In keeping with a plan established several weeks ago, Old Rochester Regional High School will hold graduation exercises in-person on Saturday, August 8, at 10:00 am, with a rain date of 10:00 am on August 9 (rain or shine). What has changed are the seating arrangements.

            The 175 graduates who have all been invited to attend with only members of their immediate households, will be seated on the field with their families in what the school is calling a pod.

            “Once they’re in their pod, they have to stay in their pods,” said ORR Principal Michael Devoll. Each graduate will be dismissed with her/his pod to maintain social distance.

            An earlier version of the seating plan only reversed the traditional position of students and families and was going to sit graduates with safe spacing in the football bleachers and their families socially distanced on the field. The new plan keeps the graduates with their households.

            In an abbreviated ceremony, there will be no speeches but only brief greetings from Devoll and Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson.

            “The main speaker, the valedictorian, that will be the speech,” said Devoll, referring to Rachel Perry, a school-choice student from New Bedford.

            After Perry speaks, the graduates will be called to the podium to pick up their diplomas.

            Families will be limited to two cars and can only enter the campus via the Marion entrance off of Route 6 down the hill from the tennis courts.

            Graduates have had their caps and gowns since June, but in an event similar to the June yearbook pickup, they were scheduled this week to pick up medals and Honor Society cords so they can wear them for graduation.

            By the end of the day on July 31, public schools were to submit to the state three plans for return to school with priority being placed on the in-person plan. The alternate plans would be the hybrid and remote learning models.

            Many towns’ school buildings can barely service the number of students that are enrolled, so the hybrid model that Devoll described as “cohorts at home and at school” is necessary for most districts. Some towns reportedly have already stated the intention to return to school with a hybrid model and an option for families to choose remote-only education.

            “That (model) seems to makes a lot of sense for the high school,” said Devoll, who said the Tri-Town communities must know ORR’s plan by August 11.

By Mick Colageo

            On August 3, 2019, the second Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity home in the Tri-Town broke ground in Mattapoisett. The Route 6 parcel was donated by David and Jessica Nicolosi. The couple also donated excavation services.

            Over time as the project motored along through the fall and winter months, the number of sub-contractors and suppliers grew to an astounding 27 different businesses including local banking services. The basement’s concrete was poured, framing for the single-family home went up, and various other “rough-in” processes were completed.

            Then in March 2020, everything came to an abrupt halt as this project, along with everything else except the basics for survival, was impacted by the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic. “COVID-19 shut us down,” said Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Christine Lacourse, who added that while there was always a plan to restart the construction, it was a very disheartening period of time for both the prospective homeowner and the BBAHH.

            Work had resumed in May 2020, Lacourse said, after a two-and-a-half-month delay. On July 31, at last, the roof was placed on the home, nearly a full year from the groundbreaking ceremony. It was clear things were once again moving and in the right direction.

            Lacourse said that under normal circumstances, the HH model utilizes almost exclusively volunteered labor, but, “We couldn’t do that this time.” She explained that given the projected timeline for completion, it has become necessary to use “professionals.” Lacourse pointed out that the roofing company donated the labor while another business has donated the roofing materials. “Without their help we couldn’t get things done.”

            Other professional trades that have committed to donate labor will be the drywall installers, plasterers, and painters, but Lacourse added, “There will be volunteers as well.” She also added that the project is still seeking donations.

            As for the soon-to-be, first-time homeowner, a single mother of two small children, she couldn’t be happier. A full-time employee working in the health care industry, Jessica hasn’t had time to dwell on her own problems, but in the back of her mind, she’s held onto the future and homeownership. “It’s such a blessing… it means everything.” She learned about Habitat for Humanity through the mother of one of her children’s friends who encouraged her to try and to complete an application.

            Jessica said that she works on the home every weekend, sometimes bringing along family and friends, although only her willingness and ability to do hands-on work is expected by BBAHH. She said that the volunteers, many of whom possess building skills, have been great. “I’ve learned so much; they are good teachers,” she said.

            The program requires that applicants prove US citizenship, establish need for shelter, ability to pay, willingness to partner, and be a resident of the service area. BBAHH covers the towns of Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Rochester, Wareham, and Westport.

            Of the application process, Jessica said it was well worth the effort and that, although it was a fairly complex process, the BBAHH staff was “amazing.

            “The outcome is so worth it; the children will have a home for life.”

By Marilou Newell

            There are not many times when a person can say that they have met someone who changed the trajectory of their life. When I met Ken Souza that is exactly what happened to me. 

            My wife Laurie, our newborn baby Simone and I move to Mattapoisett from Atlanta, Georgia in the summer of 2006. We only knew two people in the area and had no family living nearby. We were taking a leap of faith, looking for a place to raise our daughter in a safe environment with great schools, nearby beaches and brighter employment opportunities. After getting out from under all of the moving boxes and settling into our new surroundings, it was time to find a job. I picked up a copy of The Wanderer and I saw that they needed a writer who could also take photographs of local events. After gathering some courage, I decided to send in my resume and a writing sample, ‘Why not?’ I thought. I had nothing to lose. I had had work published in creative writing and poetry magazines, but I was a photographer by trade who knew how to write, not a writer who knew how to take photographs. 

            To my surprise, I received a call the same day that I dropped my application off at The Wanderer’s office. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Ken Souza and he asked if I could come by the next day for an interview. We set up the time and the next day around 1:00 pm, I would meet the man who would, as things turned out, changed my life. 

            When I drove up to The Wanderer’s office, I noticed a KISS ARMY sticker on the back of an SUV parked beside the building. I took this as a good sign, I had been a member of the KISS ARMY, the rock group Kiss’ fan club, as a teenager in the 70s. I walked in, introduced myself to Ken and the office manager, Pattianne Aleks, and took a seat next to Ken’s desk. The first thing that struck me was Ken’s smile; it was friendly and reassuring. I felt at ease right away. After fifteen minutes or so of the usual interview questions, Ken surprised me and asked if I wanted the job. I said ‘yes’ right away and he told me he would send me an assignment within a day or so. He asked me who my favorite member of Kiss was and I said it was guitarist Ace Frehley. He said, “me too!” with a big smile. We spent another ten minutes talking about Kiss concerts we had each seen. We found out that we both also loved the group Cheap Trick, John Carpenter’s horror movies and his favorite author Edgar Allen Poe. Ken said the piece I sent for him to read reminded him of Poe. He told me that was the reason he hired me.

            The first writing assignment I received was to interview the new Executive Director and staff of Old Rochester Community Television (ORCTV), the new cable access station that was set to telecast that week in Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. The interview went well, as I had a background in TV from high school and college. I knew the right questions to ask and enough about cameras and other equipment for Brian, the director, to ask for my phone number saying, “You really seem to know your stuff; can I call you if I ever need some help here at the station?” I said ‘sure’, not really thinking much about it at the time. Two months later, I received a call from Brian offering me a job at ORCTV as the programming coordinator. 

            I let Ken know that I had been offered the job with ORCTV but that I wanted to stay on with The Wanderer as well. Ken said that he was okay with the arrangement and then he casually slipped in, “You know I am the president of ORCTV, right?” I had no idea. I asked if he knew Brian had offered me a job and Ken said he had no idea but he was happy for me and once again gave me his blessing.

            A few years later, Ken left The Wanderer to become the editor of The Anchor, a Catholic Church newspaper covering the local dioceses. He also left the ORCTV board around that same time. We remained close and our friendship grew over the ensuing years. Ken and his wife Margie would invite my family to summer barbeques and holiday get-togethers at their home, introducing us to their friends. Some of their friends became our friends and we would invite them to our home for the Fourth of July, Christmas Eve and birthday parties. We introduced them to our friends and our friends became their friends. Ken and I went to see an Ace Frehley concert together a few years ago. I caught one of the guitar picks that Ace threw into the audience and I gave it to Ken. It was a thank you gesture for everything he had done for me over the years.

            Long after Pattianne and I left The Wanderer, we would get together once or twice a year with Ken and Margie, Pat’s husband Louie and my family for dinner at Sweet Ginger’s Chinese restaurant in Fairhaven to catch up with one another. These people became our family. Ken and Margie became surrogate aunt and uncle to my daughter Simone. Pat and Louie are like her grandparents. 

            So, fourteen years have passed and here I am. I have worked at ORCTV since 2006 becoming the station’s director in 2013. In late summer 2019, Ken and Margie told us they were moving with Margie’s parents to Atlanta, to be closer to her brother and his family. While they were sad to leave their hometown, they said that it was time to try something different.

            We got together a couple of times with Ken and Margie before they left in October. We were excited for the new life they were starting. We wished them well on their adventure and promised we would look them up the next time we came to Georgia for a visit. We imagined taking them to our old haunts and having them show us the new places that they had discovered. We were sad to see them go but happy knowing they were going to a place we knew so well. It looked like we might see them on a trip to Atlanta we had planned for September 2020…

            The year 2020 has thrown every plan in each of our lives into to disarray. The trip in September was canceled, along with our chance to see our friends. Then about a month ago came the sad news of Ken being hospitalized. Margie gave us regular updates and we held out hope for a quick recovery. On Sunday morning, we received word of Ken’s passing. It is still a shock. It is weird to write, and stranger to say. Our friend has gone to join his mother, father and sister who passed before him. 

            I have not written for The Wanderer in over a decade. I am glad they gave me the opportunity to write this piece. Ken Souza was as kind a person as you will ever know. The day I met him changed my life and the lives of my family for the better, forever. When the virus goes away Ken’s friends and family will meet again to honor and remember him. We will share happy stories and speak of the blessing it was to have had Ken in our lives. We will remember his smile, the great laugh and the kindness of a man who touched all who knew him. Thank you, Kenneth Joseph Souza for everything. We miss you.

By Robert Chiarito