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WEEKLY NEWS 

WOBURN, MA 

PERMIT #168 

PAID 

U.S. POSTAGE 

ECRWSSEDDM 

PRSRT STD 

MARCH 25, 2021 • VOL. 65, NO. 12 

SERVING THE COMMUNITY SINCE 1957 

16 PAGES • ONE DOLLAR 

She never 

got to say 

goodbye 

By Elyse Carmosino 

PEABODY — Anthony Petricca had the ability to 

send the rest of his family into fits of laughter, his 

niece, Peabody resident Carol McMahon, recalled. 

The Korean War veteran, and beloved brother and 

uncle, was 92 when he died of COVID-19 after contracting 

the virus at a North Shore care facility on 

April 26, 2020, leaving his tight-knit family devastated 

beyond words. 

“It unfolded so fast. You just don’t have time to 

absorb what’s going on,” McMahon said. “It’s hard 

to believe he’s gone.” 

What made the loss all the more difficult was the fact 

that Petricca wasn’t meant to be at the facility at all. 

GOODBYE, PAGE 2 

COURTESY PHOTO 

Anthony Petricca died at 92 years old from COVID-19. 

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WEEKLY NEWS 

PHOTO | JULIA HOPKINS 

Father Chris Foustoukos of St. Vasilios Church raises the Greek flag in celebration 

of the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence at Peabody City Hall. 

It’s all Greek to them 

By Anne Marie Tobin 

PEABODY — While the Irish had 

their special day last Wednesday on St. 

Patrick’s Day, it was the Greeks’ turn last 

Thursday. 

It was a day of celebration for Peabody’s 

Greek-American community, which came 

together to commemorate the 200th anniversary 

of Greek independence with a flag 

raising at City Hall. 

A small but enthusiastic group gathered 

for the annual St. Vasilios Greek 

School flag raising in honor of Greek 

Independence Day, which is officially celebrated 

on March 25. 

Mayor Ted Bettencourt greeted the 

crowd and read a proclamation, declaring 

Thursday as Greek Independence Day in 

Peabody. 

“This is a very important day and we 

have a tremendous group here,” said 

Bettencourt. “It’s important for us to keep 

our traditions going, now, I think, more 

than ever. It’s always a very proud day to 

raise the flag of Greece above City Hall. 

“We have had incredible contributions 

that Greek Americans have made in the 

city of Peabody and across the country, so 

this is always a proud moment.” 

Ward 3 Councilor James Moutsoulas, 

who was born in Greece and came to 

America at the age of three, said, “I am 

GREEK, PAGE 3 

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WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 MARCH 25, 2021 

She never got It’s all Greek to them 

to say goodbye 

GOODBYE 

From page 1 

His time at the nursing home 

only happened by chance — the 

lingering result of a fall he’d 

taken months earlier. 

In fact, his niece said Petricca 

was scheduled to receive approval 

to be discharged from 

his assisted living facility the 

very same week the pandemic 

swept the North Shore. 

“The nurse couldn’t make it 

that day, so we were like, ‘no 

problem.’ In the meantime, the 

virus really started to take over and 

they wouldn’t allow us to go there 

anymore. He was good enough, in 

my opinion, and I’m sure in the 

nurse’s as well, to go back to his 

apartment,” said McMahon, 62. 

“He never made it.” 

Because Petricca never married 

and had no children of his 

own, he remained remarkably 

close to his large extended 

family and was a lively guest 

at gatherings. McMahon fondly 

recalled one instance in which 

the family shared a good laugh 

after learning her uncle had 

purchased a coat for himself 

from the clothing line of rapper 

Jay-Z. 

“He was also great at trivia. 

He knew every movie star, 

every year. He was a real 

movie buff,” McMahon said. 

“At the dinner table, we’d all 

be playing trivia and he’d fall 

asleep. He didn’t care about 

history, geography, but when it 

came to movies, all of a sudden 

he would just wake up and give 

us the right answer.” 

She laughed. 

“He was never sleeping. He 

was just waiting for the right 

time.” 

McMahon struggled during 

an interview to recount the 

trauma her family experienced 

in the early weeks of the 

pandemic. 

“Heartbreaking” was a word 

she used frequently as she described 

how helpless she and 

her mother felt watching her 

uncle’s rapid decline from afar. 

“He was there for two months 

and we weren’t able to see him. 

He doesn’t have a cellphone so 

we couldn’t do any FaceTiming. 

He wouldn’t even know what 

that was,” she said. “It was very 

hard not being able to talk to 

him, look at him, and comfort 

him, not to be able to say, ‘look, 

it’s going to be OK.’” 

One week after her uncle’s 

death, McMahon and her 

mother visited the site where 

Petricca is now buried. 

“We brought four flowers, 

all different colors. It was a 

new grave, the stone wasn’t 

up yet, the sun wasn’t out, but 

he’s facing south. It’s a good 

spot,” she said. “We apologized 

to him because we were sorry 

for how it all unfolded. I stayed 

for a couple of hours. It sounds 

crazy, but I felt a lot better when 

I left.” 

Even still, nothing can fill the 

void left behind by her uncle’s 

death. 

“The words are hard to come 

by,” McMahon said. “He was 

just gone. We never had a 

chance to say goodbye.” 

PHOTOS | JULIA HOPKINS 

From left, Ionna Kalaitzidis, 9, Joanna Tsetsakou, 13, and Christos Kalaitzidis, 8, hide beneath 

an umbrella at the flag raising event in celebration of Greek Independence Day. 

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Mayor Ted Bettencourt celebrates the accomplishment of Peabody’s Greek population during a 

City Hall ceremony. 

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MARCH 25, 2021 

WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 3 

It’s all Greek to them 

GREEK 

From page 1 

proud of the city’s strong Greek 

tradition and it is truly an honor 

to be here today to celebrate a 

rich tradition.” 

St. Vasilios Greek School 

Principal Dina Kalaitzidis, who 

coordinated the event, said that 

even a steady rainfall and a scaleddown 

celebration due to the pandemic 

couldn’t spoil the day. 

“Obviously, this year has to be 

different,” she said. “Even with 

the restrictions, this still is a great 

day for Greeks to honor their heritage. 

Having missed it last year, 

we wanted to keep it alive this 

year. It’s important to celebrate, 

especially this year being the 

200th anniversary year.” 

The program featured three 

St. Vasilios students dressed in 

traditional Greek costumes, one 

of them in what is known as a 

foustanela, which is the presidential 

guard uniform. 

“It has 400 pleats that symbolize 

400 years of slavery 

prior to independence,” said 

Kalaitzidis. 

Kalaitzidis said the school’s enrollment 

of 35 students includes 

second, third and fourth generations, 

who start at 3 years old and 

graduate as seventh graders. 

Since the onset of the pandemic, 

the program has been 

conducted virtually two days a 

week after school (down from 

three pre-pandemic) for an hour 

and a half each day. 

“They learn language, culture 

and religion, but as we have 

Sunday school at the church, 

there’s not as much focus on religion,” 

Kalaitzidis said. “Once 

they’ve graduated, they can 

read, write and speak Greek, 

so it’s nice to see the growth 

through the years. 

“The kids are learning so 

much as there are no interruptions, 

so the learning is really 

taking place this year. I’m pretty 

impressed with all the kids.” 

The school is planning its 

own celebration later this 

month. Each student has been 

assigned a project to commemorate 

Greek Independence Day 

and celebrate Greek culture. A 

video including footage of the 

flag raising, along with students’ 

poems and readings, will 

be posted on church and school 

social media and websites. 

Kalaitzidis, a lifelong 

Peabody resident, said the importance 

of learning the Greek 

language cannot be overstated. 

“It’s very important with 

ties to ethnicity and our roots,” 

said Kalaitzidis. “It’s so helpful 

as it helps the kids with science 

and math and just about 

everything.” 

Greek Independence Day is a 

national holiday celebrated annually 

in Greece on March 25. 

Greece has been a part of the 

Ottoman Empire since 1453. 

The holiday commemorates 

the start of the War of Greek 

Independence in 1821. The revolt 

began on March 25 when 

Bishop Germanos of Patras 

raised the flag of revolution 

over the Monastery of Agia 

Lavra in the Peloponnese. The 

cry “Freedom or Death” became 

the motto of the revolution. 

The Greek struggle had 

strong support throughout much 

of Europe. Many leading intellectuals 

promoted the Greek 

cause, including the English 

poet Lord Byron. 

While the Greeks had early 

success on the battlefield, the 

fight appeared to be on the verge 

of failure, prompting the intervention 

of Great Britain, France, 

and Russia, which helped bring 

the conflict to a close in 1829 

with the signing of the Treaty 

of Edirne, which established an 

independent Greek state. 


Father Yanni Michaelidis, of St. Vasilios Greek Church, peeks 

out from under an umbrella at the rain during the flag raising 

event in celebration of Greek Independence Day. 

From left, Christos Kalaitzidis, 8, Ionna Kalaitzidis, 9, and Joanna Tsetsakou, 13, applaud at the 

flag raising event for the 200th anniversary of Greek independence. 

Greek pride is on display in Peabody City Hall. 

Peabody’s Greek community showed its pride in advance of 200th anniversary Independence 

Day celebrations. 

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4 


Police Log 

Monday, March 15 

Complaints 

Police received a call from 

a woman at 7:14 p.m. Monday 

who reported three of her upstairs 

neighbors were harassing 

her. Officers were dispatched to 

Magnolia Way to address the 

situation. 

A caller at 7:14 p.m. Monday 

reported he was walking his dog 

and saw suspicious packages on 

the ground on Sandra Road. 

Vandalism 

A woman called the station at 

7:24 p.m. Monday to tell police 

she drove by her boyfriend’s 

house on Mill Street and the 

windows were broken and 

it looked like someone went 

through the house. The incident 

was documented. 

Tuesday, March 16 

Theft 

A caller reported his motor 

vehicle stolen from Jacobs 

Street at 7:27 a.m. Tuesday. 

Police determined the vehicle 

was not stolen but reposed and 

the company notified Peabody 

Police prior by faxing the paperwork 

to the station. A man 

on Aborn Street called the station 

at 8:17 p.m. Tuesday to 

report his girlfriend took two 

of his laptops. Police later reported 

the girlfriend returned 

the items. 

Accident 

A man walked into the station 

at 6:24 p.m. Tuesday to report a 

past motor vehicle crash in the 

vicinity of the Vitamin Shoppe 

on Andover Street. 

Animal Control 

Police received a call at 8 

20 

p.m. Tuesday about a loose 

dog walking around the area of 

Ellsworth Road. 

Wednesday, March 17 

Theft 

A resident of Westview 

Circle reported at 8:21 a.m. 

Wednesday that he let a person 

borrow his vehicle a week earlier 

and the person still hadn’t 

returned the vehicle. The vehicle 

was registered as stolen 

by police. 

Thursday, March 18 

Accidents 

A report of a motor vehicle 

crash at 2:28 p.m. Thursday 

in the vicinity of Walgreens on 

Andover Street; at 2:55 p.m. 

Thursday on Andover Street; at 

5:04 p.m. Thursday at Summit 

and Centennial streets; at 7:01 

p.m. Thursday on Andover 

Street. 

Thefts 

Police received a report 

at 2:16 p.m. Thursday from 

an employee at Hertz Local 

Edition on Newbury Street 

who stated they believed 

someone may have changed 

the license plates on one 

of the vehicles. The plate 

number was entered into a 

database. 

Friday, March 19 

Complaints 

Police received a complaint 

of a party revving a car engine 

at 1:22 a.m. Friday on Fulton 

Street. 

Police received a report of 

a woman being chased at 4:11 

a.m. Friday from a guest at 

PEABODY WEEKL Y 

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MAIL TO PEABODY WEEKLY NEWS, P.O. BOX 5, LYNN, MA 01903 

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Spring Hill Suites on Newbury 

Street. An officer reported it 

was a guest fooling around with 

friends. 

Accidents 


crash at 4:27 p.m. Friday at 97 

Winona St. and 43 Lake St. 

Vandalism 

A report of vandalism at 7:16 

p.m. Friday at Champions Pub 

at 114 Foster St. A caller reported 

he returned from dinner 

to find his rear windshield 

smashed. An officer reported 

the window was broken, but 

there were no signs of malicious 

activity. 

Saturday, March 20 

Accidents 

A motor vehicle crash was 

reported at 1 Andover St. and 

Pulaski Street at 3:26 p.m. 

Saturday. There were no injuries 

and the vehicle was towed. An 

accident at 3:26 p.m. Saturday 

at 1 Andover St. and 1 Pulaski 

St. 

Complaints 

A report of graffiti at About 

Face Kitchens at 27 Walnut St. 

on Saturday. 

Theft 

A report of larceny at Zumies 

at 210 Andover St. was made 

at 6:41 p.m. on Saturday. A report 

of a larceny at 6:41 p.m. 

Saturday at Zumiez at 210Z 

Andover St. A past theft from 

the store was reported. Police 

said four women, approximately 

30 years of age, walked 

off with packages valued at 

$50. 

Breaking and Entering 

A report of a breaking and 

entering at 7:03 p.m. Saturday 

at MCG Asset Management at 

17 Centennial Drive. A possible 

past break-in was reported. 

The fire chief planned 

to report the building to the 

health department for possible 

mold. 

Sunday, March 21 

Accidents 

At 2:01 p.m. Sunday at 98 

Main St.; at 3:02 p.m. Sunday at 

Atha’s Roast Beef & Pizza at 10 

Sylvan St.; at 8:46 a.m. Monday 

at 225 Andover St. and 2 Sylvan 

St. 

Assaults 

A report of an assault and 

PEABODY 

WEEKLY NEWS 

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Weekly News is delivered via US Mail to homes in Peabody. It is also available 

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battery at 8:23 p.m. Sunday on 

Bartholomew Street. Police reported 

the incident appeared to 

be road rage-related. 

Complaints 

A report of suspicious activity 

at 11:54 a.m. Sunday at 

Cedar Pond on Fifth Street. A 

caller was concerned about 

people in a canoe on the 

water. An officer checked the 

area and was unable to locate 

anyone. 

A caller reported her car was 

egged at 6:11 p.m. Sunday at 

127 Russell St. 

Suspicious activity was reported 

at 6:07 p.m. Sunday at 

Crystal Lake on Lowell Street. A 

caller reported there were teenagers 

rolling store carts into the 

lake. Police reported attempting 

to find the two juveniles from 

a Snapchat story about the 

incident. 

A report of gunshots at 7:56 

p.m. Sunday on Jennings Circle. 

A caller reported she thought 

she heard gunshots and saw 

a flash. Police could not locate 

any sign of gunshots in the area, 

but noted there were some type 

of power or construction tools 

being used nearby. 

Theft 

A larceny was reported 

at 5:18 p.m. Sunday at 

Northshore Mall at 210N 

Andover St. A caller reported 

she let a woman who went by 

“Peaches” use her phone and 

Peaches used it to access the 

woman’s bank account and 

steal money from her. 

Monday, March 22 

Breaking and entering 


breaking and entering at 2:04 

a.m. Monday at 252 Newbury 

St. A possible break-in to a truck 

was reported. Police reported 

the truck was not broken into. 

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MARCH 25, 2021 


Obituary 

COURTESY PHOTO 

Black Box Events Coordinator Lisa Geczi said the theater is ramping up its programming this 

month. 

Black Box sets the stage 

for ramped-up events 

By Anne Marie Tobin 

PEABODY — Peabody’s 

Black Box theater is ramping 

up plans for what it hopes will 

be the beginning of a return to 

normalcy. 

As of Monday, the Black 

Box will have expanded capacity 

in its theater, setting 

the stage to begin bringing 

back some of its most popular 

events. 

That will begin with a visit 

and photo session with the 

Easter Bunny on Saturday, 

April 3 from 1:30 to 4:15 p.m. 

The event is sponsored by 

Salem Five Bank and Aspire 

Developmental Services. 

Black Box is also sponsoring 

an 1980s Throwback 

Movie Night series during 

April vacation. The series 

begins on Friday, April 23 at 

7 p.m. with “Ghostbusters,” 

the 1984 classic starring Bill 

Murray, Dan Aykroyd and 

Sigourney Weaver. 

“We are so excited that the 

state COVID reopening plans 

will allow us to increase capacity 

in the Black Box beginning 

on Monday,” said Black 

Box Events Coordinator Lisa 

Geczi. “We have spent the last 

weeks measuring, planning 

and plotting different configurations 

and we are ready 

to help people with planning 

their next iconic event.” 

Geczi said the theater will be 

able to hold approximately 55 

guests for most events, which 

is about half of its normal pre- 

COVID capacity. 

“We still can’t have cocktail-style 

settings, but our 

guests say they are extremely 

comfortable and feel safe at 

their own tables, which are 

cabaret-style,” said Geczi. 

“We are just thrilled to be back 

hosting events and are looking 

forward later this month to be 

able to start up with wedding 

and anniversary celebrations. 

“We’re back to hosting 

dance and theater groups and 

we want everyone to know 

that it’s safe as we run an extremely 

tight ship.” 

While disappointed that the 

Salem Film Festival is not 

returning to the Black Box, 

Geczi says she is confident the 

event will be back next year. 

“Had we had a little more 

advance notice we might have 

been able to pull it off,” she 

said. “We offered them some 

space for if they needed it, but 

it just didn’t work out in terms 

of timing, and that’s okay, we 

totally understand.” 

The Black Box hosted the 

festival for the first time two 

years ago. The 2020 event was 

canceled due to the pandemic. 

Geczi said Black Box is currently 

working on a couple of 

Mother’s Day events. 

“We have some ideas and 

hope to be able to announce 

something soon,” Geczi said. 

The Easter Bunny will 

travel down Main Street to the 

Foster Street theater via fire 

engine, starting at the Stop & 

Shop. 

“It will be great, our sponsors 

will be giving away treats 

and goodies and swag bags, so 

it will really be a little community 

feel-good day,” said 

Geczi. “It’s similar to what 

the malls do in terms of the 

photos, but we are way cooler 

than the mall.” 

A limited number of tickets 

is available. Tickets for a 

group of no more than four 

people are $10 apiece. Two 

tickets are required for groups 

of more than four. 

Additional movie matinees 

are scheduled for Saturday, 

April 24 and Sunday April 25 

at 2 p.m. A limited number 

of tickets is available for all 

three movies at a cost of $7 

per person per movie, which 

includes a choice of soda 

or water along with a bag of 

popcorn. 

For more information about 

coming events at the Black 

Box, email the theater at 

blackbox@ne-arc.org. 

PEABODY - Mrs. Ann (Yanchun) 

Ames, age 94, formerly of Lynn, 

passed away on Sunday, March 

21, 2021 after a brief illness. She 

was the beloved wife of the late 

Wilbur W. Ames. Born in Lowell, 

she lived all of her life in Lynn. She 

was the daughter of the late Timothy 

and Mary (Denicvich) Yanchun, 

and was a graduate of Lynn Classical 

High School. Ann was a cook 

in the Lynn School System for 20 

years. She started at Breed Junior 

High School and then became 

head cook at Lynn Classical High 

School. 

When she was young Ann was 

an avid bowler. She and Wilbur 

loved to go to casinos. She was 

devoted to her family. Ann was the 

sister of the late Basil Yanchun, 

Mary Zagaja, Michael Yanchun, 

Stanley Yanchun and Sophie 

Vaczy. She was the cherished 

aunt of Carol Vaczy Wallis and her 

husband Keith of Peabody, of William 

Vaczy of Lynnfield, of the late 

Ronald Vaczy, of Sandra Faragi of 

Saugus, of the late Susan Wyatt, 

of Noreen Lebell and her husband 

Ralph of Plaistow, NH, of Timothy 

Yanchun of Saugus and of Cathleen 

Leonhard and her husband 

Byron of North Andover, and was 

the adored great-aunt of several 

great-nieces and great-nephews. 

Service Information: Ann’s 

Ann Ames 

1926 - 2021 

Graveside Funeral Service will 

be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday 

in Pine Grove Cemetery. Relative 

and friends are invited to gather 

inside the Boston Street gate 

at 12:45 PM. In lieu of flowers 

donations in Ann’s name may 

be made to the Multiple Sclerosis 

Society, 101A 1st. Avenue, 

Waltham, MA 02451. Arrangements 

by Cuffe-McGinn Funeral 

Home 157 Maple Street, Lynn. 

To share a memory or leave online 

condolences please visit 

www.cuffemcginn.com 

SU CHANG’S 

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Buying a house? 

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in Saturday’s paper. 


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6 


Daycare provider makes Mills 58 home 


PEABODY — In 1998, 

Jatinder Kaur was overworked 

and overwhelmed. 

The mother of an infant son 

at the time, Kaur worked long 

hours at a Dunkin’ Donuts in 

Everett alongside her husband, 

Kamal Singh, in order to pay 

the family’s bills. While the 

young couple took on as many 

shifts as they possibly could, 

their combined salaries still 

weren’t enough to make ends 

meet or cover their son’s expensive 

childcare costs. 

“It was so hard and I was not 

making so much money,” said 

Kaur, who moved to the U.S. 

from India in 1991. “Whatever 

I was making, I was just (using) 

to pay for childcare.” 

It wasn’t until a conversation 

she had with her son’s daycare 

provider that Kaur thought she 

might have found a solution to 

the family’s problems. 

“The lady who used to take care 

of my son, I was trying to explain 

to her one day that this is very hard 

(and that I) I won’t continue with 

childcare because if I make $300, 

I pay her $200, so what’s the point 

to work?” the mother of two nowadult 

children said. 

Empathetic to Kaur’s situation, 

her son’s care provider 

suggested she explore the idea 

of opening a childcare center in 

her own home. 

Doing so would allow her 

to not only take care of her 

own son, but would also bring 

in more money than her job at 

Dunkin’ Donuts, and Kaur, 48, 

was intrigued. 

“From there, I never stepped 

back in the daycare,” she said. 

“I continued to take classes in 

early education, and I started 

learning more about children. I 

said, ‘OK, maybe I want to do 

something better in the future.’” 

Kaur signed up for early 

education and care classes at 

Cambridge College in Boston, 

deciding to pursue a Bachelor’s 

degree with the intention of one 

day making the transition from 

running a daycare to teaching or 

pursuing a career in education 

administration. 

In 2001, after two years of 

preparation and schooling, she 

opened her first daycare based 

out of her home in Everett. 

However, the experience wasn’t 

without its share of challenges. 

“I didn’t know all the regulations 

surrounding childcare,” Kaur said 

of the long months beforehand. “I 

was learning little by little.” 

The family eventually moved 

from Everett to Saugus in 2015, 

and Kaur temporarily took a 

break from running the daycare. 

She found brief employment 

as a kindergarten teacher in 

Somerville but although she enjoyed 

the work, the long commute 

ultimately sent her searching for 

something closer to home. 

While she worked a temporary 

job at the Melrose YMCA, 

Kaur decided to hunt for a location 

outside of her home to open 

a new daycare. 

She found a place — a small 

spot at Mills 58 on Pulaski 

Street in Peabody — and went 

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Jatinder Kaur, owner of Little Stars Daycare at Mills 58 in Peabody, reads a story to one of the classes. 

Jatinder Kaur started Little Stars Daycare in 2001 after experiencing financial hardships. 

to work. 

“In the beginning, it was 

hard. I never thought I’d be a 

business woman,” Kaur said, 

noting that the undertaking took 

longer than she anticipated. 

“Once we started the construction, 

we were thinking everything 

would be done in six 

months, but it took more than 

a year,” she said. “The process 

was very difficult because getting 

all the licenses from the 

city, getting all the inspections 

done — I didn’t know anything 

about the business. 

“I was putting all of my savings 

into this thing that I didn’t 

know if it would work.” 

Aside from the usual woes of 

starting a business from the ground 

up, Kaur said she often found 

herself at odds with city officials, 

many of whom she felt failed to 

take her or her business seriously. 

While her family remained 

unfailingly supportive, she said 

that as an immigrant, she often 

felt brushed aside by a city in 

which she had few connections 

and little power. 

“Sometimes I feel like there 

is public discrimination because 

I’m not from America 

and (English) is not my first 

language. Because I’m a second 

language learner, there is some 

stuff I might not (understand),” 

Kaur said. “I adopt this culture, 

but I’m not 100 percent into it. 

“It makes a big difference, you 

know. Sometimes I feel like some 

things I want to do, I can’t because 

I’m not that powerful yet.” 

She added she often felt she 

had to work harder to be taken 

seriously, noting one particularly 

frustrating instance where 

the city seemed reluctant to take 

action to reduce the number of 

speeding vehicles on the road 

right outside the daycare — 

something Kaur said became a 

serious safety hazard. 

“When I opened the center 

in Peabody, I felt that the city 

should have helped us more, 

getting the licensing and all that 

help,” she said. “I opened the 

business for myself, but at the 

same time, I opened the business 

to help the community. I’m 

giving some people jobs and 

I’m helping everyone that I can, 

but sometimes it felt like the 

city didn’t really want it.” 

PHOTOS | SPENSER HASAK 

By 2018, however, Kaur’s 

business, which she named the 

Little Star Child Care Center, 

was finally up and running, and 

she quickly attracted 35 dedicated 

clients. From every angle, 

it seemed she had finally made 

her dream — nearly 20 years in 

the making — a reality. 

Then the COVID-19 pandemic 

hit last March. More 

than 60 percent of her families 

stopped using her service, and 

Kaur was left to pick up the 

pieces, relying primarily on social 

media as a cheap form of 

advertising to keep her daycare 

from going under entirely. 

Now, one year on, she’s finally 

starting to rebuild, and 

this time, she’s hoping to come 

back stronger than ever. 

“When you try so hard and 

you achieve your goals, it really 

makes you happy,” she said. “I 

enjoy working with the kids. I 

love to see them happy and play 

all day. As soon as you walk in 

the class, you can see the whole 

class running to hug you. 

“Those are the times I feel 

like, ‘OK, I’m doing something 

to make somebody happy.”

MARCH 25, 2021 

Peabody vs Marblehead 

football 

PHOTOS | SPENSER HASAK 


Preschool 

sign ups are 

underway 

Marblehead’s Connor Cronin slips through the grasp of Peabody’s Jack O’Hara. 

Peabody’s Michael Perez, left, and Derek Patturelli stop Marblehead’s Connor Cronin as he 

rushes down field. 


PEABODY — Applications 

for Peabody’s integrated preschool 

program are now being 

accepted for the 2021-22 

school year, Superintendent 

Dr. Josh Vadala and McCarthy 

Elementary School Principal 

Michelle Zottoli announced. 

The priority deadline for submitting 

an application is Friday, 

March 26. If the school receives 

more applications than the 

number of students it can accept 

into the program, a public 

lottery will be held. 

The McCarthy Elementary 

preschool program is the only 

integrated preschool program 

in the district, meaning the program 

is open to students with 

and without disabilities and 

provides special education services 

to students who qualify. 

Classroom teachers and paraprofessionals 

work closely with 

the program’s students to help 

them develop and strengthen 

their social skills, such as turntaking 

and participating in large 

group activities, and learning to 

regulate their emotions. 

Students also learn pre-academic 

skills, including identifying 

their name in print, growing their 

vocabulary, improving their pronunciation, 

and identifying letters, 

numbers, colors, and shapes. 

The program encourages students 

to participate in art projects 

to help cultivate their fine motor 

skills, direction-following abilities, 

and gives them an opportunity to 

practice literacy skills by sharing 

stories about what they made. 

In addition, the program offers 

opportunities for students 

to take part in sensory play, focusing 

on their hearing, sight, 

taste, touch, smell, movement, 

and balance, which allows students 

to use scientific processes 

while they create and explore. 

“Art projects further support 

social and emotional wellbeing,” 

a statement from Vadala 

and Zottoli said. “The program 

strives to cultivate a love of 

learning in students early on, 

and to help students learn to 

enjoy attending school.” 

Class sizes are limited to a 

maximum of 15 students, and 

the program operates a morning 

session from 8:30 to 11 a.m., 

and an afternoon session from 

noon to 2:30 p.m. 

Students must turn 3 years old 

before Aug. 31, 2021 in order to 

be accepted into the program. 

Any student who turns 5 years 

old on or before Sept. 1, 2021 

will be directed to enroll in 

kindergarten. 

Parents and guardians who were 

unable to attend last week’s virtual 

meet-and-greets are encouraged to 

watch a virtual open house video 

about the McCarthy integrated 

preschool program, which can be 

viewed at https://www.dropbox. 

com/s/qjbp3yq2wvh7i0p/ 

McCarthy%20School_FINAL_ 

FINAL.mp4?dl=0. 

If a lottery is needed, it will be 

held virtually on Monday, April 

5. If a lottery is not held, program 

assignments will be made 

and shared with families that day. 

More information about such a 

lottery will be shared with families 

should a lottery be necessary. 

Parents and guardians are advised 

they will need to specify 

which of the district’s preschool 

programs they wish their child 

to attend. There is also a Title I 

preschool program at the Welch 

Elementary School. The Passos 

preschool program is held at 

the South and West Elementary 

Schools. 

More information about the 

application process is available 

online at peabody.k12.ma.us/ 

registration. Those with additional 

questions can contact 

Principal Zottoli by emailing 

zottolim@peabody.k12.ma.us. 

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8 

BY TRÉA LAVERY 

PEABODY — Veterans 

Memorial High School senior 

and Class of 2021 treasurer 

Aja Alimonte keeps busy. 

She has been captain of her 

soccer team for the past two 

years, basketball captain for one, 

has played lacrosse and run track 

in the past, and is a member of 

National Honor Society and the 

business club DECA. 

“I’ve been doing it since I 

was little,” Alimonte said of her 

busy sports schedule. “It can be 

stressful balancing all that with 

school, but I’ve been able to 

handle it and I enjoy it, so as long 

as I enjoy it, I get it all done.” 

For DECA, Alimonte and her 

best friend, Amber Kiricoples, 

her soccer co-captain, started a 

campaign last year advocating 

for mental health awareness. 

Together, they raised more 

than $4,000 for Mental Health 

America, and started a “Peabody 

Go Green” week where student 

athletes wore green accessories 

with their uniforms to show 

support for the cause. 

“We had people tell us 

every single day how they’re 

so happy that we created 

this project, because it was 

so needed and necessary,” 

Alimonte said. “A lot of 

Michael Garabedian 

people overlook the topic and 

it needs more attention, especially 

during the pandemic.” 

Now, they are planning a 

walk to raise money, scheduled 

to take place in the next 

few months, with approval 

from Peabody Mayor Ted 

Bettencourt. 

Alimonte’s experience in 

DECA inspired her to want 

to major in business in college. 

She has committed to 

Merrimack College, where she 

will play soccer for the school. 

Her DECA project placed first 


in the district-level competition, 

with almost a perfect score. 

The Alimonte-Kiricoples team 

did not move past the state-level 

competition, but Alimonte said 

that she doesn’t care, because 

what matters isn’t their score but 

the difference they make. 

“Even at the beginning, 

I said it doesn’t bother me 

if we don’t get so far in the 

competition,” she said. “This 

is bigger than that, and everybody 

is so supportive. We 

helped so many people and 

that meant more to me.” 

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PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK 

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Farm Avenue 

project a done deal 

BY STEVE KRAUSE 

PEABODY — The Peabody 

Zoning Board of Appeals 

Monday night unanimously 

approved a 116-unit apartment 

building on Farm Avenue — 

one of three major projects proposed 

in the city. 

The other two proposed projects 

— the former J.B. Thomas 

Hospital property known as 

HDG King Street, LLC; and 40 

Oak Street Development, LLC 

— were tabled to April 12 and 

May 3 respectively. 

A motion to table King 

Street was read and approved 

at the start of Monday’s Zoom 

meeting while a brief discussion 

on Oak Street centered around 

a report submitted to the board 

that it deemed inadequate to 

address the flooding concerns 

around Oak Street. It was then 

decided to table the proceedings 

to a later date. 

The Residence at Farm Avenue 

LLC is considered a “friendly 

40B” because it helps the city 

reach the number of affordable 

housing units approved by the 

state, as contained under Chapter 

40B. And as attorney Jason Panos, 

who represented the developers, 

said, it’ll help revitalize a section 

of the city that needs attention. 

“We’ve accomplished this in 

the middle of a pandemic,” said 

Panos. “This will be truly transformative. 

This project will be 

done in a part of the city that 

needs a lot of attention, and, 

frankly, needs a lot of love.” 

The area is sparsely populated, 

and contains a lot of industrial, 

trucking and mulch 

operations. It is also near the 

city’s landfill and Department 

of Public Safety building. 

Chapter 40B says that developers 

can seek a permit from 

the ZBA that allows them to get 

past most zoning rules as long 

as a percentage of the development 

— in this case 25 — are 

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The project had the backing 

of Mayor Ted Bettencourt, who 

told Janelle Chan, undersecretary 

of the state’s Department 

of Housing and Community 

Development that it would add 

to the city’s subsidized housing 

inventory, and ensure that the 

project, when completed, would 

exceed the required affordable 

housing quota. 

Bettencourt also wrote to 

Chan, telling her the project 

would provide quality units at 

rental prices the city needs to 

sustain itself. He said the project 

fits with the city’s overall plan 

to redevelop the section of Farm 

Avenue that runs alongside 

Route 128. 

The Residences at Farm 

Avenue would be located on 

land owned by Farm Avenue 

Two Lots LLC, whose managers 

are Michael and Elaine 

Weiss — who are also managers 

of The Residences at 

Farm Avenue LLC. Those lots 

were bought in February 2014, 

and make up a little more than 

three acres near the intersection 

of Forest Street. 

The project’s 116 units include 

57 one-bedroom apartments, 

47 two-bedroom, and 12 

three-bedroom units. Six would 

be accessible to people with 

disabilities. 

Structurally, the complex 

would have five floors of apartments 

above a ground-level 

parking garage with 152 spaces 

in a parking lot and inside the 

garage. The project also calls 

for 29 affordable units to those 

earning a maximum of 80 percent 

of the area median income. 

“This has been a very good 

process,” said Panos after the 

vote was taken. “There are a lot 

of people to thank, particularly 

Mayor Bettencourt, who stood 

behind us all the way. I also want 

to thank the board for asking the 

very tough questions that will 

make this a better project.”

MARCH 25, 2021 


Peabody vs. Danvers volleyball 


Peabody’s Isabel Bettencourt and Sophia Hollingshed attempt to block a hit from Danvers. 

Peabody’s Alli Flewelling has her eyes on the ball during a match against Danvers. 

Peabody’s Krissy Cardello winds up for a serve. 

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10 


Sports 

FILE PHOTO | JOE BROWN 

Bishop Fenwick’s Stefano Fabiano had five receptions for 83 

yards and three touchdowns in a win over Dracut Saturday. 

Bishop Fenwick football 

doesn’t miss a beat in 

return to the field 

By Mike Alongi 

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Open for take-out 

and delivery 

The Bishop Fenwick football 

team didn’t miss a beat in its 

return to the field Saturday evening, 

scoring 26 points in the 

first quarter en route to a 45-6 

win over Dracut in a non-conference 

battle to open up the 

season. 

The Crusaders’ offense was 

explosive from start to finish 

Saturday, with quarterbacks 

Chrys Wilson and Steven 

Woods combining for five 

touchdown passes. Woods completed 

8-of-9 passes for 164 

yards and three touchdowns, 

while Wilson completed 3-of-4 

passes for 47 yards, two touchdowns, 

one interception and 

also rushed for a team-high 

82 yards. Receiver Stefano 

Fabiano had five receptions for 

83 yards and three touchdowns, 

while receiver Angel Martinez 

caught three passes for 80 yards 

and two touchdowns. Running 

back Jake Connolly added 64 

rushing yards, 34 receiving 

yards, one rushing touchdown 

and one receiving touchdown 

in the win. Defensive lineman 

Matt Juneau contributed five 

tackles, a sack and a fumble 

recovery for the winners, while 

Connolly also came up with an 

interception. 

Fenwick (1-0) hosts Bishop 

Stang Friday night (6). 

PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK 

Peabody quarterback Shea Lynch completed 12-of-18 passes for 156 yards, two touchdowns and 

one interception in his first varsity start under center Saturday against Marblehead. 

Peabody football comes up 

short in season opener 


MARBLEHEAD — The 

Peabody football team rallied 

back from a 20-point deficit to 

Marblehead and had a chance 

to tie the game Saturday afternoon, 

but in the end a late interception 

by Marblehead’s Mark 

Paquette gave the Magicians a 

20-13 victory in a Northeastern 

Conference battle at Piper Field. 

Quarterback Shea Lynch 

completed 12-of-18 passes for 

156 yards, two touchdowns 

and one interception in his first 

varsity start under center, while 

receiver Brandon Pszenny had 

five receptions for 124 yards 

and two touchdowns. Cam 

Cuzzi added 48 rushing yards 

in the loss. 

For Marblehead, running 

back George Percy rushed for 

130 yards and one touchdown 

in the win. Quarterback Josh 

Robertson completed 14-of-23 

passes for 100 yards and one 

touchdown, while also rushing 

for 47 yards and one touchdown. 

Connor Cronin had 57 

rushing yards and one receiving 

touchdown, while James Doody 

had four receptions for 68 yards. 

Marblehead did all its scoring 

in the first half, jumping 

ahead in the first quarter on a 

three-yard touchdown run by 

Robertson to put the Magicians 

up 7-0. That score held until 

midway through the second, 

when Percy found the end 

zone on a three-yard run of his 

own to make it 14-0. After getting 

the ball back and making 

a late push into the red zone, 

Marblehead went up 20-0 right 

before halftime when Robertson 

connected with Cronin for a 10- 

yard touchdown. 

But Peabody didn’t run away 

and hide at halftime, and instead 

the Tanners came out swinging. 

It started when Lynch found 

Pszenny for a 75-yard score to 

make it 20-6, then the Tanners 

got a defensive stop to get the 

ball back early in the fourth 

quarter. The Lynch-Pszenny 

connection came through for 

Peabody again in the fourth, 

when Lynch found Pszenny 

over the middle on a slant route 

for a 17-yard touchdown to 

make it 20-13. 

The two teams exchanged 

possessions until the final 

minute of the game, when 

Marblehead punted back to 

Peabody with 38 seconds left. 

The Tanners ended up getting 

to the 25-yard line with about 

15 seconds to play, and the first 

shot to the end zone fell short 

with nine seconds to go. On the 

next attempt, Paquette came 

down with the jump ball for 

Marblehead to seal the victory 

in the final seconds. 

Peabody (0-1) travels to 

Masconomet Friday evening 

(5). 

Marblehead (2-0) will host 

Saugus Saturday afternoon (2).

MARCH 25, 2021 


THURSDAY 

Volleyball 

Salem at Peabody (5:30) 

FRIDAY 

Football 

Pentucket at Lynnfield (5:30) 

Bishop Stang at Bishop Fenwick (6) 

SATURDAY 

Football 

Peabody at Masconomet (5) 

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS SCHEDULE 

Track 

Austin Prep at Bishop Fenwick (10) 

MONDAY 

Volleyball 

Chelmsford at Peabody (5:30) 

Pentucket at Lynnfield (6) 

WEDNESDAY 

Volleyball 

Newburyport at Lynnfield (5:30) 

Track 

Peabody at Marblehead (4) 

FILE PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK 

After missing its entire season last spring, the Bishop Fenwick baseball team will have the opportunity 

to defend its Division 3 North title this year now that state tournaments are returning. 

MIAA votes to bring back state 

tournaments for spring season 


Spring high school athletes, 

who were the first student-athletes 

to lose out on their seasons 

due to the COVID-19 pandemic 

last year, will now be the first 

student-athletes to return to 

state tournament play after the 

MIAA Board of Directors voted 

Wednesday to extend the already 

approved sectional tournaments 

to include state semifinal and 

state championship rounds. 

During the half-hour virtual 

meeting Wednesday, the board 

voted 14-7 to extend the postseason 

to state semifinal and 

championship rounds, while 

also voting 18-3 to maintain a 

June 15 cutoff date for the spring 

regular season. 

The MIAA Tournament 

Management Committee, which 

is scheduled to meet March 25, 

will now begin work to develop 

postseason play within those 

guidelines. 

“I’m glad that the collective 

work of our Board of 

Directors, Covid-19 Task Force 

and Tournament Management 

Committee has allowed for us 

to not only have an upcoming 

spring season, but one which will 

provide for a sectional and statewide 

tournament,” said MIAA 

president Jeffrey Granatino in 

a statement. “It has not been an 

easy task, but it is one that has 

always the best interests of our 

student-athletes in mind.” 

The spring tournaments will be 

the first MIAA-sanctioned tournaments 

since the COVID-19 

pandemic began last March, 

when basketball and hockey 

state finals were canceled. 

The last time that spring 

tournaments were held, the St. 

Mary’s baseball team won the 

Div. 2 state title. 

Other local teams also had 

great runs, with the Bishop 

Fenwick and Lynnfield baseball 

teams battling in the Div. 3 

North Final and the St. John’s 

Prep baseball team making a 

run to the Div. 1A “Super 8” 

Final. The St. Mary’s softball 

team came up just short in the 

Div. 3 North Final, while the St. 

John’s Prep lacrosse team and 

the Marblehead girls lacrosse 

team also came up short in their 

respective sectional final games. 

Last Friday, the board passed 

the TMC recommendation to 

hold “opt-in” sectional tournaments 

but decided to wait on 

voting to add more state tournament 

games, instead voting 

to send out a survey to member 

schools. 

According to MIAA 

Executive Director Bill Gaine, 

a total of 245 responses — 192 

from athletic directors (roughly 

57 percent of those in the state) 

and 53 from school principals 

— were received by the MIAA 

as of Wednesday morning. The 

anonymous survey didn’t ask 

participants to identify their 

school, so it was possible for a 

school to have a response in both 

categories. Of those responses, 

216 indicated their school teams 

would intend to opt into postseason 

play. However, 141 responses 

opposed any changes 

to the TMC’s established cutoff 

dates of June 15 for the regular 

season and June 30 for the end 

of the postseason. 

An additional question, asking 

if member schools would like to 

see the spring season start earlier 

than April 26, received 187 

negative responses and only 58 

in favor. 

The board approved a spring 

season window of April 26 to 

July 3 when it established the 

temporary four-season schedule 

for the 2020-21 school year because 

of the pandemic back in 

August. 

Gaine told the board that there 

is no model for how the tournament 

needs to be structured, and 

that playing consecutive days in 

many sports could be an option. 

The next step will come on 

March 25, when the TMC will 

begin setting up how these 

spring tournaments will look at 

its next meeting. 

PHOTO | JULIA HOPKINS 

Abby Bettencourt had 24 service points, seven aces and 15 assists 

for Peabody in a loss to Danvers Thursday. 

Peabody volleyball takes 

Danvers to the brink in loss 


PEABODY — The Peabody 

volleyball team may have put 

a bit of a scare in perennial 

Northeastern Conference power 

Danvers Thursday evening, but 

in the end the Tanners didn’t 

quite have enough to get over 

the top in a 3-1 loss at home. 

Peabody fell by set scores of 

16-25, 25-20, 18-25, 21-25. 

Despite the loss, the Tanners 

can take pride in the fact that 

they went toe-to-toe with one of 

the best volleyball teams in area 

history. With Thursday’s win, 

Danvers is 5-0 and has now 

won 67 straight NEC games and 

27 of its last 28 games overall -- 

with its only loss coming in the 

2019 Div. 2 state final against 

Canton. 

“This was a tough matchup 

and we knew that coming in, 

so we really worked all week to 

be in the right position to make 

plays,” said Peabody coach Lisa 

Keene. “Danvers has a lot of 

tall, powerful, talented players 

and we had to be in the right 

spots to be able to dig out all 

those big hits. We did a lot of 

good things out there and it was 

a great battle.” 

Freshman setter Abby 

Bettencourt had a big night 

with 24 service points, seven 

aces and 15 assists, while junior 

Krissy Cardello had 23 digs, 

eight service points and two 

aces. Junior outside hitter Sarah 

Broughton had 15 digs and five 

kills, senior captain Sophia 

Hollingshed had 14 digs and 

sophomore Isabel Bettencourt 

had 11 kills. 

Peabody showed its fight 

from the very beginning. After 

Danvers came out on fire and 

jumped ahead 9-2 early in the 

first set, the Tanners managed 

to battle back to get within four 

points in short fashion. Danvers 

went on a run of its own to 

close and win the set 25-16, 

but Peabody was successful in 

stealing a bit of the momentum. 

Although things started out 

similarly in the second set, with 

Danvers racing ahead to a 7-1 

lead, Peabody continued to play 

well. The Tanners battled all the 

way back to tie the score at 9-9, 

eventually extending its lead to 

15-10 before Danvers called a 

timeout. Danvers did go on a 

run to get to within three points, 

but Peabody took control late 

and won the set 25-20 after an 

unforced error by the Falcons. 

“I think sometimes we get 

into tough service-release rotations, 

but we cleaned all of 

that up in that second set,” said 

Keene. “Even though we had 

three service errors in that set, 

we were able to do enough good 

things to battle back.” 

The third set saw the two 

teams trade nine ties and 10 

lead changes throughout, but 

Danvers eventually grabbed a 

foothold and pulled ahead before 

winning the set 25-18. 

The Falcons kept that momentum 

going right into the 

fourth set, taking a 20-12 lead 

and looking close to running 

away with the win. But Peabody 

battled back one more time, 

cutting the deficit to just four 

points before Danvers finally 

notched the match point to take 

home the victory.

12 


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MARCH 25, 2021 

CITY ALERT: 


A message from School 

Superintendent Josh Vadala 

PEABODY — School 

Superintendent Dr. Josh Vadala 

wishes to provide the community 

with an update regarding 

the district’s timeline for the 

transition back to fully inperson 

learning. 

The School Committee voted 

at its meeting last week to transition 

the district’s elementary 

schools back to fully in-person 

learning on Monday, March 29 

and its middle and high schools 

back to fully in-person learning 

on Wednesday, April 7. 

Students and the families 

who wish to continue to pursue 

fully remote learning will have 

the option to do so. 

The district collaborated 

with the Peabody Federation of 

Teachers to identify the above 

dates, and continues to work 

closely with the organization on 

details for a safe, phased return 

to fully in-person learning. 

This timeline is two weeks 

later than the district’s initial 

goal for the return to fully inperson 

learning. However, following 

discussions with the 

community, it has been determined 

that a slightly later return 

will be beneficial as teachers 

make their vaccination appointments, 

the district continues to 

finalize its facility preparations 

and for families as they plan 

their schedules and childcare 

needs. 

The transition is still a week 

ahead of the state Department 

of Elementary and Secondary 

Education’s required timeline 

for the return to in-person instruction, 

through which elementary 

school students must 

return by April 5. 

Educators became eligible on 

March 11 for the COVID-19 

vaccine. The district remains 

committed to helping teachers 

access the vaccine in the most 

seamless way possible, and 

will continue to share any and 

all information available about 

the sites and resources available 

publically to seek out an 

appointment once they become 

eligible. 

“It’s not lost on us how significantly 

these transitions 

and timelines impact our staff, 

students and families, and 

we’re deeply thankful for the 

continued patience and understanding 

of everyone in our 

district as we work toward 

the goal of reopening school 

buildings,” Vadala said. “Our 

teachers have worked tremendously 

hard this year and we 

are fortunate to have such dedicated 

staff, who care very much 

about the academic growth and 

social emotional well-being of 

their students. It has long been 

a priority for our district to help 

our teachers access the vaccine 

once eligible and part of that 

commitment means pushing 

back this timeline slightly.” 

More information on the return 

to fully in-person learning 

will be shared with all stakeholders 

as soon as it becomes 

available. 

Vadala reports that the 

Peabody Public Schools are 

pursuing plans for a fully remote, 

personalized virtual 

learning experience for students 

who wish to continue learning 

remotely next school year and 

beyond. 

While the district has determined 

it will be returning to 

fully in-person learning through 

a phased transition this spring, 

district leadership has also 

identified a strong desire and 

need among some students and 

families for a continued remote 

learning option. 

Virtual, informational community 

forums were held on 

Tuesday, March 16; Wednesday, 

March 17; and Thursday, March 

18 with links for participation 

that will be shared with students 

and families next week, 

and members of the district 

community will be able to ask 

questions at the meeting as 

well. Families will also be invited 

to participate in a survey 

following the sessions. 

Students and families have 

the option to continue remote 

learning through the end of this 

school year as well, and of the 

district’s 487 fully remote elementary 

schools students, for 

example, approximately 320 

students in pre-kindergarten 

through grade five have opted 

to continue learning fully remotely 

this school year. 

The district has also seen 

students thrive in its remote 

learning program this year. 

Through district analysis of student 

performance from the start 

of the school year until January 

2021 students district-wide 

demonstrated 60 percent 

growth in English Language 

Arts and 66 percent growth in 

mathematics. This district-wide 

improvement was seen regardless 

of students’ remote or hybrid 

learning models. 

“Our remote learning program 

this year has been taught 

by Peabody teachers, synchronously, 

with Peabody students. 

That’s a huge part of the 

reason why I think our students 

found success through our program,” 

Vadala said. “They were 

learning from our curriculum, 

using district resources and 

they maintained a connection to 

Peabody Public Schools. 

Students’ may opt for a more 

permanent remote learning option 

for a variety of reasons, 

including medical reasons, social-emotional 

needs, concerns 

about the ongoing pandemic or 

because they simply prefer it. 

Regardless of their reason, we 

know that we have the tools to 

create an engaging, personalized 

remote learning opportunity 

for these students for years 

to come and we’re excited to 

begin planning for what that 

will look like.” 

The district has identified 

two possible avenues for remote 

learning to continue next 

year, and will continue to consider 

other potential options as 

well. First, the Peabody Public 

Schools could apply to the 

Department of Elementary and 

Secondary Education to open 

a fully remote kindergarten 

through grade 12 school, operating 

as its own, separate school 

within the district. The Peabody 

Public Schools would be among 

the first, if not the very first, districts 

in the state to offer such a 

remote program. 

The second option is an 

in-district program through 

which remote students would 

be linked to their current school. 

Vadala has named current 

Assistant Superintendent Dr. 

Chris Lord as the executive director 

of remote learning and 

community partnerships. Lord 

will oversee the development, 

implementation and eventual 

operation of the fully remote, 

personalized virtual learning 

program. 

Lord has worked directly 

with remote teachers this year 

to offer support, as well as 

oversee scheduling and logistics 

for remote learning. He 

joined the district three years 

ago, and served as interim 

principal at Veterans Memorial 

High School last year. 

He also played a key role in 

the high school’s accreditation 

process last year, through which 

the school earned full accreditation 

from the New England 

Association of Schools and 

Colleges. 

“Our remote teachers did a 

phenomenal job engaging students 

this school year, and we 

saw that our students can and 

did succeed in a remote learning 

environment,” Lord said. “This 

is an opportunity for our district 

to create a personalized virtual 

learning program that can meet 

students where they are, and 

I’m looking forward to working 

with our teachers and staff, students 

and families to make this 

happen.” 

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Notice is hereby given by Four Star Service Inc. 134 Newbury St. Rear Unit R.U.B. 

Peabody, Ma 01960 that on Friday March 26, 2021 at 11a.m., a sale will be 

conducted for the following vehicles to satisfy the garage lien, thereon for the 

storage, towing charges, care and expenses of notice & sale of said vehicle: 

978-979-4071 

Removals, Pruning, 

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PEABODY CITY COUNCIL 

• Residential 

• Commerical 

• Industrial 

LEGAL AD 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 

ALL PAVING INSTALLED BY 

ROAD PAVING MACHINES TO 

INSURE UNIFORM SURFACES 

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• Emergency Winter Maintenance 

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LEGAL AD 


Get the 

e-edition 

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subscription 

2012 Hyundai Sante Fe 

VIN: 5XYZK3AB2CG103826 

Reg: N/A 

Owner: Carlos Besiderio 

4919 W Colonial Dr Unit 318 

Orlando FL 32808 

2015 Chevrolet Trax 

VIN: 3GNCJPSB1FL245765 

Reg: 6EP386 MA 

Owner: Michael Porter 

10580 Limeberry Dr 

Boynton Beach FL 33436 

2011 Chevrolet Impala 

VIN: 2G1WG5EK8B1324035 

Reg: 9EP644 MA 

Owner: Sanjaea Ayoete 

30 Daniels St Unit 209 

Malden, MA 02148 

2011 Toyota Tacoma 

VIN: 5TFTX4CNXBX004316 

eg: 8JH447 MA 

wner: Henry Belot 

Flint St 

. Reading Ma 01864 

007 Acura MDX 

IN: 2HNYD28257H512510 

eg: 9BK944 MA 

wner: Annabell Dilone 

Park St 

eabody Ma 01960 

eekly New: March 11 and 18 and 25, 2021 

Have something to sell? 

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Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Peabody, acting as the 

Special Permit Granting Authority, will conduct a public hearing on THURSDAY 

EVENING, APRIL 8, 2021, at 7:30 P.M., and conduct said public hearing in 

person (City Council only in the Frank L. Wiggin Auditorium, 24 Lowell Street, 

Peabody, MA) and remotely via Zoom for all other public participation on the 

application from BOSUN'S ASSETS AND OPERATIONS, LLC, D/B/A BOSUN'S 

MARINE, 203 Newbury Street, Peabody, MA for a SPECIAL PERMIT REQUESTING 

TO DISPLAY NEW AND PRE-OWNED BOAT INVENTORY AND CUSTOMER BOATS 

AND TO ALLOW BOAT SALES AND RENTAL IN THE BR-1 ZONE at 203 NEWBURY 

STREET, Peabody, MA as filed in accordance with Sections 4.2.5, 6.1 and 15.7 of 

the Peabody Zoning Ordinance. 

For remote participation using the Zoom platform, please visit 

www.peabody-ma.gov under "City Calendar" on the home page or contact the City 

Clerk's office. Zoom information will not be available until the Friday before the 

meeting. 


COUNCILLOR MARK J. O'NEILL 

CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT 

Allyson M. Danforth 

City Clerk 

Weekly News: March 25 & April 1, 2021 


LEGAL AD 







application from FLORIAN QOQI, 29 Walsh Avenue, Peabody, MA for a SPECIAL 

PERMIT REQUESTING TO INSTALL AN ELECTRONIC MESSAGE SIGN TO AN 

EXISTING FREE STANDING SIGN at 1 NEWBURY STREET, Peabody, MA as filed in 

accordance with Sections 11.5.2, 6.1 and 15.7 of the Peabody Zoning Ordinance. 




meeting. 





City Clerk 

Weekly News: March 25 and April 1, 2021 






application from SPERO J. DEMAKES, 29-31 Lynnfield Street, Peabody, MA for a 

SPECIAL PERMIT REQUESTING TO ADD A 30' X 24' DECK TO THE REAR OF THE 

BUILDING FOR OUTDOOR DINING USE at said 29-31 LYNNFIELD STREET, 

Peabody, MA as filed in accordance with Sections 1.5.1, 6.1 and 15.7 of the 

Peabody Zoning Ordinance. 

For remote participation using the Zoom platform, please visit www.peabody-ma.g 

ov under "City Calendar" on the home page or contact the City Clerk's office. Zoom 

information will not be available until the Friday before the meeting. 

Weekly News: March 25 and April 1, 2021 


LEGAL AD 


Notice is hereby given that the City Council of the City of Peabody, will conduct a 

public hearing on THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 8, 2021, at 7:30 P.M., and 

conduct said public hearing in person (City Council only in the Frank L. Wiggin 

Auditorium, 24 Lowell Street, Peabody, MA) and remotely via Zoom for all other 

public participation on the following Petitions submitted by the PEABODY 

MUNICIPAL LIGHT PLANT, 201 Warren Street Extension, Peabody, MA: 

Road 

Street 

PETITION 20-212 - Locate a new pole in the vicinity of 33 Newcastle 

PETITION 20-128 - Locate one new pole in the vicinity of 58 Pulaski 




meeting. 

Weekly News: March 25, 2021 





City Clerk 





City Clerk

MARCH 25, 2021 


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Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, 

omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdrawal without notice. No statement is made as to the accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. This is not intended to solicit property already listed. 

Nothing herein shall be construed as legal, accounting or other professional advice outside the realm of real estate brokerage.

PWN032521

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