Auburn News : Hooksett

Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick attracts young athletes for various reasons

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:05:00 GMT

Last year, Auburn’s Joey Dudek rode his arm and leg to Gillette Stadium – and very nearly the Super Bowl.

Dudek, who won the 10- and 11-year-old division of the local Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick competition last August, also triumphed at the sectional competition in Bristol, R.I., and then the regional competition at a Patriots home game.

His score just missed qualifying for the national competition, which concluded at the NFL’s championship.

This year, 37 local youngsters showed up at MerchantsAuto. com Stadium in Manchester, home of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, for the chance to follow in Dudek’s footsteps.

“We came here last week for the (Eastern League AA) all-star game, so for them to go out there and compete on that same field, they just love it,” said Bedford’s Sonia Statires, mother of Charlie, 9, and Jacob, 7. “My kids love sports in general, and this is a great way to spend a summer afternoon.”

Like the Statires boys, sporting Riddle Brook Elementary T-shirts, many competitors were from the greater Manchester area.

Others, such as Salem’s Matthew Carney, Brad Ratay, and Kyle Nagri, and Hopkinton’s Abbey and Sam Winslow, traveled many miles to participate in the event.

“It’s about 25 minutes each way, so it’s not to far to get them to an event like this,” said Abbey and Sam’s mother, Katie Winslow. “Three years ago, Sam participated and won at the regional and next level and went to the Patriots game. I guess it’s that opportunity that makes us come back each year.”

“I think it’s a really good event for young promising athletes to show off their talents,” said Ratay. “It’s a pretty good time. I don’t think I’ll win, but I’m proud to be here.”

Many, like Ratay, are just eager to test their skills. New Boston’s Maxx Chambers, for instance, is a member of Goffstown’s 10- and 11-year-old state Little League all-star champions. He proved he doesn’t need a bat and glove to exhibit his athletic prowess.

“I played football last year, and I thought (the competition) would be something good to do because I was good at punting and passing, but needed a little improvement with my kicking,” said Chambers. “I thought it would be fun to see if I could win and if could move on.”

Though he didn’t advance, Chambers said he still enjoyed the event immensely.

Local towns wait to see what Manchester will do with high school budget cuts

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:56:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

With the Manchester Board of School Committee having announced several times they would not authorize the dissemination of 80 pink slips to teachers in Manchester schools this year, communities holding tuition contracts with Manchester’s school district are breathing a wary sigh of relief as they wonder how the funding will play out.

“I’m guardedly optimistic,” said Elaine Hobbs, chairman of the Auburn School Board. “I think that the Manchester Board of School Committee is working really hard to make sure that the students within the Manchester school district are provided with the best education they could possibly get.”

The deadline for layoff notifications has come and gone, but a few teachers have left for other positions in anticipation of losing their jobs.

Hooksett, Auburn, Candia and Bedford all have tuition contracts with Manchester that stipulate class sizes remain under 30 students and that nothing happens that jeopardizes Manchester schools’ accreditation.

Since the city of Manchester’s public budget meeting on April 28, which about 2,000 people attended, the Manchester Board of School Committee has reiterated three times that they would not issue pink slips to teachers in the district.

The Board of School Committee asked for $153 million to cover the costs for the district in 2008-09, but Mayor Frank Guinta cut that to $140 million.

While school expenses comprise about half of the city’s overall $276 million budget proposal, the school budget number is $7.3 million less than the district’s 2007-08 appropriation.

Manchester’s Board of Aldermen must approve a budget for the city, including the school district’s portion of the budget, by June 10.

Some aldermen have said they would be happy with tax increases of between 2 to 4 percent, or a budget around $145 million, for the school district. A school appropriation of $145 million would still be $2.3 million less than what they’ve been authorized to spend this year.

The sending towns had scheduled a non-public meeting with Guinta on Tuesday, May 13, to discuss the budgetary impacts on students from those towns. While not all board members from the sending towns would be attending the meeting, Hooksett School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette said she would be there.

“I don’t think it’s my place to comment on what dollar amount the Manchester School District budget should be. I think it’s our responsibility as a sending town to be sure that Manchester is adhering to the terms of the tuition agreement,” said Ouellette.

“My concern is with the quality of the educational experience of our students attending Manchester high schools. The sending towns have lived up to their end of the tuition agreement and we fully expect Manchester to do the same,” she added.

All four school districts sent letters from their attorneys to Manchester reminding them of their obligation to maintain class sizes and accreditation status in keeping with the terms of their contracts.

While the boards of the sending towns agreed it is a waiting game for them, they added they are watching the situation closely to see what direction should be taken.

“Passing a budget of any number does not put Manchester in violation of the contract,” said Candia School Board Chairman Ed Caito. “At this point, I think we have to let the budget process play itself out in Manchester.”

Ouellette said part of the problem may lie in Manchester’s timing in developing their budget.

“If it were done earlier in the year, as is done in Hooksett, there wouldn’t be the need to even consider pink slips to the staff. Everyone would know well in advance what the budget would be for the following year,” she said.

City’s proposed high school cuts scare parents, students; April 28 meeting set

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:34:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Parents of high school students being tuitioned to Manchester schools may want to attend a meeting at Manchester Memorial High School on Monday, April 28, at 6 p.m., to discuss the proposed staffing and programming cuts the fiscal year 2009 Manchester school budget will bring.

School officials have been grappling with the gouging cuts after Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta requested the city’s Board of Aldermen reduce the district’s budget from $153 million to $140 million for the coming year.

Many teaching and administrative positions in all Manchester schools are being cut from the budget to realize the savings, including the eight assistant principals recently given notice of possible layoffs.

Music, art, ROTC, full-day kindergarten and athletics have also been cut from the budget, leaving many parents worried about the quality of education and level of character-building Manchester schools will now provide.

Many Hooksett students attend West High School, where the phasing out of Bedford students, thanks to a new high school in Bedford, has left a $7 million shortfall in expected revenues.

Auburn and Candia high school students are also tuitioned to Manchester high schools. Chris Martin, director of fine arts for the Manchester School District, holds one of the many positions being cut from the budget.

Eliminating this position puts extra duties on the even slimmer music staff in place, some of whom are also being cut.

“I think this community appreciates the arts. The community needs to speak out about what’s important to it,” said Martin.

Hooksett resident Tom Shepherd, whose daughter, Julia, 8, will one day attend a Manchester high school – unless Hooksett eventually decides to build its own high school, calls it an idea some residents support. “We keep paying more for education in Manchester and getting less out of it. It’s like any investment,” Shepherd said. “At some point, you have to evaluate the investment and say we’re not getting the return.”

Martin said it’s hard to say what else could be cut from the budget to save money when revenues have fallen so flat for the district.

“If I could think of a way for a public education to be a revenue- generating source, I would win a Nobel prize,” Martin said. “Unfortunately, we are dependent on the tax dollar and right now that’s not a healthy position for us to be in, given the state of the economy.”

Auburn Village School principal retires, Hooksett principal will move to Auburn

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:33:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

After seven years on the job, Hooksett Cawley School Principal Ron Pedro has decided to take the open principal’s position at Auburn Village School. Hooksett Memorial School Assistant Principal Steve Harrises will take over as Cawley principal, effective July 1. With some administrative shuffling within SAU 15, the assistant principal posts at both Cawley and Memorial are open as well.

“I’m very excited about the elementary piece,” Pedro said of his new job at the K-8 school in Auburn, adding he would dearly miss the Hooksett students and frequent interactions with the community.

The Auburn position came up at the end of March, when Principal Anita Johnson announced she would be retiring at the end of the school year. Pedro, interested in getting involved with the elementary levels and particularly the kindergarten implementation, applied and was selected from about 10 candidates. The Auburn School Board appointed Pedro to the position at their meeting Tuesday, April 8.

“Auburn is right on the cusp of change right now,” Pedro said, referencing their space and programming issues as well as the Auburn School Board’s interest in building a new school.

Hooksett School Board Chairman Maura Ouellette said while they will miss Pedro at Cawley, she is happy to see him pursue his interests.

“Ron Pedro had expressed an interest in working with younger students. This is a great opportunity for him and we wish him all the best and thank him for his years of dedicated service to Hooksett,” said Ouellette. The Auburn School Board expressed similar wishes for Johnson in her retirement, but members are excited to have Pedro on board.

“We’re just really going to miss (Johnson), but we wish her the best,” said Auburn School Board Vice Chairman Kathi Porter, adding that the board is excited to have a “fresh set of eyes” on the Village School’s issues.

She added the timing is perfect to get Pedro into the Village School in time to set up kindergarten for the coming school year.

“My goal is to pretty much follow on all those great things that Ron Pedro and Becky Wing have gotten rolling over the years,” Harrises said, adding he is excited at the idea of knowing the Cawley student body from his first day on the job, having seen the great majority of them come through Memorial.

“It excites me so much that I’ll carry these kids from their third-grade year to their eighthgrade year,” Harrises said. “I enjoy seeing kids growing an going through different situations and questioning.”

With Cawley’s current Assistant Principal Becky Wing having been officially approved as the Hooksett School District’s math coordinator for next year, that leaves two assistant principal positions open, one at Memorial and one at Cawley. Wing said she’s excited to spearhead the math coordinator position and shape it to fit the needs of Hooksett schools, adding one of the main goals is to improve math scores both in the classroom and on standardized testing.

“I want to see kids leave our district with a good solid math background and a love of math,” said Wing, whose educational and instructional background is in math.

“When you’re the first person to go into a position, I think that makes it all that more exciting, really,” Wing said.

Superintendent Phil Littlefield said the assistant principal job openings have been posted in newspapers and online, and that two separate committees will be formed to screen applications and narrow down candidates before turning the process over to the SAU administration. Littlefield said the openings were just posted Friday, April 11, so no applications had come in as of press time.

Each committee will include the principal – Harrises for Cawley’s committee and Principal Carol Soucy for Memorial’s – plus five teachers, one support staff member and three parents.

Of the five teachers on each screening team, one would come from each grade level, one would be a unified arts staff member and the remaining teacher spot would be filled by someone from special education or guidance. The Hooksett Education Association, the teacher’s union, will select all five of them, Littlefield said.

Out of the three parents on each committee, one will be the principal’s choice, one will be the PTA/PTO’s choice and the third will be the school district volunteer coordinator’s choice.

The candidates filtered by that process will go into interviews with the SAU staff, including Littlefield, Assistant Superintendent Gail Kushner and Business Administrator Karen Lessard, among others.

From that group of interviewees, the SAU staff will settle on one candidate to bring before the School Board for consideration. “We’re hoping on or about June 10 to bring a candidate for each position to the Hooksett School Board so that they can conduct the final interview,” Littlefield said.

Despite ousting, Auburn stays upbeat

Hooksett Editor — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 19:01:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

Kevin Jackson knew the season would come to an end. He knew there would be a time where he’d have to thank his young players for their effort and hard work and congratulate them on their accomplishments competing in the 11- and 12-year-old Little League District 1 tournament.

He just didn’t think it would come so soon.

After an emotional walk-off win against rival Hooksett in their first tournament game, the all-stars of Auburn Little League dropped their next two match-ups and were eliminated from this year’s tournament.

“They all have such great attitudes. You won’t see these guys hang their heads,” said Jackson.

“They’re a great bunch, always smiling no matter what the score looks like. Sure they’re competitive, but they try to make the best out of every situation.”

The all-stars looked to bounce back from a 21-1 loss on June 27 to powerful Bedford when they hosted Windham on Saturday, June 30. Despite the 9-5 loss, Auburn held true to its manager’s assessment, enjoying time after the game to mingle with Windham players and families over water slides, arcade games, hot dogs and hamburgers in celebration of Auburn Day.

Windham jumped on Auburn starter Dan Quinn early, taking a 4-1 lead after two innings. Gary Archembault put his team on the board, scoring on a Windham error in the second.

Quinn scored on a passed ball in the bottom of the third to cut the deficit to 4-2, then handed the ball to reliever Matt Jackson in the top of the fourth after allowing his fifth run.

Jackson was touched for three runs in the frame before striking out Windham left fielder John Carn to end the inning.

Tyler St. Jean scored on Quinn’s RBI single in the fourth, and Tyler Boyce came around on Jared Gaudreau’s RBI double in the home-half of the fifth. Gaudreau scored Auburn’s final run when Kevin Gonzalez drew an RBI walk.

“They were tough to the end,” said Windham manager Art Mullin. “They loaded the bases three times and made us work to get out of it. They were so hospitable, inviting us to stay for the activities going on for Auburn Day. I talked baseball with the Auburn coaches and (Little League) president. It was a very nice gesture.”

Against Bedford, Gonzalez scored Auburn’s only run on a Jackson double. Archembault and southpaw Ben Trickett couldn’t stifle Bedford’s explosive offense.

“I was upset for a couple of minutes,” said Trickett after the Bedford loss. “Then my teammates told me to calm down and I was doing better. I was nervous when they kept hitting those home runs, but … Oh, well.”

Despite the two losses, which made Auburn eligible for the Fraser Tournament, Trickett and his teammates had the chance to celebrate one well-earned win.

Hosting Hooksett June 25, Auburn battled back from a 4-2 deficit to take home a 5-4 win. Jackson, already responsible for a walk-off win in the league playoffs, provided the game-winning two-RBI double.

“It was pretty much the same kind of pitch,” said Jackson of his at-bat against Hooksett hurler Kyle Macy. “We had two on, two out and they were leading by one run so I figured he’d give me something to work with. I wasn’t that nervous, I just waited for it like my dad (Kevin Jackson) told me.”

Good to the last out – Auburn stars edge Hooksett in final at-bat

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:21:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

There were looks of shock, gloves thrown in frustration and bats shoved hard into their bags. There were even some tears shed in the dugout after Hooksett’s 11- and 12-year-old Little League all-stars dropped a 5-4 decision to Auburn.

But don’t worry, the hard feelings won’t last long.

In fact, they will certainly disappear, and the squad will look like its regular self by Saturday, June 30, the next time Hooksett takes the field for a game.

“We’ll hold on to this until Saturday,” said Hooksett catcher Evan Hockensmith after the loss, “then we’ll come and be ready to play. I thought we were in it until the end there … I thought we could get out of trouble.”

With starter Mike Beaudet removed after hitting the 85-pitch maximum in 5 2/3 innings, reliever Kyle Macy took the mound with a two-run advantage, two out and two on.

Trailing 4-3 after first baseman Dan Quinn scored on a passed ball, Auburn third baseman Matt Jackson dug in with teammates Kevin Gonzalez and Jared Gaudreau on second and third, respectively.

Macy delivered, and Jackson smacked a hard single up the middle, plating Gaudreau and Gonzalez for the game-tying and game-winning runs.

It was the first contest in this year’s District One tournament for both teams. The win moves the victors to a battle with Bedford on Wednesday, June 27, while Hooksett dropped into the losers bracket and plays an undetermined opponent.

“This time we knew Auburn was comparable to us,” said Hooksett manager Jeff Robideaux. “Speedwise we weren’t burning up the base paths, but neither were they. We had our No. 1 pitcher up there as did they, so I kind of thought it would be an even match-up.”

Hooksett entered the fourth inning leading, 2-0, but Auburn tied things in the home-half of the frame. Hooksett reclaimed the lead, 4-2, in the top of fifth when Riley Cote drew a leadoff walk, Beaudet followed with a single and Hockensmith came through with an RBI single to score Cote.

Beaudet came around on Macy’s RBI single before Auburn’s Jackson made a nice bare-handed play to force out Hockensmith at third base to end the inning. Leadoff hitter Zach Albert and Beaudet scored Hooksett’s first two runs, respectively.

“We had some hits, some good hits,” said Robideaux. “But we also had some balls bounce the wrong way. ‘This is what it feels like to lose a close game. It stinks, but it’ll pass,’ is what I told them after the game in the dugout.”

Rounding out the Hooksett roster are first baseman Zach Parker, who’ll take the mound in Saturday’s game, Rick Prindiville, Tommy Richer, Josh Wilson, Joe Duffy, Seth Gonya and Ryan Houde.

Auburn’s all-stars include Lucas Heggelund, Gary Archembault, Patrick Pariseau, Tyler Boyce, Zach Prunier, Alex Phillips, Nick Blais, Tyler St. Jean and Ben Trickett.

Crusader softball edges Central in its last at-bat

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 09 May 2007 20:26:00 GMT

BY SAPNA PATHAK

Kelsey Isham really is a good sport. But after driving in the game-winning run and earning her team a victory over a favorite rival, the Auburn native couldn’t resist going over to remind her opponents of the play.

It’s not something you’d usually see Isham do, but this opposing lineup was different.

“Well, I know most of them. We’re all friends,” said Isham after leading the Crusaders’ 2-1 win over Queen City foe Central.

“It’s different when we’re playing against each other, but once the game’s over, we’re all friends again. If it were the other way around, a Central player would come here, and we’d be happy for her, too.”

With two outs and pinch runner Heather Ryan of Auburn on second base, Isham stroked a single to score Ryan in the bottom of the seventh inning, sending the Crusaders into celebration and Central head coach Trish Ellis to face a frustrated lineup.

“We’re still making the mental mistakes that are costing us games,” said Ellis. “This was a great game. Both pitchers were on par, and it looked good until the end where we made a mistake on a play we shouldn’t have. I know if (we) just play the way (we) can, those mistakes won’t happen.”

Hosting the Little Green on Friday, May 4, Memorial, last year’s Class L runner up, posted nine hits in Central starter Ashley Kitchell’s complete-game performance.

Trailing, 1-0, entering the bottom of the fifth, Memorial tied things when catcher Sam Hebert singled and later scored on third baseman Rachel Hedge’s groundout.

Crusaders head coach Dave Hedge said intra-city match-ups aren’t played often enough. “This is like a playoff atmosphere,” said Hedge after the game. “I wish they’d let us play each Manchester team more than once. I’m not sure about the other Manchester coaches, but I certainly would love to do that. The rivalry is special, one pride vs. another. This time it was red, white and blue over green and white pride.”

Familiarity amongst players on Manchester teams, said Hedge, enhances long-standing rivalries. “Throw out the records,” said Hedge. “They don’t matter when it’s an intra-city rival. The idea they Isham said the idea of seeing her summer-league teammates in different uniforms “makes things more exciting.”

know each other adds to the game. It doesn’t make one team have an advantage or disadvantage over another. It just adds to the game.” On Friday, May 11, Central hosts Alvirne. Memorial visits Nashua North.