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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com
VOL. 85 NO. 304
“Democracy is not
an easy form of government, ... with a continuous shifting and adjusting of balance between individual freedom and general order.”
— ILKA CHASE
75 cents
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2016
Westfield police left holding the bag for marijuana Eighth graders put projects law
This Physical Therapy display is one of many examples of Dominic Allaire wants to be a UFC fighter as he poses in his the interactive component that the eighth graders put on fighting stance. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick) display. (Photo by Greg Fitzpatrick)
on display at career fair By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent SOUTHWICK – The 8th graders at Southwick Regional School were able to put their academic talents on display at the school cafeteria on Thursday morning with their annual career fair. Eighth grade English teachers Elena Gasparri and Megan Whalen have been working with the students for several weeks leading up to the fair. After picking a career that they are interested in, the students had to write a research paper going into detail about the career. They then had to create the interactive component of the project that included a display of what their profession entails, which was on display at the career fair. The two teachers also mentioned that the students were required to do a mock interview with any adult in the building, so they could get a great perspective on what interviews may look like in their future. Gasparri gave the students a tip as to what they should wear to the career fair, in order to look professional. “I said, “dress for the job, or dress for the interview,”” said Gasparri. Whalen said that in recent years, she saw a lot of similar professions from the students, but this year, the variety
of careers were certainly put on display. “They seem to pick unique jobs,” said Whalen. “They really focused on a more specific job.” One of those unique jobs included Jacob Drenen, who wants to be a robotics engineer. Drenen could have been seen with his controller as he was moving his dinosaur-like robot around his display area. Electricians were also represented as Ksenia Zinchenko had all of the basic tools an electrician needs on her cardboard display. With her brother currently being an electrician, Zinchenko has the background knowledge for her future career. “I know that I can go to a school and learn,” said Zinchenko. “There’s a lot of jobs available right now.” Zinchenko even talked about a compelling statistic from Job Outlook that stated there is expected to be a 14% increase for electrician jobs from 2014 to 2024. Matt Wood is extremely interested in geology and discussed the importance of conducting field studies for that particular profession. “I’ve been fascinated with rocks and the earth my whole life,” said Wood. Wood is also happy that he had an
opportunity with the career fair. “It helps me plan and figure out what I would have to do (for the future),” said Wood. Rylin Mcgivney is very interested in being an anesthesiologist as she likes the fact that you can help others. “Being able to save someone’s life, you get to have that opportunity,” said Mcgivney. The careers from the eighth graders also included the octagon, as Dominic Allaire wants to be a UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter. Being in the ring on that kind of stage is something that really peaks’ Allaire’s interest. “That adrenaline rush is really exciting,” said Allaire. Allaire says he goes to the local Y in the area and is in a sparring program. He also has gym equipment in his basement at home to help him. Picking such an exciting career, Allaire saw a benefit from the career as he was able to learn so much about the profession. “”It helped me do a lot of research about the career,” said Allaire. Several staff members and faculty were present for the fair, including many parents who were checking out their child’s projects.
By DAN DESROCHERS Correspondent WESTFIELD–On Dec. 14, Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe had to read through and analyze 85 pages of documents related to the new marijuana law– and that was just the beginning. With the legalization of marijuana, local police departments like Westfield’s are finding that it is becoming difficult to implement and enforce due to the already in-place labyrinth of laws. The result is an uncertain and unclear interpretation of the new law, which will make policing of the substance confusing. MICHAEL MCCABE “It’s not an easy law to Westfield Police Capt. decipher,” McCabe said. “Laws should be able to be deciphered easily by citizens–that’s the point of law.” McCabe said that among the 85 pages he is using to help his force implement the law, 25 are of the law itself, 52 are from the Department of Mental Health and another eight are from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety (EOPSS), with the EOPSS document citing several other laws, including those related to operation of vehicles. The concern with this though, is that it is very difficult for officers to charge someone with impaired driving that isn’t alcohol-related. There is no testing that is reliable to measure marijuana intoxication, so officers have to rely on physical observations related to operators being “high.” Still, in Massachusetts there are only around 100 officers in the entire state who have been trained as drug recognition experts (DREs), according to the Massachusetts DRE website. See Marijuana Law, Page 7
Salvation Army makes desperate plea for toys By LORI SZEPELAK Correspondent WESTFIELD-Every child should be able to wake up on Christmas morning and find a toy under the tree from Santa Claus, but for hundreds of children in the city on Dec. 25, that joy may be dashed. “We are facing a serious shortage of toys this year,” said Laurie Matthews, who coordinates the logistics of the Salvation Army’s Westfield office, along with Emily Mew, Salvation Army’s field representative who is based in Canton. Matthews noted in an interview Friday morning that more than 1,400 children are in need of Christmas presents and “donations are down.” For area residents wishing to help, unwrapped toys can be dropped off at St. Joseph’s Church, 73 Main St. Matthews and her dedicated crew of volunteers will be in the church’s social center (located behind the church) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Monday through Friday coordinating the distribution of toys. For any one wishing to donate a toy or two, all donations must be dropped off during those hours by Wednesday.
“We need the toys by Wednesday in order to get them to the families in time for Christmas,” said Matthews. Matthews said that many businesses and organizations have been instrumental to date in helping to collect toys including the Westfield Athenaeum, Blessed Sacrament Church, Savage Arms, Western Massachusetts Hospital, Westfield High School, Westfield Rotary, Tighe & Bond, The Little Y at Big Y Supermarkets, Amelia Park, St. Mary’s Church, the Mayor’s Office, and the Episcopal Church of the Atonement. “Our regular donors, as well as Girl Scouts, Brownies, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have also donated toys for the children,” said Matthews, noting that in years past she has had an abundance of toys to distribute. Mew echoed those sentiments. “Our regular donors always help us,” said Mew, adding “We experienced an increase of 60 to 70 families this year who are seeking assistance and have collected fewer gifts.” Matthews said she hopes to help more than 400 families next week with toys for their children. For individuals who wish to make a monetary donation that will allow Matthews and
A small pile of toys await distribution by the Salvation Army office in Westfield. Mew to purchase last-minute gifts, a text can be sent to Westfield 71777 which will generate a text back allowing the individual to make a donation.
“We want all children to have a happy Christmas morning,” said Mew, adding, “We don’t want to see a family unable to provide gifts to their children.”