Scholarship recipients, study of Cochecho River: Education news

Portsmouth Women's City Club announces scholarship winners

PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Women’s City Club announced the two winners of its scholarships ($1,500) to Portsmouth High School and Lister Academy graduating seniors.

Aizha Castellano will attend the University of Pittsburgh with the goal of becoming a high school English teacher. Through her Careers in Education program, she served as an English classroom intern at PHS this year and in the Little Clipper Preschool last year. A Leader Board Member of PHS’s Interact Club, she also volunteers at Gather and the NHSPCA. Castellano ranked first in the NH Educators Rising K-3 Children’s Book Competition for her book “Where Is Our Family?” inspired by her experience as a daughter of an Indonesian mother and white American father. She will attend the National Educators Rising Conference in Orlando, Florida, this summer to compete and present a workshop on cultural literacy with two other classmates.

Carley Trudel will attend Worchester Polytechnic Institute as a computer science major.  She was one of nine high school students chosen by UNH for its Interoperability Lab.  Here she created Python-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) software tool that will be used by the lab in its real-world testing of computer memory.  She is also a dance captain for a pre-professional group called Speaking in Taps; the digital media director for Seacoast Students 4 Sustainability; and a PHS Environmental Change Organization member. Trudel is an executive board member of the PHS National Honor Society.

American Legion Post 47 announce scholarship winners

ROLLINSFORD — The American Legion Post 47 Rollinsford NH, Scholarship Committee is pleased to announce winners of the following scholarships for 2023.

$2,500 “Joseph R. Robinson Scholarship”

Lauryn Cruz, Marshwood High School

$2,500 “Post 47 Memorial Scholarship”

Madison L. Labreck, Marshwood High School

$2,500 “Honore D. Ouellette Scholarship"

Jonah L. Nobel, Marshwood High School

$2,500 “Joseph Caouette Scholarship”

Taylor L. Labreck, Marshwood High School

$2,500 “Sons of the American Legion Scholarship"

Jadyn Eastman, Marshwood High School

The officers and members of the American Legion Post #47 commend all the teachers and administrators for preparing our young ladies and men for the future.

Rochester's School Street School hosts spaghetti dinner for families

ROCHESTER — School Street School recently held a spaghetti dinner for families in the school community.

SSS staff members volunteered approximately 40 hours of their time to help put together the spaghetti dinner, which was held on Wednesday, May 17. The event was designed to foster a sense of community at the school and to celebrate being together again after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school cafeteria was transformed into an Italian bistro for the evening, including the meal, music, and overall atmosphere. Approximately 110 people attended. Second grade students ran a lemonade stand that raised over $100. The students wrote persuasive letters to Principal Boutin to earn her support for having the stand at the event, and the money will be used to fund a field trip.

"This event was a great opportunity for our school community to gather together and have a night of fun," said Principal Boutin. "Our staff worked very hard to set up the cafeteria and make the delicious meal. Some families even requested that we open up for business! Thank you to everyone who helped to put this together and to those that attended, it was a great night."

Maple Street Magnet School students study Cochecho River

ROCHESTER — Maple Street Magnet School fourth- and fifth-graders spent a year studying the life and health of the Cochecho River as a hands on way to apply the lessons that they learn in class.

Under the guidance of teachers Ginny Farkas, Danielle Devoid and art teacher Sue Abbiati, students worked with University of New Hampshire professors, volunteers from the UNH Cooperative Extension and the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program to study macroinvertebrates that live in the river. Students also looked at the river's velocity and chemistry, and how they affect the organisms that live in the river.

Students collected samples from the river in the fall, late winter and spring, so that they could compare the life in the river during different seasons. They then documented their findings using charts and graphs, applying both art and math skills to the project.

"This project made students take the skills that they have learned in class and apply them to a real life situation," said Principal Erin Mahoney. "This aligns with our school’s mission to foster a culture in which students, teachers, parents and community work in partnership to challenge and empower a generation that will persevere, innovate, collaborate and lead for the betterment of our community."

As a final project, students also created a mural for the GLOBE Project which will be projected ontent that travels to schools throughout New Hampshire.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Scholarship recipients, study of Cochecho River: Education news