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IN THIS ISSUE
STACEY STREET
OPINION
EDUCATION
Bartlett’s Garage renovation gets initial OK
Summer magic in the woods
Tower head hopes to settle in
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MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
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August 23, 2023
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 37
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MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Search kicks off, committee to be named BY LEIGH BLANDER The School Committee met Friday to launch its search for an interim superintendent that members hope will start by November or December. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Michelle Cresta has been named acting superintendent through
October 31. The School Committee met via Zoom with two leaders from the New England Schools Development Council, which will assist in the search for an interim superintendent. The district is a member of NESDEC, so the work will be free of charge. “The check’s in the mail,”
joked School Committee Chair Sarah Fox. After the interim superintendent is in place, the committee will begin the search for a permanent school leader, possibly in February or March. However, if the interim superintendent works out well, it is possible to keep that person in place for a longer period of
time (maybe up to 18 months) and launch the search for a permanent superintendent later. The interim may even become the permanent superintendent. “Start the interim search, see what the candidate pool is. You have time to make the other decisions,” said NESDEC’s Carolyn Burke. The first step for the interim
MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY
search is for NESDEC to send out what’s called a “letter of application,” describing Marblehead and the school district to interested parties. “We’ll dust off the letter from two years ago,” said NESDEC’s David DeRuosi, referring to the district’s last search. “We want SEARCH, P. A4
TRAGIC ACCIDENT
Retired teacher pleads guilty to deadly crash at farm stand
Celebrating a century
BY LEIGH BLANDER
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Chris Stockwell (left tor right), Rev. Clyde Elledge and Ginny Coffin stand in St. Andrew’s worship space, which resembles a boat or arc.
St. Andrew’s Church is throwing a year-long 100th birthday party, and the public is invited
HISTORY
Select Board supports renaming of Brown’s Island
BY LEIGH BLANDER Just about one century ago, leaders at St. Michael’s Church in Marblehead’s historic district opened a “mission church” for farming families on the still-rural outskirts of town. That church, then known as the Community Church of Clifton and now called St. Andrew’s Episcopal, is kicking off a year-long celebration of its 100th birthday on September 10. “We Episcopals like to have fun,” laughed Ginny Coffin, co-chair of the celebration. “We pray, but we also like to have fun.” The September 10 party includes a special service with Bishop Alan Gates, a BBQ picnic, ponies, a bouncy house and live music with the band “Morris Meows.” The community is welcome. “I’ve got goosebumps,” said Coffin, who seemed especially excited about the ponies. Other events throughout the year include St. Andrew’s popular rummage sale on September 30, a church retreat to New Hampshire, a Mardi Gras party, art exhibits in the church’s Cloister Gallery (including an interactive timeline that people can add to) and a Roaring Twenties party in June. Chris Stockwell, Coffin’s co-chair, is writing a book about St. Andrew’s history to mark the centennial.
A just-retired Marblehead teacher has pleaded guilty to motor vehicular homicide in a crash that killed a woman at her Byfield family farm stand in May 2022. Janet Bach, 71, was sentenced to 18 months in the Middleton House of Correction with her sentence suspended while she serves three years of probation. The accident killed Sofia Sforza Nico, a 47-year-old stepmother of two and manager at her family’s Byfield Greenhouse and Garden Center. She was working at a cashier stand in the greenhouse when Bach’s Honda CRV lurched backwards and smashed through a wall. Several other people were injured, including an eight-year-old girl. Bach worked as a teacher at the Brown School before retiring two months ago. She is ordered not to drive during her probation and to stay away from all witnesses and victims. She also has to pay nearly $9,000 in funeral expenses and perform 200 hours of community service. The Sforza family shut down the garden center permanently after the tragedy.
Advocates argue ‘Crowninshield Island’ is more appropriate BY WILLIAM J. DOWD
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER
Chris Stockwell (left to right), Rev. Clyde Elledge and Ginny Coffin read entries in a 100-year-old records book at St. Andrew’s Church.
“This is such a sacred place,” Coffin said. “This is a place where you’re valued. You’re challenged intellectually and loved personally.” The Rev. Clyde Elledge has been at St. Andrews since 2012 and spoke about the church’s “spiritual legacy.” “This building is literally infused
with the prayers of people from 100 years ago, 50 years ago and three minutes ago,” he said. St. Andrew’s dates back to the early 20th century when wealthy Marblehead businessman Issac
In a unanimous decision, the Select Board has voted to support the renaming of Brown’s Island to Crowninshield Island. The board intends to petition the U.S. Board of Geographic Names to make the change official. “Basically, this is the final stop that we need to make before we can submit our official application,” said Marblehead resident Gene Record, who is a distant relative of the Crowninshield family. The Crowninshield family — which arrived in America in the 18th century — has roots in maritime history, politics and literature. They were part of a group of families known as the Boston Brahmins. Record previously tried to get the fiveacre island renamed about a decade ago, sparking a heated debate, according to the Marblehead Reporter.
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BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW