Firing up the grill and spreading the warmth Heritage Heights residents enjoy a convoy of classic cars to go with their cookout THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, AUGUST 22, 2025 PUBLIC SCHOOLS | FROM PAGE 2 Page 11 mittee can commit to ongoing monitoring and reporting to make sure the policy is applied fairly and consistently,” she said. The advocacy groups KATHY MURPHY TAKES THE WHEEL: Ms. Murphy learned how to drive in a car just like this. So generous Ray Willis put her behind the wheel of his 1967 Cherry red Buick Skylark for her to reminisce down memory lane. (Courtesy photo of Joanie Allbee) By Joanie Allbee O n August 14, Saugus Housing Authority held its annual cookout for Heritage Heights Elderly Complex joined by the Tenant Association. Maintenance team Guy Moley, Mark DePippo, Jarrod Middleton, Sean Ring, Tyler Oxley and Director of Operations Josh Bennet tended to usual preparations for a cookout. The lawns were landscaped, outdoor tables set up and extra touches of canopies placed to provide shade for dining guests. The team went above and beyond with firing up the grill, flipping burgers and dogs and once off the grill running them inside to awaiting steaming trays. They took loaned MEMORY LANE LINEUP: antique cars at the Heritage Heights Cookout’s Memory Lane. (Rooftop photo courtesy of Guy Moley) personal DJ equipment and set it up so 70s & 80s tunes could rock the air. Additionally, on their own time they thoughtfully arranged for antique car owners to come and show their cars. As a result of the maintenance team’s extra efforts, guests had a grand time. The street was lined with an elegant array of cars with proud owners engaging with guests. “We are a band of retired guys who came to show our cars to Saugus Heritage seniors so they can reminisce and have great memories,” Bob Puopolo said. One such grateful person to see all the antique cars was Kathy Murphy. Ray Willis and several of the car owners were captivated by hearing Kathy reminisce about how she learned to drive in a 1967 Buick Skylark and how her father taught her road trip safety, auto knowledge and car repair necessities to ensure his daughter would have safe travels. Willis, who owned the cherry red 1967 Buick Skylark, smiled and gently guided Ms. Murphy back behind the wheel and in the driver’s seat of his Skylark for a trip down memory lane. didn’t have any dialogue with the School Committee over the past year, according to Walton. “We worked closely with the Attorney General’s Office, sharing documents as we received them through our public records lawsuit,” Walton said. “The Attorney General’s Office then brought our concerns and suggestions to the School Committee, which ultimately led to the policy being changed.” State agencies offer guidance In the aftermath of the controversy surrounding the Saugus Student Admission Policy, the Office of the Attorney General, the Executive Office of Education and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education isASKS | FROM PAGE 10 where. I don’t like fiction. Q: You seem to be in pretty good health for somebody who is about to turn 100. A: Forty years ago, I got involved with holistic healing. Q: Do you credit that to your longevity? A: Definitely. It helped. I lived this long because I went to Sunday School and learned about Jesus, who was a wonderful man. He helped everyone. And if more people would be like him, it would be a wonderful world. I keep the faith. God is in my heart. I didn’t plan to live to 100. I really believe that God didn’t want me yet. This is the reason I’m probably still here – is that I tried to live the way Jesus lived. I always tried to help people, and being honest and living right has brought me to this point. Diet and exercise. I still do that. I try to eat the right foods. Foods are healing. And I don’t take any medication. sued a guidance memo to clarify for school committees, superintendents and administrators the rights of immigrant families and the information that school districts may and may not require in their enrollment policies. “State and federal law require that school districts enroll all school-aged children who are residents without regard to immigration status,” the memo said. “Districts should ensure that their enrollment policies do not prevent immigrant families from enrolling their children in school. This includes avoiding requirements that explicitly bar the enrollment of immigrant children, as well as avoiding requirements that have the effect of discouraging immigrant children from enrolling,” it continued. Generally, school districts may ask families to confirm a student’s age Q: Is there anybody else in your family who has lived to 100? A: No. My mother died at 71 and my father lived to be 86. I had an aunt who was 98. And my brother was 98 when he died. Q: There have been 17 presidents of the U.S. during your lifetime. You would have voted for a lot of presidents over the years that you were registered to vote. Who was your favorite president? A: I thought Ronald Reagan was great. I was surprised that he became president, though. I thought Bill Clinton was very smart. It was strange how the economy turned around when he got into office. Q: Have you had any interesting jobs? A: Yes. My husband took a real estate course. Two weeks before the test, he said, “Why don’t you do it?” So I did. I was in the real estate business for one year. It was fun. I sold a couple of houses on my own. and residence. However, school district enrollment policies may not: • Limit the ways that families can show their child’s age or residence in the district to a narrow list of documents, such as government-issued photo ID; while a school district may choose to provide a broad list of documents that would be sufficient to show age or residency, school officials also must work with families to find alternatives if they are unable to provide one of the documents on the list. • Require information or records about the family’s or student’s immigration status • Require compliance with other city or town requirements, such as completion of a census, survey or other forms that are not necessary for showing age and residence • Impose other requirements that would prevent, discourage or delay immigrant families from enrolling their children in school Q: Do you have anything on “the bucket list”? Any remaining goals or projects in your life that you would like to complete? A: I’d like to make a book of my [late] friend Sidney’s poems so all of his poems won’t be lost. Sidney Russell of Lynn. He was into poetry and genealogy and he loved dancing. He gave me a collection of his poems. I want to give the world those poems because of the time he put into them. Q: What are all of these birthday cards on your dining room table? It looks like they are all for you. I like the one from Tonya, which says, “Millie, A Century of Life, Love and Laughter. Wishing you a very happy birthday!!” A: There are over 60 cards, all for me. I’ve been getting between three and six a day. They are from the Heart Club, a Facebook Club. They send cards to people who are 100. I’ve gotten them from Hawaii. I ASKS | SEE PAGE 19
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