PRESCHOOL
OPENINGS!
Are you
thinking about enrolling your child in preschool for next fall? The
Center School in Northwood is accepting registrations for the
2014-2015 school year. The Center School is a parent cooperative
preschool located next to the town hall in Northwood, which provides
a developmental program for three, four, and five year-olds of
Northwood and surrounding towns. There are openings in our two-day
(T/Th) program and three-day (M/W/F) morning programs. Call or
email us soon to get an information packet or to make an appointment
to come for a visit! For information, please email at director
Karen Andersen
[email protected] or call her at the school at
942-7686. Check us out on
Facebook!
Thank
you to all the Northwood residents who participated in the Northwood
School blood drive. Twenty nine units of blood were collected on
Friday, March 14th, at our school. We have been advised that this
is a great number for our first blood drive. We appreciate the
support from the community and look forward to hosting another blood
drive in the near future.
The
Veterans Corner
Submitted By Richard Doucet
“But
Mom I am so bored!”
The
winter is finally over! Everyone wants to be outside and have fun
in the sun. While teachers work hard to maintain student attention
through the last few weeks of school, they also start to plan
“summer study” programs for students. I was a military instructor at
LaSalle (Military) Institute, Troy, New York for five years in the
mid 1970s where I taught Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
(JROTC) programs to high school cadets. I was always amazed at how
much a student could forget during the summer and had to relearn in
the first few weeks of September; summer assignments not
withstanding. I also had four teenaged sons and am well versed on:
“ I am so bored.”
Summer
assignments serve the dual purpose of keeping the study skills sharp
during summer vacation and of providing something to do when there
is no sun to have fun in. Teachers will soon, if they have not
already done so, be preparing their study assignments for summer
2014.
Some
students may not only be contemplating how to complete the
assignments, but also how they will pay for college.
The
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VWF) is willing and proud to step up to
the plate and to offer help on all counts.
The VFW
sponsors two programs that can provide a summer assignment for
students on the subject of American history that not only gives
teachers ideas for assignments but offers the chance for students to
win cash for college.
These
two programs are The Patriot’s Pen for students in grades 6 through
8, and Voices of Freedom for grades 9 through 12. Both programs are
on the List of Contests and Activities for 2013-2014 of the
National Association of Secondary School Principals.
Participants can win cash prizes that start at the local VFW level
and extends through several stages to the national level where as
much as $30,000.00 can be awarded at various functions where the
students’ efforts are publicly recognized.
The
closing date for entries at the school for both programs is Nov 1,
2014. It may seem a long time from the start of school to the
closing date, however, there is a lot that goes on when school
reopens and that closing date can be on you in no time.
So, why
not get a jump on it and start in June? Plenty of time to do
research and to do that most problematic chore of all; re-writing!
Anyone who has ever had to write anything at all is very aware of
two things: 1) That first sentence is a nightmare to come up with
and 2) Re-writing is a never ending effort until the very minute
you submit your piece. The best way to do it is to write it and
leave it, then re-write and leave it, and re-write it etc. When
you have all summer you can leave the piece alone for a week or two
and look at it again with new eyes and maybe better ideas. It is
amazing how something may look just right after the first draft and
look a like a disaster when you revisit it two weeks later. When
you have all summer to do that you will be eons ahead of those who
started in October.
As part
of its core mission the VFW is deeply involved in educating the
younger generations about our history and good citizenship. These
two programs are a part of accomplishing that mission and that is
reflected in the subjects for this year. For the Patriot’s Pen it
is “Why I Appreciate America’s Veterans”, and for the Voice of
Democracy it is “Why Veterans are Important to America’s History and
Future”.
The
VFW, through local posts, is always available to assist teachers in
any school who want to adopt this program. (This also could be a
good reason for a fun family trip to the Wright Museum, that I
talked about in my last article, to do research!)
If a
program is not offered in the school your child attends you can get
information about the program and then take action to get it adopted
in your school.
While
it well may be that more teachers would participate if they knew
about the programs, there are some faculty and administrators, and
here I speak as former teacher and parent and not for the VFW, who
have an agenda that decidedly runs contrary to the mission of the
VFW as well as to the contrary of the desires and values of many
parents. These faculty members and administrators actively block
participation in the VFW programs.
It is
your child and your school system…as well as your chance to earn a
few dollars for that very expensive college…so what you want as a
parent is what should be paramount, not the agenda of people who do
not share your values. You can find all the information you need
about the VFW and these two programs on line, or visit your local
VFW on a meeting night to get the information and then make your
wishes known to your school board through your PTO. If there is no
VFW in your town the Northwood Post will be glad to help you out.
There
are several other benefits to your child participating in these
programs. Even as far back as the 1970’s the term “self-esteem” was
bantered about by some faculty and administrators as very important
to a child’s development, and so it is. What better way to lift
that self-esteem, then, than for that child to win such a contest at
any level? And for those who would say that losing would damage
that child; I say that is not true. It may hurt their feelings but
contrary to damaging them it teaches them they do not always get
what they want. That is just a truism of life, period.
As the
Director of Security for the State Transportation Building in Boston
for over 10 years I made the last decision on the acceptance of new
officers for my force. I was always amazed by those young people
who told me that I had to give them a job, despite their lack of
qualifications, because they wanted one and I owed it to them.
These were people who obviously never had to compete and gain what
they wanted on the basis of competency and merit. Their self-esteem
certainly had never been hardened to succeed in real life. Those
who are taught that if they fall short to get up and start again are
those who have real self-esteem.
So even
if your child does not win…as certainly most will not… they still
have gained skills in perseverance, researching, and communicating
both verbally and in writing. What do they really have to lose?
Nothing. On the other hand by not participating your child loses
valuable experience that can only help them in the real world after
school.
It’s
your child, your school and your choice. An opportunity for your
child is waiting. If not now, when?
Letter
To The Editor
In
Case You Missed It
The
Affordable Health Care Act has been full of surprises. Many of us
discovered that we couldn’t use Concord Hospital, or keep our
insurance or doctor, while our premium costs increased.
Just
when we think we’ve had enough surprises, however, along comes
another one. It seems that if we for some reason missed the
Obamacare deadline, we cannot get any health insurance at all until
next January.
Let me
repeat that. If you don’t have health insurance now, you can’t get
it till 2015.
That
is, you can’t “unless you have some special circumstance during the
year, such as losing your job, getting married, or moving,”
according to National Public Radio. So if you for some reason missed
the deadline, can’t buy insurance, and suddenly find yourself with
catastrophic medical costs in 2014, plan on getting fired, married,
or evicted. That last will probably be easy if you have to sell your
house to pay unexpected medical bills.
Incidentally, it wouldn’t be surprising if you missed the deadline.
A Kaiser Poll “found that just 39 percent of uninsured adults below
Medicare age knew that March 31 was the deadline to sign up.” So up
to 61% of the uninsured may now be denied coverage because of what
they didn’t know.
John
Goodman, of the National Center for Policy Analysis, says, “People
aren’t going to be able to buy individual and family policies, and
that’s part of Obamacare. What makes it so surprising is the whole
point of Obamacare was to encourage people to get insurance, and now
the market has been completely closed down for the next seven
months.”
Apparently that’s what Nancy Pelosi meant when she told us, “We have
to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.”
Michael
Faiella
Northwood
Letter
To the
People of Northwood,
I am in
the Girl Scouts Brownie Troop 11043 and I think people should stop
littering. It is bad for animals. It is bad for the environment too.
It looks bad on the ground. I can pick the trash up and I hope
others do too. Please help me pick up the trash!
Thank
you.
Avery
Letter
Hello
People of Northwood.
I am
from Brownie Troop 11043. The snow is melting we all know and my
family is spotting a lot of trash on the side of the road. I ask
people of Northwood to stop littering please and I am going to put
up some signs that say please do not litter. I will also pick up
some trash and start recycling. This small effort by everyone can
make a big difference. Thank you.
Lily
Letter
Dear
people of Northwood,
I am a
member of the Northwood Brownie Girl Scout troop 11043. I feel
really sad that people keep throwing trash around our town. Can you
stop throwing trash on the ground and remind other people too?
Please
prevent littering because our town looks really dirty. I will never
EVER litter.
Sincerely,
Eva
Chesley
Memorial Library News
Richard
Rubin (author of The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation
and Their Forgotten World War) will present a dynamic program about
World War I at the Masonic Hall in Northwood on Saturday, May 3, at
2:00 p.m. The program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the
Northwood Libraries and Morrison Lodge No. 90. The Friends will
gladly accept a $6.00 donation to cover admission; copies of the
book will be available to purchase.
“Few
big things are as overlooked and underappreciated, in the modern
American landscape, as the First World War,” remarks Richard Rubin,
who over the past decade sought out every last living American
veteran of World War I—and uncovered a neglected great generation
and their war. The unforgettable result is The Last of the
Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and Their Forgotten World War,
now available in paperback from Mariner Books, to coincide with the
100th anniversary of the start of World War I this summer.
Rubin’s
decade-long odyssey led him across the United States and France,
through archives, private collections, and battlefields, literature,
propaganda, and even music. But at the center of it all were the
last of the last, the men and women he met—several dozen, aged 101
to 113, all of whom have now passed away. They were the final
survivors of the millions who made up the American Expeditionary
Forces, nineteenth-century men and women living in the twenty-first
century. Self-reliant, humble, and stoic, they kept their stories to
themselves for a lifetime, then shared them at the last possible
moment, so that they, and the World War they won—the trauma that
created our modern world—might at last be remembered.
While
most histories of World War I take a grand scope, dealing with
politics and the movement of armies, The Last of the Doughboys
brings out individual voices and individual experiences to one of
humanity’s most devastating conflicts. And Rubin’s own voice shines
through, too—a perfect blend of everyman guide, amusing observer,
and deeply impressive journalist. The Last of the Doughboys is more
than simply a war story: it is a moving meditation on character,
grace, aging, and memory.
Northwood School 3rd Quarter Honor Roll
5th
Grade High Honors
Jennifer Bettencourt, Adrianna Bingham, Addison Cox, Porter Heigis,
Liam Jozokos, Emma Pinard, Brenna Roy
5th
Grade Honors
Charlie
Adcock, Kaden Beliveau, Amelia Brackett, Gabrielle Critchett, Tyler
Hartford, Piper Leduke, Shelby Lefoley, Lucas Morrill, Adam
Omundson, Benjamin Peverly, Jacob Phinney, Andrew Quaglia, Angelina
Rene, Darin Sweet
6th
Grade High Honors
Katherine Blake, Benjamin Brieger, Victoria Johnston, Brynna Meeker,
Ethan Meeker, Ryan Nester, Mary Thoms
6th
Grade Honors
Hunter
Adams, Jaden Boulanger, Brianna Burke, Matthew Davis, Makayla
DeButts, Hailie Holland, Ryan Hughes, Scott Ireland, Brianna
Jackson, Sophie Laird, Patrick Murray, Evan Lentz, William Lewis,
Kelsey Pease, Eli Pinard, Jacob Shutt, Morgan Tatem, Samantha Troy,
Paige Valli, Isaac Wells
7th
Grade High Honors
Olivia
Farrar, Emma Tobbe, Megan Wimsatt
7th
Grade Honors
Elijah
Allen, Braelin Ash, Rebecca Bailey, Clayton Canfield, Alivia
DiPrizio, Alyssa Hill, Mary Lee, Lillian Marie, Lucas McCusker,
Jonathan Moehlmann, Carly Ramsey, Jacob Rich, Madison Rollins,
Zachery Sheehan, Jennifer Sherman, Dakota West
8th
Grade High Honors
Emily
Cunningham, Ahna McCusker
8th
Grade Honors
Gwendolyn Bearden, Taylor Bettencourt, Hannah Halka, MaKenna Iller,
Brady Johnson, Nina-Marie Laramee, Kassandra Lavoie, Emily Lentz,
Michaela McAllister, Stephanie Messina, Kayla Pollak, Julia Sommer,
Kiley St. Francis, Nicolas Therriault
Obituaries
James
R. Gerlt
James
Robert Gerlt 62, of Northwood, NH passed away on April 4, 2014 after
a long battle with lung disease.
Born in
Livingston, NJ on July 11, 1951, He was the son of the late Charles
and Mary (Cannon) Gerlt of Livingston, NJ.
Jim is
survived by his wife Patricia (Cummings) Gerlt and loving sons Ryan
and Corey Gerlt all of Northwood. His sister and brother in law
Kathleen Ann and Richard Falcon of Freehold, NJ, niece Tara King of
IA, nephew Robert Falcon of FL, Aunts and Uncles, Mr. And Mrs.
Herbert Cannon of FL, and Mr. And Mrs. R. Gerlt of CT. He also
leaves dear cousins Patricia of NJ, Thomas of NY, and many others.
Growing
up in Livingston, where he was a communicant, and a altar boy at the
St. Philomena RC Church. Jim was a graduate of St. Philomena School
and Livingston High School. Jim loved the Jersey shore, fishing,
swimming and surfing the waves. His adult life was spent in N.H, for
he loved the beauty of the state and the friends he made while
living there. He was an avid golfer, horse shoes player, and a true
Yankees fan. His wit and good humor will be missed by family and
friends alike.
His
family will hold a celebration of James’ life on Saturday, April 26,
at Lake Shore Farm, 275 Jenness Pond Rd. at 2:00 in the afternoon.
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