Worcester Magazine January 3 - 9, 2019

JANUARY 3 - 9, 2019 WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM

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LEARNING IN THE DIGITAL AGE: Worcester schools prepare for new MCAS

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J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

in this issue J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019 • V O L U M E 44 I S S U E 19

the cover

Learning in the digital age: Worcester schools prepare for new MCAS Story on page 10 Photo by Elizabeth Brooks, Design by Kimberly Vasseur

18 18 things in review: At the start of this year, this space laid out 18 things we’d like to see in Worcester in 2018. With the calendar pages flipping to a new year, we take a moment to look back and see how the city fared in meeting our expectations. 4

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The fish-man cometh: Ah, “Aquaman.”

Jason Momoa is an inspired choice to embody the underwater superhero/kingin-waiting. 19

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Cirque favorite, Corteo, heads to DCU: Corteo has been reimagined as an arena show and is headed to Worcester’s DCU Center. 15

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18 Things in Review

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J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

t the start of this year, this space laid out 18 things we’d like to see in Worcester in 2018. With the calendar pages flipping to a new year, we take a moment to look back and see how the city fared in meeting our expectations.

PAWSOX ANSWER: OK, so this space called for an answer within the first three months of the year on whether the Pawtucket Red Sox would move from Pawtucket to Worcester. Turns out it took about eight months, but it was well worth the wait, particularly for the doubters and naysayers. On Aug. 17, city and team officials gathered inside City Hall to announce they had, indeed, come to agreement on a deal to bring the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A Minor League team to Worcester. They may or may not be called the Worcester Red Sox (that’s still up in the air), but they will, assuming all goes according to schedule, be playing in a new ballpark starting in 2021. No, it didn’t happen within the first three months. We’ll give the city a pass on that. Grade: A+

force created by City Manager Ed Augustus Jr. called for $4-$6 million to create permanent housing to meet homeless needs. The move came as chronic homelessness in the city was on the upswing. In 2017, the city identified 63 individuals as chronically homeless.

Last year, that number shot up 63.5 percent to an estimated 103. As Augustus said, “We went from talking about it, to creating a plan, to now executing the plan.” Efforts are underway to secure financing and identify locations and partners for housing. All in all, a significant step taken to help a vulnerable group of people. Grade: A

BRIDGE RESOLUTION: This was a mess the city manager stepped into when he first came on in 2014.

The city had, several years prior, promised to build a skybridge connecting the Major Taylor parking garage, the Hilton Garden Inn and the DCU Convention Center.

Alas, it never came to fruition, the hotel sued the city and won, FILE PHOTOS/ELIZABETH BROOKS

MORE HOMELESS SOLUTIONS:

The city now has a comprehensive, Housing First plan on housing for the homeless, which demonstrates progress in the fight against a serious problem in Worcester. A task

and Worcester ended up having to pay $12.5 million. Softening the blow, the payments can be made over five years (six fiscal years). It’s worth noting the city could have been on the hook for an additional $10 million, which was avoided through mediation. Still, it is a bitter and expensive pill to swallow. And a situation the city never

should have been in to begin with.

Grade: D

pass some meaningful measures, including a hotel sex trafficking training ordinance (more on that later). The two newest councilors, FOOD TRUCKS, PLENTY OF FOOD TRUCKS: Between a refusal Sean Rose and Matt Wally, in disto be shoved to the side on the part tricts 1 and 5, respectfully, showed of the city’s food truck vendors, and promise, with Rose putting forth a willingness to ease up on some of some innovative ideas, such as its restrictions on the city’s part, we the introduction of trolleys to the city’s now see more food trucks around the area. The lunchtime spot in the public transportaHighland Street parking lot behind tion system. Where that goes remains to the old Aud was a good start, but let’s face it, it’s out of the way – not be seen. All in all, a mixed bag. Grade: C anywhere near downtown. When Polar Park opens, food trucks will likely be accommodated. But that’s MORE NIGHTLIFE: more than two years out. Before On this, we may then, the city should find ways to have to wait a while. expand the footprint of the area’s The city appeared to many food trucks. Grade: B end the year on an a down note when it comes to night-time entertainA PRODUCTIVE CITY COUNCIL ment with news that The Cove With the memory of yet another Music Hall on Green Street — you tax classification hearing fresh on the mind, and yet more councilors may recall it as Lucky Dog or Sir Morgan’s Cove — had closed when saying how they really, no really this time have to start tackling the the landlord didn’t renew the lease. tax rate issue earlier, it’s hard to to The landlord said she had been approached by the ballpark, aka the Pawtucket Red Sox, about her property. The team denied it and the city similarly denied playing a part. Augustus, however, teased the possibility of something “fresher” coming along in its place. “It’s not going to stay an empty building,” he said. Hmm. There have been some additions to the entertainment scene, including the opening of the Brew Beer Garden, although it remains a work in progress. Hanover Theatre brings folks out for great entertainment, the Worcester slap a high mark to this one. Last Railers at the DCU have helped, spring, the Council got involved ditto some of the Canal District with the Board of Health’s restriction of the sales of flavored tobacco venues and other restaurants and products to adult-only shops. Some bars in the city, but a truly vibrant of the resolutions the Council took entertainment scene at night is lacking. Grade: C up also invited criticism among some, including fellow councilors, who felt they were outside MORE BIKE LANES: Another area their purview. The Council did with room for improvement. Given

the hazards of simply walking across streets in Worcester, adding more bicycles to the mix could be a recipe for disaster, but the city and groups such as WalkBike Worcester have worked toward making the streets safer for all. There have been some bike lanes added, but

much of the road work in 2018 centered on sidewalks and street paving. Augustus notes the city will be “fully engaged” on its master plan this year, which has a bike master plan as part of it. For now, be careful out there. C

A NEW AIRLINE: Wait, did we say just one new airline? The presence

of JetBlue and Rectrix Aviation at Worcester Regional Airport have been great for the city. But travelers around these parts can get antsy and, well, they want more options.

In 2018, Massport, which runs the airport, came through with the

news FILE PHOTOS/ELIZABETH BROOKS

announcement of not one, but two new airlines: American Airlines, which in October started flying to Philadelphia out of Worcester, and Delta Airlines, which plans to start flying to and from Detroit in August this year. Dare we ask for more? Grade: A+

A HUMAN TRAFFICKING HOTEL TRAINING POLICY: The wheels

of government can turn slowly, but they turned toward a policy requiring all hotels and motels in Worcester to train employees in sex trafficking awareness. The city went a step further in requiring it of its employees – a much-needed step in acknowledging a problem that has been kept under the rug too long. Sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking, with more than 50 percent of trafficking victims being sexually exploited, including young girls.

Kudos to Worcester for recognizing the problem. Now they must keep at it, with help from police and other partners, to protect the most vulnerable victims. Grade: A

were some impressive shows from the likes of the Trans Siberian Orchestra and Garth Brooks at the DCU Center, as well as another grand appearance by Dean Martin at the Hanover Theatre. The Palladium, long a destination for A NEW FUTURE FOR MIDTOWN metalheads, has spread its wings MALL: Ah, the Midtown Mall. The into other music genres. It is also longtime Front Street building and looking to host up to 100 or so its owner Dean Marcus continue events a year. Throw Mechanics to prove a thorn in the city’s side.

Hall into the mix, and there have You may not be off the mark if you been a number of concerts, but think Marcus is engaging in a game the days of the big-time shows of chicken with the city, which, featuring the likes of U2, KISS and through its Urban Revitalizaothers may be a thing of the past tion Plan, has identified the mall with outdoor arenas proving a big

that didn’t happen. In fairness, the city had plenty of other things on its plate (the PawSox, anyone?), but it would have been nice to see other partners step up and try replace the former First Night Worcester celebration that ended in 2016. It could be a relic of the past, but here’s hoping there’s enough of an appetite for some version of a First Night this year.

Grade: F

principal, former Burncoat Middle School Principal Lisa Houlihan.

North High was in need of new leadership and a new direction.

Poor test schools, violent fights and unrest among the teaching staff had created an atmosphere not conducive to student success.

It won’t be easy for Houlihan, but with a steady hand at the helm, North High could be headed toward a brighter future. Grade: B+

the return to the ring of formerlyretired three-time world champ — and Worcester’s own — Jose Antonio Rivera. Oh, and remember the earlier mention of more events at the Palladium? Rivera’s comeback happened there. There are some talented fighters on the local boxing scene, and this could be a big year for them. Rivera is already teasing his next in-ring appearance. We didn’t get a marquee event at the DCU, but the MORE THAN JUST TRASH TALK: grade is a solid one if, for no other reason, Rivera picking up the It looks like this year, sooner than later, the city will roll out its plan to gloves once more. Grade: B+ deal with its trash problem. Illegal dumping has been a huge issue in NO CHANGE TO CITY VOLUNWorcester, but the city also needs TEER REQUIREMENTS: There to address recycling, which could was some talk about dropping come in the form of clear plastic the registered voter requirement recycling bags. There has been a for volunteers on city boards and lot of discussion on the matter, and commissions. This space had Augustus said he hopes to put out suggested leaving the process as

draw. Augustus did raise the idea of a multi-venue music festival at some point. Save us some tickets!

Grade: C

POW! WOW! WORCESTER PART III: In its third year, this truly

splendid event brought in new artists and saw new walls transformed into visual delights. Several schools were in the mix, along with other buildings, and the murals on each were nothing less than striking. Artists such as Balloonski, TomBob, Stikki Peaches were among those practicing their craft during 2018’s POW! WOW! Here’s to Round 4 in 2019. A+

A NEW NORTH HIGH: We weren’t

BIG TIME BOXING AT THE DCU:

OK, we didn’t get a huge event at the DCU Center, but 2018 did see

is. Supporters say those who live here, even if they are not registered voters, deserve a say in how things are run. Others argue if you are not participating in the democratic process by way of voting, you shouldn’t have a seat at the table. No doubt politics is at play on this one, but this space called for more aggressive efforts to recruit those who are already eligible to volunteer. Continued efforts on registering voters will also help beef up the supply of potential volunteers. B

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talking about a new building. The school was in need of a new culture, and it appears to have gotten it. School Superintendent Maureen Binienda raised more than a few eyebrows when she inserted herself as interim principal at North in 2017. She has since installed a new

his recommendations early this year. Councilors have thrown out a lot of suggestions, some of which have more merit than others. In 2018, residents continued to complain about trash-filled streets and debris blowing through neighborhoods. It is a disturbing problem — one, by the way, the city’s Quality of Life team has been working hard to combat — that needs a serious solution. B-

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and other properties as potential targets for eminent domain. So far, that tool has remained in their toolbox, but could this be the year officials call Marcus’s bluff ? “I know for a fact the Midtown Mall has had very fair offers to purchase them,” Augustus said, adding, “I would say our patience is running very thin.” How thin? If he continues to resist opportunities to sell or upgrade the building, Marcus may find out in 2019. Grade: D

A BIGGER FIRST NIGHT: Well,

around the city manager’s neck. It is a landmark in Lincoln Square crying out to be rehabilitated, but it will cost plenty to do it. The Architectural Heritage Foundation, operating under a contract of exclusivity, has been eyeing potential new uses, which could include

MORE BIG CONCERTS: There

J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

THE AUD: The old Worcester Auditorium, where Andre the Giant once took on three wrestlers at once and “Big Red” Dave Cowens coached the Bay State Bombardiers for a spell, remains closed up and unused, but there could be new life for a building that has become a bit of an albatross

an eSports venue in conjunction with Becker College. An update is expected in February. Keep your fingers crossed and remember, Augustus has vowed the Auditorium is not going down on his watch.

Grade: B-

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THAT’S A WRAP: All these recaps have me feeling left out. That, and the fact this week is among the slowest of the year for news, especially political news, have put me in the unfortunate position of putting one more year-end wrap in front of your exhausted eyeballs. So come with me, dear reader, on a trip down a Worceteria memory lane. Or don’t – who cares. What follows is a list of my favorite moments and digs at friends of the column in somewhat chronological order. For those tuning out now: Happy New Year!

THAT TIME IN MAY the AWARE group released a completely meaningless pie chart to support their argument against the Community Preservation Act proposal. I mean, the thing was literally on the front page of a google image search for “pie chart.” At the very least, it meant nothing. While shoddy workmanship like that should work against the group’s credibility, it remains strong as ever, as evidenced by the recent debate over the tax rate, in which six of 11 councilors voted for the AWARE line.

THAT OTHER OTHER TIME IN MAY Aidan Kearney had his uncle write a feature on his blog and the big bad social media platforms hurting his business. It was one of the first times I can remember Kearney outwardly attaching his name to the editorial product of our own little Breitbart, and now that he’s fully loud and proud about it, the years of hilariously dishonest attempts at denial are all the more funny. Hey, also, how’s that lawsuit against Facebook coming along?

THAT TIME IN JUNE the farmer in Charlton faced NIMBY resistance to his proposal to sell the family farm to cannabis cultivators so he said he’d sell the land to a 40b Affordable Housing developer if the pot proposal didn’t go through. What an amazing way to game the reactionary politics of suburbia.

Though there’s a resident group fighting tooth and nail to stop it, the proposal to build a pot farm is still chugging along. In the NIMBY calculus between pot and poors, it seems pot has won out, for now.

THAT OTHER TIME IN JUNE I had to call a spade a spade and criticize

MassLive for writing about Worcester for a Boston audience with the “Meet the New Worcesterites” story. I got some heat for doing that, but I stand by the assessment that making a distinction between New Worcester (people from Boston) and Old Worcester (just Worcester) ascribes the city’s recent development gains to the faulty premise of the white “creative class” moving from the suburbs to the urban core to save the city.

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THAT TIME IN JULY the city circled the wagons around City Councilor

Candy Mero-Carlson after she made some cruel comments about the surprise demolition of Worcide Skatepark. I won’t revisit the whole thing, as it’s not easy to explain, but that particular Council meeting was not a master class in political theater.

THAT OTHER TIME IN JULY I wrote about the Worcester Public Schools new proposed logo that looked a lot like two penises. I didn’t feel good saying it then, but enough time has passed that I’ll call it what it was. Luckily, they pulled the logo and we’re all better off.

THAT TIME IN AUGUST I predicted the PawSox would announce a move

to Worcester in a tongue and cheek prediction column. Also predicted this: “The news will inspire national coverage of Worcester’s clear and evident, undeniable development renaissance. The buzz will greatly overshadow critics of the deal.” And buckle up for this: “[Critics’] arguments that billionaires don’t need or deserve our public dollars will slowly simmer under the surface, going nowhere but coming up every time the city needs new textbooks or fails to fix deferred maintenance on city buildings.”

THAT TIME IN SEPTEMBER 17th Worcester State Rep. candidate Paul Fullen showed his true colors and evoked the welfare queen trope in an unprompted tirade against the poor at a candidates forum.

THAT TIME A FEW WEEKS AGO when former School Committee member Mary Mullaney said the proposed sex ed curriculum would encourage students to commit statutory Bill Shaner, reporter rape. Give me a break. wshaner@GatehouseMedia.com

Twitter: @Bill_Shaner

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the beat David “Duddie” Massad, Worcester business owner and philanthropist, died last week at the age of 90.

Worcester officials credited the successful car dealer and bank owner as a generous donor, giving critical donations to Foley Stadium and a new trauma center at UMass Memorial over the years.

A few months after Karen Webber stepped down as the executive editor of the Telegram and Gazette, the

FILE PHOTO

paper has named a replacement. David Nordman, a Gardner native and Assumption College graduate, will fill the role. He has served as the assistant managing editor since 2015, and started at the Telegram as a copy editor and freelance writer in 1995.

Worcester’s vacancy rates for offices are on the rise. The rate

rose in the fourth quarter from 10.1 percent to 11.4. Despite the rise, Worcester’s vacancy rate is lower than much of the metro Boston area.

The MetroWest area has a rate of 19.5 percent.

A Christmas night fire in Avon left two men dead and a child injured.

The fire was reported around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

WooHaha!, the proposed comedy club on Franklin Street, is slated

for a mid-January opening after some delay. The 140-seat club will be joined by two restaurants, Revolution Pie & Pint and Craft Table & Bar. Rhode Island comedian Paul Mecurio will open the club with its first show on Jan. 18.

has been acquired by a Leominster developer. Liscotti Development bought the property for $1.25 million.

Icy roads caused a tanker truck to overturn in Worcester Friday morning. The tanker was carrying diesel fuel and officials say 100 gallons leaked onto Morningside Road. Hazmat and cleanup crews responded top the accident.

Worcester residents looking to return Christmas trees can do so at three locations: 1065 Millbury St., 306 Chandler St., 299 Clark St..

The downtown is set for another coffee shop as Fuel America, a small Waltham-based chain, is set to open in Mercantile Center in January. The shop will sell wine and beer and offer breakfast all day.

They’ve partnered with the Flying Dreams brewery in Worcester to create a Fuel America Coffee Stout.

With cannabis now legalized, the Worcester School Committee

is asking the school department to take another look at the district’s strict punishments for possession. School Committee member Dante Comparetto said suspensions up to a year for possession, given the drug is legal in Massachusetts, seem excessive.

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The Worcester Girl Scouts Headquarters on Gold Star Boulevard

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opinion editorial

The news that was made

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W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

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here was much written and talked about in 2018, and this year will be no different. News continues to be made and life goes on. It does so as we remember the year that was and the people that helped define it.

Worcester County District Attorney Joe Early Jr. dealt with the fallout of his involvement in the investigation into the 2017 arrest of a judge’s daughter. The issue dominated the news cycle for a big part of last year and was an issue in Early’s re-election bid.

When all was said and done, he won another term in a landslide.

Retail sales of marijuana started last year, with a shop in neighboring Leicester among the first two in the state to go into business. Some in Worcester have lamented the slow move toward retail pot sales, but Good Chemistry, which had already been selling medical marijuana, now has all the local approval it needs for retail sales. Approval from the state Cannabis Control Commission is the next hurdle expected to be cleared. Good Chemistry has expressed hope to start selling marijuana to non-medical customers by March.

The destruction of Worcide, a skate park built by the people who used it, led to a whole lot of hard feelings and resulted in efforts for build a new one. All signs now point toward one being

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built in Crompton Park. It wasn’t the first choice for the organizers of Worcide, who have a different locale in mind. It also didn’t completely heal the wounds opened by the unceremonious destruction of the old skate park at the end of Washington Street. It was a big story when it happened and remains an important one to the Worcide crew.

Legal efforts failed and all the passionate pleas for its preservation could not spare the old Notre Dame Church building from the wrecking ball. It almost seemed anticlimactic when the building finally came down (it didn’t all happen at once), perhaps because of all the other news being made by that time.

Baseball team, anyone? Preservationists insisted the building could be saved, and came up with all sorts of ideas to do so. In the end, the building came down, and all blame aside, its absence from downtown Worcester will be felt for some time.

The Dec. 9 line-of-duty death of Worcester Firefighter Christopher Roy shook the city to its core, and robbed a family of a beloved father, son and sibling.

It stabbed the Worcester Fire Department in an already-broken heart still mourning the Worcester Six, lost in 1999, and Firefighter Jon Davies Sr., who died in 2011. The outpouring of support, including a fund to help his

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daughter Ava, has been nothing short of inspiring, and hopefully will provide some measure of comfort to Roy’s family.

That is just some of what dominated the news last year. The new year will no doubt bring with it the expected and unexpected, the good and bad. Worcester Magazine will be there with you through it all.

Culture Editor Joshua Lyford Reporter Bill Shaner Photographer Elizabeth Brooks Contributing Writers Stephanie Campbell, Sarah Connell, Janice Harvey, Jim Keogh, Jim Perry, Kristina Reardon Director of Creative Services Don Cloutier Creative Director Kimberly Vasseur Multi Media Sales Executives Diane Galipeau, Helen Linnehan Sales Support Specialist Madison Friend WORCESTER MAGAZINE is an independent news weekly covering Central Massachusetts. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited manu-

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opinion Don’t touch that dial JANICE HARVEY

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t’s a banner day for those who have waited for the Blue Wave to wash over Washington. Jan. 3 has been the Christmas morning of which they’ve dreamed; the day when House Democrats take the oath to uphold the Constitution and start the arduous task of righting more than a few wrongs.

They’ve got their work cut out for them, and we can only sit back and watch the latest episode of “Trumpland.”

Where to start? Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Dems have a list longer than Santa’s to peruse. I can’t help but wonder if Trump, who professes to never ask God for forgiveness because he regrets nothing, will secretly live to regret ignoring and insulting the Democratic leaders poised to begin a multitude of investiga-

tions. Was it wise to continually refer to Maxine Waters as “Low IQ Maxine?” Whoda thunk she’d be chairperson of the Financial Services Committee? Elijah Cummings chairing the Oversight and Government Reform Committee sounds like the stuff of nightmares, given the free ride Trump was blessed with by Republicans Trey Gowdy and his predecessor Jason Chaffetz, who left to become a Fox News flunky. Maybe turning Adam Schiff ’s name into third-grade potty language wasn’t so clever, given he now will be chairman of the Intelligence Committee.

Congressman Jerry Nadler, soon to be chair of the Judiciary Committee, has been a burr in Trump’s shorts since the 1980s when Nadler blocked Trump’s dreams of building a ginormous building in his district. Knowing what we know about Trump’s

ability to hold a grudge, it’s safe to say Nadler’s takeover is going to keep Individual 1 awake at night. Maybe referring to Nadler as an “egregious hack” was a mistake.

With 17 investigations already lifting the garbage can lid on his campaign, his presidency and his family business, I can’t think of any aspect of Trump’s daily existence that isn’t wracked with worry. If this guy isn’t eating Tums like they were Skittles, he’s either made of steel or in a complete state of denial. I’m going with the latter on this one, given his history as a whining, thinskinned draft dodger. Just a guess on my part, of course.

On the heels of a bleak holiday that saw the government closed for business, Donald Trump flew into Iraq with his wife Melania.

It was a show of support for our military that he’s avoided until

now, when the pressure to do so became too great. Is it a coincidence that on the day when a story about the podiatrists who made his original dodge of the draft possible made headlines, The Man Who Knew Too Little finally visited the troops? That visit fooled no one who wasn’t already fooled. His fear of the front lines has long been noted; his bizarre, child-like reaction to the blackout on the plane bringing him to a war zone was pathetic in its naivete. The same man who asked a 7-year-old if she still believed in Santa Claus because at 7 she was “marginal,” spent his short visit to Iraq signing MAGA hats as if he just stepped off “The Apprentice” sound stage. He lives in a dream state. He’s about to be awakened, and rudely.

Back on Earth, where sane and well-informed people still reside, hopes for 2019 continue

to buoy spirits. However, Trump’s unpredictable and erratic nature (I refuse to label him “mercurial” because the word is far too flattering to describe instability) means all bets are off regarding a possible resignation. Who knows what will happen when he’s backed into the corner he created during decades of grifting? We could end up enduring a short stretch with Mike Pence at the helm, unless Robert Mueller knows something we don’t know about the pious little man who led the transition team. Season Three of “Trumpland” feels like the writers quit.

Stay tuned.

Janice Harvey contributing writer

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feature

Learning in the digital age: Worcester schools prepare for new MCAS

feature SARAH CONNELL

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n March, more than 1,800 third graders will take the computerbased English Language Arts MCAS test in Worcester for the very first time. Students as young as 9 will be expected to highlight, drag, drop, scroll, toggle and type their answers under high-pressure conditions, and Superintendent Maureen Binienda intends for students to be prepared.

Digital testing isn’t going anywhere; in fact, the ability to test on a screen is becoming a life skill. The College Board has already begun piloting a digital SAT, and as it stands, most careers administer licensure exams digitally. In early December, the Law School Admission Test announced a partnership with Microsoft, stating the LSAT would be given digitally starting in July. Whether you aim to become a lawyer, doctor, plumber or bail bondsman, you’ve got to pass a computer-based test.

Today’s students are equipped with an arsenal of routines and acronyms designed to help them navigate paper-based tests, but similar strategies for computerbased exams simply don’t exist yet.

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ELIZABETH BROOKS

istration,” said Daccord, who views the computer-based MCAS as a mere substitute for pen and paper in its current state. “It doesn’t necessarily represent leveraging all these different modalities so that our assessments more accurately reflect the range of learners that we have in our classrooms.”

Binienda said she hopes the computer-based testing format will help to efficiently expedite results, although she did not notice

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Computer-based testing offers new challenge to students.

Tom Daccord is the CEO and co-founder of EdTechTeacher, an organization that supports educators to enrich student learning experiences through emerging technologies. Daccord believes the benefit of any computer-based test is its potential to assess students using all sorts of different modalities.

“Unfortunately, what’s happening right now is the emphasis is on efficiency, organization and admin-

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n August 2016, late Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Mitchell D. Chester signed a five-year contract for $150.8 million using both state and federal funds to develop a 21st-century assessment intended to be taken on a computer. The computer-based test was phased in during 2017 and 2018, with the goal of statewide administration by 2019. This year, Massachusetts public school students in grades 3-8 and grade 10 will be expected to take the NextGeneration MCAS using a device such as an iPad, Chromebook or computer.

The launch of a Next-Generation MCAS meant more than just digitizing the exam.

“This was a mega-project to

DESE’s decision to digitize was motivated by a game of catch-up with the rest of the nation.

“When the board made this decision, I think it was in very large part, not just because there’s some advantages to computer-based testing, but much more importantly because we felt Massachusetts was actually falling behind other states in the availability of technology in the classrooms,” Wulfson said.

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WHY DIGITAL?

totally redesign our tests to make sure they’re fully aligned with and demonstrating deep understanding of the curriculum standards that we have updated over the last several years,” said Jeff Wulfson, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, adding, “Computer-based testing was just one facet of that. These are all new tests, new questions, new ways of assessing student performance.”

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School Superintendent Maureen Binienda expects students to be prepared for the computerized English Language Arts MCAS test.

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ELIZABETH BROOKS

a substantial difference during the roll-out period.

Daccord believes faster access to data doesn’t guarantee the Next-Generation MCAS is tapping the full potential of a digital environment. He finds even in many schools with a ratio of one device per student, known as 1-to-1 environments, pen and paper assessments are still prevailing.

Daccord said a high school history teacher recently told him, “I want my students to take an assessment in the digital environment, but I’m just afraid they’re going to go look up the answers.”

Daccord said he could see immediately the teacher’s test was structured in such a format that the answers could be googled and did not require higher-order thinking; for example, a question that asks, “What is the population of Worcester?” versus “Why do you think Worcester is the second most populous city in New England?”

In Daccord’s professional opinion, simply digitizing a test does not guarantee deep and effective assessment of the standards.

ACCESSIBILITY

Kyriazisurge said, “the teachers are doing a lot of development around effective use of technology in the classroom and they keep asking for more and more.”

Binienda noted the generous orcester Public Schools’ offer by the Ory family to fund manager of Instructhe purchase of 6,000 Chrometional Technology books last year. Marjorie Ory was and Digital Learning formerly the school psychologist Sarah Kyriazisurge sees any sort of at South High Community School. digitization as an opportunity to Her son Andy Ory is a Doherty provide more equity and access for Memorial High School graduate all students in Worcester through who co-founded both Acme Packet the universal tools available on the Inc. and 128 Technology Inc. computer-based MCAS. The lease on a number of the Many neighboring school disdistrict’s personal computers will tricts, including Auburn, Grafton, expire in January, allowing for the Shrewsbury and Wachusett have purchase of additional Chromemoved to 1-to-1 ratio environbooks at that time. Binienda ments in recent years, making an has already started examining effort to provide devices for every infrastructure in preparation for student. Worcester has fought to March’s ELA MCAS. Last month, put devices in students’ hands at 400 students at Doherty High a rate of 2-to-1 by the 2019-2020 School were able to log on to a school year. At present, there is streaming site simultaneously with one Chromebook for every two no negative impact on connectivchildren in grades 3-12. According ity. to last year’s enrollment data, that Although some school districts amounts to 18,251 students and will request a waiver for the 2019 approximately 9,000 devices. computer-based testing deadline, “Although it sounds like a lot, Binienda has no intention of doand it’s a great improvement,”

W

ing so in Worcester. Wulfson said waiver requests typically have to do with a long-range plan to invest in new technology or new school building projects.

Wulfson recalls an environment only a few years ago when computer labs with 20 workstations for periodic visits were the norm across the state. He sees this practice disappearing, replaced by an increased volume of 1-to-1 environments where every student has a laptop or a tablet they are free to use all day long in all of their courses.

“We think that’s a great development and an important one that computer-based testing was just the sort of little push that districts needed to get that done,” Wulfson said.

Daccord doesn’t see the cost of devices as a perpetual barrier for large urban districts. In fact, he recently attended a round-table discussion sponsored by Verizon about the future of technology and education, and was moved by the work of Joseph Fuller from Harvard Business School. Fuller co-leads an initiative called Managing the Future of Work.

Daccord was taken aback by Fuller’s prediction that devices will soon become so inexpensive they’ll basically be disposable.

“You’ll have specialized devices for doing calculations, specialized devices for the scientific lab environment, specialized devices for everything,” Daccord said.

As devices grow increasingly powerful and more affordable, Fuller believes inequality will become less of an issue. Worcester’s Chromebooks are a great example.

“The Chromebooks are under $200,” Daccord said. “The power that you have for under $200 is incredible as compared to what you had five or 10 years ago for $2,000.”

THE ROUTINE

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yriazisurge is urging students in Worcester to stop swiping and start thinking strategically. Believing the solution begins with educational leaders, she is currently spearheading an Innovative and Digital

Teacher Leadership Project for the Worcester Public Schools to identify and train three cohorts of model educators. In addition, Binienda required all of her high school principals to pour through the entire computer-based practice test together to identify the most significant shifts.

Daccord insists it doesn’t matter how much technology is available if students lack the motivation to use it. Being tech savvy with an iPhone won’t necessarily give you the ability to annotate pieces of comparative literature using a testing device. The days of leaving notes in the margins are gone, and although tools exist to replace our former active reading habits, routines to enforce them do not.

Kyriazisurge believes regularly integrating technology by employing Google tools as part of daily lessons is the way to go.

“We really want teachers to use technology effectively and authentically every single day, as opposed to teaching to the test,” she said.

Wulfson agreed.

“We don’t want people to spend too much time on test prep; we don’t think that’s productive,” he said. “It’s more important that they spend time studying the curriculum and learning the material, but there are some tools available to familiarize them with the computer-based testing platform.”

Still, he acknowledged the transition to computer-based assessment can impact achievement.

“We know that there is a usual dip in scores,” Wulfson said. “We still have scores that offer valid information, but in terms of comparing schools that may still be on paper, we have to do some statistical equating.”

Wulfson recognizes the MCAS data is still valuable, but assures districts DESE is not going to make any high-stakes decisions based on the results of a brand new test given on a new testing platform in its first year.

“Districts were held harmless from being marked down from the results of the testing as they moved to the new tests, not just because of computer-based testing, but because of the unfamiliarity with the whole test,” he said.

Wulfson recommends students taking the computer-based MCAS for the first time conduct a “dry

feature WHAT ABOUT TYPING

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Students at work on their laptops in school.

ELIZABETH BROOKS

equipped to strategically approach the ELA MCAS in March. But should we expect 9-year-olds to figure these tools out on the day of the test? Or should we take time to explicitly teach them?

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return to previous questions.

Updating active reading and annotation routines will rely heavily on a student’s ability to highlight, which is largely a kinesthetic skill.

Dragging and dropping is also a task requiring some fine motor practice.

Even the multiple choice and multiple select questions can be confusing at times. Multiple choice bubbles are round and require one answer. Multiple select are square and require more than one answer.

An answer eliminator tool allows students to narrow down their options, but students can retrieve answers they have eliminated if they just learn to click twice. These elements bear exploration prior to the test, especially as a third grade student.

Perhaps the most useful and subsequently complex skill that will help students for long responses will be the ability to copy and paste. Students are permitted to copy and paste their own notes into response boxes for ease of organization. The ability to copy and paste will no doubt help conserve valuable energy on long, drawnout testing days.

Students will benefit from their abilities to: (r)estate questions, (e) ngage with texts using the highlighter, (a)dd notes to the notepad, (c)opy and paste from their notes, and (t)ype responses. In other words: REACT. Students who have mastered these basic skills will be better

J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

run” with the practice test.

Worcester Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Susan O’Neil suspects teachers who have administered paper-based practice tests in the past will do the same for the computer-based tests in the future.

It is apparent that students who can transfer test-taking skills to the screen will be more likely to succeed. As Wulfson suggests, the practice tests provided by the MCAS Resource Center are a great place to familiarize oneself because students can learn to react with tech driven skills, prior to taking the summative exam.

The TestNav8 Tutorial recommended by the MCAS Resource Center teaches students how to move through the test, use the tools, and work with new question types. In all, it offers 40 interactive and instructional items for students to practice with. Of the tools explored for the ELA MCAS to be administered in March, the most significant are the notepad, highlighter, answer eliminator and line reader.

It takes a bit of practice to realize the notepad saves notes for each specific question, rather than providing a place for cumulative additions. For example, notes taken in the notepad on question 14 will remain on screen 14. When a student arrives at the notepad on question 15, the tool will provide a fresh page and viewing previous notes will require test takers to

f all of the skills included in a strong digital test taking routine, the most problematic is typing.

Daccord said there are two schools of thinking about traditional keyboarding: those who argue all students need a fundamental technology foundation and those who believe students will forge their own path.

Daccord, recalling a recent site visit, finds an increasing number of students resisting traditional keyboarding.

“I was coming from a school the other day that has Chromebooks and the kids didn’t want to use them,” he said. “They wanted to work on their phones, even to write essays. Teachers were scratching their heads going, ‘I don’t get it

because the Chromebooks have a keyboard to type on a big screen.

Why wouldn’t they want it?’”

Keyboarding, Daccord said, may not be a foundational skill for students accustomed to texting on their phones with speed and fluency.

“If you just leave them to their own devices, they’re going to figure it out,” he said. “They’re going to get the assignment done in ways we never would have imagined.”

Grade level, Daccord added, can certainly factor into a school’s decision to institute a fundamental technology foundations curriculum.

Kyriazisurge believes formal keyboarding is necessary for Worcester’s students to succeed on the computer-based MCAS. She purchased a program called Typing Club for Worcester’s students to

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feature respectively, in R&D [research and development.]”

In other words, keyboarding is not the future, but familiarity with typing prior to the NextGeneration MCAS will provide a clear advantage, especially for younger students. If what Daccord says is true, it won’t necessarily take a fundamental technology

team also analyzes the SGP numbers to determine where changes in practice need to be made, where increased monitoring is necessary, and where celebrations should be had. Binienda finds SGP particularly valuable in examining her high-achieving students.

“We have a couple of gifted programs,” she said. “We expect they’re already going to achieve at a higher level. But the point is, have they improved?”

Schools throughout the state are gaining access to technology as a result of the shift to a computerbased MCAS, but they are doing so at varying rates. Comparing students as academic peers during this transitional time makes it difficult to determine if their likeness in scores is an indication of content mastery or media literacy. In other words, the measurement of student progress depends on their ability to navigate a computerbased test.

Wulfson isn’t worried; he has faith in DESE’s experts.

“I mean, you always want to take it with a grain of salt,” he said, A student at work on his laptop in school. “but we’ve got some good psychoELIZABETH BROOKS metricians here on staff who are pretty facile in terms of being able foundations class to achieve typing to compare results from different “She holds down the caps lock proficiency, it may simply require testing environments to make sure to type a capital letter and then an engaging enough assignment. that they’re equivalent. They can unlocks the caps lock to return control for those kinds of differto lowercase, because she was ences.” never taught how to type,” said Are Worcester Public Schools Kyriazisurge, adding she learned going to be ready for the computto keyboard during her senior year er-based MCAS? It certainly seems in high school on a typewriter. She that way. But educators shouldn’t calls it “one of the best classes” she beat themselves up if there’s a ever took. ripple in achievement or even It seems relevant to add that growth during this brief transition all interviews for this article were ne of the most powerful period. conducted with the use of Temi, tools educators have of a record and transcribe app that their effectiveness in 2019 Sarah Connell earned her bachrequired very little typing on the is the measurement of part of the interviewer and zero elor’s in English and Education from growth. Student Growth Percenkeyboarding skills. Automated Fordham University in addition to tiles (SGP) go beyond achievement her master’s in education in Curtranscription is just one slice of to demonstrate the amount of artificial intelligence. In its 2018 riculum and Instruction from Bosprogress made in a year’s time.

Annual Report, the Artificial ton College. She recently completed Students are compared to their Intelligence Index reported the an additional master’s in education academic peers from around the U.S. Department of Defense anin School Leadership at Worcester state with similar historic MCAS nounced more than $2 billion in State University. She has served as a results. SGP is intended for use in investment to overcome limitaMassachusetts public school teacher a variety of professional developtions on AI technology. Private for 10 years. companies play the central role in ment and self evaluation efforts AI development and investment in throughout the school year.

In Worcester, Binienda makes the country. sure every teacher with SGP data “In 2017,” according to the is provided with that information report, “private technology comto reflect on his or her own teachpanies like Amazon and Alphaing practice. The administrative bet invested $16.1B and $13.9B, use in grades 3-8, as well as select students in grade 10.

“Learning how to keyboard and know the letters without thinking about where you’re typing is one of those 21st-century skills to become more fluent writers using technology,” Kyriazisurge said.

Her own daughter is an example.

A GROWTH MINDSET

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PHOTO COURTESY OF CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

culture

irque du Soleil’s Corteo has been a fan favorite since it premiered in Montreal back in 2005, but that was under the big top. This time around Corteo has been reimagined as an arena show and is headed to Worcester’s DCU Center Thursday-Sunday, Jan. 3-6.

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JOSHUA LYFORD

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Cirque favorite, Corteo, heads to DCU

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For those unfamiliar with the incredibly popular high-flying, acrobatic theatrical performances, Cirque du Soleil was founded in 1984 and has since toured the world with various shows, all of which contain amalgamations of acrobatics, gymnastics, dance, theatre, art and more.

Francis Croft is an acrobat.

Raised in the Quebec countryside and later moving to Montreal, he was a gymnast for 15 years before becoming involved in circus performances and acrobatics. He has worked for Cirque for three years and will be

performing with the Corteo reboot.

“It was a perfect fit,” said Croft.

“I wanted to get better and get to a higher level. Maybe I could join Cirque du Soleil at some point, it was a natural transfer. It was a life goal for me. It was going to gymnastics to circus, to finding my way to a company like Cirque du Soleil. It was right there.”

For a show like Corteo, which follows the imaginative cortege, or funeral procession, of the clown Mauro as he relives (or, perhaps recalls) his life in the circus, Croft said that to give a truly great performance, you have to put your mind into the show.

“If you want to do the best you can, you need to put yourself in the story,” he explained. “I feel like if you just focus on what you have to do, your stage presence is going to be boring, not right. Sometimes, after hundreds of performances, you can get tired, but most of the time you need to be thinking, ‘What is my purpose in the show right now?’

You need to be able to have the right emotion when you’re on stage.

If you’re on stage it’s because you are needed.”

There is an exception. When Croft is on the high bars, he remains strictly focused on the task at hand.

“I’m very, very focused on what’s around me, what’s going on,” he said. “We are 10 guy spinning around six bars. Its synchronized, there’s a high risk of bumping into each other. At that moment, I might be more focused on the acrobatics. As soon as you land from that, you shout for your friends on stage, there is an idea of this act.”

Mark Shaub is Corteo’s artistic director. He was a part of the show at its inception and has

worked with Cirque for years. Prior to that, he was a contemporary dancer based in Montreal, though he traveled the world.

“In a very subjective way, there are parts of the show where I still get goosebumps when I watch it,” said Shaub. “They still have that effect on me. I must have done something right. More importantly, the director and creator of the show [Daniele Finzi Pasca], he was back last week for the premiere in Montreal. It was the first time he saw the arena show since we premiered it in New Orleans. He was so happy with the results. He said what we have now is the best version of Corteo that we’ve ever had.”

Both Shaub and Croft reflected on the costume and theme of the show, that the minimalist approach can be liberating.

“One of the things I love about Corteo, it has people dressed in very natural looking fibers, makeup is minimal, we see people dressed as they will,” Shaub said. “Because of the circus members, we do have room to bring in classic sort of circus costumes. We do have our master of ceremonies character, with a bull whip and a lot of classic circus images, then a lot of people who like quite ordinary doing quite extraordinary things.”

After all the iterations of Corteo and the many productions of Cirque, the most important component of the show is the fans’ reaction to the sights and sounds of Cirque.

“There is no other work that is more pure as to if it was a success or not, said Croft. “People stand up and cheer. There is nothing like it. There is no job where you have dozens and dozens of people clapping at the end of your work. At the end of the day, you give your best, you’re healthy and people cheer. It was a life goal working for them. I’m reaching my dream.”

Top photos of 2018

culture

photos by Elizabeth Brooks

Clockwise from right: Dressed as a firefighter, Sammi Thacs of Worcester placed flowers at a memorial for Firefighter Christopher Roy outside the Webster Square Fire Station; Chris Matthews, skateboarder and volunteer, holds the brim of his hat in the empty tunnel that used to house Worcide Skatepark; The funeral procession of Firefighter Christopher Roy; A dog’s view is hindered by his friend’s tail; state Sen. Harriette Chandler, who served as acting Senate president early in 2018; local artist James Dye at the entrance to the exhibit of his work at Worcester Art Museum; Jose Antonio Rivera of Worcester lands a left hand to the face of his opponent, Larry Smith, during his comebackfight at the Palladium; Scoops, of Scoops and Mischief, at Rock and Shock at the DCU Center in Worcester.

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culture Lyford Files

Lifestyle

JOSHUA LYFORD

SARAH CONNELL

THE WAR ON CHRISTMAS: If you’ve ever listened to the Worcester Magazine Radio

Meat and Greet

Hour on Fridays from noon-1 p.m., you’ve probably heard colleague Bill Shaner and I having fun with the supposed War on Christmas. Well, it looks like it may have survived for another year, as families across the globe successfully celebrated the consumer holiday (I jest, I jest). As war correspondents on the front lines, Bill and I see it all. I have a lot of respect for the brave men and women in the Facebook comments, seething at greetings of “happy holidays.” Look, Christmas is the largest holiday in the United States, maybe elsewhere, but I’m only going to dig so deep on this. There is no war on Christmas, my fellow progressive friends don’t give a damn if Santa is a man, and while I’m sure I could quickly formulate an opinion on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” I’m really more concerned about getting groceries next week and making sure I don’t need any expensive out-of-pocket healthcare. If you’ve read this column, or listened to the radio show, I’m sure you’ve put it together that I’m left of Democrat (and I’m prepared for the incoming angry phone calls), so if there was a standard for someone you’d imagine would be “that guy” in the war on Christmas, I would probably be it. With that said, no one really cares if you say Merry Christmas. No one cares if you say Happy Hanukkah. Some people seem to care if you say Happy Holidays, but you know what? At the end of the day, I just think it’s great people tend to be a little friendlier around the holidays. You can keep calling your tree a Christmas tree and you can keep buying into the system by spending two months pay on Christmas presents. The whole “war” is fabricated and I suggest we all just drink some eggnog, listen to nice music by the fire and chill the fuck out. Anyway, I already did a year-end wrap up, so I have to come up with something new to write in 20 minutes. So, to say “pfffft” to the war on Christmas, here is how I spent mine in clunky narrative form.

CHRISTMAS EVE: I did what I always do,

listened to The Pogues and drank Bailey’s. It was great, I finished up some last-minute wrapping and hung out with my hound dog. Oh, I also did an incredible fingernail regime that made them super shiny and smooth. Thanks to the greatest salesman of all time, lingering at the Solomon Pond Mall, for selling me a product that I certainly don’t care about or feel I need. Leading with “Sir, do you believe in miracles?” is a boss move and I spent the money figuring, hell, I paid for a show.

CHRISTMAS DAY: Again, business as usual. Went to my folks’ house, opened presents (I got a

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pressure cooker) and ate way too much food. It was a blast and we watched “Christmas Vacation,” the greatest Christmas movie of all time (go ahead and email me about “Die Hard,” you stooge). From there it was off to the Northeast Kingdom in Vermont.

ALL THE REST: I drove the hound dog the four hours up to a remote

section of the Northeast Kingdom to spend time with my partner and her family. It was fantastic and there was plenty of fancy cider and fireplace hangs, but most importantly Brisco and I (and some of her adventure-forward family) took a break from the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire’s White Mountains to conquer a little guy, Bald Mountain in Westmore. It was a great, snowy hike (I’m glad I bought trail spikes, I’ll tell ya what) and it was terrifying climbing the fire tower (I left Brisco down below, he Joshua Lyford gets a little anxious with no railings). All in all, it was an Culture editor awesome time and y’all should fear not, Christmas still @Joshachusetts exists.

Kate Stillman opened the Canal District’s new nose-

to-tail butcher shop last week,

Stillman Quality Meats at 157 Harding St. Current hours

are Tuesday-Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Stillman has been a figure in the Boston farmers market scene for over 25 years.

The move to Worcester will allow Stillman and her family greater flexibility and a shorter Kate Stillman opened up Stillman commute from their farm in Hardwick. Stillman specializes in Quality Meats in the Canal District last poultry, sausage, smoked meats, week. specialty burger grinds, bone-in steaks, chops, roasts and braising cuts. The shop will also carry Rose 32 products, pantry provisions, artisan cheese and fresh prepared foods. Fresh fish delivery from Red’s Best will allow the Central Mass community access to bounty from local fishermen (and fisherwomen, too).

You Can’t Find a More Carefully-Curated Beer Dinner

Do you know how difficult it is to source 100-percent local ingredients from local farms for a large-scale event? Lynn Cheney does, and she’s ready to show you on Monday, Jan. 7 at Medusa Brewing Company. She’s even arranged for incredible beer pairings from Medusa, along with an exclusive brewery tour for her guests. Think of it as the ultimate networking event for building local food connections with top chefs willing to provide local seasonal food tips. Meet Bill Nemeroff from B.T’s Smokehouse, Katie Quinn from Mullhay’s Cheese Shop, and Rick Aurajo from Civic Kitchen & Drink. I had a chance to interview Cheney and Nemeroff about the event on the Pop It podcast this week. Tune in to find out what happens behind the scenes at your local farms to make this farm dinner possible.

We Need You in the Boardroom

The Boardroom opened at 139 Water St. in October and they are quickly gaining a following on account of their boozy brunch. On Sunday ( fun-day) Jan. 6, the honorable DJ Blackout is playing host, starting at 11 a.m. Dance, drink mimosas and order yourself some mean deviled eggs.

Corn Hole is Heating Up at Nashoba Valley Winery

Corn hole is taking hold of Nashoba Valley Winery during each Saturday in January, with a championship slated for Feb. 2. Fear not, the tournament is held inside a heated pavillion each week.

Teams of two will pay an entry fee of $30 per team, which includes a complimentary beverage. Weekly victors will secure a spot in the championship, along with a $60 gift card and the chance to win the grand prize of dinner for six at J’s. Teddy’s Lunch Box will be on hand Saturday, Jan. 5 with bacon-wrapped hot dogs, cheeseburgers and Italian sausages.

Sarah Connell contributing writer

culture

The Wonder Bar Still Delights

121 Shrewsbury St., Worcester • 508-752-9909 • wonderbarpizza.com SANDRA RAIN

I

f anyone insinuates that the Wonder Bar isn’t the same since it reopened in 2015, tell them to grow up. The Wonder Bar grew up, and frankly, it’s a delight.

The quirks of the space are still there, though management is working to deliberately smooth things out without sacrificing any charm. A strange front vestibule, for instance, was the topic of discussion amongst regulars and staff on both of my visits last week. The two doors sandwiched between glass bricks have a bottleneck effect that prevents entry and exit in quick succession and management is hellbent on a redesign. They’re rethinking the layout too, in order to accomodate for multiple large parties.

At present, the red puckered booths and granite-top bar will do just fine. Light sconces resembling ice cream parlor dishes dangle from ornate metal tiles on the ceiling, which have been painted a pale

shade of yellow to contrast the dark laminate wood flooring down below.

Skinny strips of paneling stretch just above eye level to meet worn wooden molding. Framed photographs of the Wonder Bar’s past life hang on the walls along with a sign announcing $3 Gansett drafts.

Sandwiches are served on cushy rolls of fresh-baked Italian. When they first reopened, the Wonder Bar ordered their bread from a distributor, but quickly found a lack in consistency. They make their own pizza dough, so it wasn’t a far stretch to tack on sandwich bread and focaccia to their daily prep list. The meatball sub ($9) is a perfect showcase, served with provolone cheese and a laborious sauce that tastes of time and effort. Sandwiches come with fresh cut fries as crisp as a January day.

If you’ve sought out the Wonder Bar, the odds are good that you’ve come in search of a nostalgic thin crust pizza. Order the combination ($14.50) made with sausage, peppers and mushrooms. It’s a house

favorite and the truest pie to the Wonder Bar’s age-old legacy. The sausage comes from John & Sons, though many of Worcester’s finest salumists have tried to proposition their way onto the legendary combination over the years. It’s something about the fennel content that makes John & Sons rise above

The fish-man cometh JIM KEOGH

films his “Aquaman” paycheck will allow him to pursue. And Wilson, face knit into a permanent sneer and bleached blond tresses pinned back in a modified Orlando Bloom-as-Legolas ’do, never seems more than a petulant heir to a throne he doesn’t deserve.

Nobody can seem to figure out what “Aquaman” should be. It’s not quite a polemic about man-made oceanic destruction (though Orm makes a solid argument for generating a humanity-cleansing tsunami); it lacks the confidence to take the plunge into parody, and it fails to establish a memorable superhero-supervillain dynamic. The foe-of-the-day, Manta (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), has a personal vendetta against Arthur and stages a memorable ambush in Sicily. Unfortunately, his badguy costume includes a bug-eyed, laser beam-shooting helmet that would have been cheesy in a 1950s B-movie.

Maybe “Aquaman” truly is nothing more than a higher-budgeted descendant to those goofy Saturday matinee movies set in black lagoons. The man does talk to fish, after all.

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is a hidden kingdom of unimagined advancement with a bone to pick with the rest of the planet. Arthur’s power-hungry half-brother, Orm (Patrick Wilson), is ready to lead a revolt against the surface people for their relentless polluting of the oceans. The only way Arthur can stop him is by claiming the throne, and to do that he must locate and extricate a magic trident from the grasp of a stone statue, thus becoming King Arthur. Somewhere, an appreciative English major weeps.

Now, to the bad.

While “Aquaman” pays close attention to visuals, the film’s weak plotting and characterizations scuttle it. This is a comic-book movie, so a heavy dose of ludicrousness is not only expected, but essential. Yet Wan and writers David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick and Will Beall stuff the story with enough exposition to choke a humpback whale. Simple backstories become historical treatises, casual comments turn into full-blown parables, and no slap-me-across-the-face symbolism goes unexploited. Origin stories are difficult enough to wrangle when the characters aren’t talking underwater.

Momoa’s charisma can’t compensate for the fact no one around him has any.

Potential love interest Mera (Amber Heard) is blessed with a blood-red Ariel wig but can’t conjure any believable chemistry with her fish-man. Willem Dafoe as Arthur’s mentor appears to be daydreaming about all the independent

Food: HHH1/2 Ambience: HHH Service: HHHH Value: HHHH

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h, “Aquaman.” Let me start with the good.

Jason Momoa is an inspired choice to embody the underwater superhero/king-in-waiting. The lords of the DC Universe wisely drowned the old comic-book Aquaman — the goldenblonde, seahorse-riding squid whisperer — in favor of Momoa’s half-breed wild thing. His Arthur Curry, love child of a human lighthouse keeper (Temuera Morrison) and future queen of Atlantis (Nicole Kidman), spends his days drinking hard and cutting through the ocean like a torpedo clad only in skinny jeans. Swimming in denim. Now that’s superheroic.

Momoa’s got undeniable charisma. He flashed it in a limited “Justice League” role and goes for broke here, churning out gruff one-liners that land less frequently than his punches, which must number in the hundreds over the course of two and a half hours. That’s okay. If you’re destined to rule the seven seas you should have a bit of the brute in you.

Director James Wan (“The Conjuring”) has crafted world of CGI wonder, which at times approaches James Cameron’s “Avatar” forests for dreamy lushness.

Atlantis, like “Black Panther’s” Wakanda,

the rest, and the Wonder Bar is willing to pay for quality. So am I. The crust is consistent on all of the Wonder Bar’s pizza iterations, slightly scorched and bubbling with a badass chew. Try the pesto supreme ($16) topped with mozzarella cheese, caramelized onions, roasted peppers and grilled chicken.

The frutta di mare ($16.50) is also a rarity, topped with haddock, mussels, calamari and clams.

Service aims to please. It’s personal. On my last visit, I watched a man and his wife come straight from the hospital after a four-day stay because their craving for antipasto so heavily outweighed the urgency of heading straight home.

The Wonder Bar’s crowd is a family.

The Wonder Bar isn’t perfect.

Along with the spatial challenges that need to be sorted out, the glassware smells like sanitizer, and the only place in the restaurant that really stays warm is the ladies room.

Still, it’s a spot that has earned its keep on my list of Worcester staples and I’ll be back again and again.

Two cheese pizzas and a pitcher of beer comes to $32 at the Wonder Bar. Explanation of Stars: Ratings are from zero to five. Zero is not recommended. One is poor. Two is fair. Three is satisfactory. Four is good. Five is excellent.

calendar Friday, Jan. 4 Solar VVitch, The Phase, The Krooks Ralph’s Diner, 148 Grove St. Live music at Ralph’s Diner.

Through Sunday, Jan. 6 Finding Neverland

Through Sunday, Jan. 6 The Art of Alexander Gassel Exhibition

Museum of Russian Icons, 203 Union St., Clinton The exhibit of contemporary paintings by RussianAmerican artist Alexander Gassel is coming to a close on Sunday, Jan. 6. This is your last chance to check it out.

Hanover Theatre, 2 Southbridge St. Ring in the New Year at Hanover Theatre, which welcomes Tony-winning director Diane Paulus and the magical story of playwright J.M. Barrie.

Through Sunday, Jan. 6 Winter Wonderland

Southwick’s Zoo, 2 Southwick St., Mendon The zoo takes on a whole new look with Winter Wonderland. With holiday decorations and Santa’s Train Ride, guests can experience the park in a brand new way.

Monday, Jan. 7 Family Storytime

Through Sunday, Jan. 3-6 Cirque Du Soleil - Corteo

DCU Center, 50 Foster St. Cirque returns to the DCU Center with Corteo, their latest gravity-defying and mind-blowing show, this time, guests experience the whimsical parade from the imagination of a clown.

Worcester Public Library Frances Perkins Branch, 470 West Boylston St. A selection of stories for young children, though older siblings are welcome to attend.

Monday, Jan. 7 Construction Club at Tatnuck

Worcester Public Library - Tatnuck, 1083 Pleasant St. The library welcomes all ages to enjoy Legos, Lincoln Logs, Keva Planks, K’Nex and more.

Tuesday, Jan. 8 Winter Wonderland Crafternoons - Snow Slime

Worcester Public Library - Burncoat Branch, 526 Burncoat St. Seasonal arts and crafts at the Worcester Public Library.

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Welcome to Adoption Option, a partnership with the Worcester Animal Rescue League, highlighting their adoptable pets. Check this space often to meet all of the great pets at WARL in need of homes.WARL is open seven days a week, noon-4 p.m., 139 Holden St. Check them out online at Worcesterarl.org, or call at 508-853-0030.

Jackson was brought to us after he had been been posted on Craigslist for adoption.

Jackson is looking forward to a quiet, adults-only home where he would be your one and only pet love. Jackson does enjoy playing with other dogs, for short periods of time, and he requires supervision throughout his entire play-date.

Jackson loves to play with toys and really loves to go for walks with our volunteers and staff. This handsome fella will make a great companion and couch buddy for some lucky person.

WARL VOLUNTEER BECKY T.

W O R C E S T E R M A G A Z I N E . C O M J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

Adoption option

The Score Worcester Railers Friday, Dec. 28 The Railers lost on the road in a 3-2 shootout on the road against the Maine Mariners.

Saturday, Dec. 29 Back at home, the Railers fell again to the Mariners, 3-1.

(Upcoming: The Railers head out on the road to take on the South Carolina Stingrays Friday, Jan. 4, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Saturday, Jan. 5 and the Swamp Rabbits again Sunday, Jan. 6.)

Worcester 78’s (Upcoming: The 78’s host First Responders Night at Worcester State University against the Oneonta Octane Saturday, Jan. 5, then head out on the road for a Sunday, Jan. 6 tilt against the New England Outtatowners.)

Worcester Blades (Upcoming: The Blades are at home Saturday, Jan. 5, Sunday, Jan. 6 and Wednesday, Jan. 9 for games against the Shenzhen KRS Vanke Rays at the Fidelity Bank Ice Centre.)

games J O N E S I N’

Last week's solution

©2019 Jonesin’ Crosswords (jonesincrosswords@gmail.com) Reference puzzle #917

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Down 1 Apprehend 2 “Been Lying” singer Rita 3 Civil War soldier, for short 4 Day or night 5 Some Morse code symbols 6 Links hazards 7 “Perry Mason” star Raymond 8 Apollo astronaut Slayton 9 Convertible furniture for sleeping 10 Chris of “The Lego Movie 2” 11 On the subject of 12 Active type 13 Funny duo?

18 “On ___ Majesty’s Secret Service” 21 Leave the airport 22 Origami step 23 A bunch 24 Cellphone forerunners 27 Excavate 28 Greg who missed the entire 2007-08 season after his #1 NBA draft pick 29 Commotion 30 “I totally agree” 31 Dating from time immemorial

33 Pedicurist’s stone 34 Cartoon crimefighter ___ Ant 37 Progressive online news site since 2004 41 “Walden” author 44 Lopsided 45 Early anesthetic 46 Item on a dog collar 47 Day-___ (fluorescent) 48 Deity worshiped by Canaanites 49 ___ Cooler (“Ghostbusters”themed Hi-C flavor) 50 1054, in Roman numerals 51 “Must’ve been something ___” 52 December drink 54 Ph.D. hopeful’s exam 55 Off-road ride, briefly 56 “___-Ra and the Princesses of Power”

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60 Great honor 61 Laze, with “out” 62 Nine, in some “Sesame Street” episodes

J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

Fun By The Numbers Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test!

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

Across 1 Santa-tracking defense gp.

6 Not yet decided, briefly 9 Club counterpart 14 NBA venue 15 Regret 16 “Citizen Kane” director Welles 17 Extremely annoying kids’ song (“doo doo doo doo doo doo”) which also featured in themed clothing like a pajama set or graphic T 19 Greek goddess trio, with “the” 20 Action sequel called the worst movie of 2018 by multiple critics (with hastilyedited ads ending in “Rated R”) 22 They use toner 25 Abbr. for some low-income shoppers 26 Goes outside of coverage 27 Grass or weed 29 Network bringing back “Temptation Island” in January 2019 32 One of 30 on a dodecahedron 33 Words in an infomercial disclaimer 35 Collectible disk for '90s kids 36 Stout relative 37 College football team ranked 121st out of 129 by CBS Sports (between New Mexico and Kent State U.) 38 AAA map abbr.

39 To be, in Toledo 40 Receipt figure 41 “The Shape of Water” director Guillermo del ___ 42 Curve in a figure eight 43 Chicken, pejoratively 44 Moving day rental 45 Corney key 46 Paid no heed to 48 Entertainer criticized for a racially insensitive tweet in October – not a good look for the Divine Miss M 52 Chip in a Mexican dish named for its inventor 53 Canceled Fox sitcom with a first episode aptly titled “Pilot” (that’s Pilot with a capital “P”) 57 Western film, slangily 58 “Let’s call ___ day” 59 You are here

“Not the Best of 2018”--we’ve saved the very worst for last.

by Matt Jones

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J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

classifieds Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Worcester Probate and Family Court 225 Main St. Worcester, MA 01608 Docket No. WO18P4040GD CITATION GIVING NOTICE OF PETITION FOR APPOINTMENT OF GUARDIAN FOR INCAPACITATED PERSON PURSUANT TO G.L. c. 190B, §5-304 In the matter of: Sherry Downing Of: Worcester, MA RESPONDENT Alleged Incapacitated Person To the named Respondent and all other interested persons, a petition has been filed by Dept. of Developmental Services of Worcester, MA in the above captioned matter alleging that Sherry Downing is in need of a Guardian and requesting that Shane Downing of Brooklyn, CT (or some other suitable person) be appointed as Guardian to serve Without Surety on the bond. The petition asks the court to determine that the Respondent is incapacitated, that the appointment of a Guardian is necessary, and that the proposed Guardian is appropriate. The petition is on file with this court and may contain a request for certain specific authority. You have the right to object to this proceeding. If you wish to do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance at this court on or before 10:00 A.M. on the return date of 01/22/2019. This day is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline date by which you have to file the written appearance if you object to the petition. If you fail to file the written appearance by the return date, action may be taken in this matter without further notice to you. In addition to filing the written appearance you or your attorney must file a written affidavit stating the specific facts and grounds of your objection within 30 days after the return date. IMPORTANT NOTICE The outcome of this proceeding may limit or completely take away the above-named person’s right to make decisions about personal affairs or financial affairs or both. The above-named person has the right to ask for a lawyer.

Anyone may make this request on behalf of the above-named person.

If the above-named person cannot afford a lawyer, one may be appointed at State expense.

WITNESS, Hon. Leilah A Keamy, First Justice of this Court.

Date: December 14, 2018 Stephanie K. Fattman, Register of Probate 01/03/19 WM

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Sudoku Answers Public Auction Notice Notice is hereby given pursuant to the provisions of M.L.C. 225 sec.

39a the following vehicles will be sold January 5th, 2019 at a sale to satisfy our garage lien thereon for towing and storage charges and expenses of sale and notice: 2016 FordF-150 VIN # 1FTEX1E866FD28309 2011 Toyota Camry VIN # 4T1BF3EK1BU215817 2011 Nissan Altima VIN # 1N4AL2AP3BN445153 2007 Chevy Malibu VIN # 1G1ZT58FX7F117198 2014 Ford Fusion VIN # 1FA6P0G75E5361359 2008 Chevy Impala VIN # 2G1WU583481242213 2006 Toyota Corolla VIN # JTDBR32E560090764 2001 Chevy Silverado Pick up VIN # 1GCEK19VX1E139206 The Sale will be held at Early’s on Park Ave. 536 Park Avenue Worcester, MA 01603

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last call Yvonne Caole-Sousa event planner W

orcester is abuzz with social activity these days, and Yvonne Caole-Sousa is right in the thick of it. Through her business, Unique Melody Events, she’s helping her customers build memorable events from the ground up in every respect, from the decorations to the entertainment. Caole-Sousa’s wide network of vendors throughout

experiences to new levels.

What did you study at Johnson & Wales? I studied sports, entertainment, event management, so I’m working in my field. It’s a pretty funny story because I did not want to do weddings whatsoever when I was in college. I wanted to stay as far away from social events as possible. They scared the dickens out of me. I

Maxwell Silverman’s function facility. I was primarily planning weddings, bar mitzvahs and other social events. I think it’s like any true love story in that I kind of just fell into it.

What is the biggest difference between corporate and social events? There’s gratitude in both styles of planning, but I think you experience it so much more

PHOTO SUBMIT TED

between your clients and their family and friends when it comes to social events. It feels awesome.

What do your event services typically include? My services vary from full event planning, which could entail everything from finding all the vendors to That is the crème de la crème managing the budget, to daywhen it comes to Worcester hotels. I can imagine you dealt of-coordination. Day-of is really more like month-of, because we with a lot of personalities start the process a month before there. It was amazing. The GM the event and I get to know and director of operations were constantly pushing me to do bet- exactly what all of your details ter and holding me up to a higher are. It is my job to make sure that there are no missing parts that standard. Sometimes you leave go unresolved before the actual your job feeling a little discourday of the event. aged, and you need someone at the end of the day to say, “Listen, – Sarah Connell we push you because we know you can handle it.” And that

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I heard Maxwell Silverman’s is closing on Union Street.

What was it like back when

Congratulations on transitioning to working for yourself.

What is the significance of your business’ name, Unique Melody Events? In 2015, I literally experienced my lowest and my highest year. I got engaged.

And, I unfortunately lost my mother Melody to cancer. Then, I got married and started my business, all in one year. The name Unique Melody Events is a tribute to my mom, who was definitely an artistic and creative person. It’s funny because when I was really young, I would always come home with my art work and I’d be like, “Why can’t I just have your drawing or painting skills?” I would always compare myself to my mom’s work and I’d get so frustrated. My creativity wasn’t always the kind that read well on paper. My creativity was always in my imagination and my mom knew that. She brought that out in me. My business is just a huge tribute to her and the creativity she pulled out of me.

She made me value my ability to bring people’s visions to life.

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actually wanted to get into large corporate functions, traveling to faraway lands with milliondollar budgets for trade shows. It was when I moved to Worcester during college when I found myself starting a career at the

really raised my confidence, and I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing now if it wasn’t for them.

J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019

Worcester have made her the go-to event planner for consultation and coordination. As a proud graduate of The University of Johnson & Wales, she has an eye for detail and a knack for hospitality that elevates guest

you worked there? That was actually one of my first experiences in the hospitality industry and I’m so grateful for that time because I learned a lot, as well as a lot of what not to do. I honestly wouldn’t own my own business and have the skills to do what I do know if it wasn’t for that place. I really got tossed into the deep end. Like I said, I started when I was still in college, before I even graduated. I had to plan events, weddings and large functions right away. I’d call it full immersive learning. I progressively got better as a planner.

Sometimes, I still backtrack and read the reviews of the place when I was first there. They say, “This young girl was our manager and she was super sweet.

You could tell she was trying really hard.” I just got to the point where eventually I decided, “I’m going to take all this experience that I’ve gained here and apply it somewhere new where I can start off feeling a little bit more confident and comfortable.” Then I went to the Beechwood Hotel, the only luxury boutique here in Worcester. I grew there, too, from banquet manager to food and beverage director, and then eventually, to sales. I had a full 360-degree view of events including catering, execution, managing, staffing and sales.

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J A N U A RY 3 - 9, 2019