Author: Kasandra Costalas

  • Alumni golf tournament helps fund scholarships for 17 students in BHS class of 2025

    Maria Udalova, who graduated from Brookline High School this month, will attend George Washington University this fall with her first year fully paid — thanks in part to a scholarship awarded in the memory of a lifelong resident.

    Udalova, who helped found Brookline’s Students for Nuclear Disarmament club and lobbied at the U.N. as a junior, is one of 17 students from the Class of 2025 to receive scholarships from Brookline High’s Alumni Association.

    “It’s important to show young people that they are cared about and that people are invested in our futures,” said Udalova, who plans to study international affairs, “especially right now when there’s so much going on in the world.”

    About $10,000 of student scholarships were funded by alumni donations and the association’s annual charity golf tournament, held June 13.

    The alumni association was founded in 1990 to build a network of Brookline graduates, help organize class reunions and raise scholarship money for current students. It has hosted the annual golf tournament as its only fundraiser for 31 years.

    The scholarship Udalova received is named for Brenda Moran, a member of the Class of 1965 who lived in Brookline her entire life until her death in 2020. Moran was named to Brookline’s sports hall of fame in 2012 for her accomplishments in field hockey and softball, and she was named a Greater Boston League all-star in both sports.

    Her niece, Caroline Moran, travels from Texas each year to support the community and golf tournament, which was renamed in her aunt’s honor in 2020, even though Caroline has never lived in Brookline.

    Although she was awarded less than $2,000 — which may seem insignificant compared to college tuition — Udalova said the scholarship will have a huge impact on her family’s finances. The money is expected to cover the balance after her other scholarships are deducted, making her first year of college free.

    Sarah Smolyar, who also won one of this year’s scholarships, will attend UMass Amherst in the fall, where she anticipates double majoring in business and math.

    “It’s just gonna make everything a little bit less stressful,” Smolyar said, “especially since everything’s gonna be new and different, it’ll just take a little bit of that off.” Smolyar, whose mother, Olga, graduated from Brookline in 1990, is one of several recipients this year with an alumni parent.

    This year the tournament hosted 40 golfers — a drop from previous years that attracted around 100 participants.

    “We need more golfers,” said Paul Deletetsky, a member of the Class of ’69.

    Deletetsky grew up across the street from Robert T. Lynch Municipal Golf Course, where the tournament was held, and participated for his fourth year.

    New golfers, like Tara Sales, were also in attendance. A 2006 alumni, Sales played alongside her father and brother, who participate each year.

    The golf tournament and alumni association are both searching for fresh faces.

    “Unfortunately, what we’re finding is that we’re having a really hard time finding younger people that want to be involved,” said Marcy Kornreich, Class of ’74, the alumni association’s newsletter editor and former president. “I think that’s a challenge a lot of organizations are facing, especially nonprofits.”

    Kornreich acknowledged the tournament has become more demanding, with much of the planning falling on her and 83-year-old treasurer and president Stanley Goldberg. She said attending the scholarship ceremony for the first time reminded her why she got involved in the alumni association to begin with.

    “When we walk through the halls, they’ve done a lot of renovations on the school,” she said, “but it feels like the same place and the same sort of vibrant spirit and commitment to individual success, whatever that looks like.”

    Abigail Ketema, the only recipient to attend the golf tournament, will continue her education at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where she plans to major in architecture.

    “The amount of stress taken off my family — and definitely other families’ backs — is just, like, incredible,” Ketema said, “and I don’t know how else to say thank you.”

  • Five state legislators outline strategy to counter Trump administration at Brookline forum

    From left to right: Moderator Tom Hallock, State Senator Cindy Creem, State Representative Tommy Vitolo, State Representative Bill MacGregor, State Representative Greg Schwartz and State Representative Kevin Honan. Photo by Jacqueline Manetta

    Five Democratic state lawmakers advised Brookline residents Monday how to navigate the Trump administration and push back against its policies.

    About 70 people attended the forum, which featured state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem and state Reps. Kevin Honan, William MacGregor, Greg Schwartz and Tommy Vitolo. It was hosted by the Brookline Democratic Town Committee and Activist Evenings, a progressive group based in Brookline.

    Tom Hallock, treasurer of the Brookline Democrats, asked the legislators questions about essential services, the environment and immigration. The group responded to three audience questions at the end and stayed afterwards to answer one-on-one questions.

    Creem cited the state Senate’s new committee, Response 2025, as a potential solution to the Trump administration’s cuts. The initiative has tasked the bipartisan Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling with finding policy solutions to combat misinformation and protect residents’ rights.

    Keeping political allies in office is one of the most effective ways to fight the executive branch’s polarizing policies, Vitolo said.

    “I think it’s really important in all of the things we talk about tonight to consider the reality that if Governor Healey doesn’t win reelection — or Attorney General Campbell doesn’t win reelection — we are in much worse shape,” he said.

    Schwartz, the only medical doctor in the Massachusetts legislature, said health care programs — and consequently state revenue — will be affected if defunding continues. If the U.S. Senate approves President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Massachusetts can expect its $14 billion of Medicaid reimbursement to be reduced, he said.

    “That could affect 200,000 to 300,000 patients losing Medicaid and, of course, it will affect the emergency rooms, the primary care physicians and the hospitals, which are already not in great shape,” Schwartz said.

    All five lawmakers emphasized the need for Massachusetts to remain at the forefront of responsible environmental efforts as federal environmental protections roll back. The legislators plan to concentrate on statewide initiatives such as expanding clean energy, increasing accessibility to electric vehicles and strengthening existing policies.

    The lawmakers also discussed immigration, which they identified as a core American principle that must be protected. Honan cited several bills that work to protect the rights of immigrants, including the federal Safe Communities Act, which prevents local law enforcement from asking about immigration status.

    “We say the best Americans represent hard work, taking chances, building a business, finding success, improving yourself and being part of a community,” Vitolo said. “These are all the things we say we value as a country, and the folks who do it best are the immigrants.”

    Before taking questions from the audience, Creem discussed the Massachusetts Data Privacy and Protection Act and its aim to support women’s reproductive health care rights.

    Under the bill, selling location data and other information collected on cellphones and devices would be prohibited. In recent court cases, consumers’ data from apps has been used  to prosecute health care providers and women receiving out-of-state abortions.

    “My hope is that we can protect that data and minimize the use of that data outside of what you intended it to be,” Creem said.

    The audience at a community forum on safeguarding democracy on Monday, Jun 9, 2025. Photo by Jacqueline Manetta

    Asked if the public has a role to play in resisting the Trump administration’s policies, the lawmakers urged residents to engage with opposing viewpoints and point out injustices.

    “Every second Saturday, from 11 to 1 p.m. in Coolidge Corner, we’re out there doing the very public work of reminding folks that this is not normal, and it’s perfectly reasonable to say it out loud,” Vitolo said.

    The audience erupted with applause as the panel of representatives was asked about increasing transparency in the state’s government.

    MacGregor said representatives are candid about financial statements and regularly audited.

    Creem said she posts her votes on social media to communicate with her constituents. The accusation of insufficient transparency has been brought to her attention before, but she said she doesn’t understand what voters mean or where their concerns come from.

    Schwartz, who was elected to his position in 2024, framed problems with transparency as a potential shortcoming of the media.

    The legislators’ answers to the transparency question were met with eye rolling and groans.

    The event closed with a discussion about reforming the Democratic party. Although Honan said he thinks Republicans will cause their own demise, MacGregor and Creem said Democrats must regain popularity with the working class.

    Vitolo and Schwartz agreed their party must find a message that speaks to a larger segment of the population.

    “We on the left like to play demographic bingo with our voters,” Vitolo said. “What they see is a Democratic party picking off little bits and pieces of certain people and saying, ‘That’s what’s important’ instead of saying everybody’s important.”

  • BHS celebrates the graduating class of 2025

    BHS Graduates throw their caps in the air. Photo by Miu Tung Rong

    Friends and family gathered at Cypress Field on Sunday to celebrate the 531 graduates of Brookline High School’s Class of 2025.

    The graduation ceremony opened with a welcome from Associate Dean Jenny Longmire, followed by multilingual greetings from international students in celebration of the more than 70 languages spoken throughout Brookline High hallways.

    Sarah Moghtader, vice chair of the School Committee, congratulated the Class of 1975 on its 50th graduation anniversary. Although decades have passed, the classes of 2025 and 1975 are connected by their vision, courage and creativity, Moghtader said.

    In an address to her fellow graduates, Rou-Qian “Esther” Wang discussed her experience attending high school in America as a first-generation immigrant from Taiwan. The last few years were filled with self-exploration, friendship and support from her community, she said.

    BHS graduate Rou-Qian “Esther” Wang addresses the crowd. Photo by Muayad Al-Barwani

    “My time at Brookline has taught me courage — courage to stand out and be different,” Wang said. “The second family I found here has helped me navigate the surreal landscape of an American high school.”

    Two student music groups, Band 504 and the MCs, performed during the ceremony.

    In a speech to his graduating class, senior Elias Brendel quoted Thomas Jefferson on the importance of an educated society. Recent political debates and attacks on education make the Class of 2025’s insight more critical than ever, he said.

    “For the past four years, BHS has prepared us to be good stewards of our democracy, not just by accumulating knowledge, but by cultivating discernment,” Brendel said.

    Link to Slideshow of Brookline High School graduation on June 8, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEnvl3wcaDA

    During his keynote speech, MIT graduate and Brookline alum Danny Kanamori reminded students that life is not luck but a series of choices. He encouraged graduates to forge healthy relationships through kindness, which “comes from willingness to favor empathy and not fall slave to sympathy.”

    The self-described “worst hire Morgan Stanley had ever made” joked about the unexpected twists that have occurred in his own life and career. Kanamori urged the graduates to embrace failure and resist fears of public perception.

    “The war on others is not a coincidence,” Kanamori said. “Find the people you disagree with most and understand how they got there.”

    Derek Choi, whose daughter, Clara, graduated Sunday, said in an interview that the school’s strong sense of community and inclusive environment helps students become better people.

    Aidan Kapusta, who will study biology at Cornell University in the fall, said he will cherish Brookline’s charismatic and supportive teachers. Timur Tuncman, who is headed to the University of Chicago, said his teachers and peers from the past four years have strongly impacted him.

    Graduate Miles Nygren, who will study psychology at the University of Southern California in the fall, said after the commencement he will miss the freedom Brookline High gives its students.

    “From freedom of thought to freedom of expression, it’s really special how much they let us be ourselves and think for ourselves,” he said.

  • Town will install on-street EV charging stations thanks to new grant

    Matthew Helwig charges his car at a Greenspot Charging Station at 1361 Beacon Street, near Coolidge Corner on May 24, 2025. Photo by Muayad Al-Barwani

    Brookline has received a state grant of up to $500,000 to install on-street electric vehicle charging stations.

    The town is among 15 municipalities getting funds from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center for on-street charging stations. The grant will cover design, procurement, equipment and installation, with no cost to Brookline.

    The Brookline Department of Public Works expects to install four to 10 charging ports at each of up to three sites by the end of 2026. The locations have yet to be determined, but Alexandra Vecchio, the town’s director of sustainability and natural resources, said efforts will target North Brookline because of its dense population.

    Community input will also determine future charging locations. As part of Brookline’s climate action resilience plan, the DPW has released a community survey  to learn residents’ climate priorities, and it includes a section on electric vehicles.

    “In there, we’ve added basically a live interactive map so people can click in different areas that they would like to upvote as a spot they would like to see EV charging,” Vecchio said.

    Most of Brookline’s 56 EV charging stations are in public parking lots. Vecchio said this initiative will focus on curbside solutions in an attempt to further develop the charging network.

    The need for more charging stations is evident in Brookline, where gas-powered vehicles frequently occupy the spaces designated for charging and where EVs and plug-in hybrids make up 9.3% of vehicles registered in town – more than 40% higher than the statewide ownership rate of 6.6%.

    “I have gotten into a situation where someone was just parking their car in an EV spot, and I can’t just move their car,” said Lio Cheristio, who has owned his plug-in hybrid Honda for about a year. “I would have to call the police to tow, and it just became too much, so I just had to go somewhere else.”

    EV owners in Coolidge Corner say charging their vehicles can become competitive. Thamanai Jeremie said she regularly schedules her day around the task. Although she goes to Coolidge Corner Theatre or runs errands to pass the time while her car is charging, bad planning can throw a wrench in her day.

    “It’s really like a game of chance – you really just gotta plan ahead,” she said.

    EV owners say Brookline needs more fast chargers, which can drastically reduce the duration of charging.

    “The fast charger takes two hours, but the regular charger like this takes endless hours,” Cheristio said. “It could take seven to nine.”

    Brookline plans to install level 2 chargers at the new stations, which can charge an empty electric vehicle battery to 80% in 4 to 10 hours . Level 3 chargers can complete the same amount of work in less than an hour. The town currently operates 52 level 2 ports and just four level 3 ports.

    People in town are using the existing stations. The number of unique drivers — individuals who have plugged into the network — increased from 425 in 2024 to 700 in 2025.

    The EV initiative and grant take Brookline one step closer to its goal of being a net zero carbon emission community by 2040. To achieve that goal, the town has identified two sectors of substantial energy use: buildings and transportation. The DPW views vehicle electrification as one way to incentivize and make it easier for residents to shrink their carbon footprints.

    “Providing these would possibly increase the adoption of electric vehicles and also improve access to charging for EV owners that are currently out there,” Vecchio said.