Students from Forli, Italy, visited Gloucester as part of a student exchange program at Gloucester High School this past week.
The 23 Italian exchange students stayed with 20 Gloucester High students and two teachers during their week on Cape Ann. They attended classes with the students during the school day. After school they set out on a whale watch with
Capt. Bill and Sons,
toured Rockport, Gloucester, Salem and Boston, checked out their first American football game — and ate their first lobster as well.
Hosting the visitors were the families of students
Lexi Psalidas, Rosa Provost, Ariana Puopolo, Lilly Anderson, Jake Parisi, Autumn Zubricki, Rozy Heaney-Balf, Jordan Westling,Lexie LoCoco,Sabrina Siragusa, Keri Asaro, Lenny and Emily Taormina, James King, Anthony Taormina, Kayla Crominsini, Logan Huges, Sam Bevins, Sabrina Hiltz, Forest Turner, Julia Verga, and teachers Susan Willson and Eric Leigh .
The visitors from Forli were Francesco and Gabriele Guinchi, Francesca Giosa, Simone Lacuzzi, Giacamo Gregori, Federico Beilini, Chiara Penuti, Linda Liverani, Sofia Schipani, Elisa Emiliani, Elena Ruggiero, Emanuele Peperoni, Carolina Fabbri, Michaela del Nigro, Leonardo Marchioni, Alice Lombardi, Atillio Albonetti, Eleonora Simi, Laura Landolina, Francesca Cortini, Nicolo Petrini, Carlotta Modena, and Francesca Monti .
Susan Boswell of Carousel Tours organized the trip, with Italian teachers Rayanne Menery and Celestino Basile. The teachers from Forli were Rafaella Sintoni and Barbara Moretti.
Still singing
Gloucester’s Victoria Morrow wrote the song “Weak in the Knees” when she was 24 years old and living in New York City.
She also pounded the pavement to sell the song, and succeeded because it appeared on the 1980
Tom Browne album titled “Love Approach.”
Now that album, which went gold the first time around, has been released again after 32 years and Victoria is smiling about it.
“After I wrote the song, I went up to Harlem to pound on doors. A friend and I walked from 42nd Street to 142nd Street and the name on the door was supposed to be
George Benson
’s manager,” she recalled. “So I started beating on the door and he came out, and he let us in. George Benson gold records were all over the place hanging on the wall. We hit the jackpot.”
Morrow later had lunch with Benson, who was producing Browne at the time, she recalled, and Benson put her song on the record. Her name appears after the song, which at the time was Victoria Sylvanowicv, which she shortened to Sylva on the record.
“I tried to color the words like
Astrid Gilberto for that song. I wanted my vocal quality to be rich and have a roundness to it, like Michael Franks,” she said in a phone interview. Morrow, a native of Lynn, has many stories to tell of her decade living in the Big Apple, like when she met Bob Dylan at the Henry Hudson Hotel, and later met Judy Collins in the sauna.
But Morrow has a new mission beyond songwriting.
“My passion right now is playing in North Shore nursing homes. I play music from the 1930s,” said Morrow, who will play at
Seacoast Nursing and Rehabilitation
today. She plays guitar and sings.
“I play primarily for Alzheimer’s patients. They remember all the words to these songs. When I’m there, I’m back in the 1950s, imitating my mother using the same slang,” said Morrow who has lived on Cape Ann for the past 22 years.
Thomas, Doucette earn honors
The First R Foundation, the program, in which a number of local business and community leaders visit Gloucester and Rockport schools once a month to read to kindergarten and first-grade pupils, celebrated its 10th anniversary Thursday night with a reception and special awards program at The Gloucester House.
Award winners recognized for their contributions to the program — a grass roots effort launched in 2003 and still headed by Pat Earle of Lanesville — were regular volunteer reader and contributor Annie Thomas, who was presented First R’s Frances Ferrante Award named for the mother of state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, and the Cape Ann YMCA’s Rick Doucette, whose wife, Lauren accepted the Michael J. Kae Award on his behalf.
Both Frances and Ann-Margaret Ferrante assisted in presenting the awards, while Rep. Ferrante also presented Thomas with a commemorative citation from Gov. Deval Patrick.
Water abstracts
Sinikka Nogelo is a guest artist at Khan Studio and Good Morning Gloucester Gallery
with a show titled “Water Abstracts.”
There will be a free public reception Sunday from 5 to 7 p.m. The show at the gallery at 77 Rocky Neck Ave. runs through Sept. 27. Nogelo, who many may remember from her longtime work at Cape Ann TV, the local cable station, is now a member of the Rocky Neck Art Colony.
Overheard
The local boys in blue were discussing a person of interest this week.
“What’s the name,” asked the police dispatcher.
“(Blank) Potter,” responded the officer.
“What was the last name again?” asked the dispatcher.
“Potter. He’s Harry’s brother,” replied the officer.
Honored veterans
The flag at the Veterans Center will fly this week in honor of World War II veteran Anthony Constantine Psalidas. Born June 2, 1924, he entered the U.S. Army on May 17, 1943.
The private served in France, European Theater, during the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, Normandy Campaign, Northern France Campaign.
He was wounded in action on Aug. 15, 1944, while fighting in France.
Pvt. Psalidas was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Theater Medal with two stars, and the Good Conduct Medal.
He was discharged March 29, 1945, and died June 14, 2010.
The flag will also fly this week in honor of Korean War veteran Nicholas Constantine Psalidas. Born July 8, 1928, he entered the U.S. Army on June 29, 1951.
The first lieutenant served with Company B 682 Engineer Battalion 47th Infantry Division.
He was discharged March 31, 1953, and died Sept. 19, 2000.
The flag was requested to fly in their honor by their cousin, Theodore Brown of Manchester.
Anyone wishing to fly a flag in honor of a deceased veteran can call the Office of Veterans Services at 978-281-9740.
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