HANOVER — The job title and office are new, but South Shore Tech Principal Mark Aubrey, 49, is a familiar face at the school where he has been a teacher or administrator since 1999. Following a lengthy interview process, he stepped up to the principal’s office to succeed Margaret Dutch, who retired at the end of the 2017-18 school year.

“This is where I belong,” Aubrey said. “I’m a believer that, if you’re a good teacher you can teach anywhere, but to be a great teacher you have to be in the right place.”

The son of a Greater Lowell Tech graduate, Aubrey — who was born in Montana while his father served in the Air Force — is a believer in the benefits of a vocational education.

Like his WHRHS counterpart Dr. Christopher Jones, he did not set out after graduating from high school to become a teacher. Aubrey initially wanted to become an architect, but his experience as a youth sports coach made him realize that teaching and connecting

It would be an accurate statement to say that many players from the Silver Lake High baseball team are enjoying success as they play together this summer.

Although Plympton and Halifax do not feature American Legion baseball teams, players who attend Silver Lake are eligible to play for the Kingston Post 387 Senior Legion team–and the results have been positive. At the start of the week, Kingston was 12-8 so far this season, good for fourth place in the District 10 standings.

Last week, the team competed in five games and managed to win three games in a three-day span.

On Monday, July 9, they came up with a 6-3 win over Plymouth. In it, Kyle Haugstad was sharp on the mound, picking up the win. He went six innings, allowed three runs and struck out eight batters. Offensively, Ryan Bellew and Jacob Armstrong shined, collecting three hits apiece.

A day later, they took home a 15-7 win over Orleans. Jake Holmes tossed five innings and picked up the win. At the plate, Haugstad, Bellew, Armstrong and Aidan O’Neill each had multi-hit games. And on Wednesday of last week, Kingston won their game in a completely different manner. This time, they ousted Brockton, 1-0, thanks to a 1-hitter thrown by Armstrong. In the pitchers’ duel, Haugstad knocked in the game-winning run for Kingston on a double.

However, as of the start of the week, the team was on a two-game losing streak. This is because they fell 8-5 to Bridgewater on July 13 and two days later, Sandwich beat them 13-3 in what would be the final game of their regular season.

Now, the team’s focus will be on the playoffs and await the news of who they may face either this upcoming weekend or at the beginning of next week.

WHITMAN — Less than a month before his death from cancer on May, 15, 2013, Dr. John F. McEwan was thinking of the pain of others in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, assuring their friends and loved ones that faith would help see them through a dark time.

Such events, much like chronic illness “remind us that life is precious and our lives can suddenly change in a moment … you do have the opportunity to evaluate what is important in your life and how you choose to spend your time,” he and his wife Margaret wrote in an email to family and friends on April 20, 2013 — five days after the attack.

An organ donor, he wanted to share that life with others after he was gone, just as he had in his career in education. At first, the family was told that his cancer made that impossible, but a call from the New England Organ Bank advised them that his corneas could and would be used to help two blind people — who could now see the world through his eyes.

“This was the final gift of John’s legacy,” Margaret P. McEwan wrote in a May 18, 2013 email.

It turned out to be a premature coda to that legacy.

Those emails, written faithfully — in every sense of the word — to help inform and bouy the spirits of others during the illness faced by the retired Silver Lake and W-H superintendent of schools, have been used as the framework of a new book by his widow, “Every Day Is a Gift: A Couple’s Cancer Journey,” [201 pages, trade paperback, 2018 SDP Publishing ISB 978-0-9992839-8-1 eBook ISBN 978-0-9992839-9-8], for which she shares author credit with him. The book is locally available at Duval’s Pharmacy in Whitman as well as online through Amazon Books, Barnes & Noble and SDP Publishing Solutions.

“It all started because he was working at W-H and he had so many people … interested in his progress that I sent out emails the entire time he was being treated,” Margaret said in an interview at her home Thursday, June 21. The emails were frequently passed along to friends the initial recipients thought might be interested in reading them. Several people who read the emails later urged her to consider writing a book.

“People were very interested in knowing how things transpired,” she said.

The title is a nod to an inspirational sign John had received as a gift from his Administrative Assistant Michelle (Kelley) Lindberg while he worked at WHRSD.

“When I was trying to think of a title for the book, I thought, ‘That was always our philosophy,’ because we felt very fortunate in our marital relationship,” Margaret said. “That’s the way he was.”

John was diagnosed with Stage 4 melanoma in 2008, when he had a spot on his scalp examined. While not a textbook “outdoorsman,” he did like working in his yard and never wore a hat when doing so, Margaret said.

“John always said ‘Things don’t happen for a reason — you find a purpose for why things happen.’ I finally thought that maybe I wrote all these emails so that I could compile them and make a book about his journey,” she said. Also included in the book are letters he wrote to W-H staff even before his diagnosis, to illustrate his long-held positive outlook to readers.

“He really believed that you really needed to do what you could in order to bring joy into other people’s lives,” Margaret said.

John McEwan began his career as an English teacher and later as a principal at Silver Lake Regional High School, W-H superintendent from 2001-09 and the first lay president of his high school alma mater Cardinal Spellman.

“It was something he took great pride in being able to do because he was very committed to trying to give back,” she said of the Spellman position.

Initially given a prognosis of six months to a year, John lived for five years in his cancer battle and never stopped working until his health forced him to give up the Spellman presidency in March 2013.

They had also done the traveling they had planned for their retirement years — to China, Rome and the Amalfi coast, a Baltic cruise, the Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone — during his illness.

“We attribute that to fortunate proximity to hospitals in Boston where they do clinical trials,” she said of her husband’s long-term battle.

When she got to work on the book, Margaret had one main request to the publisher, referred by her friend, Kathleen Teahan, whose book, “The Cookie Loved ’Round the World,” they published: “Do not edit the emails.” John was an English teacher, she reasoned, and if he dangled a participle — leave it dangling.

She said people who knew John say they hear his voice in his writing. Her accompanying narrative took about a year to write, submitting it on his death anniversary of May 15, 2017 with the goal of publication this May 15 to mark his fifth anniversary year, and was successful in reaching that goal.

“The idea was to provide other people with hope and give purpose to whatever their journey is,” she said. “You hope that in living your life — even if it’s under a cloud — you can find joy every day. … It’s work, but he always said you can choose your attitude.”

The book is also a gift to the couple’s grandchildren, who were very young, the oldest being 8 and 6, when John died so they could get to know their grandfather.

The writing process also helped Margaret grieve and she had Dana-Farber’s Director of Bereavement Services Sue Morris, PsyD, and IMPACT Melanoma Executive Director Deb Girard read advance copies for feedback on the book.

“Margaret captures the essence of living well with cancer,” Morris said. “A must read for families and clinicians.”“I believe anyone finding themselves on the cancer journey can identify the roads that Margaret and John traveled together and find tidbits of solace, grace and hope to journey down their own roads,” Girard wrote.

W-H named its performing arts center in John’s honor in 2014. Margaret McEwan holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food and nutrition, was a registered dietitian and first female vice president of Shaw’s Supermarkets, from which she retired as vice president of corporate communications in 2004.

Frank Rabuffetti of Boy Scout Troop 39 proposed his Eagle project to the Halifax Board of Selectmen at Tuesday’s meeting.

His project involves taking out some fencing at the blacksmith shop and replacing it with a new one. Rabuffetti said he will remove the shrubs growing underneath and around the old fence before putting up the new fencing.

After removing the shrubs, Rabuffetti plans to add mulch. Selectmen Chair Kim Roy asked if any new shrubs will be added. Rabuffetti said he will only mulch as it will be lower future maintenance for the town.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen unanimously approved Rabuffetti’s Eagle project. He will start at the beginning of July and hopes to finish by the middle of July. Rabuffetti turns 18 in August, so this will allow him to get his Eagle project done beforehand.

Town Audit Team Hired

The Board of Selectmen hired Wakefield, Massachusetts based Powers and Sullivan LLC as Halifax’s financial audit firm for the next three years.

Firm partners Craig Peacock and Frank Serreti previously interviewed with a financial team appointed by the Board of Selectmen. Roy said this was the final step after the financial team picked from three finalists.

Peacock said their firm tries to do more than conduct the standard financial audits. Rather, he said, his firm tries to improve efficiency and help the town learn something. “As a firm, our goal is to add value,” Peacock said.

According to Peacock, a large part of adding value is how the business conducts itself. He said they have never missed a deadline and described Powers and Sullivan as “self-contained.” Peacock said Powers and Sullivan stays “self-contained” by bringing their own resources such as laptops and internet routers.

Selectman Troy Garron asked who in the South Shore Powers and Sullivan has worked with since Peacock said the firm is often in the area despite being a North Shore based firm. Peacock said Powers and Sullivan has worked with Lakeville, Carver, Abington, Plymouth, and Marshfield. Roy said she was pleased with this and some of Cape Cod towns the company works with because some of the communities are benchmark communities Halifax uses for comparison purposes.

As far as managerial contacts, Peacock will be the town’s onsite partner and work directly with the audit team. Peacock said he wants this process to have an open dialogue and said all comments the audit team makes will go through a draft process to make sure the team’s assessments are accurate.

Peacock said, “We will never blindside the town with comment. We’re here to work together.”

Halifax Establishes Zoning Bylaw Committee

Given the lack of a solution at Annual Town Meeting regarding the bylaw surrounding multifamily homes, the Halifax Board of Selectmen decided to establish the Zoning Bylaw Committee.

When speaking about starting the committee, Selectman Thomas Millias said, “Let’s clean up the language. Let’s present something that makes sense.”

The committee is set-up to be a nine member committee with a required five member quorum. Some of the members include Millias, Planning Board Chair Gordon Andrews, and Dan Borsari from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Andrews said he is looking for input from the general public. The committee currently has seven members, but said he is hoping two people want to step up to be a part of the process.

Halifax Elementary Siding Repair Update

The contractor working on making siding repairs at Halifax Elementary School sent a proposal request to the town citing the need to repair termite damage.  Seelig said the damage is old and the school does not have any current problems with termites.

Other News

• The fireworks committee still needs volunteers for afternoon and evening activities. The fireworks are this Saturday, so call the Board of Selectmen’s office for more information on volunteering.

• The Board of Selectmen approved a $14,000 contract for Vertex to oversee the removal of aspestos as part of the school repair project.

• Roy is meeting with Plympton Selectmen John Traynor and others from Plympton to continue discussing a potential intermunicipal agreement between Plympton and Halifax involving Fire/EMS services.

The next Halifax Board of Selectmen meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 10.

Open session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Plympton selectmen heard Monday night from their fire consultant Lance Benjamino, Chief of the Middleboro Fire Dept., who is working with Plympton to bring the Plympton Fire Dept. up to state mandated standards for training, reporting, housing, equipment, and the fire station building itself.

Benjamino noted many issues, beginning with the fire station, noting first that there is no alarm system at the fire station.  The kitchen is in disrepair, new appliances are needed.  The equipment floor needs to be resurfaced, the cement apron in front of the equipment bays needs repair or replacement.

Benjamino enumerated dozens of items that need to be addressed to bring the building up to the code when it was built in 1974, as well as a cost to the town to get them done, totaling $61,500.  He told the board that he didn’t include labor in many of these items and will be working with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Dept. for labor for several of the projects.

He then went on to say there is too much equipment, as was stated in the MRI report, so that the fire station can’t house it all, nor is it used.

In addition to returning the Red Cross trailer to the Red Cross, and returning the Water Buffalo, Engine 3 is out for repair.  Benjamino suggested surplussing Engine 3, which is seldom used and has only 11,000 miles on it, and told selectmen that as it stands a company which brokers fire trucks will give the town $60,000 cash for the Engine 3.  Those funds could be used to offset the costs of the station’s repairs.

Benjamino also recommended that the town look into adding another bay to the left side (Library side) of the fire station and make it a two-story structure, so that offices and bunk rooms can be housed on the second floor, and the trailer in the parking lot can be sold or returned from whence it came.

He did strongly recommend that selectmen contact a structural engineer to confirm that the building is in good enough condition to allow a two-story addition.  He said he thought it was, but would need it confirmed by a professional. 

Benjamino said that there are three generator trailers that have never been fully utilized.

“Where are we now?” Benjamino asked.  As for the fire department personnel, each member had to re-apply for his/her position and pass a CORI and SORI background check.  “Those who passed remain on staff.  Those who didn’t aren’t,” he told the board.

“We have created a mission statement, a Plympton Fire Department Social Media policy.  We’ve also addressed sexual harassment issues.” he said.

In all Benjamino reported that he expects the department to run by established standards with personnel protection, accountability, and leadership.

He detailed firefighter F1-2 training, and said that each member of the department needed to be trained.   If there is training money to be had, it costs $600 each for Plympton’s 11 firefighters who need the training.  If shared services with Halifax will help with the expense, that makes sense.  Otherwise, he said, the town will have to look for other funding sources or simply pay for it.

Benjamino said that the training is absolutely necessary for the safety of the team.

“If they get into trouble, they need to know what to do.”  They also need to know how to communicate with one another.  He noted that the radio frequency in use had expired in 2015.  A new frequency is being installed and needs to be programmed into the radios and mutual aid towns.

He is also developing pre-fire plans for businesses in town.  “Not inspections,” but plans so that when a call comes in, a firefighter can grab the binder with that building’s fire plan and gain valuable information about what they might be heading into.

Benjamino said these inspections and plans should be updated every six months or at least yearly.

He said he has a 25-page book of rules and regulations, operating procedures.  We need them to know how to operate.

As to whether or not a combined fire department with Halifax or another town was a viable course, Benjamino told  Selectman Mark Russo that he thought Plympton can indeed have a stand alone fire department.  Can it benefit from some shared services?  Yes.  “There’s a price for everything,” he noted. 

The planned joint meeting with Halifax selectmen June 20 has been pushed out past July, and Selectman Christine Joy said that if Halifax comes  back to us with a proposal in the next two weeks, we will evaluate it.

Selectman Chairman John Traynor told the board that he would like to work toward a stand-alone department. 

To find a qualified fire chief, Benjamino said that the Plymouth County Fire Chief’s Association can help.  Plympton would bring the resumes and applications to the Chiefs and they will evaluate and make recommendations.

Selectmen were all delighted with the findings, and the recommendations that Chief Benjamino proposed.  While pointing out problems he also showed solutions, giving selectmen hope.

Traynor asked if the town should do an operational review, either annually or semiannually.  Bertino answered that yes, it needs to be done, and also suggested to ask the neighboring towns what they think of your department.  “They’ll tell you!”

Amy Cronin, a member of the audience, suggested that the operational reviews be done by a third party, to be sure that it is unbiased and accurate..

In other business selectmen:

• will begin interviewing the two candidates for highway superintendent next week.

• declared July 16 to be the date for the public hearing on the Atwood property,

• received a letter from Plympton Fire Dept. member Gary Somero indicating he would like to be considered for the position of Plympton Fire Chief.

• received a letter from Arthur Morin stating he did not want to be considered for re-appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The Silver Lake High boys’ lacrosse team played well, but they could not keep that regular season magic alive in the postseason.

The No. 9 Lakers took on the No. 8 Natick Redhawks on the road on Tuesday, June 6 and played a strong game against a tough opponent. However, Natick just happened to have a little more offensive firepower in this bout as the Lakers fell 11-8 in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 South sectional playoff bracket.

The issue for the Lakers was that Natick was able to come out and grab the momentum early. They put up three goals unanswered in the first quarter but after that, the Lakers were sharp and played an even game with their opponent.

Before halftime, Owen Thompson helped the Lakers chip away at the deficit; he found the back of the net with 1:57 remaining in the second quarter to cut Natick’s advantage to two goals, 6-4.

At the start of the second half, Natick came out hot again, putting up a pair of goals to go up 8-4. From there, the Lakers continued fighting though and actually outscored their opponent. Ultimately though, they could not close the gap entirely.

In the loss, Owen Thompson and Jake LaFerrara each put up a team-high two goals for the Lakers. Sean Daly had four assists), Owen Nally put up two points (1 goal, 1 assist) and Matt Dole, Brendan Dean and Gregory Wolff each added a goal for the Lakers. In net, Mike Masterpolo recorded eight saves.

Although they fell in the playoffs, it was still the Lakers’ best season yet and one for them to look back on fondly. After all, they enjoyed an 11-game win streak during the regular season and helped the program continue moving in the right direction that should help it out in years to come.

Selectmen Monday night showed concern regarding the number of vacant seats in Plympton’s town government, both elected and appointed.

May’s annual election saw only 6% of its 2,234 registered voters turn out to cast a ballot, leaving several seats without a candidate to fill them.

Marilyn Browne was encouraged to volunteer once again to accept the position and serve on the Finance Committee for the available two-year term after several people wrote her in.

The Board of Library Trustees submitted Linda Lawson to selectmen for their approval Monday night. She was a write-in candidate who lost to Jim Lundgren 15 to 9, as there was apparently some confusion as to which of the two positions she was interested in.  Her vote was divided between the two.  Selectmen voted unanimously to name her to the available three-year position, while Lundgren chose the two-year term.

The Planning Board will meet Monday, June 11, and will vote their choice to present to Selectmen at their meeting down the hall.

Any residents who are interested in serving in a position on the Planning Board are encouraged to stop in at 6 p.m. to let the board know of their interest.

Selectmen asked Town Clerk Tara J. Shaw to prepare a list of the appointments they name annually and whose terms finish June 30, 2018.

Shaw said she would have the information for their meeting June 11.

Town elections in Plympton and Halifax will be held on Saturday, May 19, with Halifax at the Halifax Elementary School, Route 106, in the Multi-purpose room from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Plympton will elect its officers from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Plympton Town House, 5 Palmer Rd., Route 58, Plympton.

Halifax finds two contests on the ballot this year: Holly J. Merry, the current assistant assessor for Halifax, is running for a position on the Board of Assessors, essentially looking to become her own boss.  Michael J. Schlieff, a familiar candidate, is challenging her for that place on the board.

The second contest in Halifax is on the Silver Lake Regional School Committee where Gordon C. Andrews and Alexander Desharnais are seeking the single position there.  Andrews currently serves as Chairman of the Planning Board and as a member of the Finance Committee.   If elected, this would be the first time for Desharnais to hold office in Halifax.

Halifax has no candidates  for two three-year terms on the Board of Library Trustees, and a five-year term on the Planning Board.

Plympton, which still hand counts each ballot, expects an early night on Saturday, as there are no contests on the ballot and several seats looking for write-in candidates to fill them:  Assessor for three years, Finance Committee for two years, Library Trustee for three years, Library Trustee for two years, and Planning Board for four years.