By Terri Ogan, Globe Correspondent

The Cummings Foundation of Woburn has awarded the North Shore's Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) domestic violence agency a $100,000 donation.

HAWC will receive $25,000 annually for four years.

Employees of the Cummings Foundation were asked to nominate a local non-profit that would benefit from a sizeable donation and a majority of employees voted for HAWC.

"We were really impressed by all of the services HAWC has provided to 23 cities and towns of the North Shore since 1978," said Cummings employee and Swampscott resident Ernie Agresti, in an announcement. “Abuse impacts the whole community and we are grateful to have a local program that can help individuals who are vulnerable.”

The foundation was created by Joyce and Bill Cummings of Winchester in 1986 as a trust to "give back" to the communities in which Cummings Properties does business, and most of its employees reside. It continues to provide ongoing support to hundreds of local causes.

A HAWC spokesperson said that the funds will be distributed to support all free HAWC services, which include a 24-hour hotline, individual advocacy, legal advocacy, support groups, shelter, hospital based advocacy and youth violence prevention education.

HAWC’s 24 hour hotline can be reached at 1-800-547-1649. To learn more about HAWC or domestic violence visit HAWC’s website at www.hawcdv.org .

Terri Ogan can be reached at oganglobe.com, or follow her on Twitter.

Local band Cannon Hills will perform at the festival.

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

The MBTA launched a pilot program this month that allows passengers to bring bikes aboard commuter rail trains between certain stations on the Newburyport-Rockport line during morning and afternoon rush hour travel times.

The T’s general policy has been to ban bikes aboard its commuter rail trains during weekday “peak commute periods,” a policy that remains in effect for all other commuter rail lines.

Times when bikes are allowed are designated by a bike symbol on train schedules.

The pilot program on the Newburyport-Rockport lines began on May 13 and is scheduled to run through Friday, October 25.

On the Rockport line, bikes will be allowed to travel on trains between Rockport, Gloucester, West Gloucester, Manchester, Beverly Farms, Prides Crossing, and Montserrat stations on the following inbound peak service trains: 104, 106, 108, and 110; and on the following outbound peak service trains: 127, 129, 131, and 133.

No bikes will be allowed to go beyond Montserrat Station.

On the Newburyport line, bikes will be allowed to travel on trains between Newburyport, Rowley, Ipswich, Hamilton/Wenham, and North Beverly stations on the following inbound peak service trains: 152, 154, 156, 158, and 162; and on the following outbound peak service trains: 177, 181, 183, and 185.

No bikes will be allowed to go beyond North Beverly Station.

Passengers with bikes are required to board at the mini-high platform, entering one of the last two coaches closes to the engine and place their bike in the designated area indicated by the conductor.

Passengers with bikes should get off the train first or as directed by a train crew member, though preference will always be given to wheelchair passengers. If there is not enough room for wheelchair passengers and passengers with bikes, the passengers with bikes will not be permitted to board the train with their bikes.

The North Shore Transportation Management Association asked the MBTA to try the revised bike policy on a trial basis, and the MBTA agreed, said T spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

When asked if the program might be tested on other commuter rail lines, Pesaturo said: “Right now, the MBTA’s primary focus is to see how the pilot program fares on the Newburyport/Rockport Line.”

The association said in a statement it worked with the T for several months to develop the program.

Steve Roberge, a member of the association’s board of directors who works as a health and safety manager at Axcelis Technologies in Beverly, praised the initiative.

“As a bike/train commuter from Cambridge to Beverly, the current policy allows me to take advantage of the commuter rail for the majority of my commute from Cambridge to Axcelis, then bike the approximately 3 miles from the Beverly Depot to Axcelis,” he said in a statement. “The new pilot program will allow our employees from the North Shore to take similar advantage of this bike/train commute mode allowing them to reduce their car use, lighten their carbon footprint, and improve their fitness level by including biking for part of their commute.”

The T also started a new policy on May 1 requiring cyclists to register either a CharlieCard or a Bike CharlieCard to access any of the T’s Pedal & Park facilities. Registration is free and is designed to further enhance security at the bike parking locations. To register, click here.

For more details about the Newburyport-Rockport pilot bike program, click here.

For more information about the T’s general bike policies, click here.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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The following was submitted by Boston College High School:

For High Honors a Soph., Jr., Sr. must have at least a 3.80 quality point average and all grades '"C+" or higher. Freshmen need a 3.6 quality point average and all grades '"C+" or higher.

For Honors a Soph., Jr., Sr. must have at least a 3.20 quality point average and all grades '"C-" or higher. Freshmen need a 3.165 quality point average and all grades '"C-" or higher.

Burlington: Honors: Edward C. Wetzel ‘16

Everett: High Honors: Samuel Vasquez ’14 and Matthew F. Donohue ‘16

Honors:  Igor Campos Carvalho’14

Lynnfield: High Honors: Eric Simonelli ‘15

Malden: High Honors: Delsin David '14 and Danny Nguyen '16

Honors: Ismail Chineye Asongwed '14, Kolby Lavrik Vegara '15 and Kenny Wilson Delino '16

Medford: High Honors:  David Gentile ’14 and  John M. O'Brien 2015

Honors: Keshler S.G. Charles '15 and John F. Glynn '15

Melrose: High Honors: James F. O'Donnell '14, Daniel Casey '16, Anthony A. Ioffredo '16, Edward J. Kelley '16, Jacob A. May '16, Matthew W. O'Donnell '16, Noah A. Peterson '16

Honors: Samir Aslane '15, Robert A. Brodeur '16 and Andrew T. McCormack '16

Merrimac: High Honors: Liam Maxwell Rich’14

Nahant: High Honors: Matthew C. Ryan ‘14

North Andover: Honors: Emaad Syed Ali '15 and John Roy O’Connor '15

Revere: High Honors: Kenny Builes '14, Michael J. Kelley '14, Matthew S. O’Keefe '14 and Gabriel Drumond Depinho '16

Honors: Walter A. Carrera '14, Sergio Manuel Leon '16 and Alejandro D. Montoya '16

Salem: High Honors: William M. Kraemer ‘15

Saugus: Honors: Christopher J. Kelble '14

Somerville: High Honors: Christien P. Mendoza Exconde '15, Jesse O. Najarro '15 and Alex E. Santos '15

Honors: John W. Dres 2014, John P. Lynch 2015 and Brandon R. Payzant '16

Stoneham: High Honors:  David A. Vaccaro’14

Honors: Sean P. Moynihan’14

Swampscott: High Honors: Michael Wade Norcott '14

Honors: Peter R. Amato '16

West Newbury: High Honors: William Callahan Duggan '16

Winchester: High Honors: Thomas X. Pinella '14, Nathan S. Batty '15 and John D. O'Donnell '16

Honors:  Alexander J. Farone '15

Winthrop: High Honors: Thomas J. Nee '14, Christian G. Navarro '15, Nicholas R. Triant '15 and Cameron A. DeAngelo '16

Honors: Grant Herbert '14

Woburn: High Honors:  Robert J. Ferullo ‘15

Boston College High School is a Jesuit, Catholic, college-preparatory school for young men founded in 1863.  The school enrolls approximately 1600 students from more than 100 communities in eastern Massachusetts.

As the adventurous pirates yell 'Ship Ahoy', little do they know they are heading straight for the Sea Monster who captures all of them for littering. Left to Right: Alex Bull of Marblehead, Piper Hall of Swampscott, Carissa Myre of Salem, Phoebe Holz of Danvers, Eleanor Mancusi-Ungaro of Marblehead, Alex Diefenbach of Salem, and Margaret Mancusi-Ungaro of Marblehead

By Terri Ogan, Globe Correspondent

The Swampscott School Committee unanimously voted Wednesday night to appoint current Wakefield interim superintendent Garry Murphy to serve as the Swampscott public schools' interim superintendent.

If officially hired for the job, Murphy will start on July 1.

The interview process, which took several weeks, was sparked by the current superintendent's position change within the district.

Superintendent Lynne Celli, who has served the town for about three years, will transition into a part-time position as executive superintendent to special projects. Celli will head specific projects, including the process for building a new elementary school.

"I'm very excited," Murphy said. "I feel just meeting them [the School Committee] from the time I had that they’re a group of people that I could work with successfully. I think they have the best interest of the school district at heart."

Murphy, who said he was interviewed for 2 1/2 hours last Monday night, was offered the position, but he has yet to sit down with the School Committee to negotiate a starte date, end date and salary.

School Committee Member Rick Kraft said that a screening committee started with a pool of 15 candidates that were interviewed over a period of several weeks.

Murphy was the only finalist.

"There were other qualified candidates out there, but his abilities were far beyond what we saw in anybody else," Kraft said. "We felt he had excellent experience working with districts that are in transition. The screening committee that met with him and members of leadership and administrative team, were impressed by his commitment to developing talent within the district and finding ways for people to advance their skills and move into more advanced positions."

Kraft added that the screening committee only revealed Murphy to members of the School Committee because his qualities were the closest aligned with what they were looking for.

"We were just very impressed with his demeanor," Kraft said. "We think he will provide a steady influence in this district while we’re in a period of transition."

Murphy expects to sit down with the School Committee early next week to discuss his contract.

Terri Ogan can be reached at oganglobe@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter.

By Terri Ogan, Town Correspondent

Three people suffered serious injuries in an early morning car accident in Marblehead, police said.

According to police, the driver of the car allegedly fled the scene of the accident, which occurred near 89 Humphrey Street at around 2:30 a.m.

According to the police log, around 2:30 a.m., a caller reported a possible car accident after hearing a loud bang in the area.

Police arrived to find Maxwell Hill of Lynn, Michael Willie Johnson of Mattapan and Cameron James Sylvester of Marblehead.

Officials in Marblehead and Swampscott are still searching for the driver, who is said to be 6 feet and have red hair, according to the log. The clothing he was wearing is unknown.

The three young men sustained multiple injuries, the log said. Hill and Johnson were extricated, treated at the scene, then transported to Salem Hospital.

Sylvester, who is in high school, had more extensive injuries and was brought to Massachusetts General in Boston.

A hospital spokesperson said that Sylvester is currently listed in fair condition.

Olympic gold medalist in the women's judo competition, Kayla Harrison.

By Terri Ogan, Globe Correspondent

Olympic gold medalist Kayla Harrison will talk to Swampscott High School students about her experiences with sexual abuse and how she persevered through them.

The event, which is set for Tuesday April 23 at 10 a.m. in the Swampscott High School auditorium, is hosted by the North Shore organization Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC), as part of its ongoing effort to educate the community about abuse.

Harrison, who was the first American to win the gold medal in the women’s judo competition in last year’s summer Olympics, also serves as the honorary chair of HAWC’s annual Walk/Run event happening in May.

The 22-year-old has spoken out widely about being the victim of sexual abuse by her former judo coach as a teenager.

For more information call 978-744-8552.

Terri Ogan can be reached at oganglobe@gmail.com, or follow her on Twitter.

By Jarret Bencks, Town Correspondent

When Edward "Ted" Ball started working at Crown Pharmacy on Lewis Street in Lynn, the shop had a soda fountain, and he was its soda jerk.

That was in the mid-1970s, and within a couple years the shop moved across the street. At that point, the soda fountain trend was on its way out in the pharmacy business.

"The writing was on the wall for soda fountains -- they didn't take it with them," Ball, 55, said.

Ball eventually went on to buy the shop in 1985, and has owned it ever since. But now, the writing is now on the wall for the independent pharmacies themselves, and he's preparing for a new opportunity. 

Rite Aid has bought the pharmacy from him. They will close the shop and hired Ball as staff pharmacist at its location less than a quarter-of-a-mile away, also on Lewis Street.

It is the newest adaptation for Ball, who has managed to continue to work for Crown since his days as a soda jerk. He worked on staff, stocking shelves and running the register after it moved to its current location at 232 Lewis St., then attended Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, graduating in 1980, and became Crown's pharmacist. In 1985, he bought the business from Albert and Leonard Jacobs for $75,000.

"It was a golden opportunity that I jumped on," he said.

Now a Tewksbury resident, Ball grew up in Lynn and his wife and children have all spent time working at the pharmacy, including his daughter, Caroline, who has gone on to become a pharmacist, herself.

With health care costs climbing, it's difficult for independent pharmacies to survive, he said.

"The independents that remain will have to carve out a unique niche," he said.

Ball said he hopes customers will make the switch with him.

"I'm looking forward to it," he said. "I'm optimistic that my customers will come over and do business there. I feel extremely fortunate, we've had some phenomenal customers over the years, it's their loyalty that's made it a good run."

The last day of business for Crown Pharmacy is Monday, March 11, Ball said.

Jarret Bencks can be reached at bencks.globe@gmail.com. Follow him on twitter @JarretBencks.