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Adopt a mustang: this family now has three!

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Kathy Wright, of Hanson, Plympton’s Building Department administrative assistant, and her two children, Griffin and Kayleigh Webb, have adopted three mustangs as part of the Bureau of Land Management’s program to keep herds of wild horses to manageable number. Shadow, Hazel and Secret all live together on the Wright family property in Hanson, coming from Oklahoma and Oregon.

Only Shadow, at 4 1/2  is old enough to ride, and Griffin who just turned 18, said it takes a lot to train a mustang.  A lot of patience, time, strength, and faith that what you’re doing is going to get through and the animal will learn it can trust you.

Griffin first learned of the mustang adoption program at Norfolk Agricultural High School, where he graduated last month.  He has ridden horses practically since he could walk, his mom Kathy remembers.  “By 5 he was riding well, by 8 he was barrel racing! …  Horses have been his passion since I can remember.”

Why adopt a mustang?  Griffin said at first it was for the challenge.  Then it was for the bond that developed between horse and trainer, seeing for the first time that Shadow thought she just might be able to trust this young man not to hurt her.

When they went to Orange Extreme Mustang Makeover Adoption to see the horses two years ago, Kathy and Griffin chose Shadow, then a two-year-old. Getting her on and off the trailer was also an adventure.  She stood up, forelegs in the air, and wanted nothing to do with these people all around her.  “What have I done?” thought Kathy.  She was sure someone would get badly hurt.     

The Wright property had the required round ring for training, and Griffin would stand by the ring for hours, talking to Shadow, soothing her, but that little filly wanted nothing to do with him.  She wanted out.  But Griffin stayed the course; he actually spent the night beside the corral, letting Shadow know that he was there and wasn’t giving up.  When he woke it was to a curious Shadow nuzzling him.  He knew that he had won her trust.

With one hurdle conquered, the big one was yet to come – putting her under saddle!  That was another adventure, Kathy remembers.  Griffin got on, Shadow bucked him off!   “Then there was the time someone was leading her, but she broke loose and threw me into a tree,” Griffin said.  Best for mothers not to watch too closely …

The Bureau of Land Management gives its adopters 100 days to make progress with the mustangs.  In fact, they don’t turn over title to the animal for a year to be sure the horses have a good home.

Taking the mustang challenge to the extreme, Griffin entered Shadow into the Extreme Mustang Makeover Competition, where horses that have been with their adoptive homes for just 100 days, compete.  Griffin and Shadow also attended the Big E in Springfield; Shadow represented the BLM Mustang breed in the breed pavillion, where a representative of every breed of horse is shown. That was quite an honor!  Now Griffin works with Hazel, another two year old filly.

A family affair…

Everyone is involved with horses in this family. Along with the three mustangs, there are three other horses on the property. Kathy and both her children take care of them. Griffin plans to attend the University of New Hampshire in a dual pre-veterinary/pre-medical program. His sister Kayleigh seems to be following in his footsteps, and at 13 has adopted a mustang, too.  Hers is a baby, 9-month old Secret, a sweet little girl who already loves Kayleigh, though she’s only been at the Hanson home since March.  Kayleigh works with Secret, showing her how to lead, longe, and obey commands.  When Griffin goes to school in the fall, Kayleigh will take the reins and continue training Hazel and Secret.

Mustangs are wild horses that roam freely in herds in the American west, descendants of horses brought by the Spanish to the Americas.  In 1971, the United States Congress recognized that, “wild free-roaming horses and burros are living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West, that continue to contribute to the diversity of life forms within the Nation and enrich the lives of the American people.” The mustang population is managed and protected by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

How do I adopt a mustang?

There is information on the BLM website. See https://www.blm.gov/adoptahorse/

Monponsett Pond in bloom?

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Halifax– From June 6 to June 14, the contractor SOLitude Lake Management applied a phosphorus-limiting agent to West Monponsett Pond. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, feed on phosphorus. According to Dominic Meringolo, a senior environmental engineer with SOLitude,  aluminium sulfate and sodium aluminate have been applied in low doses as far back as 2012 to reduce cyanobacteria with only limited success.

This time is different, he says, because through a matching grant with the town of Halifax and the federal government’s Clean Water Act– administered by MassDEP– more money is available and the doses will be much higher, aiming to immediately block the bloom.

“No bloom is expected this summer,” said Meringolo.

To obtain the grant, the town and the contractor worked with the Natural Heritage Endangered Species program to develop a plan to not interfere with two endangered species, a type of freshwater mussel as well as a dragonfly that frequents the area. This will involve ongoing monitoring by SOLitude.

“It’s really hard to tell how long the treatment will last…we’re hoping for multiple seasons,” explained Meringolo. “But, phosphorus will leak back in through the watershed.”

Problems with the water quality in the West Monponsett pond go back decades. In 1964, during a drought, the state legislature passed special legislation allowing the city of Brockton to draw water from Monponsett Lake via Silver Lake, Brockton’s primary water source.

This effectively reversed the natural direction of the water flow, leaving West Monponsett pond stagnant and an excellent source for phosphorus to grow. Soon, cyanobacteria blooms were frequent in the summer, limiting recreational activity on the pond.

Residents and interest groups debate the sources of the phosphorous. Everything from fertilizers that cranberry bogs use to human sources such as leaking septic tanks have been blamed, yet it’s likely that a mixture of several sources have caused the problem.

Hopefully this summer will be cyanobacteria free.

Silver Lake softball falls in D1 South Final

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Maybe it was not what the Silver Lake High softball team had in mind, but it still goes down as a successful year.

The Lakers won their first 25 straight games which made them a favorite to win the state title. Their success led them to the Division 1 South final but ultimately, that would be as far as they would make it. On Saturday, June 10, their year came to a close as they took a 4-0 loss to Milford at Taunton High School.

At the plate, the Lakers were able to make contact–and lots of it. They did not strike out once, but Milford had a quality pitcher on the mound, who was able to prevent hard contact. The Lakers were limited to one hit in the contest; it was an infield single from Anna Battista in the bottom of the fifth inning.

While the Lakers were able to make a lot of contact in the contest, they simply just had some bad luck with it. Most of the balls they hit were taken care of by Milford’s clean infield defense. As a result, they only got a runner in scoring position on one occasion. On the mound, Jill Richards took the loss. But she managed to strike out six batters and only allowed one extra-base hit.

Milford had the bulk of their success offensively in the third inning of the contest. They put up three runs on five hits, which put them ahead up 3-0. In the top of the sixth, they added another run on a bases-loaded single.

The win improved Milford to 23-1.

In the Lakers previous three games before playing Milford, they put up 26 runs.

Last year, the Lakers had a similar year; they fell, 5-2, in the Div. 1 South final against Bishop Feehan.

Halifax selectmen name FinCom, ConCom appointments for FY18

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Halifax Selectmen met briefly on Tuesday, June 13, to make appointments, two to the Finance Committee and one to the Conservation Commission.

Finance Committee chairman Gordon Andrews asked selectmen to reappoint Linda Braga and William McAvoy to the Finance Committee. The Board voted unanimously and welcomed both back to the Finance Committee.

Selectmen then met with Edward Lane, who was seeking appointment to the town’s Conservation Commission. Lane has already been helping out the Conservation Commission, but is seeking to replace April Letourneau, as she is resigning.Selectmen voted unanimously to appoint Lane to the Conservation Commission.

Selectmen Chairman Tom Millias said, “I want to thank April for her time and service on this commission.” He, with the rest of the Board, also expressed confidence in Lane as a new member.

Old ambulance                     to be traded

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig shared with the Board that the Fire Department plans to use an old ambulance as a trade-in toward the new ambulance that was approved at May’s Annual Town Meeting. According to Seelig, the Fire Department will get a $5,000 trade in value towards the new ambulance. Seelig said, “The old ambulance has over 100,000 miles on it as well as mechanical issues.”

Selectmen approved the trade in. Millias commented, “I would rather trade it in than have it depreciate in value.”

Town Administrator Charles Seelig acknowledged resident complaints about the amount of trash on the town’s streets. He said that the street sweeping system needs a complete rebuild. Seelig said they are working on the problem and are in the process of talking to different companies.

A boy from Halifax named Peter Smith suggested that Selectmen explore building a skating rink. Details were not specific. Selectmen Clerk Troy Garron said that that could mean many things because a tarp with frozen water on it in a field can be considered a skating rink. It was unclear if a temporary seasonal rink or a permanent indoor rink was what Smith had in mind.

Seelig said he would send out an email to find out more information on the cost analysis of such a project. Troy Garron also suggested that Peter Smith should present his idea to the Recreation Department.

The Selectmen did say though that this project is not something the town would spend money on at this time. Selectmen Vice-chair Kim Roy said, “I’m sure the boy has good intentions, but the HOPS Playground, another recreational project is relying on volunteers and fundraising.”

Town Administrator Charles Seelig’s contract was discussed and approved for the year. The only change discussed publicly was unused vacation time being carried over to this year.

The next Halifax selectmen’s meeting is Tuesday, June 27. Open session starts at 7:30PM.

Fiery crash at Halifax-Plympton line rescue after crash

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A 52 year old Cape Cod man is fortunate to be alive after a fiery crash Tuesday afternoon when he veered off the road and into a tree near 113 Monponsett Street by the Halifax-Plympton line.

The unidentified male was partially ejected from the impact when witnesses reached him they pulled him to safety through the vehicle window.

Andy Lewis of Hanson reportedly told first responders he heard the crash from across the street in a field where he was using a brush mower.

A few cars back off-duty firefighter Richard Moroge of Wareham witnessed the Jeep Grand Cherokee going off the road.  They jumped into action dragging the male approximately 20 feet away from the burning vehicle. The vehicle had a fully involved engine fire after striking the tree; however the driver cab had not caught fire in the minutes that ensued, according to Halifax Fire Chief Jason Viveiros.

Moroge’s department website lists him as a Wareham firefighter since 1984.

Multiple 911 calls were received by passersby at the Regional Old Colony Communications Center in Duxbury   at 1:23 p.m. The male sustained non-life threatening injuries and was ground-transported by Halifax EMS.

Halifax and Plympton police and Plympton Fire Chief Borsari all assisted at the scene. Halifax police are investigating the accident.

Which firm will they hire?

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At Monday night’s meeting, Plympton Selectman John Traynor said he is torn between what firm to use to help hire a town administrator. In several previous meetings, Traynor and other members of the board expressed their leanings towards the Collins’ Center. Traynor said that he likes their process in the screening stages.

Representatives from Municipal Resources, a consulting firm based out of Meredith, NH, made their case to selectmen for why Plympton should choose their hiring firm. Highlighting their familiarity with towns like Plympton, the pair told selectmen that most of their work is primarily in New England, although they have also consulted for communities as far south as North Carolina.

Unlike the Collins’ Group, whose process relies heavily on input from a citizen panel throughout the entire process, Municipal Resources puts a larger emphasis on their experience as a firm in finding the right candidates.

Municipal Resources representatives said that this doesn’t mean they don’t use input from the town. There are cases where interviewing/screening panels from town representatives are used and there is always town input. The firm’s normal process is conducting all the screening before having candidates interview with the Board of Selectmen.

This process starts with the firm narrowing down the field of applicants to 10-15 candidates. Municipal Resources will then send out 5 essay questions to each of the remaining applicants.

Selectman Mark Russo asked what types of things are asked in the essay questions. The firm’s representatives said they need to get to know the town better early in the process before knowing the exact question’s they would ask.

They did say though that a question about large budget projects will be asked. since the hired town administrator will be coming into a situation where Plympton is working toward a $3 million dollar police station. Once the essay portion of the process is complete, on-site interviews with selectmen will take place and the field will be narrowed down to three candidates.

Municipal Resources explained their emphasis on their experience in the hiring process by telling the town about the veto power that is a part of every one of their hiring processes. This means that if a town panel screens/interviews a candidate and does not like them initially, Municipal Resources reserves the right to put a candidate through to the next interview round anyway.

This raised some questions from the Board and other department and committee members in attendance. Traynor voiced some concern over the veto power process Municipal Resources uses. He asked how the community gets involved.

The firm said they want to get to know Plympton more by having a meeting with the department heads. They said they plan to interview those department heads individually for about 15-20 minutes. Input from the Council on Aging is also expected.

Former selectman Colleen Thompson questioned  a comment where the firm referred to the Plympton opening as entry-level. The firm’s representatives said that based on the town’s population, they inferred that the town would not be paying a salary of $140,000-150,000 per year that Town Administrators make in some larger cities and towns.

Municipal Resources said that it’s not likely someone would take a pay cut to come here, but did not rule out the possibility. They said the town is more likely to get candidates who would be looking to advance in the public sector or have a relevant background in the private sector.

Thompson followed up by saying that entry level can mean a stepping stone for an employee and raised some questions about the long-term commitment of this type of candidate.

Selectmen are planning to decide which of the two consulting firms they will use when they next meet on Monday, June 19.  Selectman Mark Russo will be calling references for both Municipal Resources and the Collins’ Center this week.

Public Safety Building Update

John Wilhelmson and Colleen Thompson from the Public Safety Building Committee came before the board to ask that they renew the contracts for P-3 (project management firm) and Context (engineering and design firm formerly known as Donham and Sweeney). Wilhelson said that “It was a very purposeful process to get to $3 million. (for the police station).” He acknowledged that both played a large role in getting to a figure the town can afford.

While talking about P-3 Wilhelmson mentioned that the Public Safety Building Committee plans to survey the 5-acre parcel of land abutting the town property, which the town plans to purchase. John Wilhelmson said that there’s $44,000 left from last year’s appropriated article and some of this could be used for the survey.

Dennett School Water Treatment

John Wilhelmson is also a member of the Dennett School Committee and presented an update to the board on the water treatment project approved at Annual Town Meeting. Wilhelmson said he had a follow-up meeting with the designer. The meeting included talks about preparing build contracts and selecting these contracts.

Wilhelmson said that every part of the water treatment has to be approved by the Department of Environmental Protection before they can be installed. The board signed a work order for $14,500 for these services. This is within the appropriated budget for the project according to Wilhelmson.

Other News

Planning Board Chair Deb Anderson came before the Board of Selectmen to inform them that Building Inspector Robert Karling has volunteered to join the Planning Board to help the board to a quorum.  At last month’s annual Town Election, no candidate came forward to be on the ballot and while there were several names written in, there was a failure as no candidate got more than one vote.

Karling is currently the Zoning Enforcement Officer. Selectmen will check with Town Counsel to avoid any potential conflict of interest.

This appointment was approved pending Town Counsel approval. Having Karling as a member of the Planning Board, in addition to his wealth of knowledge, either allows or gives the board the necessary numbers for a quorum.  His term, if approved, will last until election next year.

Plympton selectmen will next meet Monday, June 19. Open session starts at 6 p.m.

SL boys’ lacrosse falls to Newton South

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A .500 record of nine wins and nine losses was enough to lead the Silver Lake boys’ lacrosse team to the playoffs. And despite being a No. 17 seed, they played a competitive game against a tough program in the preliminary round of the MIAA Division 1 South playoff bracket.

On Wednesday, May 31, the Lakers made the trip north to Newton South High School to take on Newton South. Despite the Lakers’ surge at the end of the regular season, winning seven of their last ten, they came up just short in their playoff game, taking an 11-10 loss, which ended their season.

The Lakers entered the fourth quarter trailing by two goals and while they actually managed to outscore their foe in the final 12 minutes of the contest. Their tight defense held Newton South to just one goal in the fourth quarter, but even that strong defense could not supplement for the strong play in net from their opponent’s tough goalkeeper, who protected a one-goal lead late in the contest.

In the early going, the Lakers game plan on the attack went particularly well. They jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to strong execution and by the end of the first quarter, they owned a 4-1 lead. Freshman attacker Gregory Wolff put up a pair of goals in the quarter; senior midfielder Drew Neal and sophomore attacker Brendan Dean put up the other two. 

Making it to the playoffs in itself was a major accomplishment for the program, a team who won just one game the year prior–against a Milton High team that went defeated–0-18–on the year.

Now, the Lakers will graduate 10 seniors: midfielder Myles Toole, midfielder Nolan McDonald, midfielder Jared Silveira, defender Jack Walsh, defender Jonathan Lawless, midfielder Cameron Lambert, defender Thomas Bruce, attacker Tyler Heath, midfielder Timothy Feight and midfielder Drew Neal.

Selectmen meet to discuss FY18 goals: Finding the “right” Town Administrator deemed number one priority

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Plympton Selectmen met on Tuesday, May 30.  Normally the Board doesn’t meet following a Monday holiday, but newly elected Selectman Mark Russo requested the meeting in order to establish written objectives and priorities for the town for the year.

When naming their individual objectives, all three Selectmen emphasized successfully hiring a Town Administrator. Russo said, “Getting the right person is the number one priority.”

Right now, the Board is strongly considering using the Collin’s Center firm based out of UMass Boston, for their search. Another option is also being explored, but details were not discussed. Selectman John Traynor said, “I am impressed by the Collin’s Centers process,” referring to their screening process and identification of town goals and values from the beginning of the search process.

As another goal, Selectmen Chair Christine Joy wants a larger social media presence for the town. All members of the board agreed and said that this could be one facet of the responsibility for the new town administrator.

Other priority objectives included the planning and building of the new police station approved at the Annual Town Meeting. John Traynor identified public safety in general as a priority because of the future plans for the fire station down the line. The Dennett School water system, promoting volunteerism, upgrading IT, economic development, and grants were all discussed in brief as other important goals for town improvement.

Mark Russo believes Plympton is in a unique situation where they may be attractive for grants. He said, “Plympton was one of the first Community Compact towns in the state.”

Community Compact was an executive order from Governor Charlie Baker put in place on January 23, 2015. The purpose of this executive order as put by Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito is “To elevate the administration’s partnerships with cities and towns in all communities of the Commonwealth.” John Traynor added, “We have a good story.

Other News

Traynor told the Board that he’s been in discussion with three different consultant groups regarding the Fire Department/EMS study. The three groups mentioned include Ernest Horn, the Matrix Group, and the Carlson Group. Traynor said, “All three will get me a proposed approach later in the week.”

Selectmen finished establishing which board member will be liaison for the different boards and committees of the town.

John Traynor will be the liaison for the following:

• Fire Department • IT • Finance Committee • Town Clerk • Historical Society • Cultural Council

Christine Joy will be the liaison for the following:

• School Committee • Building Department • Planning Board • Zoning Board • Board of Health • Bylaw Review Committee • Animal Control • Highway Department • Old Colony Planning Council • Recreation Commission • Tree Warden

Mark Russo will be the liaison for the following:

• Police Department • Public Safety Building Committee • Conservation Commission • Garden Club • Historic District Commission • Library • Council on Aging • Agricultural Commission  • Community Preservation Committee  • Veteran’s services

The Board also discussed whether or not boards and committees should be required to video tape all of their official meetings. Originally this was something the board wanted to think about implementing in April of this year and sent out letters previously to the different boards, departments, and committees to let them know what they were thinking of doing.

Both the Board of Assessors and the Board of Health expressed concerns. The Board of Selectmen also recognize that this is something they could only enforce on committees they appoint. They are not able to enforce this on other elected boards without a change to town bylaws.

There was some disagreement between John Traynor and Mark Russo on the level of transparency that the boards are already giving. Russo says the boards are showing transparency by posting more detailed agendas to the town website prior to meetings. He also said that people who see something that interests or concerns them on the agenda can go to a meeting and have in the past.

Traynor said he disagreed and would like to see committees and boards post their meeting as online videos as the selectmen do. He said that in other towns, this is done easily by turning on a laptop with a web camera in the meeting room and simply posting after the meeting.

All members of the board agreed this isn’t a priority at this time and will be focusing their time on hiring a town administrator and other priorities identified at the meeting.

Special Ed stabilization account proposed

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen heard a presentation for a proposed new special education stabilization fund for the Dennett School at their meeting on Monday, June 5. Dennett School Committee members Jon Wilhelmson and Jason Fraser discussed this newly allowed reserve fund with the board.

Wilhelmson and Fraser explained that Section 24 of Chapter 218 of Massachusetts’ Acts of 2016 allow municipalities to establish a savings account for special education. John Wilhelmson said the law limits the amount in the stabilization account to 2% of the school committee’s operating budget. He went on to say, “This is a chance to put away roughly $70,000 (for IEP support).”

Last year, the Dennett school committee was able to return somewhere between $50,000 and $60,000 from its operating budget to the town. Wilhelmson emphasized however that the special education line on the budget fluctuates from year to year more than any other part of the budget.

He added that a student requiring an IEP (individualized education plan) could cost equal to and in some cases, more than the estimated $70,000 allotted by this reserve fund. A child or children who need special education services could be added to the school population at any time, which increases the special education budget. Wilhelmson said that this is essentially a fund to help even out unanticipated budgetary situations and help a student who needs it.

According to Jason Fraser, the account has the ability to roll over from year to year, but once the 2% threshold is hit, more money cannot be added to the account. He also said that establishing this fund requires a majority vote from both the school committee and the local legislative body.

The presentation initially said that a Board of Selectmen’s vote would cover the legislative approval. Selectman John Traynor and Town Accountant Barbara Gomez both expressed their beliefs about the legislative body of Plympton in the Annual Town Meeting.

Wilhelmson asked Gomez and the board if it could be established with a special town meeting. Gomez said the fund could be established at a special town meeting, but could not be funded until a vote at next year’s Annual Town Meeting.

Traynor said that the fund seems like a good idea, but the Board will have to look through the details with this being a newly allowed stabilization fund. He also said that with Annual Town Meeting having the largest legislative audience, it’s the appropriate forum for the account to be voted on. Jason Fraser agreed adding, “We have a moral obligation to the children and to the tax payers.”

Goals and Grants

Selectmen continued to explore ways to accomplish goals they’ve set for the rest of 2017. At the selectmen’s meeting on Tuesday, May 30, the Board established areas they wanted to focus on for the remainder of the year, including: hiring a town administrator, the public safety building project with the new police station, financial management, technology, grants, and volunteerism.

This meeting focused the discussion on the grant aspect. Selectman Traynor told the board that former Selectman Chair Colleen Thompson had referred him to a grantwriting professor at Northeastern University. Traynor said, “I saw her lectures online and she’s the real deal.”

Traynor also mentioned that this professor assigns actual grant projects to her students. The board believes there is potential here to help the town have grants written at low or possibly no cost.

Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said that both the town and students can get something out of a relationship like this. Selectman Mark Russo added, “It’s too good. I love the educational aspect.”

Other News

There was some discussion on the Board wanting more regular updates to the town website from other boards and committees. Selectmen John Traynor referred to the state of the website as “embarrassing.”

He said that some boards and committees have not updated their respective sections in over a year. The site includes wrong information about board members and meetings and some information is not updated at all.

The next Board of Selectmen meeting is Monday, June 12, 2017 at 6 p.m. There is expected to be a presentation from a firm regarding the hiring of a town administrator.

Graduates ready to begin life’s next step

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With high school graduation ceremonies occurring all over the South Shore this past weekend, it was a welcoming time for celebration of achievement and abundant retrospect of the years spent in a single, familiar atmosphere, both cherishing friendships formed and wondering what happens next.

Silver Lake Regional High School graduated 268 seniors on Saturday, June 3, rejoicing outdoors with a well-behaved Mother Nature.  However, behind the scenes planning began in January with many hands and eyes; the day took great preparations for success. From proofreaders with numerous spell checks of each graduate’s name and awards accomplished to ordering the commencement booklets, sizing for gowns and caps, responsibilities for ordering flowers, to a complete installation of live feeds for the outdoor sound system. Many were also finishing speeches along with their daily schedules and extra-curricular activities while attending the monthly committee meetings for the big day.

Class officers who spoke during Silver Lake graduation Saturday morning reminisced of the  ‘early days’ as freshman, silly dance moves, getting lost on the third floor pool area, which didn’t exist, and taking selfies over the last four years. In a teenager’s world it was barely surviving the pre-dawn start of school when the alarm clock went off way too early so they could find a parking spot.  Nearly everyone lacked sleep.

They confessed their six years in the Silver Lake district were fun but not easy.  An enormous bonus to something they had been intimidated by at the start of seventh grade was the meshing together of the three towns into one regional school. They soon realized there were cherished, newfound friendships only streets away.

Laughter came from all in attendance, as staff guest speaker Sean Donovan reminded graduates through common relatable senior-isms of how far they had come. He reminded them of individual journeys each student took along slightly different paths but still finishing at the same spot.

Celebrating their accomplishments before the Silver Lake community he parted by reminding them to stay true and remain predictable. Be a good friend, a trait in which people can rely on knowing they have that solid someone out there.

Nathan Finney of Halifax, Salutatorian of his senior class of 2017, was introduced as a ’good friend to all’ by Isabella Levesque, class historian. He has been a member of the gay – straight alliance for the last four years and is a talented member of chorus and drama. He carried primary roles in all eight fall and spring productions.

Finney addressed his classmates and guests with a diverse look at friendships, differences, and acceptance that he feels will create a brighter future.

“Before me sits a class with many different ideas and talents and students with many different backgrounds; these differences serve to make us stronger,” said Finney.

“Every one of us is capable of pursuing something that makes us successful and happy but if we want our futures brighter we can only achieve this by listening to each other and respecting our differences,” he said.

He shared a story of his most memorable experiences at Silver Lake involving a leadership class. He also compared the dissimilarities of individuals in drama club but on a common ground by way of new friendship and a mutual goal to create something they could be proud of, he said.

Giving and getting a hug during drama production week, everyone encourages and congratulates each other on their success. Stage prep and building props, long hours and the feeling of nervous energy before the show were just some of the many things that drew them all together. “We are not the same…but we had a shared experience and a common goal”, he said.

Principal Jim Mulcahy of the Silver Lake Regional School District gave out more than 250 diplomas Saturday. He knew firsthand what the graduates were experiencing as they recalled the time at Silver Lake and friendships formed.

He too will be heading for new endeavors as he leaves the school district and familiar faces for an opportunity closer to home. Having grown up in Plympton his roots remain strong as his parents still reside there.

“The friendships that I made are my strongest, closest friends to this day.  I still see those guys. We still get together… now we are married with kids. Those were the strongest bonds, with classes and sports and growing up together,” said Mulcahy.

The forming of friendships in elementary school and knowing those around you may be slightly easier in smaller populations like Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston.

In his tenure at Silver Lake, Mulcahy said sharing a positive school experience by finding ‘your hook’ such as: sports, clubs, or drama can help students form lasting friendships as seen on the stage at graduation and the field following the services. Students embraced one another as did the undergraduates promising not to lose touch with one another.

Doing well in school, staying disciplined, getting work done – those have been strong examples, which have been helpful guiding our students to a strong education and finding their place in our school community, he added.

“If you find your passion- that will trickle down… so that students   have ownership of their education and the ownership tends to breed success,” said Mulcahy.

I had a lot of good teachers and mentors at Silver Lake as well as my parents- who are not teachers- but they valued education. They pushed me to work hard, he said.

“I have had the unique opportunity to work in the community I grew up in.  I am never going to be able to replicate that.   I will miss the people the most.  Students, parents, staff, administrators and the superintendents I have worked with. The people are always the best part.  That is what I will miss the most – the strong connections – I am really going to miss them.”

Mulcahy as accepted a position as principal of the Sandwich High School.  He makes his home with his family on Cape Cod.