Man arrested, charged in Easthampton car breaks

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - A Holyoke man was arrested Saturday night after he was allegedly seen burgling a number of unlocked cars on Treehouse Circle, police said.

Hector Casanova, 21, pleaded innocent Monday in Northampton District Court to charges of operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, attempting to commit a crime, four counts of breaking and entering a vehicle during the nighttime for a felony and two counts of possessing stolen property.

According to Police Chief Bruce McMahon, at 10:45 p.m., a 17 Treehouse Circle resident called police after she awoke to her dogs barking and saw a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt using a flashlight to go though a row of unlocked vehicles parked outside her home.

After shouting at the man from her window, the witness told police he quickly left the scene in a dark four-door sedan and that several items, including a GPS device, were found to be missing from two of the cars parked outside, according to court documents.

Soon after, McMahon said police issued a city-wide look out notice for anyone matching the witness's description and at 11:45 p.m., officer Jeff Fish spotted Casanova's black Suzuki sedan turning onto Sandra Road.

When Fish attempted to catch up to the car he reported that Casanova sped away, turned off his headlights and pulled into a driveway on Golden Drive.

After calling for backup, McMahon said Fish approached the vehicle and asked Casanova if he knew the owners of the home he was parked in front of. Casanova reportedly told Fish that he was lost and was looking for a man named Bill Crosby, but could not offer an address.

After spotting a loose GPS device in the back seat of Casanova's car, Fish placed him under arrest for operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license. A further search of the vehicle revealed another GPS device under the front passenger seat and a red flashlight, according to court documents.

When told he was being charged with breaking into four vehicles on Treehouse Circle, Casanova allegedly told Sgt. Bruce Nicol that he had "only broken into two cars there, not four."

Judge Richard J. Carey ordered Casanova released on his own recognizance and scheduled him to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 18.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

With fuel assistance dollars dwindling, recipients fret as winter begins

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

EASTHAMPTON - Isabelle Barnachez is among the thousands of area residents receiving heating assistance this winter, and the combination of higher oil prices and lower benefits have many in her position worried that they may have to decide between heating their homes and buying food.

When a crew of workers from Home Energy Solutions arrived to better insulate the walls, ceilings and basement of Barnachez's Ely Avenue home last week, she welcomed them in out of the cold with hot coffee and doughnuts.

Barnachez, 79, lives in a two-story Easthampton Housing Authority property reserved for senior citizens and veterans and said she has struggled with keeping warm during the winter months for years.

• Related stories: Hilltowns see rise in fuel assistance applications

Recent area oil prices

"Last winter I couldn't even touch the walls in here without feeling how cold they were," Barnachez said. She noted that when workers scanned her home for drafts their equipment indicated that many of the walls were only partially insulated.

Barnachez qualifies for the weatherization help because she is a recipient of federal fuel assistance dollars. Fuel assistance programs, funded by the federal government and generally administered by anti-poverty agencies, are the entry point for weatherization programs.

More applicants

This year, the dollars are flowing more freely for weatherization work than for fuel assistance, according to Peter Wingate, Energy Director from Community Action! of Franklin, Hampshire, and North Quabbin Regions Inc.

Though Barnachez is hopeful that the new insulation will keep her warm and help her stretch her energy dollars this winter, she said she worries that the 100 gallons of oil provided through home heating assistance for low-income people won't last her very long.

"On average I use 300 gallons of oil on heat every year and what they've given me this year just isn't going to do it," Barnachez said, as she sipped a cup of tea in her kitchen.

Like other assistance recipients in the area, Barnachez's application arrived in the mail accompanied by a letter urging her to contact local legislators and ask them to advocate for increasing funding for heating assistance programs.

Wingate, who helped organize the program that funded Barnachez's insulation project, said he is seeing more heating assistance applicants than ever at Community Action's offices on Vernon Street in Northampton and at its main headquarters in Greenfield.

"We are expecting between a 15 and 20 percent increase in applications from our numbers last year," Wingate said. He attributed the sudden increase to a much larger number of middle-class people applying for assistance than in years past.

For the 2009-2010 winter, the agency accepted 10,198 people into the fuel assistance program, up 15 percent from the previous winter.

So far this year, Wingate said, the agency has taken in 8,500 applications, and is anticipating about 3,500 more.

"That's what we're preparing ourselves for," said Wingate. "It's going to be tough."

Best, worst of times

He said the program is set up so that no eligible applicants are turned away, but the amount of assistance given to those who qualify fluctuates depending upon the amount of federal money approved for the season, and the number of applicants seeking help.

At the federal level, the fuel assistance program was funded at $5.1 billion last winter.

This year, so far, a budget hasn't been approved, but those in the field say they are projecting a funding of $3.1 billion.

On the agency level, Community Action, which serves Hampshire and Franklin county clients, received $7.7 million for fuel assistance, compared to a projected $3.9 million this year.

"We're just barely into December and people are calling up to say they've used up their fuel assistance allotment for the year," said Wingate.

"There's always the fear of people using unsafe space heaters out of desperation."

On the other hand, he noted, "energy-efficiency dollars," which fund various weatherization programs, are up.

"So it's the best of times and the worst of times, all rolled into one," Wingate said. If people are living in weather-tight houses, but have no money to buy fuel, it will still be hard to stay warm.

"We're having more and more people come in who never dreamed they'd be eligible for assistance," Wingate said.

He said many applicants are those who until recently, had "pretty decent jobs," but are now out of work.

"We are also seeing many more younger families who are dealing with a situation where a two-person income became one when one of them lost their job," said Wingate.

The maximum heating assistance benefit offered to applicants last year was $1,240, Wingate said.

This year, those same residents can receive a maximum of only $515.

"We're urging people who are thinking 'I qualify but don't want to apply because it will take away from someone else who needs it' to come in," Wingate said.

"They need to know that the benefit level was lowered so we could spread it out over more households."

The increased demand for heating assistance, Wingate said, is being reported by agencies statewide.

Gail D. Pisacane, director of energy programs for Springfield's Valley Opportunity Council, said the situation is growing more and more dire in the commonwealth's major cities.

"Right now the maximum benefit is $515, and we're paying $2.87 for a gallon of oil, so that would get a resident a maximum of 179 gallons," Pisacane said.

"When you think about it, that's not going to get anyone very far. People are really hurting because of this."

Every fall the council sends heating assistance applications to senior centers across Franklin County, and this year the organization is being asked to send out additional forms, she said.

"The fact that they are asking us to send over more applications is a reflection of how many elderly people are coming in and asking for help," Pisacane said.

"So we are very worried that lower benefits are going to mean that our citizens are going to have a hard time staying warm this year."

For more information about applying for heating assistance, visit the agency's website.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Santa's trains bring new magic to Look Park

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - As they filed into the Garden House at Look Park Friday evening, a crowd of local children were handed their tickets to the North Pole and greeted by a cast of Christmas characters, including a jolly train conductor who asked if they were ready to see Santa.

They were all there for the opening night of Santa's Trains at Look Park, a new exhibit that has transformed the park's Garden House into a Christmas wonderland, complete with antique model trains, elves, hot chocolate, a crackling fireplace and the opportunity to meet the big guy himself.

As they entered the main hall, each child was given a list and challenged to find a dozen items hidden among eight model train displays, carefully constructed by a group of local model train enthusiasts.

Dressed in a conductor's hat and suspenders, George Reneris, of Sunderland, checked train wheels and put the finishing touches on the elaborate exhibit, funded in part by a number of area businesses and organized by the Pioneer Valley "S" Gaugers.

Sharianne Walker, vice chairwoman of the park's board of directors, said more than 100 volunteers worked together over two days to arrange the display, which is free and open to the public. It will be held every day until Christmas from 4 to 8 p.m. and on Christmas Eve from noon to 4 p.m.

"So many people contributed their time, talents and treasures to make this all possible," Walker said, adding that board members hope visiting the display will become a seasonal tradition for local families. She expects it will grow more elaborate every year.

Splitting the role of the jolly conductor at the front door Friday were City Council President David Narkewicz and Mayor Clare Higgins. The part of guest conductor will be assumed by a different city resident every day, including Gazette Publisher Jim Foudy on Dec. 18.

"This is a lot of fun for the kids, it's really beautiful, and they've done a great job with it," Narkewicz said, as he greeted children in full conductor attire and stamped the train tickets of incoming guests.

As they raced around the room looking for scavenger hunt items such as Santa wearing sunglasses, a man fishing and SpongeBob SquarePants, Jake and Jenna Baranowski, of Florence, laughed and shouted to each other as each discovery was made.

Other children waited patiently in line as Santa's personal receptionist checked to see if he was ready for them.

On display atop the Garden House's fireplace was a hand-crafted hardwood train made of oak, maple, cherry and birch created by local craftsman Harold F. Koebke, of Florence.

For more information about Santa's Trains at Look Park, residents are encouraged to visit the park's website at www.lookpark.org.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

On eve of winter, experts offer tips on safe driving

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Local weather experts are predicting that a storm system arriving this weekend will yield the season's first snow accumulation and will kick off another hectic winter for motorists navigating Valley roadways.

The ability to drive safely during the winter months is part practice and part preparation. Anyone who has lived through a Massachusetts winter knows that driving safety goes well beyond braking early and slowing down.

Mary Ellen Paciorek, owner of Pioneer Valley Driving School, said the best lesson is experience.

"If weather permits, we do what we call skid school on a back road, where we let the younger drivers slide around and pump their brakes," Paciorek said. "If they get a chance to experience what sliding is like beforehand, they are much less likely to panic when it happens in a real situation."

She also instructs students never to drive faster than weather conditions allow; always drive slower than normal on a slippery surface; be aware of the temperature and of areas like bridges and underpasses where roads freeze earlier than on typical roadways; and make a point of testing their brakes every season before they go out on the road.

As for other helpful tips, local experts said it is often what drivers do before they hit the road that can be the difference between making it home and ending up in a seasonal fender-bender.

As with hiking, having the proper footgear is essential to safe driving and a car's ability to stop, turn and maintain traction during icy conditions.

William Groot, manager of Town Fair Tire on King Street in Northampton where employees are working through the busy snow tire change-over season, said the "penny trick" is a quick and easy way to check the tread on your tires. Groot said motorists are told to insert a penny into their tire treads and if they can still see Abe's head, its time to get them replaced.

"You always want to make sure that you have safe, legal treads before venturing out in the winter months," said Groot. "People should just use common sense. If you're saying 'Wow, I was sliding in those wet leaves the other day or I wasn't braking like I used to,' you probably need to get them replaced."

Groot said and said there is "no magic product" when it comes to gripping the road.

Modern snow tires, he said, come in two main varieties, the more common studdable snow tires and silica-based rubber compounds that remain flexible when the temperature drops.

Groot said the biggest misconception he hears from his customers is the notion that if they have front-wheel drive, they should have their best tires on the front of their car.

"If you have front-wheel drive and you put the best tires in the front, it can cause the car to oversteer and can result in sliding or fishtailing," Groot said. "It is recommended that they put the best tires in the rear because it helps control the car when you go around corners. It is always more dangerous to oversteer than understeer because if you are going to slide with the snow tires in the back at least you are going to slide straight."

In addition to getting cars tuned up for the winter by checking brakes, fluids, lights and wipers, the state's Department of Transportation recommends motorists always use their headlights, leave extra space between them and the cars ahead, and to be sure to brush all snow and ice off of the vehicle before driving.

Another MassDOT recommendation is to put a driving safety kit on the trunk, complete with jumper cables, cat litter or sand for additional tire traction, a shovel, an ice scraper, warm clothes, including extra gloves, a hat, sturdy boots, a warm jacket and even a complete change of clothes, blankets to keep warm inside the vehicle if trapped, flashlights and extra batteries, a first aid kit, food items containing protein such as nuts and energy bars, and road flares.

And Paciorek, the driving teacher, has one more word to the wise.

"My last bit of advice is always if the weather is bad and it's not an emergency, they should just stay at home," Paciorek said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Discussion to continue on later start time at NHS

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — The four-year discussion surrounding a proposed later start time at Northampton High School will last at least another month.

After hearing from a handful of residents and two students who supported bumping back the beginning of the NHS school day from 7:30 to 8 a.m., School Committee members decided Thursday to revisit the notion at their next full board meeting on Jan. 14.

After spending more than an hour discussing the educational benefits associated with the switch and whether or not it would be a financial possibility, members tabled the decision and requested that business manager Susan Wright bring a cost estimate prepared earlier this year to the committee's next meeting.

The consensus among committee members, it seemed, was that while they unanimously agreed with research showing an additional half-hour of sleep would increase academic performance among high school students, none could offer an answer for how to fund the additional buses needed to accommodate the change.

"There is no way to argue against the research," said Vice Chairwoman Stephanie Pick, adding, "it just makes me really nervous thinking about voting on something without knowing exactly how it will work into our budget."

Sharing Pick's viewpoint was Mayor Clare Higgins, who said she wished the high school's start time could be pushed back to 8:30 a.m. but cautioned members about a 2011 budget year that is expected to be among the worst in recent history.

The report Wright will bring to the committee's next meeting, she said, is available on the school system's website: http://www.nps.northampton.ma.us.

Although progress stalled on a decision about when to start the school day, committee members passed a motion Thursday night changing this year's NHS graduation date from Saturday, June 4, to Sunday, June 5, at 3 p.m. in order to avoid a conflict with the track and field state championship.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Students aim to revive Northampton Key Club

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON — Northampton High School’s Key Club is back in action.

Organizer and high school junior Daniel Dietz said he decided to revive a local chapter of the oldest high school service club in the world after hearing from freshman looking for ways to give back to the community. "We set out on getting this group started up and so far it has been great."

About 25 students from all grade levels have been meeting every Monday from 7 to 8 p.m. to brainstorm ways to help their community.

Their work received a boost from an online chapter of the Kiwanas Club, a national service organization, which gave $500 to their cause.

The club's first event is a children's book drive, where Key Club members will hand out the more than 2,000 children's books they collected from classmates this school year.

"We're going to give out books, read to the kids and encourage all of them to take whatever books they want home with them," Dietz said. "Any books they leave behind will go straight to local libraries."

Elementary age school children are invited to the high school cafeteria Sunday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

Dietz said the group is looking for ongoing projects and community partnerships and welcomes outside speakers to the Monday night meetings. For information and any suggestions, contact Dietz at 587-1344.

NHS students in Haiti

When they graduated from Northampton High School last year, Milo Childs Campollo and Braeden Leinhart knew they wanted to take time off before college, but didn't know where or how.

Their quest turned into a two-week trip to Haiti, where they helped build housing for people displaced by last year's earthquake.

The two 18-year-olds say they felt compelled to help after a massive earthquake demolished much of the island nation last January. Two weeks after the earthquake, Childs Campollo's mother, Alison Childs, who is a registered nurse at Franklin Medical Center, left for Port Au Prince, Haiti, where she tended to the wounded as part of a multinational relief effort.

When she returned, Childs brought with her stories of the conditions in Haiti. She asked the two young men if they would like to come along on a two-week mission in November.

"They were just awesome; not that many teenage guys their age would be willing to go down there and live without hot water and television," Childs said. "They were absolutely fantastic."

Leinhart and Childs Campollo joined a construction program aimed at helping with the country's ongoing rebuilding effort.

"It was a totally eye-opening experience and it really made me appreciate all of the things I have," Childs Campollo said. "The trip made me really feel for the people who live down there and to see how messed up it is and how corrupt it is down there made me really want to help and keep on helping those people."

The boys helped build a house for 21 people who were displaced in the quake and had been living either on the street or in tents.

"I made a lot of good friends during my time there and just seeing the conditions that people were living in that long after the quake made me want to encourage other people to help, because they really need all the help they can get," Childs Campollo said.

Leinhart, who began taking classes at Greenfield Community College this past winter, said he too learned many life lessons from his two weeks spent in Haiti. The pair hopes to inspire other students to get involved.

They will share their experience and show slides from the trip at Longmeadow High School Dec. 20 and are hoping to make similar presentations at Northampton High School and other high schools.

###

NHS musicians shine

Every year, members of the Northampton High School chorus, band and orchestra compete against musicians from area high schools for a chance to participate in a regional concert at the University of Massachusetts.

The competition, sponsored by the Massachusetts Music Educators Association, calls for high school musicians from the state's four western counties to learn sheet music, scales and develop their sight-reading abilities. After a round of auditions, the highest-scoring regional students are selected to play in an ensemble made up of the best high school musicians in western Massachusetts.

"Those who make it through the district-level auditions get to play at our big concert next month and some are selected to compete for a chance to play in our statewide concert at Symphony Hall in Boston in March," said MMEA Western District Chairman Bill Love.

NHS Band Director Deborah Coon said the following students were accepted to play at the regional concert, planned for 3 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the UMass Fine Arts Center:

Chorus: Lindsay Griffin, Georgia Lederman, Sarah Plotkin, Marguerite Suozzo-Gole, Wilson Sadowski, Rebecca Coates-Finke, Annie Arrighi-Allisan, Maria Ramsey, Kristi Spicer; Band: Melia Coletta, Benjamin DeMeo, Louis Gaudet, Aerin Thomson, Lisa Feiden, Annie Innes-Gold, Zoeth Flegenheimer, Sam Coates-Finke; Orchestra: Abby Adams, Benjamin Ramsey, Charlie Hale, Ethan Bein.

Concert tickets are $3 and are available at the door. For information about the concert series, residents are encouraged to visit the MMEA website: http://www.mmeaonline.org.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Night nurses maintain helping tradition

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - It was a cold Christmas Eve in 2005 when a local couple, the wife about to deliver, and their two young boys rushed into Cooley Dickinson Hospital's Childbirth Center ready to welcome the newest addition to their family.

Norma Galko, who was working as a charge nurse that night, said soon after they arrived it became apparent to staffers that the family was without a car and had no way of transporting their two boys back home in time for Christmas morning.

"So here it was, Christmas Eve and they had no tree, no gifts, no nothing, and it didn't sound like their kids were going to get much of anything at home," Galko said.

What happened next, she said, was nothing short of a holiday miracle.

Night nurses and overnight staff members pooled their pocket money, pulled a couple of decorative stockings off the wall and called the local police department to see what they could do to.

"The police officers brought down toys for them and somewhere, I don't know where, they found a Santa Claus outfit and someone came in dressed as Santa to deliver the gifts," Galko said. "We sent our night secretary down to Cumberland Farms and she was able to stuff two stockings for the boys."

After seeing the impact that a little holiday spirit could have on the lives of the less fortunate, Galko said, night nurses in the department have done something special each year during the holiday season.

Two years ago, as they celebrated their annual holiday party at a city restaurant, night nurses pooled a little bit of money together and gave it all to their waitress as a present, she said.

"It really just blew her mind," Galko said. "She was so thankful. It was great."

Keeping the tradition going, the same group of night nurses made an $80 donation to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund, which each year helps provide gifts to area residents who might not otherwise be able to provide them.

"Since that night we have tried to do something special every Christmas," Galko said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Toy Fund details

Named after a former business manager at the Gazette, the Toy Fund began in 1933 to help families in need during the Depression. Today, the fund distributes vouchers to families for each child from ages 1 to 14. Eligible families in all Hampshire County communities, except Ware, may participate, as well as families in the southern Franklin County towns of Deerfield, Sunderland, Whately, Shutesbury and Leverett.

Berkshire Children and Families, at 220 Russell St. in Hadley, is accepting applications for vouchers. The last day to apply is Friday.

The vouchers will be distributed in batches as they are processed, and all should be mailed by Dec. 15 to give families enough time to shop.

Families can use the vouchers to buy holiday gifts at participating stores by midnight on Dec. 24.

The following stores are participating this year: A2Z Science and Learning Store, 57 King St., Northampton; Deals & Steals, 76 Pleasant St., Northampton; Faces, 175 Main St., Northampton; F.J. Rogers, 3 Main St., Florence; JCPenney, 341 Russell St., Hadley; Mountain Goat, 189 Main St., Northampton; Target, Route 9, Hadley; The Toy Box, 201 North Pleasant St., Amherst; and Wilson's Department Store, 258 Main St., Greenfield.

Donations to the Toy Fund may be dropped off at or mailed to the Daily Hampshire Gazette at 115 Conz St., Northampton, 01060, or Gazette offices at 67 Main St., Easthampton, or 100 University Drive, Amherst. Donations may also be made through GazetteNET. Checks should be made payable to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund.

TODAY'S DONORS

In memory of Homer R. Dushane from wife Jane#$25

In memory of Joe Dembek from sister Jane Dushane#$25

From Susan Riter and Sarah Neely#$20

In memory of Mike Shea, Madeline Roberts and Duke Ducharme#$25

From Richard and Susan Knapp#$35

From Augie#$200

From Peter & Deborah Christakos#$100

From Sharon and Donald Siegel#$50

From Julia Riseman & Nicholas Horton#$50

In loving memory of Aunti Annie from Kaitlin and Nick#$50

In honor of Marsha Ciaschini from the Peter Kelley family#$25

In commemoration of our mother Monica K. O'Leary, U.S. Army station in Afghanastan & our dad U.S. Army N.C.O. Brian O'Leary N.C.O. Ft. Drumm, New York for the children, from Gramma Marianne O'Leary of Sunderland and Brian, Jarrius, Annette & Patrick O'Leary, of Watertown, New York#$15

In memory of Cave & Lewis families from Morris Cave #$50

In memory of the members of Joel Hayden Chapter No. 171, now Arcana Chapter No. 50, Order of the Eastern Star in Greenfield, from Esther J. William, P.M. Secretary, Arcana Chapter No. 50 O.E.S.#$50

In grateful and loving memory of my parents Lois and Mike Meunier, as well as my brother, Michael Meunier#$50

In memory of Jaju, who loved to hand out the toys#$100

This is the fourth year of our annual donation to the Sidney F. Smith Toy Fund in memory of our son Nicholas. We give this gift every year just before St. Nicholas Day in hopes that our gift will help a life just like St. Nicholas did long before Christmas existed as a holiday. Our son was named Nicholas in hopes that his memory and our actions to perpetuate his memory would help children everywhere in some small special way from Jonathan & Katie Edwards, Whately#$75

Previous Total#$4,622.25

Today's Total#$945.00

Year-To-Date Total#$5,567.25

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com

Seventeen hurt as bus carrying UMass students rolls

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

Seventeen people were injured Friday afternoon when a tour bus carrying members of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Ski and Board Club rolled over and slid off Interstate 91 in Putney, according to the Vermont State Police.

All 16 passengers who were hurt were released from hospitals Friday night; the bus driver remained in critical condition on Saturday, state police said

The tour bus was one of three that left the university's Amherst campus Friday afternoon for a ski trip to Quebec City, Canada. Vermont State Police Lt. Craig Laporte confirmed that the bus was carrying UMass-Amherst students.

The driver, who may have suffered a heart attack, was airlifted by helicopter to the trauma center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover, N.H., according to state police spokeswoman Stephanie Dasaro.

Vermont State Police said Saturday that the driver remained in critical condition at Dartmouth-Hitchcock. Police declined to release the names of any of the people injured in the crash, including the driver.

At 3:51 p.m. Friday, more than a dozen ambulances from Vermont and New Hampshire responded to the scene after it was reported that a bus owned by Tour World, a Danville, Pa., a company that charters private bus tours, had crossed over the median, rolled over and ended up off the side of the highway's southbound lane, Laporte said.

Laporte said 16 of the 45 passengers aboard were taken by ambulance to hospitals in Brattleboro and Springfield, Vt. The other 28 were uninjured in the crash.

UMass spokesman Ed Blaguszewski said the students involved in the crash were participating in a private ski tour that was not organized by the university.

"This was not a university-organized event and was not done with university vehicles," Blaguszewski said. "This would be the equivalent to a group of students getting on a chartered bus to go to a concert, so we don't have a list of who was on the bus. Our understanding is that a great number of those involved were in fact UMass students."

Seven of the injured were taken to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital with cuts and bruises, and they were treated and released, hospital spokeswoman Barbara Gentry said.

An eighth had a neck injury and was X-rayed, but he, too, was released, she said.

The other eight passengers were taken to Springfield Hospital, where they were treated for minor injuries and released Friday night, according to hospital spokeswoman Mary Ann Bonneville.

Joe Schoppy, owner of Tour World, told the Brattleboro Reformer that the driver of the bus may have suffered a heart attack or anxiety attack and that the bus was almost at a complete stop before it rolled over.

The Vermont State Police Crash Reconstruction Team was still at the scene late Friday night investigating the cause of the accident, Dasaro said.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

Panel seeks talk on NHS starting time

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

NORTHAMPTON - Despite agreeing with research showing that a later start time at Northampton High School would be a clear benefit to students, the slew of scheduling problems that would accompany the switch was enough to deter a decision among Curriculum Subcommittee members Thursday night.

Although all three members at the subcommittee meeting said they would rather NHS start the day at 8 a.m. instead of 7:30, they passed a motion 2-1 Thursday night stating that they were uncomfortable moving forward with plans to make the half-hour change and would rather continue the discussion with the nine-member School Committee as a whole at their next meeting.

Members James Young and Michael Flynn voted in favor of the motion. But Downey Meyer, who cast the dissenting vote, said he wanted to endorse moving the start time at the high school back a half-hour next year and then worry about rearranging transportation to and from the school.

"I'm just saying, let's go for 8 o'clock and let's see how the transportation part of it plays out," Meyer said. "Transportation is transportation, but if we can improve the education of our high school students by getting them to school at 8 o'clock rather than at 7:30 I think we should do it."

Prior to the vote, Superintendent Isabelina Rodriguez, who will leave her post to head Granby's public school system in January, urged members to base their decision on what they think is best for the students rather than worrying about how the system would find a way to pay for additional buses.

"If you want to do this then you have to find a way to fund it. Our children must be picked up at the time we've decided to dismiss them and brought in when we want them to be at school," Rodriguez said. "I'm saying if you want this change to be a priority you should make your decision separate from the problems associated with transportation."

The discussion on whether to change the start date at NHS will continue next Thursday, Dec. 9, at a School Committee meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Community Room at JFK Middle School.

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.

A forest classroom

By Owen Boss

Staff Writer

SOUTHAMPTON - Students in Todd Bryant's ecology class spend the majority of their time together analyzing the diverse landscape surrounding Hampshire Regional High School. The hands-on teaching method, he says, generates impressive results.

On an unusually warm autumn day, Bryant's students filed into his classroom and chatted among themselves while waiting to receive their marching orders: After breaking into groups of three, students would mark off sections of the woods behind the high school and create an inventory of the plant and tree species.

As the 25-member class made their way through the high school's parking lot, Bryant described how his curriculum is rooted in the idea that the best way to learn about earth sciences is to get outside of the classroom and gain first-hand experience.

"We're lucky because this campus is really beautiful and we have all this land to learn from," Bryant said. "We've got streams, a lot of different trees and little bit of everything. So it is really nice for us to be able to get out and actually see it and work with it."

Topics studied already this year include identifying the invertebrates in the streams, and learning how to distinguish among various tree species.

"I've found that when the kids are out here seeing, touching and feeling what they're learning about, they get a sense of ownership and a sense that they are a part of something," Bryant said, "and that is definitely one way of sparking their interest."

As the group headed into the woods, they began taking note of plant life from the forest floor to the canopy above.

"They're looking at what the dominant tree species are, what the understory of the canopy is made up of and what kind of regeneration is going on along the forest floor," Bryant said. "What I want them to be able to do is recognize that there are some tree species out here that maybe they don't know and to see that now they have the means of finding out what they are."

And thanks to the host of topics that fall under the ecology umbrella, Bryant said the fresh-air learning sessions won't be called off during the winter months.

"When you are learning science you want it to be inquiry-based," Bryant said. "You want them to be able to ask intelligent questions and understand the right way to go about getting the answers."

Owen Boss can be reached at oboss@gazettenet.com.