The March 21 meeting of the Rochester Historical Society will feature a program by Betty Beaulieu entitled Rochester Taverns, Inns and Stagecoach Routes. The meeting is at the East Rochester Church/Museum at 355 County Rd., Rochester at 7:00 pm. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
John Buckley, Plymouth Country Register of Deeds, will speak on the history of the nation’s third oldest Registry of Deeds, the importance of Land title and how the Registry has adapted to change through use of technology on Saturday, March 17 at the Mattapoisett Library beginning at 10:30 am.
This presentation by the Mattapoisett Democratic Town Committee is open to the public and will be of interest to property owners, history buffs, legal, real estate and banking professionals.
Gateway Youth Hockey will be holding registration and tryouts for the 2012-2013 season for all children in the South Coast including Wareham Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Fairhaven and surrounding towns. All kids from kindergarten through middle school are welcome. All tryouts will be held at Hetland Ice Arena in New Bedford.
•Wednesday March 21 – Girls (all ages)- 6:00 – 8:00 pm
•Friday March 23 – Bantams (13 and 14) – 7:00 – 8:00 pm
•Sunday March 25 – Mites (8 and under) – 10:30am- 12:30 pm
•Monday March 26 – Squirts (10 and under) – 6:30-8:30 pm
•Wednesday March 28 – Pee Wees (12 and under) – 6:00 – 8:00 pm
•Friday March 30 – Middle School (6 to 8 grades) – 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Please go to the web site warehamyouthhockey.com to print all the necessary forms you will need on the day of your child’s tryout and bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate along with a $150 non-refundable registration fee that will be put towards your final tuition. Please arrive 1 hour prior to the start of your tryout.
A preliminary budget for Mattapoisett’s elementary schools shows promise that Center School and Old Hammondtown will maintain services at a near level-funded capacity next year – with no significant cuts in programs or staff on the table.
At the Mattapoisett school committee meeting on Monday, March 12, Chairperson Gracinda Knox said the $5,752,725 preliminary fiscal year 2013 budget represents a 1.05 percent, or $59,882 increase, from FY 2012 levels. This budget would encompass $41,297 in increases for regular day education and $18,585 in increases for special education.
“It’s a one percent increase without any reduction to student services,” said Knox. She commended Superintendent Doug White on his efforts on the budget. “Over the last three years, he has learned our budgets really well.”
Both White and Knox said the budget is subject to change – and that the final Old Rochester Regional budget could marginally impact the numbers. A public hearing on the proposed budget is tentatively scheduled for the committee’s April 9 meeting – a required step before it is up for vote at the town’s May 14-16 Town Meeting.
At the Monday meeting, White and the two schools’ principals – Rosemary Brown and Matt D’Andrea – offered a snapshot of the possible budget and changes in Mattapoisett staffing and student population for next year.
The latest numbers – which reflect increases tied to contractual obligations and higher curriculum costs for new ELA and Science programs – was the result of the school committee’s ability to whittle down $47,113. The committee so far has identified reductions in supplies, psychology services, professional development, travel/conferences to bring down expenses, according to White’s presentation.
Changes in staff, a reduction in special education tuition costs and utility savings all helped keep the budget manageable.
According to the principals’ presentation, both Center School and Old Hammondtown are projected to welcome fewer students than last year, 283 and 209 respectively. The loss accounts for the potential drop of one teacher in both Grade 1 and Grade 6. In Grade 6, 85 students will move up to Junior High, only to be replaced by 63 incoming students.
In other business:
• The School Committee voted to approve a new colorful sign for the Council on Aging, which was designed by resident Sheldon Hill. The COA office is directly attached to Center School on the southerly end, and COA Director Jackie Coucci said she hopes to sign brings more visibility to the program and its services.
• Director of Student Services Teresa Hamm said that a survey on bullying will be administered to all district students Grades 3 through 12 to assess the impact of anti-bullying policies implemented last year.
By Laura Fedak Pedulli
Mattapoisett Lions Club will hold its annual Harbor Days on July 20, 21, and 22. Over 100 crafters and artisans will set up in Shipyard Park (rain or shine) from 9:00am to closing Saturday and Sunday. There is continuous entertainment throughout the weekend. The Lions Club’s famous homemade Chowder and Seafood Roll Dinner on Friday July 20 at 5:30pm, followed by a Silent Auction and concert under the tent at 7:00pm by Couto & Mulligan, starts off the weekend. Saturday evening is the Lobster Dinner at 5:30pm. Sunday is the pancake breakfast from 8:00am – 11:00am. Food booths featuring hot dogs and hamburgers, linguica, and cacoila rolls, and the Lions’ famous Strawberry Shortcake are open throughout the weekend along with live entertainment on the Gazebo. There is also a Silent Auction and Raffle. The Mattapoisett Lions Club has been serving the community since 1953. All proceeds benefit Lions charities and local projects helping those in need within our community. For more information visit www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org.
Mattapoisett Lions Club Triathlon – July 8
The annual Trialthlon will be held on Sunday, July 8, 2012 with an 8:00am start and sign in at 7:00am at the Mattapoisett Town Beach. T-Shirts guaranteed to the first 250 entrants. The race includes Swim .25 mile / Bike 10 miles / Run 3.4 miles and is open to individuals or teams. Pre-entry fee (before July 1st ) $70 individual / $100 Team entry. Post-entry fee is $90 individual / $125 Team entry. Register online at www.baystateevents.com or download an application at www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org. All proceeds benefit Lions charities and local projects helping those in need within our community.
Lions to hold Electronics and Household Appliance Recycling Day – May 19
The Mattapoisett Lions Club in conjunction with the Village Scoop is sponsoring an Electronics and Household Appliance Recycling Day on Saturday May 19, 2012. The event will be held on the grounds of the Village Scoop, 20 County Road, Mattapoisett, MA between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM. This is a great opportunity for residents and businesses to clear out clutter and recycle electronic devices, TVs and household appliances. Bring them to the event and for a nominal fee have them recycled and disposed of once and for all! All proceeds benefit Lions charities and local projects helping those in need within our community. For a list of accepted items, visit www.mattapoisettlionsclub.org or contact Lion Bob Saunders at 508-758-4675 for more information.
On Saturday, March 24, from 9AM to 1PM, environmentally conscious folks or just those wanting to get back their garages and cellars are urged to bring unwanted electronic items and appliances to the Rochester Town Hall parking lot in the town center. There, CRT Recycling of Brockton and members of The Rochester Land Trust will collect these items and CRT will truck them away to their Brockton facility for sorting for reuse or to be broken down for appropriate recycling of the components. Whatever the final outcome, less solid waste will enter the landfills. Interested persons may visit
http://www .recyclingelectronics.com/ for more information about CRT.
The following items will be accepted: crt’s (monitors/televisions), computers, network servers, large office computer equipment, cpu boxes, laptops, printers, fax machines, cd-roms, dvd-roms, vcr’s, audio equipment, video games, disc drives, modems, cards, keyboards, computer mice, electronic wires or plugs, pc speakers, recording, surveillance or camera equipment, digital cameras, cell phones & accessories, lcd products, parts or pieces of computers as well as regulated and non-regulated appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, mini-refrigerators and coolers.
There will be $15 or $25 charge for televisions, depending upon their size/type and a $10 charge for monitors. These items require extra care in recycling due to their cathode ray tubes. A video showing part of the process can be seen at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPx09iB7R04. While there is no charge for other items, the RLT requests a donation of $5 for other electronic items or bag/box of accessories and $10 for appliances and other large items. Funds raised will go toward protecting open space in our community. RLT members will be there from 9-1 to help you unload. For more information call David @ 508-763-5267.
Registrations are now being accepted for Showstoppers’ 8th Annual Performing Arts Camp for boys and girls in grades 2-8, April 16-20, 9-3 daily, at the Knights Of Columbus Hall, Rt. 6 in Mattapoisett. A musical theater showcase will be presented to the public at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 20 at the Music Hall in Marion. $175 per child includes performance CD, tee shirt, daily snacks and certificate of completion. Limited need-based scholarships available. Don’t delay! Reserve your spot today! For more information or to register, call 508-758-4525 or email at info@showstoppers.us
On Sunday, March 11, 2011 at 11:29AM, the Marion Police Department received a call reporting a missing six year, autistic, male from a residence on Hammett’s Cove Drive.
Officers and firefighters began a preliminary search of the area. A “Code Red” reverse notification call was sent out by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department, to all residents in the area. Marine units from the Marion Harbormaster’s Office and the Marion Fire Department began a search along the nearby waterfront areas. A K-9 unit from the Wareham Police Department also began a land search of the area. The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Search and Rescue Unit responded to begin and coordinate the search efforts. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing began the air search of the area.
About one hour into the search, a resident of Joanne Drive spotted the child in her back yard and notified police. The child was found to be wet and cold, but otherwise safe. Marion EMS transported the child to Tobey Hospital for evaluation.
Marion Police Department Press Release
Caduceus is a name that was used in Ancient Greek Mythology to describe a servant or staff member that worked for a higher power. Its symbol is a winged staff with two serpents, but for a group of three Mattapoisett women, caduceus symbolized victory the evening of Friday, March 9 in the auditorium of Old Rochester Regional High School. For the first time in the town’s history, the Mattapoisett PTA put together a community-wide Spelling Bee to raise money for the organization.
‘We were brainstorming different fundraising ideas and I moved here from Nantucket two years ago. I co-chaired the Spelling Bee on the island,” said Amy Wiggin, a Mattapoisett PTA member. “I brought the idea here, and we all loved it. We thought it would be a great community event.”
The competition utilized a team format, where 20 groups of three went head-to-head in five rounds spelling out difficult words on dry erase boards with the hopes of making it to the championship round.
“We were very nervous in the first round,” said Ellen Camacho, a member of the Spellbinders.
Team members included parents, doctors, philosophers, journalists, singers, coaches and many more. The competition was only open to people ages 14 and up, but there were no restrictions on costumes or team spirit, which was in full force.
The Spellbinders, a team comprised of Camacho, Cheryl Almeida and Laura Kearns, defeated the 19 other squads and walked away with a large trophy, t-shirts, and of course, bragging rights.
“It’s so great to be out here supporting the Central School,” said Almeida. “It was Ellen’s idea for us to join. She’s our team leader.”
Fun 107.1 DJ Michael Rock played emcee for the event. Rock has children that are enrolled in the school district. Five preliminary rounds featured four teams spelling words dictated by fourth grade teacher Kevin Tavares. One by one, the teams were eliminated until the last five were standing.
The Velvet Hammers, the Big Kahunas, the Ideal Team, Johnny’s Basement, and of course, the Spellbinders all earned spots in the championship round. Each team was successful in spelling odorous, scruple, rogue, pseudo and pugilist. However, when the time came to spell caduceus, only one team was victorious.
“The winning word was definitely the hardest one we had to spell,” said Almeida.
The victory didn’t come easy for the Spellbinders, who are all employed in the Old Rochester Business Office. They had been preparing hard for the weeks leading up to the Bee.
“We printed lists off the Internet and we studied those,” said Kearns. “But I think it was our natural backgrounds that helped us the most.”
The Velvet Hammers earned the runner-up honors by correctly spelling the word blitzkrieg. While not every team walked away with a prize, there was no doubting the success of the event, which took a few months and dozens of volunteers to plan.
“The event got a really good response,” said Wiggin. “Everyone wanted to be a part of it, everyone wanted to help out. We had committee members, teachers, staff, parents and students. We really wanted the community to come together.”
As for the Spellbinders, there are rumors circulating that they will be returning next year for a repeat victory.
“We were talking about that earlier,” laughed Kearns. “We’ll be back. We’ll be back.”
By Katy Fitzpatrick
Team Spellbinders wins the Bee.
Kevin T. Brogioli, Principal of Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, announces the following Students of the Month for February 2012;
•Green Team: Jessiba Rush, Rikard Bodin
•Blue Team: Jordan McArdle, Matt Cordeiro
•Orange Team: Colleen Beatriz, Evan Roznoy
•Red Team: Ashley Clapp, Jack Murphy
•Special Areas: Camryn Kidney, Brett Noone