CP_MBHC_20230927_1_A01
IN THIS ISSUE
OPINION
SPORTS
Ask Lizzie column debuts
Magicians shut down Peabody
Page 7
Page 10
SETTING THE STAGE
Performing arts at MHS this year
NONPROFIT ORG PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MARBLEHEAD, MA PERMIT NO. 25
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NEWS FOR PEOPLE, NOT FOR PROFIT.
TM
September 27, 2023
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VOLUME 1, ISSUE NO. 42
| MARBLEHEADCURRENT.ORG
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ON SOCIAL @MHDCURRENT
SUPERINTENDENT CONTROVERSY
State order: Try to retrieve deleted texts BY LEIGH BLANDER AND KRIS OLSON The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office has given the school district until next week to seek to retrieve text messages initially reported as having been deleted in response to a public records request from the Marblehead Current.
Manza Arthur, the supervisor of records in the secretary’s office, wrote in a letter dated Sept. 19 to the schools’ records access officer, Lisa Dimier, that it was Arthur’s “understanding” that “the School intends on providing a further response to [the Current’s Leigh] Blander to address her records request.” “Accordingly, the School is
ordered to provide Ms. Blander with said response in a manner consistent with the Public Records Law and its Regulations within 10 business days,” Arthur wrote, requiring that the schools provide a copy of any such response to the secretary’s office as well. In response, the district’s lawyer, Colby Brunt, sent an
email, also dated Sept. 19, to attorney Barbara Durgin, an assistant director in the Office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, who is handling the Current’s appeal, and to whom Brunt had spoken the previous Friday. Brunt reported that the “district has reached out to the staff member [Michelle Cresta]
CLASS OF ’53
70 years on, memories remain golden
and the committee members regarding the deleted text messages and asked that they contact their providers to see if the deleted text messages can be retrieved.” Brunt added, “I am awaiting further information from the individuals as to whether the TEXTS, P. A4
STAYING SAFE
Town to provide free NARCAN, fentanyl test strips Transfer Station sticking with stickers BY LEIGH BLANDER
CURRENT PHOTO / WILLIAM J. DOWD
Marblehead High’s Class of 1953 reunited recently at the Corinthian Yacht Club. Seventy years later, they’re still sharing stories and laughs over lunch.
BY WILLIAM J. DOWD For the Marblehead High School Class of 1953, the memories of their formative years remain as vivid as ever. At the Corinthian Yacht Club, this close-knit class recently reunited, sharing laughs, banter and updates on life. With around a dozen members in attendance, including some who traveled from as far as New York, stories flowed freely over a long lunch. Jan Barry, formerly Jan Buckley, said, “It was a friendly class because we had such a small group, just over 100.” Sports was a topic that resonated deeply with many. Several remembered their senior year football victory over Swampscott. William “Bill” Conly proudly recollected, “We weren’t just classmates, we were teammates. That victory over Swampscott? We beat them 32 to 0. It
was a moment of sheer joy.” Many shared a chuckle and a sigh over the long-lost hangouts of their youth. Popular hangouts included the local YMCA on Pleasant Street, where students attended dances. Crocker Park, the Warwick Theater and a bowling alley were also teen hot spots. Jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald were musical favorites. However, amidst the nostalgia, there were moments of contemplation. Stephen Tompkins highlighted the homogeneity of their school years. “We were in a bubble,” he said. The classmates came of age during World War II and its local impacts, like blackout curtains in homes and painted-over street lights so as not to be spotted by enemy subs. Everything was rationed, from butter to tires. The Army occupied the lighthouse, and there were watchtowers to spot
U-boats, Conly said. Their small class produced many accomplished graduates who pursued higher education when it was less common. Some went into business or became doctors and teachers. Many forged close-knit lifelong friendships. Teachers left an indelible mark on this class. Dorothy Miles, an English teacher, was especially memorable for many. “She wasn’t just a teacher,” Barry said. “She was a storyteller.” The group lamented the loss of mom-and-pop businesses like Sebastian’s restaurant on Atlantic Avenue and other local favorites now gone and replaced by condos. The hometown feel has changed over the decades as the population doubled to over 20,000 residents. But close connections from their youth remain strong. “It feels like it was just yesterday,” said Tompkins about the seven decades since graduation.
At a recent meeting, Board of Health member Tom McMahon choked back tears as he talked about a high school friend who died after using a street drug. He and his colleagues then voted unanimously to provide free fentanyl test strips and Narcan in town. Fentanyl is a deadly opioid that is sometimes added to marijuana and other drugs. The test strips can identify whether a drug is laced with fentanyl. Narcan is an opioid overdose treatment. “I’m trying not to get emotional,” McMahon said. “I grew up in this town, and if you don’t think your kids are going to try something that could be laced with fentanyl, you’re wrong. He continued, “Knowing that these [fentanyl strips and Narcan] are available is critical. Just spread the word. Even if you STRIPS, P. A4
Fentanyl testing strips are now available for free at the Health Department and will soon be located in a mailbox attached to the building.
ART LOVER
Back home, ’Header hopes gallery will ‘spark creativity’ BY LEIGH BLANDER Artist Ian Sherwin, who grew up in Marblehead, is coming home and opening a new gallery on State Street next month. The space will showcase artists from around the country and offer a variety of programs and classes. “I’m here to inspire, teach and lead,” Sherwin said, speaking while renovating his one-room gallery at 1 State St. “My mission is to spark creativity.” Sherwin, who graduated from
BLACK CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW
Marblehead High in 1995, fell in love with art as a kid. “It was my escape, my salvation,” he said. At Marblehead High, school nurse Lynne Breed noticed his talent and encouraged him. The two are still friends. “She would fill me with such confidence,” he said. “I don’t know if I would be an artist today without her.” Sherwin calls himself an abstract painter who works in impressionism. He also creates
what he calls “scribbles” — pen drawings with small, almost hidden written messages, including “love more.” “I like to do weird things,” he said with a smile. “I like there to be a ‘wow’ factor.” Sherwin moved back to Marblehead last summer after working in Minneapolis as an art facilitator for people with special needs. He invented assistive technology for a young man GALLERY, P. A11
Ian Shewrin, who is opening a new gallery on State Street, unboxes works by artist Jennifer Lashbrook.
CURRENT PHOTO / LEIGH BLANDER