Marty Green

Last month, Harvard received two substantial grants from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Together, the grants total more than a third of a million dollars. The goal of both grants is to help the town “decarbonize” its municipal buildings, reducing the amount of fossil fuel they use.

In an era of movies on television and videos on cellphones, seeing a live theater performance is an exciting reminder of how audiences first experienced Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet.” Ninth- and 10th-graders at the Bromfield School had that experience on Friday afternoon, March 27, thanks to a grant of $2,400 from the PTO for which English teachers Emily Verrochi and Peter Murphy had applied.

The School Committee voted unanimously at its meeting April 13 to hire Molly Superchi as the district's new assistant superintendent, with a three-year contract starting July 1. Superchi will replace Dana Labb in that position as he moves up to become superintendent.

A towering elm near the library was felled by a work crew from Favreau Forestry of Sterling last week, because rot detected at the tree's base made it unsafe for the heavily used public area. Brian Favreau estimated the elm's age at 165 years, meaning it was probably a tall, young tree when the Old Bromfield School was built in 1874.

It was a close call, but the recent cold snap seems to have done only limited damage to Harvard's orchards. However, as Chris Green of Westward Orchards said, “It's still pretty early in the game to know what's going on.”

Beginning with a slow trickle that grew unevenly throughout the day, voters made their way to the Hildreth Elementary School gym Tuesday to cast their ballots in the Town Election. With no contested elective positions, the only suspense was the outcome of the two ballot questions—the $135,370 override for the fiscal 2027 omnibus budget and the $800,000 debt exclusion for the Eldridge Road culvert. Both passed handily, according to the unofficial results posted on the town website. (Results are not official until certified by the state.)

It's an old stereotype that teenagers have hearty appetites, but they are also bombarded with media messages about weight and appearance. Katelyn Russell, leader of the Health and Physical Education Department at the Bromfield School, recently co-authored an article in the Journal of School Health, “Ditching Diet Talk,” about a curriculum that emphasizes healthy eating behaviors while avoiding a weight-centric approach to nutrition.

For more than 20 years, Harvard has offered elderly or disabled homeowners help in paying their property tax bills. This year, applications for that assistance are due to the town treasurer by May 28. The Elderly and Disabled Taxation Aid Committee will decide by June 20 the amount of assistance to give each approved applicant.

As this school year draws to a close, the School Committee is taking steps to prepare for the new school year that will start next fall. At its June 8 meeting, committee members dealt with matters ranging from a new teacher contract to issues such as vaping and cellphone use in school.

It's now or never for residents who want to receive their new Transfer Station stickers by July 1, when current stickers expire. Because all the new stickers are being mailed out, the cutoff date for turning in an application to Town Hall is Monday, June 22. Residents who submit their applications after that date may have to skip a trip or two to the Transfer Station in early July, until their new stickers arrive by mail.