Schools

Health is wealth at the first District Wellness Committee meeting

ROCHESTER — Student health and well-being is the new District Wellness Committee’s top priority for the school year. Wednesday, Sept. 17, the District Wellness Committee met for the first time this year to discuss their policy and approach to...

Rochester residents question $288 million Old Colony campus upgrade

ROCHESTER — Rochester residents questioned if the means justify the needs of an outdated and undersized vocational school. On Monday, Sept. 15, the Rochester Select Board listened to the Old Colony Regional Technical High School’s rebuilding project...
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A leaf of faith: Old Rochester’s native plant garden takes root

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Environmental Club’s big plan-ts for their campus finally came to fruition after a summer of work. Upon receiving a $500 grant from the Mattapoisett Land Trust and the Massachusetts Cultural Council in April and...

Old Colony presents $288 million campus upgrade for public consideration

LAKEVILLE — During a public meeting with town officials on Tuesday, Sept. 9, representatives of the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical School presented a funding plan for construction of a new school building. School representatives said their...

Tabor Academy celebrates 150th anniversary alongside new school year

MARION — As they kick off their 150th school year, Tabor Academy is celebrating the landmark anniversary with a new fellowship program and groundbreaking technology policies, including a new no cell phone rule during school hours and a focus on...

Progress made in Old Colony new building project

ROCHESTER — As Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School looks to expand offerings in plumbing, HVAC-R and dental assisting, as well as admit more students, a proposed plan is in the works to build a new building on the school’s campus...

Returning to St. Luke’s School of Nursing 50 years later

MATTAPOISETT — When Susan Bonnar of Rochester was a young woman in the late 1960s, the most common career paths for women were to become a teacher, secretary or nurse. Knowing that she didn’t want to be a teacher and since her mother was a legal...

A day of firsts for kindergarteners and officers

ROCHESTER - On Friday Aug. 29, Superintendent Michael Nelson joined Rochester Police Chief Michael Assad Jr. and Lieutenant Zack Dupere for a special ride-along with incoming kindergarteners on their very first day of school. "For a kindergartner,...

Sippican School students learn the ropes at open house

MARION — A line of parents and students stretched across the sidewalk outside Sippican Elementary School on Tuesday, Aug. 26, as staff, families and students welcomed the new year with an open house. Carrying bags full of notebooks, pencils, Kleenex...

Old Rochester hires new human resources manager

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional School District will have a new Human Resources Manager this year, starting on Monday, Aug. 25. Sarah George graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in human resources management...

New school year to be filled with opportunity for junior high students

MATTAPOISETT — As the 2025-26 school year approaches, educators at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School are gearing up to help kids transition from elementary school to junior high. “I think parents and kids are in good hands at the junior high...

Back to the books: Old Rochester elementary schools begin school year with unified curriculum, staff changes

Old Rochester Regional District elementary schools are entering the 2025-26 school year as a unified front, with all schools establishing a new math curriculum and emphasizing an eagerness to empower students. “It’s the first time in possibly ever...

Consistency will be key at Old Rochester Regional High School this school year

MATTAPOISETT — For Old Rochester Regional High School Principal Michael Devoll, the theme of the 2025-2026 school year will be consistency. “Kids will recognize the school they return to,” he said. Of the few changes coming to the high school, the...

Old Colony welcomes new school year alongside 50th anniversary

ROCHESTER — As Old Colony Regional Technical Vocational High School eagerly enters its 2025-’26 school year, it is also celebrating its 50th anniversary. “Our goal is to educate well-rounded citizens and to instill in each of our students the power...

Donate to a school supply drive

ROCHESTER — As costs rise for everyday needs and the new school year approaches, the Rochester Democratic Town Committee is collecting supplies for students and staff at Rochester Memorial School. Collection boxes will be at Rochester Town Hall,...

Old Colony awarded Career Technical Initiative grant

ROCHESTER — On Tuesday, Aug. 5, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School was awarded a $335,000 grant from the Healey-Driscoll Administration to provide training to 40 participants for Welding and Advanced Manufacturing positions. As...

School away from home: Learning center helps teach homeschoolers

ROCHESTER — For three days a week, home-schooled kids from seven school districts across the South Coast come together at one of just 24 Christian learning centers in Massachusetts. Rochester resident Michael Costa opened the Rochester Christian...

Attend the Old Rochester Class of 1985 reunion

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional Class of 1985 is hosting its 40 year Class Reunion on Aug. 2 at The Ponderosa Sportsman’s Club. The event will kick off at 6:30 p.m. and is open to Old Rochester alumni who graduated from the high school or...

New panel shares the story of Center School

MATTAPOISETT — A panel describing the history of the Center School was recently installed in front of the building by the Mattapoisett Historical Commission. The panel tells the story of the school’s founding and includes pictures depicting what the...

Old Colony student wins award for electrical construction wiring

ROCHESTER — Calvin Payne, a Rochester resident and student at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School was awarded a Skill Point Certificate in Electrical Construction Wiring. More than 6,500 students competed in the 2025 SkillsUSA...

Students awarded scholarships to pursue careers in healthcare

MATTAPOISETT — Four recent Old Rochester high school graduates who intend to pursue careers in healthcare received scholarships from the Southcoast Health Ambassadors. These students are Ella Bartholomew, Elizabeth Houdelette, Caitlin O’Donnell and...

Learning Center celebrates graduates, five-year anniversary

ROCHESTER — Dancing to “Shake It Off,” “Barbie Girl” and “That’s Who I Praise,” three girls wearing light pink robes waltzed down the aisle during their preschool graduation from Learning Tree Family Daycare. Learning Tree Family Daycare is a...

Old Colony students qualify for SkillsUSA National Championships

ROCHESTER — Three Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School students qualified for the SkillsUSA National Championships where they will compete in Atlanta, Georgia from June 23 to June 27. The SkillsUSA Championships showcase “America’s...

Marion residents make the Upper Cape honor role

MARION — Several Marion residents made the honor role at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in the fourth quarter. Ninth grader Holden Campbell received high honors while ninth graders Cameron Estabrooks and Karley Pinto received honors...

Old Rochester Cares club sees positive first year

MATTAPOISETT — As the school year comes to an end at Old Rochester Regional High School, the newly established student-led club ORR Cares has had “great success.” ORR Cares is a club dedicated to fostering a positive and supportive environment for...

Bishop Stang student receives Blanche B. Perry Scholarship

MATTAPOISETT — Mattapoisett resident and Bishop Stang High School student Lowell Copps received the $1,000 Blanche B. Perry Scholarship from the Mattapoisett Land Trust. Copp will use the fund to study civil and environmental engineering at Case...

Marion residents awarded Sippican Woman’s Club scholarships

MARION — The Sippican Woman’s Club of Marion recently awarded $11,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors who live in Marion and an additional $3,000 in continuing education scholarships to Marion residents in post-secondary education...

Two Old Rochester graduates receive SouthCoast Community Foundation scholarships

MATTAPOISETT — Two recently graduated seniors from Old Rochester Regional High School were among the 120 local students honored with scholarships by the SouthCoast Community Foundation. Mars Castro Colaj and Xavier Pateakos were awarded scholarships...

Old Rochester School District adopts new AI policy

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional School District adopted a new policy regarding usage of artificial intelligence tools for educational purposes at a joint committee meeting on Thursday, June 12. The approved policy emphasizes transparency...

Marion residents graduate from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School

Marion residents Haley Jaymes Lawrence and Shaun Michael Miranda graduated from Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical High School on Saturday, June 8. Both Miranda and Lawrence were part of the National Honor Society and Lawrence also made the Honor...

Honoring 20 years of service on the School Committee

ROCHESTER — After serving 20 years on the Rochester School Committee, Sharon Hartley was recognized for her elected service and longtime career as a respected educator. On Monday, May 12 a celebration of service recognizing Hartley as a member of...

Old Rochester senior receives Arthur Scholarship

MATTAPOISETT — Old Rochester Regional High School senior Elizabeth Houdelette received the Sippican Lands Trust Helen A. Arthur Scholarship. The lands trust seeks scholarship applicants with an interest in environmental studies, conservation or a...

Fun-draising and fitness at Rochester Memorial School

ROCHESTER — As the school year winds to an end, Rochester Memorial School cut classes for a day and traded books for basketballs. Students and faculty broke out of their usual classroom routines to enjoy the annual Fitness Fun Day and Boosterthon...

Old Rochester Regional’s 50th reunion is coming up

MATTAPOISETT — The Old Rochester Regional High School Class of 1975’s 50th reunion will be held on Saturday, Sept. 20 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Reservation Golf and Beach Club at 10 Reservation Road. To help the Reunion Planning Committee contact...

Meet the top 10 Old Rochester graduates in the Class of 2025

Ten Old Rochester Regional High School seniors graduated at the top of their class on Saturday, May 31. These students are: Caitlin O’Donnell, Owen Osterday, Emily Wyman, Scarlett Sylvia, Aubrey Sylvia-Everett, Scarlet Patnaude, David Fredette,...

Marion Social Club awards scholarships to three students

MARION — Three students have been awarded scholarships from the Marion Social Club. Old Rochester Regional High School senior Matthew Hunt was awarded the William H Claflin, Jr. Scholarship for $2,500. Old Rochester Regional High School senior Ella...

Students have a whale of a good time learning about marine life

MATTAPOISETT — Pairs of small shoes piled up in the Center School gym as second graders slid into a life-sized, inflatable humpback whale. Sitting inside the whale’s belly, students learned about its internal organs, how they were similar to the...

‘We are ready to lead’: Old Colony class of 2025 graduates

ROCHESTER — The Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School class of 2025 reminisced over years of tests, trials and triumphs at their commencement ceremony on June 5, finally saying goodbye to “this little gem in the woods.” “As you leave...

‘Mamma Mia!’: Old Colony embraces ABBA in upcoming musical

ROCHESTER — Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School is throwing on their bell bottoms and wedding veils to put on a production of the musical “Mamma Mia!” Directed by Old Colony English teacher Amber Roderick, the musical is entirely...

Students learn about women’s rights

MATTAPOISETT — Fifth graders at Old Hammondtown School celebrated “Women’s Rights Day” on Tuesday, May 20 in collaboration with the Mattapoisett Museum. The day began with a presentation from Sandy Dawson and Sandy Galavotti of Dawson Real Estate,...

United we stand: Old Rochester students engage with civic issues

MATTAPOISETT — Over the course of four weeks, Old Rochester Regional Junior High School eighth graders researched topics that they believed would help their community if understood better. Environmental issues, mental health problems, underage...

Old Rochester seniors cap off their four years

MATTAPOISETT — The 147 seniors at Old Rochester Regional High School had much to celebrate as they paraded past friends and family to the tune of “Pomp and Circumstance” in red caps and gowns. Some have taken 10 AP courses, others have earned a Seal...

‘We became luminous’: Tabor Academy celebrates class of 2025 graduates

MARION — At Tabor Academy’s 2025 commencement ceremony, Co-Head of School and Florida native Elizabeth Livaditis described the graduates as stars, “burning intensely and eager to be seen.” “We became luminous, whether that was on the theater stage,...

Champions of health: Old Rochester recognized for new student health initiative

MATTAPOISETT — Old Rochester Regional School District has been recognized for achieving Massachusetts School Wellness Champion status by meeting the requirements of the School Wellness Initiative for Thriving Community Health. This program is a...

Onwards and upwards: Tri-town high school graduations approach

It’s almost time for graduating Tri-town high school seniors to receive the tassel that was worth the hassle. Here are the details of upcoming graduation ceremonies for Old Rochester Regional High School, Tabor Academy and Old Colony Regional...

Back to school: First alumni reflect on Old Rochester’s early days

MATTAPOISETT — When Old Rochester Regional High School opened its doors in September of 1961, students met for the first time, teachers, many in their early 20s, were at the beginning of their careers, and the school was a blank slate, traditions...

Marion resident receives award for exceptional compassion

MARION — On Wednesday, May 14, Marion resident Shaun Miranda, a horticulture senior at Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School, received the Dolema D. “Dolly” Carmen Memorial Award for demonstrating exceptional compassion and concern for others...

Student musicians put on a noteworthy performance

MATTAPOISETT — The blast of trumpets, whispering flutes and crashing cymbals filled the Old Rochester Junior High School auditorium as band students performed both familiar and never-heard before songs in a concert on Wednesday, May 21. Students...

No treble here: Old Rochester honored with music education award

MATTAPOISETT — For the third year in a row the Old Rochester Regional School District has earned the distinction of being one of the Best Communities for Music Education, which is awarded to districts that demonstrate outstanding achievement for...

Grants spur new growth in Old Rochester science education

MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Land Trust Education Committee awarded more than $8,000 in grants to nine educator initiatives to the Old Rochester Regional School District and Superintendency Union #55 for the second year in a row. The grants,...

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