ORR Runners Show True ‘GRIT’

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They start off in the afternoon in a large group, leaving the high school campus and patiently waiting at the updated crosswalk for cars to stop and allow them to pass. The colorful group, clad in a rainbow of athletic gear, makes its way across Route 6 and heads down into the adjacent neighborhood for the beginning of their routine trek.

This increasingly familiar sight, of course, is the Southeast GRIT Team. GRIT, which stands for “Growing while Running and Inspiring Together,” is a group of training long-distance runners with members from the student, teacher, staff, and parent ORRHS communities. ORRHS science teacher Sheryl Briggs is one of the team’s mentors.

“We are a running program that trains students to run the Providence Marathon (or in some cases, the half marathon),” Briggs explained. “We meet two to three times during the week and on Saturday for our long run. Generally, we run 4.5 to five miles on Tuesdays and Thursdays and cross-training on Wednesdays. We began training back in October, and this past weekend we completed our twenty-mile long run. We have several returners and many new runners this year with some runners joining to train during the off-season for their specific sport. We are very accommodating to students needs.”

Senior Alice Bednarczyk said, “I had originally joined because I needed a way to fulfill my upperclassmen gym requirement, but then I found it was a really good way to get into running and to train yourself to exercise if you are unused to it.” Bednarczyk added, “I think a program that teaches kids how to be comfortable as they exercise (like GRIT) is something every school needs to have.… It’s a way for people who want to run – but don’t know how to start – to actually start running.”

Hannah Powers said she likes the feeling of accomplishment the most – and of course, the team shirts and the medals.

“It encourages kids to exercise but also to discover their limits aren’t as close as they seem,” said Powers.

GRIT embarked on a milestone 20-mile run last Saturday, in overall preparation for the end-of-year marathon that runners do in May. The last official road race the group was a part of was the New Bedford Half Marathon in mid-March, where 17 students and 15 adult mentors of GRIT completed the race.

One of the runners who completed it is senior Caitlin Stopka, who is in her first year running as part of GRIT.

“We have done three road races so far: the Fairhaven Turkey Trot (5K), the Frosty Road Race (10.5 miles), and the New Bedford Half Marathon,” said Stopka. “My favorite thing from it all is getting to work with my teachers and friends to see how much we are all capable of accomplishing.”

Stopka is one of the group who herself has an impressive accomplishment under her belt already.

“She is in her first year and yet she ran the challenging New Bedford Half Marathon in two hours on a windy, cold day,” Briggs praised. “Another senior, Georgie Battaglia, has run well over 800 miles with the program and will be completing her third marathon in May. Many of the other returning runners have also bettered their times this year at the various races.”

“Being a good teammate is more than just showing up to practices and doing your part,” said Bednarczyk summing it all up. “It’s about having your group’s backs and cheering each other on whenever possible, and GRIT has helped teach me that.”

ORR Update

By Jo Caynon

Town House Renovation

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To the Editor:

A few facts about the Marion Town House Renovation…

The Town House Building Committee has refined the plan and costs again and again over the past six years. The reconstruction will take the building down to the studs. The projected estimates are all inclusive and there is a generous contingency amount included to cover unanticipated expenses.

The renovation will cost an additional 34 cents per thousand dollars of assessed house value for a 20-year bond. This means that for the median Marion house value of $400,000, the increase in taxes annually would be $137. As compared to what the increase would have been if the new building option was chosen, this is about $36 additional. These figures are from the Town Finance Director. This seems like money worth spending to keep the Town House as an historic centerpiece in the village.

And, there’s nothing wrong with having stairs. Use the elevator if you need to, but stairs are a healthy option to have for employees and residents who want to get some exercise while they work and pay their bills.

It is important that townspeople vote “Yes” for this project to keep Marion’s history and character alive for our residents and our children. I believe it is essential for this renovation to go forward immediately to avoid costs of further delay ($500,000 per year). Support our sense of community and of place by helping to maintain our historic Marion Town House.

Dana Anderson, Marion

 

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

April Book Sale at Mattapoisett Public Library

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Mark your calendar. The Friends Spring Book Sale is just around the corner. The Friends of the Mattapoisett Library will be holding their Second Saturday Monthly Book Sale on April 14from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm, downstairs at the library, 7 Barstow Street. Stop in to browse our great selection and buy a “Bag of Books” for $15. This is a great way to stock up on books for the summer.

The Friends wish to thank the many donors who keep the library supplied with quality book donations. Book sale proceeds enable the Friends to sponsor many of the special programs offered at the library and to make special purchases of books, museum passes, equipment, etc. Book donations are accepted at the library circulation desk during regular library hours.

The Friends of the Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group of volunteers created to support the library. The Friends always seek adult volunteers to help with setup and during the sale, as well as help with various library events through the year. To become a member of the Friends of the Mattapoisett Library, inquire at the book sale or look for our membership forms located at the library circulation desk.

Tri-Town. We Challenge You.

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Join the SouthCoast EcoChallenge Team. The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee invites its Tri-Town (Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester) friends and neighbors, young and old, near and far to join Team Southcoast for the Project Drawdown EcoChallenge – a fun and social way to learn about and take action on any of 100 scientifically researched climate solutions.

From April 4-25, individuals and teams from around the world will take part in simple daily activities to reduce their carbon footprints and delve into the world’s most substantive solutions to global warming. At the end of the Challenge, the teams with the most points will win great prizes, including copies of the book Drawdownand a one-hour video session with Paul Hawken, the Executive Director of Project Drawdown.

“It’s a great project.” said Anne O’Brien, Team Fairhaven Captain. “The website is full of wonderful and innovative ways we can protect our environment. Even if you are low on time and energy, you can tailor your commitment to reflect your lifestyle. There’s something for everyone.” Deirdre Healy, team member and chair of the Fairhaven Sustainability Committee, added, “It’s organized into seven categories ranging from food to transportation. There is a challenge for everyone, so I think we can win.”

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization and coalition of scholars, scientists, entrepreneurs, and advocates from across the globe that is mapping, measuring, modeling, and communicating about a collective array of substantive solutions to global warming, with the goal of reaching climate stability.

In the pursuit of sharing its findings widely, the organization has released the book Drawdown, the first of many projects to widely disseminate this information. Project Drawdown has created a broad coalition of leading climate voices who are helping to spread the message and integrate the goal of drawdown into their own work. The organization will continue to update and expand the scope of its research, and publish and disseminate new content through online platforms and future publications.

According to Paul Hawken, “All of life is comprised of self-organizing systems and the Drawdown EcoChallenge is exactly that – people coming together to share, learn, support, imagine, and innovate for a better world. We are honored to be a part of this significant and brilliant initiative.”

For more information, go to www.drawdown.org/ecochallenge then search for Team SouthCoast or find us on Fairhaven Sustainability Committee Facebook page.

911 Regionalization Slated for May

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Rochester is approaching the day when it will completely switch over its 911 emergency dispatch service to a regional service based in Duxbury, and on April 2 Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar told the Rochester Board of Selectmen that date could be as soon as May 15.

All infrastructure upgrades such as repeaters, transmitters, and generators have been installed, and training for Rochester’s emergency responders, as well as a tour of the Regional Old Colony Communications Center (ROCCC) headquarters in Duxbury, is imminent. ROCCC staff has already spent some time accompanying police in their cruisers to learn the “unique points of Rochester,” Szyndlar said, “to get everybody communicating and learning what the town is all about. So that should work out well.”

The $1.6 million grant provided by the Massachusetts State 911 department covered the costs of the infrastructure upgrades in Rochester, as well as some upgrades to the ROCCC headquarters, which includes new consoles on the dispatch floor, a renovation and redesign project, and a number of other equipment upgrades.

Selectmen first announced the possibility of switching to the regionalized service during a public forum event back in December of 2016. Residents and some emergency personnel were hesitant to make the switch, but the fire and police chiefs both supported the change, with Police Chief Paul Magee citing better technology and an overall benefit to the residents.

Rochester’s emergency dispatch will go dark once the ROCCC takes command of the service, but residents should not worry about the quality of the service despite the distance. During that public forum on December 13, 2016, Duxbury Fire Chief Kevin Nord said, “Regional centers are much better prepared for that because there’s multiple people in the room.”

For every call that comes in, two dispatchers respond – one to give immediate instructional support and the other to dispatch help, Nord said. As far as distance is concerned, technology is advanced enough to pinpoint the locations of callers – either at home or on their cell phones – using “NextGen 911,” a fusion between Google Maps and the Town’s GIS system. Houses will appear on the map with house numbers listed on the roofs, and cell phone pinpoint technology allows the dispatcher to find a caller anywhere they are and also follow their position until help finds them. The technology is better, and the service costs less to operate, saving significant taxpayer money.

During the feasibility study the ROCCC conducted, they found painfully outdated equipment, even some portable police radios that barely worked.

The May 15 date is a tentative date at this time, and service may take until June 5 to ultimately get online and operating.

In other matters, Szyndlar said Police Chief Magee will be looking into a safety improvement study for the intersection of Mary’s Pond Road and Walnut Plain Road. The Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD) will conduct the evaluation funded under the community technical assistance program, provided by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

Szyndlar also said the Finance Committee has approved all but four of the Town’s department budgets ahead of the May 21 Annual Town Meeting. The Town Clerk’s Office is being held after a request for a $2,000 increase, the library was put on hold after a $9,317 increase request, and the Park Department was held until further information on its budget could be received. The Board of Assessors budget, which is looking for a 6% increase of $11,716, was briefly discussed, with Selectmen Greenwood Hartley and Brad Morse expressing a bit of confusion, since the budget increase was accompanied by the Board of Assessors’ expressed interest in not renewing the three-year contract selectmen already signed last year with Principal Assessor Charles Shea. Instead, the Board of Assessors wants to sign a one-year contract.

“I just question how,” said Selectmen Chairman Brad Morse. “We signed a [three-year contract] with an individual (last year). We did not sign a contract with the Board of Assessors.” Morse continued, “They can’t just wave a flag and make it null and void.”

Szyndlar had already forwarded the matter to Town Counsel Blair Bailey to review and advise the board on how to proceed.

“They will explain at one point how this benefits…?” said Hartley. “There must be an endgame to this…. As long as it doesn’t affect the bottom line of their department [budget], it doesn’t bother me.”

Szyndlar passed around a summary prepared by the Board of Assessors comparing Rochester with Marion and Mattapoisett and their BOA budgets and costs to assess property, along with pertinent information on staffing and property value.

“The thing that jumps out to me,” said Hartley, “is the total budget for Mattapoisett and Rochester is almost identical (to Rochester), and Mattapoisett has thirty-percent more homes to assess … and they do it for less money than we’re doing, so this is interesting data.”

“[And] with less staff,” Morse added.

“And a lot less money,” said Hartley.

The board will wait to hear back from Bailey before further consideration, and expects to hold another joint meeting with the Finance Committee once budgets are settled in order to review the Town Meeting warrant articles and make recommendations.

The next meeting of the Rochester Board of Selectmen is scheduled for April 23 at 7:00 pm at the Rochester Town Hall, but a meeting for April 16 will be scheduled should any pressing matters arise.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

 

ORRJHS Students of the Month

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Kevin T. Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for February 2018:

Green Team: Cameran Weaver & Quinn Davignon

Orange Team: Samuel Harris & Julia Sheridan

Purple Team: Rhiannon Maksy & Benjamin DeMoranville

Blue Team: Brady LaPierre & Emma Welter

Red Team: Charlotte Forker & Aiden Sylvia

Special Areas: Caitlin Collier & Riley Farrell

Grieving Dad Running for Suicide Prevention

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There is no pain that compares to that of losing a child, and no effective analogy for the long stretch of recovery from such a loss for a grieving parent left behind. Conrad Roy, Jr. knows that pain, and he knows that long road of recovery must be travelled, whether you walk it or run it. You put one foot in front of the other and you go with the hope that you’ll get there one day, wherever “there” is – maybe it’s a place of peace, or the reaching of a finish line of a goal to transcend grief and turn it into hope for the world, or for yourself.

Roy lost his son Conrad Roy III on July 13, 2014 when Conrad took his own life, and ever since then Roy has been walking that road that stretches ahead of him, until he decided one day that it was time to run.

Roy says he turned to physical fitness as a way of dealing with the tragic loss, finding it an escape of sorts, which put him on the trajectory of a new path towards physical health. He started losing weight as a result and eventually found he could run, something he hadn’t really done much of in the past.

Still, said Roy, “I became bitter.”

“When I decided to run the New Bedford Half-Marathon, my goal was to come in under two hours,” Roy said. He did – one hour and 58 minutes, in fact – not too shabby for a first-timer and considering the circumstances.

“It was tough,” Roy said, probably the most difficult physical endeavor of his life, he added. “Why am I doing this?” he asked himself. “I just kept on running.”

Months later in November, Roy said, his sister sent him an email from the American Fund for Suicide Prevention, which was looking for runners to join them in their Boston Marathon fundraising campaign. Roy read it and laughed, figuring his sister was joking in a way, but after second thought, Roy said, “I’ll take it on. I’ll do it.”

He applied for a bib and was accepted, and since then Roy has been training for the April 16 run of his life, a run that honors not only his son Conrad and the road that Roy has travelled since Conrad left him, but also those who might be stopped from taking their own lives so that their family and friends do not have to suffer the devastation as a result of it.

As Roy wondered what Conrad might think about his Dad’s go at the Boston Marathon, emotion permeated his words as he remembered the young man who undoubtedly would have approved.

“He was very impressed,” as Roy put it. “He really enjoyed sports, and he enjoyed any kind of competition. I think he would be … just really excited.

“I wish he was here to see it, but I think he’s gonna be here watching me.”

Roy’s goal was to raise $25,000 for the American Fund for Suicide Prevention, and he was shy of reaching his goal until his run received attention from local TV broadcast media, which brought his total up to $21,465 as of Tuesday evening. Now, to help him close in on his goal, Roy’s cousin’s children are performing a benefit concert this Sunday, April 8, at Wonder Bowl in New Bedford. The band “Morrisey Blvd” will perform from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the 66 Hathaway Road, New Bedford, bowling alley, with a suggested $10 donation per person at the door. Of course, higher donation amounts are welcome so Roy can reach his $25,000 goal. There will also be a raffle at the event.

Roy knows the marathon is going to be tough; it’s going to hurt. He’s going to want to give in at some point, but what Roy knows is that all of it will be nothing compared to what those who’ve been left behind feel after the suicide of a person they love.

“I just don’t want anyone else to take their own life,” said Roy. “I don’t want anyone to feel the pain that I’ve had to go through.”

For Roy, he says even if his contribution reaches just one person and helps influence them to choose to live and not take their own life, the effort would be worth it.

“The pain … it’s almost unbearable,” said Roy. “It’s not the answer. You can always make it to the next day, get through it.”

If you would like to donate, Roy has a crowdrise.com page which can be accessed easiest by typing “crowdrise.com Conrad Roy” into your web browser and following the link.

By Jean Perry

 

Spring Fling Luncheon

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The Friends of Mattapoisett Council on Aging invite you to join us for our Spring Fling Luncheon at noon on April 12at the Mattapoisett Knights of Columbus, 57 Fairhaven Road, Mattapoisett. There will be prizes for the best “Spring Hat,” a 50-50 raffle, and door prizes.

Sippican School Teacher to Run Boston Marathon

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Nicole Boussy from Sippican School will be lacing up her sneakers on April 16 in Boston for the run of her life.

Boussy will join 44 other runners from 4 countries and 21 different American states in the 122nd Boston Marathon for charity team 261 Fearless, a global running organization for women. 261 Fearless.org is a relatively new nonprofit organization benefitting women’s running initiatives from legendary marathoner, Kathrine Switzer.

In 1967, Switzer became the first registered women to compete in the Boston Marathon. At that time, the race was considered a male-only event, but, using her initials, Switzer managed to obtain an official bib, No. 261. Mid-stride in the competition, an angry race director leapt from the press truck and attempted to pull Switzer from the race without success. Switzer got to the finish and changed running forever. The photo of the incident became one of Time-Life’s “100 Photos That Changed the World.”

“Switzer not only broke the glass starting line,” says Boussy, “But she continued to champion the cause of women’s running for the next fifty years. 261 Fearless – a global women’s running network – is the result. This nonprofit organization uses running to empower women nationally and internationally. That’s why I’m running for 261 Fearless.”

“It is a joy to support women like Nicole in the 122nd Boston Marathon,” said Switzer. “What was a dramatic incident fifty years ago became instead a defining moment for me and women runners like Nicole. The result is nothing less than a social revolution; there are now more women runners in the United States than men, and these women are both fearless and compassionate, wanting to help other women around the world achieve their goals. Because of women like Nicole, 261 Fearless will be able to spread our message globally.”

“I know I have hard work ahead of me,” confesses Boussy, who runs before commuting from the South Shore to Marion and during her lunch break. She says she’s also trying to raise $7,500 for 261 Fearless. “With the money we raise, 261 Fearless is able to help establish social running Clubs and create coaches’ education and communication programs, in our community, communities all over the United States and beyond,” enthused Boussy. “We aim to bring women together globally and help them discover with joy the healthy benefit of being active. This is a wonderful way to continue to give back and support other women long after the Boston Marathon. Every woman out there deserves a chance to experience the wellbeing factors of running.”

Despite an inauspicious beginning, the Boston Athletic Association (BAA) early on realized the seriousness of women’s desire to participate and the potential of their endurance. In 1972, five years after the ‘Switzer Incident,’ the BAA welcomed women as official competitors, becoming the first major marathon to do so. This year, the Boston Athletic Association has continued its commitment to women’s running by inviting the 261 Fearless team to participate in the 122n d running of the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2018.

To donate on Nicole Boussy’s behalf, visit www.crowdrise.com/o/en/campaign/261fearlessboston2018/nicoleboussy.

To learn more about the nonprofit 261 Fearless, please visit www.261fearless.org.

Sonja Lynne Valle-Gormley

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Sonja Lynne Valle-Gormley, 49, of Mattapoisett died Wednesday April 4, 2018 at McCarthy Care Center in Sandwich after a long illness.
Born in Boston, the daughter of Margilyn (Caselli) Valle and her husband Gene Tacke of Sandwich and Arvidas Poshkus and his wife Jane of Marion, she was raised in Sandwich before moving to Mattapoisett.
Sonja was employed as a social worker for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for many years and was proud to receive her law degree for the University of Massachusetts in 2015.
She was a devoted mother who loved her children.
Survivors include her parents; her children, Liam Gormley and Fionnuala Gormley and their father Sean Gormley, all of Mattapoisett; her two sisters, Vanessa Browall of Duluth, MN and Marina Gallegos of Sandwich; her companion, Daniel Duncan of Mattapoisett; and many nieces and nephews.
Her Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, April 14th at 1:30 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett. Her family will receive guests from 11 AM – 1:30 PM prior to her service. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.