Most schools in the Tri-Town are out and graduations have wrapped up. The weather is getting warmer, and window rattlers have been installed. Spring rains are still here (seemingly nailing every weekend with calculated precision), but Memorial Day weekend heralds in the unofficial beginning of the summer season. Festivals and celebrations have already begun across New England, with tourism ramping up and roads already getting bogged down with seasonal traffic.

            Farmers markets are back, with the Washburn Park market now being open every Tuesday, and numerous others as well as farm stands are also beginning to pop up. Strawberry season is coming in fast! Food trucks are also becoming more prevalent.

            Camping under the stars is always fantastic in the region, especially with the cool nights offering respite from the heat. Increased solar activity has already seen this month deemed perfect for aurora borealis viewing, even being this far south.

            America 250, the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War or “United States Semiquincentennial,” also warrants an excuse to venture out and explore the past. There is no better region in the country to experience its colonial past than Massachusetts, especially given the prevalence of planned celebrations commemorating momentous historic events. This summer is predicted to be the hottest on record, with increased risk of wildfires and hurricanes. That being said, travel numbers will likely also break records. Airbnb predicts 40% of Americans will travel to domestic destinations, rather than international, to save money. Coupled with this, USA Today cited many Americans surveyed plan to drive instead of fly to cut costs.

            Summer offers us the ability to break free from routine and find joy in new adventures. Time for new hobbies or time for that long-delayed repair/renovation. Many use it as an opportunity to search for new work or begin their careers after graduation.

            Whatever your plans for this summer, regardless of the solstice being on June 20, the summer season is here, at least in spirit. “Summer was on the way; Jem and I awaited it with impatience. Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the tree house; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill.” – To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee.

The Unofficial Start to Summer

By Sam Bishop

Superintendent Michael S. Nelson and Principal Silas Coellner are proud to share that more than 130 student projects exploring important issues facing society were on display at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School during the Civics Action Project Showcase held on Tuesday, May 27.

            Eighth grade students who completed civics action projects over the course of four weeks were able to present their findings on a wide range of topics, such as school discipline, environmental issues, mental health problems, dress codes in school, plastic pollution, underage substance use and bullying. The eighth graders were tasked with picking societal topics that would help improve their community if only the issue was better understood.

            As part of their projects, the students went through a multi-step process to learn about local government, public policy creation, and how laws and regulations can be changed to better address societal problems. Through their work, conducting surveys, contacting state representatives, speaking with school officials and communicating with community leaders, the eighth graders gained valuable insight into civic responsibility and the role they can play to improve the world around them.

            After gaining sufficient information, the students developed a final goal proposal related to their topic. The students then prepared posters to display during the Civics Action Project Showcase, helping them to explain their subject to family, friends, teachers and other guests from the community. Several school administrators also attended the event to witness students deliver their presentations.

            During the showcase, students, parents and local community members voted on what they considered the top project by two groups of students.

            The winners for the Green Team were Oliver Ward and John Rousseau for “Interactive Lessons In School.” The winner for the Orange Team was Sophie Zhou for “Wildlife and Road Safety.”

            The projects were facilitated by eighth grade civics teachers Sarah Makein and Rick Regan.

            “We were very happy with and impressed by all the tremendous work and effort that our students put into their civics action projects,” Makein said. “This event was a great success, and we look forward to repeating the effort.”

            “It was outstanding to see so many high-quality projects completed by our students,” Regan said. “They did a lot of hard work to collect information and to develop compelling findings on so many intriguing subjects. It was amazing to see what they came up with.”

            Superintendent Nelson and Principal Coellner both congratulated the eighth graders for all of their efforts to tackle so many important issues, providing nuanced explanations and offering solutions for so many social problems facing the world today.

            “I’m happy to see how so many of our students engaged intelligently on some of these very difficult issues impacting our communities,” said Principal Coellner. “There were so many thoughtful presentations that were based on data collected by our students who then offered some very interesting perspectives on these important topics. Thank you to Mr. Regan and Ms. Makein for all of their work to prepare our students for this endeavor.”

            “It was amazing to see all the hard work on display by our eighth graders during the Civics Action Project Showcase,” said Superintendent Nelson. “It’s incredible to see the depth of information and the level of understanding our students demonstrated in regard to such a wide variety of issues touching on civic responsibility. I’d also like to thank Mr. Regan and Ms. Makein for their efforts to guide our students through this project and to get them thinking about good citizenship and the responsibility they all have as future leaders.”

            Radon is a breakdown product of uranium, which is found naturally in soil and rocks everywhere. Radon is a gas, and it is odorless, colorless and tasteless.

            Radon can seep into your house from the ground on which it is built and, particularly if your house is tightly-sealed, can build up.

            Some amount of radon is unavoidable, but levels above 4 picocuries per liter are considered a cause of lung cancer. Radon is the number one cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the combination of smoking and radon is particularly lethal.

            There is natural variation in radon levels depending on geography. You can Google “EPA radon zones” to find a map and spreadsheet that will tell you to the county level how likely you are to be at a high level of radon.

            Some states, including Massachusetts, mandate radon tests before a house is sold, but most states do not.

            Testing is easy. You can get a test kit at the hardware store or on-line. You leave the kit in a central part of your basement (or ground floor if you have no basement) and mail it in.

            If the test comes back at 4 or higher, you should take action.

            While there are some helpful things you can do yourself, such as sealing cracks in the basement floor or walls and improving the ventilation in your home, major improvement will require professional help.

            Seek a certified radon mitigator – certified by NRPP (National Radon Proficiency Program) or NRSB (National Radon Safety Board). The typical solution involves a pipe system running from beneath the foundation that draws air through an external pipe to above the roof using a fan.

            Remediation does not come cheap: it will probably cost between $1000 and $2500. Add to that the cost of electricity to run a fan continuously.

            So, as well as having smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home, one more thing to add. Forewarned is forearmed.

            Edward Hoffer MD is Associate Professor of Medicine, part-time, at Harvard.

What Does The Doctor Say?

By Dr. Edward Hoffer