Greening Greenfield offering program at Satan’s Kingdom

NORTHFIELD — Join ecologists Pat Serrentino and Alex Haro for an exploration and discussion of the marshes, vernal pools and ponds at Satan’s Kingdom Wildlife Management Area on Sunday, Oct. 6, from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

Attendees of this Greening Greenfield program will discuss the variety of wetland types at this natural area, and the animals and plants associated with each. Participants can look and listen for migrant birds and search for fish, invertebrates and amphibians in their aquatic habitats.

The walk is limited to 12 participants. Ages 8 and up are welcome. The event is free and heavy rain cancels.

Attendees are advised to wear sturdy hiking shoes for this easy-to-moderate walk, and be prepared for biting insects and ticks.

To register, call Edie Heinemann at 773-465-1646 or email her at ediesh82346@gmail.com. The group will meet at 9 a.m. at Cherry Rum Plaza (north end) off Route 2 in Greenfield to carpool to Satan’s Kingdom.

Next puzzle swap set for Oct. 5

NORTHFIELD — Free used puzzles will be available at Dickinson Memorial Library on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Attendees are advised to park in the back and enter through the side door of the library. Turn left to find the Community Room.

More than 400 puzzles in a range of sizes are available. Participants are invited to take as many puzzles as they want, and can keep them as long as they need. The puzzle swap is offered monthly.

For more information, visit northfieldpubliclibrary.org/friends-of-the-library or email friendsofdml01360@gmail.com.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Thomas Aquinas College in top 25 for social mobility

NORTHFIELD — In addition to once again earning a spot in the top 100 of U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of liberal arts colleges, Thomas Aquinas College has scored high in the guide’s 2025 edition for a relatively new category: social mobility.

At No. 14, the college is the only Catholic institution to make the top 25 on the magazine’s “social mobility” index, based on how well schools graduate economically disadvantaged students. Although Thomas Aquinas College does not provide merit-based scholarships, it maintains a financial aid program, reflecting its commitment to admit and enroll all qualified students, regardless of their financial background. As part of that commitment, the college maintains a Work-Study Program, which employs students, wherever possible, rather than outside workers, to help make tuition more affordable.

In discussing the rationale for its annual rankings, U.S. News & World Report explains that they are based on “17 key measures of academic quality,” ranging from graduation and retention rates to faculty resources and the average federal loan debt of graduates. The college ranks at No. 63 among the nation’s top 211 liberal arts colleges, and No. 62 for “Best Value Schools.” The guide further rates Thomas Aquinas College as having the highest possible proportion of classes with fewer than 20 students (100%) and the lowest proportion of classes with more than 50 students (0%).

“We are pleased, as always, with Thomas Aquinas College’s annual U.S. News rankings, which are evidence that our program of Catholic liberal education is a success by any measure,” Executive Director of College Relations Chris Weinkopf said in a statement. “We are especially pleased to see the college ranked so highly on the social mobility list, which testifies to the vision of our founders — and the generosity of our benefactors — who were determined, from the very beginning, to make this faithfully Catholic, academically excellent education affordable to anyone with the will and ability to undertake it.”