ORRHS Football Times Changed Due to EEE

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Two Old Rochester Regional High School Football games have changed times due to the increased threat of EEE-carrying mosquitoes in the Tri-Town.  The risk was recently bumped from “High” to “Critical” in the area as a result of several pools of mosquitoes carrying the disease being found this past week.

Tomorrow’s Home Opener against Bishop Stang will kickoff at 4:30 pm as opposed to 7:00 pm.  Next Friday’s match up against Greater New Bedford Vocational Tech will start at 5:00 pm instead of 7:00 pm.

All those attending the games are encouraged to wear long pants and sleeves as well as a strong insect repellant while outdoors.

Marion Board of Health Flu Clinic

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The Marion Board of Health is pleased to announce that they will sponsor a flu clinic on Wednesday, September 26.

The clinic will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at Sippican School, 16 Spring Street. Parking is available at rear of school in the Park Street lot. Please do not park in the traffic circle. Enter the school via the bus loop entrance on Park Street.

Home visits for homebound residents may be scheduled by appointment. Please call the Marion Board of Health at 508-748-3530 to schedule a home visit.

Please note: Please wear a short-sleeved shirt to the clinic and remember to bring your insurance cards. Residents of all ages are encouraged to attend! Sponsored by the Marion Board of Health.

Nasketucket Bird Club Meeting

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The Nasketucket Bird Club’s first meeting of the season will be on Thursday, September 27 at 7:00 pm at the Mattapoisett Public Library, 7 Barstow Street.

This meeting is open to all who are interested in South Coast birds, from beginners to advanced birders. We will be discussing summer sightings and planning for the fall and winter field trips. For more information, contact Justin Barrett at 774-207-8515 or jmbarrett426@gmail.com. Check our website for updates: www.massbird.org/Nasketucket.index.htm.

Mattapoisett Women’s Club Potluck Luncheon

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The Mattapoisett Women’s Club will kick off their 2012-2013 season with an old fashion welcome back Potluck Luncheon at 12:00 pm on Thursday, September 20 at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church Street, Mattapoisett. Come reunite with long-standing friends, and as always, we welcome new members and guests. Sign-up sheets will be available for various club activities. For more information, please contact Myra Hart at 508-758-4703 or Bobbie Ketchel at 508-758-9593.

Quaker Yard Sale

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You would like to have a yard sale, but live off the beaten path? You’ll have a chance on Saturday, October 6 by reserving space at the Mattapoisett Friends Meeting annual yard sale, at the church, on heavily-traveled Route 6.

The sale will be conducted from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, rain or shine. Inside table space is available for $20 or outside space for $10, payable in advance. For reservations, call 508-748-0098.

Anyone who would like to donate items for the church table should call 508-758-3579 for pick-up. Large items and electronic items are not acceptable.

Rochester Historical Society Meeting

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The next Rochester Historical Society meeting will be held on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00 pm at the East Rochester Church/ Museum, 355 County Road. The program for this meeting is “Cranberry Tales & Tools,” a talk by Doug Beaton, local cranberry grower. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

Gateway Youth Hockey

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The Gateway Youth Hockey season has begun! Gateway Hockey is pleased to announce that the Bantam team has been accepted into the Yankee Conference for the 2012-2013 season. Head coach Mike Houdlette and assistant coaches, Ben Hathaway and Chris Smith, are excited to be given the opportunity to play at a competitive level. With 30 games on the schedule in rinks from Randolph to Barnstable, the Bantams will have plenty of opportunity to develop into what hopes to be a major contender in the league.

The team started their season Saturday night, September 8, in Pembroke against Weymouth. The boys were off to a quick lead with Matt St. John scoring two goals and Alex Atkinson scoring two goals in the first period. Then Weymouth seemed to come alive, scoring five goals in just eight minutes. The sixth goal sent three players into the Gateway net, and goalie A.J. Bridges got banged up and had to leave the game. Final score was Weymouth 6, Gateway 4. Teaghin Andre was outstanding in the net for Gateway.

On Sunday morning, their next game was played in Raynham against Taunton. The boys came up with their first win and a big one with a score of 7-0. Matt St. John had three goals unassisted and his first “hat trick” of the year. Mike Houdlette scored the first goal of the game, unassisted. Will Paling slammed one in the net unassisted. Alex Atkinson added one assisted by Doug Breault and Alex Hathaway. Brian Holmes scored the final goal for Gateway assisted by Brady Smith.

National Drug Take Back Day

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The Mattapoisett Police Department will be participating in a prescription drug disposal day. This event is part of a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, (DEA). It will be held Saturday, September 29 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. The purpose of such programs is to allow for safe, legal and environmentally-friendly disposal of extra drugs that patients have not used.

This program serves two purposes. First, this program reduces the risk of prescription drugs being consumed inappropriately — either by accident or through illegal sale. Prescription medication abuse is becoming far more prevalent than common street drugs. Widespread anecdotal and survey evidence indicates that a huge portion of illegal prescription drug use occurs when people raid friends’ and relatives’ medicine cabinets. Second, it reduces the risk of prescription drugs entering the water, potentially harming aquatic life or getting into a human water supply. If the household waste is incinerated, the drugs are far less likely to pose an environmental problem than if they go into the wastewater stream.

This program is being provided as a continuing proactive effort by the Mattapoisett Police Department to prevent drug abuse before it happens in our community. We encourage everyone to collect expired or useless prescription medications and bring them to the Mattapoisett Police Station at 64 County Road on Saturday, September 29.

For further information, please contact Captain Anthony M. Days of the Mattapoisett Police Department at 508-758-4141.

ORR’s Football and Soccer

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            Before the fall sports contests truly began at ORR this week, a lot of rumors were swirling concerning a few hot topics. Would the Phillips brothers help lead a young football team to victory over Martha’s Vineyard? Would boys’ and girls’ soccer be able to win over Seekonk despite losing a considerable amount of seniors? Would the girls’ field hockey team look to win their fifth straight SCC title with an opening victory over rival Dighton Rehoboth?

The first week of games helps to make a first impression on students and fans of ORR athletics to see how their teams will perform during the season. This week, the teams did not disappoint.

The ORR football team started off their season with a 25-0 victory over Martha’s Vineyard. Quarterback Nolan Bergeron ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, while his brother Hayden Bergeron provided a key interception in the third quarter to halt a Vineyard drive. Richie Phillips ran for 115 yards on 10 carries and supplied the Bulldogs with a touchdown. The football team looks to go 2-0 with a game against Bishop Stang at home on September 14.The game’s time is undecided due to a recently issued EEE curfew.

The football program was not the only team with early season success. Both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams won their games against Seekonk on Friday. The girls won 2-0 with key goals from freshman Midfielder Sarah Beaulieu and senior Forward Hannah Walsh. Senior captain Alison Francis assisted Beaulieu in her first-half goal. Sophomore Goalie Mikayla Demanche made seven stops in net, lifting the Lady Bulldogs to their first victory of the season. On the boys’ side, senior Alex Milde scored the lone goal of the game to lift the boys to a 1-0 victory over Seekonk.

The ORR field hockey team tied their first game against rival Dighton Rehoboth with a scoreless game. According to Coach Polly Lawrence, senior Forward Katie Wilbur and Defender Madison Durr both played well.

A Brief Look at ORR’S Newest Faces

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Last year marked the departure of four integral parts of the ORR high school faculty; each carried their weight in teaching skills as well as intellect. This year marks the arrival of three young, bright, new minds with their eyes set on similar sights.

            There are two different departments in the school represented by the new teachers: the Science Department and the English Department. Ms. Champagne, a Chemistry teacher, jumped right into her new job teaching classes such as AP Chemistry, Chemistry A, and Essentials of Chemistry. She enthusiastically fills a vital role that was left empty by the egress of Ms. Sullivan.

            The English Department suffered a colossal loss last year with three significant teachers leaving their classrooms at ORR: Mrs. Johnson, Ms. Ribeiro and Ms. Dall. Each held their jobs as educators in the highest esteem and had an incalculable impact on their students.

            Amy Medeiros, a graduate of Bridgewater State University, fills one of the open spots. She began teaching here last year as a long-term substitute, but has a classroom all to herself for the first time this year. She chose Old Rochester as one of her top three schools to perform her student teaching and was thrilled when asked to stay.

            She teaches freshman, sophomore and junior-year English classes, and states that while it is more work and more responsibility, it is a “good challenge.” While she loves English in general, sophomore-year English, or American Literature, is her favorite.

             As a full-time teacher, she gets her own homeroom, develops a curriculum, and she feels students “don’t compare [her] to other teachers” as they often did when she was a long-term substitute. Her passion for teaching came to her during her senior year of high school. She had a teacher that inspired her and it “really rubbed off.”

            When asked her opinion of our school in general, she responded with a simple, “I love it.” Her appreciation for the “awesome students” and “supportive, collaborative environment” has made her time here so far pleasant all-around.

            Michael Beson, a graduate from Fordham University and Union College, also joins the department. In his second full year of teaching, Mr. Beson taught in Winthrop, MA last school year. He believes his choice of Old Rochester to be a good one: he believes the class sizes to be “perfect” and the environment to be “incredibly positive.”

            He commented that he has seen “harder-working students here in two weeks than all year” at his other school. He believes it makes a big difference when “students have ownership of their work.” He teaches freshmen, juniors and has a Creative Writing elective. His favorite subject to teach is his Creative Writing class. He remarked that while writing is something “most students struggle with,” it is his favorite to teach because it is “the most rewarding.”

            His passion for teaching stemmed from his aversion of continuing working “Nine to five in the corporate world.” He grew sick of not being able to laugh or smile or be happy doing his job. According to him, “not a day goes by where I don’t do that in the classroom.”