Committee Chair Bockelman's Message to Somerville Class of 2012

Paul Bockelman, chair of the Somerville School Committee, gave an inspiring speech at Tuesday's Somerville High School graduation. Here it is.

Ed. note: Earlier, we posted Somerville High School Headmaster Tony Ciccariello's speech to the class of 2012. Ciccariello is leaving the school at the end of the year, so it was his last graduation speech (in his capacity as headmaster, at least). Paul Bockelman, chair of the Somerville School Committee, also gave what many considered a great speech. It was a special day for him, too, because his daughter was graduating. He offered some sage advice about newspaper obituaries and hugs. It will make sense when you read the speech. Here it is. Also, the photo was taken during city inauguration ceremonies in January, which explains the wreath: You guys look AWESOME! Forget the weather, this is one incredible day! – especially for my family …

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UPDATE: Somerville High School Graduation Postponed, Takes Place Tuesday

Due to rain, graduation ceremonies will take place Tuesday at Gantcher Center.

Update, 3:50 p.m., June 4: The following is more information from Somerville Public Schools about the rescheduled graduation ceremony scheduled for June 5: Graduation will be tomorrow, Tuesday at 6 PM indoors at Tufts University's Gantcher Family Sports and Convocation Center, 161 College Ave., Medford. Graduates are to arrive by 4:45 to assemble in their companies.  This is a ticketed event and tickets issued last week are still valid. There is limited parking available at the Tufts garage on Boston Avenue and very limited parking at the baseball field across from Gantcher. We recommend the following: *        arrive early and park on the Somerville side of College Avenue *        take public transportation *        carpool Once again, …

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Somerville High Videos Are Finalists in DA's 'Peer Pressure' PSA Campaign

The videos are among five finalists. They deal with peer pressure.

Editor's note: Two videos made by Somerville High School students are in the final round of the Middlesex District Attorney's annual Youth Video PSA project. Five videos were selected for the honors. Below is an announcement from the DA's office about the videos. The two Somerville entries are above. ------------------------------------------------------------- WOBURN- Five student-made public service videos have been selected as finalists in the fourth annual Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office PSA Project, District Attorney Gerry Leone announced today. More than 200 students worked on the 25 videos submitted for consideration. The five finalist PSA videos come from: Lexington High School, Nashoba Valley Technical High School in …

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WEEK IN REVIEW: Somerville High School's New Headmaster

Also, more hires in the school district, the MBTA makes its big announcement and the sheriff rode into town.

MBTA announces upcoming fare increase, service changes On Wednesday, the MBTA announced a collection of fare increases, service changes and administrative changes designed to close a $161 million gap in its upcoming budget. There will be no service changes in Somerville as a result of this plan, but Somerville riders will pay more to ride the T. We asked riders what they thought of the plan. School hires Somerville Public Schools announced a series of important hires this week. John Oteri, currently an assistant principal at Somerville High School, was named headmaster of the school. He will take over when Tony Ciccariello steps down at the end of the school year. Jill Geiser will be principal of the Healey School. She comes from a school …

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Somerville High School Names John Oteri as Headmaster

Oteri is currently assistant principal at the high school.

Somerville Public Schools announced two important new hires Wednesday morning. John Oteri, assistant principal at Somerville High School, will succeed Tony Ciccariello as headmaster of the high school. Also, Somerville Public Schools named Jill S. Geiser as principal of the Healey School. Geiser comes to Somerville from the James F. Leonard Middle School in Lawrence. Below is the announcement from Somerville Public Schools regarding Oteri's appointment of headmaster:   JOHN OTERI NAMED HEADMASTER AT SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL Somerville High School Housemaster/Assistant Principal to Continue Serving Somerville Youth  in Top High School Leadership Role  Somerville, MA – Somerville High School (SHS) will have a new but familiar face in the top …

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Somerville Falls to Rockport in High School Quiz Show

The high school quiz team surged in the final round of play, but it wasn't enough to defeat a strong Rockport team.

The Somerville High School quiz team made a strong showing in its debut appearance on WGBH's High School Quiz Show, but it wasn't enough to fend off a solid Rockport team, which ultimately won the contest and will move onto the second round of the competition. Somerville High School was one of 16 teams from across the state to compete on the quiz show. The final score was 375 to 280, but Somerville made it interesting, narrowing its deficit to just 35 points in the final "lightning round" of questioning, where each question is worth 20 points. Had two questions broken in Somerville's direction, they would have taken the lead. In the end, however, Rockport remained in control for the whole match and will face off against Acton-Boxborough in…

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jo

7:43 am on Sunday, November 18, 2012

Well the football team won last week (their first of the year) and weren't mentioned in either the Journal or the Patch.!!!!   more ›

SCHOOL DAY

Students Win Support for Recycling at High School Cafeteria

The Green Club will use a grant to get students and staff to recycle their empty lunch containers.

With a grant and cooperation from the city, a group of students and their teacher will finally carry out their goal of bringing recycling to Somerville High's cafeteria.  The Alliance for Climate Education and the National Grid Foundation recently awarded the Green Club a $1,000 grant to install recycling stations, publicize the program and reward students who participate.  The club tried to do such a program last school year, but social studies teacher and the club's advisor Kara Carpenter said they didn't educate people well about the recycling bins they had put out, which regrettably resembled the ones for trash. They also faced some procedural hurdles.  Back then, part of the difficulty in reducing waste in the cafeteria was that the …

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Photos: Somerville at WGBH's High School Quiz Show

The Somerville High School quiz team competed against Rockport Saturday.

The Somerville High School quiz team was in WGBH television studios Saturday to compete on the station's High School Quiz Show. The show pits high school teams from around the state—16 in all—against each other in a single-elimination bracket tournament, much like the Sweet 16 in college basketball. Somerville faced off against Rockport in the first round, and supporters came out to cheer on the Somerville team. The episode, taped Saturday, will air on March 4, and the results of Saturday's match are confidential until that date.

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POLL: Build a New High School or Fix the Old One?

Does Somerville need a new high school, or should it invest in maintaining the current facility.

A group of engineers recently informed the city that it needed to make about $9.5 million in repairs to the exterior of Somerville High School over the next four years.  As a result of those projected costs, the city will study the short- and long-term needs of the school and consider the possibility of building a new high school. The city is forming a working group to study the engineering report. In addition, the city will conduct a feasibility study that includes various options, including the option of building a new facility, possibly at a different location. In light of this news, Somerville Patch wants to know, especially from students, parents, teachers and staff who spend time at the high school, what you think should be done. Fix…

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Live TV Audience Needed: Quiz Team Competes Saturday

Somerville High School faces off against Rockport on Saturday in the first round of WGBH's High School Quiz Show.

Somerville High School is one of 16 teams from public schools across the state to compete on the High School Quiz Show, now in its third season. The quiz competition pits school against school in a single-elimination bracket system, like the Sweet 16 in college basketball. The show is inviting Somerville residents ages 7 and up to be part of the live audience and cheer on the home team. To be part of the audience, register at highschoolquizshow.org. Though the taping takes place Saturday, the episode won't air until March 4, and audience members will be asked to keep the results of the first round secret.  If Somerville beats Rockport, they'll move onto the second round of the competition to face off against the winner of the match between…

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