Ashfield Sergeant Trains with Police

30 years of Mardi Gras Mohawk Photos from Ashfi eld’s parade and ball musicals ³page 16 Reflections on the beginnings of a beloved school tradition. ³Independent Thinking, page 4 If your dog doesn’t like someone, you probably shouldn’t either. —ANONYMOUS www.sfi ndependent.net Vol. III No. 16 • Issue No. 66 Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts March 1–14, 2007 $1.00 Ashfi eld Change in regional sergeant trains school with police dog math? Adapting formula Girard will return with could provide relief for regional schools with Syrus, area’s fi rst K9 declining enrollments By Michael Wilmeth the program, Syrus will practice By Virginia Ray michael@sfi ndependent.net taking defensive measures for ginny@sfi ndependent.net ————— Girard. The dog will bark, lunge ————— ASHFIELD—Ashfield Po- or bite and hold an attacker, BUCKLAND—WMass- lice Department’s Sgt. Steve depending on the level of force COUNTS, the Coalition Of UN- Girard went to Arkansas about required. derfunded Towns and Schools, a two weeks ago to meet his new The two are working hard. new, local grassroots community partner: Syrus, a 17-month-old, Most days, Girard said, have group, is offering a $10 million 55-pound Belgian malinois, who been packed from 6 a.m. to at proposal for inclusion in the was born and began his training least 7 p.m., with some time in House budget that’s aimed to in Germany. the classroom, but most engaged help school districts like the After a few days of getting in practical training. Mohawk Trail Regional School acquainted, Girard and Syrus Although based in Ashfi eld, District where declining en- began training together at the Syrus will be available to all rollment, limited funds and Little Rock Canine Academy in area town forces when a K-9 unit rural populations are pinching an intensive two-week program is needed. Girard explains that pocketbooks. that covers narcotics, tracking the region’s police departments Heath resident and former and patrol work. cooperate and share resources, Superintendent of the Blue Hill At the end of their fi rst week, and when he and Chief John Vocational-Technical School, when the Independent reached Svoboda discussed what Ashfi eld Ken Rocke, who will present his Girard by phone, Syrus had just could contribute, the need for a fiscal findings to the Mohawk been certified to find illegal police dog kept coming up. Municipal Advisory Commit- drugs, after achieving a perfect In the past, when a dog was tee on March 8, has written the score on a test in which the dog needed, local police have had “Declining Enrollment Circuit searched out narcotics hidden to rely on the State Police. This Breaker”(DECB) that the WMass- throughout an abandoned fac- has meant waiting a couple of COUNTS group is sponsoring. tory. Syrus is trained to recognize hours for the K-9 team to arrive If adopted by the legislature, the odors of marijuana, cocaine, — a wait that could have serious this $10 million plan will provide heroin and methamphetamine. consequences. crucial and immediate relief Earlier in the day the team “Time is of the essence when to Mohawk Trail Regional and had completed a tracking exer- you’re dealing with a lost person, other western Massachusetts cise, following a half-mile trail a criminal or narcotics,” Girard schools. to practice skills that could be said. Mohawk Superintendent Mi- used to apprehend a criminal or Given the town’s tight fi- chael Buoniconti has endorsed fi nd a lost hiker or a wandering nances, Girard was given the the plan and is calling a meeting Alzheimer’s sufferer. Later in continued on page 8 Steve Girard and Syrus take a break from their training at the Little Rock Canine Academy. continued on page 8 Coming back home, recent grads look for ways to make life better Local woman celebrates ‘Community First’ to provide forum for ideas 60th birthday on top of the world By Jeff Potter By Nate Walsh to embrace. and told her stories about the jeff@sfi ndependent.net nate@sfi ndependent.net According to Stevenson, the places he encountered in his ————— ————— idea to scale the mountains of travels at sea. SHELBURNE FALLS—Ca- SHELBURNE—In a quest to the world developed while she “I knew there was another leb Dean and Tory Hanna, two seek out why so many others followed the reports of climbers world out there,” said Stevenson. recent college graduates, saw half her age sought adventure at perishing on the slopes of Mount “And I always knew that at some their peers in Boston and New the top of the world, Shelburne Everest in May 1996. point in my life I would explore York City assuming low-paying resident Patricia Stevenson con- “I sort of had this desire to it.” jobs and internships to get quered her fears and self-doubt learn why people put themselves resume-building experience to scale the peak of Mount Kili- in extreme conditions, and I Embarking on adventure and it just didn’t make sense manjaro in January at the age of wanted to walk in the same paths On Jan. 4, Stevenson and Poiri- to them. 60. that some of these climbers had er set out for Boston to Tanzania Dean and Hanna were gradu- Shelburne resident Joseph walked on,” she said. “I wanted by way of Amsterdam. Stevenson ated from Mohawk in 2002 and Poirier joined Stevenson on her to just see the country.” had arranged for the trip to the from the University of Massa- adventure through Africa, where But her desire for adventure summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the chusetts in the spring and Dean the couple deepened their un- existed well before she had ever tallest free-standing mountain was offered one such position derstanding of humanity -- both heard of the climbers on Mount rise in the world at 19,340 feet, in New York City, which would through staring into the eyes of Everest. As a child Stevenson with a Canadian-based company: have required his paying for an a man responsible for genocide said she had a friend who was in Berg Adventures International. apartment there. and learning the happiness those the navy. He came to her house She had come to trust the com- With environmental design with seemingly little have come to help her with her homework, continued on page 3 degrees in hand from UMass’s historic Landscape Architec- ture and Regional Planning SHELBURNE FALLS INDEPENDENT department, and in the process PRSRT STD 8 Deerfi eld Ave., Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 US POSTAGE of forming their own consulting www.sfi ndependent.net PAID enterprise, Dean and Hanna Permit #183 are hovering around the vil- Greenfi eld, MA lage, brimming with ideas about community and the SFI photo/Jeff Potter excitement that comes with Tory Hanna and Caleb Dean, both graduates of the UMass De- having the means, motive and partment of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning’s opportunity to effect change Environmental Design program, want to put their college edu- for the common good. cation to good use in Shelburne Falls. Dean and Hanna are spear- Maya’s, where Dean works of elder housing, the demand heading Community First, a part-time. for public transportation, the loosely organized discussion They intend for interested need for a “locally owned hard- group that will provide an and engaged community mem- ware/supply/general store” in informal structure for towns- bers to come together and dis- the village, public space and people, particularly their con- cuss ideas that have emerged the demand for “more enter- temporaries, to identify needs from a survey they distributed tainment possibilities” in the in the village and to implement around the village in the fall village as a starting point for solutions to meet those needs. and its sequel, which will be grassroots community action. The two give credit for the available at 10 downtown loca- If survey responses provide idea to village businessman tions. The survey seeks com- an accurate cross-section, the Chris King, co-owner of Mocha ments about the availability continued on page 6 DATED MATERIAL — PLEASE DELIVER PROMPTLY page 2 • Shelburne Falls Independent • March1–14, 2007 • www.sfindependent.net Shelburne Falls Independent AROUND WEST COUNTY Published every other week by Dialogos Media, Inc. Member, New England Press Association Phone . (413) 625-8297 Fax . (413) 625-6661 E-mail: . .news@sfi ndependent.net Web: . .http://www.sfi ndependent.net Mail: . 8 Deerfi eld Ave., MAA March meeting Hilltown families Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 BUCKLAND—The monthly News meeting of the Mohawk Athletic a.m. social If you have an idea for a story or a Association (MAA) will be Mon- HAYDENVILLE—On your photograph, we want to hear from you. day, March 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the way down from the hills into the Please call our offi ce or e-mail us. high school cafeteria. Items to valley, Hilltown Families invites If you want to write for the paper be discussed include plans for you to drop in to Bread Euphoria, regularly: We are always interested to hear the annual golf tournament in 206 Main St., in Haydenville from writers and photographers. Please June at Edgehill Golf Course, for a morning social with other send a letter of interest and some writing samples to the address above. establishment of a state cham- hilltown parents. pionship team recognition sign The group gathers Thursdays To submit an item for the Calendar: We for the school, obtaining a new at 9 a.m. prefer e-mail to news@sfi ndependent.net, but items may be mailed to us or phoned in.

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