Franklin Matters

Sunday, April 24, 2022

Letters from Red Farm: The Untold Story of the Friendship between Helen Keller and Journalist Joseph Edgar Chamberlin - Apr 30

Letters from Red Farm: The Untold Story of the Friendship between Helen Keller and Journalist Joseph Edgar Chamberlin with Author Elizabeth Emerson

Saturday, April 30, 3:00 PM - at the Franklin Public Library

In 1888, young Helen Keller traveled to Boston with her teacher, Annie Sullivan, where they met a man who would change her life: Boston Transcript columnist and editor, Joseph Edgar Chamberlin. Throughout her childhood and young adult years, Keller spent weekends and holidays at Red Farm, the Chamberlins' home in Wrentham, Massachusetts, a bustling environment where avant-garde writers, intellectuals, and social reformers of the day congregated. Keller eventually called Red Farm home for a year when she was sixteen.

Informed by previously unpublished letters and extensive research, Letters from Red Farm explores for the first time Keller's deep and enduring friendship with the man who became her literary mentor and friend for over forty years. Written by Chamberlin's great-great granddaughter, this engaging story imparts new insights into Keller's life and personality, introduces the irresistible Chamberlin to a modern public, and follows Keller's burgeoning interest in social activism, as she took up the causes of disability rights, women's issues, and pacifism.

Author Elizabeth Emerson is a former grant writer and award-winning artist based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has contributed material to PBS's film biography Becoming Helen Keller and written guest articles for the American Foundation for the Blind's Helen Keller Archival Collection and the Perkins Archives' newsletter.

Shared from the Library page -> https://www.franklinma.gov/adult-programs-services/pages/adult-programs

Letters from Red Farm: The Untold Story of the Friendship between Helen Keller and Journalist Joseph Edgar Chamberlin - Apr 30

"One thing nearly everyone agrees on: Massachusetts faces a housing crisis, and needs to build more"

"Everyone should do their part.

That was the thinking behind the ambitious housing legislation that Massachusetts lawmakers passed just over a year ago.

The basic idea: require suburbs where the single-family home reigns supreme to do more to help address the housing shortage. The legislation mandates new multifamily zones in 175 cities and towns, known as “MBTA Communities” because they have a subway, commuter rail, bus, or ferry station, or neighbor a town that does. It sets the stage for potentially hundreds of thousands of new apartments and condos to be built across Eastern Massachusetts in the coming years."

Continue reading the article (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/23/business/charlie-baker-wants-lots-new-housing-around-mbta-stations-not-so-fast-towns-say/

My 'quick' take on this complicated issue to summarize:

Franklin is underway with the Franklin For All planning effort
The requirement is for zoning changes (if required) to be approved by 2024 to meet the goals set by State (not yet published - currently in review process from feedback on the draft released)
It is not yet clear that Franklin needs to do much to change zoning (unless we really want to) as it appears, we are already within the proposed goals (remains to be confirmed). In Town Council presentation on this matter, for the downtown commercial zone we already permit more than what is required. How much we already have within the downtown zone (vs what is required) is an open question
The process will not be completed quickly, MAPC has draft recommendations scheduled to be reviewed on May 16 (recommendations not yet released)
Once released and reviewed, the recommendations still need to be reviewed by the Economic Development Subcommittee, potential zoning changes referred by Town Council to Planning Board, Planning Board does public hearings and makes recommendation back to Town Council, Town Council also does public hearings and discussions before voting
Please follow along this journey, we all need improvements to housing stock especially affordable housing in Franklin

Franklin For All page -> https://www.mapc.org/resource-library/franklin-for-all/

May 16 event info -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2022/04/hybrid-public-forum-scheduled-for.html

"One thing nearly everyone agrees on: Massachusetts faces a housing crisis, and needs to build more"

Physician Assisted Suicide presentation at St Mary's - May 11

Physician Assisted Suicide presentation St Mary’s Parish Hall in Franklin on Wednesday May 11th 7:00-8:00 PM.

Mr. Jim Driscoll, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference of the Archdiocese of Boston, will be presenting the Catholic perspective regarding physician assisted suicide. Jim will be accompanied by Ms. Tahni Morell. who will share a personal family story.

Please join us and bring a friend to 1 Church Square, Franklin. If you can not make it, we are making this presentation available through Zoom link on the St Mary’s website (https://www.stmarysfranklin.org/).

Physician Assisted Suicide presentation at St Mary's - May 11

Saturday, April 23, 2022

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Apr 26, 2022

Franklin School Committee

April 26, 2022 - 7:00 PM

Municipal Building – Council Chambers

Call to Order Ms. Spencer

Pledge of Allegiance

Moment of Silence

I. Routine Business

A. Review of Agenda

B. Payment of Bills Ms. Spencer

C. Payroll Ms. Stokes

D. FHS Student Representative Comments

E. Superintendent’s Report

II. Guests/Presentations

A. MA Region III Science Fair Winners

1. 1st Place: Antonio Marzoratti & Arav Tyagi - Wheelchair Project

2. 2nd Place: Anna David - The Effects of Cipher Choice on Entropy

III. Discussion/Action Items

A. None

IV. Discussion Only Items

A. None

V. Information Matters

A. School Committee Sub-Committee Reports

B. School Committee Liaison Reports

VI. Consent Agenda

A. Approval of Minutes

I recommend approval of the minutes of the April 12, 2022 School Committee Meeting as detailed.

B. Transfers

I recommend approval of the budget transfers as detailed.

C. Jefferson Gifts

I recommend acceptance of two checks totaling $5,050.00 as follows:

$ 50.00 Minted Supplemental Supplies

$5,000.00 Jefferson PCC Field Trips D. Scholarships

I recommend acceptance of two checks totaling $10,850.00 for FHS Scholarships as follows:

$10,000.00 Digital Federal Credit Union

$ 850.00 Carol Maher Memorial Scholarship E. Districtwide Gifts

I recommend acceptance of two checks totaling $1,000.00 from Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools for supplemental supplies and in-house enrichment as detailed.

F. Music Gift

I recommend acceptance of a check for $3,312.00 from Music Parents for in-house enrichment as detailed.

VII. Citizen’s Comments

VIII. New Business

To discuss any future agenda items

IX. Executive Session

a. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(3) to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining with the FEA/RN unit as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee and the chair so declares.

b. Pursuant to M.G.L. c. 30A, §21(a)(2) to discuss strategy in preparation for negotiations with non-union personnel.

X. Adjournment

Agenda doc (includes remote connection info)

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/scagenda_4-26-22.pdf

Meeting packet folder

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/april-26-2022-school-committee-meeting-packet

Franklin, MA: School Committee - Agenda - Apr 26, 2022

Food Insecurity Can Happen Overnight - Please consider contributing to the cause now to help your neighbors

Please Donate Today!

Franklin Food Pantry | 43 WEST CENTRAL STREET, Franklin, MA 02038

Sent by loften@franklinfoodpantry.org powered by

Try email marketing for free today!

FHS baseball posts win vs. Mansfield on Friday

Via HockomockSports.com, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Friday:

Baseball = Franklin, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final

– Franklin pushed across two runs in the top of the seventh inning without recording a hit and senior James Kuczmiec shut the door in the bottom half of the inning as the Panthers escaped with a win on the road. Mansfield plated two runs in the bottom of the sixth, with an RBI single from Anthony Sacchetti (to score Conner Zukowski, who had three hits on the day) and an RBI single from Connor Curtis (to score Sacchetti) to take a 2-1 lead into the final inning. In the top of the seventh, Eisig Chin drew a leadoff walk and took third after Ryan Gerety reached on an error. Jack Marino hit a ground ball and Chin was able to beat the throw home to tie the game, and Gerety took off for third. Chris Goode then drove in the winning run with a ground out to make it 3-2. Mansfield got the tying run to second in the bottom half before Kuczmiec (1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 K) induced a fly ball in foul territory for the third out. Franklin scored its first run in the top of the third on a passed ball and error. Alfred Mucciarone allowed two runs on seven hits (no walks), striking out six in 5.2 innings of work for Franklin. Mansfield’s Aaron Blinn allowed the one run (unearned) on four hits (no walks), striking out six in 5 innings.

Softball = Mansfield, 11 @ Franklin, 3 – Final

– The Hornets scored five runs in the top of the first and never looked back, compiling 11 hits as a team and winning for the second time in three days. Cat Kipp and Callie Lake started the game with singles and both came in to score on a base hit from Liv Madeira. With the bases loaded, Molly Kucharski brought in a run with a deep sac fly and Julia Kelly wrapped up the inning with a two-run single. Kelly tripled in the fourth and scored Mansfield’s sixth run on an Olivia DeTrolio single. After Franklin got its first run in the bottom of the fourth, the Hornets answered back with five runs in the fifth to put the game away. Madeira and Casey Moussette singled and Alanna Conley walked to load the bases. Jill Koppy plated a pair with a hit, Kucharski brought in two more with a hit, and Kelly drove in her third run of the day with a sac fly. The Panthers got two runs back in the seventh.

For other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/fridays-schedule-scoreboard-04-22-22/