Windham News : Kids & Family

Windham boy wins Scrabble championship

Salem Editor — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:33:00 GMT

At only 11, Bradley Robbins of Windham was not only the youngest competitor at the 2008 National Scrabble Championship. He emerged from the event as the youngest national champion ever.

Bradley, making his debut at nationals, lost only four of the 28 games he played. He scored an average of 425 points over the 28 games he competed in and outscored his opponents combined by 2,758 points.

“He was a big hit there,” said Bradley’s father, Phil. “They were all cheering for him, all his friends.”

The tournament, held July 25 through 29 in Orlando, Fla., drew more than 650 competitors. Players were divided in six divisions based on their qualification ratings.

By emerging as the top player in Division 6, where 80 people competed, Bradley took home $1,500 and a championship silver platter.

“It was pretty good,” said the Scrabble whiz, who will enter the sixth grade this fall at Windham Middle School. “I was pretty confident I would win.”

In Scrabble, players place individually lettered tiles on a game board to spell words across and down to acquire points. Only seven tiles are kept on a player’s rack at a time.

“I just focused on the rack I was on, the game I was on,” Bradley said.

Bradley has been playing the game for only about a year. He’s played online, at a school club and at a club in Manchester. He’s competed at both school and adult tournaments.

“Bradley absolutely loves Scrabble,” said his mother, Jill. “It’s absolutely a passion.”

The tournament, where the Division 1 winner won $25,000, draws some of the game’s best players. Even after tournament games are over for the day, players get together to play socially.

“For him, it’s like meeting the Michael Jordans and the Tiger Woodses of the Scrabble world,” said Phil.

Bradley used his letters to spell out some usual words such as yautia, lionise and urbanist. One word, “gunkiest,” won him 108 points. Fifty of those points came from achieving a bingo – the use of all seven letters on his rack at one time.

Phil said his son has a very good vocabulary and spatial understanding of the game’s board. He balances well the ability to spell out words to win points, while retaining letters on his rack that will be useful for future moves and minimizing openings for his opponents.

Bradley’s parents like the benefits their son derives from the game. He learns new words, uses his math skills when adding points, and enjoys the camaraderie of playing with others.

“It’s a wonderful community,” said Jill, whose son plans to continue competing. “People are very nice.”

Strawberry Festival and book fair is June 7

Salem Editor — Wed, 21 May 2008 18:22:00 GMT

The Friends of the Library of Windham will host their annual Strawberry Festival and book fair on Saturday, June 7, from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the grounds of the Nesmith Library on Fellows Road in Windham.

The book fair will run from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. FLOW members, senior citizens and volunteers can enjoy an “early bird” book sale Thursday, June 5, from 4 to 7 p.m. Seniors will receive a 50 percent discount on their book fair purchases.

The festival will include entertainment, games, music, contests, raffles and homemade strawberry shortcake.

Many of the most popular festival games, plus a few more, will be brought back this year. Children will enjoy mini and giant moon walks, an inflatable slide, basketball toss, soccer kick, duck pond, froggy fling, dart board and the Windham Police and Fire departments will provide children’s activities as well.

There will also be a dunk tank. Some of the dunkees include Frank Bass, Bruce Anderson, Mike Hatem, Dennis Senibaldi, Deb Armfield, Andy Desrosiers, the Windham Town Beach lifeguards and more. A complete schedule of dunkee times will be published a week before the festival.

Local “chefs” will be grilling hot dogs and hamburgers at “chuck wagon” grills. If you’re looking for a more sophisticated culinary delight, then mosey on over to one of the food stands sponsored by the Common Man, Gourmet Grille or Village Bean. The pizza vendor this year is Capri Pizza.Treats for children include popcorn, cotton candy, slushes, dough boys and pretzels.

There will also be a mini shortcake table, where children will be able to create their own shortcakes/sundaes.

The 10th annual pie-eating contest will take place at 1 p.m. and will include the following age categories: 5 years old and younger, 6 to 9 years old, 10 to 14 years old, 15 and older, and the dads and moms category. The first person in their age group to finish his/her pie is the winner. The pies have been donated by Table Talk Pie Company. All winners will receive a Chunky’s gift certificate.

D.J. Mike Mell of New Style Entertainment – www.newstyledjs. com – will keep the fun going by supplying music for the day and letting everyone know what’s going on throughout the festival. The entertainment begins with an opening ceremony provided by the Boy Scouts, followed by the Windham Community Concert Band, Windham swing band, Windham Middle School cheerleaders, Karate International, Junior Hurricane

Drumline of Windham, Dance Impressions, Golden Crane, Windham’s Got Talent Show, Three Left Feet – K-9 Freestyle and Drill Team, raffle announcements (including door prizes), and a closing ceremony by the Boy Scouts. The ongoing entertainment includes face painting, balloon animals, sand art and jousting.

So far, there area also 15 raffles customized for family fun:

• The Friends of the Library of Windham (FLOW) board raffle – iPod nano and a $15 gift card to Target

• The mom’s package

• The dad’s package

• Home fix-up package

• Healthy pet package

• Woof woof package

• 0 to-5-year-old package

• 6- to 10-year-old package

• 11- to 15-year-old package

• Family activity package

• A package for two

• Seacoast getaway package

• Winter fun package

• Home decor package

• Dance birthday party package

• F.L.O.W. membership raffle – re-new or initiate a new FLOW membership on or before the festival and your name will automatically be placed in a drawing to win two Red Sox tickets.

There will also be free “shortcake shuttles” to and from the Strawberry Festival. The shuttles will pick up/drop off at the Center School or the Route111 park and ride parking lots. The shuttles will run continuously from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be a designated area at the Route 111 park and ride for handicap parking. There will also be a “Mom’s Quiet Room” for moms with infants who need some privacy.

For a complete schedule of events, visit www.flowwindham. org.

In the case of rain, the festival will take place at the Center School, and the book fair will remain at the Nesmith Library.

Pelham and Windham for kindergarten, but against state mandate

Salem Editor — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:37:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

An amendment to a bill going through the state Legislature that mandates public kindergarten for districts without it poses several options for communities looking to establish a program by the September 2009 deadline.

Rep. Lynne Ober, one of the drafters of the amendment to the state’s original kindergarten bill, said the “menu” of options includes 100 percent building aid, pushing the deadline back and integrating private kindergartens into the public system during a transitional period.

“We’re getting some positive support,” said Ober, who represents Pelham, Hudson and Litchfield in the State House. “We know we still have some wrinkles.”

The proposal was co-authored with Peter Leishman, who represents Amherst and Milford. Some of the 12 communities without kindergarten may consider suing, Ober said, on the premise that the kindergarten bill as it currently stands is an unfunded mandate.

“If they sued, that would be an injunction that would prevent kindergarten for all the communities,” said Ober. “My whole goal is do not put money in the attorney’s pockets. We want to get public kindergarten started now, and we want to put enough options on the table so that every school district can choose the options that’s right for them.”

The “menu” item that suggests paying state aid to certain private kindergartens, which would be certified according to state standards, would allow districts to contract private establishments and universalize the curriculum while setting up their own public kindergarten system.

“There are 12 districts, and some of them don’t have land to build on. That’s what we’re looking at as a way to transition that lets all 12 districts start in a way that is legal,” Ober said, adding the penalties for failing to set up kindergarten could include losing state aid.

School Board members for two of those districts, Pelham and Windham, said their respective boards are not against the idea of public kindergarten but disagree with the state mandating it without complete funding.

Windham School Board Chairman Barbara Coish said the proposed options seem beneficial to towns looking at setting up kindergarten, but added Windham is waiting the legislation out.

“We know it’s down the road, but when exactly we implement public kindergarten is going to depend on how the legislation comes out,” Coish said.

The board unanimously decided not to put any items on the 2008 warrant pertaining to kindergarten, Coish said, but generally supports the idea of having public kindergarten that would put incoming first-graders on a level playing field.

She added locating or building proper facilities for kindergarten would be the hardest part of the process. The Windham School Board has brainstormed several ideas for housing kindergarten, including installing portable classrooms and renovating the Golden Brook School, but has not settled on anything.

“We have not made any decision, we are just waiting to see what the final legislation looks like,” Coish said.

Eleanor Burton said the Pelham School Board is also waiting on planning for kindergarten until the finished bill comes out of legislation.

“It’s so uncertain because it’s still going through the house, and there are going to be some revisions,” Burton said.

Burton, a Pelham School Board member for seven years, said the board has considered taking part in a law suit against the state on the premise that the kindergarten legislation as it stands constitutes an unfunded mandate.

“I hate to think the state is mandating it because they need to realize the financial constraints of individual communities and what their priorities are,” Burton said. “Mandating without funding … I don’t see financially how that fits into our picture.”

‘Recess Lady’ advocates playtime for adults

Salem Editor — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:10:00 GMT

BY JENN McDOWELL

For Trudie Young of Windham, hula hooping never gets boring.

Young, 58, known as the “Recess Lady,” worked at Fidelity Investments in project management and production services for years before breaking free of the corporate world to pursue a career in –you guessed it – playtime.

“I’ve seen people open up and find more joy, more freedom to express themselves,” said Young, who runs programs in the local area for adults who want to partake in her recess sessions.

Her next recess will be at Nesmith Library in Windham on Friday, April 25 starting at 2 p.m.

Whether it’s coloring, jumping rope or experimenting with Play-Doh and Tinker Toys, Young said all adults can use a little trip back to their youthful days on the playground.

Or for those who were the frequent punching bags for playground bullies, it’s an opportunity to create new, fond memories of playtime. Young said her evolution from work to play started after she dealt with a family member’s addiction about four years ago.

“After that, I was the stressed person,” Young said. The realization came when her friends began asking her what she was doing for fun, and she didn’t have an answer. “When somebody asks me what I’m doing (for fun), I know I’ve lost my balance in life,” she said.

She began logging in what she called a “gratitude journal,” listing five things she was thankful for in each entry. Eventually, she started making stick figures with heart-shaped heads playing and having fun, and realized she wished she was one of them.

One day, she called her friends and asked whether they wanted to go skipping with her in the park. When they all declined, she went anyway, and kept going. After a few times, her friends began to partake.

She also read a book by Stuart Brown of the National Institute For Play, which said creative people find an outlet and part of the creative process in play.

This past winter, Young began bringing her play to the community. She recently completed a series of recess sessions at the Derry Opera House, and also books corporate recess events.

“One of my main goals of recess is to provide a stepping stone for people,” Young said. The sessions provide insight into people’s callings and hobbies, bring adults and their teens together and contribute to productivity, she said. Her family was very supportive of her move to the world of play, and some have attended her recess sessions.

Young said she is looking at starting a daily recess session somewhere, maybe at the Derry Opera House. “It’s such an enhancement to life,” she said.

Cognitively impaired youths get a chance to learn scuba, gain confidence

Salem Editor — Mon, 07 May 2007 13:11:00 GMT

BY DARRELL HALEN

When Timmy Rochon vacationed with his family, he made only small dives while his family went scuba diving. The Windham teen felt left out and wanted to do more – he wanted to become a certified diver.

Timmy, who has born with a rare genetic disorder, eventually obtained his diving certification.

Because of remarkable improvements he made as a result of scuba diving, Timmy inspired his grandfather and others to start a camp where other cognitively impaired people can also enjoy the adventures of diving and reap benefits from it.

This is the third year that a half-dozen people will attend the one-week camp.

Among them will be a young man from Pelham.

Timmy’s family has organized a local fundraiser to support the program.

“It’s a life enhancement camp for kids like Tim,” said Nate Boutwell, Timmy’s stepfather.

“It opens the doors for a lot of other things in life. We never thought Timmy could achieve scuba diving, and his mother had always been very protective and never really wanted him to try it.”

But thanks to Timmy’s diving, Nate and Timmy’s mother, LeeAnn Rochon- Boutwell, have seen remarkable changes in their son. He is more confident and independent, has three jobs, and understands the importance of setting goals.

“He’ll look at anything and take it on,” Nate said.

“He’s more motivated to do things that I don’t think he would have risked trying to do or we would have let him,” LeeAnn said.

While vacationing a few years ago in Little Cayman, one of the sister islands of Grand Cayman, Timmy’s family met Ron Thompson, a diving instructor. He worked with Timmy and realized that he and Timmy’s grandfather, John Johnston, both had a dream.

Thompson wanted to work with the handicapped, although he didn’t expect to work with the cognitively impaired.

Johnston wanted to give opportunities in scuba diving to other cognitively impaired kids.

The In-Water Experience Camp for the Cognitively Impaired was developed by Johnston, Little Cayman Beach Resort and Reef Divers, and the Oceans for Youth Foundation.

The foundation, based in Naples, Fla., promotes underwater education and an appreciation and respect for the ocean in young people.

The camp, held at the resort, is open to participants 16 and older who work one-on- one with an instructor.

Through donations, the foundation covers the cost for campers and a parent or caregiver to attend the program.

The week includes other activities, such as sailing, nature walks, kayaking, fishing and games on the beach.

Organizers, whose mission is to promote self-respect, self-reliance and independence among participants, have witnessed campers improve their motor skills and communication skills.

“It’s exciting to watch the transition,” said Ruth Lowther, the camp’s administrator. “The excitement builds as time goes on.”

Timmy has Cornelia De Lange Syndrome, a genetic disorder. One of the characteristics of CdLS is delayed intellectual development.

Timmy, now 22, likes scuba diving because he can enjoy warm water and being with his family. Scuba diving gives him the feeling of being free.

His family attends the camp every year and Timmy has become a camp counselor. He looks forward to camp year-round.

“This whole camp has broken down many barriers for these kids,” Boutwell said. “It allows (the campers) to get out into the real world and become productive in a normal every day life in a lot of aspects.”

One camper, an autistic boy from California, was angry and would never speak.

By the week’s end, he had enjoyed the program so much he wanted to take speech classes and share the experience with his friends.

It’s not only the campers who benefit. So, too, do the protective caregivers and parents who see what the campers can do and learn to let go.

“The parents see their child do something they never thought they would be able to do,” LeeAnn said.

Jeffrey Newcomb, 22, of Pelham, will be attending the camp this summer. He has Landau-Kleffner Syndrome, a neurological disorder.

Jeff’s parents, Linda and Ed Newcomb, will be going with him. Linda hopes Jeff will benefit not only from learning how to scuba dive but also from the social interaction with others.

“He’s very excited,” said Linda. “He loves anything to do with fishing and water. He’s excited about learning (how to scuba dive.)”