The holiday celebrations may be over, but the spirit of renewal is just beginning in Marblehead. As 2026 unfolds, the Current spoke with town leaders, educators, artists and community members about the resolutions guiding their work, families and passions in the year ahead. Here’s a sampling of responses we received. Cynda Rohmer, Marblehead Arts Festival presidentDo you have any resolutions related to the Arts Festival? Stay organized! Advertise and talk up the new events in 2026. How about for yourself? Get back to the gym…
Choosing the top stories of any year isn’t easy. Here are the headlines that resonated the most with the Current newsroom. MBTA Communities Act The town has sent a new 3A compliance plan, which includes part of the Tedesco County Club, to the state for preliminary approval. CURRENT PHOTO / GREY COLLINS The state’s MBTA Communities Act, which requires 177 cities and towns to zone for multifamily housing, dominated Marblehead headlines this year. Town Meeting in May approved a plan identifying three multifamily housing zones:…
You’ve probably heard of Banksy, the anonymous street artist famous around the world for his poignant pieces. Well, at the Village School last week, students learned from Boston-based artist-in-residence Bren Bataclan, who travels the world giving away his paintings and working with students to create dynamic murals. He’s painted more than 300 murals and his most recent is right here in Marblehead. He works mostly in acrylics and has created hundreds of cartoon-like characters. Artist-in-residence Bren Bataclan works with Village School students on a new…
The Current welcomes submissions (150-200 words) to its News in Brief section. Send yours to info@marbleheadnews.org. Goodwin extradited to Florida Marblehead resident and founder of defunct travel company Stone & Compass arrived in Florida on Dec. 18 to face charges that he defrauded more than 100 Daytona Beach high school students and chaperones out of about $400,000. Goodwin is being held on a $4 million bond. BLOOM for mental health The town of Marblehead is partnering with BLOOM, which offers free, confidential and personalized support…
Marblehead High musicians hit all the right notes at their Winter Concert on Dec. 17 at the Veterans School Performing Arts Center. Students from the jazz and concert bands, as well as strings ensemble, orchestra and treble and mix choirs performed. Some of the holiday favorites performed included “Greensleeves,” “Ukrainian Bell Carol," "African Noel" and “Hannukah, Festival of Lights." MHS musicians have several more concerts planned through the winter and spring. Here are a few photos from the evening snapped by Tanya Braganti.
A Veterans School English teacher waived her right to a private hearing before the School Committee on Thursday night and publicly accused the district of discriminating against her because she is Jewish and a Zionist. She also alleged the district retaliated against her for speaking out about what she described as antisemitism in Marblehead schools. Brigitte Karns has taught in Marblehead Public Schools for 24 years and has served as a lead English teacher at Veterans School for 16 years. In 2024, Karns participated in…
Submitted By Melissa Clucas & Henry Gwazda, School Committee Communications Subcommittee MHS roof bid approvedFollowing a competitive bidding process, the School Committee unanimously approvedawarding the Marblehead High School roof and HVAC replacement contract to Homer Contracting Inc. for $8.97 million, about $2.1 million under budget. The bid includes fixed pricing for a full roof recovering along with HVAC, plumbing and electrical work. This marks a major step toward resolving longstanding building issues at MHS. Most construction is planned for the summer, with substantial completion targeted…
A team can’t go undefeated unless it wins its first game, and that’s what the Marblehead High School boys basketball team (1-0 in the Northeastern Conference, 2-0 overall) did last Friday night (Dec. 12), when it defeated the Danvers Falcons in the opening round of the fourth annual Zach Markowitz Memorial Tournament hosted by Salem Academy, 58-51. The Magicians then took on Salem Academy in the title game the next day, and defeated them going away, 72-40. The Navigators defeated Bishop Fenwick in their first-round…
The School Committee discussed declining enrollment and grades at its Dec. 4 meeting. CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER Declining enrollment took center stage at another School Committee meeting on Dec. 4, as Superintendent John Robidoux presented more data to address concerns about the number of students leaving Marblehead schools. “So, we’re down over 200 students since June 7 to when school opened in September,” said School Committee member Jenn Schaeffner. She said enrollment had dropped by 25 students in the prior week alone. That’s a…
Declining enrollment took center stage at another School Committee meeting on Dec. 4, as Superintendent John Robidoux presented more data to address concerns about the number of students leaving Marblehead schools. “So, we’re down over 200 students since June 7 to when school opened in September,” said School Committee member Jenn Schaeffner. She said enrollment had dropped by 25 students in the prior week alone. That’s a drop from 2,754 to 2,511 students since June. “I am very interested in what’s going on,” Schaeffner said.…
