Congratulations to Alexander Bobowski
of Northwood, who made the Dean’s List at Rochester Institute of
Technology for fall semester 2015-2016. Degree-seeking
undergraduate students are eligible for Dean’s List if their
term GPA is greater than or equal to 3.400; they do not have any
grades of “Incomplete”, “D” or “F”; and they have registered
for, and completed, at least 12 credit hours.
Alexander Bobowski is studying in the
computer science program.
MCPHS University is pleased to
announce Leah Foley of Northwood has been named to the Dean’s
List for the Fall 2015 semester.
Leah is pursuing a Bachelor of Science
in Nursing. Leah will graduate in 2015 from the Manchester, New
Hampshire campus.
The Dean’s List recognizes those students with a full-time
course load who have achieved outstanding scholarship with
a 3.5 GPA or higher for the academic term.
Congratulations to Marianna Barnhart
of Northwood, who has been named to the Emmanuel College Dean’s
List for the Fall 2015 semester. To earn a spot on the Dean’s
List, Emmanuel students must achieve a grade point average of
3.5 or higher for a 16-credit semester.
Northwood School Honor Roll
Semester I 2016
High Honors Hunter Adams, Megan Adams, Jennifer Bettencourt,
Katherine Blake, Jaden Boulanger, Amelia Brackett, Benjamin
Brieger, Megan Brieger, Maximus Compton, Addison Cox, Gabrielle
Critchett, Porter Heigis, Evan Lentz, Skye Lota, Alexander
Pease, Emma Pinard, Brenna Roy, Eva Roy, Anne Thoms, Mary Thoms
Honors Caleb Adams, Adrianna Bingham, Rylee Bouchard, Nicholas
Bowers, Burke Bulger, Brianna Burke, Rylye Coe, Stone
Compton, Aidan Cox, Nathaniel Curtis, Matthew Davis, Anthony
DeBello, Makayla De Butts, Henry Devaney, Tyler Grogan, Victoria
Johnston, Sophie Laird, Piper Leduke, Michael MacEachern, Allie
McGuigan, Dakota McPhee, Brynna Meeker, Ethan Meeker, Giovanni
Minasalli, William Moehlmann, Lucas Morrill, Kylee Murray,
Kelsey Pease, Ean Pinard, Emma Pollak, Andrew Quaglia, Angelina
Rene, Natalie Sinnamon, Mark Sommer, Darin Sweet, Luke Tkaczyk,
Eliana Walk, Elizabeth White.
The Northwood School girls’ basketball team recently won
the Southeast League championship with a 13-1 record. They ended
the regular season with an 11-1 record, and they headed to
Barrington Middle School for the playoffs. They beat Three
Rivers School-Pembroke in the semis-finals on Feb. 17 and Epsom
Central School in the championship game on Feb.18. (front row,
left to right): Makayla DeButts, Addison Cox, Megan Brieger, and
Mary Thoms. (back row, left to right) : Samantha Troy, Brynna
Meeker, Hailie Holland, Gabrielle Critchett, Amelia Brackett,
Jennifer Bettencourt, Angel Rene, and Coach Don Dodge.
Local
Government Decisions-Get Out And Vote!
Northwood voters will be asked to decide the 2016 town and
school budgets, numerous warrant articles and who will
fill the various open positions including one selectman and two
school board members. The ballot vote will take place on
Tuesday, March 8 from 7 am to 7 pm at St. Joseph’s Church Parish
Hall, next to the town hall on Rt. 4. On the town ballot will be
requests for funding of the 2016 budget, expendable trust funds
and capital reserve funds, and vehicle lease payments. New
items on this year’s ballot include the request to fund
reconstruction of the Mary Waldron Beach and boat ramp, the
purchase of an electronic sign, the addition of a full time
officer to the police department, and the creation and first
year funding for a Red Listed Bridge fund. Important items
for voter consideration that do not request funding include the
adoption of RSA 162-K to allow the town to create development
and revitalization districts; and a petition article that asks
for the removal of the police commission. The complete
town warrant is available for viewing on the town website:
www.northwoodnh.org under 2016 Documents, the first item
listed on the main menu.
The school district warrant articles
appearing on the ballot include the recommended 2016-2017 school
district budget, two collective bargaining agreements-Northwood
Teachers Association and Northwood Support Personnel
Association, hiring a full time curriculum director, and funding
of payments to five capital reserve funds. There are two
petition warrant articles: to raise funds and establish an
all-day Kindergarten program, and to adopt RSA 40:14-b to
delegate the default budget to the budget committee.
Letter
Please consider the following prior to casting your vote on
Warrant Article #3 for the Northwood School District on March
8th. The Northwood Educational Support Personnel
Association (NESPA) thanks you.
What If?
Let’s suppose just for a moment—what
if there weren’t any Educational Support Personnel—ESPs—at
Northwood School?
What would become of Northwood School
and where would education be?
If not for the dedication of each
Educational Support Professional, how would Northwood School
ever survive or even function at all?
There are many ESPs—cafeteria workers,
custodians, paraeducators, secretaries, a library aid, and a
CNA—who give so much, each in a different capacity.
For to each ESP, education is far more
than just another job or utility.
Education is each child’s future, the
hope of our nation.
For that future, each day, the ESPs at
Northwood School give their work, love, and dedication.
--Written by Dave Arnold
--Adapted by Linda Royer
Letter To The Editor
Vote NO (Again) on Full-day
Kindergarten
In the past I wrote that “the only reason I could
support implementing a full-day kindergarten program would be if
our school board was able (and willing) to get their financial
house in order.” Unfortunately, they have gone astray again in
adopting fiscal “best practices.”
Many of the cost-effective measures
recommended to the SAU in a 60-page independent special
education performance audit report issued on December 6, 2013
have yet to be implemented in Northwood. Once many of them are
fully adopted, financial savings will accrue.
During the interim the school board
should consider having an independent performance audit done on
their $7,370,419 K-8 proposed regular education operating budget
for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Spending an average of $18,500
per K-8 student (for 400 students) is not cost-effective given
the current less than stellar overall academic results.
They should also review the current
half-day afternoon kindergarten program. A parent recently wrote
that her child doesn’t start their classroom activities until
noontime and are released at about 2:30. This is not considered
“best value” for a half-day program.
Again this year the request to
increase the kindergarten program to all-day did not come from
our school board. Rather it came from the same individual via a
petitioned warrant article as in prior year(s). The other towns
in our SAU (Nottingham and Strafford) have half-day programs
with no intentions of going to all-day.
In August of this year, the final bond
payment of $296,960 will be made for the last building addition
(classrooms and gym). These savings should result in a lower
operating budget for the next fiscal year (2017-2018).
If voters approve the school “default”
budget at the polls on March 8th, taxpayers will save $156,122.
Other warrant articles deemed not necessary total $289,390.
Please vote NO on Full-day
kindergarten.
Jim Hadley
Northwood
Letter To The Editor
School and Town Spending
This year Northwood voters will be making some important
decisions. These decisions will affect how fast and how
high our taxes will rise.
As it is, Northwood schools take up
nearly 80% of the town’s budget. What remains covers roads,
bridges, the police department, the fire department, medical
services, the transfer station, the library, town buildings,
town employees, care of the environment, cemeteries, town
equipment, and more.
On the upcoming ballot, a yes vote on all school articles could
add more than half a million dollars to the school budget. That
would bring the average cost of schooling a Northwood
student to more than $20,000 a year. It would also add hundreds
of dollars a year to the average tax bill.
Voting no on all school articles would
still leave the schools with $11.7 million for the year, plus
what is available from the various trust funds, plus any surplus
funds from last year’s taxes.
Should almost 4 out of every 5 tax
dollars be going to schooling, with $1 left for everything else?
Decision day is March 8th.
Michael Faiella
Northwood
Letter
Citizens of Northwood, Deerfield and
Epsom— Milfoil infestation has a real impact on property values
for ALL taxpayers:
Milfoil infestation erodes the property value of lakefront
properties. This in turn reduces the overall tax base
within the towns and will inevitably result in an increased tax
burden for ALL residents, mostly those not living directly on
the waterfront.
The Northwood Lake Watershed Association (NLWA), is working to
protect Northwood Lake from the unchecked spread of invasive
variable milfoil. In support of this effort, the Boards of
Selectmen in Northwood, Deerfield and Epsom have warrant
articles that will be presented to their citizens on Tuesday,
March 8. The economic impact of losing the lake to milfoil
would be devastating and will be shared by property owners
throughout the three towns:
• Reduction in property values... will affect all property
owners, even those who do not live directly on the water.
Waterfront properties pay significantly higher taxes and a
reduction in these property values will impact the tax base in
all three towns. A UNH analysis indicates that
infestations of milfoil may reduce lakefront property values by
as much as 20-40%.
• Lost tourism dollars... Our lakes bring in visitors who pay
millions of dollars to make use of our waters. If the quality of
the water lessens, fewer people will visit. 61% of
anglers, boaters and swimmers say they would decrease their
intended visits if water quality grew poorer.
• Reduced number of local boaters, fishermen and swimmers able
to use Northwood Lake. You and your neighbors will have to
travel to other, non-infested waterbodies... costing time,
travel and money.
Remember, it takes a village... or in this case three!
Support your town’s Milfoil Control warrant article to help the
NLWA control this clear and present danger to our lake and its
watershed.
Kevin Ash
President, Northwood Lake Watershed
Association
Letter
Joseph McCaffrey for Planning Board
I think Northwood deserves to
prosper, how about you? I think younger residents, graduates of
our high school and beyond need reasons to stay in Northwood.
How about you?
As many of you know, we have an aging
community with average age soon to be over 55. Though our
community has many attractive natural resources, it’s important
that we, in looking ahead, encourage ways to keep the community
vital and able to sustain itself taking care of our basic needs
and maintaining our infrastructure.
The Planning Board, which most people
have little reason to pay attention to, has a role to play in
whether Northwood can maintain its vitality. I believe that a
fair and equal treatment of all applicants should be accompanied
by user-friendliness. As a past member of the Planning Board, I
have maintained a positive outlook for the future of Northwood
and believe it is essential to encourage small and medium-sized
businesses, especially to locate in our community. The benefits
of new businesses are many:
• Employment particularly for young adults and future residents
• An even more interesting place to live where more
services and products will be available
• A broadening of
the tax base helping with the burden on homeowners stabilizing
or even lowering taxes! (be still my heart...) There are
now members of the planning board who don’t share my concern and
positive outlook for Northwood. So, I’m asking for your vote to
help steer them in the right direction.
For A Prosperous Northwood Vote Joseph
McCaffrey Planning Board.
Thank you.
Joseph McCaffrey
Letter To The Editor
Dave Ruth, Northwood School Board
I have served on the Northwood School
Board for the past 8 years. I have always worked to weigh the
pros and cons of all issues and to be an objective voice on the
board.
My goals, if I am re-elected, are to
continue to improve budget transparency at both the elementary
and high school levels and to continue to support programs that
are working and change or eliminate programs that are not
working.
I have lived in Northwood for 25 years and have served the town
in many capacities including as former President of
Northwood Youth Baseball & Softball, former Chair of the
Northwood Recreation Committee, founder of the Northwood Girls
Softball & Basketball programs, and founder of the Northwood
children’s swimming program.
If re-elected, I will work with school
board members to do a better job of prioritizing our goals. I
will continue to bring objectivity, continuity, and fiscal
responsibility to the Northwood School Board as we work to
improve education. Thank you for your consideration.
Letter To The Editor
Please Support Warrant Article 11 Funding Full-Day Kindergarten
Parents in Northwood ask that you support us and our families by
voting yes on warrant article 11 March 8th, funding
full-day kindergarten in Northwood. We thank everyone who has
been supportive of this cause, especially Tom Chase and Linda
Royer, who have gone above and beyond in their efforts for the
children and families of Northwood.
Thank you,
The Hanavan Family
The Glennon Family
Letter To The Editor
Help,
I hope you’ll vote on March 8th.
Understand one time buys vs. items that will always be there
once they get in.
Please vote yes on #7. A new HVAC
system will be more efficient and improve safety for our staff.
Vote yes on #8. we accomplished a lot
last year on our roads and would like to continue improving
Northwoods infrastructure.
#13 is very important to our tax base.
If Northwood Lake is overtaken by milfoil, we will all pay in
higher taxes.
#29 is a one time purchase that will
help us communicate with you.
We have a severe problem with a
red-listed bridge. It is a 77 year old bridge that had a 50 year
life expectancy. Please vote yes on #22.
Article #27 is very important. It is
not an anti-police article. For good reasons there are almost no
police commissions left in NH, none in our county. Ours is a
rogue group that allow a myriad of town pol icies to be ignored.
Our town vehicle policy means nothing to them resulting in most
of our police vehicles to go home overnight. One is used as a
personal vehicle, seen from one end of NH to the other... No
records are kept. But the worst is that they don’t take care of
their own. While other departments like the fire department or
library are constantly protecting their staff and clientele, not
so the police commission. There are many dangerous safety issues
at the police station. Not one was addressed in the budget by
the commission.
#25 for another police officer is
ridiculous. The last thing we need is another officer.
Please vote for Bree Gunter, school
Board. She will be fiscally responsible and thoughtful. A change
is needed.
Tim Jandebeur
Northwood
Letter To The Editor
I’m running for the Northwood Planning
Board, and first would like to say I’m sorry I wasn’t at the
recent Candidates Night. For a number of reasons (including an
unopened invitation because the event sponsors weren’t
identified on the envelope), I was unaware of the date of the
event. I feel badly that to the residents who took the time to
be there, it looked like I didn’t think it was important enough
to show up.
I’ve served as an alternate on the
Planning Board for several years, and have lived in Northwood
for over 30 years. I believe Northwood is at an important and
exciting crossroads, geographically and otherwise.
If elected, I’ll continue working with
others to update our Master Plan and our land use regulations in
a way that is welcoming to a variety of small businesses that
can provide needed services and other benefits, without
sacrificing, in any way, our wonderful natural and historic
resources. I also hope to continue working to get some better
transportation planning for Route 4, so customers can access
businesses there more easily and safely, and all of us -
residents, visitors, commuters, can drive more safely on that
road.
I’m excited about a new Master Plan
survey that will come out soon to get more input from residents
on what they would like to see in Northwood’s future.
Victoria Parmele
Northwood
