Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Dean College: Fall sports have winning season


The first snowfall in Franklin, Massachusetts this week signaled the official end to fall sports on the Dean College campus. Both men’s and women’s soccer, along with the football team ended their seasons with winning records. Below are recaps of each teams season.

Football  

Head Coach Todd Vasey and his staff followed up leading the Bulldogs to the Valley of the Sun Bowl win in 2011 with another strong campaign, as the Dean College football team officially ended their season with 7 wins and 3 losses. The 7-3 record was good for third place in the Northeast Football Conference.

There were too many individual standout performances to list here, though it is worth noting that the Dean College passing attack easily led the conference in total passing yards with 2,404 and passing touchdowns with 21. This vicious attack was led by first year quarterback Trevor Vasey (1,848 passing yards, 15 touchdowns) and Sophmore Wide Receiver Shavarez Smith (43 receptions, 685 yards, 6 touchdowns).

On defense, Dean was second in the conference with 15 interceptions and also second in the conference in sacks with 25 on the season, led by Defensive End Rashard Simmons with 6 sacks on the season. Also worth noting Linebacker Marcus Pittard led the conference in solo tackles with 50.

Team and individual statistics can be seen on the Northeast Conference Football website by clicking here.

Women’s Soccer

Dean College women’s soccer team made an incredible leap in 2012, as the team officially ended their season with 9 wins, 5 losses, and 1 tie, posting the first winning record for the program since 1998.

Many stellar individual performances contributed to the successful season, and four players were ranked within the top 50 in the country in NJCAA Division I. Sophomore Jessica Gelbman was ranked 6th in saves (147 saves) and 40th in save percentage (.821 percent). Freshman Morgan Mencio led the team in points with 42 (13 goals and 16 assists). She was ranked 9th with assists and 35th in points. Freshman Samantha O’Keefe had 15 goals and 7 assists on the season for 37 points, giving her a ranking of 49th with points and 47th in goals. Freshman Lauren Valdario was ranked 38th with assists, and had 12 goals and 10 assists on the season for 34 points.

As a result of this year’s success, Head Coach Laura Ray was named Region 21 Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year. This award is voted on by all NJCAA Division I and III Programs in Region 21. Dean College not only posted the first winning record since 1998, but tripled their wins from last season, as well as improved their overall goals for and goals against average. Congratulations, Coach Ray!

Men’s Soccer

Dean College men’s soccer team enjoyed quite a ride this season which included being ranked 17th in the nation, a Regional Championship win, and Divisional Championship game participation. Coach Jim Hopkins and his staff led the team to a 12 win, five loss and 2 ties season.

A big story this season which really drove the success of the team was Dean’s ferocious defense and goaltending, as the team held opponents to a 1.29 goals against average. Leading this effort was goaltenders Rafael Urbina (9 games played, 77 saves, 6 shutouts 1.87 goals against average) and Denzel Teleau (6 games played, 23 saves, 2 shutouts, 0.26 goals against average).

Offensively, Dean had a well rounded attack led by Gregory Smedberg (20 points, 8 goals, 4 assists), Paul Rocha Lima (16 points, 6 goals, 4 assists) and Michael Fitzgerald (12 points, 6 goals), along with great effort from Alex Bedrosian and Brandon Vasconcelos.

The team defeated Massasoit Community College in the Region XXI Championship game to advance to the District Championship tournament for the first time in 8 years. Despite a solid effort against #2 Monroe CC, Dean was defeated 4-1.

The bottom line

Dean College is very proud of the effort of all fall team student-athletes. Each and every player put in a tremendous amount of work and was rewarded with being part of a standout fall sports season.

For more about Dean visit their webpage:  http://www.dean.edu/

"it provides good information"

The Milford Daily News reports that the annual survey by the MetroWest Health Foundation is expanding this year. The expansion will cover all 25 of the communities covered by the Foundation.
The survey asks students about everything from their drug and alcohol use to their daily stress levels, providing schools and health officials with a valuable glimpse into their lives. Data gleaned from the questionnaire also influences where and how the MetroWest Health Foundation spends its program funding, which is another reason the organization wants as many towns as possible to participate, according to Donham. 
"In order to have good data to supply to us, they need to take the survey," she said. 
This year’s participants have until Thanksgiving to complete the survey. Many districts are already done. 
The 2012 version includes several new question topics, including bystander behaviors and peer support. The high school questionnaire also has more questions about dating violence and sexting.

Read more of the Milford Daily News article: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x35737837/Student-health-survey-gets-full-participation#ixzz2C6A3pKV3

Franklin has been one of the 25 communities to participate in the survey and use the data to direct program efforts. Some of the related posts on the survey data can be found here:

2007 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2007/12/metro-westedc-adolescent-health-survey.html

2008 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2009/12/live-reporting-metrowest-health-update.html

2010 - http://www.franklinmatters.org/2010/04/live-reporting-community-health-council.html


For more information on the MetroWest Health Foundation visit their webpage here  http://www.mwhealth.org/


Monday, November 12, 2012

Veterans Day - 2012

As we celebrate Veterans Day, if you haven't been to the Town Common recently to walk among the monuments these photos can help make that walk a virtual one.



My father was a veteran of World War II having served with the US Marine 4th Division on Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima. He was fond of saying that the real heroes did not come home.

On this Veterans Day, let's remember those who are among us and those who have mustered on!


Franklin, MA: Election Turnout Percent 2003-2012

The voter turnout results for elections from 2003 to the most recent November 2012 has been updated and charted as shown here:



Feed the Need - Turkey Trot - Nov 22



If you are a runner, or walker you can help the Franklin Food Pantry.



Registration, course map and additional race information can be found at http://www.feedtheneed.org/


If you would like to organize a collection in your neighborhood, you can print out this flyer to use


Girls soccer head to final four at State level

The Franklin High School Girls soccer team have advanced to the final four for the State soccer tournament. They lead Oliver Ames 3-0 before conceding two goals to make the final minutes a nail bitter.
Luckily for the Panthers, they did, winning 3-2 and clinching their second sectional title in three seasons. They will now travel to Lynn's Manning Field for a 5:30 p.m. date in the state's final four. 
The Panthers are now 20-0-1, and their pursuit of an unbeaten season is still intact. Oliver Ames, the 2011 Div. 1 South champs, ends its season at 17-4-1. 
"We never like to make things easy on ourselves," said a relieved Franklin coach Tom Geysen. "We came out with some formations that they didn't recognize and were able to get up early. We did a good job of staying hungry to close out the first half. We played okay in the second half for the most part and then made a few mistakes late that almost cost us. But at this point, a win is a win and now we'll look ahead to a very good Beverly team."

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/sports/local_sports/x1272756157/Franklin-3-Oliver-Ames-2-Heartstopping-victory#ixzz2C0J1dNLG

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Dean College Hunger Awareness Banquet (Free Event)

Losing power seems to be a random event. Your residence loses power and folks on the next block still have power. Frustrating? You bet. During the recent storms, you can drive around Franklin and see houses with lights and power, and then rows of houses in the dark.

Hunger can be like that too. It is usually less visible. The person next to you looks normal. How can you tell if they are hungry? Dean students have set up this event to discuss hunger and its effects.
Taking a “can drive” one step further, Dean College invites the Franklin and surrounding communities to a public “Hunger Banquet” on Tuesday, November 13, in which participants will experience a meal either as an Upper Income citizen, Middle Income citizen, or Lower Income citizen. Dean Community Outreach students conceptualized and will emcee this learning experience where guests will be assigned a class upon arrival and will experience life as a member of that class for the duration of the program. Upper income class guests will receive a scrumptious meal served to them in an upper class setting at a roundtable. Middle income class guests will experience their meal middle class meal at rectangular tables, while the lower income class experiences their meal on the floor.

This event is free. Participants are asked to bring a canned good for the Franklin Food Pantry

Tuesday, November 13, 7:00 PM 
at the Dean College Campus Center


Info from the Dean College calendar
http://www.dean.edu/events/index.cfm?calid=4858

And Franklin Town News
http://franklintownnews.com/content/dean-college-hunger-banquet




FHS Girls Soccer - South Sectional finals - Sun 11/11 @ 5:00 PM

Hello Franklin Soccer fans!
The FHS girls won their semi-final game  on Friday , 2-0 over Marshfield.  It was a very physical game but the girls kept working hard to get their victory! 
FHS Girls Varsity South Sectional final vs Oliver Ames @ Braintree HS, 5pm Sunday, 11/11/12. 
A win on Sunday means that FHS would win their section and go on to the semi-finals for the state championship. 
Oliver Ames is sure to have a large crowd so we need lots of Franklin fans to head out to Braintree on Sunday. It's supposed to be a great day for weather so come on out and cheer them on! Go Panthers!



Google Map showing Braintree High


View Larger Map

Trail Grants up for Discussion

You can almost feel the busy holiday schedule kicking-in!  But consider taking a few minutes this Tuesday to discuss some critical issues facing the the development of the Rail Trail. The Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee will be meeting at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at the YMCA in Franklin.  The meeting is open to all who are interested, and attached is an agenda and minutes from the last meeting.

Hope to see you there.  

Marc Kaplan
Chair, FBRTC

Agenda for the November meeting:




Minutes from the October meeting:



Mission: The Franklin and Bellingham Rail Trail Committee (FBRTC) is a volunteer advocacy group dedicated to the development, maintenance, and financial support of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail as a multi-use, universally accessible recreational path.

FBRTC is a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Trail Blazers, a recognized 501(c)(3), working in partnership with federal, state and local governments.

For more about the group you can visit their web page
http://www.franklinbellinghamrailtrail.org/

"they kicked over a hornet’s nest"

One of the medal recipients honored on Friday tells his story in the Milford Daily News:
On Oct. 7, 1967, as the Vietnam War raged on, Robert Gardner, of Franklin, was awarded the Bronze Star medal, a commendation given to U.S. Army soldiers who display valor on the battlefield. 
Gardner was a first lieutenant commanding an armored cavalry platoon based in the area around the Bong Son River, in the western part of the country. 
Below is a summary of the day that earned Gardner his medal. It began like any other for a soldier rolling through the rice paddies, creeks and streams, under the blistering sun of Vietnam.
You can read the reminder of Robert Gardner's story here: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x794467153/Franklin-recipient-of-Bronze-Star-tells-his-story#ixzz2BuezUlE4

In case you missed the story of the Veterans Day ceremony held at the Franklin Senior Center on Friday
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/i-think-of-guys-who-sacrificed-for-us.html

Saturday, November 10, 2012

39th Annual Craft Fair - today, 9:00 to 4:00 PM


Our 39th annual Craft Fair will be held on Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 9 AM to 4 PM at Tri-County Regional Vocational High School in Franklin, Massachusetts. 
This year’s annual tradition will feature crafters offering handmade and unique items for every style and budget including: art, photography, body care, candles, kids and adult clothing and accessories, jewelry, handbags, quilts, home décor, ornaments, holiday décor, food and much, much more!




Donations to the Franklin Food Pantry will be accepted at the entrance to the Craft Fair

"I think of the guys who sacrificed for us"

The Senior Center was the site for recognition of the many veterans who live in Franklin. As reported in the Milford daily News:
Veterans Agent Bob Fahey began the ceremony by recognizing all of the men and woman from Franklin who have served in the military. 
Currently, the town has 1,343 veterans, with 899 of them 60 years or older. "We call them our senior veterans," Fahey said, eliciting some laughs from everyone. 
To date, he said, 45 residents have been killed in action overseas.

The article also included the listing of the Bronze and Silver Star medal recipients
  • Scott Anzivino, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Iraq War
  • Andrew E. Bissanti, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army and Navy, World War II and Korean War
  • Anthony D'Amelio, Bronze Star medal, U.S Army, World War II
  • Henry DeGregorio, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, World War II
  • George Ferguson, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Vietnam War
  • Robert Gardner, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Vietnam War
  • Zeffro Gianetti, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, World War II
  • John Hanaberry, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Vietnam War
  • Lawrence Howell, Silver Star medal, Coast Guard, World War II
  • Daniel Knight, Bronze Star medal, Army National Guard, Iraq War
  • John McKinely, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Vietnam War
  • Robert Pirelli, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, Iraq War
  • Paul Sullivan, Bronze Star medal, U.S. Army, World War II
  • Walter Zinchuck, Silver Star medal, U.S. Army, World War II


Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x303007943/Franklin-council-honors-veterans-with-proclamation#ixzz2BooruEln

In the news: repairs, Kennedy, veterans



Repair shops say little will change with Right to Repair law

Friday, November 9, 2012

Franklin TV - Member meeting

I feel a little odd typing on my laptop here at the first annual member meeting for the Franklin TV organization. I should be using video! May be next time. (Note: I tried reporting live during the meeting but my connection was not cooperating so I went offline).


Meeting opened by Ken Norman

He provided a little more detail to the overview to the Town Council meeting on Wednesday (and recapped here http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/real-time-reporting-franklin-tv.html)

Acknowledgment of Bob Dean for all the good work he had done for cable through the years and what he had done recently to prepare the group. He was unable to participate due to health reasons.

Executive Director, Peter Fasciano
Peter showed a brief video touting Franklin TV and then some slides with the layout of the proposed facility on Hutchinson St. One good part of the current building is that there are no interior columns which would make it easier to create their studio and working space. There are also plans for a separate and free standing building in the back for a second studio. Each studio would be about 900 - 1200 sq ft in size. There would be office space, meeting space, a kitchen to service the needs of the studio as well as be capable of being used for cooking shows.

The identity for Franklin TV is important. Within Franklin TV there would be three distinct broadcast channels.


Franklin Town Hall TV would be the government channel broadcasting the Town Council, School Committee and other meetings. Technically there is an issue with being able to re-broadcast those meeting on the same channel but that is expected to be worked out. Switching the rebroadcast to this channel will free up the other two channels to hold more of their own content.


Franklin All Access TV would be the community channel continuing to broadcast those community shows as they do currently.


Franklin Pride TV would be the education channel showing the sport events and other school activities, performances, music, drama, etc.

Franklin Radio is actually being used today to provide the musical background for the schedule and other public notices shown on cable TV. This could be further developed to be its own radio station capable of broadcasting meetings and other audio content. (This would be a good place to share the Franklin Matters radio shows that have been created here.)

Ken returned to introduce the current Board members:

  • Anne Bergan - representing the School Committee
  • Bob Lenny and Wes Ray - representing Franklin TV
  • Ken Norman and Rose Turco - representing the Town Council
  • John Milot and Jay Horrigan (embarrassing to say I didn't write down their last names) were elected and re-elected respectfully by the members present during the meeting

Franklin.TV is now a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

There is a whole lot of goodness going on in this video space. The Franklin community will benefit as the group continues to develop programs and resolve the technical issues it has.

Consider visiting Franklin.TV and if you have interest in video, maybe there is something you can do to help!
http://franklin.tv/ftv_v4_009.htm







Network with Franklin Downtown Partnership members!

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via Franklin Downtown Partnership by noreply@blogger.com (Franklin Downtown Partnership) on 11/8/12

Dear FDP Members:
We hope you can attend one or both of our upcoming Networking Events:

FDP Networking Luncheon
Friday, November 9th at 1:00
Dean College-Campus Center Dining Hall

YOU ARE INVITED......
to a very special Franklin Downtown Partnership Networking Event hosted by Six One Seven Studios

Thursday, November 15th -Starting at 5:00
This is a special evening for FDP members looking for connections and networking opportunities. The event will be at Six One Seven Studios'state of the art film studiolocated at 25 Kenwood Circle in Franklin.

Come and enjoy good company, delicious appetizers, beer, and wine as you tour the exciting new state of the art studios.

Please RSVP Joel Carrara at jcarrara@printsmartoffice.com

Learn more about Six One Seven Studios
Six One Seven Studios is a full service video production company based in Franklin, MA dedicated to telling your story through high quality video production.

Our experienced team of professionals has years of experience in the art of communicating through video. From videography, editing, scripting and all aspects of video production service, Six One Seven Studios represents some of the best in the field offering our services at competitive prices.

Six One Studios is equipped with a 3,200 square foot soundstage, makeup and client area, state of the art editing suite and multiple offices.

We look forward to seeing everyone who can attend.
www.sixonesevenstudios.com





Things you can do from here:

Franklin Liquor - Wine Tasting - 4:00 - 7:00 PM


Please Join Us For An In Store Wine Tasting

Friday November 9th 4-7PM

Featuring
New Wine Finds


This Will Be A Biodynamic FRUIT Day.
Great To Taste And Drink Wine!



For a listing of the wines featured in this tasting event please visit their Facebook page here
http://www.facebook.com/events/434344316624912/

For more about Franklin Liquors, you can visit their Facebook page here
http://www.facebook.com/FranklinLiquorsMA

or their webpage here  http://www.franklinliquors.com/

From the "Juicy Nibble" - insights on 4th grade Math in Franklin

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via The Shiny Red Apple by Mrs. Williams-the big "A"pple on 11/8/12

4th grade teachers across Franklin have been working with Dr. Susan Looney, of Looney Consulting, to implement the new changes in the mathematics curriculum according to the Common Core of Standards and Massachusetts Standards.  In class, the students have been working on multi digit multiplication using a variety of methods, strategies and algorithms.  In the photos, the girls used base ten blocks to show the "area model," method of multiplication.
70*90

40*80

 The video shows "window boxes,"  which is what we worked on today as a preview to the partial products method of multiplication.  Click on it if you need help with tonight's homework.

Things you can do from here:

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Reminder - Franklin TV meeting - Nov 8 6:00 PM

A quick reminder:


Our first annual member meeting is scheduled for tomorrow evening, November 8th at 6:00 PM at the Senior Center.  This meeting is open to all Franklin TV members.  Questions?  Call 508-541-4118.


This meeting is an opportunity to learn about Franklin TV's plans to provide better production support for Franklin residents and organizations who wish to create TV programs.  Our progress to date, plus the groundwork for our plans going forward are all thanks to our current board members who have contributed so much of their time and energy to shape a clear vision for Franklin TV and move ahead as a new nonprofit organization.

At this meeting Franklin TV members will be voting to elect directors for two board positions.  If you received this email, then you are listed as a member and you are eligible to vote.


Come to the Senior Center, November 8th at 6:00 PM.
We will start with a brief Presentation at 6:30.

Please join us at this important Franklin TV event.  Get to know the current board.  Come meet, greet, and vote for the nominees.  Hope to see you there.

And, thanks for watching!

Pete Fasciano,
Executive Director,
FCCA, Inc., Franklin TV

Franklin to receive solar savings

Sent to you by Steve Sherlock via Google Reader:

via The Milford Daily News News RSS by Matt Tota/Daily News staff on 11/7/12

Town Council on Wednesday agreed to enter a power purchase agreement with a Newton green energy firm planning to build a solar farm atop land owned by nuns. Mount St. Mary's Abbey, a monastery of nuns in Wrentham overseen by the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance, has the deed to the 11-acre parcel in Franklin that will hold the farm.

Things you can do from here:


A complete reporting on the full meeting can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2012/11/town-council-110712.html


Town Council - 11/07/12

The summary of posts reported in real time for the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2012 can be found here:





Note: "real time" is reporting while watching the live video feed as opposed to being in the Council Chambers and reporting which would be "live reporting"