EXETER —Terms of office for some current school board members expire in March 2013. Now is the time for interested citizens to consider serving in these capacities. Board Members whose terms expire include Linda Garey in Brentwood; Robert Nigrello in East Kingston; Patrick O’Day and Jean Tucker in Exeter; Alice Mower in Kensington; Michael Price in Newfields; Eric von der Linden in Stratham; and Kate Miller (Exeter), Liz Faria (Brentwood), and Joni Reynolds (Kensington) for the Coop. In addition, the seat on the Stratham School Board currently held by Everett Lamm will also be open for a one-year term. Dr. Lamm recently replaced Mark Sykas who resigned from the Stratham School Board and the one remaining year of that term is also open. Of the thirty-three total School Board seats in SAU 16, these eleven positions will be available for (re)election. Now is the time for interested individuals to gather information about the duties and responsibilities associated with serving as a School Board Member.
Filing Period - Any resident over 18 years old may be a candidate for any school district office, including school board member, school district clerk, school district treasurer or school district moderator. Terms of office vary depending on the position. Those interested in having their names on the ballot in March 2013 must declare their candidacy in writing to the current school district clerk for their respective district between January 23 and February 1, 2013. The front page of the SAU 16 Website (www.sau16.org) has a listing of where the declarations can be made for each school district.
Coop Budget Advisory Seats - Terms of office for some current members of the Budget Advisory Committee of the Exeter Region Cooperative School District expire in March 2013. Now is the time for interested citizens to consider serving in these capacities. The following seats are available in March 2013: Three-year terms for any registered voter in Exeter, Newfields, and Stratham; One-year term for any registered voter in Kensington. Those interested in having their names on the ballot in March 2013 must declare their candidacy in writing to the current school district clerk between January 23 and February 1, 2013. This may be done at the SAU 16 office at 30 Linden Street in Exeter.
Student Nominations - Two Exeter High School (EHS) seniors have received nominations to US Military Academies. Ariel Fleisher of Kensington and Ian Smith of Stratham received nominations from two US Senators and one US Representative. Ariel has applied to the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD and Ian has applied to the US Military Academy at West Point, NY. Formal decisions on their applications will be made later this school year.
Stratham Memorial School (SMS) and Kensington Elementary School (KES) were among statewide schools that actively participated in the National Geographic “Geography Bee.” This always proves to be an exciting time in the schools because students in all grades prepare for the completion that usually involves each class/grade having a winner and then a “playoff” is held in front of a large audience to select a school champion. The winner of the “Geography Bee” in Stratham was fifth grader Charlie Venci. The winner of the “Geography Bee” in Kensington was fifth grader Connor MacLaughlin.
For its Artist-in-Residence program this year, East Kingston Elementary School (EKES) is hosting puppeteer Andrew Periale. The residency will begin with a school-wide assembly. Over a two-week period, Andrew will meet with each class of students to engage them in art, writing, and performing.
The Book of the Month initiative at Swasey Central School (SCS) continues to be very successful as it supports Language Arts development in the classrooms. Each month a new book is presented and shared by every member of the school. All classrooms create exciting lessons and activities that support the book of the month. “This is the Dream” by Diane Z. Stone and Jessica Alexander is the feature this month.
The students in the Seacoast School of Technology (SST) Digital Communications program are working with a new 24” Graphtec Vinyl Cutter Plotter. Students are able to prepare a design for the cutter using different pieces of software in conjunction with each other and produce and assemble the final product in the production studio. With this new piece of equipment, students can experience the entire process of designing a piece from start to finish.
The PTO Enrichment Committee and Kensington Elementary School (KES) staff members are sponsoring the Cultural Passport Program. This year the students are “traveling” to France because a local family who has been living in Kensington is from France and has been living in the community for the past three years. At the opening assembly the mother of the family and her two girls (grades 2 and 5) shared an outstanding Power Point presentation for all KES students and staff
The “ropes course” at the Cooperative Middle School (CMS) continues to emphasize experiential and adventure-based education. Team building activities among the various groups in the school utilize the challenge course to expose students to various skills to develop and to help them develop trust and confidence with their peers. At the middle school level, in addition to the emphasis on academics, it is very important for students to develop and nurture relationships and communication skills with each other.
School News
January 24, 2013
