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Farewell dinner planned for Fr. Lee

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Linda Redding
Special to The Express

On Saturday  Feb. 26, at the 4 p.m. Mass at Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson, Father Hobson, announced that Father Kwang Lee has been appointed to a new parish assignment by Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.

Effective March 12, 2022, Father Lee will serve as Parochial Vicar of Our Lady of Grace Parish serving Groton and Pepperell, as well as Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Townsend.

Father Lee has served  Our Lady of Lake Church in Halifax and Saint Joseph the Worker Church in Hanson since 2015.

 It has been a year since the two churches have formally combined as the Holy Apostles Parish.

In addition to his parish duties, Father Lee also was chaplain at hospitals in Brockton, Milton, and Plymouth.  He also served as chaplain for the Hanson Fire Department.

A farewell dinner for Father Lee is planned  for Thursday March 10, at 6 p.m. in the parish hall of Our Lady of Lake Church in Halifax. .

Please contact the parish office at 781-293-7971 by March 6, 2022 if you plan to attend the dinner.

That Plympton cherishes its old houses is reflected in the protective by-laws

By

Alan Wheelock
Special to the Express

Even by New England standards, Plympton is a very old town. Three hundred and fifteen years old, as a matter of fact. Back in the mid to late 1600’s, Plympton was a part of the Plymouth colony, and can clearly trace its beginnings to the Pilgrims. It was incorporated in 1707, and for its first 80 years or so, the families who settled here were subjects of the British king – in other words, they were not American citizens. And, of course, for thousands of years prior to the 17th century, members of the Wampanoag tribe lived on the land now described as Plympton.

A community with such a long history is bound to be blessed with a lot of old homes, and Plympton is fortunate to have many of them. Historic houses are scattered throughout the community, but significant clusters can be seen at the Town Green, Harrub’s Corner, Parsonage Road, and the neighborhood surrounding the Old Town House. These picturesque properties and their outbuildings are major contributors to the aesthetic “feel” and visual charm of the town. These aesthetics (and their preservation) are very important to Plympton residents, and thus the Demolition Delay By-law was born.

The rationale for the Demolition Delay By-law is clearly expressed in the opening paragraph of the law: “The Demolition Delay Bylaw is enacted for the purpose of preserving and protecting significant buildings within the Town of Plympton which are outside local historic districts. Such buildings reflect distinctive features of the architectural, cultural, economic, political or social history of the Town, and their preservation promotes the public welfare by making the Town a more attractive and desirable place to live and work.”

The Demolition Delay By-law is identified as Chapter 130 of our General By-laws. Residents can access it at the Town website under the tab labelled “Codified By-laws, General and Zoning.” Key features of this by-law include:

The Plympton Historical Commission is empowered, along with the town’s Building Inspector, to administrate and enforce the law.

Historically or architecturally significant buildings in Plympton, at least 75 years old, fall under the purview of the by-law.

Buildings that meet such criteria as historic importance (site of an historic event; former home of persons who had some influence on the development of the town, the state, or the nation; etc.), and architectural importance are all protected by this by-law.

Owners of one of these historic properties who intend to demolish or substantially alter the home, its barn, or other outbuildings are required to apply for a demolition permit. Working with the Building Inspector, the Historic Commission makes a determination as to whether the building is historically and/or architecturally significant. If it is determined that it is not historically or architecturally significant, the Building Inspector may issue a demolition permit. If it is determined that it is historically or architecturally significant, the Commission holds a public hearing to determine whether the building in question should be preferably preserved. After the hearing, if the consensus is that the structure should preferably be preserved, the Building Inspector may issue a demolition delay, preventing demolition for 18 months. Despite this action, the Building Inspector can still authorize demolition after the delay period if there is no likelihood that the owner or some other person or group is willing to restore the property.

Our own local HGTV stars, Mike Lemieux and Jen MacDonald, owners of Full Circle Homes and featured in the series entitled “Houses with History” are the embodiment of the values built into the Demolition Delay By-law. Mike and Jen have restored – and saved – numerous old houses in Plympton and the surrounding communities. To date, they have refurbished eight Plympton homes, the oldest of which was built in 1707. The majority of these homes were in very poor condition, but Full Circle Homes carefully restored them all, significantly increasing their value and in the process preserving the historic integrity of each neighborhood and the visual integrity of Plympton as a whole.

Imagine the beautiful red clapboard house at 39 Ring Road having been destroyed, or the handsome hip roof house at 4 Mayflower gone from the Green, or the unique twin chimney cape at the corner of Center and Main vanished – rather than preserved, and you get a sense of how important this work is to the Town of Plympton.

The Demolition Delay By-law exists to help encourage more of this sort of historic preservation. By so doing, it is helping to ensure that, in the future, Plympton will still have the bucolic charm that it has had for hundreds of years.

Silver Lake/Pembroke gymnastics co-op wins Patriot League championship

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Who in the Patriot League is better at gymnastics than the Pembroke/Silver Lake High co-op?

Apparently the answer to that question is no one. The co-op faced off against all of the other teams in the Patriot League, and proved it was better than all of them. The Pembroke/Silver Lake team won the Patriot League championship meet on Saturday, Feb. 12. The team finished with a score of 138.15. The meet took place at Mass Gymnastics Center in Pembroke.

The co-op had many strong performances in the championship meet. Senior Lauren Canniff won the all-around (35.0). Other members of the team earned first place finishes in their respective events. Senior Ava Dorsey shone during the meet. She earned first place in three different events: vault (9.3), bars (8.5), and floor (9.1). Additionally, senior Sam Raleigh (8.4) and sophomore Summer Holmes (8.2) earned second and third place finishes respectively on bars. Plus, freshman Julia Hawley came in second on the beam (8.55).

The co-op went undefeated this season. It went 12-0 overall.

Halifax’s Town Clerk releases calendar

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Nomination papers for the 2022 Annual Election are now available at the Town Clerk’s Office during regular office hours at the Halifax Town Hall, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

The following is a list of the town officers to be elected at the Spring 2022 annual election:

Positions to be voted on at the annual town election May 14, 2022 are:

• Board of Assessors, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Millias

• Board of Health, 3-year term, currently held by Candice Greene (appointed)

• Board of Selectmen, 3-year term, currently held by Gordon C. Andrews

• Constable, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Hammond

• Constable, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas F. Schindler

• Halifax Elementary School Committee, 1-year term, currently held by Jennifer Carroll (Appointed)

• Halifax Elementary School Committee, 3-year term, currently held by Gordon C. Andrews

• Holmes Public Library (Board of Trustees) 3-year term, currently held by Madeline Flood

• Holmes Public Library (Board of Trustees) 3-year term, currently held vacant

• Park Commissioner, 3-year term, currently held by Thomas Schindler

• Planning Board, 5-year term, currently held by Gordon R. Andrews

• Silver Lake Regional School Committee, 3-year term, currently held by Paula Hatch

• Water Commissioners, 3-year term, currently held by Donald Bosworth

The deadline to take out nomination papers is Wednesday, March 23, 2022 by 4 p.m. The deadline to return nomination papers to the Town Clerk’s Office is Friday, March 25, 2022 by 5 p.m.

The Halifax Annual Town Election will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Halifax Elementary School. Visit the Elections and Registration webpage for the most recent updates relating to the 2022 election season.

If you have any questions, please call (781) 293-7970 or e-mail ClerksOffice@halifax-ma.org.

New Covid testing program for schools

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The Plympton School Committee met remotely on the evening of Monday, Jan. 24. Superintendent Jill Proulx spoke to a change in the District’s COVID testing program. Previously, Silver Lake was enrolled in the State’s test and stay program. In that program, caregivers were able to opt into testing at school should their child have a school related exposure. The program allowed students to be tested and, if negative, stay in school rather than quarantine at home. Proulx told the Committee that since the implementation of the program in the State, 98 percent of tests were negative. “For that reason, they know that schools are safe and the best place for them [students] to be,” she explained.

Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto said, “overall I think the test and stay program – it met its goals; it kept the kids in school.” He also credited the hard work and overtime put in by school nurse Ryann Camara and staff for making the program a success. Of the 570 tests performed at Dennett, only eight were positive. This means that 562 school days were salvaged through the program.

Despite the success of the program, DESE and the Department of Public Health (DPH) recognize the strain placed on school health staff and now recommend that districts participate in a new program. Districts that elect to forgo the test and stay program will be provided with rapid antigen at-home tests for all participating staff and students that can be used on a weekly basis. Districts that choose instead to maintain test and stay will need to continue contact tracing and will not receive the at-home tests.

Implementation of the new testing program means that contact tracing will no longer be done, and any potential in-school contacts do not need to quarantine. Instead, the focus will shift to monitoring for symptomatic individuals. Individuals who test positive on an at-home test will need to report the results. Proulx explained, “For at least the next several weeks, distribution to staff and students will be staggered, with staff getting one kit (2 tests) the week of January 24 and participating students getting one kit (2 tests) the week of January 31.”

Proulx said similar programs have already been transitioned to in both Connecticut and Vermont. She also told the Committee that the new option is only being made available to Districts that continue or start symptomatic and/or pooled testing; Silver Lake already participates in symptomatic testing.

Committee member Dan Cadogen asked how many children at Dennett are fully vaccinated. Veneto said that as of January 24, 26 percent of students are fully vaccinated. Committee Chair Jon Wilhelmsen confirmed that there are many other children who have had one dose of the vaccine and are awaiting the second dose. Wilhelmsen also said that the vaccination numbers published on the school website are not accurate and reflect a lower vaccination rate.

Playground and Solar Panel Update

Wilhelmsen provided an update on the playground saying that it is now open. Due to timing and weather-related constraints, the rubberized surfacing that was going to be put down has been temporarily replaced by mulch. Wilhelmsen told the Committee that the surfacing will likely be put down following the close of school for the year in order to avoid closing it down for any length of time while school is in session. He said that funds will determine how much of the mulch can be replaced by rubberized surface.

Wilhelmsen also provided an update on the solar panels. He said he met with the Town Administrator and the solar company to try and get the agreements sorted. Once they have the agreement, they can make any adjustments with town counsel. He said the goal is to have everything signed ahead of town meeting in order to get the necessary articles through at that time. The goal is to have the panels installed prior to the start of school in the fall.

Legislative Update

Committee member Jason Fraser provided a legislative update. Fraser told the Committee, that House 1, the first pass of the FY23 budget at the State level, comes out this week. He said that they are pushing to make sure they are using a multiplier for Chapter 70 that is in line with current inflation. “We’re asking them to use the consumer price index in the northeast as a multiplier for inflation.”

At the federal level, he said the IDEA Full Funding Act looks to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) over a ten-year period. Additionally, he said they are looking to seek an extension of the free meals program that has been implemented in schools throughout the pandemic.

Dennett Update

Veneto gave a brief school update saying that current enrollment stands at 240 students. He also told the Committee that he has a good lead on the vacant music teacher position. “It’s challenging for those part time positions to find people that are interested,” he explained. Finally, he said a $1,000 gift was made to the school by a donor who wished to remain anonymous.

New Literacy Program

K-6 Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Farrell gave a presentation on the new K-5 literacy program – Collaborative Classroom. In selecting a program Farrell said the team was “thinking about how we can be a little bit more progressive in our work with students.”

Farrell said they are in the implementation phase which includes an extended field test process. There are 20 teachers testing the program throughout the District with 5 of those at the Dennett. Farrell acknowledged the efforts of those teachers who include Beth Antoine, Gail Belcher, Lauren Bellao, Dawn Day, Kristina Josselyn, Sharon Landers, Liz McCartney, Kara McNerney, Devon Morse, Jenna Ouellet, Megan Parker, Meghan Piccini, Kristen Pishkin, Jennifer Reidy, Dawn Richardson, Meghan Shaheen, Beth Splaine, JaneMarie Sylvester, Lisa Tamasco, and Ann Walker. Of the 20 teachers selected to be a part of the field testing, 17 have supported moving forward with the program.

The process thus far has included field test 1, field test 2, pilot meetings and feedback rubric, classroom visits and check-ins, and consensus meetings. She said that a lack of substitutes made the consensus meetings difficult. As a result, the meetings were held at individual grade levels which Farrell said provided an interesting perspective on how each grade level was affected by the program.

Farrell said that qualities they were looking for in the program were that it was aligned, research-based, balanced with technology and print, and most importantly, fun for students. She said they were also seeking to make sure professional development was a priority so that they were not only supplying teachers with high quality materials but also improving instructional processes in the classroom. They were also looking for the program to include more non-fiction works including those that extended into other subject areas.

The schedule for the program includes training and planning time for K-5 teachers throughout the spring of 2022 and Understanding by Design (UBD) unit development and grade level scope and sequence planning over the summer.

Budget Presentation

Proulx gave a preliminary budget presentation. She told the Committee that Circuit Breaker, the State’s special education reimbursement program, was estimated at 65 percent for the initial budget. The regular day budget increase was 6.04 percent while there was a decrease of 11.02 percent in special education. The total budget represented an increase of 0.71 percent or an increase of $27,073 over the previous year. Veneto said he was estimating the incoming kindergarten class to match the size of the outgoing class therefore avoiding any potential enrollment increase. Notable increases were for textbooks, instructional software, and shared costs.

Some of the proposed costs that went beyond a level service budget included an adjustment counselor estimated at $65,000, a part-time ELL teacher estimated at $22,000, and a part-time instrumental music teacher for Grades 4-5 estimated at $11,000. With respect to the counselor, Veneto stressed the rise in requests for mental health services during the pandemic saying that cases of anxiety in students had quadrupled in the last few years. He also noted the difficulty of finding outside mental health services as most are not accepting new patients.

Veneto shared with the Committee some of the projects that had been completed in FY22 including the playground project, the paving project, the parking lot, tree removal, and the purchase of a custodial floor machine. Projects that still need completion going into FY23 include flooring replacement estimated at $9,800 per room for 4 rooms, rooftop unit replacement estimated at $30,000 each for 5 units, and replacement of the exterior siding for which a quote has not yet been established.

Eighth grader filling role in net for girls’ hockey co-op

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A key player on the Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake girls’ hockey team is also among the youngest.
The co-op only has one goalie on its roster this season, and she is in eighth grade: Sadie Watchorn. With an eighth grader in net, WHSL was 6-5-0 as of the start of this week.
Watchorn has helped keep the team competitive this season and had a number of strong performances. There have been two games this season where she only allowed one goal: a 4-1 win over Marshfield on January 5, and a 5-1 win over Norwell on January 17. She also picked up the win in what was a key Patriot League victory for WSHL last Saturday night. The team hosted the Hingham Harborwomen and beat them 5-4 in overtime.
In the win over Hingham, Shea Kelleher had the game-winning goal for WHSL. It was her second of two goals on the day. She also added two assists. Like Kelleher, Caitlin Dilley also had two goals in the win and two assists. Abbey Powers also netted a goal, and Brenna Hohmann added an assist. And Watchorn made a key save with 10 seconds left to send the game into overtime. Hingham was 6-4-0 going into the game and beat WHSL earlier in the season: 4-1 on December 22 at Pilgrim Arena in Hingham.
With a winning record as of the start of this week, WHSL continues to fight for a playoff spot. If they make it to the playoffs, they may have the youngest starting goaltender of any team in the tournament.
The next game for WSHL will take place this Saturday, January 29 at Hobomock Ice Arena against the Marshfield Rams (8:45 p.m. start time).

Area fire departments benefit from $5 million grant awards

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State Representative Kathy LaNatra (D-Kingston) announced that $5 million in grant funding was awarded to 306 Massachusetts fire departments from the FY22 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program.

This program enables fire departments to purchase a variety of equipment that will make firefighters’ jobs more safe.

This is the second year that  funding has been awarded for this purpose as part of a $25 million bond bill filed by the Baker-Polito administration to support firefighter safety and health in the coming years.

Chief Stephen Silva of the Plympton Fire Department is happy to announce they have been awarded $12,450.00 in grant money from the 2022 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program.  The Chief noted that the money will be used to purchase Thermal Imaging Cameras, as well as other life saving equipment.

Halifax won $15,465.34 for their safety equipment program, Kingston $19,000.00, and Middleboro $16,744.79.

Stonehill College Fall 2021 Dean’s List

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EASTON – The following area students have qualified for the Stonehill College Dean’s List, Fall semester.   Students must have a semester grade point average of 3.50 or better and must have completed successfully all courses for which they were registered.

Alexander Bejarano of Halifax; Emma Cardoso of Kingston; Lauren Kelliher of Kingston;  Madison Maiorano of Kingston; Daniel Snow of Halifax; Ashley Swift of Plympton;  and Erin deMacedo of Kingston.

Stonehill College, a Catholic institution of higher learning, was founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross in 1948. Located on the beautiful 384-acre campus and former estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames in North Easton, Massachusetts, it is a community of scholarship and faith, anchored by a belief in the inherent dignity of each person.

Through more than 100 academic programs in the liberal arts, sciences, business and pre-professional field, Stonehill College provides an education of the highest caliber that fosters critical thinking, free inquiry and the interchange of ideas for over 2,500 students.

Stonehill College educates the whole person so that each Stonehill graduate thinks, acts and leads with courage toward the creation of a more just and compassionate world.

Is your cloth mask enough?

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With the rise of the highly contagious Omicron variant of Covid-19, there has been an increased call for better quality masks. With so many options to choose from it can be hard to know what to look for in a mask. The following is a breakdown of the various types and the benefits and disadvantages of each.

NIOSH Approved Respirators

Respirators that are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) meet rigorous US standards. The most common of these is the N95, but others include N99, N100, P99, P100, R95, R99, and R100. Some of those listed may offer even better protection than an N95. When in short supply, as was the case at the start of the pandemic, it is recommended that these types of respirators be prioritized for healthcare workers. N95s are, however, widely available as of the start of 2022.

Note that true NIOSH approved masks will include an approval label that can be found either on the box or in the instructions. There will also be an abbreviated approval marking on the mask.

Fit and filtration are of the utmost importance when selecting a mask or respirator. When fitting properly, N95s filter up to 95 percent of particles in the air. A video demonstrating how to ensure a proper fit can be found at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tzpz5fko-fg. While one of the safest options available, they are not meant to be reused and can be costly. Some experts recommend that for those wishing to reuse their N95, they place it in an open paper bag and allow it to air out for at least a week before reusing.

It should be noted that respirators of this nature can generally not be found in children’s sizes as they were created for adult-use in specific fields.

Internationally Approved Respirators

The most common form of an internationally approved respirator is a KN95. While both N95 and KN95 masks purport to filter up to 95 percent of particles from the air, the biggest difference is how they are certified. The N95 is the US standard and the KN95 is the Chinese one. Like their KN95 counterpart, a KF94 respirator meets South Korean standards and an FFP2 Europe’s.

The CDC estimates that approximately 60 percent of KN95 masks on the market are counterfeit. The following link allows users to see if the manufacturer of their KN95 is registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfrl/rl.cfm. There are helpful lists on the FDA website as well including which manufacturers were granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for use in a healthcare setting.

There are a number of KN95 masks available in children’s sizes through retailers such as Amazon though it would be wise for consumers to do their due diligence in ensuring that they aren’t spending their money on counterfeit ones.

Surgical Masks

While not as effective as authentic N95s or KN95s, disposable or surgical masks, which are made from multiple non-woven layers, still offer protection. Like all masks or respirators, the fit is vital. The mask should fit snugly and should cover both the nose and the mouth completely. Masks with nose wires allow the users to customize them for a better fit. The CDC also recommends that wearers fold and tuck in unnecessary material under the edges. Videos on how to do so can be found online.

Cloth Masks

Two years into the pandemic, the variety of options for cloth masks seems infinite. Things to look for in a cloth mask include multiple layers of tightly woven breathable fabric, a nose wire, and a proper fit. Things to avoid in a cloth mask include a single layer fabric that does not block light, exhalation valves or vents, and an ill fit.

In general, the percentage of particles filtered by both surgical and cloth masks differ depending what source you look at though they are always significantly less than both KN95 and N95 respirators. While the quality of cloth masks also varies greatly, it is generally presumed that surgical masks offer better protection. It is sometimes recommended that those without access to KN95 or N95 masks layer a cloth mask over the top of a surgical mask for a better fit.

While many users prefer the comfort and cost savings of a cloth mask, some experts warn that cloth masks alone offer little protection against variants such as Omicron. CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said recently on CNN Newsroom, “Cloth masks are little more than facial decorations. There’s no place for them in light of Omicron.” Many hospitals require that patients and visitors swap out their masks for surgical ones.

With all of that said, any mask is preferable to none at all.

Silver Lake Girls’ Hockey Co-Op wins opener

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The Silver Lake girls’ hockey co-op with Whitman-Hanson got off to a later start than most teams did this winter season, but they enjoyed positive results in their opener.

The team, often referred to as WH/SL, faced off against Old Rochester on Sunday, Dec. 19 — and had a big showing on the attack. In a night game down at Gallo Arena in Bourne, many WH/SL players got in on the scoring action. The team beat Old Rochester 9-2, improving to 1-0 on the season.

There were a myriad of offensive contributors who pitched in to help the team win the game. Shea Kelleher led the way with a hat trick; her three goals were a team-high. The other player who scored multiple goals was Chloe Duff; she had two. Duff’s first goal of the game was the first of her varsity career. Additionally, WH/SL also got goals from Abbey Powers, Bridget Cardarelli, Lily Ulvila, and Kendyl Peterson.

Three days later, WH/SL played again. The team faced its first Patriot League opponent of the season: Hingham. WH/SL lost that one 4-1, falling to 1-1-0 on the season. Kelleher had the lone goal for the team in the loss and Peterson had the assist.

The next game for WH/SL will take place at home this Saturday, Jan. 1 at The Bog in Kingston against the Hanover Indians (5:40 p.m. start time).