Norfolk/Wrentham 2017

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Page 4 Norfolk & Wrentham Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com March 2017 We beat ALL competitor pricing. 774-287-1133 Dumpsters AvAilAble let us CleAn Out YOur unwAnteD Junk Serving Metro-West and Beyond! $25 off Any Full Truck Removal Not to be combined with any other offer see website fOr DetAils $274 15 Yard Dumpster Not to be combined with any other offer AffordableJunkRemoval@gmail.com www.TakeAwayJunk.com WARNING WILL YOUR TREES SURVIVE THE NEXT STORM? Now is the ideal time to inspect your trees. Call the experts at Destito Tree Service. The name you have trusted since 1984. Massachusetts Certified Arborist - Fully Insured Nicholas Destito 781-551-0266 508-699-4532 www.destitotreeservices.com WINTER DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE. Girls on the Run Returns to KPMS By Grace Allen After a year’s hiatus, Girls on the Run will be returning to King Philip Middle School this month. The physical activity-based, positive youth development program will be offered by Detective/ School Resource Officer Michelle Palladini and Officer Farrah Gray. The program’s goal is to inspire and empower girls through teamwork, communication, and goal setting, giving them the selfconfidence necessary to navigate adolescence. Established in 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina, the 501c3 program is now in all 50 states. According to Officer Gray, each session begins with a curriculum-based discussion and ends with a fun run. The 10-week program culminates in a Boston-area Girls on the Run 5K at the end of the season. “The curriculum encourages the girls to learn about themselves and cultivate a culture of empathy,” said Officer Gray. “The girls learn to set boundaries, make positive decisions, develop support systems, and more.” Girls on the Run is for all girls, regardless of athletic ability, stresses Officer Gray. “Running allows young girls- -and girls of all ages--the time to disconnect from their phones, spend time outdoors, and challenge themselves,” she noted. “When a girl decides to go for a run, she is honoring a commitment to her body to stay mentally, emotionally, and physically fit.” Officer Gray said the impetus for bringing the program to KP Middle School was a desire by Det. Palladini to forge a deeper connection with the students she interacts with each day. Feedback from parents and girls who participated in the 2015 program at KPMS was extremely positive, she added. “I wanted to coach alongside Michelle because I believe strongly in the benefits of running,” added Officer Gray. “It is important for adolescent girls to have a place to voice their thoughts, concerns, and ideas in an encouraging, positive environment.” The program is limited to 15 girls from KP Middle School, and registration will be by lottery. To learn more and sign up for the lottery, visit www.Facebook.com/ GOTRNOR. Free Stretching Clinic for Athletes Cycling Emporium in Norfolk will host a free clinic for athletes, from beginner to elite, highlighting the benefits and mechanics of stretching and massage. Set for March 23 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the clinic is open to everyone, with a particular focus on cyclists and runners. Daniel Ikuma from Tough Love Massage in Holliston will lead participants through a stretching routine, demonstrate appropriate stretching technique, and discuss the benefits of massage. Cycling Emporium is located at 65 Holbrook Street, Suite 170, in Norfolk. To register for the clinic or for more information, email russet@cenorfolk.com.
March 2017 Norfolk & Wrentham Local Town Pages www.localtownpages.com Page 5 STRATEGIES continued from page 1 the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking states that 26.2% of Massachusetts teens ages 15 to 17 reported drinking in the last month, with 16% reporting binge-drinking. The numbers are even higher for ages 18 to 20, with 59.6% reporting drinking alcohol and 39.9% binge drinking. Given those numbers, communities are preparing for teens to be faced with the reality of marijuana usage, and the best places to reach at-risk teens are through the schools and through the police force. Norfolk Detective and King Philip Middle School Resource Officer Michelle Palladini is the director of the L.E.A.P. Program, an innovative collaboration between law enforcement and the community. “A lot of parents and educators say they’re fighting a losing battle, but we’re not.” L.E.A.P. stands for Leadership, Empowerment, Awareness, and Protection. “It’s empowering kids to make positive decisions, educating them in the areas of leadership, kindness, gratitude, mindfulness--all these social-emotional learning concepts that police officers don’t necessarily teach because it’s not in our purview.” Nancy Fischer is the Assistant Principal at KP Middle School, and she has supported Palladini’s work from the very beginning. “You think of the school resource officer as someone with a hammer, but she’s very proactive. The hammer is the preemptory strike.” The L.E.A.P. program emphasizes forming a “village” of support around each child. This support system would involve not only their parents but also the police and the schools, as well as coaches and mentors. “Where it’s taken on a life of its own is the concept of building villages,” Palladini explains. "We’re trying to integrate the police with the schools and the parents to really support the child in happiness, health, safety, and resilience. That way the kids are receiving this education on how to be a good person from a lot of different angles.” Nancy Fischer says the L.E.A.P. program developed organically. “Michelle had come to speak with us about putting this program into a school in some form. We were looking for a health teacher, so the principal said to Detective Palladini, is this something you’d be interested in doing? So while working as a police officer, she got certified as a teacher.” “I lean on her heavily to investigate the tough stuff,” says Fischer. “You can divide her job here into a number of categories. She doesn’t just meet with the kids in a classroom. She has an office in the library media center and the kids feel very comfortable coming and chatting with her. She educates the parents and holds coffee chats.” Now that marijuana is prominent in the news, Palladini is developing an information program for parents who are concerned about their own children’s exposure. “Kids equate legal with safe,” says Palladini. “The challenge that we’re running into with regard to the children is, they say it’s legal and adults use it, so it’s no big deal.” But it is a big deal. Because the areas of the brain most associated with impulse control are among the last to complete development, teens face their own specific set of pressures and consequences if they use marijuana. In a 2014 study printed in Psychopharmicology, Dr. Staci Gruber demonstrated that brain development is affected by marijuana usage. She concludes, “Marijuana smokers demonstrated higher levels of reported impulsivity relative to control participants,” adding that early use “may have enduring negative effects, particularly on the developing brain.” “Similar to alcohol, we want to be educating kids that this is a substance that you don’t need in your body,” says Palladini. “Why would somebody try it? Why would they want to alter their mental state?” Meanwhile, the iTunes store features over 20 marijuana-related apps (in lifestyle and medical) with functions from locating doctors who prescribe medical marijuana to recipes for including marijuana in ordinary food. In late January, police released a photo of marijuana-laced candy designed to look like Starburst, seized from a student at KP High School. Although this was an isolated incident, parents have reason to be concerned. Palladini’s training included a session where she saw various foods laced with marijuana. “Pretzels, cookies, gummy bears, even a chocolate bar that had 4 grams of THC. That’s where we’re seeing kids getting sick, and the overdoses.” For adults it may Moondance Feb 25 Van Morrison Tribute MAR 11 TUSK 7:30pm FLEETWOOD MAC Tribute seem funny, but not where kids are concerned. “The issue with these is that they look like candy. We do have to worry that a teenager might leave a gummy bear on the bus, and we don’t want a kindergartener picking it up.” And even with the best prevention, sometimes a child will make bad decisions and experiment. Detective Palladini says, “Any child that’s already involved needs to have a mental health counselor, someone who’s objective, someone they can confide in, and it’s important that the kids have a nonparent adult they can go to with questions, someone who can mentor them.” For many kids, that mentor is Palladini herself. Fischer says, “Kids who would suffer in silence 7:30pm Comedy Night Mar 4 Rogerson crohn & mACfARLAND The Van-Dells Mar 19 have sought her out. A lot of student issues would come to me, but some kids don’t like to be seen in the assistant principal’s office, and they turn to Michelle. She’s got a great head on her shoulders and knows how small issues can seem really big, and the big issues she handles with patience and her expertise as a law enforcement officer.” To read more about the L.E.A.P. Program, visit www. leapprogram.net. For more information about marijuana and the developing brain, check out www.apa.org/monitor/2015/11/ marijuana-brain.aspx and www. youtube.com/watch?v=-w8n9U- OiBxE. 7:30pm 2:00pm 50s & 60s music Providing Quality Work For Over 30 Years! Fully licensed and insured Roofing • Carpentry • Plastering • Kitchens • Gutters Painting • Tile Work • Other Call Us Today for a FREE “No Pressure” Quote! 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