Category Archives: Newburyport

February 27, 2009 · 6:35 pm

Whose Fault is that 292-Foot Wind Turbine??

A 292-foot wind turbine, that only a visually-impaired environmentalist could love, looms large over Route One in Newburyport.

That 292-foot high wind turbine is quite a sight, isn’t it? Try NOT looking at it when you ride along Route One in Newburyport.

The Current hit the target when they referred to it as, “A 292-foot mistake,” on their February 27th editorial page.

But whose mistake was it? The editorial leaves the impression that Mark Richey and his “experts” tricked the city council. We’re to believe that these experts, employed by the wind turbine proponents, minimized the negatives and our city council didn’t catch on. Are our councilors that naiveté? I don’t think so.

In my opinion, Newburyport is a community in which the care of the environment is very important. When someone comes along with an idea that seems to head in that direction the resistance loses ground.

Mark Richey’s wind turbine was just such an idea. The advocates touted its environmental positives and discovered that in this town they were preaching to the choir. The disorganized opponents were dismissed as over-reacting and not able to see the big picture.

Well, now the wind turbine is in place. One look tells you that it is a monstrosity and the happy environmentalist chatter will not change that. Instead of admitting their complicity in the decision to allow the tower, the city council cowardly attempts to slide the blame elsewhere.

I suspect that many of the most ardent, “environment first – people second” advocates, do not have the wind turbine in their sight lines. They assume that those that do will get used to it for the greater good of the community.

When Senator Ted Kennedy was alerted to the fact that speck-sized wind turbines would be built off Hyannis, the champion of alternative and renewable energy lost the fire in his belly and made sure they weren’t built. What is a hypocrite?

I believe that the “environment first – people second” crowd in Newburyport have given us a wonderful example of what their views look like in real life. When they start trying to “walk their talk”, in the future, it is time to remember their 292-foot mistake.

(Prepared as a letter to the editor for the Newburyport Current on February 27th.)

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Filed under 292-foot wind tower, Newburyport, Newburyport Current

Tagged as environmentalists, Mark Richey, Newburyport, Newburyport Current

February 23, 2009 · 7:53 pm

Top Honors Go To Newburyport Indoor Track Team

Newburyport indoor track coach Tim Foley with Caroline Barnaby and Kyle LeBlanc.

The Newburyport indoor track team swept all of the “of-the-year” awards in the Cape Ann League Small division this season.

Newburyport coach Tim Foley was selected top coach in both girls and boys divisions while team members Caroline Barnaby and Kyle LeBlanc were the female and male athletes of the year.

Tim Foley started the indoor program at Newburyport with Don Hennigar in 1995. “The AD at the time (Dave Canaan) informed us that there might be funding for an indoor program,” he told me. “It was something that Don (cross country coach) and I (outdoor track coach) had wanted to put in place for some time.”

Starting the program was one thing, actually operating it was quite another. “It is pretty much the same throughout the Cape Ann League with everyone having facility stories to tell,” he joked. “In the past years, we’ve used the Salvation Army, the Army Corps of Engineers building, Hope Church, and last year a warehouse. This was the first year we used the high school. It’s small but at least it’s in the actual school building.”

Despite what has to be considered inconveniences, the program has thrived, especially this season. The two teams only lost once within the CAL Small division. “Our captains did a great job of recruiting and we had over forty kids involved,” he added. “We find ways to make our time together fun and I think we have succeeded.”

It certainly helped the Clipper indoor track team to have talented performers like Caroline and Kyle on the squad.

Caroline has been with the track program for four years and although she specializes in the high jump (tied for the NHS record at 5’2”) her value to the team is a result of her, “versatility,” according to Coach Foley.

“When I was a freshman Coach Foley set up the high jump bar and asked some of us to try it just to see what we could do,” Caroline recalled. “I kind of flew over 4’10” without any training and he decided that I should specialize in that event.” Later she would add the 55-meter dash, hurdles, and relays to her event list.

Coach Foley knew about junior Kyle LeBlanc after watching him run track at the Nock Middle School. “The first time I saw him run I knew he was a keeper. He was that much better than anyone else.”

“Kyle has been undefeated in the 55-meter dash the last two seasons in the CAL and is the NHS record holder in the event,” said Coach Foley. “He has been our best long jumper and also runs on a variety of relay teams.”

“The CAL track coaches nominate people for the end-of-the-year awards and provide statistics,” he said. “Sometimes the final decision is hard to figure. Not this time. Kyle won the award easily.”

Kyle took up indoor track at the high school on the encouragement of some of his older friends. “I had always played basketball in the winter,” he said. “I came out for track and had a good season and really enjoyed it.”

Kyle told me that initially he thought that track might conflict with his first love – baseball. “It has been just the opposite,” he explained. “One of my biggest assets in baseball is my speed. The training I’ve gotten in track has improved my running form and increased my overall speed.”

Coach Foley described Kyle as a “top-shelf kid.” “He’s got a lot of things going for him. He scored 12-14 touchdowns for the football team. He’s the number one track athlete we have and he’s even better in baseball. He’s also a top student.”

( Prepared for The Town Common for publication March 4th. )

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Tagged as Carolyn Barnaby, Don Hennigar, Kyle LeBlanc, Newburyport Indoor Track, Tim Foley

January 11, 2009 · 9:59 pm

MVPs At All Newburyport High School Home Basketball Games

Paul Coleman, Peter Murray, Pete Carlson, and Tom O'Brien pose before another NHS home basketball game.

They are easy to miss, but if you go to enough Newburyport High School home basketball games, for either boys or girls, you will soon figure out that a certain four gentlemen were there every time you went.

The men I am referring to are; Paul Coleman, Pete Carlson, Peter Murray, and Tom O’Brien.

Paul takes care of the ticket sales at the home games while Pete, Peter, and Tom make up the stat crew.

“They’re invaluable to me,” said NHS athletic director John Daileanes in reference to the four of them, when I spoke with him during the recent home NHS/Masco junior varsity game. “They have always been reliable and they know what they’re doing. They also have great personalities.”

Paul Coleman coached football and taught at NHS for many years. He became involved with ticket sales during that time. “I have probably been doing this for 25 years,” he said. “I heard that they needed someone back then so I volunteered.”

His job at the games is probably not one that most folks would enjoy. “I spend the first half with my back to the game,” he explained. “Sometimes I’ll sneak a peek at what’s going on. I usually get to see the second half.” Paul is retired but finds time to substitute teach at NHS.

The other three men are at the scorer’s table with arguably the best view in the house. It is a place, however, where drawing attention is not usually a good thing.

“People who have never done stat work don’t realize that it can be nerve-wracking,” added AD Daileanes. “Like an official, you’re only noticed if something is wrong.”

All three stat men started doing their jobs at the Nock Gym.

“I was a spectator at a lot of the games there when the AD then, Jim Stehlin, asked me to do the scorebook,” recalled Pete Carlson. “For a while I took care of the book home and away. I’ve been part of the stat crew for about twenty years.” His specific jobs now are the possession arrow and the 35-second clock.

Peter Murray is the rookie of the group. “It’s been sixteen years for me,” he said. “I take care of the game clock.”

“You get a different perspective of the kids from where I’m seating at the scorer’s table than you do in the classroom and I like that,” added the fifth-year NHS wellness teacher and girl’s softball coach

The dean of the group is Tom O’Brien. Known to almost everyone in Newburyport as City Councilor Tom O’Brien, his connection to athletics at NHS is a lengthy one. “I sold tickets for 21 years and during the last nine years I’ve been keeping the scorebook,” he told me.

When asked to compare keeping the scorebook with being a city councilor he smiled and said, “This is exciting but nothing is as exciting as the city council. There’s a thrill a minute there. It’s relaxing here.”

There is some financial compensation but the draw for the men is being among friends. “We have a good time together,” was how Peter Murray put it.

(Prepared for The Town Common and should appear in that weekly on January 21st.)

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Filed under Newburyport, NHS MVPs, Town Common

December 19, 2008 · 5:37 pm

Committed Newburyport Field Hockey Team Wins 13 Games

Clipper field hockey captains Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon

The turnaround for the Newburyport field hockey program was significant.

After winning a total of nine games the previous two seasons, the Clippers were victors in thirteen matches in 2008 and reached the Division 2 North quarterfinals.

How did they do it? I learned the answers from 2nd year coach Lauren Hefferan recently in the Anna Jaques cafeteria. Lauren is a clinical leader in the cardiac unit at AJH.

“The key to the team’s success was the commitment that the seniors on this team made,” explained Coach Hefferan. “They were the first kids this program has had that practiced skills all year round.”

More and more the out-of-season practice has become important. “In the Cape Ann League, you need to have players working out in the off-season just to be competitive because many of the teams are so good,” added Lauren.

Lauren said that she started seeing the results of the team’s commitment to improve in 2007 when the team finished 5-10-4. “The skill improvement was noticeable,” she said. “Our biggest problem was that we couldn’t put the ball in the net.”

Enter senior Ashley Karelis in 2008. “She was on the team in 2007 but didn’t score very much,” recalled Lauren. This year Ashley netted 15 goals. “We only scored seven goals during all of 2007 so you can see how important she was to the team.”

The Clippers also had a solid group of JV’s (Cassandra Davis, Haley Johnson, and McKenzie Maguire) join the varsity. “Sometimes underclassmen can be intimidated when they move up but not these kids.”

Strong at every position and able to score goals, the Clippers put together a stretch of thirteen games this season in which they didn’t lose.

“We lost to powerful North Andover 1-0 early in the season and came away realizing how much we had improved over last season,” said Lauren. “They had beaten us 7-0 in 2007.”

A little over a month later, against the same team, the final score was 1-1. “That game was memorable because it was supposed to be played at home but because of the lockdown we had to go over there for a second time, yet we still did very well,” she added.

Asked about coaching her daughter she said, “Callie was easy to coach. She probably worked as hard at field hockey as anyone has. I pushed her because I had a good idea what it would take for her to become really good at the sport. Fortunately, she had a bunch of close friends who joined her in working at field hockey year round. That made it a lot easier for her.”

The CAL Coach of the Year played field hockey at Haverhill and then went on to be part of a UNH team that was ranked 7th in the country her junior year. “I have tried to stay involved in field hockey since graduating from UNH,” she said. “In the off-season, I coach at UNH and Seacoast United (Hampton NH) wherever they need help and whenever my schedule allows it. Many of my former UNH teammates are coaches in those places as well.”

Callie Hefferan, Tricia Grasso, and Taylor Damon (the team’s senior captains) caught the field hockey bug as freshman. “We all started playing together after Callie’s mom told us about the game and helped sign us up for a camp,” said Tricia.

Now the girls hope to play at the next level. “I expect to play at Franklin Pierce,” said Taylor. Callie and Tricia have yet to settle on colleges but want to continue playing if the opportunity presents itself.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 31st)

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Filed under Lauren Hefferan, Newburyport

Tagged as Callie Hefferan, Lauren Hefferan, Newburyport field hockey, Newburyport High School, Taylor Damon, Tricia Grasso

December 17, 2008 · 2:32 pm

Local Sporting Events: A Gift Waiting to be Opened Year Round

I enjoy watching athletic events all year long and I find them to be a little bit like Christmas.

A lively crowd abandons TVs and computers for an evening of high school basketball on December 16th at NHS. The Clippers defeated Triton, 63-57

Sporting events are a natural occasion for participants and family spectators to enjoy special times together. It is also an enjoyable take for those of us on the outside looking in, to be able to witness this phenomenon.

Those special times are not necessarily celebrating victories but are always opportunities to watch character-building interactions that strike me as very important in the grand scheme of things.

Visit a game and you’ll see players comforted after losses by their parents. Few words are spoken but the athletes get the message – “Win or lose, we’re here for you.”

The very fact that parents attend athletic events involving their children is special. The younger the participants the more likely it is that a child will be looking into the crowd for his/her parents. Am I the only one who has seen a participating child wave to his family while a game is going on?

It is also nice to see the bonding that goes on within a team during a game and during a season. I have no doubt that coaches promote the idea of being supportive teammates.

When a team/teammate is struggling that support is taken to a higher level. I witnessed this at Georgetown High School on December 15th. GHS was playing talented Cathedral High of Brighton in a nonleague let’s-see-how-good-we-are boys’ basketball game. I went to see celebrated GHS sophomore Jaymie Spears play and decided to chart everything he did. Not long into the game, I realized that the talented 5-10 guard was living a nightmare in front of a large audience. By halftime, he had made just one of fourteen shots. Discouraged? You bet he was but during every stoppage of play, I saw teammates and coaches encouraging him. I wish I could say that things got better in the second half but they didn’t. He could only hit one of thirteen shots in the second half and his team ended up losing by a point. However, through it all, his teammates and coaches stayed positive. I came away believing that the support system in place on Coach Mike Rowinski’s Royals team will enable the young man to move on and that all involved have learned and displayed valuable life lessons in the process.

It doesn’t always happen but two of the area teams (Newburyport girls’ soccer and Amesbury football) rewarded their towns with the gift of their dreams – state championships.

NHS girls’ soccer is the epitome of a successful program. A well-run feeder system is in place and surely had plenty to do with winning a second straight state championship this season. Cape Ann League All-Stars will graduate but this has been a team that doesn’t rebuild, it reloads.

At Amesbury High School, the football program took a turn for the better when the current seniors were freshmen and had an undefeated season. Those freshmen moved on to the varsity the next season and were the nucleus of a team that wiped out Martha’s Vineyard and won Amesbury’s first Super Bowl ever.

For me the beauty of attending officiated local sports is that I never attend knowing the outcome in advance – kind of like unwrapping a Christmas present. Predictably, interesting things will unfold.

The only “danger” in attending a local sporting event is that one game may not be enough for you. Before long, you’re turning off the TV or computer and heading out to take in some real action on a regular basis.

(To be published in The Town Common on December 24th)

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Filed under Georgetown, Jaymie Spears, Newburyport

Tagged as Georgetown High School, Jaymie Spears, Mike Rowinski, Newburyport High School, Triton High School, Triton Vikings

November 21, 2008 · 5:35 pm

Don’t Extend the School Day at Nock Middle School

Why in the world would they want to extend the school day at Nock Middle School?

Alyson Aiello writes in second paragraph of “Nock looks at longer days” in the Newburyport Current (November 21st), “The idea (extra hour of school) came about based on last spring’s MCAS results, which fell short of expectations.”

Don’t you wonder how schools with results that don’t fall short of expectations, manage to get good scores in just a normal school day? Wouldn’t a visit to those successful, nearby middle schools make more sense than a trip to the Expanded Learning Time summit on December 5th? Probably cost a lot less as well.

Administrators can be part of the underachieving problem.

Some administrators make it difficult for teachers to teach. If you think that teachers have 180 days of full class periods to teach, you’re dreaming. Distractions may abound such as disruptive students, uncomfortable classrooms, assemblies, workshops, etc… I suspect that the fewer the distractions the better the learning possibilities will be.

Teachers can be part of the underachieving problem.

A few years ago in Chattanooga (TN), the teachers in the underachieving schools were required to reapply for their jobs. Many teachers weren’t rehired. That’s because if there’s one thing that the state tests do it is to point out the underachieving teachers and departments. I wonder if all of the Nock Middle School teachers would be rehired if they had to reapply?

Students can be part of the underachieving problem.

Lack of incentive could well be an issue. What’s in it for a middle school student taking the MCAS? A high schooler needs to pass to graduate. Not so with a middle schooler.

Also in the mix is the fact that some students learn slowly. It often isn’t for lack of effort, just lack of ability. However, their scores count and affect a school system’s score.

When a school’s test results fall short of expectations, does it make any sense to have extended learning time for the teachers and students who are NOT falling short? Of course not, unless it is voluntary, which this doesn’t appear to be.

On the other hand, why not make the extra hour mandatory for those who underachieved?

The students would get extra help in the subject areas they need help in and be taught by teachers the administration thinks will do the best job at it. The selected teachers would be compensated for the extra time.

The underachieving teachers would now have an extra hour to prepare and to attend teaching/subject area workshops. Should a school system allow an underachieving teacher to be involved in extracurricular activities such as sports?

Expand the learning time only for the students and teachers who, according to the MCAS, need it. I think it would pay off.

(Sent as a letter-to-the-editor to the Newburyport Current on November 21st)

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Filed under Newburyport, Newburyport Current

Tagged as ELT, Expanded Learning Time, Newburyport, Nock Middle School

November 12, 2008 · 3:38 pm

Newburyport Wins Round Two in Div 3 soccer tournament

Veronica Poirier scores

(Newburyport) I took advantage of another home game (Tuesday-November 11th) for the defending state champion Newburyport girls’ soccer team and watched them defeat North Reading at Cherry Hill, 2-0.

This was an entirely different game from the Nazareth game a few days ago. North Reading not only had good players but they share the same conference (Cape Ann League) as Newburyport. The Hornets had hung with the Clippers earlier in the season losing only 3-1.

Again, situated near the opponent goal I caught a pretty good shot (pictured above) of a goal being scored. It was the first one and in this case turned out to be the winner in the 2-0 victory.

Veronica Poirier was the goal scorer and it came after a Clipper corner kick (Laura Muise) and a scramble in front. Veronica rushed down the middle and drove the ball (note the ball in the picture) high into the net.

Next for Newburyport is a rematch with Lynnfield. The teams tied during the regular season (2-2) and this promises to be a very tightly contest affair. The game will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in Lynn at Manning Field at 5PM. I hope to be on hand for it.

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Tagged as Laura Muise, Newburyport, Newburyport High School, North Reading, Veronica Poirier

November 9, 2008 · 2:54 am

Newburyport girls cruise in tourney soccer opener

Sara Casey Scores

(Newburyport) Watched the excellent Newburyport soccer girls easily defeat Our Lady Nazareth, 10-0, at Cherry Hill on Friday (November 7th) afternoon.

The action almost never left the Naz half of the field and my location near the Naz goal provided numerous opportunities to see goals scored. The photo above pictured Sara Casey just after she slide one past the extremely busy Naz goalie and into the net in the first half.

The Newburyport girls now advance in the Division 3 North tournament to face familiar Cape Ann League foe, North Reading. Earlier in the CAL season the Newburyport girls defeated North Reading on the road, 3-1. Game time is at 2PM on Tuesday (November 11th) back at Cherry Hill Field. This matchup is certain to be much more competitive.

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Tagged as Newburyport, Sara Casey, soccer

May 26, 2008 · 10:02 pm

Memorial Day in Newburyport

(Newburyport City Councilors march in the Memorial Day parade)

(Essex County Sheriff Frank Cousins addresses Memorial Day gathering in front of Newburyport City Hall)

(Tony Dube of the Newburyport High School band prepares to play Taps at the Veteran’s Cemetery on Memorial Day)

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Filed under Memorial Day, Newburyport, Uncategorized

May 23, 2008 · 8:40 pm

Newburyport High School Senior Athletes Discuss Sports

No question sports are a big part of the lives of recently graduated Newburyport seniors, Colleen Coviello and Richie Burke (pictured above).

“I started playing during all seasons in elementary school,” recalled Richie.

For Colleen a year round sports life began in 4th grade. “Soccer was the sport I started with and then other sports came along.”

During high school, Colleen participated in soccer as well as indoor and outdoor track. Summertime found her playing more soccer at camps.

Richie was able to involve himself in football, lacrosse, golf, basketball, and baseball during his four years at Newburyport High. “I played lacrosse and football in just my freshman year,” he explained. “I had a couple of concussions and switched to baseball and golf to go along with basketball. I had to stay away from all contact sports on doctor’s orders.”

Richie’s love of sports motivated him to keep his grades up. “You want to participate and you know that you need good grades to do that. Sometimes you come home tired from practice/games but you know that you have to get your schoolwork finished so you do. I tried to get as much work done in school as I could.”

Organizing her schedule away from sports was important to Colleen. “You must manage your time. You realize early on that after practice you have to get the work done because there is no other time available.”

Colleen credited her coaches for helping her academically. “I was never overwhelmed because the coaches were very good about giving me time if I needed to catch up on something in a class.”

For most high school year round athletes the transition to college takes some doing. Why? Depending on the college they attend, there is a good chance that they will not be active in college sports year round the way they were in high school. That is the case with Colleen. She is going to Division 1 College of Charleston in South Carolina.

“I’ll try club soccer and see how that goes,” she said. “There probably will be free time away from classes and homework. I am willing to try new things. Maybe volleyball or flag football. If I’m not active I could get bored pretty fast.”

Richie on the other hand could well continue to be a year round athlete at Division 3 Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts. He was recruited to play basketball there and expects to try out for baseball as well. “Among other things such as working I’ll be training for college basketball.”

“Athletics were the best part of high school,” added Richie. “My memories will be of being with different people each season.”

Colleen’s memories of high school sports are more precise. “The thing that I will always remember will be this past soccer season (Division C state champs). Many of my best friends were on the team. We had an unbelievable season and ended up state champions.”

( Likely to appear in The Town Common in late June or July )

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Tagged as Colleen Coviello, Newburyport, Newburyport High School, Richie Burke