Neighbor to Neighbor.

Air Force Airman, Thomas McNamara, of Clinton, son of Patricia McNamara, recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. He is a 2007 graduate of Clinton High School.

Over 40 former students of Bowers School teacher and principal Evelyn Flaherty Vattes celebrated Vattes's 96th birthday at the home of Kim Kerrigan and Steven Wells in Lancaster on Aug. 2. An array of students from Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut who attended Bowers School converged in Lancaster for the celebration.

Vattes, who taught from 1943 through 1973 and was both teacher and principal for most of her tenure at Bowers, was also honored with citations from the State of Massachusetts and the Town of Clinton for her innovation, creativity, resourcefulness and compassion as an outstanding educator.

Many former students have donated books in honor of Vattes to the Bigelow Free Public Library in Clinton.

Michael Cislak, of Clinton, son of Michael and Catherine Cislak, recently received at gold medal for placing first in the residential wiring district competition for Skilla USA. He will now be advancing to the state competition. Michael is a junior at Assabet Valley regional Vocational School.

Clinton Savings Bank has announced it will contribute a total of $25,000 to Clinton Hospital, which will go toward hospital improvements, new technologies and maintenance as part of the medical center's current capital campaign.

Fidelity Bank announces the hire of Michael J. Quink as senior vice president/senior business banking officer. The Leominster-based financial institution continues to expand, offering increasingly more financial experts to its clients and communities.

The following students were recently named to the dean's list at Framingham State College: Tracey Butler, Lauren McMullen and Brittany Richardson, of Bolton; Jennifer Arone, Colleen Gates, Nicole Melone and Brian Richards, of Clinton; Ryan Camilleri, of Lancaster; Stephanie Kunst, Kristen Mazzaferro and Elizabeth Perry, of Sterling.

The following students were recently named to both the dean's and president's lists at Framingham State College: Sarah Blake, of Berlin; Melissa Houseman, of Lancaster; and Samantha Brackett, of Sterling.

Jim George, of Bolton (originally of Clinton), recently completed his 25th running of the Falmouth Road Race on Sunday, Aug. 9. George is 62 and his finish time was one hour and 19 minutes.

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas Wong has achieved rank of staff seargent. His test results posted recently revealed he has qualified to the rank.

He was Airman of the Year for Tyndall AFB for 2008 and has been recognized as Airman of the Quarter thus far this year. Currently, Wong is spearheading an Active Fire Training Program. His commanding officer has given him recognition during a recent staff meeting that he is taking on the initiative to train and prepare members of the Security Forces to handle volatile situations, such as hostage takeover of a school. He will continue to introduce training programs and eventually head up a SWAT force.

Wong studied and qualified to serve as desk sergeant at Tyndall Air Force Base after returning from his deployment to Iraq. While on tour, he was stationed at Camp Boca, one of the largest detainee centers in the world. He was honored for holding his position during a prison riot; no prisoners passed his position, therefore he was instrumental in regaining control of the prison.

He is the son of Peter Wong of Clinton and his mother Jill Connors of Leominster.

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Thomas McNamara. (2) Michael Cislak. (3) Pictured celebrating Evelyn (Flaherty) Vattes are former Bowers School students, including: (Front row, from left) Phil Boyce, Evelyn (Flaherty) Vattes, Kim Kerrigan, Suzanne Jewett, Debby (Luszcz) Jancek, Laraine (Dobeck) Amelotte, Karen (Kerrigan) Black, Loretta (Dickhaut) Testa, Donna (Gorsuch) Mueller, Millie (Dickhaut) Dulmaine and Bill Dickhaut; (Second row, from left) Fran Boyce, Mary Rose Dickhaut, Susan (Vattes) Ricci-Sohn, Doris (Mueller) O'Hearn, Elaine (Brown) Marino, Donna (Noonan) Franciosi, Mary Furmaniuk, Sheila (Lamlein) Reardon, Kathleen (Kerrigan) Horstmeyer, Janice (Coccione) Gannon, Theresa (Poulin) Kelley, Bill Modis, Father Ray Goodwin and Donnie Poulin; and (Back row, from left) Allan Mueller, Fred Mueller and Tom Noonan. (4) As part of its continuing support of organizations helping the community, Clinton Savings Bank recently made a donation to the Growing Places Garden Project, Inc. (GPGP) of Clinton. The non-profit helps people of limited economic means ensure they have food on the table by donating vegetable gardens, and helping them grow, harvest, use and store their fresh produce. Robert J. Paulhus Jr., the bank's president and CEO, presented the donation of $500 to GPGP's Executive Director Jodi Breidel. (5) An Eagle Scout ceremony was held recently at the Clinton Lodge of Elks. During the ceremony, Corey Baker and Andrew Detsikas were honored for earning the Eagle Scout designation. Shown are (from left) Scout Master Robert Steff, Baker and Detsikas. (6) Students in the Early Childhood Education program at Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School study the growth and development of young children. They also develop skills, which will prepare them for careers in a variety of child-care fields. Many of the students go on to college to earn degrees in education A major aspect of the students' curriculum during their junior year is learning about a wide range of medical and developmental conditions that impact a child's learning. The students are required to select a topic, research it, write a report, design and create a brochure, and then develop a presentation. Their work is highlighted during an annual Education Fair, where the students discuss their findings with underclassmen. Some of the topics explored include dyslexia, Tourette's, ADHD (Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder), fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, selective mutism, leukemia, cleft palate, childhood asthma and juvenile diabetes. Above, Samantha Gray of Sterling, discusses her work on ADHD. (7) Gracin Bisceglia, of Orange, went fishing on his sixth birthday at South Meadow Pond in Lancaster. He pulled in a three-pound bass. Gracin and his family were visiting his grandparents in Lancaster.