May 2002

First edition Volume I

25 Cents

Boston - On a beautiful spring Thursday May 16 2002, Television I Class in cahoots with Chemistry Class trekked to Millennium Park for a Living Lab field trip. The brand new park offers land for soil testing along with water from its Charles River neighbor for water testing. TV students taped water collection, processing, and evaluation of the water samples. Student scientists examined evidence and used steps from the scientific method to draw conclusions. The crew interviewed local visitors to find out about the park and survey how it is being used. Students advised folk to see our PSA on safety in the sun. This 30-second spot promotes protection from the sun. Look for more tips from Parks for Peace. E. Lyon	Brook Farm - In 1841, Sophia Willard Dana Ripley, along with husband George Ripley, a Unitarian minister, founded Brook Farm a utopian community of writers, thinkers and farmers. Sophia wrote letters about her life at Brook Farm and also taught the children who lived there. After Brook Farm closed in 1846, she continued to do charity work and write books. There once was a Boston Public School named after her on Temple Street in West Roxbury. Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) sometimes came to stay at Brook Farm. She was one of the most famous writers and thinkers of her time. She frequently spoke out for equal rights and opportunities for women. She was the first editor of the journal, The Dial, from 1840-1842. -A. Hennessey Ed. note: Alice Hennessey, a longtime West Roxbury resident, has been involved with its schools, the Friends of West Roxbury Library, its playgrounds, the Girl Scouts, her church, West Roxbury Historical Society, the Democratic Ward Committee and many other ventures. She is also founder of West Roxbury Friends of Rosie's Place. Presently, Alice directs the Menino Project, which developed the Gardner Street landfill and supports grass roots initiatives.	Millennium Park Opens its Gates to West Roxbury & Boston
		The neighborhood of West Roxbury proudly announces the dedication of Millennium Park to residents and visitors from greater Boston and beyond. The park is open to the public from dawn to dusk. Visitors can walk or hike the many trails, play soccer, take in an event at the amphitheater, picnic, entertain kids at an extensive jungle gym or take a lazy ride down the river in a rented canoe. Restroom facilities, tables and areas for grilling make it the right spot for family and friends to gather as a community. Canoes are not yet for rent on the premises, but there is an area for future launching. Tree lined riverbanks offer sites for bird watching, enjoying nature, people watching or just daydreaming. Mayor Menino cut the ribbons to open the new millennium and dedicated the park to signal a new beginning in Boston. Now it is open for all of the community to meet and share a beautiful space in the sun. Millennium Park is the site of the former West Roxbury Gardner Landfill. Tons of soil hauled in trucks by night from the Big Dig in Boston went to the Big Fill in West Roxbury. Where once was a flatland, is now a mountain with things to do for the whole family. On a clear day, the Boston's skyline is a sight to behold. From day one, when West Roxbury students first began to track the transformation from landfill to park, we have been following every step leading to this day. Several West Roxbury High media and science classes have spent hours documenting and telling the park story to their younger buddies. Now that the park is reality, we hope to spread the work about maintaining it as a peaceful place where people of all ages can interact in positive and healthy ways. For more information, contact Parks for Peace Commission, West Roxbury High School, 1205 VFW Parkway. http://www.wrox.boston.k12.ma.us