Aging Mastery Program

on

This free 12-week wellness program is run every Thursday beginning March 12 through June 4 from 2:15 – 4:00 pm at the Rochester Senior Center, 67 Dexter Lane, Rochester. Please RSVP to the Rochester Senior Center today at 508-763-8723.

Space is limited and this program will fill up fast; only 30 spots are available. Take advantage of this free program providing you with weekly presentations on wellness from local professionals. You will monitor your progress weekly with our points system. Turn in your point tallies weekly for a chance to win some great prizes.

Special guest speakers weekly, include but are not limited to: Athena Mota with Home Instead Senior Care, bringing you brain games and understanding the healthful aspects of helping others; PJ Venturs with Rockland Trust helping you become financially fit; and Barbara Canuel, Registered Dietician, who will help you monitor your nutrition and hydration. This is a rare opportunity to get a free introduction to new programs and essential contacts.

The AMP hopes to delivers a strong positive experience for participants when they join in this 12-week educational program with peers. You will build new friendships and a stronger rapport with your group of new friends and staff at the COA. You will improve your sense of belonging, social involvement and well-being, in addition to learning about and adopting new healthy behaviors.

The Aging Mastery Program is an innovative program designed to demonstrate four components: educational training sessions; self-determined plans designed by you, the participant; tracking of activities; and rewards bestowed based upon behavior change. This program will empower older adults to make and maintain small but impactful changes in their behaviors.

From the Mattapoisett Town Clerk

on

Annual Census Forms have been mailed out to all households in Mattapoisett. If you did not receive one, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office at 508-758-4100 ext. 2. Please return them as promptly as possible. Failure to respond to the census may result in removal from the voting list. Dog license applications are on the back page of the census form. If you send in a check for the appropriate fee, we would be happy to mail the license out to you. Dog licenses are $12 or $9 if your pet is spayed or neutered. Remember, we must have a copy of a current rabies certificate on file in order to issue a 2015 license. Also, as a new option, payments may be made online through our town website www.mattapoisett.net.

Our Town Election is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19. Nomination papers are available at the Town Clerk’s Office during normal business hours. The deadline for taking out nomination papers is Friday, March 27. The deadline for returning nomination papers is Monday, March 30. There are several positions up for election this year. If you have any questions regarding vacancies, you may call our office. The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 11 at Old Rochester Regional High School. Please mark your calendar. We look forward to seeing you there!

Glenn M. MacBrien

on

Glenn M. MacBrien of Mattapoisett died February 17, 2015 unexpectedly at the age of 60. Born at Langley Air Force Base in South Hampton, VA, he was the son of the late Helen R. (Tracy) and Donald MacBrien. He grew up in Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park, NY. As a passionate sports fan he enjoyed playing sports and was the offensive guard for the Roosevelt Presidents. He was a 1972 graduate of Franklin Roosevelt High School in Hyde Park, NY. He attended The Culinary Institute of America, graduating in 1974.

Glenn moved to Massachusetts in his early 20’s residing in the town of Mattapoisett. He worked as an accomplished chef for numerous local establishments, including the Huttleston House, Louie’s on the Wharf, and the Capeway Manor. Following a lengthy career in the culinary industry, Glenn developed his skills as a carpenter eventually leading to him starting his own business specializing in historically accurate restorations of antique homes. He demonstrated his passion and skillset on many homes including his own in Mattapoisett, and neighboring towns. He was very passionate about history, and enjoyed traveling to places of historical significance, eager to share his interest with his family. In addition to his passion for history, Glenn was a lover of music enjoying a wide range of musicians, but none more than the Grateful Dead, a band he followed since he was a teenager.

Glenn was a hard worker and was always up to something working on projects with his home and helping neighbors and friends.

He was a very determined and advantageous individual who showed his friends and family and those around him how hard work and perseverance pays off.

He is survived by his former wife, Dorothy Wheeler of Mattapoisett; his children, Eric MacBrien of Mattapoisett, and Sarah Perkoski and husband Joshua of Taunton; his siblings, David MacBrien and his wife Rose of Stony Brook, NY, Donald MacBrien and wife Paula of West Islip, NY, and Cynthia Collins of Mahopac, NY; and nieces and nephews, Jennifer Collins of Portland, OR, Justin and Aaron Collins of Mahopac, NY, Emily and Donnie MacBrien of West Islip, NY, and Melissa and Jack MacBrien of Stony Brook, NY.

His Memorial Services will be held on Thursday February 26, 2015 between 2-5 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Veterans Transition House, 20 Willis St., New Bedford, MA 02740. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

ORR 2nd Quarter Honor Roll

on

The following students have achieved honors for the first term at Old Rochester Regional High School:

Highest Honors: Grade 9: Haleydawn Amato, Elizabeth Baroa, Erin Burke, Nicholas Claudio, Mackenzie Drew, Megan Field, Collin Fitzpatrick, Owen Foster, Sophie Gurney, Hanil Kang, Maxine Kellum, Alexander Lorenz, Sam Pasquill, Hannah Powers, Ashleigh Wilson; Grade 10: Mason DaSilva, Hannah Guard, William Kiernan, Molly Lanagan, Jordan McArdle, Daniel Renwick, Maxxon Wolski; Grade 11: Julianna Bernardi, Kylie Machado, Hannah Rose, Jennifer Aguiar, Grade 12: Ariel Costa-Medeiros, Sierra Ennis, Andrea Harris, Mya Lunn, Austin Salkind, Christina Sebastiao.

High Honors: Grade 9: Evan Costa, Rachel Demmer, Celia Deverix, Maggie Farrell, Alexandra Hulsebosch, Sophie Johnson, Benjamin Lafrance, Tyler Menard, Jackson Reydel, Evan Tilley, Courtney Vance; Grade 10: Tessa Camboia, Griffin Dunn, William Hopkins, Olivia Labbe, Tyler Mourao, Lauren Valente, Matthew Wyman, Emily Ziino; Grade 11: Serena Jaskolka, Lauren Ovian, Drew Robert, Robert Smart, Melvin Vincent II, Teagan Walsh, Paige Watterson; Grade 12: Michael Kassabian, Julia Nojeim, Ashley Pacheco, Zachary Peterson, Sarah Robertson, Sydney Swoish, Elena Voigt, Angela Weigel.

Honors: Grade 9: Margaret Adams, Felicia Araujo, Samantha Ball, Ainslee Bangs, Emily Bock, Thomas Browning, Joanna Caynon, Gabrielle Choquette, Isabelle Choquette, Hannah Ciccatelli, Ava Ciffolillo, Madison Cooney, Alexa Costa, Thais DaSilva, Abigail Dyson, Bennett Fox, Jason Gamache, Elle Gendreau, Alexandrea Gerard, Mackenzie Good, Riley Goulet, Marina Ingham, Caitlyn Kutash, Fiona Lant, Alexander le Gassick, Alisha Mackin, Thomas McIntire, Julia Melloni, Lindsey Merolla, Elizabeth Mitchell, Ethan Moniz, Hannah Niemi, Elise Parker, Jahn Pothier, Leah Przybyszewski, Michael Ripley, Marcus Rita, Jamie Roznoy, Madeline Scheub, Meghan Seguin, Abigail Stark, Erin Stoeckle, Caitlin Stopka, Aidan Thayer, Jake Thompson, Ella Vercellone, George Whitney, Eleanore Wiggin; Grade 10: Madison Barber, Julia Barrett, Alexander Bilodeau, John Breault, Kyle Brezinski, Emma Cadieux, Jacob Cafarella, Sophia Church, Erin Costa, Patrick Cummings, Ariane Dias, Gavin Fox, Kelly Fox, Colleen Garcia, Emma Gelson, Kathleen Gifford, James Goulart, Jonathan Harris, Kelsey Holick, Abigail Johnson, Connor Kelley, Abigail Larkin, Diana LaRock, Joshua Lerman, Davis Mathieu, Dillon McCarthy, Dylan McCoog, Ava Mendonca, Hannah Nadeau, Riley Nordahl, Alexis Parker, Graham Poirier, Sahil Raje, Andrew Riggi, Riley Shaughnessy, Jacob Spevack, Ali Taylor, Kurt Thompson; Grade 11: Elexus Afonso, Samantha Babineau, Colleen Beatriz, Isabella Bernardi, Rikard Bodin, Paola Briceno Sanchez, Daniel Carneiro, Laura Casey, Hannah Deane, Lillie Farrell, Moira Flynn, Lauren Gaspar, Hailey Gray-Jenney, Kyra Greco, Annie Henshaw, Serena Iacovelli, Meghan Johnson, Emily Josephson, Jane Kassabian, Jessica Keegan, Mallory Kiernan, Keegan Lant, Hayli Marshall, Abigail McAssey, Alexandra Melloni, Lucy Milde, Michaelah Nunes, Hunter Parker, Jacob Plante, Gabrielle Poitras, Alexandria Powers, Evan Roznoy, Bryant Salkind, Kristina Sauerbrey, Rachel Scheub, Kameron Silvia, Bailey Sweet, Ally Sylvia, Jared Wheeler, Joshua Winsper; Grade 12: Michael Amato, Thomas Bergquist, Morgan Browning, Brittany Brzezinski, Mikayla Burke, Stephen Burke, Danielle Cammarano, Victoria Caton, Hunter Cooney, Mikayla Demanche, Benjamin Dion, Samuel Dorothy, Steven Durocher, Jaclyn Dyson, Nicole Gifford, Evan Gillis, Kaleigh Goulart, Michaela Guard, Chrystina Hai, Taylor Hatch, Gerald Lanagan Jr., Owen Lee, James Leidhold, Hannah Lerman, Samantha Malatesta, Ryan Manning, Julianne Mariner, Mason Mathieu, Patrick McGraw, Jordan Menard, Mitchell Midwood, Heather Nadeau, Margaret O’Day, Seijal Parajuli, Benjamin Rounseville, Jillian Sethares, Kyle Sherman, Riley Sherman, Vincent Tepe, Courtney Tranfaglia, Gwendolyn Underwood, Cassandra Vance, Bradley Weedall, William Wentworth III.

Tri-Town Early Childhood Program

on

The Tri-Town Early Childhood Program, located at Old Rochester Regional High School, is accepting applications for the 2015-2016 school year. The preschool program serves three- and four-year-olds and follows the school calendar. It is unique in that it provides a high quality early childhood education opportunity to preschoolers, while also offering high school students a chance to learn about working in the field of early childhood education. A licensed early childhood teacher and a rotation of high school students staff the classroom.

A limited number of spaces are available. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis. The enrollment policy is based on a balance of three- and four-year-olds, a balance of boys and girls, and a balance among residents of the three member towns.

For an application or for more information, visit our website at wwworrhsprek.weebly.com or contact Aimee Fox at 508-758-3745, extension 1612.

ORR Athletic Booster Club Phonathon

on

Since 2004, the Old Rochester Regional Athletic Booster Club, Inc. has sponsored a student-athlete-run phonathon to help ORR’s student-athletes raise funds to support the high school’s athletic programs, and because of the generous support of the Tri-Town community, this annual event has been a tremendous success. This year’s ORR Athletic Booster Club Phonathon will take place over eight evenings between March 2 and March 18 with student-athletes calling area residents to request a pledge of support for ORR athletics.

The Old Rochester Regional Athletic Booster Club, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt, nonprofit charitable organization originally organized in 2004 for the purpose of supporting all of the athletic teams at ORRHS. Its mission is to encourage interest in and provide financial support to all ORR interscholastic athletic teams and to recognize and reward teams and student-athletes. The club promotes several events each year to raise funds for athletic equipment, uniforms, teamwear, awards, and scholarships for graduating student-athletes. Funds raised by the Booster Club have been used to enhance the school’s athletic facilities and to purchase equipment for use by ORR teams. Some of the Booster Club’s recent projects include the addition of new elliptical machines for the school’s strength and fitness center, a new “Bulldog Snack Shack” concession trailer, and the resurfacing of the basketball court. Since its inception, the Booster Club has raised over $300,000 to benefit ORR athletics.

Approximately 550 students participate in athletics at ORR, and by all measures, they have achieved great success. ORR has 24 varsity level sports and is adding a competitive sailing program this spring. ORRHS is a four-time winner of the Boston Globe’s prestigious Dalton Award as the Division 3 high school with the highest overall winning percentage in the entire state. Last year, ORR captured nine South Coast Conference titles, its fourth straight Overall SCC title, three SCC Team Sportsmanship Awards, an MIAA Team Sportsmanship Award, and had All State champion, New England champion, and All-American student-athletes.

The ORR tradition of excellence is a result of the athletes’ hard work, dedication, and enthusiasm, as well as great coaches and fans. ORR’s student-athletes hope that the residents of the Tri-Town area will continue their generous support of Bulldog Athletics.

For more information, please contact the ORR Athletic Booster Club at info@ORRathleticboosters.com, visit the Booster Club’s website at www.ORRathleticboosters.com, or follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ORABC) and Twitter (@ORRABC).

Superintendent Seeks ‘Better School’ Budget

on

The finance committees of Tri-Town traditionally request level-service budgets for most town departments, but the Old Rochester Regional School District has prepared a “Better School” budget in order to accommodate a growing population of students into ever-increasingly larger class sizes.

ORR High School Principal Michael Devoll expects the student population to exceed 800 for the first time, thus creating a need for further sections of English, Math, foreign languages, and Health.

“I don’t have a Health class under 30 right now,” said Devoll on February 11. He said he is looking to add two more sections with another significantly larger freshman class coming in September.

Devoll said the school has always had 40 sections of English and had not added staff in the past as the student population increased.

“If anything, we’ve taken positions away,” said Devoll. “…We’ve reduced sections.”

The better school budget proposes a $132,572 or 24.2% increase over the fiscal 2015 budget to fund two new teaching sections of English to avoid bringing teachers’ student totals beyond the contractual limit.

The Mathematics budget line reflects a $96,974 or 10.5% increase over last year, adding two new sections as well, and the Science budget increase of $83,481 accounts for the addition of two new Health sections and textbooks.

The district is also seeking to increase the junior high school librarian position from part-time to full-time in light of the evolving “library common” that expands the librarian’s role more into technology and media education, reflected in a $83,481 or 6.7% increase.

School Business Administrator Patrick Spencer said the hiring of a part-time treasurer is requested under the school committee budget line at a $20,965 or 37.7% increase.

“It’s a good check and balance to have someone outside the Business Office to keep track of the bank account,” said Spencer. Superintendent Doug White called it “a best practice,” adding that most other school districts in Massachusetts have a treasurer.

The better school budget totals at $17,269,114, which is a 4.2% overall increase over the FY15 budget. The level-service budget the school district prepared totals $17,032,148, an overall increase of 2.8% over FY15.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” said White, with budget season still in full swing until the public hearing to present the FY16 budget to the public on March 3.

ORR School Committee Chairman Jim O’Brien asked School Committee members to return to their communities and talk to the public as well as their respective school committees to persuade them that the better school budget was the way to go.

“It just can’t be that [level-service] budget,” pleaded O’Brien. “We need you … to speak to our various towns.”

In other matters, Katie Brown Educational Program Executive Director Claire Spaulding McVicker presented committee members with the curriculum of the relational violence program slated for ORR students, which the committee voted last month to hold off on approving before receiving further information.

McVicker presented some heavy statistics about relational violence and bullying relative to teens’ experience, saying that 66-percent of students have never had a conversation with their parents about relational and dating violence.

The School Committee approved the program, which will be presented to all ORR High School students, pending fundraising. If only a portion of the funds to cover the cost of the program is raised, then only seniors will be offered the program at this time. The cost is $50 per student.

The next meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee is scheduled for March 11 at 6:00 pm in the ORR Junior High School media room.

By Jean Perry

ORRschool_021915

Alma Jean Campbell

on

Alma Jean Campbell, 87, of Mattapoisett, passed away Thursday, February 19, 2015, at the Alden Court Nursing and Rehab Center, in Fairhaven.

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of the late Hiel Stillman and Flora M. (Remington) Campbell, she graduated from John Marshall High School in Minneapolis and the University of Minnesota. She lived in Dartmouth in the sixties and settled in Mattapoisett in 1969.

Alma was a school teacher for 38 years retiring from Fairhaven High School in 1992 after teaching there for 33 years.

She was an avid golfer playing at the Rochester Golf Club and in various women’s leagues at Poquoy Brook, Lakeville and Rochester Golf Clubs.

She is survived by close friends, Jane McGowan and Joan Bisbee both of Fairhaven. Ms Campbell was the sister of the late Hiel S. Campbell, Jr.

In accordance with her wishes she will be cremated and a memorial service will be held Saturday, February 28, 1015, at 11:00am, in the Fairhaven Funeral Home, 117 Main Street, Fairhaven. Visitation will be from 10-11am prior to the service. Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, 5 Manley St., West Bridgewater, MA 02379.

Academic Achievements

on

Dana Joseph Resmini of Rochester, Massachusetts, graduated from Missouri University of Science and Technology during commencement ceremonies held in the Gale Bullman Building on campus. Resmini earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mining engineering cum laude.

Anya Cummings of Mattapoisett, a second-year student in the mechanical engineering program in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, made the Dean’s List for the fall 2014-2015 semester.

Canva Workshop at the Elizabeth Taber Library

on

Join Eileen Lonergan on Thursday, February 26 at 6:00 pm as she walks us through how to create banners, flyers, interesting images for an event, website, social media, and more all on the website Canva (www.canva.com). To register for this workshop, please stop into the library or call us at 508-748-1252.