The Mirriam-Webster definition of Redux – in case you were wondering – is something that has been brought back or revived. Here it is, one week later, and we have been revived.
They say that if you take a leap of faith, a net will appear. It did. A person who is genuinely interested in keeping this little paper coming to you every week has appeared. We are taking the month of February to see if we can put it all together and make it happen.
Thank you all for your patience.
Deb
A Sad Good-bye…
Twelve years ago, a snarky ad taker at the Brockton Enterprise answered the phone to take my legal notice for the annual Plympton Community Preservation Committee meeting. She told me the cost was $300 per publication. I had to publish it twice, making it $600 for something that should have cost less than $100. I said, “That’s robbery!” She answered, “So what are you going to do about it?” I said “I’ll start my own newspaper.” She sneered, “Good luck to you!” I said, “Thank you very much!”, and within three weeks Volume 1, number 1 of the Plympton-Halifax Express came off the press. It’s been a wild ride ever since.
It’s time to bid farewell and spend more time with my grandchildren who have often graced the front page of this newspaper, pay more attention to gardening and dusting, baking bread and cookies. It’s time to rest…
Along the way there are soooo many people I want to thank for making this journey possible, pleasant, comical, and fun. First is my Whitman-Hanson Express editor in chief and in everything else, Tracy Seelye, who doesn’t mind if I steal from her unabashedly. She’s a much better writer than I, as I will be the first to admit. Okay, so will she. She has taught me so much and I couldn’t have done any of it without her.
Second is the woman who stopped by our table at a Holiday Fair at the Dennett Elementary School where we offerred an Express coffee mug with every new subscription. After looking us over, she came back and asked if we were hiring. I had no idea what I was going to do with her, and now I don’t know what I would do without her. Marla Webby has kept the office sane and in excellent working order ever since. She also has the dryest wit I’ve ever encountered.
To Steve Gilbert whose sports photos have claimed the back pages for the past several years, many thanks for your action shots and letting me know that I can’t cut off the feet in your photos! See, you can teach an old dog new tricks .Thank you for your patience..And thank you to Linda Redding and Sandi Neumeister. Your photos have added much flavor to this stew of local news..
Good friends who had recently retired asked me if they could be a part of this odyssey – Marilyn Browne, who volunteers as proofreader for the Whitman-Hanson Express and Fran Lindgren, our Calendar Girl, who chooses the funny little date remembrances as well as coralling all the events so readers can see at a glance what’s going on. It’s good to have friends like this – life takes on a rich texture when they are a part of it.
This week’s paper, Jan. 31, ends an era. There are other things, offerings on the horizon that might shape up to be a new beginning for this little paper, I hope so. But this is the last one for me. For all my loyal readers who write fan letters with their renewal notices, you are the best!
I know this decision has come about quickly and for those of you who want a refund on the remainder of your subscription, please email me, deb@whphexpress.com and I’ll send it out if there’s more than $5 left. For those of you who have just sent in your renewal order, we’ll send back your check. and thank you, thank you, thank you for a wonderful experience. Again, you’ve been the absolute BEST!.
~ Deb Anderson
Baby it’s COLD outside!!
Temperatures throughout the region have been frigid this week, far below average, testing the limits of our home heating systems. Meteorologists have said that this is the coldest period of winter. Temperatures are expected to rise this weekend and a return to normal will be welcome.
Martin Luther King Day, a day off from school, brought these siblings out into the cold to build a snow fort and play in the white stuff. The cold half moon is just rising over the fields and trees to urge the sun to set.
SLRHS Announces 2024 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees
Linda Redding
Special to the Express
The Chairman, Athletic Director, and Principal, in conjunction with the Superintendent announce the ninth class to be inducted into the Silver Lake Regional High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
Following the practice established in 2007, a team, a coach, and individual athletes will be inducted.
After review of many nominations submitted to the committee from coaches, community, and athletes, the following have been selected for the Class of 2024:
• Fred Abraham – 1987 Ice Hockey
• Audra Lissell Kirtland – 2000 Basketball
• Shaun Redgate – 1977 Basketball
• Alex Rollins – 2006 Wrestling
• Hannah Rapalee Rothhaar – 2005 Soccer, Track
• Jeff Smith 2006 Football, Track
• Zachary Smith – 2010 Baseball
• Larry Walsh Coach – Ice Hockey
• 2015 Varsity Softball State Finalist
The Hall of Fame committee is composed of former athletes, coaches, and school personnel: Bill Johnson, Chair; Richard Swanson, Athletic Director Martha Jamieson, Olly deMacedo, Jim Geronaitis, John Mahoney, Peter McClelland, Scott McKee, Linda Redding, Larry Walsh, and John Montosi.
Anyone wishing to support and congratulate the inductees is encouraged to attend the induction ceremony on Feb. 1, 2025 at the Indian Pond Country Club in Kingston, MA. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are available through GoFan.co by searching Silver Lake Regional High School. Visit the Silver Lake Hall of Fame webpage at silverlakehof.org for more information.
A closer look at New Year and its traditions
The rock group Chicago’s hit from their debut album may have asked the famous philosophical question about time as a hook for a hit song, but whether anyone actually knows the precise time might be debatable. Yes, people do care.
They care enough that there are at least 40 calendar systems in use around the world today – two in the Christian world alone – and the small nation of Kiribati spread out over 1,800 miles of islands and atolls in the Pacific Ocean began a process in 1994 to successfully petition to have the International Dateline moved by 2000. But, we’re getting ahead of ourselves.
Retired Plymouth teacher Nancy A. Franks, who has built an enthusiastic audience for her monthly lecture visits to Whitman Council on Aging’s senior center, appeared there Monday, Jan. 6 with Moon Pies, gummy bears, New Year’s greetings and a talk on New Year’s celebrations and traditions around the world and closer to home, including ball drops – and twists on that theme.
Whitman briefly joined in the latter category with a Toll House cookie drop in 2015 and 2016, but a trend of frigid temperatures both years cut the tradition off before it could take root and the larger-than-life cookie – crafted by SST students for the town is now in storage.
So, why the hoopla over Jan. 1 anyway?
“I really do two different kinds of presentations,” Frank said, “I do the historical ones, or I pick a topic like this and just jump around to anything that comes to mind.”
Julius Ceasar introduced the months of January (for Janus, the god of beginnings, endings and time) and February (for Februus, the god of purification), creating a 12-month calendar in 45 BC. Pope Gregory VIII then introduced in 1582, the calendar we still use today, replacing the Julian calendar.
The difference?
The Julian calendar was not entirely accurate, but Franks argued it was close enough. His inaccuracy is about 11 minutes short of the 365 ¼ days per year in the Gregorian calendar.
“I think it’s amazing that anyone was even thinking or figuring that out that long ago as a reform of the Roman calendar,” Franks said, putting words in Julius Caesar’s thought bubble.
“Eleven minutes? What’s the big deal?” Franks said. “Well, it’s because we would have gained eight days every 1,000 years. Does that really matter? I’m not sure it does.”
But the Julian calendar is still used in astronomy.
“When they started the Julian calendar on Jan. 1, 45 BC, and they recorded events in the stars and the planets, they began counting on that day … and they still use it,” she said. “They didn’t bother to change it over to a new calendar.”
It’s also used and as a religious calendar by the Greek and Eastern Orthodox Christian churches and by the Amazigh people of North Africa.
Ball droppage –
and other things
New York began its ball drop at midnight tradition in 1908 and it was last updated in 2008.
The ball is 12 feet in diameter and is now made of 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles imported from Ireland and 32,256 LED lights. It weighs 11,875 pounds – mostly electronic hardware.
The ball is able to create 16 million vibrant colors in billions of patterns, the theme of which changes each year.
Around the United States, New Year’s celebrations include the midnight drop of, among others:
The Mobile, Ala., 12-foot in diameter electrified Moon Pie; The Cherry T. Ball in the “Cherry Capital of the U.S.,” Traverse City, Mich., saluting the charitable fundraising purpose in the name; Mt. Olive, N.C.’s three-foot long pickle drops into a giant pickle jar; the Boise, Idaho potato drop; Port Clinton, and Ohio’s Walleye drop on the Lake Erie shoreline. Miami raises an orange in homage to the state’s big cash crop as well as the Orange Bowl Festival parade and football game.
Points of pride
Kiribati, in the central Pacific Ocean, includes a largely uninhabited Caroline Island, renamed Millenium Island thanks to the nation’s effort to move the International Dateline so the island sits with the rest of the island and atolls on the same side of the line.
It was, you guessed it, a publicity stunt to draw tourists to be the first nation on earth to celebrate the new millennium in 2000.
“It would [also] eliminate the confusion caused by having a part of the country on a different day,” she said.
The United Arab Emirates also spared no expense this year in its annual quest to keep their record for the largest drone display this New Year’s Eve,
Traditions
underneath it all
Countries around the world have some interesting – and a few strange – New Year’s traditions. Here are a few:
Philippines – Round objects mean good luck so Filipinos wear polka dots, carry coins in their pockets and eat 12 to 13 round fruits, which also symbolize a sweet and happy new year.
Romania – where brown bears are revered symbols which their mythology indicates the animals have the power to protect and heal, the people don bear costumes – often real full bear skins – to dance the death and rebirth of the bear’s spirit. While some of the costumes are now made of faux fur, and many of the real bearskin costumes have been carefully preserved and handed down in families, the brown bear is now endangered in Romania.
Brazil – revelers jump seven waves head on, while making a wish at the beach, often while wearing white, the color of good luck. The color of underwear one puts on for the occasion also symbolizes your hope for the new year – White is for peace and harmony; blue is for tranquility and friendship; red is for passion; yellow is for money and luck; pink is for love; green is for health; orange is for professional success and purple is for inspiration. Brazilians also carry a bay leaf, also called a priest’s leaf, in their pocket as a spiritual token that sharpens intuition and extra good luck.
Denmark – Danes throw plates and glasses on their neighbor’s door to leave all the ill will from the previous year behind. When one awakens in the morning, lots of smashed dishes outside your door mean you will have better luck in the new year – not that it’s a stellar commentary on your previous year. Germany and the Netherlands also practice this tradition.
Famous birthdays
Dec. 31
Anthony Hopkins, 1937, John Denver, 1943, Donna Summer, 1948
Jan.1
Paul Revere, 1735; J. Edgar Hoover, 1895, J.D. Salinger, 1919.
Franks returns to Whitman Senior Center on Feb. 3 to speak about Valentine’s Day.
Closer look at the Green Book
WHITMAN – If not for the controversies and the 2018 Academy Award for Best Picture, won by “Green Book,” many white Americans might not have heard of the annual guide (1936 to 1967) by that name, offering travel advice, lists of safe and welcoming hotels for African-American travelers across the United States and ads for businesses – especially car sales.
Dr. Gloria Greis, the executive director of the Needham History Center and Museum, spoke at the Whitman Public Library on Saturday, Dec. 14 to add some informational meat on that skeletal knowledge in her talk, “Driving While Black.”
And area towns like Hanson and Kingston have earned listings in the guide over the years – for South Hanson, 1948, to be precise. More on that in a bit.
The Green Book got its name, in part, from the color featured in its cover designs, but also for its founder, Victor Hugo Green, who founded the guide in 1936, aided by his wife Alma, who took over briefly after his 1960 death.
A postal employee and travel agent in Harlem, Green was perfectly situated to make his guidebook the one people immediately thought of – despite the existence of at least six others – he could depend on a national network of postal employees to bolster the word-of-mouth campaign and, more importantly advertising, by his fellow postal employees.
While she admitted her presentation is “a little Needham-centric,” Greis, said that a few years ago, a local resident sent her a note asking if she knew Needham had an entry in the Green Book, sending her on a search for information on several other South Shore communities, as well.
But, initially, Greis, herself, hadn’t known what the Green Book was.
“I daresay, I was not alone in my ignorance and I daresay that my ignorance says something about the way we approach local history,” she told her audience at Whitman Public Library. “Despite general sense that modern history is comprehensive and everything is known, the historical record is surprisingly incomplete. Records get lost, or not recorded in the first place.”
She added that even towns like Needham, where today an ABC-affiliate television network is located, and has a well-regarded educational system, was in Colonial times, considered literate, but not literary.
People could read and write, “but they didn’t spend a lot of time putting their thoughts down on paper.”
Therefore, recorded history is usually found in official documents – tax rolls, town clerks’ records, church registers, town reports and the like.
“This is the history of the town’s leaders,” she said. “While this information is incredibly important, it’s very incomplete as a town history. It leaves out large segments of community experience.”
That is largely the experience of the working class, Greis said – “the routine rhythms of work and leisure, the accommodations of neighborhood, the attitudes, opinions and relationships that governed everybody’s everyday life.”
Often who gets to tell that history adds another layer of controversy, which is why the dramatic film “Green Book,” ran into trouble by literally putting a white character in the driver’s seat, not only of a car, but also of a Black character’s story.
“Piecing together historical information about the non-establishment groups in a town takes a number of different strategies,” Greis said. The Green Book is one of those.
Hanson, for example was among the 36 communities in Massachusetts with a listing – a small house at 26 Reed St., once owned by a woman named Mary Pina, was listed in the 1948 Green Book as an accommodation for African-American travelers and tourists both in a guest room in her home, and for campers in her spacious back yard.
“The [accommodations] tend to follow the highways and areas we still think of as vacation spots,” Greis said. “But not all. Some of them are on byways, like Needham.” And Hanson.
Hanson Health Board Chair Arlene Dias was amazed at that bit of historical news.
“There were a lot of Pinas on South Street, but I don’t remember somebody living that far up on Reed Street,” Dias said in a phone interview Friday, Dec. 20. “I’ve never heard of [the Green Book listing]. It is interesting.”
She said she would be calling family members who were more knowledgeable of the Cape Verdean population’s history in Hanson for more information.
“I had relatives that were Pinas, but they were on Pleasant Street,” Dias said.
Greis said that, as much as the Green Book offered guidance for the safety of travelers, it also offered economic safety for small businesses.
“It is a compendium of some of the most important people, successful businesses and important political milestones of the 20th Century,” she said. “It’s a who’s who of a rising class of African-American middle-class entrepreneurs.”
Before the advent of the Green Book and similar travel guide, Black travelers had to prepare ahead, packing food and enough gasoline for the journey, because there was no certainty that they’d find a safe place to eat, lodge, fuel their cars or even use the bathrooms, Greis said.
Green had written in the forward to the Green Book that it served as a way to ensure safety and dignity in travel until African-Americans were afforded equal opportunities and privileges in the United States.
“It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication,” he wrote.
The Jim Crow South was not the only area where travel problems might be encountered.
“These limits were imposed on African-Americans all over the country – even in the North,” Greis said. “We might not have had the actual signs, but we certainly had the signals.”
Even in Harlem during it’s “Harlem Renaissance” of the 1920s and ’30s, the more famous nightclubs like The Cotton Club, did not allow Black customers in the audience for performances of the biggest African-American entertainers of the day.
As Black workers found job opportunities in the North, especially in Detroit, their economic condition improved, but that was only one reason car ownership by Black Americans grew.
“Sometimes, it was the only way of getting easily from place to place,” she said. The Green Book and other guides also advised Black people to buy a car as soon as they were able to for that reason. “The Green Book guided them to services where they were welcome, reducing what Green kindly called ‘aggravation.’”
That aggravation could range from out-and-out violence to Sundown Towns, where the threat was thinly veiled.
Getting one’s kicks on Route 66, was evidently meant for whites only as there were no welcoming business along the route musically extolled from Chicago as one “motors West.”
The first Green Book in 1936 covered only New York and Westchester County in 16 pages, but shortly grew to more than 9,500 businesses in 100 pages covering the entire United States, Mexico, Canada and the Caribbean.
“Esso Oil, which was notable for its progressive hiring, including African-American executives, scientists and franchisees, distributed the book throughout its station network,” Greis said.
It was also aimed at the African-American Middle Class and was relatively unknown among people of color in lower economic strata.
The Interstate Highway system helped spell the end of the Green Book, both by presenting a more homogeneous appearance for travel – and bypassing many of the businesses that advertised in it.
New life for Plympton Almshouse
Deb Anderson
Express staff
Wednesday, Dec. 18, upper Main Street in Plympton closed to traffic to allow something seldom seen these days – a house moving down the road.
From 65 Crescent St., diagonally across from the Dennett Elementary School down the street and around the corner, the house was moved to its new location at 112 Main St.
The building, a classic Cape Cod style house, was also known as the old Plympton Almshouse. Jen Macdonald and Mike Lemieux, owners of Full Circle Homes, saw the potential in the project and hired Gordon Building Movers, the oldest family-owned and operated business in Hingham, who have done this sort of thing countless times in their storied 125-year plus history. Five generations of Gordons have been involved in this business, so Jen and Mike chose a business with lots of experience.
The move itself took more than six hours to accomplish, and the house now sits on its new location.
Jen told The Express, “It is now sitting on our lot at 112 Main St. for a further renovation and we are excited to restore it.” Mike is also enthusiastic about the new project, “It was quite the endeavor, and we still have a ways to go!!”
We can’t wait to see how this one comes out.
You can follow Mike and Jen of Full Circle Homes on their youtube channel, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCowhOniFhPVT4GdwdWClHCQ where they plan to show the journey of the Almshouse as an episode. See lots of in-depth details of how to’s there.
S-L schools will still use MCAS tests
Silver Lake schools will continue to use MCAS tests to measure students’ progress despite election results.
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Thursday, Dec. 12. Superintendent Jill Proulx provided a status update to the Committee. Regarding the budget, she said that preliminary proposals would be ready in January. She also told the Committee that Kingston had applied for and been approved for a grant looking at the costs and benefits of full regionalization.
Proulx said that despite the election results eliminating the graduation requirement for MCAS, participation is still required by federal and state law. “DESE’s [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] accountability system will continue to use assessment participation errant rates and the resulting achievement and growth in its annual determinations for each of our school districts,” she explained. She said that award programs tied to MCAS results will continue as usual.
Committee member Jason Fraser said, “We have trained educators and administrators who know what competency looks like which is one of the reasons why question two passed by such a large margin.” He said he hopes that the State won’t create a new mandate to try to skirt the will of the voters. He further noted that he is working with others on legislation that would prohibit those types of mandates.
Fraser also provided a legislative update. Former Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley is now working at MIT interfacing computer technology, specifically their AI department, with public education. “I’m in conversations with him to try and develop some professional development for school committee members,” Fraser said.
Fraser said that his conversations with acting Commissioner Russell Johnston have been more “stressed” primarily around a blind lottery for Chapter 74 programs which are vocational/CTE programs. Fraser said that they are potentially looking into removing discipline, attendance, and grade requirements for entry into Chapter 74 programs in order to avoid imbalance and equity issues. Fraser said, however, that after a review of the State, very few programs were found to have such equity issues and the ones that do, the State is working with them to correct.
Fraser also said he was asked to give testimony regarding how much should be allocated for Circuit Breaker next year. “We’re asking for $667 million which is about $58 million more than last year,” he said. He further said that this year might be the first year in over a decade where they don’t meet the 75 percent threshold for Circuit Breaker reimbursement which he said would be “devastating.” “Trump, when he was candidate Trump, talked about potentially disassembling some parts of the Department of Education, potentially dismantling it in its entirety. It does seem like candidate Trump is looking at potentially shifting all of the title funding directly to the states and bypassing the bureaucracy of Washington. That might be an efficiency… that does cause an issue with how the states then allocate those title funds to individual municipalities and schools. Unfortunately for us, most of that would be needs-based assessments and when people look at our towns they don’t see much need, so it could mean losing out on federal funding,” Fraser said.
Fraser said, “there is a significant chance that Plympton will need to consider a proposition 2 ½ override for this spring.” Committee member Jeanne Coleman said, “Kingston experienced the same thing a couple of years ago and I just want to warn you, the town then accused us of, I believe it was, a 12 percent increase and it was like no, you have to consider that we had a deficit mid-year so we were really only looking at much less of an increase of, I believe, it was 4 percent.”
Director of Finance and Operations, Sarah Hickey said there was $160,000 in the FY25 capital plan for special education vehicles. She said that they would be spending just over $87k leaving an excess of nearly $73k. She also spoke to the Committee regarding the CTE repair to the garage door. The project is being moved to June which will incur a $14,000 cost but is less than alternative options.
Director of Facilities Mike Lawless said that earlier this year, the Committee had voted to use $100,000 of allotted funds for a building assessment and use the remaining $72,000 to do HVAC repairs. He said that one of the main HVAC repairs he hoped to do was in the auditorium at the Middle School. That repair to a 19 year-old unit came in at approximately $60,000. He said that they were looking to complete smaller repairs instead with those funds and noted that the unit in the auditorium would likely be the first one replaced when they complete the assessment. The Committee voted to approve the change to the intended use of funds.
Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Becky Couet said that the students brought in thousands of canned goods for Thanksgiving that were donated to a local food pantry. Students Making a Difference (SMAD) and Student Council are going to Head Start to “spread holiday cheer.”
Regarding teaching and learning she said, “we’re seeing carnival ride creations in tech ed, we’re exploring amendments in civics, we’re also applying real world problems to linear equations… they’re designing investigations in science in ways that I’ve never seen before,” Couet said. “Kids are engaged and talking to each other every single day and I’m really proud of the education we have here,” she continued.
Couet also asked to raise the additional half-time adjustment counselor full-time. She said that the funds were there due to an unexpected resignation. She stated that this would be done with the knowledge that the funds may not be there in next year’s budget. The Committee approved the request.
Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill also provided an update. She first turned things over to the student representative Carissa Smith. Smith told the Committee that they changed a lot of things about Laker Day this year. She joked that they won’t be doing student-teacher dodgeball this year as a lot of teachers were still hurting from last year’s game. She said that they also did a “masked singer” event where teachers came dressed in inflatable costumes. She also said that they held a pep rally and noted that the Beauty and the Beast performance went “really well.”
Gill said that a working group consisting of various administrators and staff reviewed a mock schedule for an 8-period feasibility schedule. She said they found that not all students that requested a world language are able to be serviced. She also said that class sizes have increased. She said that in order for the schedule to become reality, it would need to be approved by January.
Gill said that the Kingston Police Department in collaboration with the FBI and Plymouth County DA’s office held a presentation in November on the rise in threatening statements made by students. Included in the presentation was what would happen should someone be caught making such a statement.
Gill went over some changes in curriculum offerings including a new Women in History and Culture course. The Committee voted unanimously to approve all the changes to courses and new courses added.
Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford said, “Earlier in the year, I applied for a grant through the Department of Ed. for support for the homeless shelter for our multilingual learners and we were awarded that grant for Silver Lake which was $7,500. That money will be used mainly for professional development… to help teachers to learn the best strategies to work with EL students.” The Committee voted to approve the acceptance of the grant.
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Greene presented to the Committee on the social studies curriculum in Grade 8 and the new MCAS exam that the students would be taking as an operational test this spring. She said that in 2018 the Department of Education released updated guidelines for Social Studies curriculum more focused on civics. She said that in 2022/2023, Silver Lake participated in piloting a new Social Studies MCAS exam and last year, the entire state took part in the testing. She said they received limited data from the exams taken. They did, however, extrapolate that analyzing a source proved to be a difficult task for students.
Greene said that this year they started a new, free curriculum that is fully aligned with the State frameworks. “Through that curriculum we are really looking at opportunities for kids to engage in the civic practices and the discussions that are really meaningful and really thinking about their role as a community member,” she said. She said that the curriculum comes from one developed by the Democratic Knowledge Project out of Harvard. Silver Lake received a grant for nearly $25k for three years’ worth of support from the Democratic Knowledge Project.
Also during the meeting, a spokesperson for the SLEA spoke and took a moment to show gratitude toward the special education teachers in the district.
Committee
MCAS Will Continue to be Taken Despite Election Results
The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met on Thursday, Dec. 12.
Superintendent Jill Proulx provided a status update to the Committee. Regarding the budget, she said that preliminary proposals would be ready in January. She also told the Committee that Kingston had applied and been approved for a grant looking at the of costs and benefits of full regionalization.
Proulx said that despite the election results eliminating the graduation requirement for MCAS, participation is still required by federal and state law. “DESE’s [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] accountability system will continue to use assessment participation errant rates and the resulting achievement and growth in its annual determinations for each of our school districts,” she explained. She said that award programs tied to MCAS results will continue as usual.
Committee member Jason Fraser said, “We have trained educators and administrators who know what competency looks like which is one of the reasons why question two passed by such a large margin.” He said he hopes that the State won’t create a new mandate to try and skirt the will of the voters. He further noted that he is working with others on legislation that would prohibit those types of mandates.
Fraser also provided a legislative update. Former Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley is now working at MIT interfacing computer technology, specifically their AI department, with public education. “I’m in conversations with him to try and develop some professional development for school committee members,” Fraser said.
Fraser said that his conversations with acting Commissioner Russell Johnston have been more “stressed” primarily around a blind lottery for Chapter 74 programs which are vocational/CTE programs. Fraser said that they are potentially looking into removing discipline, attendance, and grade requirements for entry into Chapter 74 programs in order to avoid imbalance and equity issues. Fraser said, however, that after a review of the State, very few programs were found to have such equity issues and the ones that do, the State is working with them to correct.
Fraser also said he was asked to give testimony regarding how much should be allocated for Circuit Breaker next year. “We’re asking for $667 million which is about $58 million more than last year,” he said. He further said that this year might be the first one in over a decade where they don’t meet the 75 percent threshold for Circuit Breaker reimbursement which he said would be “devastating.” “Trump, when he was candidate Trump, talked about potentially dissembling some parts of the Department of Education potentially dismantling it in its entirety. It does seem like candidate Trump is looking at potentially shifting all of the title funding directly to the states and bypassing the bureaucracy of Washington. That might be an efficiency… that does cause an issue with how the states then allocates those title funds to individual municipalities and schools. Unfortunately for us, most of that would be needs based assessments and when people look at our towns they don’t see much need, so it could mean losing out on federal funding,” Fraser said.
Fraser said, “there is a significant chance that Plympton will need to consider a proposition 2 ½ override for this spring.” Committee member Jeanne Coleman said, “Kingston experienced the same thing a couple of years ago and I just want to warn you, the town then accused us of, I believe it was, a 12 percent increase and it was like no, you have to consider that we had a deficit mid-year so we were really only looking at much less of an increase of, I believe, it was 4 percent.”
Director of Finance and Operations, Sarah Hickey said there was $160,000 in the FY25 capital plan for special education vehicles. She said that they would be spending just over $87k leaving an excess of nearly $73k. She also spoke to the Committee regarding the CTE repair to the garage door. The project is being moved to June which will incur a $14,000 cost but is less than alternative options.
Director of Facilities Mike Lawless said that earlier this year, the Committee had voted to use $100,000 of allotted funds for a building assessment and use the remaining $72,000 to do HVAC repairs. He said that one of the main HVAC repairs he hoped to do was in the auditorium at the Middle School. That repair to a 19 year old unit came in at approximately $60,000. He said that they were looking to complete smaller repairs instead with those funds and noted that the unit in the auditorium would likely be the first one replaced when they complete the assessment. The Committee voted to approve the change to the intended use of funds.
Silver Lake Regional Middle School Principal Becky Couet said that the students brought in thousands of canned goods for Thanksgiving that were donated to a local food pantry. Students Making a Difference (SMAD) and Student Council are going to Head Start to “spread holiday cheer.”
Regarding teaching and learning she said, “we’re seeing carnival ride creations in tech ed, we’re exploring amendments in civics, we’re also applying real world problems to linear equations… they’re designing investigations in science in ways that I’ve never seen before,” Couet said. “Kids are engaged and talking to each other every single day and I’m really proud of the education we have here,” she continued.
Couet also asked to make the additional half-time adjustment counselor a full-time one. She said that the funds were there due to an unexpected resignation. She stated that this would be done with the knowledge that the funds may not be there in next year’s budget. The Committee approved the request.
Silver Lake Regional High School Principal Michaela Gill also provided an update. She first turned things over to the student representative Carissa Smith. Smith told the Committee that they changed a lot of things about Laker Day this year. She joked that they won’t be doing student-teacher dodgeball this year as a lot of teachers were still hurting from last year’s game. She said that they also did a “masked singer” event where teachers came dressed in inflatable costumes. She also said that they held a pep rally and noted that the Beauty and the Beast performance went “really well.”
Gill said that a working group consisting of various administrators and staff reviewed a mock schedule for an 8-period feasibility schedule. She said they found that not all students that requested a world language are able to be serviced. She also said that class sizes have increased. She said that in order for the schedule to become reality, it would need to be approved by January.
Gill said that the Kingston Police Department in collaboration with the FBI and Plymouth County DA’s office held a presentation in November on the rise in threatening statements made by students. Included in the presentation was what would happen should someone be caught making such a statement.
Gill went over some changes in curriculum offerings including a new Women in History and Culture course. The Committee voted unanimously to approve all the changes to courses and new courses added.
Assistant Superintendent Tricia Clifford said, “Earlier in the year, I applied for a grant through the Department of Ed for support for the homeless shelter for our multilingual learners and we were awarded that grant for Silver Lake which was $7,500. That money will be used mainly for professional development… to help teachers to learn the best strategies to work with EL students.” The Committee voted to approve the acceptance of the grant.
Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Greene presented to the Committee on the social studies curriculum in Grade 8 and the new MCAS exam that the students would be taking as an operational test this spring. She said that in 2018 the Department of Education released updated guidelines for Social Studies curriculum more focused on civics. She said that in 2022/2023, Silver Lake participated in piloting a new Social Studies MCAS exam and last year, the entire state took part in the testing. She said they received limited data from the exams taken. They did, however, extrapolate that analyzing a source proved to be a difficult task for students.
Greene said that this year they started a new, free curriculum that is fully aligned with the State frameworks. “Through that curriculum we are really looking at opportunities for kids to engage in the civic practices and the discussions that are really meaningful and really thinking about their role as a community member,” she said. She said that the curriculum comes from one developed by the Democratic Knowledge Project out of Harvard. Silver Lake received a grant for nearly $25k for three years’ worth of support from the Democratic Knowledge Project.
Also during the meeting, a spokesperson for the SLEA spoke and took a moment to show gratitude toward the special education teachers in the district.
Halifax STM for MBTA special zoning Monday, Dec. 16
Voters in the Town of Halifax will meet on Monday, Dec. 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth St. to see if the town will approve either of two articles on the Special Town Meeting Warrant.
Article I, the most well publicized, is the MBTA Communities Act and Zoning Requirements. This article states that there shall be a minimum gross density of 15 units per acre, and is located not more than half a mile from a commuter rail station, substation, ferry terminal or bus station if applicable. It shall also have no age restrictions and be suitable for families with children.
The deadline for Halifax to achieve district compliance is Dec. 31, 2024.
All MBTA Communities must comply with the Law. Communities that do not currently have a compliant multi-family zoning district must take steps outlined in the DHCD guidelines to demonstrate interim compliance. Communities that fail to comply with the Law may be subject to civil enforcement action.
Non-compliant MBTA Communities are also subject to the administrative consequence of being rendered ineligible to receive certain forms of state funding. Importantly, MBTA Communities cannot avoid their obligations under the Law by foregoing this funding. The Law requires that MBTA Communities “shall have” a compliant zoning district and does not provide any mechanism by which a town or city may opt out of this requirement.
MBTA Communities that fail to comply with the Law’s requirements also risk liability under federal and state fair housing laws. The Massachusetts Antidiscrimination Law11 and federal Fair Housing Act12 prohibit towns and cities from using their zoning power for a discriminatory purpose or with discriminatory effect.
An MBTA Community may violate these laws if, for example, its zoning restrictions have the effect of unfairly limiting housing opportunities for families with children, individuals who receive housing subsidies, people of color, people with disabilities, or other protected groups.
ARTICLE 2
To see if the Town will vote to: Add the following clause to Halifax General Bylaw Chapter § 62-2-D. Personal watercraft operation.
The use of Personal Watercrafts (PWC), including jet-ski watercrafts, surf jet watercrafts, and wet bike watercrafts is prohibited on East and West Monponsett Pond without a resident PWC permit, which is to be displayed prominently on the PWC at all times.
The Board of Selectman will establish a reasonable annual fee to acquire such a permit, any appropriate regulations regarding the use of such PWC’s, and a fine of not less than $300 for violations of this by-law.
Resident PWC permits are to be issued by the Halifax Police Department Resident PWC with a permit, may only be launched from one of the two town-owned ramps located at 4the Ave. or Rte. 36. PWC are prohibited from launching from the Rte. 58 State boat ramp (Wamsutta Landing). No PWC are allowed on any town owned beaches other than for the immediate purposes of launching or taking out. No PWC operation shall be allowed between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.
Or take any other action relating thereto.
Proposed by Steven Goodman
and one hundred and fifteen (115) others
Silver Lake Warriors D7B OCYFL Super Bowl champs
Marc R. McGarry
Special to The Express
The 2024 Silver Lake Warrior D2 Peewee’s football team is compiled both of fifth and sixth graders. Due to the amount of skilled fifth graders, we decided to also volunteer for a D7 team within Old Colony Youth Football. This allowed these talented athletes to also play to potentially win their own Super Bowl.
On Nov. 17, the D7B Silver Lake Warriors made it to play in the 2024 D7B Super Bowl against the Scituate/Cohasset Sharks.
The game was a straight defensive battle right from opening kick off. During the first quarter, neither offense teams could get the ball going. Also, both defense teams were playing a straight “Smash Mouth Football” game.
In the second quarter, Beckham Rondeau (#37) caught a running back screen pass from quarterback Jack Kelley (#7). Rondeau’s catch made an outstanding run up the sideline defeating tacklers to reach a forty-six yard touchdown. This would be the only touchdown in the game!
A special shout-out goes to Warriors quarterback, Jack Kelley. Kelley’s “18 keeper” has been his trademark play throughout the season. Kelley’s skill allowed him to consistently run two-point conversations, without the help of head coach, Marc McGarry.
Coach McGarry considers the unsung heroes of the offense team is not just a skilled position, but he also considers it the “meat of the line”. These five hard-hitting players consistently complete their blocks, and it is the reason the team scored a touchdown.
For the remainder of the game, the Warriors continuously faced a defensive battle. The defensive line held strong keeping the SciCho Sharks from the red zone all game! Every tackle was a team effort, and there was never just one Warrior on a tackle. Every time SciCho got the ball, they saw a “sea of red”. Coach McGarry said it was hard to pick out just one defensive player that made a game-changing play. The Warriors on defense made the game.
Throughout the entire game, the Warrior fans were on their feet, eyes glued on the game. The supportive cheering encouraged every athlete making it a truly amazing game.
Coach McGarry would like to send a special thank you to all of the parents for their hard work and dedication for the past three months. This season has had it challenges, but winning the 2024 D7B Super Bowl was a true representation of everyone’s hard work!
Cutlines
Silver Lake Warriors D7B super bowl champions
Head coach Marc McGarry receiving Super bowl trophy from OCYFL president Bob Long
Offensive line unsung heroes
Team Mom Erin Mota congratulating her son 93 Kayden Mota after victory.
The Sea of Red DEFENSE
7 Jack Kelley two-point conversion
37 Beckham Rondeau 46 yd touchdown
Captains walking out to the coin toss Head coach Marc McGarry
7 Jack Kelley, 45 Marc McGarry Jr, 18 Declan Berte, 37 Beckham Rondeau, 5 Mason Carbone.
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