Whitman Fire/Rescue hosts 2015 open house

WHITMAN — Families spent a bright and sunny Columbus Day  exploring fire equipment, target practicing with a brush fire hose and learning how to safely exit a house in case of fire as Whitman Fire and Rescue hosts open house.

Nikki McCormack helps son, Cody McCormack-Sullivan, 2, with a drink of water while her eldest, Dillon, 4, enjoys his pizza as they picnic in the Whitman Fire/Rescue parking lot during Monday’s open house. CLICK ON IMAGE TO VIEW MORE PHOTOS. Photo by Tracy Seelye.

Informational brochures were available in the fire station, as well as red oven mitts in keeping with the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) theme of “Prevent Kitchen Fires.”

Face-painting and free pizza from Papa Gino’s were also featured.

But the main message of the day was the importance of placing smoke detectors in every bedroom of the home.

“This is the ‘Hear the beep where you sleep,’ message,” said Whitman Fire/Rescue SAFE Officer Thomas Ford. “[NFPA] is trying to get people to put smoke detectors inside the bedrooms nowadays.”

Past guidelines called for the alarms in hallways outside of bedrooms, Deputy Chief Joseph Feeney said.

The department will take the Safety Awareness and Fire Education (SAFE) trailer around to Conley and Duval schools for an offical fire safety presentation, but on Monday the kids were laughing and running into the trailer over and over to experience the “smoke” and climb down the escape ladder.

Volunteers with the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) were also on hand to guide visitors through their vehicle and explain their role.

Joseph Bauer of Whitman and his children chatted with CERT members Cathy Costello and Paul Moss.

Michael Bauer, 11, asked about the kinds of fires for which the CERT team offers support to firefighters. Costello said it could be anything from large brush fires to house fires. They also aid in large incident response, such as train accidents.

“We do first aid and give them food and keep them hydrated,” she said of the team’s role at emergency scenes. “We’re always prepared.”

Members’ availability is scheduled around work schedules, although some, like Moss, are retired.

“We also do sheltering, so if you guys lose your power, we come in and set up a shelter to keep people warm,” Costello said.

WHRHS promotes Credit For Life Fair to increase Student financial literacy

It’s no joke — come April 1, 2016 Whitman-Hanson Regional High School plans to become the latest school on the South Shore to host a Credit For Life Fair as part of a financial literacy program. WHRHS promotes Credit For Life as a way to increase student awareness of credit scores and the pitfalls of credit card overuse.

WHRHS business teachers have attended Credit For Life Fairs offered at Brockton, Plymouth South and South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School, where Whitman and Hanson students have been participating in the fairs during their senior year for a half dozen years now.

“We are very happy for the progress that’s being made and we’re very excited because we’ve been trying to do [a Credit For Life Fair] for years,” WHRHS business teacher Lydia Nelson said at the inaugural planning meeting with a handful of parents and educators on Thursday, Oct. 8. “It’s more than time for W-H to do it.”

The next planning meeting is planned for 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 5 in the high school library.

The critical need right now is to have enough volunteers at each of about a dozen information booths to keep nearly 300 students circulating in order to complete the fair between 9 a.m. and noon.

Brockton uses 80 volunteers for its fair.

“We have plenty of time and we’re on target. We just need to ensure we have all the volunteers,” Nelson said. “If the volunteers aren’t in place, then we’re not going to be able to move forward.”

The Oct. 8 meeting kicked off with a YouTube video of a Quincy High School Credit For Life Fair, followed by a discussion of logistics and volunteer and resource needs.

“We’ve been working very hard and this is the year we’re going to get it,” business teacher and DECA Advisor Nina Consolini said of the Credit For Life Fair.

Some of the few parents attending the planning meeting, all of whom now work in jobs involving finance, noted that they graduated high school without working knowledge of how to balance a checkbook, and that little has changed.

“I see people now that … the things they did years ago are kind of catching up with them,” said parent Peggy O’Toole, a financial planner.

“Would any of the kids be allowed to drive without some sort of drivers’ education or some sort of hours? No,” Nelson said. “But yet, we expect our kids to graduate and know how to handle themselves in the financial world.”

The fair generally begins in an assembly during which state legislators and educators speak briefly on the importance of financial literacy and how to fill out paperwork.

State representatives Josh Cutler, D-Duxbury, and Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman have already committed to appear as keynote speakers during the pre-fair assembly. Cutler’s district includes Hanson.

Students are provided a fictitious job and income profile, then report to a gymnasium — or, in some cases, a hotel ballroom when the fair is held off campus — where they circulate among stations to learn lessons about budgeting for housing, transportation, insurance, retirement, food and other costs of living. They must balance their budget with the main credit counseling station, staffed by representatives of a partnering bank, before they finish.

That is one of the key volunteer needs for the W-H Credit For Life Fair at this stage. HarborOne partners with schools in Brockton and Plymouth and Rockland Trust partners with SSVT, for example.

Students generally dress professionally, often as a requirement set by the school.

WHRHS Junior Achievement Heroes already sends Business Honor Society members to first and second-grade classes to teach financial literacy. W-H also offers a financial literacy elective, but educators see the need for a broader program.

A bill now before the state Senate — S279 introduced by state  Sen. James B. Eldridge, D-Acton — and supported by Nelson could even make high school financial literacy programs mandatory.

“People just automatically think, ‘Well it’s finance, it must be math,’ and that’s not the case,” Nelson said. “The way this bill is written, depending on how the school district can manage it and [national] standards for financial literacy are met, there’s no reason that a district can’t incorporate it into the subject matter as appropriate — in our case it’s business.”

Nelson testified in support of the bill during a public hearing last month.

“Kids are required to take math and English and other courses, but sometimes we forget about financial literacy and it’s a life skill,” agreed business teacher Julie Giglia. “This is a program that can really help if it’s required for everybody.”

Other schools might handle it differently. SSVT, for example organizes the Credit For Life Fair through its Mathematics Department to instill financial literacy. In Virginia, according to Nelson, it is taught across the curriculum.

Hanson Town Administrator search continues as a finalist’s withdrawal prompts salary, benefits change and re-post

HANSON — With one of three finalists withdrawing for personal reasons, the Town Administrator Search Committee Tuesday night recommended, and Selectmen agreed, that the job be re-posted with a $10,0000 increase in salary range — pending Town Meeting approval — and a more detailed job description and outline of benefits.

Hanson Town Hall

The current salary range is $95,000 to $110,000. The Search Committee would like to see it increased to between $110,000 to $120,000.

Hanson Town Administrator search continues as the Search Committee, which has not released information about the finalists, would like to retain the remaining two as it renews the posting. Interim Town Administrator Richard LaCamera said he would check with town counsel to see if such a move would be permitted.

“We as a committee would not want to release those [names of finalists] yet,” Search Committee Chairman Ken McCormick said. “We’d like to keep it under executive session privilege. We’re not moving them forward yet, so I don’t think it would be right to send their names out right now.”

LaCamera supported that position, while he doubted it would be permitted to hold the remaining two finalists.

“You’re certainly doing the right thing by not making them public because it’s not fair to them,” LaCamera said.

Selectmen, after the meeting, said that they don’t know who the three finalists were despite discussion around town regarding their identities.

“I don’t want to know at this point,” Selectman James McGahan said, indicating he preferred to await an official notification from the Search Committee prior to the board’s interviews with finalists.

The first search brought in 22 applications, from which four were invited to interview and the three finalists were selected. One of the four had voiced issues with job description and qualification matters so he withdrew, followed by one of the finalists as the committee was preparing to present a list to Selectmen.

“The committee’s feeling is we need to get it right and give the town the best possible candidates out there — and enough of them to make your decision,” McCormick said. “We didn’t feel that two is enough.”

One option discussed in an executive session of the Search Committee Tuesday was to start again. The other option was to go with the remaining two finalists while posting for additional candidates, which they decided to recommend to Selectmen.

“We don’t want anything less than three,” McCormick said.

“Hopefully, the two candidates will still be around,” Selectman Kenny Mitchell said. “When we started this process, we knew the salary might be an issue.”

McCormick admitted that is a concern.

In other business, Selectmen voted 5-0 to hire Leah Guercio, 164 Reed St., as Assistant  Supportive Day Program Coordinator at the Senior Center.

LaCamera and COA Director Mary Collins both recommended Guercio, who has 30 years’ experience as a nurse, for the post in the program where she has been a volunteer for five years.

“Every day that she is there, you know that she is present,” Collins said. “I know it from the way [clients] are reacting.”

Collins lauded Guercio’s compassion, sense of humor, common sense and experience.

Low-turnout  primary decides Nov. 3 ballot, Diehl to face Brady, Raduc

Two area state representatives will face off, along with unenrolled candidate Anna Grace Raduc of Halifax, on Tuesday Nov. 3 as they vie to fill the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District seat left vacant by the death of state Sen. Thomas P. Kennedy, D-Brockton, in June. this positions Geoffrey Diehl to face Michael Brady and Anna Grace Raduc.

State Rep. Michael D. Brady, D-Brockton, handily defeated businessman Joseph Lynch, also of Brockton, in the Tuesday, Oct. 6 special state primary. Brady took about 90 percent of the Democratic votes.

State Rep. Geoffrey Diehl, R-Whitman, was also on GOP ballots, but faced no opposition. There were no candidates listed on either the Green/Rainbow or United Independent Party ballots in Tuesday’s primary.

“For me, today was just another day on the campaign trail,” said Diehl as he chatted with Whitman selectmen Dan Salvucci and Brian Bezanson who were working a Diehl sign-holding post across the street from the Whitman Town Hall polling place. “My focus is November.”

Voters may also have been looking ahead to November as both Whitman and Hanson saw a turnout of about 3 percent of registered voters cast ballots.

In Whitman, where 384 of the town’s 9,631 voters cast ballots, Democrats backed Brady with 141 votes to Lynch’s 29. Hanson saw 232 of about 7,000 voters turnout to give Brady a 115 to 15 win over Lynch.

The margin was similar throughout the district.

Brady garnered 2,533 votes in Brockton, 94 in Easton, 88 in East Bridgewater, 49 in Halifax, 219 n Hanover and 18 in Plympton. Lynch received 355 Brockton votes, 12 in Easton, 8 in East Bridgewater, 7 in Halifax, 33 in Hanover and 2 in Plympton.

Neither Brady nor Lynch were available for comment on the primary result, but Diehl, who received 96 votes in Hanson and 208 in Whitman expressesed gratitude to voters.

“The response to the campaign has been overwhelming,” Diehl stated. “When I am door-knocking people are thanking me every day for repealing automatic gas tax hikes.”

He also stressed the differences between his tenure as a representative for the 7th Plymouth District he has served since 2010 and Brady — the 9th Plymouth representative for seven and a half years.
“I am the only candidate in this race who has cut people’s taxes,” Diehl said. “My opponent has voted to increase taxes every time.  He doubled tax on alchohol, raised the gas tax, sales tax, utility taxes, supported increasing income taxes, and voted for higher fees.”

Diehl pointed to his accomplishments, including the automatic gas tax repeal and work against legislative pay raises and opposition to taxpayer contributions to balance cost overruns for the Olympics.

While Brady is strong in Brockton where he has served on the school committee and 13 years as a city councilor, Diehl’s best chance is considered by political observers to be centered in the surrounding suburban communities.

Town Meeting votes to block paid town workers from seat on board as Hanson approves Selectmen restrictions

HANSON — Hanson approves Selectmen restrictions as new by-law will be added to the books preventing paid Hanson town employees from running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

The by-law extends to prohibit office holders from working as paid employees for one year after leaving office, grandfathering in those already elected.

OWNING IT: Wearing a T-shirt reading ‘I am Article 25,’ Anne Marie Bouzan speaks with fellow Hanson Town employees Nicole Campbell and Theresa Cocio Monday. Photo by Tracy Seelye

Voters at special Town Meeting Monday approved by a vote of 58-48, the measure — warrant Article 25 — proposed by selectmen.

Wearing pink T-shirts emblazoned with “I am Article 25,” hand-written in fabric paint, Building Department Administrative Assistant Anne Marie Bouzan and a handful of other Town Hall employees, made a statement against the proposal from the audience.

Bouzan, also a union steward who ran for Selectman this spring, spoke vigorously against the article.

Proponents countered that the by-law was needed to ensure against potential bias, a tie vote on matters on which town employee/selectman could not vote, and as protection against “human nature.”

After Town Meeting adjourned, Bouzan expressed disappointment at the vote, but suggested she wasn’t through with the fight just yet.

“I’m a little disappointed,” she said. “I’m thinking that I still have time — they’re going to have to go through the state to make the by-law go through — and if we can appeal it somehow at that point I think I will.”

Selectman James McGahan said after the session that he understands it is already hard to fill some elected positions, but said the by-law is necessary to prevent potential conflicts of interest.

“We’re trying to be proactive in avoiding the problems that Hanson’s had in the past,” he said. “Hanson has a rich history of some inappropriate people in the wrong places. … Who’s going to police it? … The problem is human nature.”

He did say that he thought Bouzan would be an excellent selectman.

“Hopefully someday it’ll work out that she can do it,” he said. “I think she will.”

Bouzan had stressed during debate on the article, that she had consulted the State Ethics Commission before running for a seat on the Board of Selectmen.

“I informed her of my duties and my role as a town employee,” Bouzan said of a 45-minute phone conversation with a State Ethics Commission lawyer. “I told her everything about my position.”

The lawyer had, verbally and via email, informed Bouzan that she could serve as selectmen without conflict so long as she not participate in discussions or votes on matters in which she had personal financial interests, although she could participate in collective bargaining negotiations in her role as union steward.

“I could negotiate the town administrator’s contract because he is not my direct supervisor,” she said. “If you take tonight’s articles, I could have voted [as a selectman to place or recommend] on every single article on the warrant as printed.”

She then asked for an answer from the Board of Selectmen to a pointed question: “Why couldn’t someone that’s working for the town run as selectwoman for this town?”

Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young countered by asking if Bouzan had informed the Ethics Commission that she sits across the negotiating table from the town administrator during contract negotiations.

Moderator Sean Kealy then cautioned against getting bogged down in debate over the specific situation that gave rise to the article.

“I prefer to talk about this article on its own without getting into a rehash,” he said.

Resident Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett of 83 Bay State Circle noted that state ethics laws are very clear about conflicts of interest and asked Town Counsel Jason R. Talerman if the article is necessary and whether school district employees are included as “town compensated” positions covered by the by-law.

“Do you think this is redundant or is this something you think you’d recommend the town adopt?” she asked. “Can we get a list of who this impacts?”

Talerman declined to voice an opinion, but noted there are parts of the by-law covered by state laws.

“I’m really going to stay out of it,” he said. “For other relationships in this proposed by-law, that are not covered by the ethics law, but really just follow the practice of many communities, which really hold the office of the Board of Selectmen as something that shouldn’t commingle with any other office in the town.”

McGahan said school district employees were not included in the by-law. While Talerman said he’d have to look more closely at the regional agreement, but tended to agree with McGahan’s interpretation.

“There are a lot of incredibly good town and municipal employees that I trust,” said Joseph O’Sullivan of 625 West Washington St., urging the Town Meeting to vote against the article. “I would love to have their experience … in a variety of different offices in this town.”

John Norton of 31 Indian Path agreed, noting that out of more than 7,000 registered voters in town, it is already hard to attract people to the idea of running for public office.

“Anything that diminishes people wanting to get involved in town government, is a mistake,” Norton said. “There is no reason. We have the strongest state ethics [laws] in the country and a ton of conflict-of-interest laws that I’ve run into even in a non-compensated position. It’s just redundant, it’s silly and it seems to be aimed at a couple of people.”

McGahan agreed there are a lot of good people in town, but warned “all it takes is one person or a couple to do the wrong thing and really throw things in the wrong way.”

Resident Tom Dahlberg of 66 Hillcrest Road agreed with McGahan.

“We don’t need problems in Hanson,” he said. “In the 40 years I’ve lived here we’ve had our share of problems to resolve at Town Meeting. Tonight, we have an opportunity to keep a problem from happening. It isn’t one that might happen. Given the history of the human race, it’s a problem that will happen if we don’t pass this article. It’s just a matter of when.”

Talerman, who said there are varying versions of the proposed article in place across the state, but couldn’t say how many of the 351 communities in Massachusetts have them.

“It’s not uncommon to go beyond the conflict of interest laws and place limits on whether people can hold two elected positions or an elected and appointed [one],” he said.

A proposal to amend the article to allowing a minimum of one seat on the Board of Selectmen to be held by a town employee was declined.

Salute to ‘Red’

FAMILY HONOR: Hanson Veterans’ Services director Bob Arsenault presents a memorial American flag to Army Sgt. James F. ‘Red’ Harrington’s surviving siblings, from left, Jean Croghan, Rose Dunlea, Jack Harrington (front) and Mary Tucker. Photo by Tracy Seelye

HANSON — Korea is called the Forgotten War as it was, and remains, a stalemate paused by a lingering cease-fire that many political and military leaders wanted to put behind them.

But the families and hometowns of the Korean War’s wounded and fallen have never forgotten, even when honors were delayed.

On Saturday, Sept. 26 Hanson saluted Army Sgt. James F. “Red” Harrington, who was killed in Korea on April 8, 1951.

“It was very moving, also it’s been a long time coming,” his sister, Jean Croghan, said after the ceremony dedicating a memorial corner at the Hancock Street ball field where her four brothers used to play baseball. “The whole family feels terrific. We’re pleased with the turnout and support we’ve received.”

Selectmen Chairman Bruce Young said it was a day for which Hanson could be proud.

“It’s a nice hometown, small town event where people get together and get united for an effort to honor somebody who gave his life in defense of freedom for others,” Young said.

Like many who served in Korea, Sgt. Harrington was a veteran of military service, having joined the Army in 1946 and served two years before going on reserve status.

During his junior year at Boston College in 1950, he was recalled to active duty and sent to Korea in January 1951.

“I can’t say he was a diamond in the rough — he was a diamond,” Croghan said, noting he had always been a fine example for his younger siblings, especially his younger brothers. “We still miss him.”

Saturday’s program, held at 10 a.m. on the ball field, began with bagpiper Don Teague playing a selection of service hymns and other selections, including “Scotland the Brave,” before Veterans’ Services Director Bob Arsenault began the ceremony by introducing Croghan and her surviving brother and sisters, Jack Harrington, Rose Dunlea and Mary Tucker.

Members of the Tech. Sgt. Elmer R. Hammond American Legion Post 226 Honor Guard also took part in the ceremony along with Young and fellow Selectmen Bill Scott, James McGahan and Kenny Mitchell.

“I’d like to thank everybody for turning out this morning,” Arsenault said. “It’s a beautiful day — Red’s looking down upon us. You can’t ask for much better weather.”

Arsenault outlined the all-too-brief story of Sgt. Harrington’s service in Korea, where he had volunteered for the mission of forward observer.

“During Korea, when you were a forward observer, it was a very dangerous position,” he said. “You were out in the front lines in the hills and the mountains of Korea and the North Koreans would try to triangulate on your position. A lot of these forward observers, unfortunately, did not make it home.”

Jack Harrington spoke for the family during the emotional program, quipping that he had prepared a 10-page speech about his big brother.

“Red, you’d be proud,” he began, speaking in front of a silhouetted figure of a soldier mourning a fallen comrade. “I feel very privileged and honored to be asked to speak about my brother, James.”

He noted a tragic family lineage of sacrifice for country — his maternal great uncle, Sgt. James F. Healy, was killed in WWI; a cousin, Sgt. James F. Healy was killed in WWII and his brother, James F. Harrington, was killed in Korea. His mother asked her remaining children not to name their sons James F., he said before introducing his oldest son, James F. Harrington, to applause.

“They say the good die young — I’ll live to be 120,” Harrington said. “But James was surely good. He was good looking, good at football, good at basketball, good at baseball, good at fishing, good at studying. He was good to his mother and father, his sisters and his brothers.

“He was a good soldier,” he continued. “He was a gentleman — a man of good breeding and refined manners.”

Harrington said the letters in Red’s nickname stood for regular (conforming, straight), educated (cultivated, disciplined) and dependable.

He quoted a letter the family had received from a Jesuit chemistry professor of Red’s from Boston College: “Jim was a good, humble, enthusiastic boy who was a joy to a teacher. I’m sure that he would have developed into a good chemist. … He was unspoiled by the world and I think of him as a boy loved by God and carried to heaven lest he should be contaminated by the world.”

Arsenault read citations in honor of the dedication from the General Court of the Commonwealth and Gov. Charlie Baker before presenting an American flag in a shadowbox to the Harrington family on behalf of the president, governor and citizens of Hanson. He thanked all those who helped make the ceremony possible, including Highway Surveyor Bob Brown and his crews, selectmen, Sons of the American Legion, Mike Means and Bob Hayes.

The Rev. Kwang H. Lee, vicar of St. Joseph the Worker Church offered the closing prayer, followed by Teague’s playing of “Amazing Grace” and Jack Harrington leading the crowd in singing “God Bless America.”

Sgt. Harrington’s siblings then threw ceremonial first pitches to four children, symbolic of renewed life for the old ball field.

More photos from the event can be viewed on the Whitman-Hanson Express Facebook page.

ROLLING HONOR: Whitman businessman Mark Shadley customized this Harley to salute Medal of Honor recipients. Photo by Tracy Seelye.

WHITMAN — When someone calls on you to help honor the nation’s Medal of Honor recipients, you answer the call.

So when Mark Shadley of Auto Tec/Shadley Bros in Whitman was approached by Massachusetts Fallen Heroes to create a motorcycle to make that salute, he readily agreed.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Society’s convention met it Boston last week, where the society’s 79 members were asked to sign parts of the custom Harley-Davidson. Whitman sign company owner Gary Heager did the artwork, which included graphics of valor in action from the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes’ website, barbed-wire trim design to salute decorated POWs and copper accents fashioned from brightwork that came from the USS Constitution.

“It was real cool,” Shadley said of the honor. “They loved it. We tried to do it right for them.”

The bike was displayed during the Medal of Honor Convention at the Seaport Trade Center and will be placed on permanent display in a memorial being built next to the Moakley Federal Courthouse.

“It’s also going to be on display at all the veteran runs — they’re going to move it all around,” Shadley said. “This memorial is the first one of these in the country.”

The bike started out as a 2015 FLH-X, valued ad $21,000. Shadley said it’s value is now closer to $50,000.

“We tore it all down,” he said. “I changed the front fender, the rear fender, made the dashboard, the exhaust pipes [which feature a rotating mini-Gatling gun design], I made the lights, made the shifter.”

They took the engine apart to diamond-cut the cylinders.

Direction-signal housings are designed from large-caliber bullet casings and the front features the campaign ribbons of all service areas represented by the Medal of Honor recipients as well as three depictions of the medal itself. It also features the seals of the Medal of Honor Society and the Massachusetts Fallen Heroes.

“We tried to build a bike that was not a clown bike, one that was being respectful of what the Medal of Honor means instead of having a bike with machine guns hanging off it and all kinds of craziness,” Shadley said. “We build a lot of motorcycles, so they called us to do it and we were happy to do it.”

Learning ‘Rules’ of writing

A MILE IN OTHER SHOES: Cynthia Lord’s book, ‘Rules,’ was a school-wide reading project this summer. Courtesy image.

HANSON — In a way, summer vacation lasted a few more weeks for Indian Head School students than others in the W-H district.

They just last week enjoyed the finale of a school-wide summer reading project between Indian Head students and the Maquan School second-grade pupils promoted to third grade at Indian Head.

Newbury Silver Award-winning author Cynthia Lord visited the school on Thursday, Sept. 17 to talk about her life and work as a writer. Students read Lord’s book, “Rules,” about autism and acceptance of differences over the summer.

“Because we house the autism program for the district in this building, we thought it would be important to have a book like that,” Principal Diane White said on the last day of school June 25.

Lord began her visit at an assembly of all three grades before meeting with students in each grade level separately. It was Lord’s second school visit in as many days in Massachusetts. The Maine resident and former teacher spent the day at a middle school in Blackstone Wednesday, Sept. 16.

To illustrate the writing process, she led the children in the creation of a story. Grade four was up first, as the students learned that becoming a writer is a little like the old joke about how you get to Carnegie Hall.

“Practice.”

Her slide presentation began at her own beginnings — a one-page story she wrote in the first grade.

“We all start somewhere as writers,” she said. “I did four things between this early story and [“Rules”] that helped me get there.”

Read. Practice. Learn. Dream.

She asked the boys and girls for the titles of the books they just couldn’t put down. There were few duplicates as she called on several among the large number of students raising their hands. Lord also made sure that they knew writing, like many other skills, takes practice and a willingness to learn from your mistakes.

For her fourth point, she noted a comment from her second-grade report card:

“Cynthia would rather stare out the window than get her work done,” it read.

“Sometimes, when I’m staring out the window, I’m goofing off and that’s not a good thing,” she said. “But other times I’m thinking, and thinking is a very important part of writing.”

As autism acceptance was also the theme for the reading project, Lord talked about the inspiration for “Rules.”

The book was published April 1, 2006, but it started when her 12-year-old daughter Julia, now 25, asked her a question: “Mom, how come I don’t ever see families like ours in books?” Lord’s son Gregory, now 23, was diagnosed with autism at age 2.

There were some out there at the time, but Lord felt the stories about autistic characters were sad.

“It’s funny to live with my son, because he’ll say those things that you and I think but don’t say,” she said. “I think I was writing the book my daughter couldn’t find.”

Her audience had evidently read her book very closely, asking thoughtful questions about the story and answering her question in detail.

Some students were touched more closely by the book than as a fan of a good story. One student told Lord that her heroine Katherine’s love of art inspired his passion to draw.

“My brother has autism, so when I read the book it made me feel really good that someone wrote a book about autism,” another boy said.

He also told her that he’s working on his own book series called “Superbacon,” the inspiration for which came to him over breakfast one morning. His friends thought that sounded really cool. Lord agreed.

The boy’s first “Superbacon” story won first prize in a writing contest.

After her grade four presentation, Lord was surrounded by students eager to speak with her. She was equally impressed by them.

“They had very good questions,” she said. “They asked really thoughtful questions.”

She noted there’s more awareness of autism now than when “Rules” was originally published, partly thanks to the character of Dr. Sheldon Cooper on the CBS comedy, “The Big Bang Theory.”

The show’s humor is an effective tool toward helping foster acceptance of autistic people, she said.

Children can also take a leadership role in that acceptance.

“I think, sometimes, we don’t encourage kids to talk about people who are different, because we are so concerned about not hurting somebody’s feelings,” Lord said. “We teach little kids that it’s not OK to talk about differences, but then those differences exist and they choose not to interact with people who are different.”