On March 11, Norwood held their annual Town Government Day, where students from NHS were allowed to shadow town officials and learn about how Norwood’s town government functions. Students participated in a tour of the town hall and other buildings, and in a mock town meeting, where they were given a $3,400 budget. Previously, the budget was 3,000 dollars, but it has been increased this year by 400 dollars, since last year’s students saved a portion of the budget to be allocated towards this year’s budget.
Before Town Government Day, students were encouraged to apply for either an elected position or an appointed position. Students applying for an elected position were then voted on by the NHS student body in WIN to represent the town.
The day began with a brief meeting in Town Hall by Norwood Town Manager Tony Mazzucco.
Mazzucco explained how the choices made in each Norwood town government meeting have an immense impact on the functioning of the town.
“Those decisions are made locally, or however you spend, ability to capital, what teachers we have, makes the decisions on what can be built and where, in town.”
After opening the ceremony, Mazzucco passed the torch to Selectman Bill Plasko.
Plasko has served on the Board of Selectmen since 1979 and has been a participant in Town Government Day for over 20 years. This year’s Town Government Day was his last.
Plasko describes his favorite part of Town Government Day, as well as the value that he sees in it.
“You learn a lot about fun school department heads, and you will perform what their role is. I am still a member of the town meeting after 35 years, and it is a great, great experience. It is the oldest form of democracy in the United States,” he said.
“The true goal that we have in town government is that we have been able to maintain a level of respect for each other… so, I look forward to seeing you all participate in it today,” added Plasko.
Afterwards, students were paired off with their department heads and officials.
A group of students stayed at the town hall with members of the finance committee, board of health, and other local officials. Many spent the hour preparing in private meetings, planning what they would be requesting.
Town Moderator Gerri Slater and her mentee for the day, Senior Joann Yamoah, stayed at town hall to prepare for the town meeting and get ready to run it for the first time together.
The role as town moderator plays a big role in Norwood’s annual Town Government Day. Yomoah collaborated with Slater to figure out all the rules of the meeting and be prepared for any questions that may come their way.
“My favorite part is the challenge… being a moderator, not only do you have to understand town bylaws where we have our rules for the town meeting… but you also have to understand Mass General law as well. So this is a big challenge for me, being a fairly new moderator,” shared Slater.
Although this is Yamoah’s first year participating as Town Moderator, she has been a Town Government day participant for the last four years.
“I am learning how to facilitate town meetings… and Norwood is in the minority on how we run town meetings because we are representative,” said Yamoah.
Parks and Recreation
Journalists Shay Mourad, Katie Malley, and Eleni Boutas went to the Norwood Public Works and the Norwood Recreation Center. They spoke with Town Engineer Mark Ryan and Recreation Superintendent Sam White about why they value Town Government Day.
“My favorite thing about Town Government Day is showing all the great things that DPW and engineering do around town,” said Ryan.
“I think it’s interactive with the students, teaching them more about how their town works, how it operates, and giving them the ins and outs of a day-to-day life of each department head,” said White.
NHS Seniors Abby Curran and Dylan Begley have been participating in Town Government Day for a few years and have enjoyed this experience.
“It’s a way for us to see the town and how it runs, and we also get a say in what happens,” said Curran.
“Going around the town and seeing what everyone does, the positions, what they have to do in the town, it is a really good experience,” said Begley.
Keeping Norwood Healthy
Jennifer Bartucca, Senior Administrative Assistant of the Norwood Health Department, has a big role with the town and is behind the scenes of all the work the health department handles.
“There is so much more to public health than everyone thinks. When COVID hit, we dealt with checking restaurants, tanning booths, pools, and housing in apartment complexes. So there are a lot of different aspects.”
Bartucca enjoys seeing the engagement at Town Government and the interest all the students have.
“I love all the students being able to see all the different aspects that we have here, a lot of people do not realize … People do not always realize how many other departments help run the town,” said Bartucca.
Furry Animals Welcome!
Journalists Olivia Tucker and Tori Roderick joined Senior and Assistant Animal Control Officers Briana Hernandez and Dan Champagne for an inside look at the functioning of Norwood Animal Control, alongside Sophomore Catherine Dalzell, who was a shadow for the day.
Inside the shelter, students were joined by three furry friends: Hernandez’s two dogs, Tony and Enzo, and the current shelter resident, Blue.
She adopted her two companions, coincidentally enough, from the shelter herself.
Tony, a little brown chihuahua-mix, was abandoned by his owners in Windsor Gardens and rescued once Hernandez got a warrant. Enzo, a black and white dachshund-mix, came all the way to Norwood from Texas.
Blue is a pit-bull that was recently rescued and is being cared for by Norwood animal control, and she is looking for a forever home. Since the officers are still cautious about her reaction with new people, Dalzell was able to assist the officers in giving Blue water to drink from a watering can. through the fencing of her outdoors kennel.
Hernandez has been working as the full-time Senior Animal Control Officer for four years. She has been the only officer there until recently, as Champagne has become an officer and will soon be taking over the night shift at the center.
Another key feature of Norwood’s Animal Control Office is found inside: the extensive wall of Polaroid photos.
Hernandez revealed that each photo is of an animal that was successfully rehabbed and released into the wild or adopted into a loving family. And if you take a closer look, you can find that there is a plethora of various animals photographed, from baby fawns and chickens to puppies and cats!
However, they still do not have a bathroom at the Animal Control Center, which makes it difficult for Hernandez and Champagne to work long shifts.
One concern they also shared was the lack of air conditioning inside the office, which poses a health threat to the animals housed there.
During the town meeting, students were able to secure $400 of the budget to put towards the animal control. Hernandez and Champagne are planning to put the money towards adding air conditioning inside the shelter, preventing the animals inside from overheating during the hot summer months.
Music and Motions
After spending the morning shadowing their mentors and learning about their different departments, the students returned to Town Hall to wait for the meeting to begin. Students were also able to take the stairs up to the top of Town Hall, where they were allowed to play the bells and take in the view of Norwood Center from above.
The Financial Commission started off the meeting by announcing four initial motions along with the amount of money to be used for each of them.
Junior Tyler Carey spoke for the commission, “First, we are requesting $400 towards providing lunch for marching band members.”
He would then also go on to ask for $750 for lunches that would go towards students participating in field trips over two days. $200 towards a new mop and spray for the NHS wrestling team and $500 towards new Volleyball uniforms for the NHS team. Later in the meeting, the lunch for marching band members was not passed, and people decided to build a batting cage for the town.
After many more disagreements about where the budget would be used, the meeting concluded with a large portion of the money going towards the seniors’ prom.
The final motions approved by the participating students were: $800 for NHS prom police detail, $400 for animal shelter air conditioning and general help, $500 for the Gift of Warmth, $200 for a mop and spray for the wrestling team, $500 for marching band school lunches, $300 to Impact Norwood, $600 for supplies for the recreation department batting cages, and $100 to add to next year’s budget.
A Lesson on Town Government
Not only is it a fun opportunity for students to get involved within their community, but Town Government Day serves as a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students to see how the town functions.
It also allows residents to see a glimpse into the lesser-known yet significant roles and departments in Norwood’s town government that they might not have known about.
One of these departments is the Community Development Department, which focuses on regulating the town’s land.
Sarah Dixson, who is the Director of Community Development, explains what she does in a day for the town government.
“Our department regulates land use… We are also responsible for long-term and strategic plans for the town,” says Dixson.
Dixson explains the value behind Town Government Day.
“I think it’s a good learning opportunity for the students, but on my end as a planner, I love hearing the ideas that the students have for the town of Norwood,” says Dixson.
Chief of Police Chris Padden takes on the Town Government and leads students through his role in town government.
Padden explains why he believes Town Government Day is such a valuable experience.
“It [Town Government Day] is a great opportunity for kids to see what really happens. I think that’s an awesome chance for them to be encouraged and decide what they want to do,” says Padden.
All students and Norwood’s officials ended the day at Lewis’ Bar and Grill, celebrating the work that they had done throughout the day.
