As the 2016-2017 school year draws to a close, the Londonderry School Board found itself celebrating the various accomplishments of both students and staff at its May 16 meeting, on top of the standard affair of financial matters and the like.
However, before these matters could be attended to, the board first had to finalize the ratification of the 2017 town election results. Due to inclement weather, the district was forced to postpone the election to a later date. Although there were no further issues with the elections, concerns were raised by some members of the public over the legality of the postponement. Thus, to avoid any legal issues in the future, the board unanimously approved the ratification and affirmation of these election results.
Following this, a series of presentations were undertaken that covered a wide variety of topics across the school district. First, Londonderry Middle School teacher Carolyn Roy showed the board a slide show to showcase the accomplishments of the students in her Creative Computing and Media course.
Next, Scott Laliberte gave out gifts to several local recipients of the VFW Loyalty Day/Scholastic Awards.
Jay Parent and Bonnie Breithaupt were next to speak to the board, highlighting the Little Lancer Day at Londonderry High School, where Londonderry kindergarten students were brought to the LHS gymnasium to be welcomed to the school district with a series of songs and dance numbers from the high school students.
Finally, Laliberte recognized Student Council representative Carolyn Hill for her hard work with the school board, keeping them informed on the needs and concerns of the student body. Present by her side was Tyler Cullen, who will be replacing Hill next year as the Student Council representative and was welcomed to the school board with open arms.
The retirements of Catherine O’Brien and Susan Bergeron were then announced by the board. O’Brien, a speech and language pathologist, provided therapy sessions with students from both the North School and LHS who suffer from speech and language difficulties, as well as those with autism. Bergeron was a science teacher with LHS, noted as being incredibly gifted in her subject area, setting high goals and standards for students while still keeping an open mind and lending a helping hand whenever necessary.
Once Carolyn Hill and Mary Wing Soares had delved into the Student Council report and the Teacher Liaison report respectively, Amanda Venezia and Peter Curro held a slideshow on the most recent Dining Services report. Venezia noted although revenue and expenditure were both running lower than usual, she was none the less excited to bring several improvements to meal services throughout the district, including a kitchen reconfiguration at the North School and a teacher salad program available to all schools, as well as being recognized by School Nutrition Magazine.
To cap off the evening, Kim Carpinone, Kim Speers and Bonnie Breithaupt went before the board to explain the costs and importance of the LEEP students program at Moose Hill School, a program specifically designed to assist young children who suffer from mental and physical disabilities.
Once Nate Greenburg quickly went over the April Enrollment Report, the meeting was adjourned.