THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, JUnE 6, 2025 Page 15 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus I hope and pray that good weather prevails for tonight’s 154th Commencement Exercises for the Saugus High School Class of 2025. My personal preference is to be out there milling around on the playing field of Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium, without a raincoat or umbrella. But even the rain can’t and shouldn’t spoil the evening for the 180 or so graduates who will be receiving their high school diplomas. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, there’s a nice auditorium inside the Saugus Middle High School where the show will go on, rain or shine. Best wishes to the students of this class and their families as they embark on a new phase of their lives. Of special note is that 72, or approximately 40 percent, of the young graduates will be first-generation college students, according to information provided by Saugus Public Schools. Hats off to the Saugus High Class of 2025 and the best of luck to each of you individually as you pursue your future endeavors and dreams. May you be good citizens and contribute to the betterment of your community, whether it be Saugus or any other place you call home. This week’s “SHOUT OUTs” We received one from Precinct 6 Town Meeting Member Jeanie Bartolo: “This ‘Shout Out’ goes to my Pen Pal Ariana Lemus and her best friend Tiffany Rivas. Ariana and I exchanged letters all school year and we finally got to meet in person on Tuesday at the Senior Center where they hosted a Pizza Party for all of us. Besides being pretty and sweet, Ariana is engaging and extremely intelligent for her age and is just a joy to know. My life is richer because I met her. Our future looks brighter with Ariana and Tiffany leading the way for us all, and I have no doubt they will reach all of life’s goals they set for themselves. The best Luck to both of you. Your Pen Pal forever!” We also received a special “Shout Out” from Mike SulliPantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry welcomes all neighbors facing food insecurity on Fridays from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale Congregational Church. American Legion Blood Drive The American Legion Post 210 in Saugus will hold a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 7, at 44 Taylor St. in Saugus. Please call 1-800-Red Cross (1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org and enter Saugus community to schedule an appointment. Firefighter Memorial Sunday The Saugus Firefighters Relief Association invites you to our Firefighter Memorial Sunday, Sunday, June 8, at 10 a.m. at the Public Safety Building on Hamilton Street. Friends and family are welcome to attend. Collation to follow in the third floor training room. Since May 8, when Cardinal Robert Prevost (bottom photo) became Pope Leo XIV – the World leader of the Catholic Church and the first American-born pope in history, Saugus Town Counsel John J. Vasapolli (top photo) has been deluged with comments about how he looks a lot like the new pope. “When I go over to the Hammersmith, they call me ‘Pope John.’ I’ve gotten emails from cousins, neighbors and classmates who tell me I look like Pope Leo. I even got a text from a judge,” Vasapolli told The Saugus Advocate this week. On his Facebook Page, John J. Vasapolli, he offered this June 1 post: “Thank you to all my friends, relatives, former classmates, neighbors and fellow attorneys for their kind comments on my resemblance to his holiness, but do I really look like the Pope?” By midweek, Vasapolli had received more than 150 responses from friends who thought so. (Courtesy screenshot of the John J. Vasapolli Facebook page) van of the Saugus Band and Chorus Parents Association: “We would appreciate it if your fine publication could share a few photos from the Saugus Middle School Band and Chorus Spring Concert, on May 21. Over 200 family members, friends, and school district staff attended the dynamic and crowd pleasing show.” Here’s an Editor’s “Shout Out” to Dave Arwine, President of the Saugus Band & Chorus Parents Association, who took the photos of the Saugus Middle School Band and Chorus Spring Concert and shared them with our readers. Here’s another Editor’s “Shout Out” to the members of the Saugus High School Class of 2025, who will walk across the stage tonight – either at the Christie Serino Jr. Memorial Stadium or inside the auditorium of the Saugus Middle High School – to receive their diplomas. And a special “Shout Out” to all of the parents, teachers, staff and others who contributed to the academic success of the 180 young people who will be celebrated at tonight’s 154th Commencement Exercises of Saugus High School. Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@ comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/ or a photo. Final weekend of Kindergarten Kickers Kindergarten Kickers, a youth soccer program in Saugus for children ages four to six (in kindergarten or entering kindergarten in the fall), will be finishing its spring season on Sunday (June 8) from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at Anna Parker Playground. “It was a big success in the fall and again this spring,” according to Liz Venezia. “We have 76 players (with a waitlist) across 6 teams with the help of 18 awesome coaches,” she said. Saugus United Parish Food Town Democrats meet June 11 The Saugus Democratic Town Committee invites you to join our next monthly meeting on Wednesday evening, June 11, at 7 p.m., on the 2nd floor of the Saugus Public Safety Building, 27 Hamilton Street, Saugus. If you have shared democratic values and want to resist the threats to our Constitution, please attend and be with fellow concerned citizens and take action. Any questions, contact saugusdtc@gmail.com (submitted by Lin Bell, SDTC Secretary). Strawberry Festival June 21 The Saugus Historical Society Strawberry Festival and the Saugus Garden Club annual plant sale will be held on Saturday, June 21. Strawberry shortcakes will be served at the American Legion Hall from 10-2, and the plant sale will be taking place on the lawn of the Roby School, facing Main Street, along with several craft vendors. THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 16
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