Newton South Girls' Basketball Shocks Cross-Town Rival in Playoff Victory

The Lions faced the Newton North Tigers Wednesday night at Newton North

In a thrilling overtime finish, the No. 17 Newton South girls' basketball team (11-10) defeated No. 1 Newton North Wednesday night, 49-45, securing a spot for the Lions in the South Div. 1 quarterfinals.  Although Newton South came in as the underdogs, they jumped on their opponents early on in the game, taking a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Newton South Denebola reported.  Going into the half, North had a 20-18 lead, but the Lions regained ground and had a 35-33 lead heading into the final quarter, the Denebola reported. After trading the lead in the fourth quarter, North eventually tied it up and the two teams went into overtime.  Once the teams were into extra time, both senior captain Kayla Burton and junior Lauren Levey sunk …

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'Distractology 101' Tour Coming to Newton South

The "Distractology 101" tour made a stop at Newton North last year.

Four Newton Students Honored with Annual M.A.S.S./Blumer Book Awards

Two students from Newton North and two students from Newton South were honored at the Nov. 26 School Committee meeting.

When it comes to Newton high school students, the recipients of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents' (M.A.S.S.) Award for Academic Excellence are the cream of the crop.  The 2012-2013 recognitions from M.A.S.S. were awarded to Newton North students Winston Huang and Malini Gandhi as well as Newton South students Joe Joseph and Rose Taylor.  The four honorees were recognized at the Nov. 26 School Committee meeting.  "These students have attained a very high level of academic achievement, intellectual rigor and character and have contributed significantly to the school and community," Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education Cynthia Bergan said in a memo announcing the awards. In addition, the four Newton students…

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You Ask, Patch Answers

What is the Smoking Policy at Newton's High Schools?

You ask, Patch answers.

Earlier this week, we received a reader question asking about the smoking policy at Newton's high schools. While driving by the school the other morning, our reader noticed some teens smoking by the tennis courts at Newton South during school hours.  I know back in my high school, students couldn't smoke anywhere near school property (most kids would hide in the car to get a few in drags before school). So, we thought it was a perfect question for our You Ask, Patch Answers. Here's what we found out: According to the Newton Public Schools' 2012-2013 Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook, the district’s tobacco is as follows: In accordance with G.L. c.71, §2A, it is the policy of the Newton Public Schools to prohibit the use of all …

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Views from the Sidelines: Newton South vs. Westford Academy

If you couldn't make it to Saturday's game, here's what you missed.

Here's a sideline view from the game between Newton South and Westford Academy on Saturday, Oct. 6, which was held in Newton. Westford took a 42-7 victory over Newton South.  Quarter by Quarter Score Newton South 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | = 7 Westford Academy 14 | 28 | 0 | 0 | = 42 Scoring Summary First Quarter Westford Academy - Justin Mount 15 yard run (Thomas Jacobson kick), 8:56 Westford Academy - Troy Faretra 35 yard run (Jacobson kick), 1:57 Second Quarter Westford Academy - Faretra 2 yard run (Jacobson kick), 10:31 Westford Academy - Faretra 20 yard run (Jacobson kick), 9:38 Westford Academy - Mount 36 yard run (Jacobson kick), 7:56 Newton South - Matt Roberts 8 yard reception from Erik Manditch (Brendan Duggan kick), 1:17 Westford Academy - …

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Whiz Kids

Whiz Kids: Newton Students Spread Holiday Cheer to Homeless Families

More than 100 Newton students helped homeless families get into the Christmas spirit at the annual Christmas in the City party.

Names: Kim Boucher is the President, and there are more than 100 students from the group who participated in the holiday event.  Ages: 14-18 School: Newton North and Newton South High Schools, as well as some local private schools Accomplishment: More than 100 Newton high school students joined other local volunteers at Christmas in the City, which is an annual holiday party for children and their families who are living in local homeless shelters. The event was held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on Dec. 16. These Newton students are from the group called Athletes Serving the Community (ASC). They loaded over 3,000 presents into trucks and helped create a festive atmosphere by dressing up as cartoon characters and clowns. …

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Eat Food, Celebrate the Arts and Help the Homeless

The Empty Bowls/Fall Music Concert event is taking place tomorrow at Newton South High School.

How would you like to spend a dinner accompanied by local art and music?  Tomorrow night, the Newton South High School Arts Program is sponsoring a community service event to benefit Bristol Lodge, two homeless shelters for men and women located in Waltham. The Empty Bowls event, which runs from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. will feature soup made by Newton South consumer science students served in bowls crafted by students in the Newton South ceramics program. Last year, the event managed to raise $1,450 for Bristol Lodge. The dinner will be held in the Newton South cafeteria and will also feature jazz music from Newton South music students. Bowls are $10 for adults and $5 for students.  Following the event, guests are invited to attend the Newton …

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VIDEO: Newton South Students Bring Personal Experiences to "Spelling Bee"

A preview of Newton South's performance of "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," which will run Oct. 13, 14 and 15.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is the first musical Newton South's South Stage theatre group will perform this school year.  The musical tells the story of a group of very middle school students coming together in an annual school event. Nancy Curran Willis will direct the small cast, which has only nine characters.  The "Spelling Bee" performances will run Oct. 13, 14 and 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Newton South auditorium. Tickets are $10 and are available online.

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Lions Boys Volleyball Tops Cambridge

Newton South defeats Cambridge Rindge and Latin, 3-1, and gets ready for the playoffs.

Newton South boys volleyball coach Todd Elwell knew his team needed to take Cambridge Rindge and Latin out of its comfort zone to attain victory Wednesday afternoon. The Lions managed to do just that for the first two sets, but the Falcons found their groove in the third, before Newton South ended the contest in the next set earning the 3-1 triumph. The scores were 25-18, 25-17, 23-25, and 25-23.   “We knew if we gave them too many free balls, they would hit them right back at us,” said Elwell. “So we had to get in a situation in which we attacked a little bit more on serve, take them out of system a little bit. But that’s what made it close the last few. We just didn’t take them out of system enough and they were able to hang around and …

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South Girls Lacrosse Takes Small Steps Against L-S

Newton South lost 20-2 host Lincoln-Sudbury on Tuesday.

Facing Lincoln-Sudbury has been no easy task for Newton South girls' lacrosse, but the Lions have made small strides against the Warriors this season. Improving from its 25-0 season opening loss to L-S, South managed to touch net twice in a 20-2 loss to the host Warriors on Tuesday. “We are playing against a group of kids where a lot of them are going to play in college or on national teams,” said South coach Katie Neal-Rizzo. “It is tough to compete, but we kept the score closer than last time. The Warriors (11-1, 8-0 in the Dual County League) opened the game by winning the first ten draws to pull ahead 9-0. South (5-5, 1-5 in the Dual County League) struggled throughout the game to possess the ball on its half of the field and took ten …

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