WellesleyWeston Magazine

FALL 2012

Launched in 2005, WellesleyWeston Magazine is a quarterly publication tailored to Wellesley and Weston residents and edited to enrich the experience of living in two of Massachusetts' most desirable communities.

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Back to School above: The Wilbury Crockett Library is ringed with stenciled names of visionary people chosen by the faculty who reflect the core values of the high school right: The iconic weathervane from the old school sits in the lobby of the new one, visually connecting old and new and collective. I realized I would miss the Larsson Gym, where I played over 80 and coached over 100 high school basketball games, the most. My last act in the old Wellesley High School was writing my name and my brother Ben's name in marker at center court. I wept as I did so. But then: I made my way over to the new building, saw the stu- dents leaping around, exploring its fresh contours, glimpsed the magnificent auditorium, stately library, and brightly lit cafeteria, and felt a resilient optimism about our future in this building. This is not easy for me to say—I almost feel disloyal to the old building, but: I love the new building, especially those spaces I listed above. After a few days in the new building, it felt like home. I am most grateful that my life at WHS will have bridged the old and the new. I heard from a former student, Billy Jacobs, Class of Honoring a Friend Opening ceremonies for the new Wellesley High School were also marked with sorrow, as the community honored Wellesley freshman HANNAH RANDOLPH, 15, who was killed in a skiing accident in February while on vacation in Colorado. All five of the school's singing groups—including the Concert Choir, of which Hannah was a member—sang ''For Good'' from Wicked. It was the last song Hannah sang with the choir before vacation, with lyrics fitting for celebrating a classmate at this significant occasion, "Because I knew you...I have been changed for good..." 2004, an artist whose original painting of the 1938 building now adorns the wall of my new classroom, and two sentences he wrote really captures how I feel about this whole experience. He says: "I am very happy that I got to experience the elegant, ramshackle old building, and am happy for other people who will get the benefits of the pleasant, almost futuristic new space. Mr. Cluff, I look forward to you regaling kids with their jetpacks and flying skateboards about the good ol' days, when you actually had to climb up three flights of stairs to get to Mr. Hamilton's class...without air condi- tioning!" I could not put it any better than Billy did. Perhaps elements of Mr. Cluff's beloved high school that now grace the new one also eased his transition. Maybe it's the flying eagle weath- ervane that soared atop the tower since 1938 that holds a place of honor in the lobby of the new school, the clock from the old tower remounted on the new one, or "The 1938 Room" in the new library, filled with architectural elements, plaques, and materials from the old building. Whether or not any of these "recycled" icons played a role in Cluff's unexpected delight, they certainly showcase yet another exam- ple of Wellesley's commitment to sustainability. 76 WellesleyWeston Magazine | fall 2012

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