Bromfield students took on the challenging task of representing the countries of Libya and Mexico last weekend in the 59th annual session of the Harvard University Model United Nations conference.

The second part in our "Profiling History" series continues with a look at an invention for the practical transportation of eggs.

The first of a new monthly feature from the Harvard Ambulance Service.

The Bromfield School will present a special Blu-ray screening of the award-winning documentary film "Connected" in the Cronin Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. The movie was co-written by a Bromfield graduate.

Penpa Tsering, a world-class Tibetan musician, singer and dancer, is coming to Harvard on Feb. 4 to perform a concert of traditional Tibetan music and song to benefit the Virginia Thurston Healing Garden.

Eagle Scouts run in the family for William Sullebarger. His father, two uncles, and a cousin all achieved the top rank in the Boy Scouts. Now the Harvard teen is attempting to do the same.

When I began volunteering at the dump a few months ago, I noticed an interesting innovation: the appearance of the assistance lane.

This week, the Bromfield Art Club collaborated with internationally acclaimed watercolorist and muralist Bruce Davidson on a three-panel painting of a Chinese dragon.

Trees, unlike animals, cannot move in order to avoid extreme winter conditions, and unlike many other plants, they don't have the option to overwinter as seeds or rhizomes.

Featuring performers from Tokyo to Tel Aviv, the Bromfield School hosted one of Boston's most prestigious and diverse student jazz groups last week.

The Harvard Public Library is taking advantage of internet technology to play host to authors who might not otherwise be able to visit.

In addition to being involved in small and large animal medicine, veterinarians play many other important roles.

"Doctors saved my life, but the Healing Garden saved my spirit."

Hildreth Elementary students were entertained with yo-yo artistry last Friday in a character-education assembly designed to promote positive attitudes, better behavior, and academic achievement.

Though the "week" lasted only three days, organizers are calling Bromfield's first-ever Spirit Week a great success, and they hope it will be the start of a new tradition.

Take a sip of Still River Winery's Apfel Eis wine and find yourself transported to an apple orchard on a crisp fall day. That magical effect has been achieved by the Holtzman family of Harvard.

I've been quite focused on waste management lately. Since beginning retirement this fall, I have been volunteering at our local facility most Wednesday mornings (because I can).

A purring cat appears to have achieved a state of total contentment; however, a cat's purr can mean other things as well.

Walk into the home of Mark and Mary Anne Morin and the first thing that strikes you are the family photos and the children's artwork displayed on the walls, bookcases, and mantel.

Harvard community members have until Dec. 12 to take part in the second annual charity event, the Giving Tree, sponsored by the student service organization Bromfield Cares.

Some mammals, such as the red fox, typically sleep out in the open. Most mammals, however, seek more protection from winter's freezing temperatures, cold winds, and snow.

For the past 16 years, the members of the Harvard Fire Department have been educating local children about how to protect themselves against fire.

80 Thoreau restaurant opened this year in the old depot building in downtown Concord

Was autumn olive juice, dandelion wine, hen-of-the-woods mushroom, or chestnut stuffing on the table this Thanksgiving?

A profile of Harvard's Loring Coleman

Local photographer Bob Hubert is asking town residents to recommend people who live or work in Harvard as subjects for a "class picture" of the town which he's calling "Towners: The Harvard Portrait Project."

On Friday, Nov. 4, the Harvard Historical Society held a Rags or Riches Roadshow. People were invited to bring their treasures and have them appraised.

Many homeowners were prepared for the October snowstorm and the power outages that came with it, having learned a few lessons from the ice storm in 2008 and Hurricane Irene this August.

April 2009 brought unwelcome news for the family of Margaret James, now a Hildreth Elementary School first grader. Margaret—known to her friends as Meg—was diagnosed with childhood leukemia.

As the lights come up on the opening scene in the evening of one-act plays presented by the Bromfield Drama Society, audience members see a stylized black and white set against a blue backdrop.

When Harvard residents Kate Deyst and Cindy Buhner started Growing Places Garden Project 10 years ago, they wanted to help low-income families provide fresh vegetables and herbs for themselves.

The story of Frankenstein, though maybe not the way audiences remember it, is coming to Harvard just in time for Halloween.

Jonathan Ortloff, nationally renowned organist, organ builder, and recording artist, is coming to Harvard next Friday to play the historically significant George Stevens pipe organ at the Harvard Historical Society.

Do you ever fantasize that you might have an undiscovered treasure in your attic or basement, or maybe sitting out in plain sight?

For the third year, educators at Hildreth Elementary School are applying a teaching philosophy called Habits of Mind, with the goal of enhancing their students' critical thinking skills.

The Annual Harvard Flea Market may be on a different date than usual this year, but organizers expect the event to be as well-attended and successful as it has been in the past.

About the only characteristic that holds true for any poison ivy plant is that its leaves are divided into three leaflets. Other than this, poison ivy is a master of disguise.

Q&A with Harvard Conservation Trust Executive Director Marylynn Gentry

When Mike Mintz, of Westcott Road, decided to give beekeeping a try two years ago. He quickly discovered that he was among many Harvard residents dabbling in an ancient hobby that dates back to 6000 B.C.

In the 1970s, a movement began on the West Coast for households and individuals to pool resources to buy health foods in bulk from farmers and small wholesalers and distribute them cheaply

There are two kinds of summer reading. Mine was of both kinds, with an interesting outcome.

It was a rude remark that sparked Bromfield sophomore Becky Morin to try out for the Maynard Tigers football team.

Nine years ago, lifelong Harvard resident Kit Holland discovered she was about to become a parent. Unfortunately, it was not to a child, but to her mother Katy.

About 15 Bromfield art students watched intently as images appeared on the laptop screen: a child huddled on a bed during Hurricane Tomas, a pair of manacled hands, a mother holding a baby, a handful of flower petals. Each picture symbolized a concept: fear, pain, hope, beauty.

Bromfield students, parents, and faculty members gathered at the old library to say farewell and good luck to longtime guidance counselor Cindy Hurley last Thursday.

For Jack Landry, becoming an Eagle Scout is the pinnacle of a scouting career he has stuck with from his earliest Cub Scout years.

What began as a craft fair fundraiser by the Harvard Lions Club is now, over two decades later, a multi-day extravaganza of activities, games, food, and music.

 Because porcupines are one of the largest rodents in New England, you would think that seeing one would be a common occurrence. However, it isn't for most of us.

As Harvard schools re-opened this week, students saw a number of new faces among the faculty. They also found some familiar teachers, aides, and learning assistants in different jobs.

Becoming a full-time fire chief has been a longtime goal of Richard Sicard, who assumed the post in Harvard in June after 22 years on call, first with the Lancaster Fire Department and most recently in Ashburnham.

Against the backdrop of its annual Peach Festival last weekend, Carlson Orchards celebrated the success of its solar array, installed a year ago.

Hildreth Elementary students will no longer be allowed to celebrate their birthdays in class with cupcakes, cookies, or any other edible treat.

After her first week on the job as director of the Harvard Council on Aging, Debbie Thompson is still smiling. More than that, she said, she is excited to be in Harvard, has liked the people she's met, and is looking forward to working hard for the seniors.

On her first official day of work, Dr. Linda Dwight, the incoming principal for the Hildreth Elementary School, looked amazingly relaxed and well organized.

Jonathan Feist, who lives in the 1791 Shaker Meetinghouse, and Elsa and Richard Stroh, owners of the historic Square House, opened their homes two weeks ago to Shaker history enthusiasts from across the country.

 Harvard residents Jeffrey and Lori Granville are looking to redefine typical gym workouts with the opening of their Acton branch of Koko FitClub, a training facility that Lori says is "more like a spa than a health club."

Those committed to eating locally may have been stymied about where to find grains and flours that weren’t trucked in from somewhere in the Midwest.

There is a movie star walking the halls of the Bromfield School. Well, almost.

This Fourth of July, an enthusiastic group of townspeople are reestablishing an old Harvard tradition

Sam Robbins is guest curator of the new exhibit at Fruitlands and was host of a walkthrough of the exhibit on a recent Sunday afternoon.

Children's librarian Abby Kingsbury talks about the library's upcoming summer programs.

A collection of positive themes characterized the Class of 2011, said those who taught and led the group of 107 young men and women throughout their years at Bromfield.

Fourth-grade students at Hildreth Elementary School pay attention to the weather—really close attention—thanks to their own weather monitoring station.

During May and June most black bears have an extensive courtship and mating season following their emergence from hibernation in April.

Harvard firefighters—joined by teams from Littleton, Bolton, and Boxborough—took advantage of a rare opportunity to practice a range of scenarios in a burning building under controlled circumstances.

Between May 20 and May 27 residents reported seeing a small black bear, presumably a young male, in various spots, from Fruitlands Museum on the west edge of town to Friendly Crossways Hostel on Littleton County Road on the east.

Four years ago, a small group of Harvard citizens turned their dedication to sustainability and organic living into a tangible initiative.

Elizabeth May, a remarkable woman who died at home on March 27 at the age of 103, had set aside most of her property on West Bare Hill Road for conservation land over the years and bequeathed the rest, including the house, to the Harvard Conservation Trust.

It isn’t every day that homeowners let someone offering a free service poke around in their house with a ladder and a flashlight, but we did a few weeks ago.

In James Dunlap's 92 years, he has made significant contributions of his time and resources to his town and his country.

When the Civil War split the nation apart 150 years ago, Harvard did its part, sending its quota of men to battle every year and taking care of their families at home.

The Mayo Clinic estimates that more than 1 percent of the population deals with some type of food allergy every day.

Anyone old enough to appreciate a wonderful story will love a visit to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, located just over an hour's drive from Harvard in the beautiful Pioneer Valley.

Moths, unlike many other insects, experience complete metamorphosis. The larva often looks so unlike the adult that, unless you knew differently, you would probably assume they were two different species.

Joan Lyons' integrated prekindergarten class at Hildreth Elementary School is a lively mix of 3- to 5-year-olds with a wide range of personalities, skills, and needs. But one thing the students have in common is a patient, caring teacher.

Recently, the Press spoke with West Bare Hill Road's Jon Panek about his career in volunteerism. Panek is chairman of the board at Massachusetts Audubon and vice-chairman of the board at Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry.

At the end of last year's Ducky Wucky River Race, the victorious red-billed winner belonged to Woodside Road's Louisa Roof.

Like the other Bromfield students who have accompanied Hudson doctor Brian Lisse on his annual medical mission trips to Nicaragua, Bromfield senior Elizabeth Noyes got a taste of life in a remote, poverty-stricken part of that country.

In 1996 Harvard parents and community members formed Harvard's Substance Abuse Task Force, which later launched Celebration, an after-prom alcohol-free event. On May 13, Celebration will once again provide a fun and safe all-night event for Bromfield juniors, seniors, and their dates.

Fruitlands Museum is one of the gems that make Harvard such a special place. Fruitlands opened for the 2011 season on April 15 to many changes, both in its structures and in its programs.

How many of your eight great-grandparents can you name? Where were they born? When did they die? The answers may be lost in the mists of time—or they may be as close as the Harvard Public Library.

Harvard's Virginia Thurston Healing Garden is celebrating 10 years of providing a community of support for women experiencing breast cancer.

The Bromfield Drama Society performed its rendition of The Yellow Boat, by David Saar, at the New England Drama Festival last Saturday, April 16.

While some people might hold on to the notion that domestic violence occurs mainly in cities or low-income areas, the Domestic Violence Services Network states that domestic violence is "prevalent in all cultures, all communities, and all neighborhoods..."

Harvard may not be the epicenter of earth-shaking news, but it does sometimes record it.

I love reading gardening books, especially during the winter and early spring, when I can imagine great things but don't yet actually have to get out there and do anything.

The design of wild ginger's flower, like that of all flowering plants, has more to do with attracting pollinators than putting on a show for humans.

"I can honestly say it was one of the worst experiences we've ever had," said Robin, the mother of three school-aged children, referring to their bout with head lice.

In Harvard, and in northern climes throughout the U.S., the flow of maple sap heralds the return of spring.

Four pages of pseudo news for April Fool's Day!

It might be hard to say who—guests or hosts—benefited the most recently, when the town welcomed 28 Japanese high school students for five days of English immersion and cultural exchange.

 Although there are few outward signs of such activity, the woods and fields are alive with mammals giving birth this month.

In the summer of 2005, Harvard residents Jon Fricchione and Conor Garrison borrowed a neglected laptop from Fricchione's father. But the two did not use the timeworn machine for school projects or work—it was for rock 'n' roll.

Students at the Bromfield School fulfill their passion for filmmaking through the new Bromfield film club.

Anna and Kelly Banker of Oak Hill Road, seniors at Lawrence Academy, have made it to the finals of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild's statewide drama festival with their original play, heartskin.

 “I've spent my whole career as a teacher, a principal, and as a superintendent for 24 years,” Joseph Connelly tells a gathering of Harvard residents, “and there wasn't one day I didn’t enjoy coming to work.”

Keeping a small flock of chickens is a popular pastime in Harvard, where owners sell their excess eggs for a few dollars from picnic coolers perched roadside throughout the town.

The Hildreth Elementary School playground has been the social focal point for students from preschool through the fifth grade for the last 23 years.

Saturday, March 19, ushers in the third annual Harvard Community Talent Show.

Walk out the back door of Town Hall, across the wide pavement area, into the door of the old fire station; dial the combination, and pull open the large, heavy, steel door. This is the routine Town Clerk Janet Vellante follows to access the town vault.

With the seemingly rapid growth of traditional-style Celtic music in the local area, it is hard to know which came first—the fiddle or the tune.

Want to be entertained? Visit Jonathan Feist's blog. This is his March 3rd entry.

This will be the fourth year of an inimitable program created for and performed by children—the Festival of Cultures.

If you haven't yet visited Jonathan Feist's blog, you're missing an entertaining read. His Jan. 2 entry offers something colorful and hopeful to focus on.

Most people don't know what it's like to be the one rushing into a burning building while everyone else is rushing out, but Harvard's interim Fire Chief Donald Hurme knows exactly what that feels like.

Although humans might like to take credit for the practice of recycling, we lag way behind other creatures when it comes to not wasting natural resources

In January 1977, a group of volunteers gathered together to solidify their efforts to ensure that no one in their town would go without something many people take for granted—transportation

Raising a family and teaching fifth grade in Harvard for 20 years have not dimmed Terry Monette's spirit for adventure.

Is a landfill solar system a possibility for Harvard? To find out, the Press turned to Harvard resident Steven Strong, president of Solar Design Associates.

On Feb. 5, local cofounders of Social Success in Schools, Donna Shea and Nadine Briggs, launched their new book, How to Make and Keep Friends: Tips for Kids to Overcome 50 Common Social Challenges.

The Press speaks with Jean and "Mac" McCrosky and with Stephanie and Paul Waite about love and marriage.

Twice a week, Blase Provitola's volunteer work takes him through the trap, a passage where one door clangs shut behind him before the one in front of him opens.

Sticking to your New Year's resolution to eat healthy is easy, if you're dining at the Wholesome Café.

 by Connie Larrabee

Although you won't find a ratings sticker on the front door, a new house for sale in Still River proudly boasts a Tier II designation from the Energy Star Home program.

Each Sunday, from January to March, you will find almost 80 children gathered in the Emerson School gymnasium in Bolton, playing basketball.

The Harvard Historical Society will host an open house this evening as part of its Organ Revival Concert Series, with proceeds benefiting the restoration of the Society's historically significant George Stevens pipe organ.

by Steve Peisch

The third in our series on local shopping

In the 33 years since Special Educator Ruth Schemel began teaching in Harvard, the school has had three name changes—first the Brown Building, then Harvard Elementary, and now Hildreth Elementary.

The second in our series on local shopping.

The Harvard Snowmobile Club is gearing up for the winter—clearing and grooming Harvard's trails.

Feeling hunger or knowing where our next meal will come from is not something that many of us will have to face. But it is a real fear for many of our friends and neighbors.

The Glean Team is a local group, only six months old, that is already having a big impact on local food assistance.

One quick glance at a White- or Red-breasted nuthatch, and its dapper appearance is unmistakable.

On Wednesday, Nov. 10, Hildreth Elementary School (HES) hosted a Veterans Day event for 22 local veterans.

Neighboring towns and some farther afield offer a number of festive events from now until the first of the year, imparting holiday spirit to all.

Although most of the land birds have migrated through by now, this is a good time of year to see migrating sea birds on the coast.

This Saturday, Nov. 13, Harvard will serve as the venue for some very unique talent. Three forms of ancient English ritual dance, including Long Sword, Rapper Sword, and Abbot's Bromley Horn, will be performed by local dance teams at Fruitlands Museum and the public library.

Committed to achieving success on their own terms, four Harvard women said "no" to the traditional 9-to-5 workplace: they became "momtrepreneurs."

The ice storm of 2008. Turning 40. Two young children under six. Living in a former Shaker meeting house (circa 1791) with a leaky slate roof. It's enough to bring on a mid-life crisis for anyone.

Prior to the mid-1970s the disappearance of monarch butterflies in the fall and their reappearance in the spring was a phenomenon not entirely understood. Migration was suspected, but the monarchs' destination remained unknown.

The Bromfield Drama Society will be performing its rendition of Plaza Suite by Neil Simon during the first two weekends of November.

About 85 teachers from Mosfellsbær, Iceland, received a warm welcome to Harvard last Sunday.

Seven houses—from antique to modern—will be open to the public during the Historical Society's House Tour and Arts Festival on Saturday, Nov. 6. Two of the houses on the tour date back to the town's incorporation in 1732.

While many products claim to prevent the sore throats, fevers, coughs, and aches of winter colds —or at least reduce their severity—simple, aerobic exercise could be your best defense.

On July 1, Holy Trinity Parish, which includes St. Theresa, the Little Flower, Church in Harvard and St. Francis Xavier Church in Bolton, welcomed a new pastor, Father Terence Kilcoyne.

Second-grade teacher Dawn-Marie Ayles found her niche in drama years ago when she starred in theater productions on the Bromfield stage. My classroom is now my stage," she says.

Bromfield Cares, a humanitarian club at the Bromfield School dedicated to helping families in need, has been a regular supporter of Relay for Life events, and this year is helping to organize a benefit concert that will take place Oct. 29.

Doug Bahniuk's bicycle ride across Alaska, a ride he had planned to help raise research money for Parkinson's Disease, has come and gone, and we were curious: How did it go?

A recent drizzly afternoon found groups of students, hand lenses and tape measures in hand, intently examining the headstones in the Town Center Cemetery, seemingly more interested in what grew on the stones than what lay beneath them.

A new band director has taken over the instrumental music department at the Bromfield School for the 2010-2011 school year.

Here in oil-dominated New England, natural gas has become an increasingly important fuel over the past half century, so news of any explosion inevitably raises the question of whether one could happen here in Harvard.

Visitors to the annual Native American event scheduled at Fruitlands Museum this weekend may feel as though they have traveled back in time as they watch the latest addition to the museum come to life.

A lot has changed since 1972. The president of the United States was Richard Nixon. The first episode of "The Price Is Right" with Bob Barker aired on CBS.  And Harvard's very first Columbus Day Weekend Flea Market was sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Harvard.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. They have had a presence in Harvard since 1914 and have become an important part of the community.

The Harvard Historical Society (HHS) is embarking on a campaign to raise funds to have its 1870 George Stevens pipe organ fully restored.

On Tuesday, Sept. 28, the resale shop operated by the Women's Alliance of the Harvard Unitarian Universalist Church will reopen for the season.

Rob Cullinane loves the fresh way his students look at the world. "They are like little sponges, soaking up whatever they can," he says.

Last week the Garden Club of Harvard completed its most recent project in a long history of civic beautification for the town: landscaping the entrance to the Hildreth Elementary School.

For six years, Harvard residents have cleared their calendars for the weekend-long Fall Festival, a local harbinger for the autumn season filled with crafts, music, food, and more.

In The Great Divorce Ilyon Woo tells the true story of Eunice Chapman, who in 1818 gained the first legislative divorce in the history of New York State and won back her civil rights.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Stone pillars of a Native American ceremonial ground stand around a deserted fire pit, human-like profiles on a larger-than-life compass.

On Aug. 13 Harvard welcomed its newest member to the business community—Harvard Academy of Dance.

"Went to Marblehead. It was four miles out of the way, but I wanted to see it."  —George Washington

If someone told you that navigating a 10-foot-high and 40-foot-long school bus around the narrow and often treacherous hills of Harvard was easy, you'd probably be somewhat skeptical.

What makes young people want to get good at something? What makes them catch fire, work hard, and persist despite difficulties? And, the all-important question—what can schools do to help kids bring the same passion and practice to academics that they bring to athletics and the arts.

The Harvard Conservation Trust will hold its first annual "Run for the Hills" 5K run on Sunday, Sept. 12, at the McCurdy Track.

Award-winning and nationally recognized physical education teacher Barbi Kelley is always on the move, and it doesn’t appear she’s about to slow down any time soon.

Fifteen Harvard residents joined a group of volunteers from churches around Massachusetts on July 11 for a week-long trip to Down East Maine to help combat the poor living conditions in that region.

Some residents are hoping for a cold winter, not just as a respite from the recent run of hot, dry weather, but for relief from the destructive pest evidenced by the snow-like dustings on their hemlock trees.

Fresh fish, bagels with cream cheese, homemade pasta, local honey, garden fresh veggies, herbs and live music—these are just a handful of delights to be experienced at the annual Harvard Farmers’ Market.

Blue Moon Farm is not your typical farm. Established about two years ago on Depot Road, the farm is in what some might call “a state of becoming.”

On Saturday, Aug. 21, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Old Littleton Road, the town of Harvard will be host to the Central Mass. Downhill, Flatland & Slide Jam Longboarding Competition.

There is a brief window of time, only six to eight weeks, when we are privy to the inner workings of red fox families.

 by Steve Peisch

Two Bromfield School seniors who graduated in June, Jacky McGoldrick and Mac Devlin, came away victorious at the Science Trivia Challenge at MIT in April, defeating several other high school teams from around the state in the process.

The Nashua River Watershed Association wants nine Massachusetts and two New Hampshire towns along the Nashua’s “main stem” to support a federal study of the river by the National Park Service that would test its suitability for designation as one of 160 Wild and Scenic Rivers in the United States

For the past 25 years, the families of children with life-threatening illnesses have made the journey to a peaceful retreat on the shores of Sebago Lake in Casco, Maine—Camp Sunshine. It is a place where they go to seek both emotional healing and a sense of normalcy.

If you were in the front yard on Thursday morning, June 24, in Still River, you may have seen an unusual sight: pristine automobiles from the early 1900s tooling along on the way up to Prospect Hill.

It is hard to imagine the Fourth of July in Harvard without the annual parade, festivities, and fireworks, but that was almost the case this year.

Speaking for the 19-member HES Playground Committee, Mary Traphagen asked the School Committee at its June 28 meeting to approve the proposed location for the new play area—right where the current playground now stands.

For the second time in its muster-competition history, Harvard’s Fire Department came home with the overall win at the 84th annual Wachusett Muster League competition in Sterling last weekend.

Joy Bahniuk is worried about the trip her brother, Doug, has planned for August, but says she admires his courage.

“When you come in from the woods or garden,” Kurt Hayes told the group of residents gathered at the library June 17 to hear his presentation on Lyme disease, “put your clothes in the dryer, and run it for 20 minutes.”

Up close, the familiar weed harvester, which went back into Bare Hill Pond Tuesday, shows its age—and a surprising revitalization.

"We moved here for the schools, 16 years ago,” Keith Cheveralls explained in a recent interview. Cheveralls, who is chairman of the School Committee, now seems to see a mild irony in that statement.

It will literally be “run for the hills” come Sept. 12 in Harvard. The Harvard Conservation Trust, with the Harvard Road Race Association, is sponsoring a 5K trail run through some of Harvard’s picturesque conservation land.

There are many excuses for not starting (or sticking to) an exercise program, but the most common, by far, is: “I just don’t have the time.”

Last Friday, on a gorgeous spring afternoon, members of the Class of 2010 walked onto the risers in front of Old Bromfield to begin the Bromfield School’s 131st commencement exercises.

After six years as elementary school principal in Harvard, Mary Beth Banios will move on to become assistant superintendent in Maynard.

The dry cleaning business owned and operated by Connie Dutton, located in the former post office on Mass. Ave., has been a fixture here since 2002. Recently Dutton decided to “go green.”

The Cast Iron Kitchen is at the site of the former Quarterdeck restaurant, next to the Quarterdeck Fish Market on Main Street in Maynard.

by Congresswoman Niki Tsongas

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics.

The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe is part of Houghton Mifflin’s “Scientists in the Field” series, and it tells a fascinating story in delightfully written prose and amazing photographs.

Currently, and by no fault of their own, there are 463,000 children in the United States, including 10,000 in Massachusetts, whose ties to their biological parents have been legally and permanently severed.

The Francis W. Parker Charter Essential School’s student-led Mock Trial team had its best season since 2000 this past March, reaching the Final Four round of a competition consisting of more than 100 schools statewide.

Just as some people are more at ease living in apartment houses, comforted by the proximity of fellow humans, some birds prefer to nest in groups, or colonies, surrounded by other birds

Who could imagine that a trip to Devens to do some hazardous waste recycling would turn into a fantastic getaway to a dream destination?

While the Brimfield Antique Show enjoys international renown, the tri-annual Antique Textile and Vintage Clothing Show held the day before Brimfield opens has a more cult reputation.

The Summer Fusion Camp enjoyed great success in its time at Lawrence Academy, and camp organizers hope to have the same success this summer, moving to the Bromfield School.

Musicians Mary Crowe and Evelyn Harris performed songs from the 1920s and early 1930s at Hildreth House on May 11.

On Saturday mornings at the Peter Pan Center on Ayer Road, you will find a small group of local children and their parents doing the “Tootie-ta.”

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

The Press recently spoke with Harvard resident Steve Beckman to find out what it’s like to be an adult volunteer on Harvard’s ambulance squad.

by Mary Egan and Erin Molinaro

 Tucked back at the end of a short lane off Elm Street on the Common, the recently completed Fellowship Building is welcoming and unimposing.

The Bromfield School’s National Art Honor Society, in only its second full year, is a rapidly-growing, flourishing community of student artists, thanks to a series of projects such as the Memory Project, aimed at connecting people through art.

Louisa Roof of Woodside Road was the grand-prize winner in the 20th annual Ducky Wucky River Race on May 8.

The American College of Sports Medicine has declared May to be “Exercise Is Medicine Month.” The ACSM is the premier organization for supporting scientific research into sports medicine, prevention and treatment of injuries, and the importance of physical condition as part of everyone’s health.

On 140 acres Carlson Orchards produces 60,000 bushels of apples, 5,000 baskets of peaches and nectarines, and more than 500,000 gallons of apple cider annually.

Fourteen of Bromfield’s varsity and junior varsity baseball players stepped up as camp counselors last week for the debut of the Harvard Spring Training Baseball Camp.

Recently, the Council on Aging created a position that would help the agency recruit and train volunteers. Harvard resident Laura Bridges stepped into the role as volunteer coordinator.

The upcoming second annual Harvard Friends of the Arts Talent Show will showcase the hidden talents of Harvard residents in a two-hour show at Volunteers Hall on April 30.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which is observed by millions of people in more than 180 countries.

Three Bromfield School band members are getting the chance of a lifetime this summer when they travel to Europe for the John Philip Sousa Collegiate European Tour.

When Fruitlands Museum reopens for the season on April 15, visitors will find two new additions that museum management hopes will enhance the Fruitlands experience.

Inspired by an animal safety organization created by an 11-year-old Virginian, Harvard pet lover Mary Compton purchased animal oxygen masks to donate to the local fire department.

The moment the Bromfield Drama Society has always assumed would never come is almost here: Michael McGarty, the Society’s leader for the last 34 years, will be retiring in June.

After nearly 50 years in Harvard, West Bare Hill Road resident Irene Mannix will be relocating to her native Scotland this weekend, to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.

Growing old in Harvard can be a real challenge sometimes, but Still River Road resident Phyllis Newman has never been one to let challenges deter her.

Singer-songwriter Ashley Jor­dan has been making waves in the music world recently. The Harvard teen released her debut album, Simple Love, on Feb. 12 and is working to launch her career in music.

If you visit Phil’s Apples at 24 Prospect Hill Road in Harvard in the fall, there’s a good chance you’ll find Phil Rymsha pressing cider.

by Ariel Jones-Mollod

Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz

On the first weekend of March my husband and I decided to take a trip to the “Quiet Corner” of Connecticut.

Exercise should play a major role in anyone’s fitness plan, but proper nutrition is equally important to overall health

Bromfield’s Model United Nations club, advised by world geography teacher Bryce Mattie, recently participated in the annual Harvard University Model UN conference.

Recently the Press spoke with Pam DeGregorio to discuss the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process and the role of the Special Education Department.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

From January 29 to February 5, I spent a week in Barahona, Dominican Republic, helping Haitian earthquake victims.

The third annual Festival of Cultures, sponsored by the Harvard Parent-Teacher Organization, is coming to Hildreth Elementary School this month.

“Welcome CBS,” said the sign in the lobby of Hildreth Elementary School, as students in teacher Maureen Keith’s fifth-grade classroom practiced for their network news debut.

The third article on the historic buildings in Harvard's town center.

The Bromfield Drama Society advanced through the preliminary round of the Massachusetts High School Drama Festival this past weekend.

While many students were taking advantage of the weeklong break from studies heralded by the arrival of Presidents Day, two Bromfield students were in a steamy village in Nicaragua, assisting in a medical clinic.

With bulletin boards, podcasts, rap songs, and a website, fifth-graders in Mrs. Keith’s class have banded together to put a stop to bullying wherever they see it

Pedestrians are getting used to the silence of an approaching Prius in its short-phased electric mode, but listeners would have to trail Steven and Marilyn Strong’s converted Prius more than 50 miles before hearing it switch over to conventional gasoline engine sounds.

A library has long been an important part of Harvard’s town center, but for close to 100 years a library existed without a building of its own.

When Google announced its “Google Fiber for Communities” experiment last week, and HarvardDSL (Harvard’s local connectivity discussion group) started buzzing, it quickly became clear that organization would be needed to channel energy and enthusiasm into a working plan.

The Bromfield School’s InvenTeam will travel to MIT to attend the EurekaFest convention this June and present its newest invention, an ultrasonic “cane” for the blind.

The first of several articles on the historic buildings in Harvard's town center.

Joseph Tuckerman and the Outdoor Church, by Harvard resident Jedediah Mannis, is the story of Mannis’ call to ministry—outdoor ministry to the dispossessed.

Exhibits at the Bromfield Science Fair ranged from a lemon-powered clock to studies of the H1N1 flu.

How is it that Harvard, which has the same cable service provider as does its neighbor Groton, a town of similar demographics, has by comparison such a meager community cable offering?

Who says there’s nothing to do in Harvard? Last Saturday night, there were two major events: The high school’s semiformal Snowball Dance and chefs Paul Correnty and Chris Basile’s cider dinner at Fruitlands.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics.

How many times have you gone to the grocery store and been shocked by the total, thinking, “Wow, how could I have spent that much?” as you look at the number of bags in the cart.

The first weeks I was in Haiti, in October 2008, the noise woke me up by 5:30 every morning.

If you stopped at the General Store for coffee Monday, you might have seen a man with a large camera propped on his shoulder, walking around the store filming Chef Paul dishing out soup or Adam Horowitz cutting samples of cheese.

Over the last four years, Kathy Schad has appeared in movies that were responsible for the entertainment of tens of millions of viewers and hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings.

When Tyler Borton, a talented Bromfield sophomore, heard about a Teen Idol competition, he jumped at the chance for his moment in the spotlight, and ultimately outperformed 17 other talented teens at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, placing third.

The Bromfield School has recently been selected by local news station WGBH along with 19 other Eastern Massachusetts high schools to compete on its televised High School Quiz Show, which will begin airing in March.

The Dec. 18 Press started a series on home emergency planning with a 72-hour winter storm emergency home supply list. This week we look at house preparations for winter.

Just a half-hour north and snug in the center of Lowell, the New England Quilt Museum is playing host to a stunning collection of 40 contemporary quilts made by master artists from all over the world.

I had wanted to return to Zambia ever since I returned from my previous trip there three years ago. Freshly graduated from Bromfield this year, I found myself with six months of time on my hands to do whatever I wanted.

“It was the biggest thing we’d seen in many years,” said Bob Mignard, Harvard’s fire chief and emergency management director, of last year’s devastating ice storm.

Does the Bromfield School adequately prepare its students for that formidable transition to freedom and advanced academia? The answer for three recent graduates is yes.

A 25th anniversary calls for more than a celebration; it calls for a special trip! What better way to celebrate than to float gently down the Rhone river in France on a “luxury barge.”

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics.

Two Harvard teens entered a world of “organized chaos” last summer and emerged after two weeks humbled, broken-hearted, and, most of all, gratified.

Israel is not like Harvard, as I discovered firsthand during my visit there from February to August this year.

The early drawdown is providing a unique opportunity for all of us to see what’s in our pond and to clean it up in ways we couldn’t do otherwise.

So you got yourself a new laptop computer at one of those sales on Black Friday? Or maybe you expect to get one some time during this holiday season. You would, of course, like to keep it running for a while?

In addition to overseeing town departments and executing a host of administrative responsibilities, the selectmen must also lead. How do they do it, and what does it take to be an effective member on a five-member board that cannot act unless at least three members agree?

The Board of Selectmen is the most powerful board among the more than 30 bodies responsible for governing the town, however, the members “have less authority in their towns than the governor does in the commonwealth, or the president does in the federal government, to say nothing of executives in the business world.”

Thirty seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-graders at the Bromfield School are getting ready to bring a musical tale of adolescent angst and nuclear catastrophe to the school’s stage.

The turkey may be the symbol of Thanksgiving, but no feast is complete without pie. No matter how much you eat, there's room for pie.

The Open Space and Recreation Plan, at its heart, an inventory of Harvard's protected and unprotected land, provides a model to be used to protect assets essential to maintaining Harvard's rural nature. The current plan is the fifth revision, with updates required every five years.

Cold weather will send many casual athletes indoors to stay fit. If you are thinking about dusting off some old dumbbells, how will you get started?

Presidential press coverage has changed a lot since the days when, according to Washington legend, journalist Anne Royal found President John Quincy Adams bathing in the Potomac and sat on his clothes until he agreed to answer her questions.

Our dog, Maggie, was truly an internationalist, a canine diplomat of sorts who lived all over the world.

After 20 years of toting firewood to heat our slightly too-passive solar home, we are done. Over the years we’ve become aware that many folks control the temperature of their houses by adjusting a little instrument on the wall.

Ben Myers went a long way this summer to see something astronomically special. The Westcott Road resident traveled to eastern China in July to view what NASA has calculated to be the longest total solar eclipse of the 21st century.

This Friday marks the opening of Bromfield’s theatre season as the Drama Society presents Michael Frayn’s fast-paced farce, Alarms and Excursions.

As the shadows lengthen, and night winds sigh in the boughs overhead, floorboards creak and doors have a mind of their own. It is all too easy to imagine that we are not alone in our homes, or on our walks, in Harvard.

Located in the heart of Lowell’s Art District, Heidi Feinstein’s Life Alive provides customers with a unique vegetarian experience.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics.

It might come as a surprise to Harvard residents that Harvard is smack in the middle of what geologists call an intraplate earthquake zone within the North American tectonic plate.

by Joan M. Shulman

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Each year, the Bromfield student body elects five representatives to serve on the student advisory council, a group of students who relay Bromfield happenings and student opinions to the School Committee.

Harvard has had an affordable housing plan since 2005. It satisfied state mandates, calling for 182 affordable units to be produced over 10 years. Now it is time to update the plan, and after five years, only a small fraction of housing envisioned by the plan has come to pass.

Harvard resident Julie Moberly will see one of her dreams take shape on Sunday, Oct. 11, when the company she founded, the Seasons Company, launches the inaugural edition of a new day planner she designed with women in mind.

This week we look at Chapter 5 of the 2002 master plan, which enumerates 34 specific action proposals, including description, timeline, estimated cost, priority, and boards/committees responsible for the action.

It’s fall again, and everyone knows what that means: college applications. Everyone from students to teachers to parents is feeling it—the stress, the overwhelming number of things to do, the dreaded essays, and quickly approaching deadlines.

Streamlined body, strong, wide front feet, lack of external ears, short appendages, velvety fur —everything about a mole is built for its subterranean existence. There is one species—the star-nosed mole—that has an additional, unique adaptive feature.

 Members and guests at the Sept. 28 meeting of the Garden Club of Harvard were treated to a talk by celebrity guest and master gardener Roger Swain, host of the PBS program The Victory Garden from 1980 to 2001, and former science editor of Horticulture magazine.

Launched in the spring of 2001, Harvard’s most recent Master Plan was adopted by the Planning Board on Nov. 4, 2002.

Everyone knows that exercise is good for you. Regular workouts can decrease the risk of heart disease, osteoarthritis, and Type II diabetes. But can it make you smarter?

Many people just need a little education and a jump start to make dramatic changes in their lives. For the past eight years, Growing Places Garden Project has helped families take that leap by providing fresh vegetables and health and nutrition education to economically disadvantaged residents.

Nestled under the pines on Mass. Ave. for 35 years, the Fiber Loft is the knitting world’s best-shared secret.

This week we launch a new Press column―“Harvard By Design.” In coming weeks, we will review each of Harvard's planning processes, including the planning period, the responsible planners, plan highlights, and prescribed actions.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month: the Obama speech.

Oft-forgotten in the discussion of cancer diseases is their impact on young adults—people who, when diagnosed, tend to be in the middle of setting down roots for the rest of their lives.

Sitting on the corner of West Bare Hill and Still River roads is a rather forlorn looking, dilapidated farmhouse that was recently being marketed as a “tear down.” That is, until an unlikely savior decided to restore the building to its original condition.

This field trip is designed to show off some of the best the town of Concord has to offer: its history, natural beauty, and best-kept secrets for fabulous food.

The Worcester Chamber Music Society will perform its “Vienna Serenade” Sept. 25 at the Harvard Unitarian Church. The program includes pieces by Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, and Mozart.

If a walk through your garden has led to the discovery of zucchinis large enough to feed a family of six, take heart.

The Harvard Lions Club Fall Festival is just around the corner, and the event, scheduled for three days this year—Sept. 18 to 20—is designed to be better than ever, according to Lions spokesperson Bob Kinnee.

As the new school year began, first- through fifth-graders at Harvard Elementary School found SMART Boards on the walls of their classrooms.

by Abby Alexander

Think back to second or third grade. What did you learn that is useful to you today? Reading and writing are valuable, of course. However, the traditional “three Rs” were only a small part of your education.

Harvard residents won’t have to wait until the next town meeting to sample Chef Paul Correnty’s soups.

Despite this summer’s weather, Harvard gardens are yielding vegetables worthy of blue ribbons at any county fair.

The Friends of the Harvard Public Library have announced that Bromfield student Melanie Walker is this year’s winner of the John F. Whitcomb Memorial Poetry Award.

I used to think of my garden only as a way to get great fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, and other vegetables during the summer. But in recent years my mind has turned to using what I grow, or purchase locally, year-round.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

More than 100 family members, friends, neighbors, and associates joined Shaker Road resident Erhart Muller at his home on Aug. 13 to celebrate his 100th birthday.

The tomato crop may have been ruined this summer, and the slugs may have eaten the lettuce crop, but the fruit has been delightful.

Two years after its debut in 2007, Harvard’s Farmers’ Market has become the largest such venture in Central Massachusetts and is still growing. The number of vendors has increased to 25; the season, which starts Aug. 22, has been extended to the end of October; and the new hours every Saturday are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

In June, I traveled to Rwanda with a small group from World Vision. This was my second trip to Africa with this organization that works worldwide to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. We would be staying less than an hour away from Volcanoes National Park, one of only two mountain gorilla habitats.

Nestled in the heart of Clinton, overlooking Central Park, the Museum of Russian Icons is a modern jewel box. And just a short drive around the corner is Ristorante Via Alto 27, an authentic Italian bistro.

Song of the Thrush

Freezing in June

The Burying Place

Sound and Silence

Adrift, Fifth St. John Pond, Maine

Saying Good-bye

Grandma

Since 1981, I’ve been putting together tours all over the world, as far afield as China and Russia, Machu Picchu, and the Galapagos Islands. So, a year ago, it was quite a change to select an American destination: a two-week combination land/cruise adventure to Alaska on Celebrity’s Millenium.

Newbury Street West, a unisex hair salon located inside the home of owner Sharon Ursch at 100 Still River Road, strives to create a comfortable, inviting experience for customers—one that keeps them coming back.

Headed off to college? Need a new laptop? Here’s the advice I recently gave to my college-bound niece.

She has entered Harvard’s Fourth of July pie-eating contest 10 times, and she has won 10 times. This summer, Sarah (Dickson) Maliszewski is ready to judge rather than compete, and she’s ready to share her training methods and secrets.

If it ever stops raining, people might actually be able to break out the bicycles and enjoy the summer. But if you’re one of those would-be cyclists, you’d better make sure you know the bicycling rules of the road.

As residents walk from the library toward Bare Hill Pond, and look into the woods on the right, they will now see a new wooden sign with a gracefully curved top. The sign is adjacent to the two wells that supply water for all users in the town center.

Fourth of July fireworks in June? It won’t happen this year, as in the past, in Harvard. Instead, Harvard will have an Independence Day celebration that includes fireworks, a road race, a parade, and field events, all within 24 hours.

Superstar Productions brings Honk! Jr., a musical “reimagining” of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling, to Harvard’s Bromfield School this weekend.

After the last shot Monday at the rain-delayed United States Open, the spotlight on United States Golf Association championships shifted to Redtail Golf Course at Devens as 156 women from around the world began competing on June 22 in the 33rd United States Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

On a summer evening in 1976, Vince Fedele, a Northeastern University engineering student, walked into The Coffee Connection in Harvard Square and tasted his first cup of specialty coffee. He smiles when he remembers the evening that would lead him on a journey to discover the art of coffee brewing.

Class Marshal Ben Landry led the 101 members of the Bromfield School graduating class of 2009 across the Bromfield playing fields and into the bleachers on June 5, asking them to take their seats on a cool spring evening to the last strains of Sigur Ros’ “Hippipolla.”

There are 285 military veterans in Harvard, which means that Dennis Lyddy, the town’s veterans’ agent, has his work cut out for him.

Imagine taking a sip or two of a sweet, golden nectar and finding yourself transported to an apple orchard on a crisp fall day. That seemingly magical goal has in fact been reached, if awards and accolades are any testament, by the Holtzman family of Harvard.

For the past two weeks I’ve been craving and struggling and whining to myself that I wanted to write a cute gnome story about the garden.

If you’re looking to expand your workout routine, there are several exercises that will help strengthen and tone all the major muscles of the upper thighs, hips, and seat.

The first thing a visitor sees when entering Claudia Jarratt’s home is a wall filled, floor to ceiling, with miniature rooms—a large Edwardian dollhouse.

A carrot was dangled before Harvard residents at a League of Women Voters forum on June 2 when officials raised the possibility that the development of Vicksburg Square could, in one fell swoop, meet much or all of the town’s affordable housing obligation.

Anyone who has lived in this area for 30 years or more will remember when the Nashua River was synonymous with pollution. At the lowest point of its life, in the 1960s, the smelly, green, sludge-filled river was named one of the 10 most polluted rivers in the country.

As the winter snow cover melted and the December ice storm’s devastation came back into full view, Mark Renczkowski wanted to do to something.

Recent Memorial Days have seen several generations of veterans at the front of Harvard’s parade. Veterans from World War II or the Korean War have stepped in unison with those young enough to be their sons or grandsons.

“Teaching is my passion,” he said. That’s not an unusual statement to hear from a professional educator, but those are the words of Harvard’s police chief, Ed Denmark.

Having to go out of town to buy seafood is now a thing of the past. Chris Basile, Harvard resident and owner of the Quarterdeck Fish Market in Maynard, is bringing cut-to-order seafood to the General Store every Wednesday and Friday.

Surprise and delight are the reactions the Celebration 2009 volunteers are hoping for tonight when juniors and seniors arrive to find their school transformed for Bromfield’s 13th annual all-night, after-prom party.

When this whole community-garden thing started, I had absolutely no interest in gardening. I’ve never grown an edible thing in my life, unless you count the sickly handful of tomato plants my husband, John, and I planted 10 years ago that eventually were consumed by tomato blight.

All Harvard resident Elizabeth Lowell was looking for was an immersion course in Spanish. What she found changed her life—and the lives of many others—forever.

The songs of birds have returned to Harvard, and with them the traditional signs of spring. As Mother’s Day fast approaches on May 10, Harvard residents are fortunate to have yet another way to celebrate it—the Apple Blossom Festival.

Not only do Harvard residents live in the historic heart of Johnny Appleseed country (the figure of folklore was born in Leominster), but they can also easily enjoy the beauty of a spring drive around town to see the magic of hillsides exploding in white.

by Terry Symula

You have surely seen them. They are out walking early and late in the day, whether it is raining, sleeting, or steaming hot. You may know them, but you may not know that there is a purpose to their strolls.

The Bromfield Music Department hosted the fourth biennial New England Region John Philip Sousa National Honors Band Festival from April 23 to 25.

If your arms need a bit of toning to look their best in summer tops and bathing suits, try these exercises to target the three main areas of your upper arms.

 Every Thursday night a group of about 15 students can be found gathered in Bromfield’s room 279, sharing pizza and trading ideas on perfecting the invention they created, which is destined to be unveiled in June at the 2009 EurekaFest at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

From 1705 until the mid-1800s, Harvard residents could visit a steady succession of drinking establishments within Harvard’s boundaries.

“I didn’t think he’d really come when I wrote to him,” said third-grader Henry Wilmont of his invitation to Gregory Maguire, author of about 30 children’s books and the best-selling novel Wicked, on which the Broadway musical of the same name is based.

The Cable Committee’s long search for a home came to an end when the Board of Selectmen voted on March 17 to designate space in the old public library for the use of the committee.

Last September, as we watched the clouds of smoke curl up from the attic of Sturdy Hall, it was hard to be hopeful about the future of the Harvard Historical Society.

The Harvard Parent-Teacher Organization’s second annual Festival of Cultures at Harvard Elementary School is two weeks away, and this year promises some new features and more opportunities for fun, according to PTO member Belinda Friedrich.

When Lily Baddour set out to learn about Reiki last April, she didn’t do it with the intention of starting a Reiki practice. But one thing led to another, and at the end of February she opened her own practice at Harvard Therapeutic Massage on Ayer Road.

Every January health clubs fill up with new members. Sadly, most will have given up their self-improvement plans before the last of the snow melts. Here are a few pointers on creating and sticking with a fitness plan that will become an integral part of your life.

If you feel spring coming and are itching for some green, the Farmers’ Market organizers think they have an answer for you—their first St. Patrick’s Day scavenger hunt, to be held Saturday, March 14.

Harvard Pro Musica was founded in 1969 by 18 singers. Today, its ranks have swollen to 35 to 40 members from Harvard, Acton, Ayer, Boxborough, and other towns. It is an example of what director Mark Bennett calls an “explosion of arts activities”: in these high-tech times, people are returning to the hallowed traditions of music, of connection and transcendence.

Thirty years ago, when his family lived in Boxford, Slough Road resident Bruce Perkins found an old sleigh at the town dump and brought it home. Even though it was in a state of disrepair, the sleigh remained in the front yard of the Perkins home during the winter months for years, as a decoration. Perkins always intended to restore it someday, he said, but always managed to put off the project—until last year.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month: What do you think is the biggest problem facing the world today?

After her 2002 Bromfield graduation, Emily Dorward may not have expected to find herself in Rwanda this June when her brother Sam graduates. Dorward left Monday for Washington, D.C., to begin Peace Corps training and a two-year assignment in Rwanda, continuing a path since high school that had been shaped by her interests in health, service, travel, and challenge.

by Chris Mohn

What gift could I, a white mother turning 60, and our son Erik, a young black man (Bromfield grad 2005, senior at Howard University) turning 22, share? We chose to be together on our Jan. 20 birthdays in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

by Kate Deyst

Months ago, my friend Janine, a Washington, D.C., resident, and I decided to spend Martin Luther King Jr. weekend together. It was only after the election that I realized that the presidential inauguration would occur that same weekend.

“Is this what you used to do in the olden days?” asked my 6-year-old granddaughter, Natalie, watching me read a book by candlelight. I decided not to get into a lecture on chronology.

As the door opens on the new year, we look back in fond remembrance at those Harvard residents, friends, and relatives we lost in 2008.

Kathy Comstock’s favorite book is Robert Louis Stevenson’s Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes. This story recounts the young Stevenson’s journey through a remote area of France, in search of adventure and himself. Vieilles Filles and Other Stories from France is Comstock’s collection of vignettes from her own years of wandering, reflecting, and enjoying life in France.

The ice storm of Dec. 11 left in its wake damage on a frightening scale and a power outage endured by residents for days, in the deep of an early winter. Everyone has a tale to tell about the experience.

During the Dec. 11 ice storm, Harvard’s citizens “stepped up to the plate; they were responsive and responsible, and that is the extraordinary thing that happened during this emergency,” said Adam Horowitz, proprietor of the General Store, earlier this week. “It was a great privilege to be here.”

In the aftermath of the Dec. 11 ice storm that left the town without power for just over a week in some areas, local businesses that didn’t depend on communication to function made out fairly well, while those that did had to scramble to continue operations.

by Marc Vilain

After four days without power, the LeBlancs of Candleberry Lane might have been weary of living without heat, water, and electricity. But on Monday evening, and facing another chilly night, the family of four revealed a hardy good humor and a streak of resiliency in describing how they were coping in the aftermath of Thursday night’s ice storm.

Given that we are in a recession and surrounded by ominous news at every turn, we wanted to know—how are local residents and businesses reacting?

In the excitement of the 2008 election, many have commented on the unprecedented interest and involvement of America’s youth. The members of Bromfield’s Student Advisory Council are no exception to this trend, as the council currently plays a more active role with the School Committee than ever before.

The holidays are a time when many people fall short of their fitness plans. But through some thoughtful gift ideas, this season could be the jump-start that your special someone might need.

Indian Hill Music of Littleton has announced that longtime benefactor Priscilla Endicott of Littleton County Road has created a charitable lead trust to benefit the organization. The trust will generate $100,000 in unrestricted income to Indian Hill Music for each of the next 20 years.

The Bromfield School has a reputation for high MCAS scores, record-breaking athletes, and an outstanding lunch program, and now, thanks to the efforts of Chef Paul Correnty, it may be establishing itself as a leader in school recycling.

Rachel Jorgensen

As people turn their attention to giving to local charities during the holiday season, the Press is happy to provide the following list of organizations, recommended by townspeople and staff as charities that are doing good work in the community.

Tammy Nuenighoff has been many things in her life: an interior decorator, a small business owner, a realtor, a wife and stay-at-home mother of two daughters. What she loves the most, though, is the fitness and personal training business she started 12 years ago after discovering the transformative power of exercise.

Who were all the people crammed into Volunteers Hall last Thursday night? One was Ken, who recently found two ticks crawling on him. Another was Karen, who had Lyme disease three years ago and is now concerned for her children. A man in the front row said he had Lyme three times.

For years Connie Larrabee has been lobbying her husband to drive with her across the country—specifically, to start in Provincetown and take Route 6 all the way to California. But the trip they took late this summer was better: a meandering almost-three-week journey with no set itinerary and no scheduled stops except for two nights on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

On Friday, Nov. 28, high school students Lizzie Douglas and Kristina Kronauer will present their second annual Thanksgiving concert at the Harvard Public Library. The concert will feature a Hayden piece in three movements, performed by a string quartet, and a Mozart piece performed by a flute quartet. The brains behind the event are also two of the musicians at its forefront: Kronauer plays viola, and Douglas plays flute.

President John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a watershed event for Harvard residents of a certain age, as Pearl Harbor was for the preceding generation, and the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, will be for the current generation. Many Harvard residents have vivid recollections of where they were when they first received news of the shooting and the strong emotions they shared with families and neighbors during the following days.

Last year the Harvard Council on Aging launched its Friendly Visitor program. The aim of the program is to match seniors with volunteers that provide companionship through weekly visits, phone calls, and outings.

The fictional Dr. Doolittle may outdo Brenda Baer and Judy Bourgeois of Bren-Lin Farm Pet Sitting when it comes to literally talking to the animals, but not by much. Baer and Bourgeois are local favorites of assorted furry, feathered, and scaly customers, as well as their two-legged owners.

Novels ought to end well. That’s not to say they need to end happily or earth-shatteringly. But we like to feel that the ending suits the rest of the book and that we can respect the author for crafting a story where everything adds up.

Gas prices have been dropping like a rock these last couple of weeks. Will it continue? Those who aren’t so sure might still be interested in local opportunities for entertainment and culture.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month: Which presidential candidate do you support in the 2008 election, and why?

South Shaker Road resident John Ferrillo, celebrated oboist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, will perform in Groton next month in John Ferrillo and Friends, a performance presented by Indian Hill Music, a nonprofit regional center for music education and performance in Littleton.

Superstar Productions, a local kids’ theater group founded by parent Kate Hoch, presents Disney’s The Jungle Book KIDS at the Harvard Elementary School cafeteria on Nov. 14 and 15. It is the latest in a string of successful shows for Superstar Productions, which put on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr. this past summer at the Cronin Auditorium.

Second-grade teacher Christopher Snell is proud of his students’ enthusiastic embrace of presidential politics. “I have been pleasantly surprised at how much they know,” Snell said this week as he wrapped up a unit on the presidential election.

A picturesque town with rolling green hills, a beautiful common, and glistening churches; it’s hard to believe Harvard has a dark, mysterious side. But as autumn winds whip shriveled leaves across the barren landscape, townsfolk draw close to the fireside and whisper tales of unnatural forces, misplaced bodies, and witchcraft.

There was no revelry in Harvard Oct. 31, 1756. 

Old Frog Pond Farm, which Linda Hoffman calls home, has provided inspiration for her sculptures and a setting for this summer’s outdoor sculpture exhibit sponsored by For Arts’ Sake.

Halloween will find Harvard’s Common filled with little ghosts, goblins, and beasties from all over Harvard and surrounding towns, roaming from house to house looking for candy, treats, or whatever other goodies homeowners might be willing to dispense.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Each spring at Annual Town Meeting and in the referendum election that follows, citizens are asked to vote on school and town budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. Development of the school budget begins in earnest in September when the School Committee provides guidance and direction to the superintendent and administrative council.

Continuing with a look at exercising core muscles, here are some tips for working the obliques, which define the waist, as well as some multi-tasking exercises that will hit a number of muscle groups at once.

East Bare Hill Road residents David and Pam Durrant were at the Museum of Russian Icons in Clinton Oct. 16, to greet visitors who were there for the grand opening of the new exhibit, Two Museums/One Culture.

Anyone over the age of 10 can enjoy an evening of ghoulish fun at the old library next Friday starting at 4:30 p.m., when the normally quiet building comes alive with whispers, howls, and other Halloween mayhem.

Since starting her life-coaching practice over a year ago, Debra Hickok has helped busy executives bring better balance to their personal lives, worked with at-home mothers making the transition to an empty nest, and helped a number of entrepreneurs start their new lives as business owners.

When the PTO Fall Fête sets sail on the “Cruise to Nowhere” Friday, Oct. 24, at the Marriott Springhill Suites on Devens, event chairman and cruise director Andra Evans will welcome aboard more than 200 passengers for an evening of dinner, dancing, and auction fun.

Puppies stole the show at the Farmers’ Market Oct. 4 as families gathered around the half dozen young dogs brought to the elementary school field by Great Dog Rescue New England (GDRNE).

Harvard schools’ chef and advocate for local foods Paul Correnty ladled out steaming cups of his harvest vegetable soup to an appreciative crowd at the Harvard Farmers’ Market last Saturday, when he teamed up with Vegetarian Times lifestyle magazine as part of the VT’s 2008 Farmers’ Market Tour.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Since Sept. 24, when the Department of Education released the results of the 2008 MCAS, my phone has been ringing with calls from educators and town officials from across the commonwealth inquiring about what Harvard did to generate such exceptional results.

With the presidential election less than four weeks away, campaign activity in both political camps has stepped up. Harvard has seen the formation of Harvard Women for Obama, a group that started meeting informally in early September at the home of Susie Macrae on Oak Hill Road to discuss politics and the road to the White House.

In 1971, Beeps Clark, Pat Jennings, and Chris Ready decided that there had to be a better way of raising money for Harvard’s League of Women Voters.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month:  What are the best and worst things about the start of the school year?

Sometimes in life there are things we’d rather not think about but which can bite us you-know-where if left unattended. Whether you’re new to living in an area with no town sewer, a confirmed Harvardite, or someone who plans to sell and needs to know what the state regs say, here’s a primer on the mysteries of the septic system.

Gail Martin is the artist behind Precious: A Year of Looking at my Stuff. Bit by bit, she created small paintings of everything from wastebaskets to sleepy cats. These paintings are snapshots of her life, her house, her belongings

Bill Ashe, environmentalist and longtime Harvard resident and volunteer, says he “favors return of jurisdiction over Devens because it brings a revenue base to the town. It provides a solution to Harvard’s financial problems long into the future. We could limit change because we would be in control of change,” he said in a recent interview.

“What does friendship mean to you?” These words floated onto my screen when I visited the website for Best Buddies, an organization that fosters one-on-one friendships and integrated employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Each year as part of our own required summer reading, the district leadership team selects a book from outside the field of education that we read together and discuss at our administrative retreat. This year that book was the New York Times and BusinessWeek bestseller, A Whole New Mind, by Daniel Pink.

Core strength is an important component of overall fitness. The core refers to the center of one’s body, basically from the bottom of the rib cage down through your hips. This is the home of the abdominal muscles, obliques, and the lower back.

We live in an old 19th-century farmhouse, and have discovered in the 30 years we’ve lived there that often what we set out to do in the way of improvements takes a left turn somewhere and turns what we think is a small project into an ordeal. So it was with the solar water heater.

Victor Normand, former MassDevelopment executive and Harvard citizen, commented last week on the recent activities related to disposition of Devens. Normand said he was speaking not as a representative of MassDevelopment, where he worked until recently, but rather as a citizen and someone who, as a result of long experience at MassDevelopment, may have unique insights into the Devens disposition question.

The new school year got off to a smooth start at the elementary school, Principal Mary Beth Banios said in an interview last Wednesday morning. An upbeat Banios went over what she and her staff hope to achieve in the coming year, and talked about what’s new at the school.

The pursuit of sustainability is what drives Sarah Tracey. A love of community, people, and the earth is what inspires her.

At Bromfield, the name “Wabun” has come to hold meaning for many students. Though only a small percentage of students actually attend this rugged Canadian canoeing camp, many have heard all about Wabun at one point or another, as anecdotes from campers have found their way into almost any conversation.

Erin Walsh Suchecki, Bromfield Class of 1999, has come full circle. She is now presiding over her own classroom at Bromfield, working to pass on her love of reading and writing to another generation of students as the new seventh-grade English teacher.

The Press had a chance to pose some questions to Superintendent Thomas Jefferson this week, before the start of the new school year.

Even the lack of a true summer vacation doesn’t keep Bromfield Principal Jim O’Shea from looking forward to the first day of school.

Old Schoolhouse Road resident Bob Eubank and Oak Hill Road resident Cindy Russo are candidates for the Town Moderator position vacated by David “Doc” Westerling.

Local farms and orchards are gearing up for their pick-your-own season, which at some places comes with hayrides, music, and more.

Last week the news broke that an infestation of Asian long-horned beetles had been discovered in Worcester trees

Like many people these days, I have been concerned about the skyrocketing oil prices and wondering what they will do to my pocketbook when winter rolls around. My husband and I live in an old 10-room farmhouse (early 1800s) in Bolton, and there are limits to what we can do to wean our household off of oil.

Does it hurt? It’s a basic rule of journalism to lead a story with the point of greatest interest to readers, and pain is unquestionably the issue with acupuncture.

Lunenburg resident Jen Benson, a Democrat, and Boxborough resident Kurt Hayes, a Republican, are candidates for the 37th Middlesex District’s state representative seat being vacated by Jamie Eldridge in his bid to replace Pam Resor in the state Senate.

Cindy Russo and Bob Eubank, the two candidates for Town Moderator, told the Press this week that they are looking forward to an opportunity to continue serving the town. Each hopes to get the nod from voters at the Sept. 16 special election.

Call it Kismet. I was in the archive room at the Historical Society one day last summer, looking at some things brought to the Society from storage upstairs in the old library. Among them was a watercolor of a summer day at Bare Hill Pond, boats bobbing on the water, figures in bright bathing suits standing at the water’s edge.

Energy-conscious school Director of Maintenance Mark Force has been on a mission to tighten up energy use in Harvard’s schools since he arrived on the scene five months ago.

This year I really took the “eat local” theme to heart. Determined to grow as much of my own food as possible, I planted the biggest garden I’ve ever had in my life. I planted just about everything from a to z: acorn squash, beets, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, green beans, horseradish, lettuce, melons, potatoes, tomatoes, and zucchini.

For those who want to keep up strength training on the road this summer, a 4-foot resistance band is the only extra thing you’ll have to pack.

Inspired by the towering tree sculptures newly installed throughout the Fruitlands landscape, six poets will gather Sunday afternoon to read poems laced with metaphors of trees and their place in human lives.

The year-old public library in the center of town is about to receive its second major award. This one—a national award from the journal Building Design and Construction—will be bestowed next month. Earlier this year, the library won a preservation award from the Massachusetts Historical Commission.

When the Vikings discovered the new world in the tenth century, to their delight, they found it covered with wild grapes—perhaps the wild fox grapes that grow exuberantly over much of my yard. Optimistically, they dubbed it “Vineland,” with high hopes that endless barrels of fine wine would be forthcoming

Bare Hill Pond may have its weeds, but the Nashua River, ponds, and wetlands across the state are being threatened—as they have been since the 19th century—by purple loostrife.

Excerpt from a manuscript by Jean McCrosky, Old Littleton Road

Poetry by Sharon Ohlin, Littleton Road

Photography by Sue Fitterman, Myrick Lane

Poetry by Mary Essary, Stow Road

Poetry by Lynda King, Bolton

Poetry by Kathy Bunnell, Bowers Road

Photography by Lisa Aciukewicz, Depot Road

Poetry by Gwyneth Burns, Ayer Road, Grade 5

Poetry by Michael Henry, Ayer Road

Picking berries in the summer is a rite of passage, and doing so with family or a good friend is very special. In Harvard berries are plentiful at Carlson’s, Westward, and Doe Orchards, and in surrounding towns there are numerous roadside stands selling fresh berries.

Visitors to this season’s Harvard Farmers’ Market will see several new vendors, among them Taza Chocolates from Somerville, a company that advertises as “the only maker of 100 percent stone-ground chocolate in the United States.”

Ann Kivaa sometimes imagines she is a branch of a tree, a supporting beam for the many smaller branches that spread and leaf out below her.

Matt Schmidt was born with cerebral palsy. For most, this would be daunting, an all-consuming challenge that would leave little room for anything other than coping with the immediacies of the disability. But that wouldn’t be his style.

The General is back. And on July 4, as a crowd gathered on Mass Ave. for Harvard’s Independence Day parade, he was commanding a whole lot of attention.

Experiences in a student musical gave Amanda Robinson the inspiration for her poem “Production Week Blues”—this year’s winner of the John F. Whitcomb Memorial Poetry Award, sponsored by the Friends of the Harvard Public Library.

The Bromfield Invention Club (BIC) plans to help blind and visually impaired individuals by creating a unique cane-like device to help them navigate their environments safely and confidently.

Fruitlands will be the setting for an evening of fun and fashion Thursday, Sept. 18, when the Friends of the Council on Aging put on the first-ever Fall into Fashion show, featuring both dressy and casual clothing from Gould’s of Acton.

Summer is finally here! I love this time of the year because it means we are outside more with our dogs, enjoying the water, trails, and sunshine.

Police told the Press this week that state laws regarding illegal fireworks will be “vigorously enforced.”

The Harvard Community Garden on Littleton Road, organized by Harvard Local, has attracted gardeners with a range of experience, from neophytes to people with thriving backyard gardens.

After its resounding success last fall, the Harvard Farmers’ Market will return this year, 50 percent bigger and with customers already anticipating lush August tomatoes, fresh bread, home-grown potatoes, local grass-fed beef, delicate Asian greens, and a vibrant scene of community and music

Celebrating our nation’s Independence Day has become synonymous with the all-American barbecue.

With the approach of our country’s 232nd birthday, I thought it would be a good time to brush up on proper flag protocol, and see how it compares to what I was taught.

Harvard residents know their firefighters are the best. But now they have the title to prove it.

It will be a meeting place, a showcase, a gallery, and a studio. It will offer the opportunity for all ages to explore—under expert guidance—silkscreening, jewelry making, sewing, surface design on fabric, and felting. It is Art and Cloth, a new business venture by Bromfield art teacher Sharon Chandler and her daughter, Rachel Manly.

A couple of hours volunteering at the transfer station turned into a nightmare for a Harvard resident one recent Saturday after he was jabbed in the hand by a needle protruding from a plastic milk jug left at the recycling table.

Driving around Harvard it is not uncommon to see gardens and signs proclaiming “eggs for sale” or “honey for sale.” Besides the larger businesses such as Carlson Orchards, Doe Orchards, and Willard’s farm, households in Harvard raise a panoply of crops.

Marching in perfect cadence to the strains of “Bittersweet Symphony,” the Bromfield class of 2008 followed marshall Sam Peisch across the playing field and into the stands last Friday evening to begin the 129th year of commencement exercises.

A tour along Jackson and Antietam roads

When Littleton Road residents Wendy and Michael Eldredge were awakened early last Saturday morning by their barking dogs, the last thing they expected to see was a black bear foraging through the birdfeeders.

Reviews of Why We Garden by JimNollman and A Garden of One's Own by Elsa Bakalar.

Now’s your chance to get rid of those extra bikes cluttering up your garage.

2008 Bromfield grads list their post-graduation plans.

Lettuce, carrots, and parsley were probably not the only edibles Peter Rabbit consumed in Mr. McGregor’s garden. No doubt he also nibbled on a few of Mrs. McGregor’s flowers.

Most people know that stretching is a good thing to do, but few actually do it. Here are a few pointers to help you incorporate stretching into your spring routine.

This summer beach-goers at Bare Hill Pond will see a familiar face on the waterfront. Elizabeth “Bizzy” Herbolsheimer, a member of the beach staff for 15 years under the management of longtime waterfront director Nancy Brown, will step in to fill the void left by Brown’s passing last year

A tour along Barnum Road

Thirty flags flew on the Common for the first time this Memorial Day, in memory of Harvard firefighter Alan Rouvel, who died last year at age 55.

It’s Saturday morning at 8:26, and I see it in the bathroom mirror—a tick embedded in my back. And it’s mighty big. I let out a yell. By 8:28 my husband has responded dutifully, the disgusting creature has been extracted, and promptly dispatched to what we call “the death jar,” a marmalade jar filled with hydrogen peroxide.

Residents are finding that their biggest investments—those homes—seem to be losing value almost as fast as fuel prices are rising.

Harvard Community Theatre members are dreaming about bringing home a huge silver trophy engraved with “Best of Festival” as they prepare to present The Mistress Cycle at the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theaters annual festival.

There are good reasons to reduce our use of plastics. It sounds like a daunting challenge, but as with any such challenge it’s best to tackle it one step at a time. Think of the plastics that fill your life, and start with the ones that are real throwaways: plastic bottles, plastic grocery bags, plastic wrap, plastic tableware, and the like.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month:  What is your opinion on school start time? Do you think that a later start to the school day would be beneficial to students?

Must-see spots at the former Army fort

If you happen to drive by the Emerson and Florence Sawyer School grounds in Bolton on Sunday, June 8, you’re likely to see nearly 100 kids riding their bikes, all for a good cause.

You might think that the anti-pollution TV ad campaigns of the 1970s—“Give a Hoot–Don’t Pollute” (Woody Owl), or the crying Indian making his way by canoe up a trash-filled river—would have been enough to make people stop littering, and to teach their children to do the same.

After watching the show Wife Swap one evening, Barton Road resident Joy Tower filled out the online application to be on the show, as a lark. After being selected to be on the program last fall, life has been anything but dull—particularly after the Towers’ episode of Wife Swap aired on April 30.

When the three chairmen of Celebration 2008 throw open the doors at Bromfield tonight to welcome the community to the annual open house, they are sure the makeover of the school will take everyone’s breath away

A new student Environmental Club has set a tough goal for itself: getting 150 households in town to participate in National Grid’s GreenStart renewable energy program.

On Saturday, May 17, the Garden Club of Harvard will hold its annual plant sale on the Common from 9 a.m. to noon, rain, snow, or shine.

Sue Podzycki has listened to police and fire radios for nearly as long as she can remember. Her father, Jack Burdick, was Harvard’s fire chief for 27 years, and for many of those years the Burdick house on Depot Road was the town’s emergency command center.

What could homeless military veterans, newborn babies in Bangladesh, and inner-city kids in Boston possibly have in common? As it happens, there are people in each of these far-flung groups who are now sporting warm, hand-knit hats, lovingly made by Harvard women over the last three years.

Bromfield physical education teacher Sue Silver says her motives were “a little selfish” when she asked Harvard Police Officer Kimberly Murphy to create a Safety for Women presentation for Bromfield upperclassmen.

I arrived on the unit one late summer night. Michelle A. told me she had a patient for me and I knew that patient might fall between being a cute infant with nervous parents to a confused elderly “jumper.” This time the patient was Jason, a 13-year-old, newly diagnosed diabetic

A dozen high school students had a chance to indulge one of their passions during April vacation, thanks to the combined efforts of the town’s Cable Committee, the Parent Teacher Organization, and Superintendent Tom Jefferson.

They look beautiful in the nursery and thrive in the New England climate, but many popular plant species are really outsiders that now threaten the native plants of the region, and may permanently alter the landscape if left unchecked.

Walk into any meeting of the Nashoba Valley Knitters’ Guild, and you might think you’ve hit the best party in town. One night a month more than 20 knitters gather together to do what they love best: stitch and talk, stitch and learn, stitch and show.

by Milly Chandler and Marge Darby

For 270 years Harvard residents have participated in the life of the 2,700 acres now known as Devens. They have watched it change from a farming community known as Shabikin to Camp Devens where young men were trained for military life, to the induction center for all of New England during World War I, through World War II, Vietnam, and Desert Storm, to the closing of Fort Devens in 1994.

The concrete bunker next to McCurdy Track is finally getting a facelift. Currently covered with a blue tarp and plywood, it will soon fulfill its original purpose as foundation for a field house.

Ask any grade-school child what he or she likes best about school and the answer will be unanimous—it’s recess. And recess isn’t recess without a playground.

It has been said that there is a “perfect storm” brewing for renewable energy: the twin threats of climate change and fossil fuel depletion.

by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools

Call it chance, karma, kismet, or fate—Charlie Sennott likes to talk about the serendipity that seemed to lead him and his family to the home on Bolton Road, where they’ve lived since 2006.

Conceived in wintertime a year ago and brought to fruition this spring, the inaugural issue of the journal Wild Apples will be presented by its founders at a party celebrating the magazine’s debut Thursday, May 1, at Fruitlands. The journal is a full-color collection of the work of local photographers, artists, poets, and essayists.

McGarty’s expertise in making drama a vibrant and meaningful experience for Bromfield students has led some to pursue it as their life’s calling. Los Angeles and New York are lousy with Bromfield alumni who are pursuing professions in the performing arts. Jenny Giering is one of those—and a true success story

Bromfield senior Clara Wool came across her third opportunity to accompany a mission trip to Nicaragua when she participated in the “Nashoba in Nicaragua” contest last fall.

Attending the upcoming orientation session for the Harvard Ambulance Service EMT-Basic cadet program on April 29 would be a great chance for townspeople to see what training for service on the squad entails, as well as hear about the rich rewards of performing a valuable service to the community.

When most people take on the task of sorting through the goods in grandma’s attic, it’s more often seen as a chore than a chance for discovery. But when Lynda King’s family searched through her grandparents’ home after their deaths, they unearthed priceless family treasures, among them the Civil War diaries of her great-grandparents.

Anthony Marolda is well-informed, tenacious, and opinionated. And in his opinion, Harvard is under siege, some of its well-intentioned officials fiddling while the town burns. The Harvard Slow Growth Initiative, which he recently founded with like-minded citizens, seeks to dampen the flames and set a new course.

It started with a phone message from Phyllis Newman: “Here’s an idea. Why don’t you try to find out who has the gold-headed cane?”

Chris Niedzinski was looking for a way out. After leaving Harvard 10 years earlier, he’d wandered through Rhode Island, New York, Colorado, and California. Now he scanned the San Diego docks for a boat to take him farther west, out into the blue Pacific.

Bob Eubank believes that it’s important to hear everyone’s point of view. “I don’t believe in factionalism,” he says. “I believe that everyone’s got something good to say and offer.”

One of the signature social events in town, the Harvard Schools Trust’s annual Dinner Theater Gala will be held Saturday, April 5.

Third in a three-part series
My husband found his calling this winter; I now call him the Maple King.

Spring has sprung, and fifth-graders at Harvard Elementary are eagerly looking forward to one of the highlights of their school year: a weeklong camping trip to Nature’s Classroom.

If you visit the website of the General Store, www.harvardgeneralstore.com, you’ll see an interactive graphic showing the store of today, and the hoped-for store of tomorrow. This Flash presentation was created by the graphic arts class at Bromfield.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month:  Of all the classes you’ve taken at Bromfield, which do you feel will be most applicable in the real world?

As elegant in person as the exquisite and crisply tailored boxes of treats she sends around the globe, baker and businesswoman Sue George, of West Bare Hill Road, is still astonished by the success of the Harvard Sweet Boutique, the online gourmet baking business she launched just over a year ago.

Second in a three-part series
Last year what started out as a lark at my house, “Hey, let’s have a sap boil!” ended with my husband and son reminding me that it was much easier to buy the stuff at the store.

by Emma Hall and Fiona Shea, Bromfield seventh-graders

by Betty Marr

When I was a teenager growing up in Harvard during the 1950s, town center was very different from what it is today.

Tom Cooke, a senior at Bromfield, and Nick Ostertag, a freshman at Monty Tech, capped their Boy Scouting careers with the ultimate award for service.

At the end of December Army Specialist Jonathan Farwell was in Afghanistan with his unit, the 173rd Airborne. Now he is in San Antonio, Texas recovering from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device (IED) was remotely detonated under a Humvee he was driving.

In our rush to teach reading and math at younger and younger ages, are we pushing children out of an essential part of childhood—play?

Bromfield junior Sam Peisch has been selected as a winner in the International Bentley Tomorrow25 competition. The program, organized in cooperation with Time magazine, honors students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership.

Harvard Elementary School students and their parents will have the chance to travel the world in two hours Friday, March 14, during the PTO’s first-ever Festival of Cultures

I first heard about art lab when I saw an intriguing notice tucked away on an inside page of the student newspaper, the Bromfield Mirror, inviting “kids and adult members of the Bromfield and Harvard community” to drop by art teacher Sharon Chandler’s classroom after school on Mondays.

A recent Beanie Baby drive organized by Bromfield students Sam Peisch and Josh Lyvers made it possible for Harvard residents to reach out and comfort children in Afghanistan.

by Rick Wood

Bromfield junior Helen Kilian caught the attention of Deborah Pierce’s biology class late last month when she showed a slide predicting that the Massachusetts climate will resemble South Carolina’s by 2070, if the world does not reduce its carbon dioxide emissions.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month: Instead of being at school, I'd rather be ...

They sound like experiments out of an MIT lab: “The effect of density on projectile motion launches,” “Understanding HIV,” “Bridge failure mitigation opportunities.” But they are experiments that were among the winners at this year’s Bromfield School Science Fair.

by Al Chadwick

Teaching women to take charge of their own safety is the number-one goal of the Rape Aggression Defense System (R.A.D.) class, said Harvard police officer and certified R.A.D. instructor Danielle Paganelli.

I have been a family researcher for a number of years, and have searched in online databases, town halls, and even graveyards for my ancestors. I had heard that Harvard had a good genealogy collection and recently decided to do some exploration there.

The recent production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters at the library set me to thinking about other works of literature that are composed exclusively of letters.

For such a small school, Bromfield’s sports teams do remarkably well, with many winning league or even state championships, Athletic Director Pam Alexander told the School Committee at Monday night’s school board meeting

A local radio talk show host, Michael Graham, said last week, “Valentine’s Day is about all the stuff we (men) stink at.” A.R. Gurney’s commentary on men and women is a bit more sophisticated in his play, "Love Letters", being performed the next two weekends—before and after Valentine’s Day—in Volunteers Hall at the Harvard Public Library.

Oak Ridge Observatory has been scanning the skies above Harvard for more than 75 years. Once a center for tracking minor planets and gas clouds, it now searches outer space for signs of intelligence.

The town caucus is coming up Feb. 2, and there are many slots to be filled. If you are considering throwing your hat into the ring, here are some things to know about the open positions.

After my husband and I were married for a few years, I mentioned to him that we really needed a dog in our family.

A group of gardeners and would-be gardeners came together this week to discuss creating a local community garden.

A cold January night last week was a fitting time for energy engineer Mark Kelley to pass along some professional wisdom as he answered homeowners’ questions in a Home Energy Q & A Night sponsored by Harvard Local at the library’s Volunteers Hall.

Cindy Riddle appears to be living a life many would dream about, but Riddle found out in April that she is one of only 15,000 to 30,000 people in the whole country who suffer from a disease called inclusion body myositis, or IBM.

by Donald Foss

Back in the 1930s Bob Sheehan ran the post office as if it were the Bank of England. Nobody got inside the inner sanctum door! The post office at that time was in the library building—up the front steps, door to the right.

A remarkable number of Harvard natives work in Los Angeles in the entertainment industry, and three of them were home for the holidays and available for a chat with the Harvard Press. All said LA could not be more different from their home town, but that they thrive on the adrenaline of the industry and the endless creative possibilities they see there.

Did you ever wonder what becomes of deer who don’t survive the car vs. deer encounters so frequently reported in the police log? According to Harvard Animal Control Officer Paul Willard, some of them are actually claimed for human consumption.

What’s on the minds of Bromfield students? The Press asks them to weigh in on a variety of topics. This month: What is your opinion on the amount of homework assigned at Bromfield? How much time do you usually spend on homework each night, and do you consider that to be too much, just enough, or not enough?

When some people think about retirement they think about downsizing and simplifying their lives, but not Rosemary and Vahan Martirosian of Weston.

“You can never give more than you get.” Such are the words by which Mimmu Sloan lives her life. In these days of entitlement and material acquisition, hers is a rare and inspiring philosophy.

If you visit the Cronin Auditorium next weekend, you’ll find ancient China in all its glory, when Superstar Productions mounts its production of Disney’s Mulan Jr., the story of a young Chinese girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to join the army and defend her country from the Huns.

If you could judge the quality of a project by its scaffolding, then the current work on the Shaker herb drying house in Shaker Village would get high marks.

In the spirit of the holidays, a 4-H group in Harvard got together in November to bake treats for a soldier in Iraq, a friend of one of the 4-H families.

All week I have been humming the tune to “Feed My Lambs”, the song the angels danced to last Sunday in the 41st annual town Christmas pageant. I cannot seem to get it out of my head.

The old library was abuzz last Friday night as Harvard’s artists and art enthusiasts gathered for a reception honoring those who entered their work in the first-ever exhibit of local art, sponsored by the newly-formed group For Art’s Sake.

Charlie Damitz, co-owner of the Harvard Veterinary Clinic on Ayer Road, leads a double life. He keeps our pets healthy by day and writes children’s stories by night. His latest book, Diving for El Corazon, tells the tale of a young boy who befriends a school of dolphins.

by Greg Schmidt