More Tap Dancing at the Marion Art Center

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The Marion Art Center will offer another Tap Dancing Workshop for adults (ages 15+ also welcome) with MAC Dance Academy’s program leader Teah Keogh on Saturday, May 27 from 11:00 am-12:00 pm. A three-week tap class will be offered on Tuesdays in June: June 13, 20, and 27, from 6-7 pm each day. The cost for the workshop or one-day drop in for the class is $23 for MAC members and $28 for nonmembers. The cost to register for all three weeks of the class is $65 for MAC members and $78 for nonmembers. Learn more and register online at marionartcenter.org/events.

            Course description: Want more happiness and bit less seriousness added to your week? This one hour tap class provides percussive playtime for adults (teens ages 15 and up also welcome) that “taps” into our inner courage, creativity, and strengthens our physical and mental health. Tap is a popular style of American theatrical dance which includes percussive footwork with precise rhythmic patterns on the floor. Dancers develop a keen sense of rhythm and balance. This basic level beginner tap class is geared toward those who have had little or no tap training, but will also be fun for anyone who has worn tap shoes before. Registrants may bring their own shoes or borrow a previously loved pair from the MAC. Shoes are available on a first come, first served basis and can be loaned out to those who sign up for the entire session. Comfortable clothing recommended.

Family Sensory Walk

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Let’s turn up our senses. We’ll use them to explore woods, wetlands and waterfront up-close on a Family Sensory Walk with Mattapoisett Land Trust at the Munn Preserve. The walk is open to all ages and abilities, so bring the whole family down on Saturday June 3 at 10:00 am.

            Along the half-mile trail leading to the beach, we’ll pause for fun activities to fine-tune senses and connect to nature. Meet at the Munn Preserve trailhead at approximately 124 Mattapoisett Neck Road.

            This is a free event led by nature educator Carly Baumann and sponsored by the Mattapoisett Land Trust. Please wear sturdy footwear and dress for the weather. This walk will happen rain or shine. We hope to see you and your family there.

Grackles Bully Your Birdfeeder

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            The best way to tell if the unwanted Grackles are invading your backyard is to check on flocks of blackbirds and starlings already there making a nuisance of themselves.

            The tallest with the longest tails among them will turn out to be Grackles, with their purple, shiny heads in sharp contrast with bronze, iridescent bodies. Their bright, golden yellow gives them an intense expression with an intrusive and detrimental purpose in mind.

            In my illustration, mated Grackles usually look for birdseed thinly scattered on the ground to   make it look like a free-for-all to all comers. They often try to steal food from Robins as well as many other smaller birds. They have already been seen on my place, killing an adult House Sparrow and have a reputation of being bullies around groups of other, smaller birds.

            Occasionally, they will make a nest in the lower level of the Osprey wooden towers along the shoreline of Fairhaven.

            Both parents feed their four fledglings’ insects, beetle grubs, grasshoppers, millipedes, spiders, minnows and tadpoles. They also have been attracted to eating large quantities of ants from their parents, who by digesting large quantities in front of them are secreting medicinal formic acids into their stingers to help Grackles get rid of crawling parasites infecting their inner plumage.

            The fledglings are soon-enough ready to forage for themselves in preparation for the end of summer, seasonal migration down south.

            At that time, Grackles forage together and roost in large, communal flocks with several different species of other black birds. These gatherings can number many hundreds of individuals, as they keep gathering numbers in preparation for the coming of winter weather.

            On the way, they pass over large, country corn fields, and they are named in passing to be scarecrows because they become the number-one threat to growing corn. They can have a million-dollar impact on farming agriculture and when they leave, they are finally appreciated.

            The oldest Grackle recorded still around was a solitary male kept alive until it was at least 21 years old when it was killed by a raptor predator. Now, with the climate change of glacial warming, the intrusion of Grackles cannot be reasonably predicted because of the seasonal variation of similar, habitual, predation species.

By George B. Emmons

Sippican a Happy Land

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            Attending the May 10 Marion School Committee meeting remotely from Camp Burgess in Sandwich where she was with a Grade 6 field trip, Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Sirois reported the kids were “having a fantastic time,” noting the noise in the background of her call.

            May brought that time of year when the end of school seemed near, even if it remained several weeks away.

            Sirois reported that the sixth graders had engaged that day in ropes courses and team-building exercises with a “night hike” scheduled for after the dinner they were enjoying while their principal zoomed into School Committee.

            The Marion School Committee voted to accept two grants related to literacy: a $152,000 Accelerating Literacy Learning through High Quality Instructional Materials Grant to support Sippican Elementary with 50% funding toward core instructional materials for literacy for Grades K-6 and a $5,076 Early Literacy Universal Screening Grant to purchase the DESE-approved Early Literacy Screening Assessment DIBELS 8th Edition for Grades K-3. The funding would also provide professional development for teachers.

            Chairperson April Nye and other members of the committee thanked Assistant Superintendent of Schools Dr. Shari Fedorowicz for her work in procuring the “highly competitive” grants from the state.

            Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson pointed out that the state only offered a total of $1,000,000 in grant funding for the program statewide.

            “For districts like ours, competitive grants can oftentimes be very difficult because of the criteria that the Department of (Education) often outlines for those who would be given priority,” said Nelson. “Sometimes, based on success and the type of communities that we work on behalf of, we don’t meet those priority lists.

            “This type of financial support to move in the direction and support the work that we committed to system wide allows us really to accelerate where I think we’re going to be going in literacy in the next three to five years. Just a great jumpstart in Year One of this work …”

            “We still don’t know all the choices (of programming),” explained Fedorowicz, who is still waiting for guidance from DESE on pricing details.

            Fedorowicz said the new literacy program is moving quickly with its leadership teams involving administrators and faculty. All three of the Tri-Towns’ educators will meet with program representatives together before the end of the school year.

            Per state regulations, the committee held an annual public hearing to address its status as a School Choice district. In recent years, Marion has voted not to participate in the School Choice program.

            The School Choice public hearing was opened and without response from the committee or the public to the latter’s invitation for comments was closed. The vote was just as decisive, as the four committee members, April Nye, Mary Beauregard, Nichole Daniel and Nichole Nye McGaffey, all voted for Marion to remain a non-School Choice District.

            This means that students who reside in other school districts (towns) will not be allowed to attend Sippican Elementary via the state’s School Choice program in 2023-24.

            The committee voted to accept the memorandum of understanding between Nelson and Marion Chief of Police Richard Nighelli regarding the school resource officer for next school year.

            In her Chairperson’s Report, April Nye celebrated the Town Meeting vote and police budget paving the way for an SRO at Sippican in 2023-24.

            “As many of you know, when I initially ran for School Committee over five years ago, my goal was to make our schools as safe as they could possibly be through various measures, and one of them was my want of an SRO,” said Nye. “Through the years, working with administration as well as the superintendent’s office as well as the town, we’ve been able to improve on various security measures. Again, one of my biggest goals still was to continue to fight for and get that SRO if we possibly could.”

            With that, Nye thanked the committee members for “always putting what’s best for children as well as the staff and the school community as the number-one priority.” She added public thanks to Sirois, Crisafulli, Nelson, Nighelli, Marion Town Administrator Geoff Gorman and parents for reaching out to the committee and to Marion voters at large for supporting the school children.

            Upon the recommendation of the Old Rochester Regional School District as read by Nelson, the Marion School Committee unanimously voted to adopt the following schedule for 2023-24 meetings: September 14, October 19, November 30, January 4, February 8, March 14, April 25 and May 23.

            Nelson clarified the new approach targeting Thursday as the night for school-committee and major-subcommittee meetings across the ORR District. April Nye thanked secretary Melissa Wilcox for constructing the schedule, calling it “phenomenal” especially as members try to juggle family-related obligations.

            Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber reported with budgetary, facilities and food-service updates.

            Citing skyrocketing costs and other needs in the Tri-Towns, Nelson admitted he had been nervous about the FY24 budgeting process but said meaningful conversations about education with other stakeholders helped get the students what they will need for the next year. He thanked the educators for their steadfast focus as the current school year winds down.

            April Nye thanked Craig Davidson, the director of Student Services, for his acceleration camp.

            Nelson updated the committee that SMEC is looking to purchase a building.

            Early in the meeting, the committee broke into executive session to discuss collective bargaining and security and to comply with related laws and federal grant-in-aid requirements. The committee returned to public session.

            The recognition presentation on the May 10 agenda was held until the committee’s next meeting.

            The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14, at Sippican School, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Monday, June 8, at the Old Rochester Regional Junior High School media room. Both meetings start at 6:30 pm.

Marion School Committee

By Mick Colageo

June Pride Workshop for Teens and Tweens

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The Marion Art Center will host a June Pride Workshop for Teens and Tweens on Saturday, June 10 from 12:00-2:00 pm in the MAC Studio. The MAC’s All Things Art program director and artist Kate Frazer Rego will lead the course. The cost to register is $35 for MAC members and $40 for nonmembers. Join a joyful celebration of diversity, pride, and inclusion. Tweens and teens are invited for an afternoon of fun Pride activities, including creating your own pride flag, making pronoun pins, & creating mini-zines to share about the history of Pride and educate your family and community. Anyone creating a craft must register for the class, but friends and family are invited to stop in at any point to enjoy the celebration. Learn more and register online at marionartcenter.org/events.

Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Scholarship

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The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce the winners of two $2,500 scholarships for Mattapoisett residents who are graduating from a local high school this year.

            The winners are Corinne Robert and Isabella Bianca Russo.

            Corinne Robert will be graduating from ORR High School. She plans to matriculate as part of Endicott College’s nursing program with a specialty in Labor and Delivery. Her long term goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner and Midwife. Corinne has excelled academically and has shown leadership in community activities and sports.

            Isabella Bianca Russo is a Mattapoisett resident who will be graduating from Wareham High School. She plans to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she will major in biology on a path to medical school. In addition to academic excellence, Isabella has been very involved in local television broadcasting, and she hopes to someday create local programming related to health care.

Academic Achievements

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It is with great pleasure that Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) congratulates Joseph Reardon of Mattapoisett, Aaron Bates of Mattapoisett and Lilian Frank of Mattapoisett on being named to the winter 2023 President’s List. The winter terms run from January to May.

            Luke Mullen of Mattapoisett has been named to Southern New Hampshire University’s Winter 2023 Dean’s List. The winter terms run from January to May.

            Leah Reed of Marion graduated Cum laude with a Bachelor of Social Work in Social Work from Regis College.

            Holly McGreavy of Mattapoisett graduated with a MS in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner from Regis College.

            Emerson Gonet, a sophomore at ORRHS, has been selected for the FBI National Associates, New England Youth Leadership program held in July 2023. This will be an intense four-day program of classroom study, physical fitness, guest lectures and leadership experiences. This program is designed to enhance each participant’s leadership skills, build confidence and learn the discipline it takes to make a successful team, all with a law enforcement perspective. In addition to the program, she received a $1,000 scholarship to further her education from the FBI-law Enforcement Executive Development Association and the FBINAA Youth Leadership Program.

            Jacob Pothier from Rochester, majoring in Mech Engineering, was named to the spring 2023 Dean’s List at Cedarville University. Students receive this recognition for obtaining a 3.5 GPA or higher for the semester and carrying a minimum of 12 credit hours.

            Emma Keeler of Rochester graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Pennsylvania with both BA and MS degrees in Biology. While at Penn, Emma was a Goldwater Scholar, a Dean’s Scholar, a University Scholar, a National Institutes of Health Translational Research Fellow, the recipient of Neysa Cristol Adam’s prize in Biology and inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. Her research on Redondo viruses was selected for publication in the journal Cell Host and Microbe. Emma begins the PhD program in Microbiology at Yale under the Gruber Science Fellowship in August.

            A total of 2,054 undergraduate students achieved the criteria required for WPI’s Spring 2023 Dean’s List. The criteria for the WPI Dean’s List differs from that of most other universities as WPI does not compute a grade point average (GPA.) Instead, WPI defines the Dean’s List by the amount of work completed at the A level in courses and projects. The following students were on the Dean’s List for Spring 2023:

–Emma Carroll of Rochester, class of 2025, majoring in Mechanical Engineering

–Rachel Foye of Rochester, class of 2025, majoring in Data Science

–Isabel Friedrichs of Rochester, class of 2026, majoring in Environmental Engineering

–Alexandria Sheehan of Marion, class of 2023, majoring in Economic Science

–Paige Sommers of Rochester, class of 2025, majoring in Biomedical Engineering

–David Strom of Marion, class of 2026, majoring in Mechanical Engineering

Land Trust Plan Gains Town Support

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            Mike Huguenin, president of the Mattapoisett Land Trust, came before the Mattapoisett Select Board on May 23 to discuss and receive the support of the board for two unrelated initiatives.

            The first was to discuss and approve conservation restrictions primarily for property recently acquired by the town and by other entities such as the Mattapoisett Water and Sewer Department for the purpose of protecting the Mattapoisett River Valley aquifer. Those properties are: Lopriore/Defelice Parcel, Red Brick Farm on Long Plain Road and Long Plain Forest. The total estimated acreage is 250.

            Questions from the audience arose regarding what will become of some parcels such as the Winterbottom Farm and the Red Brick Farm when the current farmers withdraw. Alan Decker assured all the farming will continue if farmers can be found to continue operation. He also said that the current tenants living in the red brick house have expressed a desire to continue their tenancy. Decker said they will be given a one-year lease.

            The town supported the purchase of the agricultural lands with a CPA grant in the amount of $85,000 at the Annual Town Meeting held on May 8. The board signed the conservation documents, sealing their support.

            Huguenin also discussed with the board an opportunity to apply for a grant from Coastal Zone Management. He explained that the grant would be used to design culvert options and other marshland remediation plans for Molly’s Cove. He shared a four-year report produced by the Buzzards Bay Coalition that shows the decline of the marshlands as a vital part of the ecosystem due to poor water quality from inadequate tidal flushing. The cove is traversed by Mattapoisett Neck Road.

            The grant application, if awarded, could bring much-needed dollars to a project that has long been identified as needing attention – culvert repair. A study done in 2021 by the Woods Hole Group also identified as problematic not only the cove’s poor water quality but also the roadway’s resiliency to climate change and rising water levels.

            Town Administrator Mike Lorenco reminded the board that there is money set aside for grants that require matching funds. Huguenin believed, although no grant match is required by CZM, it was prudent to demonstrate the town’s sincerity. He said that generally a match is 25% of the grant total, in this case $20,000 against a grant of $100,000. He went on to say that the MLT was willing to commit half of the match, or $10,000, if the town was willing to contribute the other $10,000. The board moved to allocate $10,000, thus lending the town’s support.

            Earlier in the proceedings, the board moved to establish an ad hoc commission to oversee town-owned cemetery maintenance, the placement and management of memorial bricks and benches and signage throughout the community.

            Ray Hanks of Wreathes across America talked about placing wreaths on veteran graves throughout Mattapoisett in both private and municipally owned cemeteries. Select Board member Jordan Collyer said the town has no jurisdiction over privately owned cemeteries and suggested reaching out to them directly. Wreathes across America is a national volunteer group that seeks to place a memorial wreath on veterans’ graves every December.

            The board also met with Kimberly Ray, president of the Lions Club, to discuss changes to the upcoming annual fundraiser Harbor Days. The Lions sought and received permission to hold a children’s painting session and to reposition a food truck for better customer traffic flow. The vendor craft booths will be open on July 15 and 16.

            On Monday, June 12, at 11:00 am, Phase 1b of the Mattapoisett Bike Path will be officially opened with Representative William Straus and members of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation in attendance, along with local prime movers to the project. It was observed by the board that the designated day and time for the planned ribbon cutting was likely to be inconvenient for working people and children. It was determined that another celebration may be planned to allow for greater community participation.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Select Board was not scheduled upon adjournment.

Mattapoisett Select Board

By Marilou Newell

Kittens, Cats and Catastrophes

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            My grandmother was a gentle lady, but every time her cat had kittens, she picked out the one that looked like it might be the best mouser (how she knew that was beyond me), placed the rest in a burlap bag with a large rock and threw the bag into the pond, which was really just a big puddle in the middle of the sand pit that was up the lane from her house.

            I know that was disgusting so don’t shoot the messenger, but Grandma was an old school immigrant who did what you had to do. She learned early on that as a single mother, feeding a family of 10 kids took priority over a half-dozen kittens. Anyway, the pit was eventually filled in and a neighborhood of small houses sprouted there.

            We saved one of those kittens from its demise by adopting it. It matured into a large grey cat with a triangle mark on its forehead. One day it disappeared. A few days later, I found it lying on the side of Route 6. Someone must have hit it and placed it there. I put it in a paper bag and buried it in a shallow grave near the brook at the end of our lane.

            A year or more later, my mother heard a scratching noise at the back door. Sure enough, it was our old grey cat with the triangle mark on its forehead, looking a little scraggly but none the worse for wear. Mom let him in, and he ran straight for the spot where his food dish used to be. I guess the car must have just stunned him for a while, and he scratched his way out of the bag. It was a lucky cat who beat its tragic demise … twice!

            Another kitten we rescued from Grandma’s burlap chamber of horrors wasn’t so lucky and caused our family, especially my mother, a good deal of grief. One day Mom was about to take a drive when she noticed the kitten by the garage door. Not wanting to go back inside the house, she picked it up and placed it on the front seat of the car next to her.

            At the time, I was at my friend’s house on North Street. Suddenly there was a loud bang that shook the house. I ran to see what had happened, horrified to see that my mother had wrapped our green 1949 Pontiac around a massive oak tree. Mom had reached across the seat trying to grab the kitten, which had fallen off the seat, causing her to turn the steering wheel, driving the car squarely into the tree.

            Racing to her aid, I tripped, falling down my friend’s front steps, tearing up my knee. The ambulance arrived shortly with Dad’s friend Mickey Bauer driving. I got into the back next to the stretcher in the station-wagon ambulance, also a 1949 Pontiac. Mickey hauled that thing with its one red “bubblegum machine” light on the roof at what seemed like 100 miles per hour along Route 6 through Fairhaven and New Bedford to St. Luke’s Hospital.

            As it happened, Dad was in the hospital at the same time for a hernia operation. I knew where his room was, so Mickey and I started down to tell him that Mom was in the emergency room. As we approached his room, he was sitting in a wheelchair and spotted us. Naturally, he wondered why I was with Mickey, the town’s ambulance driver. He rolled himself out to greet us with a worried look on his face. As soon as Mickey mentioned Mom’s name and emergency room in the same breath, Dad took off like a race car, wheels spinning off the starting line … nurses, Mickey and me chasing behind.

            So, for one day all three members of the Morgado family were in the hospital, Mom being patched up from her injuries, Dad recuperating from surgery and me with a cut leg bandaged by a kind nurse.

            The kitten did not survive.

            Editor’s note: Mattapoisett resident Dick Morgado is an artist and retired newspaper columnist whose musings are, after some years, back in The Wanderer under the subtitle “Thoughts on ….” Morgado’s opinions have also appeared for many years in daily newspapers around Boston.

Thoughts on…

By Dick Morgado

Watercolor Class

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The Mattapoisett Museum is delighted to host a captivating watercolor painting class on June 2, at 6:30 pm. Led by local artist Lana Quann of “The Wandering Brush,” this beginner-friendly workshop offers participants the opportunity to unlock their creativity and create unique, one-of-a-kind paintings.

            Whether you’re a novice or have dabbled in watercolor before, Lana Quann will provide step-by-step instructions and helpful techniques to make the art of watercolor more accessible and enjoyable. All necessary materials will be supplied, including a mat for framing your finished piece.

            During the class, students can explore, make mistakes and receive hands-on guidance to bring their artwork to life. The session will also include a 15-minute break, giving attendees the chance to BYOB (Bring Your Own Beverage) or enjoy light refreshments.

            Lana Quann, a lifelong Southcoast resident, and self-taught watercolor enthusiast, brings her passion and expertise to the workshop. With a background in Art History and years of coursework in various mediums, Lana’s artwork combines simplicity, vibrant colors and a playful approach that blurs the line between craft and fine art. Her creations, inspired by local landscapes and wanderings, can be found at various local retailers, artisan fairs and online platforms.

            Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to explore the world of watercolor painting under the guidance of Lana Quann. Please arrive 10 minutes early to ensure a smooth start. Limited spots are available, so early registration is encouraged. Secure your spot and learn more about the event by visiting www.mattapoisettmuseum.org/event-info/watercolor-meadow-for-beginners.