Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2022 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Back-to-School countdown Hey, Saugus kids! Hope you’ve made the most of your summer vacation, as you will be headed back to school three weeks from this coming Monday (Aug. 8). Classes begin on Aug. 30 for students in grades 1 to 12. Kindergarten and Pre-K classes start on Aug. 31. Enjoy the remaining days of your summer. Read a little. Have fun. Relax. If you are interested in local places to visit to spice up your summer, go to the Saugus Public Library, the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Breakheart Reservation, the Youth & Recreation Department or the Saugus Senior Center. Collectively, these places off er a lot of summertime options for Saugus residents. How to make a hundred kids happy Crystal Cakounes, the interim director of the Saugus Youth & Recreation Department, told me it would be a fun event to cover. And it was. It’s always nice to see a bunch of smiling faces, especially of kids enjoying their summer. So, the Wednesday (Aug. 3) afternoon ice cream party — compliments of Sharon Cacciola, owner of SOC’s ice cream of Saugus — had to be a blast for the 100 kids who attended. Not only did they get a dish of ice cream, but they got to hang out for a couple of hours with a WBZ camera crew that was fi lming in Saugus for a special news feature, Ice Cream Social, which featured a stop in Saugus. The TV production —Contest— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK team also sent the kids home with some brightly colored CBS News Boston sunglasses. Sharon says she picked the Saugus Youth & Rec. Department summer camp behind the Belmonte STEAM Academy to be the recipients of the ice cream party because “Crystal does a wonderful job running the program with minimal funding from the town.” From what I got to observe, every kid went home that afternoon a happy camper. “Foul play is not suspected” Over the past two weeks, I have received several calls about a heinous crime that allegedly took place at Laurel Gardens last month. All I can tell you is that the details of the alleged incident were gruesome as they were described to me. But so far, the accounts have not been substantiated by either the Essex County District Attorney’s Office or the Saugus Police Department. I talked with both Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli and Carrie Kimball, who is the director of communications for Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s Offi ce. The DA spokesperson confirmed that detectives assigned to her office, along with police, responded to a report of a death on July 25 in an apartment managed by the Saugus Housing Authority. “We responded to a report of an unexpected death in which a 58-year-old male was found deceased. Foul play is not suspected,” Kimbell said in a brief statement this week. “However, the Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The District Attorney investigates all unattended deaths regardless of whether foul play is suspected,” she said. Unless the autopsy report GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED? If you know the right answer, you might win the contest. In this week’s edition, we continue our weekly feature where a local artist sketches people, places and things in Saugus. Got an idea who’s being sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@ comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978 683-7773. Anyone who identifi es the Saugonian sketched in this week’s paper between now and Tuesday at Noon qualifi es to have their name put in a green Boston Red Sox hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certifi cate, compliments of Dunkin’ Donuts in the Food Court at the Saugus Square One Mall. But you have to enter to win! Look for the winner and identifi cation in next week’s “The Sounds of Saugus.” Please leave your mailing address in case you are a winner. (Courtesy illustration to The Saugus Advocate by a Saugonian who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”) determines the death was suspicious, the public needs to accept the preliminary findings of police and the DA: that there isn’t a crime, based on the available evidence. We have a winner! Congratulations to Debbie Cox for making the right identifi cation in last week’s “Guess Who Got Sketched” contest. Debbie was one of several readers answering correctly, but she was the only one to have her name picked in a drawing from the green Boston Red Sox cap. Here’s the correct answer, offered by the person who goes by the name of The Sketch Artist: “The answer to last week’s sketch is This Year’s Salutatorian Lindsey Rose McGovern and Class Valedictorian Jason Patrick Ciampa! Lindsey is the Second top ranked student in the Class of 2022 and Jason is the student with the best scholastic score! “Lindsey and Jason are on the front cover of the June 10th issue of The Saugus Advocate and continued on page 14 in article and photos of “151st. Commencement Exercises Saugus High School Class of 2022,”. by Mark E. Vogler. Lindsey’s speech appears on page 7 & 8 “Saugus High School graduation The Salutatorian Address “ “She addresses the student body with her message. Lindsey along with the Honor bestowed upon her to address the class of 2022 (as a second top ranking student); she served as President of the Student Council. Lindsey has plans of attending the University of New Hampshire to study Neuroscience. “James Patrick Ciampa, who achieved the highest grade point average in the Class of 2022, earned the privilege to deliver the Valedictory Address at the Commencement exercises. *See June 10th issue page 8. Jason plans to attend Endicott College to study Computer Science. “Jason and Lindsey both express deep gratitude and thankfulness in these articles about their Addresses to the Class of 2022. “We all could learn a thing or two more by re-reading Lindsey Rose McGovern’s Address and Jason Patrick Ciampa’s address; they are well versed and heartfelt words of regret, fortitude, strength discipline, life experiences, and advice fi lled with two thankful hearts & gratitude! I walked away gaining wisdom from Lindsey & Jason’s words. “Thank you both. Hope you continue to excel and to requote Jason who quoted Norman Vincent Peale ‘s “ Shoot for the moon even if you miss, you will land among the stars.” “Jason and Lindsey, you two are shining stars! Yours Truly, “The Sketch Artist “ A big “Shout out” to Father Jay Jeannie Meredith nominated a member of the Saugus Faith Community for special public recognition in this week’s column. It’s a person who has made quite an impression after his fi rst year of living and working in Saugus: “I would like to give a ‘shout out’ to Father Jay from St Margaret’s and Blessed Sacrament Collaborative. He is doing an amazing job at both parishes. I was astonished to see a recent post of Father Jay giving a fi - nal blessing to a beloved pet. This is one of the most moving videos I have watched in some time. We are very fortunate to have such a caring, kind and compassionate priest in our Town. My condolences to the family that lost their loved one.” Father Jason Makos has a special place in his heart for peoples’ pets, according to Jeannie, who points out that his 6-year-old Boston Terrier, Thea “is adorable!” 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 the mention in the subject line, “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph. Anything longer might lend itself to a story and/ or a photo. Summer Concert Series continues Wednesday The National Parks Service and Saugus Public Library are co-sponsoring a free Summer Concert Series that continues next Wednesday (Aug. 10) at 6 p.m. at the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, located at 244 Central St. in Saugus. Here is the rest of the Summer Concert Series at a glance: August 10th ers: 50’s, 60’s & 70’s music August 17th — Memorylan— Decades of Rock Band: Classic Rock 70’, 80’s & 90’s August 24th — Marina & Bernardo: Acoustic Folk Each concert will be held outdoors, weather permitting (see SaugusPublicLibrary.org for updates/cancellations). Bring your own chair or blanket. Picnics welcome! “Zoom” Book Study The Rev. John Beach of St. John’s Episcopal Church wants to get the word out to Saugonians who might be interested in participating in a new book study, via “Zoom” video conferencing. The book is called “The Violence Project: How to Stop A Mass Shooting Epidemic By Jillian Peterson, PhD and James Densley, PhD” THE SOUNDS 16
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