Winter Hiking Adventure

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Join the Buzzards Bay Coalition for a winter hiking adventure along cranberry bogs and through the forest at The Bogs in Mattapoisett on Saturday, January 16 at 1:00 pm.

Participants should meet at The Bogs entrance at 138 Acushnet Road in Mattapoisett. The walk is free and will run about an hour and a half. Please dress for the weather, including boots and appropriate winter clothing.

Winter hike adventures will take place on the third Saturday of each month this winter at different conservation areas across the Buzzards Bay region. The next winter hike adventure will meet at Destruction Brook Woods in Dartmouth on Saturday, February 20.

These hikes are part of the Coalition’s Bay Adventures series, which are programs designed for explorers of all ages to get outside and discover Buzzards Bay. To learn more about all our upcoming Bay Adventures, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bayadventures.

Registration is required for all Bay Adventures. To RSVP online, visit www.savebuzzardsbay.org/bayadventures or contact the Buzzards Bay Coalition at 508-999-6363 ext. 219.

Don’t Stress: Students on Reducing Stress

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The calm serenity of winter break has been replaced by the hectic flurry of responsibility as school kicks back into gear. Clubs are reorganizing after the time off, and classes are slowly getting back into the swing of things. The daily rut has begun again, and the stress of school is already looming over the heads of students.

Life at ORR for a student can be stressful. Trying to juggle between classes and homework and clubs and sports can leave students feeling lost in a whirlwind of ever-increasing responsibility. Stress is a constant factor in everybody’s lives – not exclusively high schoolers – but the students of Old Rochester Regional have discovered ways in which to enjoy their high school experience despite the pressure.

For many, stress relief can be found from melodies flowing out of an earbud.

“What gets me through the day is music,” said Mary Roussell. “If I didn’t have music, I don’t think I’d want to go to school at all.”

And although wearing earbuds isn’t allowed in the halls, many students in studies and in lunch make sure to decompress with some of their favorite artists.

For some, meditation is a way to focus on what really matters and calm overworked nerves.

“There’s this really nice app called calm.com that my guidance counselor told me about,” said Erin Costa, “and it has guided meditations, it has timed meditations. You can listen to nice calming sounds for as long as you want to. You can do it as white noise as you’re doing your work.” On top of using meditation, Costa gives herself checkpoints of sorts.

“What gets me through the day is knowing that once the day is over, I get to sleep. And even giving myself pinpoints, like ‘make it to lunch’ or ‘make it to track’ is helpful.” Costa said.

But high school isn’t only a time to discover what ways are most efficient for stress relief. It’s also a time to grow and learn a new, more practical set of skills to use in college and beyond.

“I got very organized very quickly to adjust to my school responsibilities because as the expectations grew, I didn’t, and had to adjust right away,” said Jonathan Kvilhaug.

The pressure can be put on from a multitude of different sources, notably from peers. Appearance is important in high school, and despite its shallow influence, students take great care in what others think of them.

Multiple different students explained how their biggest stress came from their hectic schedules and trying to find time for themselves. And there is, of course, the sheer amount of work.

“The thing that stresses me out the most is when the expectations of teachers are more on the physical aspects of learning rather than the physical act of learning,” said Kvilhaug. “When the focus is primarily on results, it takes away from achievement in other aspects.”

Yet, teachers at ORR are understanding and offer wise advice and a helping hand to the students who need a little more motivation.

Being organized and responsible is a large part of maturing in high school, and English teacher Bertrand Allain has some helpful advice for students who may be struggling to keep up.

“I think it’s really easy to assume you can get by just on your intelligence, but you’re going to be more successful if you have some organizational skills to go with that,” said Allain. “Sometimes very, very smart people find themselves a little bit lost because they fail to be organized.”

And to those community members, parents, friends, or anyone who wants to know how to inspire and relieve some of the stress, a student who wished to remain anonymous offered:

“High school is a difficult time, with stress from other students to fit in and be liked, on top of the normal stresses of school. I think the biggest thing I’d want people to know is that you’ve all been here before, so when we talk about school, please don’t dismiss it just because we’re younger. [We] students sometimes need a little help, too.”

By Sienna Wurl

 

Both Track Teams Stay Undefeated at 4-0

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Note that both swimming teams had a bye week this week. Each team has two meets next week, against Apponequet and Bridgewater-Raynham Regional.

Boys’ Basketball: The Bulldogs began the week at home against Apponequet. The Lakers kept things close in the first half, as the score was just 25-23 at the conclusion of two quarters. The Bulldogs, however, pulled away in the second half and secured a 61-38 victory. Sophomore guard Jason Gamache scored 14 points in the win, including four 3-pointers, and junior center Matt Valles scored 12 and locked down 10 boards. On Wednesday, the boys went on the road to play GNB Voc-Tech. Valles led the team with 17 points in a 68-62 victory. A back-and-forth third quarter saw Voke go on a 14-1 run to tie the game at 39. However, the Bulldogs played well down the stretch and also received 13 points apiece from senior twins Evan Santos and Will Santos, as well as 12 from junior forward Russell Noonan. This week, the boys play rivals Wareham on the road on Monday and Dighton-Rehoboth at home on Thursday.

            Girls’ Basketball: The Lady Bulldogs had their second straight road game to begin the week, facing off against Apponequet. Despite being outscored 22-17 in the second half, the girls, in desperate need of a win, hung on for a hard-fought 38-33 victory. The girls played some of their best defense of the season, forcing 35 turnovers. In a fact that may seem quite unlikely, the team held all but two Lady Lakers players scoreless. Junior guard Sophie Church led the way with 13 points, including two 3-pointers, and she was flanked by freshman guard Maddie Demanche, who scored 9, and junior forward Olivia Labbe, who added 8. The Lady Bulldogs have games against Wareham (home on Monday) and D-R (away on Thursday) this week.

            Boys’ Track: The boys returned from a 10-day break to run against Seekonk and Wareham at GNB Voc-Tech on Tuesday. Both meets were easy wins, as the Bulldogs defeated the Vikings 73-13 and the Warriors 66-21. Winners included junior Will Hopkins in the 55m hurdles (8.2) and the 300m (40.8), junior Danny Renwick in the high jump (6ft), freshman Adam Sylvia in the mile (5:03), senior Jarrett Johnston in the shot put (39-9), junior James Goulart in the 2-mile (11:39), and senior Kyle Camacho in the 600m (1:38.5). The following day, the shuttle hurdles relay team competed at the Rhode Island Classic in Providence, RI, where they took fifth with a time of 33.5 seconds. The team was composed of juniors Hopkins, Renwick, and Eli Spevack, as well as sophomore Harry Smith. On Sunday, top freshmen and sophomore athletes competed in the Auerbach State Freshman/Sophomore Meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Sylvia ran a personal best in the mile (4:56), and the team also received strong contributions out of sophomores Smith and Nick Elkalassi (55m dash), Owen Gleasure (high jump), and Evan Tilley (2-mile). Many of those top athletes will be back at Reggie when the team competes in the Division 5 State Relays Meet this upcoming Sunday.

            Girls’ Track: After a nice resting period over Christmas, the girls returned to action to run against Seekonk and Wareham at GNB Voc-Tech on Tuesday. The Lady Bulldogs earned double victories, defeating the Lady Vikings 61-25 and the Lady Warriors 69-17. The team was powered by wins from senior Zoe Smith in the 55m hurdles (8.7), 55m dash (7.5), and high jump (5-10). They also received victories from sophomore Madisen Martin in the mile (5:49), senior Nina Bourgeois in the 1000m (3:21), and senior Nicole Mattson in the 600m (1:47). The next day, the girls’ shuttle hurdle relay team competed in Providence, RI at the Rhode Island Classic. Expected to place well, the girls kept up their outstanding work, finishing second with a time of 35 seconds. The team featured seniors Morgan Middleton, Smith, and Elexus Afonso, as well as junior Brooke Santos. Freshmen and sophomores competed on Sunday at the prestigious Auerbach State Freshman/Sophomore meet at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Standouts included sophomores Madeline Scheub (high jump) and Rachel Demmer (55m dash). The Lady Bulldogs will head back to the Reggie Lewis Center this Sunday to run in the D-5 State Relays.

            Boys’ Ice Hockey: The boys’ lone game this week was against Dartmouth High at their home rink, the Travis Roy rink at Tabor Academy in Marion. Junior Sam Henrie scored the only goal in a 1-1 tie, and standout goalie Chase Cunningham (Jr.) made 31 saves to keep the Bulldogs/Blue Devils in the game. This week, the Bulldogs will contend with D-R at home on Wednesday and Somerset-Berkeley at the Driscoll Skating Arena on Saturday.

            Girls’ Ice Hockey: The girls’ only game this week was against Dennis-Yarmouth at the Tony Kent Arena in South Dennis. Going into the third period, the BMWORR team was tied 2-2, but D-Y scored two in the final minutes, giving the Lady Bulldogs and Co. a 4-2 loss. Goals came from Bourne junior Tannah O’Brien and Bourne sophomore Leah Hidenfelter, while ORR freshman Chelsea Peterson had an assist. The girls have two games on the slate this week: Home at the John Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne against Plymouth North on Wednesday, and at the Hetland Arena to play Bishop Stang on Saturday.

Below are the overall winter team records, followed by the conference records in wins, losses, and ties as of January 3.

Boys’ Basketball: (6-0-0)(6-0-0); Girls’ Basketball: (2-4-0)(2-3-0); Boys’ Track: (4-0-0)(4-0-0); Girls’ Track: (4-0-0)(4-0-0); Boys’ Swimming: (0-3-0)(0-2-0); Girls’ Swimming: (1-2-0)(0-2-0); Boys’ Ice Hockey: (3-1-4)(1-0-1); Girls’ Ice Hockey: (1-6-0)(1-5-0).

By Patrick Briand

 

Charles Edward Hoye, III, DMD

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Charles Edward Hoye, III, DMD, of Taunton and Mattapoisett, passed away peacefully on January 9th, 2016, at home surrounded by his family.

Charlie was born in Taunton, the eldest of 9 children. He attended St. Mary’s Grammar School prior to graduating from Msgr. James Coyle High School in 1959, during which time he met the love of his life, Carolyn, and also tore up the basketball court. He went on to graduate from the College of the Holy Cross in 1963 and later received his Doctorate of Medical Dentistry from Tufts Dental School in 1967. After graduation he served 2 years as a Captain in the USAF in FL. Upon completion of his military service, he opened his dental practice in Taunton in 1969.

In his 42 years of practice he was a member of the ADA, MDS, SEDS and was voted “Best of the Best Dentist” in Taunton numerous times. He loved his staff, patients and his profession. He enjoyed golfing at CCNB, traveling, running, exercising at the YMCA, reading the latest technology and most of all spending time with his family. He will be remembered for his humor, quick wit, stellar meatloaf, loud laugh and vast knowledge of trivia. Above all he treasured the relationship he shared with his best friend, the love of his life – his wife Carolyn.

He was the son of the late Dr. Charles E. Hoye, Jr. and Virginia (Cleary) Hoye of Taunton, MA. He is survived by his dear wife of 50 years, Carolyn Jean (Driscoll) Hoye; daughters Kristin Frizzi and husband Dr. James Frizzi of Evans GA; Kathleen Hoye, DMD and husband Kurt Federow of Needham; Lauren Kavanagh and husband Simon of Mattapoisett; Meghan Morrison and husband Jesse of Taunton; son Daniel C. Hoye and wife Rosemarie of Taunton. Also survived by 16 grandchildren: Nick, Charlie, Paul, Caroline, Roderick, Jenna, Kiley, Erin, Finbar, Wyatt, Keira, Krista, Owen, Holly, Harris and Lily (!). He is also survived by siblings: William J. Hoye DDS, Thomas C. Hoye, Sr., Rev. Msgr. Daniel F. Hoye, David M. Hoye DMD, Stephen R. Hoye DDS, Sara-Ann (Hoye) Mullan MD and James P. Hoye MD. He was also the brother of the late Robert P. Hoye DDS.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Mary’s Church, Taunton, on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, at 11 AM. Visiting hours on Wednesday, from 4-8PM, in the Crapo-Hathaway Funeral Home, 350 Somerset Ave. (Route 138 South), Taunton. Interment St. Francis Cemetery, Taunton,

Donations in Charlie’s memory may be made to St. Mary’s Church, St. Mary’s Square, Taunton, MA 02780

Marion Master Plan Moves Forward

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Marion moved one step closer to finalizing its Master Plan on January 4 when members of the Planning Board held a workshop to familiarize residents with the plan’s goals and details.

Several interested citizens showed up despite the weather, coats and boots dusted with snowflakes. Planning Board member Rico Ferrari qualified the objective of the workshop held at the Marion Music Hall.

“We’re introducing people to a rough draft of the plan,” said Ferrari. “We have drafts from the past so that we can get more detailed plans for the future.”

Several representatives from SRPEDD, headed by principal comprehensive planner Grant King, joined the Planning Board. As he did in previous meetings, King worked to break down the multi-layered process into something more concise and easily understandable.

“Our Master Plan presentation will probably only take about fifteen minutes,” King said. “Tonight is about you, about your thoughts and concerns,” which he pointed out was actually the goal for the Master Plan as well. “We’re approximately halfway done with the process of creating the Master Plan,” he continued. “Master Plans can run hundreds of pages. We want to create a clear, concise plan which is easily readable.”

The workshop on Monday night was actually one of a series of public workshops that the Planning Board has held. This open house addressed several different but interwoven aspects of the Master Plan, including improving traffic and road safety, creating new zoning bylaws to allow appropriate development in certain areas, and protecting the Village and Harbor.

“We want to adopt design guidelines which define Marion’s style, and will place clear expectations on the growth and environments which the town wants to see,” King clarified.

The driving decisions for the Master Plan come from town demographics and market and data trends. Marion’s age trend provided curious information.

Since 1990, Marion’s population has aged fairly rapidly, with the many residents nestled upwards of age 45. Marion’s average age in 2015 was 46.1. That is seven years older than Massachusetts’ overall average age of 36.1. Marion’s age data indicates that the final master plan will be driven largely by the needs of those residents 45 or older.

Several residents brought up Marion’s unique status as a seasonal destination for many residents. They were curious to know if SRPEDD considered that many of Marion’s voting residents don’t live in the town year-round while drawing their demographic analysis.

“You know, we didn’t think of that,” admitted King, “but it would make a good analysis. I’ll add that in right now.”

Residents also wanted to know what would happen after SRPEDD finalized the Master Plan, which King mentioned would hopefully be done in late 2016. Once finalized, the Master Plan will be submitted to the Marion Planning Board for their review. Once the final plan is submitted, SRPEDD’s role will be finished and it will be up to Marion to act on the plan.

Planning Board Chairman Robert Lane qualified the board’s role.

“We will review the Master Plan and decide which aspects we want to take action on,” Lane said. “We can then pass recommendations, and of course any changes will need to be voted on. But those will be the next steps.”

After his presentation, King released the group to a number of tables around the room – staffed by other SRPEDD representatives – where they addressed different aspects of Marion’s Master Plan. The residents could discuss any questions and concerns with the representatives. They were also provided with a sheet on which to write down any questions, comments, or concerns for submission to SRPEDD before they left.

For more information on the Master Plan, you may contact the Marion Planning Board at 508-748-3517. You may also visit the project website at www.srpedd.org/marion-master-plan or share your ideas on the Marion Master Plan Facebook page, www.facebook.com/marionplan.

By Andrea Ray

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Marion Recreation

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Marion Recreation opens registration for Winter Musical Theater and Dance Programs.

Come join in on the fun of learning how to take part in a musical theatre performance or how to dance some of those catchy line dances at the next wedding.

The Sound of Music musical theatre class will have children learning the basics of putting together a real-life musical production. In this class, boys and girls will audition for a role in the musical The Sound of Music. Children will sing, dance, and act their way into a world of excitement. Costumes are encouraged, but not necessary. This program is open to participants who are 5 to 13 years old. Class meets on Wednesdays from 3:15 – 4:15 pm at the Marion Music Hall.

In “Line Dances,” students will learn various new age line dances throughout the course. The class incorporates choreography and different forms of freestyle movement. At the end of the 8-week session, students will have a short performance of their hard work. This program is open to participants who are 5 to 13 years old. Class meets on Wednesdays from 4:15 – 5:15 pm at the Marion Music Hall.

Both programs run from January 20 to March 30 at the Marion Music Hall. Registration may be made by mail or in person at Marion Recreation, 13 Atlantis Drive, Marion. Cost is $95 per participant, per program. For more information, visit www.marionrecreation.com.

Concert for Heating Oil Assistance

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The Knights of Columbus will have a concert from 7:00 to 10:00 pm on January 22 at the Knights Hall, 57 Fairhaven Road, Mattapoisett. The concert is to help raise money for heating fuel assistance for local residents. Sherman and the Way Backs, a 60s classic rock band, will be playing that night. Tickets are $15 each and are available at the door or you may call Jim at 508-971-5137 or 508-863-3496.

Ocean Adventures

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As the cold air of winter finally arrives, it’s fun to think about what seems like yesterday, last summer. With that as the prologue, here’s a warm summertime suspense story.

The tide was thundering, rolling, pushing towards the shore as only the most powerful force on earth can, other than gravity. Water, it should be respected.

I, however, was determined to immerse myself into the saltwater therapy I had looked forward to all day. I fought my way into that warm ocean water. The wind was at a steady blow adding to the wave action. Wind and water, a mighty combination that has been known to wear down mountains, never mind one small human. But there I was and there they were: the water, the wind and, oh yeah, the windsurfers.

The weather conditions were perfect for the windsurfers. I counted five sails on the horizon in Buzzards Bay outside Mattapoisett Harbor. There were an additional three fast approaching sails heading towards the tiny strip of beach at Ned’s Point and directly towards me. I can only imagine how insignificant, invisible even, I was as I bobbed there in between the swells.

And here they came, the windsurfers with such speed I thought for sure they would land on my tiny head clad in a bright green baseball cap. I struggled and fought swell after massive swell trying to make way for the surfers. The advancing tidal surge kept me treading water and nothing more. Soon the windsurfers surrounded me on all sides before I could move out of the way.

If you’ve ever faced what you’ve believed is an accidental ending of your meniscal and tenuous hold on being alive, then you’ll understand my immense relief at surviving a near beheading.

It was time to move out of their way. But where was I to go and how was I to get there? With the water pushing shoreward and northeast to the contour of the land, I made no headway at all. Failing that, I determined I should go with the flow, away from the lighthouse and head towards the private beach. Surely I’d be out of harm’s way over there.

Moving in that direction was easy, the ocean wanted all in its path to go that way. But I had no sooner removed myself from the windsurfer’s path and into what I had concluded would be safer waters when I realized that the submerged rocks were an entirely new threat.

I was smashed and cast hither and yon across the razor sharp edges of massive unseen monsters covered with barnacles. My ankles were cut, then both knees crashed against those unforgiving surfaces. First one knee then the other, in quick rotation, suffered lacerations and the delicate venerable kneecaps instantly sent out warning shots. I was too shocked to feel fear and too absorbed in trying to figure out how to save myself from possibly far worse injury. My internal dialogue went something like, “OK, you are in trouble now kid. What’s the fix?” I elected to use my bodacious booty, aka, back side, aka, butt, with its layers of padding as that part of my body I could sacrifice for the survival of the total personage. It could take a bouncing across rocks better then my aging knees.

I rode the tide towards shore keeping my feet in front of my body in a seated position, using my arms as rudders to keep from twisting right or left and being pitched face first into the water. I rode that tide all the way in with both knees and one ankle bleeding, but delighted to find only superficial wounds. When I finally was able to stand up, I was in a mere six inches of seawater. I smiled looking skyward then left to right to see if anyone had witnessed my folly. None were found.

I walked the shoreline back to the small public beachhead. Not a single person seemed to notice me at all. I could have drowned and no one would have been the wiser until … but I didn’t drown and I hadn’t broken a bone.

Returning to the water via the public beach I thought, “Windsurfers need to watch out for me, not the other way around.”

As I was meditating on this thought, a windsurfer came dashing at high speed towards my little melon pitching into the chop next to me at the last possible moment. He smiled and said, “I saw you from way out. That hat is bright.” He couldn’t have imagined how hard I had tried to stay out of his way not more than a few minutes earlier. I laughed and thanked him for being careful of swimmers. He said, “Oh, most of us watch out for swimmers here, but not all of us are careful, so don’t be complacent.” Complacent!? Nah, not me.

By Marilou Newell

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Bay Club Petitions for Trash Collection

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The Mattapoisett Planning Board’s first meeting for 2016 was like an instant replay of meetings from 2015 – another subdivision requesting covenant modifications that would allow the residents town trash collection.

David Andrews, representing the Bay Club Real Estate Trust and Bay Club Community Association, came before the Planning Board with the request on January 4.

“We are aware of others who have received changes to their covenants,” he told the board, and he referenced the new contract the town signed with ABC Disposal that seemingly entitles all residents in the town to town-supplied trash collection.

Andrews acknowledged that he understood that if the Planning Board allowed the modification, it would not be the only approval needed; they would also have to go before the Board of Health.

“I’m here to clear this hurdle,” he stated.

Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker said, “Trash. This is all we’ve talked about at the last couple of meetings. I’m not sure how much discussion we can have on this.”

Bay Club has two covenants covering trash removal at the subdivision, written on January 20, 2003 and February 14, 2003. Thirteen years later, and after two other subdivisions successfully lobbied the Planning Board to modify their covenants in favor of town-supplied trash collection, it was Bay Club’s turn to ask for a covenant modification.

“You still have to go to the Board of Health,” said Tucker. Andrews responded that he knew that.

The hearing was then opened up for public discussion.

Resident Paul Osenkowski told the board, “My feelings still stand that it is an improper decision of the Planning Board…” referring to their modification of subdivision covenants. “I said it would be a slippery slope, and that is what has happened,” he continued.

Osenkowski has been an outspoken opponent of covenant modifications that might have the potential of incurring additional expenses on the town’s budget.

Planning Board member John Mathieu reminded the board members that they had a written opinion from the town’s legal counsel, which states that the Planning Board has the authority to modify covenants; but, in this case, it only allows the affected residents the ability to apply to the Board of Health for final approval. Mathieu also said the Planning Board could not make changes that would have a financial impact on the town.

Board member Mary Crain asked for clarification on the contracts the town has with SEMASS and with ABC Disposal. Tucker said SEMASS handles solid waste, ABC collects solid waste that is transported to SEMASS, and ABC also handles all recycled materials.

“Recycling has decreased the amount of tonnage going to SEMASS,” Tucker told Crain.

The board ultimately voted to grant modifications to the Bay Club covenant.

When asked if the other subdivisions who have been granted similar latitude had successfully applied to the Board of Health, Tucker said he was unaware of any action by that board at this time.

This vote makes three subdivisions that will be going before the Board of Health requesting trash collection. Those communities are Brandt Point Village, The Villages, and now the Bay Club.

Before adjourning the meeting, Tucker recognized Anne Tucker, a senior attending Old Rochester Regional High School and student of a new local history course being offered at the school for the first time. Part of her studies includes attending local government meetings. Tucker will be attending Wheaton College.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for February 1 at 7:00 pm in the Mattapoisett Town Hall conference room.

By Marilou Newell

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Falmouth Academy Head of Schools

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Several area students were named to the Head of School’s List for academic achievement in the first trimester at Falmouth Academy. To be named to the list, students must have earned at least three A’s and no grade below B-minus. The list includes:

12th grade

Charlotte Van Voorhis of Mattapoisett

11th grade

Oliver Russell of Mattapoisett

Eliza Van Voorhis of Mattapoisett

9th grade

Emma Keeler of Rochester

Grace Russell of Mattapoisett

8th grade

Charles Tomlinson of Marion

7th grade

Eleanor Beams of Mattapoisett

Paige Feeney of Marion

Kari Marvel of Marion