Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, May 22, 2020 Cub Scouts donate meals to COVID-19 health staff at MelroseWakefield Hospital By Mark E. Vogler T he threat of COVID-19 has kept the boys of Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62 cooped up in their homes, unable to meet so they could work together on a public service project. It’s tough to plan projects when you are confined indoors. But Assistant Cub Master Mike Sullivan credits his wife Michelle Sullivan with helping the pack of two dozen to find a way to help a group of real heroes who are on the frontlines battling the killer Coronavirus. Michelle, a mother of an eight-year-old Cub Scout and a committee member for the pack, suggested the idea of donating meals to three units of medical staff who work the third shift on the COVID-19 units at MelroseWakefield Hospital. “We worked with MelroseWakefield Hospital to get the right number of meals to be donated to the hospital ASKS | from page 9 A: I’d say English – definitely English. Whenever I was writing my college essays, I went to a college counselor, and the first thing she said: “You write like you’re an engineer.” I guess I write in a very direct way, which isn’t as eloquent as some English teachers might want you to be, but I guess that’s just my style – the way my brain works. So, English probably requires the most attention for me as a student. Q: Were you an A student in English? A: Yes – mostly A’s. Sometimes I’d have a bad term and get a bad essay grade, but it was all for the better. Over my years at Saugus High, I have definitely become a much better writer. I’m sure I will continue to progress throughout college. Q: So, in your senior year, you aced English? A: Yes. I got mostly A’s in English – I mean we only had two terms – I think I got a B plus in one of them and an A in the oth“Recently, Cub Master Bill Ferringo and Scout Mom Michelle Sullivan dropped off 50 meals for our health care heroes working with Covid-19 patients, at the MelroseWakefield Hospital,” he said. “It worked out well. The kids got their project done and they got to thank some real heroes. For another project, the kids made cards to send to local nursing homes where people can’t receive visitors,” he said. Sullivan’s son, Anthony, was FEEDING OUR HEROES: Saugus Pack 62 Cub Master Bill Ferringo relaxes after delivering meals to the health care workers on the COVID-19 units at MelroseWakefield Hospital. (Courtesy Photos to The Saugus Advocate) staff,” Mike Sullivan said of the project “Since we have not been able to undertake any community service projects due to the State of Emergency, we decided to donate meals iner. It all comes down to how you perform on those big essays. Q: Is there much pressure to be one of the top students in your class? Or is it something you don’t think much about? Or are you pretty relaxed? A: I don’t think too much about it. But with all that’s been going on, I wanted to work hard and achieve this great honor. At the same time, I wasn’t really stressed. I mean, the world wouldn’t end if I wasn’t Salutatorian. Obviously, it was something I wanted, but I wouldn’t have been that devastated if I didn’t get it. Q: Was there a lot of competition for that honor? A: My friend, who is actually Number Three – best friends – S.J. Surette, the class marshal. He’s Number Three. It was pretty close. I’d say it was the same type of competition as Matt and I. Just like Matt and I were friends and buddies, we used it as friendly competition to make each other better. I think that goes the same way with me and S.J. stead, which were prepared by Prince’s in Saugus,” he said. Prince Pizzeria owner Steve Castraberti already had a protocol in place for preparing such a food order, according to Sullivan. Q: After two months of virtual classrooms and other distractions because of the Coronavirus, how do you stay focused? A: It’s definitely hard. I mean, there is a lot going on in my house with six people in it, but you find time to sit down and get your work done. It’s obviously not the same amount of focus that you would have in a school setting, but in a time of crisis like this, it’s important that we can sit down and focus on our studies. Q: How should the Saugus High School Class of 2020 be remembered? What should be their legacy? A: I think our legacy should be that we’re a strong class that was once going to be going from an old building to a new building. But that would have been a struggle with us now facing the pandemic. But with everything we’re going through, we’re still finding ways to follow tradition. Right now, we’re doing a senior countdown at Stackpole Field as we would have done in the C Wing. A POSTER OF GRATITUDE: Eight-year-old Wolf Cub Anthony Sullivan, of Saugus Cub Scout Pack 62, shows off a collage of photos of fellow Cubs and notes expressing their appreciation to local hospital workers who have been risking their own health while working with COVID-19 patients at MelroseWakefield Hospital. born in MelroseWakefield Hospital. In the fall, he will be going into the third grade at Veterans Memorial Elementary School. Members of the pack haven’t been able to meet in person since mid-March because of the pandemic. They have been using Zoom Meeting Teleconferencing to stay connected. “Hopefully, in September we’ll get back to regular scout meetings,” Sullivan said. SHARING A BANNER: Saugus High School graduate Ronald DiBiasio, Jr. in the center of a banner in Cliftondale Square that honors him and two fellow students. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler). With all these obstacles, I think we faced them in a good manner and continue to get as most of a normal senior year as we possibly could. Q: Anything else that you would like to share? A: This is going to be more about my family. It’s kind of funny. My dad goes to Boston College. My sister goes to Boston College. My oldest sister went to UMass-Amherst, and now I’m going to UMass-Amherst. So, it’s sort of a family divided right now. I’d say that’s pretty funny. Q: UMass-Amherst is my alma mater. A: Really. Fellow Minuteman. I can’t go wrong. I love UMass. I can’t wait. I hope we get to start up in the fall. Back to your question – if I had to say anything to the Class of 2020: Hang in there. Times will get better. Soon we’ll be off to bigger and better things. This situation is temporary.
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