Children are being educated away from the traditional classroom for the duration of the 2019-20 school year so their experience with and how they think about the internet has dramatically changed.

            Computer hours are mounting, and they have become task-oriented. Frankly, kids are in need of some comic relief and so are their parents.

            That’s where master storyteller Vinny Lovegrove aka “Mr. Vinny” enters stage left with his comedic puppets. Only now, it’s a one-on-one, up close and personal on Facebook.

            “It’s all new to me. I’ve never been on Facebook before. For the first time, me logging on and being on Facebook. We’ve had a Facebook page for a while, and Mr. Tom would take care of that,” said Lovegrove, who had never made a video either.

            Now there are several videos up on his Facebook page. “I’m having a lot of fun – big learning curve,” he said.

            Having grown up with parents who were Scrimshaw artists, Lovegrove was absorbed by art and drew a lot of pictures as a kid. At the Maryland Institute College of Art, the Rochester native and ORR graduate went from producing illustrations to sculpture before the direction that has become his career.

            “My friends, people I was hanging out with, they were into theater arts. It was making things and then performing with them,” he said. “I thought of myself as pretty shy, never did puppets.”

            “Mr. Tom” is Tom Poitras, Lovegrove’s friend from East Freetown. An experienced musician and songwriter anticipating the birth of his first son, Poitras approached Lovegrove about sharing ideas for children’s songs. In 2000, the collaboration became the Toe Jam Puppet Band.

            “What I was doing then was my big puppets, miracle fish giant puppets. Tom had been doing adult music,” recalls Lovegrove. “Tom and I started (Toe Jam), we were three-piece, then five-piece, and then depending on the venue… as many as five or more.” One concert at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford saw 15 performers on stage.

            The popularity of the New Bedford-based entertainment ensemble typically makes well over 200 appearances annually including one year with 270 gigs. That schedule has obviously come to the same screeching halt in synch with the rest of the world.

            “Tom and I do this full time with other stuff… We were keeping busy,” said Lovegrove.

            He and Poitras had been asked if they might be able to continue performing only at outdoor venues, but they could barely give the idea consideration before the state shut down.

            “I would say it was only days after thinking that’s what we’re going to do, we couldn’t even get together,” said Lovegrove, who realized the “kids are going to be at home” and the wheels began turning in the direction of Facebook.

            Unfortunately, the duo hasn’t been able to do anything together in the literal sense.

            “I guess like everybody else we’ve been playing wait and see,” said Lovegrove. “The first idea to do the videos was, ‘Let’s offer the kiddos something, let’s stay engaged with the community.’ But then it quickly became, ‘Let’s do something we haven’t done before.’”

            Thus, Facebook videos.

            Lovegrove and Poitras have performed in a variety of settings, from large crowds to small gatherings to one gig in Somerville for children learning English as a second language. Having such opportunities to perform in so many different situations over the years has been a vehicle for growth.

            “I always thought that we’re lucky because we get to do gigs… Tom and I perform a lot,” said Lovegrove. “Performing without an audience, as I have been, is yet another challenge.”

            If Lovegrove isn’t sure about whether his material will fly, he might bounce it off of his eight-year-old daughter Tallulah. “She’s got a great sense of humor herself,” he notes. “Sometimes you learn from successes, and (realize) that worked, it really worked. Or, you know what, it didn’t go well. (Either way), I’m fine.”

            Hopefully, we all will be fine sooner than later.

            Someday this year, Toe Jam Puppet Band might get back to two-a-day performances at Buttonwood Park Zoo and make visits throughout New England. Until then, there is Mr. Vinny’s brand of comic relief online at www.facebook.com/vinny.lovegrove.568

By Mick Colageo

            They were living the American dream, enjoying campus life, friends, studying, pursuing goals and dreams, and maybe thinking about Spring Break. Then the entire world as we all knew it came to an abrupt stop – COVID-19 had arrived.

            College and university students may be a population that is a bit invisible right now. Yet they represent the future, the leaders, the workforce, musicians, doctors, and policy-makers. They will one day be the decision-makers. How the current global emergency shapes their lives will only be known through the lens of time. For now, they are showing their mettle in ways that may be surprising to themselves and their families.

            The Wanderer spoke to five students to check-in with them and find out how the current situation is impacting their daily lives and their studies. 

            We spoke to Danielle Coderre, 24, a first year medical school student at the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine in Worcester. Coderre graduated from Fairhaven High in 2014, graduated from the University of Rhode Island, and then was accepted to UMass Medical School in 2019.

            “Tori” Victoria MacLean, 21, is a third-year English Education major at Westfield State University. MacLean graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School in 2017.

            Emily Newell, 21, is a third-year Humanities major, first at Bristol Community College, then transferring to the University of Southern Maine, and is a 2017 graduate of ORR.

            Davis Mathieu, 21, is a third-year Marine Engineering major at Massachusetts Maritime Academy and a 2017 graduate of ORR.

            Max Wolski, 21, is a third-year Music Education major at Berkley School of Music and also a 2017 graduate of ORR.

            When asked what the biggest change to her studies, Coderre said it was not being able to be in the laboratories. “Class lectures are online and also available after they are given so that’s not so bad,” but she added, “…any classes that require group problem solving are lost.” She explained that she participates in anywhere from three to six lectures per day as well as printed materials, most of which was already accessible online. But the issue of isolation for her didn’t factor in as much as it did for the other students. “My course of study can be pretty isolating anyway,” Coderre said. “It’s my job to learn the material… I’m self-directed.” But personal relationships are important. “I talk to friends on social media every day,” she said.

            Coderre’s medical studies gives her insight to which the average person may not have access. With all that she has learned about infectious diseases and public policy, she now believes the number-one takeaway from this emergency is preparedness. “Always plan for the worst-case scenario,” she said, identifying a lack of cohesiveness between public-health agencies as problematic and in need of being addressed before future global-health issues arise.

            Asked how the students at the medical school are responding to the need for volunteers, Coderre said, “We are not required to do anything… but we can volunteer.” She said that some students were calling senior citizens to access their needs, while others were doing more hands-on work such as fitting masks. “There are higher-risk situations such as aiding the homeless population… we all wish we could do more, but it’s also important that we stay safe.”

            Coderre’s advice to other students: “Continue to tackle the work.” She said in her course of study being willing to sacrifice is paramount. “I’m willing to give up some personal life, but I do keep things in balance,” she said.

            “It could be worse… it’s day-by-day,” MacLean said. Her training as a resident advisor came into play in a big way during the days her school was shutting its doors. “My first thought was for the students,” she said. As an RA, MacLean’s responsibilities run the gambit from consoling those who are homesick to fire drills and medical emergencies. Understanding the students’ background and needs is also important to MacLean. “Some students didn’t have a safe place to go when school closed,” she said. Others, she found, had nowhere to go. There are year-round housing opportunities at Westfield, but those evaporated with the shutdown. “I was initially very worried and scared, not for myself but for some kids,” she said.

            MacLean also talked about her own studies. “I love learning; that’s me.” She said that going from full speed to nearly a dead-stop has been a difficult transition. “It’s a shock, not much learning, things feel stagnant,” she said. “I’d give anything to be in my driest class right now.” But she pushes on with online classes, while admitting that the absence of discourse with classmates makes things tough. “You can’t bounce ideas around.” She said that those students who were receiving educational accommodations were finding the solely online courses difficult.

            As for social media, MacLean said, “I don’t know what I’d do without it!” Regarding her studies, “I’m trying to finish strong.” But it’s a big adjustment being home. “I’m not the same person I was in high school,” she said, acknowledging a greater perspective. “I’d tell (high school) students, ‘Be kind to yourself… talk to your professors… don’t worry about the future right now… focus on classes.’”

            Mathieu is finding online classes lacking. “I need the labs, the hands-on experience to understand how things operate… Watching videos, it’s just not the same impact – some of my classes are real-world situations. I need that as a marine engineer,” he said. Not being able to be in class working with others troubleshooting and understanding complex mechanicals, “… impacts how I’m learning,” said Mathieu, noting that the school may institute some make-up classes once the campus is reopened. “It’s going to be very difficult to complete a full college load, full Coast Guard load, and make-up labs.” He said in the spring of his senior year (2021) there are Coast Guard exams that he must pass in order to receive licensure. Mathieu expressed concern over missing out on the Coast Guard practical courses. “We can’t do those now,” he said.

            Mathieu’s frustration and concerns haven’t slowed him down in terms of doing all he can now. “I’d tell other students to hold on… ‘Don’t let this cause you to fall behind… study, get good grades and don’t get complacent.’”

            Newell is finding the transition home to be isolating. “I was in a dorm room with two great friends and my college best friend was just across the hallway… I miss them,” said Newell, in her first year of a campus life and course load she was enjoying while living on her own.

            When the University of Southern Maine closed, Newell became frustrated over the mixed message the students were receiving. “We didn’t know what we were supposed to be doing,” she said. When they were finally told they wouldn’t be returning to school after spring break, the logistics of moving out of a college dorm proved challenging. “All my plastic totes were at home… I had to make many trips back and forth filling my car up with a year’s worth of stuff,” she said with a chuckle.

            Once home, Newell was ready for the online model of studying, having taken several classes over the years that were offered exclusively online. “But it is difficult… it’s hard to stay focused,” she admitted. “Having one or two classes online isn’t bad, but not all of them.” Newell said the Zoom meetings were the best and offered more interactive opportunities. “Those work really well.” Other forms of communication are also helping to buffer the lack of vis-à-vis exchanges. “We correspond via email and discussion board,” she said, noting that the quality of the exchanges is lacking. “Looking at screens for long periods of time is not easy.”

            For Newell the feeling of isolation can make getting through the days difficult, but it hasn’t slowed down her desire to finish the year to the best of her abilities. “I’d tell others just to keep going, we’ve made it this far, don’t stop now.” She also shared an analogy she learned from her years of National Youth Leadership training with the Boy Scouts of America. “You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time so just keep going; don’t give up.”

            Wolski said that he is finding the workload and time commitment about the same as when he was in class at Berkley. “Early in the year plans are laid out,” he said, so the schedule is holding. But, “… the environment is different… home meant time to relax.” Now being home means remote learning, but for Wolski, this hiatus from school also means a loss of performing, a big part of his curriculum. Not only have opportunities to intern in grade-school settings dried up, but all group venues have been canceled or postponed. He said that camps or workshops he might have worked during the summer are gone.

            But Wolski is another student who isn’t letting loss frame his thinking as he moves forward. His ability to wax philosophically while keeping focused on his workload seems to be one way Wolski is coping. “People need to understand that this is temporary,” he said, noting the importance of social distancing and setting limits on gatherings. “It’s important to fight this thing. Younger students will have time to experience the campus lifestyle,” he said. Wolski also made a statement that could just as easily been a hope. “This whole thing, it’s showing that people can adapt and learn,” he said.

            Editor’s Note: Danielle Coderre and Emily Newell are related to the author of this article.

By Marilou Newell