A Thomas Blake Middle School seventh grader, left, displayed a creature and read an original story about it to elementary school students as part of the 15th annual Creature Feature event. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
MEDFIELD — Superintendent Jeffrey J. Marsden and Principal Nat Vaughn are pleased to share that Thomas Blake Middle School concluded the 2024-2025 school year with a series of successful and engaging events, including the annual Creature Feature project, a new civics-focused bike trip, and the 11th annual Blake Run scholarship fundraiser.
Now in its 15th year, the Creature Feature is an annual tradition that combines storytelling, math, and engineering. All 200 seventh-grade students had the opportunity to use their imagination to design and construct a creature from recyclable materials. The students developed design parameters, creating detailed scale drawings on large graph paper, and applied real-world math skills to plan and measure every component of the creature.
As part of their English classes, students also wrote original stories imagining the lives of their creatures. They later read these stories to Medfield elementary students while displaying their creations.
In early June, on the day before the elementary school visits, families are invited to view the outcome of these interdisciplinary projects during the Creature Showcase held at the Library Media Center. This event provides students with their first opportunity to proudly showcase their creative work.
The next day, the seventh graders are assigned specific rooms at one of Medfield’s elementary schools for their Creature Feature presentations. If a seventh grader has a younger sibling in one of the schools, they are always assigned to that sibling’s classroom, making the experience even more meaningful for both.
“The Creature Feature remains a beloved interdisciplinary tradition that blends creativity, academic skill, and community engagement,” said seventh-grade math teacher Marissa Gumas. “We look forward to it every year. It’s amazing to see the creativity and math skills of our students at work. The outcome is outstanding.”
A springtime bike trip has long been an annual tradition at Thomas Blake Middle School, with a focus on the history of Medfield. However, this year marked the first time the event focused on civics.
The Eighth Grade Bike Trip, which took place during the last three school days in May, took groups of students on an adventure that lasted approximately half of a school day, visiting municipal departments throughout the town. The students, all of whom wore helmets, were divided into clusters, with a total of six eight-mile trips taking place throughout the three-day event.
At each pit stop, students got to gather around and hear directly from one of the town’s civic leaders about their role in local government, including the following Medfield officials:
- Maurice Goulet, Director of Public Works
- Marion Bonoldi, Town Clerk
- Michelle Guerette, Police Chief
- David Temple, Medfield Historical Commission Co-Chair
- Kristine Trierweiler, Town Administrator
- Bill Deking, Fire Chief
- Jessica Razza, Library Trustee and local attorney
The sites visited during the Eighth Grade Bike Trip included the following locations:
- Medfield Town Hall
- Highway Department and Department of Public Works
- Medfield Rail Trail
- Medfield Police Department
- Medfield Fire Department
- Medfield Historical Society
- Medfield Library Trustees
“This was an extremely successful event. I think it was a home run, especially given that it was year one of this current model,” said eighth-grade social studies teacher Travis Taliaferro. “The staff members at each stop were gracious and interesting. Our bike ride through the town was a good amount of riding, but not too much. I am very happy we made this change of focus from history to civics. I think it aligns perfectly with our curriculum, and it was well-received by all involved.”
“A measuring stick of the success that I circle back to is that when we asked our students to write thank you letters to the various departments as a part of their Civics Extension Class curriculum, and they didn’t need much convincing at all,” said Taliaferro. “I can’t state enough how thankful we as teachers are for the flexibility and support of the admin at Blake to carry it out, and for the town officials who generously donated their time.”
Helping to cap off another successful school year, the 11th annual Blake Run drew 450 staff and student participants on June 9, with a 2.1-mile race that snaked around the Thomas Blake Middle School and Blake High School campuses.
The annual event, first held in the wake of the tragic Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, raised more than $4,000 for the Blake Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship fund was established to support community members in need of assistance to provide their children with opportunities to participate in many of the experiences that make Blake Middle School an exceptional place to grow and learn. This includes students and families seeking financial assistance for fees associated with field trips, intramurals, and other school-sponsored activities.
“We were thrilled that this year’s Blake Run was such a huge success and look forward to this event creating a meaningful sense of belonging in our community for many years to come,” said sixth-grade science teacher Kelly Ruminski, who helped organize the event.
Donations are still being accepted for the Blake Scholarship Fund. Contributions can be submitted via the Venmo app, with payments addressed to @MedfieldTownwide-PTO and including “Blake Scholarship” in the memo line.
“These events marked a fantastic finish to another successful school year for our students here at Blake,” Principal Vaughn said. “I’d like to thank Superintendent Marsden and the Medfield School Committee for supporting these meaningful learning experiences, which are purposeful and aligned with the educational and social-emotional needs of our middle school students. I’d also like to thank all of our amazing teachers and staff for making all of this possible, along with all our town officials who supported the Eighth Grade Bike Trip and everyone from the community who helped make the 11th annual Blake Run such a success. We look forward to repeating these awesome events in the years to come.”
“I’d like to congratulate all of our teachers and staff who helped make our annual Creature Feature a success once again. This is an excellent event that brings together our middle schoolers and elementary school students,” Superintendent Marsden said. “I’d also like to thank our town staff and teachers who all helped make the Eighth Grade Bike Trip into an incredible, enriching event with a special focus on civics this year. Lastly, we are grateful to all the community members who once again turned out to take part in the annual Blake Run, raising funds to help all of our students get the chance to take part in all the great extracurricular activities that are being offered here.”
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The Creature Feature is an annual tradition now in its 15th year at Thomas Blake Middle School. The event involves seventh graders reading stories about their creatures to Medfield elementary school students, while displaying their creations to them. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
Assistant Town Administrator/Public Information Coordinator Brittany Franklin spoke to a group of Thomas Blake Middle School students during a stop on the Eighth Grade Bike Trip in late May. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
Medfield Town Clerk Marion Bonoldi spoke to a group of Thomas Blake Middle School students during a stop on the Eighth Grade Bike Trip in late May. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
The Eighth Grade Bike Trip, which took place during the last three school days in May, took groups of Thomas Blake Middle School students on an eight-mile adventure that lasted approximately half of a school day, visiting municipal departments throughout the town. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
Thomas Blake Middle School students, who all wore helmets, were split up into clusters, with a total of six eight-mile treks taking place throughout the three-day Eighth Grade Bike Trip in late May. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
The 15th annual Creature Feature combined storytelling, math, and engineering, as all 200 seventh-grade students at Thomas Blake Middle School got to use their imagination to design and construct a creature from recyclable materials. The middle schoolers then read an original story about their creature to elementary school students. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
Before creating their creatures as part of the annual Creature Feature, Thomas Blake Middle School students developed design parameters, creating detailed scale drawings on large graph paper and applying real-world math skills to plan and measure every component of the creature. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
As part of the annual Creature Feature, Thomas Blake Middle School students are assigned a specific room at one of Medfield’s elementary schools for their story presentation. If a seventh grader has a younger sibling in one of the schools, they are always assigned to that sibling’s classroom. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
The 11th annual Blake Run drew 450 staff and student participants on June 9, raising funds for the Blake Scholarship Fund with a 2.1-mile race that snaked around the Thomas Blake Middle School and Blake High School campuses. (Photo Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
The 11th annual Blake Run, first held in the wake of the tragic Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, raised more than $4,000 for the Blake Scholarship Fund, with more than 450 students, staff and community members participating. (Courtesy Medfield Public Schools)
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