Barbara Van Reed

Mention the word “used car dealer” to someone and you will get a reaction. Lately, around here, Darryl Rivernider might come to mind. I met Mr. Rivernider last fall when he came into The Patriot office to place an ad for used cars. He insisted none of his cars were “salvage,” but pointed out that other used car dealers in the area do sell salvage vehicles.

You may take that statement for whatever it is worth. My next encounter with Mr. Rivernider would have been in Worcester Superior Court, but he failed to show up.

I had occasion to go used car shopping recently, and it remains a mystery to me as to how to do it well. It seems largely a matter of being at the right place at the right time.

Last week while visiting family in Modesto, California, we went used-car shopping for our daughter. We were hoping to find something for under $10,000 to replace the 1997 Corolla she’d been driving.

Our first stop was a huge CarMax lot at an intersection beginning a long block of car dealers on both sides of the road…an Automile of sorts. CarMax isn’t as well known in New England, but it’s a sizable chain, highly automated, an impressive operation with more than 100 dealerships nationally. Our sales rep said they’ve just opened a store in North Attleboro, so now you can visit one here.

There were hundreds of cars on the Modesto lot, but only five were under our price point. We checked out a 2002 Saturn SC1 with 115K miles and a “suicide door,” for just $6,599. Our sales rep was friendly, if not knowledgeable about the details of each of the cars, which is understandable with so many models and makes. Cars at CarMax have a 30-day warranty. The salesman said they could finance anything and anyone, though when pressed said that interest rates go as high as 23%.

Our next stop was Roberts Used Cars across the street. They’d been recommended to us, but we weren’t impressed, mostly because there wasn’t a sales rep in sight. Maybe we should have been pleased with this “no-one will be tailing you” approach to used car sales. But after winding and wandering through rows of randomly parked cars, we gave up trying to find something that worked and went into the office. The man on the phone made us wait until he finished his conversation, then grudgingly looked up what cars he had available for under $10,000 There were two. He waved us over to the “back wall” of the lot, and to somewhere in the third row. We never did find it.

The third used car dealer we stopped at, Modesto Supercars, had another approach. “We sell everything as is,” the sales rep told us, and if you want a Carfax, it’s $40. The ’05 Nissan Sentra he had on the lot, with 124K miles, for $7,995, might have been a good deal. Same for an ’04 Honda Accord with 122K miles for $10,900. But how do you know, really? Having a car checked out with a trusted mechanic is good advice, surely, but how many times can you do that and how many Carfaxes do you want to pay for? We seriously could have used Tom and Ray (Car Talk) with us on this tour.

We then decided to try to the used car from a new-car-dealer route instead. We visited Toyota, Nissan, Honda, and Chevrolet. The Nissan owner also had the dealerships for Chrysler, Pontiac, Jeep, Hyundai and others. Kind of like a Herb Chambers of Modesto. Our sales rep drove us from one lot to the other looking for vehicles under $10,000. He showed us an ‘02 Toyota Camry with 139,000 miles for $7,968 and an ‘04 Chrysler Concord LXI with 150K miles for $5,695.

After two days of looking, we learned a lot. But the most important thing was something we wish the sales people had told us in the beginning. Banks (at least those in California) won’t finance anything older than 2005 or a car that has more than 75,000 miles on it. That pretty much ruled out everything we’d been looking at.

On the third day we bought a 2010 model year car with 41,000 miles on it. It was a little more money than planned, but it had the original warranty that’s good for ten years or 100,000 miles. It seemed to be the best solution for our daughter.

Back in the office this week, I asked The Patriot staff about their used car experiences. One recently bought a car for her teenaged son, from a private party. “I’m not sure that was such a good decision,” she said, “We’re having some problems with it.” When she told us the make, year and price, it seemed like the price was low enough absorb a couple of fixes. Another said she bought a used 2010 Malibu from a big local dealer a few months ago and is totally happy. “I love my car,” she said.

This column isn’t meant to criticize used car dealers; it’s merely to recount a car shopping experience by naïve buyers.

Here at The Patriot, we love all our car dealer advertisers, new and used.

One of few in region that provides vaccinations.

SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass., February 20, 2012 -- Harrington HealthCare System has opened the Harrington Travel Clinic, which provides high-quality travel consultation and travel medicine-related services.

The Harrington Travel Clinic, at 164 South Street in Southbridge, one block from Harrington Hospital, serves the needs of individuals who require vaccinations and other travel-related health advice and information before traveling. The Harrington Travel Clinic can be reached at 508-765-8196 or by visiting www.harringtonhospital.org. Visits are by appointment only.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to offer a vital service that is very much needed and not currently available in this area,” said Debra Vescera, R.N., B.S.N., who is Director of the Harrington Travel Clinic as well as Harrington’s Preventive Health Coordinator. “For several years, Harrington has received a number of calls every week by individuals looking for travel advice and vaccinations.”

The Clinic will not only provide immunizations, but can also provide the traveler with information regarding food and water safety, insect repellent or other necessary pieces of travel information based on their destination.

The closest travel clinics are in Springfield and Worcester, Vescera said.

The Harrington Travel Clinic is staffed by Vescera and Nancy Johndrow, both of whom have been certified as Travel Vaccine Specialists by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the International Association of Travel Medicine. The clinic provides services for individuals age 2 and over. Children under the age of two should see their pediatrician for any recommended travel vaccinations.

Rabies Clinic is scheduled for March 10, 2012 

Anyone who is a resident of Dudley, Webster or surrounding towns will be eligible to have his or her animal vaccinated for a fee of $10 per animal. Cash only will be accepted.

Please have your animal on a leash or in a carrier. If the animal is aggressive, please have the animal muzzled. If you could, please bring current medical records for your animal.
 
The Dudley Rabies Clinic will be held on March 10, 2012, Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 at the Dudley Town Hall, located on 71 West Main Street in Dudley.
 
For more information call the Board of Health Office at: 508 949-8017.
Dudley Board of Health 71 West Main Street Dudley MA 01571 (508) 949-8017

By Steev Riccardo

The Shepherd Hill Rams put together a strong all-around performance and bounced the Clinton Gaels from the Large Schools Division of the Clark Tournament with a 58-46 win on Monday night.

The Rams will now advance to the semi-finals for a much-anticipated rematch with the #1 seed Quabbin Panthers, who cruised past Assabet 70-34, on Thursday night.

Senior guard Chris Patrinos, who played well all night, hit an early three-pointer and the Rams were on their way to a 20-11 first quarter lead.

Despite forcing the Gaels to the turn the ball over (12 times in the first half), the Rams were only able to convert a few times and couldn’t really open up the lead. Still, they were ahead 31-22 at half time and appeared to be a good position.

The teams played fairly evenly in the second half, but every time the Gaels try to get back in the game, the Rams countered with a big shot.

Senior forward Kyle McKissick, who finished with 13 points, made some key hoops down the stretch including a great tip-in from above the rim that drove the crowd into a frenzy.

Rams head coach Duane Corriveau felt like his team didn’t play nearly as well as they could have. “I didn’t feel that we were playing well enough, we stretched it out to15 a few times and then boom-boom, it’s back to nine.”

“I didn’t get the feeling that we were in control of the game throughout. What they did was they held the ball a lot against us and they ran a lot of stuff and they used up a lot of time and that helped and benefited us.”

Corriveau also felt that his team didn’t take advantage of some of the opportunities. “We turned them over a dozen times in the first half and I don’t think we converted very many, maybe two.”

The coach gave it to his team at half time and they responded, “We had a lot of turnovers in the first half and we went in the locker room and the coach yelled at us,” said McKissick. “We wanted to come out in the second half and turn it around and that’s what we did. We reduced our turnovers and scored more baskets.”

Patrinos finished with a team high 17 points and was encouraged by his team’s ability to play better in the second half. “We struggled a little bit with their defense and then we got sorted out and we seemed to do good after that.”

Corriveau liked seeing Patrinos score but was happier about his play on both ends and praised he and his teammates’ defense. “He (Patrinos) played great defensive tonight. We were worried about a couple of their guys playing the inside and they were pretty good. What we did tonight was collapse and stayed on the ball and we knocked a lot of balls loose.”

Matthew Rayla also had a strong game for the 14-6 Rams with eight points and nine rebounds in the win and was happy with “the way his team played together.”

After splitting with Quabbin in the regular season, all the marbles will be on the line Thursday night and it should be a real battle between two very good basketball teams.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com

By Steev Riccardo

When you first see and hear Lew Evangelides speak to an audience of school kids, your immediate impression will be that you are not listening to an average sheriff giving an ordinary speech.

Sheriff Evangelides has a certain hipness and down- to-earth feel about him that makes him approachable and someone you want to listen to. To make his points, he uses stories about musicians and celebrities, examples which kids can understand. The approach appears to be working. 

The Worcester County Sheriff is making time to visit at least two high school and middle schools per week to present his anti-drug and alcohol Face2Face program directly to kids. The program is an ongoing part of the Sheriff’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Education Initiative for Worcester County Schools.

Last week he spoke to both Oxford Middle School and Oxford High School students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol use.

“Part of the reason I wanted to run for sheriff was to make an impact on the community. I grew up in Worcester County, it’s my home community,” said the 6’ 7” Evangelides, who won the job in November 2010.

“I knew before I ran for sheriff that the most important impacts on what created crime were two-fold. There were people in prison and we wanted to make them less likely to repeat, and there were people who would be future prisoners, our young people.”  

Once elected sheriff, Evangelides listened to the stories the inmates told him, and he felt that he needed “to bring these stories to the young people because they think they are different, but they are not.”

“I have teenagers, and what you try and do is find a way to reach young people, and how you reach young people these days is through celebrities, through videos. We try and find examples which everyone is aware of, where drugs and alcohol have taken the wheels off of folks.

“These people are pretty famous for having died from drugs and alcohol, or their life is going down the tubes because of drugs and alcohol. Young people know it and although they find humor in it, I think it sends the message that they get it, and that’s the important thing.”

The audio and visual techniques that Evangelides and his team use have been working effectively to get the kids’ attention. Kids are interested in seeing and hearing stories about celebrities whom they know and admire.

“I love music and I know young people love music and musicians like Eminem have a way to reach them. He is trying to reach young people through his own story because he almost died from drugs and alcohol. He glorified the usage in his lyrics, but the reality was totally different.” 

Ironically, some of the celebrities who have been part of these presentations have died from drug- and alcohol- related causes, so that Evangelides has had to alter his presentation.

“It’s powerful for us, putting these presentations together, and seeing that we just lost Whitney Houston and we lost Amy Winehouse last year.”

Oxford High School Principal Kevin Wells was impressed and grateful to have Evangelides speak at the high school. “Basically, what we always have to do is expose kids to the reality of life. I thought the Sheriff did an outstanding job today of bringing that and highlighting what’s really out there. This is the real world, these are real choices and they can have a very negative impact. They call them the great removers, drugs and alcohol, they remove life, they remove self-esteem, so I thought he did an outstanding job of bringing that across today.”

Oxford Superintendent of Schools Allen Himmelberger was also on hand to hear the presentation. “We were glad to have Sheriff Evangelides here today to speak to our seventh and eight graders at the middle school and our nine and tenth grade students at the high school. He does a terrific job of sending the message on how drugs and alcohol are the reason why 90% of the people at the house of correction are there. The presentation is just terrific, it’s timely and it’s well done. We hope that our students get the message.”

“It seems to be very positively received and I hope to reach people before they make bad choices,” said Evangelides. Judging by the reaction he received from Oxford kids and even us adults on hand, the message is coming through loud and clear.

Evangelides is booked through April and will be speaking to kids in Webster in the spring.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com

By Steev Riccardo

Oxford High School senior Michelle Williams makes no bones about it, she is a field hockey player and loves the sport through and through.

This past season she was named to the Central Mass All-Star team after having a remarkable year with 28 goals and 13 assists, while leading her team to an amazing 18-0 regular season and a top seed in the Central Mass Division 2 tournament.

Williams has played her entire incredible career under Oxford High School head field hockey coach Shayna Mandella, and even though she didn’t initially want to play the sport, she became a star after of years of hard work.

“I never really wanted to play field hockey but my friends in the eighth grade wanted me to play intramurals with them because they didn’t have enough players on their team. At first I was, no I really don’t want to play, and then I started to play and we won the intramural championship, and I fell in love with the sport.” said Williams.

She then tried out for and made the middle school team, and they ended up having “a really good season.” She became hooked even further.

The summer before entering her freshmen year at Oxford, she went to a field hockey camp at Holy Cross, so she “could be good” before starting her high school career.

In her freshmen year, she played for both the junior varsity and the varsity team and called it “the best time ever.”

From that point on, she went to several camps, played indoor field hockey and got better and better in her sophomore and junior years.

“I never scored much, and then in my senior year all the hard work paid off” and she became a prolific scorer, netting 28 goals, which is pretty remarkable.

When named to the Central Mass All-Star team, Williams was “thrilled. It was amazing, I worked my butt off to play field hockey and to be rewarded was nice. It acknowledged the time and  hard work that I had put into it.”

Williams gives a lot of credit for her success to her long time coach Mandella, who she says “was always there for me, teaching me a lot.”

Lauren Chenevert, coach/coordinator with Worcester County WCU, was also a tremendous influence for Williams. “She taught me so much, I never really new the right way to play and she helped me approach it completely different and it worked.”

She also went to a clinic coached by Becker College’s Ginger Dailey, which further contributed to her development as an all-star.

Besides all of this is the the fact that Williams played with the same group of girls throughout her career, and that proved to be the best part of the whole experience.

Teammates Katy McCarthy, Linda Tron, Jenna Mandella, and honorable mention all-star/goal keeper Lauren Pushys, were always there for Williams. “We have been playing together since middle school and we been through a lot together, camps, clinics, they taught me a lot. We had a great relationship and we are all best friends.”

Williams has definite plans to play field hockey at the college level. She is being heavily recruited but has not made up her mind yet on where she wants to play.  She is looking for the best situation to combine academics and field hockey and has a lot of options to choose from.

Although she is somewhat undecided about a career path, field hockey opened her up to the fields of science and athletic training, and because of some of her injuries she became curious about the area of healing.

Williams says she owes a lot to her parents, Brian and Kathleen Williams, who were a “huge influence” on her and supported her attendance at  all the camps and clinics.

Oxford High School Principal Kevin Wells is also a big fan of Williams and her family. “Michelle is an outstanding student athlete, and I say student first. Her parents are very involved; they are at the forefront of running our booster club. They have put many hours into fundraising for Oxford athletics and contribute to the cultural enrichment programs that we have here as well, he said.

“Michelle loves field hockey and has put a tremendous amount of time into team building. Our field hockey team used to be one of the weaker teams in the league and now, because of going to summer camps and summer leagues and playing in the winter time, our program has really turned around. Michelle was one of the driving forces behind that,” he added.

Michelle is also member of the National Honor Society, and when not studying, likes to hang out with her friends and go dancing, and, of course, she goes to the gym regularly.

“She is a great kid and a powerful example for young women who are coming up to the high school level to emulate,” said Wells.

A lot of people at Oxford High School and in the Oxford community feel the same way about Michelle Williams as he does.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com

By Chief Steven J. Wojnar

Dudley Police Department

I was recently asked, by some college students, to clarify the “open container” law as it relates to automobiles.  In this context, the term open container refers to the presence and/or consumption of alcoholic beverages while in a motor vehicle.  These people were aware it was not permitted in terms of the driver; however, how does it apply to passengers?

The short answer is the rule pertains to all occupants of the vehicle.  The law covering open containers is found within Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90 Section 24I.  The “open container” applies to any “can, bottle, or receptacle...of an alcoholic beverage.”  They are prohibited in the “passenger area” of motor vehicles.  This area can be defined as that which is, “designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation...”  It also pertains to any area that is “readily accessible to the driver or any passenger...”  This includes the glove compartment.
 
Some exceptions do exist.  For example, vehicles designed and used for transportation of passengers for hire, are exempt.  These can include limousines or busses.  The laws in this case do not apply to the passengers; however, they are in full force for the driver.  The maximum first offense penalty for a violation of this law is a $500 civil fine.

The purpose of this law is to limit cases of impaired operation due to alcohol consumption.  This law at one time applied only to the operator.  The change went into effect around the year 2000 in order to promote safety on the roadways.

I wish to thank the Dudley Republican Town Committee for allowing me a few minutes to speak at their meeting held on Thursday, February 16^th at the Municipal Complex.  Senator Moore was on hand and provided everyone present with some valuable information on a number of topics. Representative Durant was also there and also addressed several issues with the group.  I wish to thank the committee for their hospitality and the opportunity to discuss points of interest with the members on hand.
 
I also extend my thanks to the residents of Joshua Place for their hospitality during my recent visit.  I met with the folks there on Friday, February 17^th and a nice crowd was on hand.  As is usually the case during these visits, I enjoyed the conversation, learned a great deal, and had a good time with everyone.

Thanks again for your questions and comments.  Please send them to me at the Dudley Police Department 71 West Main St. Dudley, Ma. 01571 or email at swojnar@dudleypolice.com.  Opinions expressed in this weekly column are those of Chief Wojnar only and unless clearly noted, do not reflect the ideas or opinions of any other organization or citizen.

Q: Are water bottles safe? My daughter told me that if you leave a water bottle in the car, the toxins from the plastic leech into the water. What is a safe plastic to use? ………………... Sonja, NY

A: The controversy about ’safe’ water bottles has been around for 4 or 5 years now. In ’08 it was all about the chemical BPA, which is used to line most food (including baby food, bottles and nipples) and drink cans as well as the production of the popular polycarbonate “clear” bottles like Nalgene. Currently the PET, polyethylene terephthalate is taking all the heat. If drinking something other than tap water is your choice, a safer alternative would be a glass bottle like Voss or Eden Springs.

Most manufacturers phased out the use of BPA (Bisphenol-A) but in the ensuing years other products have taken it’s place, and most of these do not divulge what the ingredients are. The plastic bottles in questions generally have the #7 in the recycle triangle on the bottom of the container. When choosing a reusable container choose one that has #2, #4, or #5 on the bottom, most of which have been deemed safe for long term use. Disposable bottles have a #1, which is good for a one time use only. Perhaps a better choice would be to put your water in a glass or metal container and save the landfill from tons of plastic bottles. Try Kleen Kanteen and New Wave Enviro, and the colorful aluminum bottles from Siqq (the newer versions).

As far as leaving your water in the car and exposing it to the heat of the sun, most experts agree that the PET bottles, #1 in the triangle on the bottom, are safe to drink from, even if they warm up in the car. Bottles with #7 on the bottom, have an indetermined content and you need to check the ingredients before using them this way.

If wondering about the hormonal imbalancing chemicals in the bottles isn’t enough to keep you from using so many bottles of water, perhaps the environmental impact of the water bottles might make a difference to you. It takes two liters of water to make the bottle that holds a liter of water. The energy used each year making the bottles needed to meet the demand for bottled water in the US is equivalent to more than 17 millions of barrels of oil. Enough to fuel over 1 million cars for a year. Only 10% of the one time use bottles ever make it to be recycled, most are put into landfills where it takes a thousand years to biodegrade.

We’ve talked about water bottles today. Next week we’ll look at the actual water itself and see if it’s really necessary to pay more for water than the gasoline we use.

Have a question, or is there something you’ve always wondered about. Ask Madalyn invites your questions.

Email: AskMadalyn@gmail.com

The Bay Path Football Team was honored at a Super Bowl ring ceremony on February 13th at Bay Path Regional High School. This is just an incredible story and adds to the legacy of Bay Path football and their Head Coach Al Dhembe. I have always said that "Bay Path football and Al Dhembe are the best kept secret in the state." Dhembe is the administrator of a program that has produced over 200 victories and numerous league titles and Super Bowls.Let me use Dhembe’s philosophy for all you young and inexperienced athletic directors that building a program is different than coaching a team. Dhembe has a program and he and his staff have worked hard to build and maintain it. Any Monday morning quarterback can coach a team. For that matter, even some parents think they can coach a team. See where I am going with this? However, building a program in today’s age of AAU and All Star trophies is almost non existent. Imagine the upcoming spring high school coaches dreading the 3rd Monday in March because they have to get their team ready to play in two weeks. Coaches who have a program in place never worry about these start up dates. They have off season schedules that are compliant with the MIAA. The weight room, summer league basketball, etc. are when you build a program. By the way, checking the athletes’ academics year round is the first part of building the program. Eligibility. When was the last time a local kid played a sport in college? Programs have 3-5 kids playing in college per year. Teams are lucky if they have one high school athlete going on to play in college and that is by chance and talent. Coaching is a commitment if you are building a program. College coaches should have the head coach on their speed dial. On the flip side, being a seasonal coach is a dangerous way to treat kids. The kids lack enthusiasm and miss out on the structure that a program has.

The reason why Bay Path had a recent ring ceremony last week is that Bay Path has a football program, not a team. Al Dhembe is committed to a program and the Bay Path kids have been the benefactors of this philosophy over the years. There is a big difference in a team and a program. All the Bay Path players and coaches received Super Bowl rings for their efforts in 2011. The "ring" is a symbol of the highest achievement a program can attain. Bay Path certainly elevated to this mark in 2011. Dhembe was also presented a banner for being the Coach in the Bay Path program who achieved 200 wins over his long tenure at Bay Path. Congratulations to everyone who wore the purple and gold over the years. Bay Path Football has got to be the most successful program in the state over the last 25 years.

Kudos to another program in the name of the Bartlett Indians who advanced in the Clark Tournament with a victory over North Brookfield on Sunday night. Yes, Tony Paranto the Indians’ mentor, is running a program not a team. The Indians played Quaboag last night in the semi finals of the small school division. Another program that has had tremendous success over the years is the Shepherd Hill girls’ basketball team. The Lady Rams, under the eyes of coach Jim Hackenson, played in the Westboro tourney and got beat by Algonquin. The Westboro tournament is a selective tourney that invites only the best programs year in and year out. The makeup of the tourney is Division teams.

The Rev. Janice C. Ford
Rector
The Church of the Reconciliation, Webster, MA

By January 20th I’d already received the ashes I’d ordered for Ash Wednesday.  It hadn’t even been a month since Christmas.  I had to look at the calendar to confirm what I already knew to be true:  Lent begins today, February 22^nd.  Those ashes have been staring at me from my desk for three weeks.  Every now and then I’d pick up the tiny plastic package stamped “100,” indicating that’s how many people could be marked with them.  Humph!  I wondered how the “ash company” figures that out.  The package certainly didn’t look big enough.  Do they line up 100 people and have someone use the ashes to mark the cross on their foreheads, and see how far they go?  Funny the things you wonder about when you’re staring at ashes.

The beginning of Lent notwithstanding, it occurs to me that we are all metaphorically staring at ashes.  Ashes represent the end of something.  The flame has died, and all that is left are the ashes.  Lent begins with the imposition of ashes so that we can be reminded of our mortality.  It’s sort of God’s way of saying to us, “Don’t get too comfortable in that body.  It won’t last forever.”

What does last forever, of course, is the next life we will have—the life that comes as a result of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  Without those two events, we would remain in the ashes for eternity.

Though we live in the hope of Jesus’ promise of eternal life, we are likely to experience times in our lives that have nothing to do with our physical death, yet we still feel we are living in the ashes.  Those things that challenge us such as financial concerns, relationship crises, addictions, stressors at work, etc. can make us feel that we are burning out of control, and that soon all that will remain are the ashes of our lives.

The good news (and remember, there is always Good News) is that God can help us navigate through those difficulties, too.  Turning all those concerns over to God, and sincerely asking that God’s will be done, can help us to rise up through those ashes like a phoenix.  In doing so, we discover that, no matter the outcome, we are able to live in physical, mental, emotional and spiritual peace.

As many of us come together today for the imposition of ashes, let’s think not only about our mortal death, but our living as well, and consider how we might ask Jesus to keep us out of the ashes even as he stirs the flame in our hearts.

By Steev Riccardo

First of all, let me give a big shout out to this column’s current sponsor, Drapery Blinds and Interior Design, in Webster. Check out their advertisement below! Drapery Blind’s own Jimmy Karapanos was a former star cornerback and return specialist for the Bartlett Indians a few years back and is a long time friend of this writer, and we are happy to have him sponsoring this column!

For a lot of high school seniors we are getting down to the nitty gritty in their high school careers and in weeks to come, we will be having some announcements on where some of these

Bartlett Seniors Miranda Smith, Meaghan Dwyer,
and Lindsay Bond. Photo by Steev Riccardo

local stars will be taking their talents. Stay tuned!

By the time you read this we will be right smack in the middle of Clark Tourney Mania and hopefully the local three will still be alive vying for a title. Bartlett is the most recent victor, taking the crown in 2006 and Oxford was victorious in 2000. Of course the dream match up would be Bartlett vs. Oxford in the championship game, but as I sit here writing this on Saturday morning perhaps I am just dreaming.

Lady Indians Blast Pioneers 47-41

Senior Lindsay Bond scored a career high 21 points and fellow senior Meaghan Dwyer also scored a career high 13 points, including a huge three pointer late in the game that sealed the deal and led the Indians to a 47-41 win over arch-rival Southbridge. Miranda Smith, the third senior on the squad, added eight points in the win.

The Bartlett seniors wanted to end their careers on a positive note. “We really wanted this and we played our hearts out. It was our last home game and all our energy came out right and it turned out well.” said Dwyer.

Indians’ leading scorer Bond added, “I came out shaky at the start but we pulled it all together and told all the girls this is it for us, the three seniors want to win this game. We lost by five last time and we wanted to beat them this time.”

Bartlett coach Chris Delvecchio was upbeat about his team’s performance. “From the moment we walked out of their gym the last time we met after losing a tough game, we had this game circled on our calendar. We knew it was going to be senior night, a chance to avenge the loss out at their place, a chance to prove to people that we really have gotten better as the season has gone along.”

The coach went on to compliment the play of his senior shooting guard. “Dwyer has about as much heart as anyone that I have ever coached. She wanted it really badly. She knocked down a huge three-pointer with one second on the shot clock at a critical point in the game.”

Bartlett Girls looking forward:

“Record wise we didn’t finish where we hoped to be, beyond that everything about the season has been a positive. The team played really hard. The girls really bought into showing up and doing their job every day which was a tribute to our seniors, our leaders on the floor, they have been outstanding.”

One player who is graduating and will be surely missed and hard to replace is Bond, who scored over 600 points in her five-year career on the varsity, which Delvecchio calls “no small feat.”

Junior Ashley Morio, who will be a key contributor next season, was lost to injuries during the season, but still showed a “great commitment to the team even when she was unable to play, which resonated through to the girls and she set a great example.”

Delvecchio is rightfully excited about where his team is heading. “The development of our young players and even just the fact that we have so many young players in the system who are playing key roles points towards us being more successful in the future.

Eighth grader Olivia Mandeville, who appeared in every varsity game, has the chance to really excel. “Her growth has been noticeable at multiple positions. She can handle the ball and she can play down low as well as she gets stronger and gains knowledge of the game. Through experience she is going to become a much more dangerous player next year as a freshman with a whole season of varsity already to draw upon.”

Another eighth grader who has all the tools to become an impact player next season is Katy Kobel, who is the younger sister of Bartlett boys’ star Nick.

“She stepped in and it’s almost like they took a little piece of Nick’s brain and put it inside of her,” said Delvecchio.

“She reacts and responds to things on the floor instinctively, it’s stuff that you can’t teach. She has no fear, she is a leader on the floor, and you don’t even have to tell her (what to do).”

5’9” Sophomore Kayla Podell, who has had to battle through injuries this year, is another player who has great potential and one that Delvecchio said he has high hopes for.

He also spoke about freshmen Ashley Iwanski, who has a “fantastic attitude and a high confidence level.”

There are several other players returning, including junior Kayla Sizer, a major contributor who played great defense all year, junior Jen Grooms, sophomore Danyelle Stone, and freshmen Lindsay Finkel, who is tough and plays as hard as anyone.

Delvecchio and his staff have plenty to be excited and optimistic about when it comes to the future of the Indians’ girls basketball program.

Bartlett Spring Coaching Staff Announced

Varsity Baseball – Jonathan Way

Junior Varsity Baseball – Enrique Sanchez

Varsity Softball – Colleen Nasis

Junior Varsity Softball – Sarah Kane

Girls Tennis – Phil Alston

Boys Tennis – Van Constantine

Boys Track And Field – Paul Lango

Girls Track And Field – Karen Crosby

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com with any sports news that you would like to see in The View!

It's been six months since I decided to look into the current Bariatric weight loss program. What a difference between the way it was done thirty years ago and today.

In 1981 the potential patient needed to meet two criteria to be accepted for surgery. The first, they had to be a minimum of 100 pounds overweight. The second, their insurance had to agree they were morbidly obese and would therefore die if they didn't lose those 100 or more pounds.

After both of the two criteria were met, the surgeon would schedule surgery. This took about eight weeks from the day you walked into the surgeon's office. Weighing 410 pounds, my approval came back within two weeks and I was scheduled for surgery the following week.

That was it. There wasn't prior mental health or nutritional counseling. No group discussions or mentor connections. You wanted it... you got it. Six very long days passed and I was on my way into surgery. The operation took about two hours and I left surgery with an eight inch incision from sternum to navel. Oh, and a blessing from my surgeon, "Go forth my child and be skinny!"

Since the procedure was still relatively new, I spent the first 24 hours in the Intensive Care Unit. When they were sure there weren't going to be any complications, I was sent to the surgical floor where I spent the next five days learning to exist on hot spearmint tea.

Within a month I'd lost 40 pounds and consumed enough mint tea to look green around the edges and attract all the bees in northern Nevada. The one thing that I remember most about the hospitalization is the number of food related commercials on television.

I was into day five with nothing to eat but water. Right then a morsel of anything would've been great. No, I wasn't hungry, I just wanted to eat something. So I figured I'd watch television to get my mind off of food. At four in the morning most of the stations had either signed off (remember this was 1981) or were running crazy infomercials so I thought I'd be safe.

The first commercial had a man running across the screen singing about Dr. Pepper. "I'm a Pepper! You're a Pepper! Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?" Personally feeling that God invented Dr. Pepper just so I wouldn't have to drink water, I knew this wasn't the station to be watching.

The next channel had an old black and white movie playing, so I settled in until Sara Lee decided I needed to know all about her new frozen cheesecake. "So light and fluffy you'll think you're in heaven," the angels sang. I never did find out how the movie ended.

How much trouble could I get into watching the US Farm and Agricultural Report? Being that it was August, the corn commodities were the number one topic of discussion. Yes, technically corn is a food item but they didn't talk about cooking or eating it. "At last, I'm safe," I sighed. Well until the commercial. "Are you kidding me," I yelled. "A Twinkies commercial with the US Farm and Agricultural Report?" "Is nothing sacred?" I screamed. The doctor felt it was time for me to go home.

I needed to see my surgeon once a month for the first three months and then it was a six and 12 month check up and you're out the door. Within three months I'd lost seventy pounds and had graduated to newborn baby food eaten in one ounce containers five times a day. I was now cleared to try Cream of Wheat cereal and if my new stomach could tolerate eating something the consistency of wallpaper paste, I could move up to one smashed soft boiled egg.

My six month visit showed a one hundred pound weight loss. One year after surgery, I tipped the scales at 260 pounds and two years brought me down to 165 pounds. I was one of my surgeon's greatest success stories. He gave me a big hug and pat on the back. "Call me if you have any problems," he said.

I'd lost the equivalent of two full grown adults in 24 months. No one recognized me... including myself. I'd see my reflection in a store window and think I was looking at another person. I didn't know where to buy clothing because for 33 of my 34 years I'd been wearing clothes that were made for someone much older than my size. I couldn't go out to eat because there wasn't a restaurant that served either the food I could eat or would allow me to order a child's size portion.

My life became isolated and unfamiliar. My stomach had 150 small surgical staples in it making it impossible for me to turn to food as my drug of choice. I was different on the inside and outside, but the rest of the world was the same and I didn't know how to cope. Back then the medical community thought that if you took away a fat person's ability to overeat, they'd be just fine. That would work if hunger was only a biological response. They stapled my stomach and forgot all about my brain.

By Steev Riccardo

The Scoop this week focuses on the great Cameron Crowe and his amazing 2000 film “Almost Famous,” one of the great rock films of our time.

Rock N Roll Road Stories: People who know me and learn that I have watched the Cameron Crowe film “Almost Famous” numerous times (32 to be exact) often seem bewildered by this. There is a simple explanation for this perceived odd behavior. I absolutely adore the film and the reason I can watch it over and over again is because it makes me laugh, makes me smile, and it inspires me.

If you are not familiar with the film, it is loosely based on the teenage experiences of none other than Crowe himself, who as a young writer for Rolling Stone magazine toured with bands and wrote about famous rock bands. Although “Almost Famous” is a “fictitious” work, it’s obvious that his early experiences were the impetus for this film years later.

Many of the characters portrayed in the film are real people who played roles in his career as a young rock journalist, most notably the writers and editors that he interacts with at Rolling Stone Magazine and Creem Magazine.

The fictional characters in the film are the rock band Stillwater (above) and the groupies, or “band aids” as they are referred to, who follow and “befriend” the band members.

The teenage writer William Miller (played brilliantly by Patrick Fugit) goes on tour with Stillwater to write a feature story on them for Rolling Stone Magazine. Throughout his adventure Miller has a relationship with the legendary rock writer Lester Bangs (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman), who ran Creem Magazine, which was by far the coolest music magazine around in the seventies.

The scenes involving Hoffman and Fugit are my personal favorites. Having been involved with bands on tours and as a manager, they were quite refreshing to watch, yes, over and over again.

Actors Billy Crudup and Jason Lee played respectively the lead guitarist (Russell Hammond) and singer (Jeff Bebe) of Stillwater and both gave stellar performances. Kate Hudson, who was nominated and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, plays Penny Lane, who is the leader of the “band aids” and also goes on tour with Stillwater.

Crowe and real life rock star girlfriend Nancy Wilson (Heart) wrote a bunch of original songs, which were performed by Stillwater (Peter Frampton also wrote two songs for Stillwater), and reportedly showed Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin a screening of the film in order to get the rights to use several Led Zeppelin songs. The pair agreed, and you can hear songs like “Tangerine” and other classic tunes by Elton John and The Allman Brothers Band in the film as well.

Crowe won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay; the film itself may not have been a box office smash, but is still regarded as a classic. There is a director’s cut entitled “untitled” which is fantastic and highly recommended.

More Cameron Crowe:

Top 5 Cameron Crowe films

1. Almost Famous

2. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (outstanding comedy with excellent cast)

3. Say Anything (John Cusack at his best)

4. Singles (highly underrated yet classic film)

5. Jerry Maguire (“Show me the money”)

Poets Live on WICN: Former U. S. Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky, and Grammy award-winning pianist, Laurence Hobgood, will perform PoemJazz live on WICN 90.5, Jazz Plus for New England, Thursday, February 23 at 2pm. They are currently on tour together, combining poetry and jazz. Host Joe Zupan will interview them, and the radio and streaming audience (WICN.org) will enjoy a very unique pairing.

Ralph's Diner: Thurkills Vision, Tester, Wolfbane, and Hope Lies Within will be at Ralph's on Friday night. The Tickle Bomb Orchestra headlines a cool bill on Saturday. Ralph's is located at 95 Prescott St. in Lovely Worcester.

The Lucky Dog: Rare Breed will be at The Lucky Dog on Green St on Friday and Kung Fu Grip brings the noise on Saturday.

Tammany Hall: Here are the listings for one of Worcester’s premier and long time nightspots.

Thursday, February 23rd

Corruption with BB Heart, Cassandra Rosebeetle, The Maine Attraction, Tansy, Apathy Angel, Albert Cadabra and an after party with DJ Ceremony

Show Starts at 9:00pm sharp - $10 for the show - After party is FREE

Friday, February 24th

Turnstyle Music Presents: The Senate, Elizabeth Sullivan Band, and Everest Cale

Doors 7pm - $10 at the door

Friday, February 24th

Good Fridays with DJ Soul, DJ Get Live, Max Glazer, and Micro Don

Doors 11pm - Vodka Open Bar from 11pm-12am

Saturday, February 25th

Big Apple Rocks with Dead Rocking Horse, DOGZ OF ZEUS, and Zilla Persona

Doors 7pm

Saturday, February 25th

Sheik N Beik presents Out-ER Label Showcase

with Nikko Gibler, Simone Gatto, Buck, Fong, Xander and Jeffrey Scott

Doors 10pm - $10 at the door

Sunday, February 26th

Kostume Kult Presents The Alt.Oscars

with Tim Journeyman Fielding and Boris Burning Elf

Doors 6pm - $15 in advance, $20 at the door // ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW

Please send your comments to steev@patriotnewspaper.com. Please follow Rock N Roll Road Stories on twitter @RNRRoadstories and check out the new Rock N Roll Road Stories Facebook page and please LIKE it! Until next time, keep the Arts alive!

Dudley Police Report
February 20, 2012

On Saturday, February 18 at approximately 2:20 am, Dudley Police Officers Anthony DiDonato and Ryan Daniels responded to Park 'n Shop Supermarket on Airport Road for an activated commercial burglar alarm. When officers arrived on scene, they discovered an open door at the rear of the business.

Both officers entered the rear of the building and made their way into the main part of the store. They discovered a male subject standing by the courtesy desk. The subject was later identified as Kyle Barker age 17 of 12 Aldea Ave. in Dudley.

In his possession was a blue duffel bag which was filled with packs of cigarettes. These were taken from behind the courtesy desk of the store. Mr. Barker was taken into custody and brought to the Dudley Police Department for booking. During the investigation, information was developed which linked Mr. Barker to another similar break at the same store on Thursday, February 9. He is alleged, at that time, to have also entered through the rear of the store. Cigarettes were taken at that time as well.

Mr. Barker was charged with two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime, as well as two counts of larceny and trespassing. He was bailed for an appearance at Dudley District Court on Tuesday, February 21.

By Steev Riccardo

Local police authorities are working with FBI agents to solve the problem of who stole photos of teenage girls from more than a dozen high schools in Massachusetts and posted them on a website which contains pornographic material.

"Two weeks ago the district attorney’s office was proactive and they sent out an e-mail to everyone giving us a heads-up that this was transpiring, that people were taking pictures off of Facebook and they didn’t know if they were cropping bodies on the faces of kids," said Oxford High School Principal Kevin Wells.

Wells and his staff have been doing everything they can to alert parents and educate the kids. "Consequently whatever you put on Facebook is not private. Kids may think it is, but nothing is private once you put it on the World Wide Web. Kids are being exposed in a negative way by these people, and certainly not necessarily because they are."

Webster police officer Cindy Johnson, who works mostly with Bartlett High School and has an office at the school said, "The site is getting the photos from Facebook, putting them on its site and requesting pictures or nude pictures of the girls they are putting up on that site."

Everyone you talk to at the schools all say the same thing. It’s up to parents essentially to monitor what their children are doing on Facebook and on the Internet in general. Teachers and law enforcement can only do so much.

Oxford’s Principal Wells said, "Our Superintendent of Schools, Allen Himmelberger, sent out a bulletin for every kid, Pre-K to 12, to take home to his/her parents, warning them about what is happening and how important it is for parents to keep track of their kids’ activity on the Internet.

"We plan on reiterating the message to kids in the spring, the weaknesses and exposures that you have with Facebook and other forms of social media."

Interim Bartlett High School Principal Stephen Dlott addressed the students last week by intercom about the matter and also instructed teachers to explain to students what you post on Facebook can easily be copied and used by others.

Officer Johnson has personally spoken to parents about the risks that come with what you post on Facebook.

 "Some of the kids’ dressing is very risqué. A lot of parents who I checked with say that they do monitor their children’s Facebook. However, some of the pictures that I see there are very alarming in the fact that they are walking around like that."

At this point authorities only know that the site in question is being operated from overseas. The case is being handled by a higher authority said Johnson, "The FBI is involved so they will have a better chance of getting something done faster then local police would."

In the meantime, parents should make sure that kids have their privacy settings in place on the social network site and also be aware of what kind of photographs they are posting on line.

Contact steev@patrionewspaper.com

By Steev Riccardo

The Bartlett Indians overcame some sloppy play and a pesky North Brookfield team to advance to the Small School Division of the Clark Tournament semi-finals with a 62-48 victory on Sunday night (Feb. 19)

The win assured the Indians of a rematch with the #1 seed Quaboag Cougars, who won their opening match-up over West Boylston on Sunday. It will be the third time that the two teams meet when they take the court on Tuesday night (Feb. 21). The Cougars won the first two hard fought games over the Indians, but the teams are still very closely matched.

The Indians used a full court press to stymie North Brookfield and they also connected on some three-point shots early, jumping to an 18-14 lead. Sophomore Evan Anderson and juniors Akeem Belnavis and Matt Huberdault all hit from long range.

Despite forcing 18 first half turnovers and holding a 35-27 half time lead, the Indians squandered lots of opportunities and let North Brookfield stay in the game.

The second half was very sloppily played but the Indians did what they had to do and secured the win, but looking forward they will need to play much better, especially against a strong Quaboag team.

North Brookfield had 30 turnovers, but the Indians weren’t much better, turning the ball over 22 times in a game both teams probably want to forget.

Indians head coach Tony Paranto was grateful for the win but not completely happy with the way his team played. “The problem was that when they turned the ball over we were not converting. That is the biggest thing with our defense and our philosophy, we want to create turnovers and we want to create some tempo but we have to do something after we do it, and tonight we did not do a good job of converting their turnovers into points.

“The shots weren’t falling tonight and we need to do a better job of taking the ball to the hole,” said Paranto. “You come to the post season, you have to come to play. We survived tonight which is great, we did enough to win.”

Indian co-captain Kobel, who finished with 11 points and 6 assists, echoed the words of his coach. “We didn’t capitalize on their turnovers. We have to capitalize better. We knew they were big and strong, we wanted to run and make their bigs tired, but they did a fantastic job on the boards.”

Huberdault, who scored 11 points and hit some big three-pointers was also not completely thrilled despite winning. ““We have to play better, we were sloppy out there. We didn’t come to play today, we need to improve a lot.”

Belnavis led the Indians with 14 points and Alex Givens-Perry also played well with 11 points and 7 rebounds.

Kobel simplified the upcoming Indians-Cougars match-up, “We know what they are about and they know what we are about.”

Check the results here.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com

Gianni Christo(34) saves a ball from going out of bounds and
sends it back into play. Photo by Don Cote.

By Steev Riccardo

The Oxford Pirates ran into a very tough Littleton Tigers team and were knocked out of the Clark Tournament in the first round 62-44 on Sunday night in Worcester.

Senior Tyler Bostek, who scored 11 points and added in 21 rebounds, was outstanding for the Pirates, who for the most part could not get their offense in gear.

The game was close early with the Tigers taking a 17-14 lead after one quarter.

The Pirates surged late in the first half thanks to some big plays by Bostek, who a key rebound and a basket in the last minute. However, they only shot 28% from the field on 9 for 32 shooting and could only come within 5 points, trailing 30-25 at the break.

Littleton took full control of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Pirates 15-2 while building a 45-27 lead and from that point on coasted to the win.

A disappointed Oxford High School Coach Sean Halloran spoke of his team’s shooting woos, “We had a lot of open looks and we ended up shooting 22% for the game and you are not going to win any games shooting 22%. We were 2-19 from the three and you live and die by that sometimes.”

The Pirates gave up more points that usual for a team that plays some of the best defense in Central Mass. “Giving up 30 points in a half for us is pretty big, we have been averaging 45 for the game.”

“I am very disappointed overall. I thought we were ready coming in, the shots just didn’t fall for us,” said Halloran.

The players feel like they can rebound and be ready for another district run like they had a year ago.

“We are team that has good chemistry. We have been playing together now for a while and something like this hurts now but I think in the long run we will bounce back,” said a dejected but optimistic Bostek.

Junior Cody Stone, who had 11 points in the loss, agreed with his teammate. “I’m confident, I think we can easily win in the districts, we never give up, even tonight we were down and we battled back.”

The Pirates played with out their floor leader and defensive wiz Donny Freeland, who was on the sidelines with his broken hand in a cast. “Losing Donny (Freeland) did hurt us, he is a big part of our team but at the same time we are a team and we should have executed better as a team,” said Stone.

The Pirates have qualified for the Division 2 districts so at 11-9, Halloran and his team need to be patient and wait for their next assignment.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com

Bryan Bjorklund takes a short jumper in front
of Chris Murray(3) Photo by Don Cote.

Mike James(3)  driving past a Littleton defender.  Photo by Don Cote.

Tyler Bostek(33) takes a jumper over Danny Johnson(11).
Photo by Don Cote

Tyler Bostek(33) takes a short jumper. Photo by Don Cote.

By Steev Riccardo

The Bartlett Indians split their final two regular season games last week, losing in overtime to the Southbridge Pioneers 86-79 on the road and blasting Worcester North at home 84-50 last Wednesday on seniors’ night.

The Southbridge contest was an all out war that featured a raucous crowd, gritty basketball, and an extra stanza to resolve. It was a classic encounter between the two rivals.

Both teams came out firing from the start.  Indians co-captains Nick Kobel and DJ Kirby-Thomas paced the visitors with 10 and 8 points respectively as they went to head to head with the Pioneers in an 18-18 first quarter.

The hungry Pioneers continued their hot shooting and outscored the Indians, taking a 41-33 for a half time lead. Junior Akeem Belnavis kept the Indians close with some great all-around play and a seven-point quarter.

The third quarter was all offense. Both teams battled, but the Pioneers were able to open a 15-point lead behind the overall outstanding play of Enrique Ortiz, who sparked his team all night. 
Sophomore Alex Givens-Perry was a force on both ends of the court, helping to spark a huge Indian comeback in the fourth quarter.  Both Belnavis and Matt Huberdault also pitched in with some big three-pointers and the Indians fought all the way back.

Kobel connected on a deep three-pointer with just over two minutes left and the Indians had come all the way back to take a 79-78 lead.
 
The final two minutes were frantic.  Both teams had chances to win, especially the Indians, who could not capitalize in the final 17 seconds after Belnavis made a great defensive play which led to a rebound basket by Kirby-Thomas to tie the game at 84 a piece.

The Pioneers dominated the overtime and got the season split that they desperately wanted. For them there were no playoff appearances at 9-9 but the satisfaction of beating their rivals in one of the final games at the old Southbridge high school gym, which is in its final season.
 
Kirby-Thomas led the Indians with a monster game finishing with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Kobel was equally impressive with 23 points and 9 assists, while Belnavis finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds.Givens-Perry, who fouled out but was a huge factor in the Indian comeback, also played well with 13 points and 11 rebounds
.
The Pioneers took the junior varsity game 69-52. Anthony Higbie led the Indians with 15, while Jacob Simonis added 13 points in defeat.

Belnavis and Indians trounce NorthAkeem Belnavis sparked the Indians in their final regular season game as the Indians dominated Worcester North and capped a 12-7 regular season with a 34-point win.

Belnavis, who finished with 16 points, brought the house to its feet twice with a pair of rim shaking dunks.  The two dunks made it a total of four slams on the season for the high-flying junior and was just an indication that the best is yet to come
.
Nick Kobel led the Indians with 21 points, while Matt Huberdault pitched in 12 points, including a pair of long-range three-point bombs. Kirby-Thomas also scored 12 points in the last home game of his spectacular career as an Indian.

Before the game the Indians honored its seniors Kobel, Kirby-Thomas, and Andrew Meloche. Kobel was also presented with a ball honoring his 1000-point career.
 
Higbie exploded for 25 points and led the Indians’ junior varsity by North 66-54.  Simonis added 11 points while Neil Flanagan contributed 9 points to the win and final game for the junior squad.
 
Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com for more on The Bartlett Indians and high school basketball and check out the View from the Sidelines column here every week. 

By Steev Riccardo

“As I have told all the college coaches that are recruiting him right now, he is probably the best person that I have coached in my 20-year career—maybe not the best player—but he has been the best person. He does so much for our team, so much for our school, so much for our community. I can’t say enough about him. If something needs to get done, he gets it done.” --Bartlett Head Basketball Coach Tony Paranto

Those are some pretty impressive words coming from Coach Paranto, the man who has probably been the closest to Nick Kobel besides his immediate family since he started high school.
 
The three-sport star and four- year basketball captain made Bartlett High School history last Wednesday night at Quaboag Regional when he became the tenth player in school history to reach 1000 points in his career.

In an incredible and touching moment following the three-point basket that put him in the 1000-point club, Kobel took the game ball and went into the stands and presented the ball to his parents. The large Bartlett crowd that traveled out to Warren to see it all happen went crazy.  It was a tremendous moment for the Kobels, the players and coaches, and the fans.
The senior reflected on his beginning season, “I remember starting my first game as a freshman—it took me a little while to learn the system. There were older guys that showed me the way, so when I learned the system I was able to play my game.”
 
Quick to credit some of the guys that before him, he added, “Guys like Jessie Bond and Bobby Mitchell made me feel comfortable. They helped me and showed me the way”.
 
He also remembers watching players like Kyle Nadeau and Brian Henderson who played before him, crediting their leadership as a sort of guiding light.

This basketball upbringing was one of the reasons he was named captain as a freshman (a rarity) and why he has remained a leader and captain all four of his years on the team. 
Paranto had no problem promoting him as a leader at a young age and remains a member of his admiration club. “Getting the 1000 points is another feather in his cap in his high school career.  The quality of kid he is makes him number one in my book.”

Kobel has mutual admiration and respect for his coach, who along with Nick’s family is helping the senior make a decision on which school he will attend in the fall, “He loves us and we love him. We will do anything for him and vice versa, so when he yells at me I look at it like he is just trying to get the best out of me. He would run through a wall for us.”

As far as the joining the elite club, Kobel said “It’s one of the only individual goals you can accomplish basketball- wise because it’s such a team sport.”
 
He was a little tight early in the game, but as they game went on he started taking more shots and looking to score. “I knew a lot of my family was there, but I wasn’t going to try and force anything early. If the shot was there, I was going take it. In the second half it seemed to flow a little better for me.”
 
He was relieved when he hit the shot and was anxious to get back to the game. “When I hit the shot I had to get right back out there because it was such a close game.” 
On presenting the ball to his family he said this, “My Mom has always supported me so it was nice to give her some type of recognition when that happened. She has been excited for me and I just wanted to give her something.”

Paranto also enjoyed the moment, ““I think it was a spur of the moment decision, and it shows you what kind of a kid he is. He knows how to put everything into perspective; he knows where his roots are.”

His teammates were also happy for him.  “I was proud of him, he is a very hard worker; he puts his time in,” said Junior Akeem Belnavis, who thought it was the “best thing ever” when he went up in the stands.
 
Fellow co-captain and senior DJ Kirby-Thomas also praised Kobel, “He’s worked hard for it and he deserves it; he’s always the first one at practice and the last one to leave.”

Paranto had this to add, “He is very respectful, a lot of kids look up to him. He is like the model basketball student player for us right now.  He is a quality kid.”

Nick Kobel has been giving to a lot of people during his career at Bartlett, and you get the feeling that the giving is not going to end when he reaches his next destination in the fall.

Nick joins these players
in The Bartlett High School 1000 point club:

Tim Bazinet (1974-77) 1262
Brad Smith  (1978-81) 1294
Gino Manzi(1981-84)  1328
Edward Grezembski (1983-87) 1548
Jason Mglionico (1984-88) 1355
Todd Daskowski (1990-94) 1086
Matthew Bielik (1994-97) 1059
Kyle Nadeau (2002-2007) 1440
Brian Henderson (2004-07) 1093

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com 

By Steev Riccardo

Bartlett High School senior Megan Baker wants to be a journalist and hopes to someday travel all over the world.

These days she is staying quite busy and doing about as much as a high school senior can do.

The Webster School’s Superintendent Award winner is currently dually enrolled in Bartlett High School and Quisigamond Community College in Worcester, where she hopes to amass 30 college credits-- while at the same time earning a high school diploma.

“It’s two very different environments,” said Baker, “I like going to Quinsig and taking all my classes there and meeting new people and having a change of pace. It gets a little dull being in the same school for six years. Going to Quinsig has made everything new and different and more interesting.”

In October, Baker was named the Webster School’s Superintendent Award winner and was honored to receive the award. “It was a really good thing,” she said.

She attended a district wide banquet and sat and met with the other area superintendent winners including Jaclyn Rambarran and Samuel Flibbert, the co- superintendent winners from Shepherd Hill. “It was a really nice banquet and it was incredible to hear about what some of these kids were doing. It was really nice to have all that company around.”

Webster Superintendent of School George Chiardi has been very impressed with Baker for some time and raves about her. “We were really honored to accompany Megan to the Superintendents Scholar dinner because in many ways she represents the best in Bartlett students.”

“She is at the top of her class, taking a demanding schedule which includes courses at Quinsigamond Community College, and she stays connected to the school here with her extracurricular activities and her interest in journalism. It was a pleasure to select her.”

Baker has been a high honor student since she was in third grade and has had no trouble balancing a hectic schedule.

Along with maintaining a very high grade point average and being an elected member of the Student Council, Baker has been involved with the school choir group Impressions as well as the school band since her freshmen year.

When she is not playing the alto saxophone in the jazz band, she is dancing competitively with the Canty Dance Center which “takes up a lot” of her time. She takes classes at the center three times a week.

It’s hard to imagine a schedule like this, but Baker takes it all in stride with a smile on her face and has always been very active throughout her school years.

She played soccer and tennis while in the eighth grade before getting more involved in the choir and music. She was also class vice-president in her freshman and sophomore years and started up with the National Honor Society in her junior year.

She looks up to her sister Katy, who went to Mass Academy where she spent her junior year before spending her senior year at WPI. “School has always come easy to both me and my sister.”

She also credits both of her parents Leslie and Jeffery Baker also as being great role models for her as well as “all her teachers.”

She and her mom have also done some community service work together such as volunteering at The Habitat for Humanity Restore in Worcester.

Baker has her eyes set on a communications degree from Boston University, where she hopes to get accepted. She has already been accepted at the University of Vermont, University of Massachusetts, and Simmons College, but BU is her “first choice.”

Once in school, she will begin to pursue an internship at a newspaper; when she gets her degree(s) she'll pursue a journalism career during which she hopes “to talk to different people in communities and bring out great stories, bringing notice to different issues that need attention.”

Megan Baker has a bright future, and it's hard to imagine that she won’t be successful in everything she does.

Contact steev@patriotnewspaper.com