Unambiguously Good News!

Unambiguously Good News!

Who guessed this pandemic would lead to us watching Boston’s wastewater reports on a daily basis? Well, I’ll take good news wherever I can find it, even in a pile of public poop. This week, there is dramatically less Covid-19 in the fecal matter of Boston’s general...
Sex Education

Sex Education

Sex Education is serious and funny, romantic and platonic, focused on sexual behavior and also interested in all sorts of social and emotional issues of the teens and their school. It’s quite a roller-coaster, and I found myself rooting for many of them to connect...
North Star’s Covid-19 Policy, Fall 2021

North Star’s Covid-19 Policy, Fall 2021

At our final staff meeting of last year in mid-June, we felt quite optimistic about this coming fall in regards to Covid-19. The incidence of Covid-19 in western Massachusetts was very low, and across the country, cases seemed to be in decline. All of our staff and...
A Different Order of Events

A Different Order of Events

“Hi, Ken! It’s Jesse! Believe it or not, I’m now applying to Amherst College, and I wonder if you would write me a recommendation?” Jesse Shotland, now age 28, was a delightful member of North Star for two years, 2009-2011. We have stayed in touch, and I knew that...
One Year Later: Are We Almost There Yet?

One Year Later: Are We Almost There Yet?

My young-adult children are increasing their vigilance of my wife and me regarding our COVID- 19 protective behaviors, demanding that we “don’t blow it now after all we have sacrificed this year to avoid getting COVID-19!” They want us to keep our guard up for another...
Unexpected Winter Highlights

Unexpected Winter Highlights

The solid play of the Cleveland Browns was a highlight of my January, which was otherwise a cold and challenging month for many of us in this pandemic. For the first time since the late 1980s, the team I root for played important games in December and January, and...