Annual Trivia Bee Generates Buzz and Funds

Judy Manzo and her team from BookEnds took the ultimate prize at WFEE's annual bee, a fundraiser for Winchester schools.

The Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence (WFEE) held its Ninth annual Trivia Bee recently. Town Hall was filled with tables of trivia buffs, while eager onlookers peered out from the balconies to see who would come away with the ultimate prize, a bee trophy.  In the end, it was “The Local Bookies” from BookEnds who nabbed the grand prize. Caren Connelly, Executive Director of WFEE, said she was particularly happy for Judy Manzo, owner of BookEnds. Manzo has played in WFEE’s spelling or trivia bees for 19 years straight, Connelly said, and despite getting to the final round multiple times, Manzo never won the bee until this year. “She was pretty excited,” Connelly said, “so it was perfect to have them win.” Teams of fifth grade …

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Meet Your Neighbor

Former Winchester Wrestler Inducted Into Hall of Fame

Frank Fodera Jr. has a Winchester High School wrestling record in Mass. that has never been broken - 50-0 - and he’s being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

The following was submitted by Sherry Alpert. It’s been a long wait for Frank Fodera, Jr. since 1997, when he became one of only five athletes in the history of Massachusetts high school wrestling to be voted “Outstanding Wrestler” not once, but twice. Fodera, Principal of East Coast Developments, Inc. of North Reading, will be inducted into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Association (MIWCA) Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 5:30 p.m., Salem High School, just before the All-State finals. A 1997 graduate of Winchester High School, he was among seven athletes and five wrestling coaches inducted at the ceremony. “This honor is long overdue,” MIWCA Chair David Breen said.  “It’s a privilege to induct Frank Fodera, Jr. …

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Cost of All-Day Kindergarten Decreases

More Winchester students are enrolling in the three-day program.

Winchester parents who are enrolling their children in the All-Day Kindergarten program will see next year’s tuition decrease. The current rate for the 2011-2012 school year is $1,025. Next year that number will decrease to $995. “The program has been very successful the past three years and I have every expectation that success will continue,” said Superintendent William McAlduff. The School Committee unanimously voted to approve the new rate. According to McAlduff, the tuition is based on how much it will cost for the school department to break even.  McAlduff said that the current paid enrollment for 2012 is 282 out of 331 students or 85 percent. The paid enrollment last year was 78 percent. “While I cannot predict that participation …

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Winchester Wrestlers Win Individual Awards

The Sachems took home five medals at the Division 2 Individual State Tournament.

The following was submitted by Winchester parent Phillip Stern. The Winchester High School wrestling team took 12 wrestlers to the Division II Individual State Tournament, and five Sachems earned medals competing against some of the best wrestlers in Massachusetts. Nicholas Stern and Steve Spry took third place; Dan Fallon and Cam Horsey took fourth; and Dan McGurl took fifth place. All five will move on to wrestle at the All State Tournament on Feb. 24 and 25 against the top finishers from Division I and Division III. Winchester freshman Jordan Darby wrestled some of his best matches of the year at the State Tournament. Wrestling at 113 pounds, he was fully in command defeating Chris Antoine of Marshfield, and then lost a closely …

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Winchester Schools Hope to Benefit from No Child Left Behind Waiver

This past year, Lynch parents were given the option to change schools.

The Lynch Elementary School may no longer be considered a “failing" school. According to the Boston Globe, President Obama is expected to announce that Massachusetts will be granted a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Law. It's a move that Winchester Superintendent William McAlduff said will benefit the district. “I’m pleased with it,” McAlduff said of the decision. “The way the federal law is structured, there’s no integrity to it for how it’s interpreted in states like Massachusetts and towns like Winchester.” Due to low MCAS, the Lynch School was identified for “Improvement – Year 1” in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math for all subgroups under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Since Lynch is a Title I school and a …

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Winchester Wrestlers Win Sectional Title

The Sachems are Division 2 champs.

The following was submitted by Winchester parent Phillip Stern. Winchester outscored perennial rival North Andover 247.5 to 238.5 to win the Division II North Sectional Championship on Saturday, Feb. 4. The Sachems last won the Sectional Tournament in 2008 and continued pinning their way to the Division III State Championship. Now the Sachems compete in the stronger Division II and are ranked No. 3 in the state behind Division I powers Methuen and Framingham. At the Sectionals, 13 out of 14 Sachem wrestlers ended up on the podium. Heavyweight Dan McGurl wrestled in the last match of the day but it was worth the wait as he ended up on the top of the podium as Sectional Champion. He won his first two matches by pin, but had to work the …

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PHOTO GALLERY: Lincoln School Fifth Grade Pancake Breakfast

Check out the photo gallery of last week's breakfast.

The following was submitted by Carmen Kenrich & Monica Chilton Pancake Breakfast Co-Chairs. Saturday morning was snowing, but it didn’t stop folks from coming to the annual Lincoln School fifth Grade Pancake Breakfast. The pancake breakfast ran like ‘clockwork’ according to many patrons, thanks to the parent volunteers and eager-to-help fifth graders. Parent volunteers were flipping pancakes, cooking sausage and serving up a delicious breakfast. But it was the fifth graders who stole the show; acting as the maitre d’, filling food orders, serving guests, and keeping the cafeteria in top shape throughout the morning.  Proceeds from this event support other fifth grade activities and help fund a gift to Lincoln School from the graduating …

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Winchester Wrestlers Defeat Defending State Champions

The Sachems upset Lawrence.

The following was submitted by Winchester parent, Phillip Stern. Winchester wrestlers defeated the Lawrence Lancers, the defending Division 1 State Champions, 33-19 at a quad meet held at Winchester High School on Saturday, Jan. 7. The Sachems beat Malden Catholic 54-6 and Mansfield 55-5 earlier in the morning. The Winchester and Lawrence wrestling teams have a great competitive history. Two years ago Winchester narrowly edged out Lawrence in the last match of the meet, as the Sachem heavyweight escaped a near fall and pinned his opponent to secure the team victory. Last year Lawrence returned the favor when two of their wrestlers overcame large deficits by pinning their Sachem opponents, thus providing the points Lawrence needed to win. …

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Winchester's 10 Biggest School Stories of 2011

The top-10 school stories that had Winchester talking.

As 2011 comes to a close, Winchester Patch will review some of the year's most read and important news stories. On Thursday we looked at the top-10 police stories of the year. Today we will focus on the top school/education stories from the past 12 months in Winchester. 1. Winchester Soccer Coach Resigns – After 10 years Paul Austin resigned his position as the boy’s soccer coach. He took a position as the girl’s coach at Arlington. Austin wrote in a letter to parents that, “having open and honest communication and mutual trust is an important part of a successful team. Players, coaches and parents should show respect for each other and work in a cooperative and collaborative way.” He continued to write, “, I am not confident that this …

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