WHITMAN — The town’s annual Fourth of July Family Fun Day, sponsored by the Whitman Rrcreation Department, returns to Whitman Park with a day of olf-fashioned fun for the whole family on Tuesday, July 4. The Bike $ Carriage Decorating Contest, seen above during last year’s event, will begin at 10 a.m. on the basketball court. After that, residents can enjoy music, activities, relay races, inflatables and more until 1 p.m. Bring your appetite to help support Boy Scout/Pack 22, which will be cooking up hot dogs and selling other snacks to support their programs. Sweeties Shaved Ice will also be selling food.
Cap the day off with a swim, as the Town Pool will be open to residnts free of charge from 1 to 5 p.m.
Memories of July 4th at a Maine lakehouse
By Linda Ibbitson Hurd
Special to the Express
M y mom had an Aunt Violet and Uncle Jasper who lived in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The year I was 11 and my siblings, 8,5 and 2, we were invited to spend the Fourth of July with them. I could tell my parents were excited and when we found out our cousins – Joan, Donny and Bobby, Aunt Phyl, mom’s sister, and Uncle Al – were coming, we got excited, too.
We lived in Hanson, and Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Al lived in Albany N.Y. We looked forward to seeing them in Maine.
When mom and dad had the car all packed for the few days we’d be away, we piled in and headed for Maine. When we arrived, my cousins were already there. Everyone came out to greet us, everyone happy and excited to see one another. Aunt Violet led the way to the dinner table where we all had a nice meal.
The next morning was the Fourth of July.
My two older cousins and I were up first and went outside and sat on the big wrap-around porch that was on the front and side of the big, beautiful house surrounded by flowering bushes and trees. Down a small slope was a lake. We also noticed a barn to one side of the yard. We ventured over to it and peeked in to see a very big gray horse. It looked just like my Gramp’s horse, Harry, who was a big gray work horse. Jasper came into the barn and asked if we had met Max and gestured towards the horse. I told him my Gramp had almost the same horse. He knew my grandparents and smiled, saying, yes they did and told us that just like Harry, Max could hold several people on his back and he’d let us ride him later.
On the side yard was a big long picnic table, a barbeque grill, a badminton net and rackets, a few swings and a big box to one side that we were sure was filled with fireworks and sparklers. Out in back were two metal stakes far apart and a pile of horseshoes. When we walked down the slope to the water, there were several boats with oars and boulders to one side of the pond that were perfect for climbing. It was a haven and we started climbing the rocks.
After a few minutes, Jasper came down the slope with a boy and girl about our ages and introduced us. They were neighbors who lived close by and they and their parents were invited to spend the day with all of us. Their names were Sue and Brad and they joined us on our climb. It wasn’t long before we realized Brad was kind of a bully. My cousin Don stood up to him when he started teasing my cousin Joan about her New York accent and he backed off.
When we smelled food, we all got down off the rocks and headed for the yard just as our moms were calling us. When we got back to where the picnic table was, Chinese lanterns had been strung across the yard and porch, there were flags and bunting along the porch railing, it was very festive.
I remember feeling so happy to see my parents and Aunt and Uncle laughing and smiling. I liked watching the men play horseshoes, my dad was really good at it and my Uncle let my cousin Donny play.
Uncle Jasper finally brought Max out of the barn and helped my mom, Aunt Phyl and Brad’s mom get up on him while he led them around the field. The younger kids had the next turn and then it was the older kids and we all went to climb up. Brad was being a jerk again and Jasper wouldn’t let him on the horse. After we had our ride and got off, Brad ran and jumped up on the horse, dug his heels in Max’s side yelling, “let’s go boy, git!” Max didn’t run, Jasper yelled at Brad to stop jabbing him with his heels and to sit still and be quiet. Max ambled over to a big tree and as he walked under a low hanging branch before Brad could realize what was happening, the branch knocked him off the horse onto the ground. Almost everyone started laughing and us kids applauded. We all went over patting and stroking Max and he nuzzled us. That seemed to put Brad in his place and he was very quiet for the rest of the day.
When it started getting dark we got to use our sparklers. We all walked towards the lake and Jasper, my dad and uncle and Brad’s father took two of the row boats, rowing out into the middle of the pond where they set off the fireworks and they were beautiful! When we walked back to the house, Violet put a record player out on the porch and served drinks to the adults. We were having the best time watching them all while they were listening to music. The words of a song filled the night as we heard, “I was a Yankee Doodle Dandy born on the Fourth of July” …. and on it went. Pretty soon my Dad and Uncle were dancing on the porch to the songs. My cousin Joan and I went up on the porch and we ended up dancing with our dads.
As we got to know Violet and Jasper better, we looked forward to seeing them as did our cousins. More memories were made there and we could see how much they loved our mothers. It was a special home and place where our parents were carefree and it seemed to carry them through the year until we went again to Jasper and Violet’s.
Whitman board proclaims Pride Month
WHITMAN – The town will a have at least a taste of the rainbow this month after all, as the Select Board voted 3-2, on Tuesday, June 20, to support a proclamation from the board to declare June as Pride Month.
The proclamation supports a project to paint a crosswalk and walkways at the Whitman Public Library parking lot in rainbow colors while displaying the Progressive Pride Flag on town buildings as a way of expressing support for members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Supporting the proclamation were Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski, Justin Evans and Shawn Kain. Member Laura Howe voted no because of objections some residents had voiced over the library’s location across the street from Holy Ghost Church. She said she would support it and Pride flags elsewhere, because she had heard no opposition to the basic idea.
Vice Chair Dan Salvucci opposed the proclamation because, he argued, it would open a “Pandora’s box” of organizations demanding to fly their flags and that only the U.S. flag, the state and town flags – as well as the POW/MIA banner – should fly at town buildings.
A second 3-2 vote accepted a gift of Pride flags and other supplies from the nonprofit Whitman Pride organization.
In the end, neither Salvucci nor Howe signed the proclamation.
Whitman Pride official Christopher DiOrio, after the meeting, applauded the vote.
“I’m happy with the 3-2 vote. I think it’s a good step for the community to show that it’s inclusive, or at least our Board of Selectmen, speaking on behalf of the people that voted them in to create and show our community as being one of inclusivity,” DiOrio said. “Symbols do matter.”
He said people wondering if they are worthy or safe to come out in a community, they are not going to see a piece of paper on a wall – they’re going to see that flag and rainbow crosswalk.
“They’re going to see all of those things and they’re going to know that, at least for that brief moment in time that, ‘I’m OK, and that I’m worthy and that I’m somebody, and that at least somebody in the community is looking out for me.”
The American Civil Liberties Union has reported that a new record number of 417 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country since Jan. 1.
School Committee member Fred Small had suggested the proclamation itself simply be displayed in a town building instead of Pride flags or rainbow crosswalks.
But Town Counsel Peter Sumners said the proclamation, as a form of “government speech” would preclude such challenges.
“Following the advice of counsel, before [the May 23 meeting], we were being very cautious about this and we wanted to make sure that we understood the distinction between public speech and private speech,” Kowalski said. “We didn’t want to do anything that would encourage private speech we didn’t particularly care for, so we decided to take a break and look it over.”
While Sumners was researching the legal aspects of the issue, Kowalski said Evans researched what other towns were doing from which Whitman could borrow. One was that the town could simply proclaim some actions to express support for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Once such proclamation by the Braintree City Council, was used by the board almost word for word.
Whitman’s proclamation recognizes the rainbow as a symbol of “pride, inclusion and support for social movements that advocate for the LGBTQ+ community,” and that the town is “committed to supporting visibility, dignity and equity for all LGBTQ+ members in its diverse community.”
It supports the rainbow crosswalk at the Whitman Library – from the parking lot to the ramp at the rear entrance as well as from the front entrance – and progressive Pride flags on poles at Town Hall in recognition of Pride Month to encourage support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ residents and their contribution to the cultural, civic and economic success of the town.
Symbol of justice
“The symbolism of these crosswalks and flags is a reminder to all of us to embrace the principal of justice for all and to eliminate prejudice wherever it exists,” Kowalski read from the proclamation.
Salvucci objected to the inclusion of non-governmental or POW/MIA flags.
“If people want to display whatever they want to display on their house, on their private property, that’s up to them, they can do it,” he said. “As far as town property, I think they should stick to, as I said, state flags, town flags and [the] American flag.”
Sumners said the board’s proclamation prevents the “Pandora’s box” of requests that Salvucci feared.
Sumners said his understanding was that the message was to be conveyed in a way that was clear that it was from the town and not by any third-party group on town property.
“This [proclamation] is the board speaking on behalf of the town to say , ‘This is what we believe in,’” he said. “The government can choose to speak or not speak without opening up a forum for everyone to speak, or there are occasions, like public comment, when you do open up a forum for people to speak.”
He said the proclamation lands squarely in the realm of government speech.
Kowalski added he and Sumners talked about having a policy vs. a bylaw.
“This was the way to get it done now and it’s a way that we’re not going to be in any kind of jeopardy from any other group,” he said, noting that a number of towns have done a proclamation.
Kowalski noted that, while in Norton recently, he saw that town’s electronic message board was lit blue and yellow in support of Ukraine.
“The town had no problem proclaiming, ‘Pray for Ukraine,’ for probably a limited amount of time,” he said. “I personally don’t think we should have a problem proclaiming this at all.”
While the board had been under the impression that the library had signed off on the proposal, initially brought by Whitman Pride, there had been a change in leadership at the Library Trustees, and the new chair wanted more time to get the kind of information Sumners had supplied to the Select Board. They are expected to vote on it next week.
“The library does things like support women’s rights, Native American rights, African-American rights, and to me it’s on the spectrum of civil rights and the way that the library would celebrate those kinds of things,” Kain said. “Working with the library to do something really positive in the community is something I support.”
Salvucci then suggested that painted sidewalks doesn’t mean Pride month, it’s “Pride forever.”
Kowalski noted someone had suggested using chalk.
“That would mean we’re recognizing the value of the LGBTQ+ community before it rains,” he said to Salvucci’s vocal disagreement.
“We’re all elected, and we’re only elected from the people,” Howe said, noting that she heard a lot of complaints about the proposal, “but not for the reasons people are arguing about this.”
Location concerns
She said that, while not one person who spoke to her failed to support the LGBTQ+ community, they were concerned and upset about the crosswalk’s location.
“I just wonder, and it’s just a question please don’t laugh at me, could this be put somewhere else, like at the park, which is a town property,” she asked. “I honestly don’t want to see our community torn apart over something that … has not been a single thing I have heard.”
Former Selectman Brian Bezanson, Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly and Small were permitted to speak, although the discussion was initially intended to be among the Select Board.
Bezanson, said he is an acquaintance of the man who took the city of Boston all the way to the Supreme Court – despite losing at every lower court along the way – to win the right to fly a Christian flag at City Hall after the Pride flag had been displayed. Ultimately, it led to the Satanic Temple flag being flown at Boston City Hall.
He said the Select Board has enough to do tending to the “nuts and bolts of the community” instead of social justice, an example of overstepping boundaries that opens up a Pandora’s box.
“Our charge here is to tax, spend efficiently, make this government effective for all its citizens,” he said. “It has nothing to do about anything else.”
He argued there are nine other awareness month observations and to fly the flags of any of them would be pandering while real problems such as veterans’ suicides, drug overdoses and other problems are ignored.
Kain argued that the library offers programs that further the civil rights of everyone and this was one way to support that mission.
Evans said it was not a groundbreaking move the town was making.
“In the years pre-COVID, there was a Pride flag in the library for a number of Junes,” he said. “The COA had Pride flags in flower boxes for about a year and since the killing of Sgt. [Michael] Chesna, I believe the Thin Blue Line flag has been on the back of the fire engines for a couple of years now.”
Connolly said, while she is compassionate about the veterans’ deaths, there are examples in town where veterans are honored, including monuments, even while more could be done.
But, she added that 17 percent of youths in Massachusetts identify as gay and nearly half of those have seriously considered suicide, according to the Trevor Project.
On the same day as Whitman’s proclamation was voted, the attorney general in Tennessee forced Vanderbilt University Medical Center to turn over names of transgender patients during an investigation into billing practices for trans health care. The move sent a panic through the community of trans youth in Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the advocacy group Rainbow Youth USA, which fielded more than 375 calls from youths in crisis within 10 hours.
“There’s a lack of those symbols that we love our children,” Connolly said. “We love our children the way God makes them.”
She is also a parishioner at Holy Ghost and invoked Pope Francis’ admonition to “invite and love” the LGBTQ+ community.
“In that regard, I would say that this rainbow says, ‘We love our children,’” she said.
Bezanson challenged Evans’ being included in the vote because he had to leave the room during the first meeting. But Town Counsel Michelle McNulty explained that no longer applied because the original proposal by an immediate Evans family member, as a member Whitman Pride, was not the party putting forth the proclamation for a vote. The proclamation was brought for a vote by the Select Board as a form of speech on its own behalf.
“At this point in time, what is before the board is very different,” she said. “At this point in time you are taking government speech. Government speech, you control.”
Evans said he had contacted the state Ethics Commission, whose concern was about the appearance of undo influence because his wife was one of the people making the request and he filed a disclosure of with the Town Clerk’s office saying he could continue with his duties. The fact that the Whitman Pride request is no longer before the board because it was voting on the proclamation.
“This is the smart way to do it,” DiOrio said. “If they want to create a policy down the road, they can.”
More to school sports than W’s and L’s
Athletic Director Bob Rodgers, provided an end-of-the-year review of the athletics program to the School Committee on Wednesday, June 7.
“I know a lot of times, when people look at an athletic program, they look at how many championships did you win? How many banners are going up?” Rodgers said. “The athletic program is far more than that.”
While everyone loves to win and celebrate teams that do well, he’s happiest about strong participation numbers.
The program saw 581 students across 27 different sports participating during the 2022-23 school year. The students did more than just keep their eye on the ball, at least 36 participated in community service projects doing everything from helping veterans with yard work, to adopting a widow in Whitman, which one of the teams did, taking care of her by doing chores like mowing the lawn and shoveling snow.
“[Doing] all of the things in the community that will help shape them as they leave Whitman-Hanson – to understand what it means to serve,” he said. “Our teams did well in terms of [athletic] competition as well.”
Fall cheerleading won their 30th straight league title;
Girls’ basketball, boys’ basketball and baseball all won their league titles;
Baseball played to the final four in the state tournament this season;
The wrestling team had three Div. 2 sectional champions – Charlie Lussier, Austin Gamber and Cooper Lucier – with Charlie Lucier winning the Div. 2 state championship.
Among the long list of athletic awards given out this year, Rodgers said Derek Schwede stands out. He served as the manager for several of the school’s teams, including four teams this year alone.
Rodgers also said the Captains’ Council had it’s first meeting of the coming school year on June 6, drawing 56 students who began the process of understanding leadership, service and the impact they can have on the culture of the school and “not just for the athletes.”
Rodgers said he issues an invitation to all students in the school, whether or not they are a captain or even play sports.
“We call it the Captains’ Council because it is about leadership and we do require all the captains to go to those classes, however, we want other students to go as well … as we hopefully help our school move forward through what we have right now, obviously some very tough times.”
He said the council is intended to help students shape school culture into who they want to be and what they want W-H to be about.
Coaches will also be having a pizza dinner roundtable discussion on program development and building strong and healthy relationships with parents to constructively address concerns such as playing time.
“We’ll be talking about some topics that can, hopefully, help our coaches grow … everything from how do we pay attention to the so-called ‘guy on the end of the bench,’ to your best player and how do you incorporate al of them together to make sure that everybody has a good experience regardless of their ability level,” Rodgers said. “[The aim being] at the end of the day, whether you were a starter or were at the end of the bench, that everybody can end the season and say, ‘I’m glad that I was part of this.”
There will also be a push to attract more students to teams, starting a visit with team captains on Monday, June 12. Rodgers said being on a team increases the chances that students will feel more connected to the school.
Vice Chair Christopher Scriven asked Rodgers if any thought was given to bring in a speaker to help coaches, similar to speakers that attend the annual Athletics First Night.
“It seems like everything is getting more and more difficult these days,” he said. “There’s more to be concerned about, there’s more to be aware of, there’s more challenges.”
He said an expert sitting down with a small group of coaches could have a considerable impact.
Rodgers said he is planning a program meeting on mental health with coaches during August, and it has been done in the past, noting that not only is coaching becoming more difficult, attracting coaches is becoming more difficult.
Seniors are briefed on scams
WHITMAN – Online scams are big business in our technical world, and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office wants residents – especially seniors – to know how to spot them and what to do about them.
At the top of the list is for seniors to understand that Social Security will never call you on the phone about any problems, they will send a letter by mail unless you have called them first and requested a callback.
Plymouth County is currently the target area for grandparent call scams.
“We’ve been telling people to have a codeword with their grandchildren, so, if anything were to happen and there’s an emergency – there’s a codeword,” said Lori Sullivan of the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department Outreach Division. “It’s happened in Hanover, Hingham … a lot of towns throughout the county.”
The most common scams being used against consumers in Massachusetts are currently identity theft (20 percent); imposter scams (13 percent); credit bureau scans (8 percent) or online shopping scams (8 percent).
Whitman seniors received pointers on avoiding scams from Sullivan and Becky Lee and during their presentation on detecting and defending against fraud at the Whitman Council on Aging. The program may be viewed on WHCA-TV or its YouTube channel.
“One of the biggest ways people try to attack your information is online through your computer,” Sullivan said, advising some important steps including checking your security software and virus protection regularly.
Imposter scams are those calls in the middle of the night from people posing as a loved one in trouble, tech support fraud or someone purporting to be from a government agency.
But there are pre-emptive steps people can also take to protect their information. Seniors were also cautioned to:
- Check reviews of websites/retailers you do not recognize before buying anything;
- Use a strong password and do not save passwords on your devices;
- Never respond to unsolicited emails;
- Do not send personal information on a public network; and
- Make sure your personal information is permanently deleted before disposing of a cell phone or computer.
In the event one clicks on a scam popup ad, Sullivan said click on “control-alt-delete” to turn your computer off immediately without clicking on any other keys.
“When you turn the computer back on, that will be gone,” she said.
When people click on such scam ads, a lot of times someone can remotely access your computer, Sullivan explained.
“If you’ve saved passwords on you computer, now they can access that, too,” she said.
Sullivan also repeated the caution against giving out one’s Social Security number, including the fact that one is not required to fill in the Social Security blank on any form – even at your doctor’s office.
“We’ll talk about five scams today, and there will be five more tomorrow,” Lee said.
People with online banking are advised to only carry the credit cars they use regularly and keep them in an RFID case; - Protect Social Security numbers;
- Review all bank and credit card statements to ensure all purchases are legitimate;
- Shred documents listing personal information;
- Review credit card reports every year or enroll in a credit monitoring program service; and
- Prevent credit reporting companies from reporting your credit file information at www.optoutprescreen.com to prevent unsolicited offers for credit cards or insurance programs.
Lee and Sullivan also went over the procedures to follow if you have been the victim of online fraud, or a company with your information has been hacked.
A federal site reportfraud.ftc.gov walks you through the steps you need to take as well as a format of a letter you might have to send to your bank.
Personal safety programs
“It’s a fabulous program that is underutilized because you all say, ‘I don’t need that yet,’” Lee said of the Safety Assurance Plan, especially those elders who live alone, as participants receive a call between 6 a.m. and noon as selected by each participant. “It takes about 20 seconds. They’ll ask you if you’re OK. If you’re not OK you’ll let them know that there’s a problem and there’s an officer sitting right there, listening to the entire conversation to make sure that you’re OK.”
If an elder says they need help or don’t feel well, the officer will get on the call to determine what type of services are required.
“Recently, a woman in the process of a stroke was on the phone [and] he could tell she just didn’t sound right,” Lee said. “As he was talking to her, he was getting in touch with emergency services and she’s alive today because of that phone call.”
An ambulance and paramedics arrived at her door while the officer was still talking to her.
Lee said “I don’t need that yet” is the number one excuse against participating, followed by seniors saying their family or a neighbor always checks in.
“What if this day, they didn’t?” she asked. “They’re going to feel terrible for the rest of their life and it’s a simple, quick phone call.”
Check-in calls are made seven days a week, making three attempts to reach a participant, or one of three other people you can list in the event you are not able to take a call. There is also a number to call for pausing check-in calls if you plan to travel.
“It has nothing to do with your age,” Lee said. “It has everything to do with the fact that you live alone and that there’s no one there to know if something happens.”
The TRIAD program, involving town committees formed by police, fire, sheriff’s department, the DA’s office and Senior Center representatives to discuss issues of importance to a community’s elder population.
“Not every Senior Center is involved yet, but we’re trying,” Lee said of the county-wide program.
One recent program presented by TRIAD demonstrated how to use a fire extinguisher, which not everyone knows how to do, even if they own one. Sullivan added that not everyone is aware that fire extinguishers expire or that there are different types of extinguishers and people should make sure they have the right kind for their home.
The Safety Net program serves people of all ages who have cognitive disorders, from autism to Alzheimer’s. There is a cost for this program, and for more information, those interested should call 508-830-6200.
Whtiman Democrats hold Red Cross blood drive
A Whitman Community Blood Drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 23 in the Community Room at the Council on Aging, 16 Hayden Ave. The drive is sponsored by the Whitman Democratic Committee in conjunction with the American Red Cross.
Please call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter: to schedule an appointment. Streamline your donation experience and save up to 15 minutes by visiting RedCrossBlood.org/RapidPass to complete your pre-donation reading and health history questions on the day of your appointment.
Hanson Library plans summer reading kickoff
Join the Hanson Public Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, June 16 to kick off our 2023 Summer Reading program, “Find Your Voice!” Our voices have power.
We use our voices to share stories, express ourselves, and spark change. Explore, discover, and celebrate the voices of others and learn more about yourself along the way. The Summer Reading Program this year challenges you to “Find Your Voice” through words, movement, art, and more.
Mobile-MiniGolf will be here on Friday to help kick off the summer with a 9-hole golf course through the Library. We will have information available on how to track your reading this summer, and can also help you sign up for weekly and one-time summer reading events and book clubs throughout the coming months.
Please visit our website, hansonlibrary.org, to sign up and learn more about the Summer Reading Kickoff and other upcoming programs. If you have any questions, please contact us by email at [email protected] or by phone at 781-293-2151.
Accreditiation poses some challenges
HANSON – Aside from end of the fiscal year concerns, May and June are busy months for the Hanson Police Department, as officials work to wrap up training for the year as part of police reform, which requires Chief Michael Miksch to report to the state by June 30.
Every officer’s training for the year, ensuring standards are met and any issues raised through complaints are addressed, are included in that report.
“A lot of this isn’t a big deal for Hanson,” Miksch told the Select Board in his regular report on Tuesday, June 6. “We’ve been doing the requirements.
Officers are completing the required 40 hours of in-service, including at least eight hours of firearms training – Hanson usually does 12 – and periodic use of force and pursuit policies review.
“The important things,” he said. “We want to make sure nobody gets hurt and we’re doing the right thing and keeping the liability for the town down.”
Miksch said officers are also being trained in laws surrounding human trafficking.
“You wouldn’t think that’s something that really would affect Hanson, but it affects every community,” he said. “You never know when it’s going to creep up, either through business fronts, or – for that matter – when we stumble across some people who might be transitioning through.”
Three officers are going to that training at the end of June, paid for and supplied by a grant through the office of DA Timothy Cruz.
Miksch said his department has received just under 5,000 calls so far this year, which he said, is actually a little low for them.
“I think I have a reason for that,” he said. “It isn’t that people are behaving better, I think it’s the way that we’re documenting some things.”
Of the calls received, there have been 34 arrests – mostly for OUIs or domestic disputes – which are usually challenges every year, he said.
The department has also been working to renew its accreditation over the past nine months. It’s a process that requires Hanson Police to meet 394 specific standards, most of which are already being done.
“It’s just [that] we haven’t put them on paper,” Miksch said. That includes training and records maintenance procedures.
One or two individuals have to be dedicated to the accreditation work, so personnel has been moved around, and the work on rules and regulations is almost complete.
“A lot of the things we do are taught to [officers] in the adacemy .. specialized training or in our own in-house training, but, it wasn’t always on paper and most of our policies are out-dated,” he said. “The high-liabilty ones are kept up to date, but a lot are out-dated.”
Sgt. Peter Calogero has drafted policies to address about 300 of the standards, now they have to get them out to officers and keep them up to date and, over the past year, some standards have already been changed.
It will likely take another two years to first be certified and then accredited.
Miksch is also working with Plymouth County Outreach Hope to place Narcan boxes – one of which is already installed at the Hanson Public Library where staff had requested one – at Town Hall and the senior center and the Fire Department has reached out to offer training.
A substance abuse resource in Plymouth County, PCO Hope is funding the project through a grant. The boxes are similar to ones in place for cardiac emergencies in public buildings.
“They are an extremely helpful resource for us,” Miksch said of PCO Hope. “They assist us when we have overdoses or if we have anybody with some sort of substance abuse.”
PCO Hope aids the department in getting people who need it, treatment hospital placements or outpatient care, as well as resources for families of those refusing hospital care as well as tracking statistics. The department is averaging one outreach a month.
“That translates into about one or two of our residents not making it a year,” he said, but noted that eight out of 12 times such an emergency call is responded to, a person goes for treatment or at least accepts initial help from outreach workers.
He said a warrant request for some of the $8,900 in opiod money the state received and is sending to the town to help fund PCO Hope, now funded through federal grants that are drying up in October.
Miksch also discussed staffing, maintenance and cruiser replacement challenges.
Protocol meeting planned
The School Committee on Wednesday, June 7, revisited its ongoing dicusson of meeting protocol, with Chair Beth Stafford suggesting some ideas for discussion on how to make meetings more civil and productive.
Among these, was her assertion that the public comment period – 15 minutes at the start of each meeting that gives the public an opportunity to be heard on issues not on the agenda – could largely stay unchanged she said, unless it is necessary during later discussions, that would be the end of public comment.
“This is a School Committee meeting and it’s up to us to discuss our options,” she said. “Nobody will be recognized from the floor, except by the chair.
Budget time could be a period when such comments are asked for by the chair, but there would be a limit to that, as well.
“Once public comment is done, it is up to us to carry on a meeting,” she said. “We need to accomplish our work and not get done at 10 p.m., when everybody is exhausted from working all day.”
When people get tired, tempers flare up and good work doesn’t get done, Stafford said.
Keeping the number of questions from the committee for the superintendent have also been becoming unmanageable, so Stafford said unless the questions come up during a meeting, they should be funneled through the chair.
“Sometimes [Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak] gets three of the same questions from three different people, and there’s a lot of work he’s got [to do during] his day.” she said.
She will present questions to Szymaniak and then all committee members will receive the response so everyone has the same information.
Meeting minutes are another issue that has cropped up, perhaps due to a misconception of what minutes should be. The Mass. Association of School Committees (MSAC) defines minutes as a brief summary in language clear enough for a citizen reader to understand what was discussed.
“It is not expected, nor necessary that minutes will be a verbatim transcripts, reporting on every School Committee member board comment or summarize every public comment made during the public comment period,” Stafford said.
Norms must also be clarified, she said, suggesting a Wednesday night meeting in July, considering what members suggest should be meeting norms such as respect and listening to others’ opinions. She said the norms the committee comes up with would be put on a poster and displayed at meetings.
McEwan Award’
In other business, Margaret McEwan presented the Do What’s Best for Kids Award, given in memory of former Superintendent of Schools Dr. John F. McEwan “who believed a school is not just a building, but a community of support that maximized learning for all students,” to Catherine Bouzan.
McEwan said Bouzan’s supervisor said she “loves being an educator who delights in seeing her students thrive in a classroom with lessons related to real-life jobs that they have an interest in and will be equipped to continue after they leave Whitman-Hanson.”
Companies or services with which she partners, say her students are the most professional and well-prepared for the vocational tasks they are asked to perform.
“Everyone in this room should be proud of the W-H Transitional Educational program, established for the students 18-22 who are ready, willing and able to join the workforce, doing a job from which they can derive personal satisfaction,” McEwan said.
The award includes $500 Bouzan may use for her own professional development or a related program.
“She is one of the most amazing educators I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet,” Szymaniak said. “This award doesn’t even speak to what she does for our 18- to 22-year-old students in our transitional [program] … she works with each student to make education and life skills fun for them.”
Bouzan also works with the unified basketball and track programs.
Szymaniak said he got Bouzan to the meeting under the ruse that she was to make a presentation on the program to the School Committee – which she did.
“You really got me,” she said. “It, honestly, is an honor to work and do what I do every day, so I thank all of you, but I have to thank you, Jeff, for giving me the opportunity 13 years ago, and I couldn’t do what I do, if I didn’t have – of course – the support of my family, but also my team.”
She said of her paraprofessionals, who just happen to all be female: “I work with a group of women, for whom the integrity of our students, the respect they give our students, the integrity of our program – I’m just very blessed to be surrounded by so many people that care about our students’ success and enjoy them.”
Szymaniak said he hoped someone was taking her out to dinner after that.
SST graduates receive chilly send-off
HANOVER – The day after Whitman-Hanson families depended on golf umbrellas to make shade while the sun seared the school grounds, SST parents depended on the umbrellas to keep them dry – and winter coats to keep warm even as they basked in the knowledge that the weather was no harbinger of things to come.
Thanks to their hard work and the skills they had gained in the last four years, it won’t be raining on their parade as 153 members of the Class of 2023 accepted diplomas that represented a ticket to the workforce, college, further trade education or military service.
As Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey noted in his speech:
“The bottom line is that the Class of 2023 possesses what employers want: They want individuals with current technical skills and a desire to expand their skill set. They need young adults who can problem solve/troubleshoot, work on teams, demonstrate a strong work ethic, and communicate with different audiences. Does the Class of 2023 pass the test?
Absolutely—with flying colors.”
Hickey said after the ceremony that, while the temperature hovered in the 50s, with a steady breeze blowing around the school grounds, people were “in very good spirits.”
While the weather resembled that of a November football game day than a typical June graduation, families seemed to take it in stride, Hickey observed. And making good use of tents purchased for the COVID-effected graduations of the last three years, the shelters offered just that for anyone who wanted to retreat there under the precipitation.
“They made use of them. … They came dressed like New Englanders … for a rain event.” he said. “A couple of times the umbrellas popped up just for a little bit.”
There was a little concern that all those umbrellas would raise complaints about obstructed views, but those fears were unfounded.
That preparation not only workplace skills, industry recognized credentials and familiarity with workplace culture including dress codes, safety regulations and behavior, but also teamwork and troubleshooting.
“Class of 2023, you are the complete package,” he said. “Employers will be lining up to hire you! You have what it takes to be successful in the workplace and to make an impact in our communities.”
Salutatorian Ethan Mayo told his classmates they are redefining what it means to be a Viking, as well. He noted that reference books call Vikings not much more than seafaring pirates, but he sees more meaning in the word.
“At South Shore it’s a little bit different,” he said. “Through our four years we learned to persevere, problem solve, and most importantly support each other.”
Echoing Hickey’s remarks, he added, “We will definitely encounter new challenges and setbacks as we move forward. However, I believe that we have the abilities, knowledge, and fortitude to prevail. Not only have we been set up for success, but also prepared with the strength to overcome the difficulties that lie ahead.”
Valedictorian Brandon LaFleur put it another way, chalking his academic success to a fear of failing.
“I wouldn’t say that I’m your typical valedictorian,” he said. “I didn’t have the usual motivation that one would have—the pursuit of higher education and impressing colleges. … “I was afraid of failing—but for me, “failure” meant not giving my best work to something, and I couldn’t accept mediocrity. I just wanted to know that I succeeded to the extent I knew I could.”
He encouraged his classmates to reject the temptation to become comfortable with subpar work, because it can be a reflection of yourself.
“This, sadly, did not mean that I did everything right and was perfect in my ways,” he reflected. “I dropped several bulbs, scrapped many pipes after failed bends, knocked down a ceiling grid, and crashed a scissor lift into an innocent shelf. But that is the thing with trying to become good at something, as all of us here have done. We all have failed.”
Failure can, instead, be an excellent teacher.
“Mistakes are guaranteed,” LaFleur said. “Show up for yourself every day, do the best that you can, and know that each misstep is one step closer to fulfilling your potential. If you can do that, you will be fine.
Another adjustment to life’s changes had senior Ben DuFour’s step-father Jaime Pearce receiving his diploma posthumously.
“We were able to work out what I think was a well-received, but brief acknowledgement,” Hickey said, calling students up alphabetically by shop. Ben was an automotive student who died in a car-train crash and his diploma was awarded to spontaneous applause and a standing ovation at the end of Automotive before the next shop was called.
State Rep. David DeCoste, R-Hanover, attended the graduation ceremony, as did School Committee members.
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