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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
is greater lack of communication i n facile talking than in silence.” — FAITH BALDWIN
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FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017
VOL. 86 NO. 113
“Sometimes there
City Teen Receives Prestigious BGCA Honor By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-Nelson Gabriel “Gabe” SantosFerrer relishes his volunteer role as a mentor to youngsters weekdays at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Westfield – a “special place” where he too has grown up. Now at 17 and a junior at Westfield High School, Santos-Ferrer was named Massachusetts Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) on Monday night in recognition of his leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle. He was selected among 36 young people from across the state and will serve as an ambassador for all teens in the state. When Santos-Ferrer heard his name called as the winner, he said he was “happy, excited and grateful” for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I know the Westfield club has made a difference in my life and I look forward to sharing my story
with others,” he said during an interview Thursday afternoon at the West Silver Street club. “I am excited to represent our city and am honored and truly blessed to showcase our club.” Santos-Ferrer also credits his mother, Myrna Ferrer, for his determination to succeed. “Coming from a low socio-economic status I didn’t think this could happen for me,” he said, adding he was shy in his youth and the Westfield club faculty members and his peers helped him in that respect. “I now get to mentor the younger kids and I know how important that can be since I needed male mentors growing up,” he said, adding he also thanks state Rep. John Velis who mentored him and his brother in the PAL (Police Athletic League) mentoring program when they were pre-teens. Kellie Brown, director of operations at the Westfield club, noted that the Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor.
“Gabe has been a club member since 2006 when he and his twin brother started coming to the club,” said Brown. “He has taken advantage of numerous programs here and is the epitome of what Boys & Girls Clubs do. His story is a true inspiration to youth all across America.” Santos-Ferrer has been active over the years in the Torch Club, the Keystone Elite Club, the traveling basketball league program, the Immersion Program and in the Fine Arts Department. Currently, he is a mentor at the Westfield club with second graders on math and science projects. “In the future I will also continue mentoring here and being involved because it is important to give credit to the Boys & Girls Club,” said SantosFerrer. Now in its 70th year, the Youth of the Year program honors the nation’s most “awe-inspiring”
Business sought for High School Career Fair at Westfield State
See BGCA, Page 3
Nelson Gabriel SantosFerrer, a junior at Westfield High School, has been named Massachusetts Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
WSU receives largest ever donation
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – Businesses will benefit from registering for the High School Career Fair at Westfield State University on Friday, June 16, according to Kate Phelon, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce. 600 students from Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy will participate in two shifts from 7:45 to 11:30 a.m. Businesses will have the opportunity to educate the future workforce about the requirements and skills needed for employment in their industries, as well as to promote current employment and internship opportunities. Sponsored by the Westfield Education to Business Alliance (WE2BA) and Westfield Gas & Electric, the career fair is free, and tables and coverings will be provided at the Woodward Center by the university. Set up opens from 6 to 7:30 a.m. “This is a great opportunity for civic and community engagement, and to raise awareness and the profile of your business to students and staff members,” Phelon said. Planning for the career fair came out of the monthly WE2BA meetings, which focus on how to better prepare students for the workforce, and opportunities for businesses to get more involved in education in the community. Businesses do not have to have immediate opportunities for student employment to participate. Educating students about what different career paths and what skills businesses are looking for is another focus of the career fair. “The purpose of the fair is to introduce our students to a variety of career paths while also exposing them to essential skills for future success. Students will learn about different career opportunities in greater Westfield. We also
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondet WESTFIELD—Snow removal figures have come in for the city, and officials believe that the use of a computerized vendor-management program helped save some money. According to Casey Berube of the Westfield Department of Public Works (DPW), the city dealt with a total of 20 snow events, with 10 requiring additional “hired” snow plows to help with removal and treatment. These hired snow plows, or “vendors,” were managed through the city’s SnowOPS system, which Berube estimated to save the city about $10,000. “I think it’s a conservative estimate, just in lost manpower hours in trying to track down the accountability of different vendors, it saved hours in auditing, administration, purchasing,” Berube said. “A conservative estimate of $1,000 per storm in savings due to improved efficiencies.” The $1,000 savings was in relation to the 10 events that required additional help, thus the $10,000 estimated total savings. According to Berube, the SnowOPS program not only helped from a potential cost-saving perspective, but also through overall morale of city employees and vendors. “Our invoice processing and payment improved. We are processing the vendors and payment in one to two weeks, sometimes it was one to two
See Business, Page 3
See Snow Removal, Page 3
A photo of SnowOPS in action. (Photo provided by Francis Cain)
Snow removal management software believed to have helped city save
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondet WESTFIELD—Yesterday Westfield State University announced that it received its largest donation in its 178year history. Westfield State University (WSU) received a $1.1 million donation from an anonymous source, which was first announced during an event honoring the life and career of educator, long-time chairperson of the WSU Music Department and philanthropist, the late Dr. Catherine Dower. The donation will allow the school to purchase 20 Steinway pianos for its recently-commissioned Catherine Dower Center for Performing and Fine Arts. “An anonymous donor Dr. Catherine A. Dower, made a transformative dona- Professor Emerita (WNG tion of $1.1 million in honor file photo) of Dr. Dower’s legacy,” WSU President Dr. Ramon S. Torrecilha said. “This will See Donation, Page 3
Dr. Ramon Torrecilha addresses the audience during the event at WSU Thursday, announcing a $1.1 million donation to the university, the largest its ever received.
Three new Americans discuss experiences at community gathering
Along with Shirley Anderson of W.A.R.M. (far left), refugees Sahar Allahmed, Chhatra Basnet, and Lilya Pantus were on the panel. (from left to right). (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – W.A.R.M. (Welcoming Assist Refugee Ministry) hosted their last community gathering of the spring on Thursday night at the First Congregational Church. The event, titled “The Refugee Experience: In Their Own Words,” featured a panel discussion from three new Americans that have settled over the years in the local area. Sahar Allahmed, Chhatra Basnet, and Lilya Pantus all dove into their own per-
sonal experiences with being a refugee. Born in Baghdad, Iraq, Allahmed’s husband was killed by terrorists in January of 2007. Afraid of having her and the rest of her family in danger, Allahmed moved the family to Turkey with one of her brothers. Applying to the United Nations, the process in Turkey took almost two years, before they could finally gain American citizenship. Allahmed remembers selling a lot of her personal belongings just to make sure her family could survive financially. “It wasn’t easy but we got through it
together,” said Allahmed. Currently, Allahmed is a paraprofessional at Highland Elementary School and has three kids in college. “We stay together to help each other, support each other,” Allahmed told the crowd. For Basnet, he was born in Bhutan, a small, landlocked country in Asia, but never really remembers much about his home land. Basnet explained how all Bhutanese living in the southern part of Bhutan were forced to leave because they See New Americans, Page 3