Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

Party’s over: Natick High going remote only for at least 2 weeks

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Natick High School is going remote-only for at least the next two weeks as the result of what school and town health officials described as COVID-19 quarantine violations by students outside of school. Natick has been on a hybrid schedule, with students alternating between in-school and remote learning every other week.

natick high school

Natick Public Schools and the Board of Health issued a sternly worded memo to the school community on Monday night. It reads in part:

“Students who were required to quarantine due to exposure as close contacts to infected individuals while involved in activities outside of school and outside of Natick, attended and/or hosted parties with numerous students over the past two weekends despite orders from the Board of Health to quarantine.  Because families and students have not been forthcoming about attendees, and numbers of reported students range from 20-50 students at this time, crossing both NHS cohorts (A/B), the Natick Board of Health and the Natick Public Schools are left no choice but to cease live lessons at this time for a two-week quarantine period.”

This would apply to special education teaching, and also will likely put at least a pause on athletics and in-person extracurricular activities, such as theatre and robotics, according to the letter, which we’ve embedded in full below.

“We will ask the school committee to require that all extra curricular clubs be held virtually, and that no athletic play or practices occur.”

Tuesday’s online School Committee meeting at 6pm promises to be compelling viewing.

 

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What Natick High School’s graduation ceremony will look like

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If you have a Natick High School Class of 2020 graduate under your roof then you should be now have a good sense of what to expect at the ceremony, slated for 6pm this Thursday, Aug. 6 at Memorial Field.

For the rest of us who might be curious or can’t attend for one reason or another, here’s a rundown of what’s planned for the 400-plus graduates (not all of whom will attend). Note that the ceremony will be livestreamed by Natick Pegasus.

(Feel free to share photos with us here if you do attend: natickreport@gmail.com)

class of 2020 hearts

NHS Vice Principal Zach Galvin outlined during this week’s School Committee meeting (about 5 minutes into the recording) this year’s vetted and re-vetted plan, all in compliance with state protocols related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the ceremony might appear to be coming from a Place of No (no students marching in, no choir, no band, no handshakes…and no pre-graduation senior picnic), the administration has plotted out an event in close coordination with the town’s health department it hopes will still be enjoyable, and no doubt unforgettable.

From a high level, Galvin says the first thing that became obvious in making this plan was that he was going to need to use more field space than usual in light of 6-foot social distancing rules. “I found that that worked well if I spun what we normally do 90 degrees,” he said. Between 1,500-1,600 people are expected to attend the event.

Where things get dicey is requiring that only up to 4 guests per student, all living in the same household, be allowed in guest seating. So grandparents who don’t live in the same house will be left out. And no swapping of space allowed between those with smaller or larger families. No seat holding games either, as seating will be pre-assigned, and that will be key to an orderly in and out (“People want the best seats…I don’t know where they think the best seats are,” Galvin says.)

Galvin had thought about trying to pull this off without rehearsal, but nah, that wasn’t to work. One important piece of rehearsal will be showing students where their families will sit, and that should help families get into their seats in an orderly fashion.

The graduation ceremony plan has had to be adaptable given changing COVID-19 data and the introduction of new twists, such as the Massachusetts Travel Order. Supt. Anna Nolin pointed out that in keeping with the Travel Order, students or families traveling back from hotspot locations have been reached out to and will not be allowed to take part. That’s resulted in “some tough conversations,” she said.

School Committee member Donna McKenzie raised a concern about what the town is doing to discourage kids from partying irresponsibly after the ceremony in light of there not being the usual all-night party used to discourage bad behavior. She doesn’t want to see Natick wind up, like Chelmsford, making headlines as a post-graduation ceremony COVID-19 hotspot.

Students and parents will be reminded of expectations, school officials said. Galvin said he was heartened to learn that students were up on the Travel Order and had changed travel plans to abide by those safety rules, so he took that as a sign students and families are taking a responsible approach to the graduation festivities overall.

Students back in May, when they would have graduated, were feted in a car parade that streamed through town.

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Natick Public Schools reopening plan decision pushed to Aug. 10

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The Natick School Committee has postponed its Wednesday, Aug. 5 meeting, when it was set to vote on the town’s educational model for 2020-21, until Monday Aug. 10.

The decision on whether to go remote or hybrid was postponed as the result of the state being expected to release important information on Thursday, Aug. 6. One thing for sure is that Natick won’t start the school year with a full return to live, in-person schooling.

Natick Public Schools Supt. Anna Nolin at this past Monday’s School Committee meeting expressed frustration (as have other superintendents) with the state’s “putting things out in beta and then pulling them back, then putting them out, then pulling them back or not bringing them out.”

Among the challenges schools choosing a remote-only approach will face are tougher audits by the state and possible loss of federal dollars. Questions remain as well about what flexibility families that might choose one approach over the other, if given an option, will have to change their mind once they see what they’re students have gotten themselves into.

Look for school to start Sept. 16 under whichever plan Natick chooses, per an agreement between the state education commissioner and teacher’s association to allow for mandatory staff professional development. The Natick Public Schools system has been working closely with the town’s Board of Health to make its plans.

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Natick Community Organic Farm flower operation is in full bloom

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The first message you get when driving up to the Natick Community Organic Farm (NCOF) is to slow down. If the sign isn’t enough to convince you, the pot holes should do the trick. They’re deep, wide, and will swallow your vehicle whole if you don’t navigate the driveway just right. So be warned. But don’t let that minor challenge scare you off from visiting the 30-acre certified-organic farm that has operated on Town-owned land since 1975.

Natick Community Organic Farm

I stopped by recently for a tour of the farm’s quarter-acre flower fields, led by Heather Livingstone, the farm’s flower manager. Although her domain may not be large in size, sales from flowers bring in a sizable income for the non-profit organization. Livingstone, along with assistant Jen Campos and a crew of volunteers, sees to it that the the farm stand is kept stocked daily with bouquets. In addition, they keep running the Community Supported Agriculture subscriptions that range from five-weeks of spring blooms for $100, to a 20-week vase subscription delivered to your home or business for 20 weeks for $600, and other options in between. The NCOF has a table at the Natick Farmers Market every Saturday, and also sells to local Whole Foods markets and specialty grocery stores. Putting together arrangements for weddings and events is a regular part of what they do, as well.

Natick Community Organic Farm

The flower gardens are planted in tidy rows and in full bloom right now with zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, statice, celosia, viburnum, dahlias, rudbeckia, snapdragons, sunflowers, asters, and more, all organic, and all bursting with color. Pollinators such as bees, wasps, and butterflies crowd the gardens throughout the April through late-October growing season, taking advantage of the abundance.

Weeds also compete for space in the rows. Livingstone says they manage to keep unwanted plants at bay by laying down organic weed mats in some spots and humble cardboard in other areas. Still, invasive species do experience a measure of success. In their quest for world domination, weeds creep in and try to crowd out their floral cousins, who prefer to stay in their lanes and focus on looking amazing. Livingstone is philosophical about the realities of gardening without the use of herbicides. “We’re an organic farm, so we use only sustainable farming practices. Sometimes, when you’re farming organically, you have to let go a little.”

Natick Community Organic Farm

 

Natick Community Organic Farm

The flower operation is a decidedly low-tech concern. Workers get the job done using trowels, hoes, and other hand tools. No big machinery is used. And although the farm is on town water, the farmers try to use sprinklers sparingly. This year, they’re experimenting with a no-till system in an effort to improve soil structure, reduce erosion, and minimize the compaction of soil in the planting area. At other farms, there have been some reports that using a no-till system makes weed control a losing game. Still, Livingstone is interested in seeing what the results will be at the NCOF.

Natick Community Organic Farm

The NCOF is open to visitors, but there are several protocols in place right now to keep workers, visitors, and summer camp participants safe from COVID-19. The picnic tables, barn, and buildings are closed, though the outdoor composting toilet is open and the barn-side sink is operational. Bring your own hand sanitizer.

In addition, the outdoor barn-side stand is open for purchases. The stand is stocked with eggs, maple syrup, woolen yarn, vegetables, and floral bouquets. The selection changes throughout the day based on what’s harvested. Note: eggs are in limited supply until the farm get more hens. Meat may be purchased online.

There’s something about a working farm in the middle of a suburban community that brings in people and keeps them coming. “I started volunteering when I was 15-years old,” says Livingstone, a Franklin High School  graduate.  “I came to work for a summer, and now I’m out of college and I work here. This place fulfills me and makes me happy.”

Over 20,000 visitors that come annually to the farm agree. They find their own happiness and fulfillment whether it’s in picking up a bouquet of flowers, or fresh lettuce for dinner, or dropping off their kids for a Budding Farmers program. In a location where farming has been part of the landscape continuously for over 350 years, agriculture at the NCOF spot feels like it should be a permanent part of South Natick. The town agrees, and in 2009 the NCOF’s acreage was preserved forever as conservation land by the people of Natick.

Its future secured, the NCOF is busy teaching the next generation about stewardship, land use, community service and, of course, organic agriculture.

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Natick Community Organic Farm
117 Eliot St, Natick, MA 01760
(508) 655-2204

Admission is free.
The NCOF is open for you to explore on your own from sunup to sundown, every day, year-round.

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