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Seniors are briefed on scams

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Hello, world

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In the last four years, their lives have been turned upside down by a global COVID-19 pandemic, the challenges of remote and hybrid classes and becoming accustomed to the “new normals” that went along with all that.
So, why wouldn’t the commencement ceremony for the Class of 2023 be turned on its head by threatening weather?
“Like many of you, we’ve been watching the weather very closely today,” said WHRHS Principal Dr. Christopher Jones in his welcoming remarks. “So we’re going to do something a little different, and we’re going to have our dessert before our dinner. Out of an abuncance of caution, we are going to flip the ceremony, thereby offering the graduates what they really came here for.”
The graduating class loudly cheered as Jones announced that diplomas would be awarded first, in hopes that the weather would hold out for the remainder of the program.
It did – but, just in case, there was a plan for that.
“If it rains, we will stay for the ceremony,” he said. “If it thunders, we will not.”
The plan for a dangerous storm involved having the graduates – and their parents, Jones emphasized – report to the Performing Arts Center in the high school for the ceremony’s conclusion.
New School Committee Chair Beth Stafford, a former Whitman Middle School teacher, congratulated the class on behalf of the School Committee, addressing that fact.
“I have one word that I will use tonight to describe this class, that word is adapt,” she said, noting the changes the Class of 2023 have had to face. “You adapted from elementary school to middle school, and then to the high school, but the biggest issue was what you had to do in high school. … This ability to adapt will be very important in your future endeavors.”
Whether in the workforce, higher education or the military, they will have to adapt to new situations, leaving home, following orders, bosses and more, Stafford said.
“With your past experiences, you will be able to adapt to any changes that you will face in your future,” she said.
It certainly came in handy on graduation day, as uncertainty about thuderstorms forecast for about the time the ceremony would be hitting its stride, motivated school officials to not only pushed the commencement ahead an hour, but handed the diploimas out first.
With rain holding off until well after the commencement, seniors not only enjoyed an uninterupted, if unusual, ceremony, there was more time after it for them and their families and friends to mill about the football field for photos after its conclusion and before darkness decended.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak, who admitted to anxiety when having to speak before large groups, spoke to the class about his expectations, challenges and hopes for them.
“I expect you to be a good citizen, take part in your community – use your voice – remember to vote and to be a good neighbor,” he said. Manners, humility, kindness and passionate about living life to the fullest rounded out his expectations.
“I challenge you to take care of your mind and your body,” he said. “This gets really hard the older you get and the less time you have when life gets in the way.” Grace, stepping out of one’s comfort zones, thinking outside the box and listen to others regardless of viewpoint, with civility. Finally, he hopes for their success, according to each student’s definition of what that is, joy and that they believe in themselves.
Student speakers also touched on these themes [for complete texts of student speeches, see our graduation section].
For Valedictorian Noah Roberts, the journey to graduation came down to being able to answer the question: “Who are you?”
He candidly discussed the challenges and effects of mental illness and addiction on his family [see related story, page one] and the importance of caring for yourself.
“Trust me, I know that there is no such thing as a “normal” family situation, but make sure to give the ones that you see as family, whether by blood or by bond, an extra-long hug today,” Roberts said, thanking his grandmother and younger brother for their love and support.
“Nana, my entire being will be eternally grateful for the numerous sacrifices you have made for us,” he said, eliciting some tears from the woman who raised him when his mother could not. “you have always been there for me, and I genuinely don’t know where I would be without you, I love you nana. As for Cody, thank you for being my rock; through thick and thin you have stuck with me.”
He also thanked teachers and school staff who have helped him through his school years, for everything from extra help with physics to an extra chocolate pudding in the cafeteria.
He also spoke of the stress students like himself also self-impose.
“Even in high school, I felt that I was under so much pressure to be the best, because if I failed to do that, then what good was I?” he said. “I’m not sure if this mindset is true for all high school students, but what I realize now is how that mindset is not only unhealthy but is also dangerous.”
He closed by encouraging his classmates to remember to be themselves in all they do as the best way to answer is initial question: Who Are You?
Salutatarian Leah Cataldo spoke briefly about the need to relish life as it goes by in the blink of any eye, with all the changes it confronts you with, and while reminiscing is enjoyable, “our pasts are nothing compared to our futures,”
ON Hope
Classmate Brian Bouffard, winner of the annual student speech competition, advised a healthy dose of hope, while echoing Stafford’s advice on being adaptable.
“During the pandemic, so many popular activities were forced to close. Restaurants, movie theaters, and family get-togethers grinded to a halt in the face of an omnipresent, insidious disease. But we endured,” he said. “I noticed this same trend in our school, too. … We were able to recognize the necessity of these conditions, and got through it together.”
It’s been a difficult four years, but Bouffard pointed to his recollection of a “Got Hope?” poster in a middle school guidance office that still carries an important message.
“We have all learned what hope looks like: hope is perseverance. Hope is endurance. Hope is togetherness,” he said. “I have hope for all of you, class of 2023. I have hope for your futures, for your dreams. I’ve seen firsthand what all of you can do, and it’s nothing short of awe-inspiring. There’s no challenge we can’t work through. It is for this reason that I have hope. We have to have hope… because where would we be without it?”
In addition to the school’s traditional moment of silence in respect to those who have served their country in uniform, members of the graduating class who will serve and those who have given their lives in uniform, Dr. Jones also asked for a moment of silence in respect for the family of student Ava Patete, who had been killed in an incident involving an MBTA train earlier in the week.

An aim to improve the climate

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HANSON – Many high school valedictorians would envy an acceptance to Harvard or MIT as they plan their college career. Hanson’s Noah Roberts was accepted to both – plus a handful of others he was considering.
As his mortar board décor indicated during the Friday, June 2 commencement exercises at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, MIT won out. It didn’t seem like a difficult decision for him to make because Roberts knows where he wants to go, and the most efficient way to get there.
His inspiration in studying engineering is the desire to work in an arena that helps make a change for the better in the world.
“There’s so much that needs to be changed in the world – that’s blatantly obvious,” he said. “But there’s no way I could do everything I want to do.”
The energy crisis and global warning led him to decide – citing the potential for an impact on class level and therefore political stability in different countries.
“It all stems from this energy issue and it’s really scary for the future, which is why I personally want to work toward and feel that I’m in a position now, that I can work toward,” he said, saying the praise he’s received for his accomplishments makes him a bit uncomfortable. “I’m just doing my best. I’m not doing anything special.”
Life wasn’t always so certain for him and his younger brother, Cody, as Noah candidly outlined in his emotional valedictory address to his classmates and their families.
“Over the course of my life, I have been surrounded by a variety of different expectations, all stemming from external circumstances,” he said. “As a little kid, not much was expected of me, as growing up in a household of mental illness and drug abuse generally is not the best baseline for a successful academic career.”
But he had a strong support system to help him along that journey.
“Trust me, I know that there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ family situation, but make sure to give the ones that you see as family, whether by blood or by bond, an extra-long hug today,” he advised his classmates. “As for me, my gratitude will always begin and end with my nana and brother. Nana, my entire being will be eternally grateful for the numerous sacrifices you have made for us: from delicious breakfasts every morning, to staying up late to make sure I get home safe, even after I arrive 30 minutes later than I said I would, to always being right somehow (which doesn’t seem very fair to me), you have always been there for me, and I genuinely don’t know where I would be without you, I love you nana. As for Cody, thank you for being my rock; through thick and thin you have stuck with me. If I could offer you any advice, it would be quite simple: keep your head up, you have great things ahead of you.”
In the audience there were tears from family members his grandmother Carol Sherwood called their village.
About two weeks before graduation, Noah and his grandmother, spoke with the Express about his already lofty achievement of so many high-profile college acceptances, what guides him and his plans for the future.
“I don’t know how I was in that situation,” he said of the Harvard/MIT decision. “A lot of it had to do with my major, since I want to do more like engineering, mechanical engineering, things with energy.”
His grandmother, whom he calls Nana, was a big booster for MIT as well.
The campus environment and an “ambiance for wanting to innovate for the better,” which greatly attracted him to the school.
“MIT is a better engineering school,” Sherwood said. “I think we all get caught up in the ‘Harvard! Oh, my gosh, I got accepted. That’s where I should go.’ But that may not be the best fit.”
She noted that her grandson was also accepted to Tufts University (his third option), Northeastern, and Worcester Polytechnic Insittute.
“They’re all good schools, and they’re getting harder and harder every year to get accepted,” she said.
“It’s just tough,” Roberts said. “I did a lot of research into admissions and the ease of application is [better] nowadays, that it’s more difficult because so many people are applying.”
Where once 5,000 or so high school seniors might have applied for a given year’s places at MIT, these days there might be closer to 30,000 applicants, he said.
“And each of those students is doing a lot more things,” he said. “They’re taking advantage of more opportunities within their own high schools that it really makes it more difficult for admissions decisions.”
While he may never know what tipped the scales in his favor at either Harvard or MIT, Roberts said they look for “actual people,” as opposed to students stacking their resume with activities geared toward making that good first impression.
“He’s very big into service,” Sherwood said. “It’s huge, and I think that’s what a lot of them are looking for, too – what else are you going to do?”
Roberts added that, while service is important, it can’t just be baseline.
“Do you do this with some type of passion, or why do you do this?” he said. “It’s so easy to just join National Honor Society and just put it as a resume filler.”
He belonged to the NHS as well as the English Honor Society, the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society and the Science Honor Society. He was also a member of the School Committee’s Student Advisory Council, whose members surveyed students at the elementary and middle schools about the issue of school start times, which the committee has been debating this year. He’s also done volunteer work with the Project 351 program since he was named a student ambassador at Hanson Middle School in 2019 and has participated in the town’s Memorial Day events.
“They’ve all been just fun and kind of shaping who I am,” he said, foreshadowing the theme of his valedictory titled “Who are you?” [See special section for text].
At WHRHS, he’s also been a class officer, culminating as president of the Class of 2023, as well as joining other school clubs [robotics and the Environmental Club and sports teams such as track “to fill the time” and meet people, making a lot of friends along the way.
“I think the admissions people are getting better and better at looking beyond just what’s written on the paper and trying to just see that there’s an actual person trying to get into the school and would they fit in this environment?” he said.
“They could have put it in the wrong pile,” he joked. “I’ll never know.”
He would have a hard time convincing his grandmother that kind of a mistake was even remotely possible.
Sherwood, a cafeteria employee at Indian Head School, raised Noah and Cody since they were small.
“It took a community,” she said adding that the Hanson schools could not have been a better help with her raising of the boys.
“It’s going to be very hard when my next one graduates next year, because I will have been raising children for 50 years,” she said. “My daughter [Noah’s mother] had some mental health issues and I had temporary custody for many, many, many, many years [before the] judge said, ‘no more temporary.’ It was never a question – of course.”
She credits Noah with being a very hard worker, who has been focused on what he wants and what it will take to get there.
“He knew that I didn’t have anything for him to go to college on,” she said. “I told him a long time ago, ‘you’re going to have to do it yourself,’ and he did. … I know I’m prejudiced, but I know there’s nothing, in my eye, that you can’t accomplish if you really want it and put your mind to it and try hard – and he is a perfect example because he gives and he gives and he gives, no matter what the school asks of him.”
Sherwood said he really does want to make a change in the world. And she’s certain he will.
Roberts is the first to admit he is lucky in many respects, and there are other students working equally hard, who just don’t have the same opportunities with which he has been gifted.
He said he’s matured through these experiences from an introvert to more of an extrovert.
“I feel comfortable talking to people and just becoming more interested in both people and the world around me, that it’s a lot easier to spark a conversation,” he said. “It’s almost your social muscle and you have to train it.”
Project 351 was a key tool in that maturation.
“I don’t know where he is a lot of the time until I call the school.” Sherwood said.
“Google Calendar is a blessing,” he said. Admitting that he over-committed last year to the point where it was detrimental to his health. “This year, I’ve learned to schedule a lot better and prioritize.”
Sherwood said deciding what to let go was the hard part.

CES graduates have a lot to celebrate

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For the 17 Community Evening School students graduating on Thursday, June 1, the road to the commencement ceremony in the WHRHS Performing Arts Center may have been more challenging that for those receiving their diplomas the following evening, but it made the accomplishment sweeter.
“It gives me great joy to see these students … finishing what they started some 12 to 13 years ago,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak as he reflected on his own rocky start as an educator teaching “students who didn’t fit the traditional school environment.”
His first job was teaching 12 freshmen in Abington, “who absolutely, positively didn’t wat to be there. They pushed me. It was hard. It was draining and, honestly, sometimes – many times – they drove me nuts.”
But by the end of that first year, he had learned his purpose as a educator was to find alternative ways for students to learn, grow and find success.
“I’ve been involved in alternative pathways for students to receive a diploma ever since,” he said. “I give you that background, because, graduates, I get it.”
The struggles CES students face can be difficult and that they have to work to be there every day, are truisms he said he understands.
“I know things didn’t go as planned and getting your diploma has not been easy,” he said, expressing pride and joy for what they had accomplished and asking them to find their people in the audience and recognize their pride, too.
“They see you,” he said. “They see your struggles and, tonight, they see your accomplishment. … You found a way to finish, and you have the right to sit on the stage tonight. For that, you have earned tremendous respect.”
The school also continued the CES tradition of handing out diplomas, as each student was afforded the opportunity to decide from whom they wish to receive it. Parents, grandparents, boyfriends, fiances, teachers and administrators have been represented in that group over the years.
CES Co-Director William Glynn offered humor and wisdom in his keynote speech of “helpful commentary on what comes next,” including five ways of living that make “the huge, crushing weight of life bearable” and can also make it exciting, interesting and valuable beyond measure: Know when to move on; embrace happiness; speak up; take risks and celebrate and congratulate other people’s successes.
“He is the person that many turn to in both happy and difficult times,” his co-director Joseph Chismar said in introducing Glynn.
“Don’t dwell on past mistakes,” Glynn advised. “Move on, get up and go. Don’t chase the loss.”
The change from moving on, whether physically or mentally and emotionally can change one’s life.
“There will be hard moments,” said of embracing happiness. “There will be hard days …This is the reality of our world. There will also be … moments of genuine happiness and positivity in your lives. Treasure and cultivate, recognize and do the real work needed to extend those times of happiness.”
When it comes to speaking up, Glynn said it can change lives.
“If you find yourself in one of those moments where you think, ‘Gosh, somebody should really say something.’ You! You are the somebody who should say something.”
Whether at work, or in the voting booth, use your voice he said.
“Those people who tell you it doesn’t matter are fools,” he warned. Democracy is hard, being engaged and active is hard, speaking up is hard, but it is worth doing. Being silent is easy, and it is a trap.”
Everything doesn’t have to stay the same, he said, advising the graduates to take risks, which is essential to living a fulfilling and exciting life.
“Sometimes it will work out, sometimes it will fail and sometimes it will be a disaster – and sometimes it will be glorious beyond your wildest expectations,” he said.
Finally, celebrating others and expressing kindness and congratulations costs nothing and makes people feel great while putting “legit goodness out into the world.”
“Say the words,” he said. “You aren’t lessening yourself when you say these words, you are literally cultivating a world of fraternity and positivity.”
Receiving diplomas were: Guinevere Ambrose, Guilherme Rodrigues Azevedo, Aidan Vincent Bernier, Kalli Marie Bonner, Julyanna Marie Colby, Rafael Costa Da Silva, James Bernard Gillan, Autumn Mary Gray, Brenn PAtrick Keefe, Dali Kelsch, Brooke Nancy Presente, Joecelly Estrela Teixeira Rodrigues, Pedro Henrique Gomes Sampaio, Jennifer Freitas Scofano, Benjamin Joseph Sheehan, Wesley Keydson Silva Marques and Kaik Ribeiro Souza.

MBTA pedestrian fatality investigated

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Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak announced with deep regret on Wednesday, May 31 that a Whitman-Hanson Regional High School student died Tuesday night.
The student has since been identified as Ava Patete,16, a goalkeeper for the W-H girls’ Soccer team from East Bridgewater. Funeral plans by Chapman Funerals and Cremation, 98 Bedford St., Bridgewater, have been anounced for Saturday, June 17. {See obituary, opposite].
The incident is still under investigation.
A person described as a juvenile female was killed by a train Tuesday night, May 30, according to a statement released by Whitman Police and Fire Departments.
MBTA Transit Police notified Whitman Police at about 8:30 p.m. that the crash occurred in Whitman involving a southbound train, which possibly struck a pedestrian on the tracks.
Whitman Police and Fire responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced deceased.
“We are all tremendously saddened to hear of this tragic loss,” Szymaniak said in a statement issued through John Guilfoil Public Relations, which also handled press releases on the incident from police and fire officials. “Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family and friends of the students and all those who knew them. We also extend our condolences to our friends at East Bridgewater High School, who were also affected by this tragedy.”
High School Principal Dr. Christopher Jones asked for a moment of silence in memory of the student during the DFS Scholarship Night ceremonies on Wednesday, May 31.
“Before we start the ceremony to celebrate the success of the students that are sitting with us, as many of you know, our community suffered a tragedy this past evening,” he said. “I ask, out of respect for the family that you keep them in your thoughts, prayers and wishes as they go through this difficult time.”
As he spoke, students who knew the girl killed Tuesday night were gathered, sitting around a signal pole at the South Avenue MBTA crossing, in remembrance of their friend. Over the next several hours, memorial offerings of flowers, signs reading “Forever our Ava” and other sentiments, balloons and a teddy bear had been left.
Whitman Police Chief Timothy Hanlon and Whitman Fire Chief Timothy Clancy also extended their condolences to the family.
Grief counselors were available May 31, and will remain available in the coming weeks to assist students and staff as the school district mourns and for anyone needing their services.
Szymaniak said the district encourages students and the school community to talk to counselors, faculty and parents, as this tragedy is sure to raise emotions, concerns and questions for us all.
Additional resources for students and families relating to gried and loss can be found at cdc.gov/howrightnow/resources/coping-with-grief, courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, and nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/grief-and-loss-resources-educators-and-students, courtesy of the National Education Association.
Mass. State Police detectives, MBTA Transit Police, Hanson Police, East Bridgewater Police and the Whitman Department of Public Works also responded to the scene.
The crash is under investigation by Mass. State Police detectives assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office and MBTA Transit Police.