Read a Book, Win a Bike with Dependable Cleaners Summer Reading Program

The 14th annual Read to Ride program is for students ages 6-15.

Last week Dependable Cleaners kicked off its summer reading program, where kids can win a new bike or gift card for every book they read. The 14th annual Read to Ride program is for students ages 6-15. A winner will be drawn every Monday from June 4 - Aug. 13. “Studies show that children who develop a love of reading early in life often see more success in school and in life,” said Christa Hagearty, president of Dependable Cleaners.  “We are proud of Read to Ride’s success but we couldn’t do it without the cooperation of area schools, their directors and superintendents , our sponsors, and the overwhelming number of parents who encourage their children to read during the summer months.”  Since the program’s inception in 1999, more than 59,…

• Photos (2)

Mom Talk

Do Boston Families Even Want Public School?

Low attendance at a city-sponsored meeting sends the wrong signal.

When you’re a member of the audience, you hope to outnumber the performers.  An empty venue is disheartening for those on stage and there’s less energy in the room. Boston Public Schools (BPS) took the stage on a rainy Tuesday night, holding its latest community meeting on improving school choice. But with fewer than two dozen people attending, speakers included – we barely made it. Go ahead, you can yawn – “community meeting on improving school choice” is one boring string of words, and not an event destined to be standing room only. But I was wide-eyed, thinking of the immense task Mayor Thomas Menino created for the city in January, in promising to overhaul the lottery assignment process and begin fostering school communities for 57,000…

• Photos (2)

Letter: City Council Wants Your Story for School Hearings

Public hearings will be held on student assignment, school quality and student transportation, as it relates to the Boston Public Schools system.

Editor's note: Below is a letter sent out by At-Large Boston City Councilor John Connolly. I am writing to invite you to be a part of a series of upcoming hearings to be held by the City Council’s Education Committee. Beginning on Tuesday, May 22nd, I will chair hearings on three related topics: the current student assignment lottery, what makes a quality school, and student transportation. I want to make sure that your voice is heard on each of these important issues.   If you are interested in testifying at one of the hearings, please email me or call (617) 635-3115. The schedule for the hearings will be: Student Assignment: Tuesday, May 22, 4:00 PM School Quality: Wednesday, May 23, 4:00 PM Student Transportation: Thursday, May 24, 6:00…

• Photos (1)

Ross: No First-Floor Banks on Some Streets

City Councilor Mike Ross said Charles Street on Beacon Hill is an example of a business district where retail is being strangled by too many street-level banks.

Clusters of banks can strangle the retail vitality of certain Boston streets, warned City Councilor Mike Ross. Ross said Charles Street on Beacon Hill is an example where too many "big box banks" are buying up storefronts at inflated prices mom and pop shops can't afford. The resulting row of banks deadens what could be lively retail zones. "It’s not right for every street to make this 'No Bank First Floor' zoning change, but I believe it’s right for Charles Street on Beacon Hill," said Ross, who represents District 8. Ross said that banks close at 5 p.m. and aren't open on weekends, all of which has a deadening effect for the neighborhood businesses. He made his remarks at Wednesday's City Council meeting. The matter will be taken up by …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

Berklee's Rethink Music Features Major Industry Leaders

The conference is open to the public, and aimed at anyone interested in the future of the music industry.

Berklee's second annual Rethink Music conference happening today and Tuesday at the Hynes Convention Center features business leaders from major companies like YouTube and Spotify, along with big-name artists, workshops, panels and more. The conference is open to anyone interested in the music industry. Rethink Music will address trending topics like direct-to-fan artist issues and streaming services’ impact on the industry. The second edition of the conference brings an increased focus on live-learning workshops and panels with acclaimed artists throughout the event. Creative marketer and best-selling author Seth Godin will present the keynote speech. Monday Today, world-renowned DJ and producer DJ Spooky holds a session on the musical …

• Photos (1)

South End Father And Son Share Two Prizes At Robotics Contest

Father and son Mike and Zach Bean and their team at Boston College High School created ROOK, a robot that moves sideways, and received accolades for it at a regional competition

Article provided by Boston College High School:  Zach Bean of the South End, a student at Boston College High School, and his father, Mike Bean, an engineer at Mitre Corporation and a parent volunteer, helped their BC High Robotics team to a twofold victory at the Boston FIRST* Regional Robotics Competition at Boston University, Agganis Arena on March 23 and 24. Zach and 14 other members of the BC High‘s newly-formed Robotics team, under the guidance of Mr. Mark Pumphrey of Rockland, faculty moderator, worked the entire year with the help of engineers and parents, including his dad, to mechanically design, build, wire, and program their prized robot, ROOK. The robot was named The ROOK because, like a rook on a chess board, it can move …

• Photos (1)

Snowden Seniors Play All-Star Basketball

Snowden International will field tree seniors for the saturday games.

Snowden International School seniors Jovanna Sandifer, Tania Ortiz and Paul Maurice will play in the  second annual Dr. Joseph D. Warren Memorial Boston City League Basketball All-Star Games on Saturday. The students made the team on the recommendation of their coaches. The Boston Scholar Athletes program and Boston Center for Youth and Families organized the game, which features players from the city's schools.  The Boston Celtics have loaned an NBA championship trophy to the event. Attendees can take a picture with the basketball relic at the event. Admission to the game is free. The girls tip off at 3 p.m. Saturday at Northeastern's Cabot Center. The boys game starts at 5 p.m..

• Photos (1)

Weigh In: Teacher's Union, Menino At Impasse

The Boston Teacher's Union has gone 21 months without a contract with the city, and neither side, including Mayor Menino, is happy about it.

The City Of Boston's School Department and the Boston Teacher's Union have agreed to enter into a formal mediation process with the state after yesterday's meeting to negotiate teacher contracts ended with both sides declaring an impasse, according to this Boston Globe article.   “The union refuses to accept a $32 million raise for teachers,” Menino said in his speech to the Boston Municipal Research Bureau yesterday, as quoted in the Globe, and added that, because of the teacher's failure to agree with the City's contract proposals, "Unfortunately, we must start planning for next year with the old process in place. A process that puts teachers with mismatched skills in mismatched classrooms. That’s wrong." Richard Stutman, the Boston …

•  10 Comments
• Photos (1)

Kasey Hariman

2:40 pm on Monday, April 2, 2012

Both sides have still agreed to negotiate -- they're just now entering into mediation, which is one step in the negotiation process. Both sides would have likely preferred to end the process before now, but neither were willing to concede their positions on specific issues in order to do so. There's no proposed universal solution from both sides, so there's no agreement to vote on -- just two …   more ›

Bay State College Gets Federal Service Award

The college was recognized for it's student commitment to volunteering in the community.

Bay State College recently received the highest federal recognition for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement. Bay State was named to the 2012 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. This is the second time in the college's history that they received the award - the first time being in 2009. “Bay State College is thrilled to be named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for a third consecutive year,” said Craig Pfannenstiehl, President of Bay State College. “Our students dedicate thousands of hours each year to support a number of community-based organizations." During the 2010-2011 academic year, nearly half of Bay State College students …

• Photos (1)

Emerson Ends Bottled Water On Campus

The College is installing new "hydration stations." No word yet on how or if these will differ from the water coolers and drinking fountains that are already present in the halls and offices of the College.