Parents Raise Concerns About Class Size

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A group of parents asked the Mattapoisett School Committee at its meeting Monday night about the impact of a teacher cut and a potential elementary school choice program on sixth-grade class sizes at Old Hammondtown Elementary.

Recalling a similar class-size increase in recent years, parent Penny Cole said there was “lots of waiting and some discontentment among the kids.” Cole expressed concern about a fiscal year 2014 cut from four teachers to three, bringing the number of students in each section closer to the mid-20s.

“We’re also concerned about where you’re headed on school choice,” Cole said. “What is going to be the cutoff point for individual class size?”

School Committee Chair James Higgins replied that as a parent of a sixth-grader himself, he is “very sensitive to the issue of class size,” and that the “unwritten rule of thumb is 22 [students] or less” capping class sizes.

“All of the conversations about school choice have centered around not negatively impacting class size,” Higgins said, adding that while he is “conflicted” about the looming school choice issue, he is in favor of the program, saying that it could change the lives of some students while bringing in a “small net gain.” Levels of support vary from other committee members leading up to the public hearing at the Old Rochester Regional School District Committee meeting on April 10 at ORR High School.

ORR Superintendent Doug White said that “anything over 25 is an indicator … that would require an adjustment. We will continue to monitor this situation and continue to provide communication.”

One parent commented that the district’s elementary schools are “right on this edge. I just wonder about the big picture.”

OHS Principal Matt D’Andrea emphasized his “complete confidence in the teachers’ ability to reach all of the learners in the classes.” He added that there is an “effective model in place. No student’s education will be compromised.”

When committee members asked parents whether they would support school choice under any circumstances, Stefan Gabriel responded that he would if the program would bring with it a proportionate number of new teachers and paraprofessionals in the face of rising class sizes.

“I’m opposed to it,” he continued, “if it brings more students with the same number of teachers that we have, placing an extra burden on our teaching resources.”

Also discussed on Monday were the advantages and disadvantages of Mattapoisett – along with Marion and Rochester – adopting a full-day kindergarten program and phasing out half-day K altogether. While concerns once again centered around class size, the committee was in general enthusiastic about the curricular and financial gains that the shift could bring. Although the first year of “Full Day K” would cost the district upward of $25,000, state incentives would erase that deficit and bring with it additional revenue as soon as year two, according to White. Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos, who made the evening’s presentation, said that discussions will continue.

Elsewhere on the agenda:

OHS sixth-grader Carly O’Connell was recognized for placing first nationwide in the SIFMA Foundation’s InvestWrite® student essay competition.

The committee discussed the Facilities Director’s report on the progress of repairs on the Center Elementary clock tower.

Frangos and Director of Technology Ryan McGee reported on the Mattapoisett Professional Development Needs Assessment.

Center Principal Rose Bowman commended the third-grade class on its preparation for the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, while D’Andrea announced that OHS’s gold-medal-winning band would play at Boston Symphony Hall on April 13 at 10:30am.

By Shawn Badgley

Marion Fireworks Gala Beach Party

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Over one hundred people attended the Marion Fireworks Beach Gala on Saturday April6th to show their support for the 2013 July 4th Fireworks. They enjoyed dancing, complimentary food, a raffle and an auction. The night was a great success and thanks go out to everyone for their support.

Photos by Paul Lopes

ORR Lacrosse Tops Bourne on Overtime

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ORR came back from a three goal deficit at the half to pull out an overtime victory over Bourne in the league opener for both teams.  Cam Severino led the way for the Bulldogs with 5 goals and an assist as well as the game-winning goal.  Chris Marchisio and Max Houck had outstanding games as well with Marchisio scoring 2 and assisting on three others while Houck had 2 goals.  Marchisio and Houck also dominated the face-offs for ORR winning 20 of 24.  Todd Johnson had the other goal for ORR.  Gerald Lanagan was strong in net with 14 saves.

ORR travels to Pope John Paul (Hyannis) on Monday.

Exploring the “L.C.Humphrey Papers”

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The April 17th meeting of the Rochester Historical Society will be at 7pm in the East Rochester Church/Museum, 355 County Road, Rochester. Program for the evening will be “ Exploring the “L.C.Humphrey Papers” with Fran Florindo. The Humphrey Papers are an interesting, sometimes humorous, collection of memories of farm life and the people in Rochester from the late 1870s through 1953 compiled by Judy Gurney through interviews with Mr. Humphrey, local historian, farmer, and Rochester assessor. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Donald A. “Donny” Campbell, III

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Donald A. “Donny” Campbell, III, 60, of Rochester, died April 5, 2013 at home after an illness. He was the husband of Susan J. (Mannion) Campbell and the son of the late Donald A. Campbell, Jr. and Doris M. (Robinson) Campbell.

He was born in Toledo, OH and lived in Freetown before moving to Rochester in 2000.

He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.

Mr. Campbell was a Sergeant at Bridgewater State Hospital for 26 years. He retired in 2009.

He was a member of the American Legion Post in Plymouth. He enjoyed scuba diving.

Survivors include his widow, Susan J. Campbell; his son, Donald A. Campbell, IV of Rochester; his stepchildren, Matthew Burke of Bridgewater, Michael Burke of VA, Molly Burke of New Bedford and Mikayla Burke of Rochester; his step grandson, Trevor Burke of New Bedford; a brother, Dennis Campbell of FL; a sister, Debra Salminen of Carver.

His funeral will be held at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 8, 2013 in the Chapman, Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 2599 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham. Visiting hours are from 2 to 4 on Monday at the funeral home.

Burial at the Massachusetts National Cemetery will be held at a later date.

RMS Budget Under Discussion

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The Rochester School Committee held a public hearing Thursday to discuss the proposed budget of Rochester Memorial School for fiscal year 2014.

The proposal, which is for $5,526,343, shows a decrease of $46,771 from fiscal year 2013, which was $5,573,114.

It includes the elimination of two teacher positions at RMS and the addition of an administrative position at the school. Superintendent Douglas White noted that the decrease is a result from changes in staffing, a decrease in students attending Bristol County Agricultural High School, and a decrease in special education services for students in the district, among several other factors.

“I just tried to capture the overall the budget and let you know how the budget has gone up and down,” White said. He noted several areas where spending had gone up, as well, but overall, spending is projected to be decreased.

“There’s a need for administration within the building,” said White, citing an overall decrease in enrollment by about 50 as justification for eliminating two teaching positions. He said that the staff will still be “well equipped” to handle the amount of students that are enrolled.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Elise Frangos also supported the change, citing recent tragedies at schools as one example of a need for more administration within the school.

“Part and parcel of the administrator is to ensure that everyone is safe and serves as another set of eyes.”

She also added that the part of the point of hiring an experienced administrator is for them to assist and make an impression on the teachers themselves.

“Invariably, when you hire an administrator, that person comes with an area of expertise,” Frangos said.

The budget still needs to be approved at the Rochester Town Meeting on May 20 before it can be implemented.

By Nick Walecka

Mary “Bonnie” (Walsh) Davidson

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Mary “Bonnie” (Walsh) Davidson, 57, of Marion died April 4, 2013 at home after a courageous battle with breast cancer.

She was the wife of Paul D. Davidson, with whom she shared 35 years of marriage.

Born in Cambridge, MA, the daughter of the late John and Mary (Breslin) Walsh, she was raised in Arlington, MA and lived in Holyoke, MA and Maryville, TN before moving to Marion 15 years ago.

Bonnie was a communicant of St. Anthony’s Church in Mattapoisett.

She was employed by the American Cancer Society of Brockton and formerly was a real estate agent with Jack Conway in Mattapoisett and was an instructor at Bristol Community College in Fall River.

Bonnie was one of the original organizers of the Tri-Town Relay for Life and was an author of several “Chicken Soup for the Soul” stories.

Survivors include her husband; a son, John Davidson of Marion; 2 daughters, Robyn Galbreath and her husband Bertrand of Southbridge, MA and Lisa Lockhead and her husband Christopher of Stoughton, MA; a sister, Maureen Dunn of North Chelmsford, MA; and a grandson, Sean Galbreath.

Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday at 10 AM in St. Anthony’s Church, Mattapoisett. Visiting hours will be on Wednesday from 4-8 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Mattapoisett Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd., Route 6, Mattapoisett. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society, 5 Manley St., Bridgewater, MA 02379. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.

Bee is the Buzz in Mattapoisett

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In order to earn the title of Town’s Best Orthographer, you had better know how to spell that word and many more. Orthography is the standardization of writing systems, including the rules of spelling, and it will be on serious display April 26 during the Second Annual Mattapoisett Community Spelling Bee at the Old Rochester Regional High School Auditorium.

While the event — postponed from April 5 because of a scheduling conflict — is a spectator sport open to everyone for a $5 per person/$20 per family admission, those brave souls interested in competing must register their three-member teams by April 19. But space is filling up fast.

“We can only have 20 teams, so if we reach 20 teams prior to April 19,  then we will not be accepting more applications,” said organizer Kris Higgins. “Currently, we only have 10 teams, however, we know from last year that teams were finalized closer to the deadline. There has to be an even number of teams by fours, so we potentially may increase the number of teams to 24 if there is a need.”

All proceeds from the popular event will benefit the Mattapoisett PTA.

“We work hard all year fundraising so that we can add to our children’s learning with arts and humanity programs,” Higgins said. “Thanks to [the Mattapoisett PTA’s] Debra Nettles, we have amazing programs such as the Museum of Science Boston Traveling Program with the Star Lab for the sixth-graders and Electromagnetism for K through third graders, and the New England Percussion Ensemble came to both Center and Old Hammondtown. Also, by fundraising, we are able to allow the students to attend field trips at a lesser cost to the families, or in some cases nothing at all. Next week, the first-grade students will be attending ‘Charlotte’s Web’ at the Zeiterion in New Bedford with no cost at all to the families.”

The words for the single-elimination Community Spelling Bee are drawn from the National Spelling Bee. There will be five rounds with 20 teams and six rounds if there are 24, plus a Final Round of high-stakes wordiness until only one team remains. OHS fourth-grade teacher Kevin Tavares will have the all-important job of announcing, while Center School Principal Rose Bowman, OHS Principal Matt D’Andrea, and Center School teacher Jen Aguiar will judge. To keep things light amid heavy competition, Mike Rock from Fun107 will emcee, with music provided from deejay Mike Bowman. There will be raffles, refreshments, face painting and kids’ games, as well.

“It was a great event last year,” Higgins said. “Everyone was excited and talking about their team names, outfits they were going to wear and who would win. We even had some teams studying from the dictionary.”

That’s just the kind of dedication it will take to be climb to the top of the orthography mountain. But time is running out; for registration, admission, and sponsorship info, email khiggins43@verizon.net or amywiggin@verizon.net.

By Shawn Badgley

ORR Alumnus Goes to Nationals

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Nicole Pruchnik said that she was five or six years old when she first started flipping.

“I was a kamikaze — I just went,” said the 18-year-old Southern Connecticut State University freshman and graduate of Old Rochester Regional High School. “They would put me in the gym and I would just go. You just kind of fit. When you’re a gymnast, it just feels right. It doesn’t scare you, because it’s just what you do.”

Pruchnik recently earned Rookie of the Year commendation for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference for gymnastics after last weekend’s finals, where she and eight other teammates also earned the right to compete in the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championships from April 12-14 in Shreveport, Louisiana.

She said that she started gymnastics when she was about four years old, but that her experience this year has been a “challenge” compared to all the years she spent practicing and competing locally.

“It was fun, if you want to sum it up in one word,” Pruchnik said. “It was kind of unexpected. Going into college gymnastics, it’s very, very different. You go from not having any team at all to having 20 other girls that have the same skills as me — cheering me on and trying to make me do better — everything is for the team now. It’s not all about you anymore. Everything you do affects the other 20 girls and all the coaches. And you have your school’s name written on you.”

Pruchnik also said that the experience has been “nerve-wracking, but worth it.”

At SCSU, Pruchnik said that she has a 3.3 GPA so far and that she has applied to the Athletic Training Program there.

At the ECAC finals last weekend, SCSU came in second place, and they broke the school record for the floor routine, as well as the school record for team total, which they had already broken at the previous meet.

Pruchnik, who won ECAC Rookie of the Week three times and won ECAC Gymnast of the Week once this year, regularly competes in three events out of a total of four: beam, floor and vault. She has qualified to compete in both floor and vault at Nationals. Out of seven freshmen on the team, three will be at Nationals, which she calls “huge.” She says that, of the three, the floor routine is her favorite.

“I have the most fun on floor. It’s not so much that you’re telling a story when you’re on floor, but you’re trying to engage everyone,” she said. “You’re trying to get the audience in and the judges into it. It’s more of the entertainment aspect of gymnastics.

Pruchnik said that she ran track freshman year at ORR, but couldn’t continue because she was too involved with gymnastics. She also said she really enjoys watching football.

“If I was a boy, and a little bigger, I’d play football.”

As far as the Nationals go, the event finals will be on Sunday night, which she hopes to be involved in. All-American commendations will be selected from this event. She also added that competing in Nationals is something she’d like to make a habit.

“I really would love to make Nationals all four years of college,” Pruchnik said. “That would be great. It’s a lot of fun. It is the last meet of the season. You go all out. You do what you know how to do and what you’ve done all year. The rest is up to the judges.”

By Nick Walecka

Relay for Life of Tri-Town

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The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Tri-Town Planning Committee is holding its next meeting for the 2013 season on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:00 pm at the Old Rochester Regional High School Library located at 135 Marion Road, Mattapoisett.

Relay for Life is the signature event of the American Cancer Society. It is a fun-filled, overnight event that mobilizes communities throughout the country to celebrate survivors (anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer), remember loved ones, commit to fight back through healthy lifestyle changes and raise money for the fight against cancer.

Relay for Life is as much an awareness-raiser about the progress against cancer as it is a fundraiser. Individuals who are willing to give their time and energy to this exciting event, as a volunteer or participant, have made a commitment to fight back against this disease and let the community know that you can beat cancer.

Volunteers are needed to organize and recruit teams, seek community support, coordinate logistics, find refreshments and prizes, plan entertainment and lend their support in any way.

To learn more about Relay for Life, visit www.relayforlife.org. For information on the April 10 meeting, or if you would like to volunteer on the Relay for Life Tri-Town Planning Committee, please contact Caryn Hodges Coulombe at 508-989-7805, Pam Houston at 508-922-4024 or Odd Johannessan at 508-971-0176.