Family Movie Night

on February 18, 2016

The Mattapoisett Lions Club invites you and your family to the movie Inside Out on Friday, February 26 at 6:00 pm in the ORR Auditorium. Admission donation: school supplies, new socks, new underwear, toothbrushes, toothpaste, gently used books. Donations will assist local families in need and supply Gifts to Give. We will also be accepting old eyeglasses and hearing aids. Refreshments will be available through ORR AmbassadORRs outside of the auditorium. The Movies in the Park series is presented by the Mattapoisett Lions Club and made possible by a grant from the Mattapoisett Cultural Council.

Jeanette P. (Prokott) Webb

on February 18, 2016

Jeanette P. (Prokott) Webb, 73, of Mattapoisett, formerly of Lexington and Rochester died February 14, 2016 peacefully at home.

She was the beloved wife of Herbert F. Webb.

Born in Little Falls, MN, she was the daughter of the late Joseph M. and Helen (Eggert) Prokott.

She had been a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls.

Jeanette was the proprietor of Desktop Grafik Services in Lexington, MA and later was employed by the Mattapoisett Library from 2002-2013.

She had a creative spirit that shone through her quilting, quilling, painting, graphic design, and creative writing. She received her Masters Degree in Creative Writing from Lesley University in 2003. She was a politically involved member of Town Meeting in Lexington and the Democratic Town Committees in Rochester and Mattapoisett. Her volunteer work included support of PFLAG, and the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford. She relished the excitement of a good game, from watching the Red Sox, to playing bridge or Scrabble, to doing a crossword puzzle. She was known for her warm smile and especially enjoyed time with family and friends, trips to Europe and Florida, and walking hand in hand with her husband.

Survivors include her husband; 2 sons, Timothy Webb and his wife Rebecca of Kittery, ME and Christopher Webb and his partner Alfredo Justo of Worcester, MA; a brother, Robert Prokott and his wife Marlene of Minneapolis, MN; 4 sisters, Dolores Madden and her husband John of Denver, CO, Rita Baron of Brooklyn Park, MN, Dorothy Corser of Burnsvlille, MN and Margaret Lehrke of Little Falls, MN; a granddaughter, Emma Webb of Kittery, ME; and many nieces and nephews.

Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, February 27th at 11 AM in St. Anthony’s Church. Visiting hours will be Friday, February 26th from 4-6 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Road, Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Jeanette to: Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, 125 Nashua St., Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114, attn: Sarah Church, memo: Dr. Elizabeth Gerstner; or to: Southcoast VNA Hospice, 200 Mill Rd., Fairhaven, MA 02719. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Evelyn Veiga

on February 18, 2016

Evelyn Veiga of Mattapoisett, wife of the late George Veiga Sr. and eldest daughter of the late Anibal Abreu and Edna Mae Walker, granddaughter of Ida Mae Walker of Harwich, MA, passed on in the presence of her loved ones on the night of Feburary 15, 2016. She graced the earth for nearly 98 years of youth from her birth on May 3, 1918. Evelyn will be remembered as a jubilant soul who loved making others feel light at heart.

Evelyn was a Mother to Michele Evelyn Veiga Rentumis, and the late George Veiga Jr., Yvonne Joaquin, and Michael Veiga. She is survived by her youngest daughter, Michele, sister Virginia Mae Wende of Sacramento, and grandchildren Dena, Katharena, Alexandra, and George Rentumis who all love her dearly. Evelyn is leaving a legacy as a beautiful, joyful spirit, full of spunk (right on, babe!) and will be remembered forever by her loved ones. She lives on in our hearts and spirit.

“If this is just the beginning, my life is gonna be beautiful.”-Dean Martin

Join us for a celebration of Evelyn Veiga’s life on Saturday, February 20th. Her Funeral will be held on Saturday at 9 AM from the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home For Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6) Mattapoisett, followed by her Funeral Mass at St. Anthony’s Church at 10 AM. Burial will follow St. Anthony’s Cemetery. Visiting hours are omitted. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Marian T. LeBlanc

on February 18, 2016

Marian T. LeBlanc, 85, of Palm Desert, California, and Marion, Massachusetts, passed away on Sunday, February 14, 2016. She was born in Norwood, Mass. on September 20, 1930 to the late Michael & Marian Murphy. She is survived by her beloved spouse of 59 years, Harold E. LeBlanc.

Also surviving are her brother Paul C. (Gene) Murphy; sons Robert J. (Shannon) LeBlanc; James C. (Susan) LeBlanc; Joseph J. (Keely) LeBlanc; Gerard F. (Jennifer) LeBlanc; daughter Judith (Buzz) Pankoff and eight grandchildren: Nathan, Emily, Gavin, Winter, Sedona, JP, Allison and Griffin.

Marian graduated from Bridgewater State University. She taught elementary school in Walpole, Mass. and was a substitute teacher in Marion, Mass. Always active in the Catholic community, she was a religious education director at St. Rita’s Church in Marion, Mass. for eight years, and also a lector and Eucharistic Minister to the sick. Marian volunteered at the Market Ministries soup kitchen in New Bedford, Mass., and upon moving to California, at the American Cancer Society in Palm Desert. She also volunteered for, and found joy in working with, the children at Mecca Elementary, through the “Read with Me” Ministry Reading Program sponsored by Sacred Heart Church.

Marian was a generous person who loved spending time with her family. She loved to read and play games, whether it be golf, Scrabble or Canasta. She will especially be remembered for her kind spirit.

Marian is preceded in death by her son Harold M. LeBlanc, her parents Michael & Marian Murphy, as well as her brothers John W. Murphy, Joseph G. Murphy, Francis X. Murphy and sister Mary A. O’Brien.

A funeral mass will be held at Sacred Heart Church in Palm Desert on Friday, February 26, 2016 at 9 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Marian’s name may be made to the Read with Me Volunteers Program—specifying her name and “Marian LeBlanc/ for Mecca Elementary” (readwithmevolunteers.com) or the American Cancer Society.

FitzHenry-Wiefels Palm Desert has been entrusted with arrangements.

Towns Look to Override to Fund ORR Budget

on February 18, 2016

Tri-Town voters may find a ballot question this year for a tax override to help fund the Old Rochester Regional school budget for fiscal year 2017 to help ease the burden on the towns’ municipal budgets.

Concerned their municipalities won’t be able to cover their share of the Old Rochester Regional fiscal year 2017 school budget, Town administrators, selectmen, and finance committee members from the three towns suggested that ORR administration and school committee members prepare a campaign to persuade Tri-Town residents to vote for an operational override, if necessary.

The school district has been advised to seek new ways outside of the budget to fund essential aspects of the ORR schools’ strategic plan that includes an increase in teachers and programming both for regular and special education.

At a meeting a week prior, town leaders asked school administrators to separate capital projects from the regular budget and look into borrowing to fund them by using freed-up debt payments from a recent loan refinance. On February 10, representatives from the three towns looked over those new budget numbers sans capital expenditures.

School Business Administrator Patrick Spencer also told the group that a list of priorities the schools had submitted last week was now a tad shorter.

“We went back to our needs,” said Spencer. “We made some hard choices, and we took some needs off our list.”

Mattapoisett Town Administrator Michael Gagne said he took a long look at the proposed items and thought it wise for the ORR school administration to draw up a long-term plan for how it plans to fund an array of school programs related to the ORR schools’ new strategic plan, which is a set of five goals to meet the social, emotional, and academic needs of the students over time.

Gagne said, looking at the strategic plan, “There are some very good things in there. A lot of people put a lot of time there.” But there are costs involved in certain aspects of the plan, he noted.

In particular, looking at the region’s proposal to fund a new special education program for students age 18 to 22, Gagne said all three selectmen in Mattapoisett had advocated establishing the program to avoid substantial future costs incurred by sending students to other school districts for the service. But a five-year plan that spells out all the added costs and their respective price tags to present to voters, said Gagne, would be essential.

“Nothing would be worse than to have to send this budget outside the limits of Proposition 2½ and next year we don’t have enough money (again),” said Gagne. “I would rather say (to voters), ‘Hey … this is what these ten items are going to be for your next five years … and this is what you need for one year.’”

What the regional school cannot do, said Gagne, is to ask for a tax override from voters for this year’s budget and then come back next year wondering, what are we going to do to fund the budget now?

“If you can’t fund [the budget] under the tax levy, then you have to do operational overrides,” said Gagne. “If these are significant priorities, then strong arguments have to be made to the policy makers and ultimately the voters. I think they’d want to know the whole picture.”

They have to understand the facts and the minutia of it all, said Gagne. If voters have a dollar amount and they know what the school wants to accomplish, voters might support the regional school budget.

“I absolutely agree that the voters of Mattapoisett would support an increase budget allocation for ORR,” said Old Rochester Regional School Committee member Cynthia Johnson. “I think that they understand that ORR has been perceived as a step child and that we’ve had to work with some real budgetary constraints. I think that they recognize that we need to raise that amount of money to do what we need to do.” She continued, “I think it’s up to us to inform the voters.”

As a regional school, should a tax override be proposed, all three towns would find the ballot question on the ballot. To pass, a minimum of two towns would have to approve the override, even if the measure fails in the third town. This concerned Rochester Town Administrator Michael McCue.

“There should be some consideration if the plan passes in two communities,” said McCue. “That would bury the one town that didn’t pass the override…”

McCue said that third town would have to fund the budget without an override, taking from other areas of the town’s budget, “decimating” the municipality’s budget.

“There needs to be more thought on that,” said McCue.

Marion Finance Director Judy Mooney, who is also acting as town administrator during Paul Dawson’s leave of absence, said that happened to Marion once in the past.

“That’s the town’s decision if they want to decimate their police and fire at the ballot box,” said Mattapoisett Selectman Paul Silva, adding that that was what “democracy is all about.”

McCue later stated, “We (Town of Rochester) do forego an awful lot of things on the municipal side to fully fund as much as possible of the regional side.”

ORR School Committee member Tina Rood suggested the three towns and the ORR schools unite on the override issue, stressing the importance of “moving forward all together.”

“These are priorities and they’re called priorities because they’re important,” said Johnson. “There’s no fluff here…. The things that we’re asking for are important. It’s not willy-nilly…”

Gagne said ORR would have to ‘sell’ the strategic plan and consider all the necessary components of the plan.

“But if there are holes in it, you’re done and the whole ship goes down,” said Silva.

The next meeting for the three towns and the ORR School Committee to hash out the budget is scheduled for February 29 at 4:30 pm in the superintendent’s conference room.

By Jean Perry

Boys’ Basketball Repeats as SCC Champs

on February 17, 2016

Chief among this week’s athletic accomplishments for ORR was the boys’ basketball team’s 61-58 victory over Dighton-Rehoboth that allowed the team to clinch its second consecutive SCC title. Boys’ Hockey also secured big victories over GNB Voc-Tech and Apponequet, scoring a combined 20 goals in the two contests. To cap off the week, a few top Bulldog athletes qualified for All-States in track at Saturday’s D-5 State Meet.

Boys’ Basketball: The boys were on the road for both of their games this week, the first of those being Tuesday’s contest against Dighton-Rehoboth. The game against the Falcons proved a tough one, as the Bulldogs trailed 49-46 through three quarters. However, some clutch shots from juniors Matt Valles and Russell Noonan down the stretch propelled ORR to a 61-58 victory. Seven players scored at least 5 points for the team, led by senior Evan Santos’s 13 and Valles’ 11. Junior Grant Reuter grabbed 8 rebounds in addition to 8 points, and standout sophomore guard Jason Gamache contributed 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. The Bulldogs’ first non-conference game of the season was on Friday against Bishop Stang. To the surprise of many, ORR was routed 78-51 by the Spartans. Valles led with 14 points and 14 rebounds while Noonan scored 13 and senior Will Santos added 8. ORR’s 24 turnovers sealed Stang’s victory. The boys have a pair of non-conference games this upcoming week: Home versus Dedham on Tuesday and away at Dartmouth High on Friday night.

Girls’ Basketball: The Lady Bulldogs, in contrast, were home for both their games this week, and started off by facing D-R on Tuesday. Juniors Sophie Church and Emma Collings scored 21 and 15 points, respectively, in a big 55-38 win over the Lady Falcons. Freshman Maddie Demanche added 7. On Friday, the girls played the non-conference Bishop Stang Lady Spartans. Despite being down 24-16 at the half, ORR closed to a 32-30 deficit at the end of three quarters. They wound up losing 40-37 in an exciting game. Church and Demanche led with 10 and 9 points, respectively, while junior Olivia Labbe added 6. The Lady Bulldogs’ sole game this upcoming week is a home match against non-conference New Bedford High on Thursday.

Boys’ Track: The Bulldogs sent their top athletes to run, jump, and throw in the D-5 State Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on Saturday. It was a fantastic day for juniors Will Hopkins and Danny Renwick. Hopkins qualified for All-States by finishing third in the 55m hurdles (8.18) and the long jump (19-8.75). Renwick was second in the long jump (20-3) and third in the high jump (6-2), and he also contributed a 51-second anchor leg on the 4x400m relay team that finished fourth. Senior Josh Winsper also won the adaptive shot put (24-9.5). All-State qualifiers will return to Reggie next Saturday for the All-State Meet.

Girls’ Track: State qualifiers from the Lady Bulldogs competed in the D-5 State Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston on Saturday. The girls received a terrific performance from their 4x200m team of freshman Caroline Walsh, junior Hannah LaFreniere, and sophomores Caroline Murphy and Rachel Demmer. The girls finished third, sending them to All-States with a time of 1:52.2. Senior Morgan Middleton finished third in the 55m hurdles with a time of 8.9, and she will also head to All-States next week. Senior Zoe Smith finished third in the 55m prelims but did not qualify for All-States in the finals. She will be going to next week’s meet, however, to high jump, as she finished third with a jump of 5 feet. Freshman Mikayla Chandler also won the adaptive shot put with a throw of 14-2.2. These talented athletes will be back at Reggie for the All-State Meet next Saturday.

Boys’ Ice Hockey: The Bulldogs/Blue Devils began their week against conference rival GNB Voc-Tech at home (The Travis Roy Rink at Tabor Academy). The game wasn’t much of a competition, as ORR/Fairhaven crushed the Bears 12-3. Nine different players had goals for the Bulldogs/Blue Devils, including three from Fairhaven junior Ryan LaBonte and two from ORR junior Sam Henrie. Senior captain Kam Silvia had a goal and an assist on Henrie’s goal. On Saturday, the boys were in Fall River at the Driscoll Skating Arena to take on Apponequet. Henrie scored two goals, as did ORR freshman Sam Austin. Silvia, R. Labonte, ORR sophomore Zak LaBonte, and ORR junior Landon Gougen all scored goals in an 8-2 thrashing of the Lakers. The boys have three games this upcoming week: Home against Plymouth North on Monday, at the Armstrong Skating Arena against Plymouth South on Wednesday, and at non-conference Attleboro High on Saturday.

Girls’ Ice Hockey: The Bourne, Mashpee, Wareham, and ORR team took a ride on the ferry to play Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday. Freshman goalie Sophie Schiappa of ORR made 22 saves to preserve a 1-0 victory, earning her second shutout of the season. The team’s lone goal came on a pass from Mashpee sophomore Tannah O’Brien to Bourne sophomore Carly LaCasse. The girls were back at home on Saturday at the John Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne to play Bishop Stang. There, they suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to the Lady Spartans. O’Brien, Bourne sophomore Leah Hidenfelter, and Bourne senior Natalia Gordon all scored, while ORR freshman Kaitlyn Kelley had an assist. The Lady Bulldogs and Co. have two more games at home this week: Against non-conference Auburn on Wednesday and Dennis-Yarmouth on Saturday.

Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of February 14.

Boys’ Basketball: (15-2-0)(15-2-0); Girls’ Basketball: (6-11-0)(6-9-0); Boys’ Track: (8-1-0)(8-1-0); Girls’ Track: (9-0-0)(9-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (0-8-0)(0-6-0); Girls’ Swimming: (3-5-0)(1-5-0); Boys’ Ice Hockey: (12-3-4)(9-0-1); Girls’ Ice Hockey: (3-13-0)(3-12-0).

By Patrick Briand

ETL Adult and Children’s Programs

on February 17, 2016

Blind Date with a Book: Will your mystery date be with a classic, a thriller, or maybe a trip down memory lane? Take a chance and you might just find your next perfect book! Through the month of February, you can check out a wrapped book (with topic hints on the wrapping) and see if you like it! No pressure – If things don’t work out, just return it!

Story Time for Children: The grandmothers are at it again! Story time will be held at 10:30 am on Mondays, now through the end of March. Children of any age and their families are welcome to join us at the Elizabeth Taber Library for a story and craft. Please call the library at 508-748-1252 or email Libby O’Neill at eoneill@sailsinc.org to register.

Puzzle Saturdays: Join us through the month of February on Saturdays at 11:00 am to do a puzzle at the Elizabeth Taber Library.

Tabor Academy Students provide Technology Help: At the Elizabeth Taber Library on Sunday, February 21 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Take advantage of this free one-on-one technology assistance from a Tabor Academy student! Registration is not required. First come; first served.

Drop-in Technology Help: Do you have questions about Facebook, Twitter, Skype, or need technology assistance with an electronic device you recently bought or acquired? Then stop into the Elizabeth Taber Library any Wednesday and/or Thursday through February 25 between 2:00 – 3:00 pm, and one of our friendly staff members will walk you through it! No registration is required for this free drop-in program. First come; first served. *Please note, if you cannot make one of these days, call the Elizabeth Taber Library to make an appointment for another time.

Coloring for Adults: Coloring isn’t just for the kids anymore! If you like coloring and chatting with others, then please join us on Thursday, February 18 at 6:30 pm for our Adult Coloring Session. Light refreshments will be served.

Mystery Book Club: Please join us for our monthly mystery book discussion on Wednesday, March 2 at 11:00 am. We will discuss Nobody Dies in Hollywood by John Wilder. Please stop into the Elizabeth Taber Library today to register and reserve a copy of the monthly book.

Afternoon Book Club: Please join us for our monthly afternoon fiction book discussion on Tuesday, March 15 at 2:00 pm. We will discuss Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. Please stop into the Elizabeth Taber Library today to register and reserve a copy of the monthly book.

Academic Achievements

on February 17, 2016

Theodore Kassabian of Mattapoisett earned Dean’s List honors at Saint Joseph’s University for the fall 2015 semester. Kassabian studies Finance at the university. Students must achieve a grade point average of 3.5 or above, a B or greater in all their classes, and complete at least 15 credits to earn dean’s list status for a semester.

The following Tri-Town students were named to the UMass Dartmouth Fall 2015 Chancellor’s List:

– Derek Marshall of Marion

– Evan Martinez of Marion

– Samuel McDonald of Marion

– Mikayla Florio of Mattapoisett

– Margaret LeBrun of Mattapoisett

– Allison McGlynn of Mattapoisett

– Megan Merlo of Mattapoisett

– Kelly Merlo of Mattapoisett

– Jennifer O’Neil of Mattapoisett

– Jeffrey Paquette of Mattapoisett

– Izak Thuestad of Mattapoisett

– Kevin Newell of Rochester

UMass Dartmouth students are named to the Chancellor’s List in recognition of earning a fall semester grade point average of 3.8 or higher of a possible 4.0.

The following Tri-Town students were named to the UMass Dartmouth Fall 2015 Dean’s List:

– Zachary Angelo of Marion

– Michael Crowley of Marion

– Ryan Gillis of Marion

– Ian Hibbert of Marion

– Natalie Martin of Marion

– Jillian Reichert of Marion

– Michael Rezendes of Marion

– Kristofer Sadeck of Marion

– Mya Akins of Mattapoisett

– Connor Bailey of Mattapoisett

– Alex Calise of Mattapoisett

– Drew Cunningham of Mattapoisett

– Shelby Cunningham of Mattapoisett

– Jacob Jaskolka of Mattapoisett

– Molly Magee of Mattapoisett

– Morgan Matthews of Mattapoisett

– Madison Miedzionoski of Mattapoisett

– Sarah Rocha of Mattapoisett

– Blake Rusinoski of Mattapoisett

– Matthew Vicino of Mattapoisett

– Jillian Zucco of Mattapoisett

– Andrew Frey of Rochester

– Amanda Frey of Rochester

– Mitchell Galley of Rochester

– Brandon Gaspar of Rochester

– Stephanie Glidden of Rochester

– Kyle Hardy of Rochester

– Nicholas Pavao of Rochester

– Maggie Pelletier of Rochester

– Benjamin Rounseville of Rochester

– Riley Sherman of Rochester

UMass Dartmouth students are named to the Dean’s List in recognition of earning a fall semester grade point average of 3.2 or higher out of a possible 4.0.

Merrimack College has announced that Abigail Adams of Mattapoisett and Laura Morse of Mattapoisett have achieved Dean’s List status for fall 2015. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must earn a 3.25 GPA or higher based on a 4.0 grading system.

Sippican School’s Budget

on February 17, 2016

To the Editor:

We are writing in response to statements quoted in a recent edition of The Wanderer regarding the Sippican School’s budget. We, as parents, are proud of Sippican School and the accomplishments of its students, staff and administration.

Misinformed statements, such as those made by Karen Kevelson at the January 28 finance committee meeting, succeed in making an impression; however, we do not feel it is the most effective way to solve problems and to resolve the issues that arise. The school is committed to working cooperatively with the stakeholders involved in the budget process. Over the next several months, the subcommittee will have a better handle on state funding and enrollment figures that will help them frame the budget to town officials. Representatives of the school will be in attendance at the next finance committee meeting which will take place on February 24.

It has been our observation that the school has consistently been committed to working with the town to devise a school budget that meets the needs of our school while being considerate of those of the other town departments. This has been evidenced in the last two years’ budgets which showed modest increases of 0.5% over the previous year’s budgets. We hardly feel that this was “out of control” as Karen Kevelson stated at the January finance committee meeting.

Since July, Sippican has received 44 new applications of students and has seen the demographic shift from years passed. In turn, Sippican has responded by adding classrooms/teachers where needed as well as putting a successful, self-funded breakfast program in place. Sippican continues to maintain its status as a Level 1 school. Additionally, in 2014, Sippican was one of just over 40 schools to be named a “Commendation School,” which is a high honor bestowed upon us by the state for closing achievement gaps. The school was also recently awarded one of 13 commendation/blue ribbon grants. Although proud of these accomplishments, we continue to look ahead to improving what we do in order to best address the needs of all our students.

Our children are growing up in a changing and more complicated world, and the school has a responsibility to help them to meet these demands. The data that was revealed from last spring’s “youth risk assessment survey” of our junior and senior high school students was frankly disturbing. Included in next year’s budget is a 0.3 health teacher position which came directly out of the work of the Healthy Tri-Town Coalition and their recommendations. The Sippican School is committed to responding in a proactive, rather than a reactive, way as we seek avenues to keep all of its students happy, healthy and safe.

We would like to also publicly thank and recognize the work of our vice principal, Sarah Goerges. As part of the discussion last year regarding shifting the assistant principal from part-time to full-time had nothing to do with the discipline and behavior of children in Marion. The days of the assistant principal only addressing behavioral issues have gone by the wayside. Today’s administrators have a far greater responsibility to ensure that the curriculum being delivered in the classroom is meeting the needs of all students. The additional administrator time is also necessary in order to meet the new teacher evaluation guidelines, to ensure we are in compliance with the teachers’ contract, but more importantly that administrators have time to address the educational need of all students.

We look forward to what the future holds for Sippican, its staff, students and administration.

Respectfully submitted,

Christine Marcolini, Marion

Kate Houdelette, 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.

Thoroughly Modern and Sure To Please

on February 17, 2016

Observing the Tabor students as they prepare for the opening night of their annual musical production Thoroughly Modern Millie, one could feel the electricity in the air.

While Director John Heavey was pointing, calling out instructions, encouraging, correcting, and putting the actors and crew through their paces, it was easy to see that everyone was having a good time. And yet there was something else brewing in the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts as the students pranced across the stage or belted out a few bars from one of the songs: an obvious commitment to each other.

Heavey has been directing theater productions at Tabor for some time, and each time he is pleasantly pleased by how hard the students work and how much they want to do so – not only for a fine performance, but for each other. “We rehearse for hundreds of hours,” he said.

Since November when the call went out for auditions and up until days before the production opens, the students have been perfecting the show.

“We are together two hours every weekday and at least three hours on Saturday,” Heavey said. As for the students whose rigorous academic schedules can’t be set aside, allocating this much time to the show is a sacrifice they are all willing to make. Youthful exuberance aside, these students are pros.

Aurelia Reynolds of Sandwich, a junior this year, plays Millie.

“I’ve been acting since I was six and dancing since I was four,” she shared while preparing for rehearsal. “It feels like a million hours of practice,” Reynolds said showing off a million dollar smile.

Reynolds plans to attend medical school after graduation, but believes that music and performing will continue to factor into her schedule. She said she is at home on stage. In this production, she’ll be able to showcase her singing and dancing skills perfected over what is already a long performance career.

Heavey said this production has about 50 students coming together as actors and stage crew. He made the point that anyone who comes out to audition is given a role, either on stage or off in one of the many supporting pieces from props, to lighting, to sound, to wardrobe. No one is left out.

Choreographer and dance team coach Danielle LaTullippe said, “There is a steep learning curve.” The students have labored long and hard to make the physicality of the play look smooth and seamless, she assured.

“If someone is a good dancer, we’ll place them up front,” Heavey shared. “If a student wants to dance, but isn’t as seasoned, we’ll let them dance without making them feel uncomfortable on stage.”

Another student actor, Penyyuan Zhai, said he finds the play is a lot like the story “The Bearable Lightness of Being.”

Zhai, from China, is a senior this year. Previously he acted in the school’s production of Legally Blonde.

“This play is about finding a balance in love, a comedy about coming of age, that’s important for teenagers,” Zhai explained. “When you are on stage, you can be anyone!” Zhai added enthusiastically. Zhai is also a cross-country runner, which is something he found beneficial given the amount of singing and dancing the show physically demands.

Heavey knows the importance of guiding all these moving parts to synchronized perfection but also appreciates that he is working with teenagers.

“They get to make their own discoveries during this process,” said Heavey. “That’s good because we want them to own it.”

And own it they will on February 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm at the Fireman Performing Arts Center, Tabor Campus, Front Street, Marion. Admission is free. Performance is priceless.

By Marilou Newell