MUM SALE
FUNDRAISER
The Suncook Valley Sno-Riders snowmobile
club is holding it’s annual Fall Mum Sale Fundraiser!
When: Saturday Sept 17 & Sunday Sept 18
(9am - 3pm)
Where: EXIT Reward Realty’s field (Corner of Rte 28 & River Rd) in
Pittsfield.
For more information see the club’s Facebook page:
www.facebook.com/groups/snoriders/
Northwood Church To Host Concert
September 16
The Northwood Advent Christian Church will host a one of a kind
concert with baritone Steven A. Small, tenor Andrew J. Plummer,
soprano Abigail Small, baritone and trumpeter Donald W. Plummer,
violinist Kimberly Plummer and pianist/organist Kristjon
Imperio. This rare opportunity to hear these incredibly talented
musicians will be held Friday night September 16 at 7:00pm at
the church, 113 School St in Northwood. Admission is free.
Most of these musicians are related
but have never before performed together. Steven Small has been
critically hailed as one of New Englands outstanding soloists.
He enjoys a distinguished reputation in oratorio, opera and
recital in New England and beyond. A lyric baritone, Small has
been acclaimed for the beauty, elegance and flexibility of his
voice.
Andrew Plummer is a graduate of Coe
Brown Northwood Academy where he was a soloist with the choir
and in several drama productions. He has sung with the
Manchester Chorale where he also has been a soloist, and with
the NH Master Chorale both under the direction of Dr. Dan
Perkins of Plymouth State University. He is the son of Donald
Plummer.
Abigail Small is a coloratura soprano
and has sung with chamber choirs and as a soloist. She received
her BS from Marist College where she minored in vocal
performance. She is the daughter of Steven Small.
Kim Plummer started her violin studies at the age of 3 and
studied with Ronald Lantz of the Portland String Quartet for
many years. She performed with the Nh Philharmonic for several
years before taking a hiatus to raise her 3 children. She is
married to Andrew Plummer Kristjon Imperio performs extensively
as a pianist, organist, and conductor throughout New England.
A highly sought after coach and instructor, Imperio has served
as chamber ensemble clinician with the QX Summer Chamber Music
Institute in Lancaster MA (2006 & 2007), piano clinician with
the Northern New England Music Clinic in Freeport ME
(2005-2014), choral clinician with the Atlantic Union Conference
of Seventh-day Adventists Music Clinic in Hartford CT (2011 &
2014), and festival chorus director with Thayer Performing Arts
Center in Lancaster MA (2015).
Donald Plummer has performed in 36
states and Canada as a vocalist and trumpeter. He currently
performs with the Strafford Wind Symphony as principle trumpet
and a featured vocal soloist. He recently performed at the Alton
Bay Christian Conference Center to a standing ovation.
All of these musicians while talented
in their own right have never before performed together. And all
are related except Kristjon they are very excited to share
together in this performance. The concert will feature each
soloing and a few duets and ensemble pieces. Also featured will
be the rare Johnson pipe organ that Kristjon will play.
Letter To
The Editor
To the Editor,
Facts need to be shared for a broader understanding of Northwood
School’s assessment statistics. NECAP existed from
2005-2014. In 2005, 71% of Northwood students were
proficient in ELA and 62% in math. As years passed,
proficiency in ELA climbed, twice reaching over 80% (83% in
2011-12 and 82% in 2012-13). Math has climbed, fallen
back, climbed, fallen back again, three times reaching over 70%
proficiency (71% in 2008-09 and 2011-12, and 73% in 2012-13).
Gains, sometimes small ones, were made in EACH of the previous
FOUR principals’ reigns at Northwood School (check the data, I
did). Most, if not all principals would deflect praise
onto the teachers during those years. Now in year 2, we
have Smarter Balanced Assessment and schools can begin assessing
scores year to year. But, did our students go from 73%
proficient to less than 50% proficient in math? On two
completely different assessments, yes.
There’s always work to be done in a school. Developing
curriculum, establishing a 5 year curriculum review cycle,
determining overall program effectiveness and ongoing teacher
training and SUPPORT are some areas. Despite these needs,
MY children haven’t received a “crappy” education and ME
fighting for a second guidance counselor to remain on staff
isn’t the “wrong thing” for MY children.
Students aren’t statistics, rather living, breathing children
who all have different needs. Northwood School strives to
meet all of these needs each day, despite the slap in the face
received each week in The Sun letters to the editor. Hope
they know MOST of us care for all they do for our kids!
Oh, and educators leave our district for many reasons, just like
in other districts - retirement, changing careers, advancing
careers, relocation, and yes, being “run out of town.”
Then again, what would I know about that… Rich Hartford
Northwood
This
Weekend’s LRPA After Dark Feature:
1947’s “The Red
House”
Join Lakes Region Public Access
Television at 10:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday night
(September 16 & 17) for our “LRPA After Dark” presentation of
1947’s psychological film noir “The Red House,” starring Edward
G. Robinson, Judith Anderson, Allene Roberts and Lon
McCallister.
“The Red House” introduces us to Pete Morgan (Robinson), a
disabled farmer who lives on an isolated farm with his sister
Ellen (Anderson) and Meg (Roberts), a teen that they adopted as
an infant when her parents died. Pete is having trouble keeping
up with the farm, so Meg’s classmate Nath Storm (McCallister)
comes as a hired hand to help with the chores. Meg is delighted,
as she has a crush on Nath, even though he has a girlfriend. The
Morgan farm is surrounded by Ox Head Woods. Pete forbids the
teens to enter the woods, and warns them of an abandoned
building there known as The Red House. One night, Nath takes a
shortcut through the woods, where someone knocks him out cold.
As more strange events unfold, Nath and Meg become suspicious of
Pete’s obsession with the woods and the Red House. They begin to
ask questions and explore on their own, which fills Pete with
unspeakable rage – and slowly drives him mad. Meg and Nath
feel that their lives may be in danger; what might have happened
at The Red House to turn Pete into such a jealous, unstable
person?
“The Red House” has all the makings of
a film noir classic: great stars (Robinson and Anderson), along
with fantastic performances from the supporting cast (including
a young Rory Calhoun and a gorgeous Julie London); a cool plot
with psychological surprises; creepy music that sets the film’s
tone, etc. So why hasn’t it become a cinematic classic? Some
reviewers think it’s because the pacing of the plot is a bit
slow, while others feel that it’s because the subject matter
was, for its time, distasteful. “The Red House” was well
received by critics, who thought that Robinson’s performance was
very strong. This truly is a film that is not shown very often,
so grab your popcorn and meet us after dark for this rare
cinematic gem.
Letter To
The Editor
If my child were hit by a car, walking
“a couple hundred feet” on a busy road, near a sharp
intersection, I assure you that my last concern in that moment
would be his/her proficiency in math. Mr. Jandebeur’s
insinuation that parents don’t care about math proficiency is
absurd. How can you compare a child’s safety to a test score?
What I find concerning is that Mr.
Jandebeur will write to this paper stating “Having to walk a
couple hundred feet to a bus stop is far more important than
proficiency in math.” when he announced that he found parents’
concerns regarding bus routes to be “very reasonable” to their
faces. Most readers don’t have time to dig into each of these
issues to the degree parents, teachers, and board members do.
Therefore, I urge you to take letters written by Mr. Jandebeur
with a grain of salt. Please don’t assume parents, educators,
and board members are as narrow-minded as he paints them to be.
Furthermore in regard to math
proficiency – many are rallying to help Northwood’s children
have an opportunity to improve math proficiency, in addition to
literacy, social, and behavioral skills. Students need more TIME
in the classroom to become successful life long learners.
Adequate class time is NOT provided to our kindergarteners. It
shows down the line when they can’t catch up to meet grade level
standards. We’ve provided research, anecdotal experiences, and
are handing the school board a specific tool to improve their
success by advocating for Full Day Kindergarten.
Students NEED adequate time in the
classroom. Students NEED safe transport to and from school. Such
issues are disparate, and in no way relative matters. Readers,
as voters, deserve the truth about tax paying citizens who are
working to better this community.
Shirley Glennon
Northwood
Letter To
The Editor
In regard to Mr. Janderbeur’s letter
on August 31st, which he concludes with “I want you to know!”, I
would like to thank Mr. Janderbeur for a well-reasoned position
with a minimum of hyperbole and rant. Mr. Janderbeur brings
clear data and a balance of both praise and concern regarding
Northwood School to our attention. It is a nice change of pace
to read a letter that has the potential to do more good than
harm. I hope to see many more such well-crafted letters in the
future.
Regards,
M. Tritter
Coe-Brown
Northwood Academy New Staff
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy is pleased
to introduce the newest members of its staff for the 2016-2017
school year.
Aaron Ash joins the CBNA staff as a paraprofessional.
Mr. Ash is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and
this is his first year in education. He is also a graduate of
CBNA.
Jennifer
Enlund joins the CBNA staff as our new Finance and Human
Resources Coordinator. She brings much experience from the
business and corporate world to her new position at CBNA. Ms.
Enlund attended Hesser College, UNLV and New Hampshire College.
Kevin
Evans is CBNA’s new facilities manager and comes to the school
with a wealth of industry experience. He will also serve on the
school’s Safety Committee.
Kristen
Everett joins the CBNA staff with 19 years of teaching
experience and will teach classes in Latin and Spanish. She
attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland OR, and Lesley
University in Cambridge MA.
Danielle
Gosselin also joins the CBNA staff as a member of the visual
arts department. Ms. Gosselin will be teaching classes in basic
art, drawing and painting and ceramics & sculpture. She is a
graduate of Massachusetts College of Art and Design and has a
master’s degree from Maine College of Art.
Tiffany
Hatstat is one of two new members of the CBNA Science
Department. She has a B.S in Chemistry from Worcester State
University and a M.S. from the University of New Hampshire.
Tiffany will be teaching Chemistry and Physical Science this
year.
Peter
Larson is the other new member of the Coe-Brown Science
Department. Dr. Larson comes to CBNA with 16 years of teaching
experience in both university and high school settings. He has a
B.S. in Biology from the University of Richmond and a Ph.D. in
Biological Sciences from Ohio University. He will be teaching
classes in biology, zoology and introductory science.
Andrew
Mason joins the CBNA Staff as a paraprofessional. Mr. Mason is a
graduate of CBNA and attended Carroll University and Southern
New Hampshire University.
Northwood
Historical Society
The Northwood Historical Society is
pleased to announce, Joe Gunter will be presenting a program on
September 20, 2016, 7:00 PM at the Northwood Community Hall.
Before becoming Northwood’s Town Administrator, Joe served in
the Peace Corps in Togo. His program will provide insight
of his experiences and photos of the area. This will be a
great opportunity for all ages to learn, in an informal setting,
about the Peace Corps and information regarding a country and
people you may never knew existed.
The program would be a great resource for anyone interested in
finding out about this type of service. The program is free and
open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
Obituaries
Gene F.
Stearns
Former Casco Bay
College President
Gene F. Stearns, 82, of Northwood died
on August 31,2016, at Concord Hospital after repeated bouts of
pneumonia and complications.
Born to George and Margaret Oakes on July 21, 1934, in
Waterville, Maine. He was raised by Edwin and Margaret
Stearns. In 1953 he was graduated from Clinton (ME) High School
where he participated in basketball and baseball. He
continued his love of those sports throughout his life. Another
love of his was reading. After retirement he read almost a
book a day. He was grateful to Chesley Memorial Library
for their continuous supply of his favorite authors.
After high school graduation he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and
served in an intelligence unit. Following serving his country,
he attended Plymouth State College (now Plymouth State
University) where he met his wife, Roberta Wallace Stearns.
They were married for 55 years. His first
professional position was being teacher-principal at Canterbury
Elementary School. He later became principal of Gilford
Elementary School while earning his master’s degree from the
University of New Hampshire.
In 1970 he earned his doctorate in school administration at Ball
State University in Muncie, Indiana. Before returning East, he
taught at Northern Illinois University and Western Michigan
University. After returning to New England, he was an
administrator at Framingham (MA) State College (now
Framingham State University). and Southern Maine
University. Later he served as superintendent of Schools in New
Sweden, Woodland, and Stockholm, Maine. He spent a year as
principal of Tripp Junior High in Turner, Maine, before
becoming president of Casco Bay College in Portand for 15 years.
Stearns is survived by his wife Roberta , a sister Marie Jenkins
of Concord, sister-in law, Margaret P Wallace of West Roxbury,
Massachusetts and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, he is predeceased by his sister
Gertrude Goodwin Lawlor of Virginia Beach, Virginia; George
Stearns of Canaan, Maine; Virgil Stearns of Fairfield, Maine;
Merritt Oakes of Penacook, New Hampshire; parents-in law,
Frank and Frances Wallace of Northwood.
A Memorial service was held Saturday, September 3, at the
Northwood Advent Christian Church, and was officiated by The
Reverend Donald Plummer.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the
Building Fund at Northwood Advent Christian Church (PO Box
115, Northwood, NH 03261 or the girls’ and boys’ basketball
programs at Coe-Brown Northwood Academy (907 First NH Turnpike,
Northwood, NH 03261).
The Cremation Society of New Hampshire
is assisting the family with arrangements.
Esther
Tasker
Northwood: Esther
Tasker, 94, of Jenness Pond Road, passed away on Tuesday,
September 6, 2016 at her residence with her family by her side.
Esther was born on December 29, 1921
in Saugus, MA; the daughter of Victor Oscar and Esther Viola
(Carlson) Lundstrom.
Esther was a homemaker, a loving Mom, enjoying spending time
with her family. She she loved going to church; a member of the
Advent Christian Church of Northwood, NH. Esther served our
country proudly in the Navy.
She is predeceased by her husband,
Murray Tasker in 1998.
Esther is survived by a son, Dana
Tasker of Portsmouth; Karen Tasker of Northwood and inda Tasker
of W. Newburyport, MA; three grandchildren, Colin Bryant, Austin
Bryant and Derek Peterson.
Donations may be made in Esther’s name
to the Advent Christian Church in Northwood NH.
Services were held on Friday, September 9, 2016 at the Advent
Christian Church, Northwood with Pastor Donald Plummer,
officiating. To sign our online guestbook, please go to
www.purdyfuneralservice.com