5 Things You Need to Know Today: May 5

1. An exhibit of works by students in the Hopkinton High School Art program begins this evening,  Thursday, May 5, from 6:30 to 7:30 in the High School atrium.  Cellist Pablo Casals said, "The truly important things in life – love, beauty, and one's own uniqueness – are constantly being overlooked."  The Hopkinton High School Art Department and Beth Balliro of Mass. College of Art & Design assembled this collection which includes works produced by hand, computerized art, digital and darkroom photography, ceramics, sculpture, and designs from Graphic Design and Fashion/Textiles students.  The 2011 Hop- Art catalog will be available.  The exhibit will continue at the high school until May 12. 

2. MAPC (Metropolitan Area Planning Council) representatives will be at Monday evening'ss Planning Board meeting at 7:30 in town hall for a discussion on Priority Development Areas and Priority Preservation Areas in Hopkinton. The MAPC oversees projects that require regional transportation and infrastructure investments. The meeting is a key component of the 495/MetroWest Development Compact project, which is explained here on Boston.com and here in Banker & Tradesman aims to create a plan to improve the quality of life regionally while maintaining its character and making it substantially attractive for residents and businesses. If you're interested but can't attend this meeting, you may email ideas, comments and recommendations to Elaine Lazarus, Hopkinton's Director of Land Use, Planning and Permitting  or call her  at 508-497-9755.

3. The third Annual Hopkinton Spring Green Up Day starts at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7 on the Town Common. Volunteers will have their pictures taken, get gloves and bags for cleanup and fan out around town. More than 100 Hopkinton residents volunteered last year and the Hopkinton Sustainable Green Committee is hoping for more this year. Contact  hopgreen@hopkinton.org  to volunteer or visit www.hopgreen.com for details.

4. One of the public meetings listed on the town calendar from time to time is TEC. Its meetings are in the morning and there is one this Friday (possibly online since no address is included with the meeting notice). So what is it? TEC is The Education Cooperative, and includes a group of 16 school districts in MetroWest which have joined together to provide educational initiatives.  Its steering committee, consisting of assistant superintendents, high school principals and representatives from TEC, meets monthly to make decisions and provide direction for online learning for students and teacher development. More later.

5. Two events today at the Hopkinton Public Library. The first is the Reader's Choice Book Discussion  from 10:30 to 11:30. There is no assigned reading for this club. Just talk about your favorite books or listen as others talk about theirs. The second event is this evening from 7 to 8. Potter Ann Schunior (truly beautiful photos on this website) will present a slideshow of her trip to West Africa and its influence on her pottery. Schunior's show is in cooperation with The Hopkinton Women's Art Forum, a group of  area women with interests in the arts. The Women's Art Forum has a monthly HCAM-TV show hosted by artist Geri Holland featuring interviews with local women artists. For more information on library programs, contact Susan Marshall at smarshall@cwmars.org or 508-497-9777.