The Weekly
FRIDAY, APRIL 22
Sentinel
ECRWSS PRSRT STD
U.S. Postage
PAID
Seacoast Media Group Portsmouth, NH POSTAL CUSTOMER
Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, LEBANON, MOODY, NO. BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SO. BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, April 22, 2016
Volume 12 • Issue No. 17
Gates Speaks About Dangers of Opioids By Carin Lee, Staff Reporter SOUTH BERWICK Speaker Skip Gates visited Marshwood High School in South Berwick on April 15 to talk about the current opioid epidemic. Gates lost his son Will to opioid addiction in 2009 and has since spoken all over the state of Maine trying to raise awareness of this important issue. Before Principal Paul Mehlhorn introduced Gates, he gave a brief history of opioid awareness within the MSAD 35 district. Several years ago students took a health survey that revealed a lack of knowledge about opioids. As a result the school
Pictured left to right: MSAD 35 Superintendent Mary Nash, speaker Skip Gates, and Marshwood High School Principal Paul Mehlhorn.
did many things, such as hiring social workers, giving guidance counselors training, and requir-
ing students to take a Health and Wellness course before graduation. Awareness has risen to a
healthy level. Gates began his presentation by telling his son’s story: Will was charismatic, capturing the attention of the people around him. As he grew up he became a leader. Will was also an exceptional skier. He was a risk taker, always skiing on the verge of falling, pushing that edge. His dad looks back now and sees how Will took that risk into the rest of his life, doing everything to the extreme. Will went on to the University of Vermont to study molecular genetics. Gates had no idea that at some point in his college career his son began using hero-
ine. He had asked Will straight out if he was using drugs, since he drank alcohol and smoked a lot of pot. Will answered. “I’m a scientist, Dad. I know how all this stuff works. Of course not.� Will overdosed in his last year of college. Gates heard the worst sentence a parent could hear, “We regret to inform you that your son is deceased.� One way he copes with his loss is to talk to people about the dangers of opioids. With the U. S. and Vermont Attorney’s offices Skip Gates made a movie about opioids, See OPIOIDS page 20...
Stellar First Season Planned at Vinegar Hill Music Theatre By Nancye Tuttle, Staff Reporter ARUNDEL George Dvorsky won’t be singing, dancing and acting on musical theater stages this summer. Instead, the popular leading man has a new role as Vinegar Hill Music Theatre’s first Creative Director. And if all goes as planned,
Index
Page
Arts & Entertainment 12-14 Business & Finance 16-17 Calendar of Events 31 Classifieds 42-45 Computer Lady 36 Health & Fitness 18-22 Home & Business 38-40 Library News 15 Obituaries 33 Pets 32 Puzzles 41 Real Estate 34-35,48 Sports 37 Where To Dine 23-30
/RFDO $YHUDJH 7LGH &KDUW 'DWH +LJK /RZ DP SP
DP SP
6DW
6XQ
0RQ
7XH
:HG
7KX
)UL
he’ll wow audiences with the performers he presents in the new venue, located in the former Arundel Barn Playhouse, as much as his own performances have thrilled people in the past. On the job since March 1, Dvorsky has booked an eclectic array of music performers, comedians and authors in a season slated to run from late June through Columbus Day in midOctober. “I’m aiming for as diverse a season as I can for the first one,� said Dvorsky. “It’s chal-
lenging and exhausting for me, but I wanted to try it out — and everyone has been terrific so far. Agents are looking for new venues for their talent and the community is eager, too.� To date, he’s booked 35 acts for the new season in the 200-seat venue and plans to fill 45 dates in genres including cabaret, classical, rock, folk and blues, plus comedy. The season opens on Saturday, June 25 with a splashy See THEATRE page 14...
Students Engage in Debate about Refugee Crisis YORK In an ongoing effort to connect students’ learning with their communities and the greater world, York Middle School 7th grade students engaged a multi-disciplinary unit in which students dove into the current debate regarding the United States’ role in the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Throughout this unit, the students applied their Social Studies and English Language Arts skills in an authentic setting. Over the span of six weeks, the students traced and evaluated a variety of sources, both
terns of humans; they showed an understanding of how individuals, groups, and institutions can work for the common good. Finally, each student wrote an
argument to support a claim with clear reasons and relevant evidence. What’s more, the students engaged in lively discussions and debates outside of the classroom: at recess, lunch, in the hallways and across teams. After discussions, they wrote argumentative essays that were made into letters to give to Governor Paul LePage. The letters were diverse, expressing both sides of the issue. Some students who were part of the "Junior Page" program for the state went to the State
York Middle School boys, left to right, standing with Gov. LePage in front of Ronald Reagan portrait are Luke Charpentier, Theo Masterson, Billy Bachelder.
See DEBATE page 8...
written and audio; they pulled textual evidence from a mix of primary and secondary sources; they showed an understanding of movement and migration pat-
6XQ 5LVH 6XQ 6HW 6DW
6XQ
0RQ
7XH
:HG
7KX
)UL
Artist rendering of the newly appointed Vinegar Hill Music Theatre previously known as the Arundel Barn Playhouse. Inset: Creative Director George Dvorsky,
Health & Fitness A section concerning your health... INSIDE:
PG 18-22
Also check out our section on
BUSINESS & FINANCE PG 16-17
It’s Yard Sale Season Let our readers know about all the good things you have to sell! Our classified ads start at $6.25.