Somerville’s new Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rubén Carmona.

Following a months-long search process, at their meeting on Monday, April 10, the Somerville School Committee selected Dr. Rubén Carmona to serve as the next Superintendent of the Somerville Public Schools. Dr. Carmona was one of four finalists who participated in site visits and public interviews during the week of March 27.

The recent ending of the federal Covid-19 public health emergency was among the topics addressed by the Somerville Public Health and Safety Commission at their April 4 meeting.

By Ana Celerier

The Public Health and Safety Commission of Somerville met on Tuesday, April 4, to discuss the ending of the federal Covid-19 public health emergency, updates on the efforts to provide shelter to unhoused individuals during the harsh winter months, and discuss record keeping with the Somerville Fire Department.

— Photos by Denise Provost and Claudia Ferro

By Denise Provost

Over 130 people – children, young people, and their adults – gathered in Chuckie Harris Park on Saturday, April 9. The crowd gathered under a clear sky for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. In its ninth year, this event is hosted by Connexion United Methodist Church and East Somerville Main Streets – with special help from Somerville Girl Scout troop 67645.

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville Public Schools, and Somerville’s early childhood community invite parents, children and educators to enjoy music, pizza, and games at the One Somerville, Every Child celebration on Wednesday, April 12 on the Somerville High School concourse (81 Highland Ave.) from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

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These make ahead breakfast sandwiches will save you plenty of time during the week whether you’re off to work or school. They can also be frozen if you want to make extra.

It’s not just another three-day weekend, folks. It’s a huge part of our national – and regional – heritage.

Patriot’s Day was established over 100 years ago to commemorate the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. Re-enactments are staged and speeches are given, and a generally festive air of patriotic zeal pervades.

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I met with poet Andrea Read after I heard about her work for the Somerville Cultural Capacity Plan (https://somervilleartscouncil.org/culturalcapacity) that will happen in late April. This project will involve conversations with artists and writers. Read will lead the discussion with writers, asking them pointed questions about their needs in the community.

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Our poet writes: Stephen Palencar was born and raised in Maryland, in a suburb of Baltimore. He experienced heavy trauma through his developmental years and uses writing as an outlet rather than an outlook. He calls his struggles a “beautiful burden.” He pulls on his background in philosophy, psychology, and transcendentalism as inspiration for his writing. He aspires to give more back to these fields than he has taken. It is a self-proclaimed improbable goal, but those make the greatest stories. He now studies at Endicott College.