Linda Redding
Special to the Express
The Halifax TRIAD met on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at the Halifax Town Hall. Halifax resident Dave Thurston was the guest speaker with a presentation on his 2022 hike of the Appalachian Trail (A.T.).
The presentation included pictures that Dave took along the way. He shared stories and discussed items from his hike that were on display including his tent, walking sticks and the medal he earned for completing the Appalachian Trail.
Dave started on the Trail. on March 1, 2022 at Springer Mountain in Georgia. Hiking the Appalachian Trail was a childhood dream for Dave and on October 12, 2022 he fulfilled that dream reaching the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine.
Dave noted that preparing for the seven month 2194.3 mile hike included daily long walks with a backpack weighing about thirty pounds. Hikers on the Trail must carry all their food and supplies. At points on the trail there were “Trail Angels” who would have water and food to help out the hikers. His wife would mail new hiking shoes and supplies to check-in points along the trail.
On the Appalachian Trail Dave was known as Christian. Hikers take on a trail name that they use along the trail with other hikers and at check-in stations. Dave’s “Certificate of Congratulations “ for completing the Appalachian Trail features his trail name.
Area 58 Community Media recorded the presentation and it will be available on the Halifax Community Channels and on the Area 58 Community Media YouTube page.
TRIAD is a partnership between local and regional groups to help inform and educate seniors. Halifax TRIAD meetings take place the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall.
The April meeting will feature first responders from the Halifax Fire and Police Departments..
BOS will return to in-person meetings
The Plympton Board of Selectmen met Monday evening, March 13, to discuss and vote on several issues, including whether or not to continue meeting remotely or to resume in-person meetings as have some other town boards, including the Plympton School Committee.
The law that made remote meetings acceptable under the Open Meeting Law, was passed in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown in order that municipalities could still conduct their business while being in quarantine. That allowance expires on March 31, at which time full in-person meetings will need to resume. The state legislature has a bill before it to extend the remote meetings deadline for two years, allowing the towns the option of meeting remotely until March 31, 2025.
The question before the board was whether or not selectmen would seek to continue their remote meetings or return to in-person meetings. Selectman John Traynor spoke in favor of continuing the remote meetings because of their convenience and also spoke to the merits of in-person meetings, the best, in his estimation would be a hybrid of both, with the ease and convenience of the ZOOM meeting, and the option of people coming in for an in-person experience. Chairman Christine Joy said, “We’re not there yet,” to which Traynor replied that it was tested and it worked flawlessly.
Joy further stated that with ZOOM meetings, there has been greater public participation and that often, in person meetings were not attended by any members of the pubic.
Selectman Mark Russo said that he didn’t think the legislation to allow the continuation of remote meetings had passed the legislature and suggested the board wait to vote on the matter until the legislature voted. He did say that remote meetings were able to run more efficiently. Joy said she was in favor of returning to in-person meetings until the legislature votes, making the March 27 meeting the first in-person selectmen’s meeting. That meeting is also a continuation of the SLT hearing for its Spring Street location.
On Joy’s motion, the board voted unanimously to return to in-person meetings as of March 27.
Plympton resident Pat Burke, after the vote, because he had difficulty getting into the ZOOM meeting, said he wished the town would continue both in person and remote meetings, saying it might encourage people to participate in town government.
In other matters, Town Clerk Tricia Detterman brought to selectmen the question of allowing Vote by Mail for local elections. Other towns in the commonwealth have decided to eliminate that option, citing its cost and the unnecessary burden of another vote by mail. State and federal elections would not be affected. Detterman said that she was personally in favor of keeping the vote by mail option. “Hopefully we get more people participating in the electoral process.”
Selectman Traynor told the board that the Town of Sharon, where Deborah Sampson went to live with her husband Benjamin Gannett and where they are buried, was promoting a “forever” stamp in honor of the commonwealth’s official heroine. The Sharon Historical Society Feb. 9, 2023, voted unanimously to support the issuing of a Deborah Sampson Forever Stamp. The Town of Plympton Board of Selectmen voted to join in support of the effort. People who wish to support the new stamp may write a letter of support to Stamp Development, Attn: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300, Washington, DC 20260-3501. The deadline for mailing your letter of support is the first week in April.
Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy told the board that Plympton would discontinue its regionalization of the Animal Control Officer services, effective immediately, with a vote of the board. She said that Carver had not been able to provide the service for a number of reasons and that both towns found it would be easier just to sever the relationship for now.
Selectmen voted to allow the bicycle race “Harbor to the Bay” permission to ride through the town on Sept. 23, from 7:30 to 10 a.m. on Spring St., Brook St., and Mayflower Rd. This will be their final bike ride.
As for the Raves that usually close the meetings, Russo told the board about serving on the Community Preservation Committee with David Chandler, who passed away last week. Russo remembered that he would come 20 minutes early to prepare for his meeting and Chandler also took to coming in 20 minutes early and the two would talk about everything from the state of the economy, national banking, politics, down to chain saw maintenance. After years of these pre-meeting visits Russo said he found that the conversations with Dave were the perfect preparation for the upcoming CPC meeting. Chandler, the board agreed, was a lovely gentleman and will be dearly missed by the town.
Traynor agreed with Russo and wanted to give a shoutout to the police who were able to put together a presence at Chandler’s funeral, with an officer at the door for the wake and two officers to accompany the funeral, all at short notice.
On another note, Traynor said he was happy to see there were 60 people at the Pay-T trash seminar held March 4 at the Town House, because there wasn’t enough space at the library to accommodate the crowd. The presentation by Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte will be repeated Saturday, March 18, for those who didn’t attend March 4, also at the Town House. There will be refreshments and coffee at the library for those who have already seen the presentation.
Traynor also told the board the Recreation Commission is full and active and working with Liz Dennehy with some funds that have been earmarked for their use. Traynor recalled the days when Plympton didn’t have enough players to field a softball team so the town sent their players to Halifax. This spring, he told the board, there will be four Plympton softball teams!
The meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be the continued hearing for SLT on the Spring St. project. It will be in-person, in the Deborah Sampson room of the Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Road.
Mayflower Church to host Chowder Fest March 18
KINGSTON …Mayflower Church will host a free Chowder Fest dinner at the Briggs Building, behind the church, at 207 Main Street, Kingston, beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 18.
The event is open to the public from 4 to 6 p.m. All are invited to attend, and no RSVP is needed. There is no cost. Pastor Anton Brown said that the Chowder event is one of the church’s popular community programs. “We are all about outreach, and meeting more members of the community. Our event is a great chance to have people come by, say hello, and enjoy a free chowder dinner.” The church has hosted the event for nearly ten years.
Additionally, attendees will have the chance, if they choose, to participate in some good-natured competition and vote for the “best chowder.” Dozens of chowders will be available, prepared by different members of the church.
Mayflower Church hosts Sunday Morning Worship live as well as online, at 10 a.m. each Sunday. The service is also broadcast Sundays at 7 p.m. on WPLM 99.1 FM. Mayflower Church is located at 207 Main Street, Kingston, MA 02364. Reverend Anton Brown serves as Pastor. For additional information, please call 781-585-3167 or email info@mayflowerkingston.org.
Halifax Police Dept. visits TLC Country Day School
Officer Cushman and Officer McIntyre had a great time visiting TLC Country Day School recently. They spoke with the kids about the role of a police officer in a community and got to see some of the projects the kids are working on. Thank you to the staff at the school for having our Officers stop by for a visit!
Courtesy photos – Halifax Police Dept.
‘Rabbit Hole’ performance at Kingston’s Beal House
The True Repertory Theatre announces its next production, David Lindsay-Abaire’s, 2007 Pulitzer Prize winning drama, Rabbit Hole.
Rabbit Hole will be performed at The Beal House, 222 Main St. in Kingston, on March 17, 18 & 24 at 8 p.m. and March 19, 25 & 26 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $22 for seniors and students. Buy tickets at https://www.truereptheatre.com/impostertickets or at the door (cash and check only).
The play focuses on Becca and Howie, eight months after a shocking and sudden event upends their otherwise perfect life. As they navigate their new normal, they must learn to cope with well-intentioned family, uncomfortable friends, and each other, as they try to rediscover that lining of hope that used to surround their marriage.
The playwright has an incredible ability to wade deep into dramatic water and then suddenly provide the audience unexpected laughter. It is so true to how we experience and cope with tragedy,” said director, Victoria Bond.
Donald Sheehan, True Rep’s Artistic Director, who plays Howie, notes, “This play asks us to confront our understanding of grief and how we process it. Given all that the community has been through, it feels like the right time to share this play.”
Through their Project 719 initiative, True Rep encourages local organizations providing services thematically related to a production, to become involved. For Rabbit Hole, True Rep is proud to connect with Hope Floats Healing and Wellness Center in Kingston. At every performance, True Rep will promote awareness of the center, and their services, that are helping so many to process their grief.
Cast includes Lyra Brennan (Centerville resident) as Becca, Donald Sheehan (Pembroke resident) as Howie, Sarah Gruber (Cohasset resident) as Izzy, Lisa Caron Driscoll (Marshfield resident) as Nat, and Patrick McCarthy (Dorchester resident) as Jason. The show is directed by Victoria Bond (Plymouth resident) and stage managed by Anthea Diamond (Kingston resident).
Buy tickets at https://www.truereptheatre.com/impostertickets or at the door (cash and check only).
The Memoir of a Female Soldier
Introducing March as American Heroine’s Month, it is fitting to feature our own official state heroine, Deborah Sampson, in a newly released book based on her life,
This historical novel is closely based on the true story of Deborah Sampson, a young Massachusetts woman who disguised herself as a man, enlisted in the Continental Army and fought during the American Revolution. Learn about the amazing young woman, brought up in poverty, who enlisted in the army to support herself. This well-researched story helps us learn about this remarkable woman.
Stationed at West Point for a year and a half, she was wounded fighting the Tory loyalists who terrorized the Hudson Valley and was promoted as an aide to a general.
Twenty years later, as a wife and mother, Sampson told her tale as the first American woman to do a lecture tour. In this fictional memoir, Sampson sets the record straight about her life and military service, seeking to overcome prejudice against her and to gain the respect due her.
Deborah grew up in Middleborough, as did Jan Lewis Nelson, the book’s author. In his foreword, the author’s husband, Steve Nelson, tells how Jan recalled first learning about Deborah from a substitute teacher in junior high school. It made a lasting impression on her, and 16 years later she began research for this book, working with local historian the late Charles H. Bricknell of Plympton.
This led to Steve and Jan getting married in the house in Plympton where Deborah was born and living there while Jan worked on her book in 1974. Publishers weren’t enthusiastic about her project so she put the book away while she raised their son and life took the family in another direction. After the author was treated for breast cancer, life slowed down for the Nelsons. Steve took out the old boxes of pages and helped his wife put them together for the book you have here.
Sampson was named the official Massachusetts state heroine in 1983. After receiving an honorable discharge, she received a military pension. She married Benjamin Gannett from Sharon and the couple raised three children. Four years after her death in 1827, Gannett applied for, and received a widow’s pension, the first man in the country to do so. He unfortunately died before he could collect it. Deborah Sampson Gannett and her husband Benjamin are buried in Sharon.
Massachusetts observes each May 23 as an anniversary commemorating Deborah Sampson Gannett’s enlistment in the Continental Army.
The book is available for sale on Amazon.com.
ARSL grant funds IT purchases
Plympton Public Library Director Mike Slawson introduced the latest additions to the library –including a Flash Forge Adventurer 4 light 3-D printer, that will soon be available for public use. The purchase was made possible by a grant for more than $7,000 from the Association for Rural & Small Libraries organization, ARSL, a non-profit organization in the United States promoting libraries, especially those serving small and rural communities. The grant also funded new computers for the research area, a Cricut die-cutting machine used in crafts, and an art tablet, all for use by the public. Slawson expects the items to be up and running in a couple of weeks, after full setup and testing has been done.
TRIAD explains NARCAN use
Linda Redding
Special to the Express
The Halifax TRIAD met on Tuesday, Feb.7, at the Halifax Town Hall.
Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz opened the meeting by discussing the initiatives in Plymouth County to help in the fight against drug overdoses and addiction. One successful program recognized nationally for innovation is Plymouth County Outreach (PCO). A collaborative effort made up of the 27 municipalities in Plymouth County along with the Bridgewater State University police department, PCO provides free tools and support to individuals and families living with substance abuse.
Hannah Panteleos. Program Manager, reviewed the many programs and resources offered through Plymouth County Outreach. A sampling of their programs include community outreach, Harm Reduction Kits, and support to families.
Recovery Coach Supervisor Haley Kennedy explained how Narcan can save lives when administered to an overdose victim. The Harm Reduction Kits that PCO provides on the streets include Narcan. She demonstrated how to properly administer Narcan. TRIAD members were encouraged to take the free Narcan provided by PCO. Visit plymouthcountyoutreach.org for more information or call (508) 830-4218 X261.
TRIAD is a partnership between local and regional groups to help inform and educate seniors. Halifax TRIAD meetings take place the first Tuesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the Great Room of the Halifax Town Hall. The much-anticipated speaker for March is Halifax resident Dave Thurston Dave will be talking about his experience walking all 2198.4 miles of the Appalachian Trail.
Celtics honor young Kingston Hero
Kingston resident Bendeshe Bonner was honored as a Celtics Hero Among Us for his efforts helping his village in Ethiopia by providing basic essential items and building a school. The ceremony was held during the. Boston Celtics’ game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Jan. 28.
Sixteen-year-old Bendeshe Bonner is living proof that “it takes a village” to raise a child.
The young man was adopted in 2007, and returned to his native Ethiopia in 2020 to reunite with his birth family. During his visit he recognized that the residents’ needs weren’t being met. When he returned to the United States, he created Bendeshe’s Village, a nonprofit that built a school and now provides school uniforms and covers tuition for more than 200 students. He hopes to expand the school’s programs and build community centers.
For building a bridge betwen his Massachusetts and Ethiopian villages and providing essential items and building a school with future plans to expand, Bonner was honored as a Hero Among Us.
SLRSC budget has more than $200k in staff cuts
Budget Presentation
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Thursday, Feb. 9. Superintendent Jill Proulx gave a budget presentation for the second round of the budget process. The preliminary budget that was presented at the previous meeting represented a total increase of 3.78 percent. She noted that the School Committee had requested that the Administration provide tiered cuts that show what would need to happen to bring the total increase down to 3 percent and another set of cuts that would be necessary to bring it to 2.75 percent.
Proulx said that technology was reduced by $25,000 and that there was potential to make that up with rural aid. Some equipment including a touch screen for health class, a lifting cage, and copy machines were cut though Proulx noted there was some grant potential there. Cuts were also made to the Middle School/High School maintenance line.
“We had been asked some questions about student-teacher ratios and declining enrollment,” Proulx said of a concern that was raised during the previous meeting. She then turned it over to the Principals. Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Becky Couet said that over the last several years, Silver Lake Regional has been within six-tenths of the State average. She said that currently they are right at the State average. Committee member Gordon Laws pointed out that there appears to be consistent growth at the Middle School level but decline at the High School level. Couet also said that current enrollment stands at 532 and next year’s projected enrollment is 562.
At the previous School Committee meeting, there were concerns voiced by members about the lack of access to foreign languages at the Middle School level. According to Couet, 17 students that wished to take a language, did not get the opportunity to take one. “Next fall, it would be closer to 132 students that either wouldn’t have the opportunity to take a language or would not have a choice.” She said that Mass Core says that language should be treated as a core subject. “We used to have three languages in seventh and eighth grade – we were very strong as far as Middle School language programs and now we’re down to two languages and only offered in eighth grade,” the World Language coordinator explained. Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill said that it is typically a requirement at most four-year colleges, that students take two consecutive years of a foreign language.
Principal Michaela Gill told the Committee, “We’ve cut a lot of programs, Tech Ed, Family and Consumer Science, Marketing Management, then on the other side we’ve expanded CTE offerings… but we have cut some core subject areas – Latin, Wellness, ELA, Music and we haven’t really restored those since 2005, 2006 when those cuts started to begin.” She explained the impact that staff cuts would have explaining that science teachers, for example, are only licensed in their area of science and cannot just cover for other science courses were cuts to be made. Regarding staffing cuts Proulx said, “we would be looking at reducing our budget by $235,886. She noted that they didn’t get into specifics for those cuts.
There was discussion about using the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant money. Committee member Jason Fraser said that he wanted to be sure the schools were spending all of those funds that are available for them. “The one thing that gets me a little queasy, is using it for something that is not a one-time budget item such as staff,” Committee Chair Paula Hatch said. Fraser acknowledged that he was also cautious regarding the fiscal cliff but said, “It just makes me sick that tier one has two full-time equivalents and I came to the table tonight to propose adding a world language teacher at the Middle School, so I’m just having difficulty squaring that knowing that we have hundreds of thousands of Federal funds that we need to spend in the next 18 months or so.”
The Committee requested that as many items as possible be removed from the budget for the next round, in the hopes that they could free up as much money as possible for staffing lines. Proulx said, “I just want everyone to be clear, I want the directive to the Principals to be very clear that they are being asked to pull everything out of the budget that could possibly be funded by ESSER… and to pull out even things that are required with the hope that they will be approved by ESSER.”
SLEA Update
President of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) Jon Lay spoke thanking the Committee for the robust conversation around the budget and agreeing that he would like to see ESSER funds used aggressively. Lay also addressed negotiations with the paraprofessionals. “I’ll just take a moment to publicly say what our offer on the table is now, so the Committee had offered an additional two steps, two percent higher… we’re asking to make those four percent higher… that increase is very reasonable and the other thing we’re asking for is three paid vacation days,” he said. He pointed out that paraprofessionals are the only school staff that do not get paid over school vacations. He said that they were looking forward to “hashing it out with a mediator.”
Policy Update
Fraser laid out a few policies including one pertaining to who has access to the security cameras on school grounds and for what purposes the footage can be used. He said that one change allowed access to emergency responders during an emergency as designated by the school. He noted that they do not have access to those cameras for general surveillance. He said that Police can only access the footage during an active Police investigation. Fraser said that parents can come into the school to view footage, but he noted that students’ faces will be blurred, and no one can take a copy home.
Fraser said that the majority of the last Policy Subcommittee meeting was centered around educational surveys. He said that they tried to make the language more pro-parent, putting the obligation, instead, on the District. He said that the District must, to the fullest extent, share out the survey questions, etc. before administering to students. He said that per the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), they did not offer an opt-in option for parents, rather than opt-out. Committee member Summer Schmaling pressed a bit as to why DESE would recommend against an opt-in process. Proulx said that there could be grant funding tied to certain types of questionnaires. Poor participation in the surveys could result in a loss of those funds. Schmaling insisted that she felt that the District should not be chasing all grant money available and insisted that surveys should be opt-in only. Committee Chair Paula Hatch asked how many surveys are sent out in an academic year. Proulx said, “maybe one or two.”
Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch said, “people found it hard to learn about the opt-out process… typically you want to… give parents the opportunity by sharing all the survey questions, and the information how to opt-out, the timeline, the reminders.” He continued, “I just think logistically with a higher percentage choosing to participate, that it’s sort of easier to manage.”
Principals’ Reports
Couet provided an update on the exploratory curriculum of studies. She said, “I did remove things like Latin, Twenty-first Century Literacy, Literacy in the Digital Age, Language Lab, and Healthology – things that haven’t been run in years, to my knowledge.” She said that some new art and music exploratory courses were added. The Committee voted to accept the updated program of studies.
Gill said she had just one item which was the potential to sponsor an international exchange student during an upcoming school year. “The opportunity for our students to meet someone from somewhere else is fantastic,” Fraser said. The Committee voted to approve it.
SAFER Update
Fraser provided the SAFER update. He said that the administrative building they currently have is not ADA compliant and cannot house all of the administrators currently employed by the District. He further said that renovations to the existing building would be nearly $1,000,000 more than new construction. He said that total cost for new construction would be “somewhere around $6 million.”
Capital Plan
Regarding the Capital Plan, Fraser said that they managed to get it down to $550,000 down from $1.5 million. “That would include $200,000 for the envelope to continue to work on the water mitigation for the buildings and roofs, this would also include the five doors for the CTE program for the safety issues they are causing… putting in an updated and to-code electrical panel for our metal fab students, and also it would put in the sound system for the theatre here at the High School, we had $60,000 for one of the J.V. baseball fields as well,” Fraser said. He noted that the guidelines for what to include versus what to cut were “safety and equity.”
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