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R C Edition OCEAN PINES • WEST OCEAN CITY • BERLIN MD
February 15, 2025
Twilight Wish working to find trained service dog to be companion, assistant By ROC Edition Staff Man’s best friend is more than just a companion. Knowing that, and having befriended Stan Gibson, an Ocean Pines resident who has given so much of himself to the community, Carolyn Dryzga is on a mission to grant his wish of wellbeing that can only be delivered on four paws. Dryzga is the director of the Worcester County chapter of the Twilight Wish Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-pro-fit foundation which has served more than 6,200 senior citizens nationwide.She serves on the Worcester County Commission on Aging and is responsible for Meals on Wheels and an adult day care facility in Snow Hill. On top of that, Dryzga was an active member of the Kiwanis Club for 13 years. That evolution of experience has taught Dryzga many things, but she said the overarching theme is that seniors are a “forgotten population.” “Nobody sees them once they go away to a nursing home or assisted living. They really fade from our attention. It’s almost like some of them are severed from society,” Dryzga said. See FOUNDATION page 9
Volume 2, Issue 4
Nobody injured when OC Elementary locked down after threat; sheriff, superintendent praise ‘outstanding work by students, staff’ By Tessah Good Staff Writer An unverified threat forced Ocean City Elementary School into lockdown on Feb. 11. Worcester County Sheriff Matt Crisafulli said more than 100 law enforcement officers responded to the school around 11:45 a.m., within minutes of being alerted to a threat made to the school over its radio system. Other responding agencies included Ocean City Police Department, Maryland State Police, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Officials thoroughly checked the school building, which was guarded at its entrances. The lockdown was lifted at 12:22 p.m. Students left school at a previously-scheduled early dismissal time of 1 p.m. Parents were directed by law enforcement officers onto school property to pickup their children. Worcester County Public Schools superintendent Dr. Lou Taylor and Sheriff Crisafulli praised the quick response of students and staff in a message shared with parents following the incident.
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
Students at Ocean City Elementary School had a brief lockdown while officials investigated following a verbal threat. No one was injured and the investigation is continuing.
“They did everything exactly the way it should have been done and I’m so grateful that all our kids and staff are safe … I am happy to report to you that this stressful situation turned out to be outstanding work by the students and staff at Ocean City Elementary School,” Taylor said in the video message. As part of lockdown procedures, students and staff are trained to find the closest secure area they can, remain silent and be prepared
to defend themselves. Families are instructed not to come to the school and to wait for further notification. Sheriff Crisafulli also shared his pride in school leaders’ work to ensure students’ safety. “You did it perfectly today and that’s a testament to your work, and our children did exactly what they’ve been trained to do in an emergency situation,” he said. No injuries were reported. The investigation is ongoing.
Berlin man who faces daily health challenges and lost home in Ocean Pines grateful for blessings but longing for service dog for companionship, safety By Susan Canfora News Editor Stan Gibson is a man of admirable faith and gratitude. Wheelchair bound due to a congenital neurological condition called Chiari Malformation, unable to speak above a slight whisper due to a paralyzed vocal cord, fitted with a trach, nourished by a feeding tube and using a ventilator when he sleeps, the 69-year-old remains cordial, with a quick smile and bright outlook. “I’m happy just to be upright,” he said, sitting in a wheelchair, carefully
shaping each word as he welcomed a guest into the neatly kept Berlin home a contractor friend built for him at cost -- with a patio, roomy bathroom with sit-down shower and a long, sturdy ramp leading to the front door. Despite illness and challenges, he has remained stalwart. A few years ago, in the face of eviction from his former home, he joined with fellow residents and fought to stay where he had lived more than 30 years, in White Horse Park, a division of Ocean Pines. In a letter from the county, he and neighbors were abruptly informed the infrastructure
couldn’t support the hundreds of full-time residences and that future occupancy would be seasonal only. If they stayed, they would be heavily fined. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I had to be out in a few months,” Gibson said, shaking his head at the memory. “He stayed in a hotel for months. A lot of people were terrified. During that time, some people died from the constant strain,” his girlfriend, Debbie Pontorno of Easton, who was visiting him, said. In November 2019, county See STAN page 2
ROC Edition • Susan Canfora, News Editor
Despite several health problems, Stan Gibson remains upbeat, pleasant and grateful