Little Library Getting New Home

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The regional advocacy group Tri-Town Against Racism (TTAR) is relocating the mail-box-sized “Little Free Diverse Library” that once stood in front of the Rochester Plumb Library to the Rochester Women’s Club building, 37 Marion Road, with a grand unveiling on Saturday, May 4, from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm.

            Rhonda Baptiste, vice president of TTAR, the group that donated the little library to Rochester last year, is happy the group found a new spot for it after the Rochester library trustees asked it be removed from town grounds last September.

            The little library, its glass front exclaiming “Diverse & Anti Racist Books Only,” drew more criticism than praise from residents proclaiming it’s redundant to have a little library right outside a big library, that it offers messages on issues that not everyone in town agrees with, and that it’s not a message that should be accessible to children.

            Baptiste said the Women’s Club reached out to TTAR soon after the town library’s decision. The club came to TTAR, saying it would love to host the little library. The decision to agree to the plan came in December, only three months after the town library’s vote to have it removed.

            “It’s a good, accessible location and a better experience for the user,” Baptiste said.

            The Rochester Women’s Club owns the building at 37 Marion Road and leases to the town the space used as the Town Hall Annex. That’s why the privately owned property is a better location for the little library in Rochester, Baptiste said. “It is more accessible, right at the edge of the road, and a more private and desirable experience for the user,” she said. “And it will be in a place that is more welcoming and approachable.”

            Even one of the objectors of the original plan seemed pleased with this one.

            “I’m a proponent of private property and being able to do what you wish on your own property so long as it doesn’t impede someone else’s rights,” said resident and Zoning Board of Appeals member Jeff Costa, who had taken issue in a public meeting of the Plumb Library Trustees with the location of the Little Free Diverse Library on the basis that town property should not be a distribution point for content that he asserts is not appropriate for “under-aged members of our community.”

            Baptiste said the unveiling will also celebrate the April 29 birthday of Abraham Skidmore, the black barber in Mattapoisett who decades ago started that town’s annual Halloween Parade. As such, festivities will include a cake and birthday yard games such as Cornhole, Giant Yahtzee and Giant Four-In-One.

            TTAR has installed two other Little Free Diverse libraries, in Mattapoisett at Ned’s Point and in Marion at Old Landing.

Tri-Town Against Racism

By Michael J. DeCicco

May Programs in the Mattapoisett Children’s Room

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Spring is in full bloom, and the Mattapoisett Children’s Room in the Library has fun for everyone.

            Did April Showers not bring enough flowers for you? On Tuesday, May 7 at 4 pm, join us for Drop-in Wildflower Seed Balls. We will be creating balls of wildflower seeds you can toss onto bare patches of soil and watch beauty grow. Fun for all ages. No registration required.

            On Thursday, May 16 at 3:30 pm, join us to Paint Gnomes for Your Garden. This is a fun kids activity to encourage kids to garden and play outside. All ages welcome. Visit our website to register.

            Our kids Graphic Novel Book Club will meet on Friday, May 24 at 3:30 pm to discuss Duel by Jessixa Bagley. Books are available at the library. There will be a brief discussion, activity, and a snack. For ages 9 and up. Visit our website to register.

            Toddlers and their grown ups are welcome to join us for Paper Plate Flower Painting for Toddlers on Saturday, May 25 at 10:30 am. Get ready to let your kiddo’s imagination run wild and to whip up some gorgeous flowers using basic supplies. For ages 2 and up. No registration required, while supplies last.

            On Thursday, May 30 at 3:30 pm, join us for the Spaghetti Tower Marshmallow Challenge. Ever wonder about the skyscraper potential of uncooked spaghetti, marshmallows, tape and string? Come join the ultimate tower-building showdown and see who can reach for the stars. The tallest tower creators will snag a shiny prize. For ages 6 and up. Visit our website to register.

            Storytimes will continue throughout the month of May before taking a break in June. Stop in at 10:30 am on Thursday mornings for Spring Storytime for all ages and 10:30 am on Friday mornings for Baby Storytime recommended for ages 0 to 24 months.

            All programs are free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Skaar at mskaar@sailsinc.org. You can also find more information on our website at MattapoisettLibrary.org.

Mattapoisett’s Heritage Waterfront

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To the Editor

            Our daughter who works overseas was stunned to hear of the proposed culling of trees on Mattapoisett’s Heritage Waterfront. She sent us this letter for publication. It reflects the sentiments of our family.

Kevin and Laura McLean

            I am Olivia McLean, and if I may take a respectful seat beside the Lorax, I’d like to also speak for the trees.

            I’m typing this from my apartment, on a busy street alongside a bustling city square near the center of Paris. This is the fourth city I’ve called home in the past 15 years after London, New York, Los Angeles and Boston. And as I type out these cities and think of my collective dwellings, I have memories past and present of metros and museums, long days at the office and longer evenings at the afterwork milieu, and, inevitably, some sort of unfortunate apartment infestation of rodents or insects.

            I’ve never had the good fortune, or substantial bank account balance, to live within proximity to a major park in any of these world capitals – which is the case for most city dwellers. Rather, my tree-lined, garden-strolling memories rest in my heart and hometown of Mattapoisett Massachusetts. During my trips home I indulge in walking barefoot in the grass or arranging a fresh bouquet of flowers from my parent’s garden – meditating on the sights, sounds, smells and sensations that substantially support the mantra ‘there’s no place like home.’

            A proposal to remove generations-old trees from the heart of Mattapoisett’s village is an atrocity. Ever a cinematic mind, I think of the dramatically depressing village transformations in such films as It’s A Wonderful Life or Back to the Future 2 both with infamous scenes of the film’s protagonists discovering drastic destruction to their hometowns.

            The removal of these trees would be the tip of the iceberg of more ominous changes to come for Mattapoisett village – if anything we should be looking at incentives to introduce more nature to our beautiful town, to plant more trees and preserve the precious natural landscape as best we can. Each tree has a memory for someone in this village. Removing them is taking away our only permanent living population of this lovely town we are extremely fortunate to call our home.

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. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Town-wide Cleanup is a Wash

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The Sustainability Partnership celebrated Earth Day with a hearty troupe of local citizens who cleaned up the town despite the raw weather on Saturday, April 20. Even though it started out foggy and drizzly, eighteen groups of people showed up at the Mattapoisett Free Library, took bags, gloves and grabbers and walked around town picking up trash. The weather quickly deteriorated, but volunteers didn’t seem to notice the pouring rain. One woman gathered four 50-lb bags of trash just from walking from the library to Route. 6.

            The Lucci family, including dad Rob, and children Brooke, Philip, Georgia and Violet in the stroller, pitched in from the post office on Route 6 and back down to Water Street.

            Dakota, Lynne and Drew Nahigyan were dressed for the rain and used recycled bags to clean up a street in the eastern part of town.

            Four board members representing the Friends of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail, Jenn Wong, Liz DiCarlo, Dick Grahn and Ann Bryant, all pitched in and covered a large area that is enjoyed by many.

            According to Ann Bryant, “In spite of the weather, it was a productive morning. Our original intention was to help the Town clean up the rail trail every spring, but when we saw that the Sustainability Committee was organizing a town-wide effort, we decided to hop on board. It’s always a positive experience when joining a community event for a common cause.”

            The Sustainability Partnership thanks everyone who participated and donated to the cause.

            Want to help make a difference in the well being of your community? – get involved. The group meets regularly at the Mattapoisett Library, and the next meeting is May 4.

Grant Funds Marion Stroke Awareness Programs

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Marion Fire Chief Brian Jackvony and Town Administrator Geoff Gorman are pleased to announce that the town’s Fire Department has been awarded a Stroke Public Awareness Grant from Borderland Partners LLC. As part of the program, the department encourages residents to attend upcoming stroke awareness events, beginning on May 1.

            The grant is a collaboration between Public Health, the Community EMS program and the Council on Aging. It is an initiative to support providers and conduct stroke-related public awareness activities within the Marion community, with a goal of reaching those who are at a higher risk for stroke.

            The awareness program will include signs and symptoms of stroke, what to do if you think someone is having a stroke and ways to decrease the risk of stroke.

            The project includes an ongoing awareness campaign of four events from May through the end of June.

            The first event will be held on May 1 at the Community Center. Participants are invited to join community leaders and stakeholders for a walk to promote healthy living and spread messages related to stroke awareness. Signs posted along the walking path will inform participants of symptoms, risk factors, and ways to decrease the risk of stroke.

            Attendees can enjoy musical entertainment throughout the event. Southcoast Health will provide cholesterol and diabetic health screenings as well as blood pressure and blood sugar screenings. There will be literature related to stroke awareness available, courtesy of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

            Participants will receive a T-shirt, healthy snacks and a water bottle and can enter a raffle for the chance to win stroke healthy meal cookbooks and a Fitbit.

            The second event will be on May 13 prior to the Annual Town Meeting. The Marion Fire Department and Marion Board of Health will host a table for individuals to ask questions about stroke risk concerns, signs and symptoms, preventative lifestyle behaviors and receive stroke education literature.

            On May 16, the Marion Council on Aging will host a lunch-and-learn event providing attendees with a healthy stroke diet meal. Following lunch, the Board of Health and Marion Fire EMS will deliver a presentation educating members of the community on the signs and symptoms of stroke, what to do if they suspect a stroke and risk factors associated with stroke.

            “On behalf of the department, I would like to thank Borderland Partners LLC for this generous grant,” said Jackvony. “We look forward to hosting and being part of these events to increase stroke awareness and provide educational opportunities for our community members.”

            The Marion Fire Department, Board of Health and Council on Aging will also host a weekly 30-minute walk to promote healthy activity and exercise.

            The final event will take place on June 29 at the Town’s Touch a Truck event. The Marion Fire Department and the Marion Board of Health will host a table to disseminate stroke education and awareness materials and provide wellness checks.

            Attendees will receive educational literature, magnets and stroke-awareness water bottles during each event. Every event also includes a table for blood pressure and blood sugar screening.

            Residents presenting with elevated blood pressure will receive automatic blood pressure cuffs to monitor their blood pressure and will be asked to follow up with their primary care physician.

Sippican Celebrates Vocabulary Day

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Old Rochester Regional Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson and Sippican Elementary School Assistant Principal Peter Crisafulli are pleased to share that Sippican Elementary School students participated in the 20th annual Vocabulary Day.

            On April 12, students and staff wore costumes or hats they designed to represent a new vocabulary word they had learned during this year. The costumes demonstrated the words the students had learned and included them somewhere on their costumes for others to read.

            “The Vocabulary Day costumes are always a fun way to encourage students to show off their creativity and what they’ve learned this year,” said Crisafulli. “The students’ costumes were very creative, and they put on a wonderful vocabulary fashion show.”

            That afternoon, a heartwarming school meeting was held, bringing the community together to admire one another’s costumes and enjoy a “fashion show.” Each teacher selected two students from their class with the most creative costumes to participate, fostering a sense of camaraderie and shared celebration.

            The Sippican Elementary’s Vocabulary Day began in 2004 and was created by now-retired third-grade teacher Paula McKeen. McKeen was inspired by the children’s book “Miss Alaineus” by Debra Frasier, where students dress up as different words and parade around the halls.

            “I love to see our student’s creativity and how they respond to a request like this. It is not only an engaging activity for all involved but also brings a lot of joy to our schools,” said ORR Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning Shari Fedorowicz.

            “Vocabulary Day is a unique and engaging way to celebrate learning,” Nelson said. “It was great to see the students’ vocabulary words and how they incorporated them into their costumes. The all-school meeting also allowed students to hear the Festival Band and see their peers be recognized as Character Counts students.”

Sports a Small Slice of Squires’ Ambition

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A fledgling Division I college sports program can rarely accept a student-athlete’s commitment that comes with complications, but Hannah Squires is a rare student-athlete so her request to take two weeks off from the Stonehill University women’s hockey team was considered by coach Lee-J Mirasolo as an opportunity for Squires and the Easton-based school.

            “She explained the reason to us. We were like, ‘yeah, absolutely, you’re going to save someone’s life,’” said Mirasolo, who was thrown by the sophomore’s explanation that she was going to function as a bone-marrow donor for a complete stranger.

            The news made the first-year, head coach who had spent years assisting in established programs think about her father and what kind of person it takes to make such a decision. Mirasolo called Squires’ action “selfless.” For the adventurous Squires, it was an opportunity to participate in a growing field she considers vital to the future of medicine.

            “It is very important, like a new field, that’s why,” said the Mattapoisett resident, who missed two weeks of hockey practice in October to donate stem cells via the Be the Match program. “I was shocked and thrilled to be paired. … It’s really rare. … It’s a life-saving treatment for this guy.”

            In January, Squires was named one of 18 nominees for the 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award by The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation, a recognition of general community service.

            Many will recall the relentless pursuit of the late Travis Roy, the former Tabor Academy hockey star whose life was forever changed by a catastrophic, spinal-cord injury in his first shift skating for Boston University. For the rest of his life, Roy dedicated his efforts toward stem-cell awareness and fundraising for research. Transparent in his grief of independence lost, Roy channeled his concern toward the many young people returning from the Middle East with combat injuries.

            Squires, a healthy student-athlete with ambitions in medicine, points to advanced methods of transferal.

            “Instead of going directly into bone marrow, they gave me these shots to get my stem cell,” she said, acknowledging debilitating pain and, for a short time, barely being able to walk. “For a few days after, you … feel like body soreness.” Squires also explained that the procedure results in an enlarged spleen. When she rejoined the team, it took three practices before she felt like herself on the ice.

            Small for a college defenseman at 5-foot-4, Squires started in youth hockey in Norfolk as a forward. It wasn’t until she was playing in the U12 or 13 division that she was put on defense. She took to it because, as she recalled while skating as a forward in club hockey at high school, “I would never shoot the puck.”

            After her family moved to Mattapoisett in 2019 and Squires spent middle-school and freshman years at Mount St. Charles (Woonsocket, Rhode Island), Tabor Academy seemed like a natural. But two years in neighboring, Marion proved not to be an ideal fit. Squires’ parents had agreed to let her board for her final two years of high school, which she did at Lawrence Academy in Groton, while also skating with the Bay State Breakers U19 team.

            Squires thrived northwest of Boston and was ranked Lawrence’s top math student. She was part of Lawrence’s Cum Laude Society and winner of the Top Rated Student-Athlete Award. Squires was a two-sport captain at Lawrence (ice hockey and field hockey), was a Defensive MVP in ice hockey and an honorable mention by the Independent School League Council. She was selected to participate in USA Hockey’s National Player Development Camp.

            With a builder’s mindset, Squires was excited to take part in Stonehill’s ascent to Division I sports competition, so it was only fitting that when her second-year team went through an unusual challenge this past winter, Squires stepped up to help in an unusual capacity. The Skyhawks needed a goaltender. One was injured and the other ill.

            “I volunteered,” said Squires, who needed to go to the friend of a friend to find goalie gear that would fit her 5-4 frame.

            Stonehill won both games against Saint Michael’s.

            “There was no better person to do it because she is a beloved person on this team,” said Mirasolo. “She works her tail off every single day, and she’s bought into to what we’re trying to teach. … She’s someone who helps push the vision forward because she does those little things day in and day out.”

            Squires gave up one goal in her first game, a screen shot from the point that deflected off three skaters. The second game went to overtime, and Stonehill won it, 6-5, on a short-handed goal.

            Majoring in Biology, Squires says she is thinking about medical school and leaning towards working in trauma, perhaps becoming a surgeon.

            In a new hockey program with its second coach in two years, Squires knows the future is uncertain, especially for a small defenseman in a program bound to attract bigger recruits. But Mirasolo says only Squires’ own ambition could come between her and women’s hockey at Stonehill.

            “The thing is … I try to remind her that she has already contributed so much to this program. The four points in net (gave Stonehill a) greater seed for playoffs,” noted Mirasolo, who insists Squires’ outside-the-box leadership is foundational to the program’s ability to gain traction and become a success. “Being the legacy … we have a chance here to make our traditions. We get to determine the path that this group is going to be on and for others to follow.”

By Mick Colageo

ORRHS Third Term Honor Roll

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            The following students have achieved honors for the third term at Old Rochester Regional High School;

            Highest Honors: Mackenzye Caton, Rosemary Clark, Gavin Coffey, Sage Elia, Cole Goldie, Katherine Guevara, Jacob Hadley, Lucas Hadley, Jacob Iappini, Theo Jacobsen, Olivia Kinney, Rhianna Martinez, Tiera McCarthy, Elise Modracek, Jonathan Nguyen, Caitlin O’Donnell, Jiya Patel, Morgan Patraiko, Luke Pierre, Addison Roy, James Russell, Scarlett Sylvia, Hannah Thorell, Sasha Volkema, and Emily Wyman

            Honors: Emily Abbott, Henry Achilles, Jayden Aguiar, Greta Anderly, Sophia Anesti, Gianna Annunziato, Noah Arsenault, Alexandria Bacchiocchi, Abigail Balsis, Lila Bangs, Ella Bartholomew, Chloe Bean, Malcolm Bean, Gavin Bellanger, Elijah Benson, Henry Berry, Arianna Bessey, Hunter Bishop, Allison Bodeau, John Bongiorno, Clara Bonney, Emily Borges, Cadel Bosma, Sofia Bouley, Sophie Bozzo, Caroline Brogioli, Patrick Burke, Nolan Bushnell, John Butler, Aiden Cabral, Ethan Cabral, Lucas Cabral, Sarah Cabral, Ella Caesar, Murray Callahan, Erin Cardinal, Cassidy Carroll, Eloise Casi, Keith Cavanaugh, Theodore Cecil, Cassandra Charron, Delaney Chase, Braeden Christopher, Aiden Comorosky, Belle Comorosky, Madison Conner, Evan Cordeiro, Bryan Correia, Emma Costa, Sara Costa, Rylie Coughlin, Cadogan Crete, Elba Cruz Mendoza, Sarah Curry, Alia Cusolito, Jack Czerkowicz, Mariana De Melo, Dandara De Oliveira, Gianna DeLeo, Gianna DeMarco-Poyant, Reis DeMello, Averee Depina, Abigail Desorcy, Luke DeVoe, Jaida Domal, Rafael Duarte, Gisele Duchaine, Jeannine Duchaine, Hailee Ducharme, Amalia Dupre, Eden Dupre, Dylan Durgin, Aidan Eagle, Noah Eagle, Hannah Eaton, Amber Engel, Elizabeth Feeney, Alexandra Fiano, Mia Figueiredo, William Fortier, Brendan Foster, Molly Franco, David Fredette, Brendan Fuller, Dillon Furtado, Ethan Furtado, Jack Gallagher, Giada Gandolfi, Reilly Garber, Zachary Gates, Jacob Gear, Lillian Gendreau, Tara Goldman, Emerson Gonet, Nicholas Gouin, Clara Gouveia-Silva, Zadie Goyette, Noah Habicht, Elizabeth Harrington, Owen Harrington, Keira Hart-Bonville, Logan Hart-Bonville, Eva Hartley, Madalyn Haverty, Grace Hebert, Aubrey Heise, Mallory Henesey, August Herbert, Corinne Hibbert, John Higgins, Meredith Higgins, Brody Hiles, Lily Hinds, Hunter Horsey, Lyla Hotte, Caroline Houdelette, Elizabeth Houdelette, Amanda Ignacio, Macy Ingham, Taryn Jackson, Lily Johnson, Louise Johnson, Jacob Jones, Kierra Keegan, Genevieve Kelly, Hazel Kelly, Elizabeth Kilpatrick, Hadley King, Sara Kroll, Charlotte Laliberte, Tenley Lane, Logan Leblanc, Zach LeBlanc, Cormac LeClair, Aiden Levasseur, Keelin Lienkamp, Madison Lucas, Caitlyn Lund, Jenna Lynch, Ty MacKenzie, Addison Mahar, Logan Maher, Marley Mailloux, Hannah Mansfield, John Marmelo, Paige Marotta, Gavin Martin, Marina Martins, Neva Matos, Aleeya McCarthy, Megan McFadyen, Katherine McIlmail, Ava McLeod, Benjamin Meighan, Carly Mello, Zachary Mendes, Nicholas Miedema, Owen Modracek, Xavier Monteiro, Blake Moreau, Brooke Morrell, Maya Morrison, Miah Motta, Zack Mourao, Caillaigh Mullen, Jacob Newton, James Noblet, Cattarinha Nunes, Brenna O’Donnell, Grady Oliveira, Liam Osterday, Owen Osterday, Angela Palmer, Xavier Pateakos, Heer Patel, Scarlet Patnaude, Reilly Patraiko, Anna Pereira, Emilia Perriera, Logan Perry, Nathan Perry, Benino Petrone, Nina Pierre, Jocelyn Pires, Alexander Pither, Audrey Pither, Zoe Plante, Tyler Porto, Delilah Post, Jake Proffit, Leah Ptaszenski, Jasmyn Pumphery, Kelly Quinlan, Brady Reardon, Alexis Rezendes, Zachary Riggs, Tessa Ripley, Noah Robert-Howley, Shay-ann Robertson, Marcus Robichaud, Ellen Robitaille, Matthew Rock, Kamryn Rodrigues, Gabriella Romig, Allison Root, Ava Ross-Sinkler, Grace Rousseau, Fiona Roveda, Emerson Roy, Maxwell Roy, Noah Santos, Austin Scully, Christina Shultz, Ian Shultz, Aidan Silk, Ella Silva, Wilson Skomal, Kaelie Smalley, Chelsey Soltau, Molly Souza, Madison Spangler, Robert Spenard, Addyson Spencer, Devin St Germaine, Alexa St Louis, Stefan St. Louis, Mariana Sudofsky, Aubrey Sylvia-Everett, Catherine Sylvia-Everett, Olivia Thompson, Katherine Thomsen, Noah Thorell, Amanda Tomasso, Angela Tomasso, Paetyn Tripp, Payton Tripp, Arielle Troupe, Rachel Tse, Cassandra Tseki, Cameron Van Ness, Jackson Veugen, Linden White, Matthew Williams, Tyler Williams, Caitlin Wilson, Remy Wilson, Allison Winters, Jenna Woodward, Molly Wronski, Katherine Young, and Dayvie Zuckerman.

Events at the Rochester Historical Museum

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On May 15 at 7:00 pm at the Museum, 355 County Rd., we will be honoring the Woodchoppers, a musical group that formed in the 1950’s and performed for the next 45 yrs. The original members were Arthur Lionberger, Olive Winslow Cal Daggett and Jeanette Pajunen. They played at many Grange and Brotherhood events and were always willing to entertain at area nursing homes and impromptu venues. This will be an evening of songs and stories and a look at one of the ways people were entertained in the past which ties into our upcoming exhibit: Past Pastimes- how we have entertained ourselves for the last 337 years.

            The Tribute band will be made up of some of the children of the original members.

            As always, refreshments and conversation will follow. We hope to see you there.

            We’re calling all kids to circle June 22 and 23, to come to the Fair at The Rochester Historical Museum. You’ll have a chance to play colonial games, march like a Revolutionary soldier, tie knots like a privateer, search for treasure and much more. Look forward for more info soon.

Peter B. Hodges Memorial Scholarship

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Lynne Foley, President of The Mattapoisett Lions Club, one of 48,000 Lions Clubs around the world, is pleased to announce that Hunter Bishop and Jaymison Gunschel, both seniors at Old Rochester Regional High School, Lillian Manning a senior at Bishop Stang High School, and Brooklyn Bindas, a senior at Wareham High School, are recipients of Mattapoisett Lions Club’s 2024 Peter B. Hodges Memorial Scholarship in the amount of $2,500 each. All are recognized as the result of their outstanding community service, academic achievements and career goals.

            Funds for this award are raised through the efforts of Mattapoisett Lions Club at the annual Harbor Days Arts and Craft Festival and other events held throughout the year.

            For information on how to join the Mattapoisett Lions Club, please go to www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org.