Town Column : Chilmark
By Jacqueline Sexton
Published: June 12, 2008
The little white field daisies are having their day in the limelight, rising above the browns and greens of the field grasses in cheerful abundance. Unpretentious individually, their sheer numbers make a pretty good display. Swept along by the wind they look like foamy seas, and they last longer than some of the showier blooms.
It seems as though everyone on the Island and elsewhere is caught up in the excitement of graduations. In Chilmark, fifth-graders will graduate next Wednesday, June 18, and students are mulling over their memories of school days for presentations. The graduates this year are: Serogia Bernier, Erin Hickey, Brigida Larsen, Ben Poole, and twins Andrew and Peter Ruimerman. (I remember holding a three-month-old Brigida for a time while her mother was at work converting library materials for the coming digital era. Is she really reading and writing and, yes, graduating? I guess so.) Congratulations to all.
And principal Diane Gandy, along with the rest of us, congratulates Chilmark School alumni who graduated Sunday from the high school. They are: Marcella Andrews, Robert Brown, Zachary Couthino, Cody Gray, Olivia Larsen, Ben Rossi, Evan Schwab, Seth Seeman, Samantha Smith, Lauren Tocik and Ben Williams.
As a footnote to all of this, provided by long-time school committee member Susan Parker, congratulations a little late to a long-ago alumnus Jesse Wiener, who went on to graduate summa cum laude from Harvard University.
The school celebrated its end-of-year concert and art show last night before deploying to the Galley for ice cream sundaes, courtesy of Merrily and Frank Fenner, in accordance with a tradition that's been going on since time immemorial.
Ms. Gandy needs volunteers to start in September for positions in the PTO as well as in the School Advisory Council (SAC). Get in touch with her if you're interested. She will continue next year as principal and reminds everyone that school re-opens on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Chilmark under-sea photographer Bob Rosenbaum's new photos will be on display at The Bank of Martha's Vineyard (Sovereign Bank) from Friday, June 20, through June 27. There will be an artist's reception on the 20th from 5 to 7 pm. Everyone is welcome.
Mr. Rosenbaum knows well the waters, the reefs and the fish throughout the Caribbean and this year has traveled south to Utila, an island off the coast of Honduras known for having the second largest reef in the world. (The largest is the Great Barrier in Australia.) He spent a week in May diving and photographing what he found - soft and hard coral, sponge, moray eels, one-inch sea horses wandering around on the sandy floor, eagle rays, turtles, angel fish and more. Eighty of his favorite pictures will be in the exhibit.
The Menemsha Fisheries Development Fund will present a program on the history of bay scallops and scalloping on Nantucket next Wednesday, June 18 at 5:30 pm at the library. Nantucket is known by fisheries researchers as the last remaining commercially viable, unmanaged wild bay scallop population in eastern North America. The presentation will include discussion of planned management policies and what the local community is doing to ensure the health of its harbors and surrounding waters. The event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Library, and admission is free. Everyone is welcome.
And on Thursday, June 19, from 5 to 6 pm, long-time Menemsha summer resident Conrad Neumann will talk on Geology and Scenery on Land and Sea at the library. Mr. Neumann, who lives in Chapel Hill, taught geology and oceanography at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill for many years. Also sponsored by the Friends, the program is open to the public, and there is no admission charge.
Katie Carroll, chair of the Board of Health, has declared this Mosquito Awareness Week in an attempt to get us all to take steps to prevent the spread of rare but dangerous diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, such as West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). A press release from Gov. Patrick's office reports that Massachusetts experienced the third consecutive year of EEE activity and continued West Nile activity. Here are some suggestions that can help prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases:
- Limit outdoor activity, if possible, at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active. If you must be outdoors, cover your body with long pants and long sleeves.
- Use repellents such as DET or other EPA-approved repellents. Follow directions on container. When using on children, use a concentration of 10% or less, and do not use on infants. Products containing oil of lemon and eucalyptus have been shown in studies to provide as much protection as DET.
- Reduce mosquito breeding grounds. They need water to breed, so eliminate any standing water when possible. Turn over empty pots, wheelbarrows, garbage cans and wading pools. Clean birdbaths weekly, and keep pools clean and chlorinated. Clean debris from gutters, and cover or dispose of old tires, prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
- Be sure window screens are in good condition.
It might be a good idea to tack these suggestions to a kitchen wall to check now and then, especially if you are renting your house.
