Weare News

Core teachers restored

2008-06-25T19:24:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

After the Weare School Board’s final meeting of the current fiscal year, the school administration now has some directions on what to restore to the 2008-09 budget.

Making their way back into the budget are two teaching positions for the second and fifth grades, to deal with enrollment bubbles in those grades; night and weekend custodial coverage to clean up after community programs; and one bus.

The world language teaching position at the Weare Middle School and the art teacher at Center Woods Elementary are still on the chopping block, according to school officials, something a few of those who attended the meeting on Tuesday, June 17, spoke against.

The school budget got a second wind when a total of 1,343 voters showed up at the polls for a second shot at voting in a proposed school budget.

The School District avoided its second default budget in a row by adding $240,000 to the $12.4 million default budget voted in March, a tactic which passed with voters the second time around in a 751-591 vote.

The School District’s operating budget for 2008-09 will now be $12,703,776, representing a tax rate increase of 52 cents per $1,000 of assessed value from last year. For a home assessed at $250,000, that’s a tax bill increase of $130.

“I guess we’re faced with two kinds of bad choices, here,” said Selma Al-Abbas, whose daughter just completed the sixth grade at the middle school and looks forward to her French class. “Is there any other thing that can be juggled or considered?”

Al-Abbas suggested cutting library, after asking her daughter’s opinion on the matter.

“We have a beautiful school and we’ve gone backwards in teaching. Foreign languages is a basic middle school curriculum,” she said.

Superintendent Christine Tyrie said the state Department of Education requires schools to have a library and media program. Cutting library could jeopardize the school’s accreditation status.

“One of the reasons that we looked at French is that it is not a required program for a middle school,” Tyrie said. “If you’re deficient, you have up to three years to address that. After that, it means you close your school down and you have to tuition every student out of the school.”

Tyrie said the art and world languages programs would be the easiest to integrate into the classroom setting. If the secondand fifth-grade teachers were not restored, class sizes would increase significantly.

School Board Chairman Matt Thomas said as the board looks at ways to save more money as the school year approaches, the world language position would be one of the first things restored.

“The point of this discussion is to see what direction we want to go. I don’t think by any means we’re setting this in stone,” said Thomas. “I don’t think we’ve ever set a budget in stone in the history of this town.”

Parent and teacher Kim Grattan said her kids, who attend Weare Middle School, are in upper levels and need extras outside the core classes to challenge them.

“I have two children who do excel and there is very little for them that goes above and beyond that basic curriculum, and French is one of those things that offers something extra,” Grattan said.

Grattan also pointed out that the elimination of the French program at the middle school will prevent Weare students from being able to reach AP French by their senior year at John Stark Regional High School.

School board member Marjory Burke spoke in favor of restoring the art and French teaching positions.

“I think that we need to expose our children to as much variety as possible to make them well rounded citizens for the 21st century. It pains me to know that we’re removing art and language,” Burke said.

Thomas said the school district is working with new bus route mapping software that will provide ways to consolidate and possibly eliminate routes, which could make some room in the budget by the fall.

The district may also end up saving money when it hires new people to replace retirees this year, who may have less experience and thus be on a lower pay scale.

Grattan said after the meeting she appreciates the difficult decisions the board has to make, adding it’s up to Weare voters to discourage cuts through their vote.

“It’s got to be up to the townspeople to pass a few budgets,” said Grattan.

‘Crisping’ out for AP and honors students at John Stark

2008-06-18T19:56:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

Honors and advanced placement students at John Stark Regional High School will not be able to partake in one of the many rewards of hard study and determination next year, known as “crisping.”

And Weare resident Helen Ray is not happy about that, especially since her daughter, Sarah, 14, just completed her freshman year at Stark in the honors program. Crisping allows students at Stark to be excused from final exams if they’ve earned a minimum 90 average in the class.

Advanced placements students can crisp with an 80 average if they take the state standardized AP test at the end of the class. The problem is not in taking away that opportunity, said Ray, but in continuing to let those students in the regular program crisp if they qualify.

“As of right now, every student and parent I talk to is like, ‘how could this be fair?’” said Ray. “All I want is for them to come across as fair. Either everyone gets the opportunity, or no one gets the opportunity.”

It is only slightly easier pointswise for honors and AP students to “crisp,” as honors students automatically get half a percent added onto their averages, and AP students get a full percent added on.

Superintendent Christine Tyrie said the ultimate decision lay with Stark Principal Michael Turmelle, adding the decision to take crisping from honors and AP students was about a year in the making and involved parents as well as school administrators.

Despite repeated phone calls, Turmelle was not available for comment by press time.

The rationale behind the decision, said Tyrie, is that honors and AP students need to have the utmost confidence in their test taking abilities prior to entering college.

“These are generally students that are headed for competitive universities, and test taking is something the student should have experience with,” Tyrie said. Tyrie added that she understands Ray’s position that the opportunity to “crisp out” of finals should be equal across the board, for students in the upper eschelon and average to lowlevel students.

“Would I agree? I don’t know. I don’t know enough about it,” Tyrie said. “We’re largely sitebased, which means that principals are pretty much in charge of running their schools.”

Ray said the fact that the kids in the highest levels are most likely to go to competitive colleges is no reason to have different rules regarding crisping for Stark students.

“They wouldn’t be in these honors programs if they didn’t know how to take tests,” said Ray, pointing out that students in open classes will also apply to colleges and universities when they graduate. “It’s too bad, and I really wish he had just taken it away from everybody.”

Crisping, or averaging out of finals, has been done for a long time, said Ray, and her older daughter Samantha, now a freshman at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, was given that opportunity at Stark as an honors student.

“It’s maddening because these kids will do well if they want to do well,” said Ray. “I couldn’t have given my daughter a better education than what she got at John Stark, and I think (Turmelle) is selling his own teachers short,” she said.

No. 4 John Stark falls in quarterfinals to No. 5 Milford

2008-06-11T20:19:00Z

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

When the John Stark softball team traveled to play Milford High School in April, the Generals crushed the Spartans, 12-0. Milford returned the unwelcome favor at the worst possible time.

The fourth-seeded Generals were ousted from the Class I quarterfinals on Saturday, June 7, following a 7-1 loss to the fifthranked Spartans at Memorial Field in Concord.

The biggest difference came in the circle, where Milford’s ace pitcher, Lindsay Lozeau, shut down the Stark bats.

“It was her, 100 percent,” said John Stark’s head coach, Zack Medlock. “We didn’t see her the first time. It wasn’t like they threw the ball around that game, we just hit the ball. Today we pressed a little too much.”

Milford scored two runs in the first frame and followed with three in the second inning, putting John Stark in a big hole.

In the home half of the second, John Stark tried to climb back into the contest thanks to a leadoff triple by cleanup hitter Kelsey Francher.

After a strikeout, Lozeau allowed Francher to score on a wild pitch.

In the fourth inning, with Francher again on third, Molly Dussault flew to right field, but Francher was thrown out trying to score thanks to a perfect throw from Milford outfielder Beth Solan.

John Stark was unable to muster any hits in the final three innings, putting runners on courtesy of a walk and a Milford error.

“We left some balls up in the (strike) zone, and they hit them. Their pitcher really controlled the game out there,” said Medlock. “We had some anxiousness. We were aggressive, and we always are, but it hurt us today.”

The Generals fielded a team that was inexperienced in the postseason and unfamiliar with playing from behind.

“It’s not only that it was unfamiliar, but then you let up a few fluky plays and it gets uncomfortable. You get a little panicked and don’t know how to shed that, “ said Medlock. “We’re not used to being down. We usually score in bunches.”

Despite the early exit, the Generals finished with a 17-4 record, which impressed Medlock. “Considering we were 5-10 last year without a glimpse of the playoffs, we had a fantastic season,” he said. “We exceeded expectations all over. We’re not happy with the end, but we are with the season.”

Weare School Board wants public input on budget

2008-06-11T20:13:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Weare School Board will take its new 2008- 09 operating budget to task at the upcoming meeting on Tuesday, June 17, and members want the public’s input on how they should spend the money.

The decision now is not how much money to restore, but what to do with a budget that is half-way between what was initially proposed and the default budget.

About 23 percent of registered Weare voters cast their vote in a special election for a revised proposed budget on Tuesday, June 3.

The Weare School District’s operating budget for 2008-09 will now be $12,703,776, representing a tax rate increase of 52 cents per $1,000 of assessed value from last year. For a home assessed at $250,000, that’s a tax bill increase of $130.

In a 806-731 vote, the initial $12.9 million budget the School Board proposed for 2008-09 was voted down at the polls in March.

School officials said remaining on the $12,463,776 default budget would have imposed several cuts in staff, including the sole world languages teacher at the middle school and the art teacher at Center Woods.

Both of those positions will likely still be considered in cuts for the coming year, even with the passage of the $12.7 million budget.

The default would also have forced cuts in maintenance night and weekend coverage and eliminated two buses.

The School Board added $240,000 to the default to bring it to $12,703,776 million in the new proposal, which restores the equivalent in funds of two teaching positions, night and weekend custodian coverage and one bus to the budget.

School Board member Paul Levandowski said the board welcomes the public’s input on what, specifically, should be restored to the budget.

“We’ll be able to get back half of what we wanted,” said Levandowski immediately following the vote. “I was very impressed with the voter turnout.”

Levandowski said most of the community input that has come through to the board indicates that Weare residents would like to see the world language and art programs restored to the budget, something the board is taking very seriously, he said.

“We’ll continue to move forward. We have to talk now on how to build the budget,” he said.

School Board Chairman Matt Thomas said the School Board will do whatever it takes to maximize the new funds the voters approved, and thanked the 1,343 Weare residents who cast their vote for a second time on the school budget.

“We now have half a budget, and we will do everything we can,” said Thomas.

The Tuesday, June 17, meeting will take place at Center Woods Elementary School in the music room.

Senior project pays off

2008-06-11T20:09:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

While most high school seniors were spending the money they earned from their part-time jobs on spring break and prom activities, John Stark Regional High School senior Chad Averill was paying off his senior project.

The 18-year-old graduate’s project was to install a flag pole at the John Stark football field, and after chasing businesses and private donors for funds, he spent about $400 of his own money to pay for it.

“I’m graduating this year, and I wanted to leave something behind,” said Averill, who’s been playing offensive running back and defensive middle linebacker for the John Stark Generals since his freshman year.

The old flag pole, he said, was little more than a small banner on a stick, similar to what people put outside their homes around the Fourth of July.

It made things difficult when it was time to salute the flag before games, and many people in the crowd weren’t sure where to face because they couldn’t even find it, Averill said.

Averill began asking for donations in April, sending letters out to businesses and community groups asking for $100 donations toward erecting the flag pole.

“I got one reply from the American Legion,” said Averill, in the amount of $100. His grandparents and a family friend also donated money toward the $640 price tag for the pole.

Averill, who works part-time after school at Nadeau’s Subs in Goffstown, footed the rest of the bill out of his own money.

“He’s a very kind person and works hard in school,” said Laura Newman, coordinator of the senior projects program at John Stark.

The graduating senior, who described himself as a “B-plus” student, said football has been the best part of his high school career.

The football program at John Stark is still in its infancy, and is one of the fastest growing athletics programs in the state, starting out in Division III status and with no wins in the first year. Averill has been with the blossoming program the whole time.

“It doesn’t matter if we’ve won championships. It’s just how we’ve come together as a team,” Averill said. “I already miss the football games.”

Averill said he plans on attending Mesa Technical College in Tucumcari, N.M., and believes he is the only student from John Stark who is travelling that far for school. He plans on transferring back to the University of New Hampshire after two years and working on a veterinary degree, he said.

Averill admitted that vet school is aiming high and is going to take a lot of work, but said he wants to challenge himself more in his college years.

“I haven’t really pushed myself in high school,” he said. Over the summer, Averill will work full time to build his funds back up for the move west.

Stark’s successes in ’08 impressive; rebuilding awaits team

2008-06-04T20:21:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

When the No. 8 Lady Generals’ 2008 lacrosse season concluded with a 23-10 loss to undefeated No. 1 seed Portsmouth in the Division III quarterfinals on Thursday, May 29, coach Jon Warner didn’t dwell much on the negative ending to a season full of so many positives.

“We had a winning record, we beat a couple teams we never beat before, and we made the playoffs for the second straight year,” he said. “And this season, that was no easy task.”

Indeed, Stark finished with an 8-6 record – best in program history – and reached the playoffs with seniors who improved themselves, and the team, each of the last four years.

“At the start of the season, if you told me we could have done all that, I’d be very happy,” said Warner. “With a couple different breaks, we’d have ended up with another playoff spot and wouldn’t have ended up playing Portsmouth. But even though we took a pretty good shellacking, the girls never gave up until the last whistle.”

Warner loses 10 seniors, including nine starters, and must rebuild primarily out of its current sophomore class.

Sam Aucoin, the team’s leading scorer, and fellow tri-captains Kelsey Wells and Steph Constant of Weare depart, as do Connie Honeycutt, who was second on the team in scoring.

Also leaving are Nikki Scarneo, Lauren Baum, Shelbie Connor, Brianna Duquette, Jordan Modine and Morgan Vogt.

Still, returning to form next season may not be as easy for the team as it was this year. Though the Lady Generals lost 10 seniors last season, only half started.

The class of 2008 contributed throughout the lineup, said Warner, and in some cases are nearly irreplaceable.

“We’re going to miss them all,” he said. “We’re losing two of three attackers, two of three offensive midfielders, my two defensive midfielders and all three defenders.

“Most of those seniors are going to be replaced by our current sophomores and probably some freshmen and JV players,” Warner continued. “It’ll probably be a little different dynamic, but the upside is that while next year might be a year we’re transitioning, the year after that the whole group of seniors will have four years, and at least a year starting, under their belt.”

Though they’ll be lacking experience next season, his player’s athleticism, said Warner, will keep the team competitive.

Those returning include Weare residents Angela Beaulieu, Jess Constant, Martha Fiala, Sydney Getzin, Alyssa Hawkes, Kayla Hubbard, Arelle Legrand, Cassie Purington and Meredith Wheeler.

Rachel Quimby, another Weare native, returns in net for her fourth season as starting goalie. She is one of five juniors.

School budget approved on second try

2008-06-04T19:55:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

In a 751-591 vote, the Weare School Board succeeded in its second attempt at getting a 2008- 09 budget passed.

A total of 1,342 out of 5,852 registered Weare voters showed up at the polls at Center Woods Elementary School on Tuesday, June 3, to cast their vote on whether to adopt a school budget $240,000 more than the default that went into effect when the first budget failed with voters in March.

“It just goes to show you what positive things can happen when people get involved,” said School Board member Judy Lamont.

The school district’s operating budget for 2008-09 will now be $12,703,776 million, representing a tax rate increase of 52 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value from last year. For a home assessed at $250,000, that’s a tax bill increase of $130.

Initially, the $12.9 million budget the School Board proposed for 2008-09 was voted down at the polls in March, 806- 731, for a $12.4 million default budget. The default would have added $62.50 to the tax bill fot a home assessed at $250,000.

A total of 1,537 Weare voters weighed in on the budget in March. The turnout for the second vote was 87 percent of the voters who came out the first time. Twenty-eight Weare residents registered at the polls to vote for the second go-around on the school budget.

School officials said remaining on the $12,463,776 million default budget would have imposed several cuts in staff, including the sole world languages teacher at the middle school and the art teacher at Center Woods. Both of those positions will likely still be considered in cuts for the coming year, even with the passage of the $12.7 million budget.

It would also have forced cuts in night and weekend maintenance coverage and eliminated two buses. The School Board added $240,000 to the default to bring it to $12,703,776 million in the new proposal, which would restore two teaching positions, night and weekend custodian coverage and one bus to the budget. “I think this is really great for the kids and education in Weare,” said Superintendent Christine Tyrie.

If the new budget had not passed, Weare would have been in a second default budget for the second year in a row and would have operated on 2006-07 costs, Tyrie said.

School Board member Paul Levandowski said the board is looking for input from the Weare community on how to allocate the new funds.

“We always value their opinion. It’s their school,” said Levandowski, adding he has heard feedback indicating the community wants to keep the language and art positions.

School Board member Helen Dutton said one voter asked her, before he went into the booth, what was going going to be added back to the budget if it was approved.

“I said we’re not going to be adding, but less will be taken away,” Dutton said.

Those who want to give their input on what to do with the funds in the new budget should attend the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, June 17, Levandowski said. The meeting will be held at Center Woods at 7 p.m.

“We have a new finite set of dollars that we can deal with, and we just have to find the most expeditious way to spend that money,” School Board Chairman Matt Thomas said.

The board does not meet in July, so a decision on how to spend the money must come soon, said School Board member Marjorie Burke.

School Board members credited a parent advocate group set up by resident Tricia Ober for campaigning for the vote and getting the word out about the budget concerns.

“We had this great group of parents that mobilized and got other parents out to vote,” said Burke.

Ober said she would keep the advocacy group going for next year’s budget.

“This is what should have happened the first time around,” she said. “If we can educate the public, that’s the whole reason we started this.”

Athlete of the Month - Junior pitches in for softball team

2008-05-28T20:33:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Sponsored by Indian Head Athletics

Alexe Proctor began playing softball when she was 7 and immediately showed some talent, but she didn’t want to pitch. As an 11-year-old, she was convinced by her father, Terry, to try it.

Perhaps Zack Medlock should send him a thank-you note.

Through Friday, May 23, Alexe leads John Stark with a 9-2 record and 1.10 ERA in 76 1/3 innings pitched. She’s compiled 101 strikeouts while limiting opponents to 12 earned runs in her 11 starts.

She threw a no-hitter against Pelham earlier this season and has yet to allow more than three earned runs in a contest.

And one of her two losses came in a 14-inning 1-0 setback to 14-2 Bishop Brady.

For her contributions in leading the Lady Generals to the best record in program history – a 15-3 mark with one game remaining – Proctor has been named the Indian Head Athletics Athlete of the Month.

Medlock, her high school coach, couldn’t be more thankful for her contributions.

“Alexe definitely sets the tone for us, and any coach in Class I would love to have her,” he said. “The thing that’s nice about Alexe is she can keep us in games, and she can dominate games, too. She does a nice job controlling play, and she doesn’t ever get too up or too down.”

In a May 9 contest against Pembroke, Proctor had given up five runs – three unearned – in the fifth inning, and Medlock thought for a moment she might be getting rattled.

Instead, she struck out five of six batters the final two innings and taught her coach never to doubt her composure again.

“The best thing I can say about Alexe, besides all the things she’s doing on the mound, is she understands her role on the team,” said Medlock. “I mean, they’re all equals, and she understands she’s no bigger than anyone else on the team. Despite all the great things she’s doing, Alexe respects all her teammates and respects her coach.”

While Medlock is appreciative, it’s teammates who speak most glowingly about the junior fireballer.

“I see her attitude everyday, and it’s unbelievable,” said catcher Taylor Buxton, Proctor’s long-time best friend and battery mate. “When she’s on the field, even if a batter gets a big hit, she’s right back, focused on the next hitter. She knows how to stay in the game and let it roll off her shoulders.”

Proctor, however, refused to take sole credit for her confident demeanor. After all, she said, if she doesn’t get the next out, Buxton or one of her other teammates will get the job done.

“Once I have a baserunner on, I know either she’s going to get thrown out by Taylor, someone is going to make a nice defensive play behind me, or I’m going to take care of things on my end and strand her on base,” said Proctor, who credits her progress to a dedicated offseason practice regimen and a strong bond with her teammates. “It’s so surreal.

The team is just a dream team. You want to be on this team. I mean, coming into this season having known these girls for a long time … We knew what we wanted to do and it’s just a matter of setting our minds to it and producing the results on the field.

“This season is the one you’ve been looking forward to your whole life,” she added. “It’s one of those things you’re going to look back on, even after college, and talk to your kids and say, ‘Hey, when I was a junior in high school …”

(Editor’s note: The Athlete of the Month receives a $50 gift certificate courtesy of Indian Head Athletics.)

John Stark has steadily, quietly put together a strong season

2008-05-28T20:24:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

By Zack Medlock’s own admission, the John Stark softball team continues to be, in large part, unknown in Class I.

Yet the Lady Generals currently maintain a 15-3 record and secure a top-four playoff seed with a win against 2-12 Bow in the season finale on Friday, May 30.

“If people had told me two years ago that we were going to be this good, honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised,” said Medlock.

“The last two years we’ve had a talented group of athletes who had some brilliant games and some not-so-brilliant games. I knew after last year we could do some special things this year if we performed and approached things the right way, and this season we’ve had a lot more brilliant games than not.

“This is my seventh season coaching softball, and I’ve coached soccer as well, and I’ve never had so much fun coaching a team,” added Medlock.

With 10 of 11 players from Weare, including senior captains Madison Belanger and Monique Giroux, the Lady Generals continue to roll.

“It’s a testament to our two senior captains,” said Medlock. “They set the tone out there and make my life a lot easier. They know their roles and are following through on their end. I can coach them, but I can’t hit for them, catch for them, or pitch for them, you know.”

While the seniors lead the team, it’s a strong crop of juniors that have JS in position to compete for the Class I title this season.

Alexe Proctor, with her stifling fastball, and Emily Sweeney, with her three solid pitches, hold teams at bay from the mound; and Taylor Buxton, Abbey Sullivan, Becca Morin and Olivia Cray contribute with their bats and gloves.

Sophomores Kelsey Francher, Molly Dussault and Ashley French have also aided the team’s run.

As fine a season as the Lady Generals have had, Medlock said it hasn’t come without adversity. In fact, it’s the manner in which they’ve handled the rough patches that has Medlock so excited about his squad’s chances. JS lost its first game of the month, 4-3, after taking a 3-1 lead in extra innings against Plymouth on May 1, and was thumped the next game by Monadnock, 10-2.

“It’s times like that, as a coach, you wondered how that would impact them,” said Medlock. “I knew the talent was there, but it’s all the other stuff you worry about. Can you keep the chemistry? Can you keep it together?”

John Stark won its next time out, 12-0, at rival Kearsarge and have taken nine of 10 contests since that point.

A preseason trip to Florida, Medlock added, may have helped prepare the Lady Generals for challenges.

They played six games against some of the top teams from Minnesota and other parts of the country, and were thrashed the first five contests. But they rebounded with a 6-4 triumph in their final game and have yet to cool off.

“They really didn’t get bummed out about losing five straight games – and some were pretty ugly against some real powerhouse teams,” said Medlock.

“You don’t really plan a trip like that for a team you don’t think you can do special things with.”

Weare school has June 3 revote

2008-05-28T20:15:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

The Weare School District is asking voters to go back to the polls Tuesday, June 3, to vote on a second version of a proposed school budget.

The polls will be open at Center Woods Elementary from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

After a group of concerned Weare parents started a grassroots campaign in support of the new budget that helped bring about 100 people to the deliberative session for the revised budget, Superintendent Christine Tyrie said she sees a big difference in the community’s reception of the budget vote this time around.

“It was really gratifying and I can say that sincerely,” Tyrie said. “I think when people see how badly this is going to hurt Weare schools, they know they’re going to have to step to the plate and support what we’re doing.”

By a 806-731 margin, the initial $12.9 million budget the School Board proposed for 2008- 09 was voted down in March, and the town is now under a $12.4 million default budget.

School officials say remaining on the $12,463,776 default budget would impose several cuts in staff, including the elimination of the only world languages teacher at the middle school and the art teacher at Center Woods.

It would also force cuts in night and weekend maitenance coverage, eliminating one custodial position completely and possibly requiring community organizations to pay to use the school facilities after hours, according to school officials.

It would also eliminate two buses. The bus routes would be reconfigured and students who live less than 2 miles from school would not be picked up.

The School Board added $240,000 to the default to bring it to $12,703,776 million in the new proposal, which would restore two teaching positions, night and weekend custodian coverage and one bus.

Tricia Ober, one of the organizers of the parent advocacy group campaigning for the passage of the revised budget, said the group has been handing out brochures at community events and placing fliers at bus stops, as well as standing roadside with signs.

An anonymous donor allowed the group to print the campaign signs, and members of the campaign group have been asking to run off fliers at work to save money.

“It’s been very positive. You go to different community events and school events and it’s being talked about,” Ober said. “That was the goal of this group, to get the people to talk about it and understand what they’re voting on.”

Ober added the group would be out at the schools with signs again on Monday, June 2, and Tuesday, June 3, to remind people to vote.

The $12.4 million default currently in place will result in an increase of 25 cents per $1,000 of assessed value on the tax rate over last year. If the new $12.7 million proposed budget passes, the tax rate would increase by 52 cents per $1,000 of assessed value from last year.

For a home assessed at $250,000, that’s a tax bill increase of $62.50 for the default budget or $130 for the second proposed budget over last year’s rate.

Weare Middle School’s operating costs were a new addition to the budget this year, affecting spending by teachers to accommodate the new school and maintaining the facilities.

Currently, Weare spends the least amount per pupil in the state. The state average is around $10,000 per pupil, and Weare spends $7,345 per pupil according to Tyrie.

Goffstown spends $8,425 per pupil and Henniker, which shares a school administrative unit with Weare, spends $11,441, Tyrie said.

John Stark’s four-year climb a result of seniors’ growth

2008-05-21T19:03:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Four years ago a very green group of freshmen helped the John Stark girls lacrosse team to the first win in program history.

In 2005, the Lady Generals notched one victory. The next season, they triumphed five times, and then, in 2007, their 6-8 record under first-year head coach Jon Warner earned them a spot in the Division III tournament.

This season, the 8-5 squad has won five of six and seven of its last nine contests to secure its first winning season.

Following an 11-8 victory against Merrimack Valley on Monday, May 19, John Stark is back in the playoffs, and with a win in its final game against 9-4 Kingswood, the squad can climb as high as the No. 5 seed.

Last season, Warner said it was a forgone conclusion seven teams would be in the playoffs. That left Stark, Hopkinton and Kearsarge to battle for the final berth. The Lady Generals earned the honor, but lost to eventual state champ Hollis-Brookline in a tight battle.

This year, the league is wide open behind favorite Portsmouth, said Warner “Right now, we’re just looking for the highest seed we can get, and then I’m hoping we can get a playoff win,” he said. “… Depending where we’re positioned, there are certainly teams we are capable of beating.”

But a 14-12 Senior-Day loss to rival Kearsarge on Saturday, May 17, squashed John Stark’s hope of hosting a first-round playoff contest. “It really hurt,” said Warner. “I mean, we’ll end up with similar records to other teams, but lose on tie-breakers.”

Still, Warner isn’t complaining.

After all, neither Weare nor Henniker have youth lacrosse programs, so all but two players – sophomores Annele Jones and Zile Jones – picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time in high school.

Teams like Hollis-Brookline and Portsmouth, on the other hand, receive middle-school athletes already developing into polished lax players.

Of the 2008 roster’s 10 seniors, nine start.

That list includes tri-captains Sam Aucoin and Weare residents Kelsey Wells and Steph Constant. In addition, Weare’s Connie Honeycutt and Nikki Scarneo complete their last season at John Stark, as do Lauren Baum, Shelbie Connor, Brianna Duquette, Jordan Modine and Morgan Vogt.

“This is a great group of girls to coach,” said Warner. “We have a lot of players who played three or four years that have contributed and helped the team grow, and we all appreciate what they’ve brought to the program, so we’re going to miss them.”

Weare’s Rachel Quimby is a three-year starter in net and one of five juniors.

The relatively small group of juniors, said Warner, may mean a rebuilding year in ’09, but a crop of 14 sophomores and eight freshmen certainly offer hope.

Other Weare residents contributing this season include Angela Beaulieu, Jess Constant, Martha Fiala, Dydney Getzin, Alyssa Hawkes, Kayla Hubbard, Arelle Legrand, Cassie Purington and Meredith Wheeler.

Game notes
After falling into a 3-0 hole in the first four minutes against Merrimack Valley, the Lady Generals battled back and knotted the contest at four by halftime.

The locals pulled away in the second half, outscoring their foes 7-4 to secure the victory. The win was Stark’s first ever against Merrrimack Valley, and it secured the program’s first winning record and a spot in the D-III tournament.

Aucoin found the back of the net five times to break the JS scoring record with 103 career goals.

Honeycutt added two goals and three assists; Annele Jones contributed a goal and two assists; Zile Jones offered a goal and an assist; Modine had two assists; and Steph Constant also provided a helper.

Season notes
Through May 17, Aucoin leads the team with 32 goals and 37 points. Annele Jones has added 22 goals and 29 points. Honeycutt has contributed 22 goals and 29 points.

Wells, who leads the team with 11 assists, is fourth in total points with 25. Constant has offered nine assists.

Weare house offered free – for a price

2008-05-14T23:02:00Z

BY MATT SCHOOLEY

You can’t beat the asking price, but to own a historic Weare home, someone had better have a large trunk.

The 100-year-old house located at Country Three Corners is available for free to anyone who wants it, although to be preserved, the home also needs a new address.

“We don’t want to tear it down; we’d like to move it. The clincher is that it’s free but has to be moved,” said Country Three Corners owner Jerry Shinn. “It’s not going to be simple, but we’re hoping to find someone who appreciates the architecture and would be willing to do that.”

Shinn said he is looking to expand the business, and likely cannot do so with the house, which dates back to about the 1850s, on the property.

The house’s unique architecture has made it stand out, as it has triangular peaks that stand above the rest of the roof. It is that same architecture that Weare building inspector Chip Meany said will make it difficult to move the structure.

“The problems with moving it are its height. It won’t clear the majority of power lines. Moving a building requires a lot to start, you have to jack it up and move it onto a trailer. You’d have to take power lines down,” said Meany. “In my opinion it would cost more to move it than to build a new house.”

Shinn said he has been given an estimate of about $50,000 to move the house, with additional fees to shut down power lines.

Despite charges that would increase the moving expense, Shinn said he believes it would be worthwhile for anyone interested in moving the house.

“It’s a beautiful house, and you’ll never find a house built like that again. It’s laid out so nicely. The benefits are that someone could live in a house you couldn’t reproduce today,” he said. “We were hoping we’d find someone before this summer and fall to get it moved.”

Meany said he thinks the house would be worth moving for someone with specific interests.

“If you’re only moving it a short distance it may be worth it. I think (moving) it would be more than it’s worth unless it was someone like a collector,” he said.

Although he said he doesn’t want to knock the house down, Shinn said it is a possibility.

“I don’t know what the outcome will be. If we can’t move it, we’ll look to incorporate it into the expansion,” said Shinn. “But if we can’t do that we may have to look to knock it down.”

Weare sues state over districting

2008-05-14T22:50:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

The town of Weare has joined five other towns in the state and members of the New Hampshire Legal Rights Foundation in a lawsuit against the state declaring the current districts of the House of Representatives unconstitutional.

The suit also asks for a judge to compel the state to redistrict prior to the filing period for the November elections. The filing period for legislative seats is currently set to start on Wednesday, June 4, and end Friday, June 13.

In 2006, a ballot question asking voters to amend the state’s constitution to allow a redistricting of the House so that each town or ward large enough to be its own district and elect its own representative passed with about 70 percent of New Hampshire voters in a 240,767- to-100,688 vote. The question needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

“Reapportionment of the current House of Representatives districts is constitutionally mandated to achieve districts that comply with Part II, Article 11 of the Constitution as it has been amended in the last general election in November 2006. That constitutional requirement per force overrides any concerns relating to convenience, familiarity or simplicity,” the court petition reads.

It goes on, “The Legislature has had ample and repeated opportunities to meet its constitutional obligation to conduct redistricting prior to the upcoming primary and general election in compliance with the 2006 amendment to the Constitution, but has failed to do so.”

The suit further argues that the explanation in the voter’s guide pertaining to that question was clear about using the 2000 census data to redistrict the House prior to the next election.

“Prompt judicial review is warranted due to the important constitutional issue presented and the proximity of the upcoming election,” reads the suit, which names Secretary of State William Gardner as the respondent.

The six towns and nine NHLRF members petitioning the court contend that conducting an election without adhering to the constitutional amendment would violate the law.

“A flawed election based on unconstitutional House districts must not be allowed to occur,” the suit states.

Weare, Wilton, Litchfield, Loudon, Enfield and Wilton, all towns who do not have their own elected state representatives but are grouped in districts that share several representatives, are listed as parties in the suit filed in Merrimack Superior Court.

District 7, which includes Goffstown and Weare, has a total of eight representatives who together represent both towns.

Two of them are from Weare: representatives Gary Hopper and Neal Kurk, both of whom are listed as petitioning parties in the suit.

Hopper spearheaded a bill in 2007 aimed at redistricting the House, which failed in a 283-72 roll call vote with opposition reluctant to use census data from 2000 and arguing instead it wait until the next census in 2010.

It’s unlikely that anything would be done before the filing period begins, Hopper said, adding he plans on filing for his District 7 seat as a representative for both Weare and Goffstown.

“Neal (Kurk) and I represent Weare, but to a great degree, we more represent Goffstown,” Hopper said, because of Goffstown’s population advantage over Weare.

Hopper said he’s in a difficult position because if he votes for something against Goffstown’s interest during a House session, he faces not being re-elected because of Goffstown’s larger population.

If he votes for something against Weare’s interests, he would not necessarily lose his seat.

“In effect, for all intents and purposes, Weare has really lost its voice in the New Hampshire House,” said Hopper, a Republican.

A Senate Bill aimed at redistricting was downed earlier this year in a consensus voice vote. As it stands, there are 106 New Hampshire towns that are not guaranteed representation within their towns, the petition says.

“It’s really not a party thing, it’s more of a small town standing up to make sure they are represented by people from their town,” Hopper said.

New school budget introduced in Weare

2008-05-07T18:52:00Z

BY JENN McDOWELL

More than 100 voters concerned about the deep cuts in the school district staffing the default budget brings showed up to another deliberative session on a new school budget.

The warrant article, which calls for a total budget of $12,703,776 budget for the 2008- 09 year rather than accepting the default budget, was passed to the ballot as is, after one proposed amendment to bring it to within $6 of the original proposed budget failed.

Residents gathered Tuesday, May 6, at Center Woods Elementary School for the session. This is the first time the Weare School Board and school district administration have gone to voters for reconsideration of a budget.

“I’ve never supported a revote, but this time we have to,” said resident and former selectman Joseph Fiala, adding altering the $12.7 million would negate the work the board and school administration has done on the budget.

“I say we support them by supporting the budget. I don’t need to know every single number to know that they’ve done a good job,” Fiala said.

The re-vote will take place Tuesday, June 3, and will cost the district about $3,500, an amount school officials were willing to make room for to save the loss of seven staff positions, most of those teachers.

Significant changes to transportation – including eliminating two buses and not picking up students who live within 2 miles of their school – are also part of the cuts that come with the $12.4 million default.

In March, voters turned down the school district’s $12,928,782 million budget in a 806-to-731 vote, and the second default budget in a row, amounting to $12,463,776, went into effect. “What we’re doing is taking a budget that’s two years old and applying costs and needs for the next fiscal year,” said Weare Superintendent Christine Tyrie.

The School Board added $240,000 to the default to bring it to $12.7 million in the new proposal, which would restore two teaching positions, night and weekend custodian coverage and one bus to the budget.

For a home assessed at $250,000, that’s a tax bill increase of $62.50 under the default budget or $130 under the second proposed budget over last year’s rate.

The art teacher at Center Woods Elementary School, Roz Milano, and the sole French teacher at the middle school, June Rolon, were among those who would be out of a job next year under the default, along with two education paraprofessionals at the middle school, one weekend custodian, one special education teacher at Center Woods and one bus, according to school officials.

At the deliberative session, School Board Chairman Matt Thomas said that after the community’s support for keeping the French program intact, the only foreign language offered to Weare students, the French teacher position would likely be one of the first things to be restored under the new budget.

Resident Jonathan Dowst spoke against the amended budget, saying a new budget that is virtually the same as the first one proposed didn’t stand a chance with voters.

“I respect it, I voted for it the first time and I’d do it again, but I don’t think it’ll carry,” Dowst said.

Weare Middle School’s operating costs were a new addition to the budget this year, affecting spending in terms of adding teachers to accommodate the new school and maintaining the facilities.

Weare spends the least amount per pupil in the state. The state average is around $10,000 per pupil, and Weare spends $7,345 per pupil, according to Tyrie. Goffstown spends $8,425 per pupil and Henniker, which shares a school administrative unit with Weare, spends $11,441, Tyrie said.

Stark grows winning attitude at the dish, in the field, on the mound

2008-04-30T20:37:00Z

BY RYAN O’CONNOR

Jeff Miller is preaching shortterm memory.

After all, the 2007 season offered few positives to hold onto. “The biggest thing with this team is we’re coming off a real terrible year last year. I mean, we went 0-15, we made a lot of mistakes, we averaged six errors a game last year, we had a team batting average of like .140 … It was just all-around (bad),” said Miller.

This year, the Generals have already earned two wins – a season- opening 6-3 triumph at 2007 playoff team Pelham and a 3-2 victory on April 21 against Fall Mountain.

Last season, they opened with an 8-0 loss to Pelham. “We had a team batting average of .396, and we made no errors,” said Miller of this year’s contest. “That’s the difference right there … We have a base-running blunder here and there, we can’t get a bunt down, but we’re giving ourselves chances.” Consistency is proving an issue, however.

Stark followed their first win of the season with seven errors in an 11-4 setback to Lebanon.

“The kids are working hard, we’re doing a lot of mental preparations, we talk about situations, so now when things don’t happen they know why,” said Miller, in his second year as head coach. “We want to get fundamentally and mentally sound. Even in the ones we lose, I want to play good baseball. Right now, a realistic expectation for us is to stay in ball games and continue to improve on the little things, and if we do, I think we’re going to come away with some wins.”

Should the offense and defense put them in position, the 2008 pitching staff is good enough to secure those victories, said Miller.

Kevin Leblond, Tom Vickers and Danny Serard form the rotation, while Ethan O’Neil and Jeff Weubbolt handle long-relief duties.

Greg Leblond, Kris Vincent, and Derel George are also available to pitch.

Captains Chad Croteau and Joey Plunkett lead the young squad.

Serard, Vickers, Nick Campono, Evan Paris, Nick Hea-field, Daniel Simeone and Steve Papachristos are also regular contributors to the lineup. Matt Vincent, Alex Capuco and Zac Keim round out the varsity roster.

“They’re still fragile,” said Smith. “This team, for a long time, expected to lose, and I’m trying to change that culture. I want them to expect to win.”