Town of Merrimac Launches New Website

pentucketporta on July 12, 2023

MERRIMAC —The Town of Merrimac is pleased to announce the launch of its new website. The new website, https://townofmerrimac.com, now features a user-friendly design and modern features to ensure that residents can easily access resources and important information. New features of the site include:  
  • Community Calendar to stay up to date with town events
  • Social media integration with Merrimac’s Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.
  • New staff directory that features new phone numbers to easily contact town leaders, department heads and committee members
  • Agendas and Minutes Library
  • Online Payments and Forms
  • Expansive Search Feature
The homepage features an expansive menu that allows users and visitors to access Town Government Offices, Online Bill Payments, Elections and Voting information, and community resources. Residents can now subscribe to the site to receive email alerts of news updates and events posted on the website. Users can also apply for open municipal positions within Merrimac directly on the site. “The Select Board was looking to actively pursue ways to increase service levels throughout the Town of Merrimac, and our new website offers a way to provide better communication to our residents,” said Select Board Chairperson Chris Manni. “We encourage residents to explore our new site, as they can now access vital information with unlimited accessibility and ease.” The new website was created and designed by John Guilfoil Public Relations.  

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Whittier Tech Students Display Talents, Create School Float for Haverhill Santa Parade

pentucketporta on November 29, 2022

HAVERHILL – Superintendent Maureen Lynch shares that Whittier Tech students continued the tradition of designing and building a float for the VFW’s annual Santa Parade, this year introducing the community to its new Marine Technology career pathway.

This year’s blue-and-white float depicted water and whitecaps, with a white Whittier Tech boat riding the waves. Penguins are riding inside. Whittier Tech launched the Marine Technology program for the 2022-2023 school year, to meet a demand for service technicians along the East Coast.

The 58th Annual VFW Santa Parade was held on Sunday, Nov. 20. This year’s theme was “Santa’s Ugly Sweater Party.”

The float was designed by Art Instructor Paul Murray, who worked with Art classes, the Art Club, and many career pathways to make this year’s effort a success:

  • Carpentry students made built a form to hold the boat on the float, as well as wood forms to make the waves and the form of the polar bear.
  • Metal Fabrication students built an armature with a spring to hold the narwhal at the front of the boat, and springs for under the polar bear’s water skis.
  • Students in Auto Body/Collision Repair cleaned and re-painted the boat and cowling on the outboard motor was provided from Marine Technology.
  • Electrical students set up the brake lights and power outlets.
  • Art students made paper mache penguins, the narwhal, and polar bear, painted the side boards, and contributed to making the fabric look like water and waves around the boat.

Paul Murray, Marine Technology Instructor Mike Murray, Whittier Tech cheerleaders, and Art Club members accompanied the float along the parade route.

Librarian and Media Specialist Rich Porcelli and Maintenance staff member Josh Bellman drove the float. Porcelli has maneuvered the school float and served as sound producer for 25 parades.

“It is always nice to hear the excited shouts of ‘Look, here comes the Whittier Float’ and to see the smiles and the people dancing to the music,” Porcelli said. “After 25 parades of walking along with, riding on, and then driving the float, it is the main thing I am going to miss.”

Porcelli passed the keys to the float to Bellman, who will take over driving duties next year.

“The Santa Parade is always a highlight of the holiday season, and our students are proud to contribute to the event and show the skills they have acquired,” Superintendent Lynch said. “Congratulations to all who contributed to this project.”

Ipswich Police Department to Collect Backpacks, Personal Care Items to Support Children’s Charity

pentucketporta on April 27, 2022

IPSWICH — Chief Paul Nikas is pleased to share that the Ipswich Police Department will once again collect backpacks and other essentials to support a local charity serving children entering foster care.

From April 27 to May 22, the Department will be collecting donations for Fostering Care Inc., which distributes basic necessities and personal care items for children transitioning into foster care. Residents are encouraged to donate fully stuffed backpacks (with items ranging from clothes to toiletries, and a stuffed animal or toy).

Those who wish to participate in the drive can do so by dropping off backpacks at the Ipswich Police Department, 15 Elm St.

Residents can also donate money or Amazon gift cards, or contribute to items on an Amazon wish list through May 15.

Donations also may be dropped off at the following locations:

  • Ipswich Fire Department, 55 Central St.
  • Winthrop Elementary School, 65 Central St.
  • Paul F. Doyon Memorial School, 216 Linebrook Road
  • Ipswich Middle School, 130 High St.
  • Ipswich High School, 134 High St.
  • Ipswich Family YMCA, 110 County Road
  • Keller Williams, 500 Cummings Center, Beverly
  • many Ipswich preschools

The drive will culminate with a backpack stuffing event on Sunday, May 22, from 2-5 p.m. at Ipswich Masonic Lodge, 70 Topsfield Road. The event will include games, raffles, food from the Beefie Boys food truck, ice cream from Cool Cow, beverages from True North Ale, and a musical performance by Bottles & Cans.

“Entering foster care can be an extremely difficult experience. We are proud as a department to partner with Fostering Care to help ease a child’s transition, and ask the community to support us in this effort,” Chief Nikas said.

To RSVP to the event, and see more details about needed items, click here.

West Newbury Fire Department Awarded State Grant for Safety Equipment

pentucketporta on January 18, 2022

WEST NEWBURY — Chief Michael Dwyer is pleased to announce that the West Newbury Fire Department is one of over 300 fire departments across the state to have been awarded a grant as part of the Department of Fire Services Fiscal Year 2022 Firefighter Safety Equipment Grant Program. 

The $12,500 grant awarded to the West Newbury Fire Department will be used to purchase vehicle crash rescue and stabilization safety equipment.  

This program enables fire departments to purchase a variety of equipment that will make firefighters’ jobs safer. This is the second year that funding has been awarded for this purpose as part of a $25 million bond bill filed by the Baker-Polito Administration to support firefighter safety and health in the coming years. 

Fire departments in Massachusetts were able to apply to this program for 118 different types of eligible equipment, including personal protective clothing, gear washers and dryers, thermal imaging cameras, assorted hand tools and extrication equipment, communications resources, hazardous gas meters, fitness equipment, and more. In many cases, the purchase of this equipment will help departments attain compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration or National Fire Protection Association safety standards.

A complete list of the awards by department can be found here.

Whittier Tech Expands Hospitality Program, Creating New Educational Opportunities for Students

pentucketporta on November 15, 2021

HAVERHILL – Superintendent Maureen Lynch is pleased to share the successful expansion of the Whittier Tech’s Hospitality pathway, which is enhancing real-world job training and opportunities for students upon graduation.

Whittier Tech opened a new coffee café in mid-September, first to faculty, then to the public. The café, which is adjacent to the school’s Poet’s Inn restaurant, includes a bakery case, espresso machine, and point of sales systems to allow students to learn operations for takeout orders.

As part of the initiative, Whittier Tech students are touring local businesses in the hospitality industry to learn about the paths their education can take them.

On their first field trip, students visited Briar Barn Inn in Rowley, a farmhouse inn, restaurant, and spa. Sarah Boucher, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, led Whittier Tech students and staff on a tour including the guest rooms, the wedding venue, the Grove Restaurant, pool, and spa.

The students’ professionalism and high level of engagement impressed the Briar Barn Inn leadership. The Inn now is working with Whittier’s Hospitality Advisory Board to create an unpaid internship for a sophomore in the fourth quarter of the school year.

“One of our main goals at Whittier Tech is to anticipate market needs and prepare our students to fill those emerging jobs,” Superintendent Lynch said. “Hospitality instructors Krizstina Perron and Nicole Grupposo have been working diligently, given projected growth in industry, to provide the most opportunities for our graduates. We are especially grateful for this emerging partnership with Briar Barn Inn, which will be a plus for our students.”

Hospitality students say they are benefiting from these new opportunities.

“I really enjoyed interacting with the people and putting smiles on their faces. As long as the public is happy, I am happy,” said Alannah Noone, a sophomore from Salisbury. “Quarter 1, as a sophomore exploring the Hospitality track, the opportunities for travel, industry choices and interacting with different people are really appealing.”

“I like the experience of helping customers; at the end of the day, I feel happy,” said Jana Vicioso, a sophomore from Haverhill. “I feel proud of the work I did.”

The café is open for breakfast from 8:30-10 a.m., and for lunch from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., except for Wednesdays, weekends, holidays, and during in-school functions. Daily offerings include a “Daily Brew,” weekly pastries, and cold lunch options. Patrons also may order the regular Poet’s Inn menu for hot meals or daily specials.

 

Essex Tech Announces Tickets Available for Homecoming Gala to Assist Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage Project

pentucketporta on September 16, 2021

The Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala returns to an in-person event next month. (Photo Courtesy Essex Tech)

HATHORNE — Superintendent Heidi Riccio is pleased to announce that Essex Tech will hold the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala this fall to support the Catherine Larkin Memorial Cottage project.

WHEN:

Saturday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m.

WHERE:

On the front lawn of Smith Hall at Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School

WHAT:

Essex Tech is hosting the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala this October, which will raise money to support the school’s Larkin Cottage project.

Essex Tech students from various disciplines, including Construction Craft Laborers, Carpentry, Masonry, Electrical, Plumbing and Agriculture, have been working to rebuild the cottage, using any historically significant or otherwise useful materials from the original cottage in the process.

During the last year, the Local 22 Laborers’ Union completed the foundation in collaboration with Essex Tech’s Construction Craft Laborer and Masonry students and in partnership with S&F Concrete. The school also worked with ADD Griffin, Boston architectural firm designLAB, and Richard Griffin from Derby Square Architects.

Built in 1950, the cottage once served as the hub for the Homemaking program at Essex Tech, then known as the Essex County Agricultural School. The cottage is named for Lt. Catherine Larkin, a former student of the Homemaking program and World War II nurse who died in a plane crash in 1945. 

This new building, located across Route 62 from the Farm Stand, will include an agricultural museum, learning center and community function space. The facility will feature historic artifacts from the school’s long history, and also will include a kitchen to support events.

“Rebuilding the Larkin Cottage is going to provide an invaluable, hands-on learning opportunity for our students, while also creating a new space for our classes to meet, showcase the historic past of our school and host community and private events,” Superintendent Riccio said. “We’re thrilled to rebuild the cottage, and I encourage our alumni, local businesses and organizations and the greater Essex Tech community to join us again at the Annual Larkin Homecoming Gala to support this project.”

The gala will take place under a tent on the lawn in front of Smith Hall, and will feature music, hors d’oeuvres, a live and a silent auction, and a farm-to-table meal prepared by Essex Tech culinary students. The event will also include a cash beer and wine bar.

The Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented as well. The Larkin Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes members of the Essex Tech community and its past iterations, including Essex Agricultural and Technical High School, North Shore Technical High School and Peabody Vocational School, who have demonstrated a commitment to and achievement within the local vocational and/or agricultural industries.

Nominations are welcome here. The deadline is Friday, Oct. 1.

While the cost of the project is lower as a result of the work students will provide to rebuild the cottage, Essex Tech has set a fundraising goal of about $2.5 million. The 2020 Larkin Gala, held remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, raised about $16,200 due to the generosity of the Essex Tech community.

Tickets for the gala are $150 per person, and $1,200 for a table of 10. Tickets can be purchased here.

Those looking for additional ways to support the Larkin Cottage project can learn more at essexnorthshore.org/larkin/.

Essex Tech Educational Partner Honored by Project Green Schools for Sustainability Work

pentucketporta on June 16, 2021

HATHORNE – Superintendent Dr. Heidi Riccio and Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School are pleased to share that Educational Partner Jim Bauer has received an Energy Award from Project Green Schools.

Bauer, founder and CEO of Clean Power & Light, has worked with Essex Tech for more than four years to implement sustainable and renewable energy. Bauer also works with Essex Tech on school-based applied learning projects, new career pathways, and revisions to Career Technical Education curriculum frameworks to integrate sustainability.

Bauer advised the District on numerous sustainability projects, including electric vehicle (EV) campus charging stations and project-based learning focusing on sustainability through funding from Mass IDEAS (Innovative Designs in Education for All Students).

Bauer worked with the District and its legislative delegation toward passage of a bill that will allow the District to sign a lease agreement of up to 25 years with Danvers Electric and third-party investors to provide green renewable energy. This will be the first renewable energy agreement in Massachusetts partnering a public agency and municipal light district.

Jim Bauer, third from left, Educational Partner with Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School, and Essex Tech students testify before a legislative panel at the Statehouse in Boston.

Bauer also served as a liaison between the District and Bio360 for a feasibility study by 40 students for viability and technology in anaerobic digestion, composting laws, general sustainability in Agriculture and food management.

Project Green Schools honored Bauer and other recipients during its Annual Green Difference Awards, held virtually on May 27.

“The credit here goes to Superintendent Riccio, the ENSATS teachers and staff, and above all the students for pioneering and supporting many of these efforts, and for the interest and enthusiasm they have displayed for clean energy and sustainability,” Bauer said. “We are, all of us, interested in making this a better world for ourselves and those who follow, and we are seeing first hand how that can be done with the focus, talent, creativity, energy and enthusiasm coming out of ENSATS.  It has been and will continue to be inspiring working with them.” 

“Jim has had a tremendous impact on Essex Tech and its students, and we’re thrilled that he is being honored with this much-deserved award,” Superintendent Riccio said, “Through his work, Essex Tech students will be able to investigate sustainability as part of curriculum and choose career pathways into sustainable/renewable careers.”

Page School ‘Superheroes’ Team Up With West Newbury Departments to Support Food Pantry

pentucketporta on June 1, 2021

WEST NEWBURY – School Superintendent Justin Bartholomew and Fire Chief Michael Dwyer are pleased to report that Page School students became true “superheroes” by helping to fill the shelves of West Newbury’s food pantry last week.

On Friday, May 28, Page School students took part in “Superheroes Day,” participating in a fun run dressed as their favorite superhero. The day was sponsored by the Page School PTO and organized by first-grade teachers Bridget Murray and Krista Niles.

The School partnered with the West Newbury Police and Fire Departments and the Council on Aging, and asked the students and their families to donate non-perishable items.

The donations filled a police cruiser and Engine 24.

“I am very proud of our Page School teachers for creating an opportunity to teach about giving and charity, and of our first-graders who participated and learned a life-long lesson,” Superintendent Bartholomew said.

“We know there are families in need in our community,” Chief Dwyer said. “By filling both the engine and cruiser, these young students have helped alleviate food insecurity in our community.”

If you can help the Food Pantry, please contact Council on Aging Director Theresa Woodbury at coa@wnewbury.org or 978-363-1104.

Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary and Town of Groveland Receive MassDOT Award for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Efforts

pentucketporta on May 27, 2021

GROVELAND – Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, Interim Bagnall Principal Jim Day and Groveland Director of Economic Development, Planning and Conservation Rebecca Oldham are pleased to share Pentucket’s Bagnall Elementary School and the Town of Groveland are being recognized by the state for their improved pedestrian and bicycle safety efforts.