While Dr. Domenic Amara came onboard as the principal of the Warren-Prescott School in 1991, he admits that he is only now beginning to comprehend what makes Charlestown the exceptional place it is.
"I have been here for 18 years and am now just starting to understand the intricacies of the neighborhood," Dr. Amara said. "You have to get know people before you can understand the community."
Born in Boston's West End, Dr. Amara graduated from Christopher
Columbus High School in the North End before going to work for his father as a cobbler's apprentice. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree in science from Boston University and took his first teaching assignment as a biology and chemistry instructor at Silver Lake Regional High School in Pembroke, Mass., in 1965.
Dr. Amara originally planned to work as a scientist, but he was immediately drawn to teaching, even though he only earned $4,200 during his first year. "It was rewarding so it made sense to stick with it," he said.
By 1967, Dr. Amara had returned to his hometown, where he earned a master's in science education and administration from UMass Boston and took a job as a biology, chemistry and physics instructor at East Boston High School.
At East Boston High School, Dr. Amara taught a mini-course in photography and writing, and with a small crew of high school and college students and freelancers in place, he launched the Community News.
"The first issues were mimeographed," Dr. Amara said. "We did our own typesetting and deliveries."
That same year, he began the Regional Review, a weekly newspaper now owned by the Patriot-Bridge's parent company, The Independent Newspaper Group. Charlestown was among the regions covered by the newspapers, giving Dr. Amara his first exposure to the neighborhood.
"It was neighborhood full of blue-collar, hard-working people at the time that was very close-knit, not unlike East Boston," Dr. Amara said. "It was a distinct neighborhood with its own cultural identity. To define it would be difficult."
In 1979, Dr. Amara relinquished control of the Regional Review to its current editor-at-large, Phil Orlandella, to focus on his teaching career.
"There was never a cent gained," Dr. Amara said of his time with the Community News and the Regional Review. "We did it because we got a kick out of it."
While Dr. Amara left the Regional Review, he hadn't entirely abandoned the newspaper industry, and, in addition to his duties as assistant headmaster of the Mario Umana Harbor School of Science & Technology in Boston, he served as editor of the East Boston Times News Weekly from 1980 to 1984.
In 1981, Dr. Amara took on one of his most ambitious projects to date when he helped design the mathematics and science curriculum, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for the Mario Umana Harbor School of Science and Technology. That same year, he also taught a course in psychology at Bunker Hill Community College.
Dr. Amara also served as principal of the Thomas Edison Middle School and the Joseph H. Barnes Middle School, both of Boston. He earned his Ph.D. in science curriculum development and administration from Boston College in 1990 - shortly before he began his tenure at the Warren-Prescott School.
"It was a well-ordered elementary school," Dr. Amara said of the Warren-Prescott at that time. "The school had some excellent teachers, but the building was in need of physical repairs externally. It looked like a factory."
Besides helping to find funding for the rehabilitation of the building's exterior, Dr. Amara also set out to raise the bar for the school academically.
"I wanted the school to take on the breadth and depth of academic opportunity that you could find in a well-financed suburban school or private school so kids [from every background] could walk through the doors and say they were getting the best education possible," Dr. Amara said.
To achieve this goal, Dr. Amara encouraged parents to play a more active role in shaping the school's future. More parents began to take part in the School Site Council, the group that participates with Dr. Amara and faculty members in making decisions for the school.
"You don't shut the door to parent or faculty ideas," Dr. Amara said "You have to listen carefully and allow their input."
Dr. Amara found an early ally in parent activist Pat Simpson, who now teaches an extracurricular course in peace at the school. He explained how he, Simpson and Douglas McDonald - a local contractor and himself a community activist - often met on Saturdays to discuss the development of a new playground and the new direction that the school might take.
Dr. Amara said the school had excellent teachers to begin with, many of whom are still there today.
"Eileen Carter, Nancy Brockman and Karen Elias have been here since the beginning,” Dr. Amara said, adding that they helped form the backbone of what is now a superb teaching staff.
The Warren-Prescott eventually received a major grant from Mayor Thomas M. Menino's initiative to rehabilitate playgrounds, and in 1995 and 1996, assistance came in the form of the U.S. Navy, which helped spruce up the school.
Recognizing the need for more extracurricular programming at the school, Dr. Amara garnered the support of parents and others in the community to launch the Warren-Prescott Foundation in 2004. This legally-recognized non-profit raises money for arts and other offerings not provided for by Boston Public Schools.
That same year, the Warren-Prescott expanded from kindergarten through fifth grade to include additional grades. The school now also serves the sixth through eighth grades.
"The reason why we did this was that we felt kids needed some continuity," Dr. Amara said. "We wanted kids to have a continuous program that maintained the same culture at the lower levels through the upper levels."
Beginning next school year, the Warren-Prescott School, with assistance from the Foundation, plans to begin an Extended Learning Time program.
"The program will build on what was done this year,” Dr. Amara said, “such as Science Saturdays, visual and theatrical art, advanced mathematics and MCAS prep.”
Dr. Amara said that the Extended Learning Time for sixth- through eighth-grade students will be required of Warren-Prescott students next year and will focus on mathematics and English language arts.
While Dr. Amara hopes that the framework that has evolved over the years will continue after his departure, he quickly adds that he has no plans to leave anytime soon.
"I love the town, and I love the school," Dr. Amara said. "The parents are fantastic, the faculty is outstanding and the kids are great. I have a lot left to do."

CREDIT: Courtesy of Kristin Johnson

CAPTION: Chess pro Vadim Martirosov instructs youth at the Learning Center.

When the Charlestown Working Theater and Charlestown Lacrosse & Learning Center decided to collaborate on a youth program, they settled on an a not-so-obvious activity that builds on the same tools necessary for success on both the stage and the athletic field: instructional chess.
“We were trying to find an area where sports and theatre overlap,” said Kristin Johnson, who has served as a co-director of the Working Theater since 1993. “Chess requires discipline, commitment, strategic thinking, skill building and memorization. When you become better at chess, you memorize games, like actors memorize their lines or athletes learn well-known game plays.”
The free 12-week pilot program was launched at the Learning Center on Green Street at the end of February and now includes seven kids between the ages of 7 and 11. It will culminate will a two-week mini-tournament that will pit the players against each other.
Charlestown Lacrosse Executive Director Bob Cutler said the program, which meets after school on Fridays, provides kids with mental stimulation that they might get not outside of the classroom over the weekend.
Johnson added that the program also teaches players skills that can lead to success in the classroom, including visualization and notation. ”If you want to be a serious chess player, you have to notate,” she said.
To teach children the basics of the game, Johnson and Cutler selected Vadim Martirosov, a professional chess player and instructor who emigrated to the U.S. from Russia in 1992. Martirosov also teaches the game to youth at the Cambridge Montessori School, the Atrium School in Watertown, the Bowman Elementary School in Lexington and the Beacon Hill-based community center, Hill House.
“I have seen great improvement in these students,” Martirosov said of his experience working with the Charlestown youth. “They show a great ability to focus, which is the hardest part of chess for kids.”
Johnson said chess is equally accessible to boys and girls, as made evident by the progress her 7-year-old daughter Cecilia Viveiros has made in the program.
“I learned how a good opening move can lead to a checkmate,” Cecilia Viveiros said. “You can also learn new moves when [your opponent] beats you.”
At 10, Ceilia’s brother, Gus Viveiros, went into the program with more experience, but he too has seen his game improve in the past weeks. “I thought I was really good when I started taking these courses, but now I know how good players can be,” he said.
As for the future, the program will start up again in September to accommodate up to 24 players in both beginner and intermediate divisions. And by the late fall or early winter, the aspiration is to sponsor a chess tournament for Charlestown youth and enter a team representing both the Working Theater and Charlestown Lacrosse into timed, competitive tournaments held regionally.
“The goal is for players to make a commitment year-round,” Johnson said.
For more information about the chess program, contact Kristin Johnson at 617-242-3855 or via email at Kristin@workingtheater.org, or Bob Cutler at 617-242-1813.

Kellie Burgess will step down as manager of the Bunker Hill housing development for the Boston Housing Authority on May 9, and Wilma Burgos will fill the position three days later.
Burgess, who has been with the BHA for 25 years and has managed the Bunker Hill housing development for the past six years, has been promoted to regional manager.
“It’s been a very rewarding experience,” Burgess said. “When I first came to Charlestown, things were difficult. As a team, my staff and I invited the residents to comment on things and to have a say in what went on in the development. We encouraged them to work with us and to take responsibility and ownership for their development.”
Burgess added, “As I leave, I encourage all the residents to continue to be heard and to voice their concerns. I know Wilma, and I have a lot of respect for her. We are on the same page.”
Burgos, a 15-year veteran of the BHA who currently manages the Washington Beech housing development located outside of Roslindale Square, is optimistic about her move to Charlestown.
“I’m looking forward to working with the tenants and the surrounding community, Burgos said. “I hope to bring better communication among the residents, Tenant Task Force, management office and police. Basically, I want to pick up where the prior manager left off.”

Sincere appreciation for Jubilee 150 Rejoice And Be Glad!
On behalf of the parish family of Saint Francis de Sales, let me sincerely thank everyone who participated in the opening Jubilee 150 Mass on Sunday, April 27. A special note of gratitude to Bishop Robert F. Hennessey, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston, for leading us in the special Jubilee Mass. His presence and homily was especially noteworthy and for this we are all grateful. To everyone who shared in the Mass by your attendance, prayers and participation made for a great day in the long and glorious history of Saint Francis de Sales! The fellowship and tasty refreshments that followed with the collation in the newly refurbished Bishop Lawton Hall made for a happy conclusion for the beginning of our Parish Jubilee 150 celebration.
A special word of appreciation and gratitude to everyone who worked to make the day the success it was is extended to the members of the Parish Pastoral and Financial councils, the choir, the altar servers, the parish staff and the many parish organizations that took part in a very active manner to make all of this possible. Thank you all so very, very much.
On Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. there will be a special meeting in the Bishop Lawton Hall to plan for all the upcoming activities for Jubilee 150. There will be many subcommittees and the help of everyone is needed. We invite you and all the members of Our Parish Family to lend us a hand to make Jubilee 150 the important part of the history and life of the Parish as we continue on into the future. Thank you all, Fr. Dan

PHOTO 1 CAPTION: Bishop Robert F. Hennessey blesses Fr. Daniel J. Mahoney prior to Fr. Mahoney proclaiming the Gospel.

PHOTO 2 CAPTION: Fr. Daniel J. Mahoney is seen at the pulpit.

PHOTO 3 CAPTION: Fr. James Ronan, Fr. William McConnell, Fr. Martin Okwir, Bishop Robert F. Hennessey, Fr. Daniel J. Mahoney and Fr. Charles Crowley (SJ).

PHOTO 4 CAPTION: Pictured, left to right, are Dan Doherty, Agnes Birmingham, Joan Burke and Sandy Terry.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Boston Housing Authority Administrator Sandra Henriquez announced a $77 million infusion of capital improvements to Boston’s public housing last month, which is expected to allocate more than $20 million for improvements to the Bunker Hill housing development.
“These badly needed funds will go a long way to preserve this valuable affordable housing resource,” Menino said. “Many of our poorest families, elderly and disabled citizens depend on this housing for shelter.”
According to BHA spokesperson, Lydia Agro, improvements to the Bunker Hill development include building envelope work, which is expected to begin this summer. The BHA is also currently working on a design for the development’s video surveillance system, and plumbing and bathroom improvements are expected to begin at the end of this year or in early 2009. Renovations to the Bunker Hill housing development’s heating system are also planned.
Since the BHA has over four years to expend the funds, the work to Bunker Hill and other city public housing, including the Old Colony and Mary McCormack developments in South Boston, will be done in phases, Agro said.
Agro added that the costs and timeframes for the individual projects are subject to change, since the BHA is still issuing Requests for Proposals and has yet to get any bids back for the upcoming work.
The lump sum of capital improvement money was made possible by a recent bond sale by the BHA to help supplement the agency’s dwindling capital fund, and the debt service on the bonds will be paid out over a 20-year period, Agro said.
“The BHA is pleased to be able to provide, through this creative undertaking, this single largest capital investment in the Authority’s history,” Henriquez said. “The BHA received a AA rating by Standard and Poor’s for this transaction, which is a testament to the BHA’s ability to effectively manage its resources in extraordinarily difficult fiscal times.”