TANNERS FOOTBALL TEAM CENTERFOLD SPREAD
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Vol. 3, No. 47
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Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Seniors hear important message at Lions Club banquet Football Tanners to battle Saugus in Thanksgiving home game By Greg Phipps
T
he annual Peabody and Saugus Lions Club Banquet that precedes the Thanksgiving Day clash between the two rival schools typically focuses on the subject of football. But senior players and other attendees heard a more serious message from guest speaker and former Peabody High School baseball standout Joel Levine. Levine, who was born and raised in Peabody and played on the 2003 Tanners baseball team that challenged for a state title, battled drug abuse as a teenager. Now clean and sober for nearly 15 years, Levine spoke last Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Holy Ghost Hall in Peabody. He shared his story about falling into the throes of addiction and his subsequent road to recovery. "I was a good baseball player but my passion became getting high. My addiction to opioids took over my life and it got me into a lot of trouble," Levine recalled. "I thought I was invincible and untouchable, and everything suffered as a result."
GRID IRON LEADERS: Football Captains Michael Lock, Abe Kaba, Jake Sousa and Chris Glass will lead the Peabody High Football Tanners against the Saugus Sachems at home on Thanksgiving Day. (Advocate photo by Greg Phipps)
Levine said he got addicted to oxycontin and talked about losing close friends to drug overdoses. He emphasized the seriousness of the drug problem in present-day society. "These drugs are out there and they're easy to get. Don't make the choices I made. Don't think you're invincible. The choices you make will affect you for the rest of your life" he said. "I was raised with good values but I decided to put my own spin on
life. In seventh and eighth grade I started veering off track and rebelling–stealing liquor from my parent's liquor cabinet and smoking weed." Levine said he became a person nobody wanted to be around, "shooting heroin, sharing needles. My life was a mess. It wasn't pretty." He said with the help and support of many people he was able to turn the corner to recover. Now a teacher in Everett and
married with three children, Levine speaks to high school and middle school students about recovery and the dangers of drug abuse. Peabody head coach Mark Bettencourt called Levine "one of the unsung heroes" in the community. "I have so much respect for Joel. He got himself help and never quit. He kept fighting. I'm very proud of him." On the subject of football and the annual Thanksgiving game,
both squads entered this year's contest with 4-6 records Peabody owned a 44-28 series lead and had won the last four Turkey Day clashes. The last victory for Saugus came in 2013. Saugus head coach Mike Mabee, a 1996 graduate of the school, took over the position when Anthony Nalen was suspended a week before the season opener. Nalen was eventually terminated. Despite the turmoil surrounding them, the Sachems have been competitive in most of their games and pulled off a playoff upset of Weston in round one of the Div. 5 North tournament. "I played in three Thanksgiving games myself and never experienced a win. Hopefully that changes this year," Mabee remembered. "Being the last game of your high school careers, you seniors will miss things like the bus rides to games and the hard practices, but you'll probably miss your buddies the most. This is the game you'll remember the most. It's something you'll never experience again, even in
LIONS CLUB | SEE PAGE 2
City celebrates completion of Crystal Lake project By Christopher Roberson
A
fter two years and a total investment of $3 million, the Crystal Lake Restoration and Beautification project is now complete. “This is a proud day for all of us,” said Mayor Edward Bettencourt during the lakeside ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 15. “A great many people worked extremely hard to make it possible. The result is a family-friendly recreational spot for which all of Peabody can be proud.” Bettencourt said that before the project began, the lake was rapidly becoming a swamp, adding that the maximum depth was no more than “knee high.”“Things really started to slip,” he said. “This project became very personal for me.” Bettencourt said it was also difficult to find the money to
Shown, from right to left, are Jennifer Davis, director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry, Peabody resident Joseph Finnegan, former Ward 6 Councillor Barry Sinewitz, Mayor Edward Bettencourt and former Councillor-at-Large Michael Garabedian celebrate the completion of the Crystal Lake Restoration and Beautification project on Nov. 15.
get the job done. “Funding for this project was not easy,” he said. Yet, he was always able to rely on the City Council. “Every vote
we needed was unanimous,” said Bettencourt. Former Ward 6 Councillor Barry Sinewitz said the prospect of revitalizing the lake sur-
faced in 1987 as the “dream” of the Friends of Peabody Lakes. However, he said the project encountered more than its share of fits and starts.
In 2006, then-State Rep. Joyce Spiliotis locked in $800,000 to begin the sluggish funding process. Sinewitz was elected to the City Council in 2007 and made Crystal Lake a top priority, only to see it fall to the wayside once again. “Then one thing happened that changed everything – Mayor Bettencourt got elected,” he said. Current Ward 6 Councillor Mark O’Neill agreed that Bettencourt had the drive to bring the project to fruition. “We’re here because of your vision and your work,” he said. State Rep. Theodore Speliotis said the newly revitalized lake will make that part of Peabody more attractive for prospective homebuyers. “This is a signature moment,” he said. The project itself was divided into two phases. The first phase
CRYSTAL LAKE | SEE PAGE 6