The Farm to Family Food Drive, a partnership event between the Brookline Public Health Department, the Friends of Brookline Public Health, the Brookline Farmers’ Market and the Brookline Food Pantry, was held on Thursday, Oct. 30 in Coolidge Corner. Here’s how it works: When a customer purchases a fruit or vegetable from the market vendors, they buy one for themselves and donate one to the food drive. Donors bring their purchases to the information booth marked by a big green tent and place them in the bins. Then, the bins are carried to the Brookline Food Pantry, which distributes the fresh vegetables and fruits to families in need. Levy is in her second year of managing the market, and she said the event reflects the market’s mission to support the local community. But this year, she said, it’s also happening at a time when food scarcity is increasing. Manager Isabelle Levy said the event reflects the market’s mission to support the local community. But this year, she said, it’s also happening at a time when food scarcity is increasing. The Trump Administration's efforts to cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program threaten roughly 42 million Americans (one in eight) who receive the benefits. Read the rest of the article at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo contributed by Valentina Coj

For over 20 years, Robert Kenfack has been teaching French across the world, from numerous countries in Africa and Europe to Brookline. Kenfack is a music aficionado who learned to play traditional African songs on his acoustic guitar at his high school in Cameroon. He said he feels a special connection to the high school because of the students’ freedom and the atmosphere they create in the halls. Read the full edited interview at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Caden Imura

As students arrived at school on Tuesday, Oct. 1, English teacher Eric Colburn, social studies teacher Sam Dickerman and former Social Studies Department Chair Gary Shiffman stood outside the entrance to the high school holding homemade signs and cups of coffee. The trio waved their “Ban Phones at BHS!!” and “Make The Call: Ban Phones” signs at passing cars–some of which honked in approval–while a few students approached them to say hello or engage in debate over the protest. “Why do I, as a teacher, have to ban [phones] in my classroom when the entire building should ban them?” Dickmerman said. “The evidence is quite clear that phones in schools hurt productivity, and we all think kids will be happier if [phones] are not in school.” The Massachusetts State Senate passed a bill in July that would require “bell-to-bell” phone bans in all public school districts. This new policy will be implemented for the 2026-27 school year, pending approval from the House of Representatives and Governor. Since this article was published, the teachers have broadened their focus, advocating for the abolition of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom as well. 📸 Photo contributed by Frances Mathews

Nestled between a display of books and magazines, a chattering crowd sits hip to hip, chattering and comparing the birthday cards they are writing: cards addressed to imprisoned people they have never met. The Abolitionist Mail Project (AMP) hosted a public letter-writing event on Friday, Oct. 10, at the Brookline Booksmith as part of their movement to eliminate jail. The AMP was founded in 2024, working to establish relationships between people inside and outside prison walls as a step toward its ultimate goal of abolishing prisons. The AMP and Brookline Booksmith organizers set up tables covered with unique cards, colored pens and packets with information about incarcerated people from across Massachusetts who wished to receive mail or have a pen pal. The packets included the inmates’ names, birthdays, ages and their written autobiographies. Continuing these interactions between people within and outside prisons, the AMP believes, will “help us break down walls and build a new world,” according to their website. Read the rest of the article at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Aleida Méndez-Sippen

Last year, no girls ran in the freshman election for Legislature. The result was a noticeable gender imbalance within Legislature, especially in terms of freshman representatives. A gender imbalance was also present in terms of leadership, as no girls held leadership positions. This year, in an effort to encourage diversity, representatives from Legislature visited every section of World History, Identity, Status and Power (WHISP), the required freshman social studies course. There, they pitched student government to the freshmen, and their work has paid off: this year’s freshman election for Legislature yielded three female representatives. Additionally, there was more overall interest in participating in student government as a whole this year compared to other years. Student government consists of three branches: Judiciary hears cases related to violations of student rights according to the handbook; Student Council represents the student body in interests unrelated to the handbook, for example, allotting club funding; and Legislature passes bills to create and revise handbook policies. Read the rest of the article at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Alexa Lieberman

She had been to the art store. She had picked out her yarn. She had pored over her work, hooking and interlocking the fabric together thread by thread, until at last, she’d finished. The only problem: junior Charlene Jocelyn’s first-ever crochet project was inside-out. According to Jocelyn, a laugh, a few tugs and a reset were all she needed to get back on track, kickstarting what has become a three-year crocheting journey. To Jocelyn, who has considered herself an artist her entire life, crocheting has provided a unique creative outlet, raked in some extra cash and even strengthened her relationship with her family. Jocelyn said she’s come a long way since her first project three years ago. “At that point, crocheting was getting a little popular,” Charlene Jocelyn said. “ I was like, ‘You know what? If I want to make that, I’m going to make that. I’m going to get to that point because I know that I can do it.’” It took months of redoing, retrying and restarting projects to perfect all the small inconsistencies. Though she had been an artist her entire life, she said crocheting requires more attention to detail than drawing. Eventually, Jocelyn realized the two could work hand-in-hand. Read the full Artist of the Month feature at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo contributed by Charlene Jocelyn

Students can now expect to be on camera when walking between buildings. This year, the high school joins 93 percent of public schools in using security cameras, according to 2020-2021 data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The Brookline School Committee (BSC) passed the Exterior Surveillance Camera Policy on June 12, 2025. The policy outlines the purposes of the cameras and ways they are implemented. Some of the cameras were installed this September, and more will be added in the coming months. The high school’s addition of cameras is intended to increase safety for an open campus that differs from most others in its makeup. Learn more at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Eva Berkson

Students roam the halls after being released from class 10 minutes early. Others rush at breakneck speeds from building to building to get to class on time. Confusion floats through campus, many bewildered by the alternating blocks or class lengths. Despite confusion, students and staff have worked to accommodate the pilot schedule put in place for the 2025-26 school year. In May, a Problem Resolution System complaint was filed with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, which prompted an investigation that revealed the high school was 56 hours short of the state’s requirement for structured learning time. Because of this shortage, administrators were tasked with changing the existing schedule to create one that meets the state requirements. Continue reading at thecypresssonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Ellie Hong

For over 50 years, School Within a School (SWS) has functioned as a democratic community within Brookline High School. At a time when students across the country were challenging the rules of school and society, a small group at the high school had an idea: what if school could be different? What if students and teachers learned together? SWS is one of the high school’s longest-running alternative education programs. Founded more than 50 years ago, it started when students and teachers were pushing back against strict, traditional education. What began at first as a small experiment has grown to become a permanent part of the school. Today, located on the 4th floor of 115 Greenough, it is a tight-knit community where students and teachers call each other by their first names, make decisions democratically and prioritize discussion-based learning. Learn more at thecypressonline.com, link in bio. 📸 Photo by Hayden Park