Wakefield Comedians Lending Their Talents to PTO Fundraiser

Greenwood PTO's "Laugh at Ourselves" fundraiser tonight at Knights of Columbus Hall on North Ave. features Jim Colliton and Dan Lee - Wakefield parents and stand-up comedians.

Two Wakefield parents are lending their talents as stand-up comedians to tonight's "Laugh at Ourselves" fundraiser for the Greenwood PTO. The event is 7 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Hall on North Ave. In a recent conversation with Wakefield Patch, Jim Colliton, a 12-year town resident, said that he's been a professional comedian for about that long. Colliton grew up in Bedford with no family members involved in entertainment he said, although by the time he became a student at Fitchburg State, roommates were regularly telling him he was funny. Motivated in part by an unsatisfying job at the time, Colliton said he started doing some open mic nights at places like The Comedy Vault and Nick's Comedy Stop. "It was a reality slap," he said …

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What's Up, Wakefield?

5 Things: Missing Man Found in Haverhill

Five things worth knowing today, March 21, 2012, in Wakefield, MA.

1. Another warm day - Today will be mostly sunny with a high near 78 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. 2. Missing man found -  Police located Joseph Doucette, 67, who went missing from the Sunbridge Wakefield Care and Rehab around 3 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Doucette has been diagnosed with early onset dementia and police were concerned for his well-being. Police said Doucette may have visited a friend in Haverhill yesterday afternoon. See here for the latest information. 3. Celebrate spring - Join the Unitarian Universalist Church on the occasion of the Spring (Vernal) Equinox on tonight at 7 p.m.for the spring equinox "Ostara" ritual. A group will be meeting in the social hall of the church. See here for more …

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Five Things to Know Today, Oct. 27

A Bay State lawmaker partners with charitable organization, more rain, carved pumpkins at the Beebe Library and more things to know today.

1. Rain, and possibly (gulp) snow - Today will see some fog with high temperatures around 45 degrees and a 90 percent chance of precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. As if that weren’t enough, the rain has the potential to turn to snow early Friday morning. Too soon!   2. Today in Wakefield Sports - Varsity field hockey faces Stoneham at home today in a Middlesex League small school bout. Proceedings are set to begin at 3:30 at Wakefield High School. The Northeast Metro RVT boys varsity soccer team will face Minuteman Tech at 3:30 @ Minuteman, while the Northeast co-ed cross country team will run in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference league meet at 2 p.m..   3. Mass. Lawmaker to Partner with Cradles to Crayons - …

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Back to School Special: What's New at the Greenwood School

What changed over the summer, and a special welcome message from Principal Collura.

As we head into the start of another school year, Wakefield Patch caught up with the principals of each school in town to ask about any changes implemented over the summer. Principal Deb Collura of the Greenwood School shared what to expect when students walk in the door for the 2011-2012 school year. Besides a fresh coat of paint, there aren't too many changes to expect when your students walk in the doors at the Greenwood School next week. Professional Development Teachers and adminstrators at the Greenwood - and at the other elementary schools in town - spent time this summer learning how to develop professional learning communities for students, which will be a "big focus" for the Greenwood, according to Principal Deb Collura. The …

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Greenwood School Gets a Paint Job - And Other School Improvements Made This Summer

Peter Evangelista outlines the progress the school department's custodial staff has made over the summer.

Just because it's summer doesn’t mean the town's schools have been completely shut down. The Wakefield Public Schools custodial staff has been working for the last several months on various projects that range from large to small to get the schools ready for the upcoming school year. “It’s been a pretty good summer so far,” said Peter Evangelista, director of custodial services for the school district. “We’re actually in pretty good shape now, all things considered. It was a shortened summer with all of the snow days.” One large summer undertaking was to paint several classrooms at the Greenwood School. “It came out really nicely,” Evangelista said.  “We did ceilings, walls, trim -- all of that.”   At the high school, the custodial staff …

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"No Trespassing" Signage at Greenwood School Still in the Works

School Committee members expressed disappointment that the "No Trespassing" signs that were slated to be posted at the Greenwood School by the Fourth of July have not yet been installed, but the DPW says some signs have gone up and the rest will be soon.

Members of the School Committee expressed disappointment at their July 20 meeting that the “No Trespassing” signs that were scheduled to be installed at the Greenwood School by the Fourth of July have not yet appeared. The lack of signs has been a sore point for neighbors of the school, who complain that they frequently have to deal with unwanted gatherings behind the school in the summer. Without the signs, it is more difficult for the police to keep the area secure. “The DPW told us that they would be up by the Fourth of July, I’m sure there is some reason why they’re not up, but it’s disappointing and unacceptable that they’re not at this point,” said committee member Anthony Guardia. The Issue The lack of signage has caused safety …

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Anthony Guardia

4:34 pm on Thursday, July 21, 2011

The signs are a first step. Sarcasm aside, you're absolutely right that there is a lot more to do. The Police requested the signs because it would be easier for them to punish the kids if they could point to something that shows they are trespassing and/or violating the law.   more ›

School Committee Discusses Greenwood School Security

In the past, the school has played host to many "undesirable activities," that reportedly occur after-hours in the summer months.

Neighbors of the Greenwood School have long complained that undesirable activities are commonplace outside of Greenwood during non-school hours, and with summer approaching, those issues are expected to move back to the forefront. At best, these activities include late night basketball and unnecessarily noisy gatherings. At worst, these activities include alleged drug use  and dumpster fires. At their May 24th meeting, the Wakefield School Committee discussed the problem and possible solutions. “The bottom line is that the neighbors are looking forward to an uneventful summer,” said Tom Markham III, vice chairman of the School Committee. “And unfortunately in the past couple of summers, and even sometimes during the school year, there is a…

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