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Needham Bank, Natick
 

‘The Snow’ coming to Natick’s Kennedy Middle School

November 5, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Kennedy Middle School Theatre presents “The Snow” as its fall play later this month.

The plot: When an epic snowfall imprisons the residents of the tiny village of Kishka, young Theodore Sutton proposes the villagers build a catapult to fling him and six of the village’s bravest and strongest out in search of a solution. The catapult hastily assembled, Theodore and the heroes are launched over the snow and into the grandest of adventures. Whimsical and humorous, dark and mysterious, heartfelt and sincere, this play weaves a fantastical Grimmsian tale for the entire family.

the snow kennedy play

Performances:

  • Friday November 18th at 7:00pm
  • Saturday November 19th at 7:00pm
  • Sunday November 20th at 2:00pm

Tickets are $10, available at the door, and in the Kennedy Middle School (13 E. Central St.) front office the week prior to the show.


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Filed Under: Education, Theater


Mr. Hoye: Our new Natick High interim principal

November 3, 2022 by Admin Leave a Comment

Natick Report has begun working with The Natick Nest, Natick High School’s official student-run school newspaper, to help bring the students’ work to a larger audience. We’ll be republishing some of their articles, and plan to coordinate with their staff on additional pieces.


By Nathan Moldover, editor-in-chief


jason noye natick high

Mr. Hoye started out his educational career as a paraprofessional in Newton, where he discovered his love of working with young people and decided to pursue a career in education. After spending four years at Wilson Middle School, he became a Health and Wellness teacher at NHS. Six years later, he got the job of Dean of Students. And after four years as Dean of Students, he is now the Interim Principal for this school year. This is now his fifteenth year in Natick and eleventh year at Natick High.

After former principal Mr. Harrigan announced that he was leaving NHS, the school opened up applications for the position of Principal. But with a short turn-around, the school wanted more time for the candidate pool to expand. They approached Mr. Hoye, who hadn’t applied for the position, and asked if he would consider taking a one-year interim position as principal. After giving it thought, he decided that it would be “best for our faculty and our students to have somebody that they knew already in the position.” Now, as Interim Principal, he says that “the biggest thing [he] want[s] to do is to help strengthen and build culture and relationships.” Still emerging from Covid, it is imperative that the school build community and school culture, because our community is one of the many things that makes NHS so special.

The community around Natick High School is just one of the things that makes Mr. Hoye love working here. He is thankful for the abundant support that the community around Natick has given him and the school overall. He says that NHS is lucky to have some of the best teachers, to have an incredible building, and to have access to so many resources. In his words, “There is something here for everybody.” But one of the most important things to Mr. Hoye is the interactions with young people: being able to see them grow and mature, being able to watch their trajectory. What is especially rewarding for him is running into former students when they are older, and seeing where they have gone. He says that “to hear that they are doing what they love to do is the most important thing to me.” Some of his fondest memories are from teaching classes, coaching the football and baseball teams, and interacting with students. He loves seeing the seniors at the end of the year do all the senior traditions: class night, prom, the boat cruise, and, finally, graduation. “Watching seniors walk across the stage on graduation day is a great feeling for them, and for us as educators,” he says.”

Education for Mr. Hoye, and for many teachers, is incredibly rewarding. Although education is incredibly rewarding for Mr. Hoye and many other teachers, working in education isn’t necessarily easy. There are lots of skills required, and many challenges to be faced. Mr. Hoye says that educators must be able to understand kids, be patient and resilient, be organized, and have grit. He says one needs to have a philosophy of meeting kids where they are. Importantly, one needs to enjoy working with kids. These are traits required for any job in education, and there are many more role-specific requirements that allow educators to meet the challenges that come with working in education. Mr. Hoye says that “anytime you work in a field that deals with human beings on a daily basis, that’s tough. There are an infinite amount of things and situations that you come across that sometimes are really tough.” Everybody has their own personal situations and circumstances, especially when dealing with families and young people. But Mr. Hoye says that if one is helping push kids and families and support them in education, and is sticking true to personal beliefs and values, then they are doing their job as an educator. Because being an educator is so difficult, it is so important that educators like Mr. Hoye, who cares deeply about the people at the school, are here to face these challenges.

Moving forward, Mr. Hoye says Natick can expect applications for principal to open in December or January. A committee to interview and select candidates will run the process. He says that he is considering applying for the position, but has not made up his mind. Regardless, the committee will choose a new principal in time for next year. If it is Mr. Hoye, he says he would be ready to take on the challenge. If they chose someone else, he is ready to assist with the transition, and then return to his dean position.

It is evident that Mr. Hoye loves working with kids. He is filled with joy “seeing them happy.” Hopefully, this year can bring everyone this joy.

Filed Under: Education, Natick Nest



Retik’s Cube: Natick teen organizes local speedcubing event

October 27, 2022 by Bob Brown 3 Comments

Natick this Saturday, Oct. 29 will play host to Naticube 2022, a possibly first-of-its kind local gathering of quick-handed and quick-minded devotees of the Rubik’s Cube and other such combination puzzles. Speedcubers from the region will flock to Natick Elks Lodge #1425 for this event, the brainchild of a Natick High School sophomore and his puzzle-loving friends.

Due to capacity limitations, players can have one guest each, but other spectators aren’t allowed.

Event organizer Caleb Retik has come a long way in a short time on the speedcubing circuit, which rewards those who can solve these puzzles the fastest—and we’re talking in seconds, not days… or weeks…or…

retik cube

The 15-year-old Retik has been cubing on and off for a year-plus, and competitively over the last six months. He specializes in the classic 3×3 cube, and solving it left handed (even though he is right-hand dominant). Note that not all such puzzles are cubes—Retik cites the pyraminx, which is a tetrahedron.

“I was introduced to the cube in camp. At first I thought it was too hard, but I was interested in learning the algorithms from a very patient counselor.  Since then I’ve become much better than him and practice daily.  Watching my own improvement has been a lot of fun.  Speed comes with a lot of practice,” says Retik, now the owner of more than 20 cubes (his favorite: the Tornado V3M).

The student now ranks #16,000 out of about 160,000 players on the World Cube Association site. The best speedcubers solve the 3×3 cube in under 6 seconds; Retik has his time down to about 13 seconds.

Watching YouTube videos, getting high quality cubes, and practicing daily have been his secrets to success.

Retik’s mom, Ava Kleinmann, acknowledges she doesn’t know how to solve a Rubik’s Cube “or any other kind of cube,” but has enjoyed watching her son’s progress, and is proud of his work with others to arrange this weekend’s event.

“Caleb has learned all sorts of algorithms and if I look away for a moment I miss the entire solve,” she says. “I’d like to think that years of compulsory piano lessons played a role in his dexterity, but he’ll never admit to it.”

Kleinmann explains that the cubes used in competitions are generally stickerless (that was always a bummer when your Rubik’s stickers would disappear) and have varying degrees of technology, including special magnets and springs.  Oil is used to make the turns smoother and faster “since every fraction of a second counts,” she says.

“Up until a couple of years ago I thought cubing meant multiplying the same number three times (eg, 3x3x3 = 27), but I’ve learned that cubing, and speedcubing in particular, has evolved a ton since I first saw (and strictly avoided!) a Rubik’s Cube in the 1980s,” she says.

A local speedcubing event is born

Retik attended his first World Cube Association competition this past spring.

“I volunteered with scrambling [cubes] and timing various events at other competitions and enjoyed these roles in addition to competing,” he says. “I was traveling up to two hours for competitions and thought it would be fun and more convenient to have an event closer to home. So I arranged for a competition right here in Natick with some other MA speedcubers (Levi Gibson, Elijah Rain Phelps, Nico Bezzerides).”

The Natick event will feature 100 speedcubers. The roster filled within 5 minutes of registration opening, and there’s a waitlist of dozens more. “So I guess there was a desire for this kind of event in Natick,” Retik says.

Naticube will include 7 events,  including 3×3, 3×3 one handed, 4×4, 2×2, square one, clock, and 3×3 blindfolded. Yeah, there’s lingo.

Retik competes about once a month as his schedule allows, and he says the events are fun and relaxed. Players are supportive of each other. “I often see the same people at the competitions and have made some good friends that way. All ages participate both as competitors and as part of the timing/judging process. I enjoy being around people who share this very niche interest,” he says.

Will a home court advantage result in a personal record for Retik come Saturday? We’ll see.

“It’s fun to impress adults who were (and continue to be) intimidated by the Rubik’s Cube,” he says.

Consider me intimidated—and impressed.

retik cube


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Filed Under: Education, Entertainment

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Congrats to Natick’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists

September 14, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

national merit logo

Two Natick High School students and one Walnut Hill School students are among the 16,000 academically accomplished semifinalists eligible for part of some $28 million in scholarships to be awarded next spring.

Those qualifying scored high on the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and met other requirements. About 95% of semifinalists will likely make it to the finalist round, and about half of them will earn scholarships, according to the National Merit organization.

Scholarships are underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corp., as we as as hundreds of businesses and higher education institutions. Among the scholarships are 2,500 awards worth $2,500 apiece. Winners will be announced between April and July next year.

Congrats to all of the semifinalists.

Natick High School

  • Aviva Harman
  • Akshaya Ravi

Walnut Hill School for the Arts

  • Susan Meng

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Filed Under: Education

First day of school in Natick—we stop by Johnson Elementary School

August 31, 2022 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

The last day of August was the first day of school for Natick kids who seemed to leave summer behind with hardly a backward glance as they hustled up the hill to Johnson Elementary School.

With temperatures expected to rise into the mid-80s on day one, there wasn’t a fall jacket or sweater to be seen. Most kids opted for a casual back-to-school look of shorts, skirts, and t-shirts, attire that should keep them comfortable in the 73-year old Johnson School building that isn’t exactly air conditioned. (Fans do their darndest to keep everyone cool, though).

Crossing guard, Johnson School, Natick

 

It was also a first day at Johnson School for Principal John Jordan, who was named to the top job in an interim role earlier this summer. Meanwhile, across the border in Wellesley, former Johnson School principal Jordan Hoffman logged a first day of her own as principal at Schofield Elementary School. Got all those J-words straight? Good.

Welcome to all newcomers in town, whether faculty, staff, or families, and welcome back to all you seasoned veterans.

 


Got any classic Opening Day photos to share from today? Feel free: natickreport@gmail.com


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Filed Under: Education, Schools

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