sitemap FAIRHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1976

Fairhaven High School Class of 1976

Photos of Anthony School.

Anthony School Grade 5

(l to r) Row 1-- Mrs. Rog, Michael Tache, Robert Hodges, John Fostin, Maureen Pullman, Vickie Root; Row 2 -- John Hennesy, Dale Pullman, Richard Pontbriand, David Slade, David Evans, Robert Lister, Rachael Saint, Randall Borges, Donald ?????; Row 3 -- Timothy Foster, Gretchen Jansen, Brian Avila, Alfred Benoit, Wendy Silva, Paul Langevin; Row 4 -- Rita L'Heureux, Keith Lawton, Paul Greco, Peter Greco, Mary Ellen Medeiros, Grace Whitaker; Row 5 -- Alyson Brault, Lynn George, Laurie Adams

Anthony School Grade 6

(l to r) Row 1 -- Mr. Mendel, Rita L'Heureux, Alyson Brault, Paul Greco, Rachael Saint, David Slade, Randall Borges, John Fostin; Row 2 -- Douglas McClean, Keith Lawton, Peter Greco, Richard Pontbriand, Wendy Silva, Donald Medeiros, David Evans, Maureen Pullman; Row 3 -- Grace Whitaker, Laurie Adams, Paul Langevin, Timothy Foster, Brian Avila, Alfred Benoit, Robert Lister, Dale Pullman, Robert Hodges, Vickie Root; Row 4 -- Mary Ellen Medeiros, Lynn George, Michael Tache, John Hennesy

Thanks to Alyson Brault-Benoit contributing some old memories. Also note, missing lower left hand 5th grade picture is of Douglas McClean. Ask Miss Alyson, she can explain better than we can.

Added this little tid-bit about Junior High Classmate Mike Tache for your enlightment. - The Guys.

Sarah Shemkus Cape Cod Times August 2008

Tracer and Ace want you to have a good night and sleep tight. The two dogs — under the guidance of owner Mike Tache of Mattapoisett — are a bedbug detection team, specially trained to sniff out the pests. "These dogs are going to be able to detect signs that aren't even visible," Mr. Tache said. No longer solely the stuff of silly bedtime warnings, bedbugs are back. Bedbugs are tiny, wingless insects that feed on blood. Their bites can cause reactions similar to those caused by mosquitoes, though in some cases more severe inflammations can occur, said Richard Pollack, a public health entomologist at Harvard University's School of Public Health. Some lucky people have no reaction. The parasites had all but disappeared in developed nations, but, over the past few years, they have made a comeback, entomologists and pest control experts say. "For reasons we can only speculate about, they became relatively scarce during the mid-1900s," Mr. Pollack said. "For reasons, again that we don't understand, they have resurged — there seem to be many more infested properties." For Mr. Tache, this trend presented an opportunity to leave behind a job as a sales manager and start his own business: American K-9 Private Investigators. "I was making a six-figure income and decided, at 50 years of age, I was going to go off on my own," he said. He became interested in the idea of battling bedbugs when a friend's home became infested and had to be treated four times. When he heard about bedbug-sniffing dogs, he realized that no one in the area was offering such a service, and his business was born. To obtain and train his canine employees, Mr. Tache worked with Florida Canine Academy, a center at which dogs can learn to detect anything from drugs to mold. Tracer, a beagle, and Ace, a Siberian husky-beagle mix, were rescued from an animal shelter in Kentucky by Bill Whitstine, the owner of the training academy. "They go from doggie death row to bedbug detective," Mr. Whitstine said. Mr. Tache has completed 500 to 600 hours of training, and his dogs 1,000 hours of schooling each. The three have been professional bedbug hunters for about two months. To keep the dogs' skills sharp, Mr. Tache employs a device that consists of a Lazy Susan with six metal spokes radiating from the center. At the end of each metal rod, a small cup holds a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Mr. Tache places a glass vial containing a bedbug into one of these containers and spins the contraption. The dogs are then told to "seek." A successful search earns a handful of kibble. When Tracer locates her target, she is all puppyish enthusiasm, wagging her tail and scrambling her paws. Ace is more restrained; he sits primly in front of the correct container, alternately pointing to the lid with his nose and glancing expectantly at Mr. Tache. In the field, one dog at a time investigates a room, guided in its search by Mr. Tache. After the dogs locate their target, Mr. Tache can refer customers to a pest control company or they can choose their own. The advantage of employing bedbug-sniffing dogs, Mr. Tache said, is that they can locate the critters in places that are not visible to the naked eye. Beyond beds, the bugs like to hide behind headboards or paintings, inside walls and even inside computers and televisions. "They can fit in a crevice that you can't fit a business card in," he said. Because they are so minuscule, bedbugs are difficult to eradicate completely. Knowing precisely where the pests are located can make efforts to control them far more effective, said Mr. Whitstine, who has been training bedbug-sniffers for about seven years. "The accuracy and the speed is just real important," he said. "If we know exactly where they're at, we can do a better treatment and get a better kill." Mr. Tache expects his business to serve hotels, motels and private residences throughout New England. He is aware of only one competitor, a company that works mostly in Connecticut and New York. Depending on the specifics of the job, he charges $100 to $250 per hour. While his client list is growing, he remains tight-lipped about the identity of his customers. Hotels with bedbugs, he explained, don't want their condition to be public knowledge. "It's kind of a dirty little secret," he said. Contact Sarah Shemkus at sshemkus@capecodonline.com

Return To Elementry School Page.