Marion Recreation Summer Programs

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Marion Recreation is pleased to announce that registration is now open for its very popular summer programming. This year, Stacey Perry will lead the Silvershell Summer Program beginning June 26 and running through August 14. Additional offerings include Swimming Lessons at Silvershell Beach, Sailing on Sippican Harbor, Soccer Clinics, Dance and Theater Classes and more. Full details are available on the website at www.marionrecreation.com. Program books will also be distributed to Sippican School in the coming weeks.

Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race

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The Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race on the Mattapoisett River, sponsored by the Rochester Fire Department, will take place on Monday, May 29, starting at 8:30 am at Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir, Snipatuit Road, in Rochester and finish at the Herring Weir, River Road at Route 6, in Mattapoisett.

The minimum age for contestants is seven years old on Memorial Day. There will be two persons to a boat. The boat must be a homemade river racer design of any material you choose. There are no limitations or restrictions on types of paddles.

Divisions include open men’s/women’s, junior boys, junior girls, co-ed and parent/child. Junior division teams are both contestants under 14 years old. Parent/child is for a parent with his/her child (child under 14 years old) or an adult (25 or older) with a child (child under 14 years old). Trophies are awarded to the first, second and third place finishers in each division.

Pre-registration is required. Contestants may register at the Rochester Grange Hall, 205 Hartley Road, on Friday, May 12 and Friday, May 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. No registrations will be accepted after Friday, May 19 at 8:00 pm. It may be prudent for contestants that raced last year to submit their paper work on the first night of registration in the event of unforeseen circumstances that prevent them from attending the last registration and losing the starting position they earned based on last year’s finish position. This would also make the work load on the registration staff a bit easier on the last night of registration.

Rules and registration forms may be obtained at Lloyd’s Market and at the registration sessions. A signed registration form must be submitted by each contestant for a team to be eligible to draw a starting position.

The Boat Race Ham & Bean supper will be served on the Saturday evening of the Memorial Day weekend, May 27, 5:00 to 7:00 pm at the Rochester Memorial School. Tickets for the supper may be purchased at the door.

William Watling III has again offered to make two carbon fiber racing paddles – one straight shaft and one bent shaft – to be raffled separately at the supper. Raffle tickets are $5 each per paddle and may be purchased at the registration sessions and at the supper. Proceeds from the supper, along with donations, fund the expenses of the race. (There is no registration/entry fee to race.)

Trophies and prizes will be awarded on Memorial Day at the Rochester Memorial School at 7:30 pm.

For further information, contact Boat Race Chairman Arthur F. Benner at 508-763-2024.

MAC Open Mic Night

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Got talent? Share it! Like supporting local talent? Join us! The Marion Art Center (MAC) invites you to share your talent at its second Open Mic Night on Saturday, May 20, at 7:00 pm. Local vocalists, instrumentalists (acoustic only), poets, humorists, storytellers and more are invited to perform on the MAC stage in this relaxed, fun, and family-friendly event. To help ensure we can share the spotlight with many different performances, each will be given a five-minute (one song per musician) time slot. Performers are encouraged to reserve a spot right away by emailing OpenMicMAC@gmail.com. Please note that in an effort to encourage debut artists, priority will be given to those who did not perform in the March Open Mic event. This general seating event is open to the public, and there is no admission cost for MAC members. A donation of $2 per person (up to a maximum of $10 per family) is requested from non-members. Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks will be available.

Selectmen Dole Out SEMASS Donation

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Each year, Covanta’s SEMASS energy-from-waste facility grants the Town of Rochester a $10,000 donation for the Rochester Board of Selectmen to divide amongst various town departments and projects. On May 1, the board awarded $5,000 to the Rochester Country Fair, as it has done in the past.

In addition, the selectmen also granted $2,000 to go to the Wareham Veterans Council to assist in funding the August 17-24 visit of the Vietnam Veterans Moving Wall slated to visit Wareham.

“This is the closest this wall is probably going to come to us, and it’s a step towards recognizing the veterans who served in Vietnam,” said Selectman Naida Parker. Parker expressed some emotion as she talked about the topic that is near to her heart. “We all lost friends over there. This is an appropriate [act] for us to do.”

In other matters, in the absence of Selectman Greenwood Hartley, the board tabled discussion on the proposed Town Meeting article for $5,000 to fund a financial assessment of ORR school spending, as well as discussion on ADA compliance at town buildings and facilities.

Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar did say, however, that she had contacted Council on Aging Director Sharon Lally regarding senior transportation, possibly including transportation of disabled residents as well.

Szyndlar said the town receives a Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) credit of $25,000 annually towards senior transportation provided by the COA, and before taking any action to join a regional transit authority, Szyndlar wanted to confirm that the $25,000 credit would not be jeopardized. Further discussion will take place at the next meeting.

Szyndlar also said that she and the town administrative assistant would be meeting with one website development company that week to explore options the company has set up to demonstrate a website version the town could adopt.

“Of course,” said Szyndlar, “this is a first step. We’ll be looking at other companies, but we’re looking forward to looking at what this company pulls together for us.”

The selectmen will sign the Town Meeting Warrant at the next meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 11, at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

Rochester Board of Selectmen

By Jean Perry

 

Chinese Exchange Students Welcomed at ORR

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For the past two weeks, Old Rochester Regional High School and the Tri-Town at large have welcomed a group of Chinese students in what is hopefully the first of many years of mutual exchange trips.

Seventeen students from School Number Six in Guangzhou, China, arrived on April 24 to immerse themselves in the American life by living with host families in the community and participating in classes at the high school with designated “school buddies.”

The students came to the United States from their international school in China through a program run by BostonWise, a company dedicated to “creating cross-cultural connections through educational experiences” between the two countries. While the exchange program has already run successfully at Wareham High and other Massachusetts high schools, the opportunity to expand students’ worldviews has finally come to ORR.

The Chinese students were officially welcomed to ORRHS during a weekly meeting of the American Field Service club, which seeks to build upon local students’ global identity through similar events; for instance, a group of AFS members participated in an exchange this year with students from Pomona, California. The classroom was packed as both groups gathered for introductions and an abundance of sugary snacks in the relaxed setting.

This gathering took place on their second day at ORR, so the Chinese students had already attended a day’s worth of classes alongside their volunteer student guides.

Sophomore student Claire Noble-Shriver is one of these school buddies. “It’s been nice learning about Chinese culture and seeing [the exchange students] in classes,” Noble-Shriver said of the experience.

High school students will not be the only ones to experience this diversity of cultures, as the exchange students will also act as guest speakers at the junior high to share about their life in China.

Ben, who is Noble-Shriver’s Chinese school buddy, spoke on some of these lifestyle differences. “The [size] of classes here is smaller than in China, and class is more free; we can choose to do a lot more things. The teachers are really nice,” he added.

“Math is good,” commented Roger, another exchangee. “Spanish language class is a bit harder.”

“The school buddies are nice,” his friend Sam said, adding that “all the classes are in English here, which is hard,” since they are taught in Mandarin at their school in Guangzhou.

Their classmate Leon elaborated on these thoughts. “[School] is very different from China. Every day we sit down and listen; I feel like here there is a lot more freedom in class and it is more relaxed. In America you can be yourself, but in China we have to be a good student and study, study, study. There’s a lot more pressure in China. The weather here is great, too,” he said with a laugh. “There’s lots of sun.”

Although much time is spent based at ORRHS, the Chinese students are also receiving the chance to visit and explore other areas in the northeastern states.

“During the first two weeks the students go to school, so host families can arrange activities,” said Skyla Zhang, the group’s BostonWise chaperone. “There are also weekend activities, like going to Stonehill College for a workshop, and then visiting Wrentham Mall. This week, the students are going to Boston to tour Harvard and MIT, and there is a big farewell dinner at Stonehill in the evening. All host families and school buddies are invited to come and say goodbye to the group.”

The adventure continues past the borders of Massachusetts, however. The Chinese students will also have a chance to see Brown University and The Breakers mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, followed by a week in New York City to see the sights of the metropolis.

Even though the Chinese students will soon be leaving, the impact they have had on the ORRHS and Tri-Town community will last for long afterwards, as their exchange may be the first of many between China and America hosted at Old Rochester.

By Jo Caynon

 

Fresh Air Zumba, Free Class

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Every Thursday starting May 4 through June 8, join us at 10:00 am on the grounds located between the Elizabeth Taber Library and the Marion Town House, Spring Street, for a free 1-hour Zumba class with certified instructor Pati Cautillo.

This community-wide event is co-sponsored by the Elizabeth Taber Library and Marion Council on Aging and is open to everyone regardless of age. No pre-registration is required; comfortable clothing and a water bottle are suggested. In the event of rain, the class will be held at the Marion Music Hall, 164 Front Street.

Destination Imagination’s Global Finals

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After achieving honors for creativity, teamwork and innovation in regional and state academic tournaments, H Squared, the DI Dazzlers, and the Lightning Bolts have earned the right to compete in Destination Imagination’s Global Finals, the world’s largest celebration of student creativity, to be held May 24-27 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

They will compete with other teams in “Vanished” and “In It Together,” two of seven, open-ended Challenges that required students to apply science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, in addition to their talents in improvisation, theater arts, writing, project management, communication, innovation, teamwork, community service and social entrepreneurship.

Destination Imagination (DI) has had a positive impact on more than 1.5 million students who have taken part in its acclaimed academic program. This year, 150,000 students have participated in tournaments throughout the U.S. and 30 countries in hopes of earning a spot at the Global Finals competition in May.

Senior Level Team – H Squared – is a Senior Level Team from Old Rochester Regional High School. They worked on the Fine Arts Challenge “Vanished.” To solve the challenge, the team researched the meaning behind colors and told a story in which a color disappeared from the world. This team won The Renaissance Award, which recognizes those who demonstrate extraordinary amounts of effort and preparation in their solutions and outstanding skill in engineering, design or performance.

– Team Members: Ben Lafrance, Maggie Farrell, Kelsea Kidney, Pat O’Neil, and Brett Rood

– Upcoming Fundraiser: May 13, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Car Wash at the Mattapoisett Fire House

– Crowdfunding Page: https://www.youcaring.com/2017ORRDIGlobals

Middle Level Team – The DI Dazzlers – is a Middle Level team from ORR Junior High School. They worked on the Engineering Challenge “In it Together.” Their challenge required the team to design, build and test multiple free-standing structures out of balsa wood and glue. They must also develop a strategy for placing structures to support as much weight as possible. Their structures held over 500 pounds at the State Tournament.

– Team Members: Isabella Hunter, Emma Jones, James Yoo, Brady Kidney and Ethan Kennefik

– Upcoming Fundraiser: May 6, Bake Sale and Raffle, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm at Kitchen & Bath Details in Mattapoisett

– Crowdfunding Page: https://www.gofundme.com/send-the-di-dazzlers-to-globals

Elementary Team – The Lightening Bolts – is an elementary team from Rochester Memorial School. They worked on the Fine Arts Challenge “Vanished.” To solve the challenge, the team researched the meaning behind colors and told a story in which a color disappeared from the world.

– Team Members: Aleeya McCarthy, Alice Prefontaine, Andrew Wronski, Eva Hartley, Grace McCarthy, Theodore Cecil

– Upcoming Fundraiser: May 7, 2:00 – 5:00 pm, Cornhole Tournament with live music by Grace Morrison and Kevin Lagassee, Stonebridge Bar and Grill, Onset MA; $25/team, $100 to winning team, remainder of proceeds to team (with 12 teams)

– Crowdfunding Page: https://www.gofundme.com/help-us-get-to-di-globals

For more information about Global Finals, visit http://globalfinals.org/.

Rochester Women’s Club Yard Sale

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The Rochester Women’s Club will be holding our 4th Annual Yard Sale on Saturday, June 17 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. If you are doing some spring cleaning, please think of us. We are currently accepting donations of household items to sell. Please call Yvonne at 508-763-4979 to schedule a drop off of items. We will also be renting space to individuals/vendors for only $25 on the day of the Sale.

Please follow the Rochester Women’s Club on Facebook for more details.

Landon Goguen Scores 200th Career Goal

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Here is a summary of school sports for this week at Old Rochester Regional.

            Girls’ Lacrosse: The Lady Bulldogs started off the week with a SCC matchup in the pouring rain against Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech. Old Rochester triumphed over the Bears 21-2. The game began with six straight goals from the Bulldog midfielders, who dominated the draws. However, more players began to see action after the two-minute goal spree. Old Rochester managed to win almost every draw to keep the ball out of the defensive zone. Eleven different girls’ scored to win the game. Mackenzie Good, Maddy Cooney, and Ali Hulsebosch each had three goals while Good and Hulsebosch both had two assists. Four of the offenders, Emily Hiller, Maddie Demanche, Ava Ciffolillo, and Megan Shay, each had two goals. Katherine Tracy, Avery O’Brien-Nichols, Ariane Dias, and Danielle Craig each had one goal to help the Lady Bulldogs secure their win. The tightly-knit Old Rochester defense only allotted the Bears two goals. Gates Tenerowicz had three saves. In their second conference game of the week, the Bulldogs faced Apponequet and won 16-5. The game started off as a close matchup. At halftime, the Lakers kept their opponents to six goals. However, during the second half of the game, the Lady Bulldogs managed to score ten goals compared to Apponequet’s three. Hiller and Cooney led the team in goals with four a piece. Hulsebosch had three goals while Tracy and Ciffolillo both had two goals, and Shay scored one. Old Rochester maintains an undefeated record through this week. They are 7-0 overall and 5-0 in the SCC. The Lady Bulldogs are on the right path to winning the South Coast Conference girls’ lacrosse title after beating their biggest competition, the Apponequet Lakers.

            Boys’ Lacrosse: After a rainout, the boys’ lacrosse team played the GNBVT Bears this past week and won 20-5. Throughout the game, the Bulldogs controlled the pace of the game by winning most of their face-offs. Old Rochester started off strong by earning 10 goals within the first quarter. The Bears scored their first goal of the game in the second quarter and were not able to get many more than that. Old Rochester’s solid defense did more than just prevent GNBVT from gaining points; they recovered the ball and passed it upfield to the offense zone. Eleven different players managed to score for the Bulldogs. Landon Goguen was the leading goal scorer with five goals and one assist. Parker Truesdale, Charles Tirrell, Patrick Kiernan, Corey Lunn, and Kyle Gillis each contributed two goals. Players Gavin Fox, Finn McCain, PJ Saltmarsh, Tim Dix, and Alex Lorenz helped by earning one goal apiece. Nate King made six saves. In their second game of the week, the Bulldogs faced Apponequet where they won 15-1. Again, Goguen was the leading scorer with five goals. Saltmarsh, Tirrell, Kiernan, and Lunn each had two goals and solidified the win for Old Rochester. King made eight saves. The Bulldogs proved their abilities and are one step closer to securing a first place title in the SCC. During a rescheduled game, the Bulldogs played Dartmouth and won 12-11. In the first half, Old Rochester led 9-5, but the Indians made a slight comeback in the third quarter and advanced the score to 10-8. However, the Bulldogs persisted and finished the game with a win. For the third game of the week, Goguen was the leading scorer with six goals and three assists. Additionally, he reached his 200th career goal, the first person in school history to accomplish this feat. Freshman attackman McCain had two goals and one assist. Four players – Saltmarsh, Tirrell, Lorenz, and Lunn – each obtained a goal. Combined with the aggressive offense, the Old Rochester defense stood out by minimizing the number of shots the Indians were able to take. Also, the defense managed to clear many saved shots to return the ball to the offense. The Bulldogs are now 7-1 overall.

            Girls’ and Boys’ Track: Both the girls’ and boys’ track teams participated in a tri-meet against Wareham and Apponequet last week and both accomplished a win. The Lady Bulldogs beat Wareham 83-53 and Apponequet 98-38. Madisen Martin, Avery Nugent, and Meg Hughes all performed exceptionally to lead their team to a victory. Martin won the javelin (97-9) and completed the 400 meters with a personal best of 62.2 seconds. Nugent won the 800 meters (2:35) and two-mile (13:06). Hughes recorded her personal best in the mile with a time of 5 minutes and 28 seconds. The boys’ track team also triumphed over Wareham and Apponequet winning 106-30 and 87-46, respectively. Danny Renwick and Eli Spevak both became double winners. Renwick came in first place for the high jump (6-4), 400 meter hurdles (58.5), and the 200 meters (23.2). Spevak won the long jump (18-8) and the triple jump (39-01.50). The Bulldogs managed to win eleven out of the sixteen different events. Other contributions came from Harry Smith who won the javelin (159-8) and the 100 meter hurdles (14.9). Evan Tilley came in first place in the two-mile (11:06.2) and Adam Silvia in the 800 meters (2:09).

            Boys’ Tennis: The Old Rochester boys’ tennis team faced Dartmouth this past week and won 4-1. At first singles, Sam Pasquill was the only loss of the day (2-6, 0-6). Alex Bilodeau conquered his opponent at second singles. Both doubles teams accomplished wins. Maxx Wolski and Caleb Jagoda became an unbeatable opponent for the Indians at first doubles. At the same time, Geoffrey Noonan and Ray Williams proved to put up a strong battle and beat their opponents at second doubles. At third singles, Jahn Pothier won “the match of the day” by finishing off the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4). The Bulldogs remain undefeated at 7-0 for the season so far.

            Baseball: Baseball opened the week with a huge win over Wareham 6-1. Dave Arruda led the team by striking out five Wareham players and only allowing four hits. The Vikings could not get off one hit in the last four innings of the game. Will Hopkins dominated the game with his three hits. Noah Strawn and Chris Labelle each had two. Within five innings, the Bulldogs got off four runs. Coming off an easy win, Old Rochester thrived against a more challenging opponent, beating Apponequet 4-1. Michael Kenefick played the first six innings and only allowed the Lakers one run. Arruda shutout Apponequet while pitching in the final inning. Hopkins led the Bulldogs offense by hitting a single and a double, and scoring twice. Old Rochester added two runs in the final inning to finish off the game. The Bulldogs’ record advanced to 4-3, 4-2.

By Alexandra Hulsebosch

 

This Is Your Brain On Opiates

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In a world saturated with drugs of every sort, Dr. Ruth Potee has a message for teens and their parents: “Don’t drink, smoke cigarettes, or take drugs until the brain is fully developed.”

While that isn’t the whole story, Potee’s no nonsense straight talk on the subject made it very clear – abstinence, or at the very least, delaying use of intoxicants should be the goal for parents and children.

On April 27, Potee gave a compassionate and riveting presentation sponsored by St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church and the Healthy Tri-Town Coalition, a presentation that filled ORRHS with people from every walk of life and every age group. Why? Because, according to Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz, “Opiate addiction has no zip code.”

Before Potee launched into her insightful message, Cruz spoke to the audience, sharing his experiences and highlighting the importance of the work done by medical professionals such as Potee.

“We have 548 deaths every year in the state,” from drug overdoses, said Cruz. He stunned the audience when he said, “Plymouth County has the highest number of drug-related deaths of all counties.”

Cruz said it was critical to put pushers in jail. “They are out to hurt our kids for money.”

And while his tough-talk was at times jarring, beneath it one heard a dedicated officer of the court pleading for the safety of our youth.

He talked about programs designed to collect data that is vital to agencies dealing with addiction and the importance of continuity of care for the victims.

Potee’s presentation started with a brief overview of how the brain develops, especially between the ages of 12 and 24. Receptors in the brain cannot distinguish between naturally produced dopamine and stimulants that are introduced into the body such as THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that produces euphoria.

Once the young brain begins to experience repeated spikes of externally induced “feel good” sensations from drugs or alcohol, the brain no longer can produce dopamine, the naturally produced equivalent. Potee explained, “The brain becomes broken…. It’s trying to feel normal again by demanding more.”

Potee, while touching on opiates, heroin, and cigarette addictions, drove home the point that marijuana and alcohol were equally, if not more dangerous, to the majority of young people.

Diving into why kids become addicts, Potee said that trauma and poor mental health could be factors, but pointed to DNA, familial pre-disposition to addictive behaviors as a bigger problem.

Potee said it was imperative that conversations take place at home. Families with addictive behaviors are especially prone to passing down those same behaviors to their children. “Genetics accounts for fifty percent of all addictive behaviors in children,” she cautioned. “Your kids need to know that.”

Placing a high premium on the importance of frank, open dialog with children about parental drug and alcohol use, Potee said, “By avoiding early use, if you make it to age twenty-four, you probably won’t get addicted.” She explained that once the brain has had the opportunity to fully develop, the likelihood of addiction drops dramatically.

Over her years as a family medical doctor, Potee has become an expert in the field of addiction. Her commonsense approach to talking to teenagers about addiction, along with her message of hope for those struggling with addiction, has been heard by thousands through personal appearances as well as globally via the Internet.

And with teenage children of her own, Potee fully appreciates how difficult it can be to have meaningful conversations, but urged parents to try and “delay use as long as possible and talk about it.”

St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, along with the Healthy Tri-Town Coalition, has developed a four-part community awareness series. The series encompasses deeper understanding through community meetings and education, a pledge to accept addiction as a disease thus removing the morality stigma placed on addicts, protecting senior citizens whose medications may be stolen and misused, and finally, demanding more from schools to educate young people.

Potee’s presentations are available on YouTube and you may also visit www.healthytritowncoalition.org, www.mass.gov/eohhs, or call Reverend Cathy Harper at 508-748-1507 for more information, support, or guidance in dealing with opiate-related issues.

By Marilou Newell