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You are here: Home / Archives for Featured Story

SST wins in landslide

January 30, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

Any way you look at it, this was a landslide win, even if South Shore Tech’s Superintendent-Director Dr. Thomas J. Hickey, declined use that word at the risk of appearing to be “spiking the football,” but he is grateful to voters and pleased with the result.
“The term has been used and I think it’s around 77 percent overall,” he said of the “L-word,” on Monday, Jan. 27 of a ballot question before voters of SST’s nine member towns on Saturday, Jan. 25 to build a new South Shore Tech High School. “If you drill into the numbers, town-specific, the other big headline is that all nine towns approved it, even though that was not a necessary threshold.”
Turnout was low – in single digits for Whitman and Hanson, but Hickey found many reasons for encouragement.
“It’s so interesting, when you look at each town, there’s a story behind it,” Hickey said. “When I look at Cohassett and Norwell, I see two towns that send very few kids, and I would not have expected that big of a turnout.” Scituate, where the margin of victory for the project was 995, just voted for a new elementary school project.
“And here’s Whitman, [approving] a new middle school and DPW building,” he said. “We’re the third in line and, while the turnout was lower, the fact that it was in the affirmative, that was an extra special feeling, knowing the sacrifice folks are making to support this investment.”
He said the building should meet the needs of vocational education for the next 50 or 60 years; and the district is not going to lose sight of what voters did as SST moves forward with annual budgets and with this project.
“Wherever there are ways that we can curb costs – that also includes continuing to advocate to our legislative delegation that the state could still help by increasing money for equipment grants … adding more reimbursement for vocational schools,” Hickey said. “We can’t let up on the advocacy for making these schools more affordable.”
He also expressed appreciation for the legislative delegation’s bipartisan support for the project. Hickey expressed as much humility and appreciation as he did joy in the results.
“I feel profound gratitude over the support that’s throughout our district,” he said. “It says that people believe in the value of vocational education as a necessary investment for these trade areas… but I am also fully aware that voters despite difficult economic times and despite competing capital demands and looming operational overrides. It means so much to have the support.”
Supporters of the project were out in force online and outside polling places as residents in the SST district’s nine member towns voted. On a day when the temperature never climbed out of the 20s, the sun helped warm up the 150 members of the school’s alumi association, members of the Construction & General Labor Union Local 721 out of Brockton, parents and students, as they fanned out to their sign-holding posts.
“We’re the alumi,” Mark Consiglio of Whitman and Meghan Bickford [using her maiden name so her automotive classmates would recognize her] said in unison, as they held signs in front of the Dunkin Donuts next door to Whitman Town Hall.
“This has been over a year in the making, with meetings and everything,” Bickford said of the organizing the alumni group has done. “We’ve been doing meetings and calls.”
Before they even hit the streets, however, voters had been greeted that morning with a text message reminding them to vote and providing a link to information on the locations of the polling places.
“I was able to go to all of the polling places throughout the day and it was very gratifying that our supporters in our community were willing to stand out in 30-degree weather and just put a personal face on support for the school,” Hickey said.
Turnout, however, especially during the morning was “very, very slow,” according to Town Clerk Dawn Varley. In the end, only 5.8 percent – 1,771 voters of the town’s 11,930 eligible voters cast ballots in Whitman.
“Can I say it one more time? It’s been very slow,” said Assistant Town Clerk Michael Ganshirt.
Hanson Town Clerk Elizabeth Sloan said the turnout is “busier than we thought.”
There were 60 absentee votes cast. Hanson, which gave the building project a winning margin of 471 votes (543 voting yes and 72 voting no), did so with only 7 percent of voters casting ballots.
“More than I thought,” said Assistant Town Clerk Jean Kelly.
Hickey said he did some numbers crunching on his own and, while he doesn’t claim to have the right answer, but based on the town results, going back over four years of local election results, in most of the SST district towns, the turnout numbers probably rivaled the results on ballots where, “the only contested race was cemetery commission” or something.
“If you compare that turnout to a town meeting – even a high-octane town meeting – I think it’s good that this process probably engaged more people, through absentee ballot and same-day voting, as perhaps a town meeting,” he said.
At the entrance to the Maquan School driveway, SST Junior Graphic Arts student, Nathan Osso, said his SkillsUSA program advisor asked students to volunteer as a civics exercise. They also participate in volunteer efforts to bolster community efforts like toy drives and collections for food pantires.
Sign-holders in both towns reported many thumbs-up from motorists and positive comments from passersby.
“We’ve had a lot of people come in today,” Nathan said, explaining how much hope it gave him. “We’ve gotten some thumbs up, whistles, honks.”
“I think it’s going to do good,” said Jane Sayce of Hanson, who was on duty with her sign since 8:45a.m., along with middle her son, Brody. “I think it’s a good turnout.”
Both were dressed for the occasion in SST sweatshirt to spread school pride, especially since Brody and another one of her younger sons plan to attend SST in the future, as their older brother does now.
“We feel positive electronics alum Consiglio, who now works audio/visual in the entertainment industry said. “A lot of the turnout here has been very positive. There’s a couple of towns that are worried about the tax increase, but either way there’s a tax increase. A “yes” vote is for a new school and a “no” vote is for the repairs.”
“It’s evenly divided between all the towns,” said Consiglio.
SST School Committee representative, and Select Board member, Dan Salvucci, though, expressed uncertainty mixed with hope, but he forecast a close race of it in Whitman, Abington and Rockland. All three are at the top of the enrollment figures and stood to have to be contributing more toward a new school.
“I hope it passes,” he said. “I don’t know. I’ve been posting a lot on Facebook. I haven’t said, ‘Please vote for it,’ I don’t tell them what to do.”
Outside and down the street from Whitman Town Hall, the Local 721 Laborers were putting in some volunteer time sign-holding.
“We’re [here] just as a union,” said Mike Pidgeon of Lakeville. “If they go with [the school] that’s more work for us. We get work either way, but we get more work if they go with a new one.”
He also spoke about the importance of vocational education and the trades in the workforce.
“You’ll have more courses available for the kids and you’re getting everything new while you don’t have to live out of trailers,” he said of portable classrooms that were briefly considered for the expanding school enrollment. “In the long run, it’ll save you money.”
Pidgeon attended Southeastern Tech when he was in high school in 1976.
“I went for plumbing and never really got into that, but now I know how to do it. But I’ve been in the trades for over 50 years,” he said, noting that the trades are a work segment that is not vulnerable to being replaced by AI.
“They’re always going to need the trades,” he said. “More people are going to trade schools than colleges. You don’t have a guarantee when you get out.”
“I hope it goes ‘Yes,’” said Jim Rich of Foxboro. “That’s why we’re here, holding signs. Vo-techs work. You go to college and get debt, or go to work and get paid to learn.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Hanson hires for PD and IT

January 23, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor


HANSON – While the Select Board keeps an eye on the budget bottom line, they made a few hiring moves to bring some essential personnel on board during their Tuesday, Jan. 14 meeting – appointing a new police officer and an IT director.
The hires came amid a meeting in which the budget’s ability to maintain services frequently bubbled to the surface.
“We’ve never cut first responders in town, we don’t want to cut first responders in town,” Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said during a later discussion on the town’s efforts to inform residents of the need for an override. “We’ve done everything we can to attract people, to retain people, to treat those unions well.”
She echoed Vice Chair Ann Rein’s comment that more than 50 percent of the town budget is tied to the one area where the town has no control – the school budget.
“We’re supporting an elephant we can’t do anything about, and then we have to support the town services that they want,” Rein said. “They want good police officers. They want a good fire department.”
Town Administrator Lisa Green said her conversations with department heads have often included the conclusion that the housing growth in town over recent years means that Hanson has out-grown its public safety departments. Reductions in municipal services, especially the quality of the schools, could mean a decrease in the value of those homes, making the town less attractive to young families who could afford the necessary taxes to maintain public safety services.
“People don’t always act in the moment for their future needs,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “This is serious.”
In presenting his case for the new officer, Deputy Police Chief Michael Casey noted that the Hanson Police Department had lost two officers last year through transfers, and Chief Michael Miksch had been before the board just last month to bring on one replacement through a lateral transfer.
Since then, Casey said after the loss of the two who transferred elsewhere, the department posted two full-time academy-trained, MPTC-certified officers looking for laterals and had conducted several interviews after receiving applications and vet the officers through police consulting firm.
“We were able to hire officer Thomas Malloy, who started Dec. 23, and in that same process, we were able to then fill the second vacancy with an officer Kyle Crombie,” Casey said. “He is a graduate of Bridgewater State, and started over in Truro Police Department in 2023. Just finding an officer … you’re extremely fortunate, and Kyle, just like officer Malloy, is [a round peg for round hole] – they fit perfect.”
Casey asked for Crombie’s appointment as a full-time police officer and liquor control officer for the town of Hanson, contingent on passing a medical exam, background check and completion of a conditional offer, with a target start date of Feb, 3.
The board unanimously appointed Crombie by a 4-0 vote. Member Joe Weeks was absent.
The Board, also voted 4-0 to appoint Stephen Burke as the town’s new IT director.
Hanson has been without an IT Director since April, but recently conducted a search for new director and searched ed town records for information regarding salary, possibly removing it from the bylaw to make it a contractual position to provide more flexibility for the town, conducted a search and collected resumes. After a review of the resumes, Planning Board Chair Joe Campbell, who has professional experience in information technology, and Green, who said that process gave them a list of four candidates to bring in for interviews. Three of them interviewed, and one had withdrawn their name from consideration.
“After the interviews, we both agreed that the most qualified candidate to present to the Board this evening would be Stephen Burke,” she said, adding that [they wanted] to present to the board the recommendation written by Mr. Cambell.”
Describing the candidate vetting process as the best way to make its hiring decision and citing his own expertise of 30 years in both military and civilian IT work, stated that all the applicants were well-versed in municipal experiences as well as having an abundance of professional background, education applicable to most aspects of the position’s requirements, but the interviews made the difference.
“After the in-person interviews, it is my highest recommendation to the town to select Mr. Stephen Burke,” he said, noting Burke’s ability to learn and adapt, commit to the town and position – as well as having displayed critical out-of-the-box thinking. “[His] pedigree, educational experience and education surpassed my expectations.”
Green added that Burke has already been helping Hanson with its IT needs without any hiccoughs and has kept the town moving forward and added her highest recommendation to the Select Board to appoint him.
“We probably haven’t adequately expressed our appreciation for you for bailing us out, literally with no notice,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said of the sensitive position. “I was hoping that this [process] would ultimately result in you being the person that we hired, but we wanted to go through that.”
She asked Green when Burke’s effective date would be.
“Is it, like, five minutes ago or …?” she asked.
Green said she would meet with Burke to work out salary and contract terms as he provided his notice to the town of Whitman, where he had been employed, with the aim of Jan. 28 as his effective start date.
FitzGerald-Kemmett also thanked Campbell for his help to the town in the hiring process.
Board member Ed Heal echoed the appreciation for Burke’s assistance over the last months.
“He’s helped me out over the short period of time he’s been helping us,” Heal said. “It’s been very valuable to have him here.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Whitman discusses extent of override

January 16, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

WHITMAN – Any override to help resolve the town’s budget should be one to level-service departments as the Select Board should also the difference between a one-year override and a multi-year override. The Select Board intends to delve into the issue deeper when they meet with the Finance Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
“I’m kind of leaning – just my own personal opinion – that we should consider simply a one-year override, the major variable being the hold-harmless situation that the schools’ [are] in,” said Select Board member Shawn Kain. “It’s very difficult to predict out [and it] has a major impact on the town’s finances.”
While the town is not in a deficit now – it was able to balance the books this past year, Kain noted – projections put the fiscal 2026 budget at “a little bit of a deficit.”
“That’s the gap we have to keep our current services,” he said. “Each year our books have to be balanced” between costs vs. revenues coming in.
He added that is a difficult to calculate specifics because the numbers from the state are so difficult to compute effectively, said Kain, who provided a to the Select Board on Tuesday, Jan. 7. Kain, indicated that what he had in mind was, a “bit more of a quick discussion, or at least the start of a discussion.”.
“It wouldn’t be a great scenario if we looked for a three-year override and we came out of [hold-harmless] early,” Kain said. “That would mean, in a sense, we’ve asked for more money than we kind of needed, and I don’t think the town would appreciate that.”
Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski said that appraisal of the situation was correct.
“It doesn’t feel good to say, ‘Hey, we’re asking for a small override and it might be the case that, to hold onto services next year, we’d also have to have an override,’” he said. “But it does feel like the right thing to do.”
“Take it a year at a time,” Kowalski agreed.
Hold-harmless is a provision that ensures school districts receive at least the same amount of aid from one year to the next and can include supplemental funding for districts with declining enrollment. Calculating state aid amounts based on past enrollments and ensuring that all districts receive at least a minimum amount of aid, plus additional per-pupil funding.
He explained that the town could be in hold-harmless for a year or two before emerging from it, or it could be for the next three years, or even just for this year, if the town starts to pull out of it, according to Kain,
Without updated numbers since the presentation he provided at the last budget meeting, he suggested a discussion of the type of the override Whitman is considering.
Finance Chair Kathleen Ottina has said her board is interested in meeting with the Select Board on Tuesday, Jan. 21, according to Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter.
“The obvious being, should this be an override where department heads should consider new services or opportunities to add the things that they’ve been hoping to add over the last five years,” Kain said. “We’ve been asking them to hold off, so that when we put forth the override there’ll be not just be level-service, but … some additional things as well, or should we set the directive that the override that we’re really looking to create is one where we’re just trying to get by. What we’re looking for is not to add an additional financial burden on the people of the town, given the climate with debt that’s going to be added to the rolls.”
Kain, putting himself in department heads’ position, said, “If I knew an override was coming, it might be my opportunity to put in the things that I haven’t been able to get over the last five years that I couldn’t get,” he said. “Which is understandable. But, from my opinion, I don’t think that should be the case.”
Kain argued that, if residents are going to be asked to sacrifice for the town by way of higher taxes, it’s very important that the town demonstrate the sacrifices it is making.
“I think that’s going to be a critical component this year, in particular,” he said. “If people think that we’re adding one more thing and they feel like their taxes are going up that much more, it’s a bad kind of vibe, and a message that’s difficult to stand behind.”
But, he argued if the town can show they are making every effort to get by and in as efficient a way as possible without losing services while asking for more of a tax contribution, that would be a more acceptable message.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Kowalski said, “You’re right.”
“One hundred percent,” agreed Select Board member Laura Howe.
“It also should be clear that the override is not specifically dedicated to one department or another,” Kowalski said. “It’s an overall town override because we need some money to keep our services steady, if not exuberant.”
Carter said most of the department heads have submitted their budgets and she has begun scheduling meetings with them individually on their budget submissions.
Vice Chair Dan Salvucci said the board should wait until the final budget bottom line is apparent before they decide if an override is necessary or how much of an override is necessary.
“I don’t want to go for a $3 million override, let’s say, and all of a sudden the budget comes in $1 million more than we need or .. the budget comes in lower, the department heads say, ‘Well, then I want to add this, add this, add this,’” he argued.
Kain agreed, noting that as they file final budgets, the overall aim is to just get by and not adding new items.
Select Board member Justin Evans suggested a multi-year override be considered because of a pension obligation expected to “fall off the books” within about five years.
“It should get us to that point when we see more revenue staying in-house, rather than going to the county to cover pension obligations,” he said. “Also, we really need to be having this conversation both with the school district and with Hanson because, looking at a townwide override including the schools, their budget only works if Hanson also funds it.”
Evans pointed out that Hanson is also considering an override, but added it wasn’t clear if it was planned as a one-year or multi-year override.
“There should be some coordination here so we’re all on the same page,” he said. “Otherwise, the district gets a half-funded override.”
Resident Bob Kimball reminded the board that an override is “going to be tough for a lot of people in town,” noting that in his neighborhood on Auburnville Way, there has been one bankruptcy this year as well as on person who has moved out of town and two or three people with reverse mortgages so they can pay their bills.
“If we’re going to do an override, I want to make sure that the [Select Board], the Finance Committee, everybody, understands the hardship that’s going to go on,” Kimball said. “I want you to consider that when you do your deliberation.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Whitman officials present budgets

January 9, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor


WHITMAN – A level-funded budget year is making for some simpler meetings between department heads and the Finance Committee.
The Building Department and the assessors met with Finance during it’s final meeting for 2024 on Dec. 17.
“Some of these early departments, that were quick about getting back to us, really don’t have a lot of requests,” Vice Chair Mike Warner said after the presentations. “It’s been very standard, so that’s OK.
“We are trying to arrange a joint meeting with the Select Board for January,” said Warner, who added all other January meetings have been scheduled. “We had an issue this evening.”
Warner said he was unaware that he needed to state on the Finance Committee agenda that the meeting with Select Board members would be taking place.
The Select Board met Jan. 7 and plans an additional meeting Jan. 21.
“I don’t know that it matters to anybody which night,” Warner said. “They did share by email the material they were planning to discuss with us.”
The Select Board’s Jan. 7 agenda did not list a joint meeting with the Finance Committee, leaving Jan. 21 as the date for that session.
Warner, Michael Flanagan and Ralph Mitchell attended the meeting, meaning there was no quorum so no votes could be taken on minutes or other pending business
Warner noted that the town’s reserve fund remained at $35,000.
“We have no requests up against it at this point,” he said, adding that no changes or updates had been received from any of the subcommittees, either.
Building Commissioner Robert Piccirilli said he was presenting a “pretty basic” request for a level-funded budget, with a 2.5 percent projected addition to salaries.
“It’s about as simple as it gets,” he said.
Warner asked if Piccirilli had any concerns about line items in his budget.
“I don’t,” he said. “The only one that you’ll see here is the assistant building inspector. We carried over the $510, because that’s what we spent over and above last year for his continuing education and covering for me when I was on vacation.”
Piccirilli said the department had to come back to seek the additional money last year, so for fiscal 2026, the department’s budget projected forward the $510 spend last year.
No longevity issues were involved, based on time in the position this year, but Piccirilli said he would have that next year.
“We’ve got some building that’s coming in the town soon,” Warner said, asking if Piccirilli if there was anything the committee needed to be aware of.
“We do, but this is what we’ve projected that we should be spending,” Piccirilli said. “We’re going to go with it.”
He did add that his department was waiting on receipt of the deputy fire chief’s former vehicle, as the Building Department vehicle is “falling apart, day by day.”
“I do not have any money and it’s not worth putting any money from my budget into repairing it,” Piccirilli said.
Piccirilli also said there are a lot of building code changes coming up, which will require the purchase of new books, but added that hopefully he would have that in the budget to take care of the need.
“The 10th edition will be coming out,” he said. “It’s already out. It’s promulgated. There will be a congruency period until, I think, next June, but we are getting into the new books, so I’m going to have to buy 2021 books.”
That expense would come out of his budget.
“If there’s an education budget [for his department], I’d love to take it out of that, so it doesn’t come out of mine,” Piccirilli said. “But…”
The town administrator’s office maintains an educational training budget, Warner noted.
“There’s been some bits and pieces of it other places, but there’s been some discussion about maybe just centralizing it, but it might be best to see if it’s there, first,” Warner said. “I’m sure that there’s other uses, as well.”
Piccirilli said the energy code is a big change, so his department will be anticipating the need for educational funding.
Board of Assessors Chair John Noska, Principal Assessor Wendy Jones. Christine MacPherson and Heidi Hosmer attended the meeting.
Noska, echoed Piccirilli’s comment that there isn’t much change to the assessors’ budget.
“We’’re looking at the average 2.5 percent increase for wages,” he said, adding that union negotiations could potentially change that.
Jones said it is not anticipated that new building projects might change things at least for fiscal 2025.
“There were a lot of no-starts,” she said. “I think that might have been impacted by the interest rates, because we did go out and revisit some of those properties that were going to start – the car wash on Bedford Street, four units on Temple Street – not as many as the year before. There were 55 condos [built] in fiscal 2024, but it might change with interest rates coming down.”
Warner mentioned the town’s movement toward the MBTA Communities project, asking about its potential impact on building.
Jones and Noska agreed that it would, as Jones added that a part of the new Affordable Housing Act coming online in February will depend on what the town is going to do, and mentioning the town’s bylaw for accessory dwelling apartments, but not an accessory dwelling unit.
The Select Board on Monday, Dec. 2 voted to refer a proposed amendment of a town bylaw governing accessory apartments in town (Sec. 240-616 accessory apartments) to town counsel and the Planning Board.
The bylaw change would, according to ZBA Chair John Goldrosen, would allow town counsel to review it and refer the issue back to the Planning Board so it can schedule a hearing on the amendment.
Planners are moving quickly on the issue because the state law’s provision takes effect on Feb. 2, but the Planning Board can place an advertisement in the newspaper by the end of January, making everyone subject to the bylaw, even athough it cannot be acted on until the May Town Meeting.
“That’s why we moved quickly on this,” Goldrosen said. The reason behind it is to encourage more housing units, Goldrosen pointed out in response to a question by Select Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci Dec. 2. He added that the measure covers not only such housing space within a structure, but also free-standing structures on a property.
“It’s a boring department, which is good,” Noska said at the board’s lack of other issues to bring up. “It’s well-funded, it’s structured.”
Jones did mention one of the biggest expenses is the valuation contract with Catalyst Tax & CAMA (computer-assisted mass appraisal), with which Whitman is in the midst of a three year contract right now, ending in 2026.
“Their contract includes … they do all the data collections,” Jones said. “They do all the building permits, inspections, entries, sketchings. They do all the utility valuations as part of the [$7,000] contract.”
The Assessors would do a request to submit proposals (RSP) with three major companies – Catalyst, PK Valuations and Envision Government Solutions.
Any cost differential would not be fully known until the contract is put out to bid, Noska said. He noted that, sometimes when companies grow, they lose that attention that, at one time, they’d give to all towns.
“We’re going to do a big analysis on several things,” Jones said.
Warner, assuming that all companies have their own proprietary data handling method, asked if the shift to a new company might mean some kind of data migration?
Jones and Noska said it would, depending on what the Board of Assessors decides to convert and what they could, potentially keep in-house.
“We’re going to look at all the options,” Jones said.
Earning merit
Scouts from Troop 22 attended the meeting as a requirement toward a communications merit badge, perhaps not expecting to have a discussion on what the Finance Committee does, while the committee waited for members of the Board of Assessors and the Building Commissioner to arrive at the meeting.
“Does anybody know what the Finance Committee does?” Warner quizzed the Scouts.
“Budget for the town, arrange what [funds] will be put where,” one Scout answered.
“OK. So, interestingly, kind of,” Warner said. “Our job is an advisory role. We don’t actually set the budget, we help to define it, figure it out and then work with various departments to talk about money and where it might go and how it might be best used for the town.”
He apologized to the Scouts that the committee’s attendance was down because of illness and holiday demands, but thanked them for coming to the meeting.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Curriculum queries discussed

January 2, 2025 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor


The School Committee on Wednesday, Dec. 11, discussed MCAS, the Am I Ready diagnostics and the state assessment, so parents and the community could see how students are doing.
MCAS scores, officials reported are commensurate with end-of-year performance compared with other schools in the state, but the bulk of discussion focused on curriculum in the wake of some parental concerns.
Assistant Superintendent of Schools George Ferro said the district is making moderate progress toward educational targets.
“We’ve done this in the past,” said Ferro of the review. “We’ve done this in different ways. We’ve done it with, simply, what have we done with our curriculum, We’ve done it with an MCAS presentation, we’ve done it with the diagnostics and what our students are learning. Today, we’ve combined it all, because we do live in a different time as far as the threat to the internet.”
He said educators are still not completely certain of where the issue is going to go with respect to graduation requirements.
The district now knows that’s no longer a graduation requirement and that the district has received two different FAQs (frequently asked question filed) from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education as to where they might be going, according to Ferro.
He and Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Compliance, Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis offered the presentation together.
“We’re going to try to give you a synopsis of what we do, why we do it and the reasons for it,” Ferro said. “What we do is based on credible laws.”
Two federal laws govern curriculum – No Child Left Behind and the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), both of which require proof of effectiveness in some way in order to secure continuing funding.
“Basically, the feds tell the states what needs to take place, and the states come up with what they do, they enact it and we have to cooperate,” Ferro said.
Semas-Schneeweis added that No Child Left Behind, demanded that interventions required since 1955 had to be scientifically based and ESSA added the requirement that they also be evidence-based.
“We are mandated to follow this federal law and choose curriculum material that are evidence-based that meet that criteria,” she said. “We don’t determine that. Curriculum developers must go out and make their own studies, submit those studies and then they get vetted. So, when you see a curriculum developer partner with an agency or a third party, that is what they are mandated to do under this law, and that is not always clear.”
Ferro emphasized that no decisions are made without evidence and a proper process.
DESE does that work and lets school districts know which curricula meet those requirements.
“There are regulations and requirements about digital learning as well,” Semas-Schneeweis said. “The pandemic just exacerbated the digital learning requirement.”
The state also has a digital literacy component to its education regulations.
She stressed that digital learning programs must also be active, rather than having students merely sitting at a computer.
Some curricula, such as My Path, adjust to the deficiencies an advancements of students. Ferro and Semas-Schneeweis said.
“Sometimes a parent will say, ‘My child is exposed to material he has not learned,’” Ferro said. “Yes, because at that point in time his diagnostic is saying he’s at a higher grade level than where he’s at.”
Semas-Schneeweis said teachers are an important part of the equation as the instructional piece, making the time to work with those students about 10 minutes a day in a station model.
Committee member Glenn DiGravio asked about the curriculum’s adjustment to students with a deficit and whether they are tested at that deficit level and how students catch up.
“There are no grades on your path,” Ferro said. “It’s helping you in your deficit skills while you’re still in math class at that grade level. … The goal of this is to say where you’re at, what grade level you’re at, what your deficits are, and then give you a plan to catch that up.”
“That’s awesome,” DiGravio said. “I just didn’t want to see students getting left behind and still getting the trophy.”
Member Rosemary Connolly said she assumed the discussion came up because of questions to the schools, asking what the path is if a child is not comfortable in their spaces and with technology at the same time, or a particular tool is helping a child.
Semas-Schneeweis said a teaching team might decide supplemental work is needed,
“No program, curriculum, technology is perfect or is going to replace good teaching,” said committee member Kara Moser. “As a teacher, I also use I Ready, not as a core curriculum, but as with the diagnostic and the My Path – there are some areas that are not perfect, However, I think it is part of thinking holistically, especially when we’re thinking about elementary level.”
Committee member Stephanie Blackman said it is also important to determine if a child who is struggling is it an issue is not being comfortable with the technology or an issue with not being comfortable with the material.
“We have a core curriculum, and this is a supplemental curriculum,” Ferro said.
Committee member Dawn Byers, going into budget season, asked that the committee be able to review the cost vs life cycle of curricula.
Following the curriculum discussion, the committee got down to talking about that parent letter.
The School Committee received a parent letter via the U.S. Postal Service Monday, Nov. 18, which was opened the next day. The letter addressed kindergarten and some of the curriculum features.
“I usually don’t get [mail that way],” Superintendent of School Jeff Szymaniak said. “I usually get everything by email.”
Semas-Schneeweis reviewed the letter to put together some information to present to the committe, according to Szymaniak.
“I didn’t want you to get something blind, because I knew the next question we were going to get was, ‘what is this and what do we do about it?’” he said to the committee.
School Committee member Dawn Byers said her concern centered around parental consent, which was bullet point number three on the letter’s reverse, which outlined the requirement for “parental consent if there is a potential for data collection.”
“This parent seems concerned about consent and approval,” she said, noting that she did a search through district school policy documents, which are available online, including [Sec. IJND] curriculum and instruction, where a section headed “permission and agreement form.”
“My question to follow up, is that our policy says, ‘a written parental request shall be required prior to the student being granted independent access to electronic media,’ and that the required permission agreement form shall be signed by the parent, and also by the student,” Byers said. “I’d be happy to make a motion to send this to our policy subcommittee, if we need to review ‘pemission and agreement form.’”
She made a similar motion to allow discussion on Sec. IJNDb, which is the access policy where there is another signature access agreement, primarily concerning the laptops that go out with students, but also mentions parental signature and agreement.
“Educational software companies don’t collect students’ personal data,” said Committee member Hillary Kniffen, who is also a teacher in another district. “It’s education policy beyond us that companies that bring in educational material electronically do not collect private data from students.”
Byers said that wasn’t her biggest concern. “The concern, actually, is the student was given a device and started using it, and the parent said, ‘What if I don’t want my child using it?’” she said. “So, we’re offering consent – it might actually exist.” She questioned if the district was asking a kindergartener to sign a form.
“I don’t see a problem with bringing that to the policy subcommittee,” Szymaniak said.
“It was probably written before all of this, too, so it probably needs to be looked at anyway,” Chair Beth Stafford said.
Szymaniak said a motion may not even be needed, but agreed to work within one if the Committee wanted to. The Committee gave unanimous approval to referring the issue to the policy subcommittee.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Hanson clarifies veterans agent’s status

December 26, 2024 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor


HANSON –The Selcet Board voted on Tuesday Dec. 17 to hold off accepting Veterans’ Agent Joseph Gumbakis’ resignation, which was to be effective Friday, Dec. 20, until officials could speak to him in hopes that he might change his mind.
Select Board Member David George said on Friday, Dec. 20 that he had spoken to Gumbakis, who has agreed to stay until a replacement can be hired. The position has been posted, Town Administrator Lisa Green said Monday, Dec. 23. Anyone interested may contact her office at 781-293-2131 for more information.
“He expressed his reasons why,” Green said during the meeting in response to George’s questioning whether anyone tried to talk him out of it. “I can only respect his reasons of why he is choosing to resign.”
She added that he spoke to her of his reasons for leaving, adding that they were things she could not talk someone out of, nor publicly share.
“He’s got personal things he needs to work on and with that, I don’t feel I can talk someone out of stating when they say to me, ‘I need to resign,’ for these particular reasons.”
“I spoke with Joe today and he said he’d stay on as long as we needed him to stay on,” George said. “He would work something out with the town. We really do need Joe. You might not need him and a lot of other people in town might not need him, but people like me and a lot of other veterans in the town need him.”
George said he is not going to go to another town to ask for benefits as a veteran.
“We have one in Hanson, he’s a good guy, and he knows his job,” George said.
“That’s never been an issue,” Green said.
FitzGerald-Kemmett strongly suggested taking the conversation offline at that point, as it seemed to be getting personal.
“We’re running the risk of potentially discussing somebody’s personal situation in an open meeting, which would be completely inappropriate,” she said.
“And I was not going to go in that direction,” Green said.
“If somebody is performing well and doing their job, we certainly want to retain people,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “I think Ms. Green understands that, and in every instance where that applies, she does try to do that.”
FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested George and Green discuss the matter so she could talk to him about Gumbakis’ reasons.
“He’s willing to stay on,” George said. “I don’t think he really wanted to quit.”
George said he wasn’t willing to discuss Gumbakis’ reasons in open meeting, either, but he stressed that he did not think the man wanted to quit right now.
“At some point in time, I know he wants to move out of state,” he said. “At some point in time, but don’t think it’s right now, and I know he loves working with the veterans.”
“Here’s the danger,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “We’re talking about two different things.”
Noting that the board is not meeting again until Jan. 14, she reminded the board that Gumbakis’ resignation is effective at the end of December, she suggested letting Gumbakis know that, should he still wish to resign at the end of the month, the board would accept it.
“But we could also ask that you speak to him and, if he wants to revoke his request to resign, then we will empower you to retain him,” FitzGerald-Kemmett suggested.
The board unanimously supported the motion.
George said the weight of hours are difficult for Gumbakis, but “as a veterans’ agent … there isn’t anything that guy doesn’t know.”
“If he leaves, he’s going to be missed by a lot of us,” George said.
“Clearly, there’’s a level of passion here that none of us could understand to the level that David does,” Board member Joe Weeks said.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Hanson’s financial ‘Santa Claus’

December 19, 2024 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

HANSON – Everyone loves an ARPA check, almost as much as Christmas celebrations.
The Hanson Select Board, on Tuesday, Dec. 10, were able to extend their verbal thank-you notes to those who made both possible for Hanson this year.
The Board issued its thanks and recognition to the Hanson Holiday Committee and the Plymouth County Commissioners for their hard work in creating Hanson’s Holiday Fest, and efficiently overseeing the distribution of ARPA funds, respectively.
“If you are fortunate enough to go to [the Holiday Fest] every year, then you might think that it just magically happens,” Select Board Chair Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett said. “That is not true. There is a committee of people who meet, really at the start of summer, which seems quite shocking, but it’s true, talking about how to fund raise, what organizations are going to take part, etc.”
While she said the Hanson Highway and Police departments who always support the event, she said she thought it would be nice to
FitzGerald-Kemmett had also offered some recognition during the event which was also attended by Board members Ed Heal and Joe Weeks, but she didn’t think sufficient thanks had been offered.
“I wanted to make sure that it was, because I see how hard you guys work and I really think it’s important,” she said. “It’s such a beloved tradition in Hanson.”
The family-oriented event does not charge admission, and is a low-key time to gather with family, friends and community, enjoy the bonfires, sample the wares of local eateries and watch the fireworks.
“It’s a beautiful event,” she said. “We need more of those events.”
Receiving certificates of appreciation were: Hanson Police Sgt. Michael Bearce for organizing the police detail and crowd safety; Amanda Hauk, for social media and organizational work on the event; Highway Department employee Kevin Dykes, who plays a critical role in the event; Bob Hayes, for serving as the official ambassador for the committee and assisting with fundraising, ensuring the event’s sustainability; Fire Department Deputy Chief Charlie Barends, who is non-stop working on fundraising and ideas for connecting with people and getting the word out; Fire Chief Robert O’Brien for his work in organizing the fireworks display; and Committee Chair Steve Amico, for “quietly leading the charge for many years.
“You have had a part in it the last few years, as well,” Amico said to FitzGerald-Kemmett. “So, we thank you for all of your help.”
“That is unscripted, Mr. Amico, and not fitting” she joked.
There may not have been any certificates of appreciation for the county commissioners, but FitzGerald-Kemmett was equally as vocal in her thanks for the work they have done to help Hanson.
“You know how we love it,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said as she opened the meeting. “Show us the money, Jared!”
Plymouth County Commissioners Chair Jared Valanzola and Sen. Mike Brady aide Jimmy J. Valentin.
“This is the cap for me for Hanson, if we are able to get some more money, we’ll work on it, [but] every community is committed to using their full allocation, there very well may be,” Valanzola said.
“Thank you for coming, and thank you for bringing the money,” FitzGerald-Kemmett said.
Valanzola attended the meeting to present a $977,095.18 check to the town in ARPA funds to pay for improvements and expansion of the food pantry, Prat Place culvert construction, highway catch basin repair/construction and a Class V ambulance.
“It’s kind of hard to believe,” he said. “It is the season for giving.”
Valanzola noted the Commissioners have pretty much come to the end of the ARPA program, which is scheduled to sunset on Dec. 31.
“The county needs to have all its fun allocated by then,” Valanzola said. “It can still write checks after that day, but all applications need to be in.”
None of the other commissioners were able to attend the meeting and Treasurer Thomas J. O’Brien has been “more or less tethered to his desk to make sure we get these applications out,” according to Valanzola. “When the ball drops, so does the hammer on getting these things out the door on Dec. 31.” Three Commissioners’ meetings are planned before that date too get things out the door.
He said Hanson has been on the forefront of securing these funds among the 27 cities and towns the Commissioners work with, and lauded some of the things the town has obtained with the ARPA funds – purchasing an ambulance, replacing culverts and needs of the food pantry.
“This money is going to do great work for the town of Hanson as well as for our public servants, who dedicate their lives and work hours every day to the town of Hanson,” Valentin, said, urging the town to reach out to Sen. Brady’s office if they need anything.
FitzGerald-Kemmett said both offices were an example of responsive public
service, noting that Brady “is always on it, or he knows somebody who somebody who can help. … he gets the job done.”
But she also sang the praises of the county commissioners.
“You guys have been amazing partners in this ARPA [program],” she said. “You showed everybody how this should be done, and you did it efficiently with very low overhead cost. We are lucky to have Ms. Green advocating for us, but without that partnership on the other side it wouldn’t have been as amazing as it has been, so we thank you.”
Valanzola said the commissioners pride themselves on that, noting Massachusetts is a big state and state officials have to deal with big cities – Boston, Worcester and Springfield.
“Little towns like Hanson sometimes get left behind in that fray,” he said. “But for us at the County level, Hanson is not going to get left behind.”
The commissioners have been proud of demonstrating what good regional government can do, Valanzola said.
“We’re elected by the same people and are accountable to the same people,” he said of the neighbors they are helping. Rockland native, who now lives in Plymouth said he also knows Hanson well.
“These are communities that we’re really entrenched in, and I think that demonstrates [our] commitment to these towns” he said.
As they have kept their low overhead, the final number they have been tracking, 1.25 percent administrative costs. Keeping those administrative costs low has meant more money for Hanson and the other communities they’ve been working with, Valanzola said.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Hearing set on state zoning change

December 12, 2024 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor


WHITMAN – The Select Board on Monday, Dec. 2 voted to refer a proposed amendment of a town bylaw governing accessory apartments in town (Sec. 240-616 accessory apartments) to town counsel and the Planning Board.
The bylaw change would, according to ZBA Chair John Goldrosen, would allow town counsel to review it and refer the issue back to the Planning Board so it can schedule a hearing on the amendment, Goldrosen said.
Planners are moving quickly on the issue because the state law’s provision takes effect on Feb. 2, but the Planning Board can place an advertisement in the newspaper by the end of January, making everyone subject to the bylaw, even though it cannot be acted on until the May Town Meeting.
“That’s why we moved quickly on this,” Goldrosen said.
The reason behind it is to encourage more housing units, Goldrosen pointed out in response to a question by Select Board Vice Chair Dan Salvucci. He added that the measure covers not only such housing space within a structure, but also free-standing structures on a property.
He said his concern about that centers on the fact that the present zoning bylaw allows accessory buildings – such as storage sheds – to be within 10 feet of a property line because it was written without consideration that they might be occupied.
“Well, now they might be occupied,” he said, noting they want to ensure proper setback requirements are placed on such uses.
While the amendment is still subject to some changes after public hearings and as the state is supposed to issue regulations and guidelines to clear up some ambiguities in the state law, which has not been done that yet, according to Goldrosen.
“They haven’t done that yet, but they will in the next couple of months,” he said “The town already has an accessory apartment bylaw, which allows, by special permit, apartments within a house to be used by members of the family – you could call it an in-law apartment.”
However, the state recently passed a new statute, which requires towns to accessory dwelling units, not limited to members of a homeowner’s family and not requiring a special permit.
“Unlike the MBTA Communities Act, where there was town action required, this simply overrides any local laws and doesn’t require town action, but the state does allow certain, limited regulation and the purpose of this proposed bylaw is to take advantage of that,” Goldrosen said.

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Whitman’s Timothy Michael Hayes pens Netflix film script

December 5, 2024 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

Who was the Virgin Mary before she became the mother of Christ, revered in the Catholic Church? What was her life like as a girl and young woman? How well do we know her and, after the passage of millennia, is it possible to know her now?
“There’s not a lot in the Scriptures on Mary,” said screenwriter and Whitman native Timothy Michael Hayes said in an interview Friday, Nov. 26 about the film, “Mary,” making its debut on Netflix tomorrow – Friday, Dec. 6. “When I was asked to do it – my producer approached me and asked me, ‘Would you be interested in writing an original telling of Mary’s story,?’ I just saw all the obstacles in that. [But] I said, ‘That’s a challenge. That’s something different, I haven’t heard of that [being done before],’” he recalled. “That idea of that challenge, was like, ‘Yeah, let me take it on. Let me try it. Let me do it.”
One challenge was that they wanted to film to appeal to all denominations and all dogmas. It is also a different kind of genre, which Hayes calls a Biblical thriller, one that’s theologically solid, if that’s what one is looking for – and the film is an attempt to appeal across borders. IMDb, the industry website about cross references the film and TV ratings and reviews, lists “Mary” as a political thriller, an action film and just plain thriller. A bipartisan approach, if you will.
The call to write this script came in 2018, with the changes that often happen in pre-production.
“It’s a journey, and you go on to other things,” he said. The film world stutter-start was not unusual and when it was on again, he had rewrites and revisions to do with changing visions of new directors. Hayes pointed to his next project on the life of Milton Hershey that is going though that because a new director just came on board.
Lead Producer Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment, with whom Hayes has worked before, was the first person to ask him to write the screenplay.
“Mary,” like most films these days, it seems, has generated a bit of controversy, too, mainly centering on the casting of mostly unknown Israeli and Arab actors from the Middle East, especially Israeli actress Noa Cohen, who had been wrongfully identified as a Palestinian. Only Sir Anthony Hopkins, who portrays King Herod, is a “big name” Hollywood actor.
“If we’re honest about that, to a certain point, controversy is a good thing,” Hayes said. “It generates interest. Netflix’s interest in acquiring it also brought the idea that a lot of people will watch this.”
The production schedule was a rushed one, as filming in Ouarzazate, Morocco only wrapped up in March. “But we knew all along that the goal was holiday 2024.”
If it missed that deadline, it wouldn’t debut until February 2025, with no guarantee it would get the same audience numbers.
The original “Miracle on 34th Street,” hit theaters on June 4, 1947, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” came close, opening on Jan. 7, 1947, and “The Bishop’s Wife,” didn’t hit theaters until Feb. 14, 1948.
“Spoiler alert,” he said. “At the end, the baby Jesus is born, so it’s kind of a Christmas thing. [The Dec. 6 Netflix debut] kind of gives it a three-week run up to Christmas.”
Hayes said he and the producers had always wanted a theatrical release for “Mary.”
“It would have been riskier,” he said. “With Netflix, you have a lot locked in, and the biggest global audience in the world. The key there is global. … Mary’s story appeals across the globe.”
At core, Hayes and his producers set out to explore the notion of doubt in the film, an intention at the root of some of the online “controversy.”
“Certain factions of religion, or religious mindsets, say Mary never doubted,” he said. “That’s just not interesting, nor is it very human. I feel that the more human someone is, the stronger they are in the end – to acknowledge the humanity, what it means to be alive, and come out on the other side, only makes them stronger.”
Confirmed as a Roman Catholic, Hayes said he grew up with a foundational understanding of the “religious” aspects of Mary’s story, including the non-biblical doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
“But because so little of Mary’s early life is found in the canonical Scriptures — beyond key mentions of her in Matthew and Luke — more was needed to tell her fuller human story,” he said, stressing that he has many conversations with faith leaders of all stripes, discussing nuances of belief, interpretation and language.
Hayes, who is the father of four daughters among his five children, said his script emphasizes that Mary was a human being, after all.
“The idea that she’s a pregnant teenager, unwed and didn’t understand why … and she wasn’t scared? That just doesn’t speak to any kind of reality that you or I would know,” he said. “Of course you’re going to be terrified. Of Course you’re going to have doubts to work through. It’s a larger metaphor for what we all go through. Doubt is inherent … every day we wake up doubting ourselves.”
He maintains it does not step away from the Devine – it reinforces it.
Hayes said he has also instilled some subtle humor in the film. The early buzz about the film has been great, despite the controversies.
“My job is to write something that other artists will read, actors, directors – keep going, costume designers, set builders, and they will see an opening for their own creativity,” he said. “There’s a way to do it that that script is an open door to other artists. To see all of us come together from across the globe …”
He hints there just might be a sequel if the film is a big enough hit and there is a theme that they see as a good one to explore.
Meet the
screenwriter
So, one might ask, who is Timothy Michael Hayes?
Valedictorian at W-H in 1988, Hayes then went on to New York University’s film school, where he graduated in 1992. He’s raised his five children in Scituate.
“I could have probably gone anywhere, but I didn’t apply anywhere else,” he said of NYU. “I applied early admission. I was always interested in everything. I love to write. I love music and grew to love photography – and where can you do all three of those things in one place?”
An early influence was the Cohen brothers, [“Blood Simple,” “Raising Arizona”] whose editor was the elder brother of Hayes’ roommate and filmmaking partner. That connection helped bring the Cohen Brothers to his senior thesis bay to view their senior film and offer comments.
His “big, happy detour” was meeting someone from the Massachusetts South Shore and returning to get married. His wife was a dancer, and the couple opened a dance studio in Scituate. He also goes into Scituate High each year to help teach a Literature to Film class.
“I kind of stopped doing film for a little bit,” he says as he kept the books and did customer service for the studio. “Life has these interesting journeys.”
His writing process, now that he’s back in film, is different for each film, Hayes said, but most are historically based.
“I’m a lover of history,” he said. “At W-H, that was my passion.”
He is typically hired to either adapt a book or historical incidents that have no specific book for reference, and you do your own reference work. Films like “Mary.”
When adapting a book, he thoroughly notates it with three pens – black, red and blue. The black ink tracks reflections of the original idea; blue notes if there is a running theme at work and red is for the “big highlight” moments.
“I notate everything I read,” he said. That includes performance programs.
Everyone’s life is a story, Hayes believes.
“To me, stories are the essence of what it means to be human,” he said. “We do it every day. … and you’ve got to hook them, which is so prevalent now, in the streaming age on TV.”
He said it has always been true in cinema, especially in the past 20 to 30 years, when scripts outlining the first act of the film has to be done in 22 pages instead of 25, as action has been key.
His main professional goal right now is moving more into controlling his own properties.
“I’ve been a gun-for-hire since I got back into this,” he said. “It’s more than a full-time job. It’s really seven days a week, 24 hours a day, because I love it. I always have pages [to revise].”
His college roommate has helped with that – he wrote a little film called “Elf.”
And, what’s next after “Mary?”
Hayes is in the midst of an adaptation of Norman Rockwell’s autobiography into a five-season series.
“For me, his story is the story of the 20th century,” he said of Rockwell’s work. “When you’re living it, which is why I love what I do, I’m living it. You’re balancing so many things at one time.”
He’s also working on a “fantastical biopic” on the life of chocolate king Milton Hershey for Dandelion Media, and most has work on “Box of Light,” a feature adaptation of Evan I. Schwartz’s biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, the true inventor of television. 

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

Giving back

November 28, 2024 By Tracy F. Seelye, Express Editor

WHITMAN – The tradition of looking after one’s neighbors in need – whether that need be social or financial – while handing that tradition along to the community’s youth has roots as old as time.
Whether those roots are based in religion or culture, they were clearly in practice in the region as Thanksgiving approached, only to ramp up considerably as Christmas and other December holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa draw near.
Kicking off the seasonal service events began on Saturday, Nov. 16 as the Cardinal Spellman Council No. 347 welcomed a record number of town and area senior citizens, who would otherwise be alone at the Thanksgiving holiday with a roast turkey dinner (or several of the birds), with mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy, cranberry sauce, winter squash, peas and pearl onions, dinner roll and a brownie sundae for dessert.
Members of the Whitman-Hanson football team helped the Knights and Whitman police serve the dinner, including cranberry juice cocktail and fruit cup, without spilling a drop.
The dinner is part of the K of C’s mission to do charitable works for the community as an expression of faith.
This was the 51st year that the Spellman Council has hosted the dinner, member Bob Hayes announced to the diners before the benediction was offered by Parochail Vicar, the Rev. Godfrey Musabe, of the Light of Christ Catholic Collaborative that serves St. Bridget in Abingon and Holy Ghost Church in Whitman.
Born in Uganda, he told the seniors he came to the United States to study at Boston College and now serves as chaplain of an Army National Guard unit when he is not serving his vocation.
“It begins with Thanksgiving,” Musabe said. “Everything is Thanksgiving, and as we come together, we thank God for the many blessings he has given us … for allowing us to be here. We thank God for this wonderful and beautiful country that he has given us. We thank God for the gift of one another.”
He also invited those attending the dinner to, in their own way and according to their own faith tradition, to pray for a moment of thanksgiving before the meal was served, asking a blessing on the volunteers who sacrificed their time to prepare and serve the meal, the gathering to enjoy it and the meal itself.
Six days later, the students of Conley Elementary School included their annual gifts to the community’s food pantry and animal shelter as part of their Thanksgiving basket assembly, now made part of their November monthly school morning meeting.
The children had recently been asked to each bring in a canned good or other food item for a Thanksgiving meal to provide a holiday dinner for 25 families in their community, as well as an abject lesson in how one person’s efforts can do so much.
The children were asked to turn to classmates on either side of them and say what they are thankful for this year.
The big moments came when Student Council President Riley Lusk announced how many baskets were being donated to the pantry.
“I want to start off by saying how amazing it is to see all that our school families have donated,” she said. “Just like we come together as a school to help each other, it’s important to help others in our community, too. Because of all of you, 25 families in our community will get to enjoy Thanksgiving dinners.”
She thanked the students and wished them a happy Thanksgiving.
St, Vincent DePaul Food Pantry President Richard Clark thanked the students on behalf of the pantry for their contributions.
“Everybody here has done great work,” he said. “All the help given the food pantry will be very good for all the families in Whitman that we need to help out because they have food insecurity. I appreciate all the things you guys have done. Keep up the good work!”
“I’m so proud of our school for the kindness we show to animals,” Council member Brody Gould said. “Every year, we ask the Conley community to contribute whatever the can for our Pennies for Paws collection.”
He announced this year, the students raised $450 for the animals being housed at the Whitman Animal Shelter.
Animal Control Officer Laura Howe thanked the students.
“You always make me cry,” she said. “But I’m just so proud of you all. You give me hope every year for the future of our world.”
She told the children that kindness is really all that matters in this world, and the way that Conley students always exemplify it every year, always move her to tears.
“Wow! It really does all begin with one can,” said one of the Council members before the Student Council brought in the baskets as the song, “When Fall Comes to New England,” played. “We are so lucky to live in a community where everyone helps each other.”

Filed Under: Featured Story, News

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