· ~ Praise for A-B's unsung PAGES ~ ~ i ~~ ~ ~ g fil !hf •CL~ i~I~ I :i ~ : • .... ~I mComm unity Newspaper Company .allstonbrightontab.com FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2004 Vol. 8, No. 44 48 Pages 3 Sections 75¢ ...• ,.1. Iii see you in Se tember ••f ~ur Lady ofth e Pfj sentation -s!.,c hool given one more year By Josh B. Wardrop STAFF WRITER " It's not often you see a or decades, along with the essentials of reading, victory like this - F writing and arithmeti c, where you truly get to the faculty of Our Lady of the Presentation Grammar School see pie rise to the in Oak Square have dedi cated occ sion. But I think themselves to teaching some­ thing else of great value: fa ith. you f lks made such an And this week, the parents el uent case to the who've attended the sch&;I over the years - and their i hildren Cat olic Church ••• I wh'o make up the current student body-.learned, once and for all , thin we learned a lot that faith, belief and the strength b watching your of one's convictions truly means something. passion and Following two weeks of con­ leadership." cer1ed effort by the parents and statf of OLP, as well as that of the Rep. Kevin Honan neighborhood's elected offi cials, the Archdiocese of Boston an­ nounced that the OLP - slated ment of the Catholic Church. for closure at the end of this "At b ti me like this. ,,e·,e school year - wou ld receive a learned about the level of one-year reprieve. N ~x t fall , s t rengt~ and commitment here." classes will assemble at OLP - said activiM parent Ti.mt >HOTO av CRIN SMITH for the fi rst time in their hi story Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin s ks with parents and teachers at the Our Lady of Presentation School In Brighton on __, without the official involve- OUR LADY, page 23 Monday. The news was good with the archdiocese sa ing that the school would remain open for anot her year. ·Brig~t~n Hf gh grad a Sign_g f sue ,_ess Goodbye, Charlie? Deafsin ce age 5, Lily Nguyen becon1es role nzodelfor BHS senio :\' By Brooke Leister cipal search committee headed CNC STAFF WRITER by Joanne Gun)', Arlington\ as­ By Michelle Apuzzlo Gro\\ing up in \ 'it:tnam. the middle child c:umculum. ULst night may have been the sistant superintendent of curricu­ CORRESPONOENT of '>even N!!U\Cn can rcmt!mhcr the da\ 1 Youth like to expcrime . though, l'IO Brighton High School finale for lum and instruction. The other Last night at Brighton High School's grat­ hi oh fev~r stoic her hcJrim?. "" a child. ~ho: !!ll\en tested the \\atcr-.. at ri!!hton Hi!!h more than jw.t the Class of 2004. candidate for the position is uation, two seniors delivered the salutatori n w~'> unable to atten<l -;chcXil bccau..,c thcr ~ with. a biolog) da ... s drning er ~ophomc~re It \\as announced at a Tuesday Daniel R. Burke, principal of meeting of the Arli ngton School Melrose High Schcx>I. weren't an~ program" or deaf children. Her 'ear while sti ll enrolled at Hor tee Mann She address. one in English and the other n Committee that cun-ent BHS Since 1999. Skidmore has American Sign Language. father Wu!!ht her to re:il and \\rit~ in \'iet­ iikcd what she found. and tm -.li!n-e<l thc fol­ Headma'>ter Charles Skidmore is served as Brighton High School's Collaborating on the speech afforded Mi ­ name-.e. a~nd ... he wa-. able to conununicate lov. in!! \ear. one of two finalist'i for the posi­ headmaster. Prior to that, he mo'>e Francois and Lily Nguyen yet :...nother with her famil) b) reading their lip . \\ Hh ·the ~L.,si..,tance of a interpreter in tion of principal at Arlington served li ve }Cars a., the '>chool\ chance to work together. Francois has taken In 1996, the Ngtr)Cll famil) llJO\ed t) class. Ngu)Cn a<lapted qurckl . High School. assistant headmaster of cu1Ticu­ notes for Ngu) en on a c,irbon pad of paper in Dorchester. and 12-)ear-oltl Lil) tinall) .. It took about three 'L-con .., for her to be Skidmore wm. one of seven lum and instruction. classes over the lase two years, because her began '>Chool. She -..pent ..,j\ )ear.., ell the Hc >­ comfortable in 111) cla.,.., ... ,,. id BaJl) Hari­ candidates interviewed for the After graduating from Bo.,ton friend, who ha-. been deaf '>ince age 5, nee - race Mann SLhw fo~ the Deaf. studying ton. Nguyen "s junior ) ear glish teacher. position - from a fie ld of 25 State College with a bachelor\ .m ed to watch her interprett!r. English, Amem. ign Language and core LILY, page 25 "creened applicants - by a prin- SKIDMORE, page 24 'Fuel Chestnut Hill eservoir gets open gate tank' By Casey Lyons CORRESPONDENT ''This is like a miracle. Plant Yourself in the Park qharge sounds leisurely, and to an ex­ This place has been tent, it was. But the idea of the inaccessible to the <lay was not to relax in the open spaces and park. lands the area public for a long empty ha., to offer. it wm, to make those parks beauti ful enough to time." By Josh B. Wardrop accommodate the future dog Betsy Shure Gross STAFF WRITER \\alker or sunbather. Throughout the city last Residents on Peaceable Street weekend, volunteers turned out the history of parks in Boston and members of the Elk s Lodge on in droves to lend their efforts to­ Wa<>hington Street were cor11:emed and an important da} for the wards revitalizing Allston's and residents of Ma.;;sachusens," last w~k by the removal ofa fence Brighton's parks. At many on the edge of the Elks parking lot said Eva Webster, president and parks around the city, residents co-founder of the Chestnut Hill and by what appeared to be !ht! un­ could stop in, pitch in or merely super.rised excavation of a fuel Reservoir Coalition. enjoy the sunny June afternoon. The theme of the morning's Erin go Asian at tank from behind Devlin· re-..thll­ Capping the day's events was rantlbjlf at 332 Washington St. celebration wa<; to make the the opening of the Chestnut Hill park lands accessible to both the Kells The matter was even rru e<l at Reservoir, a local treasure that the June 3 meeting of the Brighton residents and Bostoni­ has been blocked by a rusted ans at large. Instead of a grassy ..,.SEEPAGE 10 Brighton Allston Impro,ement fence since the early 1900s. Association, where Karen Werra area tucked away behind Big wigs and dignitaries mounds of e~uth and an acti ve of Allston - who holds the title from within state and local of Exalted Ruler with the Elks construction site, Webster envi­ agencies came out for the un­ sions to .the park to be a re­ INSIDE Lodg~ - questioned '' hether veili ng of the sign, and a small Devli 's was beginning \\Ork source for passive recreation, core group of the earliest rising something that residents can Commentary 12 presu ptive of the Board of Air volunteers heard the dedication peals pprovi ng its proposed new use as often a-; they would like. Community Notes 15 while can. and trucks crui sed by Kathy Abbott, \')mmissioner back ard patio plan. on Beacon Street. "Why are they allowed to start Crime 11 'This is an important day in PARK, page 25 doin~work out there if their hear­ ing i n't unti l June 15'!' a.'lked i Entertainment 17 Hyunoh Kim was among the volunteers painting and cleanlng up t Werr . "The last couple of day~. on Saturday during the reopening of the Chestnut Hiii Reservoir. t ST>I P>iOTO BY ER '4 PRAIWl<O , Ubrary Notes 6 they've been teari ng up the back , . DEVLIN'S, page 24 .' Obituaries 11 •II Political Notebook 29 '1.\EL ·~~ ~ • ~~\~io,_.. .J~ • Clll HOPH \Cl'IC: ~\~,,~,.. ' . Schools 26 ~ \),,~ V1 ~ 15 ' 1,:;U'' CXf":n\ Ol.;t.: 1 Learn to dance !~· Sports 30 minute fitness Pnvate and group lessons with or Without 2 3 ~ Auto partner • weekly dances • low rates ~21. & weight loss center Wedding preparation specials Shawmut Properties FREE ~~®llf @W@ii' ~ Work. Injuries 134 Tremont Street • BOJrii!lP- • 617-566-7850 DanceSport Academy ~ 569 Washington St., Brighton Yo 11r Neig1iy ;<.. of New England 617-789-5551 t 384 Harvard St. Brookline (617) 1e 7 2 www.DanceSport·NewEngland.com ~ u ·I Page 2 Allsto ·Brighton TAB riday, June 11 , 2004 www.allstonbrightontab.com - ~: THIS WEEK Editor • • ••.••••.••• . WQ'frte Braverman (781 ) 433-8365 on townonline •com - ,;, Welcome lhe Allston-Brig tj • • . • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • • • ••.••• • [email protected] llston-Brlghton TAB is published online at www.townonline.com/ allstonbrighton and America TAB! We k eager to serve Reporter • • ••• .••• • •••... Jc~h Wardrop (781) 433-8333 Onli e Keyword: Town Online. Town Online features news from more than 45 local publications, pro­ forum for tl)e community. Pl se . • . • . • • • • . .•••••... [email protected] files of more than 200 Eastern Massachusetts communities, and items of regional interest. • send us ca l ~ndar listings, socipl W<¥-ieE!raYernm Editor in chief .••.•••••••••• G1 eg Reibman (781) 433·8345 .- • • • . • • . • . • . • • • • • • • •• [email protected] news and atty other items of dom­ Arts & Entertainment Lost Futures ' .... Advertising Director. Cris Warren (781) 433-8313 IL munity interest. 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