01.24.2024 - Volume 2, Issue 9

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A01

VILLAGE PLAZA

SOL Y CANTO

MLB PITCHER

Go back in time at Village Plaza

Me&Thee kicks off winter season

Sheehan a hit with little leaguers

Page 8

Page 9

Page 6

IN THIS ISSUE

NONPROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25

NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.

TM

January 24, 2024

|

VOLUME 2, ISSUE NO. 9

|

MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG

|

ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT

SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS

Former Student Services leaders to receive nearly $120K

BY LEIGH BLANDER Settlement agreements with the former Student Services director and associate director, obtained by the Current, show that the Marblehead school district will pay nearly $120,000 to cover Paula Donnelly and Emily Dean’s salaries through the end of the

school year. The district will also pay to keep them on health insurance through June 2024.

In response to a public records request, the district on Jan. 17 released Donnelly and Dean’s contracts and settlement agreements. Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness announced on Jan.

1 that Donnelly and Dean had stepped down.

Donnelly’s contract, which was to have run from July 2022 to June 2024, was for $135,000 per year. Dean’s, for the same time period, was $101,678 per year.

The settlement agreements, signed by McGuinness on Dec. 29, included non-disparagement clauses.

Donnelly and Dean had been under fire since a student restraint crisis came to light on Dec. 4, and McGuinness placed four Glover School educators on paid leave while the district reviewed its restraint policies.

Those educators remain on leave.

The Marblehead Educators Association announced a “no

confidence” vote in Donnelly and Dean and later dozens of teachers packed a School Committee meeting to protest the Student Services leadership.

Just five months ago, the School Committee signed a separation agreement with thensuperintendent John Buckey, awarding him nearly $200,000.

SCHOOL ROUNDUP

More teacher layoffs possible in ’25 budget

BY LEIGH BLANDER On Friday morning, Marblehead teachers gathered outside each school to “stand and walk into school together in solidarity with our three colleagues who remain on paid administrative leave,” according to a statement from the teachers union, Marblehead Education Association.

Interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness placed four Glover School educators (including one who is not an MEA member) on paid leave in early December after a student restraint crisis.

“The MEA continues to demand that our colleagues be returned to the classroom where they belong, as soon as possible.

We will continue to organize as necessary until our colleagues return to work.”

Gloomy forecast

At the Jan. 18 School Committee meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Finance Michelle Cresta delivered a dire budget forecast, saying that a reduced-services budget may require the district to slash $2.2 million for Fiscal Year 2025, leading to layoffs.

“The cuts will be significant,” Cresta said. “They will impact classrooms, they will include a significant number of staff positions.”

Cresta is preparing three budgets: The reduced-services budget is based on the schools getting about the same amount of money (approximately $44.8 million) to spend in Fiscal Year 2025 as FY 24, which would require $2.2 million in cuts from current service levels. Cresta

Teachers stage a show of solidarity with colleagues on paid leave

VETERANS SCHOOL

COURTESY PHOTOS / MARBLEHEAD EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Teachers met and walked into schools together Friday morning as a show of support for their colleagues placed on paid leave amid a student restraint review.

BROWN SCHOOL

GLOVER SCHOOL

MARBLEHEAD HIGH SCHOOL

VILLAGE SCHOOL

reminded the committee, “Last year, we eliminated 33 staffing positions, and that was a $1.5 million cut.”

The needs-based budget would include additional support staffing for students, permanent substitute teachers and computer hardware replacements.

The level-services budget would include no new initiatives

and would not restore any previously eliminated positions.

It includes a 2% COLA (cost of living adjustment) for teachers and staff. The teachers union is in collective bargaining negotiations with the School Committee now.

The district is waiting to hear more about the townwide budget outlook at the State of the Town on Wednesday, Jan. 24.

Override questions

The School Committee discussed several articles (or questions) for the Town Meeting warrant, including an override for operating expenses. “We don’t have the final budget figures,” Cresta said. “But we’ll certainly want a placeholder.”

The Committee also approved articles to fund school department capital needs

(vehicles, hardware, equipment) and school building capital requests.

Member Jenn Schaeffner said she could not vote to place an override on the warrant without more information, including budget and staffing numbers from each school.

“I’ve been saying this since last spring,” she said. “I’m not SCHOOLS, P. A2

MBTA ZONING

Town proposes three new multifamily housing districts

Plan aims to rezone 54 acres to allow 899 units

BY WILL DOWD Marblehead has crafted a zoning model with three new multifamily housing districts in an effort to comply with a controversial state mandate.

The Massachusetts law requires certain “MBTA communities” located near public transit to allow multiunit housing by right. Marblehead falls into the “adjacent community” category due to

BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW

its proximity to commuter rail stops in Salem and Swampscott.

To meet its obligations, the town must rezone at least 27 acres for multifamily housing at densities of at least 15 units per acre.

Failure to comply could result in loss of state funding and invite legal challenges under fair housing laws, according to Town Planner Becky Cutting, who is overseeing the rezoning effort.

“We have to participate. No one likes a mandate, we certainly

don’t,” said Cutting at a Jan. 16 Planning Board meeting. “But since there is one, we’ve been exploring how we might be able to comply with it in a way that might benefit Marblehead.”

The town hosted public forums and focus groups to develop its proposal, which goes before the Town Meeting for a vote in May. The three districts proposed include the following: » The Tioga Way district spans 28.3 acres with a

CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD

Broughton Road is one of three proposed multifamily housing districts.

capacity for 483 housing units at an average density of 19.2 units per acre. » The Pleasant Street district covers 20.2 acres with room for 297 units at 14.7 units per acre. » The Broughton Road district encompasses 6.1 acres that

can support 119 units at 19.5 units per acre average density.

Together the districts include 54.7 acres. With 51.5 acres available for development, the plan allows 899 total new units at 17.5 dwellings per acre.

ZONING, P. A3

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A02

marbleheadcurrent.org

A2 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

O SAY CAN YOU SEE

Housing Authority Board discussing flag policy

BY LEIGH BLANDER Amid a heated debate about a School Committee draft policy for flags and banners, the Marblehead Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, chaired by a School Committee member, is now discussing a similar policy. The MHA’s plan would permit only U.S., prisoner of war and armed forces’ flags on Housing Authority property.

However, asked for their guidance on whether the MHA would be permitted to adopt such a policy, the MHA’s lawyers urged against the move.

“Based on the MHA’s risk of violating tenants’ First Amendment rights and engaging in viewpoint discrimination, it is not advisable for the MHA to issue a ban on residents’ ability to display and/or fly flags, of any sort, on MHA property, including on the side of any MHA building or MHA flagpole,” wrote the law firm Casey Lundregan Burns, which represents the Housing Authority.

At a meeting on Jan. 16, Housing Authority Chair Jenn Schaeffner referenced the legal opinion, saying, “I had a lot of questions about that. I did speak to the attorney, literally as I was walking in here. I think there needs to be more clarification to what our existing situation is. I don’t think we’re ready to vote

LEIGH BLANDER / CURRENT PHOTO

An American and POW flag fly outside the MHA apartments on Rowland Street.

on this.”

The MHA does not currently have a flag policy.

MHA member William Kuker requested the policy after someone displayed a pride flag at the MHA apartments at the former Roads School, according to meeting minutes.

“We’re in the preliminary stages, finding out what’s what and all of that,” Kuker said.

MHA Executive Director Cathy Hoog said, “It’s important that the Housing Authority makes decisions with the residents we serve in mind. We want to be fair and just and include

feedback from our residents with regard to any policy that will affect them.”

Hoog continued, “Obtaining legal opinions is also a part of the fair, just process. This policy is not something we are taking lightly.

Myself and the board will consider all options before implementing anything formally. Right now, we are in the process of researching and evaluating what is a best practice.”

Schaeffner also sits on the School Committee and drafted a policy that would allow only U.S., Massachusetts and Marblehead flags to hang in public school properties. If someone wants to display other signage, they would need to get permission from the School Committee and only be allowed to hang that signage for 30 days.

Students have complained about the policy — and accused the School Committee of not listening to them. More than 50 students and adults held a protest outside the high school earlier this month. The School Committee then scheduled two listening sessions with high school students. Parents and reporters were not allowed to attend.

According to the Boston Globe, the Pembroke School Committee recently revoked a flag policy very similar to Marblehead’s draft plan out of concern for litigation.

The MHA meets again next month.

MOM SPEAKS OUT

METCO mother describes ‘abuse,’ pleads for change ‘My son could’ve died’

BY LEIGH BLANDER At a Jan. 17 meeting of the Task Force Against Discrimination, the mother and grandmother of a METCO student at the Glover School accused the Marblehead schools of abuse and violating state law. The women pleaded for the town to do more to keep all Marblehead students safe and combat what they call bias and racism against students of color.

“I have a child who feels unsafe in Marblehead; I have a child who feels afraid every day in Marblehead,” said the mother.

She continued, “My family has not been supported in the trauma that has happened with my child. The root of a lot of the altercations that happened with my child came from an evil place of discrimination. I feel like what was taught to my child at this young age is to be afraid of people that do not look like them. And I blame the system for that. I really think that it needs to be reorganized in a whole stepby-step manner so that these children are in a safe place, all children.”

Student restraint crisis

In December, interim Superintendent Theresa McGuinness placed four Glover School educators on paid leave after incidents involving student restraints. The educators remain on leave while the district reviews its restraint policies. The crisis prompted Marblehead teachers to demand that the Student Services

director and associate director resign, which they did.

The Task Force had invited the METCO families to speak, to hear their stories and show support.

“We wanted to let you know that we’re a resource for you and for anyone in town who may not feel welcome here,” said TFAD member Chris Bruell. “We want to introduce ourselves and let you know that we exist. This is more of a beginning point, hopefully, in conversations to gain a better understanding of what we can do.”

Marblehead METCO Director Caja Johnson attended, along with the METCO Parent Council Organization President Jacqueline Wade, whose son is at the Village School. Wade spoke about the “unknown bias” her son has experienced there.

She described a call from a vice principal about an altercation between Wade’s son and a classmate. Wade says the vice principal told her, “It’s just that he’s getting bigger. I don’t want him to hurt anybody.”

When Wade asked her son about the incident, he told her that the other child is bigger than he is.

“He’s always saying, ‘This teacher doesn’t like me, that teacher doesn’t like me,’” Wade said. “Where is the teachable moment here? Part of being an ally is to create a safe space for people to unlearn things that the community has taught them.”

Flag controversy

Rev. Jim Bixby, with the Marblehead Racial Justice Team, expressed deep concern for

actions by the school district, including efforts to ban most flags from school property.

“We’re at a crucial point,” Bixby said. “The MRJT has raised the alarm bells a number of times.

We’ve sent letters to the School Committee that have been summarily ignored. The moment is one that calls for more action.

The flags we’re talking about are symbols of acceptance.”

He added, “When any of those flags leave the building, it’s going to be a problem, and people are going to have questions, and they might even bring those questions to a court of law.”

Police Chief Dennis King addressed the mother, saying, “I’m sorry that your son feels unsafe and unwanted when he comes to Marblehead. I just wanted to say that directly to you.

That’s how impactful your words are to me.”

King said police undergo training about implicit bias and he thinks it’s effective.

“If the police profession can embrace it and find trainings, the school system should, too,” he said. “Whatever you need from me on that, I hear you loud and clear.”

But the grandmother called out King, saying she had approached him a month earlier with evidence that the schools had broken state law.

“It was abuse, a child that has a severe medical treatment like asthma… you’re breaking state law,” she said.

The grandmother continued, “My daughter is broken. The passion you hear from me is… fix it, fix it quickly, so this doesn’t happen to another child, not any

From P. A1

Super search

The School Committee also had to delay a vote on which members will sit on the superintendent search committee.

Fox proposed that she and Schaeffner be appointed. Ota said he also wants to be on the search committee. The School Committee will wait until Alison Taylor is present at its meeting in two weeks to decide. (Meagan

Next steps

The METCO mother, choking back tears, thanked the TFAD for having the discussion.

“I want to thank everybody for listening,” she said. “I do believe teachers all come in with the intent of being great and not harming, but my son could’ve died. So as a mother, I don’t see those good intentions. I don’t feel those good intentions for my son.

Please, please fix this because it’s really unbearable to sit here and be calm. I’d like to be part of the next meeting if I could. Please do something fast.”

The TFAD meets monthly.

Its members agreed to attend the next meeting of the School Committee’s policy subcommittee, which is proposing the flag policy. That meeting had not yet been scheduled as of Jan. 18.

will invite people to submit letters of interest and then hold a joint session to interview candidates and choose a new member. The term expires in June.

Schools in a position to support this until I have the numbers I need.”

Schaeffner abstained on override article vote, and with only three members present (Fox, Schaeffner and Brian Ota), the vote had to be postponed. Fox said she might schedule a quick meeting this week, for just this vote.

child of any race. I’m asking you to do your job. Be fair, be right.

Do the right thing.”

King replied, “There are things that need to be examined on the school side. We’re not afraid to do anything we need to do, if evidence is brought forward.”

Diane Gora, who co-chairs the TFAD and is a teacher at the Glover School, defended her colleagues.

“The staff I know to be very caring individuals,” Gora said.

“I totally understand that this is your experience, and I am not negating that at all. I don’t have the same experience with my colleagues that you have had.”

Gora added that teachers do get a lot of training, specifically on bias and how to help children feel included.

Flag controversy

Taylor resigned from the School Committee earlier this month.)

Fox said this should not delay the superintendent search and suggested focus groups be scheduled soon to gather input from stakeholders (including parents) on what they want in a new superintendent.

School Committee vacancy Fox said she would write to the Select Board and alert them about Meagan Taylor’s resignation and the need to fill her seat.

The Select Board and School Committee

Schaeffner shared details from the latest listening session with high school students about her draft policy that would give the School Committee control over which flags and banners are displayed on school property.

“We got some good feedback, we got three proposals submitted to us,” she said.

“I’m going to bring that back to the policy subcommittee.”

Schaeffner also proposed that the School Committee consider expanding, by adding two more members. That would need approval at Town Meeting in 2025.

The School Committee’s next regularly scheduled meeting is Feb. 1.

nEWS FOr PEOPLE, nOT FOr PrOFIT. CO-CHAIRPERSONS

Jessica Barnett Ed Bell NEWSROOM Editor - Leigh Blander

lblander@marbleheadnews.org

Community Editor - Will Dowd wdowd@marbleheadnews.org

Consulting Editor - Kris Olson kolson@marbleheadnews.org

Sports Reporter Joe McConnell

jmcconnell@marbleheadnews.org

Intern - Benji Boyd CONTRIBUTORS

Jo Ann Augeri Silva Stephen Bach Bob Baker Linda Bassett Nicole Goodhue-Boyd Laurie Fullerton Mark Hurwitz John Lamontagne Christine McCarriston Eyal Oren Pam Peterson Chris Stevens Lisa Sugarman Linda Werbner BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Virginia Buckingham - President Gene Arnould Jessica Barnett Ed Bell Francie King Robert Peck Donna Rice Richard Weed - Treasurer EDITORIAL BOARD

Ed Bell Virginia Buckingham Kris Olson Will Dowd Robert Peck Joseph P. Kahn DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Kathryn Whorf DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS

Marion Warner Greely FOUNDERS

Jessica Barnett Ed Bell Leigh Blander Will Dowd David Moran Kris Olson DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

North of Boston Media Group Marblehead News 217 Humphrey St. Marblehead, Massachusetts 01945 781.910.8658 info@marbleheadnews.org www.marbleheadCurrent.org Marblehead Current is published every Wednesday by Marblehead News Group, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. It is mailed to all homes and businesses in Marblehead, MA 01945.

DONATE

Help us deliver sustainable local journalism. Please consider supporting the Marblehead Current by making a tax-deductible donation at marbleheadcurrent.org/donate.

For stock transfer donations, please contact: Kathryn Whorf at kwhorf@marbleheadnews.org.

ADVERTISE

Advertising is available on our website and in our weekly printed newspaper. To learn more, contact our Director of Community Relations, Marion Warner Greely, at mgreely@ marbleheadnews.org, or visit www. marbleheadCurrent.org/ads.

VOLUNTEER

Join us. We invite you to help support our effort to establish and maintain a free press for a strong community.

To get involved, visit www. marbleheadCurrent.org/volunteer.

REACT

We’re standing by to listen to your ideas. Please drop us a line and let us know what you would like to see in your community newspaper. Send your thoughts to info@marbleheadnews.org.

Help us keep the lights on so we can keep shining a light.

Support the Current by using this QR code.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A03

marbleheadcurrent.org

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A3

NEWS IN BRIEF

BY WILL DOWD The Current welcomes submissions (150-200 words) to the news in brief. Send yours to wdowd@marbleheadnews.org.

Town warrant closes to citizen petitions The town clerk is now certifying several citizen petitions submitted for the May 6 Town Meeting. The deadline for citizens petitions was Friday, Jan. 19. The cutoff for town government boards and commissions to sponsor warrants is Friday, Jan. 26, at noon. Check MarbleheadCurrent. org for the latest coverage on the warrant articles.

State of the Town Marblehead’s 2024 State of the Town will be presented on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m., one hour before the Select Board’s regular meeting, in Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St. To join virtually over Zoom, visit: bit. ly/3HEhY7n.

Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer will discuss town finances, policy priorities, capital projects, development issues and more from the past year, while also looking ahead.

Rabbi Michael Schwartz of Temple Sinai, left, explains the story behind the Torah rescued from a synagogue in the former Czechoslovakia which was destroyed by the Nazis. With him is Select Board member Moses Grader and Helaine Hazlett, co-chair of the Marblehead Task Force Against Discrimination.

conservation group.

It’s Crowninshield Island

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The U.S. Board of Geographic Names on Jan. 11 approved renaming Marblehead’s Brown Island to Crowninshield Island, capping a 10-year effort recognizing the prominent local Crowninshield family.

The family acquired the 7.5acre island in 1918 before Louise duPont Crowninshield donated it in 1955 to the Trustees of Reservations

Marblehead will hold its second annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day observance on Friday, Jan. 26, at noon in Abbot Hall. The event, organized by Rabbi Michael Schwartz and featuring remarks

by Select Board Chair Pro Tem Moses Grader, will include a candle lighting ceremony and reading of a proclamation recognizing the day and

commemorating the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945.

Schwartz will lead a 6 p.m.

Friday service at Temple Sinai, 1 Community Rd., to commemorate Holocaust victims. Grader will be a guest speaker. The community is invited to attend both afternoon and evening observances.

Rodgers to discuss local veterans’ services The Council On Aging Speakers Series will host Veterans Agent Dave Rodgers

at 1 p.m. on Feb. 21 to discuss his 20 years of helping local veterans. The free event is open to the public at the Council On Aging. Registration is requested through the council’s website. Rodgers will explain how he pioneered his role since becoming the town’s veterans agent in 1999.

Marblehead Citizens Police Academy Residents can get an inside look at policing with the Citizen Police Academy course this spring.

The Marblehead Police Department is partnering with the Council on Aging to offer the free, nine-week course from Feb. 23 to April 12. Classes meet Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon, and include trips to the police station and Salem District Court. Participants must reside in Marblehead and be at least 18 years old.

Questions can be directed to Lt. David Ostrovitz at 781-6311212 or dostrovitz@marblehead. org, or Janice Salisbury-Beal at 781-631-6225 or salisburybeali@ marblehead.org. Details are also available on the Marblehead Police and Council on Aging websites.

Facility stickers Marblehead has set the 2024 fee for resident facility stickers at $80 per sticker.

The stickers, which allow access to the Transfer Station and resident parking at Devereux Beach, are available for purchase at the Treasurer/Collector’s Office and Transfer Station.

Additional stickers for vehicles registered to the same household address cost $25 each. Lost or stolen stickers also require a $25

replacement fee.

To purchase stickers, proof of Marblehead residency and vehicle registration is required.

Stickers must be affixed to the left front bumper to be considered valid. The 2024 stickers expire Dec. 31.

Residents can purchase stickers with cash, check payable to the Town of Marblehead, or credit card (with a 3% convenience fee) at the Transfer Station only.

Questions about the facility sticker program can be directed to Public Health Director Andrew Petty at the Board of Health office, 781-631-0212.

Dog license renewals Pet owners are reminded that the deadline to renew dog licenses for 2024 is Jan. 31. Town law requires annual renewal of dog licenses. There is a $50 per month late fee assessed for any licenses renewed after Feb. 1. Owners who no longer have a dog should notify the Town Clerk’s office.

Licenses can be renewed online at epay.cityhallsystems. com or by filling out an application at bit.ly/48RJA3s.

Completed applications should be mailed or dropped off with payment at Abbot Hall, 188 Washington St., or the Mary Alley Building, 7 Widger Rd. Payments should include the renewal notice or completed application, along with a check made out to Marblehead. Rabies and neuter certificates should also be submitted if not already on file.

Contact the Town Clerk’s office at townclerk@marblehead. org or 781-631-0528 with any questions.

‘HEADERS HELPING ’HEADERS

Call for blood donations, as local teen battles cancer

BY LEIGH BLANDER

Caroline Noonan

COURTESY PHOTO

Select Board Chair Erin Noonan, whose daughter is fighting cancer, is letting the community know about a Red Cross blood drive at the Gerry 5 on Thursday, Feb. 8, 9 a.m.-7 p.m, at 210 Beacon Street.

Noonan’s daughter, Caroline, was recently diagnosed with the pediatric cancer Ewing sarcoma.

“Among other needs, cancer patients rely on blood transfusions throughout

Zoning From P. A1

“This model complies with state law,” Cutting said. “We crafted it to give the town credit for some of the multifamily (housing) we already have at this density and greater.”

The state law, known as MBTA zoning or multifamily zoning, was passed by the Legislature in 2021 and requires approximately 177 communities served by the MBTA to have at least one district allowing multifamily housing by right at minimum densities.

Cutting provided examples showing that just because an area is rezoned, it does not necessarily mean immediate development will occur: » The Vinnin Square Smart Growth Zone was adopted in 2009, but the first application did not occur until 2022, 13 years later. » Incentive Zoning bylaw allowing increased density townwide was passed in 1990.

Over 30 years later, there has only been one application to date with a project that was just completed in 2021. » Marblehead is currently

COURTESY PHOTO / THE TOWN OF MARBLEHEAD

A chart that breaks down the proposed MBTA zoning districts.

subject to Chapter 40B state affordable housing rules.

While this law has existed since 1969, the town has only permitted four 40B developments, two of which have been constructed.

While the zoning change requires a two-thirds majority at May Town Meeting, Planning Board Chair Robert Schaeffner downplayed expectations of a development surge.

“When you really think about if you break it down and look at any particular parcel, it’s so unlikely, in fact, it just, there’s not a ton of incentive in this kind of zoning density for people to tear anything down and rebuild it,” he said.

Planning Board member Barton Hyte emphasized the incremental rollout. He believes

that development on the properties is “certainly not going to be in our lifetimes.”

“It’s all hypothetical,” he stressed. “This is 100% hypothetical.”

Some residents, like James Full, still voiced reservations about future ripple effects.

“What about my children’s lifetimes?” he asked the board.

“Once this is in place, the state’s going to come back and ask for more and more.”

Xhazzie Kindle questioned whether the zoning would revive downtown shops and restaurants to make Marblehead “a walkable, livable community. So if we pass this, will it be easier for Marblehead residents and others to create the sort of community where people really can walk downtown to a destination

treatment,” Noonan told the Current on Jan. 17. “There’s been a national shortage I didn’t know about until we became patients.”

The Red Cross declared an emergency blood shortage on Jan. 7. In fact, the agency is experiencing the lowest number of people giving blood in the last 20 years.

“One of the most distressing situations for a doctor is to have a hospital full of patients and an empty refrigerator without any blood products,”

said Dr. Pampee Young, chief medical officer of the Red Cross, the nation’s largest blood supplier.

“A person needs life saving blood every two seconds in our country… however, blood is only available thanks to the generosity of those who roll up a sleeve and donate,” he added.

To schedule an appointment at the Gerry 5, visit redcrossblood.org, enter Marblehead’s zip code 01945 and click “By Distance” to find the Gerry 5.

and have something to do and somewhere to go?”

Cutting responded that adding housing downtown in theory would help support businesses.

Resident Greg Thibodeau worried about costs associated with upgrading infrastructure and services to accommodate new residents. Cutting replied that department heads didn’t see any capacity issues in the chosen districts.

“This process is simply putting zoning in place for as-of-right multifamily housing. There are no proposed projects as part of this process,” said Molly Oberndorf.

“It’s just one step in, you know, a much longer process to create an opportunity to provide more housing and not only in Marblehead but in the state of Massachusetts as a whole.”

To mitigate traffic, the proposal places two districts along bus routes and encompasses some alreadydeveloped areas. But surveying more than 100 attendees at a November forum, the Planning Department listed “traffic impact” as the top concern among potential “challenges and problems.”

In developing the model, the town tried to minimize potential

traffic impacts by: » Locating two of the districts on existing bus routes to encourage public transit use. » Putting one district in the downtown business area to allow more walkability. » Incorporating smart growth incentives like bike racks and parking for shared cars. » Including some areas like Tioga Way that are already developed, limiting open space being repurposed.

“We don’t really have any options here, so there’s been plenty of opportunities for people to get engaged,” Planning Board member Marc J. Liebman said. “I know you said there’s only 50 or 60 people on this meeting. We’ve had several [public meetings]; everybody’s invited. There’s no limit to how many people can attend these.”

He added: “We’re just doing the best that we can with the information we have to not get into a very costly legal battle with a state that we have no ability to see through.”

The Planning Board was expected to approve the final zoning language for the Town Meeting warrant this week.

Check MarbleheadCurrent.org for updates.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A04

marbleheadcurrent.org

A4 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

Opinion EDITORIAL

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY

Reflections from the hillside Follow the money

BY VIRGINIA BUCKINGHAM

“Follow the money.”

That line was made famous in the movie “All the President’s Men,” in which a government whistleblower advises journalist Bob Woodward to untangle the Watergate conspiracy by tracking the cash that funded it.

Marblehead isn’t burdened with any scandal on that scale, thankfully. Still, citizens might be forgiven for wondering: Where is all the money coming from to resolve a series of messy — and often puzzling — town affairs? Are officials committed to a policy of full transparency, or do they expect us to trust their public statements, no matter the cost attached?

It was only last May, for instance, when taxpayers were asked to support overrides for the Voters deserve general government and a long overdue school departments. At the reckoning time, town leaders warned on spending of painful cutbacks in service and education should the discipline and override be turned down, as transparency it eventually was, while also warning that Fiscal Year 2024 would bring even more cuts due to significantly declining revenues. This doomsday scenario was used to promote a tax override as the only fiscally prudent course of action.

Halfway through FY 24, how does rhetoric match up with reality? Not so well.

Item: The Board of Health scaled back the controversial Transfer Station initiative so it could be completed under the existing budget — without the override — despite earlier claims that this was impossible. Again, a positive outcome.

Still, what did town officials know and when did they know it?

Item: Somewhere, somehow, the school department found the resources to pay departed Superintendent John Buckey nearly $200,000 in severance, along with $120,000 more to remove two administrators who resigned in the wake of the recent Glover School controversy. What exactly happened to the lean, bare-bones budgets officials warned us about having to follow?

Something there doesn’t add up.

Item: Most gallingly, the town continues to pay the $65,000 annual salary of Officer Christopher Gallo as we await a decision on his status, two and a half years after being placed on leave for alleged misconduct. Is a settlement finally being negotiated? Are scheduling conflicts really causing the delay? Town Administrator Thatcher Kezer and the Select Board need to be more transparent about the holdup, which is rapidly becoming an expensive joke.

Item: A recurring lack of spending discipline looks even worse paired with the increased tax assessments that hit residents in the new year.

Despite making no major home improvements, some citizens suddenly faced double-digit property tax spikes costing them $1,000 or more.

The town’s vague invocations of market factors and valuation formulas did little to assuage angry homeowners.

Bottom line: Last year’s override defeat clearly did not result in the apocalyptic sacrifices that voters heard about from town officials. Indeed, their financial scare tactics now look like a crude ploy to extract more taxpayer money. Beyond feeling manipulated, voters deserve a long overdue reckoning on spending discipline and transparency.

As Marblehead prepares its FY 25 budget, officials must level with voters about expected tradeoffs instead of relying on sky-is-falling threats. Also, citizens should never again have to underwrite no-end-in-sight leaves for town employees facing serious misconduct charges.

Tonight’s State of the Town address in Abbot Hall represents the first step in putting together next year’s budget while previewing this spring’s Town Meeting agenda. Given the sizable “surpluses” and payouts we’ve seen materialize this past year, we should all be properly skeptical about any new deficit claims.

When in doubt, follow the money. Then question how it’s being spent.

I met this woman the other day. She was about 20 years older than I am, and everything I hope to be at that age. Physically, she was very strong and healthy.

There was a peacefulness about her and she exuded a confident and joyful aura. She wore glasses and jeans. Her hair was short and a beautiful gray.

She stood by my kitchen counter, in stockinged feet, purposeful, yet relaxed, like she was about to tackle a recipe she hadn’t tried before. Or maybe she was about to make a cup of tea with herbs from the garden and offer it to me with a homemade biscotti. Even though she hadn’t spoken a word, I could tell she was wise. I liked her very much.

This woman was me.

How? Before you put your hand to my forehead, or check my cabinets for psilocybin mushrooms, let me explain.

I spent several days recently at a leadership immersion retreat in the foothills outside of Boulder. A friend joked I was re-enacting the series Nine Perfect Strangers but I knew two people leading it, so it was only seven strangers I retorted! We came together for four days in a house overlooking the valley and peaks beyond. In the aftermath, we were strangers no more.

The impact of those days is still sinking in, I’m not even sure I can put words to the experience beyond this one moment I offer now. Meeting my future self was so extraordinary, I couldn’t wait to share how with you, in case you, too, want to meet, well, you, two decades hence.

Lori Zukin, a visionary leadership coach and wonderful person who I met eight years ago led the discussion and exercise entitled “Future Self Visualization.” It’s taught at the Coaches Training Institute and described in detail in a book entitled, “Playing Big, Practical Wisdom for Women Who Want to Speak Up, Create and Lead” by Tara Mohr. The exercise is not just for women though, and the two men in our group would confirm its every-human applicability.

I won’t go into the details of the visualization itself

which involves some meditation and a bit of imagined time travel. If you want to try it, you can find it here: taramohr.com/book/meet-inner-mentor/ I do want to talk about its impact.

Mohr describes meeting your future self as an opportunity to meet your inner mentor. We all know our inner critic well, don’t we? He or she comes along everywhere we go and tells us how we messed up or could have done better. How nice to think inside us is a wise self we can call on not just to affirm but to counsel.

In the visualization, your future self brings you to a favorite spot in the house for a chat. At that time you can ask him or her what you need to do to get from where you are to where he or she is.

This future self may not answer in words, but in a feeling you are given. That is what happened to me.

First, the house I traveled to was where I live now.

My future self brought me to the new room we had built 20 years before. There was no one else home, but I could see it was filled with pictures of grandchildren.

Every window streamed light.

I saw no shelves filled with books I had written. No awards. No sign of what I had done in my life. The feeling I got was how I was in my life. And I realized in that moment I had been searching for the wrong thing.

I thought I would leave this retreat with a clear path forward, a certainty about the next book I would write or public speaking career I would pursue, in what way would I lead. I came away knowing that what I do isn’t what matters, but how I am. Do I help bring light to other people?

Do I move the world in a more positive direction, or is my impact negative?

When in doubt as I move forward, I plan to check in with my inner mentor. I trust her. I know her. I like her very much.

President of the Marblehead Current’s Board of Directors, Virginia Buckingham is the former chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority, chief of staff to two Massachusetts governors, deputy editorial page editor for the Boston Herald and author of “On My Watch: A Memoir.”

ENDING THE STIGMA

Taking your New Year’s resolutions beyond Jan. 12

BY WENDY TAMIS ROBBINS Surveys show that being healthier is consistently the most popular New Year’s resolution across the globe, starting with eating healthier, then exercising more, smoking and drinking less and, of course, losing weight.

Then comes selfimprovement, followed by psychological health (less stress, etc.). This sounds great until Jan. 12, which is when most people have given up on their resolutions.

Here are three reasons why we give up on our hopes and dreams in less than two weeks.

The motivational triad: This is the brain’s wiring to seek pleasure, avoid pain and be efficient. These motivators keep us alive but not necessarily healthy and happy. It can also do us a great disservice when it comes to creating lasting, sustainable change. Gone unchecked, it drives bad habits, avoidance, indulgence and even addiction.

Mindlessness: When we overidentify with current labels like “I am ____” (anxious, overweight, lonely), that leaves little wiggle room for change and growth, creating what Harvard psychologist Dr. Ellen Langer calls

“mindlessness.” She explains, “If something is presented as an accepted truth, alternative ways of thinking do not even come up for consideration … [for example] when people are depressed they tend to believe they are depressed all the time. Mindful attention to variability shows this is not the case.” This variability opens our mind to envisioning a new future, a new way of feeling and being, and even a new identity.

Present bias: This is where people choose smaller, immediate rewards rather than larger rewards that come later. It’s similar to the motivational triad, but here, we actually discount the value of what we do now and believe that our present actions won’t have an effect on our future. The reality, however, is the opposite. Making small deposits consistently over time, compound and create profound change and profoundly impact that healthier person you want to be.

When we imagine a new identity on Jan. 2, we’re motivated and fueled by the thoughts of this “New year, new me.” This is because we are actually getting a hit of dopamine (our happy pill) when we consider this new, healthier version of ourselves.

In a study done on people playing slot machines to see when their dopamine was at its highest, the

results revealed it was highest right before they pulled the lever. This is our Jan. 2. The moment when all things are possible. Before the reality of doing what is necessary to actually be healthier kicks in.

And it seems most of us can only tolerate that discomfort or just forget about that new identity entirely by Jan. 12.

But this research can be used to bypass these biases and help you through those moments of present discomfort. Staying focused on the anticipation of what’s to come can increase your dopamine and make the journey far more pleasurable when you’re eating an apple instead of cookies and driving to the gym at 6 a.m.

If you are considering a healthier you this year, consider this call to action by Benjamin Hardy who wrote in his Harvard Business Review article called “Take Ownership of Your Future Self.”

“Start acting like the best version of yourself, and you will become that person. Because your identity drives your behavior, which over time creates your personality. What you focus on and identify with becomes who you are,” according to Hardy.

So many of us believe that our behaviors drive our identity. And STIGMA, P. A6

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A05

marbleheadcurrent.org

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A5

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

Answers to frequently asked tax rate questions

BY ANDREW OLIVER (Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series on how your tax bill is calculated, including the assessment process.)

Q. Why did my tax bill jump so much in Q3 (January to March 2024)?

A. The tax bills for the first two quarters of the fiscal year (July-December 2023) are estimated tax bills based upon the prior year’s assessment.

When the new assessments are published in late December, the actual tax bill is recalculated for the fiscal year (July 2023 to June 2024), and the bills for Q3 and Q4 adjusted to catch up for any increase.

Q. What is the timeframe upon which assessments are based?

A. For FY2024, assessments are based upon values as of January 2023, using sales data for calendar year 2022. Sales that took place in calendar year 2023, therefore, will be the basis for the assessment for FY 2025.

Q. Can I appeal my assessment?

A. Yes, provided the appeal is based upon data for the relevant year (2022 to appeal this year’s assessment). More information and directions for filing an application are available at marblehead.org/assessors-office.

Q. What is the process for appealing my assessment?

A. An appeal for abatement can be made after receipt of the third quarter tax bill mailed in December and no later than Feb. 1.

The appeal, which must be based upon valuation during the relevant period (i.e., 2022 calendar year sales for the current assessment), must specify the reason for the complaint. A current appraisal is not relevant.

The assessor’s office will analyze the property and the information provided. If the data is incorrect or there is evidence provided that the valuation is wrong, the assessor’s office will

change the valuation.

Q. Does the assessment process include all transactions that occur?

A. The process includes all arms-length transactions.

Excluded are non-armslength transactions, such as those involving foreclosure, bankruptcy, estate sales, divorce and the purchase and sale following remodeling.

Q. What is the authority under which assessments are made?

A. Chapter 59 of the Massachusetts General Laws.

The process is overseen by the Department of Revenue.

Q. How does Prop 2 1/2 affect assessments?

A. The tax levy on all property in Marblehead in aggregate (not on individual properties) can be increased by no more than 2 1/2 percent per annum.

To this total is added the tax on new growth (such as new construction, condo conversions, any improvements/ parcels taxed for first time) and any overrides or debt exclusions, to calculate the new tax levy.

Q. What are the measurements used in the assessment process?

A. An assessment-sales ratio (ASR) is calculated for each property sold by dividing the current assessed valuation by the sales price.

A property assessed at $100,000 that sold for $100,000 would have an ASR of 100%.

If that property sold for $110,000, the ASR would be 91% ($100,000/110,000). If

the property sold for $90,000, the ASR would be 111% ($110,000/90,000).

A second factor is the “coefficient of dispersion,” which indicates how tightly the ratios are clustered around the median ratio. The lower the COD, the greater the uniformity in appraised values. With a COD of 10 percent, for example, the range of ASRs should be 90-100 percent.

Remember that the assessment is based upon data from earlier years, not the current year. A property that sells in 2024, for example, will be assessed based upon data for the year 2022.

As the market has risen in the last two years, it would be reasonable to expect that the current market price may well be higher than that on which the assessment was based.

Q. What are the state requirements for assessment values?

A. Assessments by law in Massachusetts are 100% of full and fair cash value, more commonly referenced as “market value.”

The ASR for residential property must be in a range of 90-100 percent, and the COD must be no more than 10 percent.

The ASR must be consistent throughout town for all types of property, both by classification — e.g., residential or commercial — and by price range. The purpose is to prevent one class of property subsidizing others.

Q. Are Marblehead’s assessments in line with market prices?

A. The period since COVID has

seen continued strong demand for properties in Marblehead, with most properties seeing multiple offers and selling for more than list price.

This, together with the fact that assessments are based upon an earlier year, means that in 2023 the 164 single-family homes that sold had a median ASR of just 82% — or, put another way, the median home sold for 22% more than its assessed value.

And 142 of the 164 sales were above assessed value.

Q. What happens when property changes hands — what does the assessor’s office do?

A. The assessor’s office receives data on all sales and sends out a questionnaire to the new owner. This data provides background information and is taken into account for subsequent assessments.

Q. What happens when improvements are made?

A. The assessor’s office receives copies of all building permits and visits every site for which a permit is pulled. The assessor’s office determines the progress of work as of July 1, regardless of the status at the building department.

Q. Which improvements have the greatest/least impact on assessed values?

A. The greatest: new construction, additions, bathrooms and kitchens.

The least are those that minimize deferred maintenance: siding/roofing/windows — items that are expected and integral to functionality and habitation.

Q. How does Marblehead tax commercial property?

A. Each year, the assessor’s office presents to the Select Board a schedule showing the impact of implementing a commercial rate that is allowed, by law, to be higher than the residential rate.

In Marblehead, 95 percent of property is residential, so the

imposition of a separate, higher commercial rate would have a disproportionate impact on commercial taxes.

Indeed, if the share of the tax bill paid by commercial owners were increased by the maximum 50 percent, the reduction in the tax paid by the median homeowner in FY2024 would be just $194 per annum, while the increase on a similarly assessed commercial property would be $4,169.

Q. Are there exemptions available?

A. Statutory exemptions, for which the town is reimbursed by the state, are available for eligible taxpayers and include exemptions for the elderly, veterans, the blind and widows.

More information on exemptions is available from the assessor’s office, 781-631-0236, or e-mail, assessors@marblehead. org.

Please take advantage of those for which you are eligible.

Q. How does the senior work-off program work?

A. Opportunities for duties such as filing, phone coverage and light clerical work are available for senior citizens through the Senior Work-off Program. Seniors over 60 who meet certain income guidelines can earn a rebate on their taxes of up to $750.

Applications for this program go through the Council on Aging office on Humphrey Street, 781-631-6737.

Q. What is the outlook for FY2025 assessments and tax rates?

A. The FY2025 assessments will be based upon sales in 2023, when the median price of singlefamily-home sales reported in MLS increased 3% to $964,875.

This would suggest that tax rates in FY2025 will be relatively stable. We will have a clearer idea after the publication of the budget in February.

Former Marblehead resident Andrew Oliver is a realtor, market analyst and referral specialist.

FOOD 101

Summon the sun with cherry tomatoes

BY LINDA BASSETT The quiet lull between New Year’s Eve and Super Bowl can be the most relaxing time of year.

Especially with just a dash of snow if you’re a skier or a reader. Still, I miss the sunshine of fresh tomatoes.

While the canned version provides a hearty substitute for long-simmered sauces and thick soups, I constantly search the produce section for something red and shiny. Cherry tomatoes.

These little gems provide a flash of flavor. In hit-or-miss shopping expeditions, I try each shape — some perfectly round, others oval or pear-shaped. Some turn out sweet and full-bodied, others pale and watery. When I find a good one, I buy with gusto. (This might require a return to the market the same day. To get the good ones before they sell out.)

Beyond welcoming them to salads, I stretch their use. Toss them in a skillet, all naked from the package, to heighten flavor, and sauté over high heat until they burst, heightening the flavor. I shower them, sparingly, with full-bodied (extra-virgin) olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

When all is right, I’m tempted to dip crusty bread into the whole batch for dinner, right out of the skillet. In a more civilized mood, I slice a loaf of French bread into rounds, toast lightly in the oven and spoon the tomatoes over it, then a few snipped chives.

I often toss the whole batch of tomatoes with spaghetti and tear some basil leaves over the top.

There’s no wrong way to do this — even mistakes taste good.

With a tiny spritz of good balsamic vinegar added to the mix, I spread it over purchased pizza dough, add handfuls of shredded mozzarella, fresh oregano sprigs and a sprinkle of olive oil (100% this time). Pop it into a 425-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Family fare in front of the roaring fire with a board game.

I take those same sauteed cherry tomatoes (minus balsamic vinegar, above) and simmer with chicken or vegetable stock, half a red onion and a jar of roasted red peppers, drained. Maybe a clove of garlic. When the veggies are soft when pierced with a fork, and in the same pot, I take a stick blender to the mixture until smooth and creamy. Lacking an easy-to-clean stick blender, a cook might whirl the ingredients in a food processor. Maybe stir in a little milk, cream or halfand-half. Or skip the cream and dollop the bowl with sour cream or plain yogurt, and a shower of

snipped fresh chives. The results: a creamy winter soup without a strict recipe.

To go restaurant-style, I sliver marinated black olives (see recipe) into the sauteed tomatoes. Heat through and sprinkle with torn fresh basil or chopped parsley, and a few red pepper flakes. Once slightly thickened I use it to sauce a piece of seared salmon.

Another option is a thick vegetable stew packed with white beans and potato cubes.

Stir in a warm twist of cumin and paprika to introduce new flavor combinations. Baby spinach added toward the end of cooking fills out the green vegetable category.

For a sophisticated meal, use the cherry tomatoes in a wine-y chicken dish. Chicken thighs stay moist, cooking up without fuss.

Sauteed cherry tomatoes the powerful extra dimension.

CHERRY TOMATOVEGETABLE SOUP Makes 4 to 6 servings.

This recipe is somewhat freeform, depending on spice mixture and choice of green or white beans. Change it up with a half cup of frozen mixed vegetables. The spice mix gives it character. ` 1 sweet onion, chopped ` 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped ` 2 ribs celery, chopped ` 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

The best ways to enjoy tomatoes in the winter ` 2 cups potatoes, cut in small cubes ` salt, pepper ` Dashes of cumin, paprika and red pepper flakes, to taste ` 5 cups water ` 1 cup chopped green beans or a small can white beans (cannellini or navy) ` 1 container cherry tomatoes, roasted or sauteed ` Sprinkle mix: paprika, chopped parsley

Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a stockpot. Sauté the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes on medium-low heat.

Add potatoes, salt, pepper, spices. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the green beans; simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in cherry tomatoes and simmer 15-20 minutes.

Sprinkle mix the top and stir lightly.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH CHERRY TOMATOES Makes 4 servings.

Based on long-simmering French casseroles, this quick

COURTESY PHOTO

version is friendlier to a busy home cook. ` 1⁄2 stick unsalted butter ` 3 strips lean bacon, diced ` 12 pearl onions (frozen is fine) ` 4 pounds chicken thighs, skin on, bone in ` 1 clove garlic ` 5 cups sauteed or roasted cherry tomatoes ` 1-1/2 to 2 cups full-bodied dry red wine ` 2 tablespoons flour

Melt the butter in a flameproof casserole with a lid. Saute the bacon and pear onions together until the onions are translucent.

Take the bacon and onion out of the pan and set aside.

Sauté the chicken pieces, turning several times until golden. Add the chopped garlic.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove the cover and skim fat if necessary.

Add cherry tomatoes and wine.

Cover and cook for 20 minutes FOOD, P. A6

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A06

marbleheadcurrent.org

A6 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

THE DIXEY COLLECTION

The early days of Village Plaza The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer and historian Dan Dixey, who regularly shares photos of Marblehead from his extensive collection, along with information about each shot.

Here’s a snapshot of Village Plaza in 1978. The plaza was built and opened in 1970. The stores in the photo include: The White Hen Pantry, Brigham’s Ice Cream, Sam’s Cleaners, Village Pharmacy, Salon Feminique, Rinaldo’s Restaurant and Marblehead Shoetique.

COURTESY PHOTO / DIXEY COLLECTION / DAVE MOYNIHAN

LETTERS

Tax hikes, lawsuits strain schools To the editor: After taxes skyrocketed in Marblehead along with increases in homeowners’ insurance, what is a community member to do?

The answer is not an easy one to answer. Override?

I don’t see it in the cards in this town. Do teachers need raises? Absolutely.

As community members call for tax abatements, where is the money going to come from?

We have a litany of lawsuits as it is. I can only imagine the ones coming down the pike.

The payouts to those who were asked (in no certain terms) to leave were about $300,000 plus insurance.

Where do you think these payouts are coming from?

The taxpayers’ pockets.

Note to Marblehead

School Committee: I think we should table the flag policy at the moment.

This School Committee needs to play nice with the Select Board. We need to sell the Coffin School to try to fill the coffers for the teachers and students.

Like our parents used to say, “Money doesn’t grow on trees.” The School Committee needs to go find the money sooner rather than later. Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Michelle Cresta is leaving at the end of March. As I have said before: Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore.

Job listings: We need people with a strong background in finance, communication skills, incredible listening skills, a background in special education a must, a proponent of the METCO program and a truckload of common sense. They

TOWN OF MARBLEHEAD SELECT BOARD REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR MARBLEHEAD RAIL TRAIL DESIGN SERVICE The Town of Marblehead, by its Select Board, solicits Proposals and Statements of Qualifications from registered design and engineering professionals interested in performing design and engineering services for a portion of the multi-use rail trail in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Project Limits are for the portion of the trail between Lafayette Street in the City of Salem and Westshore Drive in Marblehead.

Responses will be received in the Office of the Select Board, Marblehead Town Hall, Abbot Hall 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, MA 01907 by 10:00 AM on February 9, 2024. The proposals must be sealed and clearly marked “RFP&Q Response for Marblehead Rail Trail Design & Engineering Salem Line to West Shore Drive” in the lower left corner. Faxed or electronically-mailed (emailed) submissions will not be accepted.

The design and engineering services are subject to terms and conditions set forth in detail in the Request for Proposals and Statements of Qualifications (“RFP&Q”). Copies of the RFP&Q may be on https://www.marblehead.org/procurement-department/pages/bids No Respondent may withdraw a response for a period of sixty (60) days after the date set for the opening thereof. The awarding authority is the Select Board.

All questions regarding this RFP&Q shall be received in writing by email to the Rebecca Curran Cutting at rebeccac@marblehead.org Questions are due no later than 10:00 AM on February 2, 2024 The Town has determined that the procurement of design and engineering for this project is exempt from the Uniform Procurement Act, G.L. c. 30B, and as such, the provisions of G.L. c.30B expressly do not apply to this procurement. ARPA funds will be used the town is using M.G.L. c. 7C, § 58 and this process is in conformance with federal procurement requirements.

The Select Board reserves the right to extend the deadline for submission of Responses, to request supplementary information, to negotiate terms more favorable to the Town, as permitted under law, and to reject any or all submittals or withdraw this RFP&Q if the town determines it is in the best interests of the Town of Marblehead would be served in doing so.

Rebecca Curran Cutting Chief Procurement officer TOWN OF MARBLEHEAD SELECT BOARD REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND QUALIFICATIONS MARBLEHEAD RAIL TRAIL SWAMPSCOTT BRANCH The Town of Marblehead, by its Select Board, solicits Proposals and Statements of Qualifications from registered design and engineering professionals interested in performing design and engineering services for a multi-use rail trail in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The trail towns former rail road right of way from the Marblehead Post office at Smith Street to the Marblehead/Swampscott town line (connecting to the Swampscott Rail Trail). Responses will be received in the Office of the Town Administrator, Abbot Hall, 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, MA 01945 by 10:00 am ET on February 8, 2024.

The proposals must be sealed and clearly marked “RFP&Q Response for Marblehead Rail Trail Design & Engineering” in the lower left corner. electronically mailed (emailed) submissions will not be accepted. The design and engineering services are subject to terms and conditions set forth in detail in the Request for Qualifications (“RFP&Q”). Copies of the RFP&Q may be obtained at the town website link beginning on January 24, 2024. No Respondent may withdraw a response for a period of ninety (90) days after the date set for the opening thereof. The awarding authority is the Select board. The Select board reserves the right to extend the deadline for submission of Responses, to request supplementary information, to negotiate terms more favorable to the Town, as permitted under law, and to reject any or all submittals or withdraw this RFP&Q if, in the Selectmen’s sole judgment, the best interests of the Town of Marblehead would be served in doing so.

All questions regarding this RFP&Q shall be received in writing by email to the chief procurement office town planner at rebeccac@marblehhead.org Questions are due no later than January 31, 2024.

The Town has determined that the procurement of design and engineering for this project is exempt from the Uniform Procurement Act, G.L. c. 30B, and as such, the provisions of G.L. c.30B expressly do not apply to this procurement. The town is issuing this RFP&Q in conformance with 23 CFR 172.7.

Rebecca Curran Cutting Chief Procurement Officer Town of Marblehead INVITATION FOR BIDS The Town of Marblehead, the Awarding Authority, invites sealed bids from General Contractors for the Abbot Hall Brick Runnel and Improvements Project in Marblehead, Massachusetts, in accordance with the documents prepared by Crowley & Cottrell dated January 17, 2024. Copies of the Invitation for Bids may be obtained at https://www.marblehead.org/procurement-department/pages/bids on or after January 24, 2024. The Project consists of: The project will remove the existing concrete paving at the front of the building and existing brick runnels throughout the site. Existing steel pipes attached to copper downspouts will be removed and modified for reuse. A planting bed will be installed on the northeastern side of the building, therefore this area will be stripped and stockpiled to prepare for planting. Two mailboxes at the building’s entry will be relocated. All existing trees will be protected. New brick runnels will be installed at varying lengths and will be accommodated with reset steel pipes to be cut at varying lengths. A patch of gravel paving surrounded by steel edging will be installed at the end of each brick runnel.

In areas where the existing runnels were removed, and not covered by a new runnel, fill with topsoil and minor grading will be necessary. A new concrete pad will be installed the building’s front entry. The pad will be accompanied by two benches, a bike rack, detectable warning plates, and relocated mailboxes. The installation of a planting bed at the northeastern side of the building is an ADD ALT to the base bid. Grading of new hardscape elements and other areas of disturbance will be critical to insuring proper site drainage and performance. Bids are subject to M.G.L. c. 30 39M & to minimum wage rates as required by M.G.L. c.l49 §§26 to 27H inclusive.

General bidders must be certified by the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) in the following category of work -- General Building Construction and must submit a current DCAMM Certificate of Eligibility and signed DCAMM Prime Update Statement (Form CQ 3). General Bids will be received until February 9, 2024 at 11:00 AM and publicly opened. Any bids received after such time will not be accepted, unless this date and time has been changed by addendum. General bids shall be accompanied by a bid deposit that is not less than five (5%) of the greatest possible bid amount (considering all alternates),and made payable to the Town of Marblehead in the form of in the form of a certified check, a bid bond, cash, or a treasurer’s or cashier’s check.

The Pre-Bid Conference and site visit will be on Tuesday, January 30 at 11am at Abbot Hall.

All bids for this project are subject to applicable public bidding laws of Massachusetts.

Attention is directed to the minimum wage rates to be paid as determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development and the weekly payroll record submittal requirements under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 149, Section 26 through 27D inclusive.

Attention is further directed to the requirements of G.L. c.149, §44D requiring submission of a Division of Capital Asset Management approved Certificate of Eligibility and Update Statement with all bids.

Selection of the contractor will be based upon bidder qualifications, including evidence of past performance in similar projects, and bid price. The contract will be awarded to the bidder deemed by the awarding authority to be the lowest responsible and eligible bidder.

The bidder agrees that its bid shall be good and may not be withdrawn for a period of 30 days, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays excluded, after the opening of the bids.

The Town reserves the right to waive any informalities, to accept or reject, in whole or in part any or all bids, or take whatever other action may be deemed to be in the best interest of the Town.

The Town of Marblehead Rebecca Curran Cutting Town Planner

also need to be able to work well with others.

Available jobs: » Superintendent » Director of finance » Elementary school principal » Director and assistant director of Student Services New law firm: Our former one is separating from the School Committee. I am sure I am forgetting some positions.

Last, but not least, a stakeholder that possesses all these skills and is willing to fill the School Committee seat that is now open with the resignation of former School Committee member, Meghan Taylor, until June. Then the elections.

Mary McCarriston Pinecliff Drive

Sorry, not sorry, part 2 To the editor: My father always said to never argue with drunks or teenagers as it’s an exercise in futility. If he were alive today, I’m sure he’d agree with me that it’s necessary to add liberals to that list as well.

I was enjoying a bowl of Rice Krispies with almond milk and a cup of coffee this morning when I opened the most recent edition of the Marblehead

Current. As I was reading about the ridiculous property tax hikes being levied upon the citizens of this awesome town, I unfortunately came across an article called “Sorry, Not Sorry” by a person named Jo Ann Augeri Silva. In this article, Ms. Silva justified her Trump Derangement Syndrome using a combination of her upbringing and depression. In typical liberal fashion, there was no talk of the harmful policies and failures of the corrupt and treasonous Biden administration, just hateful name-calling of President Trump and intolerance for people who support him. I was horrified to see that this newspaper decided to use Ms. Silva’s description of Donald Trump as a “bulbous orange fellow” (isn’t that bodyshaming?) in a highlighted box on top of the article.

I’m guessing there’s no doubt as to which way the people running the Marblehead Current lean politically.

To Ms. Silva’s credit, she used a version of Step 8 from the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program to offer amends to those she may have hurt due to her hysteria and intolerance of people that don’t think like her politically. However, I

REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS Buyer(s)

think there’s a much larger point here. Though their claims of being tolerant and inclusive (along with the support for the racist and communist DEI and BLM philosophies) liberals overall are completely intolerant and exclusive. If their opinion doesn’t come out of your mouth, you are the enemy or a fascist or a racist or a Nazi or supportive of a dictator or a “threat to democracy.”

(More name-calling.) Ms. Silva basically admitted this as she mentioned “former” friends, relatives, employees and employers all removed from her life because of their “wrong” political team. I didn’t think it was possible for someone to be on their high horse and look down their noses at the same time. But again, good for Ms. Silva in that the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. I think you have solidified the point that liberalism is a mental disease.

Liberals and their cohorts in the corrupt media always feel free to express their opinions of you and your politics.

Besides the usual namecalling I’ve listed above, I’ve had my intelligence, my parenting, my physical appearance and my circle of friends insulted. Which brings me back to my

father. I don’t argue with liberals anymore. It’s an exercise in futility.

Many times I’ve calmly but directly laid out fact after fact in discussions (OK, arguments) with my liberal counterparts.

It always ends with screeching and namecalling since the liberal agenda has zero to stand on in terms of policy that helps the majority of legal American citizens.

As my fellow devout conservatives know, facts don’t matter with the other side.

Sound familiar? My final words to Ms. Silva and those who support her insulting and arrogant essay: Whatever you may think of conservatives, we think of you a thousand times worse. We don’t care about your fragile, anti-American, intolerant feelings. Your triggers are your own responsibility. It isn’t the world’s obligation to tiptoe around you. In my opinion, Ms. Silva has, quite obviously, made a fool of herself many times simply based on her political beliefs. I think we can all agree that it’s a great example of what not to do. I know there will be people out there who will be offended by my opinion written here. Sorry, not sorry.

Mark W. Ferrante Ruby Avenue

Seller(s)

Address

Date

Price

Donald Etchison

26 Hereford Road

Jan. 5

$785,000

North Shore NT and Timothy P. Connell 44 Nanepashemet St.

Jan. 5

$1,812,500

Marblehead Matthew J. O’Neil and Grace M. Hallinan Danielle and Patrick Devlin Andrew E. and Erika G. Bourne

Danielle L. and Patrick K. Devlin

81 West Shore Drive

Jan. 4

$1,125,000

Samuel Denbo

18 Aspen Road

Jan. 5

$1,050,000

Swampscott Gilbert R. and Jodi L. Hendry

until the chicken is Food From P. A6 completely cooked — no Site Plan Approval Public Hearing Marblehead Planning Board The Marblehead Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the application of Richard Jordan, for a site plan approval special permit for the construction of a new single-family structure located at 10 Naugus Ave within a Shoreline Single Residence District. This public hearing will be held under Section 200 -37 of the Marblehead Zoning Bylaw on Tuesday February 13, 2024 at 7:30 pm and can be attended either in person at Abbot Hall 188 Washington Street in the select board’s meeting room or remotely on zoom. Pursuant to Governor Baker’s Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, §18 the public can listen and or view this meeting while in progress via the remote participation platform Zoom https://us06web. zoom.us/j/85295668870?pwd=TcbA65vuPi2NpaI0FkXPBWLXoR7eaA.1 or Dial in +1 646 558 8656 US Meeting ID: 852 9566 8870 Passcode: 949199 project materials available for download at Town of Marblehead website planning board page https://www.marblehead.org/ planning-board under the date of meeting. Interested persons may attend the meeting or may submit comment in writing electronically and send to lyonsl@marblehead.org or rebeccac@marblehead.org and the comments, will be read aloud and entered into the record.

Robert Schaeffner Chairman TOWN OF MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR CONSULTING SERVICES FOR MARBLEHEAD BICYCLE PLAN The Town of Marblehead, in accordance with Ch. 30B invites qualified consultants to submit proposals to the town for the development of a Bicycle Plan. Request for Proposals may be obtained at https://www. marblehead.org/bids on or after January 24, 2024. Technical Proposal and Price Proposal to be submitted in separate sealed envelopes with the proposer’s name and address clearly indicated on the outside of the package. Proposals must be delivered in sealed packages, plainly marked “BICYCLE PLAN” and addressed to Rebecca Curran Cutting, Abbot Hall, 188 Washington Street, Marblehead, MA no later than 10:00 AM on February 9, 10:00 AM. Any proposals received after such time will not be accepted, unless this date and time has been changed by addendum. It is the responsibility of the applicant to assure proper and timely delivery. The Select Board is the awarding authority. The Town reserves the right to reject any or all bids and to only award a contract if it is in the best interest of the public to do so.

Rebecca Curran, Chief Procurement Officer

pink juices.

Serve with hot crusty bread and a crisp green salad.

MARINATED OLIVES An improvement on deli olives, this makes as much as the cook wishes. ` 1 small tub of deli olives, black with pits removed ` Really good quality olive oil.

Seek out the best brands. ` A few drops of best quality balsamic vinegar ` Juice and zest of 1⁄2 lemon and/or orange ` Red pepper flakes ` Dried oregano

Stigma From P. A4

they do if we are mindless as Langer suggested. We think, “I don’t know why I behave this way, it’s just who I am.” But it doesn’t have to be.

Harvard psychologist Dr. Daniel Gilbert says, “Your future self is not someone you discover or even become, but someone you decide to be.”

Rinse olives in a colander. Roll them over paper towels to remove water. (This is important.)

Whisk together all other ingredients in a bowl.

Stir olives into the marinade. Store in a tightly covered container overnight, up to a month.

Marblehead resident Linda Bassett has worked as a cook, trained up-and-coming chefs, studied food history and led food tours. Her book, “From Apple Pie to Pad Thai,” is about local cooks and cooking.

When we bring intention — This is who I want to be, choose to be and identify with — we drive our behaviors and create our new reality.

Wendy Tamis Robbins is an anxiety expert, bestselling author of “The Box: An Invitation to Freedom From Anxiety” and founder of CAVE Club, a wellness community exclusively for professional women. She works globally as a mental health and wellness coach, speaker and advocate.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A07

marbleheadcurrent.org

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A7

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

Meet Sheena Nancy Sarles of Growing Younger Gracefully

BY MELISSA STACEY The following is an interview with Sheena Nancy Sarles, owner of Growing Younger Gracefully, conducted by Discover Marblehead. To learn more about Sarles’ natural, organic and hand-crafted skin serums or her Yoga for Living with Loss classes/sessions, go to growingyoungergracefully.com.

Tell us about your Growing Younger Gracefully and why you started it. I’ve always been a curious person, which has led me down some interesting paths in my life. Growing Younger Gracefully was one of those paths. There are two sides of the business — GYG Organic Serums and Yoga for Living with

Loss.

GYG Organic Serums started because I wanted to brighten and protect my skin. I was seeking an organic, clean, plant-based face serum that had no chemicals, no preservatives and no corporate oversight. I couldn’t find one so, necessity being the mother of invention, I created my own. I researched essential oils and various other ingredients,

experimented on myself, family and friends, and created what is now my line of organic GYG Organic Face & Body & Eye Serums. Each bottle is handcrafted, blessed, eco-friendly, customized and produced in Marblehead.

Yoga for Living with Loss evolved out of my own losses and my dedicated Yoga practice.

I realized that grief is not only in our hearts and minds but also physically impacts our energy centers, the chakras. I started leading Yoga for Living with Loss at Care Dimensions and now offer a Yoga for Living with Loss video series, live weekly Zoom classes and private sessions for anyone, which is everyone, who is meeting the challenges of the grieving journey. While grief

is universal, one’s own grief is completely personal.

What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? I have two. The late great Bill Purdin always said, “Every problem is another opportunity to find a creative solution.” The second one is, “Everything is figure-out-able!”

What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? I love walking to Fort Sewall and sitting on one of the benches. The spacious sky, the ever-changing harbor and the variable weather encourage me to find deep calm and abundant gratitude.

What is something people

Sheena Nancy Sarles, founder of Growing Younger Gracefully, combines her passions for organic skincare and wellness.

would be surprised to learn about you? My degree is in early education and I was a first grade teacher.

The business spotlight is a weekly feature published in partnership with Discover Marblehead. To learn more, visit discovermhd.com

NEW LEADER

Temple hires town’s first female lead rabbi

BY LEIGH BLANDER After saying goodbye to Rabbi David Meyer last summer after his three decades of service, Temple Emanu-El is welcoming a new spiritual leader, Marblehead’s first female rabbi, Jenn Mangold.

“I just clicked so well with the people,” Mangold told the Current. “From my Zoom interview to my visit, I felt this chemistry with them. I truly wanted to be their rabbi and share the joyful events of life and the hard times as well.”

Mangold, who has a 4-year-old and 3-year-old twins, is coming from St. Petersburg, Florida, where she has been rabbi for about two years. Before that, she served as assistant rabbi in Milwaukee. She was ordained in 2018.

Courtesy photo

Rabbi Jenn Mangold will begin working at Temple Emanu-El this summer.

Growing up outside of New York City, Mangold didn’t always want to be a rabbi, and was getting her master’s in education at Columbia. Then, COVID hit.

“I was totally going to be a teacher, but during COVID I

started to go to Shabbat services every week,” she said. “There was something so calming and peaceful and grounding. I started to fall in love with Judaism. I joined the choir. I joined the social justice group. I still want to be a teacher, but I want to be a teacher of Torah, a teacher of Judaism.”

Karen Whitman, who led Emanu-El’s search for a new rabbi, said Mangold was an easy choice.

“She impressed us the moment we connected,” Whitman said. “She is engaging, warm, passionate about Judaism and pastoral care as well as a natural leader and educator.

Her enthusiasm and dedication makes her the perfect fit to lead Temple Emanu-El to new heights.”

Mangold is looking forward to making deep connections in

Marblehead.

“Before me, Rabbi Meyer had been in Marblehead for 30 years,” she said. “I’m really excited to stand on his shoulders, meet the community and form those relationships.

I’m coming in new. I want to build a foundation.”

A key passion of hers is pastoral care. She worked overnights with patients and families in a hospital.

“If someone died at three in the morning, I would be with the family,” she said. “It really inspired me to be with people during those raw moments and be a calming presence, to bring a spiritual aspect at those times.

It’s my sacred honor to be there with them during the best times and the mostful painful times.”

Mangold recognizes that she is coming to Marblehead at a tumultuous time for Jewish

people around the world, given the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and war in Gaza.

“I want to be a calming presence in people’s lives, especially with everything going on in the world,” she said. “We need a lot of healing.

We need a sacred space to have conversations about what’s going on and the future for the Jewish people. I want to provide sanctuary for people to heal, to ask questions and grow.”

Mangold’s husband is a teacher and will be looking for a job in education here on the North Shore.

“This is a good time for us to put down roots,” she said. “We want to raise our family here. We just really fell in love with the area.”

Mangold and her family will be moving here in June and starting work in July.

LIGHTS. CAMERA. ACTION.

NE Studios brings bestseller to life on Spray Avenue Local residence becomes the backdrop for ‘Hello Beautiful’

BY WILL DOWD A waterfront home on Spray Avenue was a hive of activity as filming on the movie adaptation of Ann Napolitano’s bestselling novel “Hello Beautiful” took place last week.

The Devens-based New England Studios set up a base in the oceanside home to shoot the film, according to crews gathered outside the Spray Avenue home. Trucks with the “NE studios” emblem could be found on the street as filming occurred inside the home and on its front lawn.

Due to non-disclosure agreements, few details are known about the director, release dates or stars in the film.

The coming-of-age story follows William Waters, haunted by a desolate childhood when his parents withdrew affection following the death of his 3-year-old sister.

“They really stop looking at him,” Napolitano told NPR’s Scott Simon.

Basketball earns William a college scholarship and an escape.

At school, the reserved student meets audacious Julia Padavano. According

NE Studios is located on 15.7 acres of land in Devens. The studio complex features four sound stages, each measuring 18,000 square feet. Some of the recent high-profile productions filmed at NE Studios include: “Little Women”: The latest adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott novel

recently shot scenes at NE Studios. The film featured an all-star cast including Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh and Meryl Streep.

“Dexter”: The hit Showtime series about a serial killer returned in 2021 for a limited series revival, which was filmed at NE Studios. Michael C. Hall reprised his iconic

role as the title character.

“Hocus Pocus 2”: The sequel to the beloved 1993 film was produced at NE Studios.

Other recent projects at the studio include the Ben Affleck drama “The Tender Bar,” the Mark Wahlberg film “Boston Strangler” and the Will Ferrell Christmas comedy, “Spirited.”

CURRENT PHOTO / WILL DOWD

Crew members set up equipment on the front lawn of a home on Spray Avenue, the location for a new movie.

to a publisher’s statement, the author wrote Julia as “a powerful, ambitious, self-directed, vibrant young woman” who gives new direction to William.

Napolitano’s bestseller

“Dear Edward” was chosen for actress Reese Witherspoon’s book club. The author has also written “A Good Hard Look” and “Within Arm’s Reach.”

Help Wanted Marblehead Children’s Center is looking to hire infant/ toddler and preschool teachers for part time and full time positions.

MCC’s philosophy is that children learn best through play.

We are seeking enthusiastic, dedicated professionals who will engage in and uphold our mission.

We provide a collaborative and supportive environment where teachers have opportunities to develop their skills through education and training. We’re proud of the positive impact MCC continues to have on children, families and our community.

Please contact us at 781-631-1954 for more info about salary + benefits (including free childcare).

Do you have adWanted sales experience?

Help

Or do youAdvertising want to have ad sales experience?

Sales you love Marblehead, are interested playing IfIfyou love Marblehead, are interested in playing ain role in the a role in the advancement of not-for-profit, our local, not-for-profit, independent advancement of our local, independent newspaper, and like tonewspaper, have fun, thenand let's like talk! to have fun, then let’s talk!

We looking for afor topanotch sales executive to help ustotohelp take the Weareare looking top notch sales executive Marblehead Current to the next level. Prefer at least 20 hours per week, us to take the Marblehead Current to the next level. 15% but since the compensation will be 15% commission on all sold, feel free commission paid on all print and digital ads sold. to work as many hours as you like.

Youshould should able thinker to work You be abe creative anddirectly problem with solver,advertising with a keen attention clients and prospects to correctly place advertisements to detail. Be able to work directly with advertising clients and prospects to allowing them to reach the Marblehead community, correctly place advertisements allowing them to reach the Marblehead businessbusiness owners, and leaders. community, owners, and leaders.

I Interested?

Send an email to us at mhdcurrentads@gmail.com and tell us a little about yourself.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A08

marbleheadcurrent.org

A8 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

CURRENT EVENTS

Marblehead’s best bets coming up Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming weeks. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current editor Leigh Blander at lblander@marbleheadnews.org.

—Leigh Blander

Light your lantern

Feel the love

Saturday, Jan. 27, 4:45 p.m.

Meet at the Old Town House on Washington Street and join Glover’s Marblehead Regiment on its annual march to General John Glover’s grave at Old Burial Hill. Bring lanterns. Glover and his soldiers changed the course of the Revolutionary War.

‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ It would be criminal to miss Marblehead Little Theatre’s latest musical production, “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.” The show tells the story of Monty Navarro, who discovers he’s eighth in line for an earldom and figures his chances of outliving his predecessors are slight.

Can he knock off his unsuspecting relatives without being caught? More info and tickets at MLTLive.com.

Monday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.

Help Wanted Marblehead Children’s Center is looking to hire Infant/Toddler and Preschool teachers for part and full time positions.

Winter Framing!

We provide a collaborative and supportive environment where teachers have opportunities to develop their skills through education and training. We’re proud of the positive impact MCC continues to have on children, families and our community.

Please contact us at 781-631-1954 for more info about salary + benefits ( including free childcare).

Stop by Hestia for a Dot Painting Night in its Paint Your Own Pottery studio and make heart designs just in time for Valentine’s Day. Hestia will supply everything needed to paint and create one-of-a-kind art projects.

Come with friends or on your own. For more info and to register, visit HestiaCreations.com.

Get to know your government

Friday, Jan. 26-Feb. 4

MCC’s philosophy is that children learn best through play.

We are seeking enthusiastic, dedicated professionals who will engage in and uphold our mission.

Jan. 31, 6:30 p.m.

The Intro to Marblehead Town Government series continues with a presentation by Town Planner Becky Curran Cutting, at Abbot Library, 3 Brook Rd. Cutting has worked for the town since 1988 as town planner and also the town’s chief procurement officer. With her understanding of planning policy, state zoning regulations and local zoning bylaws, Cutting has been involved in a wide range of planning issues including historic preservation, affordable housing, transportation, zoning, project management and grant writing for the town. Register for this in-person and Zoom program at tinyurl.com/Government-Jan-2024.

Wildlife in Your Neighborhood

Monday, Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m.

Original artworks with a North Shore flair by local & regional artists since 1978

paintings|prints|fine crafts Custom framing and more

111 Washington n St|| Marblehead MA | 781-631-6366 genearnould@verizon.net | Gift Certificates Available

New Lunch Hours Open at 11:30 Tuesday-Sunday New Lunch Menu!

Delicious Homemade Authentic Greek Cuisine 261 Washington St, Marblehead 781-499-5006 Online ordering eliamarblehead@gmail.com or through DoorDash and UberEats

Construction Management Services Residential & Commercial Inspections

MANAGEMENT DESIGN ASSOCIATES

Robert A. Erbetta

P.O. Box 44, Marblehead, MA 01945 (617) 293-8512 raerbetta@comcast.net

Engaged?

Getting married?

Dan Proulx, assistant animal control officer for the town of Marblehead and a state problem animal control agent, will discuss everything from mice to coyotes, and talk about how rodenticides affect our wildlife.

Proulx has worked for the town of Marblehead for the last six years and has been a volunteer at the Marblehead Animal Shelter for the past seven years. He also volunteers at Wolf Hollow in Ipswich, an educational sanctuary for wolves, where he works with eight gray wolves. As a local wildlife rehabilitation expert, he receives 100200 calls a year. Proulx is excited to start a new chapter and will soon move north to open a bird of prey rehab center and plans to continue working with coyotes and wolves.

Registration is required to attend in person at Abbot Library, 3 Brook Rd., or via Zoom. Register at tinyurl. com/wildlife-Jan-2024.

Sol y Canto

Friday, Feb. 2, 8 p.m.

Announce in the Current!

218 Beacon Street Marblehead, MA 01945 781-631-2218 Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW

marbleheadcurrent.org/ announce

Sol y Canto is the award-winning Pan-Latin ensemble led by Puerto Rican/Argentine singer and percussionist Rosi Amador and New Mexican guitarist, singer and composer Brian Amador.

They’ll perform at the Me&Thee, 28 Mugford St. More info and tickets at MeandThee.org.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A09

marbleheadcurrent.org

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A9

Sports CATCH A RISING STAR

Major League pitcher visits Rotary Club

BY KRIS OLSON While visiting the Marblehead Rotary Club on Jan. 18, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan handed out signed baseball cards.

But when it comes to vividly recounting the early highlights of the 24-year-old Sheehan’s fledgling big league career, the back of those cards is no match for Sheehan’s proud uncle, Marblehead Rotarian Ron Amon.

Amon introduced Sheehan to his fellow club members and other visitors by noting that last June 16, his nephew became only the third pitcher in Major League Baseball history to throw six scoreless, no-hit innings in his debut — a clean sheet preserved when former Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts made a diving catch to record the final out.

Sheehan was back in the northeast for a brief visit with college players at Fenway Park.

A Fairfield County, Connecticut native, the 6-foot, 5-inch, 220pound Sheehan pitched three seasons for Boston College before being picked by the Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2021 MLB draft.

In about a week, Sheehan will be off to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona for spring training, where he will have his first chance to meet some highprofile new teammates, led by two-time American League Most Valuable Player Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Dodgers

The rookie baseball card of Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan, nephew of Marblehead Rotarian Ron Amon

CURRENT PHOTO/KRIS OLSON

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan, center, poses with Marblehead Youth Baseball players, from left, Brian Ceplikas, Anton Draves and Bobby Dowling along with Rotary Club President Don Dowling, right.

The boys are all fourth-graders at Village School.

as a free agent. The Dodgers also added to their starting rotation by signing Japanese star Yoshinobu Yamamoto and swinging a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Tyler Glasnow. Los Angeles also outbid the Red Sox and others for the services of outfielder Teoscar Hernández, further bolstering what had already been a star-studded roster.

The general perception is that anything less than winning the World Series will be a disappointment for the Dodgers, and Sheehan acknowledged that

such lofty expectations do add some pressure. But for the most part, he is excited to be part of an organization that is sparing no expense to try to win it all.

Sheehan believes he has done his part to contribute to that championship chase by having a “great offseason.”

As many of his peers do, Sheehan spent part of his winter training at a specialized facility — in his case Advanced Therapy & Performance in Stamford, Connecticut. Almost immediately, he could feel himself improving, Sheehan said.

At the meeting, Marblehead Rotary President Don Dowling sported a Sheehan “shirsey” — a T-shirt replica of the pitcher’s uniform. Dowling also brought his son and a couple of his Marblehead Youth Baseball teammates.

Sheehan was asked what advice he would give players their age.

Don’t dwell on bad days on the field, Sheehan advised them.

There is plenty of time to get serious about honing their skills.

“Right now, it’s about having fun,” he said.

One of the young players asked

Sheehan whether he had ever hit a batter with a pitch. A lot of them, Sheehan replied, but never on purpose.

“Especially when I was younger,” he said. “I didn’t know where the ball was going.”

As for the number on Dowling’s shirt — 80 — the Marblehead Rotarians got a little bit of an inside scoop to not get too used to seeing Sheehan wearing it.

As a rookie, Sheehan was assigned a uniform number. This year, he will have more say in the matter, and his mother has been lobbying for 27, the day of the month of her birthday, which is currently available.

Rotarians quizzed Sheehan about other aspects of his experience in “The Show.”

Sheehan said he is a fan of the recent changes designed to SHEEHAN, P. A11

ON THE RUN

Magicians compete against Masco, Salem Boys, girls indoor track teams split tri-meet to maintain identical winning records

BY JOE MCCONNELL The Marblehead High boys indoor track team (4-2) lost a 56-28 decision to visiting Masco, while defeating Salem in a Northeastern Conference trimeet, 50-28 on Jan. 10. The Marblehead girls (4-2) also split the meet. They lost to Masco, 60-20, but defeated Salem going away, 67-6.

Girls high jump Elise Burchfield (4-8) won the high jump. Philine Heuermann (4-6) finished fourth. Campbell Crane (4-2) ended up sixth.

“Elise started high jumping in the middle of last year, and since then she has made tremendous progress with quality attempts at 4-10 and even 5-0 this season,” said coach Nolan Raimo.

Boys shot put Riley Schmitt handily won the shotput with a throw of 39-6.

“Tucker Crane pulled out a huge 2.5-foot personal best on his second throw, coming in at 33-3, but still placed sixth, because all four Masco boys threw 34 feet and change, which was an impressive feat of consistency,” said coach Danny Plunkett.

“After a great meet at Danvers the previous week, Dylan Gilmore struggled a bit, throwing 31-4, while Ari Elkayam stepped up in his first varsity outing throwing 27-7,” he added.

Girls shot put Lillian Reddy (29-8) and Rachael Albert (29-2) took

BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW

Marblehead sophomore Will Cruikshank, left, and freshman Felix Regnault warm up for their next events.

COURTESY PHOTOS / CAT PIPER

Marblehead freshman Sarah Munroe runs the 300 against her Masco counterpart during the Jan. 10 meet.

second and third, respectively.

“They are both throwing well, and still have a lot of room to grow in the coming weeks,” said Plunkett. “They’re neck and neck right now, and I’m excited to see who comes out on top by the end of the season.”

Hannah O’Brien threw 22-8 and Naomi Goodwin 20-1 to round out the event.

Boys 55-meters In one of the best conference matchups, Thomas Carlson (5.9) out-leaned Nathan Molina of Masco at the finish line to come out on top. Jake Bobowski (6.12) finished fourth. Matt Mahan (6.42) was sixth.

“Molina is arguably the best athlete in the conference with a 6-5 high jump and a 22-0 plus long jump, but Tommy hawked him down after a slow start,” said Raimo. “Sometimes, it’s natural to let up on the gas after a slow start, but Tommy is an absolute fighter and somehow clawed his way back.”

Girls 55-meters Gabby Hendy (7.05) stepped down from her traditional 300 to compete in the dash, and found immediate success to account for a second-place finish. Lidia Jasmine Tiedra (7.14) finished third. Varsity newcomer Rebecca Mann (7.9) was sixth.

Boys 55-meter hurdles Riley Schmitt (9.1) continues to shave time off in this event to finish second against the Chieftains. Marc Grazado (9.2) was right behind him in third place. Elian Colon (10.0) came in fourth.

Girls 55-meter hurdles Burchfield (9.44) came out on top again in this meet. Crane (11.3) finished fifth. Rachael Albert (13.6), making her varsity debut, was sixth.

Girls mile Shannon Hitscherich (6:38.8, six-second personal best) led the way, finishing second against Masco and first versus Salem. Abbie Goodwin (6:53.6, 24-second personal best) stepped up to break the sevenminute mark for the first time to finish third against Masco,

and second against Salem. Thea Shaw (7:25) was third in the Salem portion of the meet, and sixth versus Masco.

Boys mile Zack Pike (5:31.4, 14-second personal best) was the lone Marblehead runner in the mile, where he was first against Salem, and second versus Masco.

Boys 300 Slater Johnson (41.6) finished third. Graydon Waller (41.8), making his varsity debut, was fourth. Julius Galante (44.3) came in sixth.

Girls 300 Manuela Puente (47.7) set a new indoor personal best record to come in third. Ariella Kahn (48.3) was close behind in fourth place. Cora Gerson (49.1) came in sixth.

Girls 600 Grace Mortensen (1:53.6) was the lone Marblehead runner, who ended up running a solid time on the flat home track, according to coach Will Herlihy. She was No. 1 against Salem, and fourth versus Masco.

Boys 600 Sean Heenan (1:44) and Cole Barbeau (1:55) were third and fifth, respectively against Masco, and third and fourth versus Salem.

Girls 1,000 Isabel Mortensen (3:46.6, nine-second personal best) continues to impress as she gets more experience in the middledistance events, according to TRACK, P. A11

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A10

marbleheadcurrent.org

A10 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

GIRLS & BOYS BASKETBALL

Hoop teams on midseason rollercoaster ride

BY JOE MCCONNELL Basketball Magicians stage dramatic comeback at Beverly The resiliency of the Marblehead High boys basketball team (5-2) was on full display last Friday night against the host Beverly Panthers.

Coming off of a close 66-61 loss to Salem at the TD Garden on Jan. 14, the Magicians saw themselves staring at a doubledigit deficit early on against Beverly. But a second-half offensive explosion erased that deficit to propel the visitors to a 69-60 victory.

“We were down by 17 in the first quarter, and 10 at halftime, but we then picked up the pace defensively in the second half to get us back into the game,” said coach Mike Giardi. “Senior

Christian Weston led our comeback efforts, when he held Beverly’s Jakob Klass to only three points in the last three quarters after he scored 10 in the first quarter.

“His energy sparked the entire team, and as a result we outscored Beverly, 22-9, in the third quarter,” added Giardi. “It was a solid effort by our entire squad.”

Nick Lemmond paced the offensive attack against Beverly with 28 points. Ryan Commoss was close behind with 24 points.

Scott Campbell accounted for 11. Weston chipped in with four.

Sam Thompson collected two points.

The Magicians have since taken on Winthrop on Jan. 24 and Masconomet the next day after press deadline, before

facing the Witches again Friday night in Salem, beginning at 7 p.m. Revenge will definitely be on their minds in that contest.

Girls drop two onepoint heartbreakers Coach Paul Moran’s girls basketball team (5-4) experienced two one-point heartbreakers last week to Masco (44-43) and Beverly (4241). Despite the close losses, the youthful Magicians still have a winning record with 14 games still left on the regular season schedule.

The Marblehead girls were leading by two with eight seconds to go against visiting Beverly last Friday night, when the Panthers nailed a three-point shot to secure the last second victory.

“It was a great effort by the girls, and they came up just short,” said Moran. “Our execution could have been better, but that starts with me.

“Beverly is a Division 1 powerhouse, but we proved we can play with them,” added Moran. “We’re already among the Top 25 in Division 2, mainly because we play teams like Beverly.”

Captain Katie Pyne paced the attack against Beverly with 11 points. Tessa Andriano and Ramona Gillett accounted for eight apiece. Freshman Ainsley McDonald had six points. Captain Kate Burns was close behind with five. Marri O’Connell tallied three times.

Against Masco, Andriano was the leading scorer with

13. Burns was next in line with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

O’Connell collected seven points. McDonald ended up with five. Pyne accounted for three.

Liv Goldwater and Gillett scored two apiece.

“These two games were definitely tough, devastating back-to-back losses, but I know these kids are resilient, and they will bounce back,” said Moran. “We could easily be 7-2 right now, instead of 5-4.

But they will learn from these losses, especially when the postseason starts up, when close games are usually the norm.”

These Magicians have since taken on Winthrop on Jan. 22 after press deadline, before going up against host Salem Jan. 25 starting at 6 p.m.

ANNUAL PELHAM TOURNAMENT

Black & Blue wrestlers finish sixth

BY JOE MCCONNELL It was a long day in Pelham, New Hampshire, for the Marblehead/Swampscott Black & Blue wrestling team on Jan. 13, when they participated in the host school’s annual Dan Gionet Memorial Tournament.

But there were still some great performances throughout the lineup against teams from Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts, according to head coach Mike Stamison.

Overall, they placed sixth out of 13 teams, despite missing two starters.

At 106-pounds, Brady Haskell cruised through two matches with pins, before running into senior Amauri Hernandez of Tyngsborough/Dracut. In what will likely be a preview of the Division 2 North state sectional final, the Black & Blue eighth grader pushed Hernandez, before losing in overtime, 7-5 to take home second place.

“It was a good learning experience for young Brady, who now owns a 22-1 record this season,” said Stamison.

At 113, Jaymes Carey continued to improve after going 1-2 on the day to fall just short of the podium.

“It was very exciting to see practice paying off,” said Stamison.

COURTESY PHOTO

Marblehead / Swampscott Black & Blue wrestler Ben O’Brien proudly holds the hammer after being named the Hammer of the Week recipient for his performance in the annual Pelham, New Hampshire, High Dan Gionet Memorial Tournament on Jan. 13. O’Brien went 2-2 in the Granite State, including a quadruple overtime win against Tyngsborough / Dracut.

At 120, sophomore captain Liam O’Brien maintained his great season with three more pins to repeat as the Pelham Tournament champion. He was dominant with pins against Pelham, John Stark Regional and Maine powerhouse Sanford, according to Stamison. O’Brien is 20-4 this season, and has now notched 80 varsity career wins.

At 126, Andrew Delisle took one for the team, bumping up from 113. But he still fell just short of the podium. At 138, Will Woodward also fell just short of the podium.

At 144, captain Mason Hinshaw cruised past his first three matches, pinning opponents from Massabesic, Pelham and Sanford, before running into top-seed Michael Harrington of the host Pythons.

Harrington was disqualified after slamming Mason to the mat, and he was unable to continue. As a result, he repeated as the Gionet Memorial champ.

“Mason’s X-rays came back negative after being taken to Lowell General Hospital via ambulance. He will be back on the

mat this week,” said Stamison.

“We thank the Pelham coaching staff, athletic director, athletic trainer and Dr. Stephen Beaudoin for their quick actions in what was a scary situation. Mason is now 21-4 on the season.”

At 150, Devin DiBarri bumped up from 138, and went 1-2 with a pin over his Massbesic opponent.

At 157, Alejandro Haven kept on improving, going 1-2 in Pelham. He had a first round pin against Pentucket, followed by losses to John Stark and Sanford.

At 165, Manny Hernandez filled in for Luis Bender, who was sick. He definitely gained valuable experience in his first varsity tournament.

At 175, Colin Hart is getting close after losing two hotly contested matches. At 190, Marblehead only entered two wrestlers. Ben O’Brien went 2-2, and was winning his consolation semifinal match 10-3, before getting caught.

“It was a solid effort for Ben,

especially in his quadruple overtime win against Tyngsborough/Dracut,” said Stamison.

Also at 190, Xavier Tejeda competed in his first varsity matches to gain valuable experience for future encounters.

At 215, captain Angelo Knight put together a nice day to place fourth, according to Stamison.

After a first round bye, he pinned an opponent from Otter Valley, before dropping a match to Sanford, and pinning his Pentucket foe. He eventually fell to an opponent from John Stark in the consolation final.

Justin Gonzalez lost a tight 1-0 first round decision to Tyngsborough/Dracut at 285 before coming up with a 1-0 victory against his Otter Valley foe. He then picked up a pin against Pelham to punch his ticket to the consolation final.

Also competing in the heavyweight division, Jayvery Monegro received a tough draw to start his day, going up against a top Rhode Island grappler.

Following a second-round bye, he then pinned an opponent from Sanford to earn a spot in the consolation finals against Gonzalez, his own teammate.

The two buddies put on a show, but ultimately Gonzalez pinned Monegro to help secure points for the team.

SPORTS ROUNDUP

Magician swimmers keep on winning

BY JOE MCCONNELL

Hockey Headers smoke Peabody for third win

After two weeks off from any Northeastern Conference meets, the Marblehead High swim team basically picked up where they it off with another win to remain undefeated at 5-0, when it defeated Gloucester with relative ease at the Lynch/ van Otterloo YMCA on June 18, 105-72.

It was a great meet for coach Sue Guertin’s team that featured many more state cuts, including Cale Nelson’s 2:10.09 in the 200 IM. Finn Bergquist (1:05.55) qualified for the postseason in the 100-yard backstroke. Song Waitekus (5:17.39) made it to the state meet in the 500-yard freestyle. Logan Doody (52.69) got the job done on the road to the postseason in the 100-yard freestyle.

The Magicians then faced Salem on Jan. 19, before Swampscott comes to the Lynch/ van Otterloo Y Jan. 25 for a meet starting at 6:30 p.m.

In a season that has been frustrating to say the least, the Marblehead boys hockey team (3-8) took it all out on the Peabody co-op squad to the tune of 10-3 on Jan. 13.

The Headers were credited with two hat tricks to pace the offensive attack. Senior captain Hogan Sedky and junior James Caeran were responsible for those scores, but Sean Dolan, Charlie Grenier, Drew DePhillips and Toby Grenier added the single tallies to turn this game into a rout. The goals by Toby Grenier and DePhillips were their first career varsity scores.

Goalie Leo Burdge made 15 saves in net to keep the Tanners from gaining any momentum on offense.

There’s still time to build momentum off this win with 11 games left on the regular season schedule.

After eight days off, the Headers cranked it back up against non-league Hopedale on

Marblehead High diver Yuri Volkov gets set to jump off the diving board during a recent Northeastern Conference meet.

Jan. 21 after press deadline. They will then head to Gloucester Jan. 24 to face the Fishermen, starting at 6 p.m., before playing non-league Medford again on Sunday morning, Jan. 28, at Salem State’s O’Keefe Center, beginning at 10:30 a.m. They played the Mustangs twice already, losing the first

COURTESY PHOTOS

Marblehead High diver Elizabeth Hayes competes in a recent Northeastern Conference meet.

encounter, 4-3 on Dec. 27. The Marblehead boys then took care of them on Jan. 3, 3-1.

Girls hockey drops two close contests.

On Jan. 13, the Newburyport Clippers doubled up the Marblehead girls co-op hockey team (2-8), 6-3. Junior

Samantha Demady netted the first goal for the Headers on a solo effort. Demady’s freshman sister Lizzie lit the lamp in the middle stanza assisted by Teyah Fleming. Sophomore Teyah Fleming notched the final Marblehead tally in the third period from Lizzie Demady.

Freshman goalie Scarlett Lee came up with 20 saves to keep things close.

The Headers laced up the skates once again the very next day against Bishop Fenwick, but ended up losing a close game to the Crusaders, 3-1.

Marblehead senior captain Ava Shultz netted the team’s lone goal in the third period assisted

by Addie Co-Peeps. Lee recorded 26 saves between the pipes to once again keep her teammates in the game.

Freshman forward Lizzie Demady, sophomore forward Teyah Fleming and sophomore defender Paige Waldman stood out in this game for the locals, according to coach Hadley Woodfin.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A11

marbleheadCurrent.org

Sheehan From P. A9

speed up major league games.

Some veteran pitchers who prefer to work more methodically have struggled to adjust to the “pitch clock,” which requires them to begin their motions to deliver a pitch within 15 seconds when the bases are empty and 20 seconds when there are runners on base.

But Sheehan said, “I really like it…. As a pitcher, you want to stay in rhythm.”

He added that he had gotten a sneak preview of working under time pressure. After getting drafted, he landed in a low-A minor league experimenting with the pitch clock.

Aside from Dodger Stadium, of course, Sheehan said his favorite stadium he has pitched in so far is T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He acknowledged that pitchers do need to adjust their approach a bit when working at Coors Field of Colorado, where the ball does not move as much in the thin air.

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A11

Sheehan said he was a bit surprised that pitching in the majors did not feel dramatically different from pitching in the minors.

“There are just more people watching,” he said.

“It is more similar than I thought it would be.”

As for Betts, who is much missed in Boston, Sheehan admitted that he initially wondered how approachable his accomplished teammate would be. But Betts went out of his way to make Sheehan feel comfortable and has become one of his favorite teammates. When Sheehan struggled, Betts talked to him about how he had gotten through such periods in his career.

“He’s been really helpful,” Sheehan said.

But perhaps the hardest question of the day was directed at Amon. A devout Yankees fan, Amon was asked for whom he would root if the Bronx Bombers squared off against the Dodgers in the World Series.

After a few seconds of filibustering, Amon said that he would rather see his nephew get a championship ring.

MHS VARSITY SPORTS SCHEDULE Wednesday, Jan. 24 4:30 p.m., girls and boys indoor track, vs.

Gloucester, at Gloucester High 4:30 p.m., wrestling, vs. Saugus, at Saugus High 5 p.m., girls hockey, vs. Medford, at LaConte Rink, Medford 5:30 p.m., alpine ski racing, vs. TBA, at Bradford Ski Hill 6 p.m., boys hockey, vs. Gloucester, at Talbot Rink, Gloucester Thursday, Jan. 25 5:30 p.m., alpine ski racing, vs. TBA, at Blue Hills Ski Area, Canton 6 p.m., girls basketball, vs. Salem, at Salem High 6:30 p.m., girls and boys swimming/diving, vs. Swampscott, at Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA 7 p.m., gymnastics, vs. Hamilton-Wenham, at Lynch-van Otterloo YMCA

Friday, Jan. 26 7 p.m., boys basketball, vs. Salem, at Salem High Saturday, Jan. 27 9 a.m., wrestling, NEC League, at Gloucester High 1:15 p.m., girls and boys diving, NEC League, at Peabody-Lynnfield YMCA, 3 p.m., girls hockey, vs. Masconomet Regional, at Salem State O’Keefe Center Sunday, Jan. 28 10 a.m., boys and girls indoor track, MSTCA State Coaches Invitational, at Reggie Lewis Center, Roxbury 10:30 a.m., boys hockey, vs. Medford, at Salem State O’Keefe Center Noon, girls and boys swimming/diving, vs.

Peabody, at Peabody-Lynnfield YMCA 4 p.m., gymnastics, vs. Danvers, at Yellow Jackets Gym, Middleton Tuesday, Jan. 30 6 p.m., boys basketball, vs. Salem Academy Charter, at Salem Academy Charter

6 p.m., girls and boys swimming/diving, NEC League, at YMCA Sterling Center, Beverly Wednesday, Jan. 31 4 p.m., girls hockey, vs. Gloucester, at Talbot Rink, Gloucester 4:30 p.m., girls and boys indoor track, vs. multiple schools, at Marblehead High 7:30 p.m., boys hockey, vs. Masconomet Regional, at Salem State O’Keefe Center Thursday, Feb. 1 5:30 p.m., alpine ski racing, vs. TBA, at Blue Hills Ski Area, Canton 6 p.m., girls and boys swimming/diving, NEC League, at YMCA Sterling Center, Beverly Friday, Feb. 2 7 p.m., boys basketball, vs. Danvers, at Danvers High 7 p.m., girls basketball, vs. Danvers, at Marblehead High 7 p.m., gymnastics, vs. Peabody, at Lynchvan Otterloo YMCA

Track

good for first against Salem, and second versus Masco. David Alpert (3:10.2) and Nicholas Regnault (3:10.8) pushed each other to keep up the pace to finish second and third against Salem, and third and fourth versus the Chieftains.

Shoutout to Will Cruikshank, who ran a 2:59.9 in the JV race, while making his debut in this event.

hurdles,” said Raimo. “Elian ran a great leg attempting to close the gap as the third runner, and Graydon, as always, ran a solid leg to close out the relay.”

Girls 4x400 Avery Wysor, Isabelle Mortenson, Grace Mortenson and Morgan Zion (5:18.2) finished on top. “Avery, Isabelle and Grace all doubled up in either the 600 or 1,000 with minimal rest in order to run this relay,” said Raimo. “Morgan is one of the few brave runners who consistently volunteers for the 400, and she ran a quality leg.

Avery also put down an impressive 74.0 split, which on short rest after running the 1,000 is remarkable.”

From P. A9

Herlihy. Avery Wysor (3:48.4) was right on her heals. They ended up second and third against Masco, and first and second versus Salem.

Savannah Caruso (3:58.3) got her time back under the four-minute mark to come in third against Salem, and sixth versus Masco.

Boys 1,000

After showing some promise in this event against Danvers, Will Cronin continued to run hard against both Masco and Salem, according to Herlihy. His 3:01.8, a seven-second personal best, was

Boys 4x400

Marc Grazado, Nate Jendrysik, Elian Colon and Graydon Waller finished second to Masco with a time of 4:21.6.

“For Marc and Nate, this is great training for them this spring, when they compete in the 400- meter

ARTS AND CULTURE

Cultural Council announces 2024 grant winners

BY WILL DOWD The Marblehead Cultural Council has awarded over $7,800 in grants to support various arts, humanities and science projects in the community this year.

The council, one of 351 local organizations funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, reviewed more than 20 applications before deciding on funding recipients.

Grants will support live music performances, art installations, genealogy workshops, field trips and more.

“Our council members diligently reviewed and considered over 20 applications.

We believe these awards will result in many meaningful and inspirational projects in and around our beautiful town,” the Council’s chair, Jennifer Uhl, told the Marblehead Current.

The grant recipients include: » Abbot Public Library, for a six-week genealogy course teaching how to gather

COURTESY PHOTOS / JIM MURPHY / SEAVIEWPHOTOS

A collage of past Marblehead Cultural Council-sponsored programs from 2023

historical family materials and use online biography tools. » Matthew Arnold, for a concert performance of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and works by African American composers to mark the piece’s 100th anniversary. The event will take place at Star of the Sea on Saturday, Feb. 10. » Meghan Boehmer, for a historical/theatrical portrayal of a woman and her children arriving at the 19th-century

poor farm after the death of her husband. It will illustrate the struggles of Marblehead’s impoverished. » Leah Bokenkamp, for the sixth annual Indigenous Peoples Day celebration at the Jeremiah Lee Mansion Gardens, featuring Indigenous music, dance, crafts and stories. » Teresa Collins, for developing an online interactive map and scavenger hunt highlighting Marblehead sites linked to

veterans’ contributions across the town. » Cantemus Inc., for two performances of the largescale choral work “Annelies,” based on Anne Frank’s diary.

It will feature the group alongside an orchestra at St Paul’s Episcopal Church and Congregation Shirat Hayam. » Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, for a nature walk, educating participants about local birds at Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. » Me&Thee Music, for

concerts featuring world musicians Sol y Canto and Vienna Teng as part of the Global Music Discovery series, at the Unitarian Universalist Church. » Ed the Wizard, for a STEM workshop teaching kids aviation history and physics through model plane building at Abbot Public Library. » Nick Zaino, for a live lecture on the history of comedy in Boston from vaudeville star Eva Tanguay to modern comedian Ziwe. The location is to be determined. » Artist Olesea Fiodorova, for creating and donating four original paintings of Marblehead to local organizations selected by the community.

The MCC aims to fund diverse arts, humanities and science programming accessible to all Marblehead residents. More information can be found at massculturalcouncil.org/ local-council/marblehead.

LOCAL THEATER

‘An homage to the absurd’ ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ takes the stage at MLT

BY BENJI BOYD Marblehead Little Theatre’s production of “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” opens this Friday, Jan. 26, and will run for eight shows.

Director Alexandra Dietrich hopes that this dark musical comedy will coax theaterlovers out despite the cold, and warm them up with laughter.

A Broadway sensation from a decade ago, “A Gentleman’s Guide” tells the story of Monty Navarro, a working class Brit who finds out he is distantly related to the aristocratic D’Ysquith family, and sets out to murder his way into a weighty inheritance. He hopes that with his new wealth he will be able to woo his money-minded sweetheart, but finds himself drawn to another woman along the way.

According to Dietrich, “A Gentleman’s Guide” is “a love letter to the British

musical.” Absurdly funny and melodramatic in all the right ways, it embodies the blueprint from which Broadway was created. When asked to direct this production, Dietrich said that her response was, “Immediately yes.”

Despite its popularity, “A Gentleman’s Guide” is a show that is rarely put on by smaller theaters. Quirks such as the demand for a lack of microphones make it a challenge for actors. Having directed operas as well as musical theater, Dietrich is experienced in teaching actors to use their bodies and the stage as natural amplifiers, and added that rehearsals were a bit of a boot camp for those who hadn’t sung with a microphone in a while.

With “A Gentleman’s Guide,” MLT continues its tradition of bringing shows that have mostly been confined to Broadway onto a much smaller and more local stage.

Dietrich is proud of her cast and how they have adapted the show into something unique and hilarious.

“It’s a testament to the cast, how tight the comedy is,” she said. The 12 actors have been rehearsing since midDecemeber, and in that time have formed “a small group of people who completely trust each other.” Even in tech week, the show remained everchanging as the actors added their own creative flairs to their characters and thought up new ways to play a scene.

“The moment you think something is done, that’s when things fall flat,” Dietrich remarked. “The joy of live theater is that anything can happen.”

“A Gentleman’s Guide” is full of surprises. The play is a web of mystery, humor and plot twists.

Hidden Easter eggs might go straight over first-time viewers’ heads, and even longtime fans will be caught off guard by Dietrich’s custom twists and turns.

“The best thing about this era

Actors rehearse ‘A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder’ which opens Friday, Jan. 26, at MLT.

of mystery,” she said, “is that it takes the best of comedy and the best of surprise and creates a puzzle inside of a musical.”

Set in the Edwardian period, “A Gentleman’s Guide” has costumes and sets to match.

Dietrich credits costume designer Laura Dillan with creating a complexity of signals and meanings hidden in the costumes themselves. Costume changes are a big part of the actors’ tasks during the show.

The characters have a minimum of four costumes throughout the show, and a maximum of fifteen.

When asked which aspect of the production she was most proud of, Dietrich cited how well the cast embraces the melodrama and ridiculousness of the play.

“Life is so serious and hard all the time,” she said, “We should laugh more, and this show is meant as an homage to the absurd.”

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A12

marbleheadcurrent.org

A12 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

OBITUARIES

Virginia R. Walsh, 82 Virginia R. Walsh died peacefully yet very unexpectedly on Thursday, Jan. 11, at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She was born June 20, 1941, and was raised in Halbur, Iowa, by her parents, Lawrence A. Riesberg and Alvina Lamberty Riesberg, along with her seven siblings, all of whom she loved dearly.

Virginia first moved to

Marblehead in 1964. Upon her arrival, she fell in love with the charm and quaintness of the

town she would call home for the next 60 years. Here she made friendships to last her lifetime; she was a loving friend to those who knew her. She loved the outdoors, her garden, all the beauty around her. She especially loved museums, art exhibits and traveling to beautiful places, some of which she saw with friends, her sisters and nieces.

Virginia made her career that spanned 30 years, starting at Sail Magazine and retiring from Pell Rudman. From beginning to end and the many years in between, she was a dedicated and loved

employee in all aspects of her job. She worked hard and brought joy to all those who worked alongside her. She made solid personal relationships that carried through in her professional and personal life.

Virginia is survived by two daughters, Elizabeth Walsh Apprich and Jill Walsh Homan (husband Walter), whom she loved and was very proud of their accomplishments. Virginia is survived also by the loves of her life, her grandchildren Griffin James Homan, Kiya Gerrish Homan, Blaze Gerrish Homan

and Travis Walsh Apprich.

They brought her love, laughter and great pride, which gave her life purpose. Being their grandmother was her greatest accomplishment. She also leaves behind many nieces and nephews that she loved and shared many adventures and memorable times.

Virginia will be missed by the community, friends and family where she has left a lasting impression. A celebration of her life funeral Mass will be held Friday, Jan. 26, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church.

stint in a joint U.S. Air ForceCIA program, which took him to Texas, Michigan and Washington, D.C., and taught him Mandarin Chinese. He soon met and married his first wife, Damon “Pokey” Reed of North Conway, New Hampshire.

Before starting a two-year teaching fellowship at Phillips Academy in Andover, he studied German at the Goethe Institute in Blaubeuren, and traveled to Europe and the Soviet Union, where he immersed himself in the troubled politics of the time.

While completing a master’s in American studies at Yale, which included a certification in German language, he taught summer sailing in Watch Hill.

In 1962, Williams College brought him back to lead the implementation of the trustees’ decision to transition away from the fraternity system. During eight years of service to the college, while overseeing the work he’d begun as an undergrad to welcome and then install the new housing system, he served as assistant dean, dean of student affairs, foreign student adviser and an instructor in history. His many roles enabled him to build lifelong friendships with people from all over the world. He and Pokey also welcomed two daughters, Rebecca and Elizabeth. In June of 1966, his thirst for adventure brought him to the top of the Headwall on Mount Washington, where he skied across bare rock, fell and broke his jaw, missing the family wedding that weekend.

In 1969, Dee was given a sabbatical year, bringing the family to Kobe, Japan, and returning him to the classroom at Canadian Academy and then at Phillips Academy, where he taught American history for two years and started dabbling in local politics. The family welcomed Katy, the first of many golden retrievers and faithful companions that accompanied him over the years.

Dad’s energy was infectious, his capacity for reinvention inspiring. He was adaptable, creative, curious, artistic — a genuine, enthusiastic lifelong learner — always willing to try new things, to create possibility for himself and others, sometimes out of necessity,

and sometimes to keep things interesting.

After his divorce in 1972, he moved back to the family home in Marblehead to help care for his mother, and worked for the new Boston Waterfront Development Company, managing the Lewis Wharf project at the intersection of urban affairs, politics and development. He then teamed up with an old friend to create the first of what would be many “Survival” conferences, bringing women- and minority-owned small businesses together with large public and corporate buyers, a format that he’d revive in a collaboration with his daughter Liz some 15 years later as Gardner Associates.

In 1974, he headed Jimmy Carter’s primary campaign in Massachusetts, advised John Kerry in his early political ambitions and made his own (unsuccessful) bids for public office in Marblehead. His dedication to the Democratic Party was proud and steadfast through the rest of his life.

In 1978, he married his second wife, Martha Goodyer, and soon had three sons: Samuel, Elias and William. More goldens, too, joined the family, in sweet succession: Tuckernuck, Amos and Gifford, Molly and Hannah.

As the sails of his career intermittently luffed, he relished time with his growing family, coaching soccer and enjoying long canoe trips and cold swims at Greystone, the beat-up Volvo station wagon happily abuzz with screaming kids.

Throughout his many career shifts, Don was most excited and fueled by the spirit of collaboration that often infused his work. He transitioned from education into human resources, developing innovative programs in management training first at GTE Sylvania and then at Northeastern University, before refocusing his efforts on public history, organizing events and exhibits for the Marblehead Historical Society and as director of the Newell Goff Institute for Ingenuity and Enterprise Studies at the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence. He remained seabound throughout, serving on the board for the Boston Port and Seamen’s Aid Society, and enjoyed a brief stint as program director at the Courageous Sailing Center in Charlestown, running “frostbite races on Sundays sailed by hearty souls” — the coldest job he’d ever had.

His real love was for his own Cape dory typhoon, a sweet near-19 footer that he named the Goodnight Moon, after the beloved children’s book. Sailing took him into the wilds of sea, salt air and sky; he loved taking friends and family out for twilight harbor cruises and picnics, teaching his grandchildren the ways around

a proper knot, the language of the sea. In 2001, he and Martha divorced, and Don moved to historic Glover Square, just a stone’s throw from the town landing that edged the harbor and bustled with port life. He instinctively embodied the rhythms and joy of the sport like no other, and in Marybelle “Mimi” Hollister, friend and neighbor, he found the perfect first mate. They married in 2008, the courtship and marriage a product of their close-knit neighborhood at the landing, on Glover Square and Front Street, a community that girded and enriched the remainder of his life.

He and Mimi enjoyed many far-flung adventures around the world, Dad with sketchbook in hand, but none of it better than their time spent with his widereaching family and dear friends, catching up over a meal or a harbor sail.

Up until the end, he lovingly took care of the Goodnight Moon, and she, him. He could still navigate both a gale-force or windless harbor course with the same steady hand on the tiller, finesse and grace. He Sudoku-ed, played badminton at the Gut ‘n Feathers, rode his bike around town and cocktailed on the Goodnight Moon, showing off his considerable sailing prowess to friends — and mic-dropping jokes in between hard allees.

He wove his kindness into the community in so many ways.

Don was predeceased by his sister Katharine “Kit” Seward Bryant and parents Donald Watt Gardner Sr. and Katharine Seward Gardner. He leaves his wife Mimi; his daughters Rebecca Gardner in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Elizabeth Gardner in Gill, Massachusetts; his sons Samuel Gardner in Beverly, Elias Gardner in Spokane, Washington, and William Gardner in Marblehead; his granddaughters Isabel Kuethe, Caroline Swenson, Lillian and June Gardner; his grandsons Luke and Dominick Poulsen, Samuel Gardner and Isaac Gardner; his niece and nephew Susan and Gardner Bryant; his Seward, Wells and Gardner cousins; his stepchildren Bo, Leslie and Julie Adams; the entire Hollister tribe.

And a glut of dear friends in Marblehead and beyond.

A memorial service will be held at the Old North Church in Marblehead on Saturday, Jan. 27, at 2 p.m. with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a memorial gift to Lifebridge North Shore (lifebridgenorthshore. org), Sustainable Marblehead (sustainablemarblehead. org) or Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org). Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at eustisandcornellfuneralhome. com for Don’s family.

Donald Watt Gardner, Jr., 88 Donald Watt Gardner Jr., longtime Marbleheader and captain of the Goodnight Moon, died in the arms of his wife in their home at Glover Square in the morning hours of Monday, Jan. 15, after a swift skirmish with lung cancer. He spent his final days full of heart — joining in on favorite activities and milestone events, surrounded by family and friends. He was 88 years young.

Born to Donald Sr. and Kaye (Seward) Gardner, in Winchester in 1935, “Dee” grew up with a strong love of sailing and the ocean, which would provide ballast and joy in his life until the very end. The family moved to Marblehead in 1937, where Dee joined older sister Kit and their parents on many adventures on their 42-foot yawl, the Borogove II. World War II brought them to Nantucket Island in 1942, where his father served as the commanding officer of the Coast Guard base there, overseeing the “picket boats,” the converted yachts that comprised “Hooligan’s Navy,” a proud anti-submarine fleet. Soon after Nantucket endured the coldest winter ever recorded on the island, and the ocean froze all the way to the mainland, his father was deployed to the Pacific, and young Dee, Kit and their mother moved to Forest Hills, New York, to live with his grandfather, Frederic Kimber Seward, a Titanic survivor.

Dee attended PS No. 101 and remained in New York through the war, when they all returned to Marblehead, living on the Borogove, and rowing to school with their dog in their dinghy.

Their new place on Adams Road near Greystone Beach, which would go on to house multiple generations of Gardners, became a hub of activity — with three seasons spent on the water, and the winter on the ski slopes.

Dad liked to joke that he was a “Roads Scholar,” having gone to Roads School for fifth and sixth grade before moving into junior high and high school, where he started crushing on history, art, football and languages. His penchant for enthusiastically trying out all sorts of different jobs emerged early on. He worked as a paperboy, at F.W. Webb taking inventory, and at Sebastian Figurines, bending wires for Tom Sawyer’s fishing line.

When he was 14, he started Gardner and Griffin Domestic Signs with a friend, designing and building wooden signs for people’s homes, including one for the Gut ‘n Feathers Club.

He also built himself a dinghy, the Done Leakin’, and would

spend most of his life making ongoing small improvements to it so it could keep up with kids, dogs, grands. In summer, a gig as a paid hand on a ketch named the Peregrine taught him the fish trade and deepened his navigational skills, especially through hurricane-force winds, something he’d come to rely on many times when sailing with family, friends and as a skipper in later years.

In 1952, Sailing Magazine put the whole family on the cover, naming the Gardners “Sailing Family of the Year.”

Scholar, athlete, artist, sailing instructor, school president, handsome devil, he made his way to Williams College, where he continued to shine. He played football and lacrosse; was elected into the Gargoyle senior honor society, as president of his class, and then of the College Council; and earned two prizes in history, including one for his honors thesis on Gifford Pinchot, chief forester, a project inspired by a summer he’d spent lumberjacking as a choke setter in the coastal range of Mendocino County, California, in 1955.

Most importantly, though, was Don’s work as part of the “Terrible 22,” a group of students critical of the exclusivity and discrimination embedded in the long established fraternity system. In his 1957 commencement speech “Criticism or Complacency,” Dad preached the importance of criticism — not complacency— as the essence of education, that “freedom to question” enabling a way to move beyond the fixed and static society and instead, through dynamic discourse, produce new ideas, improve policies and redesign systems that better served everyone.

In reflecting on his campaign for greater equity and access within the social and residential systems at the college, he was laying the groundwork for a perspective and drive that would become central to who and how he was as a community builder and connector, civic leader, historian and teacher, businessman, father of five, and grandfather of eight.

Directly after graduation from Williams in 1957, Don was recruited for a three-year

SUBMISSION POLICY The Marblehead Current publishes obituaries online for free and in its print edition for a flat fee of $200.

Submissions or inquiries should be sent to notices@marbleheadnews.org.

Submissions should include the name of the funeral home serving the deceased’s family, along with a daytime phone number for a person to contact, in case we have any questions about the obituary.

Photos, preferably in JPEG format, are welcome.

Photos should be of high enough quality to reproduce well in print. Generally, an image file created by a digital camera or smartphone will be fine; images copied from websites will not.

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A13

marbleheadcurrent.org

Marblehead Current Wednesday, January 24, 2024 A13

Headlight

Shining a light on the news you care about!

Written by the students of Marblehead High School for our school and community 2023 - 2024 Issue

www.mhsheadlight.com

What’s happening to winter?

Mona Gelfgatt, Senior, Editor-in-Chief

Each year we yearn to look up at the sky and see those first few flurries of snow. White specks that make the children jump with joy as they go out to make a snowman, their noses bright red, and grins spread from cheek to cheek. However, this year, the kids have put spoons under their pillows, worn pajamas inside out, and put white crayons in the freezer, in anticipation for a snow day, more times than usual. These past two months deprived us of a white Christmas, snow days, and waking up to a winter wonderland.

We’ve lived through the warmest eight consecutive years on record, and this December, we could really tell. It wasn’t until last week that the wind picked up and we finally received that cozy winter feeling.

This year, 800 snow monitoring stations showed more than 90% are below the median for this time of year. On January 1st, only 20% of the US had snow on the ground, and just recently it’s picked up to 45%. Early concerns of water supply for the summer are arising, specifically in the West, where the snow dictates how much water farmers use, what the wildfire season

will look like, and the power of hydropower dams. Two scientists from Dartmouth University analyzed the snowpack in 169 river basins in the Northern Hemisphere. 82 of those basins had sharp declines in snowpacks that provided water to populated regions, and 31 saw that human influence was drawing changes. This human influence is also known as climate change. There is more often than not snow in December, and in 2023, the average temperature was 10 to 15 degrees higher.

Rain storms have taken over, and while they may improve the water shortage situation, they don’t alleviate it. We all need to start creating a difference, as this lack of snow could reshape water supplies for more than 2 billion people.

Every year the summers are getting hotter, and a strong El Niño is upon us, with the warmest ocean temperatures ever recorded in the Pacific.

If not for the sake of the planet, make a change for the sake of waking up to a snowy morning, hearing kids cheering as they sled down the hills of Gatchell Park.

We have the power to make a difference, so why not use it? Why not bring back that winter wonderland?

Trite reflections on the past in Master Gardener Nathaniel Carper-Young, Sophomore

The flower offers up some very easy metaphors, as far as narrative framing devices go.

There is a certain crudeness to its myriad contexts—your lifein-bloom-isms, your cyclical rejuvenations and decayings, what have you. It all feels a touch too easy by this juncture, when thinking of cinema in the modern age: have all of our earthly images truly been exhausted of new meaning? Must we recycle, reuse, and return to the comforting arms of the oldest artistic tricks in the book? I should hope not.

It would appear that Paul Schrader, in his latest effort, has taken rigorous note of the historical variability of the flower-image and has chosen to capitalize on as many of its contextual opportunities as he could manage.

Master Gardener’s fundamental narrative structure seems like a place all too appropriate for such indulgence, with the film centering around a proposedly reformed neo-Nazi wishing to make a new life for himself. The film writes itself—the seeds of hate were sown so long ago. The man in question, Narvel Roth (played by a perfectly quiet Joel Edgerton), is in witness protec-

tion and working as a horticulturist for Sigourney Weaver’s tragic-ish woman of politely veiled melancholy. Inevitably, Roth’s past catches up to him, because of course it does, because where else could the director insert his banal provocations otherwise?

Schrader’s cinema lives and dies on the potency of its imagery (which is precisely why Mishima was the best film he ever made, and also why Master Gardener is perhaps the worst), and he clearly knows this. He populates this latest professionalist exercise with scenes of horrid violence and natural beauty—the flashbacks to the protagonist’s “past life” are rife with unsettling brutality, and the scenes in which Roth tends to his garden are competently filmed and very compositionally sound.

However, Schrader never properly synthesizes the two—the brutal and the beautiful—making for a film that feels very loudly dissonant, and not in a particularly productive or intriguing way. Contrast is not worth very much when the disparate parts are simply left as such: ornamental, static, and unengaging.

And then, beyond these relatively ineffectual pieces of moviemaking exists the real provocation;

January 24, 2024

the central filmic attraction: the former neo-Nazi is made to take a young biracial woman— Maya—under his wing at the gardens. They meet, and he almost immediately takes a liking to her. In fact, she seems to like him too, sort of. Here, Schrader performs his easiest hat trick yet: there is a romance on the horizon between, would you look at that, a racist of the most extreme degree and a woman of color. It is cheap, and it is distasteful, particularly when considering what it ends up being in service of— Roth seems to desire personal redemption by simply connecting with this new figure in his life; this new image. He shows her his back tattoos, revealing a plethora of nazi symbols and illustrations, and she reacts in appropriate disgust and shock.

before, Maya fades away, textually and emotionally. She is reduced to a stepping-stone idea, completely devoid of dimension; she becomes a corpse-caricature, a non-character, a nobody. To this point, the film is hideously underwritten beyond Roth’s decent characterization; the unromantic romance at hand is given little-tono dramatic weight, nor is Weaver’s widow of vague mystery, nor is anybody else.

Master Gardener ends, following a series of mini-tragedies and one-noted conflicts, on an image of Roth embracing Maya.

It is a sweet moment, I suppose, but it does not quite feel earned or natural; it feels like a forced moment, just as the rest of the film feels forced. It is, like the rest of the film, simply much too easy to be believable.

Marbleheaders you should know: Marie Breen Grey Collins, Sophomore

To students at MHS, it would feel like a dream to ice skate through Seaside Park, go to the Warwick movie theater for a dollar, and have pep rally parades through downtown, but to lifelong Marbleheader Marie Breen, it was a childhood reality.

“We’d skate through the whole park,” said Marie about how the firefighters would spray water over the entire park so kids could ice skate. “You could start up the hill behind the grandstand and you could come all the way down and skate through the whole park.”

The daughter of a local firefighter and crossing guard, Marie grew up in Marblehead, attended Star of the Sea Parochial School, and graduated from MHS in 1967.

Marie recounted her many fond memories of growing up in Marblehead. “The band would lead us into town and we'd get on Washington Street and nobody honked the horn for us to get out of the way. They all tooted and cheered for us so it was really different then, and there was a lot of spirit in the town.”

She spoke about everything from Friday night dances to being a hockey cheerleader, when they did all their cheering on skates, to passing notes in study hall. “Study halls were fun, you could pass notes and stuff,” said Marie, who later became an elementary school teacher herself.

“We had no phones, we just had notes to pass. You passing a note? No,no,no,no,no,no. That was the most trouble we got into.

I have a phone now and I can’t stand it.”

Marie also talked about how she thinks that teenagers and their community have changed.

"Kids today have way too much

on their plate. They have to think all this politically correct stuff. It doesn’t seem like they have a happy-go-lucky feeling. They seem to have a lot of weight on their shoulders.”

Marie, who grew up in the shipyard area of Marblehead, reminisced about her tightknit community and about one neighbor in particular. “Millie was a neighbor and she'd get out on the steps every day when it was high tide, and she'd watch out for everybody swimming there,” said Marie, about her neighbor that Millie’s Steps down to the water were named after. “Get off that rope, that's not your boat, don’t touch it, and don’t dive off of here, the water isn’t deep enough, you're gonna hurt yourself. So Millie was like a mother hen… and she really took care of you.”

Marie believes that this kind of tightknit community is becoming hard to find. “I feel like these days there's not really that sense of community. Like nobody really knows the people that are living around them. Neighbors don’t talk like they used to.”

Marie shared her advice for high schoolers of today. “Be nice.

Be patient. And just try to understand that everyone has their opinions. I think that you have to be open to listen and be accepting.

And slow down.”

Headlight Staff 2023-2024 EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: Ila Bumagin and Mona Gelfgatt

ASSISTANT EDITORS: Benji Boyd, Rachael Albert

TECHNOLOGY EDITOR: Kate Twomey

REPORTERS: Cole Barbeau, John Bender, Nathaniel Carper-Young, Grey Collins, Tucker Crane, Aislin Freedman, Samuel Jendrysik, Anya Kane, Nina Lees, Georgia Marshall, Charlie Seliger, Livia Weiss FACULTY ADVISOR: Thomas Higgins

CP_MBHC_20240124_1_A14

marbleheadcurrent.org

A14 Wednesday, January 24, 2024 Marblehead Current

MARBLEHEAD ARTS ASSOCIATION

MAA exhibits feature student artists and more

BY BENJI BOYD The Marblehead Arts Association kicked off the New Year with five new exhibits on Sunday, Jan. 13. From the attic ballroom to the first floor galleries, the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., is chalk full of works from new MAA members, young artists from Veterans Middle School and local artists Fletcher Boland, Patricia McCarthy and Mike Storella. All of these exhibits are available for viewing Wednesday through Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and will run until February 25.

The Hooper Mansion’s majestic ballroom is fitted out with pieces of art from MAA members who were juried in last year. According to Xhazzie Kindle, director of the MAA, the New Members Exhibit is always the first show of the year.

“It’s a lovely way for our community to meet and welcome new people,” she said.

“It gives them an opportunity to really show off what they can do.”

To be admitted to the MAA, artists must submit a digital application and provide a resume. They are then invited to bring in five pieces of work to be assessed by the jury, composed of senior members. If their artwork is up to snuff and they are judged to be a good fit, they then become an MAA member eligible to host solo shows, participate in themed exhibits and, eventually, jury in other artists if they so choose. The New Members Exhibit proudly boasts the work of 17 new additions to the MAA. Downstairs in the Cushman

Gallery for Young Artists, the works of Veterans Middle School Visual Arts students and Art Club members are on display.

The exhibit is made up of the products of various assignments designed to help these students hone their artistic talents. With the guidance of their Visual Arts teacher Holly Hauptman, MVMS 7th and 8th graders learned about function and thoughtful form by designing their own school bags, composition and use of different mediums by creating collages from magazines, and brushstroke techniques by creating “continuations” of their favorite pieces of art, such as Vincent Van Goph’s “Wheat Field with Cypresses” or Edvard Munch’s “Inger on the Beach.”

Furthermore, the gallery shows the works of the MVMS Art Club students, where as Kindle puts it, “Students are able to explore and expand their artistic interests and abilities and create a strong community based on those shared interests.”

In the Schrage and Emerging Galleries across the hall is Michael Storella’s “Plein Air Landscapes.” An accomplished painter and active member in his local art community, Manchester By the Sea resident Storella captures scenes from nature by painting ‘en plein air,’or in nature as opposed to a studio. He combines advanced painting techniques with his own personal style to reflect the true feeling of the great outdoors.

When visitors first walk into the MAA, the first exhibit they’ll find is Fletcher Boland’s “Sea State”. The gallery will offer a sneak peek into Boland’s

Fletcher Boland’s ‘Horizon’ depicts contrast between three layers of a coastal view.

MVMS student Beckett Miller’s ‘Continuation of Charles Ethan Porter’s Autumn Landscape’ is displayed in the Cushman Gallery.

upcoming book by the same name, which will be composed of photographs of the ocean and

coastline accompanied by short narrations. The book, as well as the photographs on display, will

be available to purchase at the MAA. Last but not least, “A Visual Journey: Oil Paintings by Patricia C. McCarthy” gives viewers a glimpse into the artist’s travels abroad and observations in nature.

“McCarthy hopes to give the viewer an appreciation of the variation and beauty seen as the seasons change in New England,” said Kindle, later adding, “Patricia says that many times we overlook the real beauty around us because we do not take the time to observe it.”

McCarthy’s vibrant color palette and combination of realism and impressionism make her a favorite amongst MAA visitors.

These exhibits are free of charge. To learn more, visit MarbleheadArts.org.

Wine & Dine D I N N E R S P E C I A L T W O

D I N E

F O R

$ 8 0

S P E C I A L

M O N D A Y - W E D N E S D A Y S T A R T I N G A T 4 P M I N O N L Y - N O S U B S T I T U T I O N S

CHOOSE* 2 X F I R S T C O U R S E 2 X M A I N C O U R S E 1 X B O T T L E O F W I N E FEBRUARY 14

LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY

Make your Valentine’s Day Reservations today

BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW

The Landing 81 Front Street Marblehead, MA 01945 781-639-1266 thelandingrestaurant.com *Choose from our exclusive specials menu

|

RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL NATIONAL RETAIL 781.592.3135 | groomco.com