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Hudson woman grateful for successful kidney transplant

news | 4 Team Sharing’s run/walk returns to Marlborough roads

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May 13, 2022

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Marlborough Hudson E DI T I ON

Marlborough School Committee taps Murphy for superintendent job

Mary Murphy

By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor MARLBOROUGH - Marlborough’s school superintendent search has come to a close, pending contract negotiations, with the selection of Mary Murphy by the School Committee on May 2.

Nearly two decades into her career in Marlborough Public Schools (MPS), Murphy is set to lead the district after most recently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning to outgoing Superintendent Michael Bergeron.

Superintendent | 15

Hudson releases unofficial election results HUDSON – Hudson voters headed to the polls on Monday for this year’s town elections.

The Town Clerk’s office then released unofficial results just before 10:30 p.m. on Monday night showing Cassia Monteiro emerging in the lead in a three-way race for a single Board of Health seat.

Unofficial results also showed Michael Andrade winning a seat on the Municipal Light Board beating Tom Green in that contested race.

Incumbent Steven Smith and Christopher Monsini secured seats on the School Committee, navigating an election season that featured a late shakeup when write-in candidate Janet Oleary launched her campaign late last month.

On the Select Board, James Quinn won re-election with this year’s vote.

He’s now joined on the board by Judy Congdon who also ran in an uncontested bid for a pair of Select Board seats.

Voters, on Monday, also weighed in on a handful of other uncontested races, welcoming new individuals onto a handful of boards.

Among those, Andrew Massa Jr. secured a Planning Board seat alongside incumbent Darryl Filippi.

Duane Searles, meanwhile, will join the Cemetery Commission after running unopposed for that seat.

See expanded coverage online at CommunityAdvocate.com…

Supporters of Hudson’s two Municipal Light Board candidates gather outside Hudson High School on Monday.

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2 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS Westborough resident works to fight cancer with ‘Sciarappa Strong’ efforts

By Stuart Foster Reporter WESTBOROUGH - In 2015, Corinne Sciarappa was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive pediatric soft tissue cancer.

While Corinne was undergoing treatment, her family was grateful for the research and care being done at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and wanted to find a way to help support it.

Now, though Corinne passed in 2019 when she was 18, work continues as her mother, Pauline, has repeatedly captained the “Sciarappa Strong” walking team in the annual Jimmy Fund Walk to benefit Dana Farber.

“She really had a strong vision for helping make our world a better place, and I’m trying my best to honor

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prised and touched to have been nominated, and that it made her “feel proud to be able to help bring our team spirit to light.”

her and to carry that type of work forward,” Pauline said of Corinne. “I’m hopeful that with the funds that we raise that they’ll find better treatments for the type of cancer that Corinne had and hopefully one day a cure because currently there is not a cure.”

Mother honored with ‘Alumni Team Captain of the Year’ title Corinne was very sick in her first year of treatment. Pauline, in kind, was constantly by her side supporting her.

Pauline’s husband and a family friend first participated in the Jimmy Fund Walk that year.

The following year, Pauline joined, herself.

“I wanted to try to walk, and while I was walking I met some people that I know from our town and they walked with me,” Pauline said. “So it

Pauline Sciarappa (left) poses for a photo with her daughter, Corinne (right).

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was not entirely planned.”

The next year Pauline made an effort to form a team including friends, coworkers and family members. The team eventually grew to around 50 people, with whom Pauline has continued to walk each year since.

This next Jimmy Fund trek will take place Oct. 2 on the Boston Marathon route.

Ahead of that event, earlier this year, Pauline was named alumni team captain of the year after being nominated by four team members.

She said that she was sur-

Family organizes blood drives In addition to fundraising for the walk, Pauline and her family have also hosted blood drives for years, continuing work that they began after it became clear that Corrine would have to receive many blood transfusions as part of her treatment.

The blood drives started after the Sciarappa family partnered with the Red Cross.

When the Red Cross stopped hosting drives west of Hopkinton, the family started hosting them, instead, with Boston Children’s Hospital through its bloodmobile parked at Tatnuck Bookseller.

“It’s just a really powerful feeling to know that you’re helping families in a way that’s irreplaceable,” Pauline said. “There’s no substitute for a blood donation. They can create medications and insulin and all sorts of drugs, but there’s no substitute for human blood.”

Pauline described Corinne as a passionate supporter of social justice issues with a keen interest in the sciences.

She was one of 100 students chosen nationwide to receive the Emperor Science Award and secured an internship, which she asked to do with Dana Farber.

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Westborough resident works to fight cancer with ‘Sciarappa Strong’ efforts

OVER TOP

Sciarappa | from page 2

THE

“

Corinne really had a strong vision for helping make our world a better place.

Pauline Sciarappa

PHOTO/TAMI WHITE

WESTBOROUGH - Drone photography shows the damaged roof of the Armstrong School in Westborough. Deteriorating in recent years, the roof is now in need of substantial repairs, according to district officials.

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chosen in 2018, and Pauline said they now include it on homemade cards they have made when asking for donations at farmer’s markets.

“It’s another way for us to share Corinne’s art and for people to learn a little bit more about Corinne and the significance of making a donation,” Pauline said.

This year they have been at the Natick farmers market, and will be at the Westborough farmers market throughout the summer.

Donations to Sciarappa Strong can be made on its fundraising page or on Pauline’s personal fundraising page at https://tinyurl.com/4cnrysve.

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At Dana Farber, Corinne worked in a lab doing research on melanoma.

“She wasn’t an intern getting coffee for people,” Pauline said. “She was a valued participant in Dr. [Rizwan] Haq’s lab.”

Pauline said that Corinne loved the theater and music.

While undergoing treatment, Corinne learned how to play the guitar and the ukulele.

Corinne was also an artist, her mother said, creating a rainbow diamond design as part of a Home Goods promotion for Jimmy Fund patients to create designs to be printed on bags and sold for donations. Corinne’s design was

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4 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS

Hudson woman grateful for successful kidney transplant

By Stuart Foster Reporter HUDSON/MARLBOROUGH – Long awaited and once delayed, a kidney transplant surgery involving a pair of local residents went forward successfully last Tuesday.

Now, Gail Weisberg and Debbie Munley, who donated her kidney to Weisberg, are recovering and looking to the future.

“I feel that Debbie is a miracle, an angel,” Weisberg told the Community Advocate prior to this surgery. “She’s a gem of a person to want to help a stranger and it’s unbelievable that this is happening.”

Donation stems from meeting in parking lot A Hudson resident, Weisberg has had kidney disease throughout her life. She has particularly spent the last two and a half years, though, undergoing daily dialysis treatments while remaining on a waitlist for a kidney donation.

Gail Weisberg (center) holds her sign seeking an “angel” to donate one of their kidneys.

Weisberg set up a website as part of her kidney search, with around 200 people volunteering to donate.

Out of the 200 people, however, only around nine were deemed viable possibilities.

Getting a match from them was further complicated when the transplant unit at Mass General Hospital, where Weisberg planned to have the surgery, was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Doctors also found problems in some of the willing donors that pre-

vented a kidney donation.

After this, Weisberg began sharing signs asking for an “angel” to donate a kidney.

That’s when Munley met Weisberg.

Munley, a Marlborough resident, noticed one of the signs on Weisberg’s car in a Target parking lot in Marlborough.

She reached out and told Weisberg that she was interested in helping.

Munley then started the process by giving the hospital her information and doing

testing.

As it turned out, she and Weisberg were a match.

A transplant surgery was first scheduled for Feb. 15.

Weisberg and Munley were moments away from moving forward with the operation when one of the preoperative tests uncovered a potential issue in Munley’s echocardiogram stress test. The surgery was delayed, and Weisberg restarted her search for a kidney, before later tests then showed that the issue had just been an anomaly.

The operation was back on. And doctors were able to schedule a new surgery date for this past week.

Weisberg looks to help others get kidneys Undergoing dialysis, Weisberg has also experienced a number of other health problems including breast cancer, congestive heart failure, a broken hip and a stroke.

She additionally caught COVID-19 from a hospital stay,

which required her to be hospitalized for four weeks. “[The doctors] say I’m the healthiest, sickest person they’ve ever met,” Weisberg said.

After all those challenges, Weisberg said in a phone call last Friday after the operation that the transplant had been successful.

With plans to go home on Saturday, Weisberg had previously noted larger advocacy plans.

She mentioned walks that the National Kidney Foundation holds each year, including a recent one in Waltham that she attended.

Altogether, more than 90,000 people in the US were on transplant lists waiting for kidneys as of last year. Weisberg noted that many people do not realize that they can live with just one kidney.

“I’m trying to help other people get kidneys,” Weisberg said. “I had my miracle, but so many other people need miracles.”

Boys & Girls Clubs plan Hall of Fame breakfast

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MARLBOROUGH - The Boys & Girls Clubs of MetroWest will honor five new hall of fame inductees on Thursday, May 19.

Part of a planned Hall of Fame breakfast event, these inductions will mark a return to in-person events for the Boys & Girls Clubs after two years of COVID-19 disruptions.

“We are forever grateful to these individuals and this event is the opportunity to honor their legacies, while celebrating the contributions of other local

heroes,” organizers noted in an informational sheet distributed ahead of this event.

The Hall of Fame event was first hosted in 2014 to honor individuals who have been committed to the Clubs.

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Patty Miele is winning the Clubs’ Ron Young Memorial Award, recognizing an individual who has carried on the

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Marlborough mayor proposes $181 million budget for FY2023

By Stuart Foster Reporter

their final budget is passed by all member towns and cities.

MARLBOROUGH – Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant has proposed a roughly $181.26 million budget for the 2023 fiscal year, marking a 4.18% increase over the 2022 budget.

The 2022 budget had previously resulted in no change over 2021’s budget.

Now, Vigeant said, increased staffing needs combined with rising fuel and utility costs are driving a necessary increase.

“We’ve put together a conservative budget proposal,” Vigeant wrote in a letter to the City Council presenting his proposal last month.

Assessor’s office, Inspectional Services get budget increases under proposal Vigeant’s proposal calls for a 20% increase in the Assessor’s office’s budget as that department seeks to restructure.

Inspectional Services,

Increase in enrollment drives proposed school budget increase The school department, which represents the largest individual component of the larger city budget, is seeing a proposed 4.24% increase in funding.

That, Vigeant said, is due to a large increase in the number of students in the district.

As he pitched this plan for the Marlborough Public Schools, the mayor said his team had reached out “numerous times” to Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School to obtain a formal letter estimating Marlborough’s contribution to Assabet’s regional district budget.

“We haven’t received anything,” Vigeant wrote, however.

Vigeant cited “preliminary calculations from Assabet” to estimate a .07% increase in next year’s contribution.

Contacted on May 7, Assabet Superintendent-Director Ernest Houle told the Community Advocate that “what was reported in regards to the City of Marlborough not being informed of Assabet Valley RVSD’s FY23 Budget was inaccurate.”

“Marlborough, along with our other six member communities all were properly informed about Assabet’s FY23 Budget, along with each community’s operational and capital assessment for fiscal year 2023,” Houle wrote in an email.

He added that information was communicated in four instances, including a direct email to the Mayor’s Office.

Houle said that Assabet sends the formal letter Vigeant referred to in late May after

meanwhile, would get a roughly 30% increase driven, in part, by the addition of a new Principal Clerk and the increase of a contracted services line item.

Foot traffic in the Inspectional Services office remains high as the department prepares to introduce a new online permitting program, Vigeant wrote.

“Marlborough continues to be a highly sought after location for developers,” he added, noting that building permit revenues have jumped by more than 60% over the past nine months compared to FY2020.

IT department may add new admin position Marlborough’s IT department could see a 12% increase

in its budget as it looks to add an additional administrative position.

That new role would augment what Vigeant described as a “larger emphasis on security,” within the department, involving new cameras on buildings and strengthened cyber security strategies.

“This added responsibility Budget | 14

6 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS

Marlborough resident runs Boston Marathon one year after hospitalization

By Stuart Foster Reporter MARLBOROUGH – When Marlborough resident Ben Braun was transferred to the Tufts Medical Center Cardiac Intensive Care Unit in February 2021, he was not sure if he would be able to return to outdoor distance running.

Braun had taken up the hobby after the pandemic began.

But he now found it threatened by myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – and cardiogenic shock – the body’s inability to pump enough blood to meet its needs.

“Eventually I got to the point where I was able to feel comfortable enough with my medical team and my coaches to where I felt like it was something I wanted to try,” Braun said of running again, though.

So, on April 18, Braun hit the course for the Boston Marathon as part of Team Tufts MC – the charity team for Tufts Medical Center.

Braun said that he was for-

tunate that Tufts works with a company called Marathon Coalition, which provided a strong training plan.

While Braun was not able to participate in the long distance runs they hosted, he prepared for the marathon on his own schedule. He ran three to four times a week and gradually increased his distances ahead of this year’s Boston Marathon race.

“I’m incredibly excited to get out there and experience all the excitement and the energy,” Braun said before the marathon last month. “As someone who typically trains for my runs alone, I’m very excited to be part of this amazing spectacle and get to witness the crowds and the energy.”

Runner thanks Tufts Braun described his illness, noting that he developed a fever, achiness and general malaise late last February.

Over the next few days, he said, his symptoms progressed to a severe shortness of breath

wrong,” Braun said.

After an urgent care visit he was sent to a local emergency department before being transferred to the Tufts ICU the next day.

Immediately after arriving at Tufts, Braun said attending physicians were talking with him, starting medications and getting the correct lines to help him recover and get Ben Braun recently completed the Boston Marathon, enough blood one year after spending time in the ICU at Tufts Medical throughout his Center. body.

“Their ability to rapidly respond to that and unlike anything he had experiget things stabilized I think enced before. really helped me start the re“So, after suffering with covery process,” Braun said. that for a week, I sort of realBraun also praised Team ized that something more was

Tufts MC, describing it as a wide group of runners with different connections to Tufts including undergraduate and nursing students, active nurses, medical students and attending physicians.

He said that other people impacted by Tufts in the community who feel it is important to run are also on the team.

“Team Tufts has really been a great organization and a great group of people and runners that I’m so fortunate to get to run with,” Braun said.

Braun completed the Boston Marathon on April 18, finishing the race in a time of 4:52:33 according to the Boston Athletic Association.

Learn more about Team Tufts MC at https://www. tuftsmedicalcenter.org/givingsupport/events/boston-marathon/join-our-team.

And learn more about Braun from his marathon fundraising page https://www.givengain. com/ap/ben-braun-raisingfunds-for-tufts-medical-center/

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 7

COMMUNITY NEWS

Elected Shrewsbury School Committee members thank voters

By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter SHREWSBURY - Recently elected members of the Shrewsbury School Committee are thanking voters this week after last week’s municipal election.

Taking to the polls last Tuesday, voters re-elected Lynsey Heffernan and elected Erin Boucher to the Committee.

“It is an honor to serve the community as a member of the Shrewsbury School Committee,” Boucher told the Community Advocate after her win. “I would like to thank my fellow Shrewsbury residents for their support and the trust and confidence they have placed in me.”

Boucher joined her first School Committee meeting on May 4, the day after the election.

During that meeting, Heffernan was appointed to serve as chair of the School Committee.

“I’m thrilled to be able to serve the families and community of Shrewsbury,” Heffernan wrote in an email. “I thank all of the candidates for running and wanting to help improve our schools. I’m looking forward

to continuing to support our teachers, administrators and students.”

Boucher and Heffernan were two of the four candidates who threw their hats into the ring for two seats on this year’s ballot.

With a total of 6,394 votes in the School Committee race, Boucher secured 2,015 votes and Heffernan received 1,965.

Jenn Luke received 1,272 votes while Sanam Zaer received 1,135.

Boucher, last week, congratulated Heffernan on her re-election. She added thanks for Luke and Zaer for “putting themselves forward as candidates and the perspectives that they brought to the campaign.”

While Heffernan sought another term on the School Committee, the other seat was without an incumbent after Dale Magee announced that he didn’t intend to run for re-election to the committee.

Magee had served on the School Committee for 12 years.

“Twelve years is quite an amount of time, and I’m not one who believes that I should stay there because I can,” Magee told the Community Advocate earlier

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“I feel that 12 years is enough from my point of view, and that getting someone else in is going to bring a different perspective, different skill set and it may well benefit the organization,” Magee continued. “Time will tell.”

He later endorsed Heffernan and Boucher in a letter to the editor published in the Com-

and keep the focus on what benefits students,” Magee said of Boucher.

This year’s election also saw Selectman John Samia win another term alongside newcomer Michelle Conlin, emerging from a three-way race for two seats.

The Community Advocate has reached out to Samia and Conlin for post-election comments.

munity Advocate.

Magee said that Heffernan had “served us well” for the past three years, noting her volunteer service in the schools.

He also noted Boucher’s work on the Beal Building Committee.

“She brings the perspective of a mother with children in the system as well as an intellect that will grasp the issues

Assabet Valley Mastersingers plan performance of ‘The Seasons’ SHREWSBURY - The Assabet Valley Mastersingers are gearing up for their third concert of their current season this month.

The chorus, which draws members from Shrewsbury, Westborough, Northborough, Southborough, and Marlborough, will perform “The Seasons” by Franz Joseph Haydn.

Completed in 1801, this was Haydn’s last major composition.

“It is highly regarded to be his most mature, carefully crafted, and musical,” the Mastersingers

ter at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury.

Tickets may be purchased from www.AVMsingers.org or at the venue on the afternoon of the concert. The price is $25.00 and $20.00 for seniors and students.

All public health guidelines provided by federal, state, and local health departments and those of individual concert venues will be followed. As such, guests are advised to check the Mastersingers’ website for the most up-to-date information.

noted in a press release.

“No musical knowledge is necessary to delight in the simple folk song melodies and vivid orchestral tone-painting,” they added.

Mastersingers Founder and Artistic Director Robert P. Eaton will conduct soloist Mary Johnston Letellier, Gregory Zavracky and Baritone John Salvi along with orchestra and ensemble performers.

The show, itself, will run on Sunday, May 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the Robert Jay Performing Cen-

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8 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS

Boston 25 to host Zip Trip broadcast in Hudson

By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor HUDSON - Hudson will get a day in the TV spotlight this summer as part of Boston 25’s annual Zip Trip series.

The broadcasts run live from individual communities, showcasing individuals, businesses and other local attractions.

Boston 25 announced its 2022 schedule last Thursday,

listing Hudson for an August 12 visit.

“We’re excited to bring Zip Trips back for summer 2022 and can’t wait to see everyone this summer!” the TV station wrote in its announcement.

As Hudson gets set for its day, other area communities have had their moment in front of the camera.

Marlborough was spotlighted in 2017.

Westborough was spotlighted in 2019.

Shrewsbury then hosted a mini-Zip Trip in 2020, though that event featured a scaleddown footprint due to COVID-19.

Zip Trip programming most recently took place last year.

Once again, though, Boston 25 opted for limited broadcasts aimed at avoiding large crowds of onlookers that traditionally

Friends of Shrewsbury Public Library seeks new annual book sale chair SHREWSBURY - The Friends of the Shrewsbury Public Library Board of Directors is looking for a volunteer to serve a two-year term as the group’s annual book sale chair.

In a press release, the Friends said the chair is responsible for planning, managing and implementing activities and processes in the months leading

up to the four-day book sale, which will be held from Thursday, Oct. 13 to Sunday, Oct. 16 this year at the library.

The chair is responsible for recruiting volunteers, coordinating event logistics and working with other members of the board and book vendors.

Candidates should have a desire to work with the public

and a customer-friendly attitude as well as a flexible schedule. Retail business experience and familiarity with Microsoft applications are also helpful.

Those interested in applying should email a letter of interest to Claire Nagle at crn160@ hotmail.com by Friday, June 17 or see the Shrewsbury Public Library’s website for more details.

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gather at Zip Trip events.

This broadcast will come as Hudson’s downtown area continues to thrive.

The region was recognized as the “Best Main Street in America” late last year through the national “America’s Main Street” contest.

The downtown area then recently celebrated as its last vacant storefront found an occupant last month.

“Hudson has weathered the storm of COVID probably better than other communities,” Hudson Downtown Business Improvement District Administrator Richard Braga Jr. told the Community Advocate last year.

“We lost a few businesses, but we’ve attracted just as many back,” he continued. “The word is out there that we have a good Main Street and a support system for our businesses.”

Westborough Garden Club to host annual plant sale WESTBOROUGH - The Westborough Garden Club will host its annual plant sale at the Hastings School in town on Saturday, May 21 from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Those attending will be able to buy from a selection of locally grown perennials, native plants, herbs, annuals and more.

The sale’s proceeds will benefit the Garden Club’s beautification, education and scholarship programs.

The Garden Club will additionally give out this year’s three $1,000 scholarships during the sale.

Learn more about the Garden Club at http://westboroughgardenclub.org.

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 9

COMMUNITY NEWS

Hudson Town Meeting gives Select Board O.K. to enter into lease for armory

By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter

PHOTOS/LAURA HAYES

HUDSON – Work to turn Hudson’s former National Guard Armory into a performing arts center is moving forward.

Town Meeting gave the Select Board the authority on May 2 to enter into a lease with the Hudson Cultural Alliance for the property for three years.

This Town Meeting article is the latest step in the lengthy armory project, which envisions creating a new cultural center in the currently vacant downtown facility.

President of the Hudson Cultural Alliance Tom Desmond noted during Town Meeting that Gov. Charlie Baker has signed legislation authorizing the state to sell the armory property to the town.

Phase one of the project involved the Cultural Alliance securing funds to be able to purchase the property. While the town will technically own the armory, the alliance will lease it.

“That has started the 180day clock for the town and the Hudson Cultural Alliance to complete this process,” Desmond said of Baker’s signature.

“All this [article] is going to do is give the Select Board the authorization to sit down with us and come up with a lease agreement that will be appropriate for both the town and the Cultural Alliance.”

Hudson will take ownership of the armory property at some point within those 180 days, Desmond said.

As Desmond explained the reasoning for the article, resident Greg Vachowski said he did not believe Town Meeting should approve it.

Left: Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory speaks during Town Meeting.

process,” he said. “We raised enough money to get this process started.”

Other Town Meeting approvals The armory vote was one of 30 articles on the warrant during Hudson’s Town Meeting on Monday.

On a separate article, after much discussion about elec-

Coming Soon to Hudson!

Right: Tom Desmond discusses the armory project during Town Meeting.

He argued that Hudson doesn’t own the property, adding that he didn’t believe that a previous vote by Town Meeting had specifically authorized its purchase.

While he noted there had been an article to explore it, he said the purchase should come before Town Meeting again.

“At this point, I don’t think we should authorize the Board of Selectmen to lease property that we don’t own,” Vachowski said.

Desmond countered that this article was “another step” in the process initially approved by Town Meeting. “[Town Meeting] authorized the Hudson Cultural Alliance to pursue the acquisition of the armory property,” he said. “All this article is going to do is to allow the Select Board to negotiate with us to set up

the terms of the lease.”

Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory reiterated that Town Meeting had already authorized the Select Board to acquire the armory.

“There’s no additional step that Town Meeting needs to take before the Commonwealth conveys the armory to the town,” Gregory said.

The alliance secured money to fund the purchase of the armory last summer thanks to $230,000 in state budget earmarks. It has received an additional grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to allocate $200,000 for renovations.

Prior to the vote, Desmond again encouraged Town Meeting to approve the article.

“Our group, working with the town, has put a great deal of time and effort into this

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10 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS

Local reverend leads fundraiser for Ukraine, MHS hockey coach receives honor Left: Rev. Dr. Kazimierz Bem is the pastor of the First Church in Marlborough, Congregational.

Marlborough at a Glance

Right: Mike O’Brien, left, Marlborough High School boys hockey coach, has been awarded the 2021 – 2022 Coach of the Year award by the Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association.

Congratulating Mike is Jeff Rudzinsky, the Athletic Director for Marlborough High School.

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MARLBOROUGH - The Rev. Dr. Kazimierz Bem, pastor of the First Church in Marlborough, Congregational, is spearheading a fundraiser to help Ukrainians in Poland who are refugees from the Russian war against their country.

A native of Poland, Kaz, before becoming a pastor, was a refugee lawyer. His family (still in Poland) were refugees during and after World War II, making the cause dear and very close to his heart.

Now there are over three million refugees in Poland, accounting for almost 10 percent of the country’s population. Over fifty percent of the refugees are children under the age of 15.

When the war began, Kaz hoped to raise $5,000 for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.

The total, though, is now more than $133,000.

First Church in Marlborough raised $8,000 for the cause, with another $4,000

from Facebook folks in Marlborough. In addition, 35 UCC colleagues in New England and one in Texas contributed to the total.

“I went to Poland and visited three congregations that are hosting refugees,” explained Kaz. “Most of them want to go home, but some know they won’t or can’t. I prayed with one woman whose son was killed fighting the Russians the day after she reached safety in Poland.”

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The money will be used for programs including the following: • Grants for a day center for Ukrainian refugees where they can learn, play and have access to psychological care • Setting up a kindergarten for Ukrainian refugee children while their mothers set up a seamstress shop and a food for delivery business • Stipends for teenagers to be able to attend school • Psychological and medical aid for refugees • Money to transform temporary church halls to a semblance of independent living • Summer programs for Ukrainian children Early on, $20,000 was wired to Poland to fund a relief convoy to Ukraine, to support a women’s shelter hosted by the Lutheran and Reformed congregation in Cracow, and to help two small Reformed congregations that took in 30 refugees on emergency basis.

The rest of the $133,000 in donations were wired this week.

Another payment will be

wired at the end of June.

If you want to contribute to the effort, you can send a check made out to First Church in Marlborough with a memo note “Ukraine Relief.” First Church is located at 37 High St. in Marlborough MA 01752.

THE ROTARY CLUB of Marlborough, 1922-2022, will celebrate its 100th with a Centennial Gala on Saturday, May 14, at the Best Western hotel.

TWO LOCAL GYMNASTS have been collecting an amazing number of victories in area competitions.

The two 13-year-olds, Samantha Dalbec of Marlborough and Sophia Fleming of Hudson, are on the team at the Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy in Millis and practice 20 hours a week in the gym.

Recently, while competing at States at Shrewsbury High for USA Gymnastics, Junior Olympic level 7, they crushed it with Sophia landing a spot on the all-star team and going to regionals as the state chamWenzel | 11

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 11

COMMUNITY NEWS

Marlborough at a Glance Wenzel | from page 10

pion in the beam event. She placed second all around for her age group. Samantha was state champion in the bars and floor events, state champion in the all around for her age group, and she earned a spot on the state team for regionals.

Only 41 gymnasts are on the all star team that go to regionals out of hundreds. Only seven represent the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the state team.

At the regionals, Samantha took first all around, first place in beam and bars events, third place in vault and fourth place in floor. Sophia took first place in bars and fourth place in the all around. Samantha’s Team Massachusetts, took second, losing to team New York by only .125 points.

MIKE O’BRIEN, Marlborough High School head boys hockey coach, has been awarded the 2021 – 2022 Coach of the Year award by the Massachusetts State Hockey Coaches Association. Mike led the top-ranked Marlborough boys hockey team to the MIAA Division III finals at the TD Garden in Boston earlier this year. The Panthers team came in second against Hanover with a score of 5-3.

THE COLONIAL GARDEN CLUB of Marlborough will offer hundreds of beautiful plants at the 27th Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the First Church in Marlborough, Congregational, 37 High St., at the corner of High and Bolton (Rte. 85) streets in Marlborough.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY April 18 - John Sahagian and Georgina Chamberlain April 23 - Betsy Landers April 24 – J.J. Lynch May 3 - Rita Griffin May 5 - Alyson Cox May 13 - Dick Towle May 14 - Pete Daniels May 17 - Noa-Lee Bastien May 18 - Regina Slattery and Eva Kotsopoulos May 20 - Ed Beauchemin May 22 - Dan Guindon May 23 - Harold Greer May 26 - Nate Dalbec May 30 - Dottie O’Brien and Marlene King HAPPY ANNIVERSARY May 14 - Trish and Tom Pope May 14 - Brenda and Earl Geary Order online at thevinbin.com

Marlborough receives AAA bond rating MARLBOROUGH - Marlborough recently celebrated good news from S&P Global Ratings, which reaffirmed the city’s AAA bond rating.

Mayor Arthur Vigeant noted the rating in a recent press release, explaining that S&P had cited the

strength of Marlborough’s economy, management with financial practices and policies, budgetary flexibility, liquidity and debt and contingent liability profile as credit factors.

“Maintaining our AAA bond rating is vital to saving our residents tax dollars,” Vigeant

said in the statement. “This distinction allows us to borrow at significantly lower rates especially at a time when interest rates are being raised by the federal government.”

Marlborough first secured an AAA rating in 2019, maintaining it ever since. It is one of multiple area communities

with this high rating.

Vigeant added that the city has been able to bond $14 million over 20 years at a rate of 3.261 percent, with help from this rating, enabling the city to finance its ongoing library renovation and some water and sewer projects.

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12 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

PEOPLE

Shrewsbury, Marlborough illustrators collaborate on children’s book series

By Stuart Foster Reporter SHREWSBURY - Shrewsbury resident Fern Davis Nissim’s father was trying to explain to his grandchildren the story of his family’s emigration from Eastern Europe to the United States.

But the children were having trouble understanding the story, leading Nissim’s father to create an allegory about a little red ant trying to escape servitude and gain freedom.

That was in 1977. More than forty years later, Nissim has taken the same ant story further with a series of illustrated children’s books.

“He created the original story, ‘Antiline the Ant,’ and then he gave it to me and he said ‘Why don’t you do something with it?’” Nissim said of

k Pray for U

her father. “I read it to the kids; they loved it, but I never did anything more with it because I was very busy with my own career and raising children.”

Nissim began writing what is now her “Little Red Ant Books” series around 2019, updating the story, putting it in rhyme and finding another artist — Marlborough-based Sue Fleishman — to help develop illustrations.

Their first book was entitled “Antiline’s Brave Adventure.”

They have since published a sequel, “Antiline’s True Discovery,” and finalized a third book, which is now available.

“Out of the three books altogether, I hope that children will get the general gist of the story, which is freedom, friendship and community,” Nissim said.

“Those are the three keywords that I’m trying to focus on.”

Fern Davis Nissim

Sue Fleishman

Upcoming book highlights ‘community circles’ “Antiline’s Brave Adventure” sees Antiline, a Serv-ant living under the reign of the Tyr-ant, traveling in search of a happier life until she ultimately finds an accepting home.

“Antiline’s True Discovery” is about Antiline’s journey to learn about her family ant-

cestry and her ant-cestors like Queen Victori-ant. She ultimately discovers the importance of sharing and learning about others’ histories.

Nissim described the upcoming “Antiline’s Community Circle” as somewhat of a how-to book for creating a “community circle” of friends.

Beyond her writing, Nissim

is also developing an advisory group to gather interest from parents, teachers and community groups. She hoped to work with this advisory group to create venues for the promotion of community circles, which she describes as “gathering a group of people together for one main purpose, which would be just to get to know each other.”

Fleishman said that the end of the third book has line drawings, designed to engage young readers. She said the decision to include this was influenced by a talk she and Nissim did at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westborough a few summers ago, when a child did her own drawing of the Antiline character.

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 13

COMMUNITY NEWS

Shrewsbury, Marlborough illustrators collaborate on children’s book series Author | from page 12

grants, had been talking about their own traditions and family stories.

“It’s a book for young children, and young children love to draw,” Fleishman said.

Collaborative process creates books Nissim explained that both

she and Fleishman have backgrounds in art, although neither had done illustration before.

In their collaborative process, it’s Fleishman who draws the characters in the Little Red Ant Books. Nissim paints backgrounds.

Fleishman researched gestural drawings and children’s

movements to inform her character designs.

In their recent work , Fleishman has been drawing characters first, with Nissim then filling in the backgrounds.

“Despite the fact that the way we draw and paint are different, it works together,” Fleishman said.

Books available for sale Where many modern books are developed through using digital art tools, Nissim emphasized that all of these Little Red Ant illustrations are done by hand.

Nissim said the books have received a good response, with Nissim doing readings at li-

braries before the pandemic, among other things.

The books are self-published through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, meaning they’re also available for purchase through Amazon.

The books are additionally available in person at Tatnuck Bookseller and TidePool Bookshop in Worcester.

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14 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY NEWS

Team Sharing’s in-person run/walk returns to Marlborough roads

PHOTOS/ED KARVOSKI JR.

Walkers start the fifth annual Remembering Our Angels 5K.

By Ed Karvoski Jr. Contributing Writer MARLBOROUGH – An inperson chance to remember, run and raise awareness for substance use disorder (SUD) returned to Marlborough roads on May 7.

The fifth annual Remembering Our Angels 5K began and ended at the Marlborough Moose Family Center.

This fundraiser for Team Sharing Inc. took place virtually the past two years due to pandemic restrictions.

Team Sharing is a national

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nonprofit that offers support to families who have lost a child to SUD. It was founded

by Marlborough resident Cheryl Juaire, who lost two sons to SUD: Corey Merrill at age 23 in 2011 and Sean Merrill at 42 in 2021.

Many of the 5K participants have personal connections to the cause. They include the two top winners.

Mike Ludvigson finished first overall in 20:55. His wife Liz Foley was the first-place female finishing in 21.33.

They ran the race in memory of Liz’s brother Brian Foley, who died of SUD at age 27 in 2014.

Remembrances continued afterward during a barbecue.

The Moose lodge parking lot was lined with 150 posters provided by Today I Matter Inc. The nonprofit was founded by John Lally, whose son Timothy died of SUD at age 29 in 2016. These 2-by-3-foot posters depict

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Mike Ludvigson finishes first overall in 20:55.

Liz Foley is the first-place female finishing in 21.33.

photos representing lives lost to SUD. Also stationed in the parking lot was Team Sharing’s Hope’s Room. The mobile replica of a child’s bedroom reveals possible warnings of SUD. Meanwhile, Team Sharing members collected applica-

tions for a special Massachusetts license plate designed with the message “Overdose Awareness.”

Learn more about Team Sharing at teamsharinginc. org and facebook.com/teamsharinginc. See additional photos online at CommunityAdvocate.com.

Marlborough mayor proposes $181 million budget for FY2023 Budget | from page 5

has made it difficult to fulfill daily administrative tasks,” Vigeant wrote.

City expects increase in state aid, local revenues As the budget process moves forward, the city is expecting an increase in state aid of just under $6.5 million in the 2023 fiscal year.

New growth in Marlborough, likewise, may add $2 million in additional local tax revenue, Vigeant said, which “will help stabilize our tax rate for residents.”

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The City Council referred the budget proposal to the Finance Committee at its meeting on April 25.

The Finance Committee then sent the budget back to the City Council at its most recent meeting on Monday, including roughly $800,000 in reductions for a new proposed budget of just over $180.45 million.

Vigeant’s full budget proposal is available online at h t t p s : // w w w . m a r l b o r ough-ma.gov/sites/g/files/ vyhlif7576/f/agendas/fy23_ budget.pdf.

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 15

COMMUNITY NEWS

Marlborough School Committee taps Murphy for superintendent job Superintendent | from page 1

“If we have the confidence in her to be our assistant superintendent, why don’t we have the confidence in her to be our superintendent?” School Committee member Denise Ryan said of Murphy during deliberations last week.

“She knows this district inside and out,” Ryan continued.

“She is Marlborough.”

‘She has done everything we have asked of her’ Murphy was one of four candidates selected as finalists following a search process.

That process got underway after Bergeron announced in January that he planned to leave MPS at the end of the current school year.

Murphy was the only internal candidate to reach the finalist stage, ultimately drawing praise from School Committee members. “[She] brings a lot of that experience of what we’ve been doing here in the district to the table which from a historical

standpoint is obviously really healthy,” Katherine Hennessy said.

“She has done everything we have asked of her,” Michelle Bodin-Hettinger added, noting Murphy’s flexibility throughout her years in Marlborough schools.

Ryan highlighted “buy-in” to Murphy and her leadership, saying that she received substantial support from current district staff who spoke with the School Committee about their superintendent preferences.

School Committee talks achievement goals While at least two other candidates in Marlborough’s finalist pool were also finalists in other districts as of last month, Murphy told the School Committee last week that she was not seeking any other positions outside of Marlborough.

Ultimately, though, the prospect of an internal promotion to the superintendent role sparked some discussion

“

This roadmap that we have and these goals that we’re working toward are solid goals, and the progress that we’ve made toward meeting these goals, it’s working. Mary was a critical part in designing that.

Michelle Bodin-Hettinger

as Mayor Arthur Vigeant, who also chairs the School Committee, argued not for Mary Murphy, but for another finalist – Nan Murphy.

Nan, who is currently an assistant superintendent in Marblehead, could bring an outside perspective to Marlborough’s superintendent job, Vigeant said.

“We’ve had some achievement issues that have been longstanding now,” Vigeant said. “Every time we think we’re going to get somewhere … it’s just not quite right to get those numbers and those kids to where they need to be.”

“Nothing is going to change

if you have the same people in the same place making decisions,” he later added.

School Committee members acknowledged challenges facing Marlborough, including concerns in key state accountability areas like performance on annual MCAS tests.

Members also emphasized recent strides toward solutions, however, crediting current district leadership under Bergeron and his team for that.

“This roadmap that we have and these goals that we’re working toward are solid goals,” Bodin-Hettinger said.

“And the progress that we’ve made toward meeting these

goals, it’s working. Mary was a critical part in designing that.”

Hennessy said a transition into a superintendent role may be difficult, at times, for Murphy.

But she expressed confidence in Murphy, referencing her interactions with committee members during her interview.

“She said she was ready,” Hennessy said.

The School Committee voted 6-1 in favor of moving forward with Mary Murphy on May 2. Vigeant cast the lone vote for Nan Murphy.

Other finalists, Michael Baldassarre and Timothy Sippel, did not receive votes.

A full recording of deliberations is available online at https://www.wmct-tv.com/ single-post/superintendentsearch-deliberation.

A separate recording of Murphy’s interview with the School Committee can also be found at https://www.wmcttv.com/single-post/superintendent-search-mary-murphy.

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 17

COMMUNITY NEWS

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By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter NORTHBOROUGH – After 18 years and hundreds of meetings, Michelle Gillespie has decided to retire from the Northborough Planning Board.

This decision, she recently told the Community Advocate, comes as she wants to dedicate more time to her real estate business. Plus, her kids are older, and Gillespie wants to travel.

“I just feel like I’ve done my 18 years, and I like the results,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed it.”

Gillespie reflects on Planning Board career Gillespie had served on several committees throughout town before running for the Planning Board in 2004.

She served on PTOs and volunteered with her church. She had been the president of the Northborough Garden Club.

At the time, some people recommended that Gillespie consider running for the Board of Selectmen.

“I wasn’t really familiar with that,” she said. “But I always found land use interesting.”

So Gillespie decided to run for the Northborough Planning Board.

Over her career on the Planning Board, Gillespie has since seen various changes and projects come to Northborough.

When she first started on the board, Gillespie said growth was happening, but there were a lot of questions about the next steps and where Northborough would be in 10 years.

There wasn’t a roadmap besides an old master plan, she said.

She recalled some of the subsequent work, including a community development plan (which Gillespie described as a mini-master plan), major rezoning that was approved

by Town Meeting and the town’s more recent master plan, which is currently working its way through the Master Plan Implementation Committee.

Gillespie said she enjoyed work stemming from the master plan and enjoyed seeing properties be developed into

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“Whether it’s a small business owner or a mid-sized business owner, they’re successful,” she said.

She recalled projects that have come into Northborough over the years, such as CVS. “That’s when we realized at that point we didn’t have design standards,” Gillespie recalled.

The Design Review Committee, she said, undertook efforts led by former member Tom Reardon to create such design standards in town.

Gillespie, who was a member and chair of the Design Review Committee for years, said she enjoyed serving on the committee.

“We were often the first face that a business owner would see,” Gillespie said. “The message was always welcoming, even though you might say to someone, ‘Your design is not really what we’re looking for.’

It was very welcoming, very inclusive, very positive.”

Gillespie says goodbye Now done with her final term on the Planning Board,

Gillespie said she would like to remain active in the community.

“I’ve always been active within Northborough since I moved here,” she said.

As part of that, she’s already a key figure in local organizations, including a seat at the helm of the committee organizing annual Applefest events as its chair. Gillespie also helped found the local organizations Boros Cares 4 Troops.

In her comments to the Community Advocate, Gillespie endorsed Jon Lien to fill her seat. Lien ran against William Pierce in Tuesday’s election.

“I think Jon is going to bring an independent voice to the Planning Board,” Gillespie said, noting that Lien is a longtime business owner and resident in town and had similar philosophies to her.

She said he would be a “good candidate” to bring back town growth and maintain the character of Northborough.

See election results from Monday’s election on page one and online at CommunityAdvocate.com…

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18 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Worcester DA presents grant for Westborough’s Project Graduation

By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter

DA Joseph Early Jr. poses with Westborough High School students.

PHOTOS/LAURA HAYES

WESTBOROUGH - Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. stopped by Westborough High School last Wednesday to present a $1,375 check to go toward Westborough’s Project Graduation program.

A volunteer organization, Project Graduation strives to provide Westborough seniors with a safe, drug- and alcoholfree night to celebrate.

“We’re incredibly grateful that they contribute toward our end-of-year celebration, which is Project Graduation,” Project Graduation Board President Karen Henderson told the Community Advocate prior to Early’s check presentation.

This isn’t the first time that Project Graduation has received this funding from the district attorney’s office.

Two grants totaling $1,500

previously sent money to to Project Graduation and the Westborough Police Department in 2019.

Last year, Early’s office additionally helped contribute to Project Graduation’s memory lane event.

As contributions continue, this year is extra special because Project Graduation is celebrating its 30th year.

The organization estimated that over the past five years

before the COVID-19 pandemic, about 90% of seniors have attended the event.

Held at Teamworks in Northborough, the overnight event features numerous activities.

For example, the 2018 celebration was a “safari” theme and even featured animals like an alligator, boa constrictor, lemur and long-haired rabbit.

“We keep kids safe on the night of graduation with an overnight,” Henderson said.

As she described it, Project Graduation gives parents “peace of mind knowing that their kids are safe that evening.”

She said Project Graduation was “thrilled” to receive the funds from Early’s office, which came through the office’s ENDD grant.

Those dollars, in turn, are made possible through the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance Drunk Driving Trust Fund.

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“The DA’s office has been very supportive of Project Graduation in Westborough and one of the reasons that we can continue to provide a safe environment for those kids overnight,” Henderson said.

Early’s office is issuing $25,000 to 18 Worcester County Schools this year, all with a focus on preventing instances of students drinking and driving after graduation.

The Grafton High School Parent Connection and Algonquin Regional High School also received funds.

“This time of year should be a celebration for our students and their families,” Early said in a press release. “These celebrations can turn into tragedies in the blink of an eye when drinking and driving is involved. These programs help keep kids safe while they have fun and celebrate rituals of high school life.”

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 19

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS

New data highlights student mental health issues, Shrewsbury school staff say

By Laura Hayes Senior Reporter SHREWSBURY - Stress and anxiety continue to represent top issues for Oak Middle School and Shrewsbury High School students, according to newly released survey results.

Shrewsbury Director of Nursing Noelle Freeman presented this data to the School Committee on May 4.

This, in turn, came a matter of months after Superintendent Joseph Sawyer reported in January that at least 19 students had been hospitalized for mental health crises to date in the current school year.

“When we came back to school in the fall, we could not have anticipated the level of distress that some of our students are currently experiencing,” Freeman said in a March 30 School Committee meeting.

In that March 30 meeting, district staff reported that a total of 73 students had been referred for mental health reasons to either emergency mental health, youth mobile crisis or emergency room care.

In total, Freeman said there has been a “marked increase” in the number of students with mental health challenges since the beginning of the school year.

That includes what officials in March described as “intense” feelings of stress and anxiety, depression, self harm and suicidal and homicidal ideation.

According to the more recently presented regional youth survey results collected from Dec. 2021, 67% of surveyed SHS students reported that their mental health was “not good” at least some times during the pandemic.

At Oak, 40% of students reported some struggle with their mental health over the past 30 days.

The survey further indicated that 15% of Oak students were seriously considering suicide while 8% had a suicide plan and 3% had made a suicide attempt.

At Oak, the number of students reporting non-suicidal self harm nearly doubled from 7% in 2019 to 13% in 2021.

“We are definitely seeing this play out in the number of students who are being seen by nurses and mental health professionals in the buildings for cutting injuries,” Freeman said.

At SHS, 38% of surveyed students reported feeling sad

or hopeless over the last 12 months, which is an increase from 27% in 2019.

The data was further broken

down by race and sexual orientation, with Freeman saying that the results indicate that students of color and students

who identify as LGBTQ+ were at higher risk for anxiety, depression, suicide and other mental health concerns.

‘It’s O.K. to not be O.K.’ In March, district staff called for increased awareness and continued discussions with Survey | 20

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WHS senior exhibits paintings at Westborough Library WESTBOROUGH - Westborough High School senior Celina Xiong will be exhibiting regional and national award-winning paintings at the Westborough Library during the month of May. Xiong has been exploring the world of art since the age of five. She then first started oil painting at age eight at Gallery in the Pines in Hudson.

In 2018, her painting received a National Gold Medal from the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Over the course of five years, her art has received 13 awards in total.

From 2017 to 2022, Xiong received her one National Gold Medal, two Regional Gold Keys, six Regional Silver Keys and four Honorable Mentions.

Celina Xiong started painting at Gallery in the Pines in Hudson when she was eight-years old.

Her national-award-winning painting has been exhibited in art galleries in New York over the course of two years and was chosen by the U.S. Department of Education for a top honors display in Washington D.C. The Scholastic Art and

Writing Awards is the most prestigious creative recognition program across America and Canada and is held annually for students in grades 7 through 12.

In the regional competition, with over 15,000 students in Massachusetts, a small percentage receive an Honorable Mention. A smaller percentage receive a Silver Key while a lucky few hundred receive a Gold Key. A panel of creative professionals then review around 340,000 Regional Gold Key works to select roughly 2,700 as recipients of national awards.

There are 15 pieces on display in this ongoing Westborough Public Library exhibition.

New data highlights student mental health issues, Shrewsbury school staff say Survey | from page 19

students and families about mental health.

They also recommended adding mental and behavioral staff and expanding Shrewsbury’s social and emotional learning tier one program, while supporting and expanding digital media literacy education efforts including monitoring children’s use of social media, among other things.

The School Committee in May later said that this survey supported the need for additional staff members that are

being requested in the budget.

Assistant Director of Special Education and Pupil Personnel Services Meghan Bartlett said the district should be additionally partnering with families and community members to keep kids safe.

“We need to have conversations with our kids and have them know that there are steps out there to manage their mental health,” Bartlett said.

She encouraged families to talk to their students and acknowledge their feelings. Monitor their social media, she said.

She advocated for community members to seek out treatment providers and place their names on waitlists.

“It’s O.K. to not be O.K.” Bartlett said.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Shrewsbury Public Schools have shared resources for those experiencing a mental health emergency. Resources include Youth Mobile Crisis Intervention Worcester (866-5492142), Emergency Mental Health Services (508-334-3562), the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) and the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741).

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22 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

CLASSIFIED DEADLINE IS FRIDAY AT NOON, ONE WEEK PRIOR TO PUBLICATION DATE

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Legal INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE Docket No. MI22P2224EA Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court Middlesex Division Estate of: Rose L Modano Also Known As: Rose Lee Modano Date of Death: March 16, 2022

To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner: Karen L. Fahey of West Boylston MA. Karen L. Fahey of West Boylston MA has been informally appointed as the Personal Representative of the estate to serve without surety on the bond.

The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under informal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner.

CITATION ON PETITION TO CHANGE NAME Docket No. MI22C0361CA Commonwealth of Massachusetts The Trial Court Probate and Family Court In the matter of: Tiffaney Ann Falco Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 (781)865-4000

A Petition to Change Name of Adult has been filed by Tiffaney Ann Falco of Marlborough, MA requesting that the court enter a Decree changing their name to: Tiffaney Ann Connelly.

IMPORTANT NOTICE Any person may appear for purpose of objecting to the petition by filing an appearance at: Middlesex Probate and Family Court before 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 05/24/2022.

This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance if you object to this proceeding.

WITNESS, Hon. Maureen H Monks, First Justice of this Court.

Date: April 26, 2022

Tel 508-786-0309 fax 508-786-0310 Email resume to: sales@apahouser.com CITY OF MARLBOROUGH CONSERVATION COMMISSION

A Notice is hereby given that the Marlborough Conservation Commission will hold a public meeting on May 19, 2022 at 7:00 PM at Marlborough City Hall, 140 Main St. on the 3rd Floor-Memorial Hall.

CAPTAIN’S COMMAND AT BLUEBEARD’S ) BEACH CLUB OWNERS’ ASSOCIATION, INC. ) Plaintiff, ) vs. ) KRISTINE A. WINGATE, ) Defendant. ) ___________________________)

Request for Determination of Applicability was filed under provisions of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act, G.L. c. 131, §40.

To:

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

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IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS DIVISION OF ST. THOMAS AND ST. JOHN

Petition: Rich Deals, LLC proposes to do landscaping next to a brook at 204 Farm Rd. Plans and other information can be viewed in the Conservation Office.

All interested persons are invited.

Applicant or representative must be present.

Edward Clancy Chairman Conservation Commission

Scan QR code for rate information or to email your legal notice, or call Alissa at 508-366-5500.

Email: alissa@communityadvocate.com

Kristine A. Wingate 79 Oak Hill Road Fayville, MA 01745

Case No. ST–2021–CV–00440 ACTION FOR DEBT FORECLOSURE OF LIEN AND BREACH OF CONTRACT

SUMMONS

Within the time limited by law (see note below) you are hereby required to appear before this Court and answer to a complaint filed against you in this action and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment by default will be taken against you as demanded in the Complaint, for DEBT, FORECLOSURE OF LIEN AND BREACH OF CONTRACT. PURSUANT TO COURT ORDER FOR SERVICE BY PUBLICATION ENTERED BY HON. JUDGE RENEE GUMBS CARTY ON FEBRUARY 7, 2022.

Witness my hand and the Seal of this Court this 8th day of February, 2022.

TAMARA CHARLES Clerk of the Court By: Donna Donovan Richard H. Dollison, Esq. Deputy Clerk Attorney for Plaintiff, Law Offices of Richard H. Dollison, P.C. 5143 Palm Passage, Ste. B28/29 P.O. Box 6135 St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. 00804 NOTE: This defendant, if served personally, is required to file his/her answer or other defenses with the Clerk of this Court, and to serve a copy thereof upon the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty one (21) days after service of this summons, excluding the date of service.

The defendant, if served by publication or by personal service outside of the jurisdiction, is required to file his/her answer or other defense with the Clerk of this Court within thirty (30) days after the completion of the period of publication or personal service outside of the jurisdiction, and to serve a copy thereof upon the attorney for the plaintiff, and in the case of any form of mailing requiring a signed receipt, within 30 days from the date of receipt as indicated by the signed receipt.

Find us on Facebook, Instagram and at CommunityAdvocate.com

Call Mary Ellen at 508-366-5500 or email classified@communityadvocate.com

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 23

COMMUNITY OBITUARIES The Community Advocate will post obituaries online (and in print, as space allows). Please send information (and a picture if desired) to tracy@communityadvocate.com. Here is a complete list of individual obituaries posted on the Community Advocate website (www. communityadvocate.com).

DEATHS Allen Jr., Gordon of Shrewsbury Brewer, Mary of Grafton Broderick, John of Westborough Butts, Charles of Hudson Chamberlain, Lorraine of Shrewsbury Cobb, Daniel of Shrewsbury Conte, Leonard of Northborough DeArcangelis, Dorothy of Hudson Donahue, David of Shrewsbury Ferris, Eugene of Marlborough Haire, Theresa of Shrewsbury Harrison, Charles formerly Southborough Heath, Doris of Northborough and Southborough Holovnia, Sarah of Shrewsbury Hunt, Daniel of Hudson Johnson, Martha of Marlborough Kellicker, William formerly of Northborough Loader, Dorothy of Marlborough Mortensen, Marjorie of Marlborough Pomerleau, Gary of Marlborough Sabatalo, Robert of Shrewsbury and Hyannis Stuart, Harold of Shrewsbury Tauras, Heather of Grafton and Malden Tebo, Linda of Northborough Temple, Roberta of Marlborough Thompson, Lisa of Medway, Southborough Firefighter

Scan QR code to read all of this week’s obituaries on our website.

lis of Rutland, MA, Maureen Perry and her husband Robert of Shrewsbury, MA, Paul DeArcangelis and his wife Cindy of Hudson, MA; her 10 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren ; her sister-in-law Gloria Corrinne of Leominster, MA; many nieces and nephews, other relatives and close friends. She was the mother of the late Michael DeArcangelis and late David DeArcangelis and survived by David’s wife Jane DeArcangelis of Marlborough, MA. She was predeceased by her 7 siblings.

Dorothy’s passion in life was her immediate and extended family, her Irish heritage, crocheting, long walks with her husband, cooking holiday feasts for her large family.

The family would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the exceptional Assisted Living Staff at Coleman House for their loving dedication and care to mom.

The Tighe Hamilton Regional Funeral Home of Hudson assisted with arrangements.

Martha Johnson, 61 MARLBOROUGH - Martha (Frey) Johnson, daughter of the late Nancy (Shea) and John Frey, passed away peacefully on April 28, 2022, at the age of 61.

Martha is survived by her adoring husband Scott, and her three devoted children Jared, Katie (Coco) and Ben of Marlborough. She was the loving grandmother of Mila Cadet of Marlborough. She was the sister of John H. Frey Jr. of Vienna, Va., William J. Frey of Framingham, and Diane F. Frey and her partner, Gillian of Somerville. She was the sister-in-law of Mark Johnson and his wife Kathy of Hudson, and Eric Johnson of Northborough and daughterin-law of Carl and Elaine Johnson of Marlborough. She was the loving aunt of John (Will) Frey III of Arlington, VA, Ryan, Stephen and Carly Johnson of Northborough and Nigel Johnson of Marlborough.

Martha enjoyed her summer vacations with the family

Dorothy T. Loader, 74 MARLBOROUGH - Dorothy T. (Blash) Loader, 74, passed away on Friday, April 22, 2022 at home.

She leaves 2 daughtersThomasine Loader of Marlborough; Michelle Kirouac and her husband Steve of Worcester and; 4 grandchildren- Michael Kenny, Katelyn Latimer, Jamie Kirouac, and Jack Evers; 4 great grandchildren- Jacob, Noah,

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Lucas, and Emma; siblings- Edward Blash Jr. of Maine, Carol Servideo and her husband Darryl of Worcester, Joanne Lehr of Michigan, and Beverly Clark of Kansas; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by 3 brothers- Alvin Blash Sr., John Blash, and Michael Blash.

Dorothy was born in Worcester, daughter of the late Edward Blash Sr. and Hazel (Parker) Blash. She graduated from Classical High School and attended Braham’s Hair Dressing School . She worked at many places over the years, including at local hair salons, and manufacturing companies where she worked as a department foreman and a welder. She was also a nurses aide in local Nursing Homes.

She enjoyed doing crafts, scratch tickets, adult coloring books, and watching drama and reality television shows and in her younger days, she was an avid bowler who won several trophies.

Nordgren Memorial Chapel of Worcester assisted the family with arrangements.

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Dorothy M. DeArcangelis, 98 HUDSON - Dorothy M. (Callahan) DeArcangelis, 98, long time resident of Hudson, MA, passed away surrounded by her family on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at The Coleman House in Northborough, MA. She was predeceased by her husband of 61 years, Camillo R. “Rocky” DeArcangelis in 2008.

Dorothy was born and raised in Marlborough, MA, daughter of the late John and Della T. (Cunningham) Callahan. She attended local schools and was a graduate of Marlborough H.S. Following her marriage to Camillo, she moved to Hudson devoting her time to raising her children and caring for their home. She was a member of St. Michael’s Parish in Hudson.

Dorothy is survived by her children, Susan DeArcange-

and her brothers and sister. She loved spending time and playing with her beautiful granddaughter. Martha was very proud to work alongside her son Ben in higher education for two years.

She loved to watch Turner Classic Movies with her husband and siblings. Martha enjoyed supporting and watching her children play various sports.

She also cherished her relationships with colleagues at work.

The Slattery Funeral Home, Inc. of Marlborough assisted with arrangements.

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24 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

POLICE LOG The information in the police log is obtained directly from the official records maintained at each police station in our circulation area.

Those arrested are innocent until proven guilty. The Community Advocate will publish news of acquittals upon notification and a copy of court issued documentation.

Marlborough Friday, April 29 7:08 a.m. Lincoln/Mechanic Sts. MVA property damage only.

8:34 a.m. AVRTHS/Fitchburg St. Assault.

9:07 a.m. Holiday Inn/Lakeside Ave. Suspicious MV. 12:35 p.m. Bolton St. Auto theft.

2:41 p.m. Dasilva Landscaping/BPRE. MVA property damage only.

5:23 p.m. Boudreau Ave. Fraud/forgery.

5:38 p.m. Prospector East Saloon/Lincoln St. Disturbance.

7:30 p.m. Solomon Pond Mall/Donald J. Lynch Blvd.

MVA property damage only.

9:54 p.m. Broadmeadow Rd.

Disturbance.

11:01 p.m. Bolton/State Sts. MVA with injuries.

Saturday, April 30 2:27 a.m. West Main St. Wellbeing check.

2:29 a.m. Lincoln St. Disturbance.

5:23 a.m. Park St. Harassment.

1:41 p.m. Bolton St. Suspicious activity.

2:59 p.m. Dunkin Donuts/ East Main St. MVA property damage only.

3:33 p.m. Mechanic St. Harassment.

6:38 p.m. Arrested, Katy Elizabeth Cody, 34, homeless, on warrant.

7:18 p.m. Blue Hill Fuels/Gulf Gas Station/Lakeside Ave. Fraud/forgery.

7:38 p.m. Victoria’s Secret/ Donald J. Lynch Blvd. Larceny.

8:06 p.m. Reservoir St. Disturbance.

8:39 p.m. Shawmut Ave. Harassment.

8:48 p.m. Lamarre Dr./Concord Rd. Suspicious MV. 9:38 p.m. Church St. Animal complaint.

9:52 p.m. Sonia Dr. Disturbance.

10:17 p.m. Elm St. Disturbance.

10:55 p.m. Best Buy/Donald J. Lynch Blvd. MVA property

damage only.

10:56 p.m. Anderson Rd. Disturbance.

11:04 p.m. Party Express/ BPRE. Disturbance.

11:40 p.m. Eldorado Dr. Disturbance.

Sunday, May 1 12:26 a.m. The Heights at Marlborough Apts/Briarwood Ln. 12:45 a.m. Lizotte Dr. Suspicious MV. 12:52 a.m. Ryan Ct. Disturbance.

1:26 a.m. Belmont St. Disturbance.

1:37 a.m. Shawmut Ave. Disturbance.

2:44 a.m. Cook Ln. MVA property damage only.

3:20 a.m. Hastings St. Disturbance.

4:17 a.m. Main St. Suspicious activity.

7:07 a.m. IPG Photonics/Simarano Dr. Suspicious MV. 12:34 p.m. Evelina Dr./ Bergeron Rd. Disturbance.

12:54 p.m. Elm St. Burglary/ B&E past.

2:25 p.m. Bolton St. Disturbance.

2:34 p.m. Marlborough Hills Health Care/Northboro Road East. Disturbance.

2:39 p.m. Bolton St. Disturbance.

3:23 p.m. Bolton St. Disturbance.

4:37 p.m. Witherbee St. Disturbance.

5:13 p.m. Union St. Suspicious activity.

5:33 p.m. Neil St. Larceny.

6:01 p.m. Macy’s/Donald J. Lynch Blvd. MVA property damage only.

6:26 p.m. Memorial Beach/ Hosmer St. Disturbance.

6:51 p.m. Whitcomb School/ Union St. Suspicious activity.

7:51 p.m. Preston St. MVA property damage only.

9:02 p.m. Pleasant Court Condominiums/Pleasant St. Disturbance.

9:32 p.m. Jake’s Coffee Shop/ Main St. Suspicious activity.

10:05 p.m. Ghiloni Park/Concord Rd. Suspicious MV. 10:56 p.m. Farm Rd. Disturbance.

Monday, May 2 9:33 a.m. Chestnut St. B&E into MV.

10:08 a.m. South St./MVA property damage only.

12:37 p.m. Cytiva/Results Way. Suspicious activity.

12:53 p.m. Kings View Rd. Fire, structure.

1:03 p.m. Ghiloni Park/Concord Rd. Suspicious MV. 1:18 p.m. Sonia Dr. Vandalism.

1:35 p.m. Sherman St. Disturbance.

3:00 p.m. Norwood St. Disturbance.

3:22 p.m. Marlborough Hospital/Union St. Disturbance.

5:51 p.m. Wilson St. Fraud/ forgery.

6:36 p.m. East Main/Walnut Sts. MVA property damage only.

7:20 p.m. BPRW. Suspicious activity.

10:48 p.m. West Main/Winthrop Sts. MVA property damage only.

11:29 p.m. Parreira Auto Service/Mechanic St. Disturbance.

Police investigating graffiti at Gates Pond

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By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor HUDSON - Graffiti in Hudson’s Gates Pond town forest prompted a police investigation that remained ongoing as of May 7.

Taking to social media, the

Berlin Police Department asked for the public’s help in identifying individuals involved in this vandalism incident.

Gates Pond, which is located within Berlin’s town borders, is part of Hudson’s municipal water supply. The town owns an additional portion of land in the area, including the majority of a loop trail that encircles the reservoir.

Berlin police shared photos with their message on May 7 showing various graffiti symbols on rocks in the area.

Graffiti was also seen on multiple brick structures that sit near the edge of the reservoir.

Contacted on Monday morning, Hudson Police Chief Richard DiPersio said he was not aware of any Hudson involvement in this investigation.

Those with information are advised to contact Berlin Police Detective Kevin Trongone by calling (978) 391-5983.

COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 25

COMMUNITY SPORTS St. John’s baseball beats Westborough in Greg Montalbano Classic Beyond his playing career, Montalbano worked as an engineer. He also served as an assistant coach at St. John’s and worked to raise awareness about testicular cancer, among other community service en-

Westborough’s Cooper Hagen delivers a pitch during his team’s game against St. John’s at Westborough High School on Saturday.

deavors.

Montalbano passed away at the age of 31, “after repeatedly throwing every pitch in his repertoire at his 13-year battle with cancer,” as described in his obituary.

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Dubbed the Montalbano Classic, the game honored the late Greg Montalbano, who passed away in 2009.

St. John’s opened with five runs in the first inning on May

7, following that with four more runs before the end of the third inning.

Westborough answered, but still found itself trailing 9-3 through three innings. The Pioneers then tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning to secure the 11-3 win.

Improving their win-loss record to 8-5 on the year, St. John’s saw a four-inning, two hit start from pitcher Aaron Forgues, who also struck out six batters to help hold West-

Recognize Resist Report

THE

By Dakota Antelman Managing Editor

borough at bay.

Westborough fell to 7-4 with this defeat.

Honored last Saturday, Montalbano was a Westborough resident and St. John’s baseball star.

He graduated from St. John’s in 1995 and excelled at Northeastern University before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1999.

Montalbano subsequently went on to play minor league baseball, with the Boston Globe noting in its obituary that Montalbano continued with his baseball career even after having to restart treatment for testicular cancer that had been in remission.

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26 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

COMMUNITY SPORTS

Hudson snowboarder competes at nationals event

By Stuart Foster Reporter HUDSON - Spring is in full swing. But Hudson teenager and snowboarder Jake Prendergast still enjoyed a triumphant finale to his winter last month when he competed at the United States Ski and Snowboard Association Nationals Competition at Copper Mountain, Colorado.

Prendergast, who is a member of the snowboarding competition team at Wachusett Mountain, competed in the slopestyle and rail jam events in the competition, which ran from April 3 to April 9.

He finished 24th in the slopestyle and 18th in the rail jam.

“I gave it my all and did my best,” Prendergast said in a recent interview. “I’m planning to do better next year, hopefully.”

Snowboarder qualifies for national competition Prendergast qualified for the competition with his performance in the local Southern

Marlborough

tains.

“I’m only from Wachusett, and you also had these kids coming in from Japan,” Prendergast said. “I really didn’t know what to expect at the start.”

The slopestyle at Copper Mountain had three jumps and two rail sections, while the rail jam had three rail sections.

He navigated those courses, though he believes he bruised his tailbone during a rough landing on his last run of the slopestyle competition.

“Other than that, it was an amazing experience,” he said.

Jake Prendergast navigates a snowboard jump.

New England series.

Prendergast was the youngest in his nationals age group of 18- to 22-year-olds.

He said that getting to Copper Mountain was intimidating at first, with many other competitors having experience snowboarding on large moun-

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when he was younger. He was into skateboarding at the time and made the jump because the two sports looked similar.

While now he says that the two are actually nothing alike, he has continued snowboarding and competes in events whenever he can.

“It’s fun,” he said. “You can go out there for a few hours and have a blast.”

“The people you meet, you make some pretty good memories,” he continued.

Outside of snowboarding, Pendergast attends Hudson High School, where he is currently completing his freshman year.

He is a member of the football and track teams at HHS.

Marlborough softball shuts out Fitchburg

By Tyler Charpentier Contributing Writer MARLBOROUGH – The Marlborough High School varsity softball team evened their winloss record at 5-5 on May 5 with a 16-0 victory over Fitchburg.

Sophomore pitcher Carolina Burgos stole the show for the Panthers, pitching a complete game shutout with no walks and two hits.

Burgos tacked on two RBIs with a 3-4 day at the plate.

“This is only her second year but she has progressed a lot,” said Head Coach Michaella DaSilva after the game. “...She has improved so much since last year.”

As the team dominated, DaSilva gave her squad props for their continued efforts and sportsmanship.

The Marlborough High School softball team took on Fitchburg last week.

“To win by a lot or to lose by a lot, it can really show a lot of character, and the girls stayed classy even though the score was so drastic,” DaSilva said.

As the season continues to progress, meanwhile, the

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Panthers hope to maintain their second-place spot in the Midland Wachusett League.

They back in action against the Leominster on Monday, falling in that game by a score of 8-1.

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COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022 • 27

COMMUNITY BUSINESS

Shrewsbury shop still in the cleaning business

By Jeff Theodore Contributing Writer SHREWSBURY - Jay Wilson and his father, Tom, didn’t know what to expect when they ventured out to open their own vacuum business in 1992.

Former Hoover specialists who used to work at the iconic Spags store in town, Jay and his father faced uncertainty. Their business, known as Certified Vacuum, though, has since thrived.

“It was kind of scary to open at first, but we did it,” Jay said in a recent interview.

Versatility, Jay said, is the key to success.

Eighty percent of Certified Vacuum’s business involves installing, servicing and repairing central vacuum systems in residences.

They also sell, service and repair household and commercial vacuums, though.

Their store additionally offers accessories such as hoses, bags,

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filters, brushes and inlets for several vacuum cleaner brands.

Jane Davis, one of the store’s first customers, said the business remains viable because of Jay and his wife, Donna.

“They’re a hard-working self-made couple who built this business from the bottom up,” said Davis, who is now semi-retired but used Certified Vacuum for her commercial cleaning business.

“They repaired my equipment for 25 years and were always dependable, knowledgeable and accommodating,” she said.

Davis adds that it’s tough to find someone like Jay Wilson, who knows the vacuum cleaner industry inside out.

Indeed, over the course of 45 years in the business, Wilson said he’s witnessed many changes.

One of the biggest innovations is the rise in popularity of central vacuum cleaner systems. At Certified Vacuum, Wilson and his team have

Certified Vacuum is a family business that dates back to 1992.

successfully installed these vacuum tubes inside the walls of many Massachusetts residences.

The tubes collect dust particles throughout a home and send them to a container located in a garage or basement.

“With central vac systems, there’s no dust, no bags,” Wilson said. “You just empty out a canister. It’s a system that’s

convenient, powerful and has longevity. It will last during the lifetime of your house.”

When customers buy traditional vacuums, Wilson encourages them to consider buying German products.

“Miele and Sebo vacuums are high-end vacuums but of good quality because Germans spend a lot of time engineering the parts,” he said.

“Sebo offers a 10-year warranty, which is unheard of these days,” he added.

Jay said he’s seen several vacuum cleaner shops within a 30-mile radius of his operation close within the last decade.

Now, he hopes one of his two daughters will keep Certified Vacuum running once he retires.

“I was selling a central vacuum system to a guy one day and he said you probably won’t be around when the 25year warranty on this system expires,” Wilson said. “It was kind of eye-opening when he said that.”

Certified Vacuum continues to push forward.

Though his father has passed away, Jay said he knows he would be proud of their now three decade-old endeavor.

Business Profiles are advertising features designed to provide information and background about Community Advocate advertisers.

SUPER CROSSWORD

Answers to puzzle located on p. 22

28 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, May 13, 2022

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