08.16.23 - Volume 1, Issue 36

Minutes hint at reasons for departure

BY LEIGH BLANDER

Late Monday, the School Committee released minutes from two July executive (private) session meetings revealing that the committee took action to remove Superintendent John Buckey over a complaint of bullying on an athletic team, in addition to

s AILINg

“other concerns brought forth to the committee on other matters.”

School Committee Chair Sarah Fox declined to comment about what those other concerns were.

“The minutes speak for themselves,” she told the Current. “I cannot elaborate any further.”

The Current reported last

month about an investigation that found that the now-former coach of the Marblehead High School girls soccer team had engaged in “unintentional bullying” of players. There were no accusations of physical abuse. That coach was not asked to return this fall. Buckey is not mentioned in the report. Buckey’s attorney Mike Long

said last month that the thensuperintendent handled the coach situation responsibly. Buckey met with the player, her parents, then-principal Dan Bauer and Athletic Director Greg Ceglarski in late August. At that point, the player only complained about playing time and alleged favoritism.

“As a result of the

’Header finishes in top three in Town Class Nationals

conversation, a plan was developed for the principal and AD to facilitate a meeting with the coach, the parents and the student-athlete,” Long said. “Principal Bauer’s recollection of the meeting aligns with Dr. Buckey’s and Mr. Bauer has put

tRA sH tALK

Transfer Station updates may start this winter

BY LEIGH BLANDER

The effort to improve Marblehead’s Transfer Station took a major step forward when the Planning Board approved a site plan for the $1.6 million project on Aug. 8.

Public Health Director Andrew Petty hopes to put the project out to bid and have construction start before the winter months.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Petty told the Current as the meeting ended. “A lot of hard work has gone into this.”

The plan includes modifications to upgrade the existing Transfer Station structure, replace its compactor, improve site grading, relocate the existing scale, replace the scale house with a new structure, replace the existing swap shed and add a new personnel transaction shed at the residential drop-off area.

Marblehead was host to the Town Class Nationals this month with 24 boats on the line over two days of racing. After seven races, first place went to Nick Cann on Tonic with 14 points. Second place went to Rex Atrim on Albatross with 21 points and third place went to Marblehead native David Cooke on Auflitzen.

The Town Class awards were given out by the Corinthian Yacht Club.

POEtRY WORK sHOPs

Write place, write

time

State grant funds workshops for young creative minds

BY KRIS OLSON

When poet and educator Katie Naoum Rogers relocated from New York City to Marblehead, it also marked a move away from the classroom.

After several years as a seventhgrade English language arts teacher at South Bronx Preparatory School, Rogers’ professional life took a turn towards curriculum development.

But during the pandemic, Rogers realized she was missing being with students.

“And I really started to miss my own writing practice,” said the busy mom of two preschoolers, one who will start kindergarten in the fall.

A friend suggested that perhaps her void could be filled by leading workshops, the kind Rogers wished had been available to her when she started to write around the age of 13.

Rogers made a trial run at the Salem Public Library in the spring of 2022 then found her way to the Salem

The traffic flow will also be changed, with most residents now entering the Transfer Station from Green Street and exiting out Beacon Street. About 6,500 people use the dump each week in the spring, summer and fall, according to Petty. Traffic drops off in the winter months.

Many neighbors on Green Street and Arnold Terrace have spoken out against the new traffic configuration.

Ellen Epstein of Green Street said she was concerned about safety.

“There are two big hills that go down to where the access road is,” she said. “You’ve got trucks and cars going down there with kids whizzing down on bikes and skateboards.”

Athenaeum, which she calls “one of the most beautiful spaces on the

PHOTO BY BRUCE DURKEE

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SALEM ATHENAEUM

With poet and educator Katie Naoum Rogers, back row, left, are participants in Rogers’ weeklong writing workshop held at the Salem Athenaeum earlier this month. Students are, back row, from left, Abby Corrigan, Alice Girling and Paloma Russel; front row, from left, Finna Walsh, Sherrie Esteves, Evelyn Miller and Ella Wanstall. Walsh, Wanstall, Corrigan and Girling all live in Marblehead.

Meet Marblehead financial planner Emily Promise

BY MELISSA STACEY

The following is an interview with Emily Promise, CFP, CDFA, CAP, AIF, conducted by Discover Marblehead. Emily is partner and co-owner of Blakely Financial Inc. To learn more about her financial planning services, visit blakelyfinancial.com.

Tell us about Blakely Financial Inc. and how you became a partner and co-owner. After starting my career in asset management on Wall Street in New York City, I quickly learned that I wanted to do more than just crunch numbers; I wanted to have a career that made a positive impact on the lives of others. Thankfully, I have found a way to combine my desire to help others with my financial planning analytical skills. The opportunity to help others plan for significant life events, whether retirement, selling a business or generational wealth planning, and then seeing them achieve their dreams is unparalleled.

One of my primary passions is to help educate female investors and empower them to control their finances. Nothing gives me more fulfillment than helping a family plan the road map for their financial future or offering a business owner peace of mind. At Blakely Financial, we provide clients and their families

with comprehensive financial planning. We’re an independent firm focusing on planning first. We let the clients’ goals drive their investment portfolios. My role is much more than an investments advisor or planner; I strive to be a chief financial officer for the families I serve.

What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? “People don’t care what you know, until they know you care.” In the investment industry, every good advisor should have expertise in money management. What differentiates you to a client is the ability to listen and develop a holistic plan that takes into account their values, goals, and concerns — you have to know details on all areas of the client’s life, not just their investment portfolios. To develop a level of trust, clients must know you care about them. Once the clients have trust in you, and know you care about their financial well-being, then you’ve built a

solid foundation for a lifelong partnership.

What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? My favorite spot in Marblehead is the causeway. Whether it’s an early morning run or an evening walk, the causeway is a place I can go to relax and unwind — and you can’t beat the ocean view on one side, and the harbor view on the other!

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? I was licensed to provide investment advice

before I had a driver’s license. Also, I was born and raised in Marblehead and now own a home in the historic district of town.

The business spotlight is a weekly feature published in partnership with Discover Marblehead. Discover Marblehead is dedicated to the promotion of Marblehead. Our mission is to highlight local businesses, tourism, community events and attractions through social media, email marketing and community outreach. To learn more, visit discovermhd.com.

Paul Hurwitz: Navy pilot-turned pharmacist reflects on global adventures

INTERVIEW BY LEIGH BLANDER

*Disclosure: Hurwitz is the interviewer’s father.

Name: Paul Hurwitz

Age: 87

Place of birth: Lynn

What is your fondest childhood memory? My parents would come in and kiss me goodnight every night when we were living in the Brickyard in Lynn.

How long have you lived in Marblehead? 45 years

What jobs have you had and what was your favorite? I was in the Navy for 20 years flying airplanes and that certainly was the highlight. Before I joined, I got my college degree in pharmacy and after I retired I renewed my license and worked in hospitals in Lynn, Gloucester and Beverly.

As a pharmacy student I knew I was too young to go to work in a pharmacy. It was a sedentary life, completely boring to me at the time. I knew I would need my license someday in the future, but I also knew I needed something else.

I read a book in the library by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry about his flying experiences in the 1930s and I said to myself this is what I want to do. As it turns out, I duplicated just about everything he did.

From 1957 to 1978, I flew 16 different airplanes, including P2s, P3s and C47s. I think I hit every airfield in Europe and a number in North Africa. In 1962, I flew in Cuba during the blockade. Later, I flew missions off the coast of China, dropping listening devices and intercepting submarines and ships that might be carrying weapons.

What is the biggest change you see in the world? The biggest change is probably computers and the availability of information. But the one constant seems to be fear — fear of being attacked, fear of another war. When I was a child, we worried about German bombers coming overhead. Then during the Cold War we worried about Russian missiles. Today the world is still at war. That has never changed.

What is your biggest accomplishment? When

I retired from the Navy I remember telling my fellow officers that my biggest accomplishment was being a cog in the wheel to prevent World War III. When I joined the Navy, we thought there would be a nuclear war. When I retired 20 years later, there were Russian ships in San Francisco Harbor dropping off cargo. Whatever it was, it worked.

Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? I met President John F. Kennedy twice. First, on a high school trip to the Capitol. He was our representative and came out to welcome us. Then, after Bay of Pigs, he came to Key West to thank the various air crews. He mentioned to my crew that he saw our pictures of the missiles being taken out of Cuba by Russian ships.

What moment in history is most vivid in your memory? A very hot day in August 1945. I was

nine years old trying to sleep in the morning. I heard a loud noise outside, pots banging, people yelling. So I quickly got dressed and ran out. It was a bunch of women from the neighborhood saying, ‘The war is over! The war is over!’ And I’ll never forget that because the war was such a struggle. There were drills, practice air raids and so forth. That night we went to Central Square and thousands and thousands of people were ripping up newspapers [to make confetti], throwing them up in the air, screaming and celebrating.

What’s your advice to the younger generation? Work hard to contribute to social security! I need a pay raise!

What are your secrets to living a long life? It’s pure luck.

I lost about 30 fellow military members during the war and I’ve lost a number of relatives to diseases. I cannot explain how I survived.

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Emily Promise: ‘People don’t care what you know, until they know you care.’

CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER

Paul Hurwitz flips through the pages of an old Navy squadron deployment book.

Paul Hurwitz in the cockpit in 1969

Dollars for Scholars senior profile: Ryan Hamilton

BY NANCY MARRS

Ryan Hamilton always knew he wanted to study business in college. His father is a businessman, his mother had her own interior design firm and his grandfather was an entrepreneur. He entered the University of Vermont as a business administration major and explored finance and marketing before declaring a concentration in business analytics and a minor in computer science.

“I really enjoy finding solutions to business problems through data and I can see how that can apply to every single business,” said the recent college graduate.

The first two years of Hamilton’s education were academically rigorous and his junior and senior years focused mostly on project-based work where he had to apply what he learned.

He took courses in business communications and public speaking to develop his writing and speaking skills, in preparation for the many group presentations required in his major.

Data Analytics was one of his favorite classes and it gave him the opportunity to immerse himself in a massive project as one member of a three-person student team that analyzed traffic data utilizing a city of Chicago data portal.

Business Process Improvement was another valuable class where Hamilton studied the Toyota production system, which calls for continuous improvement. “It was one of the harder courses I took, but the concepts were really fun,” he explains.

The culmination of his business education was the senior capstone project, where groups of five or six students work together to develop a business idea. Hamilton is an avid skier, as were his teammates. Their plan was to develop an app that would allow a skier to store their pass on their phone and rent ski equipment on the app.

Each student focused on a specific area and Hamilton analyzed data collected on potential customers. The group

made a final presentation to classmates and faculty who questioned them and offered constructive feedback.

While Hamilton has multiple business ideas for ski-related apps, he will not develop their senior capstone product.

He said the class was a great experience and it confirmed his entrepreneurial interests.

“I would love to own my own company someday,” he explains.

“It would be satisfying to create something that is successful and fills a need for consumers.”

Hamilton was briefly a member of the entrepreneurship club at school, but another passion occupied a considerable amount of his time.

After sailing for Pleon and Marblehead High School and becoming an instructor at the Boston Yacht Club, Hamilton had an amazing four years sailing FJs (which have two sails and require two sailors) for the UVM sailing team.

Sailing is a club sport at the university, but the required commitment matches that of a

neighbors.

varsity team, with practices four days per week and competitions every weekend, in-season.

The team raced against schools such as the Coast Guard Academy, URI, Connecticut College and the Naval Academy, which meant considerable travel. Hamilton learned the importance of good time management to balance his athletic pursuits with academics.

Entering his junior year, he was elected as the team’s treasurer, which made him responsible for managing the finances and budget, coordinating transportation and travel, and working with the student government association. He also participated in fundraising activities and in the interview process to hire a new coach for the team.

Hamilton said competing for the sailing team and being a member of its executive board was the highlight of his college experience. “I got leadership experience and found it very rewarding.” A spring semester internship

developed into a full-time job for Hamilton, who is living in Vermont and gaining experience in sales working for Fastenal, the country’s largest distributor of fasteners. He hopes the next step of his career will enable him to work in analytics, data or in an operational or logistics role.

If not for his Marblehead Dollars for Scholars scholarship and a generous financial aid package from UVM, Hamilton may not have been able to attend the university that gave him a first-rate educational experience.

The local nonprofit provided him with a scholarship for each of his four years and Hamilton said it made an important difference in his family’s ability to pay for his education. When he realized he could apply for an award each year, it motivated him to work hard and perform well at school.

“I want people to know how awesome Dollars for Scholars is,” explains Hamilton who remembers how surprised he was to see so many of his MHS peers receiving scholarships at

the organization’s high school awards ceremony back in 2019. “Anything to support people getting an education is a great thing.”

Marblehead Dollars for Scholars President Jac Bentley knows the high cost of a college education continues to increase, placing a heavy financial burden on families. Through the generosity of valued donors, Bentley believes the organization is making a difference in the lives of local students.

“I feel a sense of fulfillment and purpose when I hear students credit our organization,” says Bentley. He hopes all scholarship recipients who recently graduated from college carry with them a sense of excitement, ambition and determination as they embark on their careers. As they progress in life, he hopes they will give back to their communities. “My wish for them is that they reach and exceed their dreams.”

Nancy Marrs is a member of the Marblehead Dollars for Scholars Board of Directors.

There is also concern that trucks, waiting to enter the facility, will idle along Arnold Terrace, creating noise and exhaust pollution.

Planning Board members acknowledged they, too, initially had concerns about the congestion and circulation. However, a traffic impact study reported minimal impact on the neighborhood.

“My biggest concern was traffic, but I’m satisfied,” said Planning Board member Andrew Christensen.

The board unanimously approved the plan with conditions, including signage to help people navigate the new traffic flow inside the facility and a follow-up traffic study, with input from neighbors, in six to 12 months.

“This project has gotten better and better,” said member Ed Nilsson. “Let’s try it out and see how it works. I don’t think it’s irreversible. I think it’s time to implement it and test it.”

Member Mark Liebman acknowledged that the situation isn’t perfect for

“This project is in the best interest of the majority of the town, but it may have a negative impact on the area closest to the dump,” he said.

“The greater solution for the primary part of town is always going to be somewhat objectionable to the area closest [to the Transfer Station].”

Next steps

The Board of Health, which is overseeing the Transfer Station project, is waiting for a final permit from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, which should come next month, according to Petty.

“We don’t see any reason why the permit would be rejected,” he said. “We’re going to tell our architects to bring designs to spec so we can put them out to bid. We want to put it out to bid in September or October and start construction before the winter.”

Transfer Station stickers Board of Health member

Tom McMahon has raised concerns that the town is losing more than $100,000 a year because many people are using the Transfer Station without buying the required $80

sticker.

At a Board of Health meeting on Aug. 7, he suggested a new system, Eagle Eye Network, that would photograph license

plates and fine scofflaws who use the Transfer Station without paying for access. The “all-in” price for the system would be about

$5,000, according to McMahon.

Petty suggested that transfer station stickers be added to a September meeting agenda.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion about stickers,” he said. “Let’s start to think about who our users are, who do we want them to be.”

The Planning Board hears from Public Health Director Andrew Petty, second from the left, about the Transfer Station site plan.

Ryan Hamilton talks about how Dollars for Scholars set up him up for success.

Being on the sailing team was a highlight of Hamilton’s college experience.

Sparks fly at Board of Health meeting over emails

BY LEIGH BLANDER

A tense exchange erupted between new member Tom McMahon and Chair Helaine Hazlett at the Board of Health’s Aug. 7 meeting.

Hazlett started the meeting by addressing recent comments by McMahon on social media, in a letter to the editor and at a July meeting, criticizing her and others for not placing a transfer station sticker on their cars.

“I do not use the Transfer Station or Devereux Beach, so I do not have a sticker,” Hazlett said. “I do not wish to be harassed again. Attacking fellow colleagues is no way to conduct town business. The campaign is over… it’s time to take care of

business and govern.” (Read an update on the Transfer Station on pg. 1.)

McMahon shot back. “You sent a horrible email to me, calling me a liar and belligerent, trying to shame me. Don’t play the

victim. You trashed me more.” McMahon said that Hazlett sent the email to him by accident. Hazlett did in fact send an email to McMahon on June 25, believing she was sending it to someone else. The Current

has seen the email, which read, “I cannot even reply to his onesided conversation he had with himself. I guess he isn’t planning to meet with me.”

E-mail trail

Before the mistakenly sent one, Hazlett had sent an initial email to McMahon on June 25, welcoming him to the board.

“As a Board, there is much to accomplish to protect and insure the public health and well-being of the citizens of Marblehead.

Thank you for joining in this important work,” she wrote. Hazlett offered to meet with McMahon, but that did not happen, which was what she was referring to in the email she mistakenly sent to him.

Hazlett had also sent an

earlier email, on the eve of the June 20 election, encouraging people to vote for McMahon’s then-opponent Dr. David Becker. Attached to that email was a message from Becker’s son, then-BOH member Todd Belfbecker. Some of the language McMahon accused Hazlett of using can be found in Belfbecker’s message.

At the Aug. 7 meeting, Board of Health member Joanne Miller jumped in to defend Hazlett and call for respect moving forward.

“As a board, we have so much important work to do, and I know each of us is committed to it. I’d like to move forward positively, collaboratively.”

The Board of Health meets next Sept. 12.

that in writing.”

Buckey didn’t hear about the case again until October, when he was alerted to an investigation initiated under the state’s anti-bullying law.

“As Marblehead’s policies dictate, the investigation was initiated by the Student Services Director, Paula Donnelly,” Long said in a statement to the “For reasons of ensuring the integrity of the investigation Dr. Buckey did not contact the investigator, nor was he instructed by Marblehead’s counsel to do so. In fact, it would have been inappropriate for him to do so as Marblehead’s policies, the law, and good sense do not permit him to thumb the scales of an investigation one way or another.”

The minutes also show that the committee asked its attorney to pursue an amicable separation with Buckey. However, member Alison Taylor spoke against including a non-disparagement clause because it would prevent members from “correcting misinformation circulating in the community.”

Shortly before the second of the two executive sessions adjourned, the board voted 3-1, with Meagan Taylor opposed, to not include a mutual nondisparagement clause in the committee’s second separation agreement offer to Buckey, though the motion also allowed the board’s attorney, Brunt, to “negotiate on those terms if necessarily.”

Ultimately, the nondisparagement clause was included and Buckey and the committee settled on Buckey being placed on paid administrative leave for the rest of the calendar year and receiving the $94,000 buyout specified in his contract, for a total payout of nearly $175,000.

The minutes note that Buckey’s attorney had been asking for him to be paid the full amount due under his contract through June 30, 2025, including a 5 percent increase for each year and full benefits, which the board found unacceptable.

Public gets its say

After listening to an hour of largely critical public comments, the School Committee voted Friday to ratify its agreement with Buckey. It was the first public meeting on the superintendent controversy, which began in July.

The committee announced Buckey’s departure on Aug. 2. “Out of an abundance of caution” and to ensure it was complying with the state’s Open Meeting Law, the board scheduled Friday’s meeting to ratify with a public vote a decision it had reached in executive session. Friday’s vote was 3-1, with member Meagan Taylor dissenting and Brian

Ota recusing himself due to his still-pending discrimination complaint against Buckey.

“Thanks to this committee for finally admitting the public, even if as the Romans would say, the spear has been thrown and you have ejected Dr. Buckey from his job at a cost of at least $174,000, plus legal fees, plus interim costs, plus search-related expenses all to be funded not by you but by the Marblehead taxpayer,” said resident Rhod Sharp during the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting, prior to the ratification vote. “I hope that you are about to lift the veil and tell us why Dr. Buckey was ejected one year into a threeyear contract — something you haven’t done so far.”

The committee did not divulge any information about why it wanted to oust Buckey, with Chair Sarah Fox citing advice of the board’s attorney.

Mimi Hollister demanded more transparency moving forward.

“I hope the School Committee will be upfront with your agenda, spelled out honestly and clearly for all of us, so we don’t have to guess at what you might really be planning next,” she said. “I hope you don’t have a hidden agenda, such as banning books or disparaging DEI — diversity, equity and inclusion workshops.”

She continued, “Finally, I hope that in the future you will indeed be truly transparent and not just cleverly politic in what you think you can get away with not disclosing, as happened in this past election. It’s the hidden agendas that caused the current uproar.”

More than a dozen people, in person at the high school library and on Zoom, expressed disappointment and anger at the way the School Committee handled the superintendent situation, complaining that it was done in secrecy and questioning members’ motives.

Former School Committee member Sarah Gold, who recently called for the full committee to resign, reiterated that request and added, “I will formally request that if you don’t resign, you schedule a public forum after school starts to address your behavior this

summer and the implications and costs associated with this situation. It is important that we continue to hold our leaders’ feet to the fire.”

Gold continued, “Parents have still not received an email stating anything about Dr. Buckey’s departure, let alone the cost it is bringing to the district and what impacts these things will have as school opens. If we had extra money laying around to pay an employee to leave, why are parents paying to ensure there is a full sports program this year? Why did we just layoff over a dozen staff, causing us to incur unemployment expenses if there was so much money to spare? Why are you scheduling public meetings in the middle of a Friday afternoon in August? You are not allowed to hide from questions like these.”

Two people spoke in support of the School Committee, including John DiPiano.

“I’m disturbed at the hostility and vitriol being directed at the people who volunteer and were elected to the School Committee,” he said. “I find it disturbing that a former School Committee member would try and disenfranchise voters of this community by asking members of the present School Committee to resign.”

Frank Kasner joined on Zoom to say the School Committee must have had a good reason to try and part ways with Buckey.

“You will never know the reason for his termination, and you must assume that it was worthy of termination,” he said.

Addressing the School Committee via Zoom, Nanny McCarriston said, “It’s a shame that the surrounding communities are looking at Marblehead, and they are at laughing at us. You have turned this into a circus in less than two months. It’s disgusting what you’ve done.”

Charles Gessner said because the committee refused to comment on the termination of the former superintendent, the community has had to speculate about why Buckey left.

“If you haven’t had your head in the sand, you’ve probably heard the reasons that I hear all the time, and one is that a new member of the School Committee didn’t have his

contract renewed and this is payback time,” Gessner said, referring to Ota. “The other is the school board has a problem with an outwardly gay superintendent. I hope that’s not the case.”

Nina Pickering Cook, a municipal attorney who lives in Marblehead, said, “No one was going to believe you that Dr. Buckey voluntarily resigned. Dr. Buckey signed an agreement with you after it became clear that he was going to be terminated. Certainly, everyone knows he was forced out.”

Cook questioned why the School Committee acted so quickly. “You all acted as if there was an immediate concern with him continuing in the district. If the concern was about his professional competence, then I am incredibly concerned you took such rash action given the financial circumstances that you’ve left us in … and given that it is two or three weeks before school starting.”

Jonathan Heller said he was speaking as a parent and teacher and not in his role as co-chair of the teachers’ union.

“I am worried about the health of our teachers,” he said. “Teachers are reading the comments online, and it does impact their health. Students are hearing us talk. It’s time that we come together.”

Previously, Heller had publicly supported Buckey as the committee was in talks to remove him.

Before Friday’s vote, School Committee member Meagan Taylor expressed her concerns.

“I think at this point, I have no choice but to accept the resignation,” she said. “I am just so profoundly disappointed that this is where we’re at. We did not effectively management this superintendent. If there were concerns about his performance we should have addressed them. He just passed an evaluation with a proficient rating. That was the time to bring up concerns. We haven’t ethically managed him.”

She continued, “As a result of that, the district is at significant risk. We’re already stretched in our budget. We shouldn’t be spending any additional money.”

Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta addressed how

the district would cover the cost of Buckey’s separation agreement and the School Committee’s legal fees.

“There are two primary areas,” she said. “First is that the School Committee had budgeted $420,000 for unemployment costs due to staffing eliminations from the no-override budget. Most of the staff in the 33 positions ended up resigning before the end of the year year, and we only ended up laying off a handful of individuals. Because they didn’t end up being laid off, we’re no longer responsible for unemployment benefits for those employees. This creates about $150,000 to $200,000 available in that unemployment line.

She continued, “Also, we will have available funding in our staffing lines because a significant number of our new hires are coming in a lower salaries than we planned. This additional savings is $100,000 to $250,000. In these two areas we should be able to absorb $250,000 to $350,000.”

Taylor said that money should be used for student-facing needs. After the vote, Fox defended herself against the public criticism.

“Personnel matters and student information is privileged for a reason, to protect these individuals as appropriate,” Fox said. “It’s not that I don’t understand your frustration. I do. It’s not that I think you’re not due more information. If I could answer questions in the last month I’ve been asked, I think that would have turned the vitriol down.”

Member Jennifer Schaeffner added, “I did not take this or any other vote lightly or without profound research and thought… and actually prayer.”

Member Alison Taylor added, “We need to be the model not only for each other and for other people in the community, but for our children.”

Open Meeting Law violation complaints

The School Committee voted (3-1) to find “no violation” in response to an Open Meeting Law complaint filed by resident Cathyann Swindlehurst, on advice of counsel. It also tossed a complaint from parent Reece Dahlberg saying it wasn’t complete.

Swindlehurst said she plans to appeal the committee’s decision to the state Attorney General’s Office.

What’s next?

At the end of the 2 1/2 hour meeting, the School Committee met in executive (private) session to vote on a request by the Current to release minutes and other materials from the July 21 and 31 executive sessions. Fox said those minutes may be released on Monday. Stay with the Current for more coverage.

CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER

The School Committee met in public session on Friday, Aug. 11.

Joanne Miller (left) Helaine Hazlett and Tom McMahon at the Board of Health meeting August 7.

Marblehead summer, the last word

“You live in Marblehead? You’re so lucky.”

How often have we heard those sentiments from folks who live someplace else? More times than we care to count, probably.

Those numbers rise noticeably in summertime, the sweet spot between Memorial Day and Labor Day when our picturesque seaside town shakes off winter’s chill, hoists its sails, slathers on the sunscreen, and embraces the lobster-and-corn season with open arms (plus a side of melted butter).

Each of us no doubt has a favorite ritual or two when schools let out and “vacation” turns from noun to verb. A setting or leisure pursuit we relish as these languid, lengthy days slip by — always too quickly, never lengthy enough — and the calendar tips toward autumn.

For much of this summer, locals have been caught up in two fraught issues, tolerance and transparency, that have divided our community and dominated civic conversation. In the spirit of the season, then, let’s add two more t-words to the mix: tranquility and therapy.

It only seems fair.

From the Arts Festival to Race Week, harbor illumination to house concerts, our summer calendar has been a full one, rain or shine. The weather? Hit and miss. The overall vibe? Restorative.

A few perennials worth celebrating:

Twilight baseball games at Seaside and Gatchell’s (tip your cap to the late, great Dave Stern as you drive down Sterny’s Way). Rotating pickleball games on the Veterans Middle School courts. Scale-model sailboat races on Redd’s Pond.

Family picnics at Crocker Park and Chandler Hovey, kids chasing Frisbees and giant soap bubbles. Young campers splashing in the outdoor pools at the Jewish Community Center and YMCA. Wee ones catching hermit crabs in a Devereux Beach tidal pool.

» A beachside stroll at low tide, capped off by an ice-cream cone at Neck Run (watch out for divebombing seagulls). A cold beverage sipped on the veranda of a harborside yacht club, vessels bobbing on their moorings in the foreground.

» A flotilla of powerboats roped together at anchor off Brown’s Island: instant (and persistent) floating house party. Paddleboarders and kayakers zipping around the harbor like water bugs. Brightly colored spinnakers dancing across the horizon line, arranged in a floating floral bouquet.

» Saturday morning produce shopping at the Farmers’ Market and bargain hunting at the town Transfer Station swap shed: the yin and yang of summer commerce. Bird watching at the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Browsing the latest beach reads at Saltwater Books. A backyard fire pit warming hands and feet under a bright August moon.

The list goes on and on, even if summer does not. Fall is just around the corner now. With it, in all likelihood, will come weightier issues to process. Before it’s finally over, though, let’s give Current readers the last word on summer: Lucky.

LEttERs POLICY

We want to hear from you

The Marblehead Current loves to get letters to the editor. There are just a few rules you need to know. Generally, letters should not exceed 500 words. The Marblehead Current reserves the right not to publish submissions over the word limit and may instead return the letter to the writer for editing.

Letters must include:

1. The author’s name.

2. The name of the street the author lives on in Marblehead. Only the street name will be published next to the author’s name — not their full address.

3. Author’s daytime/cell phone number (not for publication) for verification purposes.

4. If letters seek to introduce into a discussion purported facts that are not commonly known, writers may be asked to provide the source for those purported facts.

5. Letters must be received by 5 p.m. Wednesday to be published in the following Wednesday’s print edition of the Marblehead Current. Letters will be published to our website at the earliest opportunity, after verification.

EVERY tHINg WILL BE OKAY

The stars in my constellation

BY VIRGINIA BUCKINGHAM

One of the best parts of summer is reading. Even if you’re a year-round devourer of books, there’s still something about sitting with no sense of time, in the shade of a tree or with your toes in the sand, and letting a story carry you away.

I’m one of the millions who look forward to Elin Hilderbrand’s annual offering of an escape, usually to Nantucket. The author of 29 books, Hilderbrand has announced that it is to be her penultimate, the last — “Swan Song” — to be released in 2024.

Sigh.

Hilderbrand said she was running out of material to mine from an island that is just four miles wide and 13 miles long. You can only conjure up so much drama there, she noted, and she wants each book to be as good if not better than the last. In an interview on CBS, she was asked if that meant she was ready to move elsewhere for fresh material. She didn’t rule it out.

@ElinHilderbrand , may I introduce you to another small, beautiful place on the water? It’s not an island, though sometimes it feels like one. And drama? I’m guessing there’s at least another 29 books worth in Marblehead!

I’m about halfway through her latest, “The FiveStar Weekend.” Its premise is that a recently widowed woman seeks to cheer herself up by inviting one close friend from four phases of her life, none of whom really know each other, to spend the weekend. Four friends, plus the main character, equals five stars.

In interviews, the author has noted the story is an ode to women’s friendships and also a recognition of how much we, and therefore the friends we choose, change over time. “Our circumstances change, we grow,” she said.

The interview and the book got me thinking not only about who I would invite if I were to host a similar weekend (not as a widow, David, don’t worry!) but also whether the premise feels true.

Have I fundamentally changed from the person I was in high school, in college, young adulthood, to who I am in midlife? And if so, did I choose different kinds of friends in each phase? If I got them together, would the only thing they’d have in common be their relationship with me?

No, I actually don’t think so. In the most important place — inside — I’m the same person I always was. And when I think about the friends I’ve been lucky

enough to have in my life in the past, I feel I’d be drawn to them again and them to me, if I didn’t know them before and circumstances brought us together now. And they would really like each other.

Circumstances have changed in my life, like all of ours, for sure. As the saying goes, “Sh-t happens.”

For me, I left high school in my small town in rural Connecticut at 17; attended college in Boston; made a career; got married to a North Shore guy who stipulated we couldn’t live on the dreaded South Shore; bought a home; endured a painful trauma; lost parents; raised two kids. This summation is not making light of any of those things — each represents an earthquakemagnitude shift.

And in each of those phases I had the gift of the closest friendships. High school friends who dreamed with me about our futures on long destination-less drives. College friends who sat with me on a dorm room floor over bad wine, mending each other’s broken hearts and laughing until we couldn’t speak. Moms of my kids’ friends who shared coffee, advice and gripes. Work friends who became life friends. Neighbors who are like sisters, sharing our empty-nest loneliness and luxury. Bonding over planning weddings and imagining grandchildren with friends who attended our wedding. New ventures bringing new wonderful friends into my orbit.

There was a time when I’d agree with Elin that the whole of these circumstances changed me and I was attracted to friends unique to each phase. Certainly, I learned from the experiences and the friends, but in an unexpected way that learning seemed to simultaneously carry me forward while returning me to myself.

It’s hard to explain this return so I’ll turn to the best explainer of hard things — philosophy. “This being human is a guest house. Every morning is a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor… Welcome and entertain them all. Treat each guest honorably. The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in. Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.” Thank you, Rumi. And if all of the stars, the friends, in my constellation past and present got together in this guest house, my, oh, my what a time we would have.

Virginia Buckingham is the president of the Marblehead Current’s board of directors. Her column appears weekly.

Storytime at Zoey’s Floating Library

BY CHRISTINE McCARRISTON

For some people, summer means sand in the toes and a good book on the lap. Many of us have a list of books we hope to read this summer, but I’m guessing “Pete the Cat at the Beach” is not at the top of those lists. Thanks to our family’s favorite 6-year-old, it skyrocketed to the top of mine.

On a recent vacation with family, our soon-to-be first-grader grabbed her very large pile of books (she doesn’t go anywhere without books) and sat with her feet in the pool, beckoning the eight of us in and around the pool to listen to her read. We didn’t make a splash as she read each word with intonation, displayed the illustrations for all to see, and carefully turned the pages of Pete’s adventure.

Storytime at Zoey’s Floating Library was in session, and none of us — ages 21 to 82 — wanted to be anywhere else. Those of us in the pool grabbed floats and hung by her feet. Those sitting around the pool hung on her every word. She was as focused as the best children’s librarian and serious about library rules: No talking while she was

reading. Pete’s story would not be interrupted. Witnessing children learn to read has always been one of my favorite things. I am a language development coach, a writer and a former school librarian, so of course learning and words are integral in my life.

To me, it seems like a child’s world opens wider and brighter when they are learning to read the words around them. Their faces change as they navigate the written world, from seriously focusing on the letters and words to smiling when they figure out what those letters and words say and mean.

At first, new readers sound out much of what they see. That doesn’t always work in the English language (see: “through,” “write,” “calm,” “because”… and so on), but boy do they try! As they learn their “sight words” (words that must be learned by sight and memorized as they follow no phonics pattern), you can’t help but be impressed with their reading growth. It truly is something amazing to witness.

Zoey’s kindergarten teacher taught her students to read everything everywhere. She certainly paid close attention to this lesson. I celebrate new reading

every time I am lucky enough to observe it, stopping and watching confidence rise as new words are conquered. Floating Storytime added something more to my excitement over Zoey’s reading milestones.

As she read James Dean’s story of Pete being afraid to surf but not giving up, I couldn’t help but see this experience as one of life’s gifts — one of those unplanned happy moments we come to treasure.

Zoey’s captive audience was made up of her mama and her seven aunties. There was no announcement made about story time happening. She simply took her place on the pool stairs and started reading aloud. We all stopped our conversations and listened. We knew we were about to hear the best summer reading of 2023.

I loved watching Zoey successfully navigate the words in the book, of course, but I was struck by how important we all instantly knew this was to her. A read-aloud isn’t as fun if no one is listening.

We also knew it was a bonus for us, having time to just sit or float, be in the moment and give our

CHRONICLEs

The ‘codfish aristocracy’ imported opulence

BY PAM PETERSON

As the 18th century progressed, Marblehead’s success in the fishing trade changed the town. Merchants with increased income realized that they could afford to live on a much grander scale.

As an English colony, Massachusetts looked to London as the source of style and culture. Newly successful colonists built or remodeled their property into more elegant homes, mostly in the English Georgian style.

Luxury goods were included in returning trade ships, providing the “codfish aristocracy” with English porcelain tea sets, mirrors, silks and fine linens, fireplace tiles and pianos. Engravings of English fashion, known as fashion plates, as well as architectural plans and furniture styles and patterns, also made their way to Marblehead and to all the New England colonies.

gu Est COLu MN

In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Marblehead became one of the 10 most affluent towns in the colonies.

In the 1720s and 1730s, many men were attracted to Marblehead because of opportunities that were on the rise. Among them was a young man named Jeremiah Lee. He and his father came from Newburyport, a town a little further north of Marblehead.

They saw possibilities for money to be made and took advantage of them. Lee began by supplying ships for ocean voyages as a shoreman, the predecessors of longshoremen who still are responsible for loading and unloading vessels all over the world.

Then he began buying ships.

He also married well, choosing as his bride Martha Swett, daughter of Joseph Swett, the daring and successful early

merchant trader. Lee’s financial success grew until he became without question the wealthiest man in Marblehead, and arguably the richest man in the American colonies. As his wealth grew, Lee had a

desire to build for himself and his family a fabulous mansion. Lee found his spot on what was to become Washington Street. The Lee Mansion was built following English architectural plans. It is a classic Georgian home of elegant proportions, with a center entrance framed by a Greek columned portico, a massive Palladian-influenced window at the stair landing and a double-wide hall and staircase.

Colonial master craftsmen showed their skill with carved mahogany rosettes and a grand staircase as well as a baroque fruit and floral mantel in the great hall. Hand-painted wallpaper was ordered from London, with classical GrecoRoman designs in the hall and stairway.

Completed in 1768, the Lee Mansion has been a showplace from the day it was completed until the present, and a

continuing source of pride for the whole town of Marblehead.

The Lee Mansion is now owned by the Marblehead Museum and is open for tours Tuesday to Saturday from June through October. It is a truly remarkable house, and visitors come from all over the world to see this remarkable and pristine example of American colonial architecture.

Stories of the Lee family and inhabitants of the house are expanding to include enslaved people and others who lived and worked there. The newly acquired original kitchen next to the mansion will greatly enhance opportunities to portray colonial life. If you haven’t seen the Lee Mansion yet, you owe it to yourself to visit this magnificent part of our local and national history.

Pam Peterson chairs the Marblehead Historical Commission.

Don’t gut renovate your historic home

BY ALEX FINIGAN

Marblehead is renowned for its abundance of antique homes, which give its winding streets a singular, picturesque charm that few other towns now possess. The reasons for this are many, but the simple fact is that we are fortunate to be the inheritors and stewards of such a remarkably well-preserved community. Our Old and Historic Districts Commission does a great job (and yeoman’s work) safeguarding the historic facades of our buildings. But the historic facades are just one aspect of the incredible architectural wealth of our community.

Behind many of the beautiful, quirky and unique historic exteriors you see around town are equally beautiful, quirky and unique historic interiors. The purview of the Old and Historic Districts Commission does not extend to interiors, however, and every year we lose several of these one-of-a-kind treasures to gut renovations.

Walk around Old Town this summer, and you’ll spot several ongoing gut renovations, and

this year is no different than any other. As each passes, we lose more irreplaceable history, and the historic fabric that distinguishes our town is further diminished.

That’s why we should implore our owners of historic homes:

Don’t gut renovate your house!

Sure, many historic homes have odd layouts that can be inconvenient for contemporary families. Yes, sometimes ceilings are low or stairs are steep or — where are the closets?

But rather than dwell on the inconveniences, try appreciating such attributes as part of the structure’s charm and story. These things are precisely what make your home rare and unique.

And all the historic homes in our town are, in fact, unique. They were hand-built by skilled craftsmen who were continuing the centuries-old building traditions of England and western Europe, adapted for the new world and the particular circumstances of each owner’s patch of ground on Marblehead’s rocky coast.

Is that winged staircase creating an inconvenient flow among the upstairs rooms? Is that beam transecting your living room ceiling so low you could hit your head on it? The answers to these questions may very well be “yes!”

But consider how your home is probably the only home in town — maybe even in the country — to have that particular style of a winged “good morning” staircase, or that specific handhewn summer beam in which the carpenter’s plane strokes are still visible.

When you demolish that staircase or tear out that beam, perhaps you have created a more efficient use of space or gained a few inches of headroom, but your home has lost something irreplaceable, something that made it special and charming, and something that, because of its rarity and antiquity, would help your home retain value in the long run among an increasingly commodified market.

I have come to this perspective through my own experience

and mistakes. For the historic homeowners out there, I offer a few pieces of advice. First, if you are new to a historic home, live in it for a while before you make any big decisions. Take it slow, learn about its history and detail, and appreciate it for all its beauty and weirdness. Once you start knocking things down, you can’t bring them back.

Second, if you are renovating, work with an architect who has a track record of creatively adapting historic structures rather than gutting. Same thing for your contractor: Find one who will be sympathetic to the structure, not one who advocates tearing out and replacing (windows, old ceilings, etc.).

Third, if you prefer modern convenience and layouts — a valid and very logical preference — consider whether it’s more efficient to acquire and update a newer home that will require fewer significant changes rather than fundamentally alter and remove the interior of a historic home.

Of course, preserving all

elements of a historic home is often difficult or impractical, especially when faced with the need to better insulate building enclosures and electrify building systems. Sustainable conservation of our historic homes must involve compromise and modernization. But this can often be accomplished without extensive removal of the home’s historic interior. It simply takes a bit of creativity, a willingness to accept pre-modern layouts and an appreciation that the funkiness of your historic home is not a drawback — it’s what makes it rare and special, and it’s what will make living there interesting, fun and totally one-of-a-kind.

Embrace your historic home’s interior and help preserve Marblehead’s remarkable architectural wealth!

Marblehead resident Alex Finigan owns a historic home in Marblehead and has been slowly restoring it over the past 15 years, making many mistakes along the way and with much more left to do.

Editor’s note: The following is a copy of a letter sent to Rich Cutting of Bliss Salon, reprinted with the author’s permission.

Bliss Salon,

Dear Mr. Cutting,

On behalf of all of us at the Marblehead Food Pantry, I want to offer you our heartfelt thank you for your wonderfully generous donation of a half-page ad in the Marblehead Current for a local non-profit organization.

We are delighted to have been chosen as the recipient by the Current. When I went to your website, I was very much impressed with your listing of all the nonprofit organizations you have supported locally. It says a lot about your business philosophy, and we are honored to now be among them.

A few years ago, we were part of the Essex County Hunger Relief website that included a page for every food pantry and soup kitchen in Essex County. That whole website went down and it never came back, and we lost a great communication tool.

Since then, our pantry has had several significant changes due

to our having had to move to a different location in the building we are in. This is a much smaller space, and we have had to change the location and time where and when we can accept food donations, an important source of our food supply. We weren’t able to do a very good job of communicating with the community, and there has been a fair amount of confusion and some reduction in donations.

We are in the process of setting up our own website, but that’s not going to happen overnight, so you and the Current stepped in at the right time and in the right way.

Our pantry has seen a

significant increase in the numbers of people we are seeing each week. About a year ago our average number was 50-60 households and now it has risen most of the time to 60-70+.

Over the past several months, we have welcomed several refugee families, especially from Afghanistan and Ukraine, who have settled in our community and have been coming to the pantry. Also, the still-high cost of food and most everything else has brought people in to use the pantry that hadn’t needed to come before.

Your generous donation of this ad is a welcome and wonderful help in our efforts to keep up

with the weekly needs of this increased number of folks.

Today, the first day our food donation site has been open since the ad last week, someone brought in seven bags of food as a result of seeing the ad, and a couple of other donors also had seen it. Please know that you are truly helping to make a difference in the lives of those in our community who are struggling with life’s challenges. With gratitude for your thoughtful and creative generosity, we wish you and your salon all the best in the months to come.

Janet Fitch Parker, director Marblehead Food Pantry

attention to Zoey and Pete.

The best part of summer is often using the longer days to do more of the things you want to do and haven’t had time to do

during the busier months. Those minutes spent doing what’s not on your to-do list often become the most important and make the best memories.

While doing my adult summer reading of “Anxious People”

by Fredrik Backman (I highly

recommend it), I came across a couple of lines that sum up our feelings during Zoey’s Floating Storytime: “Have you ever held a 3-year-old by the hand on the way home from preschool?

You’re never more important than you are then.”

Being an attentive audience while learning about Pete’s beach adventures made us important to Zoey and showed her how important she is to us.

It was definitely one of the joys of summer. Marblehead resident Christine

McCarriston is a former local reporter and editor of the Lynn Sunday Post who now works as an English language development coach for the Lynn Public Schools. She is also the author of a children’s book, “Jenna’s Troublesome Tooth.”

Current helped ‘at right time in right way’

PHOTO / LEE ASHLEY Visitors come from around the world to visit the Lee Mansion.

CuZNER IN NAtu RE

Seal population on the rise

BY RICK CUZNER

The seal colony off the coast of Marblehead appears to be growing at a decent rate.

On a recent trip to the Great Pig Rocks, I encountered dozens of seals. I usually see

maybe a dozen, but this year there are far more.

According to a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries study, around 425,000 gray seals move along the Atlantic coast between the U.S. and Canada. Their numbers have been growing by four-to-five percent

each year. During the breeding season from December to February, there are an estimated 27,000 in U.S. waters.

Gray seals primarily consume sand lance, hakes, flatfish and squids. Our understanding of their diet is largely based on studies of juvenile seals,

indicating a need for more research on other life stages, according to NOAA.

The Marblehead Current is proud to partner with photographer Rick Cuzner. For the past 15 years, he has taken thousands of nature photographs that capture the wild animals who call Marblehead home.

Big bump seen in Veterans School enrollment

BY LEIGH BLANDER

At the Aug. 11 School Committee meeting,

Acting Superintendent Michelle Cresta announced a surprising increase in enrollment at

the Veterans School that will lead to bigger classes than expected.

“At the Veterans School, overall enrollment has increased by 54 students, which includes 30 new students to the district,” Cresta said.

Principal Matt Fox added, “Class sizes will be large.”

There will be as many as 25 students in some classes.

“We had 395 students last year; now we have 449,” Fox said.

There are 238 students in seventh grade and 211 in eighth grade.

“Essentially, we added an entire classroom,” he said. “If there was any way I could’ve predicted this, I would.”

Cresta also said that the Brown School kindergarten classes are at “max” size, Glover enrollment is down a little and Village is at projected enrollment rates. There’s an overall increase of 18 students at the high school.

Free lunch

Cresta announced that the just-passed Massachusetts state budget includes universal free lunch for all students

K-12. In addition to the free lunch, schools will offer à la carte items (like an extra slice of pizza) for a fee.

The district also received a Chapter 70 school funding increase, but Cresta said it “does not have a direct impact on our FY 24 budget.”

Cresta said district leaders are preparing for the new school year.

“Our facilities department has been busy; our IT department has been busy; our administrators have been busy,” she said.

Elementary school schedules should go out Aug. 18. Teachers will return on Aug. 29 with students starting on Sept. 5.

The district’s payto-ride program for elementary students is returning, and online registration begins Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m. It is first come, first serve. The district is also working with the MBTA to get discounted bus passes for middle and high school students.

Financial update

Cresta also presented a financial update at the meeting.

The operating budget for FY 23 (which ended June 30) was $43,982,273 and total expenditures were $42,676,176. There are some bills still outstanding totalling more than $1.3 million.

“Our turn-back to the general fund will be $2,” Cresta said.

Sculptures inspired by travel are displayed at the MAA

SUBMITTED BY DANIEL WILLIAM ZAMPINO, SCULPTOR

The Marblehead Arts Association at the King Hooper Mansion, 8 Hooper St., presents, alongside several other shows, “Sculptures Inspired by Travel,” my works of slate stone reliefs. The exhibit, in the Hendrick Room, runs through September 24.

I have been a practicing sculptor for more than 40 years. A juried member of both the Marblehead Arts Association and the Rockport Arts Association, as well as a member of the New England Sculptors Association, this is my third solo show at the MAA. I also had a solo show in Rockport in 2017.

A practicing lawyer and former psychiatric counselor, my approach to stone sculpture is to incise, in deep lines, forms that transmit narratives. In short, I act as a storyteller. Images, centered around the human form, transmit characters in their psychological nuances. Most of my works, in various colors depending on the stone itself, are the equivalent size of paintings, although I was commissioned and executed two large, roughly life-size sculptural renditions of historical Marblehead personages. Those works can be seen in the garden at the Hooper Mansion.

I follow the muse of adventure in order to construct images that are sometimes mythic or ancient, yet at other times starkly contemporary.

In 2019, I ventured to Honduras,

FOOD 101

where, at the ruins of Copan

I made note of the ancient renditions of the king known as 18 Rabbit — for which I sculpted a complex, spiritual hierarchy centered around ancient Maya metaphysics.

By contrast, I discovered in my trip to Israel a contemporary Jerusalem musician, whose rendition of jazz clarinet deserved a stone recapitulation. A similar inspiration evoked the image of a rababa (a string instrument) player at Petra in Jordan. Apsaras, divine dancers in Cambodian aesthetics, were brought to life by my work in stone. In Vietnam, a moving, but garish skeletal set of figures relive the chemical defoliation in its human implication, that aroused my recall of the Vietnam War era.

In Egypt, I witnessed widespread desecrations of Alexandrine temples by fourth-century religious fanatics — a phenomenon that moved me to reconstruct, in redstone-relief, the defacing of

ancient Egyptian gods.

As described, these renditions are only a sampling of the works I present — works covering 13 different countries. The title piece, “Our Shattered World Must Fly Its Flag,” restates the effort of three personages to uplift the flag atop the 2001 ruins of the World Trade Center. For this, the thematic centering of the show is America, more particularly, New York City.

As a transplanted New Yorker to New England, the assault on New York skyscrapers is an assault on what makes this nation unique — its diversity. Traveling to many nations, I realized and attempted to honor, as an artist, the communal bond this nation has with the rest of the world. For this, it is a world flag that must be flown. More, those doing the hoisting are Lady Liberty, a native man and a man donning a turban. The theme of “Sculptures Inspired by Travel” is a celebration of the transnational world we live in.

How to enjoy edible martinis this summer

BY LINDA BASSETT

If I have an overabundance of anything lately, it’s mint in my garden and glassware in my kitchen cabinets. The mint is so lush, fresh and cool — also tall due to recent rains — that I gather armfuls of it to add to flower bouquets.

Glasses are more problematic. All shapes, they stare back from the shelves, challenging me to make lemonade or iced tea or a spritz. Tall narrow glasses.

Curved wine glasses. Chubby beer mugs. Martini glasses with their wide bowls. Those martini glasses are the culprits! In a fit of trendiness, I purchased a set, visions of tuxedoed James Bond clones, sipping vodka- or gin- laced concoctions in my living room.

Now, after a few uses, the outsize triangular bowls crowd the shelves, alertly clanging against juice glasses, shattering champagne flutes. Banishing them to the attic, to haul out for the occasional airing, would deprive me of the joy of their beauty. Still waiting for an opportunity to pour the perfect, shaken-not-stirred, down-anddirty vodka drink, I have put them to use serving food.

The wide bowls accept summertime desserts — homemade granita, gelato, ice cream sundaes.

But savory is more startlingly elegant.

There’s excitement in substituting a martini bowl for a salad bowl. Or to serve a summer fruit, like watermelon. To save time, I buy it already cut. (Sometimes I just can’t do battle with a whole melon.) I toss watermelon cubes with chopped mint leaves and a tablespoon of

Cu RREN t EVEN ts

Marblehead’s bets bets

Aug. 16-23

lemon juice. Pile high into martini glasses. Sprinkle with a hefty dose of crumbled feta cheese and a few large grains of sea salt over the top. (The salt and cheese combination cuts the melon’s sweetness.)

Finish with a sprig of mint. If you need this to be dessert, leave out the cheese and salt; keep the mint. Add another fruit. This second one needs some cooking, but it’s worthwhile. Weeks ago, I posted a meatball recipe. Use that as a base, but instead make the meatballs the size of an olive to pop in one bite. Refrigerate, then cook near serving time. Then pile, still warm, into a pyramid in martini glasses. Drizzle with marinara (or not). Add a toothpick garnish to keep fingers clean. (A sprig of mint wouldn’t hurt. Mint and basil are cousins, after all.) “Oohs” and “aahs” will follow the unveiling.

Last, my favorite, takes the cook to a farmers’ market, roadside stand or backyard garden for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and onions to literally whirl into cold soup. No stove needed. And no tedious chopping. Instead, break up or coarsely chop the veggies and whirl them in a blender, like making a morning smoothie.

Have good quality extra-virgin olive oil on hand because the bland stuff won’t do here. Choose big, fat tomatoes so ripe they are ready to burst. Then add other veggies. Include a bell pepper, any color but green. A red onion adds more color and requisite bite. Throw everything into the blender with a handful of ice cubes. Serve, over crushed ice if you like, in chilled martini glasses. Spark the mixture with a sprig of mint (again!) and/or a twist of lemon –or both.

Another time, venture a splash of hot sauce, some red pepper flakes or a grating of citrus zest

(don’t stop at lemon). A great light supper when appetites flag. Eat with a spoon. Feel free to slurp.

ICY GAZPACHO SERVES 4.

To seed a tomato, cut it in half crosswise. Hold it over the sink, squeezing each half, while snapping the wrists so the seeds pop out. No worries about stragglers; the blender will take care of that.

` 2 pounds very ripe tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped

` 1 bell pepper, any color, seeded, de-ribbed and coarsely chopped

` 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped

`

1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

`

1 clove garlic

`

4-6 ice cubes

`

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

`

Salt

` Crushed ice (optional)

` Hot sauce, red pepper flakes, lemon or lime zest (optional)

` ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

` Mint sprigs, for garnish Pulse the tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion and garlic in a blender on “puree” or high speed. Add ice and continue processing. Scrape down the sides; continue to blend until nearly smooth. Leave a little texture.

With the motor running, add the vinegar, salt through the hole in the top of the blender. Keep the motor running and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. It will look pink and slightly frothy.

Pour into a glass bowl or pitcher. Cover and chill 6 hours or overnight.

To serve, taste for salt and vinegar. Stir. Place a tablespoon crushed ice into each martini glass and pour the gazpacho on top. Stir gently. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Current Events spotlights exciting happenings in the coming week. If you’d like to contribute a listing, please email Current associate editor/ senior reporter Leigh Blander at lblander@ marbleheadnews.org.

Jazz at the Arts: Donna Bryne

Thursday, Aug. 17, 7 p.m.

Leigh Blander

The Marblehead Arts Association and Gene Arnould present Jazz at the Arts, a concert series at the MAA, 8 Hooper St., with singer Donna Bryne. Byrne has traveled the world performing at jazz landmarks including Blue Note Jazz Club, Tavern on the Green, Blues Alley, Scullers, Regattabar, Jazz Bakery, The Rainbow Room and London’s Pizza on the Park. More info and tickets at marbleheadarts.org

Christine Lucas performs

Friday, Aug. 18, 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

Christine Lucas and her band play at The Beacon Restaurant, 123 Pleasant St. They’ll be performing popular rock, R&B, blues and country songs.

Just wear white

Saturday, Aug. 19, starts at 5 p.m.

The Beacon Restaurant its hosting its second annual Just Wear White party featuring live Latin music with The Quisqueya All Stars, along with a DJ, dancing, food and more. Info and tickets at thebeaconmarblehead. com/.

Songs of the Sea

Sunday, Aug. 20, 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.

The group Arpeggione presents a concert centered around themes of fishing, voyages and the sea. Enjoy vocal and orchestral works by Mendelssohn, Schubert and Mahler.

The musicians will perform on instruments from the late 19th century, including Romantic-era flute, clarinet, harmonium and a handmade broom. Celebrated local baritone David Kravitz joins Arpeggione for this concert at Abbot Hall. More info and tickets at https://loom.ly/ M7vrl8s.

Free yoga on the library lawn

Monday, Aug. 21, and Wednesday, Aug. 23

Join Celine this summer on the Abbot Public Library’s lawn for her outdoor community yoga classes. These vinyasastyle classes feature poses centered around stretching and strengthening the body, connecting with the breath and creating energy to power you through the rest of your day. Grab a yoga mat or a towel and come find your flow. The classes meet on Mondays at 8 a.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at 3 Brook Road.

One of Daniel Zampino’s sculptures on exhibit at the MAA

Police offer CSI course for young aspiring officers

The Marblehead Police Department is running a threeday Crime Scene Investigation course for kids in grades 5-7, August 23-25, led by Chief Dennis King and School Resource Officer Sean Sweeney.

Participants will learn police techniques like fingerprinting, evidence collection and how to write an investigative report.

Kids will receive a Junior Crime Scene Investigator certificate.

“We have the Essex County

LYNCH/VAN OttERLOO YMCA

Sheriff’s Department K9 coming in for a demonstration on Thursday as well,” King told the Current. The program will take place outdoors and will feature a modified police recruit obstacle course. It will include “climbing

over, under, dragging and probably a fine motor skill like throwing a ball through a hoop,” according to King.

Drop-off and pick-up will be at the Hamond Nature Center at the end of Everett Paine

Boulevard. Anyone needing financial assistance for this program should contact Jaime Bloch at 781-631-3350 for more information.

For more info, visit https:// loom.ly/Tw7WjKw.

Taking flight at Children’s Island and other Y news

BY BRIAN FLYNN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE LVO YMCA

More than 30 YMCA of the North Shore team members and Board volunteers — including myself, Board member Garry Callahan, and YMCA of the North Shore Board President Jennifer Buras — recently traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, to the General Assembly of YMCAs. The General Assembly is the national gathering of senior leaders, local volunteers and key program staff who work within YMCAs across the United States. It serves as a forum for networking, inspiration, education and an opportunity to connect and unite.

There were passionate and thoughtful messages from Dr. Bernice King, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, actor Cal Penn, journalist Lisa Ling and YMCA of the USA President Suzanne McCormick focused

on the theme of the conference, “Uniting and Inspiring.”

This theme aligns with what the Y does each day as it works to unite and inspire the communities and individuals it is honored to serve. From developing the next generation of leaders to championing affordable housing, the Y remains steadfast in its mission to be a place where everyone can come together to learn, grow and thrive.

After-school program at Marblehead elementary schools

The Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA is proud to partner with the Marblehead Public Schools to provide after-school programs at each elementary school in Marblehead. The Y after-school program officially opens for families on Tuesday, Sept 5. The Y after-school team is ready to support families after school providing

Ripe for a win

It was a huge team effort from the Speedy Bananas on Aug. 8 as they won their first game ever, 3-2, against the mighty Silver Bullets.

The summer of 2023 is the Speedy Bananas’ first season in the MAC Coed Softball League, and the team had gone 0-4 prior to Aug. 8.

Anthony Ring and Jay Reis pitched incredibly and kept the Bullets chasing all night. Stacey Schweihs, Amy James and Katie Ring caught for the Speedy

Bananas and didn’t allow a single runner to advance on a passed ball or wild pitch.

Kristen Hench and Emily Hudak held the corners, while Allison Heenan and Andrew Schweihs played a remarkable second base. King Speedy Banana himself, Frankie James, played great at shortstop while Mike McCarthy strives only to lead the league in high-fives.

The outfield was platooned by Judy

young scribes for a week of creativity and collaboration last summer.

There was just one problem: Rogers had to charge tuition to offset the cost of running the program, which she realized might put it out of reach financially for some families. While not looking to get rich off running the workshops, Rogers also knew her time and effort was valuable.

Enter the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Through another friend, Rogers learned of the MCC’s COVID recovery grant program. Rogers discovered the criteria for the unrestricted $5,000 grant seemed to be open-ended.

Creative people who were “setting a path for growth” were invited to apply.

Still skeptical of her chances, Rogers submitted her application and was pleasantly surprised to have it accepted for funding. That has allowed her to offer her writing workshops, including a recently concluded weeklong intensive program, tuition free.

Rogers says she is open to working with students through seniors in high school but has found that her “sweet spot” is working with ages 10 to 13, or maybe a little older.

“They just have such an excited energy and are so willing to share and be vulnerable with

homework support, enrichment activities, active play time and a healthy snack.

The Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA serves over 250 children in both Marblehead and Swampscott each day. For more information on program please contact, Sandi Novello, novellos@ northshoreymca.org

Mass Audubon Society

Explores Children’s Island

It has been a wonderful experience for staff and campers to have Mass Audubon visiting Children’s Island this summer to monitor the unique bird species on the island. In addition to the bird surveys, Mass Audubon is working with camp staff to provide bird-focused programming during summer camp. Mass Audubon staff is also providing some training to the camp staff to increase their knowledge of the birds and other wildlife on the island while also sharing some nature educational

activities, specifically focused on birds and bird watching.

Why is Children’s Island so special to birds? Did you know that Children’s Island provides critical nesting habitat for great egrets, snowy egrets, glossy ibis, little blue herons and blackcrowned night herons? These are species that have been declining in numbers, which makes Children’s Island even more important and special for the birds and the campers.

Join the Sharks Swim Team

Be part of our incredible team with year round competitive swimming, fun team spirit,friendships and more. Evaluations are still open for the 2023-2024 season. Open to swimmers ages 5–18 years old. To schedule an evaluation, please contact Jack Van Meter at vanmeterj@northshoreymca. org or Erik Jensen at jensene@ northshoreymca.org

Shout out to Marblehead Scout Troop 79

We are so grateful for the 30 scouts and adult leaders who worked tirelessly to activate a trail path for Y campers this summer by carving out a trail and cleaning up trash on the way down to Ledge Hill Pond. What a great resource for campers this summer! They have been able to use the trail to explore nature, science, local animals and vegetation right in the Y’s own backyard.

Thank you, golfers

Thank you golfers, sponsors, Y staff and Tedesco Country Club for helping to make the first Lynch/van Otterloo YMCA Golf Tournament a success. With the community’s generosity, the Y was able to raise more than $60,000 to provide local kids with camp scholarships.

ankle, and he responded, “A bruised banana is still best for bread baking. And tonight the bananas baked a victory cake.”

Also on the roster but not in attendance were Speedy Banana standouts Angie Allan, Aimee Flynn, Alyssa Brothers, Melissa Epstein, Ashley and Tom McMahon.

Flynn, Kristen and Chris Buchanan, Kate and Mike Aslinger, Andrew Hench and Justin Epstein.

With no outs in the

bottom of the seventh inning, Brian “Hulk” Heenan made a diving catch in center field to set the stage in the final frame

and close down the Silver Bullets.

Bench coach and game night manager John Flynn was asked about his hurt

The Speedy Bananas love playing in the MAC Softball League and can’t wait for their next opponent to try to climb the banana tree and peel them back down.

— Submitted by Michael McCarthy

students are left to decide how much of their work to share. It might be an entire piece, one line or nothing at all.

“My philosophy around education in general is that educational spaces should be communities, and they should be communities that are based on respect and care,” Rogers says.

Part of the joy of the workshops is that, initially, it may only be one or two students who choose to read their work. But as trust grows and relationships are formed, by the end of the week, everyone feels comfortable sharing their creations.

each other, which starts to shut down a little bit as they get higher up into the high school years,” Rogers says.

To further foster that willingness to share, Rogers has kept the groups small, 10 students or so — a welcome change from when she might have 30 faces or more staring back at her in her New York classroom.

For the first workshop of the week, Rogers picks the topic. But after that, she hands control over to the students to pick the themes. In the past, they have landed on everything from “monsters,” to “friendship,” to “the beach” or even

“revolution.”

Rogers then takes the topic and finds five to 10 poems of “microfiction” stories, which the group reads together and discusses. On the first pass, Rogers does the reading aloud so that the students hear what a fluent reader sounds like. Then members of the group read the pieces aloud, a process based on Rogers’ study of the research around the science of reading.

“I’m hiding some ‘vegetables’ in there for struggling readers,” she says.

Rogers then provides writing prompts, one of which might be to write in the style of one of the authors or poets they had just heard.

In one game this summer, students passed around cookbooks that they would open to a random page and then spend a minute responding in some way to the recipe they landed on. A similar exercise involved looking at the image on a postcard and filling the reverse side with words about that image.

The purpose of the exercise is to explore different ways to get inspiration to write.

“You don’t always have to read a poem to write a poem,” Rogers says. “You could read a recipe. You could look out the window. Any of these things work.”

Throughout the workshops,

Rogers says it has also been a pleasure to watch families wander in and marvel over the hidden gem that is the Athenaeum, located at 337 Essex St. in Salem’s McIntire Historic District. The private library houses an impressive rare book collection and well-tended gardens.

“As a book nerd and as a person who’s worked in libraries in the past, to have people find a new library that they didn’t know existed that is so beautiful and so close by — it’s been really lovely,” Rogers says, adding with a laugh that that is not a paid endorsement.

Rogers says her plans for the fall are still coming together, but anyone interested in being added to her mailing list for workshop updates can email her at katie. na.rogers@gmail.com

tEAM WItH APPEAL

COURTESY PHOTO

It was a total team effort as the Speedy Bananas final cracked the win column in their first season in the MAC Coed Softball League.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE SALEM ATHENAEUM

Students take pen to paper as poet and educator Katie Naoum Rogers leads a writing exercise during her weeklong writing workshop held earlier this month at the Salem Athenaeum. Clockwise around the table from top left are Rogers, Evelyn Miller, Sherrie Esteves, Paloma Russell, Ella Wanstall, Abby Corrigan, Alice Girling and Finna Walsh.

Sports

Fond memories of local sportswriters Cooper and DePlacido abound

BY JOE McCONNELL

Summer is supposed to be a time to relax and have fun to re-energize for the everyday grind ahead in the fall. But in 2023, it was anything but fun for many in the North Shore sports community after it lost two longtime respected sportswriters, Jean DePlacido and Scot Cooper.

For me, sadness never took a day off this summer. My dad — Joseph, Sr. — passed away on July 11, just two days after Jean left us. Five days earlier, she was writing on HamiltonWenham’s dominating win over the Danvers Nationals to begin the District 15 Williamsport Tournament, arguably one of her favorite beats to cover every year — next to St. John’s Prep sports, of course.

But she could write on any subject from marathons to a youth soccer team’s national championship, just a couple of more stories she cranked out during what turned out to be her final week on this planet.

Jean was a writing machine, and she did it with professionalism and graciousness, two words that are seldom used together nowadays when describing the media in general. She never used a tape recorder or iPhone to record her interviews after games. She had her signature legal pad to copy down a coach’s or a player’s words, but nobody ever said they were misquoted, because she knew what was important and what they were trying to say.

Not to see that infamous legal pad ever again after games will be a stark reminder to all of her colleagues like myself that life as a reporter will never be the same again.

Bruce Scot Lance Cooper, simply known as “Scot” or “Coop” to his hundreds of friends, has been documenting North Shore sports continuously for close to 15 years. He first wrote and shot video (his true passion as a broadcast journalist) for the local Patch outlets.

He then moved on to GateHouse Media, where I

RIDINg FOR A REA

sON

first got to know him as a Marblehead and Swampscott sports correspondent, two towns he knew quite well as a loyal Big Blue graduate who ended up marrying the love of his life, Whitney, a Marblehead native.

Their two sons, Jake and Maxx, played sports through the encouragement of their dad, who made sure he covered the American Legion MarbleheadSwampscott baseball Mariners when they were on the team. He got to watch them play while also chronicling their diamond exploits.

Scot, who died on Aug. 5 after fighting cancer for several years, last wrote for me last fall, covering the football Magicians as a Current correspondent. His cancer then returned before the start of the spring season, and he was unable to write about the boys lacrosse and softball teams, two of his favorites every year.

Scot left those of us who depended upon his writing on a timely basis for print at a loss. As editors, we knew we’d have his game story before the deadline, with his videos arriving immediately after games so online readers get to see and hear the players’ and coaches’ reactions right away. He was a dream freelancer, who knew the importance of meeting those deadlines in both mediums, even on family holidays like Thanksgiving.

In the ensuing text, girls softball coach Johnny Gold, MHS assistant athletic director and former hockey coach Mark Tarmey, football coach Jim Rudloff and girls basketball coach Paul Moran fondly

remembered both Scot and Jean, and what they meant to high school sports in Marblehead and beyond for decades.

MHS athletic director Mark Tarmey

“It was always a pleasure to run into Jean at the field, rink, court, track, pool or gym. She was a kind, genuine and talented professional.

“I really admired her ‘no nonsense’ approach to sports reporting, and I was very impressed by how she was an advocate for young female student-athletes across the North Shore.

“We will miss seeing her at MHS (Marblehead High School) and NEC (Northeastern Conference) events with her signature notepad and field chair. But we are all better people for having known and worked alongside her for decades.

“Scot Cooper and I had a great 50-year personal and professional relationship starting back at Red Foote’s Hockey School at the old Lynn Arena in the 1970s. We played hockey together through and after college, and we had many, many laughs and great times together during our years at UMass Amherst.

“On the professional side, it was always such a great pleasure to interact with Coop as he did such an outstanding job covering Marblehead High School athletics for various North Shore media outlets. His frequent texts, voicemails and emails were always informative and highly entertaining. He

had his finger directly on the pulse of North Shore athletics, and as a result of his death on Aug. 5 we have certainly lost a great sportswriter, ambassador, advocate and friend. I feel so very blessed to call him a friend.”

MHS girls basketball coach

Paul Moran

“Jean was such a great lady and was a huge presence for girls sports on the North Shore. You knew when she showed up to a game it was a big game. She will be missed by many, and was a great advocate for women’s sports.

“Scot was a great guy. I always loved our phone calls. He always had a lot of patience with me on spelling the girls’ names correctly. He’d say, ‘You talk, and I’ll fix everything up.’ He grew up with my brothers, and they always said great things about him. He always did a great job for me as far as getting the story and scores correct. He was just a great reporter and will be missed by the North Shore.”

MHS football coach

Jim Rudloff

“I never was fortunate enough to deal with Jean that much. She would call me for scores a couple of times early on, but in the last eight years or so she has never really covered Marblehead football.

“But Scot is a different story. I met Scot when I was in college going to see bands in Boston. He was friends with the Swampscott band called “Things That Aren’t Food.” Coop really loved the local music scene. I don’t think he ever missed a show by The Neighborhoods or the Bags. Fast forward 20 years later, and he’d walk up to me after a football game, and he’d start asking me questions about Swampscott.

“Coop did a great job making sure he got all the kids’ names in his stories. He always accurately described the game and its flow. There was a little element of entertainment and humor in all of his articles and tweets. I know for me personally and the Marblehead football community in general, we will miss Scot a

ton this fall.”

MHS softball coach

Johnny Gold

“Both were two wonderful people and great reporters. Coop would come to the field a lot to get coaches’ and players’ quotes and local updates.

“Jean was very special. She worked hard, and an example of that was her in-season Friday column. Her game-day reporting was also great. She never misquoted and always treated us fairly and equally, win or lose. She understood when we lost there was not a lot to say, but instead she’d find the good in it.

“Both were wonderful, and I, along with the softball community, will miss them. I wish I had the opportunity to thank them. I’d tell them both that they did their jobs very well.”

MHS girls lacrosse coach Annie Madden

“Scot (Cooper) was a dedicated and loyal high school sports fan. He always went out of his way to make sure that all of our players felt like they were rock stars. Marblehead was lucky to have such a great guy to help highlight its successes over the years.

“My fondest memory of Jean (DePlacido) was being a young coach who knew her from the sidelines at my fat her’s (football) games, and she would come sit in her chair at midfield — neutral as always — but still always gave me a smile of encouragement. She not only loved the players both past and present, but she also loved all of the North Shore coaches.”

Coop’s life to be celebrated Sept. 9

In Marblehead, Scot was wellknown among the Magicians sports community. He treated everybody fairly and with respect. On Sept. 9 at the Gerry 5 at 2 p.m., there will be a celebration of Scot’s life for his many friends to share their stories about this music lover, sports fanatic and local sports media giant.

Dozens of ’Headers cycle in Pan-Mass Challenge

BY LEIGH BLANDER

Thirty Marblehead cyclists pedaled up to 211 miles to Provincetown Aug. 5-6 in the two-day Pan-Mass Challenge, hoping to raise a record-breaking $70 million. The money will go toward cancer research and patient care at DanaFarber Cancer Institute.

More than 6,000 riders from around the world joined the famous ride, which has raised about $970 million since it started in 1980.

Routes range from 25 to 211 miles, to cater to all levels of cycling ability.

“The steadfast commitment of the PMC community year after year continues to inspire me,” said Billy Starr, founder and executive director of the PMC.

The riders from Marblehead were: Jake Bennet, Ian Boldt, Gabrielle Coffman, Chris Coyle, Tom Cushman, Dan Donato, Stephen Garfield, Emma Garfield, John Harrison, Moira James, David Manganis, Louis Mayle, Caroline McCarthy, Angus McQuilken, Mark Meyer, Chris Morrissey, Howard Needel, Kristin O’Neil-Callahan, Henry Peabody, Peter Reuter, Robert Rieckelman, Maya Tavares, Nathan Teplow, Ellie Tomlinson, Laura Tyrrell, Kathleen Vander Laan, Dave Weist, Marty Willis, Bill Willis and David Winder.

Jean DePlacido

Scot Cooper PHOTOS

Pan-Mass Challenge cyclists gather at Babson College before riding to Provincetown.

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