The Wrentham Times

Frizzell Named Teacher of the Year

Sheena Marie Acosta-Frizzell has been selected as The United Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Teacher of the Year. A fifth grade teacher at Charles E. Roderick Elementary School in Wrentham, Frizzell has been teaching at Roderick since 2007. She was awarded with a $1,000 check from Bristol County Savings Bank and will be celebrated at the Chamber’s Spotlight on Education Breakfast and will be nominated for the State Teacher of the Year award.

Frizzell was nominated by parent Katie Agnello whose daughter was in Frizzell’s class last year. In her nomination, Agnello writes “Miss Frizzell brings 125% of herself everyday to her classroom and obviously loves being a teacher and loves her students. And they love and respect her…She is every parent’s ideal teacher.” Agnello notes that Frizzell goes above and beyond by moderating a weekly afterschool book club and a weekly Morning Breakfast Club. She also planned a Movie Night and a weekend Freedom Train tour.

In her award application, Frizzell writes “I wake up every day excited to begin another adventure, knowing that I will have 20 or more eager faces and keen minds ready to explore. I do this, not for the money, the acknowledgment, nor the praise. I simply teach because that is what I am, a teacher.”

Frizzell earned a bachelor of science degree in education and is working towards a master’s degree. This year, Ms. Acosta-Frizzell earned a W.E.S.T. Grant which has enabled her to implement the first science laboratory in the Wrentham Elementary School System.

In a letter of support, Roderick School Principal Stephen S. Grenham writes “As the principal and the person responsible for evaluating the teachers within the building, I would unequivocally state that Ms. Acosta-Frizzell is one of the most extraordinary teachers that I have ever seen. She is a model teacher with a gregarious personality. Her outstanding leadership qualities make her an invaluable member of our school community.”

Frizzell will be honored May 23 at The United Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Spotlight on Education Breakfast at Lake Pearl Luciano’s. The breakfast will also celebrate the achievements of the top ten students from the school districts served by the Chamber as well as students who have earned scholarships distributed through the Chamber. Sponsors of the breakfast are Bristol County Savings Bank, Dean College, Wheaton College, Champagne and Bibeault, and Pediatric Dental Healthcare. The event will be professionally photographed courtesy of Andy Heller of Heller Photography. In addition to scholarships awarded through The United Regional Chamber of Commerce, Mansfield Bank will be presenting a scholarship. NCAS (National College Assistance Services) will also be presenting Unsung Hero Awards.

Pictured: Bristol County Savings Bank presented Sheena Acosta-Frizzell with a check for $1,000 for being named The United Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Teacher of the Year.

Host Family Sought for Exchange Student

Center for Cultural Interchange Greenheart, a non-profit that organizes cultural exhange programs, is looking for a family to host Kristian from Norway during the 2013-2014 King Philip Regional High School year. Kristian is 17, an A student, and will be a senior. He is fluent in English and Norwegian and he is learning Spanish.  As a true Norwegian he says "I was born with skis on my feet,"  but he also plays soccer and enjoys staying fit in the gym.  He plays guitar, enjoys many genres of music and books. He is interested in international business and he currently mentors younger students as part of his school's YoMe (young mentors) program.  Kristian makes friends easily and enjoys socializing with children, peers, and adults.

The host family does not need to have high school aged children.

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact Ross Gilleland our international exchange coordinator at rossgilleland@yahoo.com  or 508-431-4191.

Interim Superintendent Finalists Announced

The Wrentham School Committee announces three candidates as finalists for Interim Superintendent. They are:

• Dr. Christopher Martes – former Superintendent of the Foxboro Public Schools and currently Interim Superintendent of the Norton Public Schools.
• Mr. Michael Malone – former Superintendent of the Plainville Public Schools and most recently was the Interim Superintendent of the Middleboro Public Schools for two years.
• Mr. John Moretti – former Superintendent of the Mansfield Public Schools and currently working for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

“We are thrilled with the caliber of our Interim candidates”, stated School Committee Chair Ed Goddard. Goddard also co-chaired the Search Committee with School Committee Member Lynn Desrochers. The Committee narrowed down the candidates to the final three. Goddard added “Our Search Committee really did an outstanding job.” Members of the Search Committee included Ed Goddard, Lynn Desrochers, Principal Steve Grenham, Director of Student Services Karen McNamara, Police Chief James Anderson, teachers Casey Geary and Kathleen Maloney and parent Holly Wheeler. The group had assistance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees Consultant Jim Hardy.

All three candidates will be interviewed by the School Committee on Monday, May 20th beginning at 6:30 PM. This meeting will take place in the Roderick School Library and is open to the public.

The Interim Superintendent will begin in Wrentham on July 1st to replace Dr. Jeffrey Marsden. Dr. Marsden was recently appointed the new Superintendent of the Medfield Public Schools.

Related Articles:

Farewell Reception for Dr. Marsden
Medfield Wants Wrentham Superintendent Marsden
Wrentham Superintendent Finalist for Medfield Position

King Philip Middle School 7th Graders Participate in St. Jude Math-A-Thon

The math skills of 7th Grade KP students will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The students are participating in a St. Jude Math-A-Thon, May 10 to May 21.

The event is sponsored by the 7th grade math teachers at King Philip Middle School. In prepartion the students are reviewing math skillsand they're helping others in need. Funds are raised by students by being sponsored and over the past six years, participants have helped to raise over $75,000.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, and based in Memphis, Tennessee, St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. No family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay.

To make a donation call the King Philip Middle School at (508)541-7324. For more information, please visit www.mathathon.org.

KP Hosts Celebrity Hoop Game

By Bob Cohen

Members of the New England Patriots Celebrity Basketball team took on an impressive lineup of King Philip faculty, business owners, and local elementary school students at the high school gym Tuesday night. While the football players scored the most points, the winner of the night was the KP Booster Club, the host of the first annual Patriot Celebrity Basketball event.

Before the opening tip-off, the MC led the crowd in a solemn tribute to the Boston Marathon bombing victims Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, and Lu Lingzi , the 264 injured and MIT Police Officer Sean Collier who was shot during the manhunt for the bombing suspects.

The KP community showed its Boston Strong mettle by following the example set by Bruins fans at the April 17 game against the Buffalo Sabres when it did its own unaccompanied rendition of the National Anthem.

In true New England spirit, once the game began, the fans cheered loudly and gave their attention to the matter at hand.

The KP All-Stars roster included vice-principal John Gould, social studies teacher Andy Connors, boys varsity coach and Division I basketball player Tim Clifford, children’s book author Jeff Kinney of Plainville, oral surgeon Bob Moskal, and students Adian Bender, Jacob Mingles, and Brad and Will Kinney.

Cornerbacks Kyle Arrington and Aqib Talib, defensive back Devon McCourty, tight end Daniel Fells, running back Shane Vereen, and retired quarterback and Wrentham resident, Scott Zolak, represented the Patriots’ honor and were joined by Ian Zimmerman and Wrentham firefighter Bobby Holst.

The KP All-Stars jumped to an early lead. They traded buckets with the Pats and managed to end a 19 – 17 first quarter within two points of the lead.

KP’s offensive output dropped in the second quarter scoring 14 points as they played and amiable foil to the Pats athletic pyrotechnics who added another 25 on the scoreboard to end the quarter 44 – 31.

At half time the MC cranked up the music as event goers queued up at the autograph tables, which also included Kinney who is best known for the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series of books and movies.

The autograph session was very well managed. That atmosphere was festive and the lines moved quickly. People had more than enough time to get signatures from all six Patriots and Jeff Kinney.

The start of the third quarter for KP set the Kinney boys, Jeff, Will, and Brad and CJ Parker and Andy Connor against Zolak, Arrington, Talib, McCourty, and the offensive surprise of the night Zimmerman who played all four quarters and whose double digit scoring effort put a smile on everyone’s face.

At the end of the third quarter the MC held a drawing for the raffle and announced the winners. Spectators paid a dollar a ticket for an opportunity to win one of several footballs signed by all the Patriots attending the event. With the music cranked up, the winners were called out onto the court to receive their prize by airmail. All the Pats took a turn at hucking the ball to smiling fans. The game ended in a flurry of alley-oops and dunks with a final score of 91 to 72.

KP Boosters hosted the event to “Fund our scholarships and special projects,” according to a letter from Board President Patty Bingel and members Kelly Foxx, Arthur Keegan, and Carysue Hogan.

Recent projects include donations for scoreboards and banners, equipment purchases, batting cages, and the practice fields. They also hope to raise money for an artificial turf field.

DARE to Dream Summer Camp

Summer is around the corner and the folks planning the DARE to Dream Summer Day Program have been hard at work. Here's an informational video on the program. Also to learn more download the camp brochure here. Registration forms are available on the DARE to Dream web site. 

 

Farewell Reception for Dr. Jeffrey Marsden

The Wrentham School Committee will hold a Cocktail Reception honoring Dr. Jeff Marsden, Wrentham superintendent. Marsden is leaving the school system to take a position in Medfield. The reception is June 6^th at Lake Pearl Luciano's. Tickets for the event are $25. 

Fundraiser Planned for Local Students Heading to DI National Tournament

Three local teams are participating in the Global Destination Imagination Finals in Knoxville, TN. A spaghetti dinner is planned for Thursday night to help raise funds for the trip (see details below). Destination Imagination is a non-profit organization focuses on teaching the creative process. Groups of students solve open-ended challenges and present their solutions at tournaments. Wrentham has a long history of participating in the program and for the first time one team has won back to back state titles to earn a trip to the national tournament. 

King Philip Class of 1983 Gathering at Newport Polo Match

A message from the Class of 1983:

Come join your classmates to begin our year long celebration of our 30th class reunion! We will be meeting at the Newport Polo Series in Portsmouth, RI on June 15th. Our class President, Therese, guarantees a good time had by all. Tailgating starts at 1 p.m. and the match begins at 5 p.m.

This is one of two functions we are planning before the actual reunion in November. Who knows, you just might enjoy yourself. To set the mood, Scott Kelly said he would read some Shakespeare to us all. Worth the price of admission right there. $12 per person in advance or at the gate. More info on grills, chairs, food and car pools when we get closer.

For more information, go to the following link on Facebook.

Wrentham Schools Win National Awards

Wrentham Public Schools will receive Bronze Awards from the US Department of Agriculture as part of its HealthierUS School Challenge. Both Delaney and Roderick Schools join the ranks of an elite group recognized for health, nutrition and fitness excellence. Only about 6 percent of 101,000 schools in the nation have achieved HealthierUS status.

On May 3rd, at 11 a.m. Congressman Joseph Kennedy, USDA Representative Bob Foley, MA Dept of Education Katie Millett and Wrentham Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden will be on hand in a ceremony in the Delaney School, Vogel Auditorium to honor the achievement.

The Challenge is a part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity within a generation. Schools participating in the Challenge voluntarily adopt USDA standards for food they serve at their schools, agree to provide nutrition education and provide opportunities for physical activity. Challenge certification also includes monetary incentives for use by school food services - $2,000 for Gold Award of Distinction, $1,500 for Gold, $1,000 for Silver and $500 for Bronze. For more information about the Challenge, visit the HealthierUS web site.