By Charles Lane

Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°, will discuss contemporary media issues at the 11th annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism at Tufts University on Monday, April 11 at 12:00 p.m.

Edward R. Murrow Forum 360°: Beyond the Headlines with Anderson Cooper will take place in Cohen Auditorium on Tufts University’s Medford/Somerville campus. Tickets will be available for Tufts students, faculty and staff at the Cohen Box Office. 

This fall as part of the Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant, Somerville Public Schools introduced the Playworks recess program into five of the district’s K-8 schools. Playworks is designed to help schools develop and introduce a recess environment that provides a safer and more inclusive experience for all students. The West Somerville Neighborhood School (WSNS) has had great success in implementing the Playworks “Team Up” model, a new consultation model of the Playworks program.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Let’s talk about where you’re going to be next Wednesday. That evening at the Somerville High auditorium we have a big community meeting with state officials concerning the Green Line extension. Everybody is welcome to attend and that is roughly the amount of people we’d like see there: everybody.

“Jumbo Out of This World” theme for this year’s April 9 event

Medford and Somerville children in kindergarten through third grade are invited to attend this year’s Kids’ Day at Tufts University on Saturday, April 9, from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on the Medford/Somerville campus.

More than 125 participants attended “Growing Up in Somerville,” the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative’s first night of health, wellness and parenting workshops for caregivers of Somerville children, birth to high school age. Families representing Somerville’s diverse community came together to share in learning about raising healthy children. The evening began with opening remarks from Somerville Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper, who highlighted the importance of focusing on the whole child.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Dear Somervillians,

I would like to start a conversation regarding what I consider an issue in our beloved city: the significant amount of trash along the commuter rail line in East Somerville in a particular spot by the intersection of Walnut and Gilman Streets. I am not just talking about small pieces of plastic (which people should appropriately dispose anyway): I am talking about large pieces of furniture and similar items (hard to miss if you run or walk on Walnut St.).

By Josie Grove

While State Senator Patricia Jehlen contends that most elderly caregivers are doing good work, special efforts ought to be made to weed out and punish the bad ones.

There were over 7,000 confirmed cases of elder abuse in 2015, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. The count includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, neglect by a caregiver, self-neglect, and financial exploitation. If abuse is reported, the EOEA investigates the report, and protective services can intervene.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

The Duhamel Education Initiative’s 20th Annual Pancake Breakfast to support Somerville Public Schools took place on Saturday, April 2 at the First Church Congregational in Somerville.

Veteran educator brings nearly 2 decades of public school leadership experience

Alexander Mathews, a veteran public school leader in Boston, will be joining the Somerville Public Schools as the next Principal of the, announced Superintendent Mary Skipper.  Mr. Mathews is in his fifth year as Principal of the Boston Public School’s Sarah Greenwood K-8 School in Dorchester, and assumes the Argenziano School leadership position beginning in July 2016. Mr. Mathews succeeds Barbara O’Brien who announced her retirement earlier this year after six years as Principal of the Argenziano School and 45 years of employment with the Somerville Public Schools.

By Sal Ghamo

The Cambridge Health Alliance and the Somerville Police Department are both developing programs that will potentially lead to more effective drug addiction recovery methods.

It doesn’t matter if you come from a wealthy family or a poverty stricken one, anyone can be a victim of the detrimental effects that drugs have when abused. The increase in addiction and the long lasting effects of opioid abuse is just as evident in colleges as it is in prisons.