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This week's stories: (click on the headline
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Candia
A different kind of education
Jesse Remington School offers students
a 'life resume'
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By JUDITH DIONNE
Staff Writer
jdionne@yourneighborhoodnews.com
"These girls in the stained glass
class are creating a piece of history," said teacher Donna
Welch. "Once this piece is in place they'll be able to come
back to this campus and show their grandchildren someday."
"I'd like to interview Mel Gibson," said "Fire
to Gold" radio show producer and student Krista Puderbaugh,
although she'd settle for interviewing any member from the cast
of "The Passion."
Creating pieces of history and interviewing celebrities is common
for the students enrolled at Candia's tiny Jesse Remington School,
where the student body numbers less than 50.
Jesse Remington School is a Christian-based school with grades
7 to 12, which has woven a variety of teaching styles into its
curriculum. The vast majority of graduates go on to college.
Its Arts and Artisans classes every Tuesday
and Thursday afternoon complement the standard educational fare.
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HISTORY IN THE MAKING Laura
Puderbaugh, 17, and Bethany Loraditch, 16, work on assembling
the stained glass window that will be placed in the school's
new amphitheater. Teacher Donna Welch said the class of four
girls designed the window entirely on their own and has been
assembling it only with Welch's guidance. (Judith Dionne Photos)
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The basic curriculum includes traditional
classes such as math and science, which are offered daily at
a general studies level or college prep level, said Headmaster
Jeff Philbrick.
The second part of the curriculum comes through the Arts and
Artisans project-based learning. Long-term, hands-on projects
support the traditional curriculum, teaching skills not normally
taught in the classroom, said Philbrick.
The Arts and Artisans curriculum itself encompasses two sections.
Eight electives during a semester or year-long class involves
timber framing, stained glass, drawing and painting, yearbook,
radio broadcast, interior design, cooking and drama.
The second section involves focus projects with a new theme each
quarter: humanities, Bible study, science and celebration of
the arts.
The second-quarter Bible focus study is when the school organizes
"Lights on the Hill," and the third-quarter science
focus includes maple sugaring. The profits from the sale of its
maple syrup help fund the school's annual trip to Europe, said
Philbrick.
Philbrick said students choose one of the eight electives which
ties traditional classroom studies together with broader concepts,
such as in the timber-framing class.
Students focus on one project a year "from
CAD (computer aided design) to construction," said Philbrick.
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IN PLAIN VIEW Bethany Franz, 15,
a junior at Jesse Remington, is the only girl in the timber framing
class. Here, she planes timber to prepare it for other students.
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Students
learn how to design a timber frame structure in a mortise-and-tenon
tradition, said Philbrick, and then how to put it together, which
teaches skills like engineering.
This year's design is going to be built on campus, as opposed
to other projects which have been built for other communities,
said Philbrick. Last year's building, constructed at the Deerfield
Fairgrounds, won the "Annual Exemplary Design" award
given by the Association of Christian Schools International.
"Jesse Remington was one of 50 schools, out of thousands
nominated, to receive this award." said Philbrick. "Incidentally,
the Association of Christian Schools is world wide, so this is
quite an honor."
Philbrick said the class is building a three-sided amphitheater
this year, which will be used for theater and other outdoor events,
and the stained glass class is building a window which will be
featured in the design.
The stained glass class is new this year, said teacher Donna
Welch. It was designed to work with the timber framing project.
The students are the ones who designed the piece, she said, and
are doing all the work to put it together.
Not just the timber framing and stained glass classes directly
benefit the school, however, said secretary Dianna MacDonald.
Every class has a purpose that benefits the student or school
in some way, and all the classes tie into the base curriculum.
According to cooking teacher Claire Tobey, beyond the obvious
benefits of learning how to cook, the goal is to have the students
prepare the food for the year-end Celebration of the Arts Festival.
They also hope to have cooking demonstrations and a sale.
The drama class is working on a year-end play for the festival,
which they hope to have in the amphitheater. The interior design
class is working on remodeling one of the rooms in the Remington
Education Center, said MacDonald.
"As you can see, the goal of these classes is to give the
students real-world experience right in our school," said
Philbrick.
In the radio class, students interview people on real-world issues,
such as U.S. Secretary of Education Ron Paige, then edit their
pieces on campus. The final product is broadcast on its "Fire
to Gold" radio show on 90.7 FM, weekdays between noon and
2 p.m., said MacDonald.
"Not all the students will major in the electives they take,"
said Philbrick, "However, this curriculum gives them an
opportunity to test areas that may interest them without having
to make a career out of it." |
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THE LOAD TEST Part of the
Jesse Remington science grade includes how well this bridge made
of manila file folders passes its load test. Here, Bethany Loraditch
and Jon Goddard prepare the weights that will test the bridge
to determine their grade. (Judith Dionne Photo)
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TOO MANY COOKS Josh Whatmough,
17, Charles Tobey, 16, and Tim Foote, 15, prepare a stir fry
in cooking class. The students said they never bring a lunch
on Tuesday and Thursday because they don't want to spoil their
appetites before class. (Judith Dionne Photo)
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BUDDING ARTIST Student Jessica Molligi,
17, works in watercolor during her art class. She is one of many
accomplished artists at the school and has had her work displayed
at the New Hampshire All State Festival, sponsored by the Currier
Gallery of Art in Manchester. (Judith Dionne Photo)
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Candia
Epsom names police chief
By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com
Epsom selectmen voted unanimously to hire
Sgt. Wayne Preve, 47, as police chief of the Epsom Police Department.
The position of police chief has remained vacant since the former
police Chief Henry Farrin resigned and moved out of state in
December.
Preve, an Epsom native, has worked in Epsom nearly all his life.
After graduating from the police academy, he began applying his
energy and passion to serving the town as a part-time officer
and rose rapidly through the ranks. One of his favorite partners
is the town's police dog.
Selectman Joni Kitson, the selectmen's liaison to the police
department, said she is pleased with the decision.
"I am certain that Wayne Preve will do an excellent job
for the town of Epsom," said Kitson.
"I am excited to now be able to get the department up to
full staff," said Preve. "I am committed to the town
and the people of Epsom. I will do my best for us all."
Gail Quimby, Epsom Police Department secretary, said she and
the department are happy with the choice of Preve.
"I have worked for the department 13 years, and I must say
that Wayne brings a certain amount of cohesion to the department,"
said Quimby. "All of us are thrilled to have him as our
new chief."
Hooksett
Old Home Day off for this year
By GINGER KOZLOWSKI
Staff Writer
editor@hooksettbanner.com
Lack of community support has brought a
long-time tradition to an end. Hooksett Old Home Day will not
take place this year.
Organizer Bob Labonville had plenty of support from businesses,
but few offers of help from residents to put the event together.
"Nobody seems to care," he said, " so neither
do I."
Only two people showed up to an organizational meeting scheduled
for April 19, so the event was called off.
"We'll try again next year," said Labonville. "We'll
see."
Old Home Day has faced cancellation for the last few years, but
volunteers managed to come through with help at the last moment.
This year, however, Labonville said, there simply aren't enough
people to put the event on.
"I'm disappointed," said Hooksett Fireworks Inc. owner
Christina Katsikas, who was prepared to donate $1,000 to the
event and provide a fireworks show. "That's just sad. That's
just volunteer work."
The Old Home Day Committee will rekindle the idea next January
or February, said co-organizer Robin Boyd.
Boyd said she hopes people will call Labonville at 533-0350 or
e-mail her at HooksettGS@
aol.com if they have any thoughts about a potential 2005
event.
"It would be nice to think this year is just a sabbatical,
not a termination," said Boyd.
West
High School
Shooting threat brings police to West
High
By RUSS CHOMA
Staff Writer
rchoma@yourneighborhoodnews.com
BEDFORD A 14-year-old Bedford student
was taken into police custody hours after making threats to carry
out a Columbine-style attack at West High.
The student, who made the threats over the Internet by instant
message on the evening of Wednesday, April 21, was apprehended
by police early on Thursday, April 22, before school.
Bedford Police Lt. Dave Davison said a resident reported
the threat and police worked quickly to identify and apprehend
the teenager.
"Officer Matt Fleming worked all night and through the assistance
of Internet providers and subpoenas, was able to determine where
the message came from," Davison said. "And early
this morning we questioned a 14-year-old West High student from
Bedford, who admitted to sending the (threatening) messages."
Because the student is a minor, police would not identify him,
but Davison said he would be facing charges, which ones yet to
be determined.
In the instant messages sent by the student, he allegedly threatened
that West High School would be "another Columbine."
Davison said the threat was taken particularly seriously because
the student made specific references to times and places.
"The threat implied that an incident was going to take place
at West High school today," he said. "And it was given
more credence, because (the messages) said the only safe place
would be the library."
"He was taken into custody and it was determined he did
not have the resources to carry out any of these threats,"
Davison said. "He was more or less looking for attention."
Manchester Police Department Sgt. Mark Fowke said that even
though the student never returned to school after making threats,
city police had a strong presence at the school.
"Because of the type of threat we always take them seriously,
even though the entire circumstance was handled before school," Fowke
said. "We always have a police presence, but we increased
that so students could see we were there."
Fowke said there were four or five uniformed officers and several
additional resource officers "to make sure the students
feel safe."
Most West students
take shooting threat in stride
By JAMIE GORTON
Correspondent
As teachers at West High School read an
announcement that someone said something about something about
Columbine but everything was OK, I had no choice but to relish
the irony. After all, I looked at the big picture: Columbine
was in the news that week, a five-year anniversary, and the government
was grilling itself over what it knew about terrorist threats.
It was obvious that everything was going to be A-OK at West:
The police officers in school were, to the best of anyone's judgment,
unarmed and out of uniform. It was pointedly remarked on that
West's Junior ROTC platoon at least had uniformed bodies in the
school.
The police didn't bother to stick around unduly, either.
"I didn't see them at all after period A," said Janie
Rattigan, a junior from Bedford.
Of course, the police were nothing different from the students.
The dismissal office was swamped all day, with frazzled secretaries
trying to enforce dismissal policy "No, you need Have
them No, calls don't Fax. Fax the office West
High, please hold Yes, I do need a letter, ma'am..."
"Well, the kids that left periods B and C probably left
because they were scared," Rattigan speculated. "But
the other kids I think just wanted an (excused absence)."
The timeliness of the threat, five years and two days past the
Littleton, Colo., shooting, wasn't lost on the students.
"It was dumb," said Hooksett sophomore Danny Huang.
"Who would want to shoot up a school on Earth Day?"
"Columbine was mentioned in the chat room, said the press
thing they read to us," noted a Bedford sophomore who preferred
not to give her name. "So yeah, I assume (it was a factor)."
More than anything, last Thursday students at West were jolted
into a reality of doubt surrounding school security. Huang admitted
to doubting the likelihood of such a tragedy occurring, saying,
"We're not urban enough and not rural enough" for such
a thing to happen. Likely or not, the students are torn on just
how secure they are at West.
"Bad," Huang said, a one-word reaction to school security.
He was echoed by Rattigan.
"I came in that morning and went past the police and I was
carrying a huge instrument case."
Rattigan is a bassoon player in West's band.
"You'd think they might have checked things like cases and
backpacks, at least (Thursday)."
"I don't see any big problems," said a Bedford girl.
"The students watch each other, and it's usually just petty
things. I mean, they found out about this one and who was involved...
Seems safe enough to me."
When all was said and done, however, things were taken in stride.
"Nothing really changed." said Huang. Classes stayed
on time, students were allowed to use the bathroom, and students
made jokes like "This means the terrorists have won"
each time a friend didn't turn up in a class. No bullets, no
bombs, no shrapnel. Life went on, but the morning's announcement
wasn't forgotten.
"I wasn't all that relaxed," Rattigan said. "It
makes me sad to think that other students would have the minds
that want to kill people. I just don't understand how they think
that way and why we then have to suffer from it."
Gorton is a sophomore at West
High School.
Hooksett
CEDCOH survey results are now posted online
The Community Economic Development Corporation
of Hooksett (CEDCOH) has posted the results of the community
survey conducted last summer on its Web site. To view the full
report, visit www.cedcoh.org
and click on the link provided. A full copy of the report is
available at the Hooksett Public Library and at town hall.
This survey was designed by the students in the doctorate program
of the School of Community Economic Development at Southern New
Hampshire University upon the request of the Master Plan Update
Committee. The results are being used to develop a vision for
the future of Hooksett, not only in accordance with master plan
requirements, but also in accordance with the community's preferences.
Questions specifically asked about adequacy of current public
services, current budget allocations, and desires for future
services and allocations in a way that permits residents to indicate
the extent to which they agree or disagree with expenditures.
The expectation is that residents' comments will provide part
of the basis for continuing engagement of the community as the
municipality makes hard decisions about what services will be
provided and how the services will be funded. These issues are
not only for the current Master Plan, but also for town planning
that takes place in the future. Follow-up surveys will be conducted
over the years to determine any changes in the community's views.
CEDCOH thanks all those involved in this process, including the
volunteers who distributed surveys, the participants that completed
them (there was a 67 percent completion rate, with 168 people
responding), and Jolan Rivera at the university, who worked tirelessly
on reporting the results.
CEDCOH is a nonprofit organization established in 2003 to promote
balanced and sustainable community economic development that
benefits Hooksett residents while advocating for public policy
and developing partnerships within the community. For more information
on membership and how you can assist our efforts, please contact
Matt Barrett at 668-0686 or Dawn Stanhope at 485-5303 or visit
CEDCOH online at www.cedcoh.org.
Suncook
Suncook selectmen spruce up Main Street
with consignment shop
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By AMY FORTIER
Correspondent
For Art Houle, a current Allenstown selectman,
and Don Coulsey, a former Allenstown selectman who now resides
in Bow, retirement was very short-lived.
On Nov. 20, Houle retired from his 31-year career running his
own business. On the same day, Coulsey also retired from his
30 years working for Verizon phone company. Yet, these two men,
who have been friends for 20 years, never suspected that a few
months later they would abandon retirement to open a new business
together. Their new enterprise is D-Arts Town Line Consignment
Shop at 135 Main St. in Suncook, which opened March 11.
Houle said the decision to rent the building originally
built in 1897 for the purpose of setting up a consignment shop
was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but Houle and Coulsey
have plenty of experience dealing with antiques and other second-hand
goods to help them along. For years, Houle has had tables at
various flea markets on the weekends and during the summer. In
fact, the store opened entirely with Houle's and Coulsey's own
stock before people came in to consign their own items.
Houle and Coulsey decided to return the
building, which has housed everything from ladies apparel to
antiques in past years, back to its original colors, which took
more than a little time and paint. The hardwood floor is painted
a chocolate brown and the walls, crown molding and elaborate
tin ceiling are freshly painted a bright white. Yet their labor
does not stop there; many of the items they take in require some
tinkering and touching up.
"It takes a little bit of elbow grease to make things shine
up nicely," Houey said of the items they clean and polish
and stain. Coulsey nodded in agreement as he sat rewiring speakers.
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FACE="Berkeley"> BUSINESS
BUDDIES Art Houle, left, Allenstown selectman, and Don
Coulsey, former Allenstown selectman, sit on antique milk pails
surrounded by unusual items in the corner of their new enterprise,
D-Arts Town Line Consignments on Main Street in Suncook. Both
men abandoned retirement after only three months because they
were so enthused about their new business. (Amy Fortier Photo)
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Houle and Coulsey also spend lots
of time researching unique pieces they receive on the Internet.
They do Ebay consignments for customers and take on all the responsibilities
of photographing, pricing and shipping.
Neither minds all this work. They are both very excited to have
come out of retirement for a venture they enjoy so much.
"We are working seven days a week," said Coulsey, "but
it's a lot different than working for someone else. This is a
lot of fun."
Both are happy to have created another shop on Main Street, which
has undergone some renovation projects in recent years to make
it an enjoyable place for local people to frequent. As selectmen
for Allenstown, they are happy to provide one more inducement
for people to patronize the "old town" area. Hanging
outside their door is an American flag, and they are encouraging
the other businesses on the street to do the same to demonstrate
a unified patriotism.
"The local people have been really receptive," Houle
said. "The best part of this job is meeting all the people
who come into the shop and talking with them. They come in with
stories and the history of the items they are consigning. The
shop has a small-town, homey type feeling, like an old general
store."
Whether it's the old fashioned sentiment about the place, or
the free popcorn they give out in little paper bags from their
red antique reproduction popcorn maker, things seem hopeful for
Houle and Coulsey as business has been very good. Many people
have brought in items to consign and even more have carried away
furniture, tools, knickknacks, toys, paintings and a bevy of
other unique items.
"Consignment shops are doing well right now," said
Houle, "because lots of people watch those reality TV shows
like Trading Spaces and become interested in this stuff. Plus,
although the items are old, they are not all antiques, so they
are reasonably priced. We had one item that we could not figure
out what it was, but a man bought it last week as a conversation
piece."
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