Students honor veterans across district: Seacoast education news
Rochester students honor veterans at schools across the district
ROCHESTER — Superintendent Kyle Repucci is pleased to share that schools throughout the Rochester School District honored veterans during ceremonies held last week and early this week.
At Rochester Middle School, several dozen veterans attended a concert and recognition ceremony organized by students and teachers Kayla Wark and Megann Woodman that included a band and choral concert featuring patriotic songs on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Band Director Eric Diamond and Chorus Director Maria Isaak led the middle school band and chorus in several numbers, while the Rochester Middle School Video Club provided a video of a tour they took of the U.S. Coast Guard's nearby station.
Senior Airman Temika Lyman, a graduate with the Spaulding High School Class of 2019, spoke to students about the ways in which joining the Air Force changed her life for the better and gave her focus.
Members of the Spaulding High School Junior Air Force ROTC program — Brady St. Lawrence, Ronald Boisvert, Noah Pinkham, and Athony Queene — posted the colors. Students Molly Pedersen and AJ Joseph served as student emcees, and student Parker Leonard played "Taps." The Rochester Middle School chorus performed "The Star Spangled Banner" under the direction of Student Conductor Natalie Smith.
Following the ceremony, veterans and their families were invited into the school's cafeteria to meet students and enjoy baked goods and coffee donated by Potter's Bakery and Dunkin Donuts.
Also on Thursday, Nov. 10, students at the Gonic School welcomed five veterans from various branches of the military to the school. Veterans Steven Wyrch, Steven Copp, Rick Cooper, Cassandra Cilley, and Tim Anglin joined students throughout the day, leading the Pledge of Allegiance in the morning, and then visiting classrooms throughout the day to share with students what it means to be a veteran and why Veterans Day is celebrated as a national holiday.
Chamberlain Street School hosted a Veteran's Day breakfast Tuesday and invited veterans with ties to the Chamberlain School community and families as well as the Rochester Police and Rochester Fire Departments. Breakfast for Veterans was purchased from Fallen Leaf Bistro by Dillon Guyre, Owner and Operator of Guyer Travel.
Following breakfast, all students joined the veterans for a flag ceremony including a special performance of the Star Spangled Banner sung by Spaulding High School Junior and Chamberlain Student Intern, Emily Buinicky. Former School Street School students (current Chamberlain fifth graders) also led the school in the pledge of allegiance in sign language.
"On behalf of everyone in the Rochester School District, I would like to say thank you to all of our veterans for their service and sacrifice," said Superintendent Repucci. "I am pleased our students could honor our local veterans while also learning about the importance of service to our country, the importance of recognizing veterans, and the importance of believing in something larger than ourselves."
SEED awarded New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant
DOVER — The Seacoast Educational Endowment for Dover (“SEED”), a nonprofit organization dedicated to lifting academic excellence in Dover, New Hampshire public schools, announced it has been awarded a New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Grant. The grant, valued at $3,409, will help underwrite future grant cycles and provide teacher-classroom support.
A registered non-profit, SEED has provided financial support to Dover public schools for 10-plus years. Twice annually, SEED invites educators to present learning proposals outlining the 21st-century learning projects they would like to initiate. The SEED Board of Directors reviews applications and selects projects to fund through grant awards.
SEED supports three focus areas: instructional projects, innovation (tools, techniques, technology), and educator development. SEED measures each proposal based on the number of students served, the alignment to SEED's mission and goals as well as district and state standards, overall project sustainability, and measurable outcomes.
To date, more than $275,000 has been donated to educators to purchase tools, technology, and curriculum to promote academic excellence. To learn more about SEED, please visit http://www.DoverSEED.org.
Coe-Brown Northwood Academy students receive recognition
NORTHWOOD — Headmaster David S. Smith of Coe-Brown Northwood Academy announced today that Nikhil Chavda and John Zhang have been named as Semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program, while Megan Adams has been named a Commended Student for her exceptional academic promise. In addition, six CBNA students have been awarded the National Rural and Small Town Award through the College Board National Recognition Programs, including Megan Adams, Ella Brooks, Drew Clinch, Brady Kouchoukos, Emma Larson, John Zhang. Letters of recognition have been presented to these scholastically talented seniors.
Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation recently announced the names of over 16,000 Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, including those of Chavda and Zhang. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,250 National Merit Scholarships worth nearly $28 million that will be offered in the spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About 95% of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Adams is one of 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation who are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2023 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2023 competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
The National Rural and Small Town Award is one of four in the National Recognition Program, which includes three others that recognize students of Hispanic, African American, or Indigenous heritage. Adams, Brooks, Clinch, Kouchoukos, Larson and Zhang were all recognized through the National Rural and Small Town award for being academically competitive underrepresented students. Students who may be eligible for this recognition have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and have excelled on the PSAT/NMSQT, or earned a score of three or higher on two or more AP Exams; and attend school in a rural area or small town.
GBCC fills training need for EM Specialists as value of emergency planning emerges
PORTSMOUTH - Great Bay Community College is preparing the next generation of first responders and emergency-management specialists with the introduction of a new two-year Associate of Science degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
New this fall, the degree program expands on Great Bay’s existing certificate in Homeland Security by adding emergency management components. It focuses on the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Both programs are geared toward individuals interested in responding to and preparing for disasters.
Great Bay is the first community college in New Hampshire to offer a two-year degree in the field. It will provide emergency-management professionals with the skills and expertise necessary to plan for and respond to natural and man-made disasters and emergencies. The new degree comes at a time when the market for homeland security and emergency-management jobs is growing in both public and private sectors.
“This is a critical career field for our nation. The homeland security and emergency management disciplines put professionals in the field who focus on preventing emergencies and minimizing their effects, preparing to handle emergencies, responding to emergencies when they occur, and recovering after the fact,” said Eric Kulberg, department chair and professor of Criminal Justice. “These professionals are saving lives and reducing the impact on our economy.”
With topics that include homeland security, emergency management, terrorism, crisis planning, and national incident management systems, the program will prepare students for hands-on careers across a range of fields, including as emergency-management directors, safety coordinators, and disaster-recovery managers. In addition to emergency management, career options include law enforcement, military service, corporate security, and risk management.
The certificate requires 16 to 18 credits, while the degree is 61 to 65 credits. Good candidates are people new to the field, including recent high school graduates or those looking for a career change, as well as people who currently work in emergency response. Faculty members with extensive experience in the homeland security field teach the curriculum.
For a schedule of courses offered this spring visit: https://www.greatbay.edu/academics/schedule/. For more information on the Homeland Security and Emergency Management, visit: https://www.greatbay.edu/program/homeland-security-emergency-management/ .
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Students honor veterans across district: Seacoast education news
