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WACS lists high school honor, merit students

Westfield Academy & Central Schools has announced the fourth quarter honor and merit rolls for the high school. MERIT ROLL: Students earning an average of 85.00-89.499% are awarded recognition by having their names placed on the Merit Roll. Ninth Grade: Garrett Black, Addison Close, Milyn Cooney, Nevaeh Dulmus. Tenth Grade: Ella Atkins, Annabelle Caraballo, Tyler Jaynes, Raegan Luce, Claire Schofield, Robert Schofield, Reagan Weingart. Eleventh Grade: Nahlia Douglas, Parker Gambino, Avery Smith, Isabella Sorrento, Noah Tuah, Seth Zielinski. Twelfth Grade: Nataleigh ...

Why we were chosen

In Tuesday’s OBSERVER of July 14, Mr. Roland Kidder made a great point about human beings being “creatures of habit.” Unfortunately, the field that my friends and myself were chosen for had much irrational thinking and negative behavior in it. The fact in the field of chemical dependency is that people who wanted to become CD counselors usually were not turned away. It’s a hard field and, as Tom Hanks told Dottie in “A League of Their Own,” when she wanted to quit because playing professional softball was “too hard,” Coach Hanks said, “It’s supposed to be hard, ...

Journey can begin with a helping lift

I love the “Starfish Story,” the one where a man says to the boy, “You’re wasting your time. You can’t save all the starfish.” He replies, “But I just saved that one!” At Centaur Stride, we make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities and their families. Our ...

Portugal adventure gets off to rugged start

Editor’s note: This is the first of three parts. Buen Camino is a friendly greeting to Pilgrims or “Peregrinos” from everyone and anyone who encounters others on the long trek along "The Way" of the Camino de Santiago in Portugal and Spain. In Portugal it is Bom Camino! In English ...

More than food when dining out

Eating out at a restaurant can be tricky business. Many of the bad things that might happen are purely accidental. They are unavoidable, random surprises, like when a waitress trips and drops a tray of hot tamales on your head, or the woman in the booth behind you chokes on a fish bone, or you discover a hair clip in your spaghetti. However, other potential incidents might be anticipated, or at least better understood, with some insight as to what really goes on behind the scenes in places like Applebees, Olive Garden, Outback, and other popular restaurants. The hostess or host is ...