Christmas in May in Marion

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There’s no snow on the ground, but there is a Christmas tree.  Marion’s new town Christmas tree arrived and was planted on Friday.  The twenty foot Concolor Fir, from upstate New York has a root ball nine feet by three feet.  The tree is a type of white fir with light colored bark and silver blue-green needles.

Members of the town tree committee, along with the Department of Public Works, used a crane to move the massive tree off a flat bed trailer, over to the hole and into place at its home in Bicentennial Park in Marion.

Passers-by stopped to watch the effort and marvel at the beauty of the tree.  Seeing the commotion, several Town House employees came out to snap photos.

“It’s tradition in France to throw a coin into the hole so the tree will flourish,” said Danielle Francis.  Francis provided coins to several of the onlookers resulting in a total of seventy eight cents under the root ball of the new tree.

DPW employees who helped maneuver it joked that an upstate NY squirrel or bird might fly out out the branches at any moment.              When asked about the age of the tree, Steve Gonsalves of the Marion Tree Committee said it was “a teenager who was moving into town.”  The life span of the tree could be up to one hundred years.

According to Gonsalves, the tree was hand dug and the root ball was drum laced, meaning it was covered with hay, carefully wrapped in burlap and had a wood cap over the base.

The old Christmas tree was a Colorado Blue Spruce which died over time.  The Tree Committee raised the $1400 cost of the new tree, along with the $700 transportation fee to bring it to Marion.

“It’s a nice looking tree and we’ll make sure it is properly cared for,” said Gilly Leonardo, Foreman of the DPW.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry

Anna White’s Deep Rochester Roots

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“I guess it’s because I’m older than most,” said Anna White, Rochester’s most esteemed historian, during an interview at her home. “I know some of the history first hand.”

Born on in Rochester in 1927 in the Dexter Lane house of her family, White has spent all but about 12 years of her life living and working in Rochester. That’s more than 70 years in one place, and White hasn’t been afraid to share her vast knowledge with the rest of the townspeople.

Recently, White decided to retire from the Rochester Historical Commission, possibly marking the first time in the history of the Commission that she has not served on it.

“Fred Underhill, who is now Chairman, asked me not too long ago, he said ‘Anna, were you on the first Historical Commission?’ and I suspect maybe I was. Way back when I was working for the town, there was no Historical Commission.”

White said that she spent many years working for the town as its secretary at Town Hall, and she has helped write some of the history for the town and its buildings through the Historical Commission.

“I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve done,” White said. “I love the town. It’s a wonderful place to live and grow up in.”

After she married her husband Ainsley, who passed away about 20 years ago, he took a job in Western Massachusetts, and she worked as a secretary at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Ultimately, they decided to move back to Rochester, and she has lived here ever since.

“My mother was a Hartley,” White said, referring to one of the town’s oldest families and whom Hartley Road is named after. “I’m related to half the town. Not so much now, but then – I had dozens of cousins, literally.”

White said that she had always taken an interest in all things Rochester, and was surprised to learn that the board wanted to make her an honorary member of the Historical Commission. She stressed the importance of preserving the history of the town, and hopes people continue with the work that has already been done by her and her fellow members of the Commission.

Naida Parker, Chair of the Board of Selectman, commended White at the Board’s meeting Monday night.

“It’s disappointing that she needs to give her seat up,” Parker said. “She has an amazing memory for the history of this town.”

White said that she has three children, six grandchildren, and a number of great grandchildren who are scattered all over the country. Though they’re not all present to witness it, she wants them to know about the history of the town that the family’s roots have sunk so deeply into.

“I’m fascinated by the things that went on in my parents’ early life, and things will change I’m sure in the future, but my grandchildren – how will they know about it if something wasn’t written down somewhere?”

By Nick Walecka

Destination Imagination Fundraiser

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The pride of Massachusetts, perennial powerhouse the G.E.E.K.S. (Great Educated Entertaining Kids), have once again cracked the Global Finals in the Destination Imagination tournament.

In order to make it from the Tri-Town to Knoxville, Tenn., for the competition, the team needs your help. On Sunday, May 5, the G.E.E.K.S. – made up of Old Rochester Regional Junior High Schoolers Sara Lafrance, Holly Frink, Ed Krawczyck, Rikard Bodin, and Kyle Rood – will host a car wash at the Mattapoisett Fire Station.

The travel expenses are just one more problem for these dynamic students to solve. Destination Imagination, incorporated in 1999, is a New Jersey-based nonprofit organization with international reach. Its mission is to teach students from kindergarten to college three skills: creativity, teamwork and problem-solving.

“This is the Super Bowl of Destination Imagination,” Rood said. “Last year we placed ninth in the world! Please help us get there again.”

The car wash starts at 10:00 am and runs through 2:00 pm on Sunday at the Mattapoisett Fire House.


Officials Eye Full-Day K, Nix Choice

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The Rochester Memorial School Committee met Thursday evening, and among many issues discussed was the unanimous decision to not go forward with the School Choice program, and also to study a potential switch from a half-day kindergarten to a full-day program.

The School Choice program as discussed by the Committee would have allowed for up to 10 students from outside the district to attend RMS by using funds provided by the former district to pay for the student’s tuition.

“There are a lot of variables that come into play,” said Superintendent Douglas White. “Where the economy is at, I just don’t know what that looks like going forward. I think that staying the way we are is the most efficient way to continue on at this time.”

The committee also addressed the potential move to a full-day K program, which most members are leaning toward but won’t vote on until June.

“I feel very strongly about the full-day K,” White said. “You have to be careful about how many changes you make,” referring to potentially switching to full kindergarten and School Choice at the same time.

White added that Marion had also voted against School Choice for their schools, but that it is an option districts will revisit.

Committee officials, meanwhile, seemed excited about the switch to full-day K, which would have a limit of 25 students for the class. There would be seven slots for half-day students, but those students’ parents would be responsible for their own transportation.

The Committee discussed two potential plans for the Full Day program: one with tuition, and one without, with the major difference between the two being the cost of bus transportation. Without tuition, there would be no transportation provided. Officials also stated that additional grant money would be made available under a no-tuition plan.

It is not yet clear which option the board will pursue, but further discussions will be held in the near future before a vote.

“I feel like we are really close,” said Sharon Hartley of the Committee. “I believe the town leaders would support us on this.”

In other news, the Committee unanimously approved a plan to construct a new playground at RMS for students in grades two through six. Donna Forcier and Erin Bednarczyk, who are co-chairs for the Playground Committee, presented a plan alongside Cindy Maak of Rochester, who designed the new playground and who has helped design more than 800 playgrounds total, including many in the area.

According to the Playground Committee, approximately $27,000 was raised in the last three years, but nothing had been done to move forward with the project. They formed at the beginning of this year, and were able to construct a plan for the new equipment, which will cost about $29,000. The PTO will have another fundraiser in the near future to supply the remaining funds.

“We’re going to order the equipment tomorrow,” Bednarczyk said. “It’s nice to see it get done. For three years, the kids played on asphalt.”

By Nick Walecka

Joanne Chittenden Furtado

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Joanne Chittenden Furtado, 77, of Mattapoisett, died April 17, 2013. She was the wife of Bob Furtado of Mattapoisett, and former wife of the late David Chittenden.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her daughter Janice Haggan, her husband Wallace and their son Patrick, of Pembroke; and her son, Alan Chittenden of Plymouth.

Joanne passed away at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford after suffering with cancer for many years. She was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston under the direction of Dr. Steven McAfee and all of the wonderful nurses, practitioners and staff in the Cancer Infusion Unit.

At periods of time when she was at home, she was being treated by the wonderful staff of Community Nurse and Hospice Care of Fairhaven. Her family would also like to express their many thanks to the Mattapoisett Police, Ambulance and EMT’s.

Private Funeral Services were held on April 24, 2013 at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. Burial followed in the family plot at St. Anthony’s Cemetery, Mattapoisett.

‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at RMS

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Thirty-six Rochester Memorial School fifth- and sixth-graders, with the help of six junior high and high school students, will present a public performance of “The Taming of the Shrew” on May 3, 7:00 pm, at RMD. The production is directed by Danni Kleiman, with costumes by Kate Tarleton.

Marion Recreation Info Night

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Marion Recreation will be holding a Summer Program Information and Registration Night on May 6 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Sippican School. Please enter from the Park Street entrance, at the Bus Loop. In addition to Camp Silvershell, we offer Sailing, Swimming Lessons, Dance Camps, Basketball Clinics, Digital Photography, Counselor in Training, Junior Lifeguard Program, and much more. Participants do not need to be Marion residents. For information, please call Marion Recreation at 774-217- 8355 or e-mail info@marionrecreation.com.

MLT Sponsors Horseshoe Crab Lecture

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Horseshoe crabs are one of the most ancient animals on earth, as well as one of the most unusual and most useful to mankind. In the midst of the crab’s spring spawning season, the Mattapoisett Land Trust invites the public to join its members and friends on May 11 for a lecture about horseshoe crabs by Vin Malkoski, Senior Marine Fisheries Biologist for the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in New Bedford. We will learn more about what makes this arthropod so unique and important to Massachusetts fisheries and what we can do to ensure that horseshoe crabs continue to visit Mattapoisett each spring.

The lecture will take place at the Friends’ Meeting House on Marion Road (Route 6) in Mattapoisett beginning at 1:00 pm. The presentation is part of the Land Trust’s annual meeting and will follow a potluck lunch at noon, to which the public is also invited.

For more information about the presentation, visit the MLT website at www.mattlandtrust.org or leave a voice message at 774-377-9191.

ORR Students to Attend Boys’ and Girls’ State

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Ten members of the Class of 2014 at Old Rochester Regional High School will be attending the Boys’/Girls’ State Convention sponsored by the American Legion’s Florence Eastman Post 280, June 15-21, at Stonehill College in North Easton.

The Mattapoisett Lions’ Club will sponsor Michael J. Wyman, Colin D. Knapton, Callie Gomes, and Ruhi Raje. Lawrence DiCara, Esq., will sponsor Haakon W. Perkins, Robert H. Magee, and Kelly Merlo. The Machacam Club will sponsor Andrew M. Ryan. Also, the Florence Eastman Post 280 will sponsor Renae Reints and Anne Roseman.

To be eligible for Boys’/Girls’ State, a student must be a member of the junior class who has achieved high academic success. Delegates must also show evidence of leadership ability and an interest in the democratic process. At the convention, delegates will study local and state government. They will establish and operate their own cities and town and state government in miniature. This will include forming two political parties, holding conventions, nominating candidates, conducting campaigns, and electing officials. The primary goal of Boys’/Girls’ State is for attendees to develop a better understanding of how State Government functions.

Hockey’s Peterson Wins Major Award

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Every year, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association pairs up with the Boston Bruins to award a sportsmanship award to one individual from each high school hockey league in the state. According to the MIAA, the award goes to a player who “best exemplifies the highest standards of fair play and sportsmanship.” This year, Old Rochester Regional High School senior and Rochester resident Garrett Peterson was selected by the South Coast Conference to receive the award.

Peterson, a defenseman who has played ice hockey on the Old Rochester/Fairhaven team for all four years of high school, attended a ceremony at the TD Garden on April 8 to receive the award. He and the other recipients watched the Bruins battle the Carolina Hurricanes, and during the second intermission, he was presented the medal by Bruins legend Johnny Bucyk.

Peterson had good reason to be selected. Sportsmanship aside, he led the ORR/Fairhaven Bulldogs to their first outright South Coast Conference title in 30 years. Along with seniors Cam Severino, Cam O’Connor, Nick Johnson, and Zack Matthews, Peterson led a team of 10 underclassmen (including his younger brother, Zach) and four eighth-graders to a playoff berth, where they lost to Scituate High School in the opening round.

But Peterson exhibited a lot more than just skill: His sportsmanship and hard work left nothing to be desired. Coach Eric Labonte, who transformed an inexperienced Bulldog team into a SCC championship team in his first year, had nothing but praise for Peterson.

“In my 18 years of coaching high school hockey, Garrett Peterson is the most polite, kind-hearted student athlete I have ever met,” Labonte said. “He was always positive, no matter what the situation. He always gave 100 percent of his very best effort and always put his team first.”

In the hard-hitting game of ice hockey, it’s difficult to demonstrate conduct and poise while simultaneously leading a team to victory, but Peterson was able to juggle his responsibilities as a player and as a leader for the Bulldogs. Because of his camaraderie and love of the game, Garrett joins Patrick Haverty as one of two Bulldogs to ever receive the award in its eleven years of existence.

Peterson is an honor roll student at Old Rochester, and will be attending Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he will major in electro-mechanical engineering.

By Michael Kassabian