THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 31, 2019 Page 17 Mystic Valley holds NHS induction ceremony M ystic Valley Regional Charter School (MVRCS) was proud to induct the following Malden students into the National Honor Society (NHS) during the school’s 14th annual ceremony at Eastern Avenue on May 23: Sidra Alani, Samantha Chan, Kelly Chen, Jennifer Cheung, Jaime Cochran, Nicole Deguire, Mitchely Guerrier, Kara Hollis, John Le, Jessica Li, Ashley Verrill and Alaa Zeabi. The student-focused event featured presentations by current senior members of NHS as well as juniors and sophomores, who took the pledge to stand for the organization’s four pillars of scholarship, leadership, service and character. In addition, several colleges annually recognize outstanding juniors with a presentation of a book that is particularly meaningful to said institution in some way. The colleges and universities that presented books were as follows: Boston College, Le Moyne College, Harvard University, St. Michael’s College, Suffolk University, Wellesley College, Wesleyan University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Yale University. Current MVRCS faculty Martin Boyle and Michael McCarthy distributed the books for their respective alma maters. Under the direction of faculty advisers Casey McKee and Colleen Reynolds, a new set of offi cers was introduced. The crescendo of the event came towards the end as parents of incoming inductees proudly placed the NHS sash on their sons and daughters. Following the family presentations, which were led by NHS historian Michaela Correale (’19), the newcomers took the pledge and offi cially became part of the prestigious society. City celebrates annual Arbor Day today at Fellsmere Park n Friday, May 31, at 12:30 p.m., Malden will be celebrating its annual Arbor Day at Fellsmere Park at the corner of Fellsway East and Savin Street. Since 1872, Arbor Day has been celebrated in communities across America by planting trees and encouraging the appreciation of nature. O Public shade trees provide oxygen, reduce heating and cooling costs, prevent soil erosion, add beauty, raise property values, connect people with nature and provide habitat for animals, among other things. In honor of this American tradition, the Malden community Home loans, designed with you in mind. LET US HELP FIND THE RIGHT MORT G AGE OPTION FOR YOU . 15 YEAR .% RATE .% APR* L 30 YEAR .% RATE .% APR* EVERETTBANK . COM will join together to plant a tree in memory of the late Barbara Laskey. All interested residents are encouraged to join Ward 3 Councillor John Matheson and other community leaders for this celebration. This is a free event, and all participants are sure to remember the public tree they planted together. y Jim Mille Adaptive Gardening: Tips and Tools for Older Gardeners Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good tools and tips for senior gardeners? My 77-year-old mother loves to work in the garden but over the past few years has been plagued by injuries. Concerned Daughter Dear Concerned, Aches, pains and injuries are not uncommon among older gardeners. Because gardening is such a physical activity that often requires a lot of bending and stooping, squatting and kneeling, gripping and lifting, it can be extremely taxing on an aging body. Back pain and knee injuries are most common among older gardeners, along with carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow. To help keep your mom injury-free this summer, here are some tips and gardening equipment ideas that can make gardening a little easier. Warm Up With gardening, good form is very important as well as not overdoing any one activity. A common problem is that gardeners often kneel or squat, putting extra pressure on their knees. Then, to spare their knees, they might stand and bend over for long stretches to weed, dig and plant, straining their back and spine. To help your mom protect her body, she needs to warm up before beginning. Start by stretching, focusing on the legs and lower back. And keep changing positions and activities. Don’t spend hours weeding a fl owerbed. After 15 minutes of weeding, she should stand up, stretch, and switch to another activity like pruning the bushes or just take a break. It’s also important that she Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma recognizes her physical limitations and doesn’t try to do too much all at once. And, when lifting heaver objects, she needs to remember to use her legs to preserve her back. She can do this by keeping the item close to her body and squatting to keep her back as vertical as possible. Laborsaving Tools The right gardening equipment can help too. Kneeling pads can protect knees, and garden seats or stools are both back and knee savers. Lightweight garden carts can make hauling bags of mulch, dirt, plants or other heavy objects much easier. And long-handled gardening tools can help ease the strain on the back by keeping your mom in a standing upright position versus bent over. There are also ergonomic gardening tools with fatter handles and other design features that can make lawn and garden activities a little easier. Easier Watering The chore of carrying water or handling a heavy, awkward hose can also be difficult for older gardeners. Some helpful options include lightweight fabric hoses instead of heavy rubber hoses; soaker or drip hoses that can be snaked throughout the garden; thin coil hoses that can be used on the patio or small areas; a hose caddy and reel for easier hose transport around the yard; and a self-winding hose chest that puts the hose up automatically. There are also a variety of ergonomic watering wands that are lightweight, easy to grip, and reach those hard to-getto plants. To fi nd ergonomic gardening tools and the recommended watering aids, check with local retail stores that sell lawn and garden supplies or try online retailers like Gardeners. com or RadiusGarden.com. Container Gardening If your mom’s backyard garden has become too much for her to handle, she should consider elevated garden beds or container gardening – using big pots, window boxes, hanging baskets, barrels or tub planters. This is a much easier way to garden because it eliminates much of the bend and strain of gardening but still gives her the pleasure of making things grow. Trellises are another nice option that would allow her to garden vertically instead of horizontally. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
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