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Senate honors Oliver Ames championship teams; adjourns in memory of Sherry S. Mattel
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Summary
Sen. William Driscoll presented citations to Oliver Ames boys cross-country and girls volleyball state champions; later the Senate agreed to adjourn in memory of Brookline civic leader Sherry S. Mattel (d. Dec. 19, 2025).
BOSTON — During a brief Feb. 9, 2026 session, the Massachusetts State Senate recognized high-school athletic champions from Oliver Ames and closed the day with an in‑memory adjournment honoring a longtime Brookline civic leader.
Senator William Driscoll introduced and read an official citation congratulating the Oliver Ames boys cross-country team (state champions, Division 1C, MIAA) and the Oliver Ames girls volleyball team (state champions, Division 2, MIAA). In his remarks Driscoll said the Commonwealth "hereby extends congratulations to the Oliver Ames boys cross country team and Oliver Ames girls volleyball teams for their state championship wins," and noted the citation is signed by Senate President Karen E. Spilka and attested by Senate clerk Michael D. Hurley, dated Feb. 9, 2026. The Senate recessed briefly after the presentation.
Later in the session the Senate agreed to adjourn in memory of Sherry S. Mattel of Brookline, who died Dec. 19, 2025, at age 93. The presiding officer summarized Mattel's decades of local service—work as a public school teacher, service as a deputy probation officer, leadership roles with the Brookline League of Women Voters, more than three decades as a Brookline Town Meeting member, and time on a local school advisory committee—and said she had been recognized with a state "unsung heroine" award in 2016. The chamber observed a moment of silence and recorded the motion to adjourn in her memory.
Why it matters: Citations and in‑memory adjournments are ceremonial floor actions that acknowledge local achievements and long-term civic service; they appear on the public record and are often noted by local communities and news outlets.
What the record shows: Senator Driscoll publicly congratulated the student-athletes and indicated colleagues from the House had prepared citations to be presented in a nearby room following the session. The memorial remarks enumerated Mattel’s community roles and awards as read on the floor.
Next steps: The citation materials mentioned on the floor will be distributed to the teams and associated officials as arranged by Senator Driscoll’s office; the Senate will reconvene Thursday at 11:00 a.m.
