SPENCER FAMILY DENTAL Gentle Caring State of the Art Dentistry For The Whole Family Cosmetic Dentistry • Restorative Dentistry • Preventative Dentistry CROWNS • CAPS • BRIDGES • COMPLETE and PARTIAL DENTURES New We Strive NON SURGICAL GUM TREATMENT • ROOT CANAL THERAPY Patients SURGICAL SERVICES For Painless Welcome BREATH CLINIC-WE TREAT CHRONIC BAD BREATH Dentistry HERBAL DENTAL PRODUCTS • All Instruments Fully Sterilized • Most Insurances Accepted Dr. Nasser S. Hanna Conveniently Located On Route 9 • (Corner of Greenville St. & Main St.) 284 Main St., Spencer 508-885-5511 Mailed free to requesting homes in Sturbridge, Brimfield, Holland and Wales Vol. IX, No. 24 COMPLIMENTARY HOME DELIVERY ONLINE: WWW.STURBRIDGEVILLAGER.NET Friday, June 10, 2016 THIS WEEK’S QUOTE TANTASQUA SENDS OFF CLASS OF 2016 “Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement.” C.S. Lewis EDITOR’S OFFICE HOURS MONDAYS 12-5 WEDNESDAYS 1-5 FRIDAYS 1-5 INSIDE ALMANAC ....................2 From left: Graduate Ariana Spencer, graduate Brooke Olivia Richman photos Gaspari and their friend Nichole Ostiguy. POLICE LOGS.................. “We are so excited and nervous!” said Meg Geyer, Curt Alen, Heather Cho and Oscar OBITUARIES ............... 16 Appleton. OPINION ................... 10 CALENDAR ................ 16 SPORTS ............... 17-18 LOCAL Exploring the final frontier Page A2 The 2016 graduating class threw their hats into the air and cheered after all of the names “I’m anxious but excited!” said Liz Adams, before the were called. ceremony began. LEARNING STURBRIDGE — Tantasqua Regional High School’s Class of 2016 graduated on Sunday, June 5. The commencement theme was Buddha’s quote: “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” For more photos, turn to pages A12-A13! Celebrate, remember, fight back RELAY FOR LIFE STEPS OFF NEXT WEEKEND Nothing but net BY OLIVIA RICHMAN Page A3 NEWS STAFF WRITER SOUTHBRIDGE — The Relay for Life of the SPORTS Greater Southbridge Area is back. On June 17 and 18 at McMahon Field, Relay for Life teams, survivors and their family and friends will come together to cele- brate, remember and fight back. Cancer survivor Doug Warriors Danger and State Rep. Anne Gobi will speak at battle past 5:45 p.m. and then the Marlborough in Relay will kick off at 6 p.m. with the Survivor Lap, led File photo boys’ lacrosse by the Southbridge Police A scene from last year’s luminaria ceremony. This year’s district opener Relay for Life kicks off at McMahon Field at 6 p.m. Turn To RELAY page A9 Page A17 Olivia Richman photos Beecher said it was sometimes hard to drive by a once heavily wooded area and see just how quickly it was com- pletely mauled. For a while, Beecher wouldn’t drive through 5K race to benefit BSER certain areas because the outcome of the tornado was “too OPINION disturbing.” STURBRIDGE — abandoned horses. The first 150 registrants ET OUR G Y Runners and walkers of The course of the race will receive “Race Like POINT ACROSS all ages are invited to take offers participants a the Dickens” T shirts. Five years later, PAGE A10 part in the fourth “Run unique experience of Entry fee for “Run Like Like the Dickens” 5K race Old Sturbridge Village, the Dickens is $30 until on Sunday, July 10, at Old as it winds through the July 3; and $40 from July the scars remain Sturbridge Village. The Village’s picturesque 4 until race day. BY OLIVIA RICHMAN race is the year’s princi- roads and trails. A children’s stick horse LOOKING NEWS STAFF WRITER pal fundraising event for Prizes will be awarded race will be part of the Bay State Equine Rescue, to the overall firstplace day’s events. BACK AT THE At around 3 p.m. on an all-volunteer, non- male and female finish- Participants can regis- DESTRUCTION June 1, 2011, the skies over southern Worcester profit organization that ers, as well as to first place ter online and find more rescues and rehabilitates male and female finishers OF THE JUNE County grew dark as a super cell thunderstorm abused, neglected, and in six age based divisions. Turn To RACE page A9 2011 TORNADO Turn To TORNADO page A19 2 STURBRIDGE VILLAGER • Friday, June 10, 2016 Exploring the final frontier CHARLTON TEACHER ATTENDS HONEYWELL SPACE ACADEMY BY OLIVIA RICHMAN After learning about the Space get to bring back to my students, it’s NEWS STAFF WRITER Academy, Bodamer started to look into going to be amazing what I’ll be able to CHARLTON — A passion for teach- it. Back in December, the science teach- do next year with the students in the ing and a love of space has led one er went through an application process, classroom.” middle school teacher on a huge adven- one of thousands to apply. He ended up ture this summer. Claremont Academy as one of the 100 middle school teachers That sounds amazing. And you’ll science teacher Scott Bodamer, a accepted into the program, even earn- be meeting teachers from all over resident of Charlton, will be attend- ing a scholarship that will pay for his the world. ing the Honeywell Space Academy in travels, lodging and meals. Huntsville, Alabama’s U.S. Space & “I can’t tell you how excited I am,” “I can’t wait. That’s one of the other Rocket Center from June 8 to June 14. said Bodamer last week. “I wouldn’t be things I’m excited for. I’m excited to For one week, Bodamer will partici- able to do this if I didn’t have the schol- be able to sit down with someone from pate in intensive classroom, laboratory arship. I think about the opportunities halfway around the world and talk to and training time, focusing on science this will give me for the classroom.” them about how they go about teach- and space exploration, giving him long- Olivia Richman spoke with Bodamer ing their students and what issues are term ideas for his classroom curricu- last week before he left about his love of prominent in their schools. Just to learn lum. He will also have the opportunity space and his hopes for the future of his from other teachers. I always am open to go through astronaut training and classroom. to new ideas and trying new things in make life-long connections with other my classroom. To get those ideas from science and math teachers from around What will you be doing at the people I wouldn’t normally be able to the world. Space Academy? talk to and make those connections and build a network and friendships. I can Olivia Richman photos “Half the time e-mail these fellow teachers and carry while I’m down on our conversations after we leave the Middle school science teacher Scott there, we are doing Rocket Center.” Bodamer left to attend the Honeywell Space curriculum activ- Academy on June 8 and will return on June 14. It’s a childhood dream come true for the ities, lesson plan- So a big part of it to you is what Charlton teacher. ning all related to you’ll be able to bring back to the science classes. classroom? become real to them, instead of just The other half we reading about it or watching a video.” are going through “It’s going to be interesting because 8x7-9x7 Steel Liftmaster 1/2 hp astronaut train- on top of me doing this, I just found Why are you so passionate about 2 Sided Insulated ing. We are going out last week that I’m getting this teaching science? Chain Drive through the simu- grant from my classroom from Juliett Garage Door lators, doing emer- Packard, calling it the Classroom of the 7ft Opener “The one thing I love about it is that r-value 9.65 Inc, standard hardware & gency landings, as Future. This grant is giving me a bunch science is everywhere, every single sec- track, 8 color & 3 panel design options $270 if we were in the of high tech equipment, including a ond of the day. That’s what I try to get $570 inc Installation actual spaceships. 3D printer, a plasma display and HP my students to see. They don’t see it as inc Installation price matching available on all written quotes I always wanted to convertible notebooks. Right away, I’m a boring subject to memorize. I want be an astronaut so thinking how I can join this with my them to open their eyes to see the sci- it’s coming around Space Academy experience. In my head ence all around them, no matter where full circle for me. I’m already creating a project where they are and what they’re doing. That’s The curriculum I next year I’ll have them design an inter- why I like teaching the subject.” galactic spaceship and go on these new computers, use engineering software You said you have always been and print it with the 3D printer. They’ll interested in space. Why is that? have the actual model and we can com- pare them. Maybe we can do testing. “The fascination of it. The unknown. It’s just going to be something that will It’s always being discovered every sin- gle day. It’s just evolving. Scientific theories, things that planets are made of, what’s on them, the history of them, our ever-expanding universe. There are Chinese Restaurant so many questions that you can have these great discussions in the class- Take-out Service room about it and come up with ideas of what we think is happening.