyd, broadcast into Boston's homes for 36 years, is set receive his college diploma from Tufts this weekend.

Jim Boyd, a veteran Boston anchorman and member of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, graduated from high school in 1958. On May 19, he'll graduate from college, with a bachelor's degree in sociology from Tufts University. "It only took 55 years to get here," Boyd said. A familiar face to most Bostonians, Boyd, 71, spent 36 years as a reporter and anchor for WCVB, where he spent years delivering the morning news to viewers. He got into television news after dropping out of Long Island University at the age of 19 and landing a job in the mailroom of National Education Television, a precursor to PBS. In fact, Boyd had been put on academic probation. The Harlem native had graduated from high school at the age of 16, and he spent …

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MassBay Starts Krystle Campbell Scholarship

Campbell, killed in the Boston Marathon bombings, was a 2005 graduate of the school.

MassBay Community College in Wellesly has established a scholarship fund in memory of Krystle Campbell, the Medford native killed in the Boston Marathon bombing attacks April 15. Campbell, 29, earned an associate degree in business administration from MassBay in 2005. The scholarship will be awarded to a full-time student majoring in business at the school who is also a Massachusetts resident, according to a release from MassBay. In addition, the student must "must submit an essay about resiliency, making a difference, generosity of spirit, or overcoming obstacles to achieve a goal," according to the school. "We lost one of our own on that horrific day," said MassBay President John O’Donnell in the statement, "and we wanted to establish a …

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Somerville High School Class Day

Members of the class of 1963 can join members of the class of 2013 for a lunch on May 31.

Expert on Stereotypes to Deliver Tufts Commencement Address

Psychologist Claude M. Steele has changed the way we understand stereotypes, and he speaks at Tufts' 2013 commencement.

Claude M. Steele, a psychologist whose work has impacted our understanding of stereotypes, will deliver Tufts University's commencement address on May 19, according to an announcement from the university. Steele is James Quillen Dean of the School of Education at Stanford University, and he previously served as provost of Columbia University, the announcement says. His work has explored stereotypes among several groups and has connected those stereotypes to cognitive performance, the announcement says. Among other things, he's published the book, Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us and What We Can Do.

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Somerville and Medford Softball Teams Honor Campbell, Marathon Victims

Players wearing black arm bands held a moment of silence before Wednesday morning's game.

The Somerville High School and Medford High School softball teams held a moment of silence before their Wednesday morning game. They remembered Krystle Campbell, who was killed in Monday's bombings at the Boston Marathon, and other victims of the bombings. Campbell was a 2001 graduate of Medford High School, and she had strong family ties in Somerville, having live in Somerville to care for her grandmother. Members of the Medford High School softball team will wear black arm bands and dedicate the rest of their season to Campbell's memory. The two teams held a moment of silence before their game at Tufts Park, with players on each side locking arms along the baselines. MHS coach Jack Dempsey said he did not know or coach Campbell when she …

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Somerville Kids Visit White House: Some Media Coverage

Check out some interviews with the Somerville kids who went and some remarks made by first lady Michelle Obama during Thursday's White House gardening trip.

On Thursday five Somerville fifth-graders from the Healey School visited the White House to help first lady Michelle Obama plant the White House Kitchen Garden. One of those students, Sarah Sweeting, told WBZ the experience was "unforgettable," adding, "I've never met anyone that famous." Brian Chan told the TV station, "I'm going to remember this moment for all my life." "It feels like I'm dreaming; I don't feel like I'm really here," he told another TV station, WHDH. Mrs. Obama, speaking to WBZ, talked about Somerville's work to encourage healthy food and lifestyles among its young people, an effort the first lady promotes with her "Let's Move!" campaign. "The mayor has really embraced these efforts," she said of Somerville Mayor Joseph …

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Where to Watch Somerville Kids' White House Trip

On Thursday, five fifth-graders from the Healey School will help first lady Michelle Obama plant the White House Kitchen Garden.

Five Somerville fifth-graders from the Healey School will be at the White House Thursday to help first lady Michelle Obama plant the White House Kitchen Garden. Boston TV news station WBZ wants to let people know it will be accompanying the Somerville kids to Washington D.C. and will be airing reports about the trip at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. According to an email from the TV station, news anchor Paula Ebben will also conduct a one-on-one interview with Mrs. Obama. The five kids, Ariana Docanto, Gabriela Lopez Arias, Sarah Sweeting, Lana Popovic and Brian Chan, were scheduled to fly down to Washington Thursday morning, according to Boston.com. They're scheduled to meet with the first lady from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., the news website …

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Courtney O'Keefe

10:17 am on Thursday, April 4, 2013

I second Lisa's comment! Groundwork has made such an amazing difference in Somerville. Well done!   more ›