Pouches to Secure Cell Phones

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            The Old Rochester Regional School District is engaging a grant program that would magnetize Junior High School students’ cell phones via a special pouch as a means of upgraded security and creating the potential of limited usage during school hours at select locations in the building.

            In its first public meeting of the new academic year on September 7, the ORR School Committee reviewed and voted to accept a $13,020 grant that will try out the technology on a pilot basis for the 2023-24 academic year.

            According to current policy, ORR Junior High District students are not allowed to use their phones during school hours. ORR High School students have their own policy and are not part of this pilot program.

            “It’s not opt-in, opt-out,” clarified Junior High Principal Silas Coehlner, who added there would be limited exceptions. “They’re not supposed to be checking their phones at all. They power them down and put them in their locker.”

            Citing the distraction of 88 cell-phone infractions during the 2022-23 school year, Coehlner pitched the technology to the committee after reading up on eight schools in Massachusetts that have received the grant and also schools in New York. He cited data from 900 subscribing schools, 65% of which reported improvement in academic performance, 74% in student behavior and 83% in student engagement in the classroom.

            With the program, students receive a Yondr-brand pouch for their phone that locks via a magnetic device. The devices cost $20 each. The school building will have magnetic stations where, with potential policy changes, phones could be used for limited periods of time. An implementation schedule will be developed.

            Joe Pires’ was the lone dissenting vote against accepting the grant. During discussion, Pires suggested that students should not have to wait until the end of the day to access their phones. Matthew Monteiro asked about emergency scenarios and if the pouch could be cut open. Coehlner suspects it could, being made of a Velcro-based material.

            Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson clarified that the administration will work with school committees on all matters relating to implementation and potential amendments to policy.

            The Town of Acushnet recently reached out to ORR about the possibility of having its high school students pay tuition to attend ORRHS. Other than vocational and private high schools, Acushnet students currently choose between attending Fairhaven or New Bedford high schools. The committee voted to authorize Nelson to meet with Acushnet administrators to discuss a partnership and report back to the committee for feedback.

            Citing the end of school on June 10 and several meetings scheduled during the final week, the committee voted unanimously to revise its meeting schedule and push back the June 6, 2024, meeting to June 12.

            In her Chairperson’s Report, Michelle Smith welcomed back the committee and thanked administration and staff for their work in preparing the facilities, as seen during a committee tour.

            In his Principal’s Report, Mike Devoll publicly acknowledged the initiative of ORR’s Class of 1988 in its creation of a nonprofit Alumni Association that will participate in and support ORR events this year.

            In his Central Office Report, Nelson took the committee through a sample tour of the district’s upgraded website and noted that ORR schools began the 2023-24 school year fully staffed.

            ORR Administration recognized some milestone achievements at the high school, as Registrar Kelly Bertrand reached 25 years of service and World Language Teacher Diane Palombo-Gomes reached 20 years.

            Jean Arruda (lead cook), Michael Bauer (lead Maintenance), Ellen Camacho (Payroll/Accounting), Michael Devoll (principal), Yvette Randall (cook), Seth Bushnell (Social Studies teacher), administrative assistants Aimee Fox and Jennifer Irwin, Michael Linane (Technology Education teacher) and Lindsay Tallman (Social Studies) all reached 15 years of service.

            Matthew Houde (Technology Support specialist), Shiloah Major (Maintenance) and administrative assistants Kimberly Read and Cris Salvador each reached 10 years of service.

            At ORRJH, Special Education Teacher Paula Cavanaugh and Music Teacher Mary Angela Vaughn reached 25 years. Social Studies Teacher Daniel McEvoy and Instructional Assistant Andrea Shaw both reached 20 years of service and English Teacher Nathan Orie hit the 10-year plateau.

            New staff for the 2023-24 academic year was recognized: Kristine Lincoln, interim director of Student Services; Teah Keogh, English Language Learning specialist; Christopher Carrig, athletic director/campus aide; Hannah Long, World Language teacher (Latin); Emma Fenton, Special Education Transition teacher; Carolyn Ross, ISP teacher; Latin Teacher Hannah Long and six instructional assistants, Caitlin Lavoie, Aaron Strothers, Brittany DeMedeiros, Laurie Cunningham, Liam MacCurtain and Caroline Murphy.

            The following staff retirements and resignations were also recognized: Craig Davidson, director of Student Services; Kathy Dranchak, ELL specialist; Rebecca Okolita, Special Education Transition teacher; Crystal Gendreau, Special Education teacher (Grade 8); Kevin McCarthy, and instructional assistants Paul Guilbeault, Jonathan Nogueira, Kate Souza, Darren Gray, Shane DeSousa, Collin Melo and Carol Regan.

            Michael Bean transitioned from Special Education teacher (ISP) to (Grade 8), and Bill Tilden’s transition from his longtime position as athletic director/campus aide to groundskeeper will allow him to replace Cindy Tilden as the main coach of ORR’s cross-country and track teams.

            In other business, the committee heard introductory Finance and Food Service reports from Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber.

            The committee also voted to accept a $500 donation from the Emma Whittaker Fund. According to Devoll, the donation will support the social workers’ efforts.

            The School Committee voted 7-2 to elect the following representatives to the Equity Subcommittee for the 2023-24 school year: Frances-Feliz Kearns (Mattapoisett), Margaret McSweeny (Marion) and Matthew Monteiro (Rochester.)

            The school year’s first meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 28, and the next meeting of the ORR School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, October 12. Both meetings will be held at 6:30 pm at the Junior High Media Room and accessible via Zoom.

ORR School Committee

By Mick Colageo

Yard Sale Donation Drop Off

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The Mattapoisett Friends Meeting will be holding donation drop-off times in preparation for their October 7 yard sale. This year, earnings from the sale will go toward renovations of their community hall, including replacement of a rotted door and replacement of shingles with extensive damage from an enthusiastic woodpecker. Please drop off donations at 103 Marion Rd. (Route 6) in Mattapoisett on Wednesday, September 27 or Saturday, September 30 between 10:00 and 12:00. Someone will be in the community hall (the building in the back) to receive you.

            If neither of the above times work, please email mattquakers@gmail.com and something can be arranged. Do not drop off furniture or large appliances; however, these items might possibly be accepted by prior arrangement. Please contact us to see if we can work something out. No electronics, please, but we are accepting clothing that’s washed and ready to wear.

            This year, the meeting has a one-item wish list: a weed wacker, in case anybody has an unused one in their garage. Mattapoisett Friends thank those who donated last year, with advanced thanks for any upcoming contributions.

Marion Community EMS Flu Clinic

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The Marion Board of Health with the help of Marion EMS will be hosting a Drive-Thru Flu Clinic. The clinic will be held on Thursday, September 28 at the Benjamin D Cushing Community Center (Council on Aging), 465 Mill Street (Rt. 6.)

            The clinic will be a drive-thru under the tent. Please wear a short sleeve shirt. We will be offering High-Dose (65 and older) along with regular dose. You will need to preregister if you would like to attend. Use the link provided BELOW to register for the clinic. You will need your insurance card.

            If you have any questions or need assistance with registration, contact Maureen at the Board of Health 508-748-3530.

            If you would like to register for our clinics being held at Little Neck Village, Marconi Village or Marion Village Estates, please contact Maureen Murphy at the Board of Health 508-748-3530.

Marion Historic Survey Field Work

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The Marion Historical Commission is moving forward with Phase 4 of our survey of the town’s historic and architecturally significant properties. This program is funded through the Community Preservation Act.

            Our consultant, Lynn Smiledge, will focus this phase of work primarily on Converse and Moorings Road, Delano Road, Point Road, Allen’s Point Road, West Drive and Planting Island. Since a number of properties are not visible from a public way, the Town has authorized her access to private driveways or roads in order to photograph and take notes for her descriptions as she completes the Inventory Form B in accordance with Massachusetts Historical Commission standards.

            We request your understanding if this may be the case on your property. A letter from the Town Administrator is being sent to owners of properties to be inventoried.

            The survey work will be scheduled during the months of September and October. Lynn will have a Town ID Badge and an authorization letter from the Town, should you wish to share information about your property with her while she is conducting her field work.

            Any questions or concerns may be directed to Geoffrey Gorman, Town Administrator, at ggorman@marionma.gov or 508-748-3550.

Climate Change

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Dear Editor:

            These past few years have shown an increase in extreme weather events across the globe: heat waves, wildfires, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and Sea Level Rise. So far this year, the U.S. has experienced a record fifteen extreme weather disasters totaling nearly $40 billion.

            Insurance premiums are skyrocketing as climate risk grows. Homeowners in some coastal areas of the United States are paying six figures a year to insure their houses against flooding and other impacts of the kind that Hurricane Idalia brought to Florida. Who will pay the potential hundreds of thousands of dollars for insurance costs for Marion’s new Harbormaster office? The taxpayers?

            How does one access the Harbormaster’s office when the ground beneath the building is under twenty feet of water, and hurricane winds are whipping up mighty waves? Will the Harbormaster and his/her employees be able to effectively carry out their marine-related duties and responsibilities from their precarious perch high in the air?

            Will the Harbormaster and employees be riding out storms and hurricanes from inside a risky 1,700 +/- s.f. box situated 23.5 feet in the air? I believe thoughtful and sensible consideration must be given to a trailer that will serve as the Harbormaster office. A trailer can be hauled out of harm’s way during powerful storms, but a box perilously suspended 23.5 feet in the air is a target. A target that could be blown to smithereens scattering debris far and wide. The health and safety of the Harbormaster and others must come first, and the several millions of dollars saved on this extreme and extravagant project could be used for vital community projects.

            Sincerely,

Eileen J. Marum

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. All letters must be typed and submitted directly to: news@wanderer.com.

Along Came Mary

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            Shirley Haley of Mattapoisett knows a thing or two about writing. One aspect of writing that she fully appreciates is the labor-intensive nature of the process. It takes a disciplined mind to grind out page after page, follow up on all the edits and rewrites and absorb all the pressure associated with getting the job done in a timely manner.

            Haley is just now breathing sighs of relief and gratitude upon the completion of her book “Angel in Mink,” an account of Mary Lasker’s (1900-1994) crusade for medical research and the National Institutes of Health. It is the story of one woman’s nearly single-handed work in helping to establish the NIH in becoming the most important funding agency for medical research on the globe. The book itself was funded by the NIH in gratitude to Mary Lasker, their champion.

            Lasker and Haley share a common thread: Their husbands believed in them at a time when such attitudes weren’t extensively popular.

            For Haley, her husband John agreed with her desire to go back to school and get her degree. Once enrolled at Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth), professors quickly noted her gift for writing, including technical subject matter. She was offered and accepted a position, not only completing her graduate degree but also teaching.

            “I graduated in the same timeframe my son graduated from high school,” Haley recalled with a smile.

            These two women also share a spirit full of determination requiring physical and mental strength and purpose.

            Lasker had divorced her first husband due to his alcoholism, but she enjoyed an active social life replete with well-heeled families and self-made millionaires. There she met Albert Lasker. Their relationship would flourish and they married. Albert saw in Mary a driven spirit whose quest to help fund and expand the NIH would become important to him also.

            Haley would become a technical writer of healthcare policy and the political climates that held sway over funding. Lasker would find the money and how to wrist it out of disparate sources and congressional committees.

            Lasker was unashamedly outgoing. In her quest to get funding for the NIH, she tirelessly met with congressional leaders and policy makers that would lead to the NIH becoming the international leader in healthcare funding.

            Despite nurturing important relationships through lavish parties, traveling across the country to shake hands with millionaires, being always gracious with a flair for knowing what would make the money flow, Lasker remains an unknown hero today.

            Haley wanted to change that. When contacted by her former colleague, Brady Metheny, about writing a book with Lasker as the subject, Haley didn’t hesitate. By then she had retired from writing and editing journals and articles related to the healthcare industry. From the comfort of her beachside home, she could take her time writing about a woman she believed deserved credit for her contributions in making the world a safer place through medical research.

            But time became of the essence when Metheny passed away and the ACT for the NIH assumed oversight of the project. The pressure to produce was once again real. It would take Haley three years to complete Lasker’s story; that is not a long time when one considers the amount of necessary research and the lack of solid, historical data about Lasker’s work.

            With whom did Lasker interface? How did she get the funding needed for the NIH to expand? Most of what is known about this powerhouse comes from one-on-one interviews that were later transcribed. Haley and a research assistant plowed through that material during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

            Haley did not falter. She believed in the project. People needed to know the incredible impact Lasker would have everywhere on the planet due to the expansion of healthcare research. Lasker was a philanthropist and an activist going so far as establishing her own foundation. She would go on to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

            Lasker’s efforts would eventually find the NIH being appropriated $45,000,000,000 in 2022. And still there is more work to be done. Such local institutions as Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Broad Institute, Inc. and Harvard Medical School all receive research funding from the NIH.

            And there is an important flipside to this story. Medical research creates jobs. In 2021, the NIH awarded grants and contracts that directly supported 40,440 jobs and $7,837,000,000 in economic activity in Massachusetts alone. It is likely Lasker would be thrilled with what she put into motion, while keeping her foot on the gas pedal.

            This is the type of person Haley shares with us. The book is highly readable. Haley fleshes out Lasker, bringing to life a woman with charm, a type of physical beauty not seen today, who engaged presidents and heads of state in conversation. Haley gives us a real person beyond the dollars and cents generated by her work, a woman of valor only now being recognized to the fullest.

            More recently founded is ACT for NIH, a nonprofit advocacy group working with Congress to make biomedical research funding a national priority. The ACT for NIH Foundation works to advance lifesaving biomedical research by educating policymakers and the public about the NIH. ACT funded Haley’s book, which she hopes expands people’s knowledge on the importance of the NIH.

            Contact  the Mattapoisett Library for information on how to obtain a copy of the book.

By Marilou Newell

Fixed Pier Construction Hits Ledge

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            Engineer David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon & Leone, Inc., came before the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission on Monday night, requesting an Amended Order of Conditions.

            After acknowledging the sacrifices made on this date in 2001, which was preceded by the Pledge of Allegiance, Davignon explained to the commissioners the nature of the request.

            While driving pilings into the substrate at 35 Mattapoisett Neck Road for a fixed pier owned by David and Lois Monteiro, the construction had to be halted due to the impenetrable presence of ledge.

            Davignon said that attempts were made, using various types of equipment to sufficiently reach the necessary depth for the pilings to become secure. Those efforts failed. On Monday, he went before the board with a new plan of record that reduced the length of the pier and to use substituted materials for a portion of the fixed pier with a float.

            After careful consideration, the commissioners agreed to the change, granting the amendment and the new plan of record.

            Also requesting an Amended Order of Conditions was Andy Stackpole of Field Engineering for Rose and Mark Robert, 17 Ned’s Point Road, for the reconfiguration of a planned, inground pool and pool house.

            Stackpole explained that the pool would be repositioned on the site for safety reasons and that a sewer line to the pool house for sanitary systems was being abandoned. The requested amendment was granted, along with a new plan of record.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission is scheduled for Monday, September 25, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett Conservation Commission

By Marilou Newell

South Coast Children’s Chorus Welcomes New Singers

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The South Coast Children’s Chorus is welcoming new singers for the upcoming season. SCCC is open to all students from grade 1-12. Last season there were over 50 singers from 10 different cities and towns throughout the South Coast. Thanks to the support of local cultural councils, the South Coast Community Foundation and generous donors, tuition is free again for all interested singers.

            The first rehearsal will take place on Tuesday, September 19. New singers are accepted during the first three rehearsals. Rehearsals take place on Tuesday nights, 5:30- 6:30 pm (Preparatory Chorus) and 5:30- 7:00 pm (Advanced Chorus) at Tabor, in the Fireman Center for the Performing Arts, 245 Front Street, Marion. To register, visit the SCCC website at www.singsouthcoast.org

            The mission of the South Coast Children’s Chorus is to provide a joyful, educational choral experience for young singers, helping them to develop responsibility, confidence, musicianship and a passion for excellence in all they do. The SCCC core values are Service, Culture, Confidence & Community. SCCC performs throughout the South Coast including at AHA, the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center, The Children’s Advocacy Network Gala, Big Sing. Central, Fenway Park and with the internationally renowned African Children’s Choir.

Let Freedom Read

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Grab a book, bring a chair and head to the library for Let Freedom Read, a statewide read-in to celebrate the freedom to read. What is a read-in? A read-in is a chance to show support for your library by simply showing up to the library to read. It’s as easy as that. Enjoy a special children’s story time, snacks, giveaways and celebrate the Freedom to Read. “Libraries across the nation and in Massachusetts have experienced a surge in book challenges,” said James Lonergan, Director of the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners. “We may not agree on what to read, but hopefully we can all agree that the freedom to choose what we want to read is a vital part of a democratic society. Libraries across the Commonwealth develop collections that meet the diverse needs of the communities they serve. Everyone is welcome to find a good read from their library and join the celebration,” he added.

            The Elizabeth Taber Library will participate in the Read-In on October 3 from 6-7 pm. All are encouraged to join and no sign up is required.

            Digital participation is also welcomed. Download an eBook or audiobook through (insert local information) and use #LetFreedomReadMA to post pictures to social media. For a complete list of participating libraries, go to libraries.state.ma.us According to the American Library Association, there were 45 book challenges in Massachusetts in 2022 affecting 57 titles. That’s more than the past nine years (2013-2021) combined which totaled 38 challenges. Nationwide, ALA reported 1,270 book challenges in 2022, up significantly from 350 in 2019. The Massachusetts Library Association, Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Massachusetts Library System and the Massachusetts School Library Association recently released a statement in support of libraries and intellectual freedom. Individuals can show their support by signing on at tinyurl.com/supporting-libraries

            Visit elizabethtaberlibrary.org or call (508)748-1252 for more information.

Friends of Marion Council on Aging Yard Sale

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Mark your calendar for Saturday, October 7 from 9:00 am to 1 pm at the Cushing Community Center, Route 6 (465 Mill Street), Marion. All items will be priced to sell. – Lots of bargains. Proceeds help the Friends of Marion Council on Aging raise money to support programs for our adult community.

            Haven’t cleaned out your closet, basement, attic or thinking of moving – we’re here to accept your small antiques, costume jewelry, housewares, furnishings, etc. NO computers or TV’s accepted. Donations accepted on Tuesdays from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm. Questions or to arrange for alternate donation time, call 508 748-3670.