HINK PRING T S MSRP $32,730 Buy for $28,258 Stk 589666 AdditionalA Journey Rebates Available. 2015 Dodge Journey you’llCall never for details. forget! Take aNever test a Document drive! Fee • Never A Dealer Prep Fee • Never An Interest Rate Mark Up E. Main St., Rtes. 9 & 32, Ware Just Over the West Brookfield Line 413-967-4210 or 800-793-2078 • www.guzikmotors.com Mailed free to requesting homes in East Brookfield, West Brookfield, North Brookfield, Brookfield, Leicester and Spencer Vol. XXXVI, No. 17 COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY ONLINE: WWW.SPENCERNEWLEADER.COM Friday, April 24, 2015 THIS WEEK’S QUOTE An inside look “Dive into the sea STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT SEVERAL of thought, and DIFFERENT CAREER PATHS find there pearls beyond price.” BY KEVIN FLANDERS NEWS STAFF WRITER Moses Ibn Ezra SPENCER — Knox Trail Junior High School students got firsthand insights last week into what it’s like EDITOR’S to work in several fields, as the school held its inaugural Career Day. OFFICE HOURS The April 17 event included a hand- Kevin Flanders photo ful of individuals with different back- MONDAYS 12-5 Quaboag Regional Middle High School’s drama department grounds and occupations, each with performed “High School Musical” last weekend. WEDNESDAYS 1-5 intriguing stories to share about their FRIDAYS 1-5 respective industries. For the first ever program, school officials were thrilled by the results and hope to bring Career Day back next year. Song and dance “It couldn’t have gone better. The INSIDE speakers were great with the kids, and everyone learned a lot from having Obituaries .................B2 them come,” said Casey Suter, a guid- Our Towns ................B4 ance counselor intern at Knox Trail QUABOAG GOES ALL OUT FOR Calendar...................B5 who helped organize the event. IGH CHOOL USICAL Career Day featured several rota- ‘H S M ’ Classroom Corner ....... A tions of students to different class- PERFORMANCE Viewpoint .............. A8-9 rooms, allowing them to hear from Police Logs................. A all of the speakers. After about 10 minutes of presentation time for each Sports ........................ A BY KEVIN FLANDERS the kids have a say in what Kevin Flanders photo block, the students moved on to the NEWS STAFF WRITER next room. Students were particularly we perform, so I threw it LOCAL Speaker Patrick George shares his work excited to hear from speaker Patrick WARREN — Quaboag out to the students and experiences in the entertainment industry Regional Middle High a large majority of them with students during last Friday’s Career School was transformed wanted to do ‘High School Day at Knox Trail Junior High School. Please Read CAREER PATHS, page A13 last weekend into East Musical.’ The kids have High School, as the drama been working extremely department presented hard to make this produc- “Disney’s High School tion great,” said Joinville, Musical.” who has served as music AN EVENING WITH THE ARTS Led by first-time direc- director of several shows tor of the annual show, at QRHS, including James Joinville — who “Grease,” “Anything is also the school’s band Goes,” “Once Upon A and chorus director — the Mattress,” “Wizard of performance featured 40 Oz,” and “Leader of the students on stage and 15 Pack.” others working behind Joinville and his staff the scenes in the stage were impressed by the Church to host crew. Several students commitment and pas- spring fair and staff members played sion the kids showed for an integral role in the pro- their work. From the Page A3 duction by assisting with lead actors and actress- such tasks as costume es to understudies tak- design, makeup, sound ing on roles they never and lights, ticket collec- imagined they would LOCAL Kevin Flanders photo tion, and painting. In have to embrace, every- LEICESTER — At the 17th annual Leicester Evening with the Arts pro- order to perform the show one worked hard to put gram last Wednesday night, April 15, another big crowd supported students three times in a weekend, together a great rendition from each of the district’s schools. Pictured, Alex Fournier, 5, of Leicester, is everyone had to be on the of the 2006 Disney musi- psyched about artwork he made in his kindergarten class. For the full story same page. cal film. and more photos, turn to page A9! “I thought it would be a great idea this year to let Please Read PLAY, page A15 Practice makes perfect TECHNICAL RESCUE TEAM A day at the races HOSTS REGIONAL DRILL Page A4 BY OLIVIA RICHMAN Rescue Teams from NEWS STAFF WRITER each of the 15 commu- CHARLTON — nities practice rescues SPORTS Massachusetts Fire often, it’s not as com- District 7’s Technical mon for every single Rescue Team had a community to work daylong drill at the together. There were 48 Millennium Power team members on site Plant where the spe- on Tuesday, April 14. cialized unit practiced The large-scale res- rescues during high cue was made possible angle, confined space in part by Homeland and trench emergen- Security, which gave cies while the plant was District 7 $299,835 in still running. The goal grants towards train- Rebounding was to be as authentic ing and equipment. Spartans win to as possible, complete Included in that total spoil Leicester’s with 170-pound dum- is $38,574 to run the Olivia Richman photos mies. “When working in a confined space, one thing to watch out for is making sure everyone has season opener While Technical Please Read DRILL, page A13 air,” said Auburn Fire Chief Stephen Coleman. Page A10 OPINION GET YOUR Library offers residents a chance to peek at the stars POINT ACROSS BY KEVIN FLANDERS President of Aldrich cal tube. The moon and ry of Susan Root — the “I was honored,” Root PAGE A8-9 NEWS STAFF WRITER Astronomical Society, deep sky objects can be late wife of John Root, said of the dedication SPENCER — An Inc. outreach program, seen with far better clar- who runs Aldrich’s state- to his wife, who died in increasingly popular presented at the library ity through the StarBlast wide library telescope 2009. “Bob was a great POLICE LOGS astronomy program Thursday, April 9, intro- than a standard tele- program. The Roots were guy. We were very good has made its way to the ducing guests to the scope, and library offi- close friends of former friends.” PAGE AX Richard Sugden Library, library’s new StarBlast cials are excited to offer Lincoln Stamp & Coin Thanks to Ephraim’s offering residents a telescope and its many it to patrons 18 and older owner Robert Ephraim, donation, library patrons chance not only to learn capabilities. The tele- with a valid library card. of Spencer, who dedicat- will enjoy a brand new about what resides in the scope was designed to be The telescope was ed the donation of the experience that has res- night sky, but to see it for extremely convenient to donated to the library by telescope to Susan Root idents eager for a clear themselves. use, featuring a wooden Lincoln Stamp & Coin, not long before his death Jim Zebrowski, the base and a large opti- of Worcester, in memo- last July at age 62. Please Read ASTRONOMY, page A15 2 SPENCER NEW LEADER • Friday, April 24, 2015 QHS names England, Stone, Community Service awards WEST BROOKFIELD — On worked at several area cemeter- Braintree. She served in the Sunday, April 26, at 12 noon, the ies, including West Brookfield’s U.S. Marines in World War II, Quaboag Historical Society is Indian cemetery. is a mother, grandmother, poet, pleased to announce the chosen The J. Irving and Jane painter, writer and has held recipients of awards to be pre- England award will be present- several elective and appoint- sented to outstanding citizens ed to Chrystine Paquette, West ive positions in her town; she of the Quaboag area at the soci- Brookfield. was the first female selectman. ety’s annual luncheon. The Lucy Stone Award will be Known for her leadership in the On that occasion, the recipi- given to Stephanie Benoit, New community, she picketed the ents will be recognized by the Braintree. dump to prevent Worcester’s society and by friends, family A special Outstanding Service waste being deposited there, and neighbors for their volun- award will be given, posthu- designed the famous “striped tary contributions to the better- mously, to Madaline Arn, North cow” logo when New Braintree ment of life in their community Brookfield. fought the proposed location of and beyond. According to society pres- a prison there, spearheaded and The luncheon will be held on ident Amy Dugas, nomina- researched placement of the Sunday, April 26, at Salem Cross tions of residents from within war memorial at town hall. She Inn, West Brookfield. Cocktails the Quaboag area are sought wrote and directed plays for the at noon, luncheon to follow at each year, naming persons who Grange, designed the town flag, 12:30 p.m., awards ceremony at have contributed in a meaning- taught art classes at her home, 1:45 p.m., followed by an enter- ful way to their communities and is known for her dedica- taining presentation by Minxie and have, in the words of Lucy tion to God, family, country and and Jim Fannin of New England Stone, “made the world better.” community. Gravestone Restoration. They Chrystine Paquette, a resident Madalane Arn, who died in will discuss the history, art of West Brookfield, is known as 2014, was equally known for and poetry a caring friend and neighbor, her activism in community, of grave- dedicated to and active within church and school affairs, her stones, the community.