Somerville High class day is full of traditions. All seniors are recognized for what they are most proud of and their plans for next year. The class from 50 years prior, class of 1973 this year, is invited and acknowledged. Music, the passing of colors and even a more than 100-year-old spade play a part. This year there seems to be more variety in plans including at least ten students who said they are taking a gap year to work and travel before starting further schooling. Cheers to the SHS class of 2023!

By Ana Celerier Salcedo

The Housing and Community Development committee met on Tuesday, May 30, to listen to Susan Yerkes, the Director of Parks and Recreation for Somerville, discuss the waitlist process for programs currently being offered and the future of more community programs.

By Denise Provost

On Monday, June 5, under cloudy skies, Somerville city officials cut a ribbon to open ESCA Park. ESCA stands for East Somerville Citizens for Action, a grassroots organization that led the fight against construction of elevated I-93. That State Highway Department project involved the taking and demolition of many East Somerville homes and today exposes the neighborhood to toxic near-highway air pollution and noise.

A piece of fallen concrete found on a stairwell at Winter Hill Community School last week prompted an immediate shutdown of the building to students and staff. — Photo by Bobbie Toner

By Jim Clark

Somerville Schools officials and city administrators have been hard at work over the past week, looking for ways to safely and efficiently reassign students at Winter Hill Community School to alternative classrooms to finish out the school year after a piece of concrete fell onto a stairwell inside of the school last week.

— Photo courtesy of Somerville Neighborways

By Cassidy Beek

Somerville community members shared a mix of concerns and appreciation for the city’s Bike Network Plan during a public hearing held by The Somerville City Council Traffic and Parking Committee on Wednesday, May 31.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023! We wish them the best in the next exciting chapter of their lives.

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The Winter Hill Community School has closed for the remainder of the school year due to concrete falling from the ceiling of a stairwell. Everyone is grateful that no students were in that stairwell at the time and hoping the city will be assessing all the schools during the summer to look for any other issues before the next school year begins. For updates on the Winter Hill School visit https://somerville.k12.ma.us/alert.

The new Somerville High School includes a wheelchair-accessible entrance built during the building’s construction from 2018 to 2021. — Photos by Maile Blume

By Maile Blume

Somerville residents gathered over Zoom to share their concerns about the accessibility of the city, at a focus group held by the city’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Division last Thursday.

(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)

By Wilfred Mbah
Candidate for Somerville City Councilor at Large

The City Council held a lively public hearing last week at which residents and workers from neighborhoods around the city called on the council to correct a variety of procedural problems and a pro-developer bias in planning and zoning.

Senator Patricia Jehlen (D- Somerville) is happy to announce that the Senate recently approved a FY24 budget of $55.9 billion. It includes expansion of childcare funding, first steps toward free community college, and increased funding for the MBTA, thanks to $1 billion in revenue from the Fair Share Amendment. The most spirited debate in the Senate was on a Republican amendment to strike the plan to allow Massachusetts high school graduates without documents to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Senator Jehlen was pleased that this amendment was defeated 3-37, although it had previously been controversial.

Another year passes and we pause at this time to congratulate and honor the hard-working students who achieved their goal of successfully completing their courses of studies at their respective high schools and colleges.