• The long Presidents Day weekend gives all of us an extended period to celebrate Valentine’s Day – no need to rush out with that special someone on Friday night after a long day at work! Whether you are heading out on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, plan to shop locally for that special gift for your Valentine, and remember that Hull has many fantastic places to buy sweet treats, gift certificates, flowers, and other unique presents to present to your beloved. Your support of our local businesses helps them during the difficult winter season, and will keep Hull’s economy thriving. And if you see their ad here in the Times, please mention it, and thank them for supporting Hull’s independently owned news source. We are grateful to all of you!

**FLIPPING AWESOME**! The girls varsity gymnastics team [co-op with Hingham] finished the season undefeated and Patriot League champions after a program-high score of 138.3 at Friday’s meet. The team posted an incredible 9-0 record for the season. [Courtesy photo]

• Congratulations to Hull’s Jaden Stilphen, who has been named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at Western New England University in Springfield. Stilphen is one of more than 750 students to achieve this mark of academic excellence. Students are named to the Dean’s List for earning a semester grade-point average of 3.30 or higher. Stilphen is working toward a bachelor of science in criminal justice.

• Sophia Tremblay has been named to the Plymouth State University Dean’s List for the fall semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, a student must achieve a grade-point average between 3.50 and 3.69 and must have completed at least 12 credit hours. Tremblay is a psychology major.

• Hull’s Paula Moszenberg Nesoff’s first novel, “Among Us,” is now available at Buttonwood Books and Toys in Cohasset. Nesoff’s deep commitment to advocating for social justice issues motivated her to write this book dedicated to her parents, Minia and Leon Moszenberg, both survivors of the Holocaust who immigrated to the United States in the early 1950s. Nesoff learned from an early age about the importance of being involved in efforts to overcome discriminatory systemic barriers. She retired from a career in social work and human services education in 2008, was designated as a professor emeritus at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, and continued teaching as an adjunct in social work. Throughout her professional career, Nesoff enjoyed creating meaningful experiences for her students to use writing as a tool for expressing their deepest feelings.

Her passion for reading and writing led her to explore creative writing with the support of family, friends, and colleagues. Paula and her spouse, Irwin, moved to Hull in 2008 after living in New York City for many years. After this move, she began an encore career in massage therapy, working at Boston Medical Center establishing a massage therapy program for underserved populations. She also pursued her interest in weaving, letting her creative spirit create tapestries, table runners, and scarves for her dear ones. Currently, Nesoff is a volunteer with Norwell Visiting Nurse and Hospice, co-leading bereavement support groups, is on the advisory board of the Mindfulness Plus community organization, and an advocate for Medical Aid In Dying.

“Among Us” takes readers on the self-discovery journey of the protagonist, Marion Reilly. Marion is a middle-aged woman whose personal growth came through facing truths about herself, her brother Kevin, her parents, and confronting Kevin’s arrest for the murder of his next-door neighbor. Marion finds her strength to forge a new life through an old friend from high school. She learns how to trust and depend on others, while uncovering her creative spirit, and eventually finding love. Events unfold in New York City’s Upper West side neighborhood in the 1980s and ’90s, a time of increased homelessness, the AIDS crisis, and rising racial tensions. The realities of living in a city where powerful real estate market interests, along with changing demographics, challenge community groups servicing residents living on the fringes economically and psychologically. The story describes the struggles of ordinary people confronting circumstances often beyond their control, learning about themselves and others, as they connect beyond differences to survive.

• The public is invited to meet Hull Public Schools Superintendent Michael Jette as part of the Nantasket-Hull Rotary Club’s regular meeting on Wednesday, February 19. Rotary meetings are open to the public, with a dinner ($25 per person) prior to the 7 p.m. presentation by the guest of honor. Jette has been superintendent since July, and previously was a superintendent in New Hampshire, as well as a high school science teacher. For information on attending, visit www.nantaskethullrotary.org.

• Grace Holden, a Lasell University student from Hull, was named to the Dean’s List for academic performance in the fall semester. To be named to the Dean’s List, Lasell students must complete at least 12 credits and achieve a semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

• Leah Tessler has been named to the MassBay Community College Dean’s List for the fall semester. To be eligible, students must complete at least six credits of college-level courses, be in good standing with the college, and earn a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

• Caitlin Hogan has been named to the fall Dean’s List at Roger Williams University in Bristol, R.I. Full-time students who complete 12 or more credits per semester and earn a grade-point average of 3.4 or higher earn a place on the Dean’s List.

• State Senator Patrick O’Connor has been named Legislator of the Year by the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. O’Connor received the award during a biannual breakfast hosted by NAIFA for incoming legislators to recognize his efforts to raise awareness of financial literacy among young people.

O’Connor is currently co-sponsoring, with state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, a bill that would require financial education in Massachusetts schools. This effort has the potential to make a lasting impact on the future financial wellness of students by offering them knowledge for their long-term success, helping them understand how to apply for loans, make large-scale purchases, and how to save and invest.

“This award means a lot to me, and with my acceptance of it I am honored to accredit my receipt in part to everyone who paved the path to where we are now in understanding that a continued lack of formal financial literacy curriculum does a disservice to Massachusetts residents,” O’Connor said. “The empowerment that financial literacy offers will be an important navigation tool to have in the achievement of overall financial health. I look forward to continuing to work hard on the legislative front and with NAIFA to champion policies that will set students within the Commonwealth up with the tools needed for financial success and proper money management.”

BOOKIES. Amanda Davis and Stephen B. Martin were among the dozen local authors who discussed and signed their books at an author and Barnes & Noble Booksellers at Hingham’s Derby Street Shops on January 25. [Skip Tull photos]

• Summer Hill has been named to Plymouth State University President’s List for the fall semester. To be named to the President’s List, a student must achieve a grade-point average of 3.70 or better and complete at least 12 credit hours. Hill is a criminology major.

• Hailey Gould has been named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester at the University of New England. Dean’s List students have attained a grade-point average of 3.3 or better out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester.

• Siobhan Burke was named to the University of Alabama President’s List for the fall semester. A total of 14,631 students were named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 (or above) or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s). These driven students are making waves across UA’s more than 70 undergraduate programs and 12 colleges and schools.

• Springfield College has named Faye Lofgren to the Dean’s List for academic excellence for the fall semester. Lofgren has a primary major of health science/pre-PT.

• Carly Donovan has earned Dean’s List Honors for the fall semester at Fairfield University. In order to be placed on the Dean’s List, students must have completed a minimum of 12 credit hours in a semester, have no outstanding or incomplete grades, and have attained a grade-point average of 3.50 or better.

• It’s always beach season around here, as even the chilly water temperatures don’t stop the polar plungers from jumping into the ocean in the middle of winter. That connection isn’t lost on Bruce Berman, a familiar face to many through his years of involvement with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and the Metropolitan Beaches Commission. Even though he retired to Florida in 2023, Berman is bringing some of that community spirit to Biscayne Bay, as the organizer of the Miami Beach Cupid Splash to raise money for the restoration of the bay and to support environmental education programs. The event is set for Sunday, February 16.

“For years I splashed in Boston Harbor for Save the Harbor/Save the Bay, where the water temperature in February was a frigid 38 degrees,” said Berman, who served as Boston’s bay watcher for more than 30 years. “Now that I am older, wiser and spending the winter in South Beach, I am looking forward to continuing that tradition here in 305, where the water will be a chilly 68 degrees. Sure, we will be cold for a few minutes on the beach, but the warm feeling we will get from raising funds for a great cause will last a long time.”

For more details on the event, visit www.cupidsplash.com.

• Mark your calendars for the 44th Annual Snow Row, which is coming up on Saturday, March 15 (weather date is March 16). The race starts at noon and the entry fee is $45 per racer. The Hull Lifesaving Museum’s signature rowing event features a unique LeMans-style start and covers a 3.75-mile triangular course, starting and finishing off the beach at the Windmill Point Boathouse. The Snow Row celebrates traditional boats and rowers, with participants including experienced youth and adult crews from New England, New York, and along the East Coast. Spectators can enjoy the action from the Windmill Point Boathouse or aboard the spectator boat. This thrilling event offers an exciting experience for both participants and onlookers alike. To register or for more information, call 781-925-5433 or visit www.hulllifesavingmuseum.org.

If you have news about Hull residents to share – birthdays, anniversaries, career and education achievements, weddings, births, and other milestones – send your information to us at news@hulltimes.com. If you include a photo, please be sure that everyone in the image is identified. Thank you!