From WHS to Town Hall, Anniversaries are in the Air

This is not just a week for welcomes in Westfield, but also celebrating several wedding anniveraries. From Westfield High School to town hall, anniverary season is in full swing for couples well known to many in town. In addition, a local college student is taking up a new challenge as he enters the swing of things in his freshman year.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO WESTFIELD'S 'IT' COUPLE

Unless you've been living under a rock for the last few years, you know the love story of science teacher Chris Tafelski and Spanish teacher Bonnie Underwood Tafelski. The two met, became friends, then became an obsession for students, then proved students right by falling in love in front of their students as co-advisers of the student council. Turning into the "Brangelina of Westfield," (their term) at least for the WHS community, the pair ultimately married a year ago last weekend. Happy Anniversary!

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS HIT TOWN HALL

It is definately anniversary time in Westfield. During Tuesday's Town Council meeting, Mayor Andy Skibitsky took time to congratulate Town Administrator Jim Gildea on his 17th anniversary with the town. Gildea was assistant recreation director and deputy town administrator before becoming administrator in 2001. For the record, Gildea and his wife, Monica, have been married for 12 years (our apologies). Congratulations!

MAYBE HE CAN CHALLENGE THE ARMORY

Westfield High 2010 alum Chris Salemme is settling in to life as a ROTC cadet at Furman University in South Carolina and has a new challenge to live up to. Instead of the three-mornings-a-week training program that ROTC cadets take part in, Salemme is up early every day for the intense training he must go through to become a member of the school's Ranger Challenge Team. If he earns a spot on the squad, Salemme will compete against other schools in challenges such as weapons assembly and  a 10k full-gear march.

WESTFIELD'S REALTY TELEVISION?

I was talking to Lori Kaplan the other day and we were discussing the scene Friday night when a woman was threatening to jump off a building downtown. We were just touching on how many people were standing and watching the scene unfold for several hours, not sure what would happen and continuing to watch even when shooed away from the crowd. At one point we were talking about how it became a real life realty show for those in the crowd.

In other news, you may want to keep an eye out for Lori Kaplan, she's Westfield Patch's new About Town columnist, starting on Monday. She'll be out and about, talking to you and finding out some of the news impacting Westfield. Join me in giving her a warm welcome to Patch!

WESTFIELD REMEMBERS

Saturday morning Westfielders will come together to remember the lives taken from us nine years ago when terrorists crashed planes in to each of the towers of the World Trade Center, along with the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. The ceremony will start at 10 a.m. at the 9/11 memorial at the intersection of Broad and North, next to the Westfield Inn. The ceremony will include remarks from Mayor Andy Skibitsky and the annual tolling of the bell in the Methodist Church.