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Halifax welcomes new COA director

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Nancy Emerson
Express correspondent

Enthusiasm and energy are hallmarks of Darlene Regan as she delves into her new position of Director of the Halifax Council on Aging. Her most immediate project is finding safe ways to restart community programs that were unable to meet during the pandemic. Other projects emphasize educating seniors and community members about the resources that would help them in different situations and then facilitating their links to them.

“We are a connection to a core of care,” Regan says. “We want to have fun, but we are going to be educational too.” Her staff gets high marks from Regan who entered this office just a month ago. During the pandemic’s severe limitations which ended recently, they were able to run programs such as Meals on Wheels, Grab and Go Lunches, and a plethora of health and outreach information sources. Sometimes they add little decorative touches such as placing locally picked flowers in bud vases on each table in the dining room.

The Halifax COA headquarters in the historic Pope Tavern does pose a challenge to restarting programs. Rooms are small and several are on the second floor, accessed only by a steep staircase. Thus, Regan praises the places in town like the library and Heinrich Hall that allow some COA programs to meet in their large rooms as she seeks additional places to provide more programs. Meanwhile, The Joy of Writing, chair yoga, and men’s coffee group meet now and plans include soon starting a women’s coffee group, art classes, and various needlework groups.

Few people realize how many resources are available or know how to access them. Likewise, few know how local, regional, state and federal entities cooperate and coordinate to provide these services and information. Hopes of running a fair in the fall to bring this information easily to the whole community place high on the list of coming events.

Regan also praises volunteers who make many programs possible. “I love this community,” she says. “It’s vibrant. I’ve never seen so many volunteers.” They are a vital force as COA’s, like other town, county, state and federal entities share limited funds. Also vital is the Board of Directors and she feels that they have a good mix of people representing various aspects of the community on that board.

Over twenty years Regan transitioned from private business. For ten years she worked as a SHINE counselor through Old Colony Elder Services. Adding to her original degree from Assumption College, she earned a Gerontology Graduate Certificate from the McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies at UMASS/Boston.

“I built my network being approachable,” says Regan. “Please come visit.”

Perry in, Piccirilli out

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in the early afternoon of July 23. The Selectmen quickly went into executive session to deliberate on multiple contracts before returning to open session. Those contracts included sergeant, patrol officers, firefighters, Highway Mix Unit, Police Chief, Fire Chief, and all unions at the Silver Lake Regional School District and Halifax Elementary School. Upon returning, Selectman Chair Gordon Andrews said of the next item on the agenda, “I’m going to recuse myself because of the ongoing lawsuits and my petitioning activity.”

The item in question was the appointment of the Building Inspector. Selectman Troy Garron said, “First of all, I work for the town. The town has put me in this position several times, I don’t know why, but they have. It’s important to me that things are always above board and fair. I still feel very strongly that Rob Piccirilli is the choice for Building Inspector but unfortunately, that’s not happening.” Selectman Ashley DiSesa then said that she recommended James Perry. Following a sigh, Garron said, “I’ll second it.” It was then voted on unanimously.

Perry, who was appointed as Building Inspector, said during his interview, “I’ve been in the building business my whole entire career, residential and commercial.” Perry attended and earned a degree from Wentworth Institute of Technology. He ran the family business for many years before going into business on his own where he specialized in residential development and new construction. “I always had it in my mind, at some point down the line, to transition into some type of inspector’s job and this became available and I think I’m at a point in my career where between all of my experience and knowledge, I think it’s a good fit,” Perry had told the Board during his interview in June.

A member of the audience did ask why Mr. Piccirilli was not reappointed to which Garron replied, “I’m not at liberty to say.” It was also questioned why DiSesa would have a vote on whether Piccirilli was capable of doing the job as she wasn’t serving on the Board during his stay as Building Inspector. With regard to public comments made that the residents were being left in the dark, Garron said, “I agree with you on that. Unfortunately with legal matters that are going on, I can’t comment on it.” The resident then turned to DiSesa and said, “Can I ask you, what do you base your decision on?” DiSesa responded, “We’ve been advised by our legal counsel to probably not take public comment and to not speak anymore on this at the moment… so I apologize.” Robert Piccirilli currently has an ongoing lawsuit against the town of Halifax.

Piccirilli was not the only longstanding town employee or volunteer to not be reappointed by the new formation of the Board of Selectmen. Town Counsel Lawrence P. Mayo was also recently replaced by the law firm ofBrooks & DeRensis. Additionally, Robert Gaynor who has served on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for 32 years, most recently as Chair, is unlikely to continue on the ZBA. In all instances, Garron voted in favor of reappointment stressing his disappointment that the individuals would not be reappointed.

Plympton accepted into GATRA

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The Plympton Board of Selectmen met remotely on the evening of Monday, July 26. Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte was there to discuss the progress with indicating the new safety zones throughout town. Firlotte said he had stencils that will eventually spell out “safety zone” and added that there would be reflective media included in the paint that would allow for extra visibility. In addition to the stenciling, there will be signs that will also have a reflective component. The indicators will alert drivers to the 20 mph zones. Firlotte said he was hopeful to get the paint down in the next couple of weeks. Selectman Mark Russo said, “really look forward to seeing if this works.”

The Board also discussed the cable contract with Area 58. Russo said that it was brought to his attention that the last few meetings were not available on Area 58. He said he brought it to their attention and the problem was rectified. Selectman John Traynor said that Comcast has an agreement with the town that they will make internet available to any of the town sites. He said he would like to see the Old Townhouse have it available. Town Administrator Liz Dennehy said that part of the Green Communities Grant included the installation of WiFi thermostats for the Old Townhouse. They are being installed with the intention of being programmed at a later date when WiFi becomes available at that location.

There was also a discussion of the Carver Urban Renewal Project. Selectman Chair Christine joy said she reached out to the Chair of the Redevelopment Authority but had not heard back yet. Dennehy said she had reached out to the Carver Town Administrator but had also not heard back. Dennehy was looking for some clarification regarding the changes to zoning including height requirements.

Resident Melissa Jackson was on the call and said, “We are concerned about light and noise remediation. There were a lot of “jokes” about how it is going to affect Plympton residents from people on the walk through.” Jackson also said that there was talk of raising the height of the buildings to 65 ft with floodlights. “They also want to put 200 tractor trailer bays facing Heathers Path and Toby’s Lane instead of putting them on the route 44 side,” Jackson said. “This affects a large number of residents with the placement of this project.” Joy pointed out.

Dennehy provided a Town Administrator’s update saying, “We were made aware today that there is an active Covid case in town and are watching to see if there are any others that sprout up because of that.” Dennehy pointed out that since it is protected health information there is no way to no if the person was vaccinated or not.

Dennehy also provided an update on some of the ongoing grant projects. She said the Hazard Mitigation Plan was nearing completion and would soon be sent to FEMA and NEMA for review. Dennehy said she was expecting feedback explaining, “From what I understand, they are very active in their review process.” Additionally, she said the Green Communities Grant was moving along nicely.

Dennehy told the Board that the town was formally accepted into the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA). She explained that they would be meeting with them later in the week to find out “what does it mean for our transportation needs.” Colleen Thompson, who serves on the Town Properties Committee, has put together a comprehensive list of questions to find out how GATRA will best serve the community.

Dennehy said she was looking forward to working with the town’s new Treasurer/Collector and Town Accountant. She said she met with them earlier that day. “It was a really good meeting; I’m very excited about our two new financial people.”

Upon request some correspondence was read into the record from the attorneys representing the landowners whose properties abut the town owned land on Brook St. They stated that they were adamantly opposed to what they referred to as a “proposed shelter or similar facility” being constructed on the land that abuts their own. There appeared to be confusion regarding what the town’s intention was for the land. It had earlier been suggested that the land might be appropriate for a Habitat for Humanity home of some sort. The attorneys stated in the letter that the owners would be happy to buy the land at fair market value. Regarding selling the land, Traynor said, “We should go out and get it appraised as a building lot if we decided we wanted to sell it.”

Per tradition, the Selectmen ended their meeting with their raves for the last few weeks. Russo said his rave was for the public participation and attendance at that night’s meeting calling it “a pleasure to have guests joining us tonight.” He addressed them saying, “glad you guys are with us, thank you.” Traynor said his rave was for the vaccination goals for the state of Massachusetts. He pointed out that our state is among the top nationally for vaccination rates. Traynor also mentioned what a pleasure it was to attend the genealogy meeting with most people going maskless. Joy had two raves. One for finally being setup with GATRA. She said, “What a great opportunity this is for us.” Her second rave was for the work being done by the Highway Department and Firlotte in particular.

In support of increased Mental Health Programs for law enforcement officers

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By State Representative
Kathy LaNatra

I recently read the story of 26-year old Rowley, MA police officer Stephen Levesque who tragically took his own life last month. A quote from Rowley Police Chief Scott Dumas puts the issue in sharp perspective. He said, “Many suffer in plain sight, as Stephen did, leaving us all to live with the questions, “What did I miss? What could I have done’?”

Sadly, this story is not new to the law enforcement community. According to one study, between 125 and 300 law enforcement officers take their own lives every year. Thirty percent of first responders suffer from mental health issues, such as PTSD or depression. This is a much higher rate than the general population experiences. Studies additionally point to an increased prevalence of mental health issues when law enforcement officers respond to a traumatic event.

We need to do much more to address the mental health crisis that persists in the United States today. And specifically for our law enforcement community, we need to provide resources and protocols for police departments to ensure the well-being of officers who have been involved in critical or traumatic incidents.

I am proud to have filed a bill this session to address this issue. My bill, entitled H3845, “An Act relative to the well being of law enforcement officers after involvement in a critical incident,” would mandate that every law enforcement agency in the Commonwealth create a program to support officers who have been involved in such an incident. These programs would contain pre-incident preparation, post-critical incident services to both the officer and their family, guidelines for temporary leave to mentally recover, a reintegration plan into the department, as well as access to ongoing mental health services.

I had two goals in mind in filing this legislation. The first is to save lives. No officer involved in any sort of traumatic incident should ever have to suffer in silence. Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to save people. We must do all we can to ensure that they have the resources to deal with mental health crises. One police officer taking his/her own life is one too many.

I additionally believe that this legislation will result in even better police officers. Over time, the constant weight of dealing with traumatic incidents can make it more difficult for officers to do their jobs effectively. The creation of a robust mental health program will help each police department ensure that their officers have fully recovered both physically and mentally from past traumatic experiences before they return to the field.

Piccirilli is hired – for now

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The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on the evening of Tuesday, July 13. The Selectmen voted on multiple Licensing Authority Appointments including David Acevich, Edward Broderick, Patrick Donnelly, Robert Gaynor, Jay Guidaboni, Jennifer Keegan, Thomas Reed, and Herbert Wiltshire. Selectman Gordon Andrews abstained from voting on Gaynor. All were unanimously approved.

Town Administrator Charlie Seelig then asked the Board if they wanted to deal with the appointment of the Building Inspector. Robert Piccirilli, who served as Building Inspector for the last several years, was not reappointed and currently has a suit against the town. Longtime Selectman Troy Garron has previously stated that he believed Piccirilli performed well in the position and should have been reappointed. Andrews recused himself from the discussion and potential vote. Garron and newest Selectman Ashley DiSesa were previously unable to come to an agreement on the appointment of a Building Inspector. They did, however, vote to appoint Piccirilli as the temporary Building Inspector for a few weeks in the interim. Garron, again, reiterated his belief that Piccirilli should be reappointed to a full-time position.

The last meeting of the Traffic Safety Committee was also discussed. DiSesa, who was in attendance, said that Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward will be putting up speed limit signs on portions of Walnut St. She said they were also working on a speed trap. There was also some discussion around who would be responsible for the blinking sign by the school. Hayward argued that since the sign is associated with the school, they should be responsible for the maintenance of the sign. Seelig said that it should likely be its own line item in the Highway budget.

The Selectmen had an appointment with Paul Nixon, owner of Independent Fermentations Brewing for a temporary liquor license for three events being held at Fieldstone Farm. Nixon said that there are annual horse shows held each year at Fieldstone Farm. Representatives from Fieldstone Farm had contacted Nixon to see if his brewery would be interested in serving the events. Nixon named the event dates as August 21, 22, 27, and 28 as well as September 11 and 12. The Board voted to approve.

Seelig gave a vaccination update saying that Halifax was doing average compared to other surrounding towns. He said the town could be doing better with younger demographics. Seelig pointed out that cases were going back up in Massachusetts saying he would urge people to get the vaccine to protect themselves and friends and families. Andrews recommended that the town utilizes the reverse 911 feature to notify residents of the dates for the vaccination clinic that will be held in Kingston for residents of Duxbury, Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton.

The Selectmen had a 7 p. m. appointment with Susan Hill for the Board of Library Trustees. Hill said that she has been a resident of Halifax for 26 years. Hill, who said she grew up in Boston, said, “I know from personal experience… from growing up in an underprivileged community, how important libraries are.” Hill referenced her stint on Jeopardy last year and said that when brushing up she noticed herself turning to the library rather than Google. Garron asked her if she had attended town meeting and she said she had been to some of them. Kristine Boyles was next to interview for the Board of Library Trustees. Boyles said she just moved into town last November from neighboring Plympton where she said she served on the Board of Library Trustees for 18 years. Boyles also said she was an educator in the area for nearly 30 years and is now currently employed by the Plymouth Public Library. Garron said she sounded busy and asked if she had time for the position. Boyles said her mother always said, “If you want something done, ask a busy person.” The vote is a joint one between the Library Trustees and the Selectmen and will be taken at a later time.

Kim Cavicchi interviewed next for the Conservation Commission saying she has served as an associate member for the last few months. “It’s such a great group of people,” she said of the Commission. Seelig explained that associate members are involved in discussions, etc. but cannot vote. The other members of the Commission wrote a letter recommending Cavicchi for the open position. Cavicchi was appointed to the position.

Jean Gallant was next to interview for the Council on Aging (COA). Gallant is the current Director of the Holmes Public Library since 2016. “I think we all know the answers to the average questions,” Andrews joked. Andrews did ask Gallant if she had the time. Gallant said that she had thought of it a lot adding, “the way I feel about having the time is I would make the time for something like this.” She said that in most communities the COA and the library work together closely. Gallant was voted unanimously onto the COA by the Selectmen.

Daniel Borsari was next to appear before the Selectmen for a regular member opening on the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). He has been an associate member on the ZBA for the last five years. He said he was able to vote when one of the regular members was not able to attend a meeting. Borsari took the opportunity to say he was wondering why Robert Gaynor was not reappointed to the ZBA saying he was “the best Halifax had to offer…. I think the best decision for the town would be to reappoint Bert Gaynor.” He said of Gaynor that he has “impeccable character.” He continued, “If it’s not going to be Bert, I think the most logical thing for the town and the most logical thing for me… would be to now fill that possibly vacant full member position.” He noted that his own personal feeling was that variances should be handed out sparingly.

Kasey Sims also had an appointment with the Selectmen to discuss issues with the Halifax water system. She said she has lived in town for 27 years. She read the letter she sent to the water department in which she requested an abatement of half of her bill as she felt that the water department didn’t hold up their end in providing reliably good water to her home. She said that tainted water and even completely brown water has often become the norm. She said that after several requests, she did not receive a response to her request for an abatement. She shared pictures of her water with the Selectmen. Andrews said they should invite the water commissioner to come to the next meeting for a discussion. Garron recommended also having the Board of Health present. Sims said she has concerns to be discussed such as whether or not the water is safe for her family including her young son.

The Board also met with David and Laura Gibbons of 70 Oak Street. They said that applying for a wood stove permit has cost them approximately $4,300. Gibbons said a mistake was made during the process that resulted in the high costs. Andrews said that if a complaint needed to be made against a specific individual, they should also be there to speak to the issue. “I’d rather talk about the what than the who,” Gibbons said. Andrews said he would be recusing himself. Seelig explained to the Gibbons’ that there were several suits going on against the current Building Inspector and certain members of the Board of Selectmen. DiSesa recommended pushing the discussion to the meeting on July 27.

The Selectmen discussed setting a date for a meeting of the Board of Selectmen, Finance Committee, Capital Planning Committee, and Silver Lake Regional School Committee to discuss Silver Lake’s capital plan. The meeting will likely take place in the fall. Andrews explained he felt that better communication was necessary.

A discussion was had on the Host Community Agreement with Green Earth Cannabis. Andrews recused himself as he said his father owns property within close proximity to the property in question. Director of Operations Robert Maker came before the Board saying, “I’ve been in this town for 27 years. I raised my family here; my mom lives in town, my brother, my nieces and nephews, my kids.” He also said he has coached and volunteered in a number of different capacities in the town over the years. He said he wanted to discuss any issues that the business has had with the town. He said they negotiated a Host Community Agreement with the town for a long time. “We are preparing to mitigate whatever impact the facility may have on the neighbors,” Maker said. He said they just want the ability to come before the town and address any concerns. “We’re looking to hire people to work for us that come from this town,” Maker explained. Garron asked Seelig when the issue could be added to the agenda. They agreed to add it to the August 3 meeting. DiSesa said that the Planning Board and any other pertinent Boards could be made aware in case they want to attend.

Hatch again named Regional Committee chair

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The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met in-person on Thursday, July 8. Superintendent Jill Proulx began the meeting with the reorganization of the Committee. Paula Hatch was once again nominated to serve as Chair and the vote was unanimous. “Thank you for your continued trust, I will try to do my best for you as always,” Hatch told the Committee. Eric Crone was nominated to serve as Vice Chair and was also voted in unanimously. Leslie-Ann McGee was nominated and voted in as Secretary; she was also named to the Pilgrim Area Collaborative. Summer Schmaling was named Assistant Treasurer. John Tuffy was reappointed as Treasurer. Jason Fraser was named as Legislative Agent. Before moving on, Hatch welcomed Gordon Laws to the Committee as he is the newest member.

The Committee then turned their attention to the Subcommittees beginning with Negotiations. Hatch said, “For those that don’t know,, this Subcommittee acts on behalf of the full Committee negotiating any contracts that come up.”  Crone and McGee agreed to stay on the Negotiations Subcommittee and Hatch and Laws agreed to join. Summer Schmaling was named as the alternate.  Crone and Emily Davis volunteered for Policy. Davis was also named to School Start Times. Hatch said the last time the topic of school start times was really looked into was back in 2016. Chris Eklund stayed on the Safety/Facilities/Fees/Revenue Sub-Committee.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy spoke to the end of year financials. “We are returning to E&D [Excess and Deficiency] $411,450.17.” She did note that there were some things that were not yet confirmed, the main thing being the CARES Act funding. “In total that was $636,000 that we had access to; the difficult thing is we have not received all the reimbursements,” Healy said speaking of the money that was allotted to the school district from the three towns. She said they had received reimbursements thus far of $207,000 calling it “not a very fast process.” Schmaling asked, “Are we at risk for not being reimbursed for some of the purchases that we made?” Healy replied, “Everything that was submitted fit into the guidelines of what they were looking for.” Healy said that she planned to hold back $25,000 to $30,000 from E&D as a reserve to accommodate the slow reimbursements. “I just want to thank you Christine for dealing with all of these issues this past year,” Crone said addressing Healy.

A Representative from the Kingston Police Department, Laura Casey-Pupek was in attendance. Proulx said she was there to discuss the National Night Out that is meant to foster a relationship between the community and the Police Department. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, August 3. Pupek, who said she has been a part of the event for 14 years, said she is currently looking for any student volunteers.

Proulx provided the district update. “Masking indoors and maintaining other safety guidelines is not required but encouraged,” Proulx said. She added, “Unvaccinated individuals are encouraged to continue to mask especially when you can’t socially distance.” She said for the fall schools will be required to be in-person, five days a week. She said that all DESE requirements including socially distancing will be lifted but added that there was a caveat that states, “DESE will continue to collaborate with the Department of Health to issue any additional health and safety recommendations over the summer, for example masks for elementary students. DESE will provide updates to districts as it receives them.”

Davis asked if there would still be a protocol for contact tracing. Proulx said, “the Local Board of Health and the Department of Health may put in certain expectations… similar to the ways when someone has strep throat; the nurse might put out a notification that there was a child in the classroom that had strep throat and if you experience any of these symptoms, please contact your physician.”

Proulx also said that she has been made aware of the possibility of a vaccination clinic for residents 12 and up in Kingston, Halifax, Plympton, and Duxbury. She said the event would be staffed by volunteers from the Kingston Board of Health and nurses. “We will send out information to community members if they’re interested,” Proulx said. The event will take place at Kingston Intermediate School. She said they were hoping for two dates in July and two dates in August.

McGee asked Proulx if there had been any kind of polling done on the families that had elected to be full remote this past year to see if they plan on returning or homeschooling or some other alternative. Proulx said that anyone wishing to homeschool would send in an application. She also pointed out that the school district would not be responsible for providing any sort of virtual option. “As you know, it’s very expensive to provide that option,” she said. She also said that she anticipated students returning in the fall.

Davis asked that the emotional well-being of the teachers and other staff also be remembered as they enter into a new school year pointing out that some may still be uncomfortable returning to school particularly without safety requirements. Proulx said that they absolutely plan to acknowledge that and celebrate the staff during this year’s opening day. “One of the things we will talk about is the hero’s journey,” she said.

There was also a report given by the standing committees. Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA) President Jon Lay pointed out that the aides will be part of the SLEA during negotiations for the first time this year. “We’re all very excited to be going back to school, hopefully as normal as possible,” Lay said. Lay said that he was nervous regarding the Delta variant of the Covid virus. He also said that he would like to see the district continue to spread the message that unvaccinated individuals are still encouraged to mask. He also said that he wanted to make sure that kids that are still wearing masks are not being bullied for it.

McGee gave an update on PAC. She said that the one bit of fun news is that they voted to establish a student council. She said the idea was initiated by two students and two teachers.

Eklund provided an update on Safety/Facilities/Fees/Revenue Sub-Committee. He said they plan to do a campus tour with CTE. “The plan, additionally, is to setup a sort of three town summit I’ll call it, in September with Selectmen, Fin Com, Capital Plans, whoever else wants to join the fun in one big three town meeting,” Eklund explained.

Plympton School ends fiscal year

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The Plympton School Committee met on Monday, July 12. Dennett Elementary School Principal Peter Veneto gave a buildings and grounds update describing the playground project as “ongoing.” He said they had a meeting the previous week during which colors were finalized. Veneto also said that they were told that everything would be shipped out to the school in about five weeks. “So that’s very real and very happening,” Veneto said.

He also provided an update on the siding project on the western facing wall of the building (the cafeteria wall) also referring to it as “ongoing.” Veneto said that the school has also had some paving, sealing, and line-striping done. “I did drive by there and see the driveway all one color for a change,” Chair of the School Committee Jon Wilhelmsen joked. Additionally, 15 trees have been removed from the property to assist with the solar project. Wilhelmsen elaborated that taking down the trees not only helps with the solar project but also with protecting the building. “Every one that came down was within striking distance of the building,” he explained. Regarding the solar project, Wilhelmsen also said that an engineer looked at the roof and reported no issues from their perspective. He said they are hopeful that the project can be completed before the start of the school year. Some weatherization has also been done to the building to make it more efficient.

Jason Fraser provided the legislative update. “Quite typically, we didn’t end the fiscal year with a state budget but this morning Governor Baker should have arrived at his office with a budget from both sides of the legislature for $48.1 billion,” Fraser said. Fraser said extra revenue was set aside for future obligations. He told the Committee that $250,000,000 was set aside for unfunded pension liabilities. He also said that a $350,000,000 trust fund was created to support the Student Opportunity Act.

Fraser told the Committee that the Superintendent’s Association started their in-person Executive Institute and MASC (The Massachusetts Association of School Committees) will also be having a summer institute. The two topics covered at the MASC Institute include wrap around services which are those that extend beyond the typical school day and how to maximize federal funds without creating a fiscal cliff. “It’s going to help us lay the groundwork for the November joint conference that we hold down in Hyannis between the Superintendents and the School Committees,” Fraser explained. He said the event would be a hybrid one so that anyone without the ability to make it to Hyannis, or for those still uncomfortable with in-person gatherings, could still attend.

Principal Veneto also provided the school update beginning by saying he was interviewing for three positions right now including an aide, a math interventionist, and a building-based substitute. He said that there were “amazing” people who had applied for the various openings. Fraser asked Veneto if they were looking for a fully certified teacher for the building-based substitute position and Veneto confirmed that they were. “Not only have things been busy on the physical plant, but we’ve been doing a lot of virtual interviews as well,” Veneto said speaking to all of the physical projects currently underway on Dennett grounds.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided an end-of-year update. “We’ve had some highs and some lows and all of those have been reflected in the budget,” Healy told the Committee. She said there were savings in the substitute line since they struggled to find a building-based sub during the year. Other savings were found in tuition and workshop lines. There were also savings in the regular-day and homeless transportation lines of the budget totaling approximately $9,000. She also said that surprisingly there were $5,000 in utilities savings. Healy told the Committee that one deficit was in the maintenance of building area. “We are fortunate enough to have funds transferred from the town into that line at special town meeting. Some of the funds came from special education and some from out of district vocational,” she said. Things that were able to be done included fully funding the SPED Stabilization Fund, the balance of the work on the fire suppression system, finish the tree removal project, and make the driveway repairs. Additionally, there is a surplus of $46,693 for special education. There is another surplus in out of district vocational of $33,843; Healy said that was after a transfer of just over $41,000 at special town meeting. Healy said $113,416.13 would be returned to the town. She said that a number of fees associated with the playground would be paid for out of the surpluses including wood chips and swing mats. The Committee voted unanimously to accept the closeout as presented by Healy.

Superintendent Proulx also provided a district update. Proulx said that the Kingston Board of Health has asked the nurse leader to advertise a vaccination clinic that’s going to be held at Kingston Intermediate School for residents of Duxbury, Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton ages 12 and over. She said information regarding specific dates will be forthcoming. Regarding MCAS results, she said accountability standings would remain from the 2019 school year.

“For the fall, schools will be required to be in-person, full-time, five days a week; all DESE health and safety requirements will be lifted – this includes physical distancing. The Department of Education will collaborate with the Department of Health to issue any additional health and safety recommendations over the summer and we will provide any updates to you as soon as we receive them,” Proulx explained. Proulx also told the Committee that there were a number of summer learning activities available including an accelerated summer learning academy for students entering Grades 3-6. The Academy will include ELA, math, and social/emotional learning. There is also a Silver Lake Middle School Enhancement program for students in Grades 7 and 8. “It’s a great way to look at accelerating the learning as opposed to remediation which we know oftentimes just further exacerbates the problem or widens the gap for students who may be having difficulties,” Proulx said.

Proulx also said that the Silver Lake Regional School Committee was interested in exploring a change to school start times but wanted to know the thoughts of the elementary school committees before proceeding too far. “I think we’ve seen more communities make these changes since we last did this,” Wilhelmsen said regarding some exploration they had done into the matter in years prior. “It was about five years ago… and we had a tremendous response from the community when we surveyed them on their preferences and ironically it was about fifty-fifty about keeping the times the way they were and changing the times,” Fraser elaborated. He continued, “But all of the research out there, all of the brain-based research does show that later start times for our adolescents and high school-based population is beneficial in reducing accidents on the way to school, improving SAT and test scores, GPAs, and just also with their mental health.” He also said that the State is looking into setting up a formal commission to investigate the matter and then send dictates down to districts. “I think if we examine it for ourselves, we’ll have a little bit more control over how this ends up looking for our district,” Fraser told the Committee. Wilhelmsen said that if there were any Plympton Elementary School Committee members interested in volunteering on the regional study into the matter, they should let himself and Proulx know.

Proulx also provided an Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) update as Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch was not in attendance. Proulx said that Plympton was awarded $85,841 from the ESSER II fund. Proulx said that allowable activities for the ESSER II grant include but are not limited to evidence-based approaches to address unfinished teaching and learning, high quality instructional materials using the CURATE tool on the Department of Education site, early literacy programming, K-12 math skill building, planning and implementing summer learning programming, and after school programming. She said social and emotional programming was another major area and a minimum of $10,000 must be committed to mental health services. The total ESSER II allocation for the Silver Lake District is $543,721. Fraser pointed out that that money is aside from ESSER III which he described as “substantially larger.” Fraser said he would like to see these one-time funds used to examine and implement a cohesive approach to social and emotional learning.

Wilhelmsen ended the meeting by announcing some important dates including the first day of school which is scheduled for September 1. He called it as late as it can possibly be.” Other notable dates include the next School Committee meeting which is scheduled for September 20. He did note that some interim meetings may be necessary during the summer as certain things need to be addressed in a timely manner.

Curry College welcomes Halifax resident into Sigma Theta Tau Internat’l Nursing Honor Society

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MIILTON — Curry College is proud to announce that Allyson Colanino of Halifax, has been inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society.

Curry College’s Chapter, Theta at Large, began in 1953 when it was chartered as only the seventh Chapter of Sigma Theta Tau. A group of nurses attending Boston University set out to establish an organization that would represent the best of what nursing offered in this part of the world. Boston University would stand tall for the ensuing 37 years, as the “institution of record” for the Chapter, until 1990 when it was re-chartered to include Curry College in Milton, Mass., and Simmons College in Boston – thereby establishing an “at-large” distinction.

Today, the chapter has over 900 active members linked among three unique institutions. Theta at Large has many reasons to be proud as it forges into the new millennium.

We are active in supporting local nursing scholars through our ongoing research and academic awards program. Our fall and spring programs offer members an opportunity to connect with each other and engage in scholarly educational discourse. We are thrilled to routinely send members to destinations around this country and abroad, to leadership conferences, academic events, member forums, and the biennial convention during which representatives from all chapters from around the world gather.

About Curry College

Curry College, founded in Boston in 1879, is a private, co-educational, liberal arts-based institution located on 131 acres in Milton, Massachusetts. The College extends its educational programs to a continuing education branch campus in Plymouth. The College offers 22 undergraduate majors in specialized and liberal arts programs, as well as graduate degrees in accounting, business, education, criminal justice, and nursing to a combined enrollment of nearly 2,500 students. The student body consists of 1,700 traditional students and nearly 800 continuing education and graduate students. The College offers a wide array of co-curricular activities ranging from 15 NCAA Division III athletic teams to an outstanding theatre and fine arts program. Visit us on the web at www.curry.edu.

Kyle Cipullo and Ben Lofstrom named to All-Scholastic team

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The Silver Lake High football team had some standards on the roster this past spring, and a couple of those athletes recently got recognition for their achievements.

Each year, newspapers around the state create their own all-scholastic teams, and this past school year was no different. The Patriot Ledger revealed their football all-scholastic team last week, primarily composed of high school football players from the South Shore.

The list included a pair of Lakers athletes: Kyle Cipullo and Ben Lofstrom.

Cipullo made the cut for his skills on both sides of the football. He played both offensive and defensive line for the Lakers. Cipullo, who is 6-foot-1, had a strong career as a three-year starter who amassed six sacks and blocked three kicks. On defense this past school year, he had a pair of sacks and four tackles for a loss.

Football isn’t his only sport; he was a two-time Patriot League all-star for his wrestling.  His athletic future appears to be in football and is set to play for Anna Maria College (an NCAA Division 3 school in Paxton, Massachusetts) this upcoming fall.

Lofstrom, made the list for his play as quarterback in his Lakers career. He holds the school’s all-time record for both passing yards (4,621) and touchdown passes (42).

This past season, he had five touchdown passes in seven games for the Lakers along with 531 passing yards in what was a rebuilding year for the team.

This marks his second straight season making the all-scholastic list. He too is a two-sport athlete. Lofstrom was a Patriot League all-star in both football and basketball. He will attend Fairfield University in Connecticut.

School committee hears from parent

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The Halifax School Committee met in-person at the Halifax Town Hall on Thursday, July 1. They began the meeting with a reorganization of the Committee. Summer Schmaling was nominated to serve as Chair and the vote was unanimous. Schmaling then went on to nominate Gordon Andrews as Vice Chair. New Committee member Lauren Laws asked for a brief description of each of the roles before nominating herself to serve as Vice Chair. She cited Andrews’ many responsibilities including his role as one of the town’s Selectmen as a reason. Both Andrews and Laws received seconds to their nominations so the Committee then voted. Andrews narrowly bested Laws for the role of Vice Chair. Laws was instead nominated and voted in as secretary. Jim Keegan was named to the Pilgrim Area Collaborative.

Schmaling opened the floor for public participation. A member of the audience expressed frustration that she would not be allowed to speak later in the meeting during a discussion on a particular topic. “I’m here because I’m extremely upset with the climate and I don’t want to add to the negative climate within town and I have a few requests of the Board that I would like you to take with an open mind and would like the community to take with an open mind,” the resident said. She went on to say that Superintendent Jill Proulx was aware of the situation.

She continued, “I have requested all of the public documents and emails regarding the practice.” After being asked for clarification, she said she was referring to the dispute surrounding the peace flag being hung in classrooms. She said, “I thought the Pride event was wonderful; I look forward to it next year, but with the Peace flag, I have two children in the school, they were currently in second and fourth grade this year. I don’t believe the administration handled it very well and I requested, as I can, everything publicly available… there was over 1,000 emails.” She said that the price tag for obtaining all of this documentation is over $1,000.

“What did come to my attention, and I think that the public deserves to know, is that although individuals may not personally wish to have litigation or sue when they contacted the Attorney General’s office; the Attorney General can bring litigation and lawsuits forward to the town. I believe that is something that the general populace of the town of Halifax deserves to know…. As a parent I can tell you that my own son attempted suicide on April 7 of this year and it was in regards to what was going on at the school; it wasn’t another student, it happened to be the way the administration handled something incorrectly over the years and a staff member at the school.” She identified herself as a Girl Scout leader and said that half of her troop self-harms or has suicidal ideation. “This is a problem that we need to address,” she said. she also went on to urge understanding, inclusion, and appropriate accommodation of those that identify as LGBTQ+.

“I know that there are multiple staff at the school, teachers, paraprofessionals, administration that in the past have taken the youth mental health first aid course. I would like to request from the Board that the paraprofessionals be required to take it and if… you guys need to have negotiations with union staff and other things to have step raises as they do at Town Hall and other things for those that have different certifications and such, that those discussions happen.” She cited an unfortunate incident between her own son and a paraprofessional at the school as her motivation for wanting to see them all trained properly. She mentioned the mental health challenges that are sure to be seen once school resumes in late summer saying, “We have wonderful staff at the school… but I don’t think the district is ready; honestly I don’t think any district is ready.” She also requested that those on recess duty have their simple CPR training.

Before concluding her remarks, she added, “I’m also really bothered, as a parent in 2021, that students that have invisible disabilities are not addressed more… I never should have had to hire an attorney to get my kid what he needed.” She also criticized the behavior, particularly on social media, of some of those currently sitting on the Diversity and Inclusivity Subcommittee.

Director of Business Services Christine Healy provided the Committee with a financial closeout. Healy acknowledged that there were some “unusual events” but said, “thank goodness we made it successfully through the year.” She listed some of the savings including regular transportation and homeless transportation. Special education transportation, however, was a deficit of nearly $28,000. Healy said that she requested a line-item transfer to move funds from the regular day budget. “We do have money left in the special education portion of that to offset these costs,” she explained. She acknowledged that they struggled with their Circuit Breaker funds and said that they will be going into next school year with $100,000 less in these funds than usual. Healy told the Committee that the regular day budget will be ending with a surplus of $84,000 before the $28,000 line-item transfer. Healy also said there was a surplus of over $36,000 in out of district vocational.

Before adjourning, the Committee turned their attention to the Subcommittees. Schmaling provided an update on Youth and Rec saying that they did a STEM program through June at the Elementary School. She also said that the gym floors will be re-sanded, re-lined, and refinished this summer and referred to it as a total makeover. “We are very fortunate that we have such a strong Youth and Rec department here in Halifax because they really do provide a lot for our kids in terms of sports which is great,” she said. Schmaling also said that the department will be looking to replace the existing tennis and basketball courts behind the schools at some point as well.