Noviello, a Player to Watch as HockomockSports posts their baseball preview

HockomockSports has published the baseball players to watch and preview for the Hockomock League. We share the FHS items here and provide links for the full listing at HockomockSports


JAKE NOVIELLO, SENIOR- FRANKLIN

"Franklin returns one of the best rotations in the league and the centerpiece for that staff is senior Jake Noviello, who is back after an outstanding season for the Kelley-Rex champions. The Fairfield University-commit threw 55.1 innings last season, second most in the league, and led the Hockomock with 61 strikeouts. One of the hardest throwers in the league, Noviello finished the season with a 6-2 record and also picked up the win in the Panthers’ playoff opener. Noviello and the rest of Franklin’s arms will be hoping for another league title and to put together a longer state tournament run this spring."

For other "Players to Watch" around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/baseball-ten-players-to-watch-for-2018/



FRANKLIN
2017 Record: 18-6
2017 Finish: Reached D1 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Zach Brown

"Focusing on pitching and defense, the Panthers will be looking to get better each and every day as they try to replicate the success from a season ago. 

Franklin won the Kelley-Rex division last year, its first league title since 2012. And the mix of pitching and offense put the Panthers in some conversations for Super 8, but the Panthers ended up in the D1 South and bowed out in the quarterfinals after being forced to play on back to back days. 

The arms that helped the Panthers have so much success last year as almost all back, starting with staff ace senior Jake Noviello. The Fairfield-commit struck out a Hockomock-best 61 batters a year ago, going 6-2 with a 1.65 ERA in 55.1 innings of work. Noviello is complemented by lefty Jason Ulrickson (7-0, 0.80 ERA, 35 K), Bryan Woelfel (3-2, 0.91 ERA, 4 SV, 31 K) and senior James Leofanti. 

The defense will be anchored by a pair of returning starters in junior shortstop Alex Haba (0.360, 12 runs) and junior catcher Jake Macchi. 

“While we are returning a number of experienced arms we are also turning over a number of positions last season,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “So, we will be young or inexperienced at a number of positions. Offensively, my hope is that as the season progressing we will be able to develop an identity and find a way to manufacture runs.”

For the preview on the other teams around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/2018-hockomock-baseball-preview/

FHS Panthers

Recycling event for FHS Softball - Apr 14

There is a recycling event scheduled for Saturday, April 14 from 10 AM to 3:30 PM in the Horace Mann Middle School parking lot on Oak St. The event is a fund raising activity for the FHS softball team.

Recycling event for FHS Softball - Apr 14

“The demand for higher education is not rising like it was”

From the Boston Globe Sunday edition, an article on the effects of declining enrollment for small colleges.

"Joseph Chillo has a luxurious office in a beautiful building with a view of a leafy neighborhood in this wealthy town. But while his perch may look idyllic, his job is not. 

As the leader of Newbury College, a small, struggling, liberal arts college where enrollment has declined 86 percent over the past 20 years, he has a lot of sleepless nights. 

Chillo worries about a lot of things: Will next fall’s crop of students materialize, will there be enough financial aid, which majors should be cut, how much will the school get for a building it is selling, and will that be enough to close a 10 percent budget deficit."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/03/31/for-small-private-colleges-fewer-students-means-more-worries/1jjd8ZFusBt3kGjHOcpIqM/story.html

Dean College, Franklin

April vacation destination in our backyard: The Brown Sisters photos

As we enter April, a school vacation is coming up and perhaps you're looking for something to do. If you have ever been caught by the Brown Sisters photos, you can see them at the ICA in Boston through Apr 22. 

Nicholas Nixon is the photographer for the 40+ year series of the photos of his wife and her three sisters. More about Nicholas and his work follows:

"As an exhibition title, “Nicholas Nixon: Persistence of Vision” is almost self-explanatory. The show runs at the Institute of Contemporary Art through April 22. 

Nixon needs no introduction around here. For many years, he’s been one of the starriest names in what has long been a very starry photography faculty at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. And since his inclusion in the ground-breaking 1975 exhibition “New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape,” Nixon has had a national, and eventually international, reputation for decades. 

So the Nicholas Nixon part of the title is clear enough. Ditto “persistence.” Nixon turned 70 in October, and the show’s 112 black-and-white images start in 1974 and extend to this year. In fact, there are two or three photographs for each year. The sole exception is 2017, which has just one image: the latest iteration of Nixon’s most famous body of work, “The Brown Sisters.” The series consists of an annual group portrait of Nixon’s wife and three sisters-in-law."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/art/2017/12/20/ica-the-brown-sisters-and-much-more-from-nicholas-nixon/F0iwbZKPYarh3X2mPPkb2H/story.html

April vacation destination in our backyard: The Brown Sisters photos

The ICA Exhibit   https://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/nicholas-nixon-persistence-vision

MOMA online contains 190+ of Nixon's photos
https://www.moma.org/artists/4315?locale=en

New Yorker link to Brown Sisters Photos
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/looking-at-nicholas-nixons-forty-third-portrait-of-the-brown-sisters

School Committee recap - March 27, 2018

The formal budget hearing for the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19) school budget was the primary topic on Tuesday night. The proposed budget was tweaked slightly to bring it into balance by using $900,000+ in additional funds from the schools revolving accounts. 

The budget totals to be appropriated as well as the total offset via the use of the revolving account funds can be seen here for FY 18 and FY 19:

FY18 and FY19 budget totals appropriated and revolving account use

Background on the variety and fund balances for the many revolving accounts can be found here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_budget/23.%20Revolving%20Accounts.pdf

Additional info on the budget including the breakdown by school and across the district by department can be found here
http://franklindistrict.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinDistrict_budget/index

Aside from the items on the "consent agenda", there were two votes recorded. One to approve to continue the practice of not accepting school choice students. The second vote was to accept the Committee meeting calendar for the 2018-2019 school year.

My notes recorded live during the meeting can be found here:

• Live reporting: Information Matters through to clo...
• Live reporting: Discussion / Action Items - Mar 27...
• Live Reporting: School Committee - March 27, 2018
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Franklin boy scouts from Troop 99 reviewed the school budget book
during the School Committee meeting Tuesday, Mar 27

FHS girls lacrosse opens with loss to Cohasset

Via HockomockSports and Twitter we share the news of the first spring sports action for the FHS girls lacrosse game on Saturday, March 31, 2018.  


Girls Lacrosse = Cohasset, 9 @ Franklin, 8 – Final


For the other results around the Hockomock League on Saturday
https://hockomocksports.com/saturdays-schedule-scoreboard-03-31-18/

Via the Twitterverse

https://twitter.com/FranklinMatters/lists/fhs-sports

FHS Panthers

[Girls Sprg Varsity Lacrosse] Cohasset Middle-HS defeats Franklin HS, 9 to 8.

— FranklinAthletics (@FHSSports) March 31, 2018

Half time and its 5-5. After Franklins defense held the first 15 minutes of the game they are finally settling in on offense and getting some shots

— FHSGLAX Boosters (@FHSGLAXboosters) March 31, 2018

Covered #Franklin vs #Cohasset girls #lacrosse today at Franklin High. pic.twitter.com/JeHPAG5RJA

— Marshall Wolff (@mwolffMWphoto) March 31, 2018

Great first victory over Cohassett 12-2. Game ball to Kaleigh 6 g 1 a. Happy Easter and back to work Monday.

— John Leighton (@FHSJVGLAX) March 31, 2018

What is Franklin's most majestic tree?

This is the time of year, post snow, just before the trees bud and fill out with their leaf cover to really view a tree. They are amazing in their structure.

In your walk around Franklin, what tree amazes you?

You can send me an email with your photo, or share it via the Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/franklinmatters

Here are a couple from my walk on Saturday.

At the Charter School, former St Mary's school grounds.

Along King St near Peck St