Congratulations to the following 17 educators and staff members who were honored May 20, 2026 by the Wellesley Education Foundation for 25 years of service to the С����Ƶ! This year’s incredible honorees were:

Pamela Allen, Fiske & Hardy Librarian

Pamela has been the Librarian at Fiske Elementary for the past 26 years, beginning in August 2000. This past year, in addition to working at Fiske, she has also served as Librarian at Hardy Elementary. It has been her absolute pleasure working with the K-5 students all these years; they are her most favorite part of her job!! The enthusiasm, curiosity and wisdom they bring to library classes each week has truly been an absolute delight!

Rebecca Blouwolff, WMS World Language Teacher

Rebecca has taught French to all grades at Welleseley Middle school since 1998. Over the years she has had many articles published; created a popular blog, Ma Révolution Française; and served as a featured guest on multiple educational podcasts. Rebecca as the ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year in 2020.

John Brown, Athletics Director

John started in the С����Ƶ as a TV/Video Teacher in the Fall of 2000 helping to build a program that encompassed a wide range of diverse students from grades 9-12. They regularly had a waiting list to take those elective classes. In 2006, John became the Director of Athletics for С����Ƶ, where the programs have had tremendous success. Over the past 20 years there have been thousands of participants, hundreds of League Championships, dozens of Sportsmanship Awards, 5 Boston Globe Scholastic Awards for the best winning percentage, and 47 State Championships. John will be retiring this Fall and has loved his time here.

Rita Cameron, Bates Kindergarten Teacher

Rita has taught at the Bates School since 1999. She spent her first 2 years as a teaching assistant, then taught first grade for 3 years. She moved to kindergarten at the beginning of her fourth year and has been in kindergarten ever since, with the exception of the pandemic year (2020/2021), when she taught first grade for the year in person.

Kathryn Dexter, Hunnewell Music Teacher

Katie Dexter is an elementary music teacher with 30 years of experience teaching General Music in Massachusetts public schools, including 25 years in Wellesley. She spent most of her career at Hunnewell Elementary School and has also taught at Fiske, Sprague, Upham, and Bates. She studied music education at UMass Amherst and earned a graduate degree in education from Lesley University. In 2017, she received the Excellence in General Music Award from the Massachusetts Music Educators Association and has enjoyed writing articles and presenting workshops along the way. Katie loves mentoring future teachers and appreciates that there is truly never a dull moment in the music room.

Jacqueline Hennessey, Hardy Literacy Intervention Teacher

After teaching first grade in Connecticut for 6 years, Jacqui made the move up to the Boston area to be closer to family and started teaching at Fiske in 2000. She was at Fiske for 22 years. In her time at Fiske, Jacqui taught first grade, a K/1 multi-grade, and was a Literacy Specialist, as well as grade-level leader for many years. In the 2023-24 school year, Jacqui moved to Upham as the Literacy Specialist/Intervention Teacher. After the closing of Upham, Jacqui moved to Hardy where she has been the Literacy Intervention Teacher for the past two years.

Lisa Humphrey, Fiske 1st Grade Teacher

With 29 years of teaching experience, Lisa joined the С����Ƶ in 1999, spending her first 14 years teaching second and third grade at Hunnewell. She then worked for five years as an elementary math coach at Hunnewell, Schofield, and Fiske before returning to the classroom as a first grade teacher. After four years at Upham, Lisa has taught first grade at Fiske for the past three years.

Andrew Kelton, WHS Assistant Principal

Drew is a graduate of С����Ƶ class of 1987. He was a member of the WHS social studies department for 13 years and taught World History, US History, Psychology and Sociology. For the past 13 years, he has served as an assistant principal at WHS.

Christine Kerr, WHS 9th Grade English Teacher

Christine joined the WHS English Department in 2000. She was the coordinator for the World Challenge Expedition that culminated in a month-long expedition to Tanzania in 2002 with 7 WHS students & 7 students from Aberdeen, Scotland. She served as advisor to the school newspaper and taught 9th-12th grade English classes and electives, including Media Matters and The Bible as Literature. She has been a member of the Faculty Senate (7+ years) and was President of the Faculty Senate 2021-2022.

Kathryn Mahoney, WMS Counseling Department Head

Kate started her career at Wellesley Middle School in August of 2000 as a part-time school counselor. She was then promoted to full-time in 2001 and worked as a full-time school counselor until 2014. She became interim department head of school counseling in 2014 and was hired as permanent department head in 2015. She earned her supervision license through EDCO collaborative. In addition to serving as department head and supervising a staff of seven, she is a school counselor serving a caseload of students.

Neysa McNamara, Hardy 3rd Grade Teacher

Neysa has worked in С����Ƶ at the Hardy Elementary School for her entire teaching career. She is grateful that she was hired right out of graduate school and has been privileged to teach at Hardy for 25 years. Neysa has taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th grade and a 3/4 multigrade over the years. Her favorite parts of being a teacher are the relationships she forms with her students and their families, and working alongside people she considers dear friends.

Mark Mayall, District Computer Technician

Mark came to WPS after a brief stint teaching 9th grade science at Acton-Boxborough Regional High School. As a member of the WPS Technology Department, he has been responsible for the installation, maintenance, and repair of computers, printers and AV equipment throughout the district. Among the most gratifying aspects of his job are the relationships with his Tech Department colleagues and being able to help facilitate the education of students who require specialized equipment. In addition to his job in the Tech Department, he was also part of the coaching staff of the WHS Indoor and Outdoor Track teams from 2003-2010.

Michael Mazzeo, WMS 8th Grade Math Teacher

Michael was hired in Wellesley in the fall of 2000 after teaching for six years in Naples, Florida (5th grade) and Orinda, California (7th/8th grade math and Athletic Director). He spent one year at Wellesley Middle School teaching 6th grade math and ELA before moving to 8th grade Algebra 1, which he has taught ever since. He was hired by Bella Wong during John D’Auria’s tenure as middle school principal.

Lisa Mortarelli, Hunnewell 1st Grade Teacher

Lisa began teaching second grade at Bates. Just two years later, she was brought over to open the new Sprague School. At Sprague, she taught second grade, job shared second grade for four years, moved into a 1/2 multiage classroom, and rolled out to first grade. After 13 years at Sprague, she joined Hunnewell as the Literacy Specialist. During COVID, she taught in-person kindergarten, which gave her the itch to get back into the classroom 100 percent with children. So this year, she is back to where it all began, as a first grade classroom teacher.

Lauren Pedroli, Hardy Special Educator

In September 2000, Lauren’s career began in the С����Ƶ at Hardy Elementary School. She has been an upper elementary grades special educator for Hardy and has worked with grades 3-5 during her tenure. She feels very fortunate to work in Wellesley and with the supportive Hardy School community.

Elizabeth Quinty, District Physical Therapist

Elizabeth has worked the full span of the С����Ƶ, including preschool straight through to the Launch 18-22 program this year. She has done out-of-district evaluations, and has been sent to provide compensatory services to a student attending Perkins School for the Blind. She has been both blessed and professionally challenged throughout her career in school-based PT!

Michelle Weir, P.A.W.S. Special Educator

Michelle started at P.A.W.S. as a Teacher Assistant in 2000 and took over as a classroom teacher in 2001. Throughout the years, she has primarily taught the district’s youngest learners, lovingly referred to as the “Puppies” class. Many of her students have had their first-ever school experience at the young age of 2.9 (2 years, 9 months) when they enter the “Puppies” class. For many years, she has also served as the Special Educator on the diagnostic evaluation team, supporting young children and their families as they transition from Early Intervention. Although she has been teaching for 25 years, each year she is still a student as she continues to learn from what each child brings to her classroom.

Please see the Student Registration page for information and document requirements. Families are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Kindergarten Orientation nights will be held at each school in April and May.

Child Find: Under federal and state special education regulations, the С����Ƶ has a responsibility to locate, identify, refer, evaluate, and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate, public education to students with disabilities who reside in the town of Wellesley. Click for more information.

December 4, 2025 — С����Ƶ extends its warmest congratulations to Wellesley High School Choral Director Dr. Kevin McDonald, who was has been named one of 10 finalists nationwide for the ! The GRAMMY honors educators who have made significant contributions to music education and the lives of their students.

Dr. McDonald has been a semifinalist for the award for the past four years, but this is his first time as a finalist. Most of this year’s finalists are high school teachers, elementary and university educators. The winner will be announced shortly before the February 1 GRAMMY Awards and will have the opportunity to attend the event and walk the red carpet. 

The 10 finalists were .

“I am absolutely ecstatic that Dr. McDonald has been named a GRAMMY Music Educator Award finalist,” said Lauren Saracino, interim WPS K-12 Director of Performing Arts. “For those of us lucky enough to know and work alongside him, this is no surprise – it is a thoroughly deserved honor. Dr. McDonald’s talent is immense, his contributions are remarkable, and his commitment to his students is the very definition of this award.” 

As a finalist, Dr. McDonald will receive a guaranteed $1,000 honorarium and a matching grant for the WHS music program. The winner receives a $10,000 honorarium and a matching school grant.

“I am honored and humbled to be on this list of incredible educators and want to emphasize that we are merely representatives of the amazing work so many music educators are doing every day to keep music education alive and providing beacons of light for all students,” Dr. McDonald said. 

“I also want to be sure to emphasize that this award is not an individual award!  It is recognition that has been made possible by my mentors, colleagues, family, community, and most of all students and musicians that I share my life with.”

McDonald is in his 22nd year as Choral Director at Wellesley High School, where he leads a thriving program consisting of 5 curricular choral ensembles and 4 extracurricular a cappella groups. The many highlights of Dr. McDonald’s career at WHS include:

• In 2023, he received the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Lowell Mason Award, presented annually to recognize members of MMEA who have been leaders in music education in Massachusetts.
• The WHS Rice Street Singers have earned a Gold Medal at the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education Awards for 15 straight years.
• His choral programs have performed the national anthem at Fenway Park, most recently in September with the Keynote and Rice Street singers.
• His students have performed multiple times with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. Most recently, the Keynote Singers appeared with the Pops in the 2023 performance of .  
• The Rice Street Singers were twice in WGBH’s Sing that Thing competition, in Seasons 3 (2017) and 4 (2018).

In addition to his teaching in Wellesley, Dr. McDonald is the conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus of Tenors and Basses in Boston, Director of Music at Wellesley Village Church, and is an active guest conductor for State/District Festivals throughout New England. He frequently serves as clinician at many state/regional music conferences.

Dr. McDonald holds a B.M. in music education from the University of New Hampshire, a M.M. in low brass performance from the University of Idaho, and a DMA in music education with choral conducting emphasis from The Hartt School, University of Hartford.

WPS students need to complete coursework aligned to Massachusetts Frameworks in the following content areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology/ Engineering, and beginning with the Class of 2027, U.S. History. For more detail, please see the new, and updated, Graduation Requirements.

I hope you are enjoying the remaining days of summer and that these past few months have been restful and restorative for you and your families. We look forward to welcoming our students, staff, and families back for the start of the 2025-26 school year, which will begin on Wednesday, August 27th. 

We have been busy throughout the summer preparing for opening day and I especially want to thank the Facilities Management Department (FMD) for their incredible work to clean and prepare our buildings, which is a carefully choreographed sprint each year. We have also been busy completing our hiring for the new year, with exceptional new teaching and support staff joining us throughout the district, whom I hope you will join me in welcoming to our WPS community. In particular, I want to welcome back Dr. Stephen Goodwin, who previously served as our Sprague principal and who is returning as the interim principal of Schofield. I also want to welcome Dr. Midge Connolly, who is joining us as our interim Assistant Superintendent of Student Services. Welcome to all of our new colleagues! 

As you likely know, last year we formed a working group of students, parents, and staff to engage with the topic of cell phones and smart devices in schools. We explored the research on this topic, heard diverse perspectives from members of our own school community, and examined policies from other schools and districts. As a result of that work, we are instituting some new procedures at the secondary level in WPS. At Wellesley Middle School, if students bring a cell phone or other smart device to school, it must be locked in a pouch provided by the school throughout the day. At Wellesley High School, students must place cell phones in a holder upon entry to any classroom. At the elementary level, students should not bring phones or other smart devices to school. At home, we would value all of our parents/caregivers waiting as long as possible, such as until the end of middle school, before purchasing a phone or other smart device for their student(s).

We know that air conditioning has been an important facilities conversation for our district, with four of our schools – Bates, Fiske, Schofield, and WMS – lacking the climate control that can fundamentally alter learning conditions at school during hot days in the fall and spring. Wellesley Town Meeting approved feasibility funds for this project in April, and as part of that process FMD is conducting a pilot study of window and ductless split solutions in specific classrooms in the coming year to assess elements such as temperature impact and noise.      

This summer, our Business Office has also been supporting our transition to a new food service provider, Chartwells, a company that is committed to using fresh, nutritious, minimally processed and locally sourced ingredients. As a reminder, all students are eligible for free school meals and we encourage parents to take advantage of this program. (Please note that families remain responsible for paying for a la carte items and second meal sales.) 

Of course our core mission of teaching and learning continues to be guided by and aligned with our Profile of a Graduate and district Strategic Plan. We strive to be a district in which our excellence and equity efforts support the success of ALL students. To better inform our community with respect to our outcomes, we restarted the publishing of  last year. Our progress report for SY2024-25 will be coming out later this fall.

I recognize that we are living in uncertain times, and that, at the moment, some members of our community feel particularly vulnerable. I want to emphasize that in WPS, we respect all individuals’ human and civil rights, regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. For WPS to successfully meet its core mission, our school community must be a place where everyone – students, staff, and families – feels welcomed and valued. That theme of community and, more specifically, a community of learning, is one we want to highlight this year, as it both reflects the relationships undergirding our affinity as a school district as well as our role as a learning organization. As a community of learning, we are committed to student, adult, and organizational growth.         

As we move closer to opening day next week, please consider phasing in good habits to start the school year around sleep schedules, nutrition, overall organization and setting boundaries on the use of smart devices at home.  

Finally, if you haven’t already, please be sure to update your family information in the PowerSchool Portal, including your contact information, and provide the necessary permissions for the upcoming year. Upon completion, homeroom information for students in Grades K-8 is currently available in PowerSchool and schedules for students in Grades 9-12 will be available the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20. You also should have received an invitation to join our new communications platform, ParentSquare; please contact portal@wellesleyps.org if you have any technical issues. 

On behalf of the incredible team of educators and staff who serve the students of the С����Ƶ, thank you for putting your faith in us to provide your children with a world-class education. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the school year to ensure the success of all of our students. Let’s have a great year WPS!  

Sincerely,

Dr. David Lussier

Superintendent of Schools

Please note the following expectations for parking and behaviors for games at Hunnewell Track & Field. All attendees should make note of the available parking options for the regular-season night sporting events, four of them for varsity football. We strongly encourage carpooling!

1. Wellesley High School Lot
2. Track Lot: Limited spaces are available in the track lot along the Brook Path and adjacent to the high school.
3. Washington Street: This street offers ample parking space. Please ensure that you park in designated areas only, respecting any parking restrictions.
4. Paine Street: No parking on both sides, except in designated spaces along the traffic island that abuts the Wellesley High School parking lot. Please adhere to parking signage or parking regulations in the area.
5. Atwood Street: Parking is available on one side of Atwood.

See below map for guidance. Do not park on the sidewalks or in the loading zone areas around WHS. Attendees must abide by any No Parking notices to avoid receiving a parking citation and being towed. Please be mindful of local traffic regulations and any instructions provided by traffic control personnel.

For those who have limited mobility and may need assistance, please reach out to the WPS Athletics Department (​​athletics@wellesleyps.org or 781-446-6290 ext. 7) no later than the day before the game to request accommodations. 

At the end of each game, out of respect for the neighbors and the neighborhood, attendees are kindly asked when exiting the field to be mindful about keeping their noise level down and picking up any litter they see. Spectators walking or biking home are encouraged to wear a reflective vest. Students who attend these events are expected to conduct themselves respectfully and follow all behavior requirements of the . 

Let’s work together again this year to create a positive and enjoyable experience for all night games at Hunnewell Track & Field! 

Football night games this fall:

• September 5 vs. Framingham, 6 p.m.
• September 12 vs. Andover, 6 p.m.
• September 19 vs. Milford, 6 p.m.
• October 24 vs. Natick, 6 p.m. (Homecoming)

Field hockey and soccer night game schedules are to be determined.