By Brooke Loring
WHRHS Student Intern

It seemed like enough — $536.28, was how much I had in my bank account, after paying for a month’s worth of rent, insurance, student loans, groceries, a late credit card payment and more. Many of my classmates believed that to be a good thing, but the adult volunteers and teachers thought otherwise.

After being given an occupation that fit our interests, and a net monthly income, the senior class of Whitman-Hanson got to take a step into the real world Wednesday, Oct. 10.

The Credit for Life Fair has been an event at Whitman-Hanson for four years now, and gears students, specifically seniors, toward preparing for their financial future.

“Today you are going to get a chance to learn by doing,” was how WHRHS principal, Dr. Christopher Jones, put it.

The fair has been prepared for since the spring by school officials, the WHRHS Business department, as well as parents and funded by a variety of sponsors including the Panther Education Trust, Mutual Bank, Jack Conway Real Estate, and many more.

Held in the school gym, students had to use their monthly income to successfully pay for a month of housing, insurance, credit and lending, student loans, food, transportation, retirement plans, and luxuries, without going into debt — a sort of mash-up between the board games of Monopoly and Life.

Students were also able to win prizes and gift cards, as part of a raffle.

At the end of the fair, many students reflected on what they had learned. For example, one student, Morgan Kerins, believed the whole event to be, “a kind of eye opener.”

Savannah Hyde was also thankful for the experience.

“I like how much information we got about everything,” she said. “We’ll definitely be more prepared for the future.”

Others like Ashley O’Brien, who didn’t know what to expect, admitted that it changed her mind about her future plans, but for the better.

“It made me realize which careers will work best for me,” O’Brien said.

As a student that participated in the event, I can say for sure that it was a wake-up call. Many of us students had considered finances to be a problem to be solved later. Little did we know how fast life actually moves. The Credit for Life Fair taught us how  to stay on budget, but most importantly, it taught us how to prepare for the future.

The WHRHS Credit for Life Fair was sponsored by Mutual Bank, Massachusetts Division of Banks, Granite State Development Corp., Panther Education Trust, Broadridge Financial Solutions Inc., Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, Jack Conway Real Estate, Eastern Insurance, Bridgewater Savings Bank, Edelman Financial Services, Webster Bank, and Residential Mortgage Services.

By Brooke Loring
W-H student intern

WHITMAN — This past weekend, the town of Whitman put on the first ever Great Pumpkin Classic Car Show in an effort to raise scholarship money for Whitman-Hanson’s Class of 2019 and the town’s recreation programs. Held at Whitman Middle School, dozens of community members (as well as automobile aficionados) participated in a variety of Halloween-themed activities, raffles, and contests. Food from the Away Café food truck was featured as well. This event was thanks to a collaboration of Whitman Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green, Recreation Director Oliver Amado, and Whitman-Hanson’s Dollars for Scholars.

Also among those who attended were student volunteers, DFS Administrator, Michael Ganshirt, said he hoped students learned from the experience that, “when you give back to the community, the community gives back to you.”

Overall, the event raised $1,742 for this year’s graduating class of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. Due to the event’s success, hopefully this becomes a new and unique tradition for the town. The Great Pumpkin Classic Car Show brought the community together for a fun and festive Sunday.   

BROCKTON – Alfred Russo, 75, who had already been arrested in late August on arson charges in the burning of the abandoned J.J’s Pub, 16 Liberty Street, in Hanson, has been indicted along with two new co-conspirators, Patricia Harrison, 59, and Wayne Cummings, 49, all of Buzzards Bay.

According to a statement by District Attorney Timothy Cruz, Russo was indicted on one count of burning of a dwelling and two counts of arson causing injuries to a firefighter. Harrison and Cummings were each indicted on one count of burning of a building.

The Plymouth County Grand Jury returned the indictments on Friday, Sept. 28.

The fire, which Hanson Fire Chief Jerome Thompson, III, said nearly reached four alarms, destroyed the commercial property — abandoned for approximately five-years — adjacent to the intersections of Liberty Street and East and West Washington Streets. Investigators deemed it to be an estimated $400,000 loss, according to court documents.

The fire sent two firefighters to area hospitals, Lieutenant Sherilyn Mullin as well as Timothy Royer, who both sustained heat-related injuries, and had to miss some work due to these injuries, stated court documents.

It took some time to extinguish, due to the full involvement of the structure, according to a previous statement from the district attorney, and many towns and the state responded or provided station coverage for Hanson during the incident, according to Thompson.

Harrison is the owner of the abandoned property and Cummings is Harrison’s longtime boyfriend. The indictments allege that the pair conspired, and assisted Russo, in the arson of the building.

In a police interview, the owner of the Hanson property, Harrison, said she and the defendant, Russo, a friend, were together at her home when she received a call from her real estate agent about the fire. Harrison’s boyfriend, Cummings, says he was out walking the dog when he received word of the fire from Harrison.

Yet both Harrison and Cummings identified Russo’s Jeep, in Hanson, when shown it in later interviews from cameras across from JJ’s Pub at times proximate to the fire, according to the State Police report.

Video surveillance from Dandel Construction Corporation was used to identify a party park a vehicle on the side of the building, enter through a door and remain inside for nearly eight minutes, according to the report. The party then exits, enters a vehicle and drives away. About six minutes after the party exits the structure, smoke is visible venting from the roof, it continues. Less than nine minutes later, fire is visible out of a side window.

When investigators went to meet Russo at his home in Bourne two weeks after the incident, police say he, “spontaneously stated that he was driving his Jeep in Hanson on the day of the fire.”

Russo, who was then taken for a voluntary interview at the Bourne Police Department, stated that he had been in Hanson on the day of the fire for a cookout at Cummings’ sister’s house, but didn’t end up attending because he didn’t feel well, according to the report.

He freely admitted to driving to the JJ’s Pub property, purportedly to move a generator, but said he never went inside, according to police.

In an interview with the Express, Russo blamed the fire on “spontaneous combustion,” and noted that his presence there was a “bad coincidence.”

The Hanson Fire Department’s official Twitter account tweeted: “Great Job by everyone involved from the investigators from the State Police and Hanson Police to the District Attormeys [sic] Office for getting these individual [sic] indicted.”

Fire Chief Thompson had previously been publicly critical of the Judge who originally arraigned Russo when he was first arrested.

The three will be arraigned at a later date in Brockton Superior Court.

Meeting in a special session on Wednesday, Sept. 19, the School Committee voted 6-0 to accept the resignation of assistant superintendent for pupil services Kyle Riley and post the position as director of student services on an interim basis to complete the school year.

The position was posted immediately after the meeting because state law requires the position be filled by Oct. 1.

Members Christopher Howard, Robert O’Brien Jr., Christopher Scriven and Alexandria Taylor were unable to attend.

“As you know, that position was formerly a director of student services, it was changed last September by the School Committee and the assistant superintendent position was formed,” said Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak said. “I’d like to go back to the director of student services and I need your approval for that.”

The salary for a director will be lower than that of an assistant superintendent, but the duties are similar.

“The director of student services incorporates special education, homeless transportation, special education transportation and English-language learners as well as home-school students,” Szymaniak said. “When we looked at it as an assistant superintendent it was a little more as a decision-maker in Central Office. As we put together a flow chart of superintendent, one assistant superintendent who has hands in a lot of different things and this as a true director position — much like many of the districts around us.”

Szymaniak also reported that he has advised Hanson Town Administrator Michael McCue about the committee’s Sept. 12 vote to extend the Maquan School turnover date to Oct. 31.

“Does everybody understand we’re not mowing that field anymore?” Committee member Michael Jones asked.

Szymaniak replied that he believes the Maquan Re-Use Committee is discussing such particulars.

“We’re not going to have any obligation to do that,” Szymaniak said. “I think that’s going to be something that, if they ask us to do that, there might be a fee … but our responsibility to that facility is going to turn over Oct. 31.”

He said the town is now discussing how to secure the building and the district is working with town officials to purchase materials to board it up, for which they will seek reimbursement from the town.

Dates for the municipal and public yard sales will be announced at the Wednesday, Oct. 10 School Committee meeting.

He fights for others.

Physical therapist Brett Miller of Hanson, owner of 110 Fitness — a wellness center in Rockland — has found both his mission and passion lending his voice and including people who sometimes need a helping hand.

A onetime boxer, who still trains fighters, Miller was seeing patients with Parkinson’s disease during his in-home physical therapy visits.

He had something of an epiphany after watching a “60 Minutes” feature by journalist Leslie Stahl, who highlighted the Rock Steady program and its proven changes and improvements for patients. Stahl’s husband Aaron Latham has PD.

In May 2016, Miller became certified in the Rock Steady non-profit program and, as an affiliate, he opened Rock Steady Boxing South Shore in Marshfield that August. Attendance was overwhelming.

“The program went nuts,” he said.

They quickly outgrew the space and opened the Rockland gym. It’s the largest boxing and wellness center in the world for people with Parkinson’s disease, Miller said. He envisions fighting through the future at 110 Fitness and for people living with Parkinson’s disease and other disabilities.

“Creating a giant circle of compassion and not leaving anyone behind,” is how Miller describes it.

Miller feels his personal outlook of loyalty and encompassing others began with his military background — he was a special operations medic in the Army for eight years.

The gym is an all-inclusive center, however of the 105 people who work out nearly all are living with PD. The mission of 110 Fitness is to leave no person behind so that they may reach their full potential physically, mentally, and spiritually by inspiring them to give their 110 percent effort in order to find the greatest balance in their lives.

The physical therapy-based program is a non-contact, intense boxing fitness program designed to improve function, quality of life, strength, flexibility, and balance for people with Parkinson’s disease. Rock Steady boxing is the only medically and clinically proven exercise program to reduce, reverse, and delay the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, according to the 110 Fitness website.

Miller announced the newest program this month at 110 Fitness — boxing in the water. In collaboration with the Gold Fish Swim Center (in the adjacent building) boxing in the water will be a program for all levels of PD.

Boxing H20 is the first of its kind. The center also has popular fitness trend classes such as: drumming circles, meditation, pound, reiki, massage, peddling for PD cycling classes, art workshops, bowling events, free weekly guest speakers, care givers and young onset support groups. To see a full list of classes, times and membership information visit their website 110fitness.org.

Meet Fred

Freddy Maitland, 72, (boxing name: Fast Freddy) of Hanson was all smiles as he did core work and visibly perspired during his boxing class last week at 110 Fitness. Diagnosed approximately seven years ago he had depth perception and visual changes around stairs. Wife Kathy Maitland, a nurse for nearly 40 years said her husband made strides in delaying the progression of symptoms but didn’t have the typical signs that neurologists looked for in PD patients.

Fast Freddy has a cornerman who assists him with exercise in his level of boxing.

Corner men are what Miller calls his 40 volunteers who assist with classes. They vary from family members, nurses, to dedicated physical therapy students from local colleges in Boston, remaining with boxers throughout the class for extra assistance.

During class Fred Maitland worked hard as the liveliness in the gym environment triggered a wave of energy. The music was just like any other high paced fitness class with intense movement, rotating boxing bags, colorful gloves and lots of water.

Fred had some setbacks physically in progression of his PD symptoms after a bout of the flu and pneumonia last year. He continues to attend 110 Fitness where he puts on a gait belt for stability and does several exercises sitting down.

He laced up the gloves and punched his way to delay further cognitive decline. Wife Kathy was thrilled at the camaraderie at the gym aside of the physical benefits. He has been attending for two years.

“Fred was sick in the hospital and the friends we have made here had decorated a huge card and everyone signed it,” she added.

Helping vets

Miller’s wellness center is the largest in the world with a boxing program for Parkinson’s patients. He is launching an adaptive boxing program for disabled veterans in October 2018. They will also be working with an adaptive boxing program for youth and young adults a first in the country, he said.

Teaming up with the Friendship Home in Norwell and the State of Massachusetts DDS program  the youth boxing will include over a dozen young people living with  down syndrome, autism, and physical disabilities, Miller is looking forward to continuously adding to his educational programs and variety of opportunities to embrace all. They also host a women’s empowerment boxing class for those affected by domestic violence after teaming up with DOVE of Quincy and South Shore Women’s Center of Plymouth.

The gym also recently received grants through the National Parkinson Foundation and the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, which Miller has used for program development.

During their second anniversary celebration the 110 Fitness scholarship foundation  raised $65,000 to defray membership costs for people who cannot afford to attend the gyms valuable PD programs.

The event drew 400 people with guest speaker American Ninja Warrior Jimmy Choi of Chicago as their keynote speaker. Choi was afflicted by early onset PD and motivates others as he did to manage and rise above his disabilities.

Choi also spent time boxing and visiting the gym during the same weekend.

Miller is proudly involved with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Davis Phinney Foundation. This month he rode 30 miles on a tandem bike with a friend who has PD raising  $10,000 for the Fox Foundation.

About Rock Steady

The foundation of Rock Steady Boxing a non-profit group offers training for qualified individuals. Rock Steady Boxing, the first boxing program of its kind in the country, was founded in 2006 by former Marion County (Indiana) Prosecutor Scott C. Newman, who is living with Parkinson’s.

Newman began intense, one-on-one, boxing training just a few years after he was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 40. Newman witnessed the dramatic improvement in his physical health, agility and daily functioning through the intense and high energy workouts. Newman’s quality of life improved dramatically in a short time due to his fighting back against Parkinson’s disease.

The Parkinson’s disease foundation estimates there are more than 1 million people in the United States diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and more than 60,000 people are diagnosed each year, according to their website.

WHITMAN — Selectmen voted to authorize the town to contract for wireless remotely controlled LED streetlights as part of the town’s conversion program on Tuesday, Aug. 28 and is also reviewing a report on liaison assignments.

Both projects were spear headed by Assistant Town Administrator Lisa Green, who reported on them to the board.

Consultant George Woodbury of LightSmart Energy Consulting, LLC is working with the town on the conversion project and has reviewed various LED programs and companies, including the one Selectmen opted for, which permits remote adjustment of the brightness of the lights in specific areas. With the board’s vote, Woodbury is prepared to move toward finding the best, most cost-efficient supplier for the town.

The town’s streetlights have already been mapped via GPS.

“He can look at each particular area and recommend the best wattage design for the streetlight that will meet the needs of that area,” Green said. He also provided preliminary cost figures, and recommended the remote control option.

“In the future it allows the town to do other things as well with the lights, as far as any type of surveillance or policing, so it gives us a lot of opportunities to plan in the future,” she said.

With the grant money the town has received through the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MRPC), National Grid’s incentive programs and Green Communities grants, the system is very affordable for the town, according to Green. The only cost incurred would be a net cost of $14,500 for one-time software costs above the conversion costs covered by the grants.

The town is expected to realize $72,658 annual savings with the new LED streetlights once the project is complete. Maintenance costs are estimated at $11,000 per year. Right now, the town pays National Grid close to $69,000 per year for maintenance.

“One of the major reasons to make the initial investment in the controls, is we would have the ability to set schedules for when the lights go on, when they go off, and to adjust the intensity as needed,” said Town Administrator Frank Lynam. “It gives us the ability to address the needs of neighborhoods as well as providing the general light controls that exist now, where they’re either on or off.”

Lynam also noted police often prefer darker conditions in which to perform their duties.

“Right now, to perform the controls, you’d have to physically climb the pole to make the adjustments,” Lynam said.

Liaison research

Selectmen have asked Green to draw up a handbook specific for the board, by Christmas if possible, in order to settle questions first raised in July by Selectman Randy LaMattina.

She said she has a working draft fashioned toward how the Whitman board already works.

Green, with the assistance of the board’s Administrative Assistant Laurie O’Brien, researched the current practices of 24 towns across the state, asking if they had a handbook focused toward the Board of Selectmen and if any members of that board were appointed as liaisons to town departments.

They also asked how those liaisons were designated.

“There isn’t one practice that each board of selectmen follows,” Green said. “There were a lot of different variations.”

In some towns, selectmen are only appointed as liaisons to other boards or committees. Other communities only name liaisons as needed.

“There were a few towns that had Board of Selectmen choose departments based on interest and other factors,” Green said. “In some towns the [selectmen] chair did assign the liaisons, in some towns they talked collaboratively on assignments, they would volunteer … based on interest and other factors.”

Selectman Scott Lambiase asked if boards with liaisons tended to be those with town administrators instead of town managers.

Green said that didn’t tend to be a factor.

“The nice part of any of these [MMA-based] handbooks is they are not etched in stone,” Lambiase said.

Only two of the towns — Hamilton and Acton — had their own selectmen’s handbook, which provided for liaisons. Duxbury also has liaisons, but to boards and committees.

Most towns use the Mass. Municipal Association’s manual for selectmen, according to Green. The MMA does not cover liaisons in its manual.

“It gives us some choices here,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said. “It’s up to us to decide what we want to do.”

Lynam said the liaison practice in Whitman dates back to before the town administrator provision as a way to keep selectmen informed about what other departments were doing to “avoid chaos.”

The current practice of having selectmen ask for assignments based on interest is a carryover from that time, Lynam suggested.

“I’m not aware of any town with a town administrator that has liaisons,” he said.

In other business, Lynam reported that the town will consider joining in a class action lawsuit vs. opioid drug manufacturers, following a recent conversation on the matter with Police Chief Scott Benton.

“It is similar, in some respects, to litigation that occurred with the smoking producers and tobacco companies,” Lynam said. He sought advice from town counsel on the issue when it first came up about a year and a half ago, but it was not then known if the state was going to join the effort as it did with tobacco.

He spoke to the associate house counsel last week, asking for current materials on the lawsuit in an effort to determine if it now makes sense to step in on the project.  If the town joins a suit — and if it is successful — attorneys will receive 25 percent of proceeds with the rest divided proportionately with the plaintiffs signed on, with the possibility that the state could step in and supervise such a distribution.

Lynam said he will make a recommendation at the board’s next meeting.

Clarification

In last week’s Express, Lynam noted that part of his very preliminary research on the fiscal 2020 budget indicated the school budget could increase by 5 percent, or $1.5 million.

Lynam stressed on Thursday, Aug. 30, that the figure is not necessarily the operating assessment to be voted by the School Committee in March.

“The 5 percent in and of itself is not necessarily a back-breaker until you consider that the $23 million we get from the state for Chapter 70 money, last year increased by $120,000,” Lynam told Selectmen. “It’s minimal, which means virtually all the increase will be on the burden of the two towns.”

The total fiscal 2019 school budget was $50,406,029 with Whitman’s assessment at $13,270,185 of the $22,183,526 assessed to the towns. Lynam’s estimated calculations so far put the total fiscal 2020 school budget at $52,926,330 — up $2,520,301 — with Whitman’s assessment possibly as much as $14,750,296 of the $24,583,827 that could be assessed to the towns.

HANSON —  Confusion over how the town should move forward in regulating the sale of marijuana within the town raised some debate as Selectmen voted on Tuesday, Aug. 28  to close the warrant for the Monday, Oct. 1 Special Town Meeting.

There will be 24 articles, ranging from housekeeping items, to a new ambulance for the fire department, which Selectman Laura FitzGerald-Kemmett called “self-explanatory”, to a cellphone tower at the middle school.

Most articles with a set monetary value were placed on the warrant and recommended, with few exceptions. Several controversial articles were placed, but not recommended, specifically Article 22, which would amend the general by-law to prohibit marijuana sales.

This was a point of contention for FitzGerald-Kemmett, Selectmen Chairman Kenny Mitchell, and member James Hickey.

While the board as a whole agreed that they did not want marijuana sales in Hanson, according to FitzGerald-Kemmett, and Mitchell and Hickey were vocally opposed, they seemed confused as to how to move forward with whether to recommend the article.

“I want to make it clear. I oppose marijuana sales,” said Hickey.

“Does recommending the article indicate support for the measure, or not?” FitzGerald-Kemmett asked, “I made a commitment to my constituents to let the people vote on this.”

Town Administrator Michael McCue jumped in, arguing that a recommendation was to place the measure on the warrant. The board as a whole, especially Wesley Blauss, did not seem convinced.

“That’s not how it works with other articles,” he said.

The board voted 3-1-1, with FitzGerald-Kemmett abstaining from the vote, which passed, to recommend the article on the STM warrant.

Donations

The board accepted two donations on Tuesday evening, one from the Hanson Rod and Gun Club and the other from Sullivans Automotive.

The Rod and Gun club donated fishing gear, including poles, bobbers and hooks, to the Recreation Commission in the amount of approximately $130, according to McCue.

Sullivan Automotive donated $10,236 of safety equipment for the police, namely body armor. Mitchell, speaking about the donation, said, “Sullivan’s has been extremely generous to us over the past years…the motorcycle we have now is from them.”

This donation replaced an STM warrant that the police were going to come to the town for this year, according to Mitchell.

Appointment Policy delayed

The board was almost prepared to vote on a Committee Appointment Policy, but upon objections from Blauss to some of the wording, and confusion over definitions by FitzGerald-Kemmett, the appointment policy was tabled until another meeting.

Blauss was hung up on a section that required appointees to come before the board for an interview. “What if they can’t make Tuesday nights?” he asked.

Mitchell said that language could be added to the document requiring an appointee to come before the selectmen or the town administrator, in the event they were otherwise unable to come to a Tuesday night meeting

“I know what the will of the board is,” said McCue, who said he’d “wordsmith” language into the document to please everyone.

Another concern was language in the policy stating that appointees must be “of good moral character.” Fitzgerald-Kemmett wanted a definition.

A discussion of CORI checking volunteers ensued. Language that would disqualify certain individuals based on their criminal histories is in the document. Fitzgerald-Kemmett wanted to know what would disqualify someone.

McCue and Selectmen’s Assistant Meredith Marini stated that they would make that determination, privately.

On a light-hearted note, Fitzgerald-Kemmett joked, “We’re not going back and ‘CORI-ing’! That would be disastrous!”

The board will next meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11.

WHITMAN — With barely a month left in summer vacation, one might expect an elementary school to be a relatively quiet place — and in an average year, that wouldn’t be a far-fetched assumption. There would be classroom furniture stacked in the halls as the hum of buffing machines and the smell of floor wax tell of preparations for the start of a new school year ahead. Teachers would stop in to work on bulletin boards and lesson plans.

This, however, is not an average summer for the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District. In addition to the usual summer cleaning and building maintenance there are: new preschool classrooms, a playground and drop-off driveway being built at WHRHS, and classroom and bathroom work have been ongoing in preparation for moving grades and programs to Hanson Middle and Indian Head schools and Whitman’s Duval Elementary as Maquan Elementary has closed.

At Duval, meanwhile, new Principal Darlene Foley is one of the several administrative changes in the district this year, while her school building will feel also a bit different the minute one enters the door.

“A lot of work happens over the summer to prepare for a new year,” she said on Thursday, Aug. 2.

As she greeted this writer at the school entrance, Foley said the entrance will be locked, requiring visitors to be buzzed in to report directly to a vestibule with a service window for the office as the district works to improve school security.

“They’ll either stay here or, if they need to get into the building, they’ll go further [after checking in with the office],” she said of the work, which was still underway.

“It’s going fast,” she said of the summer during which she has already held meet-and greets with parents and students. “I’m truly happy to be here. I feel very supported, I feel a part of the school already. I’m very much looking forward to Aug. 29. Our open house is from 4:30 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 28.”

Born in Quincy, where her grandparents lived, Foley grew up in Nashua, N.H., where she graduated from high school in 1984 and then attended Fitchburg State, where she earned a degree in communications media.

Her first job out of college was in video production in Boston.

“But in college I realized I really wanted to teach, so eventually I went back to school and got my masters and teaching degree at Drexel University in Philadelphia,” she said.

She then worked teaching third and fifth grade — both in a self-contained classroom and as a co-educator with a special education teacher — in New Jersey for a few years before she stopped working for a time after she and her husband welcomed their twins, Madison and Matthew (now entering their senior year in high school), and the family moved back to Massachusetts in 2004. They now live in Scituate, where Foley went to work as a teacher in fifth-grade and kindergarten classrooms.

“I really wanted that experience,” she said of teaching kindergarten, a grade in which she had been a long-term substitute in New Jersey. “I loved it. It’s a lot of work — very different than teaching fifth grade. It’s exhausting,” she said with a laugh. “The reason you go into teaching, you can really see it with kindergarteners.”

She also worked as a technology integration specialist in Scituate, covering four buildings in her involvement in district initiatives, and as a curriculum coordinator before coming to Duval. She holds a PhD in educational leadership from Lesley University.

Q: What spurred your interest in a career in education?

A: “One of my video communications professors [at Fitchburg State] had breast cancer and needed help running workshops for students while she was undergoing treatments. I ran those workshops for her and I realized then that I really enjoyed that work — working with others, even with peers, and helping them learn things and explore things. That’s kind of what started me down that road and I always thought I would be teaching adults … but as I was working in the video production industry, I realized I really wanted to try something else.

“I visited my cousin’s third-grade classroom, and spent a few days with her and realized this is what I wanted to do.”

Q: What was it about the elementary experience that hooked you?

A: “I just love working with the kids — their energy and introducing concepts to them. If kids are struggling with a concept, to help them understand, I love that.”

Q: What brought you to W-H?

A: “I reached out to people that I knew, who worked here or live here, and from what they said about the community, I knew that it was a place [where] I would feel very welcome and we could work together.”

Q: There are a lot of changes in the schools for the coming year.

A: “There is a lot of change going on here, but I have to say that the vibe is so positive, across the district. That was one of the things — even in my interviews — I sensed that among the team with the new leadership. Everybody’s really excited and I think that a lot of the principals who, like me, are new to the position [have] spent a lot of time together — we went to a conference last week as a leadership team — so we’ve gotten to know each other and it’s a very collaborative feel. … I feel like it’s under control, even though it’s a lot of change. It’s covered.

“We’re very excited [about the programs that are coming into the school]. I’ve been in contact with the special ed teachers and we met a couple of weeks ago just to talk about the transition, to make sure we have all of our bases covered and plan for a welcoming, inviting first week of school.

“We’ve nailed down a theme that embraces all of our students —You’re Incredible — and we will have an all-school meeting at the beginning of the year to kick that off. The teachers will have time in the first couple of days of school to get together and figure out ways it can connect all the kids and have a positive experience. It is still under development.

“We’re going to capitalize on ‘The Incredibles 2’ movie that everyone seems to have seen and loves, and drawing on that, everybody kind of has their own superpower, you could be that you’re great at reading, you’re super kind or great at math or an incredible artist. Whatever [a child’s ‘superpower’ is] we’re going to celebrate you and also make other kids aware of what you’re superpower is.”

Q: One often hears there are not enough male teachers in the elementary grades. Are you hoping to bring more of them to the school?

A: “Yes. There’s not a lot of applicants, actually. We’re looking at résumés now and there’s not a large pool [of male applicants]. The majority of the pool of applicants are women. I don’t know if it’s a pay thing or what. I’m not sure. It’s not only a gender thing. We have a diverse community here. Having people work here who resemble those diverse communities is also important.”

Q: How important is it to have an active Parent Advisory Council (PAC) supporting the school?

A: “A school-community-family partnership is all very important to the success of the school. It has to be two ways, where we’re reaching out to families, but families and community members are also reaching in and that we’re working together to solve issues. The Chromebooks are here because of the relationships — because there’s that sense of community and problem-solving that exists, so I will continue where Julie [former Principal Julie McKillop] left off. That was all the previous principal’s legacy.”

Q: Your tech background should help with that.

A: “Yes, but it’s awesome that every teacher here [already] has a Promethian board, that we have so many Chromebooks in the building. It’s impressive that that’s where I’m coming in and we can take it to the next level.”

Q: What is your favorite part of the school day?

A: “I love going into classrooms and seeing what’s going on. If a teacher is working with a small group and there’s kids working independently, I’ll check in on those kids and see if I can help them in any way — I love that.”

Q: How are you meeting the community over the summer?

A: “We’ve had four different meet-and-greets. Two were in July and we just had two sessions [Wednesday, Aug. 1]. Different families have come in and it was really nice to meet people one-on-one before 500 kids enter the building Aug. 29.

“Yesterday a little girl named Lauren [came in] and her mother said the student was nervous but she picked out a nice dress to wear and I thought that was incredibly sweet. I was very grateful that parents took time out of their busy schedules to come in and say hello to me.”

Q: How will you go about putting your stamp on the school?

A: “It’s hard to say what will happen. I’m a friendly person and I hope people will know me to be visible and greeting kids and out there. That’s certainly something I will aspire to on the first day of school and throughout the year, but beyond that, I’m very much a person of ‘What are the needs of the building, what’s going on here and where do we need to go?’ Everything remains to be seen.

“The same with the programs that are coming in. I would like to develop a vision for those programs with the special ed director and the team of teachers and community members: ‘Where do we want to see those programs go in the future and are there opportunities to develop them further?’”

Q: What’s the biggest challenge facing elementary school principals?

A: “Discipline is a small percentage of issues here, I think — we’re an elementary school — my bigger issue is getting kids in and out of the building safely every day, making sure the transitions are safe for kids throughout the day. Keeping kids safe is the ultimate priority, so the focus of my work right now is jus tthat.”

Q: What is the most important thing families should do over the summer to make sure students are prepared for the first day of school?

A: “If kids could just always have a book by their side for reading — whatever book or magazine, whatever it is — that they just keep plugging away at that. Maybe working in a math fact. And just getting kids out to play and be sociable with their friends and family.”