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Symptoms of depression on the rise among Westborough High School students

By Maureen Sullivan Senior Reporter WESTBOROUGH - The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to be felt among local adolescents.

During the School Committee meeting on Nov. 9, Director of Wellness Roger Anderson and SEL and Clinical Coordinator Kim Tynan presented the results of the 2021 MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey.

As in previous surveys, this latest survey was voluntary and private, meaning parents were given the option to opt out their children.

In total, 555 seventh and eighth graders responded, and 1,044 Westborough High School students in ninth to 12th grade participated.

The good news — the use of drugs and alcohol has decreased since the last survey in 2018. There was a sharp decrease in vaping among students in grades 7-12.

“We feel really good about that,” said Anderson.

Among middle school students, the number of students vaping at some point in their lifetime went from 4.4% in 2018 to 3.8% in 2021. Further, students who said they currently vaped decreased from 3.2% in 2018 to 1.6% in 2021.

For high school students, the percentage of lifetime vaping use dipped from 32.1% in 2018 to 16.8% in 2021. Those who vaped over the past 30 days also decreased from 23.6% in 2018 to 10.2% in 2021.

Anderson credited the drop to education efforts to have students realize that vaping is harmful.

However, the survey did indicate increases in some categories, such as cyberbullying and depression.

Among middle school students, 20.8% reported being a victim of cyberbullying in 2021, compared to 13% in 2018. On whether life has been “very stressful” in the previous 30 days, 18.4% of students said “yes” in 2021, compared to 13.7% in 2018.

At the high school level, 21.7% of students reported being a victim of cyberbullying in 2021, as opposed to 19% in 2018. On whether life has been “very stressful” in the previous 30 days, there was a decrease — 29.8% said yes in 2021, compared to 33.8% in 2018.

However, more high school students said they were experiencing symptoms of depression in 2021 at 25.1% than in 2018 at 19.9%.

Both Anderson and Tynan attributed the increase to the effects of the pandemic, especially the feelings of loneliness and isolation.

These feelings seem to be more prevalent among students who are LGBTQ+, Latina/ Latino or girls, said Anderson.

Both Anderson and Tynan said that programs are available for those seeking help.

“I am very proud of the comprehensive mental health work that we have developed in Westborough,” said Superintendent Amber Bock. “We have K-12 programming, tiered models of support, a relationship-centered focus in our schools, and a thoughtful use of data to check for blindspots and ensure we are not missing students who may need support.”

The full results of the 2021 survey are available at www. westboroughk12.org/cms/One. aspx?portalId=32302986.

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Shrewsbury High School students create used cooking oil recycling program

By Caroline Gordon Reporter SHREWSBURY - Shrewsbury High School seniors Nicole Shen and Jacob Furman are on a mission to recycle used cooking oil.

Their idea started off as a civic action project for school, but the pair decided to reach out to Water and Sewer Superintendent Daniel Rowley to help put their plan into action. Shen and Jacobs presented their research on the benefits of recycling used cooking oil to the Select Board on Sept. 27.

Over the summer, Rowley said that he worked with Shen and Furman and the Assistant Superintendent of Water and Sewer Operations Joseph Kenney to figure out the best recycling methods.

According to Shen, cooking oil harms the environment and the sewer system. She said the two ways to dispose of it include dumping the oil outside, which attracts animals and vermin and impacts the ecosystem, and pouring the oil down the drain, which causes sewer clogs, reduces efficiency of wastewater treatment plants and harms aquatic life.

Some residents utilize external grease traps, which allow some of the oil to spill into the sewer system, Shen said. She noted that most residents dispose of the oil from the grease traps into landfills, which harms the environment.

Through their research, Furman said they realized that used cooking oil can be “transferred into something better” and used for energy. There are companies that collect used cooking oil for free and put the oil through a process called transesterification, which converts the oil into biodiesel and glycerin, he said.

Furman said that biodiesel can be used for engines, furnaces and “whatever diesel purposes you may have.” He noted that biodiesel is nontoxic, biodegradable, clean burning and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 86%.

The pair decided to partner with Mahoney Environmental, a company that collects used cooking oil and puts it through transesterification. According to Shen, the company services about 5,000 New England restaurants.

PHOTO/CAROLINE GORDON Jacob Furman and Nicole Sehn pictured with a bottle of cooking oil outside of Shrewsbury High School

“[Biodiesel can be used for] whatever diesel purposes you may have.

Jacob Furman

COMMUNITY SCHOOLS Schools could be facing a big increase in special ed costs

By Maureen Sullivan Senior Reporter MARLBOROUGH – The 2023 fiscal year is underway, but Marlborough Public Schools (MPS) could be bracing for a big financial hit in the 2024 fiscal year.

During the School Committee meeting on Oct. 25, Douglas Dias, director of finance and operations for MPS, said the reason for the big jump has to do with a labor shortage at the private schools, along with inflation.

Dias had received a memo all out-of-district placements remain at the same schools, this increase would equal $475,000 in additional tuition costs, or a .7% increase to the district’s overall budget.”

If Special Education Collaboratives adjust their tuition costs by a similar amount, the total new costs rise to $650,000, or nearly 1% of the district’s current School Committee appropriation, Dias said.

He noted that, if left unchanged, the special education circuit breaker reimbursement program would absorb some of these increased costs in FY25, but the FY24 impact is currently unfunded and would be the responsibility of municipalities.

Dias said this is, in effect, “an unfunded mandate.”

He added that the numbers have not been finalized.

“This is primarily a FY24 concern,” Dias said.

Dias added that the proposed increase could be reduced with one-time funds from the state, increasing the circuit breaker, or negotiating the hike “to a more reasonable number.”

“I don’t see how any district can absorb that kind of increase,” said committee member Michelle Bodin-Hettinger.

School Committee members said they planned to discuss the memo at the Massachusetts Association of School Committees conference, which took place earlier this month.

“This is outrageous,” said committee member Katherine Hennessy. “It’s absolutely ludicrous to shoulder this burden.”

The Community Advocate has reached out to the Operational Services Division for comment.

State grant bolsters Assabet’s HVAC program

By Maureen Sullivan Senior Reporter MARLBOROUGH – Thanks to a $1.2 million state grant, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School can upgrade its heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) program.

On Sept. 27, Assabet Superintendent Ernest F. Houle received the grant from Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito during an event at Westfield Technical Academy.

The grant was part of the administration’s ongoing Skills Capital Grant program.

The funding will allow the school to modernize and expand HVAC instructional lab space to triple enrollment at the school over the next three years. The grant will enable the purchase of equipment such as work benches, project tools, oil burners, furnaces and heat pump training equipment. The improvements will support traditional high school students from the Operational Services Division at the state Executive Office for Administration and Finance.

The division is estimating that the authorized increase in special education private schools’ tuition for FY24 will be 14%. This is up from 2.5% in FY22. Dias noted that the average increase since 2011 has been 1.8%.

“This increase in special education tuition costs would have a significant impact on the district’s FY24 operating budget,” Dias said. “Assuming

Assabet Valley Superintendent Ernest F. Houle, center, with Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. Assabet recently received a $1.2 million grant to upgrade its HVAC/R program.

and expand the Career Technical Initiative adult training programming.

“The HVAC/R team here at Assabet is super excited to receive this grant,” said Michael Gilchrest, who is lead teacher for the HVAC/R program. “We worked diligently with the vocational director, assistant vocational director and the director of Assabet Community Education to pull all the details together with the hopes that we would receive it.”

Gilchrest said the upgrades will help Assabet keep up with the latest advancements in the HVAC/R industry.

“With continuous advancements in technology, our industry is evolving to a more advanced trade from where it was as little as 10 years ago,” he said. “Our students will be able to utilize the latest test equipment and other HVAC/R specific tools used in industry today.”

Gilchrest said that part of the grant will go toward a muchneeded upgrade to the program’s heating and cooling equipment.

“We will be updating our furnaces and boilers to reflect systems that have higher efficiencies so our students can become familiar and comfortable working on this type of equipment,” he said.

The grant will also help Assabet develop a building automated controls lab for its day and night students.

“Our ultimate goal is to partner up with area building automated controls companies as advisers to develop a standalone night program for these control systems,” said Gilchrest.

The HVAC/R’s new sheet metal program will also get a boost from the state grant. Gilchrest said the program is being developed “with the anticipation of an updated HVAC/R state frameworks to include hours toward a sheet metal license. This includes equipment that will allow us to fabricate ductwork and train the students on typical installations and layout of ducted systems.”

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Whatever you do and whatever time you can give back, do it from your heart, whether it’s donating your time, talent or treasure.” added Robert Schlacter, President and CEO of Marlborough Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The more genuine and authentic you are, the better it will be received and appreciated.”

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