Monday, June 18, 2012
It's one of nature's truly amazing stories.
When local realtor Peggy Patnaude sent her husband Joe Osbaldeston on a simple errand, she was unprepared for what he'd return with -- a real life Bambi. Osbaldeston went across town near Forest Street to fetch a sign for Patnaude out of her client's garage. The clients had gone away for the weekend, and she needed that sign. When he got inside, Osbaldeston noticed what he thought was a very realistic little deer statue. After a while, he figured it was too realistic. He touched it and realized it was a living fawn. "The owners were mowing the lawn on Friday and the garage was open," Patnaude said. "The fawn must have wandered in, and they went away for weekend." Osbaldeston called Patnaude and told her he would bring the fawn -- probably …
Monday, June 4, 2012
Sue Gauthier had her head shaved to fight cancer.
Sue Gauthier of Londoderry, N.H., went to Mal's Barber Shop in North Andover for a trim this weekend. Well, more than a trim. She had them shave all her hair off. The move wasn't a bold new fashion trend but rather a means of raising money for One Mission's Kids Cancer Buzz-Off, which funds research in the fight against pediatric cancer. Gauthier, a teacher at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Derry, N.H., had set a goal of raising $750. As of Saturday, she had raised more than $2,200 and said more was coming. She chose to have it done in North Andover because her hairdresser in North Andover, Sam Monroe, has cut her hair since she was 12. Gauthier lost her mother to cancer last year, and almost five years ago, her neice Taylor died of Ewing …
42.702709
-71.130684
Mal's Barber Shop
128 Main St, North Andover, MA
/articles/video-2-200-haircut
778017
/locations/7141571
Thursday, May 10, 2012
The "All 4 Adam" event this weekend and will raise awareness of, and money to fight, MECP2 Duplication Syndrome.
When Peter and Elin Anderson of North Andover heard their son's diagnosis, they didn't know what to make of it. In fact, they didn't know what it was. That's because Adam, age 3, was fiagnosed with MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, a rare genetic condition first discovered in 2005. With MECP2 Duplication Syndrome, the patient -- mostly found in boys -- has an area of the X chromosome, including the MECP2 gene, erroneously duplicated. Symptoms of MECP2 Duplication Syndrome include "infantile hypotonia, mild dysmorphic features, developmental delay, absent to minimal speech, recurrent infections, progressive spasticity especially of the lower limbs, ataxia, autistic features and seizures," according to the Rhett Syndrome Research Trust. MECP2 …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Student Liza Brecher advocates for families of special education children.
North Andover native and Johns Hopkins University junior Liza Brecher, whose older brother has Down syndrome, saw firsthand how hard her parents worked on his individualized education plan. So when Brecher took a class called Leading for Social Change and was tasked with developing a business model for a nonprofit, she created an organization to develop advocates for parents with children in special education in the Baltimore City Public School System. Brecher’s project was one of three from the class chosen for a $5,000 grant. She's using that money to put the project into practice within the school system. Currently her organization Homewood Educational Advocacy Resource is training Hopkins undergrads to be advocates. It's also reaching …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
John Minihan served at the high school from 1966 to 2000 and was recently inducted into the North Andover Educators Hall of Fame.
School committee members, faculty and administration gathered at a teacher appreciation lunch at North Andover High School Wednesday to honor a local teaching legend. Retired history teacher John Minihan was recently inducted into the North Andover Educators Hall of Fame. "Our honoree today has probably seen over 10,000 students graduate, and that's quite a huge honor to have," School Committee Stan Limpert said. Minihan spent 33 years as a teacher and History Department chair at the high school. Selectman Rosemary Smedile reminisced about being in his class, talking about how he made history an adventurous experience that ignited intrigue in his students. "We all fought to get into his class," Smedile said. "We loved his class. He really …
42.69659
-71.113721
North Andover High School
430 Osgood St, North Andover, MA
/articles/legendary-nahs-teacher-honored
1380994
/locations/6925731
In his first "post-election" interview, the town's new unofficial mayor reacts to his win.
"Until someone does something like this, you never know just how much people in town really appreciate you," Terry Holland said. "I think I was more moved by the letters people wrote. It's all pretty amazing." Holland was the winner of our Unofficial Mayor of North Andover contest, which captivated the town and attracted a staggering following with about 16,000 votes. And that was no small acheivement. He garnered more than 9,000 votes and was up against Town Hall icon Joyce Bradshaw, whose supporters gave Holland's an exciting race. Team Joyce needn't be dismayed, though... she made a very impressive showing. When the contest launched in early April, Holland was in Indiana and had no idea about it. He said his brother sent him an email …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
The North Andover native has dedicated more than 600 hours to volunteering.
The North Andover Senior Center recently named Vivian Aziz its Volunteer of the Year. Aziz, 70, has reportedly contributed more than 600 hours of volunteer service. Born and raised in North Andover, Aziz grew up on a farm on Osgood Street and spent part of her childhood selling fruits and vegetables at her family’s farm stand as well as helping her family raise Dalmatians. Aziz graduated from North Andover High School and then worked in factories in Haverhill and then Lawrence and later at Lawrence General Hospital for 30 years. And then, rather than retire, Aziz chose to dedicate her life to volunterring. "The North Andover Senior Center was blessed the day Vivian Aziz walked through the doors," Irene O'Brien of the Senior Center writes…
42.702868
-71.130921
North Andover Council on Aging/Senior Center
120 Main St # R, North Andover, MA
/articles/vivian-aziz-senior-center-volunteer-of-the-year
1586487
/locations/6919690
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Christian Sady brought home athletic success as well as a new outlook on the world.
North Andover resident Christian Sady recently returned from Johannesburg, South Africa, where he competed in the Future Champions Gauteng Under-17 soccer tournament with the New England Revolution youth development program. The tournament featured 12 youth clubs from five different continents, with Revolution being the sole North American representative. "Playing in South Africa allowed the team to be placed outside its comfort zone and see what soccer meant to people around the world compared to the United States," Sady said. "I feel by watching other teams play, it is evident that their worlds revolve around soccer where as here, soccer is not as widely recognized." The Under-17s finished the tournament with a 1-3-1 record, sixth place…
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The retirement community helped secure more than $1,000 for Emmaus House.
Over the past several weeks, Edgewood Retirement Community has held a food drive for Haverhill's Emmaus House shelter. And their efforts paid off. They brought in more than 1,000 food items. Staff and residents at Edgewood organized the drive, in which the annual Feinstein Challenge pledged to match $1 for every item. So in addition to bringing in a lot of food, Edgewood helped raise more than $1,000 in matching funds from the Feinstein Challenge. The Feinstein Challenge calls on communities to work with local anti-hunger agencies each Spring to help fight hunger. Edgewood has a history of giving. Over the past five years, Edgewood residents and staff have supported Emmaus House's work by assembling volunteer teams to serve meals and by …
42.70004
-71.105119
The Meadows at Edgewood Retirement Community
575 Osgood St, North Andover, MA
/articles/edgewood-brings-in-food-and-funds-for-charity
1767954
/locations/6822403
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Nicole Radulski will run in memory of loved ones.
When thousands gather in Boston in April for the Boston Marathon, they will be joined by a local woman running in memory of loved ones lost to cancer. Thomson Elementary School teacher Nicole Radulski lives in North Andover with her husband Peter and three sons -- Peter, age 10; Ryan, age 7; and Sean, age 3. Running has always served as an outlet for her to both stay in shape and get a little time to herself. "After I had my third son I really enjoyed hitting the streets," Radulski said. "I started doing small road races and tried a few 10Ks and a half marathon." She would later use her love of running to help cope with tragedy. Radulski's father passed away ten years ago, and her stepmother passed away two years ago. Both died from cancer…
Wendy Bulawa Agudelo
7:01 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thanks Patch.com for writing about this incredible family. They are so courageous, strong and smart, and are doing so much to make the life of their son (and thousands of others like him) better. Best wishes for a fantastic event with superior results, Andersons!! more ›