Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, SEpTEmbEr 22, 2023 Six Saugus residents are among 14 Northeast Metro Tech alumni inducted into The Voke’s Athletic Hall of Fame S uperintendent David DiBarri was pleased to announce that 14 Northeast Metro Tech alumni were recently inducted into the Northeast Metro Tech Athletic Hall of Fame – including six student athletes from Saugus. On Wednesday, Aug. 9, Northeast Metro Tech held its biannual induction into the Hall of Fame, recognizing the contributions of 14 alumni who graduated from 1981 to 2011 and excelled in sports. Established in 2015, Northeast Metro Tech’s Hall of Fame recognizes and honors past athletes, coaches, individuals and teams who made outstanding contributions that brought pride and distinction to the athletic program. “We celebrate not only the individual achievements of these fourteen remarkable individuals, but also the collective spirit of excellence that resonates throughout Northeast Metro Tech,” said Joe Papagni, who emceed the induction ceremony. “They have not only raised the bar for excellence, but have also inspired countless others to dream big, strive for greatness, and embrace the values we hold dear at Northeast Metro Tech.” “As an alumna of Northeast who is also now an educator, it meant a lot to me to receive the Hall of Fame award,” said Justien Martin. “Knowing that a picture of me will forever be displayed at Northeast, and that students will walk by and possibly see themselves in the same place one day, makes me feel great. Northeast is such a special place, and I am happy to be a part of its history.” Frank Muse, who worked as a teacher and hockey coach at the school for four decades, said that this year’s induction ceremony was the first to be held in person since before the COVID-19 pandemic. He said seeing the Hall of Fame plaques and championship banners on the walls of the school can help motivate and give goals to students who walk the hallways today. “This is just something that’s good for the school and certainly good for the people who get recognized. Teachers like to see the kids get recognized, even though some of the inductees aren’t really kids anymore,” Muse said. The inductees are: • Mary Jo Matthews, of Saugus, Class of 1981: Field HockVOKE SCHOOL SPORTS GREATS: Those who were inducted into the Northeast Metro Tech Athletic Hall of Fame stood together for a group photo on Wednesday, Aug. 9. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate by Northeast Metro Tech) ey–Basketball. • John Vater, of Saugus, Class of 1987: Hockey. • John Lundy, of Woburn, Class of 1987: Hockey. • Brian Capistran, of Chelsea, Class of 1989: Hockey. • Todd Stead, of Saugus, Class of 1989: Hockey. • Billy Noyes, of Saugus, Class of 2006: Football–Basketball– Baseball. • Bryan Rose, of Charlestown, Class of 2007: Football–Hockey–Lacrosse. • Paul Shaughnessy, of Malden, Class of 2007: Football– Basketball. • Justien Martin, of Chelsea, Class of 2008: Soccer–Basketball–Track. • Kaitlyn Aucoin, of Saugus, Class of 2009: Soccer–Basketball. • David Papagni, of Lynnfield, Class of 2009: Hockey– Baseball. • Zack Allen, of Charlestown, Class of 2010: Football–Hockey. • Mike Cross, of Saugus, Class of 2011: Football–Hockey– Baseball. • JP O’Connell, of Melrose, Class of 2011: Football–Lacrosse. Health director expresses concerns about the potential impact of migrant families living in Saugus By Mark E. Vogler S augus Direc tor of Public Health John R. Fralick III told the Board of Health this week that he’s frustrated because he knows so little about the migrant families who moved into Saugus more than a month ago. At Monday’s monthly board meeting (Sept. 18), he briefed members on “a rapidly evolving, very fluid situation that we’re just trying to keep our finger on the pulse of.” Fralick said he doesn’t know the exact number of migrants, but estimated they number between 400 and 500 people. He said they have found shelter at the Holiday Inn, the Red Roof Inn, the Avalon Motel and the James Motel. But he’s unable to get a breakdown on just how many units are occupied by migrants who would otherwise be homeless. He said most of the families come from Haiti and Central America. “We really don’t know how this impacts us because the transparency aspect of this whole thing just doesn’t exist,” Fralick told The Saugus Advocate after the meeting. “We’re struggling to retroactively build an infrastructure for something we know so little about,” he said. Fralick told the Board of Health that the National Guard deployed to the Red Roof Inn last week. “We do have a designated point of contact. They will work down there in five and six hour shifts – two uniformed guardsmen onsite for the foreseeable future,” Fralick said. Gov. Maura Healey activated some 250 National Guard members to provide services at emergency shelter hotels across Massachusetts amid a rise in migrant families arriving in the state. They will assist with food, transportation, medical care and other basic needs of migrant families. They will also help with enrolling children in local schools. Gov. Healey had declared a state of emergency in early August, calling on the federal government to provide assistance. Board of Selectmen Vice Chair Debra said she’s concerned about how the migrant situation can take its toll on Saugus. “We just don’t know what the overall impact is going to be to our community,” Panetta said. Fralick said he is concerned about the lack of information that Saugus and other communities are receiving, while being expected to contribute to helping the migrant families. For instance, under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, a homeless person with children living in a shelter in town has the right to have them attend local schools, according to Fralick. “We do have children in the school system and we haven’t really vetted them for tuberculosis, rubella, mumps or measles,” he said. Fralick said some questions need to be answered, like whether all migrant children receive their required vaccinations before being allowed to attend Saugus schools. “We’re trying our best to get a definitive answer,” Fralick said. “We just want a definitive answer on what we’re dealing with and what we can expect,” he said. “We’re trying to keep our finger on the pulse of a situation as best we can with the resources we have,” he said. Fralick said nobody is disregarding the humanitarian aspect of the situation, noting how the Saugus United Parish Food Pantry in Cliftondale Congregational Church has partnered with some in the community to help the migrants. Over the last couple of weeks, the state had been triaging families staying in Saugus, including trying to assess their tuberculosis status and other health needs. But the town has not been fully briefed on the full impact of the migrants on community resources and what funds will be available to Saugus to help them. And Fralick and other officials say that’s just not fair. An additional 1,500 families will be coming to Massachusetts by the end of October, and some of those people could be headed to Saugus, he said. “We’re receiving all of this information after the fact. We’re trying to play catch-up,” Fralick said. “We’re doing what we can.”
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