5 Things You Need to Know Today: April 3

1. A brief shout out to the Boy Scouts from the here in Marlborough: I visited with them last night to tell them about Marlborough Patch and community journalism. They were a great audience. From left to right beginning in the back row: den leader Howard Priest, Derek Oldham, Erik Corbin, Howie Priest, Vimal Chaudhry and den leader Nicole DeCruz; front: Jackson Clemons, Peter DeCruz, Jamison Taylor and Easton Collins.

2. Got Books, Inc., a used book collection and reuse company in New England, will be conducting a book drive in Marlborough on April 13 and 27 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. They will be collecting unwanted books, DVDs, audio books or Cds.  Pick up is free from your home or office. Minimum of 50 items is requested for pick up. To schedule a pick up go to their website. Deadline to reserve a pick up for April 13 is April 6, and the deadline for April 27 is April 20. A small percentage of the donations benefit charities and nonprofits.

3. has announced that nominations are being sought for the 2012 Humanitarian Award which is presented every other year to deserving city residents who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to serving and enriching the lives of their friends, neighbors, and greater community, said a recent release. The Humanitarian Award was established in 1986 under Mayor Chester E. Conary to pay tribute to and recognize those whose contributions to the City of Marlborough help make this a great place to live and raise a family. Recent winners include Lynn Faust, George Whapham, and Robert and Madeline Dupuis. Nominations are asked to be put in writing and mailed or delivered to Office of Mayor Arthur Vigeant,  Attn: Humanitarian Award, 140 Main St., Marlborough, MA 01752. Nominees must be Marlborough residents and the nomination letter must detail the person’s involvement in the community and why that person is deserving of recognition. The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m. on Monday, April 23. This year’s award will be presented at the Mayor’s Charity Ball on the evening of Saturday, May 5 at the in Marlborough. The Mayor’s Charity Ball is the sole funding source for the Mayor’s Charity Relief Fund, which assists local residents in need of a helping hand during times of emergency or duress. Tickets to the Mayor’s Charity Ball may be purchased through the Mayor’s office at 508-460-3770 or by calling Linda Ossing (508) 243-5628 or Bob Kays (508) 981-2960.

4. On Tuesday, April 10, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray will join a group of city, state and national elected officials, massDOT administrators and Aeronautics Division representatives, Marlborough Superintendent Anthony Pope, Marlborough Mayor Arthur Vigeant, and staff and students for the presentation of the 2011 Real World Design Challenge State Award trophy. The ceremony, scheduled for 9 a.m. in the Marlborough High School Little Theater, will recognize the accomplishment of the 12 MHS students who in February captured the state title. They are Andrea Boxell, Adelya Fatykhova, Brandon Mattioli, Kara Sweeney, Alec Deveau, Alexis Zindle, Ben Shepherd, Matthew Whitmore, Nicholas Dell Isola, Rachel Dass, Christopher Ortiz and Peter Conti, with MHS faculty members Ken Hanson, Stephanie Hallett, Sharon Mattingly, Paul Duplessis, and Mike Kennedy.

5. Over this past week-end most of the and music groups performed at the MICCA Festival (Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association). At this festival each performance was judged against a standard, not each other. Here are the awards from the week-end:
 
Whitcomb Middle School:
• MS Band received a Bronze Medal
• MS Strings received a Medal of Merit
 
Marlborough High School:
• Concert Band received a Bronze Medal
• String Ensemble received a Bronze Medal
• Mixed Chorus received a Silver Medal
• A cappella received a Gold Medal
• Wind Ensemble received a Gold Medal
 
Groups receiving Gold Medals will have the honor to perform again at the “Stars at Symphony” which will be held either at Symphony Hall in Boston on April 14 or Mechanics Hall in Worcester on April 22. (Location and times TBD.) This information was taken directly from the MICCA website.

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