New Exhibit Features Local Artists

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It’s January and at the Marion Art Center, that means it’s time for the annual winter members exhibit.  From pastels to oils to multimedia images, the show features some of the best local artists, many of whom who live right here in the Tri-Town.

“We have 65 paintings, which is great for winter membership,” said MAC executive director Deb Bokelkamp.  “It’s one of the benefits of being a member.  Some of these artists are well-known and are selling all the time.  Some are new, waiting for that first sale.”

The winter show is one of two member shows MAC has every year, with the second held during the summer.  Over 30 artists are featured in this year’s winter exhibition, each submitted about two works, most of which are displayed at the art center.  A few can be found displayed down the street at the Marion General Store.

The membership exhibition tradition has been around for years, according to Bokelkamp, and always has a strong showing from the artists.

“It’s just what I do,” said Sarah Brown of Rochester, a member of the art center for 47 years, and an artist who has been featured several times over the years in the membership shows.

One of her featured works is done in pastels, a method she’s been working with recently.

“Watercolor is my main medium but I’m moving into pastels,” she said.  “I also have a career as a commercial artist and illustrator.”

Long-time MAC member and Mattapoisett resident Paula Cobb is another featured artist in this year’s winter exhibition.  She is a photographer and painter with two works on display.

“I have that oil painting of the lighthouse over there and I have a photo down at the Marion General Store,” said Cobb.

She’s been dabbling with art her whole life, though she said she doesn’t call herself an artist.  In addition to photography and oil, Cobb also works with watercolor.

She sees the membership shows as a way to not only feature local talent to new eyes but as a mechanism that strengthens the group of artists.

“You get to know everybody and you get to know their work.  The community spirit is good. Most people are very supportive of one another,” she said.

The Marion Art Center winter membership exhibition is open to the public and will run until March 2, 2013.  For more information on the event, visit marionartcenter.org.

By Eric Tripoli

 

SHS Honors Bird Island

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Since 1819, it has been the prominent structure you first see when you enter Sippican Harbor. The Bird Island Lighthouse guided ships for 114 years until 1933. To this day, boaters and residents can still see it.

Given its longevity, there is no doubting the amount of history and the stories to be told about the structure. The Sippican Historical Society is inviting the public to check out their newest exhibit, which highlights several artifacts and paintings of Bird Island.

“We were looking for things we had history on to make a full exhibit,” said Curator Pete Smith. “With this particular lighthouse, we had a lot of stuff on it. We filled the entire room with it.”

When the lighthouse was originally constructed in the 1800s, it was built upon a five-acre plot of land, Smith said. The light keeper’s house as well as a boathouse accompanied it. However, due to erosion from hurricanes and other storms, the land has withered away to one acre of land. The lighthouse remains the only structure intact on the island today after the hurricane of 1938 ravaged the rest of the buildings.

“They have relit the lighthouse, but I don’t think in today’s world with the navigation and radar, it is what it used to be,” said Smith, who is a lifelong Marion resident and has been collecting historical items for the past 50 years.

While the lighthouse might not be used in the same capacity it was a century ago, Sippican Historical Society gives the perfect glimpse into its significance through its 27 pieces. All of the parts of the exhibit have been donated by residents or have come from the federal government.

In addition to photographs and newspaper articles, there are also light keeper logs, vessel journals, souvenir Bird Island China, a brass bell used to alert ships in the harbor of emergencies, and even original garments worn by the light keeper.

“I think you have to have an interest in history and in your hometown,” said Smith. “I like Marion and I like its history.”

The Bird Island exhibit can be seen all throughout the year at the Sippican Historical Society’s Museum located on Front Street next to the Post Office. Admission is free, however donations are always accepted. The exhibit can be viewed during the museum’s normal hours from Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm or on Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. For more information, call the Sippican Historical Society at 508-748-1116.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

Girls’ Basketball Cruises by Wareham

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Having a good girls’ basketball program is something of an expectation at Old Rochester. The varsity head coach, Bob Hohne, has over 500 career wins with the Lady Bulldogs, and the squad always seems to consist of some of the most talented female athletes in the school. This year, after losing no seniors from last year’s team, the girls are expected to do great things. They proved they have what it takes after winning a decisive game against Wareham, 55-34.

The girls got off to an early start and had an 11-0 lead midway through the first quarter and never gave up the lead. After the first half, the Lady Bulldogs had a 29-14 lead, and after outscoring the Lady Vikings 19-9 in the third quarter, the game seemed to be completely in the Bulldogs’ hands.

Sophomore Center Gabby Reuter was the star of the game, scoring a team high of 13 points and recording 8 blocks. Teammate Haley Dickerson had 12 points, and Senior Captain Katie Wilbur chipped in with 9 points to solidify the SCC victory over Wareham. The girls’ next game will be a home game against Bourne on January 11, which could likely decide the winner of the SCC title. Tip-off is slated for 6:30 pm.

The boys’ team was not as successful against the Vikings, as they lost to the dominant Wareham team 65-41. The Bulldogs stayed close after the first quarter of play, only trailing by 1 point, but the Vikings were too much in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Bulldogs 37-15. The boys, led by junior Jeremy Bare with 17 points, never made much of a comeback to compensate for the amount of points they gave up. With the loss, the boys’ record is now 2-4. Their next game is on Friday, January 11 at Bourne High School at 6:30 pm.

Besides basketball, ORR had several shining freshmen and sophomore track athletes that participated in the MSTCA Auerbach Freshmen-Sophomore Meet. Hurdler Kevin Saccone placed first in the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.63, and Alexus Alfonso placed sixth in the high-jump with a leap of 4 feet, 10 inches.

By Michael Kassabian

CPC Taking Public Input

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The Community Preservation Committee met on Thursday night at Center School for the first of four meetings to glean public input on how to revamp the town’s community preservation act.  The CPC developed its first community preservation plan five years ago.

“We felt that it was time to update it, not just because it was five years old, but the law has changed to allow other uses for the money,” said chairman John DeCosta.

Mattapoisett is home to many historical resources from its cemeteries to several of its buildings.  Both histories of local Native American cultures as well as early European settlers have been well documented in the area.  The CPC is dedicated to helping preserve as many of those historical assets as possible via such means as purchasing open space, maintaining archaeological sites, and nominating places for recognition by the National Registry of Historic Places.

DeCosta began the discussion by asking the group to pinpoint historically relevant municipal and institutional buildings, residential structures, agricultural and open space sites, as well as documents and artifacts.

Over 20,000 items can be found at the Mattapoisett Historical Society Museum and Carriage House.

“We recently received a gift from the [New Bedford] Whaling Museum.  It’s the center portion of the original mast of the Wanderer,” said town historian Seth Mendell.  “It is Mattapoisett.”

CPC member Brad Hathaway said he had a collection of historic documents dating back to when the Tri-Town area was known as Rochester.

Given the enormity of the list they compiled, deciding which projects would get high priority was difficult.  Mendell suggested eliminating some items that the committee deemed “stable” and not requiring immediate attention, such as Center School.

During the discussion of how to prioritize, DeCosta broached the subject of how to determine which criteria are used to weigh the importance of each potential project.

Town Administrator Mike Gagne said that funding sources should be considered as part of those guidelines, indicating that there may be other places for which to acquire historic preservation money.

“Are there other sources of funding or are the only alternatives CPC funds?” he said.

The Committee agreed that historic significance and public benefit would be leading factors in choosing where to allocate funding.

Hathaway said one of the most important aspects of preserving the town was found in creating more open space in Mattapoisett.

“Once you lose the open space, it’s gone.  That’s it,” he said.

Gagne suggested devising a more direct way of contacting the residents, whether via the town website or mailings, offering information on which projects the CPC is considering.

“I think we’re very open to that as a committee because we want as much input as we can get.  It’s the people’s money, it’s not our money.  We want to try to get it out the best we can to do the most good with it,” said DeCosta.

“We’ve got a lot of things to consider as we begin building sections of the plan back up.”

The next public input meeting for the Mattapoisett Community Preservation Committee will be held on Thursday, February 28, 2013, at 6:30 pm at Center School.

By Eric Tripoli


Marion Habitat House Discussed

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Buzzards Bay Habitat for Humanity representatives Jack Beck and George McTurk came before the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals to ask what paperwork has to be completed before a comprehensive permit is issued to build a house at 185 Wareham Road in Marion.

The effort has been ongoing for over five years, being complicated by wetlands located in the front of the lot, setback issues and a rear lot, which is surrounded by town owned land.  The lot is also in a flood zone.

Because the lot is in the rear, it did not have the required frontage required by the by-laws.  Habitat is seeking waivers from the ZBA for frontage, side setbacks and an easement for a driveway to access the home.   Both sides of the lot are non-conforming.

The town of Marion approved a building lot of 15,000 square feet at town meeting several years ago.  The proposed home will have three bedrooms and a yard for children to play.

“We are here to ask exactly what you need to help issue a comprehensive permit,” asked Beck. “We are asking for guidance in exactly what needs to be done to move the project forward, so we can get a building permit.”

McTurk and architect, Will Saltonstall addressed the board.

There was an existing house on the lot, which was demolished a month ago.

Board member Tom Cooper asked about the positioning of the house on the lot.

“We have a donor who wants to contribute a solar panel roof, and with a minimal amount of tree removal, we placed the home where there would be few trees removed and yet a maximum solar position,” said Saltonstall.

In other business, the board heard plans submitted by John Van Voorhis and Susan Davies regarding a renovation at 6 Cottage Street.  John Ferreira and Peter Turowski of T2 Architecture represented the applicant.

At issue are setbacks to the front and rear of the property.  Plans include removing an existing addition and replacing it with another on the same footprint.  The board took the request and plans under advisement and will make a decision within the next two weeks.

By Joan Hartnett-Barry


New Year, New Policies

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In lieu of the New Year, the administration for ORR High School has passed new policies that are effective as of Monday, January 7. In an attempt to embrace the modern teenager’s connection to technology, two new policies will integrate cell phones in the school day. Students are now allowed to use their cell phones during lunch. If a student is found using their cell phone during any other time of the day, the usual rules will apply — the phone will go to the Vice Principal and will not be returned until its owner serves a detention.

The other policy concerning cell phone use serves as an exception to the rule. Students will be allowed to use their cell phones in the classroom by teacher discretion. Social networking and texting will not be allowed — when teachers give the go ahead for students to use their cell phones in class, it will only be for further education purposes or if it is to aid in a student presentation. Any violation of the new policy, such as texting or using social networking websites, will be subject to the usual cell phone policy.

            Another new policy concerns locker use and scheduling. Passing time will be six minutes long as opposed to the usual four. This longer passing time is paired with a requirement for students to use their lockers and the retraction of students’ right to use a backpack in transporting books during the school day.

This is not the whole story. A vast majority of students in the school are seriously opposing the mandatory locker and no backpack policy. Complaints are loud and widespread throughout the school. There are a few different reasons students take issue with the new policy. Senior Salem Hartley was willing to share her personal reasons for disliking the new rule.

            “I’ve used a backpack every day since freshmen year. Adjusting to only being able to bring a binder and two books to class is difficult. There are little things like extra pens, pencils and random little things like that that now you have to buy a little bag for or live without. I think it’s silly they are going to change this in the middle of the year after we’ve done it for over three years,” said Hartley.

            Many students echo the complaints of inconvenience, as well as increased traffic in the hallways. Senior Joshua Powers is affected by this new traffic.

            “It is overwhelming in the hallways now, with everyone racing to their lockers and trying to get to their classes. The already narrow hallways just get narrower,” he said.

            Students all around the school are voicing their complaints to teachers and each other. Most teachers are rather unsympathetic, many of them remembering their days when they used their lockers. However, most of them will not deny the fact that it has been a long time since they have seen the student body so unified against one thing.

By Jessica Correia

Tri-Town Students Bake Bread for Charity

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On Thursday, January 10, 2013, Amy Driscoll from Vermont-based King Arthur Flour company came to the Tri-Town to teach elementary and junior high school students the science behind baking bread.  The program was part of an educational intiative started by the flour company that also serves as a community outreach project.

After the assemblies, students took home two bread kits.  One loaf is to be baked for their families, the second loaf is to be donated to one of four South Coast community groups, including the Marion Council on Aging.  About 900 students across four schools participated in the program.

Marion sixth-grader Julia Winters was largely responsible for bringing the program to the district.  Check out our gallery of photos from the assembly on Thursday at Sippican School in Marion.  Driscoll was assisted by Winters and fellow sixth grader Nathaniel King.  Photos by Eric Tripoli.

 

Ronnie Marie Elwell

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Ronnie Marie Elwell, of Nantucket and Mattapoisett, MA, died at home on Nantucket on Saturday, December 8, 2012 from esophageal cancer.   She was born on May 1, 1942 to the late Capitola and Richard Elwell in Boston, MA.   She was predeceased by her brother, Rick Elwell.

Dr. Elwell earned her RN at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the BA, MA and Ph.D. from The American University.  Her life was dedicated to teaching from her early career as a psychiatric nurse, later as a graduate student, and as a college professor.  She was a beloved classroom teacher and extended her teaching to mentor colleagues, young professionals, and anyone eager to learn.  Her keen intellect, feisty spirit and warm smile combined to make her a delightful force to reckon with when she advocated for the causes and principles dear to her heart.   Dr. Elwell held professional positions at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital (Washington DC), the University of the District of Columbia, Simmons College and Lesley University.

Ronnie loved to travel, spending a week each winter in Aruba, and recently sojourning to the Galapagos Islands and South Africa.  She also visited Alaska, Paris, Costa Rica, and Russia.  Her journeys always included time in the outdoors where she enjoyed birdwatching, the local flora and fauna, and a swim at the beach.

Ronnie will be sorely missed by her daughter, Jessica Alm, her partner, Janet Schulte, and her devoted cat, Sassafras.   Family members include Robert Garber, her nieces and nephews and several cousins in Framingham, MA and in Maine.  Dozens of friends mourn her loss.  A Celebration of life is planned for Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 1:00 pm at the Bay Club, Mattapoisett.  Her ashes will be interred in Silver Ridge Township, Maine next to her brother, Rick.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org, or your favorite charity.

New Safety Protocols at ORR

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The ORR School Committee is weighing different methods for improving student and faculty safety at the high school.

Superintendent Doug White addressed the committee at their regular meeting on Wednesday, January 9, and praised the district’s staff and students for their response to the December 14, 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

White said he’s been in contact with the local police and fire departments to devise a system of safety drills and scenarios for school practice in the event of such an emergency.

Facilities Director Gene Jones said that they are currently researching new locking systems for school doors and examining the effectiveness of security cameras around the buildings.

 “We checked on all the lighting systems.  We went through all the cameras for the access [to front doors].  We made sure they’re all functional,” Jones said.

Tri-Town schools have instituted stricter access rules for each campus so main office staff can better track who enters and exits the schools.  Jones said that they are looking into creating new staff ID cards and key fobs that would further restrict access to the buildings.

Contractors who regularly work at Tri-Town schools may also be required to provide a CORI check on each of their employees.

ORR Principal Michael Devoll said he wants to push photo IDs for everyone in his school, including students.  He told the story of a school that had an undercover cop dressed in jeans and a hoodie enter the building through the rear and wander the halls.  The officer was in the building for about 15 minutes before he was stopped and questioned by faculty.

“We’re great at lockdown drills, but it really got to me when I heard about this,” he said.

ORRJHS Principal Kevin Brigioli said they are looking into redesigning the front entrance of the junior high school, which provides no vestibule area between the exterior door and interior of the main foyer.

“Our entry way is a point of concern.  Once you’re in the building, you’re in the building,” he said.

In addition to improving the structural safety systems around the schools, the committee also broached the idea of using existing faculty as safety monitors around the building or hiring an outside individual to help provide better security.

ORR Principal Devoll also said that the school is experimenting with a new daily schedule system that allows more time for students to access their lockers.

Due to recent discussions of school safety, ORR imposed a new policy on January 7 restricting the presence of backpacks and jackets in classrooms and the cafeteria, requiring all students to regularly use their lockers throughout the day.

Devoll said many students carry backpacks that weigh 50 pounds or more all day, which can be detrimental to students’ health.  He also said that often times students feel as if they have to carry all their possessions with them at all times.

“We’ve got to figure out why students aren’t using their lockers,” he said.

Devoll said they shortened homeroom by one minute, truncated lunch periods, and eliminated a snack-time segment between first and second blocks.  Total passing time between classes has been extended from four to six minutes.

 “We asked the students to hang in there and give it a shot,” he said, noting that they may still need to tweak the schedule.  “Freshmen and sophomores have been fine but juniors and seniors have been more resistant.”

He also said that some students started a Facebook petition protesting the new schedule and backpack policy.

In other business, Latin instructor, Judy Prétat came before the school committee to discuss the possibility of organizing an out of state field trip.  Last year, she formed a trip to Rome, attended by about 20 students.  This time, she’s looking to take her senior students to the Getty Villa in California.  The villa is a replica of one that was consumed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E.

“It’s an educational center dedicated to the studies of ancient Greece and Rome,” she said.  She had been researching options that focused on ancient artifacts here in the United States.

 “I started looking into the villa museum and thought it might be an opportunity to take a senior trip,” she said.

Prétat said she would like to offer the trip to all 14 of her Latin V students.  One other chaperone is planned to accompany her and the students.  She’s already done most of the legwork researching housing options, transportation, and created a tentative itinerary for the trip.  The entire journey would be five days only cause the students to miss two days of classes.  Prétat estimated the cost at anywhere between $650-$750 per student, a considerable drop compared to the trip to Rome, which cost about $2100 per student.

The ORR School Committee voted in favor of authorizing the trip, but Prétat will also have to organize fundraising, which will be brought up at a future meeting once those details are known.

The King Arthur Flour project is well underway, according to assistant superintendent Dr. Elise Frangos.  She said over 3,000 lbs of flour were delivered to ORRJHS on Tuesday for the educational assemblies that will focus on teaching students the science behind baking bread.

About 900 students around the Tri-Town will participate in the program, which will give each student two baking kits to take home.  The kids will then make two loaves, one for themselves and their families, and the other to be given to one of four community out-reach programs.

“Next Monday morning it will be expected and kindly appreciated if each of the parents can make sure their kids have their bread tied up in the plastic bags, ready to be donated,” Frangos said.

She also mentioned that the district has hired a new reading teacher to help boost the effectiveness of after-school reading programs.  The new faculty member would be compensated via Title I funding.

ORR is also working to redesign some of its curriculum in an effort to meet the interests of students interested in politics.

“Our students are very interested and motivated by politics these days, but really we don’t get into much modern political theory,” said Devoll.

They are looking at a half-year elective course as part of the Social Studies department, possibly offered online instead of in the classroom.

He also said the school is looking into ways to widen the foreign language programs and to offer more ways for students to earn more credit for AP classes.

The ORR School Committee adjourned to executive session to further discuss contract negotiations.

By Eric Tripoli


Wrestling Finishes Second on Buzzards Bay

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Squash is more than just a gourd. It’s a fast-paced competitive sport enjoyed by people all over the world. Though it may not be as popular as basketball or soccer, its players and fans are fierce and loyal. At Tabor Academy in Marion, the love for the game has been strong for decades.

“I don’t care about winning. I care about kids playing because that’s how you get better,” said Connie Pierce, who heads player development for Tabor Academy’s junior varsity women’s squash team.

Most of the kids she works with don’t come from a background rife with intense, weekly squash lessons.

“Squash courts aren’t available to everybody,” Pierce said, citing the popularity of sports like tennis and basketball, which tend to get more public space for play than many sports.

Pierce herself was a competitive tennis player before discovering squash. She was living around Manchester, England in the 1970s when a friend invited her to play a game in an old airplane hangar. She’s been with the Tabor program since the 1980s, and her colleagues and players lovingly refer to her using nicknames like “Squash Mother” and “Mother Hen.”

There is an instantaneous appeal to the game of squash. Small, oval-shaped rackets are used to hit a rubber ball slightly bigger than a golf ball. The players volley back and forth, hitting the ball against the wall opposite their positions.

“Most people, if they do it when they’re younger, they play most of their life,” said Tabor Academy varsity head coach Will O’Leary. He was a hockey player in his youth who played squash for fun. O’Leary has been coaching for about six years and is in his second year at Tabor.

The program at Tabor is decades old and the original wooden courts are still standing on the campus.

“We don’t usually go in there too often to play because the game has changed so much since then. We call that the dungeon. These are the newer courts,” O’Leary said as his players warmed up in the white and plastic boxes at the athletic center on Saturday before a tournament against Phillips Exeter Academy.

Tabor senior and varsity team member Delaney Teceno had never played squash before arriving for her freshman year. Before ninth grade, she’d been a soccer and tennis player, but an injury during her first year at Tabor forced her to quit the soccer team by her junior year.

“My dad had played squash a few times and he recommended I give it a try,” Teceno said. She joined the junior varsity team during her freshman year and was hooked.

“I’d never had that. It was something I wanted to get really good at,” she said.

She progressed quickly, getting moved to the varsity team by the middle of her sophomore year. Since she began playing tournaments last year, she has been nationally ranked as the 78th best female player under age 19.

This season, she has her work cut out for her.

“I’m playing girls who are much better than me. A lot of them have been playing all their lives. So far, I’m holding my own,” she said.

The thrill of the challenge is shared by the whole team.

“It’s much harder here at the high school level,” said freshman varsity player Karina Lazaro. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native has played squash for about five years.

“I find it very interesting. Nobody really knows what it is but it’s a great opportunity to play,” she said.

Pierce sees it as a learning opportunity as well as a time for fun.

“They go from knowing absolutely nothing to being able to keep the ball in play. It’s amazing,” she said. She also works with student helpers, who provide assistance to the team in a variety of ways.

“It’s great. I can send them to the weight room to work with other players. It gives them leadership and service opportunities. Maybe we’re training future coaches,” said Pierce.

By Nicholas Veronesi