The Newton Fire Department received a Group Citation for Meritorious Conduct at the 35th annual Massachusett Firefighter of the Year Awards ceremony. The award cited Captain Karl “Gus” Svartstrom, Lieutenant Joseph DeLuca, and Firefighters Richard Busa, Ryan Doherty, Michael Pohlman, Lawrence Quinn, Andrew Sbordone, and Joseph Yerardi for their service in an incident last winter in which two people were pulled from a house fire.
Newton firefighters Michael Claflin, Nicholas Cotoia, Tanis Jeffers, and William Tobin graduated from the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy’s 50-day Career Recruit Firefighting Training Program on November 18. They were trained in all basic firefighter skills, first under non-fire conditions and then during controlled fire conditions. To graduate, each demonstrated proficiency in life safety, search and rescue, ladder operations, water supply, pump operation, and fire attack. They have met the national standards of NFPA 1001, Standard for Fire Fighter Professional Qualifications and are certified to the levels of Firefighter I/II and Hazardous Materials First Responder Operations.
Honda Village founder Ray Ciccolo and General Manager Carl Pasquarosa hosted a celebration of the dealership’s 50th anniversary on November 10 — “an evening filled with laughter, memories, and appreciation for everyone who has been part of our journey.”
Former Newton resident John Krasinski is the sexiest man alive, at least for this year, according to People Magazine. In a video interview, he described his time at Newton South HS.
Waban resident Dr. Nicole Ullrich will receive the Neurofibromatosis Northeast Research and Impact Award in recognition of her commitment to neurofibromatosis (NF) research and the treatment of patients and families affected by this complex condition. The award honors her lifelong dedication to advancing clinical care, research, and education. She is currently Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School and serves as an NF expert at Boston Children’s Hospital, where her team cares for 500 patients each year.
Newton Public Schools (NPS) METCO Director Lisa Gilbert-Smith and METCO Newton Counselor Melissa Wong represented NPS at the METCO Showcase held recently at the Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester. The METCO Showcase provides opportunities for Boston families to meet with representatives of participating suburban schools and explore educational opportunities for their children.
Aaditya Aryan and Aneesha Aryan of Newton North HS and Faria Ashrafi and Mana Hayashida of Newton South HS are members of Boston BOSLab, a team spanning 15 schools in Massachusetts that participated in iGEM 2024, a global synthetic biology competition in Paris last month. The team won a Silver Medal and two nominations, ranking in the top 5 of 130 teams.
Ed. Note: We revised this article to indicate that Melissa Wong, not Jessica Semexant, attended the METCO Showcase with Lisa Gilbert-Smith, and we included their photos.
