Pembroke News : Merrimack Valley

Pembroke Academy comeback not quite enough for a finals appearance

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:11:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Hanover coach Tim Winslow and his defending state champion Marauders thought they were seeing double most of the second half.

With his team ahead, 37- 19, early in the third quarter of the March 5 Class I semifinal against upstart No. 9 Pembroke, Winslow said he assumed his fourth-seeded squad was well on its way to the title game.

The pesky Spartans had a different idea, however, forcing fans to wait until the final seconds before the outcome was determined.

The Marauders won, 56- 48, but they’ll likely see visions of Pembroke green in their sleep for weeks.

After failing to score the first several minutes of the second half and watching Hanover extend its lead to 18 points with a 6-0 run, Pembroke, led by the up-tempo play of senior guard Justin Muniz, scored the next eight points – and 26 of the next 34.

“We were just getting in each other’s heads, trying to psych each other up,” said Muniz of the second-half run. “The feeling is so hard to describe. You’ve just got everything in your body pumping, and you just want to go a thousand miles (per hour).”

For those on the Hanover bench, it was obvious the Spartans had indeed shifted into overdrive.

“The thing that makes Pembroke great is it seems like they have seven players on the floor, and that’s what you want,” said Winslow. “You want your defense to make it seem like there’s more than five jerseys out there, and that’s what they did in the second half.”

The Spartans also shut down 6-foot-4 Class I player of the year candidate Casey Maue, who entered the contest averaging more than 19 points per game. He scored nine points in the semifinal matchup.

“They contested everything,” said Winslow. “Every time Casey went to the basket there was someone right there, and they made him work to earn everything.”

The Spartans came all the way back, bringing the score to 47-45 and then 49-47 with under three minutes remaining in the contest.

At that point, the game became a free-throw shooting contest. While the locals shot 1-for-4 from the charity stripe in the last two minutes, their opponents went 5-for-8.

“We’ve got to make those free throws, and maybe a couple of those shots that we made against Oyster River didn’t go down, but we got good looks, and if we tie the game or go ahead, maybe it’s a different result,” said PA coach Matt Alosa, who added his squad wouldn’t have been in that position without its frantic full-court press.

“We go on spurts. We don’t do it all the time, but when we need it, it’s there for us. We pressed from the beginning, but it wasn’t as aggressive as (in the second half),” added Alosa. “We had to turn it up because otherwise they were going to beat us by 20.”

While each player contributed on defense, there was no presence more noticeable than junior Tyler Yeaton.

With the Spartans facing a team that outsized them at nearly every position, Alosa said he knew the 6-foot-5, athleticallybuilt center had to play well if the Spartans were going to compete. Yeaton pulled in 10 rebounds, netted eight points and garnered six steals.

“Those Hanover guys are pretty spectacular. To tell you the truth I just tried to keep my hands up and stay out of foul trouble,” said Yeaton, who laughed about a sore hip and limp created by one too many meetings with the hardwood floor.

And Muniz, of course, was invaluable to both the game’s and season’s success, said Alosa. “Muniz is our heart and soul. The way he goes, we go, and they follow him,” said the coach. “We just try to ride him with his defense and heart and handling the ball. He’s just tenacious.”

Now, the Spartans must move forward without their spark plug, as well as his backcourt mate, Drou Goff, and sixth man Matt Lavoie, each instrumental in the postseason run.

Even in defeat, the experience will do nothing but benefit the young squad, said Alosa. “The kids who played, and even the kids who didn’t play, Hanover is so composed, and that comes from experience, and I think that experience, for us, is huge,” he said. “We’ll have a little bit of a different team next year, but we’ve got a lot of kids who you haven’t even seen this year that are going to get a chance next year, and I think we’ll be back.”

Game notes
Goff dropped in 13 points, and Muniz contributed 10. Guards Jon Grenier, a junior, and Sheldon Benson, a sophomore, each contributed six to the scoreboard, and freshman Taylor Vazquez added five points.

Pembroke voters increase school budget instead of cutting

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:22:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Pembroke will not suffer any staff cuts or eliminate any sports programs after voters at the School District Meeting decided in a 95-71 vote to pass the School Board’s proposed operating budget.

“The meeting went exactly the way it should have gone,” said School Board Chairman Clint Hanson, adding there is no animosity with the Budget Committee. All warrant articles, including the hotly debated operating budget, were adopted after some changes.

Special education costs, which put the district about half a million in debt this school year and comprise almost two-thirds of the school budget increase, dominated the discussion at the meeting on Saturday, March 8.

The final approved 2008-09 operating budget for the school district is $22,447,206. The budget will result in a projected local school tax rate of $14.68 per $1,000 of assessed value.

Based on revenue projections, if the town’s proposed budget and warrant articles go through unscathed, the projected tax rate is $26.02 per $1,000 of assessed value, including state school and county taxes, $2.36 more than the current rate.For a home assessed at $250,000, this would be a $590 increase on the tax bill for a total bill of $6,505.

The Budget Committee recommended a budget $230,000 less than that, having asked both the School Board and Board of Selectmen to cut their respective budgets to reduce the combined 10 percent increase in taxes.

With the passing of both budgets and all articles, the Budget Committee’s number would be a slightly less drastic 6.7 percent increase.

For Pembroke schools, that meant cutting a staffed teaching position from each of the schools as well as the lacrosse and golf programs at Pembroke Academy, cuts many voters felt were unacceptable.

The final decision left members of the Board of Selectmen with some anxiety about the Town Meeting on Saturday, March 15.

“The town as well as the school had a very lean budget,” said the selectmen’s representative to the Budget Committee, Larry Preston. “I just hope that the voters don’t come in next week at the Town Meeting looking for extra cuts.”

The only thing left to cut on the town side is the roads budget, said Selectman Fred Kline. Voters meet at 10 a.m. at Pembroke Academy on March 15.

Pembroke voters selected their town and school district officials at the polls on Tuesday March 11. All races were uncontested, with Tina Courtemanche being written in for selectman and all open positions filled.

Pembroke Academy/Trinity/R.I. alliance wins FIRST game

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:23:00 GMT

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

Near the bottom of the 48-team pack of robotics teams from across New England, Pembroke Academy’s chances at a trip to the national finals were not looking good.

But after being selected as an ally with Trinity High School and Rhode Island’s Rhode Warriors team, Pembroke and its new partners went on an impressive run, ending the three-day competition at the top of the pack.

Pembroke’s Team Discovery and its two allies earned a trip to the FIRST Robotics finals in Atlanta, Ga., after winning consecutive matches in the finals against an opponent familiar to its team members.

Team Discovery has often paired up with Trinity, but on the other side of the track surrounded by flashing lights and Plexiglas stood members of St. Paul’s School and Bishop Brady, both of Concord.

“It was such a rollercoaster,” said head coach David Kelly. “We were with one team we have a great relationship with, but up against two teams that we were really close with as well.”

After its title-clinching victory, members of the winning alliance rushed the track, pig-piling each other and sharing hugs with anyone they could find. “It feels so great, and this is my first win on the team,” said Pembroke Academy’s Jeff Levesque. “As they were adding up the scores, I didn’t really care if we had won it, because we had already come so far no matter what.”

The theme for the day appeared to be chaos, as all of the teams worked furiously to prepare their robots for competition, which required each team to score points by moving their creations around the track and by moving track balls to a certain location.

Although each team wants to win, the competition breeds a unique sense of friendship between competitors as well. “I really like to see what everyone has done, and seeing their different robots,” said Tommy McCarthy, an Auburn resident on the Memorial High School team that placed 24th. “You never know who will be your friend by the end of the competition, so you help everyone that you can.”

Manchester West team member Thomas Provencher also said there is a balance between winning and being a friendly competitor.

“There’s a lot of energy and competition. We’re all vying for the same thing, and we want to win,” he said. “We’re helping each other here (in the pit area), but out there it’s a war. If your neighbor in the pit area has a broken part you help them, but on the floor it’s a different story.”

His team, Team 501, the PowerKnights, was selected as the winner of this year’s Engineering Inspiration Award, celebrating a team’s success in inspiring others to respect science and technology. This award also makes the team eligible to compete in Atlanta this year. During the semifinal round, Pembroke’s alliance nearly set a national scoring record, winning 106-72 to advance to the finals.

Kelly said it was nice to be able to give Trinity a hand in winning their first trip to the national competition.

“We have had a great longstanding relationship with Trinity,” he said. “They had never won one, so for us to be able to help them win one is awesome.”

Cut sports for special education?

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 21:17:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Pembroke School District faces cuts in sports and staff in the coming year’s budget if a special education expense deficit in the current budget cannot be defrayed by the School District Meeting on Saturday, March 8.

After the Pembroke Budget Committee asked the School Board and the Board of Selectmen to further shave their budgets, which were already levelfunded, to reduce a potential 10 percent tax increase, the only things left to cut were co-curriculars and teachers.

School Board Chairman Clint Hanson said four teaching positions, one from each of Pembroke’s schools, will likely have to be cut from the proposed 2008-09 budget if the district does not see a significant reduction in its special education costs.

A special education student moving out of the district, for example, could amount to the savings needed to keep teachers and all sports on board, Hanson added.

Pembroke Academy golf and lacrosse will likely be pulled from the co-curricular part of the budget, Hanson said. A “pay to play” plan would not be implemented, he added.

“The board decided several meetings ago that would not be the appropriate way to go forward,” Hanson said, adding the system “creates more problems than it’s worth.”

The board was able to knock about $80,000 from its proposed budget by reducing a deficit appropriation line they included to remedy the $500,000 in unexpected special education expenses to the district this year and a technology appropriation.

The deficit appropriation stands at about $250,000, Hanson said, a number that could be reduced further depending on the most updated numbers for special education costs.

“That’s always going to be a floating number,” Hanson said, adding if the extra money for the hiked special education costs was in the current year’s budget, the School Board’s proposed $23.2 million budget would be within the Budget Committee’s limitations.

During budget deliberations, the Budget Committee asked the School Board to cut $310,000 from its proposed budget to soften the blow of a potential 9 percent increase in the school budget.

If both the school and town proposed budgets and all warrant articles went through, Pembroke taxpayers would have seen a projected 10 percent increase in the tax rate to $25.95 per $1,000 of assessed value. For someone living in a $200,000 home, that’s an extra $448 on the tax bill.

With the $310,000 in school budget cuts and $150,000 in town budget cuts, the projected rate calculated to $25.18, a $1.52 increase over the current rate of $23.66 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

For the same residents owning $200,000 homes, that’s an extra $304 on the tax bill.

Budget Committee Chairman David Freeman-Woolpert said the committee realizes the school district’s plight, and knows that any cuts to the budget will impact the school district in some way. The Budget Committee is proposing a school budget of about $22.9 million.

There is no “fluff” in the school’s proposed budget, but a combination of staggering special education costs, higher county taxes and the second year of the teacher’s union contract, all items the board cannot control, have increased the school’s budget.

“Every discretionary line has already been level-funded or reduced,” said Hanson, including supplies.

Another article on the warrant asks voters permission to do away with a road trust fund currently in place and transfer the funds to offset special education costs.

Another article asks to take $77,498 from the a capital reserve fund to make repairs and improvements to the school buildings, including ceiling tile and floor replacements at the Hill and Village schools, re-painting the stripes in the Three Rivers parking lot and replacing an area of Pembroke Academy’s roof over the art department.

The annual School District Meeting will take place on Saturday, March 8, at Pembroke Academy, at 10 a.m.

Pembroke shocks unbeaten Oyster River

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 20:50:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

The Pembroke Spartans, a squad that failed in four regular-season opportunities to beat a team ranked higher in the standings, slew topseeded Oyster River, Class I’s lone undefeated squad, in the quarterfinals of the state basketball tournament.

The 45-44 win was a huge step forward for the program, said Matt Alosa, who a week earlier acknowledged his hoopsters were winning the games they should but had yet to earn a marquee victory.

“I could sense it a little bit... we had focus, you know,” said PA’s head coach. “We didn’t have the best record (12-6), but we had the best defensive team in the state in terms of points allowed. I thought we matched up well with Oyster River size-wise, guard-wise. They have a lot of guards. They spread. We spread … I was excited, and I thought if we could win a game, it would be tonight.”

Oyster River’s coach was more to the point. “It’s pretty easy to go out there and shoot shots when you’ve got nothing to lose and nobody expects you to be there. It’s a whole different story when everyone expects you to win,” said Don Maynard.“They did exactly what we thought they were going to do. They just did it better than us.”

At halftime, the squads were locked in an 18-18 defensive battle. Neither team made a move until the fourth quarter. Midway through the period, the favorites opened a 39-34 lead and looked poised to add to it, but turned the ball over on a traveling call.

Pembroke senior guard Drou Goff responded with a three-pointer.

With Oyster River becoming visibly tense as the seconds ticked off the game clock, Goff hit another trey with just under two minutes to play.

After a quick response by the Bobcats, sixth-man Matt Lavoie drained a three – his fourth of the day – from right in front of his bench, and the Pembroke cheering section behind him went nuts.

Trailing, 45-43, Oyster River called a timeout to regroup.

After the Bobcats missed a three-pointer and a putback, Zachary Benuck went to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. He missed the first attempt and made the second.

Goff was then fouled but missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Oyster River took the ball back with less than 15 seconds left and called its final timeout.

Goff redeemed himself, though, knocking the ball loose shortly after Oyster River’s inbound pass and diving for it to prevent an Oyster River recovery.

By the time teammate Jon Grenier took control of the ball, the buzzer had sounded, and Pembroke was headed to the semifinals, which were scheduled for Wednesday, March 5.

“I’m speechless right now,” said Lavoie. “Playoffs are just about going on runs. Right now we’re the underdogs, and we’re running.”

Three days earlier, in the preliminary round, the Spartans avenged a 19-point regular- season-ending setback to Laconia, winning on the road, 57-48, on Thursday, Feb. 28.

For Bow coach Chris Gaudreau, on the outside looking in, the victory was no surprise to anyone privy to Class I basketball.

“That’s a tough situation from Laconia’s perspective, to beat a team like Pembroke like that and feel confident, then turn around and play that team right away again,” said Gaudreau, whose 10-8 squad lost, 55-48 and 58-36, to PA earlier this season.

“Pembroke had the mental edge knowing they played poorly the first time and had the opportunity to change things around and get instant revenge.”

Game notes
Against Oyster River, Lavoie led the Spartans in scoring with 12 points. Grenier and Goff each netted 10, and Sheldon Benson offered six points. Grenier, Benson and Tyler Yeaton each added four rebounds.

PA coach says bad loss a ‘blip’ before playoffs

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 20:56:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Three nights after visiting Lebanon snapped the Pembroke boys basketball team’s four-game winning streak with a 55-40 thumping, the Spartans resumed their winning ways by taking their anger out on winless Merrimack Valley.

While the 65-33 victory on Monday, Feb. 18, was nice, coach Matt Alosa was the first to acknowledge that his 11-5 squad has spent the season beating up on teams it should dominate – while coming up short against the top teams in Class I.

The Spartans have four wins against projected playoff teams Bow, Kearsarge and Monadnock, but they’re 0-3 against teams ahead of them in the standings. Still, they are nearing their goal of hosting a first-round playoff game.

Alosa's hoopsters are currently eighth in the Class I standings, with 8-8 Kearsarge scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 20, and 10- 6 Laconia slated for Thursday, Feb. 21, and he said he hopes to regain and maintain momentum headed into the postseason.

“Right now, we’re just getting ready for the playoffs and trying to get everyone healthy and playing the best they can for March,” said Alosa. “Except for the blip against Lebanon, we are right on track.”

On the subject of health, Pembroke received some unexpected – and good – news.

Junior guard Christian Davis, listed in Friday night’s program as out for the season with a fractured wrist, will likely return next week after finding his injury is nothing more than a severe sprain.

While Davis fills a reserve role for the guard-laden Spartans, Alosa said experience is a necessary component for winning in the playoffs.

In addition to Davis, sixth man Matt Lavoie and freshman standout Taylor Vazquez come off the bench to spell seniors Justin Muniz and Drou Goff, who each average double-figure points.

“With the way we run, (Muniz and Goff) need help. They can’t play it the whole game,” said Alosa. “We go four or five guards deep, which definitely helps when we get into some tough situations.”

Though the Spartans can keep pace with anyone in Class I, Alosa said it is their defense that keeps games tight against teams such as John Stark and Portsmouth, both 15-2 and likely the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the playoffs.

Pembroke lost to Portsmouth, 42-37, on Jan. 4 and suffered a 69- 67 setback to Stark on Jan. 11. But if they get too far behind, teams like 13-4 Lebanon take advantage by slowing the pace down, as was the case on Friday, Feb. 15.

After falling into a first-quarter, 18-8 hole against the Raiders, the Spartans drew to within six by halftime, 28-22.

But they came out of the locker room flat, failing to score in the first five minutes of the third quarter before absorbing the 15- point loss.

Lavoie led Pembroke in scoring with 10 points, Goff dropped in nine, Jon Grenier offered eight, and Vasquez contributed seven points in the losing effort.

After-school programs may be cut

Hooksett Editor — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:44:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

About 50 Pembroke residents attended a public input meeting on Saturday, Feb. 2, to hear about the Budget Committee’s cuts to the school and town proposed 2008-09 budgets to soften the blow of a hefty projected tax increase.

While there wasn’t much feedback gained from the meeting, it appears the town’s residents are at a loss for how to react to the cuts, which include slicing staff from the school district’s budget.

“Most of the people seemed to be saying, with their silence, that they were in favor of the cuts the Budget Committee proposed,” said Budget Committee Chairman David Freeman-Woolpert.

Unexpected special education costs to the school district this year, particularly in special placement, led to a deficit of about $500,000 within the district, according to Superintendant Thomas Haley.

Add in the second year of a collective bargaining contract with the teachers union, increased transportation costs and higher county taxes, and you’ve got a school budget that is 9 percent larger than last year at around $23.2 million, which would have driven the school portion of the tax rate up by about 15 percent for the coming year.

The selectmen’s proposed budget was a frugal 2 percent increase over last year, but the town is cooperating with the school to drive down the overall tax increase of 10 percent.

Both budgets combined would result in a projected rate of $25.95 per $1,000 of assessed value, an extra $448, to result in a tax bill for a house valued at $200,000 at $5,190.

The Budget Committee asked both the School Board and Board of Selectmen to go back into their budgets and figure out where cuts could be made to help offset the impending hike in taxes, said Freeman- Woolpert.

The Budget Committee’s recommended budgets currently sit at around $22.9 million for the school and $7.6 million for the town, which would result in a 6.7 percent increase in taxes and a rate of $25.18 per $1,000 of assessed value. The $1.52 increase on the tax rate would result in an extra $304 in taxes for the same $200,000 home, a total bill of $5,036.

The School Board was asked to shave more than $310,000 off its 2008-09 proposed budget, which, given their otherwise level-funded budget, would require them to cut staff and funding for after-school programming.

The School Board has not yet decided what positions would be cut from the budget, and would likely not do so until next summer when the official revenues come in and the full impact of the shortfall can be calculated, Freeman-Woolpert said.

Selectmen came back to the Budget Committee after voting to take their share of the cuts, $150,000, from the 2008-09 budget year’s typical allocations for the parks and recreation, large fire equipment and highway equipment capital reserve funds.

Any additional cuts would have to be made to the roads portion of the budget, which the Budget Committee refused to touch.

Withholding those yearly deposits won’t affect those departments for the ensuing year, said Town Administrator Geoff Ruggles, but the potential to offset future taxes with those funds will decrease further down the road.

PA shakes off troubles, takes third at Kiwanis

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:34:00 GMT

By Ryan O’connor

MANCHESTER – Due in large part to injuries, the Pembroke Academy spirit squad was forced to change its routine every day during the week leading to the 25th annual Kiwanis cheerleading competition on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Combine that with the fact there is no fall program at the school and anyone would be hard-pressed to predict success for the Lady Spartans at the event, which took place at Southern New Hampshire University.

But then again, what’s a competition without an “overcoming adversity” story?

Shorthanded, banged up and under-prepared, Pembroke placed third in the competition with 133.5 points, losing only to upstart Bedford and perennial power Pelham.

“This has been the most resilient team I have ever coached,” said Donna Ong. “What they just did out there was unreal considering the circumstances. I’m probably the proudest coach in this building right now.”

Ong, whose squad won the Kiwanis last year, said she is having the best coaching season of her life.

There are a dozen reasons why, she added, gesturing to the screaming pack of green-and-white clad sparks behind her.

Included on the varsity roster are Jennifer Cheney, Alyssa L’Heureux, Melanie Lussier, Jennifer MacKenzie, Alyssa McQueen, Lianne Mulcahy, Kristin Palmer, Ashley Pelissier, Kayla Pouliot, Chelsea Pritchard and Ashley Schaefer. Molly Laplume was called up from the JV squad to participate in the event.

“They have incredible confidence, team spirit, and they fully understand how this sport works and that each and every one of them individually affect the whole,” she said.

Still, Ong was quick to note the Kiwanis routine wasn’t perfect. But with another month and a half before the state championship, she’s confident her team will be ready.

“Watch out,” she said. “I think you’re going to see something pretty amazing by the time states comes around.”

Class L

Though each unit showed flash and plenty of pizzazz, both Manchester Central and Memorial fell short of placing in Class L.

The Little Green dropped a couple stunts early before rebounding for a solid showing,

“We had a major injury. The last few days we’ve been reworking our whole routine because one of our fliers is down, so we had to put in someone who hasn’t flown in nine months,” said coach Alison Kivikowski. “The crowd was very receptive to them, so I think we did well, all things considered.

“I’m looking forward to getting the scores so we can get back to the gym, work on areas that we know we are deficient in and step it up a notch when we get to states.”

Competing for Central are Samantha Boucher, Erica Burley, Cassidy Clayton, Katrina Corallino, Stephanie Duval, Laura Gagne, Amanda Graham, Samantha Houle, Jessenia Heurtas, Meagan Lachance, Brittani Maclean, Cassie McQuade, Kathryn Purdy, Taylor Stone, Tiffany Sweeney, Brittany West, Jessica Wright and Elizabeth Goldthwaite.

Those representing Memorial include Chantel Acevedo, Sara Bienvenue, Nicole Bolser, Courtney Bournival, Marta Bowen, Kendra Brown, Alaina Chakmakas, Christa Cody, Rachael Lewis, Katelyn L’Heureaux Briana Mazalewski, Madison Neveu, Nicole St. Hilaire, Camilla Tafe, Katelyn Trombley and Lauren Tully.

Special ed. hikes taxes

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:13:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Pembroke residents are facing about a 6.5 percent tax increase next year with 2008-09 town and school budgets and all warrant articles combined.

The bulk of the hike comes from a half-million-dollar increase in unanticipated special education costs.

After asking the town and school district to make significant cuts, the Pembroke Budget Committee has worked out a tax rate of $25.18 per $1,000 of assessed value, up $1.52 per $1,000 from the current rate of $23.66.

For a $250,000 house in town, that works out to an increase of $380. That puts the homeowner at $6,295 in property tax for the year, with even more tacked on for state and county taxes.

The budgets the town and school came into deliberations with combined resulted in a 10 percent increase in taxes for a rate of $25.95 per $1,000, for the same $250,000 house a $572.50 increase on the bill.

This comes after seeing only a 5-cent increase in the tax rate from 2006 to 2007.

While the Budget Committee’s cuts make the tax increase a little less scary, they also will require cuts in school staff and co-curricular programing, something Budget Committee member David Freeman-Woolpert said was very tough for the committee.

At a public meeting scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 2, at Pembroke Academy, the Budget Committee, School Board and Board of Selectmen hope to get citizen input on the final cuts the School Board and town will make.

Pembroke schools face staff and after-school program cuts to shave $310,000 off the budget. The town is charged with cutting $150,000 out of its budget to bring the tax increase to about a 5 or 6 percent increase, said Freeman-Woolpert.

Special education costs created a $500,000 deficit in this year’s school budget. That, plus higher county taxes, the second year of the teachers contract and rising transportation costs contributed to a 9 percent increase in the school’s 2008- 09 budget from last year. The town’s increase was only about 2.2 percent over last year’s.

The cuts the Budget Committee asked for would reduce the school’s $23.2 million proposed budget to $22.9 million, a 12 percent increase in taxes instead of the 15 percent increase the school’s numbers would have resulted in.

The town’s budget would be reduced from the proposed $7.7 million to about $7.6 million, about a 3 percent increase in town taxes.

The Pembroke School Board is asking for a deficit appropriation to offset most of their deficit, which will be factored in as a cost on the school district’s 2008-09 budget.

“We are in very bad budget trouble this year based on the fact that a number of unexpected special (education) costs emerged as the school year started and really have not been mitigated for the year. It continued to be a big problem for us all year,” said Superintendent Thomas Haley, adding students with expensive special needs came into the district this year.

The district also loses a potential $40,000 in revenue because a change in Medicaid regulations prevents the district from collecting on specialized transportation, Haley said.

After weeks of meetings going through line items and pondering potential cuts, the Budget Committee decided it couldn’t shave much off the school budget without cutting extra programs or staff, Freeman- Woolpert said.

The Pembroke School Board has a hard task ahead of it as members try to decide on line items to cut, Haley said.

There is no word on what staff positions would be cut, but after-school programming will account for some.

“The reality of the situation is that we have already level-funded almost every supply and equipment line in the budget. When they meet, it’s not going to be as simple as cutting books or pencils,” he said.

The Board of Selectmen took the $150,000 they were asked to cut to help remedy the tax increase from the 2008-09 budget year’s typical allocations for parks and recreation, large fire equipment and highway equipment capital reserve funds.

While not making those deposits doesn’t directly affect any of those three departments this year, it will affect taxes down the road, Town Administrator Geoff Ruggles said, when the funds need to be built up for future purchases.

Also contributing to the tax increase is the minimal rise, about $5 million, in property tax values in 2007 compared with prior years, Ruggles said.

Yearly increases in property taxes have been on the down slope since a moratorium on sewer hookups to the Suncook Wastewater Treatment Plant in 2001 began stifling development in Allenstown and Pembroke.

The last big increase in property values Pembroke saw was in 2006 with the coming of Associated Grocers, which brought in $20 million that year.

Freeman-Woolpert said the Budget Committee understands the school district’s plight, and wants the voters at the Feb. 2 meeting to discuss the financial problems the town faces.

Town officials want to know if Pembroke voters would rather have the tax increase and keep the school staff, if they agree with the cuts or whether they want more cuts.

“The more input we get at the public hearing, the more informed decision we can make for what we present at town meeting,” Ruggles said. “If no one shows up at the public hearing, we don’t know if this is acceptable.”

Pembroke’s good play due to ‘full team effort’

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:29:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Down two goals after the first period, the Spartans became engaged in a shootout at Tri-Town Arena.

Actually, with the scoring so one-sided, an ambush may be a more proper description.

The scoreboard favored Con-Val, 4-2, during the early morning Division-III ice hockey contest on Monday, Jan. 21, when Pembroke went on a 9-1 scoring streak, winning the contest, 11-5, and sending notice to D-III opponents that PA has the potential to be this season’s John Stark.

Last year, the middle-of-thepack Generals rode an improbable postseason run to the title game.

“The parity of Division III is interesting this year, so it’s important we keep the other teams guessing as much as we can,” said Pembroke head coach Marc Noel. “Some of the coaches we’re seeing are slating us as a dark horse come playoff time.”

Following a 4-0 setback at undefeated Kennett on Jan. 16, Noel looked at the schedule and told his players they needed to win the next three contests – against Con-Val, 4-4-0 Hollis- Brookline and 0-7-1 Portsmouth – if they wanted a chance at the No. 4 seed and a home playoff game, or at the very least a favorable first-round matchup.

The first step is complete for 5-4-0 Pembroke.

Senior Nate Komm earned his first start in goal against Con-Val, keeping the contest close while turning away six shots, then Zachary Gagnon came into the game and shut the visitors down.

Junior defenseman Doug Turnbull provided a hat trick, while senior forward Jordan MacRae lit the lamp twice and added an assist.

Marc Racine added four helpers and one score, and Cory Pinsonneault found the back of the net twice.

Chris Allen, Jennifer Poulin and Jerry Jarnigan each contributed a goal as well.

“I think it was the longest game in the history of mankind,” said Noel.

In the third period, Con-Val’s starting goaltender was hurt, and with no backup to turn to, one of its skaters was asked to suit up and take over. Pembroke scored three more times.

But Noel said winning so decisively isn’t easy. Drawing players solely from Chichester, Allenstown and Pembroke makes it tough for him to skate more than two lines on a nightly basis. Larger schools – like Concord and Central, which draws from Hooksett – skate three or four lines each contest.

That just means the athletes must focus on fundamentals, said the coach.

“When we’re winning our hockey games, it has to be generated from a full team effort,” he said.

Last season, the Spartans faced a 7-0 deficit to Kennett in the first period at home. This year, on the road, the contest was scoreless after the first frame and competitive the entire game. Moreover, they played 6-2-0 Somersworth well at the Christmas tournament, falling 5-3 to the D-III power.

“It seems that we’re losing to some of the faster teams, but if you look at the context of the game, you can see a difference,” said Noel. “These kids just have to continue to realize they need to play every period of every game, and as long as they do that, they’re going to be in every game. It may come down to the bounce of the puck or just something as simple as getting the puck to the net.”

Even if the Spartans fall short of tournament success this time around, the future looks promising; 13 of 16 varsity players, including eight juniors, are slated to return.

“We’re hoping to make some noise in the playoffs this year, and if we make enough, maybe we’ll end up in the Verizon Center (in Manchester for the Frozen Four),” he said. “If not, well, next year is required by law.”

For now, PA boys just short of Class I’s top teams

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:19:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

They were right there.

Hosting one of the state’s most formidable squads, 6-1 John Stark, the Spartans were tied at 67-all on Friday, Jan. 12, with under 10 seconds remaining on the game clock.

But they allowed Stark’s Ben Titcomb to sink a 15-foot jumper with six seconds remaining, and then Drou Goff’s three-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out.

And the 4-3 Spartans were left stuck in Class I boys basketball’s version of purgatory – able to hang with the best, but still missing that marquee win indicative of a true contender.

Pembroke’s other losses also came at home to perennial powers St. Thomas Aquinas, 63-58 on Dec. 21, and Portsmouth, 42-37 on Jan. 4.

“I’m trying to establish them as an upper-level Class I team, and we just have to continue playing like we did tonight and be in games,” said second-year head coach Matt Alosa, adding that the field is wide open right now, giving his team a legitimate chance come playoffs in March. “At the end of the year, maybe we can host a tournament game … We’re trying to end up in the top echelon of six, seven, eight teams.”

Despite facing John Stark’s full-court press the entire evening, the Spartans committed just six turnovers. The game included 37 lead changes or ties, including 18 in the first quarter when the squads combined for 51 points.

“John Stark played really well tonight,” said Alosa. “We tried to make kids that don’t normally make shots for them make them, and they did that. To me that’s all you can ask.”

Senior Justin Muniz led the Spartans in scoring with 15 points, followed by fellow guards Jon Grenier, Goff and Taylor Vazquez, 13 points each, and Nick Porter, who contributed 11.

Stark coach Mike Smith said the Spartans’ backcourt is as good as any in the state, something that caused his defense to struggle like it hadn’t all season.

“Both teams shot the ball phenomenally. I don’t think I’ve seen a game where both teams shot the ball this well in a long time,” said Smith. “… Both teams were getting in the way a little bit defensively, but I think anytime our offenses created open shots for people, they knocked them down.”

Pembroke Year in review 2007

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 20:11:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Baby burned
Matthew Butler, 26, was arrested in February for allegedly burning his baby’s foot in chicken soup. Butler later allegedly stabbed himself in the chest in a suicide attempt, and was hospitalized prior to his arrest.

According to police, Butler was watching his three children while their mother was at work at the time of the incident. The mother later told the state’s Division for Children, Youth, and Families that Butler was also drinking before she left for work, and could not handle the children’s behavior.

15-year-old collapses and dies
A Pembroke Academy freshman died suddenly on May 9 when he collapsed at his home. His stepfather attempted CPR on Matthew Couture, 15, of Pembroke, but to no avail.

According to the medical examiner’s report, Couture had a heart condition in which an artery was abnormally shaped, cutting off some of the blood supply to his heart and causing damage over time.

Friends and family praised Couture as being funny, very bright and extremely kind.

PA gets an EDie
The New Hampshire Excellence in Education Award Program Organization named Pembroke Academy a Secondary School of Excellence, referred to as “the EDies.”

The award was based on curriculum, instruction, learning processes, student achievement and improvement, community and parent involvement, leadership and school culture.

The school got $1,000, which Headmaster Michael Reardon said would go into the general account for something education- related.

Bridge is replaced
The historic doubledeck bridge connecting Allenstown and Pembroke on Route 3 was replaced this year. The lower deck of the bridget was just recently opened to traffic.

The old one, which the state had “red listed” due to its disrepair, was closed immediately after the Minnesota bridge collapse on Aug. 1 when state inspectors shut it down.

The Allenstown/Pembroke bridge was of the same deck and truss design as the Minnesota bridge. There are just a few others in New Hampshire with similar structures that were also inspected after the collapse.

Principal is taped to wall for laughs and money

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:00:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Students at Three Rivers School in Pembroke had their revenge on Principal Deb Bulkley when they taped her to the wall and left her there for more than an hour.

The “prank,” which Bulkley agreed to, was part of a Hugs Across America community service project.

By the time all of the students in the school had taken their lunches on Friday, Nov. 30, Bulkley was completely suspended from the wall with hundreds of pieces of duct tape.

It’s a good thing she wore long sleeves, she said, so the tape wouldn’t hurt coming off.

The taping was an effort to raise money for a few boxes of bears from Hugs Across America, which sends teddy bears to children in hospitals across the country.

The stunt was the result of a student council vote. Pembroke Hill School did the same thing last year and decided to help out Three Rivers by donating the remainder of the money they made toward the teddy bears.

Students paid a dollar for a yard of tape or $2 for 3 yards. Since the sixth grade raised the most food for the school’s Thanksgiving food drive, each of them got a free piece of tape with which to bind Bulkley.

During the taping, it was unclear whether the amount of tape applied would suspend Bulkley. “I used to be a science teacher and I’m interested to see if this will hold me here,” she said.

As the seventh-graders applied their tape during the last lunch of the day, Bulkley said she felt pretty secure and was confident that the tape would hold her.

She was right.

A round of applause and cheers from seventh-graders erupted in the Three Rivers’ cafetorium as Bulkley hung from the wall, laughing and getting a little red in the face.

She had been standing on a chair with her back to the wall for more than an hour through every single lunch.

The kids were excited to see their principal detained.

“I’ve been waiting the entire year for an opportunity like this,” said seventh-grader Thomas Dodd, 12, as he securely applied his yard across Bulkley’s midsection.

The fundraiser made about $200, said organizer and Three Rivers teacher Deirdre Martin, enough for one box of teddy bears. The bears will go to the pediatrics ward at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua.

Addition of transfer gives Pembroke something extra

Hooksett Editor — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:42:00 GMT

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

If the Pembroke girls basketball team is to succeed this year, a talented transfer may be a key component.

And that’s just fine with head coach Rose Galligan, who said new addition Alex Hall may be the best girls basketball player she’s seen take the court at PA.

“What doesn’t she do? I mean, she does it all,” said Galligan. “She plays defense. She shoots. She passes. She controls the ball. She’s just a great allaround player.”

And while the Lady Spartans are instantly better with Hall clad in green, Galligan admits that for her team to make a run in Class I, those playing alongside the junior standout will have to contribute as well.

“Last year, this team played solid defense, but struggled with ball control and shot quality.

With Alex around, I think that’s already started changing, and I’m just hoping to improve as the season goes along,” said the mentor. “I’ve already seen that improvement in the first three weeks of practice, but we’re going to need to see these other kids step up because obviously (Hall) is going to see a lot of attention.”

In fact, Galligan said her new star was double- and sometimes triple-teamed throughout Pembroke’s first contest, a 59-29 setback at Lebanon.

Those whom Hall will look to pass the ball to in tough spots include senior center Faye Lesniewski, who Galligan said posts up well and has a solid outside jump shot; senior Kaitie Scofield, who returns after two injury-plagued campaigns that kept her scrappy defense off the floor; and Samantha Boisvert, a senior sharpshooter who complements her three-point accuracy with above-average passing skills.

Senior Lisa Swanson and juniors Mollie Griggs and Charissa Elwell are each expected to see significant playing time, as will sophomore newcomers Danielle Blanchette and Sara Chevrette.

Others representing the Lady Spartans include freshmen Alesha Girard, Sarah Vien and Marissa Letendre.

“They’re all going to contribute,” said the coach. “It’s just a matter of getting the right mix together and getting them used to playing with someone this talented.”

No matter the final results, however, Galligan is hoping her team will enjoy the experience as much as she will.

“This is a good group of kids,” said Galligan. “They’re all hard workers, and they’re all fun to be around.”

Pembroke Academy suspends students for Web threats; Internet phenomenon is common at schools

Hooksett Editor — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 19:42:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

Two Pembroke Academy students were recently suspended for a cafeteria fight that carried over into a situation of what is commonly known as “cyber bullying.”

One of the girls was suspended immediately after the physical fight, and the other after a parent printed out copies of statements on MySpace Web pages which allegedly threatened physical retaliation.

Pembroke Academy Headmaster Michael Reardon called the school’s response “an emblematic event,” adding that interactions outside of school can often affect the safety of students.

“A big part of this issue is the relative anonymity of these modes of conversation,” Reardon said. “There is the innate difference of looking someone in the eye and saying something and saying it on cyberspace.”

Cyber bullying has become a problem in communities across the country with the advent of social networking sites including MySpace, Facebook and Friendster.

While these sites have regulations guarding against improper behavior on the site, they don’t – and can’t – catch everything.

Cyber bullying is considered a computer crime in several states. According to an issue of “Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice” magazine, threatening or harassing other individuals via the Web may constitute a federal crime, punishable by up to two years imprisonment.

In October of 2006, 13-year-old Megan Meier of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., hung herself after an online relationship with someone who called himself “Josh Evans” ended in cruel postings on MySpace. It was later determined that “Evans” was actually the parent of one of Meier’s classmates.

In 2004, Vermont passed legislation to punish cyber bullies after Ryan Halligan, 13, committed suicide. Other students had been sending him taunting instant messages using sexual slurs.

“The use of technology is scary now. That environment out there is so liquid,” said Arthur Adamakos, principal of Manchester Memorial High School.

He added that times have changed from when he was growing up, when bullying was largely a schoolyard occurrence that was clearly defined and could be dealt with on the spot.

“The immediacy of everything wasn’t there. Things can escalate in a hurry with the Internet,” he said, adding that the school has made strides to handle Internet bullying.

But how far can such investigations be taken when Internet capabilities are such that social networking sites can be altered by almost anybody?

Pembroke Police Chief Scott Lane said they could not press charges against the two Pembroke Academy students because copies of the alleged threats were not hard enough evidence to do so.

“Printed copies of e-mails is not going to substantiate us prosecuting anyone criminally,” Lane said. “That’s something that points us in the right direction, but it’s not the only component.”

In this case, Lane said, conflicting reports from the two sides made it hard to rely strictly on the Web content, which he pointed out could be altered by just about anyone.

“Especially in the school setting, there are times when it’s appropriate for the school to take action and us not to,” Lane said.

To validate the threats, Lane said, the students’ computer would have be to be sent to the state crime lab for processing, for which the waiting list is long.

“In the investigation, we couldn’t substantiate that it was anything more than just posturing,” Lane said, referring “talking big” or what is commonly called “flaming.”

Reardon said he was pleased with the way police handled the investigation. “Pembroke police couldn’t have been more responsive or thorough,” he said.

If police were to take action, Lane said, it would take a no-contact order between the students, which would make attendance complicated for the school and the students involved.

“It guts the school of doing proactive things to solve the conflict. There’s not much of a learning curve if we handcuff the school like that,” Lane said.

Reardon said schools and parents should take a proactive approach by teaching kids how to express their anger and negotiate solutions constructively.

He added that the school will host a parent night sometime before Christmas addressing these issues. A letter was sent out to parents after the incident.