Franklin Matters

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

“I think this inspired all age levels”

From the Milford Daily News, an article of interest for Franklin

"Robotics are indeed the way of the future, and to get there, it’s wise to start at a young age.

But that doesn’t mean the present is limited to children.

At Saturday’s inaugural robotics expo at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School, first-graders paired with older students in a display of previous work.

Angela Batt, an engineering teacher at Tri-County and the event’s coordinator, runs a Daisy Girl Scout troop out of Plainville, where she has 13 first-graders who are passionate about Lego robotics. She broke her troop into three junior Lego-league teams, and with the younger leagues being non-competitive, they always end the year with an expo. This year, they combined their expo with area middle schools and the Tri-County high robotics team."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180402/tri-county-robotics-expo-includes-first-graders-high-school-students

“I think this inspired all age levels”

Monday, April 2, 2018

Town Council - recap - March 28, 2018

The town Council meeting on Wednesday, March 28 opened with the swearing in of Firefighter Paramedic Peter Ballou. Peter was introduced by Chief Gary McCarragher and sworn in by Town Clerk Teresa Burr.

Peter Ballou was sworn in by Town Clerk Teresa Burr

Councilor Mercer was participating remotely so all votes were via roll call.

There was some discussion on the measure moving through the State legislative process to establish an animal registry before taking some action to endorse it. The measure was discussed and commented on. Any action to endorse it would be scheduled for future session.

The only vote of significance was to approve a measure to upgrade the town's phone system with a new one via a lease arrangement which would provide a good savings over a purchase.

The official Action Taken document as published by the Town of Franklin.

Reminder: FPAC's Culinary Cabaret at THE BLACK BOX - Apr 6

"Join us at THE BLACK BOX when the culinary and performing arts unite for an inspired evening of fabulous food, wine and entertainment, showcasing fine wines, craft beer, flavorful dishes and delectable desserts!

Pour Richard's Wine and Spirits presents representatives from vineyards and distributors, who will pour wine tastings to compliment the chef-prepared specialties. Reflecting Pour Richard's "Never Drink Ordinary" motto, beverages will feature small producers, high quality and eclectic selection.

Featuring entertainment by Electric Youth and special guest artists of the Franklin Performing Arts Company. Culinary Cabaret supports Electric Youth's 2018 European tour including Fourth of July at Aviano Air Force Base!"

When:
April 6th, 2018
7:00 - 10:00 PM

Where:
THE BLACK BOX
15 West Central Street, Franklin, MA

Tickets can be purchased online
https://www.theblackboxonline.com/events.php?id=1080

FPAC - Culinary Cabaret - April 6

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

Sunday, April 1, 2018

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