INTHENEWS2008

By Rich Tenorio / The Daily Item, July 3, 2009

Twenty years from now, when you go in for a checkup at Mass. General, the doctor treating you might just be Lynn Classical alumna Sochitta Men.

A graduate of the Class of 2009, Men will travel to Providence this fall to attend Brown University, and her career goal is to become a doctor. The Agganis Foundation is helping her realize this dream, at least the Providence part: Men is one of 16 student-athletes -- and one of three from Classical -- who received Agganis Scholarships. (Her classmates Brian Kolodziej and Jeremy Dorson join her as Rams honorees.) With Justin Young of English, she is also one of two recipients of a Michael Agganis Scholarship.

As Men prepares for Providence, she concludes a time of achievement at Classical -- one where she participated in four sports and learned about the legacy of arguably the most famous school graduate, Aristotle George "Harry" Agganis.

Like Agganis, Men comes from a family of immigrants. She was born in Battambang, Cambodia, which is in the northwestern part of the country, near the Tonle Sap Lake. In 1997, her immediate family -- her parents, her two older brothers, and herself -- immigrated to the United States.

"All my mother's side (of the family) immigrated here before us," Men said. "My mother was the only one in Cambodia. Her parents sponsored us. My father's side is still in Cambodia. My father thought it was the right time to come."

Their first stop was Collegeville, Pa., a 30-mile drive from Philadelphia.

"I was young -- six or seven," Men said. "It was difficult. I didn't know the language. They put me in second grade, in the middle of the year. I was really intimidated." However, she said, "Everyone was nice."

English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in elementary school, as well as conversations with her brothers and cousins at home, helped Men learn English. Today she speaks two languages -- English and the Cambodian language of Khmer.

Eight years after Men made one transition, from living in Cambodia to living in the US, she had to make another. In 2005, her parents, both of whom are machinists, were laid off from their jobs in Pennsylvania. They applied for jobs in Massachusetts and moved to the Bay State. Her father now works for General Electric in Lynn.

Men enrolled as a freshman at Classical in November. She had gone to high school in Pennsylvania for one quarter before changing locations.

In each of her four years of high school on O'Callaghan Way, she played basketball.

"I always liked basketball," Men said. "In my old school (in Pennsylvania), I always wanted to play. (People would say) 'Oh, you're so tall, why not play?' (Men is 5-10, and plays both forward and center.) My parents wanted me to focus on academics instead of athletics." However, she said, "I made the ninth-grade team and played for the high school in eighth grade. I did summer camp and fall leagues. I came to Classical and tried out. It was the sport for me."

Men played three other sports at Classical: track as a sophomore, soccer as a junior, and tennis as a junior and senior. She played goalie in soccer after a friend suggested she do so -- "I didn't want to," she said, "but on the first day, I liked it" -- and in tennis, she played both second doubles (as a junior) and first singles (as a senior).

In addition to sports, Men also participated in community service programs through the Key Club.

After already having to make multiple transitions in her life, Men spent her senior year getting ready for another -- entering college. She applied to 10 schools, and Brown was one of her top choices. (Her friend and former biology classmate Evelyn Eng, who had graduated from Classical in 2008, matriculated at Brown and spoke positively about her freshman year.) Men applied and got in. She said she wants to major in biology, and that she is thinking about attending college as a pre-med. She said she wants to become a doctor, such as a physician or general practitioner.

The Agganis Foundation will help Men cope with the costs of college. She first learned about Agganis himself when she wrote a paper about him for a physical-education class one year.

"He was a big athlete of Lynn," Men said.

And today, the foundation established in the name of a Classical legend is helping one of the most recent Classical alums succeed.

The Harry Agganis Foundation has awarded $1,314,525 in scholarships to 813 student-athletes since its inception in 1955.

On Saturday, June 13^th the Community Brotherhood of Lynn, Inc. & Auxiliary awarded the following Lynn Classical High students scholarships at their 31^st Annual Scholarship Awards dinner.

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Cody Flynn, Classical Freshman, Sets an AAU Weightlifting Record

There’s only one word to describe Lynn Classical High School’s 14-year-old freshman Cody Flynn: strong.
Flynn has been on a record-setting spree in weightlifting tournaments, most recently this past weekend when he set the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) state record for his age group and size (Cody is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 157 pounds) by lifting 350 pounds, shattering the previous record by 25 pounds.
Flynn’s AAU record comes on the heels of his breaking a world record in the junior teen (ages 13-15) deadlift division on April 4 in a tournament in New Hampshire. Dead lifting involves the lifting of weights from the floor to hip level, an activity that many consider a true test of an individual’s strength.
What makes Cody’s feats of strength even more remarkable is that he started deadlifting weights just two months ago.
“Cody had done some weightlifting in a gym and then we went to New Hampshire [for a competition], and we were hoping that Cody could lift 285 [pounds],” said his father, John, 46, who has been a powerlifter for 20 years. “He succeeded at 285, and then the officials let him go for a world record, which was 315 pounds, and he did it.”
The New Hampshire event was the same competition where Lynn Classical football standout Buddy Ford set a record (500 pounds) in the 16-17-year-old division.
Cody started in weightlifting (bench pressing and squatting) last fall, when he became a member of the Lynn Classical freshman football team. He was a starting right guard for the Rams’ frosh who were coached by Joe Ford, Buddy’s older brother.
“He pretty much learned weightlifting at Classical,” said John Flynn. “He did very well in the deadlifting right away, and he kept improving and set a world record his first time in competition.”
“Playing football has helped me get in shape,” said Cody. “I’m going to stay with football. I’ll be going to Boston College football camp in June.”
Cody, who trains with Paul DeSimone, owner of Gym Warriors in Peabody, said the keys to being successful in deadlifting are having strong legs and shoulders and using proper form.
A former player in the West Lynn American Little League, Cody is using some of his power as a participant in the Classical baseball program this spring.
His weightlifting accomplishments have paralleled a change in eating habits. “I eat peanut butter, drink milk, and have a lot of protein,” said Cody. “I stay away from any junk food.”
Cody is gaining some national recognition for his weightlifting prowess. He’ll be featured in an upcoming edition of Powerlifting USA magazine. His achievements were hailed on the well-known Lynn Mart sign on Lynnfield Street.
“I’m proud of him,” said John Flynn, who once lifted 606 pounds. “He’s a good kid and an honor student.”
And a strong young man.

The Lynn Public Schools Jazz Band volunteered its time at the annual Arthritis Foundation Walk in Beverly on Sunday, playing a free concert for the foundation supporters and special guest Wally the Green Monster, the mascot of the Red Sox.

The North Shore Chamber of Commerce honored the top-ranked seniors on the North Shore Tuesday at its 41st annual Honors Scholars Recognition dinner at the Sheraton Ferncroft in Danvers. The dinner recognized nearly 300 students from 28 public and private high schools on the North Shore, all of them ranked in the top 5 percent of their graduating class. The following students from the Greater Lynn area were among those honored:

Lynn Classical - Basant Badr, Sowmit Barua, Cesar Castro, Daveth Cheth, Rachel Dunnigan, Linda Duong, Hongchau Huynh, Kevin Mazige, Sochitta Men, Samantha Murray, Michael Shea, Athina Sutson, Aleksandr Tokarev, Maritza Torres, Lejean Williams, Sarai Zelada.

Lynn English - Augustina Ativie, Marina Biondi, Mikhail Chaykler, Sarah Jenness, Amanda Karakoudas, Jessica Ladderbush, Christine Ma, Linh Nguyen, Ezequiel Ortiz, Devon Robinson, Jennifer Saillant, Lauren Scully, Melody Souvannakane, Dani Tran, Linna Tran, Ashley Turner, Katherine Valera, Jigni Wei.

Lynn Tech - Leanne Christian, Cesar Echeverria, Sadelis Feliz, Javier Herasme, Niurka Hernandez, Nisa Im, Jazmine Lluveres, Robert MacOrquodale-Casey, Tianny Marmolegos, Ashley Patient, Courtney Walters, Eric Woodbury.

Lynnfield High - Matthew Dillon, Brianna Greco, Julie Kvedar, Stephanie LaRosa, Andrew Leader, Ashley Martin, Renee Rober, Roger Samson, Tara Soni, Alissa Totman.

Marblehead High - Elizabeth Akselrod, Maria Bennett, Gavin Frisch, Madilyn Gamble, Heather Giblin, Ryan Heffrin, Chandler Morrison, Alexandra Oderman, Kelsey Pedersen, Aleksandra Veksler, Douglas Webster.

Lynn 's Channel 15 sports personality John Hoffman will host his annual awards presentation for high school athletes Thursday, April 30, beginning at 6 p.m. at Breed Middle School .

The sponsors are Lynn Educational TV, John's Roast Beef and Harrington Trophy Company.

Awards will be given to the following athletes:

Football: Jesse Fowler, Justin Young, Charlie Rucker, Dan Lucier and Stephen Haberek, English; Cameron Smith, Gary Sisson, Brian Kolodziej and Darrell Lane, Classical; Anthony Gallo, Ryan Murphy, Lorenzo Rivera and Anthony Coleman, Tech; and John LaMothe, Jordan Harvey, Joe Masucci and Derek Riley, St Mary's.

Boys basketball: Ryan Woumn, Eugene Turner, Jeremy Subervi and Archie Allen, English; Jasper Grassa and Jarrell Byrd, Classical; Victor Smith and Josh Cheever, Tech; Tyler Grillo and John Bakopolus, St. Mary's.

Girls basketball: Jeanette Anderson, Jenicia Duggins and Lashaunda Hogan, English; Hannah Byrne and Pierina Mora, Classical; Fanice Jean-Baptiste and Octavia Harper, Tech; and Amy Bozarjian, Alison McCarthy and Nicole Hanlon, St. Mary's.

Boys hockey: Dave Stevens, Sean Crowley and Nick Comeau, Lynn Jets; Jon Baldwin, Andrew Bates and George Carey, St. Mary's.

Girls hockey: Katie Burt, Adriana Russell and McKenzie Clark, English; Courtney Winters, Courtney White, Alex Smith, Michelle Golden, Erin McAndrews and Kelsey Magrane, St. Mary's.

Swimming: Katelyn Kidney, Classical; Marcos Castellano, Tech.

Boys soccer: Alex Alvarez and Mubarak Nyang, English; Miguel Castro and Carlos Cifuentes, Classical; Richard Jones-Alas and Yerlin Guevara, Tech; Joe Gill and Eric Donaghy, St. Mary's.

Girls soccer: Britany Goulet and Ashley Keighley, English; Kelly Deveney and Nikki Kourambanos, Classical; Shaniqua Holcombe and Shanel Bird, Tech; and Amanda Webster and Stephanie Mowry, St. Mary's.

Maycotulio Martinez, LCHS Class of 2007, Dies in Car Crash

By Dan Baer/The Daily Item, February 15, 2009

LYNN - A 19-year-old Lynn man traveling with two small children was killed in a single-car accident just before midnight Saturday afternoon when he apparently failed to negotiate a turn on a busy Salem street.

Salem police say 19-year-old Maycotulio Martinez of 68 Orchard St. died early Sunday morning in Salem Hospital from injuries sustained when he lost control of his vehicle, crossed the center line and smashed head on into a concrete wall.

The accident took place at 11:34 p.m. Saturday in between 34 and 36 Wilson Street in Salem, a well-traveled road connecting Highland Avenue (Route 107) with Jefferson Avenue.

According to a police report, Martinez was traveling eastbound on Wilson Street around a right bearing curve when he apparently lost control, crossed the line and and hit the concrete wall at a high rate of speed.

Two passengers, a 12-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl, both of Lynn, were also in the car at the time of the crash, but experienced only minor injuries. Both were taken to Salem Hospital for observation Saturday night.

An investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing, but preliminary reports from police suggest that speed is a factor.

According to police, this is the second accident on that curve in recent weeks but, given the thousands of motorists that travel that road each day, accidents are few and far between and typically minor in nature.

Police say that all of the car’s airbags were deployed in the accident and both the driver and the 12-year-old passenger were wearing seat belts, while the 4-year-old was properly secured in a car seat.

LYNN - An eruption of gunfire in the Warren Street area has prompted Ward 6 City Councilor Peter Capano to create a basketball league pitting two rival gangs against each other to in turn work with each other as a team.

Capano's hope is that the gang members and other troubled neighborhood teens can resolve their problems through a game of hoop at Marian Gardens and become part of a team instead of another violent statistic.

Fully aware that the neighborhood has developed a bad reputation as a hostile environment, Capano said he is confident he can show the rest of the city that the area is not as bad as some may think.

"I know all of the kids in the neighborhood because I grew up here and my whole family lives here," he said. "Hopefully the good kids can rub off on the bad kids and even the couple of psychos out there that even the gang kids are afraid of."

While only in the beginning stages, Capano said he is eager to get a jump-start on his plan for next spring/summer and sounded optimistic that the league will be a success.

"Freddy Hogan and Simmie Anderson have both agreed to organize the league," he said. "They are both very involved with Lynn youth. I also spoke with Straight Ahead (Ministries), which has some gang members participating in their program because they have their own basketball team started. They also can help locate some of the kids that are hard to reach."

Item President and Publisher Peter H. Gamage said he is open to discussing the possibilities of forming a youth basketball league and working out the details to be a potential sponsor.

Aside from basketball, Capano said he and Ward 7 City Councilor Richard Ford plan to approach the YMCA, Rivera Brothers Boxing Club and the Lynn Police Department to establish other programs for Lynn youth to partake in, such as boxing, theatre and music.

On Thursday, Ford accepted a $15,000 check from Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett for an after school boxing program at the Rivera Brothers Boxing Club on Columbia Avenue.

Another $15,000 was also awarded to Girl's Inc. to establish an after school arts program.

After school programs topped a long list of anti-violence measures compiled at the Lynn Community Summit on Oct. 7.

"I'm just so happy that Blodgett kept his promise for the funding," Ford said. "So many kids fall through the cracks because they don't play sports or an instrument and this program will potentially turn those kids' lives around."

Momentum from the summit is still building according to Girls Inc. Executive Director Patricia Driscoll, who said a long list of ideas were jotted down by more than 200 youth for the betterment of the city.

A meeting with Part of the Solution, a youth council of the Communities that Care coalition, will be held Oct. 28 from 5-6:30 p.m. at 112 Market St., 2nd floor, above Eastern Bank to plan youth-centered ideas for November and brainstorm follow up ideas to the summit.

Driscoll said the agenda will review activities accomplished in October, including the Peace March, the Commons Clean-up, which is scheduled for Saturday from 12-2 p.m., and an update on the initiative to get the basketball hoops replaced at area parks.

Driscoll said the meeting, which is open to teens in grades 9-12, is a great opportunity for kids to grow and become empowered.

"Rep. Mark Falzone's office is working on a resource guide after they learned that SCI (Social Capital Inc./Lynn) has information on its Web site that The Item is looking into publishing a guide, and that the North Shore Workforce Investment Board is working with North Shore Community Action program on the same thing," she said. "So we'll try to coordinate better and come up with a project in the next month or so."

A follow up meeting to the summit is scheduled for Nov. 20 at the Housing Authority.

LYNN - A widespread power outage temporarily closed seven city schools and caused confusion among parents and school administrators early Tuesday morning.

Residents in West Lynn and the Wyoma Square area lost power shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday, a problem that affected Classical High School, Breed Middle School, Pickering Middle School and the Callahan, Lincoln-Thompson, Sisson and Sewell-Anderson elementary schools.

National Grid spokeswoman Debbie Stone said an underground cable fault at a substation in Salem was to blame for the outage, which affected only the Lynn area. Power was restored shortly before 8 a.m.

"We were actually able to restore service rather quickly by switching our customers to different lines," Stone said. "We are in the process of repairing the problem, but obviously our number one priority is getting service back to our customers as quickly as possible."

Six of the seven affected schools were able to begin class on time, although many students went home for the day and did not return.

Only Classical remained closed after the problem was solved, as Superintendent Nicholas Kostan decided that sending students home for the day was the best move given that high school students are old enough to walk home alone. Kostan also said the sheer number of students at Classical, approximately 1,200, would have made it difficult for teachers to keep track of everyone during the power outage.

Confused parents were not notified of the power outages via the district's Connect ED phone system, and began dropping off students at school at the normal start times.

"My kids have a snow day," joked parent Maureen Gilhooley, who has students at the Pickering and Sisson schools. "It was not a big deal, really, everyone was just confused. We didn't even know the power was out until we got to the school."

Kostan said the timing of the power outage made it difficult to manage, as information on the scope of the problem was not immediately available. He began to learn about schools one-by-one, and said at first it appeared to be an isolated incident affecting one area.

"I wasn't even aware there was a problem until I received a call from (Principal Fred DuPuis) over at Breed around quarter to 7," Kostan said. "At that time we had no reports from anyone else, and Breed is a school that has problems with power outages so we thought maybe it was just an accident on Walnut Street. When I was principal there that was something that did happen from time to time. So the timing of it was difficult for us because we did not know how widespread it was."

Kostan said by the time he learned of how many schools were affected, it was too late to call off the buses and students had already begun walking to school.

Instead of using Connect ED to reach parents that had already left for the day, principals greeted parents outside of the schools and explained the situation.

Principals gave parents the option to take their children home or allow them to stay at school until the power returned. Once power was restored, the department sent out a Connect ED message notifying parents that they could return their children to school.

"I was standing out front explaining the situation to parents," said Callahan Principal Ed Turmenne. "The kids who were dropped off were taken into the building, and those that were still with their parents were given the option to go home. The power came back on around 8 a.m., which worked out well for us because that is just about the regular time that we start classes."