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Saturday, May 6, 2017
MassBudget: Analyzing the House budget proposal
Friday, May 5, 2017
Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA Area: FRI 5/5/17 - THU 5/11/17
7pm Culinary Cabaret @ The Black Box
SATURDAY 5/6/17
10am 7th Annual Franklin Fives Road Race (registration at 9am) @ Remington MS
10am Free Rainbarrel Workshop (registration required ahead of time) @ DPW
10-1pm Franklin Historical Museum Open
10-3pm Mother's Day Spring Craft Fair, An Unlikely Story, Plainville
12-2pm Spring Fair Sunrise Montessori School
1-3pm Chocolate and Wine Tasting @ Green Mountain Chocolates in Hopedale
8pm Circle of Friends Coffeehouse: Catie Curtis with Rachel Kilgour @ FUSF
SUNDAY 5/7/17
8am Race for Recovery 5K @ Remington MS
11am-1pm Horace Mann Statue Unveiling @ Horace Mann Square
11:30am Teen Book Brunch @ Franklin Public Library
1-4pm Franklin Historical Museum Open
MONDAY 5/8/17
4pm WordPlay @ Franklin Public Library
6-8pm Beginners Chess for All Ages @ Franklin Public Library
7-8:30pm Learn To Cope Franklin Chapter Meeting @ FUSF
TUESDAY 5/9/17
6:30pm Author Nancy Haines - We Answered With Love @ Franklin Public Library
7pm Yankee Quilters Guild Meeting @ St. John Episcopal Church
7:30pm Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Meeting @ Franklin YMCA
WEDNESDAY 5/10/17
5pm Lego Club @ Franklin Public Library
6:30pm Teen Advisory Board Meeting @ Franklin Public Library
7:30pm Franklin Newcomers and Friends Club Meeting @ 3 Restaurant
THURSDAY 5/11/17
4pm Family Coloring Book Club @ Franklin Public Library
5-8pm Franklin Historical Museum Open
6-10pm The Treasured Chests Team’s Annual Fundraiser (Avon 39 Walk) @ Holiday Inn Mansfield
6pm Kindergarten Info Night @ Davis Thayer School
6:30pm Metacomet Land Trust Annual Meeting: Celebrate Project Green Schools! @ Blackstone Valley RVTHS
7-8pm Healing Hearts Community Support Group @ Franklin YMCA
7:30pm Stony Brook Camera Club @ Anglican Church of the Redeemer (31 Hayward St)
For the Town of Franklin Public Calendar click HERE.
For all other events and Franklin happenings click HERE.
*To submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this FORM.
Tegra Medical Invests in People with Toolmaker Apprentice Program
While
Massachusetts sees a shortage of employees for advanced manufacturing jobs,
Tegra Medical is creating its own skilled workforce with its Toolmaker
Apprentice Program.
Advanced manufacturing combines
information technology with advanced machinery, and requires highly-skilled
employees. The four-year program, which has been implemented in Tegra Medical’s
Franklin location and may be extended to other locations, accepts two students
who are required to enroll in engineering programs at local colleges. The
company pays their tuition and a salary, then promotes them to journeyman
toolmaker positions when they graduate.
Apprentices spend 40 hours a week
in Tegra Medical’s GENESIS Tech Center® (GTC), which is devoted to prototyping
and product development. They learn all aspects of machining including how to
plan a machining job, programming the machines, and doing CAD drawing and solid
modeling. At least 95- percent of the apprentices’ time at Tegra Medical is
spent on the job. They juggle these responsibilities with their college course
load.
“We put apprentices right into
the thick of things at our GTC,” said Brian Rua, Director of Support Services
and the apprentice program manager. “Here, the apprentices are exposed to every
kind of machining we do. They’re working on real projects, and learning from
all the engineers, toolmakers, maintenance, quality and program managers who
are refining customers’ medical device designs and figuring out the most
efficient ways to manufacture them.”
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| Antonio Bettencourt, the first apprentice program participant and Brian Rua, Director of Support Services and founder of the apprentice program. |
Tegra Medical is unusual in
having this apprentice program. This makes it a popular choice for students
graduating from local vocational high schools.
“It’s a great way to help a young
person find his niche,” said Rua. “We had one apprentice who was so “green”
when he started that he hardly knew what any of the machines were for. Today he
is excelling in the program. With what he has learned here combined with a
self-starter attitude, he can now take a project from start to finish with
minimal help. He is working on some of the most advanced systems in the shop
and has done research and presented suggestions for new equipment upgrades and
more.”
The first graduate of the
apprentice program, Antonio Bettencourt, received his certificate in April. He
was also presented with a beautiful oak Gerstner tool chest with felt-lined
compartments to protect his tools for years to come. The second graduate, Nick
Voyer, is due to complete the program in July.
FHS softball tops Foxboro 9-1
From Hockomock Sports, we share the results of the FHS spring sports action on Thursday, May 4.
Softball = Franklin, 9 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final
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| FHS Panthers |
– Franklin scored three runs in the third and added three more in the sixth inning to beat Foxboro in a game continued from Sunday (rain). Franklin held a 1-0 lead when the game resumed. Olivia DiGiacomo (four RBI) went 3-for-4 and put an exclamation point on the day with a bases-clearing double in the sixth inning. Kylie Bouzan added two hits and scored a pair for runs for Franklin. Jackie Cherry pitched four innings, retiring the side in order in the first, second and third innings. Emily Valentino pitched the last three innings and recorded three strikeouts. FHS head coach Kate Fallon Comeau said Tara Hartnett played excellent defense at shortstop.
For the other results around the Hockomock League
https://hockomocksports.com/thursdays-schedule-scoreboard-050417/
Mother's Day Local Food and Craft Fair - Saturday, May 6
Come join us for a celebration of Spring, Mother's Day and locally grown/made food and crafts!
Where
An Unlikely Story
111 South St, Plainville, Massachusetts 02762
When
Saturday, May 6 at 10 AM - 3 PM
Facebook event
https://www.facebook.com/events/406312516410770/
Where
An Unlikely Story
111 South St, Plainville, Massachusetts 02762
When
Saturday, May 6 at 10 AM - 3 PM
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| Mother's Day Local Food and Craft Fair - Saturday, May 6 |
Facebook event
https://www.facebook.com/events/406312516410770/
Lifelong Learning: FUN One-Night Workshops In May
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The Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2017 Mass Poetry Festival!
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Sunrise Montessori School Spring Fair - May 6
Join us for our Spring Fair!
Something for everyone - games, bouncy house, train ride, face painting, balloon animals, raffles and food. Fair will happen rain or shine!
All ages welcome!
WHEN: Saturday, May 6th
TIME: 12pm-2pm
WHERE: Sunrise Montessori School, 31 Hayward Street Franklin, MA
Something for everyone - games, bouncy house, train ride, face painting, balloon animals, raffles and food. Fair will happen rain or shine!
All ages welcome!
WHEN: Saturday, May 6th
TIME: 12pm-2pm
WHERE: Sunrise Montessori School, 31 Hayward Street Franklin, MA
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| Sunrise Montessori School Spring Fair - May 6 |
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Horace Mann: birthday, May 4; statue unveiling celebration May 7, 2017
On Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 11 AM, Franklin will be honoring Horace Mann, the father of public education in America, with the unveiling of a statue bearing his likeness at Horace Mann Square. Mann was born in Franklin on May 4, 1796 and was self-educated in the town using books supplied by Benjamin Franklin which formed the nucleus of the nation’s first public library.
“The unveiling of the statue in his birthplace is a tribute to his work and to those whose great efforts mark the progress of education in the United States and the advancement of Mann’s ideals,” noted Rep. Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin), a member of the statue committee.
“Horace Mann’s contributions to public education are quintessential to the American story, providing opportunities for advancement and the achievement of the American Dream. Sunday’s ceremony will honor these contributions and highlight the intersection of our library and Mann’s own education.”
Tom Mercer, Town Councilor and Statue Committee member offered this quote from Horace Mann which to him highlighted the significance of Sunday’s event: "If ever there was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil to sacrifice that the human heart can endure, it is the cause of Education."
The memorial was made possible by funding from the Massachusetts General Court and the Austin B. Fletcher Memorial Fund approved by the Town Council of Franklin, Massachusetts. Both bodies unanimously approved the project of honoring the memory of so illustrious a son of Franklin, and took the necessary steps to make it happen. The Square which houses the statue and memorial was generously donated and constructed by Roger Calarese, the developer of Horace Mann.
“The statue also stands as a monument to a fight that has been handed down to us— that we must strive unceasingly for better schools,” said Town Councilor Robert Dellorco, another member of the statue committee. “Well-educated, clear-thinking, creative citizens are essential to democracy and our democratic way of life, and it’s wonderful that we will be celebrating the life of the man that made it possible.”
Lisa Piana, Statue Committee member and Director of the Franklin Downtown Partnership stated: "I could not think of a better location for the Horace Mann statue than the Gateway to downtown Franklin. The Partnership is excited that the community came together to make this happen and we look forward to having a beautiful place to gather and appreciate Franklin's rich history."
Town Councilor and Committee Co-Chair Deb Pellegri noted that she was honored to serve as co-chair with Charlie Oteri and the whole committee. “Having co-chaired the Ben Franklin Statue Committee, I had the pleasure of working with our sculptor, Robert Shure,” she added. “I just knew that the Horace Mann Statue was going to be as fantastic as Ben's statue. The community will be very pleased.”
“With knowledge comes power, then there are no limits to what humans can achieve,” said Oteri, Co-Chair of the Committee.
In 1837, Mann left the practice of law and withdrew from the presidency of the Massachusetts State Senate to become the first Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. He traveled among the people urging them to make their schools better—to improve school buildings, to provide better books and equipment, to enrich the course of study, and above all to provide better teachers.
Year after year, Horace Mann carried on his mission, and today, his name is held in grateful remembrance everywhere the common school opens doors of opportunity. He declared, “Without undervaluing any other human agency, it may be safely affirmed that the Common School...may become the most effective and benignant of all forces of civilization.”
The Statue Committee members include Pellegri and Charles Oteri as Co-Chairs, along with Roy, Dellorco, Piana, and Mercer.
A detailed program and history of Horace Mann will be distributed on Sunday (see below for the embedded document).
Limited edition mugs depicting the statue will be available for sale at the event.
A Facebook event page with information on Horace Mann and his work is posted at https://www.facebook.com/events/1102040296567751/
Here are some links to materials on Mann’s life and legacy:
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| Horace Mann birthplace monument in Franklin |
“Horace Mann’s contributions to public education are quintessential to the American story, providing opportunities for advancement and the achievement of the American Dream. Sunday’s ceremony will honor these contributions and highlight the intersection of our library and Mann’s own education.”
Tom Mercer, Town Councilor and Statue Committee member offered this quote from Horace Mann which to him highlighted the significance of Sunday’s event: "If ever there was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil to sacrifice that the human heart can endure, it is the cause of Education."
 |
| Horace Mann gravesite, North Burial Ground in Providence, RI |
The memorial was made possible by funding from the Massachusetts General Court and the Austin B. Fletcher Memorial Fund approved by the Town Council of Franklin, Massachusetts. Both bodies unanimously approved the project of honoring the memory of so illustrious a son of Franklin, and took the necessary steps to make it happen. The Square which houses the statue and memorial was generously donated and constructed by Roger Calarese, the developer of Horace Mann.
“The statue also stands as a monument to a fight that has been handed down to us— that we must strive unceasingly for better schools,” said Town Councilor Robert Dellorco, another member of the statue committee. “Well-educated, clear-thinking, creative citizens are essential to democracy and our democratic way of life, and it’s wonderful that we will be celebrating the life of the man that made it possible.”
Lisa Piana, Statue Committee member and Director of the Franklin Downtown Partnership stated: "I could not think of a better location for the Horace Mann statue than the Gateway to downtown Franklin. The Partnership is excited that the community came together to make this happen and we look forward to having a beautiful place to gather and appreciate Franklin's rich history."
Town Councilor and Committee Co-Chair Deb Pellegri noted that she was honored to serve as co-chair with Charlie Oteri and the whole committee. “Having co-chaired the Ben Franklin Statue Committee, I had the pleasure of working with our sculptor, Robert Shure,” she added. “I just knew that the Horace Mann Statue was going to be as fantastic as Ben's statue. The community will be very pleased.”
 |
| the new statue is in place and ready to be unveiled on Sunday |
“With knowledge comes power, then there are no limits to what humans can achieve,” said Oteri, Co-Chair of the Committee.
In 1837, Mann left the practice of law and withdrew from the presidency of the Massachusetts State Senate to become the first Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. He traveled among the people urging them to make their schools better—to improve school buildings, to provide better books and equipment, to enrich the course of study, and above all to provide better teachers.
Year after year, Horace Mann carried on his mission, and today, his name is held in grateful remembrance everywhere the common school opens doors of opportunity. He declared, “Without undervaluing any other human agency, it may be safely affirmed that the Common School...may become the most effective and benignant of all forces of civilization.”
The Statue Committee members include Pellegri and Charles Oteri as Co-Chairs, along with Roy, Dellorco, Piana, and Mercer.
A detailed program and history of Horace Mann will be distributed on Sunday (see below for the embedded document).
Limited edition mugs depicting the statue will be available for sale at the event.
A Facebook event page with information on Horace Mann and his work is posted at https://www.facebook.com/events/1102040296567751/
Here are some links to materials on Mann’s life and legacy:
- Program book from Inauguration of State House statue in 1865
- Program book from memorial dedication in Franklin in 1929
- Program book from Florida dedication in 1949
- Program book from re-dedication of State House statue in 1963
Franklin Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger on May 13 - Franklin Food Pantry Asks for Special Items and No Expired Food
The Franklin Food Pantry is appealing to the community for some very specific items in this year’s Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. On Saturday, May 13, Franklin letter carriers will pick up donated goods from town residents at their mailboxes and deliver them to the Franklin Food Pantry.
Because the Pantry is currently overstocked with green beans, chicken soup and canned corn, it is asking for residents to please consider donating the items most needed:
“In our current building, we have very limited space to store a surplus of items,” said Erin Lynch, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “That’s why we are asking the community for these very specific items, as well as no expired food. We are so appreciative of all the donations we receive, but unfortunately, we have space limitations.”
The Pantry receives roughly 13,000 pounds of food donations monthly. Every item is checked for expiration dates by volunteers. The expired food must be disposed of, which costs the Pantry time and money. Processing expired food items is challenging for the nonprofit because of its limited resources.
According to Sue Kilcoyne, pantry operations manager, “We receive thousands of pounds of outdated products each year. We are asking the community to please check expiration dates on their donations so that we can prevent excess waste and avoid volunteer burnout. This would be such a huge help to us, and much appreciated by our hard-working volunteers.”
If anyone is interested in volunteering for the event, they can sign up online at https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/volunteers-needed-for-stamp-out-hunger-may-13/.
Franklin residents can donate to the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail on Saturday, May 13. Some residents may receive the special yellow Stamp Out Hunger grocery bags to use, but any paper or plastic bag can be used. Letter carriers will pick up the bags during their normal mail rounds and will deliver the food to the Franklin Food Pantry.
“We are so thankful to the letter carriers, and a supportive community, for helping us acquire the items that are most needed,” said Lynch. “We have more than 1,000 individuals who count on us for food on a regular basis. We could not provide for them without the support of such a generous community.”
Lynch said that in lieu of donating goods, individuals who want to support the Pantry can donate online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org.
“Monetary donations give us the flexibility to purchase what we need, when we need it,” said Lynch. “We can also purchase fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products to supplement the canned and boxed food donations. We count on both types of donations to provide a wholesome and balanced inventory of products for our clients.”
For more information on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or call the Franklin Food Pantry at 508-528-3115. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that provides food to local food banks and pantries that would otherwise be faced with depleted stocks during the summer months. The food drive is the nation’s largest single-day drive, collecting a record 80 million pounds of nonperishable food last year.
Because the Pantry is currently overstocked with green beans, chicken soup and canned corn, it is asking for residents to please consider donating the items most needed:
Franklin Food Pantry Asks for Special Items and No Expired Food
- Canned fruit
- White tuna
- Coffee
- Laundry detergent
- Deodorant
- Feminine hygiene products
“In our current building, we have very limited space to store a surplus of items,” said Erin Lynch, executive director of the Franklin Food Pantry. “That’s why we are asking the community for these very specific items, as well as no expired food. We are so appreciative of all the donations we receive, but unfortunately, we have space limitations.”
The Pantry receives roughly 13,000 pounds of food donations monthly. Every item is checked for expiration dates by volunteers. The expired food must be disposed of, which costs the Pantry time and money. Processing expired food items is challenging for the nonprofit because of its limited resources.
According to Sue Kilcoyne, pantry operations manager, “We receive thousands of pounds of outdated products each year. We are asking the community to please check expiration dates on their donations so that we can prevent excess waste and avoid volunteer burnout. This would be such a huge help to us, and much appreciated by our hard-working volunteers.”
If anyone is interested in volunteering for the event, they can sign up online at https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/volunteers-needed-for-stamp-out-hunger-may-13/.
Franklin residents can donate to the food drive by leaving a bag of non-perishable food where their letter carrier normally delivers their mail on Saturday, May 13. Some residents may receive the special yellow Stamp Out Hunger grocery bags to use, but any paper or plastic bag can be used. Letter carriers will pick up the bags during their normal mail rounds and will deliver the food to the Franklin Food Pantry.
“We are so thankful to the letter carriers, and a supportive community, for helping us acquire the items that are most needed,” said Lynch. “We have more than 1,000 individuals who count on us for food on a regular basis. We could not provide for them without the support of such a generous community.”
Lynch said that in lieu of donating goods, individuals who want to support the Pantry can donate online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org.
“Monetary donations give us the flexibility to purchase what we need, when we need it,” said Lynch. “We can also purchase fresh food such as fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy products to supplement the canned and boxed food donations. We count on both types of donations to provide a wholesome and balanced inventory of products for our clients.”
For more information on the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, visit www.helpstampouthunger.com or call the Franklin Food Pantry at 508-528-3115. The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is a nationwide effort organized by the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) that provides food to local food banks and pantries that would otherwise be faced with depleted stocks during the summer months. The food drive is the nation’s largest single-day drive, collecting a record 80 million pounds of nonperishable food last year.
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