Pelham News : Kids & Family

Pelham Old Home Day

Salem Editor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:14:00 GMT

The 103rd annual Pelham Old Home Day celebration will take place Saturday, Sept. 12, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rain date is Saturday, Sept. 19, on the grounds of the First Congregational Church. This year’s theme is Unity in the Community.

Proceeds of the event go to benefit the Nashua Soup Kitchen, Pelham Food Pantry, Pelham Good Neighbor Fund, Lazarus House, Bridges, Nobody’s Children, Church World Services, Habitat for Humanity, Oxfam International, Mercy Corps and Heifer International, just to name a few.

Schedule of events:
8:30 a.m. – 5K road race and walk to benefit Nashua Special Olympics.
9 a.m. – Grounds open, with food tent, country store, craft booths, kids’ games, white elephant table, hourly raffle drawings and more.
9 a.m. – Women’s fellowship country store opens.
9 a.m. – Victor Spaulding Memorial Auction reading of the rules.
9:30 a.m. – Auction begins.
10 a.m. – Penny sale with raffle and theme gift baskets.
11 a.m. – The Legionares, Sue Howard’s jazz band.
Noon – Dance Concepts demonstration
12:45 p.m. – Dog fashion show, featuring Raggmopps.
1:30 p.m. – O’Halloran Irish Dancers.
2:15 p.m. – Family Martial Arts demonstration.
2:30 p.m. – Grand Parade, featuring floats, bands, clowns classic cars, horses and more.
More onstage entertainment.
3 p.m. – Pelham’s Got Talent contest.
3:15 p.m. – Penny sale winners posted.
4 p.m. – Dave Hardwick and Friends, folk rock music..
4 p.m. – 18th annual Pretty Pie contest prize winners posted.
4:30 to 7:30 p.m – Chicken barbecue dinner and takeout, with corn on the cob, salad, rolls, homemade pies and more. Adults, $7; children, $4. Takeout dinners are $7.
5 p.m. – Pelham Old Home Day quilters raffle, drawing on stage. Prize is a 1930s sapler queen size quit. Tickets available at the country store booth.
5 p.m. – Grand prize raffle drawing, on stage. Tickets may be purchased at the Old Home Day raffle booth. Prizes include a Nintendo Wii and other great prizes donated by local businesses.

Pelham Challenger Little League allows disabled children to play ball

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:18:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

In a baseball game, when the ball rolls past an infielder or soars over the head of an outfielder, fans usually aren’t happy with their team. In Pelham, the fans still cheer.

The Pelham Challenger Little League has provided disabled children the chance to participate in organized baseball for the past three years, and is now preparing for a fourth season.

“I think one of the biggest benefits is that the kids get to interact with each other, and they have buddies,” said Beth Young, the league’s vice president. “The kids with the disabilities can’t play on other teams, so it’s nice they can just play baseball.”

The buddies participating in the league are local volunteers, mostly high school-aged, and they help the children on the diamond.

Last year the league consisted of 29 players on four teams, and the league isn’t only open to Pelham residents. Youth from surrounding towns and even towns in Massachusetts are able to sign up to play in the games, which don’t have the same structure as other competitions.

“There are no outs, there are no home runs or anything of that sort. It’s like watching tee ball, but some of the time some of them are running away from us,” Young joked.

Each game consists of about three or four innings, with every player on the team getting a chance to bat in each inning. Young said stepping into the box is the highlight for most children, but playing defense that isn’t always preferred.

“When they first started there were only two teams. They were getting bored and wandering around. Now they’re able to have four innings instead of two,” said Young. “They get excited when it’s time to bat, although they’re not as excited about going into the field. A lot of the times they don’t even know the ball went by them, but they just have a good time.”

Young said it has been rewarding to see that often times children who play in the league also become a buddy, helping in different ways like pushing wheelchairs around the bases.

Hearing nothing but positive feedback from the crowd is one thing that separates the Challenger League from other venues of competition.

“It’s nice that you don’t have parents screaming at the kids,” said Young. “Everybody cheers everybody on, no matter who is playing against who.”

Pelham blood drive organizer now using donations

Salem Editor — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 21:11:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

When Michele Gordon was organizing a blood and bone marrow drive, the Pelham woman couldn’t have known that the event might help a member of her own family.

Less than three weeks ago, Michele’s husband, Dean, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Now, the drive – which was being planned before he got sick – might possibly help him.

“We’re hoping for a big turnout,” said Michele, who wants to enter as many names as possible into a registry of bone marrow donors. “It’s so easy to save a life if you’re a match for somebody.”

The drive will be held Friday, Feb. 20, from 1 to 7 p.m., at Crossroads Baptist Church. The church is located at 43 Atwood Road in Pelham.

AML is a cancer that begins inside bone marrow, the soft tissue that helps form blood cells. The cancer grows quickly from cells that normally turn into white blood cells.

Dean, 48, was diagnosed on Feb. 1, and is a patient at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He receives blood transfusions almost daily. He recently underwent seven days of chemotherapy, and blood marrow biopsies will determine if the treatment was successful.

He and Michele, a critical care nurse at Lowell General Hospital, have three daughters: college student Krista, 22, Janelle, 16, and Kaleigh, 10. This is the third blood drive to be held at the church, which the Gordons attend, and the first one to include a bone marrow drive.

The bone marrow search has been promoted by Save Giovanni, an organization named after a Belmont baby in need of a bone marrow transplant. His father, Michael Guglielmo, plans to be at the event.

“He has this mission in life to get as many (people) into the registry as possible,” said Michele.

Bone marrow donors should be 18 to 55 years of age and in good health, according to the organization’s Web site. Donations will be accepted to support the cause and reduce testing costs.

“It’s not painful,” said Stacy Osborne, a friend of the Gordons who is helping organize the drive. “It’s a cheek swab.”

Michele, too, wants people to know that being a bone marrow donor is not a painful process. About 80 percent of the time, she said, doctors can get all the stem cells they need through blood. If marrow needs to be extracted, the donor is sedated.

Last fall, Dean was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat. The fatigue and nauseousness he experienced in December was thought to be a side effect of medicine he was taking. In mid-January, he complained of rib pain. On Jan. 30, he told Michele he was having trouble breathing.

Eventually he saw his primary care physician who ordered blood work, tests that revealed low blood platelet counts. He was admitted to the hospital. Dr. Robert Soiffer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who happened to be at the hospital that day, put the pieces together and diagnosed Dean as suffering from AML.

Dean, an otherwise healthy and athletic man who likes to play tennis and hockey and enjoys hiking, had donated blood and helped out at past blood drives.

Now, church members are serving as a “huge support” to her family, said Michele. They’ve provided meals, cleaned their home, and have provided emotional support.

“This hits home for us,” said Osborne. “Dean is a big part of our church.”

Pelham wrestles with kindergarten problem

Salem Editor — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:52:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

Pelham school officials, faced with a state mandate to provide public kindergarten next year, must submit a long-term implementation plan to the state Department of Education by Dec. 1.

No decisions on how they are going to provide a kindergarten program were made when members met for a strategy session on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The board will discuss the issue again at future meetings, but Assistant Superintendent Roxanne Wilson is going forward with her plans to start a committee to work on curriculum for a program.

The state Legislature has included kindergarten in its definition of an adequate education. Earlier this year, lawmakers extended the kindergarten mandate until next year and are offering financial assistance to Pelham and other communities to begin a program in 2009.

“I think they’ve been very kind to us in terms of what they’re providing for us,” said School Board member Linda Koehler. “I think they’ve really extended themselves for us. I think it’s time for us to look as a community at (kindergarten) as something we need to provide for our children.”

Koehler encouraged her colleagues to come up with a plan and to educate voters about why it’s necessary and the costs to start a program.

Superintendent Frank Bass estimated it would cost $400,000 to $450,000 for teachers for a half-day program to educate more than 200 children. Additional money would be needed for aides and specialists. State aid of $1,200 per child will offset some of that cost, he said.

Where the students would be taught is uncertain, but school officials can take advantage of state aid for both a temporary fix and a permanent solution, according to Bass.

For the first three years, the state would pick up the full cost for modular or portable units, along with furniture and fixtures. The state is also offering to pay 30 percent of land acquisition costs and 75 percent of construction costs.

Pelham is one of approximately nine New Hampshire communities that do not offer public kindergarten. Some residents, however, are not happy with the state’s actions. Board member Linda Mahoney complained the state is stepping on local control.

“I’m not viewing this as a kindergarten issue,” she said. “I’m looking at this issue as a much bigger issue, and I do believe it has to do with our constitutional rights as a community. There are some who might disagree, but in this bill it’s waiving the will of the voters.”

“I think what the state is offering is very generous and I’d love to give the townspeople the opportunity to take advantage of that,” Mahoney said. “But that’s not what the state is doing. The state is saying, ‘This is what we’re going to give you, take it or leave it, you’ve got to do it. And if you don’t want to, you’re going to have to do it anyway.’ That’s where I have an issue.”

Mahoney also raised concerns that other programs in the school district could suffer. She noted that voters didn’t pass funding for paving for the middle school’s parking lot.

“We put in kindergarten, this money is going to have to come from somewhere else,” she said. “That’s where I’m coming from. It’s going to have to come from other programs in the district. Where is all this money going to come from?”

One of the residents who attended the meeting, Bill Scanzani, said the time to fight the state mandate had passed and he warned that the community would put itself in peril if it didn’t follow the law.

“I think instead of debating how we got to where we are, I think we’re better off trying to figure out how we’re going to fund it,” Scanzani said.

School Board member Cindy Kyzer stepped down from the board for its discussion. Her husband, Matt, is the pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church, which offers a kindergarten program.

“I don’t want it to look inappropriate,” by sitting on the board, she said.

Friends recall life of Pelham High football star who died in swimming accident

Salem Editor — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

In his senior year playing for the Pelham High School Pythons, running back Robby Maille rushed for about 1,500 yards, said athletic director and Maille’s coach, Tim Powers. He also scored more than 20 touchdowns that year, two stats that are both rare for high school football running backs and telling of the drive Maille had, both on the field and in his life.

“His competitive nature personified him. He always wanted to win, and he would do whatever it takes to win,” Powers said.

Maille died at Massachusetts General Hospital on Wednesday, Aug. 13, after fighting for his life for several days. He was the son of Michael and Janet Maille of Pelham.

He was 21 years old, about to enter his senior year at Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., and was looking forward to a bright future.

“He was my best friend, and we had a lot of good times together,” said Jon “Biggie” Gendron, 21, who grew up with Maille. “He always had a great outlook on life. He was always the life of the party.”

Maille was swimming at a friend’s house in Tewskbury, Mass., on Friday, Aug. 8, when he dove in. He misjudged the depth of the pool and broke his neck.

“We pulled him out of the pool, once we knew something was wrong,” said Maille’s longtime friend, Brian Stanton, 22, and his friends performed CPR until the ambulance arrived.

Stanton and several other of Maille’s friends and family stayed by his hospital bed until his death.

“The doctors told us he may be able to hear us, so I just spent the time in there with him, talking to him and telling him how strong he was,” Stanton said.

Audrey Sousa, 21, was Maille’s high school sweetheart and went to two proms with him. The couple dated for three years before heading off to separate schools, Sousa going to Rivier College in Nashua.

“He loved to dance. He would dance anywhere,” Sousa said, recalling their senior prom. “He had got his uncle’s Mustang, and he was so excited and so proud to drive this thing. The license plate said ‘giddy up,’” she remembered. The two remained close friends after separating, Sousa said. She last saw Maille on July 30, when she went to his house to watch “Stomp the Yard,” a movie about street dancing.

“He made me watch it even though he quoted everything in the movie,” Sousa said, laughing.

Sousa said Maille excelled in football, but also in baseball, basketball and academics.

“He could just see things happening that no one else could pick up on, and just read plays,” Sousa said.

Will Demers, 21, met Maille at the age or 6 or 7, he said, when Demers first moved to Pelham. Demers described Maille has being the “strong personality” that brought Demers out of his shyness.

“The best way to put it was that he always represented to me what it meant to really live life to the fullest, and he had a strong impact on me,” Demers said. “He was the guy who took charge. I was always really shy, and he really made me be me.”

Demers, who also stayed by Maille’s side in the hospital, said he spent a lot of time telling his friend how much he’d affected his own life.

“Especially when it started to drag out a few days, I tried to tell him not to fight anymore. By the end, it was just time for him to go, and we were just trying to make him understand that it was OK,” Demers said.

Stanton and others recalled a football game in their senior year in which Robby made a play characteristic of his attitude toward life. Maille got the ball and ran 40 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown didn’t count because the game officials called a holding penalty.

“Robby just turns to the coach and turns to the rest of (the team) and said, ‘give me the ball and run the same play,’” said Stanton, the team’s wide receiver.

Powers, the football coach at the time, remembers that play vividly. “He just ran over to the sidelines and said ‘call it again, call it again,’” Powers said.

When he got the ball this time, he again ran for a 40-yard touchdown and got it that time.

“He was a person that if he told you he was going to do something, he did it,” Stanton said.

Powers said Maille’s confidence and upbeat personality spread to the rest of the team in that year in particular, in which they lost the first two games before winning eight in a row, losing in a hard-fought championship game.

“He had that intensity and he had the ability to go out on the field and do things like that,” Powers said.

Demers said Maille wouldn’t want his friends to be sad about his death, but would want them to get the most out of life.

“He wouldn’t want people moping around. He’d want people to enjoy the time they have,” Demers said. “I just wanted to make sure he knew how much I really looked up to him, and the impact he’s had on me is going to last forever.”

Underwater work - Pelham grad dives into a different career path

Salem Editor — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:32:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

While Spencer Grant’s friends are writing college freshman English papers, sitting in large lecture halls and cramming for tests in the library, he’ll be experiencing a very different kind of education – deep in the water. Grant, 18, is pursuing an unusual career path, that of a commercial diver.

In early September, he’ll begin a five-month program at Divers Academy International in Erial, New Jersey, which provides 720 hours of practical experience and classroom training.

“It’s very hands on, and there’s a lot to learn in a short amount of time,” said Grant, who recently graduated from Pelham High School. “I’m very excited about going.”

The curriculum of the academy’s deep-sea diving program covers a wide range, including study in performing offshore oil operations, hazardous waste operations and emergency response, underwater welding and cutting, and bridge inspections.

The school owns a spring-fed 32- acre quarry where students dive from a large barge.

“I’m going to be busy,” Grant said.

Grant, who enjoys scuba diving with an uncle off Salisbury Beach, became interested in the academy after seeing an advertisement for the school in a magazine. He and his mother, Ellen, toured the school last spring.

“The more I learned about it and was exposed to it, I knew it was something I really wanted to do,” he said.

As part of the school’s application process, Grant had to undergo medical tests and had X-rays taken throughout his body to prove he had no health problems that would restrict him from training. Students must be physically fit to undergo the program.

A career in commercial diving can be exciting and adventurous, and there is a variety of offshore and inland work that can be found after graduating, according to the school.

Academy graduates have gone on to build structures and maintain platforms for oil and gas companies, conduct repairs around radiation hotspots, fix bridges and piers, repair pipelines and perform other types of hazardous materials work, and done other duties.

“You could end up all over the world,” said his father, Michael. “It’s a gypsy life, somewhat.”

Ellen Grant said her son, who will graduate with several high-level certifications, is the type of person who wants to work outside, rather than be in a 9-to-5 job inside four walls. She admits that she’s nervous about him doing dangerous work deep in the water.

“It’s a very dangerous occupation,” she said. “But after going down and visiting the school, we found out they compromise nothing for safety.”

Like her husband, she fully supports her son’s decision to become a commercial diver. They know he’s following his passion.

“If he loves it and wants to continue in a career in it afterwards, we’re behind him a thousand percent,” she said.

Pelham babysitter charged with kidnapping

Salem Editor — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:59:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

A young Pelham woman is facing 27 felonies and 26 misdemeanors after she allegedly tried to pass off the 8-month-old baby boy for whom she was providing day-care services as her own.

Jessica Provencal, 21, of 364 Mammoth Road has been charged with 26 counts of kidnapping, 26 counts of endangering the welfare of a child and one charge of theft by deception, said Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher, after she allegedly posted an ad on Craigslist seeking day-care services for the baby and actually brought the baby to other sitters’ homes while she was supposed to be watching him a few days a week.

“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare,” said Fisher.

The parents, Cindy and Jim Chok of 24 Longview Circle, released a statement saying they are relieved to have their child back safely and thanked the Pelham Police Department for “their diligence in investigating this matter.”

The statement also warns parents to take greater care in investigating the backgrounds of the sitters they hire, including running criminal background checks and asking for evidence of all the day-care providers’ certifications and qualifications.

“Conducting random, unannounced physical checks of your child when they are being cared for outside of your home would also be helpful. Had we done any of these actions, we would have discovered our sitter was not being forthright with us,” the Choks said in the statement.

Authorities were tipped off by a woman who called Pelham police on Monday, June 2, informing them that Provencal was a babysitter for several families in Pelham and was attempting to pass off the 8-month-old boy as her own.

The woman who called said she knew for a fact that Provencal had never given birth, and told police that she heard Provencal was advertising for a babysitter on Craigslist.

Several people responded to that posting, and Provencal allegedly brought the baby to the homes of unwitting sitters after interviewing them.

“We’re aware of at least three different people that she left the child with,” said Fisher. “They believed that the child belonged to Provencal. We also believe that she interviewed other potential day-care providers that she turned down.”

Pelham police are asking for anyone who has heard from Provencal regarding day care to call the police.

Officers went to Provencal’s Mammoth Road home on Tuesday, June 3, to question her about the baby, who was in her arms when she answered the door and greeted the officers. Upon questioning, according to a police affidavit, Provencal admitted that she told other people the baby was hers. She also admitted to posting on Craigslist for another sitter.

“She explained that she could not watch him every Tuesday and Friday, due to her other babysitting jobs, so she posted the ad. I asked her if (the baby’s) mother was aware of the posting on Craigslist. She stated that (the baby’s) mother was aware and gave her permission to do this,” O’Donnell said in the affidavit.

Provencal also told O’Donnell she had received a response from the Craigslist ad, and that she’d met with and interviewed the woman who responded, hiring her for $50 for Tuesdays and Fridays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Provencal said she told the woman that the baby was hers.

When asked, she could not produce the last name of the woman she’d hired to care for the baby, according to O’Donnell.

Provencal tried to throw officers off by providing the wrong address and telephone number for the Choks, the affidavit said. After tracking the Choks down and questioning them about their day-care arrangements, officers learned that Provencal had been caring for the baby on Tuesdays and Fridays since December 2007, when the baby was about six weeks old.

Cindy Chok told police she specifically told Provencal that the baby was not to be left with anyone else, and said she was completely unaware of the Craigslist posting. The police assisted the Choks in making arrangements to get the baby out of Provencal’s home immediately, the affidavit said.

After speaking with the woman Provencal hired, police brought Provencal to the police station for questioning on June 3. During the interview, Provencal admitted to leaving the baby with two other individuals besides the one police had already spoken to.

Provencal will answer to her charges in Salem District Court on Monday, June 16, at 8 a.m. She has been released on $2,500 cash bail. Each of the kidnapping charges, Class B felonies, carry maximum sentences of up to seven years. The Class A felonies, endangering the welfare of a child, each carry maximums of seven years or more.

Fisher said Provencal has not been in trouble with Pelham Police before, and that she’s been running a day-care service called “Child Care on the Go” out of her home for several years. Police are still in the midst of tracking down other sitters Provencal may have solicited or other parents who have left their children in her care.

To offer information on this case, call the Pelham Police Criminal Bureau at 635-2411.

New Pelham parks and recreation director geared up for challenge

Salem Editor — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:15:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

PELHAM - On paper, Brian Johnson may not have been the ideal candidate to become Pelham’s new parks and recreation director. He had never held a similar position in another town. But Johnson, 37, was extremely enthusiastic about taking on the Pelham job.

“I really do think that was my selling point,” he said.

Johnson, who started his new job Feb. 4, succeeds Darren Mc- Carthy, who encouraged him to apply for the position before he moved to Texas in October.

“My eyes lit up like you wouldn’t believe,” when he learned the job would be available, Johnson recalled.

Johnson knew McCarthy through a successful youth flag football program that Johnson and his partner in a commercial cleaning business, Dan Provencal, started in town in the fall of 2006. Johnson, a Londonderry resident, fell in love with his work with flag football and spent 40 to 50 hours a week at it – so much time that Provencal joked if he spent a fraction of that time on their business, it would be a Fortune 500 company.

Johnson has spent 15 years in the commercial cleaning industry, first working for others, and then later running his business with Provencal. Before teaming up with his partner, Johnson was putting in long hours and rarely saw his kids.

“To me, it was important to coach Little League,” he said. “To put my kids on the bus in the morning. To be around for dinner. A lot of times when you’re working for someone else in a high position, the job comes first.”

Johnson, a father of three, grew up in Lawrence, Mass.

“My neighborhood was like a camp,” he said. “We had 12, 15 kids in the neighborhood, so we were out playing every day.”

Johnson played hockey, football and baseball in high school and graduated from Southeastern Massachusetts University – now UMass Dartmouth – with a degree in business management in 1993.

His enjoyment with flag football, along with two years of substitute teaching in Londonderry, got him thinking of pursuing a new career path. He interviewed with Town Administrator Tom Gaydos and selectmen before being hired.

“I think they were taken with my business background, the success of the football program, but more importantly I think it was the enthusiasm for this job,” he said. “It wasn’t really a need per se. It was more of a want.”

In his position, he oversees year-round recreational opportunities for kids and adults.

“I want them to have fun. That’s number one,” Johnson said. “I really want them to come and enjoy and look forward to the programs. And learn something, whether it’s basketball, yoga, dance, whatever it may be. Enjoy themselves and learn.”

Johnson is working to provide a baseball camp during April school vacation that caters to advanced baseball players. He also wants to provide opportunities for older teens and hopes to launch a summer night basketball league for them at Lyons Park.

“There’s a million things going on in my head right now, and I’m trying to put them on paper and get them solidified,” he said. “I think I bring in a whole new set of ideas.”

Johnson comes to the department at an ideal time of the year. Work is slower during the winter, and he has time to prepare for summer camp, the department’s largest recreation program.

He credits two women for helping make his transition into his new job easier: Kelly Ciampa, who filled in after McCarthy left, and Kathy Carr, who’s been the department’s secretary for a dozen years.

“Without (Kathy), the job would be almost impossible for me,” said Johnson, who runs ideas by her. “She’s just been an amazing crutch to lean on. She’s been a rock in this program for 12 years, and I’m not sure she gets the credit she deserves.”

Pelham Elementary School hosts its first-ever spelling bee

Salem Editor — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:09:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen

Standing at a microphone and in front of a large audience, Renee Gagnon, 11, spelled the word “implement.”

When Superintendent Frank Bass responded, “That is correct,” the audience erupted in applause.

Because Renee spelled the word correctly and her two competitors misspelled the words given to them in the same round, she became the winner of Pelham Elementary School’s first spelling bee.

“I’m so excited I could just jump up and down,” Renee, a fifth-grader, said after the Thursday, Jan. 31, competition.

As the school winner, Renee will go on to a regional competition. If she’s successful there, she’ll advance to a state spelling bee.

Renee was one of 25 students from grades 3 through 5 who competed in the school contest. They had each won in their classrooms.

Each student was given one word to spell in the first round. “Cosmos,” “sarcasm,” and “pecan” were among the words spelled correctly. Misspelled words included “yacht,” “virtuoso” and “liverwurst.”

The eight students who correctly spelled their word advanced to the second round. From there, Renee, Mackenzie Bryant and Kaylie Golding emerged as the three finalists.

Three short rounds later, Renee emerged as the winner, and soon after, MacKenzie won the spot as her alternate when she spelled “confetti” correctly.

Principal Alicia LaFrance, School Board member Eleanor Burton and parent volunteer Judy Hayes served as judges. Once a student said a letter, they could not take it back.

Renee and Mackenzie were each awarded ribbons, and every participant was given a certificate of achievement.

LaFrance told the audience – made of up students, parents and teachers – that it’s not easy for the participants to compete in front of other people. And she encouraged the audience to give the spellers a big round of applause.

Headed for fame: Pelham school board chairman talks about hairless state on national talk show

Salem Editor — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:55:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen
Staff Writer

When Mike Conrad saw a large bald spot on the back of his head while watching a replay of a Pelham school board meeting on Pelham Community Television, he realized how much he was losing his hair.

Soon, his balding head will be seen by a much larger television audience. Conrad, chairman of the Pelham School Board, was invited to appear on “The Dr. Keith Ablow Show,” a national TV talk show, to get his head shaved.

The episode, which explores the age old question “Are bald men sexy?” will air at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3, on Boston channel WFXT Fox 25.

Ablow seeks the answer with the help of four models from Howie Mandel’s TV show, “Deal or No Deal.”

“Would you date a bald man?” Ablow – a bald man himself – asked the ladies at the beginning of the show. “Do you find them attractive?”

Conrad, 41, who has been losing his hair for about five years, was one of three men invited to appear on the show.

His wife, Kathy, jokingly refers to her husband’s head as an “Irish yarmulke” during the show.

Ablow, a psychiatrist and author, helps people cope with personal challenges and lead more fulfilling lives in his one-hour daily talk show.

Conrad, the director of client services at The Troupe, a modern media design and production firm in Windham, was scouring the Internet for companies that might need the company’s services when he came upon a posting from the show seeking funny stories from men about going bald.

Conrad shared his story about the school board meeting replay, and eventually was invited to come on the show to have his head shaved.

“Any kind of new adventure – I’m up for it,” said Conrad, adding: “My hair is short anyway so it wasn’t a big difference for me.”

The experience was 24 hours of star treatment. He, Kathy, and their kids, Steven, 12, and Christina, 9, rode in a stretch limo to New York City.

Conrad had his own green room at the Rockerfeller Center at the show’s taping. The show picked up the tab for their travel and lodging.

Conrad has appeared in commercials produced by The Troupe, but this was his first time appearing in a national television show.

“It was interesting to see how a show is produced in New York,” he said.

Run raises funds for domestic violence victims

Salem Editor — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:22:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen
Staff Writer

Observer/Bruce Preston
Rona Boucher, left, and her son, Todd Boucher, warm up for a 5K road race sponsored by the Pelham Police Department. Proceeds from the race will be used to help raise awareness and battle domestic violence.

Debra and Mark Corbett are regular runners. But the five kilometers the Pelham couple ran in town on Saturday, Oct. 7, was for more than staying fit.

The pair raised money to help the victims of domestic and sexual abuse.

The Corbetts participated in “United Against Domestic and Sexual Violence,” a 5K run/walk-a-thon.

The annual event heightens awareness of the abuse and raises money to help local victims. Grouped in front of the Pelham Library on the town’s village green, this year’s walkers and runners – 96 in all – dashed off with the sounding of a police motorcycle siren.

There were adults and kids. Parents pushing strollers. Dog owners walking their pets.

“We’ll take anything and everyone,” said Det. Anne Perriello, one of the event’s organizers, with a smile.

Among the runners were Susan Gillis and Pauline McKinnon, both of Hudson, who each came for their first time. Gillis lived in Pelham 20 years before moving.

“It’s good to come back and give to the town,” she said. “We run every weekend. This is another run (for us) and we give to a good cause.”

Participants were greeted with applause when they crossed the finish line. Some exchanged high-fives when they were done.

Not only did people attending the event raise money, they also learned how domestic and sexual abuse has impacted its victims and what services are available to those who have been hurt.

Displays and information were placed outside the police station.

One moving display is the Clothesline Project, a series of T-shirts featuring words written by victims and others.

“Control, manipulation and domination are not family values,” read one shirt. “End the fear.”

Nearby, another shirt featured images of a bear, rainbow and the sun, along with the words, “Hugz not hitz!!”

“Love should be caring, sweet, happy, romantic, fun,” read another shirt. “Love shouldn’t be scary, dangerous, painful, controlling. Stop domestic violence.”

Another display was a large painted board, created by some Pelham High School art students, that featured the image of woman with her arms raised, as if to fend off an assault.

On it were the anguished words of the victim: “Why me? I need an angel. Please, God, no more. He said he was sorry. He wouldn’t do it again. I told them I fell down. What did I do to make him hurt me?”

Proceeds from the fundraiser support two organizations that help victims: A Safe Place, which has an office in Salem, and Bridges, which is based in Nashua.

Both organizations provided material for people to pick up and read.

Bridges, which helped 2,200 people in 2005, was represented by Laura Maistrosky, its educational coordinator and Jennifer Vincent, its shelter manager.

“We come to show we’re grateful and provide information so people know who we are and what we do,” Maistrosky said.

The shelter Vincent manages is Janice’s House, named after Pelham’s Janice Chasse, who was a longtime board member and supporter of the organization before she died last summer.

The event also featured antibullying messages. Bullying, Perriello said, can lead to domestic violence.

Chelsi Beauregard, 16, of Litchfield, who sang “God Bless America” at the event, said she endured bullying after appearing in a reality TV show that gave people a false and negative impression of her.

“I’m trying to make people aware that words hurt, too, and can take longer to heal,” she said.

The fundraiser is organized by police departments in Pelham, Windham, Salem and Hudson.

This year’s event enjoyed the support of 51 volunteers.

“That tells us how important this function is, how meaningful it is,” Perriello said.

One of the volunteers, Martha Flood of Pelham, raised $800 from businesses in one day for the cause. That total included a $100 contribution from the town’s Community Emergency Response Team, of which Flood is a member.

Flood, a massage therapist, provided free massages to participants before and after the race.

“It’s such a good cause,” she said. “Anything we can do to stop sexual and domestic violence.”

Roll-playing: Program provides recreation for kids with or without disabilities

Salem Editor — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:01:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen
Staff Writer

Observer/Bruce Preston
Matt Frye, a recreational therapist, instructs players prior to the start of a baseball game. The game, and other wheelchair sports, gives children with disabilities an opportunity to enjoy recreational activities with friends and siblings. Every player uses a wheelchair, regardless if they need one.

After Sammy Safford sent a ball flying with the swing of a bat, a group of mothers sitting on bleachers erupted in cheers, and the Pelham boy hurried to first base.

But this wasn’t a typical baseball game.

Sammy, 8, and all the other young players were in wheelchairs.

The game, held at Derry’s recreation center, is part of a Therapeutic Recreation Empowering Kids program, or TREK.

This free after-school program, which runs weekly for two months, provides recreation and socialization for school-aged kids with or without disabilities.

It’s provided to children with chronic illnesses who are welcome to bring a friend or relative. The first session took place Friday, Sept. 29.

Sammy and his brother Ben, 10, who have Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy, enjoy the program’s games and activities.

“My kids love it,” said their mother, Lori. “They have a ball.”

The program is hosted by Area Agency of Greater Nashua, Inc. Partners in Health, a community-based program that addresses the needs of families of children with chronic health conditions.

The activities are run by Northeast Passage, an organization based at the University of New Hampshire that provides recreational opportunities for the disabled.

Matt Frye, a TREK program coordinator, said the program allows disabled kids to enjoy recreation, and learn important facets of sports, such as winning and losing and how to be part of a team.

“It’s really been a great program,” said Frye, a recreational therapist who pitched the game. “We’re developing skills and having a good time.”

The TREK program, which serves children from several communities, is funded by a grant from the Hood Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

TREK’s wheelchair sports include basketball, baseball and other activities. Local kids enjoyed a TREK program in the spring and a day of skating in July.

Friday’s session, a whirlwind of activity that also included a game of tag and some cool-down activities at the end, was open to disabled and non-disabled children.

“They can bring their siblings, their friends,” said Ginny Arsenault, a family support coordinator, of the disabled participants. “The only rule is that they have to (play) in a wheelchair.”

By having all the kids compete in wheelchairs - regardless if they need one or not - organizers create a level playing field.

Maura Pennisi, another family program coordinator, said the sessions give non-disabled kids insight to what life is like for the disabled.

“You look at them (playing) and you can’t tell who is in the program and who’s not,” Pennisi said.

Laurie Thomas, a Salem mother, watched as her daughter, Torii, 10, played basketball.

“It’s a fun activity, and they’re getting therapy at the same time,” Laurie said. “It’s awesome.”

Other Salem area participants included Mary Frances Zuri Hicks, 5, of Salem, who suffers from chronic asthma. Her brother, Sheldon, 9, joined in the fun.

Their mother, Lorraine Hicks, said she likes the program because kids can have fun and forget about their disability.

Heather Lanen of Salem brought her two daughters, Carissa Snow, 6, who has epilepsy, and Adryanna Snow, who is almost 2. Both appeared to be enjoying themselves.

Tracy Perry of Danville said the program allows her daughter, Shelby, 15, who has spina bifida, to participate in sports, something she can’t do at school or through the town’s recreation program. Programs like TREK, she said, are hard to find.

“This means the world to Shelby,” Tracy said, who got excited when her daughter caught the ball during a game. “This is special to her. She’s so excited to participate in sports.”

Jodi Coppeta of Windham brings her two sons. Aaron, 4, is missing a fibula in his left leg and is missing two fingers. His brother, Ethan, 6, comes to have fun, too.

After the games were over, Jodi and the boys joined other families for pizza and salad.

“It gives a chance for the parents to socialize and the kids and siblings, too,” Jodi said. “It’s nice family time.”

D decision, School board may add grade back

Salem Editor — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 17:41:00 GMT

By Darrell Halen
Staff Writer

Members of the Pelham School Board plan to hear from teachers to see if they favor returning D’s to Pelham High School’s grading system, what should constitute a D and how soon the change should be made if D’s are brought back.

Board members want the information before deciding whether to return to a traditional grading system at the school.

During the board’s Sept. 13 meeting, members Linda Mahoney and Bruce Couture advocated again for returning D’s to the grading system, a letter that has been missing from report cards since it was dropped 12 years ago.

Currently, students fail if they earn below a 70.

“This would definitely give hope to those kids who are struggling,” Mahoney said. “I’m very concerned and I’m working for all the students. I want to see us give hope to the kids who are struggling and not put success out of their reach.”

In addition to providing hope, Mahoney said the change would ease the burden on over-enrolled and nearly full classes that include students retaking them.

And she said she believes it might lower the school’s dropout rate.

“If you’ve got a kid who is struggling and believes there’s no way they’re going to achieve that 70, they are going to give up,” Mahoney said.

Mahoney said advocates of returning D’s are not asking teachers to change the way they grade. She noted that many other schools, including Alvirne High School and Salem High School, where Pelham students take classes, give out D’s.

And D’s are part of the grading system for Pelham students in grades 5 through 8, she said.

“It’s unfair and it’s unnecessary for us to expect every single one of our students to be a 70 or above in every single course they take,” Mahoney said.

Bruce Couture said the school’s curriculum has improved since 1994, when D’s were dropped. Bringing back the D’s, he said, is not “dumbing down” the school.

He said the change would probably affect only a small percentage of students.

“I think the ones that don’t care, their parents don’t care, they’re probably not going to make it,” he said. “I hate to be so cruel, but that’s probably the facts. It’s happened since Fred Flintstone was around. It’s just the way it is. But the D presents hope to those who are close (to passing).”

Couture said two of his children, both graduates of Pelham High School, told him bringing back D’s would not help students who don’t care but those who are close to passing.

Two residents also spoke in favor of returning D's, including Cheryl Fendelander, who presented a petition signed by voters, parents and students calling on the school board to make the change.

“It would be fair for us to go with a system like the surrounding schools,” Lorraine Dube said.

Two young women, a current student and a Pelham High graduate, encouraged the school board to reject the effort to return the Ds.

“I think it’s very obvious if we brought back the D, less kids would fail because we’re altering a system by which we measure failing,” said Hannah Tello, who graduated from PHS two years ago. “I don’t think it’s inappropriate to ask that all students maintain an average grasp of the knowledge they’re taught in class.”

Michelle Burke, the school’s student representative to the school board, said all of the 17 students who attended a recent student government meeting don’t want the D returned.

School board Chairman Mike Conrad said he wasn’t totally opposed to the idea of reinstituting D's. If the D were to return, the range should be 65 to 69, he said.

Conrad said he wanted to see some data.

“I say wait a year,” he said. “Let this be researched. Find out what the D should be. I don’t agree the D should be from 60 to 69.”

Conrad said he was concerned that a student who passes a math course with a grade of 61 is “set up for failure” when he goes to the next math level.

“It’s not an appropriate time to change it,” member Eleanor Burton said, later adding: “More study needs to be done on it.”