Brockton High School

Brockton High School, one of the largest high schools in the country, has 4 academic buildings which house over 4000 students each year. UsNews named it one of The Best High Schools in 2012.

There is a gym with an Olympic sized pool, a 1600 seat auditorium, a planetarium, a TV and radio station, an ice skating rink, and the Rocky Marciano football stadium.  

The Brockton Boxer Football team made it to the State Championship this year and has been State Champions 11 times including  in 2004 and 2005.

They have a marching band, jazz band, and renowned Drama Club.

 

 

 

 

AP courses are offered in English Literature and Composition; United States History; Modern European History; Calculus; Biology; Physics; Chemistry; Marcroeconomics; Studio Art; Foreign Languages

 

Vocational training is also available in  Automotive, Graphic Design, and Construction.

26th Annual Brockton Holiday Parade

Last Saturday the Brockton community gathered downtown for the 26th annual Holiday Parade. Led by Grand Marshal Armond Colombo, "Winningest coach in Massachusetts state football history", the parade featured local businesses, all of Brockton's Middle School bands, the Brockton High and  Bridgewater-Raynham Marching Bands, Clydesdale horses, and Santa at the very end. 

Great Eats in Brockton

Brockton has its share of restaurants, both major chains and small family owned shops. I asked a few people to tell me about their favorite place to eat in the city.

            Tutto Bene  

1050 Pearl St 

David Brass of South Easton always orders the Pear Salad.

 

Christos

782 Crescent St

Although known for their Greek salad, Jim Chaffe of Brockton enjoys their Baked Lamb. 

                                                                     

        West Side Pizza

 35 Torrey St

                                Scott Brass of Easton recommends the Steak and Turkey Tips.

 

Tamboo

252 Main St

Katrina Hernandez loves the Carribean Chicken with rice and Plantains.

 

The Italian Kitchen

1071 Main St

Harold Gooden swears by the fresh meats that you can buy from their adjacent store and their veal cutlet plate.                                                                                     

CRISTAL'S

250 Main St

J.T. Dasilva's favorite dish is the Camarao Mozambique, a Portuguese style shrimp. 

VETERAN'S DAY

This Sunday at 1130 a.m. Brockton will be holding its annual Veteran's Day Parade.

War Memorial Legion Parkway

Brockton's annual Veteran's Day Parade will start in front of the War Memorial Building at 156 West Elm St. and will continue on to City Hall Plaza via Newbury, Belmont, and Crescent St following the War Memorial Building Open House, which begins at 10:30 a.m. and will include tours.

The parade will include local veterans, the Brockton High School JROTC Boxer Battalion and the Brockton High School Marching Band.

   

 The parade will conclude at City Hall with a short ceremony.

The Brockton Police Department will also host a Veterans’ Day event to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project Sunday, Nov. 11^th at 6 p.m. at the Brockton VFW, 283 N. Quincy St.  Tickets are $25.

Brockton Art

On Friday November 5th at 5 p.m. Joe Angelo's Cafe will be hosting the Grand Opening of the City of Champions: Youth Vision in Context exhibit, an outdoor exhibit of large photographs by 10 young Brockton photographers.

The exhibit will run until November of next year and was completed by Mary Beth Meehan, historian Willie A. Wilson, Jr, and Artists for Humanity.

Other supporters are the Office of Mayor Linda M. Balzotti, The Brockton Redevelopment Authority, The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, Brockton Community Schools, Stonehill College, Brockton building owners: Joe Angelo, Christopher Cooney and the Metro South Chamber of Commerce, Mark Linde, Robert Malley of the Brockton Parking Authority, John and Paul Merian, Evelyn Nessralla, Paul Protentis, and Pastor Michael Walker.

The reception is free and open to the public

Massasoit Community College Theatre Co.

This Saturday October 27th the Massasoit Community College Theatre Co.
will be holding auditions for “Yes, Virginia: The Musical”at the Buckley Performing Arts Center at 1 Massasoit Blvd.

Actors of all ages are encouraged to audition at 3 p.m. and should bring 16 bars of sheet music to perform.

 In 1897 a young girl named Virginia O'Hanlon wrote a letter to the New York Sun asking if Santa Claus was real. The response that editor Francis Church wrote to young Virginia about the beauty of a child's imagination, affirming the existence of Santa Claus. The story was adapted into an animated television special in 1974 and into a holiday musical  in 1996.

Massasoit Community College Theatre Co. will be performing the musical from Thursday, December 20th-Sunday December 23rd. It will be directed by Nathan Fogg, with Musical Direction by Steve Shannon.

Coaching For Change Inc.

COACHING FOR CHANGE, INC

MISSION STATEMENT

Empowering urban teens to overcome social and structural barriers to education and employment by teaching workforce skills through sports apprenticeships

Coaching For Change, Inc. is a unique sports program that uses sports to improve college and career readiness skills to high school students. 

Today I spoke with founder  Marquis Taylor about Coaching For Change's mission and their upcoming 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament.

Mr. Taylor founded Coaching For Change while in graduate school in 2010 and it has been running now for eleven months. Working with the Boys and Girls Club and the Keith School in Brockton, the organization creates employment opportunities in athletic environments for high school students in the greater Brockton area.

The application process is available through the Boys and Girls Club, where teens fill out an application as they would for any job, complete with references and recommendations. Teens are then trained to coach youth sports, educated about social issues in their community, and taught entrepreneurial, marketing, and financial skills through various programs.

Marquis Taylor expressed that too often teenagers are considered to be the problem in their communities. His organization strives to empower teens to be part of the solution to the problems in their community, while allowing them to earn money and learn skills that will allow them to succeed at college or in their future careers. 

On Saturday November 10th Coaching For Change will be partnering with the Mayor's Youth Council for a 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament at the Boys and Girls Club at 233 Warren Avenue from 2 to 6 p.m. The objective of the tournament is  for an opportunity for teens to work together, interact in a positive way, and promote a healthy lifestyle.

Ages: Boys and Girls 14-19

Date:  Saturday, November 10, 2012

Location: Boys & Girls Club of Brockton

 Time: 2 - 6 pm

Sixteen Teams

Registration: You can register as a team or an individual: $40/per team and $15/per individual 

Brockton Council on Aging; Improving the lives of seniors

Brockton Council on Aging's purpose is to assess the needs and provide programs and services to seniors in the community and strives to improve their quality of life.

 "The Council on Aging offers, through its staff and volunteers, easy access to an array of general programs, information, and socialization opportunities to seniors 60 years of age and older."

The Mary Cruise Kennedy Center at 10 Father Kenney Way offers various programs and activities including line dancing, Tai Chi, bowling, aerobics, and and computer classes

Movies are shown every Thursday and this month they will be showing The Artist, Don't Know How She Does It, Secretariat, and My Fair Lady

UPCOMING EVENTS IN OCTOBER

Harvest Luncheon- October 16th 12:00 noon

 

Friends of the Brockton Council on Aging Annual Bake Sale- October 26th 9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

 

Halloween Party- October 31st 12:00 noon

 

 

 

 

Brockton's Cultural Council

Brockton Cultural Council, is an organization that promotes and maintains the vitality of cultural activities within the Brockton community. The Council is committed to funding a diverse cross-section of activities.

 

They support a broad variety of art forms such as the ongoing work of individual artists and writers, environmental and historical education projects that bring together artists, and other types of organizations, local cultural groups and projects that serve youth, elders, low-income, and disabled individuals.

 

Upcoming Grant Application Deadline

October 15th, 2012

 

 

Grant applications for Brockton projects in the arts, humanities and interpretive sciences are now
being accepted by the Brockton Cultural Council, a local volunteer organization appointed by the Mayor to re-grant state funds, administered by the Massachusetts Cutltural Council, at the local level. Grant applications must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2012 for qualifying projects executed between September 1, 2012 through December 31, 2013.

Grants are distributed to projects in Brockton that promote access, education, diversity and excellence in the performing and visual arts; in the humanities, such as history, social studies, philosophy and literature and in the interpretive sciences, learning ways that nature, science and technology relate to our lives. Grants are also issued for ticket assistance for K-12 cultural school field trips (one field trip per school). Grantees may be qualified individuals or non-profit organizations or organizations with a non-profit purpose. Project collaboration between organizations and individuals is encouraged as are new projects.

Applications and both state and local council eligibility requirements can be found online at www.mass-culture.org and www.mass-culture.org/Brockton#. Please mail the original and eight copies of the application form and supporting documentation to:

Brockton Cultural Council

P. O. Box 999

120 Commercial Street

Brockton, MA 02303

Inquiries/questions may be addressed via email to brocktoncultualcouncilinfo@gmail.com.

Examples of past Brockton Cultural Council grantees include: Brockton Public Library Foundation's Museum Pass Program and children's programs, Brockton Historical Society Photograph Digitization Project, Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs Summer Concert Series, D. W. Field Park Association's Towerfest Family Day, M.I.T. Women's Initiative Be WISE Science and Engineering Middle School Outreach Program, Friends of the Council on Aging oil painting class, Brockton Symphony Orchestra's Free Family Concert, Jubilate Chorale's Winter Concert, G.B.S.P.A.'s monthly writing and poetry workshops, Living Independently for Equality's monthly music series for disabled adults, Fuller Craft Museum's SENSEation Family Day and many school field trips.

In addition, the Brockton Cultural Council contributed FY2012 grant funding to the Handel and Haydn Society's Collaborative Youth Concerts, now in its 25th year of community outreach to high school choral students.  WGBH TV highlighted Brockton High School students in its coverage of the anniversary event which culminated in a choral concert with orchestra accompaniment at Symphony Hall in Boston in March 2012.

 

Evidence of the impact an individual artist, Mary Beth Meehan, with grant funding can have is the "City of Champions" digital photography project that is now hanging on buildings in downtown Brockton. It received coverage in the Boston Globe and New York Times as well as winning photography contests. Her website has many links to the coverage this project received.

 

- Donna Eleyi

  BCC Treasurer

Towerfest 2012

The D.W. Fields Park Association is holding its annual Towerfest tomorrow Saturday October 6th from 11:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Admission is free and there will be face painting, crafts, music, birds of prey and reptile shows.

Katrina Degraca, a Brockton mother of  six, brings her children every year and said, "Last year there was face painting, pony rides and the tower tours. The Brockton Symphony Orchestra played children songs and its all free!" 

Finally!!! A Statue for Brockton's Own: Rocky Marciano

Rocky Marciano, the only undefeated World Heavyweight Champion and one of Brockton’s most famous residents, has had a statue erected in his honor on September 23rd at Brockton High School’s Rocky Marciano field. The World Boxing Council helped to erect the colossal 22 foot statue, the tallest statue of any athlete.

The statue has been in the works for years and was once mired in controversy over its prospective placement. In 2008, Elaine Allegrini wrote an article for The Enterprise about the debate over whether the statue should be placed at City Hall, the post office named after Rocky, or at its eventual home, Brockton High’s Rocky Marciano Statdium.

Rocky Marciano’s surviving family were supporters of the statue’s eventual placement and it’s unveiling on the 23^rd drew a huge crown of proud Brocktonians and members of the boxing community, including Don King.

Brockton’s own Tyisha Fernandes reported on the statue’s unveiling for Fox 25 news, showing Brockton’s vibrant community celebrating a long overdue statue for our hometown hero.

   

The Arts in Brockton

If you are interested in the Fine Arts and are looking for something interesting to do this weekend, you do not have to drive in to Boston. Avoid all of the traffic and ridiculous parking prices and check out what Brockton has to offer.

This Saturday Sept. 29^th, Messiah Baptist Church on 80 Legion Parkway is holding the Liberty Tree Theatre Arts and Video Festival. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. come see visual art, photographs, and sculptured art, and video pieces as the church celebrates Pastor Michael Walker’s 30 years of service. The theme of the festival is: Bringing Liberty Tree Values to Life. Free admission!

 

The Brockton Public Library is hosting an exhibit at their Joseph A. Driscoll Art Gallery at 304 Main St.  Movimentu Shokanti presents Abstract Landscapes, artwork by Jennifer Burnham and curated by Katro Storm. The opening reception is this Saturday, Sept. 29^th 2-5 p.m. and will be running until October 25^th. 

The Fuller Craft Museum at 455 Oak St has many exhibitions for viewing this weekend including Grand Tales of the Loom: Four Master Weavers, Iron Twenty Ten, and Icarus.

 

Q. & A. with Catherine Walper

The Brockton Mayor's Youth Council is an organization made up of teens from Brockton that volunteers in the community and hosts the annual Mayor’s Youth Summit. The Summit provides youth in Brockton with a forum to discuss issues in their community and offer suggestions for solving problems that affect the youth. Promise Fellow, Catherine Walper took the time to answer some of my questions about the Mayor’s Youth Council.  

Why did you decide to get involved with the Mayor’s Youth Council?

I wanted to work with students that have a cause and are committed to improving their community. I am also a part of the Mass Promise Fellowship.

How can Brockton Teens join the Mayor’s Youth Council?

Enrollment is open until the first Monday of October and the Council meets every Monday at City Hall 4:30-6:00 p.m. There is an application available online, open to youth in Brockton age 13 through 21, whether they are students at public or private schools in Brockton. We do limit the number of students in the Youth Council to 30 teens and we are up to 14 Members right now so we have room to grow!

How do you get the word out to teens in the Brockton community?

We work with the B.B. Russell, the Champion Charter School, The Keith, and Brockton High School to reach out to students. We put out press releases with The Enterprise and the Brockton Community Cable Television station gets the word out to the community about meetings and events. We also have a Facebook page.

The Mayor’s Youth Council’s website mentions that you do Service Projects in the community.  What are some upcoming projects?

Our big service day is every year on Martin Luther King Day and the teens do a service project in Boston. This year we will be doing volunteer work throughout the community in different places, such as soup kitchens, and we will be doing Christmas in Brockton. We are trying to revamp Brockton’s famous Christmas parade and get local businesses involved like they were in the past. Some of the local businesses do not have the tolls or resources to decorate the floats so we will have students from Brockton High, Champion Charter, and Cardinal Spellman who are artistic and are willing to volunteer, help decorate. We will also be doing service projects in line with the Mass Promise Fellowship, which will be determined during our weekly meetings.

Your website also says that you help teens to build leadership and professional skills. How do you help students build these skills?

We have guest speakers come in, professionals that range from the Mayor herself to professionals in the community from different majors and backgrounds, who tell how they got involved in their fields. We invite speakers from an array of communities and fields so that we do not repeat the same speakers every year. We also hold resume building and college preparatory workshops, working with Stonehill College, Curry College, and Massasoit Community College to get teens ready for the world after high school. We offer these workshops to other teens that are not part of the Mayor’s Youth Council because we do not want to shut out teens that are not a part of the Youth Council.  

 

Does the Mayor’s Youth Council have any fundraising to support their work?

All fundraising that the students do, is always given right back to the Brockton community and this year one of the bigger events is on November 17^th. We are doing a 3 on 3 basketball tournament with Coaching for Change at the Brockton Boys and Girls Club. Also, we will be doing a candle sale around the holidays and other things are in the works, but the students are still in the planning phase.

Every March the Council holds the Mayor’s Youth Summit to reach out to the youth of Brockton and find out what improvements they want made in the community. What were some of the suggestions made at the 2012 Youth Summit and what are your plans for the Summit next year?

Last March the youth wanted the Youth Council to do more in the community. Last year the Council did a handful of service projects, but this year we are making sure that we are more visible and we are doing monthly events. Some of the teens did not know what the Youth Council was, so this year is about branding our name, holding ourselves accountable to the community, and making sure that it is known when the Youth Council is involved when holding events.  The next Mayor’s Youth Summit’s date has not been set yet, but we are trying to set up a more diverse set of programs that will reach out to those individuals who do not feel that the issues that the Mayor’s Youth Council deals with are relevant to them.     

 

The City of Champions

 

 

 

 

     A three time winner of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People, the city of Brockton, is often overshadowed by problems that plague most urban areas. What is impressive about Brockton is the way the community and it's city leadership deals with the problems of violence, student drop-out rates, and the lack of positive, engaging activities for youth.

    

     Along with many public and private options for school, there are many organizations that work at engaging teens in their own community, such as the Mayor's Youth Council. The Mayor's Youth Council gives teens in Brockton a way to address issues they see in their community, through community service projects and the yearly Mayor's Youth Summit.

 

     This blog will highlight the various resources available for improving the community,  shed light on positive news in Brockton, and interview people who are working to improve the city.

 

 

Coming soon: An interview with Brockton Youth Council's Catherine Walper!