Blog

FC Boston Loses Breakers Academy

Merger between FC Bolts and Boston Breakers Academy/Scorpions was to combine two clubs that had an academy program for boys and girls. Less than six months after the merger, Breakers Academy announced that they are dropping the Scorpions and replacing them with NEFC.

Why did Boston Breakers drop the Scorpions?

Today, the Boston Breakers announce the dissolving of the youth club partnership between Scorpions Soccer Club (now FC Boston) and Boston Breakers Academy.

“It is unfortunate that the partnership is being dissolved,” Boston Breakers general manager Lee Billiard said. “We had high hopes, but the merger of Scorpions and FC Bolts and their creation of FC Boston set them on a different path.”

The partnership was originally formed in December 2013 with a purpose to expand the previous club’s footprint and ultimately led to the insertion of new coaches and additional players.

The partnership will be terminated by the end of 2015. All current Boston Breakers Academy teams under the Scorpions/FC Boston umbrella will transition out of using the Boston Breakers name and logo by the end of the year as well. The Boston Breakers will continue to operate its own college academy and reserve teams as part of the development pathway to the pros.

This is what the Boston Breakers relationship gave the Scorpions:

In the first year of the partnership, Boston Breakers General Manager Lee Billiard will coach the Boston Breakers Academy U17 ECNL team, while Boston Breakers Academy Director Jack Abelson will coach the U15 ECNL team, and Breakers Senior Team Coordinator Stephanie Schafer (Curry College and Wagner College) will take the U17 NPL team. Boston Breakers Head Coach Lisa Cole will play a vital role for the Boston Breakers Academy as Technical Director. The role of Technical Director will be to provide coach and player education for the program, along with helping to build curriculum content, a sound developmental pathway for players, coaches and also holding some guest sessions across the season.

As the partnership grows, Boston Breakers players will also be a part of the staff, coaching teams at all levels. During the first year of transition, the Boston Breakers professional players will take part in club trainings and camps. Six Boston Breakers professional players will serve as age group mentors to the girls teams. The role will be to see every team and have direct contact with players in the specific age group they are mentoring. Additionally, the Breakers players will attend tryouts to help the staff evaluate players, and over the course of the season, host educational classes with Breakers Academy players in regards to being a student athlete, nutrition, fitness, becoming a pro player, and to give advice on the college recruitment process.

The Scorpions Soccer Club front office staff will remain intact and will work closely with Boston Breakers front office staff to provide families an even greater level of communication and players a very structured development pathway, which starts at U9 and leads though Under 18, to Breakers College Academy, Reserve Team, and ending at the Senior professional team.

It appears that the merger that was supposed to combine both a girls and boys academy program was the reason for Boston Breakers dropping the Scorpions for NEFC. Or it could be the Boston Breakers relationship with Fred Marks?

Breakers Partnership with NEFC

Why are NEFC and the Boston Breakers creating this partnership?

The Boston Breakers are a member of the NWSL, a ten team professional women’s soccer league supported by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). As with most professional soccer clubs in the US, a priority for the Boston Breakers is to have a competitive youth academy structure that supports the college, reserve and professional teams. NEFC has a proven developmental model and a competitive team structure that competes on the national stage. The synergies created by this partnership provide a nationally competitive youth academy under the Breakers organization which also supports NEFC’s mission statement of ‘Developing Players for the Next Level in an Elite Soccer Environment’. This partnership will provide players with the best environment to take advantage of future opportunities as the youth soccer landscape continues to evolve.

—————-

Dear FC Boston Families:

Last summer, FC Greater Boston Bolts and the Boston Breakers Academy/Scorpions agreed to join forces to create the only youth soccer club in the Northeast with both the Development Academy on the boy’s side and the ECNL on the girl’s side. Our long-term goal is to create a super club that can take a player from junior academy (age 8) and develop them all the way until college. We offer programs spanning from junior academy, NEP, NPL and Academy/ECNL levels. The goal is to be the most complete club in the Northeast with the best coaching staff.

Whenever two clubs merge together, there are bound to be growing pains as joining two synergies takes time to blend into one. One hurdle we faced was what to call our new super club which has now been decided. The overall club will be known as FC Boston with the boys being FC Boston Bolts and the girls being FC Boston Scorpions. The Bolts is one of the most recognized brands of youth soccer in the US under the direction of Brian Ainscough. Similarly, Scorpions was the original name of the club that Fred Marks built from the ground up. Over the years it was one of the most recognized names in girls soccer, which is why the board chose to resurrect the name and restore it to its rightful place in girls soccer. We have a new logo and we will debut our new uniforms in early summer.

Our focus will now be on merging and improving our operations as well as using the combined forces of the two clubs to secure and improve our facilities. It is a top priority to secure and retain the best coaches for our players and ensure the best path for development in youth soccer in this area.

On the operations side, we are working to create an organization that is highly proficient and seamlessly delivers good communications to our families. We value our players and their families and will strive to create a great experience for all.

We appreciate your patience and loyalty while we work through this process and look forward to great things in the future for FC Boston!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Price

President

—————-

Jonathan Price fails to address that the ECNL league is likely to be moved to a lower division.

US Soccer Federation to launch a girls’ equivalent of Development Academy. ECNL likely pushed to 2nd tier.

What will be the result of FC Scorpions losing Breakers Academy and ECNL pushed to 2nd tier? Rumor has it that top players are looking to switch clubs. A division 1 women’s college soccer coach summed it up: “It’s the end of an era. The Scorpions are done!”

February 11, 2016
Our Principal’s Wife’s Life Lesson from Their Son

From Janet Chitty, wife of Mark Chitty, principal of Peirce Elementary School in Newton pens an article on life lesson learned from her son. This is from Boston Parents Paper.

February 10, 2016
Benefits of Late Start for High School

Later Start Time Reduces Disciplinary Incidents

and Tardiness Among High School Students

St. Lawrence University Study First Longitudinal

Confirmation of Start Time Delay Benefits

Pam Thacher, pthacher@stlawu.edu; Serge Onyper, sonyper@stlawu.edu; Ryan Deuel, St. Lawrence, rdeuel@stlawu.edu, (315) 229-5806; or Bill Johnson, Halstead Communications, 610-216-9808, johnson@halsteadpr.com.

A recent study suggests that delaying high school start times can robustly improve two variables that affect students, teachers, and administrators alike: tardiness and disciplinary problems in the classroom. Longer sleep benefits high school students, many of whom are sleep-deprived, and the current study adds further support to recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatricians that high schools should not start the school day until 8:30 a.m. or later.

The study, conducted by Pamela V. Thacher and Serge V. Onyper, both associate professors of psychology at St. Lawrence University, is being published in the February issue of Sleep, the publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

“U.S. high schools have utilized later start times to improve student success in the classroom, but few studies have followed changes longitudinally,” says Thacher. “We used longitudinal methodology to track sleep, mood, health, attendance, tardiness, problem behaviors, and academics in a high school that delayed start time by 45 minutes.”

The researchers note that students in the Glens Falls, N.Y., school district, who provided data for the study, showed lasting reductions in tardiness and disciplinary incidents despite no change in total sleep time, suggesting that for teens, the delay in the timing of their sleep – going to bed later and getting up later – can in itself improve daytime behaviors. Later start times did not, however, affect physical or mental health and did not increase exam grades or standardized test scores.

“Longer sleep times, coupled with delayed timing, may be necessary to improve mood, health, or academic performance,” says Onyper. “Although a start time delay is the first—and perhaps necessary—step to improved sleep health for most students in this age group, a delay in start time alone may not be sufficient to achieve the kinds of changes to student performance and well-being that schools target.”

The researchers note that the issue of changing school start times often inspires strong opinions in a community – both for and against any change. Achieving buy-in can therefore be difficult. A comprehensive effort to educate and persuade constituents of the benefits that can occur when sleep is improved may be needed to implement delays in school start times.

In the U.S., 90 percent of high school students start their day between 7:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m.; delays have been advocated recently because adolescents have sleep-wake cycles that are delayed by puberty. As a result, peak performance has been shown to occur later in the day among these youth. Other studies show two-thirds of adolescents on average get up to two hours less sleep than they need for optimal functioning.

“When students are delinquent and aggressive, late and insubordinate, learning cannot occur,” says Thacher. “We believe our findings with respect to discipline and tardiness are significant because improvements in these domains can help every student in the classroom. For example, benefits could include improved safety, morale, ease and efficiency of operation for most school systems.”

The St. Lawrence University researchers collected data from school records and student self-report. In May 2012, before the change was instituted, baseline data were collected, and then after the start time was delayed, data were collected at two further points, November 2012 and May 2013. Reports from school records regarding attendance, tardiness, disciplinary violations and academic performance were collected for two years prior and two years after the start time change.

February 9, 2016
New Valeo’s Girls Director!

Valeo Families,

Kia McNeill the girls director at Valeo FC was recently offered the women’s head coaching position at Brown University. It was a difficult decision for Kia to make, but in order to pursue an amazing opportunity, Kia has decided to step down from her position.

Kia made a positive impact on the lives of many young athletes during her time here at Valeo.

We are excited for Kia’s new opportunity at Brown University and want to wish her all the best.

She will still have a reduced role here at Valeo and continue to be a part of the Valeo family.

Here at Valeo, our mission is focused on developing competitive athletes, outstanding citizens and strong leaders. We provide a challenging and rewarding environment that teaches the virtues of teamwork, discipline, hard work, commitment, respect and leadership.

After significant consideration, we would like to announce the promotion of Brian Leighton as Valeo’s girls director. Brian has been part of the Valeo family for two seasons coaching the

GU10, GU11, GU12 and GU15 teams. Brian brings an abundance of experience both from a managerial and soccer standpoint.

Brian spent his college career as the starting goalkeeper for the Mount Ida Mustangs. He also played in the NPSL Division 1 for the Maine Sting. Brian has coached at various clubs throughout Greater Boston and is currently the men’s assistant coach at MIT.

Brian has a Master’s of Science in Management degree and is an avid entrepreneur. Brian is excited to carry on the Valeo tradition that focuses on player development in his role as the new girls director.

Please join us in welcoming Brian as the new girls director! Feel free to contact Brian at

Brian@valeofc.com with any questions or comments.

February 8, 2016
Valeo February Vacation Clinic 2016

Valeo February Vacation Clinic 2016. Register here.

February 7, 2016
DIY Flower Arranging Class for Men at Shake Shack

DIY FLOWER ARRANGING WORKSHOP FOR MEN: Alice’s Table is hosting a men’s flower arranging workshop at Shake Shack at The Street in Chestnut Hill. Participants will create a bouquet for their Valentine with step-by-step instructions by Alice’s Table while enjoying complimentary beer and snacks from Shake Shack.

WHEN: Alice’s Table will host the men’s flower arranging workshop on Saturday, February 13 from 10 am to 11:30 am.

COST: $65; www.alicestable.com

WHERE: Shake Shack is located at The Street in Chestnut Hill, 49 Boylston St, Chestnut Hill

February 6, 2016
Housemaster is Now Dean at NNHS/NSHS

To the Newton North and Newton South communities,

We are writing to announce a change of terminology for Newton’s high schools: The “Housemaster” title in each school will be replaced with “Dean.”

We are making this change because we believe that the words we choose to describe ourselves indicate our values and beliefs. The usage of words also changes over time, and the intentions of those who chose a title over a century ago may be betrayed by new meanings.

The term “Housemaster” is an extension of “master,” which is a word meaning “teacher” in a different century. While it is important not to lose touch with our history, it is also important to recognize when current meanings of words hamper our ability to establish who we are and what we care about. The term “master” has powerful negative connections that override the more benevolent definition from previous eras. The word no longer communicates the supportive, welcoming relationship that our Housemasters share with their students. “Dean,” on the other hand, is a term used throughout education to mean a person in authority over a specific academic area.

Housemasters will now be formally known as “Dean of Wheeler House,” “Dean of Riley House” and so on. This is only a change in title – our Deans will continue the same supportive work with students, families, and faculty as before.

We are most fortunate to have eight wonderful educators in our two schools overseeing the emotional and academic needs of our students. We think that this title will better convey their relationship and connection with our students.

Thank you,

Joel and Mark

February 5, 2016
Arsenal Project – Natural Science Saturdays – Feb 6

Arsenal Project – Natural Science Saturdays – Feb 6

February 4, 2016
Boston 6th Best Metro Area for STEM Professionals
With STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — jobs expected to grow 1.7 times faster than non-STEM professions in the coming years, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis of 2016’s Best & Worst Metro Areas for STEM Professionals.

On the heels of our earlier report on the Best & Worst Cities to Find a Job, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 100 most populated metropolitan statistical areas across 16 key metrics to help STEM professionals find the best markets for their valuable occupations. Our data set ranges from per-capita job openings for STEM graduates to annual median wage growth for STEM workers.

STEM Job Market in Boston-Cambridge-Newton (1=Best; 50=Avg.)
- 8^th – % of All Workers in STEM Positions
- 51^st – STEM-Employment Growth
- 1^st – Mathematics Performance
- 14^th – Quality of Engineering Universities
- 45^th – Annual Median Wage Growth for STEM Workers
- 24^th – Per-Capita Job Openings for STEM Graduates
- 2^nd – Projected Number of STEM Jobs Needed in 2020
For the full report, please visit here.
February 4, 2016
Newton in Motion Workshop

Dear Resident,

I am writing to invite you to join us for a very important event coming up next week. On Thursday, February 4th-Saturday, February 6th, our Planning and Development department is teaming up with the Department of Public Works to host “Newton in Motion” a workshop that will help lead us toward an equitable, economically and environmentally sustainable multi-modal transportation system.

We encourage interested residents to stop by 275 Needham Street (next to the CVS in Marshalls Plaza) on:

* Thursday, February 4^th from 10:00am-7:00pm

* Friday, February 5^th from 10:00am-7:00pm

* Saturday, February 6^th from 9:00am-12:00pm

There will also be a presentation from consultants Nelson/Nygaard at Noon on Thursday, 6:00pm on Friday, and 10:00amon Saturday. The Friday evening presentation will also include presenters from the Newton Housing Strategy, and MassDOT. All presentations will be made available online. Newton in Motion will have many kid-friendly activities, and we welcome families and children of all ages. Please stop by help set the vision and goals for how Newton’s transportation system is shaped in the future. For more information and to participate online, please click here.

Sincerely,

Setti D. Warren

Mayor

City of Newton, MA

February 3, 2016