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Leadership goes to the mat: Ralph a trailblazer for W-H wrestling

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Bethany Ralph (far left) finishes in second place at the Senators All-Girls Wrestling Tournament on Monday. / Courtesy photo

Bethany Ralph is the first girl to ever captain the W-H wrestling team.

When Bethany Ralph first stepped on the wrestling mat as a freshman at Whitman-Hanson Regional High, she knew she wanted to be a leader, not a follower. 

After all, she was a female in a predominantly male sport, but that was the last thing on her mind. 

“I realized right away, I wanted to be a captain,” Ralph said. 

Why?

“I knew that this was going to be something much more than a sport for me,” she said. “And to lead such an amazing group of young men would mean that I experienced that and earned my position.”

Ralph was one of two females on the roster in the 2016-17 season. Fellow female wrestler and friend Damari Brandao was the reason she decided to hit the mat. 

“She brought it up to me and I decided it was something different and I jumped right into it,” Ralph said.

Gary Rabinovitz, who was in his first season as W-H’s head wrestling coach at the time, was immediately drawn to Ralph‘s passion for the sport. 

“It all comes down to the heart and the work ethic,” Rabinovitz said. “She’s had it since Day One. She came in after the first week, two weeks of the season, black and blue everywhere. Her parents brought her to the doctors to make sure everything was good. It was just from working hard.” 

Now a senior, Ralph’s the first female to ever serve as a W-H wrestling captain.  

“She wanted to work as hard as everybody from Day One,” said Rabinovitz. “She doesn’t consider herself a girl, she considers herself a wrestler. From her work ethic and what she puts into this every day, she has respect from every one of these guys.”

Sophomore wrestler Rocco Ruffini echoed his head coach’s sentiments. 

“We don’t think of her as a girl,” Ruffini said. “She knows when to step up and push us harder. She’s a great leader.”

Ralph is no stranger to being a trailblazer. Last season, she was on the verge of making history, wrestling in the finals of the inaugural MIAA girls’ state wrestling tournament at 120 pounds. She finished second. 

“To be able to make it to the top of the girls’ bracket is also another big accomplishment because I’m just another girl they don’t think can get there,” Ralph said. 

Ralph has even bigger aspirations than a state title as she winds down her career on the mat. 

“Hopefully people will remember my name and I’ll be someone they can look up to someday,” Ralph said. 

Boards talk budget

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WHITMAN — Prior to a joint meeting with the Finance Committee Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to accept the report and budget recommendations from the Budget Override and Evaluation Committee to avert a fiscal 2021 Proposition 2 ½ override. It was the only item on the agenda before the joint session with the Finance Committee.

All but one had the unanimous recommendation of the BOEC, and were based on the recommendations of the findings reported by consultant John Madden’s review of town finances.

“All of these measures defer the inevitable,” the budget committee’s report stated. “Even if all recommendations are adopted, an override will most likely be required in FY 2022, albeit a much smaller one.

BOEC Chairman Randy LaMattina said the key factor Madden determined to be at the heart of Whitman’s financial situation was where the operating budget — with an annual increase of 4.86 percent — is growing.

“He notes that school growth, from 7 to 8 percent, are not the norm,” LaMattina said. “His recommendation, and there will be a vote later on in this meeting, was to restrict operational growth to somewhere between 2 to 2.5 percent and a school assessment of 5 percent. … They’re not concrete numbers, there may need some adjustment here and there, but these are what he considers the norms for surrounding towns and towns meeting our demographics.”      

The recommended moves include:

• Restructuring of the ambulance account without taking needed funds away from the fire department;

• Moving funds from the motor vehicle fine account into general townwide operations;

• Use of sewer/water indirect costs to offset costs within the town budget article at Town Meeting;

• Controlling town operations increases to 2.5 percent of the overall budget increase and education not to exceed a 5 percent assessment increase;

• As a financial policy, refrain from using free cash to fund ongoing expenses;

• Seek funding for the feasibility study for a DPW building project;

• Funding the $750,000 for the first phase of the Whitman middle School Project (Finance Committee member John Galvin and Fire Chief Timothy Grenno abstained from this vote at the BOEC meeting);

• Development of a strategic plan for municipal finances; and the

• BOEC’s recommendation against seeking a Proposition 2 ½ override.

School Committee member Dawn Byers spoke about her dissenting vote favoring an override after Selectman Dan Salvucci asked for the reason for that vote.

She said that, while she saw a lot of information on how to infuse more money into the town’s operating budget, she saw no expenditure reports for how the new revenue would be distributed.

“I know that the schools did cut from their budget last year, so I feel that to recommend not having an override this year doesn’t serve the people in our community, the families in our community, working families in our community. I think we need to recognize our true expenditures with our real revenue.”

LaMattina said nine votes against seeking an override spoke to the dire nature of the move.

“We know we have a middle school, possibly, on the horizon, we know we have a capital service project,” he said. “We do not know what the number is for the school district. … If we look at our history, 5 percent will not be sustainable for the schools — we get it — they will need an increase.”

He said the town is trying to get through this year, working with Hanson.

“I think this override will be the last time we can ask taxpayers for money for quite a long time,” LaMattina said. “We better get it right.”

Moving into the joint meeting with the Finance Committee, the session reflected Finance Chairman Richard Anderson’s introductory remark that, “undoubtedly we will disagree on some of the paths” to get town finances where they need to be.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam advocated identifying the town’s budget tolerances as a first step in preparing a budget with a 2.5 percent increase limit as the goal.

Finance Committee member Kathleen Ottina advocated more transparency in that process.

“Right now, the general public in Whitman does not know the details of what was involved in last year’s decision to stay under an override,” she said. “The closed-door meetings, I understand, involve less formal discussions than when you televise, but they have to be open to the public so they know what’s at stake.”

She also questioned how an override could be taken off the table when they don’t have all the numbers yet, and argued it does not take six months to educate the public on the need for an override.

Lynam said he would be “hard-pressed to find 100 people that would regularly be interested in what’s going on, that doesn’t mean we don’t provide it.”

Most of what he does at the meetings is working with a calculator and the town has committed to a more open and fluid approach.

Ottina said she appreciated the difficulty, but said information coming out of the meetings should be publicized. Lynam agreed.

Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly urged that a working group could ensure the budget is accountable to the town’s budget survey conducted last year.

Finance Committee member John Galvin, who also served on the BOEC, disagreed that a working group meeting was necessary, because the FinCom is charged with hashing out that information and bringing it to the people at Town Meeting.

Anderson said that, if the next step is for the Finance Committee members to follow up with budget managers, “I think we’re in a good place.”

In discussing the Capital improvement plan, Lynam said the wording for any article would be tricky.

“We’re going to have to work out that process,” he said. “It would be a big change from what we’ve done.”

The capital committee will be holding its next meeting in the first week of February.

Noting that WHRSD is the biggest part of the budget, Anderson brought up the issue of paid school transportation.

“I think this is a discussion that needs to take place,” he said. “It’s time to consider alternate funding sources and maybe address some of the schools’ needs.”

School Committee member Fred Small, who attended the joint meeting, said students on the Superintendent’s Council had said last week that the early start didn’t bother them.

Connolly said early start times generally affects boys more than girls, and the Superintendent’s Council members who spoke were all female.

They also did say the time change was hard for them in the beginning, as well.

Lynam cautioned that the issue raises a myriad concerns, particularly when school doors don’t open before a certain time, which causes a hardship for working parents.

“Massachusetts has the earliest start time, generally, across America and we are one of the earliest within Massachusetts,” Connolly said. “We also have to think of how effectively our money is spent.”

Most buses arrive at the school empty because parents already drive their children, she said.

Finally, Lynam discussed the MSBA grant invitation for a Whitman Middle School project, requiring a vote at the May Town Meeting on whether to call for funding for a feasibility study. Components of that study will include demographics, utility and design.

“I don’t see anyone ever approving us renovating that building,” Lynam said. “If we’re going to do something there, we’re most likely looking at a new building.”

The first step is the assessment of need through a feasibility study which can be funded out or either a debt plan, free cash or a one-time capital override.

“I was persuaded that the feasibility study will give us the information we need to present to the public,” Lynam said.

Committee seeks student feedback

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Members of Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak’s Superintendent’s Council, who will be joined in future meetings by a more diverse group of W-H students, attended the School Committee meeting Wednesday, Jan. 15 to discuss their ideas about things going on in the district and answer any questions from the committee members.

“I feel that they have a pretty good relationship with their high school principal,” Szymaniak said. “They’ll tell him the good, the bad and the ugly. I think they have a pretty good relationship with me and they’ll tell me the same.”

School Committee Student Advisor Caitlin Veneto was joined by fellow Superintendent’s Council members Anika Floeck, Jordan Pelissier, Chloe Wilson and Marissa Connell, all seniors.

“We’re looking forward to get students more involved with School Committee meetings because we’re looking for your input,” Hayes said. He explained that the students would also be asked to funnel student body questions for the Committee through Szymaniak.

Hayes asked about school start times, noting the debate that has surrounded them since they were changed a few years ago for budget savings.

All the Council members, while they struggle with the early start times on occasion, it is beneficial because students can get an earlier departure from school for participation in sports or part-time jobs and internships. They also pointed out that AP students such as themselves have a lot of homework and, as a result, later start times would just mean going to bed later.

Regarding extra-curricular activities or classes they would like to see, the students said an activities fair for eighth-graders or later in the school year for freshmen — after they settle into a high school routine — would be helpful to outline programs and classes students might want to take.

Venito also said the school’s mentor program might be extended to revisit freshmen at the end of the school year to get their feedback on clubs, sports and classes — as well as perhaps a summer workshop on the college application process. Wilson suggested extending mentor programs into upper classes to help with the college application process.

“I know when I first came here, I kind of struggled with fitting in and finding my group, at first,” Floeck said. “I feel if the mentors were more involved long-term it might help other kids transition better to the high school from middle school.”

School Committee member Dawn Byers, noting that 2020 is a presidential election year, asked if the students have thought about registering to vote.

They have.

“I am already registered to vote,” Venito said, noting a friend has discussed the idea of a voter registration fair at the school. Floeck said the History Honor Society is planning to work on the elections as part of their projects for the year, including student voter registration.

School Committee member Dan Cullity asked what classes the students would like to see offered at W-H. Wilson mentioned either micro- or macro-economics, Venito said she would like to see an AP music theory class offered. An SAT prep course was also mentioned as a course that would be useful.

School assessment process debated

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The School Committee on Wednesday, Jan. 15 declined action Whitman resident Shawn Kain’s suggestion it consider some kind of compromise between the statutory assessment formula favored by Whitman and the current alternative formula sought by Hanson.

School Committee Chairman Bob Hayes said that the issue, not included on the evening’s agenda, would not be something on which members could act.

“There are a lot of discussions concerning budget with both towns right now,” Hayes said.

He noted Hanson Town Counsel Kate Feodoroff’s reminder to Selectmen that seven votes — or two-thirds of the School Committee, regardless how many are present — are required to pass a budget.

“To me it seems pretty clear that it would be difficult to get seven votes with such a split on the budget,” Kain said, noting that could lead to continued division in the budget process from there. “It’s really setting us up for the whole process to go down toward the state taking over in December, which sounds terrible to me.”

Taking that, and Whitman’s decision to follow the statutory method, he suggested “it might be helpful,” if the School Committee, particularly Whitman members, to reconsider their recent 6-4 vote — split along community lines — to favor the statutory assessment formula.

“Long-term, sustainable funding for education will only come through consensus, and this, right now, is not consensus,” Kain said. “I think to slow down, reconsider and take another look at that vote would be helpful.”

The School Committee will hear the district’s fiscal 2021 budget presentation at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5 in a meeting where it will be the only item on the agenda, according to Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak.

Another meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 26 will feature a regular agenda.

Interim Business Manager John Tuffy provided a year-to-date report on revenue and expenditures.

“At this time, there is not one particular line item I’m terribly concerned about,” he said. “We’re up to date with our bills, we haven’t spent quite as much of our budget as we had this time last year and that’s relatively good news.”

Szymaniak said a recent meeting he had with the Whitman Finance Committee was a positive one, with an improvement in tone over a session at the same point in the budget process last year.

Kain then asked for the assessment formula reconsideration.

“We don’t need it,” said School Committee member Steve Bois. “We already voted an assessment method, and we’re moving forward.”

He told Kain that, with all due respect, he should let the committee do its job.

“We’re in this all together, so I think it might be helpful to keep together,” Bois said. “You’re kind of tearing us apart in a way that … we’re not even looking at it that way.”

Bois pointed out that the School District has not even had a chance to meet with the Hanson Finance Committee.

Kain countered that without a Hanson School Committee member changing their vote, the assessment would fail to pass the committee and, ultimately, it would lead to a state takeover of the school budget.

School Committee member Fred Small said he fully expects that the panel will come up with a budget, but that the assessment is a secondary item that will go to town meetings.

“It’s our job to try and do a budget that is going to meet the needs of our pupils,” he said. “We also did an assessment method where you also look at what you feel is fair and proper as we are charged to do.”

Small charged that, “by coming here and continually going after these things,” all Kain was doing was beating a dead horse and not allowing the committee to do its work.

Hanson School Committee members Christopher Howard and Robert O’Brien Jr., however said some of Kain’s concerns are very relevant.

“It puts the folks that represent Hanson in a very difficult position to support a budget with an assessment methodology that isn’t supportable,” Howard said stressing that he was speaking for himself. “I would heed Mr. Kain’s words and think them through, because … you had four people from the town of Hanson unanimously vote against that methodology, so to make the leap that that’s over and done with and we’re just going to move into budget — that’s a tough leap for me to make.”

O’Briens said he echoed everything Howard said.

School Committee member Dawn Byers and Whitman Finance Committee member Rosemary Connolly cautioned that a state takeover “sounds really scary” and — while it can be, because it is the unknown — it is not the same as state receivership, which is based on underperformance in academics.

The schools will operate normally, and classes will be held.

“When the state takes over, it’s always in the best interests of the students, too,” Byers said. “Fiscal control of a district by the state is just because we couldn’t get a budget and they help us to get there.”

Hayes added that, in the event of a state takeover, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education could increase the school budget, if they determined more funds were needed. Dighton-Rehoboth schools have gone through the process.

In other business, Director of Student Services Lauren Mathisen provided a report on the department. DESE’s coordinated program review of special education, civil rights and English learner education programs resulted in recommendations for minor changes in the English learner program, she said.

Another DESE audit, of the 2009 Circuit Breaker claim has ranked W-H among the top 5 percent of special education, districts they have reviewed, she said. An independent transportation audit will be conducted in a couple of weeks, she said.

“Transportation continues to be a big financial burden for us,” Mathisen said. “We are projected to spend about $1.1 million this year in transportation of our students.”

She said $875,000 had been budgeted, but the tuition and salary contracted service lines in the budget should cover the remaining amount, Szymaniak said.

She did, however, express some optimism that the recently passed Student opportunity act, that some reimbursement for out-of-district transportation costs is on the horizon. A deficit is foreseen in contracted services due to medical or maternity leaves and a resignation that had to be contracted out.

Mathisen also shared her in-district program goals for special education, particularly in the form of an autism program at the high school as well as an elementary-based language program.

Vigil honors Lyric’s light

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WHITMAN — Through emotion and tears, a crowd gathered at dusk on Sunday in Whitman with white candles that shone brightly in memory of a child who had her life taken away.

Lyric Farrell, 2, of Whitman was remembered Sunday, Jan. 19 — those who gathered celebrated the life of a little girl whose life was cut short leaving all to wonder how? and why? — as the golden sunlight set over photos of a smiling face,

Oversized pink ribbons adorned the doorway of  Miss Kay’s dance studio as owner Kay Duffy  offered her parking lot to host the vigil after learning of Lyric’s affection for music and dance.

She was also remembered for the hugs she gave all her daycare friends, and as a light who shared her radiance with everyone.

“She left her mark on us,” said Jackie Freestone, Lyric’s former day care director.

“We were blessed to know her. Her memory shines on,” said Michelle Carter also her teacher at the same center for the last six months.

Miriam Theodore, a pastor at the First Congregational Church of Whitman offered remarks at the memorial, and event co-organizer Jenn Marley handed out pink pins and helped to light candles during the vigil with friend Heather Clough, both mothers and both of Whitman. Clough spoke at the vigil.

Gently reminding those in attendance to use the vigil to remember the light Lyric brought to those around her.

“As members of the community kids are so important here- there is so much for them to do and there are so many ways for them to express themselves,” Coughlin said to the crowd. “It is a sad occasion and we can only imagine what Lyric could’ve grown up to do and she deserved more.”

Encouraging the use of their voices to make changes Clough encouraged the group to seek out organizations that can assist children alluding to the open court case.

“If you believe things need to change there are organizations to join … to turn the ‘could have- should have’ to ‘I will, I can.’” added Clough.

Teachers from Lyric’s daycare among the crowd were visibly upset as they talked about Lyric’s struggles in the weeks she had been returned to her mother.

Freestone said she raised red flags about the changes in Lyric’s behavior after slowly transitioning out of her grandmother’s care.

“I used to bring Lyric to the worker for DCF,” Freestone said. “I hated to send her but we had to.”

Lyric reportedly died of a non-accidental head injury, which left her on life support. She passed away on Dec. 31.

The open case is currently being processed in Brockton District Court with Shaniqua Leonard of Whitman Lyric’s biological mother being charged with reckless endangerment of a child. She is facing additional charges as the case evolves, according to statements through the Plymouth Country DA Timothy Cruz.

Hanson works to ID climate challenges

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HANSON — Representatives of town and regional departments have begun work to identify potential emergency situations triggered by climate change as part of an effort to obtain action grant funding to address some of the deficiencies.

Laurie Muncie of the Old Colony Planning Council joined her successor as Hanson Town Planner Deborah Pettey to conduct the meeting for the officials to lay the groundwork for a day-long Municipal Vulnerability Priorities (MVP) workshop at Camp Kiwanee from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday, Feb. 7. Friday, Feb. 28 will be the rain date.

Pettey, who said she welcomed participants to attend even if they could not devote an entire day to it, stressed their input is important as she is not a Hanson native and does not know the entire history of the town.

“I need this information to make the best report and the best plan that we can for the town,” she said.

The Thursday, Jan. 9 planning session also discussed their top four environmental concerns for Hanson.

The session ranked their four major climate concerns ahead of the February workshop: wind, flooding, drought and, potentially, extreme temperatures.

“Flooding should be on the list,” said Conservation Commission chairman Phil Clemons. “I don’t know that it’s ahead of wind, though.”

He noted the impact of wind bring trees down on power lines as a frequent concern.

“It just seems kind of artificial to force ourselves to think of things separately,” Clemons said.

“Wind and trees … are a higher concern than even rain,” Muncie agreed.

While a concern, flooding is mainly responsible for road washouts and is not as big an issue as it would be in coastal communities, Clemons said.

Drought is another contributor to downed trees that cause damage, Pettey said.

Muncie noted that the lack of a generator at the Hanson Senior Center is an important concern during power outages, and is at the top of her list of grant priorities. Capacity of generators for long-term use must also be considered, officials said.

“A long-term power outage is a real burden for a lot of demographics,” Pettey said. “Whether you’re elderly or whether you’re handicapped or whether you have small children, a long-term power outage is going to cause quite an impact.”

Communications during a power outage was also discussed.

“Have you driven through Hanson center with your cell phone?” asked WHRSD Facilities Director Ernest Sandland.

“That’s a normal day,” Muncie said.

Sandland noted that the new cell tower planned for a portion of the Middle School property is aimed at helping the situation. Pettey said the ZBA approved the plan Tuesday, Jan. 7.

She was asked if emergency services communications would be included on the tower and indicated that was her understanding, but that she was uncertain. A representative of the Hanson Fire Department said the present cell tower “carries everything along with the sheriff” department radio communications and present no problems.

Whitman override averted in fiscal 2021

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WHITMAN — There will be no Proposition 2 ½ vote in Whitman for the fiscal 2021 budget, Selectman Randy LaMattina told the full board during its Tuesday, Jan. 14 meeting.

A fiscal 2022 override, however, has not yet been ruled out.

During a marathon three-and-a-half-hour meeting the previous night, the Budget Override Evaluation Committee decided.

Town Administrator Frank Lynam said a joint meeting between Selectmen and the Finance Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 21 will further discuss the issues.

“We had quite a bit of discussion [Monday night] that probably will be best served giving one presentation next week at a joint meeting,” LaMattina said. “It’s a very complex budget — lot of questions still up in the air, issues still in flux with the schools — but what has been determined is that … with the adoption of some policies that the consultant has recommended, it was the determination of the board last evening that we will not seek an override for fiscal year 2021.”

He added that, more than likely, an override for fiscal 2022, even with the option of more stringent policies, may still be on the table.

“But we feel confident that departments will be sustainable, some may actually see growth and we will have money to fund a very solid part of the Collins Report for capital projects,” LaMattina said.

LaMattina added that a strategic budget plan was “the only missing piece” and, with the work done by the Budget Override Evaluation Committee, “80 percent of it is there.”

That will be addressed at next week’s meeting, as well.

“You’ve done the groundwork for being able to come up with something in writing,” Selectmen Chairman Dr. Carl Kowalski said. “The strategic plan is impossible without the work that your committee has done.”

LaMattina credited the members of the Budget Override Evaluation Committee: Selectmen Justin Evans, Fire Chief Timothy Grenno, resident Christopher George, Finance Committee members David Codero, Scott Lambiase and John Galvin, School Committee member Dawn Byers, Superintendent of Schools Jeffrey Szymaniak and DPW Superintendent Bruce Martin for the time they committed to the work over the past couple of months.

Capital projects focused on were Whitman Middle School and the DPW building.

“The Budget Override Committee is definitely recommending some type of article be places on the May warrant for a feasibility re-evaluation of the DPW building,” LaMattina said.

Selectman Brian Bezanson lauded the committee for doing a lot of work in a short amount of time.

“It brought to light a lot of information for everybody that we otherwise might not have had,” he said.

“We thanked the committee, but I think we also have to thank Randy,” Kowalski said. “It was a huge task to lead this group, and the most important work that this board has done for a while.”

Road project

In other business, Lynam announced that, after two years of work by the DPW, the town has received a grant for $363,674 to redesign and layout the intersection of Essex Street and Park Avenue.

“That has been a challenging intersection over the years because of the way it merges,” Lynam said.

Judge grants bail in child death

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WHITMAN — Shaniqua Leonard, 29, of Whitman was granted bail of $2500 cash following a dangerousness hearing on Monday at Brockton District Court in which she was deemed dangerous.

With strong conditions set in place by Judge Julie J. Bernard — who left the stand for half an hour before making a ruling — that Leonard not have any contact with her remaining six children she; have no contact, direct or indirect with minor children; refrain from using drugs and alcohol and submit to random testing, cooperate in a mental health evaluation, wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, and not possess firearms.

The judge rules Leonard may attend her daughter’s funeral,  if she stays 10 feet away from her children and notifies probation.

She had been held without bail on Friday January 10 charged with one count of reckless endangerment in the death of her biological child Lyric Farrell, 2.

On Friday, during her probable cause hearing, Leonard pleaded not guilty to one count of reckless endangerment of a child through her defense lawyer Michael Tumposky.

On Jan. 10, Assistant District Attorney Jessica Kenny entered into the record the details from the Whitman police 911 call and the medical examiner’s report regarding injuries Farrell had sustained including: a contusion of both the front and back of the skull, a brain bleed, multiple levels of bruising in different stages of healing, fresh, deep clawing and scratch marks about the head, neck and face among other injuries.

Kenny read from the police reports that Leonard had stated to police that the child had somehow harmed herself by hitting her head.

Continued testing through the medical examiner on Lyric’s eyes and brain will be used to determine the manner and cause of death.  A degree of head trauma such as Farrell’s could not be accidental in nature, Kenny stated as she read from the M E reports entered into the court.

Lyric’s father Chris Farrell was present at the court but declined comment to this reporter on Friday.

He had previously stated in published reports that his daughter was in his mother’s custody (Lyric’s grandmother) before being returned to her biological mother Leonard by the Department of Children and Families approximately four weeks before her death.

Leonard had seven biological children and lost custody of all of them in 2017. She had gradually regained custody of each child and had delivered a set of twins approximately a year prior to her regaining custody of Lyric. The child was returned only weeks prior to Christmas 2019 and pronounced brain dead Dec. 31.

Prosecutors played 911 calls entered into the record, including the initial call for help that Leonard placed stating her child was not breathing. The call took place around midnight on Dec. 28 and, for nearly three minutes, EMS could be heard pounding on the door on Washington Street before they were let in to assess the child.

Once inside EMS detailed the condition of the child in a blanket found on the couch, which prompted immediate care. She was taken  to the Brockton Hospital and  then airlifted to Boston where she was taken off life support two days later.

According to details read from the police officers’ reports the other children were all dressed and in their coats when first responders were let in the house on Dec. 28.

Leonard reportedly told officers that she had been waking the children to use the bathroom as she always did when she realized Lyric wasn’t breathing.

Video evidence

ADA Kenny entered more than a dozen cell phone videos into the record, which showed Lyric to be incapacitated, wheezing, eyes rolling and having trouble holding her head up, she said. She also read the documented length of time Leonard waited to take the child for medical attention. Other videos were entered that appeared to be taken by Lyric’s siblings on Leonard’s phone with taunting of Lyric as she struggled to breath and in one video a sibling threw water at Lyric; holding a cross to her to ‘get the demons out’ she stated. Her siblings were interviewed with the 9-year-old child reporting that her mother said, “Lyric is dead,” and instructed them to go get dressed.

In the continued dangerousness hearing on Monday Jan. 13,  a statement was released by the Office of Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz.

“The District Attorney respectfully disagrees but accepts the court’s decision,” Cruz stated. “State Police and Whitman Police have been actively investigating the circumstances surrounding Lyric Farrell’s death since she was brought to the hospital for treatment. That investigation continues, and additional charges will be sought if they are supported by the evidence once the Medical Examiner completes the autopsy. We moved today to have Ms. Leonard deemed dangerous and asked that she be held without bail due in part to concern for the safety of Lyric’s six remaining siblings. The Judge set a monetary bail with conditions for Ms. Leonard, one of the most important being that she not be permitted to have any contact with those children.”

Reveling in a January thaw

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WHITMAN — Whitman Park was teeming with activity as families emerged for a peek at the sun during a spring-like day on Sunday, Jan. 12.

With temperatures reaching over 70 degrees, forecasters and the National Weather Service proclaimed the centuries old record was beat by Sunday’s short heat wave.

Max Capelotti, 6, and his sister Valerie, 4, of Rockland spent time running and jumping around the playground with their mom and dad nearby.  Miles, 8,  and Charlotte Davidson, 10, of Whitman  had races back and  forth on the field  with a  “no jackets” rule catching on quickly as children came down the slide. Another pair of soccer players squared off in shorts one even going shirtless in the sun.

There were no boots or cross-country skis to be seen along the dirt paths. However Jessica Smith walked with her two children Collin, 4, and Annabelle, 6, as they rode their bikes diagonally on the dry fields toward the park.

The Barry-Gill family of Whitman could be heard laughing as they raced down the hill — rolling from the top to the bottom — the flag pole directly behind the Civil War Monument is normally  frozen at this time of year; with parents keeping watch as their children sled down and race back with their snow tubes. The hill was bare Sunday.

The Whitman family normally sleds on the hill, but said they were thrilled to be outside on such a beautiful day.

Mom Sherri Barry-Gill took photos from the bottom of the mound as her daughters and husband Mike Gill rolled as fast as they could towards her.

Amari Romera, 4, of Whitman took a walk with his parents and proudly showed off his Popsicle it appeared that it too was not going to stay cold as he sipped the liquid from the plastic.

Others could be seen walking their dogs, teens on bikes pedaled by and families threw pebbles in the frog pond. Two couples sat on the benches overlooking the pond resting their heads back a bit as if to sun their faces.

An unlit holiday tree somehow appeared out of season on its stand in the middle of the pond. The gift of a cold weather reprieve however short was gladly accepted by so many smiling faces on Sunday.

Season Preview: Girls’ indoor track chasing ‘little victories’

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Despite a small team, head coach Steve George is expecting the girls’ indoor track team to be competitive.

Little victories are what the Whitman-Hanson Regional High girls’ indoor track team is striving for this winter.

“I will feel our season will be a success if our small team of 32 girls can win five to seven events each week,” said sixth-year head coach Steve George. “A small team by its nature has difficulty winning meets due to the sports scoring method of five, three and one point for first, second and third places in each event.”

Despite fielding a team of just 32 girls, George’s expectations aren’t any lower. 

“I expect our girls to rise to the occasion,” said George, whose club finished 0-5 last season. “We have a small team, but each of its members are very competitive.”

In the distance events, it will be sophomore Myah Kamperides and junior Anna Sullivan leading the way for W-H. In the mid-distance events, senior Tori Boss and junior Izzy Amado will each run the 1,000-meter run, 600-meter run and 4×400 relay. In the long sprints, seniors Ryley Hurley and senior captain Courtney Woodward could make an impact in the 300-meter dash and possibly the 600-meter run. Senior captain Samantha Perkins, junior Emma Rogers and sophomore April Keyes are expected to make an impact in the sprinting and hurdling events. 

As for departures, George knows he has his hands full with the graduations of Ally Bartlett and Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue. Bartlett scored nearly 40 percent of W-H’s points last winter, while DiMascio-Donohue competed in the indoor pentathlon. 

“I don’t know that I can replace [them],” George said. “They scored a lot of points for us last year in sprints, hurdles, jumps and relays.”

George said he believes this year’s strength will the 300-meter dash and 600-meter run, while he’d like to improve his team’s relay skills. 

“With a small squad, most of our kids are needed in two individual running events, so it leaves us a little lacking in the relays,” George said. “There is nothing more disappointing than being close in a meet going into the relays and knowing you can’t win those events.”

W-H returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 3:45 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center against Hingham and Silver Lake. 

“What I’m really hoping for is that we can achieve a lot of little victories, and the success stories on our team result in those kids promoting this great sport and in increased participation in the coming years,” George said.