A staff member from the office of U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte will be in Northwood on Thursday, November 17 from 10:30 to 11:30 am at the Northwood Town Hall, 818 First NH Turnpike, to speak with residents who are seeking assistance with any matters of the federal government. You may also contact her office at (603) 622-7979 or at her website www.ayotte.senate.gov

Join us at the Chesley Memorial Library on Saturday, November 19, from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm for a make-and-take Thanksgiving Craft Session! No registration required; all ages welcome.

CBNA FFA Chapter Participates In National Communications Event

CBNA FFA Communications Team Chapter Members at Recent National Convention: Left to Right: Katie Soiett, Savannah Reed, Samantha Emond, Kelsey Brown, Jenna Brown, and Mrs. Sarah Ward.

Members of the Coe Brown Northwood Academy’s FFA Chapter in New Hampshire were one of 31 teams participating in the National FFA Agricultural Communications Career Development Event (CDE). The event was held in conjunction with the 84th National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. The team, led by advisor Sarah Ward, was awarded a Bronze emblem.

Members also competed for individual awards with 150 other participants. Sam Emond received a Silver emblem, Jenna Brown received a Silver emblem, Kelsey Brown received a Bronze emblem, Savannah Reed received a Bronze emblem, and Kate Soiett received a Bronze emblem.

The top six individuals and the national winning team members received scholarships to further their education at a post-secondary institution of their choice. The scholarships and the agricultural communications event are sponsored by the National FFA Foundation.

The National FFA Agricultural Communications CDE is a competitive activity that tests students’ skills in all areas of the agricultural communications field and evaluates how well they can apply classroom knowledge to real-life situations. Participants attend a simulated news conference and use the information gathered to complete individual practicums in news story writing, press release writing, radio broadcasting, web design, and graphic design. Prior to the event, students compile communication project proposals related to innovative agricultural practices, management techniques and marketing tools. Each team then creates a 15 minute presentation based on their proposal. Members also compete in an editing exercise and a general communications quiz. The event, held at the University Place Hotel in Indianapolis, Ind., is one of many educational activities at the national FFA convention in which FFA members practice the lessons learned in agricultural education classes.

The National FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 523,309 student members – all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture – as part of 7,487 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The National FFA Organization changed to its present name in 1988, in recognition of the growth and diversity of agriculture and agricultural education.

The 84th National FFA Convention was held October 19-22, 2011 in Indianapolis, Ind., and drew 50,000 plus FFA members, advisors and guests from across the country. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education. Visit www.ffa.org for more information and follow us on Facebook, and Twitter and FFA Nation.

Northwood Fire/Rescue Kickoff Fundraiser For LUCAS™2

The Northwood Fire/Rescue Association is kicking off a major fundraising effort to raise $6,500. This money will be used as matching funds through Concord Hospital’s "Get the Beat" community initiative to purchase a LUCAS™ 2 Automatic Chest Compression (CPR) Device for Northwood’s ambulance.

This device provides continuous chest compressions, at the required pressure and interval, for extended periods of time, even while a cardiac arrest victim is carried down stairs on a stretcher. The device does this more consistently and without the fatigue that professional rescuers experience, and allows EMTs to provide other necessary care. Further, ambulance personnel are much safer traveling to the emergency department.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be providing more information on these fundraising efforts, including a limited number of raffle tickets for some great offerings (think baseball!). In addition, anyone wishing to help may do so by sending their tax deductible donation to the Northwood Fire/Rescue Association, 499 1st NH Turnpike, Northwood, NH 03261. Please designate your donation for LUCAS2.

If you have any questions or would like to help in the fundraising effort, please contact Kevin Madison or Dave Wakeman at the Northwood Fire/Rescue, 942-9103.

Thank you in advance for your support.

To watch the LUCAS™ device in action go to http://tinyurl.com/3sdpzqs.

Letter

I was troubled by a recent letter published regarding the role of special needs children in our schools. In this letter, special education was blamed for drawing funds away from gifted children. What is most unfortunate about this letter is it was written by a member of the school board and budget committee. It is disappointing that an elected official does not feel the need to identify themselves when making controversial statements to the public regarding issues that they have been elected to deal with.

Scapegoating special education children for the systemic problems in our schools shows a disappointing grasp of the issues. With enough time and money anyone can do just about anything, but it should not cost just as much to run a school as it does to run the entire town. I feel as though we have lost site of the fact that knowledge is free.

Money allocated to special needs children is not the reason that gifted children are not pushed by teachers who have no incentive to engage these children, it is not the reason that trouble makers receive more attention than those who behave well, it is not the reason that those who excel cannot be proud of their achievements for fear of offending those who don’t.

We cannot lose sight that those with special needs are part of our society. The joy a special needs child receives through what we would see as minor accomplishments may indeed cost a lot, but so does not pushing for these accomplishments and ending up with wards of the state.

In conclusion, I have committed to memory the name of the author of the article to which I am responding in order to avoid his name when voting for school board members.

Richard Clark

Else Cilley Chapter NSDAR News

The Else Cilley Chapter, NSDAR recently met at the home of member Nancy Gervino in East Hampstead. Mrs. Gervino gave an informative and tasty talk on the history of wine in the United States. Members sampled wines served during the signing of the Declaration of Independence and other historical events. The business meeting followed and included the reading of the President General’s message and her blog about her recent visit to New Hampshire. The secretary, treasurer and officer reports were given. Regent Jan Gilman shared interesting facts on the Constitution, conservation, the American flag and the War of 1812.

The Else Cilley Chapter is an organization of women who can trace their heritage to a patriot who helped the cause during the American Revolution. We meet monthly from April through November with a historic, educational and patriotic focus. The chapter’s historic preservation project includes fundraising to repair tree and squirrel damage to the Nottingham Square Schoolhouse. Our current educational project is to encourage the participation of local schoolchildren in grades 5-8 to participate in the DAR American History essay contest. One of our patriotic goals includes giving phone cards to service men and women in overseas hospitals.

Women over the age of 18 interested in becoming a member may contact Regent Jan Gilman, at [email protected].

Last Chance For Holiday Shopping At The Northwood Farmers Market

The Northwood Farmers Market will wind up its 2011 Indoor Market season on Saturday, November 19, 2011, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, at the Masonic Hall on Route 4 in Northwood. Come shop for holiday decorations, gifts of soaps, pottery, maple syrup and jam, as well as your Thanksgiving vegetables and other local offerings. Shopping local is fun, and supporting the local economy benefits us all.

Just because we are taking a break doesn’t mean that you can’t find a farmers market this winter. Check out Seacoast Eat Local’s listings http://seacoasteatlocal.org/find-local-food/our-winter-farmers-market/ or the State of New Hampshire Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food http://www.nh.gov/agric/.

See you in the spring!

Congratulations to Bill Lounsbury on his induction into the Norwich University Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the university’s 1961 ski team. The ski team, coached by Robert Axtell, was part of a strong two year run in which the Cadets maintained NCAA Division I status and defeated such powerhouse programs as Middlebury, Dartmouth, Williams, the University of Vermont and several western colleges. Bill and his wife Judy reside at Drake’s Hill Farm on Rt. 202A in Northwood. Bill is still an avid skier today and has used his skiing talent to raise money for charitable causes over the years.

Letter To The Editor

Because of an ignorant and incorrect statement made Monday night, I would like to say that I am the proud father of 3 adopted children that required some special help in school. They work, and pay taxes as almost all special needs students do.

So what is Special Education? It starts much sooner, but I want to start with the IEP. An Individual Education Plan is a plan put together at a wonderful meeting between parents, special educators and teachers to determine the course of education for a special needs students. That course could be from a few extra hours of a specialist to an out of district residential placement costing hundreds of thousands a year.

While I am no expert, I have been to many IEP meetings. They are "subjective". One school district, either subconsciously or by design, could write IEPs so that more kids were bused out of district than necessary while another district with better management and foresight could have begun an in-house program designed to give those students the help they need while keeping them in town.

We are way behind. That very lack of foresight has literally taken up to $600 thousand from regular education students and resulted in an additional $528 thousand overspend in Special Education last year. It is wrong.

I didn’t just say to shoot all special needs students. I said poor management and lack of foresight has resulted in an imbalance that has hurt regular education students. Where we go from here, and how, is my issue.

Tim Jandebeur

Father/taxpayer

Letter To The Editor

According to their outlined goals, it is the role of a Northwood School Board member to "foster a sense of belonging through effective communication with students, staff, parents and town residents." Mr. Jandebeur, I would give you an "F" on this assignment. As the concerned mother of a special needs student, I take personal offense to your illegitimate accusations and reactionary rhetoric. There is already a very serious alienation of special needs children and their parents in this community, which you as a School Board member should be trying to narrow not broaden.

You fail to mention in your editorials that your own adopted children and wife have greatly benefited from the special education program at Northwood School. You also fail to mention that the 3 million dollar special education budget is largely supplemented by mandated federal and state funds. You continue to sway the truth by throwing out numbers like $528,000 over budget, when a large majority of that over budgeting was due to a handful of out of district placements within the high school system, some of which can cost up to $200,000 per year. Those are the children you refer to in your first article that will "never ever have a job."

It has been one of the greatest challenges of my life to navigate the system of special education within the public school system. I am painfully aware of the cost it takes to educate one special needs child within this system. I am also forever grateful to live in a country where these services are available to us if needed. I grew up getting straight As, was in the gifted program and graduated college with honors. I didn’t expect this and anyone with a child needs to understand that this too, could have happened to you.

Andrea Tomlinson

Proud mother and taxpayer