Martha's Vineyard Megan Dooley

Chappy Native Pens Kids’ Book, Talks About Growing Up Different

Megan Dooley | Thursday, December 17 2009 - 1:04pm

As a student at the Edgartown School, a counselor once told Chappaquiddick native Stephanie Duckworth-Elliott that she wouldn’t go to college, and implied that Ms. Duckworth-Elliott would not achieve in life. The young girl had a background and home life that already separated her from other kids her age — she was a member of the only Wampanoag family living on Chappy at the time, and raised primarily by her grandfather — and the counselor’s prediction made her feel even more detached from her peers.

Authors

Bullies Exploit Tech to Augment Their Torment

Megan Dooley

It’s hard to imagine that a tragedy like the January suicide of a 15-year-old South Hadley girl, a result of torment by a group of teenage bullies at her high school, could touch the close-knit community of Martha’s Vineyard. Perhaps it wouldn’t happen here, where children so often see the same faces in school hallways from kindergarten through eighth grade, growing close and forging friendships long before they set off to tackle the mini-melting pot that is the regional high school.

Savings Plan: Tune In, Turn Off, Together

Megan Dooley

At 8:30 p.m. tomorrow, the Island will go dark. Lights will be turned off, the ambient hum of computers will go silent. Candles will be lit, and people will sit back to enjoy the blaze from the fireplace. For one hour, for the third year in a row, the Vineyard will join with some 800 cities across the globe in flipping the switch, suspending, if only for a short time, our ever-growing energy use.

Educators Aim for Bilingual Emphasis

Megan Dooley

Despite a shortage of money and qualified instructors to teach foreign languages, Vineyard schools officials expressed support at their meeting last Thursday for the goal of graduating students from the high school with fluency in a language other than English.

Shellfish Shuffle: Selectmen Seek Solutions for Up-Island Access

Megan Dooley

Tisbury Great Pond was closed to shellfishing as of yesterday, while Squibnocket Pond will be open for harvesting on Monday, the Chilmark selectmen announced at their meeting Tuesday.

But the new location presents access problems: a road and parking lot repair project has left boulders blocking fisherman from accessing Squibnocket Pond with boats or trailers. And because the boulders are located in a wetland, the board has to get a permit from the town conservation commission before moving them.

Survivor Susan Larsen Finds Her Stride

Megan Dooley

If you’re driving down North Road and happen to see a petite woman in a pink fleece, with long, straw-colored hair, be sure to wave. She’s always friendly enough to return the gesture, even nearing the end of a brisk 16-mile walk over hilly terrain.

The woman is Susan Larsen, and she’s training for a marathon of sorts. In May, she will participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, a two-day, nearly 40-mile walk through Boston.

When Work Days Don’t Match Holidays, How Much at Payday?

Megan Dooley

The board of selectmen and several Aquinnah library employees were left scratching their heads about whether or not full-time employees should receive holiday pay for days they were not scheduled to work, after a long discussion at the selectmen’s meeting Tuesday night.