Seeing the light: Boys basketball team drops two more games, but still positive about future

The Danvers boys basketball team suffered two defeats this past week, but the concept of development and keeping a positive attitude remain the same for the team.

On Feb. 1, the Falcons lost, 73-46 to Swampscott at home after getting off to a rough start.

They found themselves down, 20-0 right off the bat, and wound up trailing, 23-2 at the end of the first quarter.

"We had worked hard in the previous games, but Swampscott just came out on fire," head coach Mark Malley said. "The situation just didn't pan out for us. We were overmatched, but everyone tried hard, but we just didn't have the athleticism to compete."

On Feb. 5, the locals suffered a similarly one-sided loss to Marblehead, 61-39, with the usual problems – an inability to score consistently.

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Washington Twp. wins with Pleasant attitude

You could understand if Washington Township's Sean Pleasant might feel the daily grind of the basketball season.

He is the lone senior playing significant minutes for a team that is readying itself for the future and only last week barely missed qualifying for tournament play.

But if you tried to pick out Pleasant on the floor without knowing who he was, you'd be surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

Though smaller (5-10) and slight of frame, he catches your eye because of his boundless energy and positive demeanor. Not something you'd expect from a kid who has heard so much about his team's future this season.

Last night, he scored 14 points, including his team's first eight of the game, to help the Minutemen to a 74-57 win over visiting Pennsauken in an Olympic Conference game.


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Vianca Tejada has drive, attitude.

Vianca Tejada has an attitude, make no bones about it. And according to those who know her on the basketball court, it's that attitude that separates the Cherry Hill East senior from the rest of South Jersey's top basketball players. Just don't mistake Tejada's attitude as a negative. "I'm driven by the fact that I hate losing," said Tejada, who boasts a 14.8 scoring average for the 13-4 Cougars. "I'll do anything it takes to win. I have to win. Nothing else matters." Tejada's on-court attitude radiates positive undertones. The 5-foot-9 guard is self-assured, carrying her chin high, her eyes focused on the task at hand. She's quick to pick up a teammate, even quicker to stand up for herself. Just don't cross her. "If you push her, she's going to push back twice as hard, because she's just so competitive and determined," Cherry Hill East coach Kim Keyack said.


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Autistic player's positive attitude inspires an entire team

Austin Smith is autistic.

Austin's stepmother, Elizabeth, died this past summer.

Austin is an eighth-grader playing CYO basketball in a league that goes up to 11th grade.

Austin, enduring all of these hardships, is the most valuable player on our basketball team.

He's facing more problems than most of us will face in our lifetime, yet he lives life with a smile on his face every day. The way he seems to enjoy everything he's doing all the time helps the entire team keep a positive attitude. Just seeing him smile and hearing him constantly joking and laughing prevents frustrations from mounting.

He plays basketball with more heart and hustle than anyone I have ever seen. Everyone on our team watches him play, and it drives us to try as hard as we can, as hard as he does.


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Health & Beauty Assistant

Cannons Health Clubs are looking for great people to join our team.

We are looking for team players who have bags of enthusiasm, a positive attitude and experience in working in a sales/customer-led environment.

You will have a drive for success, a passion for excellent service and want to work in a stimulating, fast-paced and results-driven organisation.

Successful team members will have the opportunity to progress their career through our Management Development Programme.

For more information about Cannons Clubs please visit our website at www.cannons.co.uk

To apply, please send your CV and a covering letter to:

Noel Ridgeway
noel.ridgeway@cannons.co.uk

We regret that we can only consider applications from people who already have the right to live and work in the UK.


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Competition In Virginia Encourages People To Be Healthy

Employees from several Virginia entities are taking the initiative to lead healthier lifestyles.As Chris Buckley reports, by turning it into a competition, there's some real incentive to make positive - and permanent - changes. Employees from the city of Virginia, Virginia Public Utilities, and the Virginia Regional medical center are participating in their version of the NBC television series "the Biggest Loser."Organizers say it's not a strictly a weight loss program, it's about replacing bad habits with healthy ones Last year the city and the PUC did something similar and the 25 participants lost a combined 275 pounds in the 3 month period.This year, with the hospital adding their team, there's 85 participants doing their part to commit to healthy habits. "Having the hospital in the program has made a big difference because we have use of their facilities, excellent speakers that work here from the diet and exercise department, and access to a lot more resources." 5 weeks into the program, VRMC participant Debora Lekatz who works in pulmonary rehab, has lost ten pounds and says it's a new way of life and the best part is the competition and the camaraderie.


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Former MHS teacher remembered for her positive attitude

Doris "Carol" Bee Berthel, a former Eden educator, died Sunday. She was 60.

Berthel taught at Holmes Junior High School - now Holmes Middle School - for nine years and at Morehead High School for 11.

Leola Meador, a secretary at Morehead, remembers Carol well.

"She worked in the vocational home economics when she was at Holmes, and when she came over here she taught home economics," said Meador. "She was nice, bubbly, jolly, sweet, lovable, bouncy - a neat lady."

The thing people seem to remember most about Carol is her positive attitude.

"What we were so overwhelmed with was the people telling us that she made a difference in their lives," said Carol's daughter, Melanie Good. "I think it was because she was so optimistic."

Daughter-in-law Kelly Berthel remembers taking Carol's home economics career explorations class in the eighth grade at Holmes Junior High - years before she married David "Scott" Berthel.


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The fine art of complaining

Your airline lost your luggage. Your car rental company ran out of sedans and handed you the keys to a gas-guzzling van. Your hotel can't find your reservation, and you're homeless on vacation. What now?

I've been mediating travel disputes my entire career, and I know what to do. I'm National Geographic Traveler's ombudsman, and I write the Travel Troubleshooter column every week ( www.csr.elliott.org). When vacations head south, I get the call.

Over the years, I've developed a few insider tricks for fixing a derailed trip: whom to write, what to say and where to go when no one listens. But if I had to distill everything into one simple rule, it would be: The sooner you speak up, the better your chances of getting what you deserve.

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Local resident Cathleen Elmer becomes author at 90

Nannette Kilbey-Smith 06.FEB.08
FLORESVILLE � It�s a long way � in distance and culture � from the home of her youth, but Cathleen Burns Elmer has settled into life here in the same way she�s faced other changes in her life: with a positive attitude and an indomitable spirit. And at the grand age of �just 90,� Cathleen is, quite literally, opening a new chapter in her life: She�s just published her first novel.

�It�s not my first novel,� Cathleen said. �It�s just the first one that�s been published!�

A native of Andover, Mass., and the product of a conventional Catholic family upbringing, she has always been interested in words.

�I�ve been writing almost since I was born,� Cathleen said recently.

She confesses to writing and illustrating stories behind the pages of her Sadler�s Graded Geography book.


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MS doesn't hinder mom's optimistic attitude

Shirley Busch is an optimist. Like everyone, the St. Ann resident has had her share of challenges and disappointments, but she handles them all with an upbeat attitude and positive outlook.Busch said she was amazed when she was named the 2007 Mother of the Year by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Gateway Area Chapter."Shirley is a great lady," noted Lori Hutchings, spokesperson for the chapter. "She's earned this tribute for handling the daily challenges of parenthood with dignity, grace, strength, compassion and creativity. She was chosen from hundreds of nominations."Busch, 74, says she lives in an "MS family." She has lived with the disease for 46 years. Her oldest daughter, Deborah Busch-Cejka, was diagnosed with MS just before taking her first law exam in college. She's had the disease for 19 years.Cejka nominated her mother for the honor.


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Setting the Proper Tone for a Termination Meeting

Firing an employee can be difficult, but if you approach it the right way, it doesn't have to be torturous for you or the employee.

While you can't control an employee's actions, you can maintain a positive and professional attitude that may help prevent any bitterness. Keep the tone of a termination meeting positive; creating a tense atmosphere may make your employee resentful and more likely to resort to legal action. Consider these ways to help keep the meeting upbeat:

Thank the employee. Start the meeting by sincerely thanking the employee for their contribution to your company.

Don't assess blame or make apologies. There's no reason to blame the employee or the company for the termination. Just explain that the company's needs don't match the employee's particular skills.


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