Issuu

Volunteers make the magic happen

Life with dogs and life for dogs

Parents, teachers organize for kids’ success

PLUS... Elections! ‘Wonder’! Holly May! Advice! Comix! Eight Big Pages!

First stories in our series on pups we love

FEATURES, 3

SPOTLIGHT, 6

Covering Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Vol. 1, no. 3 • NOV. 20, 2014 • FREE

The BSE Flow

Student-run newspaper of the buckland-shelburne ELEMENTARY school communitY • Shelburne falls, mass.

Essay

What Thanksgiving means now

Explainer

Retiring, hardly shy

BSE Flow/Myah Grant

Mary Lyon Foundation mini-grants recently funded drumsticks for Mrs. Carter’s music room.

Mary Lyon

“I’m reminded that I am a survivor — a survivor for a reason — and to be thankful for my second chance.”

grants: from hammers to zoos

By AMY ROBERTS-CRAWFORD

By MYAH GRANT

S WE prepare Thanksgiving feasts and gather at tables with family and friends, I encourage each of us to share one thing for which we are thankful. If you find your mind is too occupied with the chaos of kitchen timers and joyous squeals of children and the chatter of family, I’ll make it easy and give you a few words to consider: life, children, family, and the community in which we live. Long, long ago (four years) in a galaxy far, far away (Shelburne Falls) a BSE family faced crisis when two reckless drivers caused a five-car auto accident on I-91 in Holyoke. In one of the vehicles involved in the accident was a self-employed, single mom with three kids: me. A sunny Saturday afternoon, driving down the highway, and a car leaped across the median directly in front of me, and it was over: lickety-split, no time to think.

Dateline: Buckland need drumsticks for your classroom, or a new reading desk, or you want to study birds and butterflies, or you want a whole zoo to visit the school, you should ask the Mary Lyon Foundation to help pay for it. The Mary Lyon Foundation helps school staff and homeschool educators from Ashfield, BuckDr. Sue Samoriski land, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Plainfield, Rowe, and Shelburne. The Foundation’s committee meets twice a year to review applications for grants, and these fund projects and supplies. Dr. Sue Samoriski is the Foundation’s executive director. She told me that anyone who works in the school — a teacher, a custodian, a superintendent, a paraprofessional — anyone employed in a school can write a mini-grant. “We’ve just given out $3,000 worth of mini grants,” she said. This year the Colrain School had the most mini-grants written, “and therefore many of them were funded,” she said. The Foundation gets its money through grants and donations. The 9th Annual Mary Lyon Foundation Community Spelling Bee just raised a lot of money that will go to the schools. I asked her how she gets the money to the schools. “In many different ways: The Colrain Central School has an account called The Colrain Vision of Excellence. When they want money for a project, or something like an assembly program for the whole school — something special — we have a committee composed of Colrain people, and I say, ‘Well, you’ve got a few thousand dollars; you decide and tell me how to write the check and tell me who it goes to.’” She said Heath has Heath Horizons, “and that’s similar. Mohawk has an agricultural fund, which is funded by a bank every year. Hawlemont has an agricultural fund; it depends on the school.” People donate to the Mary Lyon Foundation and even leave it money in their wills. At BSE the bathrooms have been repainted. New sleds were added. A classroom has a new round reading desk. One year the Foundation paid for carpentry tools for the custodians. Dr. Samoriski said the committee gives BSE a little more money every year because it has an office at the building and doesn’t pay rent. “I say to the principal every year, ‘What would you like? Tell me what you’d like for the school.’”

‘The kindness of strangers’ Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers. People stopped to make sure I was OK. They kept me company while we waited for the emergency crews. The EMTs and police were efficient and polite, as were the doctors, nurses and X-ray technicians at the hospital. I don’t wish to do it again, but the emergency personnel were skilled and impressive. I continue to share my story for many reasons. It emphasizes the importance of wearing your seat belt. We all survived, even the people who were in the cars that flipped across the median, because of the simple fact that we were all wearing our seat belts. I found that pretty amazing. According to Wikipedia, the seat belt law became an enforceable law in Massachusetts on Feb. 1, 1994. Had this accident happened just 20 years ago the outcome might have been drastically different. I have a new appreciation for speed limits, turn signals, and courteous drivers, so this story creeps in as I try to teach and reward patient driving. When pain flares up, as it does in the aftermath of that accident, work seems slow. I drive south past the Holyoke Mall or past another accident and I’m reminded that I am a survivor — a survivor for a reason — and to be thankful for my second chance. I was self-employed, and my injuries left me unable to work for months. Imagine it: a pianist unable to sit at the piano bench without discomfort. When I tried playing, excruciating pain shot up and down my spine, into my head, and out to my fingertips, eventually turning to numbness. It was terrifying. Between the trauma and pain medications I was unable to drive for months. In any event, my only vehicle was totaled. I’ve played the piano since I was 7 and had been described as the Energizer Bunny. I just kept going and going. And then… to have life come to a screeching halt, or so it felt, and

> Story continues on Page 5

I BSE Flow/John Snyder photos

KAREN ELDRED, left, above and top, pre-K teacher and the creator of the school’s courtyard sensory garden, is set to retire at the end of November. At right, overcoming a hose at the Nov. 15 garden harvest and cleanup, is Anneke Whitsett, one of Eldred’s students. Her mom, Lillian, says they love the class: “We’re having a blast!”

14 years of pre-K, and now Karen Eldred’s next adventure

By JOHN SNYDER

a kid again have a teacher pluck a leaf from a plant in a school garden and offer it to you to sniff. “Licorice?” “It’s anise. Now try this for contrast.” Karen Eldred brushes dirt from her fingers while I sniff another small leaf. I’m not a plant person. I don’t cook much. My first impression is of reading Ray Bradbury as a boy. Summer vacation and rockets to Mars. “It’s garlic: garlic chives. So the contrast of the anise and the garlic chives are the two smells there, and then a variety of colors of flowers, which have mostly gone by; and here are the taste ones. I’ll give you a tiny taste in case you don’t like it,” she says. O BE

She’s confidently offered the same to roughly 225 kids over her tenure of 14 years or so in this garden. “It’s sour.” “It’s sorrel, for salads! And when we were kids it was that little tiny yellow flower; you’d pick the leaves — that’s wild sorrel, and this is cultivated.” Eldred, pre-K teacher at BSE for the past 14 years, is in the school’s sensory garden, which she built from a quiet courtyard of overgrown grasses. Ringed with windows and open to the sky, it’s the heart of the school. It’s her outdoor classroom. Here are planters, beds, paths, and levels to climb and descend. There are tastes and touches and colors and smells growing — grown; it’s mid-November — and there’s a garden hose for teaching science and technology. For real rockets! Today there are kids playing even as they work, with wheelbarrows

and little tools, They’re putting the garden to bed for the season. And Karen Eldred is retiring at the end of the month. “I love gardening, and I love these people I’m with. It was a real hard decision to leave,” she says. She’s going to master therapeutic horsemanship, working mounted and unmounted with children and young adults struggling emotionally and physically. She’s taking on a part-time job for the duration of her certification program. Her husband, a self-employed carpenter, is “shaking in his boots” about her retirement, she says. When she’s out in the community, former students — tall ones like Mohawk quarterback Andrew Doty — come up and hug her. That will continue. And she’ll check on her garden and all her young gardeners. To her replacement she offers this: “Enjoy it. Enjoy the ride.”

Kids Can

After-School food drive tops 70 pounds, helps feed the hungry “We already know how to show compassion at school, so let’s spread the love and show compassion for our community too.” That was the challenge Beforeand After-school Director Raelene Lemoine, Doreen Nichols, and their crew set for themselves in working to collect 50 pounds of food for the Franklin Area Survival Center. Non-perishable foods have been pouring in to the school and weighed daily. More than a week before reaching its Nov. 24 deadline, the team exceeded its goal. That’s compassion! — BSE Flow staff For more information or to donate, contact the Franklin Area Survival Center, 94 Fourth St., Turners Falls, at franklinareasurvivalcenter.org or 413-863-9549.

Raelene Lemoine photo

STANDING, L-R: Jackson Morey, James Nichols. SEATED L-R: Phinneas Tuttman and Morgan Raffa. The kids said helping is fun!

BSE Flow/John Snyder

Left to right, Davin Ojala, Reuben Bassett, and Oscar Cassin. They helped make short work of an ambitious collection goal.

F YOU

— With Kara Bohonowicz

2 THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

News — About Us — The BSE Flow is an independent, student-run, and family friendly newspaper serving all of us, the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School community. We are here to practice the best of what we learn at home and in school about critical thinking, effective communication, and compassion for ourselves and others. Our fall staff signed up in September; their parents were asked to pay a small amount to cover initial expenses, and we’re getting the hang of this in a very exciting way.

STAFF In alphabetical order. Ainsley Bogel, grade 4 Eliza Bogel, grade 4 Harper Brown, grade 4 Joy Bohonowicz, grade 5 Kara Bohonowicz, co-advisor Octavia Crawford, grade 5 Brian Gagnon, grade 7 Myah Grant, grade 4 Brooke Looman, grade 5 Kylie Lowell, grade 5 Katie Martin, grade 5 Bennett Snyder, grade 4 and John Snyder, co-advisor and publisher.

LETTERS, ETC. To submit letters to the editor, news tips, calendar items, proposals for book reviews and other features, etc. • Write Advisor, BSE Flow, 30 Church St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370; • Call 413-325-6348; • Write bseflow@gmail.com; or • Find our box at BSE’s office, 75 Mechanic St., Shelburne Falls, MA.

SPONSOR OR DONATE We welcome your sponsorships and donations, and believe they will lead to dramatic success for all concerned.

Massachusetts elects next governor Republican Charlie Baker takes office Jan. 8, 2015

By BENNETT SNYDER

governor of Massachusetts is Charlie Baker. He won the state election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The current governor is Deval Patrick. My mom voted in Buckland. I went with her to Buckland Town Hall. We gave our name and address to the election tellers, they gave us a big ballot, my mom connected arrows on it, she gave the ballot to the tellers, they put it in a machine, and it sucked it up. Our number was 493. According to Town Clerk Janice Purington, 750 people from Buckland voted out of 1,325. According to Shelburne Town Clerk Joseph Judd, 811 people in Shelburne voted out of 1,273. Charlie Baker takes over for Deval Patrick in January. His lieutenant governor is Karyn Polito. There was also an election for state representative: Steven Kulik won for the 1st Franklin District. Ed Markey won State Senator. Richard Neal won Representative in Congress. Ben Downing won Senator in General Court. HE NEXT

— With John Snyder

Happy 100th, Arms Library!

We strive for excellence. To report a concern, write The BSE Flow, 30 Church St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 or bseflow@gmail.com. PUT A ROOF ON IT! The Pratt Memorial Library Building has been sheltering the Arms Library, at 50 Bridge St., for 100 years (1914 to 2014). Above, Library Director Laurie Wheeler adjusts the celebratory banner on a rainy Nov. 17.

— BSE Staff

DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT Reasonable reasonable precaution has been taken to ensure the accuracy and suitability of the material presented herein. That said, we assume no liability for your misadventure dealing with any part of our newspaper, whether owing to our negligence or otherwise, except as provided by law. • We are a scholastic newspaper and reserve the right to decline submissions of any sort we may feel unsuitable for our readers and staff. • We count on your generous donations and lively sponsorships. :) • The BSE Flow Vol. 1, No. 3 is © 2014 Advance The Story, www. AdvanceTheStory.com, Shelburne Falls, MA, 01370. All rights reserved. We are printed at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton.

charliebaker2014.com photo

Gov.-elect Charlie Baker campaigns for governor earlier this year. On his campaign website, he said, “We can have great schools across the Commonwealth that ensure opportunity for every single child, no matter where they live. We can and should replicate the innovative solutions developed in successful schools across the state to close the achievement gap and deepen the connections between schools and employers.”

electstevekulik.org

Democrat Steven Kulik represents 19 Western Massachusetts towns, including Buckland, Conway, and Shelburne, in the State Legislature.

BSE Flow/Bennett Snyder

Buckland election tellers Sally LaBelle and Cheryl Faufaw help the town’s voters cast their ballots Tuesday, Nov. 4.

men wrote the Constitution they split it into three branches. They didn’t want rulers or kings. One of them is the legislative branch. One of the things that the legislative branch decides is how money is spent. Should tax dollars be spent on health or education or food programs? The legislative branch is headed by the Congress, whose other main job is to make laws. It’s a hard question, but they must decide. The Congress is split into two groups, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state sends representatives to Congress, where they debate. The executive branch is headed by the president. He is the leader of the U.S. Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army, and Coast Guard. They’re who protect you. The executive branch heads up foreign policy. One policy decides to let people from other countries come to the USA or not. The president also heads national defense. The third branch is the judicial branch. It is made up of nine justices who are known as the Supreme Court. They interpret the Constitution, which is to understand it and relate it to modern times. They rule on cases involving states’ rights. The Supreme Court is nominated by the president and must be approved by Congress. — By Gavin Crehan, sixth-grader HEN THE

K/1 Notes — A li t t le bi t of what t h e l i t t l e o n e s a re l e a r n i n g —

Kindergarteners busy; welcome Winky

CORRECTIONS

WE BELONG

Good turnout reported in Buckland, Shelburne for races

• We print 750 copies 12 issues a year and deliver them for free to all BSE staff and students’ families, the Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee, local town halls and public service departments, and to you at retail establishments wherever local newspapers appear in Buckland, Shelburne, and Colrain. • Write The BSE Flow, 30 Church St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370; • Call 413-325-6348; • Write bseflow@gmail.com; or • Find our box at BSE’s office, 75 Mechanic St., Shelburne, MA.

We belong, with pride, to the National Elementary Schools Press Association, the Journalism Education Association, the New England Scholastic Press Association, and the Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association.

Know your branches of government

Mrs. Tomlinson’s kindergarteners have been working on the letters M and N. They also practiced rhyming and listening for words with the same middle and ending sounds. Students learned number formation rhymes for zero, one, two, three, four, and five. They worked hard writing those numbers each day. Kindergarten welcomed a new Guinea pig, Winky, which was donated by a student’s family. Winky lives at the school but Ms. Schoellkopf comes in daily over the weekend to feed her. Feeding Winky and changing her water is a class job. Mrs. Tomlinson started teaching a math unit on sorting using shoes, shapes, and people. Ms. Schoellkopf kicked off a math unit on measuring, and with drinking straws compared her students’ height. The students also enjoyed a lot of “George and Martha” books and talked about friendship. Mrs. Moon’s and Mrs. Bridge’s first-graders are learning how to make teen numbers by using a 10, drawing a 10 stick and circles for ones. For English language arts they are learning about the “glued sound” and words ending in “–all.” (A glued sound is one in which letters have their own sounds but are difficult to separate, such as song, lung, and bank.)

BSE Flow/Joy Bohonowicz

TOP: Winky the kindergarten Guinea pig. Scientific name: Cavia porcellus kindergartenum. RIGHT: green leaves turn free sunlight into delicious plant food.

Know your plants Mrs. Richardson’s Friday science group took a walk around the primary wing recntly, making a list of all the different plants they saw on the playground and in the plantings around school. They’re studying the parts of plants and the changes plants undergo from summer to fall. Roots absorb water and minerals from the soil and help to anchor the plant in the soil so it doesn’t tip over. Stems support the plant and transport water and nutrients. Most plants’ food is made by capturing

sunlight in their leaves. Flowers are how most plants reproduce: they contain pollen and tiny eggs called ovules, which later develop into fruit. And the fruit provides a covering for seeds, which contain new plants. It’s a cycle of life!

— Katie, Joy, and Kylie

Letter to the Editor

Improve parking, street safety for sake of kids at BSE

ear EDITOR: Watching the filming of an accident scene for “The Judge” on Mechanic Street in Shelburne Falls was exciting, but a real accident there involving any of our children would devastate our community. The town of Shelburne would be on trial if such an accident happened. Mechanic Street along the Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School property is a problem area posing danger to students, and the time to act is now: There is no extra parking for families who live close to school. There is no safe winter street parking. There are no prominent road markings for school foot traffic. Students living within a mile-and-a-half of school have no bussing provided by the Mohawk Trail Regional School District. Lack of bussing requires caregivers drive students to school. Were additional parking provided, the teacher and visitors’ parking lot would not become a parent parking lot.

As likely most of us have seen firsthand, and been part of, nearly all of the cars in this lot require the driver back out before exiting. This puts walking children in danger in the parking lot. This danger is aggravated when snow flies. When snow piles up along Mechanic Street it is not being cleared from the curb. This problem forces drivers to park into the street or else find parking in the teachers’ parking lot. How many of us have circled multiple times on these winter days in effort to find parking? The district forces children leaving the building and vehicles to walk into icy roads and parking lots — and out in front of cars, trucks, and busses. Children attempting to reach parents or caregivers waiting in warm cars try to stop before reaching traffic but before sliding under cars. Parents must choose between children sliding under vehicles or walking out into the road. Worse still, that’s a road not clearly marked as a school zone. The paint markings on the road meant to inform drivers of the school zone are faint at best. Yes, there is a crosswalk just south

of the entrance to the school, but it’s barely noticeable, either by clearly defined paint or by a brightly lit sign. The crosswalk at the post office intersection is newly painted. Why, then, is the crosswalk serving the school left with old, worn paint? The school signs at Mohawk are new and bright yellow. Why are BSE’s school signs aged and dull? As a concerned parent, I urge the district and town to come together on this before winter. And before it’s too late.

— Kara Bohonowicz YOUR TURN! The BSE Flow invites brief letters to the editor of interest to our local readership, and prints a select few as a public service. Extra credit for kids who write. We reserve the right to edit or decline letters. Letters must have the author’s name and contact information so that we can verify authorship. Write Editor, BSE Flow, 30 Church St., Shelburne Falls MA 01370 or bseflow@gmail.com.

THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow 3

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Features Profile

Community Spotlight

Must-Read

Wonder; R. J. Palacio (2012, Random House)

I BSE Flow/John Snyder photos

SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT. Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School prides itself on its strong community. Events such as the annual Spring Art Show and Math Night (above left, led by art teacher Rachel Silverman, May 22) and the PTO’s 80s Dance Flashback (above, right, June 13) fill the halls with family and friends. Pictured at the art show: Amanda Kingsley in green; Casey, in blue jacket, with mom Robin Bessler. Eighties rockers, left to right: Kylie Lowell, Aeria Heilman, Avery DuPree, Joy Bohonowicz, Mirra Girard, and, in front, Madeline Lily.

Holly May Brown/Facebook

“Go Big or Go Home” hit national and international radio this summer. A national and international tour is introducing Holly May to the world.

Charlemont’s Holly May Brown is going places

Dateline: Charlemont MAY Brown started playing music when she was 3 years old. The first song she wrote by herself was “Tonight,” a love song. Now she’s 17, a senior at Mohawk Trail Regional High School, and is becoming a country and pop music star. We spoke with her at Brooke’s church, West County Baptist, in Charlemont, where she was playing a benefit concert. Holly got her start performing around Shelburne Falls and Vermont, and will be playing in New Jersey and Tennessee. She is also going to be touring Europe for two weeks. She has music videos for her songs, “I’ve Been on the Run” and “Go Big Or Go Home,” which has more than a million views on YouTube. She said she looks up to Carrie Underwood and Luke Bryan, who also sing country music. She added that she does have stage fright but is getting over it. When we saw her, somebody told her, “We need to buy you a new wardrobe,” because her pants were all ripped. Trivia for her fans: she plays field hockey and rides horses; her favorite color is baby blue; she used to play flute and clarinet; and she is not double-jointed. “It has always been my dream to sing and perform,” Holly said, “ I can’t wait to see where it takes me.” OLLY

— Brooke and Joy

PTO relies on volunteers to make the magic happen By KARA BONHOWICZ

HETHER YOU’RE

new to Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School or are an old hand, one thing you’ll notice is that the community is blessed with a wealth of talented people who make things happen. Well, we have the people. We need more of them to get involved, to help run the events everyone agrees are so much fun, and so good for the kids, and such a strong reason why many of us moved here or never wanted to leave. That’s according to this year’s PTO president, Karen Hicks. Here is an excerpt from a conversation we had earlier this fall about the PTO and what more parents and teachers can do to strengthen this remarkable community. KARA: How would you describe how the PTO works? KAREN: This organization is composed of parents and teachers and staff working to support and enrich student life at BSE. Every parent, teacher, and staff member at BSE is automatically a part of the PTO. How did you come to be president? I came into this position last year when during a shifting of officer roles. I was excited to get involved with the PTO and take on the responsibility. How are PTO members elected or how do PTO members volunteer? PTO members are elected yearly. We meet monthly to discuss and plan activities such as fundraisers and family activities that support and enrich the students and school community. Anyone can help. Coming to meetings is a great way to learn about what’s being planned and how to help. The PTO welcomes everyone to participate in whatever way they can. We love having people attend meetings and share ideas but even if you can’t come to a meeting, we always appreciate help with activi-

LONGTIME BSE volunteer Tammy Shippee holding young Esme at the PTO’s Holiday Gift Show Nov. 15 in the school cafeteria. Crafts and gifts were made by vendors and BSE students.

ties such as organizing fundraisers, offering to bake for special events, helping serve MCAS breakfast in the spring, staffing dances and family events, etc. The PTO recognizes everyone is busy and we appreciate any time and energy you can donate to help our school community. What are your favorite past PTO events or fundraisers? The Original Art fundraiser is always great. The students work with Ms. Silverman, our art teacher, to create a special piece of art that will be used with this fundraiser. We’ve been doing this fundraiser for years. It’s a great way to share your child’s art with family and friends. We do this fundraiser around the holidays, and these make great gifts. My favorite activity was the spring “Back to the 80s” dance. This was a great family activity, with kids and parents out on the dance floor. After the success of the 80s dance, I’d love to have a 70s disco dance. Think of the possibilities! I think families really enjoy these types of

activities, where they can share in the fun with their children. It brings out the kid in all of us. How are teachers involved? We are fortunate to have Principal Joanne Giguere and one or two staff members in attendance at most meetings. The PTO greatly appreciates the wonderful staff at BSE. We recognize the importance of maintaining a strong partnership between parents and staff to help best support our students. We strive to maintain close communication with staff to support staff and students. In addition to the $150 the PTO provides for each teacher during the year for field trips and classroom supplies, the PTO is responsive to staff requests throughout the year. What if somebody wants to volunteer but feels they don’t have enough time to do everything they want? We would love to see the room filled with parents and staff at all our meetings but we realize this is not feasible for everyone. There’s always a need for people to help, from baking to organizing a fundraiser. Meetings are always posted on the PTO bulletin board at the school entrance and we send out a notice in the Thursday folder as well as on our Facebook page. — Kara Bohonowicz is a BSE parent, and an advisor at The BSE Flow.

GET INVOLVED > Parents and staff: for more information, attend a PTO meeting in the BSE staff room (second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.), write ptobse@gmail.com, or visit Buckland-Shelburne PTO on Facebook. > The community also is served by a volunteer Local Education Council and Garden Committee.

By ELIZA BOGEL

’M READING “Wonder,” by R. J. Palacio, for a third time. I love it and think you might like it too. It’s about a kid named August Pullman who was born with facial deformities, and he’s going to a new school for the first time. He’s starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep. At first, when he gets to school, he has no friends except for Jack Will and a girl he meets at lunch named Sumner. Later in the book the whole school goes on an overnight field trip to a nature resort, and there is a movie. August and Jack go into the woods — and they find some mean seventh-graders who try to punch them. [Characters named] Amos, Miles, and Henry stop the bullies. There is something August made up in the end of the book, which goes like this: “Everyone should get a standing ovation once in his or her life.” I received “Wonder” as a Christmas gift from my aunt. I know if a book is good by reading the first two pages, and I’ll say yeah or no. I started reading this one and it was pretty good. If I read a book I like and then I see it on a shelf, sometimes I’ll want to read it again. My sister, Ainsley has read the book too. R. J. Palacio has also written “365 Days of Wonder: Mr. Browne’s Book of Precepts” and [with Michael Chamberlain] “The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story,” which tells “Wonder” from the character Julian’s [the bully] side of the story. I think it would take an average reader from fourth grade about a half-hour a night for two weeks to read “Wonder.” Here is a quote from the book: “I won’t describe what I look like. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” — Auggie Pullman. // EB

Editor’s Note “Wonder” was No. 1 on the New York Times best seller list. Brooklyn, N.Y.-based author R. J. Palacio calls it “a meditation on kindness.” “Wonder” tells Auggie’s story through six different viewpoints, but Julian’s perspective was not included. Random House explains, “‘The Julian Chapter’ reveals the bully’s side of the story. Why is Julian so unkind to Auggie? And does he have a chance for redemption?”

PIANO LESSONS

age 5+ Tuesday in Ashfield,

Thursday in Shelburne Falls. CONTACT AMY at (413) 519-7905 or theaterpiano@gmail.com.

Thank you for doing business with The BSE Flow’s community advertisers, sponsors, and donors. Please tell them you saw their ad in The BSE Flow.

4 THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Bulletin board Katie Martin’s Code

Eliza Bogel’s Recommended Reading

GUIDE TO

+ E =

Weapons by Russ T. Knife

Frilly Dresses by Ruﬀ L.

+ D + A =

How to Make Paper

+ A = R + T =

by Blenda Slurry

+ E = U + R + S +

Octavia Crawford’s Word Search We’ve hidden 12 Thanksgiving-related words below. Can you ﬁnd them all? Good luck and happy hunting!

AU T U M N H Y B G H F B VJ U D H F B J T I G J FJ G O F D L F G L F K J G O R J R B VJ U D H F B C O L O N I S T S J I R q i w i o q w Y h A E g C I D E R D D A R F D S A L F G O B B L E Y R S F G K I D D U H E F F A M I L Y L R R E X F E A S T H A E D G O U R D S S F R Y Q G R P P D E S S H A F L B M E R R T P D S A E I R E T T D E E P X F I H T P B B T U R K E Y I W T G A M N P CHOVECORNUCOPIALLHT WN Y U M M YA S D J S T A U G R E R O L L E F R A S E U K H S I R U T H G U D H T T H A N K S G I V I N G C X G D H G F H D U H K G G J S I U C O R N S N

FIND... YUMMY GOURDS COLONISTS AUTUMN FEAST CORN CIDER THANKSGIVING TURKEY CORNUCOPIA GOBBLE FAMILY

walese siels fesh plancsin turdols

6. oktipusiz 7. str fesh 8. see hors 9. shurc 10. klames

11. krabe 12. dolﬁnz 13. lobsturz 14.

Eliza Bogel’s Triangle Man

— bie Benet Snydre

Veterans Day

Brief news items touching on Franklin County, the Earth’s atmosphere, and outer space.

Mohawk Trail turns 100; scarecrows, promotions abound! Scarecrows along the Mohawk Trail and throughout town celebrated by singing, “Happy 100th Birthday, Mohawk Trail!” These creations call forth the marking, long ago, of Native Americans’ trade routes, early settlers finding their way, and the wars on this land involving the French, Indians, Americans, and British. Their specific call was to commemorate an anniversary dating back to 1914. The North Adams Transcript headlined that October, “Most Beautiful Road in New England Formally Opened This Afternoon with Dedication of the New Mohawk Trail.” One hundred years later, many at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary Flow agree: most beautiful. The Greater Shelburne Falls Area Business Association partnered with other organizations across the Mohawk Trail to promote the anniversary with 100 scarecrows set out along the 65-mile route from Athol to Williamstown. An updated website at www.shelburnefalls.com boasts a spectacular new look. It, too, marks the Mohawk Trail’s birthday — with a sweeping anniversary video that you must see. The website promotes businesses offering special items, services, and meals for $19.14 during the promotion, which runs through Dec. 31. Check it out — and celebrate!

— Kara Bohonowicz

Bennett Snyder’s Sea Animal Typo Report 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Here and There

Skydiver falls from stratosphere; breaks sound barrier, sets world record What’s the farthest distance you’ve ever fallen? Maybe you’ve tripped, or fallen off a bike or off skis, or even jumped off a diving board. On Oct. 24 a Google executive broke the world record for the highest-altitude skydive. Alan Eustace, 57, a senior vice president at Google, hit supersonic speeds as he fell from more than 25 miles above New Mexico. The previous record was set two years earlier by Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner, who went up in a capsule. Eustace, though, wore a sort of space suit and went up dangling from a helium-filled scientific balloon. After a trip to the stratosphere lasting two hours nine minutes, he cut loose at 135,890 feet — and fell. On the way down he reached a top speed of 822 mph. He broke the sound barrier and set off a sonic boom his friends heard on the ground. He’s totally OK. He landed by parachute 70 miles away from where he started his adventure, and after a few more errands went home.

A space first! Humans land robot on distant, hurtling comet For the first time in history, a spacecraft from Earth has landed on a comet speeding through deep space. Comets are town-sized chunks of ice and dust left over from the formation of the solar system. Many never approach Earth, but some, on their loop around the Sun, can be seen from Earth. They seem to have long streaming tails, which is really just dust and gas ejected as the comet nears the Sun. Clever humans 10 years ago launched a probe to meet the comet as it flew by this month, take closeup pictures of it, and even land on it. And it worked! The idea was to study everything we could about comets as no one had ever been so near one before. There is a theory that all the water on Earth came from comets that crashed here billions of years ago. The comet hunter sent up by the European Space Agency is called Rosetta. It, in turn, launched a probe called Philae on the target, “67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko,” fully 317 million miles away. Philae was built to hook on to the comet with harpoons and then send back data. We now know a lot more than we ever did about comets — and how to land on them.

— John Snyder

Loribeth Grant photo

The United States Census Bureau says there are 21.8 million veterans in the United States. The Flow’s Myah Grant (pictured, with her grampa Phill, an Air Force veteran in Bernardston) says we should all be grateful for vets’ hard work and sacrifice.

In this family, service goes back generations

Veterans Day was Nov. 11, a day to celebrate those who served our country in the armed forces. There have been millions of veterans since the Revolutionary War but there are three I would want to name and to thank. My grampa Phill Grant repaired airplanes in the U.S. Air Force. My grampa Chase was a combat solider in the U.S. Army. My great-grampa Grant was in the U.S. Navy and worked on airplanes in the U.S. Navy. Veterans have worked hard at serving our country. I enjoyed finding out more about the veterans in my family. Do you have any in yours?

— Myah Grant

VETERANS BY THE NUMBERS ACCORDING TO THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU... > There are 218 million veterans in the United States. Some 20.2 million are male, and 1.6 million are female. > States with more than 1 million veterans are Florida (1.6 million), Texas (also 1.6 million), and California (2 million). > A veteran is more likely than the average American to have earned a high school diploma but less likely to have earned a college degree. > Of the 21.8 million veterans in the United States, more than 1.3 million served during multiple wars. Figures show 837,000 served during both Gulf War eras; 211,000 served both the Korean War and the Vietnam era; 147,000 served both the Korean War and World War II. > For that matter, more than 100,000 veterans alive today have served three wars: 49,500 served the Vietnam era and both Gulf War eras, and 54,000 served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam era. > Veterans own 9 percent of all U.S. businesses, employing 5.8 million people and generating $1.2 trillion in receipts.

LOCAL VETERANS SERVICES > Our Central Franklin County Veterans Services District office is at 190 Millers Falls Road, Turners Falls, MA 01376. Offices are open four days a week from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Friday by appointment. > Call Leo Parent Jr., director of veterans services, at 413-8633205. Mark Fitzpatrick is the veterans services officer. > For more information, write Leo Parent Jr. at Leop@crocker.com or visit www.mass.gov/veterans.

THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow 5

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Viewpoints Advice

Life balance comes down to priorities, organization

Quick Chat

Heading into Thanksgiving, what are you thankful for?

Dear Harper, I heard you have an advice column. I have a question: I don’t have enough time to do everything I want to do! I am learning an instrument and I’m in two clubs and I have a lot of homework and other things to do. I like everything I’m doing but whenever I’m doing one thing I feel I’m supposed to be doing another and it’s stressing me out. What is your advice? — Signed, Busy in Buckland

Harper responds...

BUSY in Buckland, It sounds great that you like everything that you’re doing, but it’s not good if you are stressing out. Some things you have to do. You should definitely stick with homework! My advice for the homework is to sit in a place that doesn’t have too many distractions and try to finish your homework in a reasonable Harper Brown amount of time. Set a goal for how you long you want to spend on math, for example. If you meet your goal, reward yourself with doing a few minutes of something fun before doing your next piece of homework. If you can get up a little early, you can study or do some of your homework after breakfast. The next important thing is the instrument. I am learning the cello. Every so often I set aside time to practice. When I play cello, I usually have a glass of juice or some small candy to reward myself after I finish a song. I try to practice every other day for 20 minutes. Sometimes I’m too busy, but I try to squeeze it in. The last important thing is the clubs. Clubs are important because some of them help you learn something new. You don’t get to decide when they meet, which can be a problem. If your club meets on a Tuesday, you could try to finish your homework ahead of time on Monday or practice your instrument the day before. Or you might have to get up early on Wednesday to finish your work. Don’t forget, it’s important to have fun and to relax, too! And if you don’t get a good night’s rest, you won’t be good at anything and you’ll probably feel cranky. It helps me to use a day planner where I can write down what I have to do during the day. Sometimes you can’t get to everything every day. Just do your best! Good luck and I hope you can plan out your time. — Sincerely, Harper EAR

Harper Brown is The BSE Flow’s advice columnist and New York bureau chief. Got a question? Write Dear Harper, The BSE Flow, 30 Church St., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 or bseflow@gmail.com. Include your name and contact information.

> “Community.” — Pamela Snow, attending the 9th Annual Mary Lyon Foundation Community Spelling Bee, Nov. 13.

> “My family.” — Ursula Snow, enjoying her evening at the 9th Annual Mary Lyon Foundation Community Spelling Bee, Nov. 13.

> “My family and the blessings God has given us.” — Loribeth Grant, with daughters Myah [What? What did we do?] and Adrian, waiting to cheer on the area’s would-be top spellers Nov. 13.

> “[Muffled] My family and friends.” — Mohawk senior Nick Brown, a.k.a. The Merry Lion, proud mascot of the 9th Annual Mary Lyon Foundation Community Spelling Bee, Nov. 13.

> “Family. Children are great.” — Christopher Lenaerts, assisting in BSE’S garden harvest Nov. 15. For information about volunteering in the school garden in spring 2015, call the school at 413-625-2521.

> “My family. I have 12 great-grandchildren, two children of my own, and six grandchildren. We all get together at my daughter’s house in Buckland.” — Janet Eaton, attending the PTO Holiday Gift Show Nov. 15.

> “My friends and family. Now I can add another title to my illustrious list of qualifications. He’s so easy. He’s a very anticipated soul. That’s the biggest thing right now.” — Stacy Kontrabecki, visiting Boswell’s Books Nov. 16.

> ALSO AT BOSWELL’S BOOKS Nov. 16, Elaine Parmett (“We’re thankful for family”) looks on as Eóghan Withington, 2 months, snuggles in, warm and sleepy. What’s not to like? — John Snyder

Essay

It took a village: When Thanksgiving hits home > Continued from Page 1 not be able to make music, or meet my children’s expectations for their birthdays and holidays… the situation felt hopeless.

From hopeless to hopeful Jackie Walsh, former coordinator of the school’s before- and after-school program, invited the BSE community to step forward and help an anonymous BSE family during the holiday season. We were that family. The outpouring of love and support was unbelievable. In a matter of weeks my outlook went from hopeless to hopeful. We’ve all heard that it takes a village to raise a child. In this situation, the village helped the entire

family, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you, members of the village, for your blind generosity. Many times throughout the year I find myself giving thanks for the friend who offers a ride, a sleepover, an early morning drop-off, a Facebook chat, a brainstorming session, or a hug. The quiet people who made a huge difference four years ago in their organizing efforts were Jackie Walsh and the BSE community, Danny Eaton and the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, Cathy King and Arena Civic Theater, Margery Heins and the GCC Chorus, and the Choir and Ashfield Congregational Church — and most importantly my parents and family. Four years later I have two artificial discs in my neck, three fused

vertebrae, nerve damage in my left hand, and chronic pain. I understand, yet have not mastered, the value of asking for help. I appreciate vans with automatic sliding doors, and cool auto open/close back doors. Front-load washers and dryers now fascinate me. I miss directing musical theater, but I really love teaching piano lessons and spreading the joy that music brings to my life, and the time I’ve been given to spend with my children. Lastly, there’s a reason I survived, and I think I’m getting closer to figuring it out. For now, I’m thankful for the time I have to think, to watch a show or a parade, to listen to a concert, to talk with friends, to eat good food, to share gluten-free recipes, to care for my rose garden, to

make music with my kids, to remarry, and the list goes on. Do you still need things to be thankful for? Be thankful for seat belts, which save lives. Give thanks for our eyesight that we can see the beautiful colors changing with the seasons. Give thanks that we can smell the hay as the farmers mow the fields, and hear the children’s squeals that distract us from our daily grind. Give thanks that we can feel the warmth in a hug or handshake. Most importantly, know and be grateful that we are gifted to be part of this amazing village. — Amy Roberts-Crawford is a Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School parent

6 THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Spotlight Keeping pups on their toes: Eddie’s Wheels By KARA BOHONOWICZ

Leslie Grinnell say they’re grateful that Eddie’s hobby turned out as well as it has for so many. What began as a project to help their own pup regain her mobility after losing the use of her hind legs is now a thriving business with worldwide reach, helping tens of thousands of families give their pets a new lease on life. Eddie’s Wheels specializes in manufacturing custom wheelchairs for dogs. The devices, which the company says are designed for on- and off-road play, allow pets to enjoy a high quality of life while they heal. A mechanical engineer by trade, Eddie liked solving problems, and this was a good one. And though pets and families benefit worldwide, it’s truly a local success story: the business started in 1999 in Shelburne Falls on Little Mohawk Road, and is still based here — at 140 State St. in Buckland. According to Leslie Grinnell, serendipity steered the couple’s course. “We’ve been successful because the timing was right,” she recently told visitors from The BSE Flow from her bustling workshop. DDIE AND

Buddha couldn’t walk The story started in 1989 when the couple’s beloved blue Doberman Pinscher, Buddha, who had been Eddie’s guard dog and then a tender “nanny” for the family’s young daughter, needed their help. Stricken by degenerative disc disease at 10, Buddha woke one morning and found she’d lost the use of her hind legs. She was paralyzed. She didn’t seem uncomfortable, and

Kara Bohonowicz photo

Eddie’s Wheels worker Jaymee Conway (right) shows Flow staffer Katie Martin how to bend metal rods for use in dog carts.

Leslie Grinnell demonstrates rehabilitative care with Bo at Eddie’s Wheels

her spirits were high, so Leslie “became her servant, carrying her back end around in a sling, and doing massage therapy every night.” She also gave Buddha anti-inflammatory medicine — and looked for a solution they could live with. Doctors had advised her they could euthanize Buddha or subject her to

a costly surgery — one that offered a 50 percent success rate. Leslie recalls that as she relayed that news to Eddie by phone, Buddha barked emphatically: neither she nor the Grinnells liked those options. Clearly, Leslie said, if humans wouldn’t choose to stop eating and

Kara Bohonowicz

die simply because they were paralyzed, Buddha wouldn’t either. The couple looked into doggy wheelchairs but came away unimpressed. Models they saw were poorly made — they didn’t fit the dogs well and didn’t seem all that practical. Eddie knew he could do better. He took careful measurements.

He figured out what he wanted his wheelchair to do, and how he wanted it to support Buddha in recovery. He used math and plenty of careful drawings. Then he went to work in his shop. Before long Eddie had fashioned a wheelchair that supported Buddha’s spine and let her eat, drink, and relieve herself comfortably. The chair worked: Keeping Buddha’s natural posture was good for her, and she got stronger. With her chair for support, she was walking in three months. By six months she walked unsupported. The result was amazing, the Grinnells said: With access to rehabilitation, animals could recover as well as humans from some types of spinal cord injuries. From his basement workshop, Eddie turned out two wheelchairs in a year. Then their son added to the story of serendipity: He printed a flyer to support Eddie’s hobby thinking it would drum up business. An editor at the Greenfield Record-

> Story continues on back page

By KARA BOHONOWICZ

dogs in the Shelburne Falls Area have Linda Rollins and her pack of dog mentors to thank for life. She says that her one-woman rescue organization, Better Than Dead, has saved 154 dogs, “one at a time,” in 11 years. These were dogs facing the end of the line, she explained in a recent interview with Flow staffers. She said she named her business after her many exclamations to her pack of dogs as they’d run in the fields or play along the river banks: “Isn’t this better than dead?” Rollins said rescue work with the Humane Society following Hurricane Katrina was traumatizing. She recovered with the realization that there was more work to do. According to Rollins, dogs need to be allowed to be themselves and heal in their own time among a nurturing pack. And she knows dogs. She has this down. When asked how she rehabilitates them, she says: “I just let them be dogs.” She says she learned this approach through God and intuition. And she said she lives a dog’s life. Her pack goes out three times a day. ANY BELOVED

They run no matter the obstacle to Rollins; she had a broken foot for months and still got on her bike and took the dogs out daily. She lets shy and damaged dogs heal themselves instead of pushing them to try new things. She doesn’t hurry to fix them. She said she got her start in rescue work as a “go-to person” but after Katrina she began partnering with the Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society. She took in dogs that Dakin would have had to euthanize because, as she says, “they didn’t fit in with their program.” Rollins brought 15 dogs to her home, rehabilitated them, and placed many with families in Shelburne Falls. A Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School family (Bill Green, Catherine Fahy, and their children, Liam and Lilliana, spent four months working with Rollins in search of their perfect match. Bill was prepared to fly to Oregon to pick up a puppy. Rollins found them two puppies from Missouri: Lilac and Willy, who now are often seen around the school. Rollins describes Lilac and Willy as spotted and adorable. Surprisingly, the Northeast is short on dogs to adopt, as Green and

John Snyder photo

‘Rescue Genius’: Linda Rollins rocks Fahy discovered. Private adopters are getting dogs from the South, but without a safety net like Rollins provides, if it doesn’t work out … that gets to be tricky. Rollins occasionally has to take a dog back that she places — this is no fault of the dogs, she says. She places them with new homes quickly, and it’s always worked out. She said dogs face an uphill climb in escaping shelters. Dogs don’t present well in shelters, she says. “You don’t get the real dog. It’s stressful. When you get them from someone like me they come right out of the house.” For those looking for ways to help, fostering is a short-term commitment with no financial obligation. Here’s how the business works: Rollins pays for food, supplies, and medical bills for dogs in her care. She finds her furry friends a foster home. The foster family meets the dog, takes the dog home, and stays in touch with Rollins. For more information, write LINDAROLLINS38@COMCAST.NET. You can also find Better Than Dead on Facebook.

— With Brooke and Joy

Linda Rollins, left, just placed little Dylan with Towner Smith, right.

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THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow 7

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

(Woof) Dog Briefs Four great reasons to adopt a shelter dog

Lowell family photo

The author, at right, in the great outdoors with her mom, Tammy, and their German shorthaired pointer “Tumble Down Huckle Hill Harper.” The breed is streamlined yet powerful with strong legs that make it able to move rapidly and turn quickly.

Pointing out hunter safety — and pheasant

By KYLIE LOWELL

DOWN Huckle Hill Harper is the registered name we gave our German shorthaired pointer. We call her that because when we first got her the first thing she did was tumble down the hill. When she was young she had a little stuffed donkey. She looked at it and started rolling down the hill. When she tried to run up the hill she’d tumble, roll, and somersault. So she had to run up the hill sideways and it took her forever. She’s turning into an excellent hunting dog. I’m a hunter, and so are my parents. Tumble Down Huckle Hill Harper loves it. Here’s how we named her: The kennel where we got her was called Huckle Hill. She was the runt of the litter, we think. People picked the puppies with a lot of spots on their fur. We like Harper the way she is. The thing we thought would be the most trouble for her learning to hunt would be the gun. When she was little she was a scaredy-cat. We didn’t shoot around her, so she didn’t become afraid of guns and get into a mode where she wouldn’t hunt when she is older. Two weeks ago my dad shot his .410 shotgun nearby to see what Harper would do. She just looked up and went back to what she was doing — which was a really good sign that she’ll be OK with the sound of guns. Harper is just under a year-anda-half old. She hunts pheasants and woodcocks now. She’s not as experienced as other hunting dogs yet. UMBLE

“It can be a challenge to have two or more dogs hunting at the same time because they could both be pointing at the same bird, or could both run after it and that could mess up their training.” She’ll continue to hunt pheasants and woodcocks when she’s older, but she’ll also hunt grouse. My mom and I took hunter education classes at the Ashfield Rod and Gun Club, where my dad is a member. I wanted to get my license because I am really into hunting and I want to help with Harper and hunt big game like turkey, deer, and bear. My mom said she took the class because she wanted to learn the rules and get her license to hunt with Harper. The classes were over two days: Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. At the end of Saturday we took a test. There were 40 people in the class, aged 9 to 50. About 70 percent passed the class, and the ones who didn’t can retake it in the spring. If you pass the class you can hunt and shoot. If you don’t you can hunt with other people but not shoot. I hunt with my dad. In New Hampshire you don’t have to take hunter-education classes, just get a license. You can train a hunting dog by putting her on a barrel and putting two pieces of wood on the side of the barrel. This helps with steadiness when she’s pointing. Lift her on top of the barrel then tell her, “whoa” because that’s a signal for staying put while she’s pointing out the bird.

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If you don’t do this, the dog will be too excited and not know to point at the bird. You want to have warning about where she found the bird. After the dog is up on the barrel and you are telling her “whoa,” you make sure she is steady on the barrel so she doesn’t fall. Repeat “whoa” but not too much, so it’s not one after another. If she starts to be really good at it you can start to move it a little. This is so she knows that if her peer hunters and people with her are she stays steady and doesn’t break out of pointing. This is so the bird doesn’t fly away and they won’t be ready and neither will she. It can be a challenge to have two or more dogs hunting at the same time because they could both be pointing at the same bird, or could both run after it and that could mess up their training. We got a pheasant feather and sprayed it with pheasant scent. I thought it smelled like bacon. Other people wouldn’t say that is what it smelled like. We keep Harper inside and someone drags the feather around in the field then ties it in a tree. We tie it where she can reach it, so she can grab it or retrieve it and bring it back to us. We let her out the door and act like we’re hunting. We want to see her track the path so she can track the scent of a bird. When she finds

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The BSE Flow is

it, if she can reach it, we see if she’ll give it back to us. If she does, we say, “Good job, Harper,” and give her lots of pets because you always need to reward a dog so they know what they did was right. It’s always important not to mess with the training or confuse her with commands she won’t be able to hunt. Do your job so they can do their job, and then you can have meat. We put a crate in the back of my dad’s truck to transport Harper for hunting. It has ropes attached to it so the crate won’t move. Then we have a command — “Load up!” — which means board the car or truck and get in it. Sometimes Harper gets scared because it’s high, so we lift her up and then lock her in the crate. Then we’re on our way to the field. We buy treats so we can reward her. Harper also is a water dog. We can also do tests by bringing her to a lake and throwing a tennis ball into the water so she can bring it back to us. This is something incorporated with hunting:. It’s important for her to bring the bird back when she retrieves it. You should hunt in a field because some people stock fields with pheasants. You can find pheasants and woodcocks in tall grass because they like to hide. You have to watch out for your range of other hunters because other hunters are allowed to hunt in public fields. This is just being safe around other hunters. For more information on the Ashﬁeld Rod and Gun Club, visit argc.weebly. com or ﬁnd them on Facebook.

ORE PEOPLE should adopt pets. Here is some information to help you, and my reasons for why it’s important. First, the top four reasons to adopt a pet, from the Humane Society of the United States: 1. If you adopt a pet you’ll save a life; actually you would save two lives: the life of the animal you adopt and the life of a homeless animal that can now be saved because of the extra room you made. 2. When you adopt you get a healthy pet. Animal shelters are full of happy, healthy animals just waiting for someone to bring them home. Also, most animal shelters give vaccinations to animals when they arrive. 3. Adopting will save you money. Adopting a pet from an animal shelter or rescue group is much less expensive than buying a pet at a pet store. 4. Adopting a pet will make you feel better. Pets have a way of putting a smile on your face. Not only do animals give you love, they also have been shown to be psychologically, emotionally, and physically beneficial. I agree with all of these points, especially the first one because you are saving two lives of homeless pets who will then hopefully have warm, safe homes — just because you adopted one dog. To adopt a pet, talk with an adoption counsler about what they know about the pet and decide if it will be a good match for your home. There are adoption fees for cats and dogs that include necessary health care. For more information, visit Franklin County Sheriff ’s Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center at crdogkennel. org or The Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society at www.dakinhumane.org.

— Ainsley Bogel

Prize terrier puts poodles in their place

VERYONE THINKS poodles are the all-time show dogs. Well every year in the Westminster Kennel Club dog show they get beat. The 2014 winner was Sky, a wire fox terrier. There were seven dogs in the final compeition: Best Hound was a bloodhound; Best Toy was a miniature Pinscher; Best Non-Sporting was a standard poodle; Best Herding was a Cardigan Welsh Corgi; Best Sporting was an Irish water spaniel; best working was a Portuguese water dog; and Best Terrier — yes, the wire fox terrier. The Westminster Kennel Club 139th Annual Dog Show will be Feb. 16-17, 2015, at Madison Square Garden in New York.

— Brooke Looman

8 THURSDAY, NOV. 20, 2014 • The BSE Flow

Covering School, Buckland, Shelburne, and Beyond

Eddie’s Wheels, though local, cares for animals worldwide > Continued from Page 1 er, where the Grinnells’ son worked, saw the flyer, recognized a good story, and ran a front-page feature on the Grinnells’ innovative wheelchairs for dogs. Two units per year became five produced in a week. Business took off from there. To date “Eddie’s Wheels” has turned out 24,000 carts (with help from their highly skilled employees). Tens of thousands of dogs that otherwise might not have survived, or survived as well as they do, are using Eddie’s Wheels. Since the business launched its website in January 1999, it’s sent custom carts all over the United States and worldwide: to Australia, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Europe, South Africa, Greenland, Israel, Namibia, Romania, Samoa, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. The company shows its work at animal rehabilitation conferences and holistic veterinary conferences and has earned endorsements from leading veterinary hospitals and schools such as at Tufts and Cornell. With work going on all around her in the shop, Leslie Grinnell said she is grateful for that early Recorder article. And she’s grateful to the Internet, too. “We never expected the business to be as successful as it is. This business wouldn’t exist without the Internet,” she said. Their Facebook page has 38,000 fans; the business’ need for high-speed broadband was part of the reason for the Grinnells’ relocation: to the north end of State Street in Buckland, viewable from Route 2. And, Leslie explains, the couple can enthusiastically tell their customers, trekking in from Boston, Connecticut, and New York, that they will enjoy shopping and dining in Shelburne Falls. Leslie adds that she feels blessed to live in such a beautiful town. She also says people’s love of animals is great for the business in an unexpected way: their metal supplier took heart and extended the Grinnells credit for their orders, one stick at a time. That risk paid off: Eddie’s Wheels now orders metal for their carts in bulk: two tons at a time. And Eddie and Leslie’s family are customers. All three of their dogs now walk with the use of carts. This, Leslie says, is “the research and development team.” Bo steals the show. He’s a talkative and affectionate 3-year-old pit bull that a veterinary technician fostering him brought in. Bo became Eddie and Leslie’s therapy dog, Leslie explains. Bo’s story is heart-wrenching: he was born into competitive dog fighting, a cruel, deadly, and illegal sport. Bo’s ears had been cut as a puppy so they wouldn’t be ripped off in battle. He suffered major injuries in fighting, and he was “retired” by being thrown from a moving car. At nine months old, Leslie said, he was reduced to crawling — and the motion bent his body to the point where his last rib touched his pelvis. He had been badly malnourished. Leslie demonstrated how she helped Bo rehabilitate, once he had put on a little weight and could handle the “work.” He woule be eased into a harness over a treadmill, supported on his sides by pillows, and the motion would be slow but steady. He kept up. His body healed. His joy was endearing. Leslie explains how good it was for his spine to be elongated and supported.

Gains in the field Interestingly, just as Buddha first woke up paralyzed, the University of Tennessee’s Veterinary School and School of Physical Therapy created a program on animal rehabilitation. The field has grown tremendously since. Eddie and Leslie learned through experience and conducted their own research. They appreciated animal books that showed clear, side-view pictures of various dog breeds: this helped them make sense of customers’ sent-in measurements, which didn’t always seem follow the breed they were talking about. One example of the heart the Grinnells put into their work is their shop’s storage room for recycled carts. Clients return carts to Eddie’s when the devices are no longer needed at home, and these are recycled, readjusted, resold, or donated to shelters. Eddie’s workflow has evolved: where he used to drill by hand he can now make short work of a piece on a CNC (computer numerical control) “robot” that fabricates 12 parts in three minutes. One employee, Kathy, works 40 hours a week making bits to fit the wheelchairs together. Kathy is one of 16 workers at Eddie’s Wheels, mostly women. When the Flow visited they were welcom-

ing and friendly as they explained how dogs’ wheelchairs are made. Jaymee Conway took special care in conducting a lesson on bending metal rods. She was warm and kind in explaining the intricacies of the detailed work her job entails. When an order comes across her workbench, she said, she is motivated to finish the job for the sake of the animal in need. She added she enjoys Saturdays, when she has more of a chance to meet the animals personally. And it’s not just dogs anymore. Though dogs are 90 percent of the business, Eddie’s Wheels serves the needs of alpaca, bunnies, cats, pigs, and sheep. Speaking of pigs, “Crispy Bacon” was born with a spinal cord injury. He’ll weigh 200 pounds as an adult. He lives in South Africa, and Eddie’s team designed the porker’s cart to “grow” with him. A 12-week-old lamb — a therapy sheep working with an autistic child — came to Eddie’s for care; she’ll be receiving a new cart every four weeks as she grows. Asked to summarize their work in one word, the team agreed on “personal.” Each wheelchair is designed

and handcrafted for each animal. A filing cabinet in the drawing room is filled with 1,700 saddle designs used for the 20,000 carts Eddie’s Wheels has sold. There are wheelchairs ready to ship for dogs large and small: one unit shown to the Flow is golden, with leopard-print padding. Support on demand, and then some Leslie has provides a plethora of support information and training online. And she has to: the business serves people worldwide. Email helps with time zone differences. Eddie’s Wheels’ YouTube channel is a prevalent resource. According to Leslie, customers need help knowing how to measure their animals for carts. Some even need help learning how to use a tape measure. Local clients can bring their animals in to work with a K9 physical therapist for rehabilitation therapy. “We empower people to take care of animals,” Leslie explains. For more information, including a blog, gallery, and store, visit eddieswheels.com.

— With Katie Martin

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