Arlington has received a state award of $887,622 to pay for safe roadway crossings near the Stratton School.

The proposed project aims to provide a fully accessible walking route with safe roadway crossings for children and others walking to Stratton along Hemlock Street between Brattle Street and Dickson Avenue and Dickson between Hemlock and Pheasant Avenue.

The award from the state Department of Transportation will fund the estimated project cost via the Safe Routes to School program. 

UPDATED, May 24: With a vote on the largest construction project in town history just weeks away, an estimated 55 people turned out at Town Hall on Tuesday, May 21, to hear updates about rebuilding Arlington High School.

Following a 55-minute presentation from four speakers, 12 in the audience asked questions. Only two speakers could be described as bordering on critical. Those identified as clearly opposing the $290.8 million, four-year project, with $86 million coming from the state, did not show up. If they did, they offered no comments.

Among those favor the project, Ted Peluso asked about the 12-percent contingency. The cushion, to be used to pay for unexpected issues, is estimated at $30 million. He asked, referring to the state agency controlling the project: "Does the MSBA reduce the town's share," if the amount is not used?

UPDATED: The bear that roamed through Arlington early Friday, May 16, and may have crossed Mass. Ave. in its travels, has been removed from town after it was tranquilized in the Morningside area and climbed down a tree from a height of 35 feet.

At a 1 p.m. news conference at the town police headquarters, Christine Bongiorno, head of town health and human services, told media representatives that a bear siting in town is a "rare event." She said bears have recently been seen recently in Bedford and Lexington.

Thompson and Ottoson students are among those in front of the State House.

Environmental work by students in the Arlington public schools, continuing in recent years, has drawn honors from the state.

The 25th annual Secretary’s Awards for Excellence in Energy and Environmental Education have gone to Rachel Oliveri, the schools' sustainability coordinator, for Arlington Green Teams in grades K-12, and students at the Thompson Elementary School.

At a State House ceremony May 6, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides honored 32 energy and environmental education programs at Massachusetts schools and nonprofits. 

The Arlington Education Foundation (AEF) has completed its spring grants cycle and has awarded a total of $15,450 in two grant categories, Innovations in Education and the Continuing Scholar Award.

“I’m extremely pleased that we were able to award grants at each public-school level this spring -- elementary, middle and the high school. The variety of subjects and disciplines covered illustrates the creativity and dedication of our educators. We are very proud to support these programs and are eager to see the positive impact they will have on our schools,” Ann Pirone, AEF president, said in a news release.

Innovations in Education grants support innovative teaching and learning in classrooms throughout the district. This spring seven such grants were awarded:

Feb. 1, 2019, front-entry design by HMFH.

UPDATED, April 30: Rebuilding plans for Arlington High School moved forward Wednesday, April 10, as the state School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to approve a grant of as much as $83,472,654 for a project to replace the current facility on the existing site.

The school-building committee report to Town Meeting (p. 13) later reported the amount at $86 million, because the amount announced April 10 did not include $2.4 million in contingencies.

One of the next steps is for the district and the MSBA to enter into a project funding agreement, which will detail the project’s scope and budget, along with the conditions under which the district will receive its MSBA grant.

Janger

UPDATED, March 17: Arlington High School Principal Matt Janger reported March 17 that AHS boys' track members "put on a terrific showing" in the recent New Balance Indoor Nationals in New York City.

Seeded 10th overall in the distance medley relay, Friday evening, March 8, saw Jeff Candell ‘19 (1200m: 3:12), Roger Buckley ‘19 (400m: 51.3), Miles Harrison ‘20 (800m: 2:03) and Ryan Oosting '19 (1600m: 4:06) set a new school record and earned All-America status, placing sixth overall in 10:14.15.

This race featured a new national record by the winner, London Valley, Va. This performance also qualified the team for the New Balance National Outdoor Championships in Greensboro, N.C.

Headed to a strike are, from left, Annie Schoonmaker, Sarah von Schack, Alma Olsen, Theo Rosen and Cat Harris. / Lena Goodnow photo

As many as 500 students from greater Boston -- including an estimated 75 from Arlington High School -- rallied in front of the State House on Friday, March 15, demanding tough action to combat climate change.

The local protest, called the Youth Climate Strike, was part of a coordinated effort that sparked rallies throughout Massachusetts and in more than 100 countries, from the South Pacific to the Arctic Circle.

MORE PHOTOS FROM PROTEST >> 

Members of the Young Progressives and Sustainability clubs at Arlington High School missed school but said taking action was worth it.

Brucie Moulton of Sustainable Arlington reports that a meeting has been scheduled to discuss sustainable-design features of the rebuilt Arlington High School on Wednesday, March 13, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., in the School Committee Room, sixth floor, AHS. 

"We know there's a lot of concern about the proposed design for the new Arlington High School," she wrote to the Arlington email list. "Sustainable design features improve the long-term functioning of the building, the health and well-being of those who will use it, and the cost of operating it."

Sustainable Arlington is the host for AHS Building Committee members to discuss the project informally and answer your questions. Ryan Katofsky chairs the building committee's Sustainability Subcommittee, and is a longtime Sustainable Arlington member.

Janger

The Student Council is proud to present the Arlington High School Citizen of the Month for January -- Sofia Gollobin.

Matthew Janger, AHS principal, wrote March 4:

The Student Council is proud to announce Sofia Gollobin as Arlington High School’s February Citizen of the Month. Sofia was nominated by her peers for countless reasons. She is known by her classmates to be “a kind to everyone.”

We want to thank her for creating a wonderful sense of community and bringing joy to everyone around her, for taking spending countless hours of dedication giving back to her school community, for friendliness to all her peers, and just being a person who is “always helping people she doesn’t know”! Classmates say she “always has a smile on her face.”

Votes to work on alternatives should June vote fail

The schematic design for a rebuilt Arlington High School was unanimously approved for state review on Tuesday, Feb. 19.

After reviewing design variations since last June, when an overall direction was approved, the high school building committee voted, 13-0, with five absent, authorizing Skanska, the project manager, to submit the schematic to the state School Building Authority on behalf of the district.

In a second significant vote, the committee directed two subcommittees to create and cost out alternatives, addressing what would happen if the debt exclusion vote were to fail.

Arlington came in third among the three competing in the MIAA Division 2 Track & Field Championships at Reggie Lewis Track Center on Friday, Feb. 15, behind Wellesley and Lincoln-Sudbury. The top three beat the previous meet record of 8:09.16.

AHS senior Ryan Oosting won the 2-mile.

The top boys' team results were 1. Wellesley, 61; 2. North Andover, 57; 3. Central Catholic, 43; and 4. Arlington, 34.

Committee backs new lights, keeping payroll at school; next meeting Tuesday

Latest HMFH design of AHS front supported Jan. 22. Watch excerpts of the Feb. 5 meeting on ACMi >>

UPDATED, Feb. 12: The Arlington Building Committee, at the end of a four-hour meeting Tuesday, Feb. 5, voted unanimously to send to the state the latest estimate to rebuild the school -- $291.4 million.

The official vote took place after a series of straw votes a week earlier supporting $291.7 million. That total was reduced from $299 million. The general estimate since last summer had been $308 million.

Two committee votes kept the overall total from falling below $290 million -- decisions to keep the school payroll office in the new school and to install lights on reconfigured athletics fields, an addition of $1.3 million. The committee has postponed its next meeting until 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, from Feb. 12, because of the weather.

Janger

The Student Council is proud to present the Arlington High School Citizen of the Month for January -- May Kinnamon.

Matthew Janger, AHS principal, wrote Feb. 5:

The Student Council is proud to announce May Kinnamon as Arlington High School’s January Citizen of the Month. May was nominated by her peers for countless reasons. She is known by her classmates to be “a kind, intelligent, and hard-working student”. We want to thank her for creating a wonderful sense of community and bringing joy to everyone around her, for taking spending countless hours of dedication giving back to her school community, for friendliness to all her peers, and just being a person “who makes me smile every time you see her”! Classmates say “she lights up the room with her positive energy.”

Latest HMFH design of AHS front supported Jan. 22.

UPDATED, Feb. 5: The total estimated cost of rebuilding Arlington High School has declined again, this time to $291.7 million.

The building committee arrived at the new number, which had not yet been officially voted on, following an exercise Thursday, Jan. 31, in which 18 members participated in a series of straw votes to determine which aspects to keep and which to cut.

An official vote occurred Tuesday, Feb. 5, with a final vote on the cost before sending all documents to the state School Building Authority set for Feb. 12.