The Value and Future of Salt Marshes

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Thursday, February 16 at 12:00 pm John Teal will present on the future of our valuable salt marshes. “One of nature’s greatest gifts is the string of salt marshes that edges the East Coast from Newfoundland to Florida — a ribbon of green growth, part solid land, part scurrying water.”

For over 50 years John Teal has been studying the ecology of the east coast salt marshes.  In 1969 he co-authored the classic book “Life and Death of the Salt Marsh”. Following 35 years as a scientist, now scientist emeritus, at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, he now serves as a champion and consultant for marsh and coastal restoration.

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club meetings are held in Reynard Hall, at the Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church Street, Mattapoisett. Guests are welcome. Please join us for light sandwiches, dessert, tea and coffee.  The program will follow the luncheon.

ORRHS Multicultural Club

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This weekend the Tri-Town residents will be receiving donation requests from Old Rochester High School AFS Club members. AFS-USA is t he country’s oldest student exchange program and not only brings foreign students to our area, but also sends local youth to countries around the world. “AFS-USA works toward a more just and peaceful world by providing international and intercultural learning experiences to individuals, families, schools, and communities through a global volunteer partnership.”

This year ‘s AFS-USA Student Club is made up of over 30 ORRHS students who are interested in learning about other cultures, along with foreign exchange students from Serbia and Denmark. The AFS-USA Parent Chapter is made up of adult volunteers from the Tri-town area who support the continued success of the student club. The Parent’s Chapter meets monthly to plan fundraising events (such as the Phone-a-thon) and to help plan student trips and events. Funds raised are used to help defray the cost to students for cultural events and to provide scholarships to students who wish to travel abroad.

Please consider contributing to this years Phone-a-thon to help support our worthy cause.

If you are interested in becoming a part of our Chapter or would like to learn more about AFS-USA, please contact Rhonda Reints at (508) 763-4202 or email RReints@Comcast.net .

Old Colony Students of the Month

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The following Old Colony students (from the Tri-Town) were recognized as School Council “Students of the Month” for February 2012:

Computer Aided Drafting – Anastasia Finch, Grade 10, Rochester

Computer Information Systems – Evan Costa, Grade 11, Rochester

Graphic Communications – Taylor Therrien, Grade 11, Rochester

House/Mill Carpentry – Ethan Hathaway, Grade 10, Rochester

The criteria for the Student of the Month Program are based on a student’s improvement, service, attitude and shop projects. The Program is intended to raise self-esteem in the student.

Cabaret Night at the MAC

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The Marion Art Center is once again hosting a Cabaret Night of Love Songs with musical entertainment by The Occasion Singers on Saturday, February 11 at 7:30 pm. This group is an elegant a cappella vocal group directed by Cassandra Morgan with singers Christopher Saulnier, Rui Moniz, Eric Bosworth, Melanie Hannack, Denise Bastos, and Caroline Blais.

They will perform some jazz and light pop classics such as “It Had to be You”, “Embraceable You”, “Fly Me To The Moon”, “My Funny Valentine”, and many other standards and some surprises.

For an extra romantic touch, audience members can say, “I Love You,” with a Vocal Valentine. For an extra $15, the Occasion Singers will dedicate one of their love songs to audience members during the show. For more information on how to reserve this unique Valentine gift, please contact the Marion Art Center (508-748-1266) or email marionartcenter@verizon.net as soon as possible so that all requests may be honored.

Tickets for the Cabaret are $10 for MAC members and $12.50 for general admission.  Guests are invited to bring their own refreshments.  Tables are available for reserved parties of four or more. Reservations are highly recommended: 508-748-1266. Marion Art Center is located at 80 Pleasant Street in Marion, MA  02738.

Senior Stretch and Exercise

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A new 10-week session starts Tuesday, February 7. The stretch and exercise class meets every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, from 9:30 to 10:30 am at the First Congregational Church Fellowship Hall in Marion. The cost for the 10-week session is $45 for three days per week. The first class is free, and you may join a session at anytime. Those who start on the 4 or 5th week of a session, pay $32; those who start the 6 – 10th week pay $25. Each class includes low-impact aerobics, weights and stretching appropriate for all fitness levels. The funding is provided by the Friends of the Marion Visiting Nurses.

The instructor is Karen Corcoran who is certified as a “Specialist in Fitness for Older Adults” and is CPR and AED certified. Karen designs a new program for each 10-week session combining cardiovascular, strength training, flexibility and balance exercises. Contact Karen Corcoran at 508-295-1567 with any questions.

Marion Annual Election

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The Town of Marion’s Annual Town Election will be held on Friday, May 25. Nomination papers for elected positions are available at the Town Clerk’s office, 2 Spring Street, Marion.

Available Positions include:

•Selectman: 1 position for 3 years

•Assessor: 1 position for 3 years

•Moderator: 1 position for 1 year

•Board of Health: 1 position for 3 years

•Planning Board: 2 positions for 3 years

•Marion School Committee: 2 positions for 3 years

•Open Space Acquisition Commission: 1 position for 3 years

Last day to obtain nomination papers is March 30. Papers must be returned to the Town Clerk’s office for certification by April 2 by 5:00 pm. Please call the Town Clerk’s office if you have any questions at 508-748-3502.

Habitat Home and Garden Show

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The Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity (BBAHFH) will host a Home and Garden Show at Tabor Academy on Saturday, March 24 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. BBAHFH is currently seeking exhibitors for the event. The show offers opportunities for contractors, landscape designers, nurseries, banks, mortgage companies, and other homecare experts to promote products and services to the public. The exhibit booth charge is $150 for a ten-foot by ten-foot space. Various sponsorship opportunities are also available.

Exhibitors are encouraged to offer workshops and home improvement seminars to show attendees. Businesses and suppliers interested in exhibiting at the show, or sponsoring the event, can email Christine Lacourse, Executive Director at BBAHFH, at BuzzardsBayAreaHabitat@yahoo.com, or call 508-758-4517.

The Home and Garden show will be held inside the Tabor Academy’s Travis Roy Ice Rink, located at 266 Front Street in Marion, Massachusetts. Admission into the Home and Garden Show will be free to the public. The event is in support of the Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity affiliate. BBAHFH will distribute door prizes and will hold raffles throughout the show. The event will also include activities for children.

Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity (BBAHFH) became an affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International in December 1996, encompassing the towns of Acushnet, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Wareham, New Bedford and Dartmouth. Donations of money and materials, as well as volunteer labor, enable BBAHFH, a not-for-profit organization, to build homes for those in need. The completed homes are sold to qualified families at an affordable price under a no-profit, no-interest loan. The loan payments are used toward building additional Habitat houses. All land, material, and monetary donations to Habitat are tax-deductible. For more information, or to volunteer, visit www.BuzzardsBayHabitat.org, or call the office at 508-758-4517.

GiftsToGive

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To the Editor,

On Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King Day  (“A Day of Service “, “A day on, not a day off”), 400 volunteers came together at GiftsToGive in New Bedford to sort through toys, books, clothes, jackets, and baby safety items that will be distributed to local families in need.    Many people in the Tri-Town area volunteered their time over the weekend to be sure this event would be successful! We want to thank these families that cleaned out their closets and brought donations to the Mattapoisett Fire Station. (Thank you Chief Andrew Murray for providing this location as a drop off center).  Thank you also goes to local students from the Community Service Learning Club at ORR, Ruhi Reyi, Anne Smith, Leah Thomas, Lauren White, and Jacob Rioux along with Girl Scout Troop members Katherine Ball, Jordan Costa, Amy Hill, and troop leader Mrs. Maria Lynch for filling the truck with the donations. Thank you to volunteer Firefighters Justin Dubois and Brad Allen for driving the truck to New Bedford to be unloaded and to Morgan Browning and Kate McGraw for helping unload the trucks and sort items.

Mark your calendars as we hope to see everyone again at future drives on Saturday, May 19 and Saturday, August 18 at the Mattapoisett Fire Station!

Sincerely,

Holly Whitman and Karen Browning 

 

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Sports Shorts

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Old Rochester Boys and Girls Track – ORR emerged with a win this week against Wareham High School, and with just Seekonk to get through, the boys and girls teams are looking pretty good for the SCC Championships. Against Wareham, Ally Saccone achieved another personal best at high jump clearing 5’3”, as well as winning the hurdles. In the 600 meter, Sam Barrett and Tori Saltmarsh both did well scoring first and second for ORR.

For the boys, in the 1000 meter Nick Pacheco placed first, and Connor Medieros-Sweet came in second for ORR. In the two-mile, the boys also finished well with David Friedman and Michael Kassabian scoring for the Bulldogs. Both the ORR girls and boys remain undefeated.

Old Rochester Girls Basketball – The girls played their way to a win, defeating Seekonk High School 56-33 last week. Freshman Gabby Reuter scored a team high of 19 points, and other top scorers included Colby Garstang with 12 points and Katie Wilbur with 14. The girls are now 8-5 overall and 6-3 in the SCC. Next up, they play Fairhaven High School.

Old Rochester Boys Basketball – The boys were not so lucky as the girls against Seekonk. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs lost, the game ending with a score of 71-56. Max Risch scored the team high of 23 points, and Forrest Cote scored 10. Next up, the boys play Fairhaven High School.

Old Rochester Hockey – The ORR boys suffered a loss to Dartmouth 3-1, but fortunately, Dartmouth being out of the conference, the loss did not impact a Bulldog victory for the conference later. ORR’s singular goal was made my Jeremy Lawton, and Austin Koeppel and Brett Dineen both had assists.

Fortunately, the Bulldogs were able to improve their performance when they went up against Weston and won 6-4. Max Sherman and Cam O’Connor both had two goals, and Anthony Cammarano and Cam Severino supplemented with the other two. ORR’s record is now 6-2-4 overall and 4-0 in the SCC.

By India Krawczyk

ORR Begins New Term

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This week marks the start of the third term at Old Rochester Regional High School. Students had received their new schedules in their respective homerooms on Thursday, February 26. With the start of the new term, students are reminded that they are allowed to be tardy on three separate occasions. The fourth infraction results in a detention. Tardiness is noted in the attendance record when a student arrives at school after 7:30 am.

Also with the start of the new term, seniors are reminded that a change in their schedule might require them to update their information regarding the senior privilege of coming into school late or leaving early. This senior privilege is granted to seniors who meet the qualifications outlined in the student handbook. Eligible seniors are those that maintain the minimum of a C- in all of their courses, do not exceed nine absences by the end of the third quarter, have no detentions, planning rooms, or suspensions, and have all school debts paid in full.

Seniors who meet these requirements for the second semester – as well as seniors who have already met these requirements but have second semester changes in their schedule – are to report to the Assistant Principal’s office to inform school which days and blocks they might use the privilege.

This privilege allows students to come in to school late when they have a directed study for first block, and leave school early when they have a directed study for fourth (i.e. last) block. Seniors who use their senior privilege to leave school early are not allowed to participate in after-school extra-curricular activities for that day – to participate, they must remain on school grounds for the full school day.

Now for some school announcements, which students tend to miss during homeroom. First, there is an enrichment program opportunity for the sophomores of Old Rochester Regional High School.  Sophomores who wish to improve and enhance their leadership skills by sharing them with other students from Massachusetts can apply to the 2012 MassSTAR Conference. The three-day leadership conference is to be held on the campus of Lasell College. Interested sophomores who would like more information about the conference or would like to be nominated for the program should see either Ms. McPhee or Ms. Bertrand in the guidance office by Friday, February 3.

Second, seniors of Old Rochester Regional High School should know that Massasoit Community College will be on school grounds on Tuesday, February 7 for on-the-spot admissions. Seniors who are interested in attending the admissions session should sign up in the guidance office as soon as possible, where they will be able to pick up their applications ahead of time.

Third, students of Old Rochester Regional High School are encouraged to showcase their talents at the ORR Talent Show, scheduled during the evening of Wednesday, March 7 in the auditorium.  Rehearsals for the talent show will be held on Saturday, March 3. Students with talents who are interested in performing in the show should sign up with either Ms. Raposa or Mr. Bushnell or at lunches at the table by the cafeteria doors.

By Anne Smith