Somerville schools share the music
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Music teacher Adam Epstein rehearses with first graders for this week’s winter concert in the new auditorium at the East Somerville Community School. – Photo by Elizabeth Sheeran

By Elizabeth Sheeran

No matter what kind of holiday you’re celebrating this time of year, Somerville school kids are ready to bring music to your ears.

The Somerville Public Schools’ winter concert season opened last week with Friday’s kindergarten performance at the Capuano Early Education Center, followed by last night’s concert at the Brown School. After a full roster of school music events this week and next, the season will eventually wrap-up with a Martin Luther King -themed concert at the Kennedy School in late January.

– Photos by Bobbie Toner

The city’s annual Christmas Tree and Menorah Lighting Ceremony took place last Thursday night on the City Hall concourse, followed by a meet and greet with Santa Claus in the Somerville High School Highlander Cafe.

By Jim Clark

Police were called to the Marshall’s Department Store on McGrath Hwy. last week on a report of a detained shoplifter.

Arriving officers conferred with store loss prevention personnel and were told that a shoplifting suspect, identified as Crystal Bielakowski, 30, of Cambridge, was spotted attempting to remove concealed items from the store without paying for them.

Teresa Cardoso received a special commendation from the Board of Aldermen and Mayor Curtatone at the most recent Board meeting, honoring her 22 years of service as a Somerville School Committee Member.

By Erica Scharn

Three superintendents, four mayors, and six new or reconstructed schools later, Ward 2 Somerville School Committee member Teresa Cardoso is retiring from her position after 22 years of service.

Eagle Feathers #41– Illuminations

By Bob (Monty) Doherty

Everyone has heard of Thomas Edison, but did you know he had a Somerville link?  Charles Williams, who lived at One Arlington Street at the corner of Lincoln Street in East Somerville had a flourishing fire telegraph business in the 1860s and 1870s. Charles was an early pioneer of electronics and was on the cutting edge of this early technology.  He was a go-to person in the Boston area for people who had ideas but didn’t have the means or the equipment to bring them to fruition.

The announcement that Partners Healthcare will be placing a huge administrative office complex at Assembly Row is a welcome one, and we should be welcoming the organization with open arms.

This impressively large and well-operated company should prove to be quite a positive and dynamic addition to the Assembly Row mix.

St. Clement School excelled in 2013 fall sports, thanks to the dedicated coaches and participants in football, volleyball, soccer and cheerleading.

Saint Clement School has just completed an exciting and successful fall athletic season.  The smallest school in the Catholic Central Small League, Saint Clement fields fall teams in soccer, cheerleading, and volleyball for girls and football for boys.

Erik Fitzpatrick has been writing for the past 24 years.  He enjoys  writing poetry and working with imagery and also writes in the horror  fantasy genre.  He teaches creative writing workshops in Boston and has  read his poetry at various venues in the area. This is his first publication in The Somerville Times.

Arrests:
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Crystal Bielakowski, 30, of 240 Albany St., Cambridge, December 2, 11:35 a.m., arrested at 22 McGrath Hwy. on a charge of shoplifting by asportation.

Paul Venuti, 34, of 76 Ship Ave., Medford, December 2, 1:59 p.m., arrested on warrant charges of operation of a motor vehicle with a suspended license, receiving stolen property under $250, unarmed robbery, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.