The Heart of Christmas Cantata in Marion

on November 20, 2013

On December 15, the First Congregational Church in Marion will present The Heart of Christmas, a Christmas cantata by Pepper Choplin at Sunday morning services at 9:30 am and 11:30 am. Under the direction of Choir Director Cassandra Morgan, 63 singers from Somerset, Fall River, New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Rochester, Mattapoisett, Marion, Wareham, Middleboro, Milton, and Boston will be accompanied by a professional 18-piece orchestra.

Tickets for the 9:30 and 11:30 services are available from The Bookstall in Marion and the Marion General Store on November 25. Admission is free. For additional information, call Cassandra Morgan at 508-942-6483.

Before becoming Organist and Choir Director of the First Congregational Church, Cassandra Morgan was Director of Choirs in Belmont for 10 years and in the New Bedford High School for 17 years. She is a recipient of the Lowell Mason Award for Excellence in Music Education and the Distinguished Service Award from the Massachusetts Music Educators Association.

The First Congregational Church is located at the corner of Front and Main Streets in Marion. The Rev. Dr. Sheila S. Rubdi is pastor. Sunday school, adult and children’s choirs, and nursery care are features of the church’s program of worship, and pastoral care is offered to all.

BYOB Events at Music Hall Discussed

on November 19, 2013

A lively discussion was held regarding a Mattapoisett native who wants to hold concerts at the Marion Music Hall and have BYOB evenings.

“Our aim is to have a local venue to come together, hear music and enjoy each other’s company in a community spirit,” said Mitchell Suzan, a police officer of 30 plus years in Mattapoisett and who will soon retire.

“These would be occasional weekend events from 8:00 to 10:30 pm with jazz and blues and mellow concerts for adults to come together and socialize…that’s the motive,” said Suzan. Mitchell Productions is a Suzan organization which has run the teen dances at the Mattapoisett wharf and at the Knights of Columbus in Mattapoisett for many years.

Instead of moving ahead quickly, the board decided to consider the proposal, explore it, and vote on it at their next meeting in early December. The BYOB issue was discussed, and it was decided that it needed more consideration, especially regarding whether the applicant should or might purchase liquor liability insurance.

Selectman Steve Cushing recommended that the board seek the opinion of Town Counsel Jon Witten before deciding on the request.

Next up, the board discussed the NSTAR energy audit which had numerous recommendations. Both the Finance Committee and Town Administrator Paul Dawson commended the work done by the contractor. “I recommend TNT Energy, which is a sub-contractor for NSTAR, who has done a stellar job here in Marion”, said Dawson.

The board voted and approved the agreement to have TNT Energy continue with town energy improvements.

In other business, the board approved Shawn Cormier’s employment contract as the new Facilities Director of Marion.

Town Administrator Paul Dawson brought up the issue of former employees of the town seeking “contributory compensation” from the town. This complicated issue, regarding two former town employees seeking compensation needed more discussion which will be held in Executive Session in a meeting to be held soon.

The board approved the appointment of Ruth Olsen to the Affordable Housing Trust which meets the second Monday of the month. “We didn’t have a quorum at the last meeting,” said Steve Cushing, adding “…this is good news that someone wants to serve our community.”

Last, but not least, Jody Dickerson asked the community, via community television and via print media, to find residents who would like to be members of the Marion Fireworks Committee. “We did a great job last year and had fireworks that were outstanding…let’s continue this Marion tradition…please join our committee,” said Dickerson.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Senior Center Celebrates National Accreditation

on November 19, 2013

The Rochester Senior Center celebrated the renewal of its national accreditation with a reception on Thursday. Speakers included director Sharon Lally, Massachusetts Secretary of Elder Affairs Ann Hartstein, National Institute of Senior Centers Accreditation Program Coordinator Maureen Arsenault O’Leary, and super-volunteer Jean Armstrong. “You’ve made this senior center what it is,” Armstrong told the crowd. “And it’s the heart of the community. I love each and every person here, and I hope you love us.”

Seventy-three people comprising nine committees came together for more than a year to prepare the Rochester Senior Center’s organization, bylaws, and operations for its second five-year accreditation. “We need the cooperation and the collaboration from all of the community people, so it’s important they’re here today,” Lally said. “It was a real commitment. It meant a lot to me to have so many people vested in the process.”

Of the 215 senior centers nationwide, 120 are currently accredited.

“A senior center is what you make it, and when you have a leader like Sharon, who really pulls everyone together, that’s what makes for a success,” Arsenault O’Leary said. “There are larger senior centers, but none that has the heart of the Rochester Senior Center.”

Photos by Shawn Badgley.

Mixed-Use Project Faces Skepticism

on November 19, 2013

Four public hearings comprised the Rochester Zoning Board of Appeals agenda last week, but one dominated the proceedings.

James Steidler’s application for a special permit to allow construction of a mixed-use development at 28 Marion Rd., complete with oversized signage and a variance request on an undersized lot, was ultimately continued until the December 12 ZBA meeting. Steidler’s application teetered on the brink of rejection throughout this hearing, as most members came solidly down on the side of the project being inappropriate in both use and scale.

The lot has been used commercially in the past, but the ZBA’s Gilmore brothers – Kirby and Ben – argued that the fire which left it vacant effectively wiped the zoning slate clean, and that there were no demonstrable hardships from Steidler to justify variances. Abutter John McGrath voiced strong opposition to the development, which would include four 24-foot commercial spaces and four one-bedroom apartments.

“I’m completely opposed to this,” McGrath said. “I’m directly across the street, and it will have a negative impact on the value of my property and my privacy.”

Steidler nearly withdrew his application during the meeting, but instead will regroup.

“I thought that this was a good plan for the site,” he said. “But I can see that you guys think it’s over the top.”

The ZBA also continued until December 12 a variance request to allow construction of a single-family home on an unaccepted portion of Snow’s Pond Road.

Elsewhere on the agenda, members approved Joe Rocha’s variance from setback requirements at 237 Walnut Plain Rd. and Joe Mardo’s variance to allow an accessory structure in the front yard that will exceed the height of his home at 1090 Walnut Plain Rd.

By Shawn Badgley

New Intruder Response Program for District

on November 19, 2013

During a sobering discussion last week, the Old Rochester Regional School Committee discussed with Tri-Town law enforcement officials the implementation of a revamped plan in the event of an attack on campus.

The Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate safety plan, or A.L.I.C.E., is rapidly becoming the new national standard in crisis response at educational institutions, according to Rochester Police Chief Paul Magee and Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons.

“We want to teach what the current trend is, and get up to speed with the rest of the country,” Magee said. “We owe it to the kids in the district to use these best practices.”

Whereas past procedures relied mainly on a lockdown system, A.L.I.C.E. incorporates a potential physical response on the part of faculty and age-appropriate students, as well as a controlled evacuation, if possible.

While law enforcement officials called the response plan “common sense” and described it as giving faculty, staff, and students a “fighting chance,” they also said that they understood that the “C” – for “Counter” – in A.L.I.C.E. would concern parents and other community members.

“We are making sure the parents are informed,” ORR School District Superintendent Doug White said.

Lyons said that engendering the support of parents and faculty, as well as the right training and technology, will be crucial in installing the new response system.

Elsewhere on the agenda, ORR School Committee members debated the increase in study-abroad proposals, with several fretting whether there are too many.

In addition, ORR junior Justin Smilan was awarded the Superintendent’s Certificate of Academic Excellence. Smilan’s credentials – including a 5 on the AP Calculus exam, National Honor Society membership, a 4.521 GPA, debate team, and more – are staggering.

Finally, ORR Junior High Principal Kevin Brogioli and High School Principal Michael Devoll briefed the committee on MCAS trends, with Brogioli expressing concern over open response scores in both English and Math.

“We mirror the trends in the state, in some cases we are above the state average by a healthy margin,” Brogioli said. “But I think we should be better than that.”

Devoll, meanwhile, said he was pleased with several areas of ORR’s performance, particularly a Student Growth Profile jump in math from 37.5 in 2012 to 52 in 2013.

“We are very, very happy with that,” Devoll said. “Extremely proud.”

The ORR School Committee is next scheduled to meet on December 11.

By Shawn Badgley

Claudia “Timmie” M. (Smith) Sherman

on November 19, 2013

Claudia “Timmie” M. (Smith) Sherman, 86, of New Bedford, passed away Friday, November 15, 2013 at St. Luke’s Hospital.

She was the wife of the late William E. C. Sherman.

Born in Mattapoisett, she was the daughter of the late Richard and Claudia (Gannon) Smith.

Claudia had previously lived in Ft. Pierce, Florida and Dennis, Massachusetts before moving back to New Bedford five years ago.

She was a L.P.N. and Home Healthcare Worker for many years before retiring.

She enjoyed sewing, gardening, baking, dancing and especially loved spending time with her granddaughter Cailin Sherman.

She is survived by her children, Patricia “Patty” Motta and her husband John of New Bedford with whom she resided, Belinda Sherman and her spouse Cynthia Ferreira of New Bedford, David Sherman of New Bedford, William Sherman and his wife Joann of New Bedford, Bruce Sherman of Acushnet, Malcolm Sherman of New Bedford, Steven Sherman and his wife Tina of Dennisport and Kenneth Sherman and his wife Diane of Florida; two brothers, Robert Smith and his wife Carol and Toot Smith; 14 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

She was also the mother-in-law of the late Christine and Diana Sherman.

Her visiting hours will be held Wednesday, November 20, 2013 from 4-7 PM in the Rock Funeral Home, 1285 Ashley Blvd., New Bedford. Burial will take place at a later time in Riverside Cemetery, Fairhaven. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions in her honor may be made to, Alzheimer’s Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472.

Voters Pass All But One Item

on November 18, 2013

The voters were agreeable to everything in the warrant brought before them during the Mattapoisett Fall Town Meeting with the exception of a pump out boat.

Despite an impassioned statement from selectman Paul Silva, who felt debating the pros and cons of funding a town-owned pump out boat was beyond comprehension, it was debated nonetheless and defeated. Finance Committee Chairperson Patricia Donoghue disclosed to the assembled that the committee had not been informed that a commercial enterprise was providing pump out service to boaters in town prior to Town Meeting, and therefore could not advise the voters to approve the article.

David Kaiser, 54 Ocean Dr., who operates the Mattapoisett Boat Yard, came forward to say that he was never asked if the services they have been providing to the town could be expanded to provide more and greater services, and he said he was surprised to learn of the article in the warrant for a new town owned boat.

“We’ve never had a complaint on the service we’ve been providing,” he said. “There is system in place. It is well known, we do 40 and 50 pump outs per week during the season. We could apply to the state for more hours and expand our contract. This is the first time I’ve heard about it – we were not consulted.” The Article was defeated 72 to 29.

With the balance of the articles presented in the warrant, there was little debate. The following articles passed:

Article 1, Floodplain Map and Zoning Amendment: Although there was discussion regarding the multiple errors in FEMA mapping not only in Mattapoisett but through the country, the town had to accept the article in order to be eligible for flood relief in the event of a storm. Mike Gagne, Town Administrator, said he has been and will be working with a coalition of towns to find ways to get the FEMA maps corrected and the adjoining issue of escalating insurance rates addressed.

Article 2, Bonding Costs For Waterfront Project: $2,200 to pay bond costs associated with the Waterfront Electrical Upgrade Project.

Article 3, Sewer Inflow and Infiltration Study: $50,000 to fund sewer study.

Article 4, Fairhaven Sewer Apportionment of Sewer Costs for Mattapoisett: $4,600 to pay town’s share of annual sewer system costs to Fairhaven.

Article 5, Funding for Road Improvements: $125,000 from free cash for the purpose of doing repairs including drainage, sidewalks, engineering costs.

Article 6, Geographic Information Systems Upgrading: $15,000 from free cash for improvements in the geographic information systems.

Article 7, Contribution to Capital Equipment Stabilization Fund: $285,000 from free cash to fund town’s equipment stabilization fund.

Article 8, Contribution to Special Education Stabilization Fund: $65,000 from free cash to fund town’s special education stabilization fund.

Article 9, Contribution to Stabilization Fund: $50,000 from free cash to fund stabilization fund.

Article 10, Recreation Appropriation: $20,000 from free cash surplus for recreational activities in town.

Article 11, Funding of Audio/Amplification System for Town Meetings: $9,400 from free cash to purchase audio system for town meetings use.

Article 12, Repairs and Improvements of the Town Beach House: $80,000 from free cash to complete improvements to the Beach House and $15,000 from free cash to make handicap improvements to Ned’s Point Restrooms.

Article 13, Supplemental Budget Appropriations: $232,668 to be added to Fiscal Year 2014 appropriation as voted by the Annual Town Meeting of May 13, 2013, for salaries and wages of contract employees, personnel bylaw employees, unionized employees and other miscellaneous employees. $189,890 to be transferred from Article 19 of the Annual Town Meeting May 2013, the amount of $4,021 from the Tax Levy, and $30,121 to be transferred from Water Enterprise Retained Earnings, $8,636 to be transferred from Sewer Retained Earnings all to be disbursed to the following departmental budgets:

Selectmen $10,844

Accountant/Auditor $12,077

Assessors $10,780

Treasurer/Tax Collector $9,326

Computer $700.00

Clerk/Registrar of Voters $9,919

Conservation Commission $3,252

Ambulance/Paramedic $3,030

Building Inspector $6,728

Sealer of Weights $286.00

Tree Warden $2,000

Natural Resources $1,284

Highway $30,180

Board of Health $6,956

Public Health Nurse $1,390

Council of Aging $1,213

Veteran’s Administration $1,418

Library $24,068

Recreation $403

Water $30,121

Sewer $8,636

Total: $232,668

Article 14, Adoption of Personnel Schedules: to approve amendments to various Personnel Schedules and Classifications in the by-laws and funding to transfer a sum of money from appropriated Article 19 of the May 2013 Annual Town Meeting and the Tax Levy for funding.

Donald Fleming, 4 Church St., asked permission to put a motion before the meeting to increase fire suppression command officers hourly rate from that which was being requested. After some quick calculations and an opportunity to ask for more funding at the next Town Meeting should a shortfall occur the motion was allowed. It didn’t pass (yes 31, no 66) and the original motion was carried.

Article 15, Equipping of Rescue Boat: $59,000 from free cash to fund town-owned boat for use as a rescue boat, and to purchase two outboard engines, accessory engine equipment, navigational and communication equipment and any services incidental and related to the boat.

Article 17, Bike Path Funds Legal and Plans Expenses for the Receipt of Gift from YMCA: $20,000 from Free Cash for legal fees, documentation from the gift.

Article 18, Naskatucket Land Grant: borrow $387,500 costs for purchasing the fee simple interest for land located on west side of Brandt Island Road, 27 acres, for conservation and passive recreational use.

Article 19, Mattapoisett River Land Aquifer Land Grant: $481,000, to purchase land located along Acushnet Road, 16.61 acres. No cost to the town, being paid for by outside grants being paid to the town.

Article 20, Transfer of Funds: transfer from Article 2 of the May 2013 Annual Town Meeting Assessor’s Expense Budget, “Other Professional Services,” $15,000, for assessing data collection.

By Marilou Newell

Budget Forecast Sees Modest Jump

on November 18, 2013

Town Administrator Richard LaCamera presented the Budget Projections for Fiscal Year 2015, saying that the town would have about $450,000 more to spend than it did for 2014, though he said that wouldn’t go very far in the grand scheme of things.

“It doesn’t go a long way,” he said. “We’re not going to have much more to spend than we did last year.”

LaCamera said he made conservative estimates using numbers from the past four years for things like state aid, excise taxes, and local receipts, adding that he didn’t foresee any big jumps in revenue from any of those categories.

He said that the overall budget for the town was about $18 million, and that the increase in funding came from tax revenue from permits from upward of 10 construction projects, as well as $40,000 in revenue from the New Bedford Waterworks solar project, among other sources of revenue.

The Selectmen also signed off on an application for a Community Innovative Challenge grant, which is being filed in conjunction with Marion and Mattapoisett, for the purchase of a vacuum truck to be used by all three towns.

The truck, which is estimated to cost around $370,000, would be used to manage storm water in emergencies as well as in catch basins. According to Highway Supervisor Jeff Eldridge, the truck would be housed in Rochester, because it is the only town with the facilities to do so.

“I think it’s a great item to regionalize,” Eldridge said.

The Selectmen also announced a decision to donate a 1993 ambulance to the town of Northfield. The ambulance has not been used by Rochester for some time, and according to LaCamera, Northfield has sponsored a survival program that Rochester seventh graders have attended for the past 45 years.

“It has very little value on the auction market,” LaCamera said. “They always support us. I think it’s a great thing that we can do this for them.”

The Selectmen also met with the Finance Committee to review several Articles on the Warrant for Town Meeting on November 25, with either the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee supporting all of the articles except for one; the Selectmen unanimously disapproved of an article that would allow for a Community Preservation Act in Rochester.

By Nick Walecka

Happy Holler Daze, Chapter One

on November 18, 2013

Happy Holler Daze, Chapter One: There’s No Present Like Time

The pretty leaves are falling. Halloween is a distant memory. Lawn furniture is going into storage. And now … oh, no, here come The Holidays!

For those in charge of the holiday plans, this time of the year can be anxiety-producing. First, there is the culinary coordination of Thanksgiving. Then, seemingly before we’ve digested the feast we’ve shared with family and friends, there’s Black Friday. We put ourselves into this mode of gift buying, wrapping, decorating, cooking, spending, spending, spending, like a madness taking us over, and call it … hmmmm … consumerism syndrome. Go to any retail venue and watch the parents with pinched faces trying to secure a must-have item.

We’ve been trained to believe we need all of these things – these bits and pieces made in factories all over the globe – in order to be happy, feel appreciated, feel loved. Let me tell you what it really is: a load of marketing crap! Yes, I, too, will do some shopping. I, too, will reminisce over Christmases past where ripped wrapping paper was strewn over the floor and exhausted grown-ups were passed out after the holiday meal. I’ll participate in the madness to a certain degree; no one wants to be called a Scrooge. But I’ve come to believe that Christmas should mean something else, not a mad dash to the finish line. Christmas in bygone eras was rather different.

As I recall, my father always looked forward to the dinner. He also appreciated a package of handkerchiefs, a box of chocolate-covered cherries, a pair of woolen socks. As a boy born into abject poverty in 1918, Christmas celebrations were Biblically based. The mass marketing that turned this time of the year into stockholder sugar plum dreams hadn’t materialized yet, if you’ll forgive the pun. He enjoyed simple foods, along with nuts ready for the cracking, while at the ancient upright piano, his mother and grandmother played the old-time Christmas carols: “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “We Three Kings,” “Joy To The World.” I wish he were alive today so I could make him his favorite mince pie and hold his hand just once more. But his time ran out nearly two years ago.

My mother’s childhood began nearly a decade later in 1923. Her childhood memories of Christmas past include fine meals laid out by her hardworking mother, whose kitchen talents are now legendary. They might have spent most of the winter months eating baked beans, potato soup, and cranberry sauce sandwiches, but for Christmas there was always a leading star on the table. Whether it was a beef roast or turkey, my grandmother somehow produced it for her children. Her father would travel to New Bedford and bring home oranges or apples and a favorite treat, rock candy. These were the highlights of their holiday celebration, as I don’t think gifts were available or even popularly given in their economic strata at that time.

With parents whose holiday backgrounds were so modest, you won’t be surprised to learn that when they could, they did provide everything to their children. Therefore, my Christmas memories are much richer in terms of stuff, loot, gifts under the tree.

There would always be the stocking, not hung by the chimney with care because we never had a fireplace, but instead pinned to the back of an upholstered armchair. In the toe, we’d find a 50-cent piece, a delicious apple, an orange, some candies or nuts, and rising out of the top a chocolate covered marshmallow Santa. When the year had been profitable for Dad, we had plenty of gifts. There were, of course, those gifts that were still considered necessary, like new underwear, socks, or pajamas. Yet these sour notes were leavened by a Shirley Temple doll, a Howdy Doody puppet, or in later years for my brother, a cowboy play set that included the Lone Ranger and Tonto. One year, I got the gift-of-all-gifts for a little girl: toy kitchen appliances, pots and pans, and real fake food. I was in kid heaven!

When things didn’t go so well for Dad’s business, somehow my mother still managed finances well enough to give us something we wished for from the Sears and Roebuck Catalog. As we got older and understood the miracle of Christmas wasn’t Santa, but instead our parents’ ability to provide a warm, comfortable home for us, we tempered our expectations and still they strived to give us what they never had had themselves – possessions.

Today, my 90-year-old mother understands that possessions are meaningless. Sure, we had the momentary innocent joy of playing with toys while our parents looked on confident they had done the right thing and spent money that might have found better use in a savings account. But when she was a young wife and mother in post-WWII America, she, along with dad, embraced the growing belief that possessions denoted success. She knows better now, but no one is listening. I wish she could still walk so I could bring her home with me, have her surrounded by my growing extended family, and sit beside her in the glow of the Christmas lights. Her time is running out.

Because I was trained to be a consuming Christian, when my son came along I tried to provide for him as my parents did for me at Christmas time. The big difference is that I also understood the importance of time. Since I worked outside the home from his infancy, I appreciated my time with him. Time was the biggest gift and my undivided attention is really all he wanted.

All those possessions I gave him not only for Christmas but other celebrations, too, are now stored in plastic containers. Matchbox cars, Lincoln Logs, Star Wars spaceships and characters, Batman and Robin figures, The Six Million Dollar Man set, cases of storybooks, barrels of Legos, all stand in silent testimony of my love. What does he remember most of all these things? The time we spent together playing with them. Time.

We still have holiday parties and give gifts. With five grand-daughters (now all nearly grown), one grandson (four years old), and three great-grandchildren, we’ve had to be more conservative in our gift-giving policy. It isn’t what they want, anyway, not really. What they want is to come together as a family and tell stories about staying overnight with us when they were little kids and all the fun things we did together. They want us to look at them now and be proud of their accomplishments, talk to them about their future hopes, and maybe make their favorite holiday fare for the dinner table. They want us, not possessions.

Yes, I love a sparkly Christmas tree adorned with my grandmother’s antique ornaments at the very top. I love lights shining on a dark Christmas Eve when all is still and we once again wait for the arrival of Christmas morning. But what we want most of all is the gift of our children’s time, to have them slow down from their busy schedules and say, “It’s good to see you.”

As you begin the preparations for your family celebrations, whether they are religiously based or otherwise, maybe among the items you’ll be giving to your loved ones will be a tiny box into which you’ve placed a note saying something to the effect of “This is a gift certificate worth more than money can buy – I give you my time, redeemable as you wish, but please don’t wait too long.”

By Marilou Newell

Students Team Up With Mattapoisett Land Trust

on November 17, 2013

Last week, 15 students from Old Rochester Regional High School volunteered to help the Mattapoisett Land Trust restore an overgrown blueberry patch. The students – all members of either the Community Service Learning club (CSL) or the Environmental Club – were dismissed early on November 5 to work with the Land Trust.

“Each student was given work gloves, a MLT volunteer t-shirt, and a task to complete,” said Ellen Flynn, a member of the Mattapoisett Land Trust. The main job was to clear away branches and wood chips in between the rows of blueberry bushes.

“It was totally overgrown when it was purchased by the Land Trust,” said Mary Cabral, a teacher at ORR and advisor for CSL. After being untreated for many years, white pines and maple trees had grown throughout the 1,500 blueberry bushes on the land. These trees were cut down and chipped, leaving debris between the bushes that needed to be cleared. Still, Cabral said the blueberry patch was “an amazing piece of property.”

The space surrounding the approximately 680 bushes had already been cleared by the Land Trust, and the ORR students helped to continue these efforts. For about an hour, the students used rakes and wheelbarrows to clear the debris to the outskirts of the property. Flynn described the student volunteers as “wonderfully willing and hardworking.”

Healthy snacks were provided when it was time for a break. “One young student had never had a blueberry, so that was a perfect segue for Director Mike Huguenin to begin his brief discussion regarding the North American blueberry, the genus Vaccinium, its characteristics and history,” Flynn said.

Huguenin, also a member of the Mattapoisett Land Trust, gave a short presentation on the process of soil testing. “He talked about the pH levels and how an application of humic acid needed to be added to the soil,” Flynn said. Huguenin also demonstrated the proper method of collecting soil samples using a specific digging tool. He explained how one must take samples from different areas around the property in order to get a complete analysis.

“The students seemed very engaged whenever any one of us addressed them or was giving instruction,” recalled Flynn, who said she was pleased with the event. “There is so much to share and so much to learn from each other.”

Cabral and Lynn Connor, a teacher at ORR and advisor for Environmental Club, both expressed positive opinions about the volunteer work. “It worked out really well,” noted Cabral, saying she hopes the clubs will work with the Mattapoisett Land Trust again in the future.

After all, there is still plenty of work left to do with the blueberry patch restoration project. After clearing the space between the rows of bushes, the Land Trust plans to plant new blueberry bushes as well. “I explained to the group that many community members have donated money to buy a blueberry bush in their name or in the name of a loved one, and an ultimate goal will be that in two to three years people will be picking blueberries free on this well- preserved piece of land,” said Flynn.

With the help of ORR volunteers and others in the community, this goal is within sight. As an added bonus, this volunteer trip helped to establish an educational outreach between the high school and the Mattapoisett Land Trust. ORR Environmental Science teacher Laura Jean Champagne hopes to bring in guest speakers from the Land Trust, and possibly get her students to work hands on at the Land Trust properties as well.

In other news, the CSL club would like to send out a “thank you” to all of the families who donated costumes to their Halloween costume drive. CSL would also like to thank the elementary schools in the ORR district for organizing the costume drive at their locations.

In total, CSL collected about 170 Halloween costumes. While some costumes went to students in the Tri-Town, the majority of donations went to Gifts to Give.

“One hundred and seventy children in the New Bedford area got costumes because of the generosity of [the] Old Rochester district,” Cabral said.

As the holiday season rolls in, ORR hopes to keep this generous spirit high. National Honor Society will be starting their annual Thanksgiving canned goods collection this week. Donation boxes will be placed in the students’ homerooms. After Thanksgiving, the CSL will be starting their second annual Toys for Tots collection. The students of ORR are showing their generosity more and more as the year progresses.

By Renae Reints