Photo gallery: Scenes from Hingham High's graduation
After the last diploma is presented, graduates in Hingham High's Class of 2012 toss their caps into the air.
Click here to see photos from the ceremony.
Hingham High School graduates Class of 2012
Jessica Bartlett
(Above) Cancer patient James Joseph Gordon received a standing ovation as he walked across the stage to get his diploma. (Left) Class speaker Kevin Minassain gets standing ovation
Hingham High School’s graduation was an emotional one for the more than 260 students and 1,000 observers Saturday, as the stark realities of life crept into the speeches and recognitions given by the student body.
Senior Kevin Minassain, who will attend New England College in New Hampshire, took to the stage in Hingham High’s gymnasium, where the ceremony was being held to escape the rain.Speaking about his mother, Minassain detailed how a car accident in 1995 left her with severe brain damage and in a deep depression. He outlined the struggles she dealt with for a year, until one day, she put her son to bed, and left the house in the family’s car. The car was found at Wellfleet beach four days after her disappearance, yet she was never seen again.
“Throughout this experience, I have learned numerous lessons. One is to never take anyone for granted…I have also learned to treat every goodbye as if it is the last, because you honestly do not know if it will be,” he said. “I know that many graduation speeches focus on the tomorrow, what’s ahead, the future. However, I am here to remind you to be grateful for today.”
Later, senior James Joseph Gordon received a standing ovation as he walked across the stage to get his diploma.
Gordon was diagnosed with Stage III metastatic testicular cancer two months ago, shortly after his hockey team fell to champion Malden Catholic in the state’s Super 8 tournament.
Despite the somber moments of reflection, there was still an air of celebration to the day.
Valedictorian Ariana Kam, who will attend Harvard in the fall, read a speech she had written in rhyme.
“But before we rush off in search of success/ as most of us are already half-way out the door/ realize that the people we are so prone to forget/ won’t be our moorings anymore./ Because after today, they’re closing those corridors,” she wrote.
Although the Class of 2012 is leaving, she said, she urged her peers to create and to leap headfirst into the future.
“Some of you won’t achieve what you envisioned…you might achieve something even better,” she said.
Hingham High Principal Paula Girouard McCann also detailed the class’s accomplishments. Over 230 people received $295,000 in scholarships, she said, and students have excelled in everything from academics, to athletics, to performances on the stage.
Approximately 56 percent of the student body participated in athletics, 26 teams reached the postseason, and eight made it to league championships – including the track team that missed a portion of graduation for a meet.
As great as the accomplishments have been, however, School Committee Chair Caryl Falvey said the greatest thing the class had done was to be kind to one another.
She urged them to stay involved, and to pass the gift of education – the greatest gift you can give – to future generations.
Hingham Scanner Tales: Man arrested on OUI third offense, drug charges, hit and run
A Weymouth man was arrested in Hingham on Thursday after allegedly driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident.
According to police, at 6:36 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of a hit-and- run crash at the intersection of Main Street and Middle Street.
The victim reported that she was stopped at the intersection when her van was hit from behind. The driver that hit her stepped out, told her they needed to exchange information, but then climbed back into his vehicle and drove away, she said.
The victim, a Hingham woman who had three children in the car at the time, said the driver was staggering on his feet.
The vehicle fled onto School Street, the victim said, and she gave police a description of the car and its license plate.
Officers began checking the area, including inside nearby Wompatuck State Park.
An officer was soon flagged down by another motorist in the park, who said that a vehicle the same description of the suspect’s almost struck him and another vehicle as it drove farther into the park.
Officers found the vehicle in the park and spoke to the driver. His speech was slurred, his eyes were red, and he smelled strongly of alcoholic beverage, police said.
According to police, the suspect admitted he had been in a crash, but said it was in Weymouth and that he had “worked it out with the other guy.” The suspect admitted to drinking a couple of beers.
Police searched the car, and said they found a half-empty bottle of schnapps, an empty bottle of vodka, two empty beer cans, an unopened bottle of wine, a cooler full of iced beers, and several types of prescription pills, for which the suspect had no prescription.
After several field sobriety tests, Arthur Sullivan III, 49, from Weymouth, was arrested, police said, and the vehicle was towed.
Police said the suspect had a “Z” restriction on his license, which requires an ignition interlock device in the car. Although the man had the device in the car, it was unplugged and not working. The man admitted that he removed it several days earlier, police said.
As a result, Sullivan was charged with OUI alcohol – third offense, tampering with an ignition interlock device, operating without an ignition interlock device, driving to endanger, driving with an open container of alcohol, leaving the scene after causing property damage, failure to use care when stopping, possession class B substance – subsequent offense, possession class C substance – subsequent offense, and four counts of possession class E substance.
The two previous OUI charges are from Quincy in 1990 and Marblehead in 2004.
Sullivan was held overnight at the Hingham Police Station on $1,000 cash bail. He was arraigned Friday at Hingham District Court where he was ordered held without bail until a dangerousness hearing on June 5 at 9 a.m.
Globe South's top 10 high school lacrosse teams
(Records through May 28)
BOYS
1. Duxbury (19-2)
2. Hingham (17-3)
3. Scituate (16-4)
4. Mansfield (14-4)
5. Norwood (13-5)
6. Archbishop Williams (17-3)
7. Foxborough (14-3)
8. Norwell (14-6)
9. Fairhaven (17-10
10. Hanover (11-5)
GIRLS
1. Notre Dame-Hingham (19-1)
2. Westwood (18-2)
3. Duxbury (13-4-2)
4. Norwell (12-7)
5. Cohasset (10-4-2)
6. Hingham (13-7)
7. Archbishop Williams (18-2)
8. Ursuline (15-4)
9. Apponoquet (18-0)
10. Scituate (12-5-1)
Compiled by Andrew MacDougall
Hingham police officer on leave after domestic abuse allegation
A Hingham police officer has been placed on paid administrative leave following allegations of a domestic abuse incident in Hull.
According to a press release sent by the Hingham Police Department, Officer Justin Burns, 30, from Hull, is on paid leave pending the results of an internal investigation by the Hingham police, separate from a criminal investigation in Hull.
Burns has been an officer in Hingham since 2008. The leave of absence took effect this past Monday, following his arrest on the same day in Hull related to an alleged domestic dispute.
According to Hull police logs, a Hull police sergeant was approached Monday by a woman at 2:53 p.m. at the intersection of Atlantic and Nantasket avenues asking for help.
Officers were dispatched to the residence shortly thereafter, where they arrested Burns and brought him to the police station.
Burns was charged with four counts domestic assault and battery, according to the records.
Burns was arraigned in Hingham District Court on Tuesday. He was released under personal recognizance and will appear in court again on June 25.
While the investigation is ongoing, Hingham Town Administrator Ted Alexiades suggested that people withhold judgment on the matter.
“The Hingham Police Department has placed the officer on paid administrative leave pending the outcome in the charges in Hull. In addition we’ll conduct our own internal investigation. I caution everybody not to jump to any conclusions. Let the process play out in fairness to everyone involved,” Alexiades said.
Hingham Police Chief Michael Peraino was not available for comment Thursday.
Talbots to be aqcuired by Sycamore Partners
Talbots, the women’s clothing retailer trying to reverse falling sales, agreed to be bought by private-equity firm Sycamore Partners for a reduced price of $369 million, including debt.
Shareholders will get $2.75 a share, the Hingham-based retailer said Thursday. The offer is lower than Sycamore’s previous offer of $3.05 a share and more than more than double Wednesday’s closing price of $1.29 a share. The stock jumped as high as $2.59 in New York Thursday.
Talbots accepted the lower bid after last week saying it had failed to reach an agreement with Sycamore during 2 1/2 weeks of exclusive talks. The retailer, established in 1947, has closed 90 locations since March 2011, posted five consecutive years of sinking sales and has yet to name a replacement for retiring Chief Executive Officer Trudy Sullivan.
"The company has been on a long and difficult journey over the past several years as it struggled to regain relevance with its customer base,’’ Randal Konik, a New York-based analyst at Jefferies Group, said Thursday. "It will have a better chance of success as a private company away from the scrutiny and demands of public investors.'’
Talbots introduced cocktail dresses and stilettos to appeal to younger shoppers and in doing so alienated some of its traditional customers, who tend to be women over 35.
Comparable- store sales, including catalogs and the Internet, declined 3.8 percent in the first quarter ended April 28.
The retailer’s May 25 announcement that it would explore other strategic alternatives sent shares to their lowest level since December 2008. Talbots said at the time it remained open to pursuing a transaction with New York-based Sycamore at $3.05 a share if the firm obtained financing commitments and there was an assurance the deal will close.
The retailer rejected a $3-a-share bid from Sycamore in December as ‘‘substantially’’ undervaluing the company, and then said in January that it had agreed to share confidential information with the private-equity firm tied to a possible business combination.
The new offer by Sycamore for the 90.1 percent of Talbots that the private-equity firm doesn’t already own values the company’s equity at about $174 million. That equals 0.17 times its reported sales, the lowest revenue multiple ever paid for a U.S. apparel retailer in deals worth at least $100 million, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, Talbots said.
Recent home sales in Hingham
58 Whiton Ave. Thomas S. Vangel and Paula A. Vangel to Frank Nielsen, $1,875,000
39 Highview Drive Hussey FT and Donald A. Hussey to Richard Dwyer and Barbara Dwyer, $1,800,000
74 School St. Alan S. Mckin to Joshua D. Bogen and Joy G. Bogen, $1,600,000
209 Charles St. Mantville C. J. Jr Est and Jennifer T. Morodo to Thomas S. Vangel and Paula A. Vangel, $900,000
17 Windsor Drive Christopher A. Greene and Stephanie E. Greene to Thomas F. Merigan and Carolyn A. Kirby, $635,000
227 Main St. Blake L. Auchincloss to Patrick Donnelly and Allyson Donnelly, $600,000
175 Derby St. #42 KMR RT and John D. Murphy to John N. Burke and Tracey L. Burke, $490,000
175 Derby St. #43 KMR RT and John D. Murphy to John N. Burke and Tracey L. Burke, $490,000
18 Beals Cove Rd. #C Loud FT and Jean C. Loud to Arthur G. Whittemore and Teresa A. Whittemore, $199,000
33 Baker Hill Drive Intoccia Builders Corp and Village Bank to Tom & Tom RT LLC, $160,000
10 Side Hill Rd. Bruce A. Reed and Joanne F. Reed to Agdaley T. and C. G. Daley, $140,000
To search for homes for sale in the area, go to www.boston.com/realestate. Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman, a weekly trade newspaper. It is reprinted with permission from the publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com/bg.
Organizers hope for over 450 participants at Hingham's PMC Kids Ride
Hingham will again host the PMC Hingham-South Shore Kids Ride on Sunday, June 10, to help bring awareness and raise funding for The Jimmy Fund.
One of 35 Kids Rides in New England, the program attracts more than 6,000 cyclists age two to 15 who ride between one and 26 miles in mini-bike-a-thons to raise money for cancer care and research.
In Hingham, organizers are expecting at least 450 chikldren to participate.
Part of a larger Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, where cyclists from across the country gather to pedal anywhere from 25 to 192 miles, the Kids Rides are spokes in the PMC wheel, giving the organization an additional boost to help cure cancer.
The event is also touching the lives of many local residents, such as Diana Monteiro, 35, of Whitman.
Monteiro heard stories from her mother, Claire Connolly, 66, of Hingham, about riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge years ago.
All the while she was unaware that her mother’s efforts would help provide the seed money to fund pediatric cancer research and treatment that would later save her daughter’s life. Last summer, Moneiro’s daughter, Elena, then 2 years old, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Since then, Elena has started taking chemotherapy pills daily and both mother and daughter have alternated taking Elena to the hospital for her weekly chemotherapy.
Surprisingly, Elena looks forward to her trips to the Jimmy Fund Clinic, her family said. She runs from room to room, making friends with doctors and nurses, and saying hi to other patients who are just like her.
All the while, the trials and tribulations of treatment are starting to pay off. Elena’s hair is beginning to grow back, and she is in the final stage of treatment projected to finish in August 2013.
This year will be the first that Elena participates in the PMC Kids Ride, watching from the sidelines and cheering people on as she starts a legacy that follows in her grandmother’s footsteps.
Elena’s presence is meant to inspire the cyclists, who are also encouraged to raise $250 or more for the ride.
Riders who meet this goal are honored as Heavy Hitters and receive a backpack and certificate from PMC acknowledging their fundraising efforts.
The ride will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on June 10 at the DCR Wompatuck State Park in Hingham. There is a $15 registration fee before June 3 and a $50 fundraising minimum.
PMC Kids Rides are sponsored by Stop & Shop. Contributions can be made payable to the Pan-Mass Challenge. To register, visit http://kids.pmc.org/hingham. For more information, email pmchingham@comcast.net or call 800-WE-CYCLE.
Seven teens arrested in Hingham on their way to Nantasket Beach
Hingham police officers working a seat belt enforcement patrol arrested seven teens on Sunday after they were allegedly found to be in possession of alcohol, in addition to not wearing seat belts.
According to police, two officers in separate cruisers were working under a state-funded Click It or Ticket grant on Rockland Street and George Washington Boulevard.
One officer had stopped a vehicle on Rockland Street for speeding, with the cruiser in the lane behind the violator’s car and the officer standing next to the car. The other officer was down the road.
The suspect’s car then came upon the scene, and according to the second officer, who was standing 500 feet away, began to speed up. The vehicle passed the first officer very closely as it sped by him, clocking in at 45 mph in a 35 mph zone, police said.
The second officer stepped out and waved over the vehicle for violating the state’s Move Over Law, which mandates that cars slow down or move over for public safety vehicles.
The car, designed for five passengers, contained seven. None was wearings a seat belt and some were sitting on top of others, police said.
Officers said they detected an odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, although all the occupants ranged in ages 14 through 19.
Bottles of gin, vodka, and beer were discovered throughout the vehicle, police said. The suspects said they were headed to Nantasket beach.
Police arrested the seven occupants, and the vehicle – a 1999 Subaru Forester – was towed. The passengers were charged with being minors in possession of alcohol and seat belt violations.
The driver, 19-year-old Devin D. Arroyo of Framingham, was charged for violating the Move Over Law, a second seat belt violation (for the 14-year-old passenger), impeded operation (overloaded capacity), seat belt violation, and being a minor in possession of alcohol. He was not under the influence, police said.
Contractor for Hingham Middle School construction comes in $2.2 million lower than estimate
After months of hand-wringing about the price of the anticipated $60.9 million Middle School in Hingham, the bid price has come in approximately $2.2 million lower than expected.
Hingham school officials awarded the contract to Brait Builders Corporation of Marshfield at their last meeting, which came in with the lowest bid.
“We’re thrilled it’s a lot lower than our cost estimates are showing based on the current bidding climate,” said Ray Estes, a School Committee member and chair of the School Building Committee.
The contract for the general contractor is being circulated now and will be finalized shortly, Estes said. In the meantime, the contractor has applied for a building permit with the town.
Additionally, the School Committee has already started to prepare to turn over the property to the contractor, which will occur June 18. School officials will also be hosting a groundbreaking ceremony for the school on June 22 at 10:30 a.m.
“Things are progressing well,” Estes said, adding that the project was still on target for its September 2014 deadline.
The school, which will receive a 43.87 percent reimbursement from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, will be funded with override money the town approved at a Special Town Meeting in October 2011.
Residents initially struggled to swallow the price of the 176,385 square foot building, which will be built next to the existing school.
Officials even pushed the issue at a Selectmen meeting in January 2012, with selectmen reminding school committee members that the town expected the project to come in under the approved $60 million figure.
According to Estes, the town is well on its way to maintaining that goal.
“Brait did submit a bid including all the lowest bid sub-trades, therefore we think it’s about as low as it’s going to be,” Estes said. ”Certainly the bid number is not definitive as to what the final price of the project will be – [but] we’ll do everything we can to hold them to that number and hopefully come in under and limit any change orders that would increase that number.”
School Committee members are also committed to keeping the community informed about the process of construction as things move forward.
The School Building Committee will host a meeting for neighbors on Wednesday, May 30 at 7 p.m. at the Middle School.
In addition to Building Committee members, the Design and Project Management Teams and Principal Roger Boddie will be available to share information about the final design of the new school and details of the construction timeline, traffic, and parking considerations.
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