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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 166
“If sentiment doesn’t ultimately make fibbers of some people, their natural abominable memories almost certainly will.” — J.D. SALINGER
75 cents
SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2016
Julie & Nabil Hannoush, co-chairs of the 2016 Baystate Noble Ball. (WNG file photo)
Co-chairs honored to help fundraise the Baystate Noble Ball By GREG FITZPATRICK Correspondent WESTFIELD – As the 52nd Annual Baystate Noble Ball will be taking place at the MassMutual Center in Springfield this fall, the co-chairs of the Noble Ball committee have been announced. Two families who run businesses right here in Westfield will be representing as co-chairs at this year’s ball. Ali Salehi and his wife Mandana are on the chair as Ali is the President of Columbia Manufacturing in Westfield. Nabil Hannoush and his wife Julie will be joining the Salehi family. The Hannoush’s own Expert Fitness Health Club, Shorstop Bar & Grille, as well as Extra Innings Westfield. Having worked on committees for the Noble Ball in the past, both families are glad to help represent such a positive event that helps the community of Westfield. “Julie and I are honored to be chairs with the Salehi’s this year at the Noble Ball,” said Nabil Hannoush. “We want to show our support that even with the merger, things move forward.” As Baystate Health and Noble Hospital have indeed merged, the co-chairs want to focus on showing the community that the merge is a good step forward for Noble Hospital. “This is actually better for the community, it’s better for the local hospital,” said Nabil Hannoush. This year, Noble Hospital is looking to make a significant upgrade to the exterior of the hospital, right outside the front entrance. In the past, the front entrance has had issues with being handicap accessible and the fund See Baystate Noble Ball, Page 5
Doors are off, lights are lit at Park Square Pavilion By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – The doors of the Park Square Pavilion are off, the lights are lit, and the final inspection was completed at the end of the school year. The students and staff of Westfield Technical Academy are proud of the job they did.Park Square Westfield Gazebo Doors off July 2016 “It’s done,” said Peter Taloumis, WTA Career Tech Ed Director. “They just took the doors off. They’ll keep it open, and close it up for the winter.” He said the heaters will be installed by an outside vendor for the winter, because there is no HVAC shop at the school. “The students are excited. It’s there for the community to enjoy, and it will be there forever,” he added. Taloumis said altogether about 68 students, starting with the Class of 2013 through the Class of 2016 designed, estimated, built and wired the structure. He spoke about the excellent job that was done. In installing the roof, for example, which the students built from plans, there was no testing the fit. It was lifted by a crane, with a 3/16” tolerance. Taloumis gave a lot of credit to the lead teachers, Brian Falcetti in construction, and Gary Martineau, the electrical wiring lead teacher. He said Falcetti has written down the names of all the students who participated, and hopes to commemorate them. “Nothing has been created yet, but we have the names of all the
students who worked on it,” he said. Taloumis said projects like this are good for the school, to keep it relevant, and to help the students become career-ready. He said he is looking forward to what next year will bring at the Technical Academy. “There’s a lot of forward momentum,” he said. “I’m excited.”
WTA places 5th at national SkillsUSA competition Mandana & Ali Salehi, co-chairs of the 2016 Baystate Noble Ball. (WNG file photo)
WESTFIELD FIRE DEPT. PARAMEDICS
Drug related medical calls WESTFIELD — From June 11 to July 15, the Westfield Fire Dept paramedics responded to the following drug related medical calls: 3 PATIENTS GIVEN NARCAN 5 POSSIBLE OVERDOSES
By AMY PORTER Correspondent WESTFIELD – During the week of June 20-25, Westfield Technical Academy’s SkillsUSA Advisor David Tefft accompanied electrical wiring student Christian Verdon (Class of 2017) to the National SkillsUSA competition at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville. The trip was a result of Verdon’s gold medal win at the SkillsUSA state finals in May, the first-ever for Westfield Technical Academy. “It was very intense. 15,000 people coming and going for the competi-
tion, plus vendors,” Tefft said of the national competition. He said he was impressed by its scope and everything the students put into it. The pair left for the competition on a Monday, and came back on a Saturday. In addition to the support raised by parent volunteers and advisory board members at the Technical Academy, Tefft had applied for $1,000 to help pay for transportation for the trip from Mike Rowe Works, host of “Dirty Jobs” on TV, which was granted. On Tuesday, following a briefing, See SkillsUSA, Page 7
Westfield Technical Academy electrical wiring student Christian Verdon stands next to the project he created at the National SkillsUSA Competition in Kentucky in June. (Submitted photo)