The Westfield NewsSearch for The Westfield News Westfield350.com The WestfieldNews Serving Westfield, Southwick, and surrounding Hilltowns “TIME IS THE ONLY WEATHER CRITIC WITHOUT TONIGHT AMBITION.” Partly Cloudy. JOHN STEINBECK Low of 55. www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 86 NO. 151 $1.00 MONDAY,TUESDAY, AUGUST JUNE 27, 23, 2017 2021 VOL. 75 cents 90 NO. 200 Westfield resident asks City Council to address vax rates By AMY PORTER concerning the vax rate in committee with Baystate Medical be exploring alternate funding Staff Writer Westfield was what she had seen staff and no representation from sources,” she said. WESTFIELD – Long-time, happening at the Soup Kitchen. Westfield. Mackler said the group did 25-year Westfield Soup Kitchen “Handing out brown paper bag The committee, which has hold three vaccination sites on volunteer Sandra Mackler spoke meals on the sidewalk (because since disbanded, made plans to Aug. 2 and Aug. 11, but “only a to the City Council on Aug. 19, no one can enter the building), all hold three clinics in Westfield, handful of folks” showed up. She and asked them to encourage vac- winter and now in the heat, (has) and Mackler’s role was to obtain said more promotion and support cination efforts. been challenging at best,” she support and funding for them. “I was needed. Weather also fac- “We need a collaborative effort, said. was advised by the Mayor that we tored in, as the clinic conducted at time, planning, funding and a lit- She started to call the Westfield should be able to secure funding, the Soup Kitchen was during one tle imagination. We need to focus Health Department and the $2,500, to be used for promo- of the hottest days of the summer, on the community,” Mackler said, Mayor’s office, to see whether tional expenses and $10 gift cards and there were fewer people there speaking about the low vaccina- more could be done to reach out as a means of thanking those than she had ever seen. She was tion rates in Westfield compared to the community. “I learned if folks who’d been ‘vax hesitant’ able to get translators to reach out to the rest of the state and even you make enough phone calls, who’d stepped up to get the vax. to some new residents, part of the surrounding communities. you get put on a committee,” I found out the following day that effort she said is needed. Mackler said what motivated Mackler said, eventually finding the funding was not available, but Vax van at Westfield Soup Kitchen clinic ear- her to start making phone calls herself the only volunteer on a that the Health Department would See Vax Rates, Page 5 lier this month. (PHOTO SUBMITTED) Superintendents expect enrollment to rebound By MIKE LYDICK Correspondent School superintendents in Southwick and Westfield are cautiously optimistic that enrollment levels in their dis- tricts will be larger than last year. But the number of stu- dents enrolled for 2021-22 may not reach pre-pandemic 2019 levels. Jennifer Willard, superintendent for the Southwick- Artist Insun Russell will also display a variety of pottery Tolland-Granville Regional School District, said she is sculptures during her exhibition titled “Surrounded by hopeful that the number of students attending classes will the Forest” at the Westfield Athenaeum this fall. (LORI Artist Insun Russell spends time each day in her home studio in exceed last year’s enrollment of 1,393 students. SZEPELAK PHOTO) Russell. (LORI SZEPELAK PHOTO) Schools open Sept. 1, and as of last week, registration numbers were below last year, but she’s projecting this year’s enrollment will be at least at that level, potentially a little higher. She said she could not offer any numbers Athenaeum art gallery reopening because enrollment forms from the district’s three schools are still being entered into the student information system. “Now that school will be back in session five days a week and there won’t be a hybrid model, I think more to showcase regional ‘visionaries’ parents are going to choose the consistency of sending their kids back to school,” she said. By LORI SZEPELAK 29 years. to enjoy the beauty of the day,” she said. Willard added that the district is anticipating a “bump” Correspondent What she enjoys most about the home Russell, who was born in Seoul, South in students attending kindergarten or first grade, depend- WESTFIELD — Artist Insun Russell she shares with her husband Bill is the Korea, initiated her art studies at Hongik ing on where parents are going to place their children. is putting the finishing touches on paint- beauty of nature that surrounds her at University in Seoul. She met her hus- “A lot of parents kept their kids out for the year. The ings she will be exhibiting when the every angle. band in Seoul while he was serving in state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Jasper Rand Art Gallery reopens Sept. 7 Her show is titled “Surrounded by the the U.S. Air Force there in 1976. The asked us to register anybody who missed kindergarten at the Westfield Athenaeum. Forest” and will feature watercolors and couple married on Nov. 29, 1977. After and place them in a first-grade classroom,” she explained. “As the director of the Athenaeum I mixed media in mostly 10×12 and 14×20 relocating to the United States, she con- Willard added that while there are currently at least 90 feel that this institution has a unique scenes, and all will be available for sale. tinued her studies at Santa Monica students enrolled in kindergarten and 93 registered for opportunity to bring high quality art to She also expects to have one or two College and then they chose to make first grade, those numbers are a “rough estimate,” since the Westfield community,” said Guy 18×24 works to display. their home in Russell since Bill has fam- McLain, executive director. “We are The show opens Sept. 7 during regular ily ties to the hill towns. They have one extremely fortunate in Western Athenaeum hours. A wine and cheese son, Jeremiah, who is married and serves See Enrollment, Page 3 Massachusetts that there are a number of gallery reception is slated Sept. 16 from in the United States Army as a helicopter important artists living in our area.” 6-7:30 p.m., allowing area residents to pilot. McLain said the Athenaeum is “per- meet Russell, socialize, and view the “Her thought-provoking work reflects fectly positioned” to highlight the impor- exhibit. the influences of both Asian culture and tant work of these artists. “The reason that I think this exhibit Western Modernism, and her art can be “The Athenaeum has traditionally will be of interest to the community is found in collections from Los Angeles to served as the center of learning and cul- that Insun has developed a unique style Cape Cod,” added McLain. ture in Westfield, and we have a large based on her impressions growing up in In addition to Russell’s approximately gallery perfectly designed to show art,” Korea, learning techniques characteristic 15 paintings that will be showcased, she he said, adding the art gallery will func- of Asian art, and then combining that will also display some of her small pot- tion like a commercial gallery. with her experience living in the United tery sculptures that provide her with In a recent interview with Russell in States and absorbing many of the ideas delight when she creates them. The her home atop a picturesque hillside in embodied in 20th century Western art,” sculptures will be presented in a glass Russell, she discussed her passion for said McLain, adding, “Artists give us case within the gallery. painting and the gratitude she has for unique ways of seeing the world, and “Since childhood I have seen sea being chosen to lead off the new exhibi- given Insun’s unusual history, she brings urchins and have drawn inspiration from tion series at the Athenaeum. a highly original perspective to her art.” them in my sculptures,” she said. “The first time I had a show at the Russell noted she sets aside time every During the exhibition which runs from Athenaeum was 20 years ago,” said day to paint in her home studio. Russell, who has lived in this town for “Every two hours I stop and go outside See Art Gallery, Page 2 Jennifer Willard (PHOTO BY MIKE LYDICK) Suspect sought crack pipe, got arrested By CARL E. HARTDEGEN ceal “a pink container which contained a crys- Wood noted when he spoke with the store Correspondent tal-like substance” which the man identified as clerk who had reported the apparently intoxi- WESTFIELD – An Otis man who allegedly methamphetamine. cated man, the clerk told him “the defendant asked a convenience store clerk for a pipe “to In response to a question, the man said that came into the store specifically asking for a smoke crack out of” was arrested a short time there was cocaine in a cigarette box which was pipe ‘to smoke crack out of’’.” later for trafficking in methamphetamine. found near him on the front seat. Also found Duell was arraigned the next day in Westfield Westfield Police Officer Steven Wood reports was a scale with white powder residue on the District Court before Judge Charles Groce who in a court document that on Aug. 8 he respond- weighing platform. set bail at $2,000. Duell did not post the bail ed to a North Elm Street gas station and conve- The methamphetamine found was subse- and was held pending a pre-trial hearing on nience store shortly after 1 a.m.