 All Contents © Copyright 2007, Boston Neighborhood News, Inc. |
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News about people in & around our Neighborhoods |
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Karen Crounse of Mattapan won a $200 shopping spree in Roslindale Village last week after winning Roslindale Village Main Streets' 2007 holiday shopping contest. Crounse was chosen because she shopped in Roslindale Village during the month of December and used her Boston Community Change Card the most. Crounse selected to receive her prize in gift certificates to Delfino, Sophia's Grotto, Birch Street Bistro, Bangkok Café and Primavera restaurants in Roslindale. Created by Boston Main Streets, the Boston Community Change Card program encourages consumers to shop locally and share locally. Boston Community Change promotes shopping at participating businesses (throughout Boston) by rewarding customers and donating to their favorite causes. ••• Ryan and Ava were the two most popular names for babies born in Massachusetts in 2007. The state's Department of Public Health released a list of the top choices for first names this week based on data from their Registry of Vital Records and Statistics, which annually registers about 85,000 births, 45,000 marriages and 55,000 deaths. The top ten boys names were: Ryan, Matthew, Michael, William, Jacob, Andrew, Anthony, Nicholas, Daniel and Alexander. The top girls names were: Ava, Isabella, Sophia, Olivia, Emma, Emily, Abigail, Madison, Hannah, and Ella. ••• Boston EMS welcomed 25 new Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to its ranks as the latest group of graduates from the Boston EMS Training Academy. The ceremony last Saturday also marked the promotion of four EMTs and paramedics to the rank of Lieutenant. The graduation ceremony came as Boston EMS celebrated another milestone. In December, Boston EMS Paramedics and EMTs answered their 100,000 medical emergency 9-1-1 call, a staggering number for a system of its size. ••• Dorchester resident Israel Malave will be among the exhibitors at this weelend's 34th annual Town Fair Tire World of Wheels motorsports exposition at the Bayside Expo Center. Malave will show off his custom 2003 Honda. The show offers spectators the chance to see custom and specialty vehicles up close, to meet and get autographs from sports and other celebrities and be entertained by many other attractions. The show also will present the first New England Pilgrim Award for which custom car builders from across the country will compete. Other features will include a real-life, full-sized replica of Tow Mater from Disney/Pixar Studios' hit animated feature film "Cars," as well as a Chevy exhibit by Super Rod magazine called the Heartbeat of America and one of New England's largest automotive toy and memorabilia markets. Three extreme car builders well known to auto aficionados will make personal appearances at the show on Sunday, Jan 6. They will be Will Castro from TV's "Unique Whips," 12:30-4 p.m., Jimmy Shine from TV's "Hard Shine," noon-4 p.m., and Ken "Posie" Fenical, noon-4 p.m. Among additional celebrities appearing at the show will be Red Sox pitcher Mike Timlin, Sunday, 1-3 p.m.; former New England Patriots running back Mosi Tatupu, Friday, 7-9 p.m.; former WWF and WCW wrestling superstar Virgil, Friday, 7-9 p.m., Saturday, noon-4 and 6-10 p.m., and Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Amber "Pixie" Acia from TV's "LA Ink," Saturday, 1-4 and 7-9 p.m.; and Chris Jacobs from TV's "Overhaulin," Saturday, 1-4 and 7-9 p.m. Best wishes to Mike Leahy of Port Norfolk, who suffered a serious heart attack while shoveling snow last weekend. Mike is recovering at Massachusetts General Hospital. His family and friends ask for prayers for his comeback. ••• Four Corners Main Streets is planning to extend the deadline for the Four Corners Holiday Passport program, which rewards those who patronize the local business district. The promotion will now run through Monday, Jan. 14. Two residents, Cheryl Niamath and Jaqueline Johnson both of Four Corners, have already won $25 gift certificates to Gomez Gas/Rosa's Kitchen by turning their in their passports. ••• Over 600 people came together last Wednesday at Northeastern University's Curry Student Center to witness what happens when 12 teams of middle schoolers from the Citizen Schools program work with twelve of Boston's best architecture firms and schools. The task? Redesigning Jackson and Sullivan Square T-stations. The winning design came from the Irving Middle School in Roslindale, who worked with the Gund Partnership Architecture firm, Cambridge who won a meeting with Mayor Menino to share their ideas.
The other schools and their architectural partners were: Boston Architectural College, Edison Middle School, Brighton; Cubellis, Edwards Middle School, Charlestown; Shepley Bulfinch, Gavin Middle School, South Boston; BH+A, McCormack Middle School, Dorchester; Payette, Mildred Ave Middle School, Mattapan ; BosNOMA, Mildred Ave Middle School, Mattapan; Icon Architecture, Rogers Middle School, Hyde Park; Jones Lang LaSalle, Mario Umana Middle School Academy, East Boston; Kling Stubbins Architecture, Mario Umana Middle School Academy, East Boston; Deborah Drew Design, Wilson Middle School, Dorchester and Harvard School Of Design, 8GA, Roxbury. ••• Students at Dorchester's Woodrow Wilson Middle School attended a Stay in School assembly hosted by Boston Celtics players Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine, along with "Coach" Willie Maye, on Monday, Dec. 10. The event honored high-achieving students and encouraged all of the children to take pride Kendrick Perkins, and Brian Scalabrine During the assembly, and at other Stay in School assemblies throughout the academic year, Celtics players deliver a special message to students that include the use of the acronym PRIDE &endash; P for positive mental attitude, R for respect, I for intelligent choices, D for dreams, and E for effort and education. Prior to the assembly, players held a special clinic for a group of high-achieving students. The kids took part in dribbling and shooting drills run by Rondo, Perkins and Scalabrine. ••• Omar Del Valle, Maria Gomes, Danya Best, Kerby St. Fleur, and Monet Johnson of Dorchester were six of 20 recent graduates of the Jewish Vocational Service's (JVS) Culinary Arts training program. The six recently celebrated graduating from the program at a ceremony at Madison Park High School in Boston. The Culinary Arts training program is a 16-week course that teaches the skills needed for a successful career in the food service industry. The focus is on food preparation, cooking and baking, as well as kitchen safety and sanitation. Students are introduced to software applications being used in the food service industry including Microsoft Windows, ChefTech software, and English language skills if needed. Students also learn proper table set-up, meal presentation and serving, and customer service. The Culinary Arts classes are
offered at Madison Park High in a large, well-equipped
commercial kitchen, with an on-site restaurant. In addition,
students receive extensive job search skills training and
job development services for positions such as salad makers,
station attendants, utility workers, cold food preparation
staff, bakers' helpers, and kitchen helpers in restaurants,
hotels, bakeries, corporate cafeterias, and catering
firms. Scott McLellan is the new Executive Director at the Blue Hill Club/George Robert White Youth Development Center on Talbot Ave. McLellan has more than seven years of Boys & Girls Club experience, most recently having served as Branch Director at Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket. Previously, he worked in two residential settings for high at-risk youth. He has a degree in Social Work from Olivet Nazarene University in Kankakee, Illinois, and has completed the Middle Managers Track through the Academy of Boys & Girls Cubs of America. ••• The Dorchester Family YMCA and the hottest team in town, the Boston Celtics, have announced a partnership to bring youth basketball to kids in the area. The Jr. Celtics program will be emphasizing sportsmanship, youth wellness and teamwork while developing children's basketball skills. The YMCA is offering 11 week leagues in four age brackets. The Pee Wee Division is for 6-8 year olds. The Rookies Division is for 9 and 10 year olds. The Winners Division for 11 and 12 year olds and the Champions Division for 14-16 year olds. League play costs as little as $10. As part of the partnership between the YMCA and the Boston Celtics, each participant in the Jr. Celtics program will receive their own official reversible Celtics game shirt courtesy of Reebok. The league runs between Jan. 25 and April 5 and takes place at the Dorchester Family YMCA on Washington Street in Dorchester. For more information or to register, visit the YMCA at 776 Washington St. ••• Michael Leahy of Port Norfolk checks in this week with news that a new friends group is being launched to help care for Tenean Beach. In a letter to the commissioner of the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation this week shared with the Reporter and other community groups, Leahy says he and the Tenean Beach Association will meet monthly and seek the "support of area residents and beachgoers who are want Tenean Beach to get better." "Dorchester Bay is cleaner than it has been in my lifetime and I hope to make Tenean Beach attractive to people again," Leahy wrote. Leahy can be reached via e-mail at portnorfolkleahys@verizon.net ••• The DSS Kids Fund of the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (DSS) received $40,000 as the Fund-A-Cause beneficiary at the 5th Annual "Celebration for Kids" event on Saturday, Dec. 1 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Funds raised will help support the DSS Kids Fund's efforts to provide support and enrichment opportunities for foster children during the holidays and throughout the year. ••• Pamela Schuster has joined the Adult Medicine staff at Neponset Health Center. Schuster is a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner in Adult Primary Care and Women's Health. She received her Master's degree in Nursing from the MGH Institute of Health Professions. Schuster's clinical interest and expertise include the treatment of adolescents and gynecological health issues, as well as general adult primary health care. She speaks Spanish. ••• Tom Gannon, 54, a project manager in the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development, held his tenth annual toy party to benefit the Colonel Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club last Saturday. On hand for the party this year was Frank Sullivan, the Founding Director of the PINCH Foundation, who presented Gannon with his organization's "Community Participation Award" for his "generosity, civic-minded spirit and continued dedication to helping his neighborhood." "The event is a success due to the efforts of Tom Gannon, and it is a most fitting moment to recognize his good work," said Sullivan. PINCH, which stands for People In Neighborhoods Can Help, was begun by Sullivan, a Dorchester native, who, at age 24, was shot three times, twice in the head and once in the arm, in an unprovoked attack on Mother's Day 1979 in Boston. Today, with a bullet in his head that left him legally blind in both eyes and deaf in the right ear, he continues to see the goodness of others and hear their kindness, each time they reach out to help others. "It is in the spirit of helping others, as Tom Gannon so often does, that the PINCH Foundation fulfills its mission," Sullivan said. ••• Two local students who attend Boston College High School are being lauded for their scholarship. Freymers Beaubrun of Mattapan, a senior at BC High, has been recognized for placing among the top five percent of students in the National Achievement Scholarship Program. He is one of 3,000 outstanding National Achievement Program participants who will be brought to the attention of about 1,500 four-year colleges and universities in the United States. A roster of these students' names, high schools, and tentative college majors was sent to higher education admission officials to make them aware of their potential for success in college. Meanwhile, Dorchester senior Jonathan Truong, has been named a Commended Scholar in the 2007 National Merit Scholarship program. BC High's principal Stephen Hughes presented a letter of commendation from the school and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) to Truong and 27 other scholastically talented BC High seniors who were named semifinalists or commended scholars. Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.3 million students who entered the 2007 Merit Program by taking the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ••• The lead parts of George Bailey and his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody, were played by Dorchester residents and juniors Mary Kavanaugh and Julia Lyons, respectively. They strolled through Bedford Falls on Christmas Eve, 1945, in a reenactment of the famous Frank Capra film. "The students really love performing classic shows, and shows with spirit like this one. They brought their characters to life and the audiences really loved it," said Carol Fortier, Director of the play and head of Fontbonne Academy's Fine Arts Department. Fontbonne Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school for young women sponsored by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. ••• Brendan Caulfield, son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Caulfield, and Matthew Doyle, son of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Doyle, each received First Honors for the first term at the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School in Cambridge. Also attending the school from Dorchester are Walker Douglass, son of Mr. Christopher Douglass and Ms. Maryellen Sullivan, and Samuel Emery, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Emery. The Choir School, home of the Boston Boy Choir, is a fulltime day school for vocally talented boys in grades five through eight. The school provides the choristers with a rich education in music along with rigorous academics. The boys perform regularly at St. Paul Church, Harvard Square, as well as in the community at large. They are currently preparing for their annual Christmas concerts, which will be held on Dec. 9, 16 and 21 at St. Paul Church in Cambridge. For ticket information, please call (617) 868-8658 or visit bostonboychoir.org. The Choir's soon-to-be released CD "The Holly and the Ivy" will be available for sale. ••• The Dorchester Community Center for the Visual Arts (Dot Art) has been selected for the 2007 Massachusetts Catalogue for Philanthropy. Dot Art is one of only 54 organizations from across the state of Massachusetts selected for this publication out of 390 applicants, and the only visual arts organization from Dorchester. Organizations represented have been chosen as "examples of excellence" in all fields of Massachusetts philanthropy&emdash;the environment, culture (arts and education), human services and international. According to George McCully, President of the Catalogue, "The Dorchester Community Center for the Visual Arts was chosen because they are a great example of 'private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of life' in Massachusetts, and because they are both excellent and cost-effective. We urge donors, especially in the Dorchester area, to consider adding the Dorchester Community Center for the Visual Arts to their giving list this year." This year's catalogue is mailed to 120,000 homes statewide, and is available to everyone on the web, at cfp-ma.org ••• Novelist and short story writer Elizabeth Searle will read from her most recent novella and collection of short stories, Celebrities in Disgrace (Graywolf Press) on Monday, Dec. 3 at 5:30 p.m. at UMass-Boston's bookstore The reading will be hosted by the bookstore, which is on the upper level of the Campus Center and is sponsored by the Creative Writing Program. Elizabeth Searle is the author of an opera libretto and three books of fiction: Celebrities in Disgrace, a novella and stories; A Four-Sided Bed, a novel nominated for an American Library Association Book Award and My Body to You, a story collection that won the Iowa Short Fiction Prize. The New York Times Book Review called her novella Celebrities in Disgrace "a miniature masterpiece." ••• The Dorchester-based Good Sports organization donated more than $8,000 worth of uniforms and basketballs to the Roberto Clemente 21 program in Jamaica Plain this week. The program serves more than 150 youth, but has struggled with the ability to outfit all of the youth who want to play. The league, which began with 4 teams, has steadily grown to 16 baseball teams, 12 basketball teams, and four girls' softball teams. Their basketball program is open to boys and girls from the City of Boston, but primarily reaches Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, and Roxbury. Good Sports makes playing sports a reality for thousands of disadvantaged youth. Its mission is to increase the participation of disadvantaged youth in sports, fitness, and recreational activities by overcoming a key barrier &endash; the high cost. Good Sports strives to overcome this barrier by matching donations from manufacturers and retailers to the needs of the community athletic organizations serving these children. Those efforts are making an impact &endash; Good Sports provides more than $1.2 million dollars worth of equipment to more 50,000 kids each year. For more information, visit goodsports.org. ••• On Nov. 1, more than 150 friends and supporters, including teachers, graduates, and past honorees, gathered at the Venezia Restaurant to celebrate the Notre Dame Montessori School's eighth annual "Seeds Planted:Harvest Begun" Award. This year, the school honored two leaders in education and service to children and families: Sister Maryadele Robinson, Director of Catholic Charities' Shaughnessy Family Center at Laboure in South Boston, and Valeria Lowe-Barehmi, Principal of the Timilty Middle School in Roxbury. The "Seeds Planted: Harvest Begun" Award is given by the school to individuals whose professional and personal accomplishments embody the values and goals of the school. The school has been providing early childhood education at St. Christopher Church in the Columbia Point/Harbor Point area for 33 years. Sister Elizabeth Calcagni, Director of the school, and her teachers provide the only affordable, high quality early childhood educational opportunity for many under-served children in the Harbor point area and neighboring communities. Father George Carrigg, Administrator of St. Christopher Parish, presented the awards to Sister Maryadele and Ms Lowe-Barehmi. Sister Maryadele Robinson has been a social service provider for more than 30 years. For the past 19year she has been the Director of Catholic Charities' Shaughnessy Family Center in South Boston, which provides social, educational, and health services to over 6,000 at-risk children, teens, families, and frail elders annually. Sister Maryadele accepted her award "on behalf of all those who live out the mission of helping children, families, and those in need." We see the inherent dignity of all those who come to us for help." In describing the Notre Dame Montessori School, she said: "That little humble place is what we all wish the whole world could be. It's a loving place. It's a place to grow." Several graduates of the school participated in the celebration, including Shenaya Martin, who currently attends Charlestown High School. Ms Martin spoke about how the school guided her to where she is today. "My academic leadership skills were created in the Montessori School. I would like to thank Father George for this special school at St. Christopher Church," she said. "I would also like to thank Sister Elizabeth for leading this school and all my former teachers for helping me gain courage to persevere in walking along the path to success." The event was emceed by Advisory
Board member Enoch Woodhouse II and Celina Miranda of the
Mellon Financial Corporation. On Saturday, Dec. 1, Mt. Washington Bank will again hold a Mail Call for the Military at its branch offices between 9a.m. and 1p.m. As in previous years, family and friends of men and women serving in the military are invited to share mailing address for this holiday card effort. The bank pays for the cards and postage, and invites customers and the general public to stop by and sign a card which will be mailed in time for Christmas and New Year delivery. Contact Jack Forbush by e-mail at
jforbush@mtwashingtonbank.com or call 617.269.5773. "The Boston Home is honored to receive this grant and we will use this award to expand on our arts program and upgrade assistive technology so we can further enable the creative expression of our residents," said Florence Rawls, Director of Community Development at TBH. As an example of its innovative arts initiatives, Rawls said that TBH was recently one of 10 Dorchester Open Studios sites. In the community-wide exhibition 19 residents joined 80 area artists. TBH is working with the Dorchester Arts Collaborative and will participate in future open studios. "Across the country, countless organizations are dedicated to improving the quality of life of people living with disabilities such as paralysis and are essentially unsung heroes," said Peter T. Wilderotter, President of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundations. "TBH is one such organization that shares CDRF's passion to enable people living with disabilities to overcome everyday challenges. We are honored to award TBH with a Quality of Life grant that will help the organization." ••• Dorchester residents Mike Arendnt and Rich Pleva participated in the Jimmy Fund Classic Golf Tournament recently along with 300 other golfers, all whom helped to raise $6.5 million dollars for the Jimmy Fund this year. The tournament at the International Golf Club in Bolton, Mass was an invitational event held as a celebration of the record-setting fundraising year for Jimmy Fund Golf. Participants were program sponsors and representatives from many of the 160 events that make up Jimmy Fund Golf. Over the past 25 years, the charity golf organization has raised more than $60 million for life-saving cancer research and treatment. To learn how to host, sponsor, or participate in a Jimmy Fund Golf event, visit jimmyfund.org/golf. ••• Dorchester and Mattapan students involved in the Citizen Schools project will help launch a new project this Saturday at the Copley CVS on Boylston Street in Boston "Greetings from Our Boston" is a collection of photographs that celebrates the diversity of Boston's real people and places. The photographs were taken by middle school students as part of their after-school apprenticeship course at Citizen Schools. They capture striking scenes of their communities and their unique perspectives of the world around them. As part of the apprenticeship, the students turned these photographs into postcards - sharing their city on something traditionally used for the tourist's view of Boston. The postcards are now available to the public, on sale exclusively at CVS. The launch event at the Boylston store in from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday. Learn more about Greetings
from Our Boston and the Citizen Schools-CVS
partnership at: citizenschools.org/postcards The spoof shows Venis taping up football players in the locker room, then turning his attention to a fan who comes in for some pre-game prep of his own. All-business, Venis tapes a Miller Lite onto one hand and remote control in the other, then asks him how it feels. Venis caps it off by twisting off the beer cap. According to his wife, Ellen (Norton) Venis &emdash; herself a Lower Mills native &emdash; Larry stumbled into the gig, which was filmed at BU's Agganis Arena this summer. "He was a consultant on the commercial and he was just supposed to be one of the guys in the background. He was showing the actors how to do the taping (of the athletes) and they couldn't even rip the stuff! The director said, 'Larry, can you be the guy?'" "He's been getting recognized all over the place," says Ellen. "In his field, everyone watches ESPN!" Larry, a graduate of UMass-Boston, has been on staff at BU since 1994 and has been a key figure in the success of the Terriers' nationally ranked hockey program. He and Ellen have three children: Jessica Rose, Abigail and Nathaniel. ••• Brian Curran, grandson of Ed Curran of Arbroth St., has been appointed to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in New York by Congressman William Delahunt. Curran attended St. Ann School in Neponset and participated in Dorchester Youth Hockey and Cedar Grove Baseball before moving to Plymouth. He is presently playing varsity rugby for the Merchant Marines. He has taken an oath to the US Naval Reserve and will be commissioned an officer upon graduation. According to his proud grandfather, "Brian credits his success in part to the solid foundation he received from family, Neponset friends and neighbors, the Project D.E.E.P. program and Dorchester sports." ••• Dorchester residents Trent Stewart and Bethany Towne will appear the upcoming TCAN Players production of Dracula, the Steven Dietz stage adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, which opens on Friday, Oct. 19, for a six-show run at The Center for Arts in Natick. Stewart (Attendant I and Shade) makes his debut with the TCAN Players with this production. Towne (Maid/Vixen II) is also making her TCAN Players debut. As an adolescent she was involved in school and community theater productions. She popped up again in the Wellesley College Classical Department's production of The Bacchae as a member of the Ancient Greek Chorus. Material in this production may not be suitable for sensitive or younger audience members.
The show opens on Oct. 19 and runs through Oct 28. See natickarts.org for more info. ••• Project Bread announced that Boston is the city that raised the most money for hungry people based on the number of walkers and money raised in the 2007 Walk for Hunger. The event drew 43,000 walkers on May 6, raising $3.4 million to support emergency food programs. Last week, as Project Bread distributed donations from the Walk, it disclosed that $11,000 was raised by Mattapan walkers and $41,000 from Dorchester. "I have been a devoted walker since 1996," said Lincoln Christmas, a dedicated Heart & Sole Walker from Mattapan. "Last year was my best year. I raised nearly $1,300 and have raised nearly $7,000 overall. When people ask me advice on how I fundraise, I tell them to 'just do it.' They'll see how easy it is." Project Bread distributed a total of $621,325 to 91 emergency food programs in the City of Boston at its annual Appreciation and Grant Award Ceremony at The Colonnade Hotel in Boston. Of this amount, $8,500 went to four emergency food programs in Mattapan. They included Nazarene Compassionate Center, Glad Tidings Food Pantry, Greater Victory Temple Food Pantry, and Haitian American Public Health Initiatives, Inc. Dorchester agencies, 18 in total, received $87,800 in aid. They include food pantries, meal programs, food banks, and food salvage programs and are supported by funding from Project Bread's Walk for Hunger, the nation's largest and oldest continual pledge walk. ••• Beginning at 5:30 p.m., participants can bring a six-to-eight inch pumpkin that has been carved at home to the Gallivan Boulevard entrance to the park to be mounted on a special individual float. Each jack-o-lantern will have a candle inserted and lit before being launched en mass in the water. Floats and candles will be provided. The result will be a beautiful water parade of spooky pumpkins. The event is free and registration is required by Wednesday, Oct. 17 by visiting bostonnatural.org or by calling BNAN at 617-542-7696 to ensure there will be floats for everyone. Pumpkins will be collected at daylight for proper disposal. The rain date is Oct. 21 at 5:30 p.m. "The Great Pumpkin Float gives everyone a real appreciation for the natural wonders of this park while enjoying a unique and peaceful Halloween event. It's fun for all ages!" said Valerie Burns, President of BNAN. Children and adults are encouraged to wear Halloween costumes for a procession from the sun shelter to the pumpkin launch. Halloween candy for participants has been generously donated by Phillips Candy House and Shaw's Supermarket. ••• Another great Halloween destination, close to home, is the Franklin Park Zoo, which will host its annual Zoo Howl on the weekend of Oct. 27-28. Children are invited to Trick-or-Treat among the animals. Thrills, chills, and animals lurk around every corner on the trick-or-treat trail, while co-sponsor Radio Disney gets everyone in the mood to dance and have fun on the main stage. Feel free to bring your own trick-or-treat bags, or the Zoo will provide as well. The Zoo Howl will be up and running from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It's free with regular paid admission to the zoo. ••• Mt. Washington Bank will sponsor its second annual 5K Bay Run/Walk on Oct. 21 at 10 a.m.. The race route begins at the McCormack Bath House on Day Boulevard in South Boston and will go along the beach out toward Castle Island and loop back to the Bath House. The entry fee to participate is $15, if registering before Oct. 16, after that date the entry fee is $20. The funds raised from this year's race will go to support the Mt. Washington Charitable Foundation and be earmarked for wide-ranging and various educational programs. For more information, call Anne Mascal at 857-524-1150 or visit www.mtwashingtonbank.com to register. ••• St. Ann's $10,000 drawing is Friday, Oct. 19 and organizers say there are still tickets available for the Florian Hall event. Only 200 numbered tickets are sold at $150 a piece for the drawing, with spouse or friend tickets available at $40. Call the school at 617-825-6262 for your ticket. The event begins at 7 p.m. ••• WBZ talk show host Jordan Rich will be the guest auctioneer at this Sunday's Autumn Auction to benefit Elizabeth Seton Academy. The all-girls high school, based at Saint Gregory's in Lower Mills, is celebrating its fifth year. The event will also serve as an all-classes reunion for the old Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School. The event, which will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at Florian Hall, will feature a buffet dinner and silent and live auctions. The school will honor two people, Judy Melody and Lorayne Carberry, with their "Hazard Yet Forward" awards. ••• Nine Boston Public Schools principals - including several from Dorchester and Mattapan schools - have been selected as Principal Fellows by the Schott Fellowship. The Fellowship recognizes and supports principals as they strengthen early care and education for children in Boston. The nine principals are Catherine Constant of Mattapan, from the Oliver W. Holmes Elementary School in Dorchester; Marice Diakite of Hyde Park from the Patrick J. Kennedy Elementary School in East Boston; Suzanne Federspiel of Brookline from the Thomas J. Kenny Elementary School in Dorchester; Valerie Gumes of Roxbury from Rev. Dr. Michael E. Haynes Early Education Center in Roxbury; Vera Johnson of the South End from the Ellis Mendell Elementary School in Roxbury; Sherry Brooks-Roberts of Hyde Park from the Patrick Lyndon K - 8 School in West Roxbury; Ben Russell of Peabody from the East Zone Early Learning Center in Dorchester; Nora Toney of Roxbury from the Dr. Catherine Ellison/Rosa Parks Early Education School in Mattapan; and Alenor Abdal-Kallaq Williams of Roxbury from the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester. All nine lead schools that are expanding early childhood education offerings, and they will share their successes and learn from one another through the fellowship. The fellows will meet together several times over the course of the year with staff from the Schott Fellowship. They began earlier this summer with a professional development institute coordinated by the National Association for Elementary School Principals. "We congratulate these nine principals on their selection for the Schott Fellowship," said Superintendent Dr. Carol R. Johnson. "Early childhood education is a key strategy for preventing and eliminating achievement gaps among students in Boston Public Schools. The experience and skills these principals will gain over the course of the fellowship will be a valuable resource as Boston continues to expand and improve its early childhood programming." Since 2004 the district has more than doubled new seats for 4-year-old students in the City, and in his 2005 State of the City Address, Mayor Menino announced a commitment to guarantee a full-day K1 seat for every four-year-old by 2010. Boston has provided free full-day Kindergarten for all 5-year-old students since 1998. ••• Dorchester resident Robert Buckel has been appointed vice-president of the Hospice Volunteer Association (HVA), a national organization dedicated to serving hospice volunteers and volunteer coordinators. Buckel works as the Director of Volunteer Services at Beacon Hospice, New England's largest provider of quality end-of-life care. Buckel brings to HVA a distinct perspective on hospice volunteer issues. "It is an honor to be appointed to this leadership role with the Hospice Volunteer Association," said Buckel. "I am excited to work with hospice volunteers around the country and showcase their dedication to terminally-ill patients." With more than 13 years of experience managing and directing volunteer programs, Buckel will help advance the HVA's mission - to unite hospice volunteers nationwide and give them a common voice. He is a member of the American Society of Directors of Volunteer Services and the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. Buckel graduated from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1991, and received his Master of Social Work from Tulane University in 1993. ••• Rev. Michael Cody, born and raised in Dorchester, has been named Superior of the Missionary Society of St. Columban Fathers in Chile. Fr. Cody, son of the late Jeremiah and Mary Cody, grew up in the former St. Margaret's parish. He was ordained in 1973 and served as a missionary in Chile through 1981. He served in the United States in St. Paul, Minneasota, Chicago and Boston before returning to Chile in 2005.
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