Sippican School’s Norman Award

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Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Police Chief Richard Nighelli are pleased to share that 14 students at the Sippican Elementary School so far this year have received the Norman Award, named after the police comfort-dog that’s been serving the school community since June 2024.

The Norman Award was established this school year to honor students for meeting or exceeding school expectations and demonstrating good character. Award recipients are nominated by school staff.

Each month, new winners of the Norman Award are added to the “Norman Board” on display in the main lobby. Students who are nominated are then recognized at an all-school meeting, and they are presented with a Norman stuffed animal and a Norman award certificate.

Students are recognized with the Norman Award for the following reasons:

-Excelling in academics or have shown significant improvement in classroom efforts.

-Being respectful, responsible and kind, in line with the school’s “3 to Be” initiative.

-Acting as good leaders or role models for classmates.

-Always giving one’s best effort.

Comfort Dog Norman and his handler, School Resource Officer Jonathan Tracy, have become an integral part of Sippican School. Norman is tasked with providing comfort to children and staff who have experienced trauma, de-escalating stressful situations, and serving as a friendly face for the Marion Police Department. Other benefits of having a comfort dog like Norman include teaching empathy, helping students to develop stronger social skills, and building up stronger bonds between students and police.

“Norman and I are happy to be able to recognize the students who go above and beyond with their behavior and school expectations,” said Officer Tracy. “We are so proud of all the students who have earned the award so far this year, and we look forward to presenting more awards to the students who have been ‘Norminated.'”

Norman joined the Marion Police Department on June 7 last year, acquired as a 13-week-old puppy from Boone Field Labradors. Norman was the 18th member of the Plymouth County Comfort Dogs Program, overseen by District Attorney Timothy Cruz, identifying grant funding to get the Labrador trained by Professional Canine Services in Middleboro.

Sippican School students then voted on what to name the dog, choosing between a total of three names, with Norman receiving the most votes.

Sippican School Principal Lynn Dessert congratulated the 14 students who have received the Norman Award so far and looks forward to celebrating other students in the future.

“This is a wonderful way to honor our students for doing their best, and showing others how to be respectful, responsible and kind,” Principal Dessert said. “I look forward to continuing to issue more Norman Awards and adding more names to the Norman Board. Congratulations to all of our current and future Norman Award winners. Thank you to Norman and our police partners for helping to create these special moments of recognition for our students.”

Assistant Principal Greg Thomas appreciates how the Norman Award has made the Labrador retriever and School Resource Officer Tracy into even more integral members of the school community. And the Norman Award reflects how they’ve become role models for the students.

“It’s fantastic to see our students recognized with the Norman Award for their character,” said Assistant Principal Thomas. “Their positive impact speaks volumes, and we’re incredibly proud of them.”

Police Chief Richard Nighelli said it’s an honor to have Comfort Dog Norman become the namesake for an award recognizing good character among students.

“This is an amazing initiative,” Chief Nighelli said. “We really appreciate all of our Norman Award honorees, and we wish them the best as they continue to excel in school, showing good character and doing their best inside and outside of the classroom.”

“The Norman Award has been a wonderful way of taking the likeness of our beloved police dog and using it to reward our students for doing their best, while practicing respectfulness, responsibility and kindness,” said Superintendent Nelson. “Sippican Elementary School is very fortunate and we’re grateful for the positive impact made by Comfort Dog Norman and Officer Tracy. To have such a strong and helpful partnership with our police department has been tremendous. The faculty, staff members and students absolutely love Norman, Officer Tracy and the Norman Award.”

The Misconceptions of Science Fiction

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The Mattapoisett Free Library will host a local author talk on Saturday, May 10 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Local resident Richard Cutler is the author of what has been described as “speculative fiction.” This is a subgenre of science fiction of which there are many genres including horror and space cowboy adventures. Those exposed to only one kind of science fiction believe it is the only type and proclaim, “I don’t like science fiction.” However, science fiction literature in general falls behind only children’s and young adult literature in popularity and is read by many but they may not fully understand the variety in the genre. Mary Shelley is credited for writing the first science fiction novel (horror) in 1818 with her story of Frankenstein. Jules Verne, however, helped popularize science fiction with what can now be considered speculative fiction with stories such as 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Much of what he considered has come to pass!

Today, people speculate about what will happen when man goes to Mars or how far AI might evolve. A lot of what people saw and experienced thousands of year ago was misunderstood and what they saw speculated on, correctly or incorrectly. For example, no one considered the giant bones they saw to be dinosaur bones. People might have thought they were from giant humans. If they saw an alien or alien spacecraft, how would they rationalize what they saw? These are the concepts that will be explored interactively to better understand the general topic of science fiction. Cutler will then read a couple of sections from a couple of his books and offer signed copies. Cutler is an engineer living in Rochester and retired from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. He has spent much of career writing technical material working with other engineers and scientists, creating a fertile playground for his mind to consider many “what ifs.” Those “what ifs” are now put into print by Cutler. His stories are appropriate reading for teenagers and up.

Marion Scouts Annual Town Clean-Up

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The Scouts of Marion Cub Scouts Pack 32 and Troop 32 are once again leading the annual Earth Day celebration for Marion. The scouts are looking for volunteers to join the town-wide Clean Up in conjunction with the DPW and Marion Board of Health. The Scouts invite all community members to join them on Saturday, April 26, with a date of Sunday April 27, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.  This family-friendly event will begin at Washburn Park where you will receive a location to clean, yellow safety vests, gloves, and of course trash bags!  Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns marioncubscouts@gmail.com

MAC Welcomes Aimee Bayles

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Marion Art Center is pleased to present Aimee Bayles, joined onstage by Tristan Clark and Rob Ritchie.

            Aimee Bayles is a singer, songwriter and recording artist based in New York City. Originally from Virginia, her soulful, vocally driven music is influenced by an upbringing in southern church music, her training as an opera singer, and learning folk guitar from her pastor father. Aimee’s sound is inflected with inspiration from Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, Neil Young, Norah Jones, Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss. Her 2019 release “Enough” showcases a collection of original songs about her life in the city and her rural southern roots. Her 2022 release “Flowers For Love And Loss” is a deeply personal EP, featuring two songs about losing each of her parents. She has also released several Christmas singles, including a collaboration with New York-based folk artist Matt Sucich, an original collaboration with guitarist Seth Johnson, and an original of her very own, “Tropical Christmas.” She performs regularly at venues in New York City and is currently developing a new project with Canadian musicians Tristan Clark and Rob Ritchie.

            The concert is Friday, May 23, at 7:30 pm at 80 Pleasant Street, Marion. Tickets, $20 for MAC members and $25 for nonmembers, are available at marionartcenter.org/music.

Mattapoisett Candidates’ Night

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The League of Women of South Coast is hosting a Candidates’ Night at Old Hammondtown School on Wednesday, April 30, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. Jack Eklund will act as Moderator.

            All candidates running for Town Offices have been invited to participate in the event. There will be three components to Candidates’ Night:

            1. Meeting the candidates: Candidates running unopposed will have 5 minutes to introduce themselves, give a brief overview of their qualifications, why they would be a “good fit” for the position, and their understanding of the scope of the office they are seeking.

            2. Debates: Candidates running contested races will be given the opportunity, in debate form, to explain their qualifications and lay out their understanding of the scope of the office they are seeking. Debates will be in accordance with League of Women Voters debate guidelines, e.g., “no empty chair” or proxy for a candidate.

            3. Review of the Town Warrant by Mike Lorenco, Town Administrator.

            The League of Women Voters is a national, state, and local non-partisan organization which does not support individual candidates. The League encourages people to become informed citizens and participate in the voting process.

Brief Planning Board Meeting

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The April 7 meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board became a very brief meeting when the three members in attendance moved to table major discussions. The members believed given the topics that were intended to be discussed, a fuller board needed to be in attendance.

            Tabled until the next meeting scheduled for May 5 were discussions regarding potential bylaw changes for Accessory Dwelling Units, aka ADU.

            The board also tabled any discussion regarding potential rezoning of specific locations and examples of cottage-style housing units.

            Business handled was the approval of an Approval Not Required decision for 1 and 3 Water Street owned by One Water Street LLC. Also approved was the reappointment of Janice Robbins as the representative on the SRPEDD Commission from the Planning Board.

            As stated, the next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board will be held on May 5 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall Conference Room.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

Is There Calcium in My Coronary Arteries?

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For many decades, doctors have used the traditional coronary disease “risk factors” to predict an individual’s risk of developing heart attacks or other major coronary events. These include smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol.

            These factors can be plugged into various formulas to predict the likelihood of a coronary event occurring in the next 10 years and are used to decide if a person should be started on lipid-lowering therapy.

            If the calculated risk is very low or very high, no other information is needed. Many people, however, fall into an intermediate risk range. In some instances, even those with high risk of coronary disease may not want to start a statin drug because of feared side effects (which are uncommon).

            Such situations suggest the use of a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score.

            As plaque (cholesterol deposits) builds up in coronary arteries, calcium is also deposited. A low-dose CT scan can measure the amount of calcium. Ideally, you would have a score of 0, and the higher the score, the higher the risk of developing symptomatic coronary disease.

            Who might benefit from this testing?

            If your doctor has recommended you start a statin, but you are hesitant, a zero score would allow you to postpone the drug while a score over 100 would strongly suggest you take it.

            If your calculated risk is intermediate, a zero score would suggest you do not need to begin cholesterol-lowering therapy while a non-zero score would push you to do so.

            If your cholesterol is not bad but you have other risk factors for coronary disease, a CAC score will give useful information. If several family members had early heart attacks, a non-zero CAC score suggests that even if your cholesterol is not high, a statin might be a good idea.

            If you have not tolerated a prescribed statin and stopped it, a CAC score may help you to decide whether to try a different statin or one of the newer injectable cholesterol-lowering drugs.

            Who should not get a CAC score done?

            If you are under 40, a zero score is expected and will not impact decision-making; use the traditional risk factors to guide your thinking. If you are over 80, and not on a statin, the results are unlikely to change recommendations to begin.

            If your risk for coronary disease based on the traditional risk factors is high, a CAC is a waste of money: take a statin. If you are on a statin and doing well, be happy and do not get a CAC test.

            Finally, if your score is zero, repeating the test can wait at least three and probably five years.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer

Hello from Plumb Library

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Welcome to April. Mark your calendars, we have some great things happening at the Library this month.

            The New Bedford Whaling Museum will be here at 12:30 pm on Saturday, April 12, to present “A Day in the Life of the Lagoda and a Whaling Voyage.” Docents from the Museum will talk about 18th and 19th century whaling practices, daily life on board a whaling ship, and demonstrate how a harpoon works. This program is for adults and space is limited. Please register on our Events Calendar on our website.

            The Rochester Police Badges with Books Storytime returns to the Library at 10:30 am on Wednesday, April 16. Chief Assad and his officers are taking on the “Wonky Donkey” Challenge. They will attempt to get through this rollicking read-aloud without laughing. We’ve heard there’s a batch of homemade cookies on the line. This program is best for kids ages 3-5 years. No registration is needed.

            The Friends of the Library Spring Booksale will take place from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm on Friday, April 25, and from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm on Saturday, April 26, in the Library’s Downstairs Program Room. This area is handicapped accessible via a lift. On sale will be gently used books, CDs, DVDs, puzzles, and games for kids and adults. The Library will be accepting donations for the sale as of April 1. Please box or bag donations and drop them off only when the Library is open (see hours of operation listed below). Do not leave donated items in the book drop or on the steps.

            Upcoming Meetings: Board of Trustees 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 10; COA Bookgroup 1:00 pm on Tuesday, April 15; Writer’s Group 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 17; Books and Babble Book Club 6:30 pm on Thursday, April 24; Friends of the Library 6:00 pm on Monday, April 28.

            Note: the Library will be closed on Monday, April 21, for Patriot’s Day.

            Please remember that library cards are required for checkout. If you have lost your card, it can be replaced for a $2 fee. Always have your card with you by uploading it to the SAILS Mobile app. It’s quick and easy, and we’re happy to show you how it works.

            Library hours are: Mondays/Thursdays 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm; Tuesdays/Wednesdays 10:00 am to 6:00 pm; Fridays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm; Saturdays 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. We are closed on Sundays and holidays. The Library can be contacted by phone at 508-763-8600 or email at info@plumblibrary.com. Check our Facebook and Instagram pages for information, upcoming events, and more.

April Vacation at the Mattapoisett Library

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Attention teens, are you looking for something to do this April vacation? Visit the Mattapoisett Library at 7 Barstow Street.

            Celebrate school vacation week with WildKat Hoops on Tuesday, April 22, at 1:00 pm. Participants will learn basic hula hooping moves while increasing hand-eye coordination, strength, balance, and agility. No prior hooping experience is required. Wear comfortable clothes, and bring a water bottle and an open mind. Host Kat Suwalski provides hoops. Ages 12 and up. Grab a friend and join us.

            Did you know April is “Financial Literacy Month”? On Wednesday, April 23, at 12:00 pm, join us for Economic Empowerment Hour. This is an excellent opportunity for teens aged 12 to 18 to learn essential skills like budgeting, saving, and understanding credit. No need to register – just swing by for some expert advice to kick off your financial journey. Pizza to follow.

            Stretch, unwind, and recharge with gentle yoga on Thursday, April 24, at 11:00 am. Andrea DeVeau-Cabral of Power and Grace Yoga will guide the session. This adaptable experience is recommended for all levels of physical ability and is suitable for ages 12 and up – no registration required.

            Don’t just sit around the house this vacation. Move, learn, and relax with us at the Mattapoisett Free Public Library. We can’t wait to see your smiling faces.

            As always, these events and activities are free and open to all. Visit our website for more information and updates. If you have any questions, please email alawrence@sailsinc.org or call us at 508-758-4171.

Washburn Could Get Parkour Course

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Marion’s Open Space Acquisition Commission met on April 3 to go over a few action items, including a Point Road Bike Path update, proposed parkour course, and a survey.

            Chair John Rockwell said an inspection of the bike path area is forthcoming with the commission saying the selection for the Point Road Bike Path “Construction Supervisor” is currently underway. Rockwell said they need someone with the experience necessary to make field decisions should they arise. He also volunteered himself for that role, “mostly because I’m available,” he added. He was appointed by the commission with a unanimous vote.

            Following this, the minutes for the three prior meetings were approved from January 2, February 6, and March 6.

            Discussion was then waged on the idea of using grant money for the addition of a parkour course at Washburn Park. In the last few decades, parkour has become increasingly popular in media as well as an exercise discipline. Rockwell said before the commission can give the go-ahead, a few things must be worked out. Location must be determined as well as the determination for parking. Maintenance must be discussed with the Recreation Department. A course must also be designed and approved with the entire process needing to be budgeted out as well.

            Rockwell added this process will involve discussions with the public, also adding that the commission seeks to know if the addition of a parkour course is “a doable thing, or not. Or a good thing, or a bad thing.” The chair stated there is the opportunity for grant funding via the Community Preservation Act next year.

            The final topic of discussion was that of a citizens’ survey for open-space needs of the town. The chair said the last survey of this nature was sent out in 2017-18, with the first being done in 1986 from the League of Women Voters and then again in 1994. They are done roughly every seven to eight years, according to Rockwell. Consistently, the commission said, the need and desire for local walkability has been high with Rockwell saying there is a need for more paths and trails.

            The next meeting of the Marion Open Space Acquisitions Commission was not announced at adjournment, though it will take place remotely in May.

Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission

By Sam Bishop