May 2010

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Mahar Sports

Mahar second baseman Lincoln Gagnon awaits the throw from catcher Tyler Woodard that nailed Mount Everett base-stealer Tom Danz, who was out in the second inning Tuesday in Orange. The visiting Eagles bounced the host Senators from the WMass Division III Baseball Tournament with a 5-1 quarterfinal win.

Recorder/Mike Phillips

WMass Baseball Mahar sent packing, 5-1

By JASON BUTYNSKI

Recorder Staff

ORANGE — Wyatt Ronan may not have had the start that he wanted but the finish couldn’t have been any better.

After giving up a home run to the first batter he faced, the Mount Everett Regional High School starting pitcher allowed only three more hits the rest of the way, keeping the Mahar Regional School off-balance all game to help the Eagles advance to the Western Massachusetts Division III Baseball Tournament semifinals with a 5-1 quarterfinal victory.

Ronan, a junk-balling lefty, was staked to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first but he quickly gave one run back to Mahar leadoff hit Lincoln Gagnon in the bottom of the inning. After throwing a first-pitch curveball for a ball, Ronan left a fastball over the plate and Gagnon made him pay with a solo home run to right field. Blayne Calcari followed with a loud out to deep center before Kyle Cellana and Tyler Woodard hit backto- back singles to put runners on first and second with only one out. Mike Pierson then ripped a line drive that was snagged by second baseman Will Danz and thrown to first to double off Woodard and end the threat.

“We missed an opportunity early on,” Mahar coach Art Billings admitted. “We could have maybe put some pressure on them and maybe taken an early lead. But I’ve got to give it to them. They made the plays.”

From there, Ronan settled down, allowing a second-inning Matt Bardsley single, then a Gagnon bunt single to lead off the third. On the Gagnon bunt, Ronan threw the ball wide of first for the Eagles’ lone error, allowing Gagnon to advance to second. Calcari then sacrificed Gagnon to third but Cellana lined out to short and Woodard flew out to center to end the inning. The three outs in the inning became a common site over the remainder of the game. Ronan didn’t allow another Senators baserunner, setting down the final 15 batters.

“I think the difference between the first inning and the rest of the game was that I was spotting pitches,” Ronan said of his adjustments. “Toward the end I was moving the ball in and out and was really able to put the ball where I wanted it with my fastball, and I think I got a little more comfortable with my curveball.”

The loss marked the fifth straight time the Senators have been eliminated from the tournament by a Berkshire County school, beginning in 2004 when the Senators lost to St. Joseph’s-Central High School in the Division III semifinals. Mahar went on to lose to St. Joseph’s in the quarterfinals in 2005 and then, after missing the tournament in 2006, the Senators were again eliminated by St. Joe’s in 2007 in the semifinals. After missing the tourney in 2008, the Senators were upset by McCann Technical School last season in the first round.

Trying to buck that trend, the fifthseeded Senators (15-6) came into the game against 13th-seeded Mt. Everett (14-8) with senior Kyle Cellana on the bump, but the Eagles got to the right-hander early. Tom Danz was hit by a pitch to lead off and the baserunner set in motion something that would become a common sight when an Eagle player got on base as he swiped second and third bases. Mt. Everett went on to steal eight of nine attempted steals.

With Danz on third, Ronan singled to center to plate the first run of the game and later scored what proved to be the game-winner on a Dylan Wheeler single.

Mahar responded with the run in the bottom of the first but Mt. Everett got it right back in the top of the second, when Kassell Night singled with two outs, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a wild pitch all with Danz at the plate. The score remained that way until the fifth when Night hit a groundball to first base that Pierson fielded and tossed to Cellana, who was covering first on the play. Cellana recorded the out but came up limping, suffering a groin injury. After throwing a few practice pitches, Cellana said he could continue. That brought up Danz and the Mt. Everett hitter deposited the second pitch he saw from Cellana over the fence in left to give his team a 4-1 lead. After one more batter reached base, Cellana was pulled in favor of Blayne Calcari. Cellana’s final line was 4 2-3 inning pitched, five hits, three strikeouts and one walk.

The Eagles added another run in the sixth inning on Colby Rueger’s RBI single but that wasn’t the highlight of the inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Night hit a chopper back to Calcari and the pitcher threw home to Woodard, who steadied himself in front of the plate to tag out Eagle baserunner Will Danz, who was freight-training home. Making no attempt to avoid contact, Danz plowed into Woodard, sending the catcher flying. A shouting match ensued around the plate before Danz was ejected by the umpires (in high school, rules state that baserunners must try to avoid contact). Danz will now be ineligible for the next two games.

The play appeared to fire-up the Senators, who got out of the inning without giving up any more runs. The momentum didn’t carry over, however, as Mahar grounded out twice and flew out to center in the sixth.

In the final inning, Pierson and Bardsley each flew out before Greg Richard ended the game on a groundout to short. Ronan finished with two strikeouts and no walks.

“He just kept us off-balance,” Billings concluded. “The kids were trying, they kept swinging, it wasn’t like we were watching pitches. It was just one of those frustrating days against a crafty lefty.”

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Saturday, 5/29/10

School Baseball

Mahar 5, Athol 2 — Brent McGrath hit a pinch-hit, tworun triple to deep center in the seventh inning and Mahar Regional School finished off a successful regular season with a 5-2 win over Athol High School in an HL game on Saturday in Athol.

Lincoln Gagnon and Mike Pierson also tripled for the Senators (14-5, 12-4), which will find out their seed in the WMass Division III Tournament this week. Blayne Calcari and Matt Bardsley each finished with two hits and one RBI in the win, while Kyle Cellana singled and drove in one run. Calcari earned the win, striking out four in 6 1-3 innings. Pierson struck out the final two batters of the game for the save.

Dakota Melanson singled and doubled for the Red Raiders.

WMass Boys’ Track

Senators’ sophomore a sprint champion

By JUSTIN FELISKO

Gazette Contributing Writer

WESTFIELD — Mahar Regional School sophomore Trent George admitted he felt a little nervous competing against Division 1 athletes heading into the Western Massachusetts Track & Field Championships Saturday at Westfield State College. He has no reason to worry anymore.

George won the 200-meter dash crown by crossing the finish line in 22.41 seconds, defeating Mohawk Trail Regional School junior Xavier Whitaker (23.01) by less than a second.

“I just thought to myself, ‘Just do your best and do whatever you can to win,’” George said. “I just gave it my all on the second 100 in the finals because I knew I was going against better people, division-wise.”

Senators coach Jim Woodward said that his team was feeling a little bit of pressure during the meet, competing against some of the Division I teams a week after winning the Western Massachusetts Division II championship.

“It’s small-town guys coming up to the big time,” Woodward said. “I told them that we’re here to enjoy ourselves, have fun and do the best you can do. They put enough pressure on themselves.”

Mahar was the highest-placing local Division II squad, finishing eighth with 23 points. Northampton and Longmeadow high schools 0tied for first place with 46 points.

The Senators’ 4×100-meter relay team placed fourth with a time of 44.68 seconds. Mahar senior Tom Powell had a fine day, finishing third in the shot put with a toss of 46 feet, 6 inches, and fifth in the discus with a 127-foot, five-inch throw. Yet, Powell wanted to perform better.

“In the shot put I just didn’t get it right,” Powell said. “I was hoping to throw 49.”

William Anderson, another Senators senior, placed sixth in the shot with a 43-foot put. In the team competition, Athol tied for 19th with 10 points, Franklin County Technical School and Mohawk Trail Regional High School tied for 25th with eight points, Frontier Regional School was 31st with four points and Greenfield High School finished 34th with 1.5 points.

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School Baseball

Wednesday, 5/26/10

Narragansett 12, Mahar 0 — Danielle LeBlanc and Kimmie Morris combined on a one-hitter as Narragansett blanked Mahar, 12-0, in an independent softball game on Wednesday in Baldwinville.

Hayley Zisk belted a solo homer for the Warriors. Megan LeBlanc added a single and double.

Tasha Polana had the Senators’ only hit. Tia Polana suffered the loss.

Mahar finished its season 4-14.

Mahar 8, Narragansett 0 — Mahar Regional School banged out 10 hits and took advantage of seven Narragansett Regional High School errors to whitewash the host Warriors, 8-0, in independent baseball action Wednesday in Baldwinville.

Lincoln Gagnon paced the Senators with three hits and one RBI. Tyler Woodard added a pair of singles, Blayne Clacari belted a triple and Matt Bardsley stroked a double.

Mike Pierson fanned six and walked two in five innings to earn the win. Woodard finished off the shutout by striking out three and walking one in two innings.

Mahar (13-5) closes out the regular season Saturday at 11 a.m. at Athol High School.

School Baseball

Tuesday, 5/25/10

Panthers surprise Senators

Recorder Staff

Kyle Platner answered the challenge from head coach Tom Conway and pitched the Pioneer Valley Regional School baseball team into the Western Massachusetts Tournament.

Platner spun a masterful 65-pitch, four-hit shutout as the Panthers shocked Hampshire League co-leader Mahar Regional School, 7-0, on Tuesday in Northfield.

“It’s about time he threw it this consistently,” said Conway. “I told him, ‘you need to man up’ and he did it.”

After scoring once in the first, Jordan Stempel stroked a two-out, RBI single during a two-run second to extend the Panthers’ lead to 3-0.

The Panthers (10-7, 9-5 HL) added three more insurance runs in the fourth on a bad-hop error that scored two runs and John Keir’s RBI double.

Platner struck out five and walked no one in his gem. Derek Thayer and Casey Blanchard both collected two hits.

Greg Richard had two of the Senators’ four hits. Kyle Cellana suffered the loss.

“We needed to beat a tournament team to qualify,” said Conway, whose squad finishes with Monson, Mohawk Trail Regional and Greenfield high schools, as well as Mahar. “The monkey’s off everybody’s back now. We’re not going to be an easy out for anyone (in WMass).”

Frontier 9, Easthampton 5 — An eight-run fourth-inning eruption propelled Frontier Regional School to a 9-5 HL victory over Easthampton High School Tuesday in Easthampton Kirk Gross started the fourth-inning uprising with a double and scored. Then he capped it off by blasting a two-run home run.

Gross and Justin Nartowicz both finished with two hits for the Red Hawks, while Dan White pitched six innings for the win.

Tad Boruchowski’s double was one of six hits for the Eagles. John Volpe took the loss.

Frontier (6-12, 6-8) travels to Greenfield High School Friday night at 7.

Saturday, 5/22/10

WMass D-II Boys’ Track

Senators (88 points) destroy D-II boys’ field

BUCKLAND — Tom Powell and William Anderson gave the Mahar Regional School boys’ track team just the shot it needed to win the PVIAC Western Mass. Division II Championships.

The Senator teammates finished first and second respectively in the shot put to lead their team to 88 points and cruise to an easy win in the team standings Saturday at Mohawk Trail Regional High School.

Southwick-Tolland Regional High School finished a distant second with 51 points.

Powell won a pair of events, taking the shot put with a distance of 48 feet, 4¾ inches, and the discus, at 123-7, to pick up two of his team’s four wins on the day. Afterward, Powell said he was happy to earn the wins but most proud of the fact that it helped his team to the victory.

“It’s huge toward the win for the team and that’s what we’re really looking for,” he explained. “It’s important because we’re undefeated so far and we’d like to stay that way. We’ve had a good season, we’ve got a good all-around team, and we want to keep it going.” Anderson finished second in the shot at 44-8¼, bettering his best throw of the season by two feet. Like Powell, Anderson echoed the team sentiment afterward.

“I didn’t really expect this,” he explained. “I’m glad that I could take second place for the team.

“I guess I’d attribute it to practice,” he said of his throw, “because over the course of the year your form really changes.” The Senators, who won the Intercounty League title and finished 11-0 this season, also received a win in the 200 by Trent George (22.63) and picked up a victory in the 4×100 relay with a time of 44.86. Travon Godette picked up a third-place finish in the high jump at 5-10. The Senators’ 4×800 team placed second on the day (8:54.72), while the 4×400 team took third (3:43.95).

Wednesday, 05/19/10

Pioneer 6, Mahar 2 — Katelyn Gaffigan struck out 10 to lead Pioneer Valley Regional School to a 6-2 win over Mahar Regional School in a FCL softball game Wednesday night in Northfield.

Gaffigan went the distance in the win, allowing only three hits and one walk. The Panther offense staked her to an early lead as Leah Gexler (two hits, one walk) hit a tworun single in the first inning and Alyssa Hill (two hits) hit a two-run single in the second to put Pioneer on top 4-0 early.

Mahar (4-11, 4-10) cut the deficit in half, as Olivia Smith hit an RBI triple in the third, and Hanna Pultorak smacked an RBI double in the fourth, but Pioneer (7-9, 7-7) scored the final two runs in the sixth on an RBI single by Kristina Weld.

Christy Cominoli doubled for Pioneer, while Jackie Lafleur added a single.

Sabrina Lysieuk added a single for the Senators. Smith suffered the loss, striking out two and walking 10 in six innings.

Tuesday, 5/18/10

Mahar 94, Turners 51 — Mahar Regional School tuned up for the upcoming Western Massachusetts Division II Championships as it defeated Turners Falls High School, 94-51, in a Franklin County League girls’ track meet on Tuesday in Turners Falls.

Amanda Johnson earned firsts in three events for the Senators (6-2, 5-1). She won the long jump (16-5), triple jump (33-7¾) and 400 (65.5). Emma Woodcock added victories in the 800 (2:45.7) and mile (5:58.8).

Libby Nicotra led the Indians (3-3, 2-3, FCL) with wins in the 200 (29.3) and high jump (4-8).

Monday, 5/17/10

Senators rebound with 2-1 victory

After giving up 11 runs in a loss to Greenfield High School Friday night, Mahar Regional School needed a solid pitching performance to get back on track against a Mohawk Trail Regional High School baseball team that came into the day winners of five straight.

Kyle Cellana gave the Senators exactly what they were looking for by holding the Warriors to one run on the day and leading Mahar to a 2-1 Hampshire League win in Orange.

Mahar (11-3 overall, 10-2 HL), which hadn’t lost an HL game since April 13 until Friday’s 11-3 setback at Greenfield, got single runs in the first and third innings to support Cellana. The senior made the two runs stand up as he struck out four and allowed four walks and five hits in 6 2-3 innings. The performance was exactly what Senator coach Art Billings was looking for.

“I saw a lot of leadership on the mound out of him, especially after the Greenfield game on Friday,” the coach explained. “We needed this to get us back on track.”

Mohawk (8-7, 7-5) cut the deficit to one run in the fifth inning when Ben Popowich scored on a wild pitch. In the seventh the Warriors threatened to tie the game when Cellana, who recorded two outs in the inning, allowed a walk and a single. Billings lifted the starter, who had thrown 110 pitches to that point, for Mike Pierson and, after Pierson hit Scott Mitchell to load the bases, the move paid off when the reliever struck out Alex Dawicki to end the game.

The Senators scored the first run of the game in the first inning. Lincoln Gagnon doubled and later scored when Cellana reached on an error. In the third, Matt Bardsley hit an RBI single to plate Blayne Calcari with the eventual game-winning run.

Friday, 5/14/10

Mahar 12, Greenfield 4 — Christine Richardson collected five hits and drove in two runs to help Mahar Regional School earn a 12-4 win over Greenfield High School in a Franklin County League softball game Friday night in Greenfield.

Richardson homered and doubled as part of her five-hit performance. Tasha Polana singled and drove in two runs, while Hanna Pultorak singled and drove in one run. Shaunna Woessner struck out one and walked seven in the complete-game win.

Jocelyn Dennett and Tylor Narkewicz each finished with two hits and one RBI for the Green Wave.

Wave buries Senators, tightens HL race

Things got a little tighter in the Hampshire League race.

Greenfield High School took advantage of five errors by Mahar Regional School to take an 11-3 win in a HL baseball game Friday night at Veterans Memorial Field in Greenfield.

The Green Wave (11-4 overall, 7-4 HL) scored four times in the first inning to jump out to an early lead and never looked back. Pitcher Austin Finck struck out five and allowed seven hits and two walks in the complete game win. Conor Nolan collected four hits and one RBI, while Garrett McHugh, Ian Leonard and Adam Wroblewski each added one hit and one RBI.

Blayne Calcari walked three and struck out five in 4 1-3 innings to suffer the loss. Kyle Cellana finished with three hits and two RBIs.

The loss leaves Mahar (10-3, 9-2), which leads the HL, only a half-game ahead of Hopkins Academy in the HL. The next four teams after Mahar in the standings are now within two games of the league lead.

Recorder Staff

I was asked to post my keynote speech from the NHS Awards ceremony at the Elks Club on Monday Night:

Delivered May 17, 2010

Good Evening. Before I begin, please allow me to express my gratitude to Mr. Bjorn, Nic Guerra, and to the Ralph C. Mahar National Honor Society for selecting me as this year’s keynote speaker. To be honest, I never thought I would see the day when I would be invited to speak to a group of people. Often in my life, and even more lately, I have asked myself – How did I get here? How is it that I am involved in this situation? I mean I think I’ve made it a habit to plan for things – but honestly, I never planned for this. Some of you might be surprised to know that when I started college, my intention was to become a social worker – and not a teacher, principal, special education director, or a superintendent.

So, did I get here by luck or chance, or was it something else? Thomas Jefferson said, “I am a great believer in luck, and the harder I work, the more I have of it.” President Jefferson knew then what we all know now – it was never luck. Luck comes in lottery tickets, and in games of chance and that is about it. You aren’t lucky to be here. Rather this night is the natural consequence of hard work, sacrifice, perseverance, discipline, and focus. We can all recognize the potential energy in this room.

Whether you are in grade 10, 11, or 12 – you have been defined by your membership in the National Honor Society as those who are most likely to succeed. You have all of the preconditions for success – you are nourished properly and cared for by your families who are sitting around you. You have the work ethic, the giftedness, or a combination of both that allowed you the opportunity to have the grades and recommendations necessary to be a member of this distinguished group. But because of your age in relation to mine, and to your parents, and to your grandparents – we still cannot say for sure if you will be successful. But that depends on how you define success.

Right now I can say for sure of the soon to be graduates that are here tonight:
· 1 will study art at MWCC
· 2 will go to UMASS
· 1 to Assumption
· 1 to St. Joe’s
· 1 to Massachusetts College for Liberal Arts
· 1 to Bridgewater State
· 2 to WPI for Engineering
· 1 to Babson
· 1 to Fitchburg State to study Special Education
· 1 to New England School of Business
· And 1 all the way to Western Carolina University

Someday an old friend may come to you and ask you what you do, or who you have become. Of these 13 seniors, the response could be:

I am an artist.
I am the Marketing Director for (Name your company)
I am a lawyer
I am a History Teacher
I am a Math Teacher
I am the Vice President of my company
I am the Director of Special Education at Mahar (I say that to Nicole since I heard she is going to school to be a Special Educator)

After you respond to the question, you will hear it. Someone will say “Wow you really are lucky!” Before you hear the question and before you answer remember me telling you this tonight. Are you lucky because you came to school every day? Are you lucky because you did and do all that is asked of you by your teachers and your families? Are you lucky because you do extra? Are you lucky because you will not accept failure? There is no luck in “Try”, no luck in “Work”, and very very little opportunity for luck in success.

I had a nice speech to deliver tonight about success, but it changed at about 10 AM this morning. I began my day at St. Mary’s Church on Congress Street in Orange, where I faced some cold and hard reminders about life. I was reminded that life is more like a series of Polaroid pictures than it is about a video that is always running. Each choice that we make is a snapshot that leads us to the next…and then to the next. If you took a picture of me when I was 15, you would find a boy washing dishes at the Pine Plaza Restaurant in Niagara Falls, NY – doing homework while waiting for the potatoes to boil so that I could peel and cut them into what would become home fries. Each of us has a snapshot of that time – and this morning while I sat at the funeral for a boy I knew – I wondered about his snapshots.

This morning, that young man reminded me that life is not perfect. We live in a world where hopes and dreams are constantly shattered by wars and fighting, by addiction, by accidents, by illness, by hate, by anger, and by greed. In some cases dreams can just slip away as we struggle to get through each day over a long period of time. But a simple change in perspective can bring joy to our lives everyday, if we are willing to do just two simple things….Take little bites, and chew them well.

My father used to say this to me when I was a little boy, he said it to my sisters, and now I hear him saying it to his grandchildren. He says this because he did not want us to choke on our food. I have found that this statement can mean so much more. Take little bites and chew them well.
Let’s take the song “100 Years” by Five for Fighting. If you haven’t heard it, I encourage you to seek it out in the near future. For me, it affirmed my understanding that life isn’t perfect, but that there are perfect moments, and there are also our dreams. Our dreams can be as perfect as we want them to be. I will use just a couple of the song’s lyrics to guide this point.

I’m 15 for a moment – just dreaming

Most of us in this room have already been fifteen. It went by so fast – and yes, at fifteen we did dream didn’t we? Remember all the requirements at fifteen? Wake up, get ready, go to school, go to practice, go home, eat dinner, do your homework, go to bed. Well, not exactly. When I look back at fifteen I remember my friends, my teammates, certain conversations. I remember a dance, and a first kiss. I remember the moments of perfection. Of course we remember the tragedies too – but at fifteen we didn’t stop the dreaming.

I’m 22 for a moment – and she feels better than ever and I’m just dreaming

At twenty-two there were more requirements – working 40 or more hours a week. Paying the phone bill, the electric bill, the gas bill, rent, auto insurance, gasoline, an occasional parking ticket. I remember the Oklahoma City Bombing when I was 22 too. I also remember my grandmother’s smile, my sister’s recital, and Sunday dinners with my parents. More perfect moments and still there were my dreams.

I’m 33 for a moment – still the man but you see I’m of age, family on my mind

This is just about as far as I can go with experience credits. I remember learning that there are people who lie and and there are people who cheat. Sadly you will learn this too, if you haven’t already. I learned that there are people in the world who will do anything that they can to improve their positions financially or politically, no matter who is affected by their actions or how. In this difficult and painful time there were still the perfect moments of breaking bread with all of my family and all of my friends. There was perfection in hearing the words, “I do.” And don’t forget, I still had my dreams.

I’m 45 for a moment – counting the years of my life

It seems at this part there are many people who are dissatisfied. The terminology is “mid-life crisis.” It’s the time when some feel as though they have not done all that they had set out to and perhaps feel unremarkable. I don’t know this for sure because I haven’t been there yet, but I am preparing myself by observing:

I know the mother of a severely disabled child has much to worry about – yet she finds perfection in that child’s smile, and feels the undying love in the hugs and kisses of her baby. And yes, through both the difficulties and those moments of perfection, that mommy still dreams.

Half time goes by (the age of 50)
Suddenly you’re wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone

In that time between 15 and 67, life will throw so much at you. But you have already proven that you are fighters – and no matter how hard it gets you will find perfect moments, and you will follow your dreams.

Right now, here in this room, we are together living a perfect moment. The students here tonight are amidst a snapshot – a moment, right now is a just little bite. When I say chew it well – I am just telling you to enjoy it as much as you can, and never forget it. Tomorrow when you wake up set out on a journey to find as many perfect moments, moments just like this. Maybe your dream is a beach house on stilts, could be a family of your own, or perhaps a trip around the world. No matter what your dream is and whether or not you able to get there, don’t ever forget to enjoy, to digest perfect moments along the way.

Back to the song:
I’m 99 for a moment – dying for just another moment – and I’m still dreaming

Even at 99 we can dream. What are your perfect moments? What will your snapshots look like? To the students in the NHS – the stage is set for you to be great. Don’t pass on your opportunity. What are your dreams? What will you do tomorrow morning to make them come true?

Mahar Fish n Game Students had a very successful deep sea fishing trip aboard the Challenger of the Clipper Fleet in Newburyport.  7th grader Leo Jillson broke the all-time student record for largest fish caught on the trip with a 43-lb codfish, and only moments later his fish was joined by a 60-lb cod caught by Eric Shufelt, father of 7th grader Cody Shufelt.  The two monster cod were not the only fish caught, as many more “average” sized cod, haddock, and Pollock, and the occasional dogfish, were hauled up by enthusiastic club members.  Mr. Mexcur, Mrs. Riendeau, Mr. Randall and Mrs. Riendeau were joined by several parents and grandparents on the trip, which left the school at 4:30 am sharp  (to the dismay of a few people who had signed up but overslept!!)

School Baseball

Panthers surprise Senators

Recorder Staff

Kyle Platner answered the challenge from head coach Tom Conway and pitched the Pioneer Valley Regional School baseball team into the Western Massachusetts Tournament.

Platner spun a masterful 65-pitch, four-hit shutout as the Panthers shocked Hampshire League co-leader Mahar Regional School, 7-0, on Tuesday in Northfield.

“It’s about time he threw it this consistently,” said Conway. “I told him, ‘you need to man up’ and he did it.”

After scoring once in the first, Jordan Stempel stroked a two-out, RBI single during a two-run second to extend the Panthers’ lead to 3-0.

The Panthers (10-7, 9-5 HL) added three more insurance runs in the fourth on a bad-hop error that scored two runs and John Keir’s RBI double.

Platner struck out five and walked no one in his gem. Derek Thayer and Casey Blanchard both collected two hits.

Greg Richard had two of the Senators’ four hits. Kyle Cellana suffered the loss.

“We needed to beat a tournament team to qualify,” said Conway, whose squad finishes with Monson, Mohawk Trail Regional and Greenfield high schools, as well as Mahar. “The monkey’s off everybody’s back now. We’re not going to be an easy out for anyone (in WMass).”

Frontier 9, Easthampton 5 — An eight-run fourth-inning eruption propelled Frontier Regional School to a 9-5 HL victory over Easthampton High School Tuesday in Easthampton Kirk Gross started the fourth-inning uprising with a double and scored. Then he capped it off by blasting a two-run home run.

Gross and Justin Nartowicz both finished with two hits for the Red Hawks, while Dan White pitched six innings for the win.

Tad Boruchowski’s double was one of six hits for the Eagles. John Volpe took the loss.

Frontier (6-12, 6-8) travels to Greenfield High School Friday night at 7.

Mahar 112, Greenfield 24 — Three girls won two events as Mahar Regional School upended Greenfield High School, 112-24, in a Franklin County League girls’ track meet Tuesday in Orange.

Emma Woodcock dominated the distance events for the Senators (4-2, 2-1 FCL), winning the 800 (2:40.5) and mile (5:57.2). Amanda Johnson captured the 200 (28.6) and triple jump (34-1¼), and Sam Parker earned blue ribbons in the 100 (14.2) and high jump (4-8).

Erin Williams won the 400 (69.9) and Hannah Gaimari took the javelin (89-6) for the Green Wave (1-4, 0-4).

Recorder Staff

Aerial View

Mahar Regional School clinched no worse than a share of the Intercounty League Championship on Monday as it upended Frontier Regional School by a score of 90-54 in boys track action in South Deerfield. The Mahar boys track team has a record of 9-0 with one league meet scheduled for Thursday this week against Pioneer.

Earlier this week I received a call from the Orange Town Administrator in which he invited me to attend an emergency meeting at Orange Town Hall on Saturday morning, May 8th. Mr. Kwiatkowski informed me that the topic of discussion at the meeting would be the projected budget shortfall for the Town of Orange in the 2011 Fiscal Year. I informed Mr. Kwiatkowski that I would be in attendance and I asked him if the Orange Finance Committee or Selectmen would like for me to bring anything. By anything, I not only meant the Mahar budget materials and information about our organization. I was also willing to bring the coffee and donuts that could help set the stage for meaningful dialogue about how we would work together to create the best situation for the families in the Town of Orange.

This morning [Friday] a staff member at Mahar came into my office and handed me the front page of the Local section of the Greenfield Recorder. She said to me, “Sorry to ruin your day…but you have to read this.” I carefully read the article that was written about the budget crisis in the Town of Orange, and then I read it again. Orange Finance Committee Member Jane Pierce speaking of the teachers at Mahar was quoted; “I feel if we have more excellent teachers then there are fewer needed. Doesn’t it sort of beg to a larger class size?” The reason that I read this twice was that I could not believe what she [Ms. Pierce] said. I have been in communication via E-mail with Ms. Pierce this week and I have been preparing a Mahar class size report for her. I thought that we were working together…but then I read her quote.

One of my mentors taught me that a public action should always receive a public response. With this in mind I am compelled to respond to the statements made by Ms. Pierce publicly. To be fair, if you did not read the article in Friday’s Recorder please stop reading this and go back and read it before you proceed in reading my response. If you did read it and my response is of interest to you, please continue. I am writing this article on behalf of the students who attend our school, their families, our staff, and the four towns that make up the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School District. It is also important to say that more than 75% of the students who attend Mahar reside in the town of Orange.

There are really only two points that I need to make. The first is that when one talks about the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in terms of “they” you would expect that the person who is speaking does not reside in the Towns of Orange, Wendell, Petersham, or New Salem. It would be okay for a person from Athol, Gill, Turners Falls, Montague, or Amherst to talk about Ralph C. Mahar in terms of “They” but not for a person from Orange. The Ralph C. Mahar Regional School is here for the education of the children and young adults from Orange and our other member towns. I don’t call our teachers “the professionals.” Rather, I refer to them as “Our professionals.” Mahar is Orange. Mahar is Wendell. Mahar is New Salem. Mahar is Petersham. I have an agreement that was drafted in 1956 and later amended to back these statements up.

Second, I am going into Saturday morning’s meeting with a different paradigm than the one that Ms. Pierce conveyed in her statements to the Greenfield Recorder. I am going in to the meeting with the intent of building and sustaining synergy with my colleagues from the Town of Orange. I want to be part of a solution rather than part of an argument that has gone on for years. Rather than remind readers about what a wonderful school community Mahar is and rather than write about the ills of educating children in crowded classrooms, I am choosing to write about the need to change some hearts and some minds. Mahar should not be viewed separately from the communities of Orange, Wendell, New Salem and Petersham.
The unfortunate suicide of South Hadley teen, Phoebe Prince has brought about a renewed sense of purpose for school officials, legislators, those in law enforcement, parents, teachers, and students. Events such as those that recently took place in South Hadley, MA have a way of setting off a chain of events that forever change the landscape of the day to day operation of schools in America. I can compare the anti-bullying vigilance of recent days to the exponential increase in lockdown drills and implementation of Emergency Planning that took place in schools after the events at Columbine High School in 1999.

Never before has the actions of bullies been so clearly defined. In the book “The Bully, the Bullied, and the Bystander” Barbara Coloroso (2008) describes three elements of situations that involve bullies and those being bullied. First, the situation always involves an imbalance of power. That is that the offender is often bigger, older, stronger, more verbally equipped, or has more capital with peers. Second, the bully always acts with intent to harm. The offender means to inflict some type of physical or psychological pain on the victim or victims, and it is never an accident. Third, in instances of bullying both the offender and the victim know that the bullying can and most likely will occur again. This threat of further aggression is often the reason that bullying goes unreported to adults.

Coloroso (2008) asserts that the terror that is generated from the above mentioned actions renders victims powerless. Once this terror exists there is potential for extreme acts of aggression, retaliation, and a cycle of violence that can come from either the offender or the victim. School administrators and teachers now intimately aware and focused on the interactions of students with one another in classrooms, in the hallways, in the cafeteria, and on the sports fields have been hyper vigilant about ensuring that students are not engaging in these behaviors.

When crises such as those in South Hadley strikes the public school system groups of people whom I refer to as “Crisis Entrepreneurs” move quickly. These are groups of people and corporations who profit from seriously unfortunate events. To date, I have received about a dozen invitations to seminars and weekend retreats to meet with “professionals” about mitigating the problems caused by bullying in schools. One of these conferences was $600.00 per person to attend, and it came with a weekend stay at a four star hotel. These invitations come to me by fax, by E-mail, and in via the US Postage service. The faxes go in the recycle bin along with the mail, and the E-mails go directly to the junk E-mail box.

The Ralph C. Mahar Regional School has a department that focuses specifically on Student Support Services. Among this group of highly qualified professionals are veteran school counselors, a school psychologist, licensed school social workers, and a support team facilitator. This group meets weekly to discuss the interactions of individual and groups of students, their behavior in and outside of school, and proactive approaches to stopping violence while ensuring school wide social-emotional wellness. At Mahar, we understand a very simple fact: If students are not well, learning cannot and will not take place. How could a student who fears for his or her safety focus subjects like Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, or anything else for that matter?

The No Child Left Behind Act calls upon school administrators to focus on student drop out rates, performance on state assessments, graduation rates, and specifically the performance of students in selected populations such as Special Education, English Language Learners, and those from Low Income Families. Take the pressure of these accountability standards and when added to the previous and approaching budget crises the public schools are faced with an entirely new set of problems. There is only so much funding, and where should it go? Do we risk lower test scores to keep our students safe? Do we focus on their wellness even though it might mean that class sizes may go up in our schools?

To me the answer is simple. The safety of our students comes first. Those who are best poised to ensure student safety are those who are trained to listen to them and when needed, act as their voices. I recognize that we are in a budget crisis – but I will not allow any reduction in funding to fall on the backs of our children who are in need of the most support. Those who are reading this article who have been bullied or been bullies know that bullying is not isolated to schools. Perhaps there are bullies in our adult lives too. It is my hope that the proactive approach of Mahar and the proactive approaches of other public schools will not only keep our students safe now, but educate them for a future in which they go out of their way to help, rather than hurt others.

Mahar Regional School scored five times with two outs in the fifth inning to overtake a feisty Athol High School squad and the Senators went on to register a 5-3 Hampshire League baseball victory Monday afternoon in Orange.

After Athol pitcher Eric LaFountain recorded the first two outs of the fifth inning, he ran into control problems and allowed five walks. The first two Senator runs scored on a wild pitch and a passed ball, while Mike Pierson pushed home the third run of the game on a walk. Matt Bardsley then untied the score with a two-run double to plate the winning runs.

That was more than enough for Blayne Calcari, who helped keep Mahar (8-2, 7-1) in first place in the HL. The pitcher came on in relief in the fourth and pitched three shutout innings, striking out five and walking one. Pierson picked up the save by striking out the side in the seventh and giving up just one hit.

LaFountain pitched well in the loss, giving up only three hits in five innings of work. Ben Ledgard and Evan Webster each finished with one hit and one RBI for the Red Raiders, who dropped to 1-9 overall.

Recorder Staff

ORANGE — Nathaniel Hickey and Jose Padilla-Cordero strutted through the rain, with Alicia Raymond close behind in her wheelchair, delivering the fruits — in this case, the dog biscuits — of their labor to some needy canines currently housed at Athol Animal Shelter.

The three young adults are students of the CAPS Education Collaborative at Ralph C. Mahar Regional School. Not one of the three is able to communicate with words, but their smiles, applause and excitement said it all.

From April 5 to 16, the three students collected dog and cat food at Mahar to donate to the shelter.

“We all thought this would be the best fundraiser for us to do since we already make all-natural dog biscuits as part of their vocational training,” said Carolyn LaBrack-Pietila, their teacher.

LaBrack-Pietila and teacher assistants, Linda LeBlanc and Nancy Shell, spend each school day with Hickey, Padilla-Cordero and Raymond, teaching them the life skills they’ll need as they move on from Mahar.

The CAPS Education Collaborative is a satellite program offered at Mahar for children with moderate to severe multiple disabilities, which include sensory impairments, behavioral problems and medical issues. The high school program is offered to students up to age 22.

The three students spend their time on academics, work (collecting shopping carts at the local Hannaford supermarket) and baking dog biscuits.

“They do everything to make the biscuits,” said LaBrack-Pietila. “They shop for the ingredients, mix the ingredients, bake them and bag them.”

Tender Heart Veterinary Care in Gardner sells the biscuits for the students.

LaBrack-Pietila said the three students study for MCAS and take the test that suits each of their academic levels. They also learn communication and computer skills.

For the dog and cat food drive, the three set up boxes in the school and collected from other students, teachers and staff.

They created a poster advertising their drive and providing information about shelter animals. They also handed out fliers.

The three students live at home. Raymond lives in Orange and the two young men live in Winchendon.

LaBrack-Pietila said the three will be in a day program at a life skills facility after they leave Mahar.

Athol Animal Control Officer Jennifer Arsenault, who was thrilled to receive the food and snacks last Tuesday, said the shelter sees about 50 to 60 dogs each year and 400 to 500 cats. The shelter is funded by donations and is run by the town’s two paid part-time animal control officers with the help of volunteers.

For more information about the CAPS Education Collaborative, call (9780 632-2208 Ext. 113 or visit:

www.capsped.org.

By ANITA PHILLIPS

Recorder Staff

Aerial View

Mahar English Teacher, John Speek

Bringing words to life

Poet’s Seat Poetry Contest showcases poets among us

Recorder Staff, 5/1/10

“Duet”

- to my Quinn Emmeline

We sit together hip to hip she and I.
She fits neatly under my arm while she
Sings keeping her own tune, measure and time.

She’s not quite two. Her deep auburn hair lies
Down over one eye. And she is happy
To sit together hip to hip she and I.

She sings without notes or words. And I smile
Listening to her nascent melody.
And I sing too.  Even though I keep time,

Our voices pair, she the solo and I
The comping, and blend our plain harmony
While we sit there hip to hip she and I.

And whole minutes pass while this hymn flies
Upward calling out in its reverie
To sing our tune without measure or time.

And then it passed as we finished its line.
And I brushed back her hair remembering
How we sat together hip to hip she and I
And with this simple tune measured our time.
John Speek