Carol (Rack) Herndon

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Carol (Rack) Herndon, age 81, of Mattapoisett, formerly of Wellesley Hills and Scituate, passed away at home Tuesday, February 3, 2015 with her daughters by her side, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer.

Born and raised in New Jersey, the daughter of the late Alfred and Irma (Dalton) Rack, Carol was a graduate of Springfield Regional High School and Florida Southern University where she was an active member of Alpha Chi Omega. She married a fellow FSU co-ed and after devoting her time and efforts to her family, she returned to school, earning a Masters degree from the Boston University School of Social Work in 1978. She retired from Massachusetts State Department of Mental Health, having worked at facilities in Taunton, Plymouth and Westboro, MA.

Fueled by her eye for style, she was an accomplished seamstress, weaver and home decorator. Carol had a deep love of sewing, cooking, theatre, symphony, playing tennis and bridge as well as traveling. She is a lifetime member of the Mattapoisett Historical Society and was an active member of the Women’s Club.

She is survived by her children, Cheryl Holmes of New Bedford and Stahley Szebenyi and her husband, Steve, of Chester Springs, PA; her former husband, Kenneth Herndon; four grandchildren, Kristen (Holmes) McCormick and Kenneth Holmes, and Emma and Jack Szebenyi; two great grandchildren; several cousins, nephews and nieces, and many good and dear friends. She was predeceased by her beloved big brother, Wallace Rack.

Relatives and friends are invited to a memorial gathering on Sunday, February 8, 2015 from 2-5 PM, with a celebration of her life at 3:30 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society (P.O. Box 238812, Oklahoma City, OK 73123-8804) or to a charity important to you. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Movies to Move You

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“Movies to Move You” is a free community event on Sunday, February 8 presented by The Center for Educational & Cultural Opportunities (CECO) at Buzzards Play Productions (BPP), located at 3065 Cranberry Highway in East Wareham, across from Benny’s. The movies being shown are all based on true stories – all are inspiring. The Jackie Robinson story, as told in ’42,’ will be shown at 12:30pm. The Pact, a truly inspiring story of three teens growing up in a crime- and drug- infested community of Newark, Jersey who overcome tremendous adversity to become doctors follows at 3:15 pm. And last, Men of Honor, the Carl Breshear story about an African American Navy SEAL and the adversity he had to overcome to succeed, will be shown at 5:15 pm (Rated R). Join us for one or all three movies.

The impetus for starting the Center was taking five Wareham youth to Boston to see Lion King. Trenton Jenkins and his wife helped chaperone the group and he said, “The play was life changing. I never knew the play had so much to offer. It was so exciting to see my first live theater event.”

Sonya Rose, who has three daughters – one at Howard University, another at Upper Cape, and the oldest in retail – said, “I think the Center is a great idea. It will expose kids and families to new things. The Center was started by Onset Foursquare Church, but is separate from the church, so anyone can participate.”

Suggestions for places to visit or activities to include are most welcome. For suggestions or information, please call 508-863-3691 or email bsullivan0147@gmail.com.

Academic Achievements

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Greg Sethares, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bristol Community College, has announced the Dean’s List for Fall 2014. Area students named are:

From Marion: Mihaela Battaglia, Julie L. Geller, and Dylan G. Glavin

From Mattapoisett: Grady M. Branagan, Kylie L. Faison, Meghan Forrester, Erin Lawrence, Kristine A. Medeiros, Diana M. Paine, Jeffrey Paquette, Marcus O. Schroder, and Collin R. Stellato

From Rochester: Patrick J. Bessey, Garrison Borthwick, Evan M. Costa, Nicholas A. Cristaldi, Joshua M. Cunha, Justin M. Machnik, Killian M. McAssey, Chelsey R. Mendonca, Anna J. Motta, Kevin F. Newell, Caroline T. Reusch, Jordan M. Rouillier, Ryan J. Stopka, and Amber Viera.

Moment of Silence

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Can we please have a moment of silence,

For the victims involved in this cities violence,

Everyone is dying, I can’t take it,

Seems like we are all not going to make it,

Put the guns down,

Listen to the sound,

To the sound of people crying,

Because their families are dying,

So much hatred everywhere,

Too many people dying every year,

Let’s stop this madness once and for all,

Cause I hate to see innocent bodies fall,

So let’s make up and become friends,

So people’s lives don’t come to an end!

-Brittany Briggs

 

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.

Good Grief, Groundhog

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Punxsutawney Phil. You really let us down this time.

I’m crying foul. You’ve heard of DeflateGate. I call this GroundhogGate.

Clearly, Phil, you have sold out on us. How else could you explain seeing your shadow on a snowy day beneath overcast skies? I think it’s time we started looking toward other eligible groundhogs for the satisfaction that seems to elude us with you.

I’m looking toward Staten Island Chuck, bearer of better news this year, predicting an early spring from the Staten Island Zoo. And Chuck has been accurate with his predictions for the past five years straight. How often have you been right, Phil?

And then there’s Buckeye Chuck in Marion, Ohio. He plays by the rules. No shadow, no six weeks more of winter.

Jimmy the Groundhog from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin emerged as one of my personal favorites this year, defying his handlers’ suggestion that there would be six more weeks of winter. Instead, he whispered into Mayor Jonathan Freund’s ear that spring would come early just before biting him. The mayor’s office issued a statement that only the mayor can translate Jimmy’s prediction, so the prediction stands. Jimmy said spring is on its way.

General Beauregard Lee in Lilburn, Atlanta is looking pretty good to me, too, right now. Can you say, “hash tag: early spring?”

We just endured two back-to-back winter storms here in Tri-Town. There was barely enough time in between storms to enjoy a little sledding and snowpeople making. The Groundhog Day storm that canceled school in the Old Rochester Regional School District, although it not bring as much snow as predicted, managed to make a mess before it all flash froze Monday evening.

Don’t get us wrong, Phil, we love us a little winter. But the prospect of an early spring is what gets us through the second half of it. It is what we dream about as we hurl the last shovelfuls of the three tons of heavy snow from our driveways, after the novelty of the first five minutes of the activity has worn off.

We look to you to deliver us from the icy clutches of winter’s relentless grasp. Unclinch your fists, winter. Phil – you are outnumbered. No #SixMoreWeeksofWinter. We prefer to go with #EarlySpring.

By Jean Perry

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ORR Head Coach Selected

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Principal Michael Devoll and Athletic Director Bill Tilden are pleased to announce the hiring of Justin Kogler as the next Head Coach of the Old Rochester Regional High School Football program. Coach Kogler is just the third Head Coach at Old Rochester since the 1986 season, succeeding Henry Quinlan and Craig Sherman. Justin was most recently the Head Coach at Bishop Connolly High School in Fall River, Massachusetts. At Bishop Connolly, Justin’s team set the school record for the most wins in a season in each of his first three seasons as Head Coach. Bishop Connolly also qualified for the playoffs for the first time in school history and made the South Sectional Semi Finals in 2014. Prior to taking over at Bishop Connolly, Coach Kogler was an Assistant Football Coach at ORRHS, working under former coach Henry Quinlan. Justin’s work at ORRHS included stints as the Offensive and Defensive Line Coach and the Defensive Coordinator. Justin also worked with the receivers and linebackers. Justin also was an Assistant Coach for the ORRHS Winter and Spring Track Teams. Professionally, Justin works as a Physical Education Teacher at Williams Intermediate School in the Bridgewater-Raynham School District. According to Bill Tilden, “He coached here a while back and even after he left, he’s been a big fan and he’d come to games. The kids are really loyal to him. He has a laid-back coaching style, but he expects a lot of his kids. We just like his style. He took on a program at Bishop Connolly that no one wanted and it was in a lot of disarray, and he turned it around so we know what he can bring to a program.” Principal Devoll said, “Having a Coach like Justin on staff is an asset. He was the perfect candidate for our search committee as he brings a strong background in both education and football. Having worked under Coach Quinlan and with Coach Sherman has afforded Justin the opportunity to learn from the best. We are very excited for the future of our athletic program.”

Mattapoisett Offers Free Cat Registry

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When a cat is missing, it can be difficult to track it down without a registry and tag system like there is for dogs. The Town of Mattapoisett is now offering a free online cat registry so Mattapoisett cat owners can sign up their cats and provide relevant information in case the cat goes missing.

The Town will store the cat’s information, including the owner’s name and address, cat’s name, color, age, gender, and markings, and cat owners can upload a photo of their cat to further help identify it.

If a cat is reported found, the Town can use its GIS (geographic information system) database to inform residents in a certain area of town where the cat was found that the cat is missing. The cat’s description could also be used to match it with the registry and the owner can be contacted.

The service is offered to Mattapoisett residents only.

You can sign your cat up for the program by visiting the Town’s website at www.mattapoisett.net, and scrolling down on the homepage to the cat icon saying “Online Cat Identification Program Sign-up.”

If you cannot upload a photo of the cat, you may bring one into Town Hall and someone will help you.

For more information, call 508-758-4100.

 

By Jean Perry

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What is Google Docs?

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Technology integration in education has been a big topic for over a decade now.

School administrators are always looking for new ways to make schoolwork accessible to students via the Internet and to encourage Internet usage for the purpose of educational improvement.

Google Docs, along with its accompanying services like Google Drive and Google Slides, is one of the programs that Old Rochester Regional uses to get kids involved with online learning. Every ORR Junior High and High School student has an account, and a few high school students gave their opinions on the online service.

Senior Matthew Bourgeois has been using Google Docs for several years now and has a great understanding of the program. He had nothing but praise for the way Google Docs makes working online an easy task.

“Accessibility and instant saving are the best features of Google Docs,” said Bourgeois. “I use it anytime I have a project with partners, especially in my history-based electives.”

Bourgeois wishes that all teachers would use Google Docs, and he wishes that those who use it currently would utilize it even more.

“It’s easier for us to use most of the time. You can easily look up teachers’ assignment directions when you’re connected, so it takes guessing out of the equation,” he said.

Sophomore Ari Dias also thought the automatic saving was a good idea on Google Docs’ part; however, she wasn’t crazy about the program as a whole.

“[It’s] slow and kind of complicated. Sometimes seeing a real-life example (in place of what is seen on Google Docs) would help students more,” said Dias.

Dias and junior Jacob Lawrence agreed that English was the class where Google Docs is most commonly used. Lawrence added that he uses it for “every typed assignment.”

In contrast, junior Teagan Walsh said Math and Spanish were the classes she was most likely to use it in, even though her teachers seem to use the website sparingly.

Many students differ greatly on how many days they log in per week and how much time they spend on the website.

Usage time depends greatly on what classes are taken and what teachers a student has, as teachers range from never incorporating the program to making it a part of everyday class life.

For senior Luke Gauvin, it’s closer to the latter.

“I use it five days a week,” Gauvin said, mentioning that Google Docs was prominent in a multitude of his classes.

It’s safe to say Google Docs isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Since the service can apply to so many classes, many teachers feel it is a great tool to utilize. For many students, Google Docs has become part of an everyday educational regimen that also includes services like PowerSchool and other technology-based platforms designed for education.

By Patrick Briand

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The Big Love Your Library Book Sale

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The Friends of the Mattapoisett Library’s Big Love Your Library Book Sale is on Saturday, February 14 from 10:00 am until 1:00 pm, downstairs at the library. It’s a two-for-one sale – buy one book, get one free; buy a bag of books, get a bag of books free. Coupled with the Junior Friends Bake Sale, browsing is almost mandatory. Show your love for the library by turning out for this great sale, sign up for a Friends membership, and pick up something sweet for your Valentine.

DaRosa Pier Appeal Upheld by DEP

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It was soon clear why the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission did not let the blizzard stop its January 26 meeting from taking place.

Chairman Bob Rogers told the commission and the three people in attendance that the impetus for conducting the scheduled meeting was due to a Wednesday, January 28 deadline to appeal a Department of Environmental Protection upholding of the Daniel DaRosa appeal for the construction of a massive residential pier on Goodspeed Island.

Rogers and Conservation Agent Elizabeth Leidhold were both surprised at the speed in which the DEP announced their uploading of DaRosa’s appeal – a mere six weeks.

On Friday, January 23 the Town received the DEP’s verdict. The town has only until Wednesday, January 28 to respond with an appeal.

Saying that he felt ‘rushed’ during the last public hearing, Rogers said that by appealing, the commission could provide a better elaboration of their issues concerning the construction of the pier.

“This will give us an opportunity to expand upon our reasons for denying the application,” Rogers stated.

A vocal opponent to DaRosa’s personal pier, Michael Huguenin, also braved the elements to make his case to the commission that they should step forward.

“We have done research and raised money…. We will participate in an appeal,” Huguenin said.

He explained that a Town appeal and any appeal by private parties would be heard by the DEP’s Dispute Resolution Department, not the DEP staff in Lakeville.

Huguenin continued, “…the Town is an abutter to this project … we hope the Town will appeal this…”

He shared that in the beginning, the citizen group he had spearheaded had approximately 100 signatures against the DaRosa plan. That number now stands at 204. He said there is wide interest around town.

“People come up to me in the post office, in the grocery store. They want to know what is going on…” Huguenin was surprised at the amount of concern expressed to him about DaRosa’s plan even in “the dead of winter.”

He said that the citizen’s group has collected financial backing and more engineering information that will be used to mount a defense against the project moving forward.

Huguenin said that, had DaRosa been willing to sit down and discuss a more conservative private pier, something could have been worked out. In the absence of that type of compromise, he said, “We are willing to spend our own money.”

As for the Conservation Commission members, the board is split. Rogers and members Marylou Kelliher and Peter Newton have spoken to deny the project from the beginning, and on this night supported appealing the DEP’s upholding of the appeal in favor of DaRosa.

Commission member Tom Coops said he had questions and needed to abstain from voting.

“I felt it was a permittable project under the Wetlands Protection Act,” said ConCom member Michael King. “…It’s going to be appealed by private citizens … so it’s a waste of [the Town’s] time and money to appeal now.”

With Coops abstaining and King opposing, the commission moved to ask the selectmen to support an appeal of the DEP ruling and to fund legal counsel moving forward.

In other business, the commission approved a Notice of Intent filed by Robert Brack of 18 Water Street to construct a replacement residential pier.

Also approved with conditions was an application by Frank Linhares of 16 Holly Lane for the construction of a 28- foot by 32-foot barn, paved driveway, and in-ground pool on a 27-acre site that was formally a gravel pit. The new home was touted by King as “a nice improvement over the gravel pit.”

Also approved was an application by William Durbin, 21 Bay Road, for the construction of a stand-alone workshop on property that had previously suffered a severe fire.

Over the objections of abutters located at 20 Highland Avenue and 25 Bay Road (via letters read in part at the meeting), the commission felt the project was not in violation of the Wetlands Protection Act.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission will be held on February 9 at 6:30 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall meeting room.

By Marilou Newell

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