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Volume 14 Number 16 February 26, 2016 16 Pages

Courtesy photo

by Barbara OBrien
insurance benefits through
Several days after a
his employment in Windham.
public forum in which two
Langlois contract may be
final candidates for the
terminated at any time by
job of Windhams school
mutual consent.
superintendent talked about
He is an experienced
themselves and their future
administrator who will
goals, school board members
bring exceptional skills,
chose to offer the job to
knowledge and experience
Richard Langlois, a longtime
to our district, Eyring said.
educator who currently serves
Eyring also thanked Dr.
as superintendent of schools in
McCoy for the excellent
Marlborough, Mass.
job she has done during the
Although a strong contender
transition; having taken over
for the job and a favorite
when former Superintendent
among many residents and
Winfried Feneberg took the
faculty members, Dr. Tina
job as superintendent in the
McCoy was not given the
Kearsarge School District,
nod. This came as a surprise
after giving only a few weeks
to many who were following
of advance notice. McCoy
the process. School board
will continue as interim
members are, thus far, refusing
superintendent until June 30,
to say what the vote to hire
the end of the current fiscal
Langlois was. The vote was
year.
taken in non-public late on
Its important to be part of a
the evening of Feb. 16 and
community that cares strongly
the minutes of that session,
about providing a quality
subsequently, sealed.
education for the children, and
It was a very difficult
I am very invested in making
decision to choose between
that happen, Langlois said.
our Interim Superintendent
There are many similarities
Dr. McCoy and Mr. Langlois,
between the opportunities
said School Board Chairman
in the Windham schools and
Ken Eyring, after the vote was
those of the other districts
taken. I believe that Mr.
Ive served technology,
Langlois will be an excellent
accountability of faculty and
leader for the Windham
staff, fiscal responsibility,
School District, based upon
even facility construction,
the results he achieved as
he said. I am looking
the superintendent in Saugus
forward to working with the
and Marlborough. During
Windham School Board, the
those tenures, he formulated
administration, the faculty,
improvement plans that were
the staff and the community
used to substantially elevate
to move the school district
the academic achievements of
forward.
both school districts.
During the public session
All of the people we
earlier this month, Langlois
contacted to learn more about
said he had reached the
his leadership style and skills
pinnacle of his professional
had nothing but exceptional
career in Massachusetts
praise for his abilities, Eyring
and was seeking other
said. Im excited that Mr.
opportunities. He also said
Langlois will be our next
that the commute from
superintendent and look
Windham to his residence
forward to
in Bradford,
the positive
Mass., is
impact he will
significantly
have on our
shorter than
educational
the one from
environment,
Marlborough.
our students
Langlois said
and
he is eligible
community.
to receive
According
retirement
to Langlois,
benefits from
his existing
Massachusetts.
three-year
Langlois
contract
said his career
with the
includes
Marlborough
experience as
School
a secondaryDistrict runs
Richard Langlois of Massachusetts has level teacher,
until 2018.
building
been hired as the new superintendent
Apparently,
administrator,
for the Windham School District,
however,
district-wide
eective July 1.
that contract
director,
will be
assistant
terminated, as Langlois is
superintendent and
scheduled to take on the
superintendent. As a
superintendents job in
candidate, I offer a broad
Windham as of July 1, 2016.
understanding of the
Langlois and Chairman Eyring
operations and management
signed the new three-year
of a school system,
contract on Feb. 17, the day
Langlois said, referring to
after the vote in non-public
the implementation of The
session was taken.
Race to the Top initiative in
The contract between
Massachusetts, as well as the
Langlois and the Windham
federally mandated No Child
School District calls for an
Left Behind program. Most
annual salary of $150,000,
important, I understand the
substantially more than the
essential ingredients of highly
amount for which the position
effective school systems and
was initially advertised. There
the fiscal challenges and
will be savings to the school
responsibilities associated with
district, however, as Langlois
managing a school district, he
will not be receiving health
commented.
continue to page 8- Superintendent Selected

PHSs Dr. Dorothy Mohr Resigns

by Kaela Law
Public comments and input were invited
At the Feb. 17 Pelham School
from the audience members. An emotional
Board meeting, seats filled up with
testimony was heard from student School Board
teachers, former and present Pelham
Representative Kaitlyn Minichiello. Why? she
High School students, and residents
asked simply. Why would the woman who
wanting to hear news of Pelham
fought so hard for the brand new building we
High School Principal Dr. Mohrs
have, leave right before the grand opening?
resignation.
Her sentiments and questions were reAt the start of the meeting,
iterated over again by each speaker who took
Superintendent Amanda Lecaroz
the microphone that evening. Why a woman
read a prepared statement: The
who has been loyal to Pelham High School for
District accepted Dr. Mohrs
30 years would decide to leave out of nowhere,
resignation in January, and this is
with no explanation for this sudden decision?
the first public meeting since that
The common consensus seemed to be that
time, so I wanted to announce
something untoward was going on behind the
that through the leadership of Dr.
scenes, and residents were looking for answers
Mohr, Pelham High School has
and seeking a reversal of the decision to accept
seen many changes of the last two
Dr. Mohrs resignation. It seemed to them
decades; dramatic changes, such
that her decision to resign was not altogether
as competency based education
voluntary.
and the development of pathways
Minecello held back tears while she stated,
for student learning. As we usher
I believe in Dr. Mohr. I believe that she is
in the next phase of change - a
the best person to keep moving PHS in the
new facility, one to one technology
direction of success.
for students, and personalized
No answers were to be had that evening,
learning the next 10 years will
however, as it is not common practice or in
bring about a redefinition of Pelham
keeping with school board policy to discuss
High School. As we embark on this
personnel issues publicly.
journey, having a leadership team
Perhaps the strongest statement encouraging
Student School Board Representative Kaitlyn Minichiello,
that will be able to see this next
the Pelham School Board to reconsider their
pictured center, listens carefully in disbelief while
phase all the way through to fruition
decision to accept Dr. Mohrs resignation
Superintendent Lecaroz announces the boards acceptance
is critical. To that end, Dr. Mohr
came from Debra Sawyer. The president of
of Dr. Mohrs resignation. Dr. Mohr has been loyal to the
has decided to move on to other
the Pelham Education Association, who ranks
Pelham High School for 30 years, said Minichiello.
opportunities and allow the next
Dr. Mohr at the very top in terms of positive
group of leaders to guide Pelham
education facilitating, encouraged the board
High School through the next phase of development. She will be
to request Dr. Mohr return to her position for at least the next two
leaving the Pelham School District on June 30, 2016 and we wish
years. Sawyers address to the school board is printed here in full.
her well in her future endeavors.
Staff photo by Kaela Law

Massachusetts
Candidate Selected
as Windham School
Superintendent

Good Evening,
My name is Debra Sawyer, President of the Pelham Education
Association, speaking to you in that capacity. Thank you for
allowing me to speak tonight.
When I was told that Dr. Mohr was planning on submitting
her resignation to the Board this evening, I was completely taken
aback. There were no signs from her of beginning to mentally
wrap up her career or of her health making the demands of the
job difficult. In fact, the opposite has been true. The observations
that I make in this address about how Dr. Mohr has led, and
continues to lead, Pelham High are a mixture of my personal
experiences and those of many staff members who cannot speak
tonight.
Dr. Mohr cares about the learning, growth, and success of each

student in the building. She actively seeks out opportunities for

her students to interact within the local and global community.
During her tenure, students have held internships, worked in a
student IT help desk, participated in research with universities,
skyped with experts as part of original research, and conducted
research on local issues such as the pipeline. New student
learning opportunities have been developed such as working to
establish the FIRST Robotics team, chartering of various honor
societies, more participation in music, art and writing contests,
expanding Running Start and Dual Enrollment opportunities,
increasing the number of Advanced Placement classes, and the
development of expanded and new STEM and other Pathways.
When a student is in danger of not fulfilling the requirements of a
class or for graduation she works collaboratively with the student,
continue to page 10- Dr. Mohr Resigns

Pack 266 Webelos Continue their Journey

as Boy Scouts
submitted by
Nicole Brockman
Scouts and
families of Pack
266 in Windham
came together on
Feb. 6, to celebrate
the anniversary
of Scouting at the
annual Blue and
Gold Banquet
and Crossover
Ceremony. The
evening was
filled with a silent
auction, games,
food, awards, and
inspiration for the
leaders, Scouts,
and parents.
The evening
started with the
Arrow of Light
Award and Ceremony
led by Harry Burnham,
Pack 266 co-founder.
The Arrow of Light is the
pinnacle of a Cub Scouts
career. It is also the only
Cub Scout award and
insignia that can be worn
on the Boy Scout Uniform.
This was the award that
the Webelos II from dens 7
and 9 had worked so hard
to achieve.
Burnham brought each
Webelos II to the front and
spoke with each Scout
individually. He focused
on each of the boys being
the same yet celebrating
their uniqueness. Each

boy brings his

own talents that
strengthen the
group as a whole.
Each Scout was
encouraged to
continue with
his journey,
remember his
strengths and
talents, bring
those gifts as
he enters Boy
Scouts, and
always remember
the people who
helped along the
way.
Throughout the
evening families
participated in a
Welcoming the newest Boy Scouts from dens 7 and 9
silent auction that
Courtesy photos
benefited the Pack
and their activities throughout
the year. Pack 266 wants to
thank the vendors and families
that donated to the event. They
were as follows: Gill Family,
Cyr Lumber, Cobbetts Pond
Pizza, Gilsen Family, Law
Offices of Suzan Messina, Pool
Tables Unlimited, Trans-Medic,
Karate International, Manchester
Monarchs, Windham Barber
Shop, McIntyre Ski Area, Squam
Lake Natural Science Center,
Canobie Lake Park, Fisher
Cats, Professional Martial Arts
Academy, Kitty Michelotti
Family, Stars and Stripes, J.
Michaels, Lindt, Gym-Ken,
Clix, Annies Hallmark, Lucas
The Arrow of Light Ceremony is the pinnacle of a Cub Scouts career.
Family, Reds Tavern, Market
Basket, BJs, Lindt Chocolates,
Hannaford, McDonalds,
Coffee Coffee, Shaws, and Bella Viaggio.
After games, dinner, and awards the Webelos II concluded with
the Crossover Ceremony. The ceremony began with a slide show
presentation of the past five years. Then each Scout was invited to
cross over a bridge that signified the ending of Cub Scouts and the
beginning of Boy Scouts. Webelos II from Den 7 who crossed over
were Payton Balch, Kellen Donahue, Daniel Gill, Andrew Lucas,
Mason Monterio, Sam Montgomery, Jack Rossetti, and Matthew
Ryan. Webelos II from Den 9 who crossed over were Brendan
Ashworth, Spencer Brockman, Jake Joyce, William Moore, Sam
Pancoast, Jackson Skwiot, Jacob Spalinger, and Michael Wimmer.

2 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

Three Names on the Ballot

but Only Two Remain Candidates

Pelham Hannaford Shares Gift Cards

with its Community Partners

30

3.500%
3.542%

Decision from State on Charter School

Application Delayed

$1000

school administrators would measure the success of its students

and programs. Education Commissioner Virginia Barry said
foundation directors needed to present a conceptual framework for
their proposed curriculum. The Department of Education needs a
clear understanding of the proposed charter schools philosophy
and vision, Barry emphasized. Phase one of the proposed charter
school would include approximately 100 students across five grade
levels (kindergarten through fourth) with approximately 20 students
per grade level.
Although not happy with another delay in the process, members
of the Foundation for Student Achievement did agreed that they
would use the additional time to more clearly define the charter
proposal.
Former New Hampshire State Senator James Rubens, who is
from Etna, New Hampshire, attended one of the public hearings
held during 2014. Rubens said he didnt attend the hearing to
advocate for the Educational Choices Foundation, but to provide
basic information on charter schools.
Charter schools are a part of the public school system, Rubens
said, adding that there were 22 approved charter schools in New
Hampshire. Each one is very different, Rubens said, adding
that each of them is over-subscribed and, as a result, students are
selected by a lottery. Rubens described charter schools as a tool
for change and for solving problems. In many instances, he said,
charter schools have served to lower a school districts special
education costs. Charter schools are not allowed to go to voters
for construction bonds and must pursue grants and fundraisers for
such projects. A charter school strengthens the overall school
district, he said. Charters are up for renewal every five years
and administrators are held accountable for student achievement,
Rubens explained.
There are two routes that those proposing a charter school can
take: 1-first seek local school district approval and then get state
approval or 2-go directly to the State Department of Education for
approval. It is this second option that the Foundation for Student
Achievement is currently pursuing.
The Foundation for Student Achievement was registered with
the state as a non-profit organization on July 15, 2015. The
location is identified as 6 Stonehedge Road in Windham. The five
Windham residents who are listed as directors are Sean Donahue,
Christopher Baker, James Fricchione, Andrea Alexander and Karl
Dubay.
While some residents who came to the podium during the
public hearing were adamantly in favor of a charter school being
opened in Windham, others were completely opposed. Generally,
however, many who spoke expressed uncertainty about how
Windham Academy would affect the school district as a whole and
taxpayers in particular.
Should the Foundations for Student Achievement ultimately gain
state approval for Windham Academy, plans are to get the charter
school underway for the 2016-2017 school year. A location for the
proposed facility has not been made public.

School District
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Courtesy photo

submitted by Frank Sullivan

The Pelham Hannaford was the winner of their district
last year for a competition surrounding the Helping Hands
Boxes, not just in one category, but in both categories in
which they were competing. Because of this, they have
been awarded four Hannaford gift cards in the amount of
$500 each to share with their community partners. Since
the Pelham Good Neighbor Fund was one of the major
contributors to the success of these awards and helping
Hannaford to support both the Pelham community and
the veterans of Greater Manchester, the Pelham Good
Neighbor Fund was awarded $500 in food gift cards. The
other winners were the Pelham Food Pantry for $1,000 and
the Nam Knights for $500.
From left are Todd Grzywacz, store manager;
Karen Fournier, vice president, Pelham Good Neighbor Fund;
Frank Sullivan, president, Pelham Good Neighbor Fund;
and Mario Verolla, assistant store manager.

by Barbara OBrien
Following a recent meeting in Concord, members of the New
Hampshire Department of Education have delayed making a
decision on whether or not to grant approval for Windham
Academy, a proposed charter school now under the direction
of a non-profit group known as the Foundation for Student
Achievement.
A charter school in Windham first came to light more than two
years ago, when a now defunct non-profit organization, entitled
the Education Council Foundation, came before the Windham
School Board. They also met with state representatives from the
Department of Education concerning the proposed facility on
Ledge Road, a building owned by one of the foundations directors,
Tom Murray. Murray was not a school board member at the time.
He was subsequently elected to the Windham School Board in
March of 2015. Murrays name is not on the list of directors for the
more recently formed Foundation for Student Achievement.
Current Windham School Board Chairman Ken Eyring was also
on the roster for the original non-profit foundation, but does not
appear on the board of directors for the newly formed Foundation
for Student Achievement. Both Murray and Eyring have said that
they are not involved in the current process.
The original concept, which asked for local funding for the
charter school project, was not approved, either at the school
district or the state level, due to what were said to be deficits in the
proposed curriculum plans. The initial failure to gain approval for
Send your Accolades to news@areanewsgroup.com with a photo
a charter took place in late 2014. The new application involves
the so-called State Model and does not require local school
district approval for a charter.
During the past several weeks,
representatives of the Foundation
for Student Achievement,
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including Windham resident
Interest
Rate
and attorney Andrea Alexander,
met with officials from the State
Fixed Rate
APR Annual
Department of Education, but
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were told additional time was
Costs!
required for state officials to
review the updated plan for a
proposed kindergarten through
fourth grade charter school.
Officials had, reportedly, only
received the update earlier the
same day.
Concerns expressed by state
officials included those regarding
the age-appropriateness of the
proposed curriculum. A STEM
curriculum proposal (Science,
Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics) is the basis for the
proposed charter school. State
officials wanted to know how

YEAR

a win, Rounds decided to withdraw his candidacy. It was too

late, however, to have his name removed from the school district
ballot. No longer actively seeking a seat on the five-member
school board, Rounds is asking that voters not cast their ballot for
him, but vote for Senibaldi, instead. Rounds said he and Senibaldi
share some basic beliefs on what is important for the students and
taxpayers of Windham.
Rounds, reportedly, asked to address the situation during this
past Tuesdays Candidate Night, sponsored by the Windham
Womans Service Organization, but was told that would not be
allowed, since he was no longer a candidate.
Rounds is currently an alternate member of the Windham
Planning Board, a position he says he intends to honor. He also
said he fully expects to file for one of the two school board seats
that will be up for grabs this time next year. Those seats are
currently held by Rob Breton and Ken Eyring. Rounds and his
family have been Windham residents for the past two years.

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by Barbara OBrien
Earlier this month, Windham School Board members
unanimously accepted donations totaling $1,511.10
with sincere gratitude. Voting in favor were Chairman
Ken Eyring, Vice-Chairman Tom Murray and school
board members Dennis Senibaldi, Rob Breton and
Daniel Popovici-Muller.
School board members accepted a $511.10
donation for Golden Brook School from Box Tops for
Education. The funds are to be deposited in to the
schools student activity account and used toward
student-centered activities as they relate to teaching
and learning. School board members expressed
their appreciation to the Windham PTO for all its
volunteers hard work and dedication to students and
their families.
Also accepted was $1,000 from the Health Trust for
the purpose of enhancing the health of staff members
employed at Windham High School. According to
Interim Superintendent Tina McCoy, the expenditure
of these funds will be overseen by the school districts
health and guidance departments.

Womans
Service Club
Explores
Benefits
and Services
As the guest
speaker at the
Womans Service
Club of Windham,
Connie Young
from ServiceLink
spoke on Feb. 3
about the benefits
and services of
Medicare and
Medicaid.

Courtesy photo

Endicott College is pleased to announce the Deans List students

for fall semester. Among those achieving this honor are Melissa Ann
Cino, daughter of Paul and Robin Cino of Windham, is a sophomore
majoring in Management and Olivia Crane, daughter of Christopher
and Debra Crane of Pelham, is a senior majoring in Graphic Design.
Joshua Hebert of Windham, a member of the class of 2017
majoring in computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
recently completed an intense, hands-on research project in Moscow
Project Center. The project was titled Mobil Applications for
Collaborative Research. All WPI undergraduates are required to
complete a research-driven, professional-level project that applies
science and technology to addresses an important societal need or
issue. The project-based curriculum offers students the opportunity to
apply their scientific and technical knowledge to develop thoughtful
solutions to real problems that affect the quality of peoples lives-and
make a difference before they graduate.
Rachael Corso of Windham has been named to the Marist College
Deans List for the fall semester. Corso is a member of the Class of
2018 and is majoring in Fashion Merchandising.
Merrimack College has announced the names of students who
have achieved Deans List status for fall semester. From Pelham:
Bridget Barnes, Erika Campbell, Brooke Coupal, Alexandria Hogan,
Alexander Khoury, and Nicholas Khoury. And from Windham:
Kayla Breton, Marisa DeLuca, Kendall Desrosiers, Ashley Gendreau,
Zachary Hollins, Justine Levesque, Brendan McInnis, and Derek
Safe.
Carl Morlock from Windham has been named to the University of
Massachusetts-Dartmouth Deans List for the fall semester.
The following Windham residents were among 1,238 students from
Worcester Polytechnic Institute named to the universitys Deans List
for academic excellence for the fall semester. Alexander Fitzgerald,
a member of the class of 2018 majoring in mechanical engineering;
Jack Grubb, a member of the class of 2019 majoring in mechanical
engineering; Emily Hao, a member of the class of 2019 majoring in
computer science; Joshua Hebert, a member of the class of 2017
majoring in computer science; Michael Sheahan, a member of the
class of 2017 majoring in mechanical engineering; and Sai Kiran
Vadlamudi, a member of the class of 2017 majoring in computer
science.
Congratulations go to Katelyn Goupil of Pelham who has been
named to the Deans List for the Westbrook College of Health
Professions at the University of New England. Katelyn is the daughter
of proud parents Paul and Sharon Goupil.
Northern Essex Community College is pleased to announce the
appointment of students to the Deans List for the fall term. Pelham
residents: Alexandra Beauchesne, Kerry Cabral, Nina Cabral, Corey
Couillard, Sirena Hilbert and Lindsey Young. Windham residents:
Nicole Chaloux, Michael DeNuccio, Charles DiPrima, Dylan
Lamontagne, Dylan OKeeffe, Kristi Pease, Genevieve Scherer and
Gena Stearns.
Travis Sanders of Windham will perform in the Dean College
production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, beginning
Wednesday, March 2, 2016 through Sunday, March 6, 2016.
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is the highly inventive tale of
Shakespeares play Hamlet as told from the bewildered view of two
minor characters, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The screenwriter of
the Oscar winning Shakespeare in Love, Tom Stoppard presents this
Elizabethan comic duo the opportunity to take the lead role, but do so
in a world where echoes of Waiting for Godot resound, where reality
and illusion intermix, and where fate leads our two heroes to a tragic
but inevitable end.
Megan McNamara, a member of the class of 2018 from Windham,
has been named to the fall Deans List at Loyola University Maryland.
Rachel M. Sullivan of Windham has been selected for inclusion on
the Deans List for academic achievement during the fall semester at
St. Lawrence University. Sullivan is a member of the Class of 2016
and is majoring in economics. She attended Windham High School.

by Barbara OBrien
When Windham voters go to the polls on Election Day, Tuesday,
March 8, there will be three names on the official ballot for the
one open position on the school board, but there are only two
candidates seeking the office.
The three names listed in alphabetical order on the Windham
School District Ballot are Eileen Mashimo, Matthew Rounds and
Dennis Senibaldi. All three individuals did, indeed, file for office
by the Jan. 29 deadline. Mashimo, in fact, came into register her
candidacy only a short time before the filing period closed.
Apparently, when Rounds filed as a candidate, he thought the
only competition he had was Senibaldi. This turned out not to
be the case, however, giving Rounds some concern, when he
learned the race for the three-year slot was actually a three-way
competition.
Fearing that he and Senibaldi would wind up drawing from the
same group of supporters, permitting Mashimo to walk away with

Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 3

Split Decision from Board on School District Budget

by Barbara OBrien
Although attempts were made to change the opinions of the
two minority school board votes during the annual school district
deliberative session held earlier this month, both the chairman and
the vice chairman held firm in their decisions not to support the
proposed 2016-2017 Windham School District operating budget.
Although there was full school board support for both the
proposed construction project and the field and track proposal (5
to 0), when it came to the $48,588,990 budget, the final vote was
three in favor of supporting the proposal and two opposed. Voting to
support the proposed budget as presented were Rob Breton, Dennis
Senibaldi and Daniel Popovici-Muller. Voting in opposition were
Chairman Ken Eyring and Vice-Chairman Tom Murray.
The three-to-two vote leaves a lot of people unsure of whether
they should support this budget proposal or not, Windham resident
Diane Carpenter told school board members
Its not just a number. This directly affects what we offer our
students, school board member Senibaldi said, commending
the school district administration for what was brought forward.
The Windham School District has had clean audits since
2011 and spends about $1,000 less per student than the state
average, Senibaldi commented. This is a testament to (Business
Administrator) Adam Steel, Senibaldi said.
Not taking into account the separate warrant article that calls for
$685,125 for capital needs assessment projects (Warrant Article
7), the proposed operating budget is less than one percent higher
than the 2015-2016 approved operating budget. Including the
capital needs assessment funding, that increase over the current year
climbs to 2.33 percent. The default budget for next year, should the
proposed operating budget not gain sufficient support at the polls,
would be $47,460,815.
Increases for next year fall primarily in the areas of health
insurance benefits, new staff positions deemed to be critical and
higher school bus transportation costs. The proposed operating
budget is comprised of 73 percent salaries and benefits, with 16
percent going to operations and debt. Approximately four percent
goes to special education costs. Supplies and equipment account
for another seven percent. The cost per student decreased by $185
during the 2014-2015 school year.
An amendment to the proposed budget in the amount of $28,337
did seem to have the support of the approximate 100 residents who
attended the deliberative session, but was ultimately withdrawn

when School District Moderator Betty Dunn explained that the

money could be added to the overall operating budget, but there
was no guarantee that it would go where it was intended. It would
be added to the bottom line, Dunn said. It wouldnt be binding.
The proposed amendment made from the floor of the auditorium
asked that the budget be raised to increase a current half-time
music teacher at Windham High School to full time next year. The
position had previously been cut from the operating budget during
school board deliberations. This increased position is part of a longterm staffing plan for the high school. Several high school students
even came to the microphone to plead for the teaching position
being made full time. There are 87 high school students currently
enrolled in the band and/or chorus programs; a number likely to
increase to 140 students next fall when eighth graders move up to
the high school. For us to be as successful as we have in the past,
we need this extra teacher, one student told school board members.
Band and chorus are open to all students at all levels, regardless
of experience or talent. This past year, School District Fine Arts
Director Jared Cassedy received a national Grammy Award for his
excellence in music education.
During a poll of the school board, Senibaldi said he would
support making the half-time music teacher full time. Murray said
he feels enough money already exists in the budget as proposed and
he would not support an increase in funding. Popovici-Muller said
he supported the teaching position, but not increasing the budget.
If you withdraw the motion to amend the budget, I will support the
position, Popovici-Muller said. Breton said he feels that staffing is
the expertise of our administration. Eyring noted that every dollar
adds up. I cant support amending the budget proposal, Eyring
said. Theres money in the budget already.
Interim Superintendent Tina McCoy emphasized the importance
of this increase in the music staff. This is definitely a value-added
position, she said.
The proposed amendment was subsequently withdrawn, but
hopes are that the school board will see fit to fund the increased
music teacher position from the current half-time status to full time,
beginning with the 2016-2017 school year.
As for district-wide enrollment, there are currently slightly less
than 2,900 students enrolled in Windham public schools from
preschool through twelfth grade. According to Steel, enrollment is
growing steadily at the secondary level, while trending downward
at the elementary level. It is unclear if a downward enrollment

experience at Golden Brook School in kindergarten and first grade

is a result of the recession from 2008 to 2010 or the beginning of a
trend, he said. However, based on the number of students currently
enrolled in the school district, Windham High School will grow to
over 1,000 students in less than five years, Steel explained.
Enrollment projections conducted by NESDEC (New England
School Development Council) this past October were used for
budgeting purposes. Based on these calculations, Windham would
see an increase of 18 students district-wide at the beginning of the
2016-2017 school year. However, the already severely overcrowded
Windham Middle School is expected to see its student population
go up by 29 students next year. Windham Middle School has
experienced a 37 percent student enrollment hike since 2008. The
so-called middle school houses students in grades six through eight.
Due to a lack of specific programs, however, the school is actually
approved as an upper elementary school, not a true middle school.
In analyzing enrollment shifts, the school district has worked to
come up with a staffing plan that is adaptable to actual enrollments,
while still being fiscally conservative, Steel explained. As a result,
four teaching positions are being eliminated, eight are being created
and two are being budgeted on a contingency basis. The purpose of
the contingency positions is to keep the positions funded, but only
filled if student enrollment requires the added position.
Teaching positions to be reduced next year include a first
grade teacher, a second grade teacher, a third grade teacher and
an English/Language Arts teacher at Windham Middle School.
Contingency positions include two teachers at the high school.
Added positions include a reading specialist at Golden Brook,
an increase in a guidance counselor position at Golden Brook,
additional time for literacy success tutors at Golden Brook, increased
hours for a special education specialist at Center School, a science
teacher, a math/science teacher, and an intervention coordinator at
the middle school; plus a guidance counselor, mathematics teacher
and English teacher at the high school. The proposal also includes
an accounts clerk at the SAU office. The total for all these increased
positions is $546,987 (salaries and benefits).
Several of those residents who expressed concern about the
proposed operating budget not having the full support of the school
board are urging their friends and neighbors to get out there and
convince others to show up on Election Day, Tuesday, March 8. The
polls at Windham High School will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

by Tom Tollefson
Saturday, Feb. 13, the Nesmith Library in Windham was alive
with the hope and promise of another year as they celebrated
the Chinese New Year. While 2016 started on Jan. 1 in part of
the world, the dawn of the year began on Feb. 8 for the Chinese
culture. The Chinese cultural festivities filled the library in the form
of colorful attire, costumes, music, and presentations that dug deep
into the stories of their ancient traditions. According to childrens
head librarian Jane McCue, the event was back by popular
demand, as the library had done it in years past.
The afternoon was filled with authentic lion dances, a tutorial on
how to prepare and serve tea in a Chinese tea ceremony, a dancing
Chinese dragon, and, of course, authentic Chinese music. Many
of the festivities were put on by Windham students ranging from
elementary school to high school ages.
I was surprised at the way they decorated and the whole show.
In New York City or Boston you have this kind of show, but it
surprised me to see it in Windham, said Toby Ni who was there
from Salem with his wife and children.
Windham High School students Athena Chan and Amanda Ho
were among the young musical acts. They teamed up to play
several instrumental pieces with their Erhus, which is a Chinese
instrument similar to the violin. They played the songs Thunder in
the Draught and Horse Racing.
Another highlight was the play put on by the children. The
children brought to life the tradition behind the Chinese zodiac,
which is made up of a 12-year cycle where each year in the cycle is
represented by an animal. According to the origin of the tradition,
there was an animal race long ago where the first 12 animals to
finish each received a year named after them. The cycle begins
with the rat and ending with the boar. According to tradition the
order was taken from the position in which each animal finished the
race. This year is the year of the monkey, which led to an additional
monkey theme for the day seen in the large stuffed monkey raffle
prize and the monkey puppets the children made in arts and crafts

Staff photos by Tom Tollefson

Chinese New Year Alive in Full Color at Windham Library

Athena Chan demonstrates how to have a traditional Chinese tea

ceremony at the Nesmith Library on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 13.
along with paper dragons, which are a well-known symbol in
Chinese culture.
It was really fun and a good learning experience with the music
and singing, said Anushka Acharya, 10, who took part in the
zodiac play.
After the entertainment, the library provided a spread of Chinese
food free for all. The food was made possible by various local
businesses. Derry Express in Londonderry, Fen Yang Restaurant in
Londonderry, Lis Asian Gourmet in Windham, and Super Wok in
Londonderry all donated Chinese food. Friends of the Windham
Library donated door prizes and Shaws in Windham donated
oranges and bananas.

Windham Firefighters Receive Homemade

Valentines Day Goodies

by Len Lathrop
Windham seniors paid respect to local heroes
for Valentines Day. On Friday afternoon,
Feb. 12, Windham Terrace Assisted Living
community residents and staff delivered
homemade heart-shaped cookies, granola and
handmade cards. With both American Heart
Month and Valentines Day in February, its
a perfect time to acknowledge the services
the firefighters provide to both the Windham
community and the residents at Windham
Terrace. Residents Millie Kenyon and Mabel
Cote delivered the goodies to these men and
women who protect the lives of these seniors
every day.

A Chinese dragon dances in the Nesmith Library in celebration of the Chinese New Year.

Firefighter Pat
Robinson, Fire Chief
Tom McPherson,
Firefighter C.J.
Lundergan, Firefighter
Bill Merrill, and
Firefighter Scott
Zins. In Front,
Millie Kenyon, Life
Enrichment Director
Alicia Sell and
Mabel Cote.

Staff photo by Len Lathrop

Librarys Food for Fines Drive

Benefits Pelham Food Pantry
submitted by Rebecca Crockett,
Pelham Public Library
The Pelham Public Library is running a Food
For Fines food drive to support the Pelham
Food Pantry for the month of March. Bring in a
nonperishable food item and have your late fines
waived.
The Food For Fines event will run from March
1 to 31. Library patrons may bring in canned or
boxed food items to have late fines waived. Lost
your library card? Free replacements will be given
for those who donate items.
Want to know which items will have the biggest
impact? Items that are always needed include
macaroni & cheese, ramen noodles (No cups),
juice, peanut butter, crackers, tuna, cereal, canned
fruit, canned vegetables, baked beans, canned
pasta, soup, instant potatoes, rice, stuffing, pasta
(no lasagna or large shells), prepared spaghetti
sauce, pudding and Jell-O, chips, pretzels,
popcorn, cake and brownie mixes, cookies, paper
towels, and toilet paper.
For more information, contact Circulation
Manager Jen Rafferty at jrafferty@pelhamweb.com
or call the Pelham Public Library at 635-7581.

THE CLASSY EDGE

BARBER SHOP

~ Early Bird Special ~

$10 Haircut for 55 & Older - 8am to12pm

Highly Qualified Barbers with Versatile Cutting Ability
and Smooth Shaving Skills Family Friendly
Modern Day Feel with Old School Traditional Style
Hours: M,T,W,F 8-6 ~ Thurs 8-7 ~ Sat 8-3 Closed Sunday

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603-508-6074

CURIOUS ABOUT SOLAR - Part 2

Everything Youve Always Wanted to Know
About Solar but Were Afraid to Ask - Part 2

Thursday, March 3rd

Doors open 6:30 - Program begins 7:00 pm
Hills Memorial Library, 18 Library St., Hudson
Free presentation by Chris Milner, an expert on solar energy for the
homeowner on State and Federal rebates and tax credits.
Representatives from the Hudson Inspection Services Dept.
will discuss permits, inspection and regulations.
Q and A will follow the presentation. Refreshments will be served.

Info and optional registration: HudsonSustainability@gmail.com

Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 4

Good for the Community

Your Hometown Community Calendar

Currently
New Hampshire Flag Football Leagues
spring season registration is open. The
league offers flag football for boys and girls
ages 5-15. For information on the league
and to register your player, please go to www.
NHFFL.com

Now

Saturday, February 27
Supervisors of the Checklist for the Town
of Pelham will be in session on from 11 to
11:30 a.m. in the lobby of the Pelham Town
Hall, 6 Village Green. For the following
purposes: Correction of the checklist for town
election RSA654:27,669:5. Last day to accept
voter registration applications. No additions or
corrections shall be made to the checklist after this
session, until Election Day, except as provided in
RSA 659:12, RSA 654:8, II.

7th

Monday, February 29 thru Friday, March 4,

Monday, March 7 thru Friday, March 11 &
Saturday, March 12
Windham Wolverines Registration.
Returning Member Registration will run
from Feb. 29 to March 4 and will be an online
registration process. Sibling Member Registration
will run from March 7 to 11 and will also be
an online registration process. New Member
Registration will be held on March 12 from 8 to
10 a.m. and will take place, in person at Windham
High School.

9th

Tuesday, March 1
Registration for the Spring Story Hour
Session will be held at the Nesmith
Library. Numbers will be handed out
when the library opens at 9 a.m. No phone
registrations will be taken until after the in-house
library registration is completed, and then subject
to space availability. Program is only open to
families who are Nesmith Library cardholders.
Story hour is for children ages 3-6 years of age who
can independently participate in an hour of stories,
songs, and a simple coloring project. Children
must be 3 years of age by the date of registration to
be eligible for this session, and each child may only
be registered for one class per story hour session.

1st

Tuesdays, March 1 thru April 19

Nine week Total Body Strength and Sculpt
Classes, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Pelham Senior Center.
Program fee. This is a total body exercise class
for all levels designed to strengthen, sculpt and
tone every muscle group utilizing free weights,
resistance bands and your own body weight.
Strength training is proven to help improve
muscle strength, maintain bone health and aid in
improving metabolism. Bring your own mat, water
bottle, and good supportive sneakers. You may
bring your own weights and bands. Try before you
buy free class with no obligation at the start of the
classes. Register with Pelham Parks and Recreation
office. Form available to print at www.pelhamweb.
com/recreation. You may register and pay online
at webtrac.pelhamweb.com. Space is limited; first
come, first served. E-mail recreation@pelhamweb.
com or call 635-2721 with any questions.
Wednesday, March 2
The Womans Service Club of Windhams
nd
next meeting will be held at the Windham
Town Hall. Luncheon begins at 11:30
a.m. followed by program and meeting.
Program will feature guest speaker Scott Slattery
from Harbor Homes in Nashua who will speak
about housing and services for veterans. Guests
welcome, bring friend, neighbor and come
to enjoy! Find out what we are about. For
information call membership chairman Sue Violi at
889-0578.

Lets Play Music out of Derry is offering a

unique Kindermusik experience for children
four to 6 years of age at the Nesmith Library at
1 p.m. This Exclusive Rock & Roar, single-class
experience is centered on Disney Juniors new
hit television series, The Lion Guard. We will
explore the African savannahs in a rip-roaring,
fast-moving adventure, all set to the thunderous
beats of some of our favorite Kindermusik tunes
and music from The Lion Guard. Kindermusik is a
research based developmentally appropriate music
and movement program for children 0-7 years.
Each class is packed full of fun activities such as
instrument exploration and play, singing, dancing
and more, which can help boost school readiness
and have a positive impact on all areas of a childs
development. Space is limited, and pre-registration
is required. You must be a Nesmith Library
cardholder to participate. Stop by the library or
call 432-7154 to register.
Fridays, March 4, 11 & 18
The Knights of Columbus, St. Patricks
Council 6902, will host a Fish Bake in the
Parish Center of St. Patricks Church, 12
Main St., Pelham, every Friday during Lent
except for Good Friday. Hours are 4:30 to 6:45
p.m. Adults - $11, seniors and children - $10. If

4th

you are ordering take out, call 635-3829. All are

welcome.
Saturday, March 5
Book & Author Festival at Nesmith
th
Library, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Join us for an
exciting Author Festival. We will have
six local New Englander authors on hand
to talk writing, publishing, and more. Stop by to
meet published writers from your community. At
12 p.m., the authors will convene for an authors
discussion panel, to cover all things writing and
publishing. Come with questions, as the panel
will conclude with a Q&A session. Authors
scheduled to appear: Windham Sci-Fi Author CJ
Daniels, Suspense Author John Denney, Poet and
Fantasy Author Rich Feitelberg, Horror Writer Scott
Goudsward, Fiction Writer Gordon Bean, Horror
and Fantasy Author RC Mulhare. Event is free
and open to the public. No registration required.
Call 432-7154 for more information, or visit
nesmithlibrary.org.

Saturday, March 5 & Sunday, Mach 6

New England FIRST Robotics Competition
Granite State District event, Windham High
School, 64 London Bridge Rd., Windham, from
8 a.m. to 5p.m. both days. Free and open to the
public. Kicking off the first of 10 FIRST Robotics
Competition district qualifying events this winter
across New England, 34 high school FRC teams
will put their STEM and teamwork skills to the
test. This is the first year that WHS is hosting a
NE FIRST qualifying event, a fitting start to the
season for the state in which resident and inventor
Dean Kamen founded FIRST in 1989. Since then,
FIRST has grown to five programs for grades K-12
that involve 400,000 students, 38,700 teams and
180,000 team mentors and volunteers in the U.S.
and internationally. Visit www.nefirst.org for a list
of NE FIRST events this winter.
Mondays, March 7 thru May 2
The Nesmith Librarys Toddler Time
is a drop-in program for children ages
18 months to 3 years accompanied by a
parent or guardian. This program is offered
on Monday mornings; you choose either a 9:30
or 10:30 a.m. session to attend. No registration is
necessary. Toddler Time lasts approximately 2025 minutes with 30 minutes following the session
for parent/child social interaction. Toddler Time is
only open to cardholders of the Nesmith Library.
Toddler Time is for you and your child to explore
the library, enjoy books and music together, and
visit with other families. Sharing books with your
child encourages healthy language development
and helps to build a strong foundation for later
learning. If you have any questions or would like
further information, call the library at 432-7154.

7th

March 8
Pelham: Town Meeting/Elections, 7 a.m. to
8 p.m., Pelham High School
Windham: Local Town Election, 7am-8pm
at Windham High School

8th

Thursday, March 10
th
Pelham School District Child Find
Program. The Pelham School District will
conduct screenings for Pelham children,
ages 2.5 to 5, who may have vision,
hearing, speech, motor or overall developmental
concerns and or an educational disability. The
purpose of the screening is to identify children
that may require special education and or related
services. Child Find Program screenings will take
place on at Pelham Elementary School, 61 Marsh
Rd, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments are
required; space is limited. For more information
or to schedule an appointment, contact Pelham
Elementary School at 635-8875, ext. 5002 or
e-mail mviger@pelhamsd.org or jolson@pelhamsd.
org.

10

Friday, March 11
So, you think you can pitch? Come join
Friends of Windham Jaguars Baseball and
Friends of Windham Jaguars Softball just
to see how good you are! First Pitch Pub
Night will be our season opener at the Castleton.
This adult only venue will be a casual and relaxed
atmosphere filled with music, dancing and lots
of fun. Two of Windhams finest bands will be
playing throughout the night, Off Duty Angels and
Pop RoKs. You can rock out while showing off
your pitching talents, buying a few raffle tickets
or enjoying incredible food which will be served
from 6 to 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person
(cash bar) and can be purchased via check payable
to Friends of Windham Jaguars Baseball PO Box
352, Windham, NH 03087 or via PayPal: www.
friendsofjagsbaseball.org/first-pitch.html.

1th

Friday, March 11 and/or Friday, April 22.

Windham Recreation is excited to be partnering
with the creative and fun teachers from Hampstead
Academy for an incredible opportunity. On the
upcoming early release days for the Windham
School District, register for this! STEAM based

projects are hands-on, reality based lessons

that cater to developing divergent thinking and
implementation of skills. STEAM experiences are
an exciting way of learning, promoting critical
thinking, problem solving, and application of
knowledge. We are offering two different dates
for this both from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Windham
Senior Center. The cost is $7/child per session,
which includes materials and a creative hour! To
register, go to windham.recdesk.com. Sign up for
both dates or just one! For information, contact
the Recreation Office at 965-1208 or e-mail
Recreation@WindhamNH.gov.
Friday & Saturday, March 11 & 12 & Friday &
Saturday, March 18 & 19
The Windham High School theater company
will perform Disneys Tony award winning musical,
Mary Poppins original music and lyrics by
Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman,
Windham High School Auditorium, at 7 p.m.
Sunday Matinee on March 13 at 2 p.m. Reserved
seating will be available for sale at ticketstage.com
starting Feb. 1 and at the door. $17 adult, $12
senior 65/student/child.
Monday, March 14
How well do you know your teenager
or preteen? Do you know the signs to
look for around risky behaviors? Do you
think your teenage decoding skills are
savvy? If there is a teen in your life, this free event
is for you! Windham PTA is hosting a powerful
interactive community event for the public (adults
21 and over only) to increase awareness, promote
early detection, and intervention of teenage risky
behaviors from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (doors open
at 6 p.m.). This is one night you wont want to
miss! Get firsthand knowledge and up to date vital
information on the ins and outs of risky behaviors.
Participants will tour a mock teenage bedroom
and be shown many indicators and warning
signs, what to look for and techniques to use for
communicating with teens. See you there!

4th

Tuesday, March 15
th
The Windham Recreation Department
will start registration for spring and
summer programs. There are a variety of
programs such as tennis (women and kids
ages 4-10), Messy Play, mini-sports, Fun and Fit,
and more! To view the programs, or to register,
go to windham.recdesk.com and click on the
Programs tab. For more information, contact the
Recreation Office at 965-1208 or by e-mail at
Recreation@WindhamNH.gov.

15

Tuesday, March 15
Join us at St. Patrick Parish, 12 Main St., Pelham,
to hear Matthew Arnold, a lay Catholic speaker,
author and host of the weekly radio program Shield
of Faith on the Radio Maria network. Who is Our
Lady of Good Success? What is her message? Find
out the answer to these and more questions about
this little known identity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Thursday, March 17 thru Saturday,
March 19
Book Fair at the Nesmith Library.
Hours Include: *Presale: Thursday, 3 to 6
p.m. (*Open to FLOW members, teachers
and seniors only. You can become a FLOW
member at the presale to take advantage of opening
night.), Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Fill a bag for just $5 during
the last hour of the sale on Saturday. For more
information visit www.flowwindham.org.

7th

Thursday, March 17, Saturday, April 9

& Friday, April 29
Registration deadline Girls Spring Softball,
softball field at Muldoon Park: March 17 - 10U,
12U and 14U; April 9: 8U; April 29: 6U, for girls
ages 4.5 14. Program fee. This is a new program
with Pelham Parks and Recreation this year,
formerly run as an independent program in town.
Practices begin in April; games all begin in May.
Schedules on practices and games will be available
at a later date on our website. Players provide
their own gloves. T-shirt uniforms are provided
along with bats and other equipment. Cleats are
strongly suggested. Register online at webtrac.
pelhamweb.com and pay with MC/VISA. E-mail
recreation@pelhamweb.com or call 635-2721 with
any questions.
Saturday, March 19
Rockin Rainforest: The Nesmith
Library will transform into a tropical
rainforest filled with games and activities.
Wildlife Encounters will introduce kids
to animals from the rainforest in a show from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. There will also be face
painting, crafts, coconut bowling and more! Light
refreshments, raffles and other fun treats will round
out the family friendly event. There is no cost
to attend and no registration required. For more
information visit www.flowwindham.org.

9th

Tuesday, March 22
The Homeland Heroes Foundation Helping Soldiers Every Day will hold a
1960s Dance Party, its third annual Dinner
Dance, from 6 to 11 p.m., at the Atkinson
Country Club. Dance the night away for a great
cause! Music by The Reminisants, live and silent
auctions, prize wheel and more! Reserve your
table today! $60 per person. Tickets available
at HomelandHeroesFoundation.org or by calling
(617) 910-6948. Visit us at facebook.com/www.
homelandhereosfoundation.org.

2nd

Wednesdays, March 23 thru May 4

The Artist in Your Child for beginners
and beyond, all ages (starting at age
6). Instruction will be held from 4 to 5
p.m. at the First Congregational Church
basement classroom. The course will explore art in
various mediums, such as water colors, oil pastels
and clay. Students will use their imagination and
creativity to explore art. Get ready to create!
Parent drop off and pick up. Size of groups is
limited; first come, first serve. There is a program
fee. Registration form available at Pelham Parks
and Rec office or online at www.pelhamweb.
com/recreation. Register online at https://webtrac.
pelhamweb.com. Sign up by March 18. Call 6352721 with any questions or e-mail recreation@
pelhamweb.com.

3rd

Friday, March 25
Daddy/Daughter Dance sponsored
by the Pelham Outlaw Program, 6 to 10
p.m., Harris Pelham Inn. Tickets: $30
each ($60 per couple). Includes: Pasta
Dinner Buffet, Dessert Buffet, Juice and Soda
Bar. Great music from DJ Torre, photography by
Linda will be on-site. Tickets will be avail at the
Parks & Rec office, Monday through Friday, 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. and through Jen Moyer. (Contact
recreation@pelhamweb.com or e-mail Jen at Moyer
jmoyer0905@gmail.com to reserve your tickets).

5th

Tuesdays, March 29 thru May 24

Are you interested in becoming debt
free? This class will change your life and
your financial legacy! Get out of debt
and stay out of debt! Crossroads Church
will host Financial Peace University by Dave
Ramsey. The class runs for nine weeks. Class starts
promptly at 7 p.m. and runs until 9 p.m. If you
have any questions call 635-1556 or e-mail office@
todaysjourney.org.

9th

Saturday, April 2
The Windham Community Bands 18th
Annual Evening of Music fundraiser
will be held from 5:15 to 11 p.m. at
Castleton Banquet and Conference Center
in Windham. Last years event was a great success
with a large audience of friends and supporters
enjoying dinner, raffles, dancing, and outstanding
music by the Windham Concert Band, Swing Band,
and Flute Ensemble. This years musical theme is
Isnt It Romantic? The musical selections will
include popular songs inspired by romance as
well as classical pieces from the Romantic period
of music. The gala starts with a cocktail hour
and music, followed by a lemon caper chicken
dinner at 6:15 p.m. After the concert at 7:30 by
the Concert Band, the Swing Band concludes the
evening with two hours of romantic music for
dancing. As always, in addition to the wonderful
music, there will be attractive raffle baskets and
silent auction items. Tickets are $50 apiece; tables
of 10 are $475. Contact David Howard at 9653842 or musicandcats@comcast.net to buy tickets
and reserve seats.

nd

April 11-June 6
Have you ever wondered how the
Windham Police Department really
works? Do you want to ride with a
Windham Police Officer during a shift? If
so, apply today to participate in the second
annual Windham Citizen Police Academy. This
exciting nine-week course will show you the
reality of police work. The class will meet for
nine consecutive Mondays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
starting April 11. Topics to be discussed: Criminal
and Motor Vehicle Law, Crime Scene Investigation,
DWI Law, SWAT, Accident Reconstruction,
Firearms and much more! For more information
or to obtain an application contact Sergeant Bryan
Smith at 434-5577 or bsmith@windhampd.com.

1th

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areanewsgroup.com

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5 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham-Windham News

The Word Around Town...

Letters to our Editor

Re-Energize with Eileen Mashimo

Over the years, I have attended many board meetings. I have had the opportunity
to witness firsthand many former school boards, and how they address their
responsibilities, goals, Superintendent relationships, and most of all, public comment.
Some school boards set goals and others had none. Some boards severely limited
public comment and others made it a campaign promise to expand the privilege.
For me, March elections have become as exciting as seeing a child achieve success.
Its an opportunity for the parents and taxpayers to rally behind those that bring
promise in the form of new ideas, innovation and most of all accountability.
My favorite part of a school board meeting is public comment. There is nothing
like listening to board members opinions and then having a parent-residenttaxpayer offer comment ... especially when it is acted upon. I have seen Boards and
administrations totally ignore comments and requests by never following up, and
others provide an immediate response. One of the few citizens who offers insightful
opinions that catch my attention is Eileen Mashimo.
Intrigued, I first reached out to Eileen after hearing her a few times at one of
the school board meetings and sought to learn more about her background and
perspectives. My first impression was that Eileen is an approachable, open to
comment, data driven process oriented professional. A mother and taxpayer, who
places a great deal of importance on the education for our children. Her attention
to detail and willingness to be a catalyst for positive changes that will improve our
learning environments and test scores is second to none. Ive since gotten to know
Eileen well, and my first impressions have been confirmed. She is a very special,
intelligent woman who cares deeply about our town.
Before March 8, please do what I did and reach out to her and learn more about
who she is and how she can help our district. Her professional background provides
her with an advantage to understand budgets, forecasts, goals and administrative law.
When coupled with her keen attention to accountability, its exactly what we need. As
a steward of our money, Eileens laser focus on issues pertaining directly to our kids
and not ancillary gossip or character smearing is exactly who I want to watch over my
kids and who would be an excellent addition to the board.
I thank you for your time and please join me in voting for Eileen Mashimo March
8.

Richard S. Amari, Jr., Windham

Eileen Mashimo for Windham School Board

Eileen Mashimo is your best choice for the Windham School Board when you vote
on March 8.
I have attended many School Board meetings in the past year, and heard Eileen
make many public comments about how our money is spent. Those insightful
statements included issues about the default budget, use of wrong account codes,
misallocation of funds, and record keeping procedures.
One of the biggest cost savers Eileen spoke about was the Cenergistic contract. Let
us not forget this debacle early in 2015. Mrs. Mashimo researched and found out
that this customized energy conservation company had been in business for 27 years,
but they changed their name from EEI to Cenergistic. This name change came after
the Massachusetts Inspector Generals office sent a report to Massachusetts school
districts in 2009, warning them to steer clear of the company. None of this negative
information was found before our School Board approved the contract - in a hasty
decision - and public outcry was loud. Eileen played a key role in saving our school
district almost $600,000 by exposing these serious concerns about the company.
Our School Board needs another member that will research and find details. Vote
for Eileen Mashimo.

Lois Bates, Windham

Breton Calls Senibaldi the Best Choice

These are my personal thoughts, and do not necessarily reflect those of my fellow
School Board Members.
I have had the honor and privilege of serving on the Windham School Board,
elected by the voters, for the past two years. In that time I have worked with 6
different School Board members - through many meetings, late hours, and many
discussions about critical issues facing our District. When you spend that much time
with people (at times being with them more than with your family) and undertake
those types of important discussions together, you really get a good sense of the kind
of people that they are. Most often, the public watching at home doesnt always see
that part of it, and thats unfortunate.
As a Windham parent, what I want most is the best educational opportunities for
my children. To ensure that that happens, I want School Board members in place that
have that same goal at the forefront of their thinking, above all else.
Dennis Senibaldi has been, is now, and will continue to be that type of School
Board member. I say this confidently, and not based on what I have heard from
others, seen on cable TV, or read in the paper. I have lived it working alongside
Dennis for two years. He is the best choice to help continue to do the work and
maximize the opportunity we have to position the Windham School District as a
superior District. When I say that, I dont just mean in NH, I mean nationally. We
have the Administration, Staff, and teachers to get it done.
Education is ever evolving and ever changing - which I believe is good for our
students. The School Board must provide oversight and guidance to the Educational
professionals we employ, but enable them to shape and deliver that outstanding
education. Dennis understands and supports that, and no one works harder to come
to the meetings prepared to discuss the issues facing our District and to make decisions.
Please join me on March 8 and cast your vote to re-elect Dennis Senibaldi to the
Windham School Board.

Rob Breton, Windham

In Support of Dennis Senibaldi for School Board

I have had the pleasure of knowing Dennis since I moved to Windham over a
decade ago. In that time, he has served the town in many diverse capacities, always
with a view toward improving the spaces and places where we all live and spend our
time in Windham. And while many
others will also have claims of service for
this committee or that, in this critical
election for School Board (one seat)
we need to re-elect Dennis to keep
moving forward to returning the Boards
focus back toward high achievement,
EVERYDAY
better employee morale, and solid
LOW PRICE!
administrative leadership.
One of Dennis greatest strengths and
the reason we need him on the Board
is his commitment to transparency.
Whenever we deal with Dennis, as
a Board member or as a member of
the public, he provides no-nonsense
answers that clearly communicate
where he stands. Other members of
the Board may find it maddening, but
I find it refreshing that Dennis agenda
in his comments, deliberations, and
decisions is to provide the public as
much information as possible about
the decisions that go on not just at the
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look forward. He is someone who can disagree with the Administration and other
Board members, have a discussion about the issues, and not make it personal. Dennis
has learned that doing the right thing is not always the popular thing, and he works
tirelessly to figure out a way forward that will best serve the interests of the public by
trying to move things along even when he disagrees on a particular point. Dennis has
earned the trust and respect of the Administration, and knows that the Boards proper
role is one of oversight and strategic vision, not micro-managing daily operations.
Finally, Dennis knows that Schools require investment. We dont budget-cut our
way to better school facilities, curriculums, or teaching excellence. So while we all are
careful to not approve wasteful spending, Dennis works with the Administration to
keep current on educational trends, needs of the kids and the new opportunities for
the District to maintain academic rigor and achievement.
We need to return our School Board to a body that is forward looking, forward
thinking, and above all, serves the voters who elected them. Dennis re-election
ensures that we are starting that process, and I urge you to vote for Dennis Senibaldi
for School Board on March 8.

Rev. Mark Brockmeier, Windham

Endorsing Mashimo as a
good Steward for Windham

The idea that all Windham families are auent and can continue to spend
more each year without concern is a fallacy. The continuing pervasive culture and
wasteful spending of some Board members is concerning. My vote in the last few
years has been to change the culture of wasteful spending that approves whatever the
administration asks for.
The Cenergistic debacle last year is one example. Several school board members
voted to enter into contract negotiations that would have resulted in a nearly
$600,000 price tag to have Cenergistic teach our district employees when to turn
off lights, turn down thermostats and replace filters with no permanent changes in
infrastructure. Take a look at the MA Inspector Generals report that Mrs. Mashimo
uncovered and provided to Windham residents. It warns every School District in MA
about doing business with Cenergistic, formerly known as Energy Education, Inc.
Thankfully, the multitudes of information that Eileen exposed about Cenergistic led
to a community uproar and was instrumental in the contract never being signed.
Mrs. Mashimo also wrote a series of letters to the School Board this past fall that
identified tens of millions of dollars in liabilities that was tied to the teachers contract,
based on the districts obligation to continue paying for each employees healthcare
after retirement (for as many as 15 years!). The Board listened and her concerns were
addressed in the recently ratified WEA contract that will be on the March 8 ballot.
These are just two of the many reasons why I am writing to endorse Eileen
Mashimo. She identifies problems and offers solutions. She has been an active
participant for many years. She points out discrepancies in the budget, and identifies
excessive expenditures and inaccurate bookkeeping practices as defined by the State of
New Hampshire.
Its time to get our nearly $50 million dollar school budget under control. This
can be achieved with a new budgeting process that is being developed by the newly
formed Finance Committee, which Eileen is serving on. Having that process
incorporated into a comprehensive plan is an important part of the solution. Eileen
will listen closely to our district administration, but not blindly approve their requests.
Mrs. Mashimo and her family volunteer hundreds of hours each year to our
community. She is honest, believes in rules and wants to raise the quality of education
in Windham. Her perspective as a mother of two children, long time Windham
resident, keen attention to detail and calm demeanor will complement the school
board. She collaborates well with others and creates bonds, not division!
Eileen Mashimo will make a great school board member and will be a good steward
of our hard earned money. Please join me in voting for Eileen Mashimo for the
Windham School Board.

Gary A. Carbonneau, Windham

Make your Vote Count on March 8

As the voting on Tuesday, March 8 approaches, please:
Remember the importance of education in preparing our children for a lifetime
of opportunity
Remember the difference a teacher can make in a life
Remember that the operating budget gives our teachers and administration the
funds necessary to deliver a quality education
Remember the strong growth our community has experienced in the last decade
and that adequate space is critical for our students
Remember that, even beyond the educational benefits, our real estate values
depend on a high-quality school system
Remember that supporting the school warrant articles for our facilities, teachers,
and operating budget is the best way to maintain both the quality of our
educational system and our investments in our homes
All of the above can only happen with the support of the Windham voters.
Remember to vote on Tuesday, March 8 at Windham High School between 7 a.m.
and 8 p.m.

Diane Carpenter, Windham

Ruth Coole on behalf of the Womans Service Club of Windham

Re-elect Ruth Ellen Post

On Tuesday, March 8, we go to the polls to elect our Town leaders. One of the
most important Boards in Town is our Planning Board. This Board not only reviews
and approves (or denies!) major building projects in Town, but also is responsible for
the Capital Improvements Program (CIP), the Master Plan, the Subdivision/Site Plan
regulations, and recommending Zoning Amendments to the voters. Members of this
Board must be hardworking and dedicated to serving the Town in this vital function.
Of this group, Ruth Ellen Post is notable for her diligence in performing her duties.
In addition to her regular duties in attending meetings and studying plans, Ruth Ellen
has made significant contributions to the updating of Windhams Master Plan. This
document provides guidance not just to the Board, but also to Town/School officials
and the developers who build in our Town.
As an attorney, she brings a high level of expertise to the Board. Since
understanding the laws and regulations that govern how the Board can act is a
requirement for Board members, this legal background is extremely valuable. it is
particularly appreciated when drafting language for revisions to zoning, site plan
regulations, and subdivision regulations.
She first joined the Board in 2004 and I have had the privilege of serving with
her for many years. Her contributions have been notable and I am very pleased to
recommend her reelection. On March 8, please remember to vote and vote for Ruth
Ellen Post.

Margaret McKee Crisler, Windham

Vote No to Market Square

On the ballot this March is a zoning amendment (No. 2) to allow a large area of
Town adjacent to Interstate 93 and 111 to be rezoned from Business and Technology
(office park) to Market Square (commercial/retail/mixed use), recommended by the
Planning Board 4-3. As is clear from the Boards vote, this new overlay district has
been highly contentious, with Board members divided on what development in the
area would be best for Windham. (The area in question is the northwest corner of the
intersection of I-93 and 111, the very high bluff overlooking the new section of 111
and very visible from I-93. It is in the watershed of Cobbetts Pond.)
As a long standing member of the Planning Board, I have never before spoken
publically in opposition to a decision of the Board. My vote on this proposal was no,
and I urge voters to do the same. Allowing this change in zoning could be seriously
detrimental to our property values and to the public perception of Windham.
Although many of us want a walkable, pedestrian friendly downtown area with
appealing shops and good tax revenue, this area is not suitable for that type of
development. The best place for this development was determined some time ago,
and the Town rezoned the area between Town Hall and Hardwood Road as Village
Center District, to encourage that type of development. Finally, now that the
economy is picking up, we are seeing development start in that area. We dont need
two downtown areas.
The primary appeal of rezoning the Market Square area is its location, highly visible
to traffic on I-93. A large, billboard sized sign is already planned to attract motorists.
Unfortunately, the Planning Board has no say in the actual businesses which could go
in such an area, and we could find ourselves with another outlet mall or low end stores
at the very entrance to our Town.
The proponents of this change have been emphasizing the tax benefits of retail
development as opposed to residential development. However, the current zoning is
for office park, which gives an even greater tax benefit to Towns than retail, and also
allows for many desirable ancillary businesses to be located there, such as restaurants,
day care, banks, schools, fitness clubs, etc. Also, increased traffic is less of a concern.
Another potential benefit of leaving the zoning as an office park is the very
desirable result of providing job opportunities for Windham residents. Every day a
very high percentage of our working adults commute many miles to work. Wouldnt
it be great to have high paying jobs available here in Town and not have to pay
Massachusetts income tax!
I urge you to vote No to retail development at the most visible location in Town.

Margaret McKee Crisler, Windham

The Windham School District voting on March 8 is of vital importance to the

town. I shall be supporting Dennis Senibaldi in his bid for re-election to the board
and I also support the proposed renovation and construction at Golden Brook School.
Dennis has proved to be a person who values, appreciates and supports public
education. I know that Dennis is well thought of by those he interacts with whether
it is a teacher, an administrator or a parent. Dennis understands that public education
is about the students foremost. He realizes that all students are not alike, all are
individuals who often need special attention and support.
Dennis supports the proposed building project as do I. The project as presented
to the voters is the answer to all of the capacity issues that Windham faces. Granted
it will take 2-3 years to construct the project, but when completed and the grades are
realigned the capacity issue will no longer be a concern. The construction time will be
disruptive, but planning and phasing will help to minimize disruption. The plan as
presented is the answer. Should the building plan fail at the polls to achieve 60%, the
community will see the same basic project again next year for no doubt an increased
price tag.
It is important to keep the present balance among the School Board members as we
see it now. We should not allow the membership to become such that the community
will see an even more unbalanced voting record. Dennis will continue his support of
public education. He will support the building project and he will bring forth to the
community issues of importance to all of us.
I encourage a positive vote on March 8 for Dennis Senibaldi and for the Golden
Brook/Middle School Building/Renovation plan as presented.

Endorsing Jennifer Simmons

for Windham Selectman

Barbara Coish, Windham

Another Successful Candidates Night

The Womans Service Club of Windham would like to thank all of the people
who helped make this years Candidates Night a great success! Thank you to all the
candidates who attended and presented their positions on the issues and answered
questions from the audience.
Thank you to Al Letizio as moderator. Thank you to co-chairs Kathy Palermo
and Rebecca Howard for organizing this event. Thank you club members who
volunteered their time to help. Thank you to the Maintenance Department for
setting up. Thank you to Pelham~Windham News for great publicity coverage of this
event. We thank the wonderful volunteers of WCTV-21 for the excellent coverage
they continue in cablecasting this event, we greatly appreciate this.

Ruth Coole on behalf of the Womans Service Club of Windham

I am writing this letter to show my support for Jennifer Simmons for Windham
Selectman. Ive known Jennifer personally for over 12 years. We met doing what
Jennifer does very well volunteering and giving back to her community. We started
working together on the Friends of the Library of Windham Board (or FLOW) where
she eventually became President. I was amazed at the effort she put into this role,
especially for the Strawberry Festival - the largest town fundraiser. When the library
location became a safety issue because the event grew SO large, she worked tirelessly
with town, police, fire and school officials to have this major event, which draws
thousands of people, moved to Windham High School - all without a hitch.
Jennifer and I also worked together on the Windham School PTA Board where she
became PTA President. Under her leadership, membership and contributions grew
every year. Jennifer was a constant volunteer in the schools. When she saw a need
for the students or teaching staff, shed work to get the PTA support and funding to
help wherever needed. She was always working and volunteering to give back to the
community and make things better.
Jennifer has also served on the Windham Capital Improvements Plan (CIP)
Committee for the past four years. She has spent her time researching and talking to
the various town departments to fully understand the needs of every CIP request.
Jennifer has given her all to every position she has held with the Town of Windham
and consistently looks to improve things for Windham and make it better for
everyone. Windham would be very lucky to have her as a Selectman. Please join me
in supporting Jennifer Simmons for Windham Selectman on March 8.

Laura Dempsey, Windham

Value the Elderly as well as the Youth

A warrant article regarding property tax reduction for the elderly in Pelham who
meet the requirements will be on the ballot in March of 2016. The motivation
behind the writing of this warrant article was a concern that our seniors not have to
worry about being displaced from their homes or having to choose between groceries
and medication due to high property taxes. Pelham under its current policy, offers its
seniors the least generous property tax reduction out of the five surrounding towns
of Salem, Windham, Hudson, Derry and Londonderry. The figures on the warrant
article represent a median of the reductions offered in the categories of: Single and
Married income, Total Assets and age groups. These new figures make what Pelham

continue to page 6- More Letters

ITS TIME TO PREPARE TAXES & E-FILE

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The Womans Service Club of Windham wants to thank everyone who stopped
by our table on Primary Day, Feb. 9. Thank you to the members of our club for
volunteering their time to help at the table and baked many homemade goodies.
Special thank you to Al Letizio Letizio AJ Foods for opening his kitchen and
providing the ingredients and his assistance in helping those members who
volunteered their time in preparing dozens of cookies.
Rae winner of lovely wine basket - Pat Russell. Wine basket donated by member
Rebecca Howard.
Thank you to co-chairs, Valerie Bronstein, Polly Chervincky, and Betty Csenger for
their time and hard work for this event. Thank you to the community for your caring
support of our organization.
Proceeds to benefit our many civic and community project: Candidates Night
sponsored yearly, awards to middle school graduates, scholarship fund, annual
donation to four Windham Schools, Veterans Project, baskets and adopt families for
Christmas gifts, donations made to Shepherds Pantry several times a year and many
more.

Supporting Dennis and the gBS project

Open: Mon.-Fri. 7:30-6, Sat. til 4:00, Sunday 9-1

635 2133

Appreciation from the Womans Service Club

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6 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

More Letters to our Editor

School Board Association believes it is important to include conduct statements in

Ethic Policies, as do I.
Mr. Popovici-Muller points his finger at Mr. Senibaldi as the source of acrimony.
Yet, it is Mr. Popovici-Muller writing the negative letter. Mr. Popovici-Muller ends
his letter with and if you decide to vote for Dennis, do not complain again about
board culture and acrimony. Should we vote for someone who shares the majority
of the boards opinion? Difference of opinion is critical to any functional, productive,
and balanced board.
I have done my homework, as Mr. Popovici-Muller asks, and Mr. Senibaldis views
are in much better alignment with mine, than the opposing candidates. I greatly
appreciate Mr. Senibaldis willingness to stand up for our students, our teachers, and
our administrators. Mr. Senibaldi has been a solid advocate for the students of our
district and for the educational professionals who work for our district. He remains
fiscally conservative and understands the budget.
In direct response to Mr. Popovici-Mullers letter Yes, my vote goes to Dennis
Senibaldi. Yes, I do expect Mr. Senibaldi to remain strong in his advocacy. And yes, I
will complain when I do not see people treating each other with respect.

Brian Fillion, Windham

Mashimo: the Right Candidate

for Windham School Board
Mrs. Eileen Mashimo is a woman with exceptional vision. Mrs. Mashimo is
a budgetary genius with a fine eye for financial deviations and an acute focus on
details. Over the years I have known her, I have come to appreciate her expertise in
many areas of finance and budgeting. Her philosophy surrounding the education of
children is refreshing too. She is an advocate for safety, excellence in the classroom,
proper budgeting, fiscal accountability, facility needs, staff retention, and more. She
believes every decision the district administration makes regarding the education of
our children should be tied to a strategic plan. Unfortunately, this key document does
not exist.
Mrs. Mashimo believes all of these goals must be defined and prioritized in a
strategic plan if we are to control spending and raise academic achievement. A
strategic plan would become the roadmap for increased student performance and fiscal
accountability. Eileen believes the budget should clearly define expenses, so taxpayers
understand what they are being asked to approve and then also be able to verify the
money was spent as budgeted. These are goals that will have a positive, lasting impact
on our school district and community, and the reasons why Eileen is running.
She is a current member of the districts newly appointed Finance Committee.
She has the uncanny ability to find even the smallest of inconsistencies in our school
district budget. Her ability to research issues with an unbiased eye and her desire to
do the right thing for our town makes her the perfect candidate for the Windham
School Board.
Mrs. Mashimo has been a supervisor of the checklist for four years. She has been
instrumental in following best practices that have prevented and uncovered voter
fraud in our town. She carries out her duties to the letter of the law and contrary to
what some would have you believe, her integrity is irreproachable.
Windham needs trust, teamwork, and cooperation on our school board. We need
an honest, rational, logical candidate that will make decisions based on factual data
and not emotion. One who can collaborate with fellow school Board members to get
the job done effectively and efficiently; qualities that her opponent lacks. Viewing any
number of the 2015 School Board videos will confirm this.
I am thrilled to see a woman of Eileens standing running for local office in our
town and fully endorse her candidacy. I hope you will join me on March 8 at the
polls and do the same.

Michelle Farrell, Windham

A Checklist of Reasons Why to Vote for Senibaldi

I am voting for Dennis Senibaldi for School Board because he:
1. Advocates for students
2. Partners with teachers and administrators
3. Demonstrates budgetary responsibility
Advocates for Students
Dennis believes in standing up for what is in the best interest for our students.
Dennis has been very vocal in his support of educational programs that align
with our curriculum and are within budgetary constraints. For example, Dennis
recently fought hard to ensure that Tim Green, an author and inspirational
speaker, would be allowed to speak at Windham Center School. Whereas, two
school board members voted against this assembly, even though it directly aligns
with our curriculum and vision for our district. This is just one example of the
many ways Dennis has proven his dedication to our students education.
Hes committed to education; showing his commitment to the students of our
district and to his own education, as he has achieved two degrees, a Bachelor of
Science in Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration,
while serving on the board.
Partners with teachers and administrators
As soon as Dennis joined the school board, he spent a tremendous amount of
time working with Dr. LaBranche, our interim superintendent, to learn more
about the educational needs of our district.
Dennis makes himself available to teachers and to staff in our district. His
willingness to work with our teachers and administrators translates into a greater
understanding of the educational needs of our town.
Dennis has always been respectful of the professional expertise of our teachers
and administrators. Repeatedly, I have witnessed Dennis asking for the
professional opinions of our teachers and our administrators, and then use these
opinions in his decision-making as a school board member. On many occasions,
I have watched Dennis defend the professional experts of our district. His level
of respect for our teachers and our administrators is commendable.
Demonstrates budgetary responsibility
Dennis has always taken the time to meet with our business administrator in
order to thoroughly understand the budget. Through his understanding of
the budget, Dennis has made specific suggestions as to where he recommends
budgetary cuts that would save money, but not jeopardize learning. He believes
in a conservative budget that is in line with student enrollment.
Proudly, the academic achievement of Windham students is well above the state
average and the cost spend per pupil is below the state average. A true testament
that educational money is being spent wisely.
Dennis Senibaldi for School Board
As a past school board member who has worked with Dennis, I have watched
him grow into a strong educational advocate. Through his understanding of our
district, he has become a sound voice; championing for what is in the best interest of
our students, supporting our educational professionals in their decision-making, and
recommending specific budgetary savings.
It is with great respect, that I will be voting for Dennis Senibaldi for School Board,
and I would encourage you to do the same!

Donna Dube, Pelham

Mashimo: a Bad Choice for School Board

On Feb. 5, 2016, Windham had our School Deliberative Session. Over 100 people
showed up to make their voices heard in regards to school warrants. Three showed up
and were told they were not able to participate
in these proceedings. Mike, Wendy and Madelyn Joanis were denied their right
to vote during the Deliberative Sessions because they were expunged from the Voter
Checklist. It did not take long for that information to be spread throughout the
auditorium. The Towns people, upon being asked by Moderator Dunn, agreed to let
the Joanis family speak on articles even though they would not be allowed to vote.
It is known throughout the town that Mike Joanis, former School board member,
is a major proponent of education and is very vocal in regards to this current
Windham School Board being run by Ken Eyring as Chair. Chairman Eyring did not
even vote in favor to pass his own budget that the Windham School Board and the
administration have been working on since early fall of 2015. Mike and Wendy have
shown up to many school board meetings. It is also known that Eileen Mashimo,
Supervisor of the Checklist, is an advocate of Chairman Ken Eyring and his agenda.
Mashimo and Eyring have worked together, speaking as a team in many towns on the
Sustainable Communities Initiative.
So the question is was this a malicious act or an act of incompetence by
the Supervisor of the Checklist. Either way, Ms. Mashimo should not be making
decisions for our children if this is how she believes the Voter Checklist should be
supervised and she should not be responsible for a $48,000,000 budget.

Andy Ducharme, Windham

In Response to Daniel Popovici-Mullers Letter

Last week, Mr. Daniel Popovici-Muller included my name in his negative letter
submitted to the Windham Independent, and I am assuming that it will be in this
weeks Pelham~Windham News. He states my name and that my relationship with
Mr. Senibaldi was acrimonious and dysfunctional while I was on the school board.
First, his statement about me is not true, and I am offended that he would make such
a statement. During my tenure on the board, it was extremely important to me as
a board member to listen to all opinions and to always try to work toward finding a
common ground that focused on the best educational interest of the students.
I find it ironic that Mr. Popovici-Muller submitted this negative letter about a
fellow board member the same week that the School Board Policy on Ethics was
discussed. I had some concerns with the first draft of the School Boards Ethic Policy,
so I attended the School Board meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 16, and waited until 11 p.m.
to speak on this topic.
I read to the board an excerpt from Becoming a Better Board Member, a book
provided by the NH School Board Association to all school board members who
attended the NH School Boarding Training Course. The excerpt included the
importance of teamwork and respect in order to be an ethical effective school board
member. I was told by the current board that they did not think it was necessary to
include these conduct statements in the policy because all members should already
know how to conduct themselves. In the same week that I was told this, I read Mr.
Popovici-Mullers derogatory statement against Mr. Senibaldi in the paper. The NH

SALEM, NH 236 N. Broadway, Rte. 28 603-894-6328

issues with lack of science and technology labs, add needed fields, and provide
a track that could be shared by the high school and the middle school teams
and classes (providing an appropriate place to run, and reduce the risks of over
200 students being in an accident on the streets). This will allow for a modern
gymnasium for classes and school funded sports teams. Lastly, this would not
create a monstrous elementary school in Windham, where a smaller town feel is
preferred.
5. This would allow WHS to be grades 9-12 as initially intended, as the Preschool
and half of the third grade would be relocated appropriate locations.

Cynthia Finn, Windham

Eileen Mashimo: Common Sense

for the School Board
I am very pleased that Eileen is running for the Windham School Board. Her
passion to do what is in the best long term interest of this town has led her to action.
I have known Eileen for a few years and over that time I have witnessed Eileens
increased involvement and her dedication in supporting many issues Windham
voters have faced. Therefore, I was not surprised that she had stepped up to run
for a position on the School Board. Windham, like many other New Hampshire
communities, continues to struggle with school/education issues. All of us are now
living with increased taxes due largely to the funding of massive school building
projects, while at the same time enjoying only marginal educational performance.
Much of this paradox is due to decisions made many years ago made by our school
board(s). Electing Eileen to our School Board will bring a common sense voice and
approach as the town and school board work together to improve the educational
opportunities and outcomes of the Windham school system. Eileen will deal
effectively with the current issues we face by balancing those with the future needs of
Windham children. Eileens strong analytical skills and her attention to detail will
allow her to make fact-based and fiscally responsible decisions which will benefit all
of us. Lets not continue down the path weve been on for some time. Please support
Eileen Mashimo for Windham School Board. It is time for more Common Sense.

Michelle Farrell, Windham

Finding Issue with Windhams Article 2

Issues with purposed Article 2: Golden Brook Elementary School + WMS
Construction Project ($40 million)
1. No traffic study done prior to the deliberative session presentation or before
developing the plans major traffic issues even with purposed driveway.
2. About $1 million to pump sewage from GBS up the hill past WMS. Long
term, will have problems with pumps failing and needing to be replaced that
will be forcing sewage against gravity to the septic system past WMS.
3. This will be the largest number of students in an elementary school in the
state! Only two in the state have more than 700, and this would be over 1,000!
Almost double the number of most in the state! Not a Best Practice. www.
schooldigger.com/go/NH/schoolrank.aspx.
4. Most large towns and cities have two or more elementary schools for this reason.
5. 3 years of construction while students are in school distractions and chaos.
Not a Best Practice.
6. Over 80% of the current GBS will be torn down in the process Really a new
school!
7. A state of the art gym built in GBS (pre-K-4th grade) and a second gym, where
there are no school-sponsored teams.
8. $5 million spend to alter the rooms inside WMS to add science and technology
labs.
9. This purposed plan is not allowing for any free classrooms if built!
The Town of Windham is one of the fastest growing communities in New
Hampshire and, according to data issued by the Southern New Hampshire Planning
Commission, can expect to see another 10 percent increase in the next five years.
And, thanks to the adjacent location of Interstate 93, could realize a 38 percent
population hike by 2050. Written January 15, 2016 http://www.areanewsgroup.
com/data-shows-population ...
The Ideal Solution to Overcrowded Schools in Windham
1. Remove all students from the current GBS (that has many issues, and is too
small). Town can decide what to do with the building and land.
2. Have Pre-K through 2nd grade in Center School.
3. House 3rd and 4th grade in the current Middle School.
4. Build a new school, grades 5-8 that have the needed science and technology labs,
and a track. This could be done on London Bridge Road on the opposite side of
WHS. This would allow construction without disruption of learning, solve the

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Consider Jennifer Simmons for Board of Selectmen

I am writing to endorse Jennifer Simmons for the open seat on the Board of
Selectmen. I have served on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) subcommittee of
the Windham Planning Board for the past nine years. Jennifer was appointed to the
CIP in 2012 as a citizen member and reappointed in 2015 for another three year
term. During her time on the CIP she has served as the Secretary, and the Vice Chair.
I have been impressed by Jennifers commitment to her roles on the CIP, and have
found her to be well prepared for meetings and an active participant in the meetings.
She listens and considers all information presented and provides constructive input
to the discussions. I believe these qualities make Jennifer an ideal candidate for
membership on the Board of Selectmen.
For the reasons stated above I plan to vote for Jennifer Simmons for Selectmen. I
humbly ask you to consider a vote for her as well.

Rob Gustafson, Windham

A Yes on Article 5 Supports Teachers Contract

On March 8 you will have an opportunity to vote on the teachers contract,

Article #5, on the ballot. The contract, which will run for two years, is the result of
hard work done by both sides to be able to submit it to you, the voters. It is a fair
agreement to both sides.
The town will be able to lower the cost of health care by a saving of $247,300, as
the new contract will establish a lower cost HMO, AB5, for the teachers. This is a
major step in getting a handle on the ever-changing health care issue.
The teachers will receive increases of 1% COLA plus steps for those on years 1-14.
There is no step raises for year 15 so those veteran teachers will receive 3.68% COLA.
The total cost in the contract will be $646,149
The total cost to the town of the contract is $ 476,729. The tax impact of the is
$0.21/$1,000.
A yes vote on the contract will help Windham remain competitive in the job
market in the search for bright new teachers. In the next two
years approximately 30 teachers will be leaving the District and
will need to be replaced. A yes vote on the contract will show the
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provide the fine education they have grown to expect.
A no vote returns us to the quagmire of the years of no
contract for the teachers. A no vote negates the gains made in the
last two years with the current contract. A no vote will remove
the changes and savings in health care as proposed in the new
contract.
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offers to its seniors more competitive with the aforementioned communities.

Critics of this warrant article charge that the new reductions will lead to abuse
programs such as Welfare, Food stamps, Medicare, and others have led to abuses
in the system, However does that mean that we do not enact programs to service
peoples welfare? Or do we enact the programs and craft policies to correct the abuse?
Others have charged that the assessment in Pelham is lower than the surrounding
communities- I would argue that assessment figures are set by the Revenue department
in Concord on a yearly basis. This assessment figure is based on the number of
qualified home sales in the town and fluctuates from year to year. Are we to hold our
Seniors hostage to home sales in the town as a criterion for setting their property tax
reduction? Still others state that a senior can appeal to Selectmen personally for an
additional discount due to hardship We have a Presidential candidate campaigning
on a platform that includes increasing social security benefits to seniors so that they
may live with Dignity and Respect There is nothing Dignified about a senior
having to ask a Selectmen for a further discount in property taxes. This warrant article
is the townspeoples way of saying We want our seniors to live with Dignity and
Respect.
Lastly, some townspeople worry that they will have to pay more in their property
taxes due to possible deficits incurred by this new warrant article. Currently we are
spending $30 million a year to educate 1,840 students. Student enrollment has
been declining since 2004 and is projected to decrease by some 300 students over
the next three years. Reallocating monies from a declining enrollment to fund any
revenue deficit caused by implementation of this warrant article for seniors, as well as
streamlining school and town budgets while preserving the quality of education and
services should not impact on higher taxes for the rest of the townspeople. A common
theme that bonds all in the town together is lower property taxes would not creative,
out of the box thinking policies to streamline budgets be a better alternative and a
win for all in the town? As a town we spend 15 million dollars on public services
(100,000 for the senior center).
As a town we spend $30 million on our school system, it is clear that as a town we
value our youth, it is time to demonstrate that we also value our elderly. As one senior
so aptly stated to me All we want is a fair shake This warrant article property tax
reduction is competitive with that being offered in surrounding towns and is their
fair shake.

- continued from page 5

John Hayward, President WEA, Windham

Re-elect Dennis Senibaldi

We are writing to ask you for your vote in re-electing Dennis
Senibaldi to the Windham School Board. Dennis, over the last
two years, has demonstrated that he is actually for the students,
staff and teachers while also being fiscally responsible to the
community. He has demonstrated that he has the knowledge
and experience to think through the difficult problems facing
Windhams school district and to formulate a reasonable solution
and argument that takes into account everyones needs.
In these challenging times of our school system, we need
someone who has the background, experience and knowledge
to move our Windham school district in a positive direction.
Based upon what we have seen over the last two years and
our knowledge of education (Heather as an ESL High School
Teacher currently at Methuen High School and Kevin as a
former professor at the State University of New York Institute
of Technology and Licensing Manager at UNH), we strongly
support Dennis in his re-election for Windham School Board
Member and ask for your vote to re-elect Dennis.

Kevin Lefebvre, Ph.D., Windham

continue to page 7- More Letters

Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 7

More Letters to our Editor

- continued from page 6

Al Letizio, Jr. Supports Senibaldi for School Board

On March 8, you will be choosing the future of our school district in this
upcoming election. If you like how things have been going on the School Board
under the leadership of Ken Eyring, then a vote for Eileen Mashimo will guarantee
that youll see more of the same and for a long time. If youre like me and you
think that we could do a lot better and that our School Board leadership has been
ineffective, heading us in the wrong direction at a time when leadership is most
needed, then please join me in re-electing Dennis Senibaldi to the Board. Dennis
has been outnumbered, fighting for us and we need him to remain on the School
Board.
Also, please plan ahead on joining me next year in supporting School Board
member Rob Breton as he runs for re-election and also in supporting the candidacy
of Matt Rounds as he runs to replace Ken Eyring. Matt, who was originally in the
race this year, withdrew his candidacy to throw his support behind Dennis Senibaldis
re-election. Like Matt, I see the problems with our School Board leadership, and I
see that not electing Dennis Senibaldi and electing Eileen Mashimo sends us further
in the wrong direction. I spent eight years serving you on the School Board and it
has been difficult for me to watch what has been going on recently in our School
District. It has been more difficult though for Dennis and Rob to serve us as School
Board members under the current atmosphere and no one would blame either one
of them for stepping down. I believe that we owe them both a debt of gratitude for
their service under challenging conditions, but mostly we owe them our continued
support if we want to see things change for the better.
So in 2016, lets re-elect Dennis Senibaldi and in 2017, lets take step two and reelect Rob Breton and replace Ken Eyring with Matt Rounds. It may take us a couple
of years to do it, but we can make our School District great again.

Al Letizio, Jr., Windham

Jennifer Simmons has his Vote

I hope youll join me in voting for Jennifer Simmons for Selectman. Ive been
honored to serve on your Board of Selectman over the last three years, and as
Chairman during the last year. Ive gotten to know Jennifer and I believe that she
could bring a great balance and perspective to our Board. Jennifer has what it takes
to be a great Selectman and she has my full support.

Al Letizio, Jr., Windham

Fiscal Stability Requires Strategic Planning

Its time the district has a comprehensive Strategic Plan - looking out a minimum
of five years - which incorporates an all-encompassing set of goals including:
the safety of our children; Preschool - grade 12 aligned curriculum; growth in
academic achievement; technology planning; sports & music programs and other
extra-curricular activities; maintenance and renovation of our facilities; proper
compensation and benefits for teachers and support staff; and financial stability.
The Windham School Districts operating budget has continued to increase by
millions year after year. Despite those increases, many of the issues facing our district
have yet to be addressed, e.g., reduce crowded classrooms, renovations at Golden
Brook School and inadequate labs at Middle School.
The creation of a Strategic Plan will bring clarity and stability to the decision
making process. The goals of the plan need to be clearly articulated to the
community, and the budget must align with the plan. Every decision made on the
districts behalf should be driven by the Plan. The District Administration must
actively monitor its effectiveness, make adjustments as necessary and periodically
report to the Board and Community.
Most importantly, we must continue to provide a safe environment and enhance
the high level of education for our children while being sensitive to our tax payers,
especially those on a fixed income.
The Windham School District has challenges that have been lingering for many
years. We need to clearly identify those challenges, define our goals, develop and
implement action plans, and monitor the results. This has not been happening in
any deliberate systematic way.
No business enterprise with a $50 million budget would ever try operating
without a strategic plan, and our school district should not either. This is one of the
main reasons I am running for the School Board to help develop and implement
such a plan. We need to move past the practice of reactionary crisis mode
management, and intentionally manage the affairs of our school district according to
a well thought-out comprehensive plan that will meet all the needs of every child in
our town.
If you believe it is time for the School Board to formally develop a strategic plan
that will shape and guide our vision for the future of education in Windham, I ask
for your vote on March 8, so together we can make it happen.

industry designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Registered Health

Underwriter (RHU) and Registered Employee Benefits Consultant (REBC).
Eileen and her family have been residents in Windham since 1999 and are
involved with various community service organizations. Eileen and her husband are
both actively involved as Scout leaders and her family including her children have
volunteered for a variety of events and causes. A few years ago they received the
Presidential Volunteer Service Award, presented to families who have logged over
500 hours to one organization. Eileen exhibits the core values we should expect
from anyone serving as a School Board member. Exemplary schools, quality of life,
reasonable tax burden and sense of community are goals that we can expect from
Eileen if she is so honored to be elected to the board. Please join me and help elect
Eileen Mashimo to the Windham School Board in March for a long need change.

Tony Massahos, Windham

Windham School Board Needs Someone New

In a recent editorial written by Beth Valentine, she suggests that School Board
Member Dennis Senibaldi should be re-elected to the School Board. I strongly
disagree with her statement that Mr. Senibaldi has sharpened the pencils of the
administration and trimmed budgets. She also maintains that others on the board
have whittled away time, made no suggestions and their actions resulted in crossed
arms.
Perhaps she has forgotten that Mr. Senibaldi; (1) voted to approve a nobid, $577,000 contract in January, 2015 for a behavioral management energy
conservation company to teach our employees how to turn off lights and reduce the
heat to save money, and (2) wanted to replace two large roofing membranes on the
Windham Center School, even though five roofing experts said the problem with the
annual roof leaks were related to masonry work and the membranes had 5-7 years
of remaining life. The masonry work repaired the leaks. The membranes were not
replaced.
Mrs. Valentine also stated in her editorial that Dennis understands that his role
on the school board is to find solutions, not be an obstructionist. Again, I must
strongly disagree with her statement. School Board Members should be held to
the highest standards. Disrespectful and unprofessional behavior goes against that
standard and disrupts the process.
School Board Member Senibaldis continual disorderly conduct and
unprofessional behavior throughout the year lead to meetings lasting for hours
on end. His unprofessional conduct began in March of 2015 with accusations
against Chairman Eyring, and continued throughout the year with accusations and
attempted intimidation and vocal onslaughts of profanities against Member Murray
in August.
During a School Board meeting in September, he verbally attacked a Windham
resident, accusing her of providing false information to another resident who had
written a letter about his unprofessional and unacceptable behavior. For the record,
I that wrote that letter. Two weeks later, I attended the next school board meeting
and demanded an apology from Mr. Senibaldi for his rude and false accusations to
the resident he accused. In his usual style, Mr. Senibaldi never apologized and has
continued to disrespect that same resident.
Having lived in Windham since 1985, I have never witnessed anything like this.
It is time to elect someone to the School Board that can bring positive change and
civility back to the meetings. I strongly urge everyone to show up on March 8 and
help move our school district in the right direction. Lets get back to our primary
mission of educating the children, our future leaders, and set a good example for
everyone to follow.

Tony Massahos, Windham

Windham Market Square Overlay District

In an effort to provide opportunity for varied economic development in the
community of Windham, the Board of Directors of the Greater Salem Chamber of
Commerce voted unanimously on Feb. 3, 2016, to endorse the proposed Windham
Market Square Overlay District.
The Chamber believes the development options allowed through the Market
Square Overlay District will attract new businesses to the area and provide existing
businesses with growth opportunities. The addition of this zoning to the proposed
area will create a positive environment for economic development for years to come,
as well as a surge of community pride for both businesses and residents alike.
The Market Square Overlay District is the result of the planning, analysis, and
prudent investigation of both the Windham Economic Development Committee
(WEDC) and the Windham Planning Board. The proposed location, relative to the
new highway patterns, holds a tremendous opportunity for Windham to leverage its
location to attract businesses, create jobs, generate business tax revenue, and bring
together resources to improve the quality of life in the community.

Donna Morris, President, Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce

Eileen Mashimo, Windham

Mashimos WSD Strategic Plan is Spot on

Will Eileen Mashimo be the New Sheri in Town?

Eileen Mashimo knows the best investment of our tax dollars is in our childrens
education. She also knows there is a big difference between haphazard spending and
investing wisely. Mrs. Mashimos letter to the papers last week outlines her desire to
help develop a 5 year strategic plan for the School District. Her plan would:
Incorporate an all-inclusive set of goals including: the safety of our children;
preschool grade 12 aligned curriculum; growth in academic achievement;
technology planning; sports & music programs and other extra-curricular activities;
maintenance and renovation of our facilities; proper compensation and benefits for
teachers and staff; and financial stability.
She went on to say the goals of the plan need to be clearly articulated to the
community, and the budget must align with the plan. She added, We need to
move past the practice of reactionary crisis mode management, and intentionally
manage the affairs of our school district.
These are not hollow words. Mrs. Mashimo has attended many school board
meetings and pointed out many anomalies regarding the budget and spending year
after year.
This year, we are being asked to approve another large increase in the operating
budget (exclusive of the renovation and field projects) of more than a million dollars,
and that does not transparently reflect a $912,000 drop in WHS bond payments that
should have reduced our budget by that amount. If approved, the operating portion
of the budget will increase more than $2M to service less than 20 additional students
who are projected to enroll.
If every warrant article on the school ballot passes this year, our district budget
will not only exceed $50 million for the first time ... it will exceed $51 million! Our
School Board must become better stewards of our tax dollars. Mrs. Mashimo can
help. She is an intelligent, qualified person who has shown her commitment to
academic excellence and fiscal accountability.
She is an expert in employee benefits and financial planning (two critical areas
the Board needs help with). Her qualifications to evenly evaluate, prioritize and
contribute to the School board are more than exemplary. Her strategic plan
prioritizes excellence in education and accounting practices. As a recent retiree,
Eileens goal to provide a safe environment and enhance the high level of education
for our children while being sensitive to our tax payers, especially those on a fixed
income, says it all.
Mrs. Mashimo is vested in our children and our community. She has lived in
Windham with her husband and two children since 1999. I would appreciate your
consideration to vote for Mrs. Massimo in the March elections.

I am reluctantly writing this letter since I despise criticizing or judging people

who have differing beliefs or ideals as mine. However, I am compelled to correct
misinformation and downright lies that instigate malice toward good, honest and
hard-working people. I understand the inherent human nature to pick up torches
and pitch forks against those who appear to have done injustice to their way of life,
but in doing so, they expose themselves to the underlying ignorance and, invariably,
the unwillingness to learn the truth.
I have been sadly reading the editorials and opinions of many who have formed
their own conclusions without fully comprehending or questioning the validity of
the information or accusations they have received. A letter in a local Windham
paper dated Feb. 18, 2016, by Andy Ducharme is a good example of how vile politics
can be, and how well it can influence those who do not care to do the research
themselves. If Andy truly believes what he wrote will save the town by discrediting
Eileen Mashimo, then he is sadly poisoned by rhetoric. Also, it indicates he is not
willing to learn.
I have been very fortunate to have met and lived with a very rare person of
integrity and intelligence that surpass many people including myself. She is a caring
mother, wonderful wife and extends her love for the community she resides. Her
modesty hides the countless accomplishments and acts of selfless kindness that many
would struggle to comprehend.
When you get to know her, you realize immediately that Eileen devotes herself to
legal proceedings and understands the process of law. When Eileen was a brokerage
manager for a prominent insurance company, she did not take kindly to those who
lack the respect for law and especially to those who mismanaged other peoples
money. This is why she is running now to help those who are working hard to
correct years of questionable legality, and assist the school board to make better
decisions.
This should shed light on why Mike Joanis, when caught disregarding his civic
duty of changing his address on his voting record, turned to bullying, berating and
accusing Eileen of ill-intent or incompetence when he was clearly at fault. Worse,
he elevated his attack, providing the press with blatantly untruthful statements, after
the State Attorney Generals office concurred that the supervisors had done nothing
wrong.
These acts of immaturity show lack of civility (and intelligence) akin to school
bullies who want their own way. In the political arena, these childish acts are par
for the course especially for those who follow them on social media. It is further
inexcusable that one of the current school board candidates spread the false
statements on social media. He and his cohorts, including former school board
members, a selectman and the school moderator, childishly took to taunting and
insulting Eileen while she was performing her deliberative session election duties.
This kind of behavior provides the evidence of why Windham needs Eileen on the
School Board to stop the history of bullying that caused high taxes and unexplained
expenditures. The question, it seems, is not about her but the malicious intent or
incompetence of those who oppose her. Or am I sensing a fear that she is the new
sheriff in town?

Minoru Mashimo, Windham

Make an Educated Choice for School Board

In March, voters will be asked to elect one School Board representative. The
two residents running are Eileen Mashimo and incumbent Dennis Senibaldi. I
ask everyone to look at each of these candidates and make an educated decision on
who will serve the school system the best. I am also asking that everyone strongly
consider Eileen Mashimo to carry on the responsibilities that come with the position.
The last year has been plagued with a multitude of disruptions, long meetings and
disrespect for other members of the board. At the very least, the unprofessional
actions initiated by Mr. Senibaldi against other members has been irresponsible
and has resulted in meeting after meeting filled with hostility. It is time to give Mr.
Senibaldi a vacation from politics and elect new blood to the board.
Eileen Mashimo brings a wealth of experience to the table. Her employment
experience in the insurance, employee benefits and financial services industry alone
makes her one of the best candidates to apply for a position on the School Board
in many years. Over the years she has been an executive board member of the NH
chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors ( NAIFA
NH) and a founding executive board member of the New England Chapter of
Women in Insurance and Financial Services (WIFS New England). She holds the

Ms. Neville, Windham

Supervisor of the Checklist Compromises

our Right to Vote
In America, no right is considered more fundamental than our right to vote. Its
the right that ensures that citizens can hold their elected leaders accountable. It
is probably the most important right given to us through the Constitution and it
appears most often in the Constitutions text - five times in all. In fact, four separate
Amendments the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th use the same language to protect it:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged
When Eileen Mashimo, Supervisor of the Voter Checklist announced her
candidacy in the Pelham~Windham News on Feb. 24, 2012, she stated in part, I am
pleased to announce my candidacy for the office of Supervisor of the Voter Checklist
in the Town of Windham. As a voting resident of Windham it is of utmost
importance that all people who are eligible to vote can vote. I will make every effort
to ensure that there is integrity in our voter list and our precious right to vote is never
compromised.
Eileen Mashimo, Supervisor of the Voter Checklist is entrusted in her position to
uphold and ensure that the most powerful instrument secured by the Constitution of
the United States is given to all Windham residents. Last month, she compromised
our constitutional right to vote. In her position as Supervisor of the Checklist, she
removed long standing residents from the voters checklist with full knowledge that
such Windham tax payers still resided in town. When they showed up to vote at
our local Deliberative Session on Feb. 5, she refused to let them vote even though
New Hampshire law bestows upon Supervisors of the Checklist, the discretionary
authority to grant such citizens voting rights and she had full knowledge that such
residents were qualified to vote (see New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated,
RSA, Title LXIII, 659:12). RSA 659:12 states in part. No person whose name is

continue to page 8- More Letters

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Piece of the Pie

The Tax Return-The Affordable Care Act- Part 3

W.F.Boutin EA - Total Tax Solutions LLC

The Premium Tax Credit is the sum of the calculated credit amount
for each month. The credit amount is the lesser of 1) the monthly
premium for the plan in which the taxpayer's family enrolled and 2)
the monthly premium for the taxpayer's applicable second lowest
cost silver plan (SLCSP) minus the taxpayers contribution amount.
The taxpayers contribution amount is the taxpayers household
income multiplied by the applicable figure as determined in the
following manner. Using the FPL based upon your family size,
divide the household income by the 100% FPL. The result is your
household income in relation to the FPL as a percentage. Utilizing
the percentage amount, use the chart as found in the instructions for
Form 8962, to determine your applicable figure.
An example: A single person, John, has an annual premium of
$5000. His applicable SLCSP as reported on his 1095-A is $5200.
His household income for the year is $28725. 100% of his FPL for a
family of 1 is $11490. $28725 divided by $11490 is 250% of the
FPL. Based upon the chart, 250% = an applicable figure of .0805.
His PTC is the lower of $5000, his annual premium or the SLCSP of
$5200 minus his contribution amount which is $28725 (household
income) x .0805 (applicable figure) = $2312. $5200(his SLCSP) $2312 (his calculated contribution amount) = $2888. The lesser of
$5000 (his plan premiums) or $2888 is his PTC. (Since all 12
months of his SLCSP and health plan were the same, we can do a
single annual calculation.)
Taxpayers who have changes in monthly amounts not shown on
their 1095-A (an example being the taxpayer became eligible for an
employer plan and did not notify the Marketplace) must do monthly
calculations. If the family size changes during the year since
enrollment, the bigger the difference will be between advanced
payments and actual credit due. Taxpayers should notify the
Marketplace as soon as possible about changes in their circumstances. Unexpected increases in household income, marriage,
divorce, birth of a child and changes in address are just some of the
circumstances where the Marketplace should be notified.
It is also worthy to note that the PTC is a refundable credit. If the
amount of the calculation of credit is greater than the tax liability on
the return, the taxpayer will receive the difference as a refund.
If you should receive a 1095-A which is incorrect, it is lost or you
never receive the form, contact your Marketplace directly for a
replacement. Form 1095-A is required to be mailed to taxpayers by
January 31st for the prior year of coverage. (In 2015, some of the
initial 1095-A's were sent out with incorrect information and
taxpayers were required to wait for corrected forms before filing.)
As previously mentioned, some taxpayers may have optioned to
have an advance credit payment paid directly to their insurance
provider to lower their monthly premium amounts. When filing
Form 8962, these taxpayers will be calculating how much they
should receive in credit due to household income and will be
subtracting the amount already paid to the insurance carrier in
advance. If an excessive amount was received during the year due
to changes in household conditions or due to underestimating total
income for the year, the difference will increase the amount of tax
due on the return. For taxpayers whose household income is below
400% of the FPL, the amount of taxes owed due to advanced
payments may be limited.
The Form 8962 consists of 5 parts, the last two are to cover
unusual situations. In some circumstances, a taxpayer may be
enrolled in a policy with a person who is not part of their tax family.
This can happen when a taxpayer got divorced or separated during
the year. A taxpayer who is claiming a deduction for a person who
was actually enrolled in a policy by another taxpayer. A taxpayer
who enrolls in a policy but is actually being claimed by another
taxpayer on their return. Also when a taxpayer decides to file
separately from their spouse. Under these conditions, Part 4 of 8962
must to used for a Shared Policy Allocation.
If taxpayers got married during the year, and one or both taxpayers
received advance payments, they may use an alternative calculation
to determine their excess advance payments in Part 5 of 8962
Alternative Calculation for Year of Marriage

Next Issue: The Affordable Care Act Part 4

Have a tax question? E-mail taxquery@totaltxsolutions.com
About Total Tax Solutions: W.F. Boutin EA registered Total Tax
Solutions in the State of NH as a LLC in the summer of 2006 after 10
years experience working for a major tax preparation company and 8
years of teaching basic level and advanced tax courses. The
company mission is to deliver an excellent customer service experience year around, to offer knowledgeable advice so that clients can
make informed decisions regarding their financial future, and to
provide this service with integrity, confidence and professionalism

8 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

More Letters to our Editor

not upon the checklist shall be allowed to vote, unless, in the opinion of the
supervisors of the checklist, it clearly appears that the name of the qualified voter has
been omitted from the checklist by clerical error or mistake ...
When our constitutional right to vote is denied, it puts into question the integrity
of those who have been entrusted to uphold such rights. Ms. Mashimo abused her
authority as Supervisor of the Checklist. She breached her entrusted responsibility,
removing qualified Windham citizens from the checklist and denying our right
secured by the United States Constitution! For an elected official to demonstrate such
disregard for in her own words, our precious right to vote is an injustice. Likewise,
it would be an injustice to elect her to a board where she would be entrusted to
oversee our childrens education. She has compromised our right to vote, lets not

compromise our childrens right to an outstanding education.

Greer Ross, Windham

Windham School Board

Needs a Calm Voice of Reason
My wife and I whole-heartedly agree that the education of our children is our
communitys most important responsibility. We have a child in the district and
understand that in order to expedite a pathway to educational success, we need to first
get our fiscal house in order. This is why we are voting for Mrs. Eileen Mashimo to
serve on the Windham School Board.
Her number 1 goal is to increase academic achievement without bankrupting
Windham residents. This is a tough challenge, because it requires a change in culture.
Contrary to what some people believe, the financial resources of our community are
not infinite. Therefore, our district administration needs to spend our resources wisely
based upon a new vision that incorporates thorough, comprehensive planning.
I believe that Mrs. Mashimo will bring that vision. She is a person of integrity,
high ethical standards and transparency. Her desire to implement a strategic plan
will bring spending under control and provide a decision making roadmap to ensure
we stay focused on achieving the academic and financial goals that are defined by the
plan. She has a wonderful ability to arrive at reasonable solutions with people who
have differing opinions, without compromising her values.
These are the type of qualities that Mrs. Mashimo has possessed throughout her
professional career in the insurance, employee benefits and financial services industry.
She is very aware of our district needs because she has attended and participated in
many school board meetings over the years. She currently serves on the districts
finance committee, and would like to do more.
Please join with me to elect Mrs. Eileen Mashimo. She will bring a calm voice of
reason with impeccable character to the Windham School Board.

Jerry Rufo, Windham

Vote No on Citizen Petition Amendments

to the Zoning Ordinance
There are two Zoning amendments proposed to the Windham Zoning Ordinance,
by means of a citizen petition. Both were proposed to benefit a shopping mall project,
which has since been withdrawn. But the Petitions remain on the ballot because thats
the way a citizen petition works.
One would change the definition of impervious surface in the Cobbetts Pond
and Canobie Lake Watershed Protection Ordinance. It could cause major damage
to the lakes, according to the testimony of an environmental expert retained by the
Cobbetts and Canobie protective associations to evaluate the impact. It is Article 3,
Petition 1 on the ballot. The Windham Planning Board recommended the voters say
no, by a vote of 7-0.
The other would increase the maximum height of a hotel, from 35 to 42 feet.
While this would not be as directly harmful to the lakes, there is no good reason for it
either and nobody showed up to advocate for it at the Planning Board hearing. This
is Article 3, Petition 2 on the ballot. The Planning Board recommended the voters say
no, by a 7-0 vote.
Please vote no on both of these petitions, and urge your neighbors to do the same.

Bill Schroeder, President, Canobie Lake Protective Association,

Windham

Wholehearted Support for Eileen Mashimo

I was elated by the announcement that Eileen Mashimo is running for School
Board. Our town continues to face serious challenges regarding our schools and
escalating taxes. Eileen is the right choice: her concern for our students, teachers, and
taxpayers is evident where she has spent countless hours researching, evaluating, and
developing accurate information on the Windham School District budget and issues.
Her concise letters to the editors has provided information not always readily available
to the community providing real transparency which we all crave in a candidate.
Windham voters can trust Eileen will be a credible school board member accountable
only to the Windham community as a whole.
Eileen will bring her analytical expertise to the board to address the needs of all of
the residents of Windham, while ensuring a high level of education that our children
deserve. In addition, Eileen is a member of the newly formed Windham School
Board Finance Committee; and is highly respected as Windhams Supervisor of the
Checklist. Eileen is a winner and we need her!
Though the District will continue to face financial challenges in the coming years
due to the states budget situation, I know that Eileen can be relied upon to make
the right decisions that will benefit all of us. She is very personable, and will reach
out and encourage participation from all of the towns residents in all of the schools
matters.
I wholeheartedly support Eileen Mashimo for the Windham School Board on
March 8, and hope that you will too.

and the crux of the certification issue, will be the construction of proper science labs
and a family and consumer science section. (FACS) These are items were listed as the
number one priority to fix in a recent town survey and necessary for certification as a
true middle school.
As the center point of this construction project, Golden Brook will see the most
significant changes since its construction over 4 decades ago. If you have not seen
any of the plans I would suggest visiting the districts website to review the posted
materials, it is quite impressive. (www.windhamsd.org) It has been a long journey
to get to this point with multiples models and configurations evaluated over a long
period of time. In the end it was determined that making Golden Brook a k-4 model
would be the most efficient and effective way to comprehensively solve the districts
overcrowding issues. Throughout this process the School Board had engaged industry
experts in educational construction, local construction experts, (facilities committee)
and relied heavily on the input from our educational leaders in the district who work
the front lines everyday with our children. This input from our educational experts
was crucial to make sure the project would meet the needs of the district.
I know that there are always competing ideas on how to fix these issues but I think
from an efficiency standpoint, and most importantly, from an educational standpoint,
this project will solve a decades old problem. To that end I would respectfully ask
your support for this project by voting yes on Warrant Article 2 on March 8.

Dennis Senibaldi, Windham

A Vote for Dennis Senibaldi

Carolyn Therrien, Windham

Vote for Mashimo for School Board

One of the most dedicated and respectful woman I have ever met is a candidate for
the Windham School Board: Eileen Mashimo. Eileen is a one-of-a kind person who
always looks out for the Windham community interests.
Her in-depth and valuable research and budget assessments are quite noticeable as
she is very knowledgeable on issues with consequences and does not hesitate to address
the school board when she sees inequities or misinformation abound. She often shares
her concern and facts both in print and on-line providing the community with critical
information in which to form their own opinions.
Eileen is a great listener and takes all positions and inputs into consideration before
making decisions. She values other peoples views and shares her opinions resulting in
win-win situations for all of us. Eileen will be a diligent board member and will not
stray from her duties to satisfy others interests.
Eileen is one of the most trustworthy individuals I know and just the change we
need on our School Board; a truly dedicated representative of all Windham residents.
Having served as a third generation U.S. Marine, I consider Eileen to be rock solid
and the type of individual required for representative governing.
Please join me and take advantage of this opportunity to vote for an outstanding
candidate - Eileen Mashimo--on March 8.

Paul D. Therrien, Windham

Asking for Support for Warrant Article 2

By the time you see this letter in the paper there will only be 11 days left until
election. Every day between now and then is important towards getting the word
out on a very important warrant article, the Golden Brook renovations. This warrant
articles will have far reaching implications for positive improvements to the district
and community as a whole. I would like to address this issue.
First, the renovation at Golden Brook has been in the making for a long time and is
a comprehensive fix to the entire districts overcrowding situation. I am proud to have
been a part of this process and I am hopeful that the residents come out to support
it. By renovating Golden Brook School it allows three schools to actually reap the
benefits.
Starting with Windham Center School we will be able to reduce that down to a
two grade school thereby eliminating overcrowding issues and traffic safety issues. I
am sure we have all had the pleasure of getting stuck in front of the school during
drop off and pick up times. Outside of changing the grade configuration very little
work will be done at this school.
Windham Middle School will also see a reduction from three grades down to
two. This particular school suffers the most with significant overcrowding issues
and lacks certification as a true middle school. The project will not only help reduce
overcrowding but will also address the certification issue. Included in this project,

Superintendent Selected- continued from front page

Langlois said he has eight years of experience
as a superintendent in Massachusetts, first in
Saugus, then in Marlborough. I present a
working knowledge of fiscal management,
collective bargaining, curriculum and instruction,
performance accountability, building strong
school culture, construction and the renovation
of schools, implementation of a digital learning
ecosystem, using data to make informed
decisions, personnel management, crisis
management, parent outreach and community
engagement, strategic planning and policy and
procedure, he said.
Langlois said he considers himself to be
professional, inclusive, trustworthy, transparent,
and accountable and that he values his integrity.
I believe in a school system of learning, he
said. As a leader, I am committed to supporting
a growth mindset where educators hone their
skills at the highest level and take risk to enhance
student learning. Furthermore, Langlois stated,
Most important is the partnership I will establish
with the school governance board, creating
a team of six with a collective focus for the
Windham school system.
I am a leader with integrity, passion and
compassion for the students I serve, Langlois
added. I fully understand the scope of
responsibilities associated with the position of
superintendent, and believe I have the requisite
leadership skills and qualities, demonstrated
success and the drive, as well as the dedication
and capacity, to meet the needs of the Windham
School District.
Langlois received a Bachelor of Arts degree in
history from the University of New Hampshire.
He completed his teacher certification program
at Salem State College in Massachusetts. He
earned a certification in human resource
management from the University of New
Hampshire and his Master of Education degree
in school administration from Cambridge College

- continued from page 7

in Massachusetts. He has also attended various

other education-based programs during the past
eight years.
As for work experience, Langlois held his
first teaching position at Trinity High School in
Manchester, where he worked as a social studies
teacher, as well as an interscholastic athletic
coach. He remained at Trinity for three years.
Langlois then went to the Timberlane Regional
School District in Plaistow for three years, where
he worked as a social studies teacher, and, again,
as an athletic coach. Langlois then moved on
to the Salem School District in New Hampshire,
where he worked as a vocational placement
coordinator and humanities teacher from 1981
to 1994, also serving in a coaching capacity at
Salem High School. In 1994, Langlois went to
the Haverhill School District in Massachusetts,
as assistant superintendent for personnel and
administrative services, as well as executive
director of personnel and labor relations. He
remained in Haverhill for 14 years. In 2009, he
moved on to Salem State University, where he
was an instructor for the education leadership
program. Three years later, he took a job as
superintendent with the Saugus public school
system, also in Massachusetts. In 2013, he left
Saugus and became superintendent of schools in
Marlborough, a position he currently holds.
While superintendent in Saugus, Langlois
said he helped to develop a strong infrastructure
and assisted the district in rising from a levelthree performing system to the higher level two,
within a single year. By the time he left Saugus,
according to Langlois, most of the schools in
that district had reached the highest level one.
I believe I have a moral obligation to deliver
the best education to Americas children, as
possible, he said. During his 18-month tenure in
Marlborough, Langlois said he created budgetary
stability and accountability.

I am writing to support the re-election of Mr. Senibaldi to the Windham School

Board. He has kept the School Board members focused and kept others in check.
Often he has been the voice of reason and moderation as the current board majority
moves deeper into the day-to-day operations of our schools. The re-election of Mr.
Senibaldi will help preserve this necessary balance. Additional coalition members are
not needed to further politicize this board.
Mr. Senibaldis re-election is supported by fellow school board member Rob
Breton. Mr. Breton quietly goes about doing his board related duties without weekly
newspaper opinion pieces. If Mr. Breton is in favor of Mr. Senibaldis re-election, that
helps sway my vote as well.

Jonathan Sycamore, Windham

Re-elect Senibaldi for School Board

I am pleased to write this endorsement expressing my support in re-electing Dennis
Senibaldi for School Board. As a lifelong Windham resident, I have experienced a
lot of change and growth in town. I believe we are at a critical time in Windhams
history, when decisions affect not only my own generation, but my childrens
generation as well. Never has it been more important to have confidence and trust in
those that we elect to oversee the business of our School District.
Dennis brings a unique set of skills to managing district issues and making
decisions made on behalf of the citizens he serves. As a parent of three young boys,
Dennis understands the nuisances and intricacies of making tough decisions, and
appreciates the affect these decisions have on all of our futures.
As I have come to know Dennis over the years, I have admired his passion and
dedication to maintaining and improving the quality of education that we have come
to expect in Windham. He is focused and committed to listening to all those that he
comes into contact with, so that he is able to understand the needs and concerns of
the district, community and children that he represents.
Maintaining a balance between advancing Windhams education excellence, while
also keeping spending in check with what citizens can afford and are willing to pay
for, are of top priority for Dennis. Keeping our tax rate in check, and prioritizing
spending, is essential so that future generations can also share in why Windham has
become such a great place to live.
I have watched Dennis make decisions on behalf of the district, after gaining input,
exploring all options, and then making an informed decision with the best interest of
the district in mind. Dennis has experience in working with all of the various boards
in Windham, and is not afraid to ask challenging questions and make tough decisions.
He is a straight-shooter and you always get an honest answer, no matter how difficult
the answer may be.
So please join me in voting for Dennis on Tuesday, March 8.

Cheryl Yennaco, Windham

Property Information
Publically Available
submitted by Elizabeth Wood, Community
Planner, Windham
The Town of Windham and Rockingham
Registry of Deeds both provide public information
on property located within the town. The best
places to find this information is on the town
website, Community Development Department
and Assessing pages, and also the Registry of
Deeds website. Alternatively, you may research
property files by stopping by Community
Development Department during normal business
hours. Access to all information is free of charge,
although there is a cost for printing documents
at the town or when printing off of the registry
website.
The town webpage provides access to the
assessors property tax cards which contain
information on the valuation of your property
including the dates of when any permits were
issued. Go to: www.windhamnewhampshire.
com. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS)/
IT Department on the town page is another

resource for finding property information as it

provides a digital map image of your property and
nearby features.
Among the items not on the web - and
warranting a trip to the Community Development
Department - are searches for septic designs, well
permits, and building permits. To view these
items ask community development staff for the file
for the property you are looking for staff will pull
it for you to review.
On the Rockingham Registry of deeds webpage,
you will be able to find any subdivision plans
that include your property bounds, as well as
any covenants, easement documents, and deed
restrictions. The web address for the registry is
www.nhdeeds.com/rockingham/RoHome.html.
You are also able to stop by the registry in person
and request documents.
For more information regarding researching
information on town property, call 432-3806 or
e-mail: ewood@windhamnewhampshire.com.

New Truck Purchased

for Highway Department
by Barbara OBrien
Windham Selectmen have approved the
purchase of a 2015 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck
for the local highway department. Voting in favor
of the expenditure were Chairman Al Letizio,
Vice-Chairman Joel Desilets and Selectmen Ross
McLeod and Roger Hohenberger. Selectman
Bruce Breton was not in attendance at the
meeting.
The truck, which was included in the towns
2015 operating budget, is being purchased from
Bill DeLuca Chevrolet/GMC, of Haverhill, Mass.,
for $38,549. The price includes a Fisher plow at
the cost of $5,629; equipment which is being paid
for out of the 2016 highway department budget.
It had been anticipated that an auction of old
town vehicles held late last year would generate
enough money to pay for the new truck, but such
was not the case. Selectmen had estimated that
the auction of the nine vehicles would raise about
$35,000 in total. As it turned out, only about
$20,000 was generated through the auction. As a

result, selectmen encumbered $10,000 from last

years fund balance to make up the difference.
In other business, selectmen approved the
extension of a contract with Integrated Paper
Recyclers, of Woburn, Mass., for recycling. The
existing contract has been extended through
2018. At present, the cost to the town is zero
dollars per ton; a situation that will continue
through 2017. However, it is expected that
markets will change moving forward. Therefore,
in 2018, Integrated Paper Recyclers will be able
to charge up to $5 per ton for removing and
transporting Windhams recyclable materials.
Selectmen approved the extended contract by a
vote of 4 to 0.
Selectmen also accepted $2,000 in donations
from former School Board Chairman Bruce
Anderson, to be used toward the installation of a
stained glass window at the town-owned Searles
School and Chapel on Range Road. Andersons
donation was accepted with sincere appreciation.

Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 9

Upcoming Author Presentation Evokes Controversy

by Barbara OBrien
Muller said he would probably vote to approve paying the
A few weeks ago, while reviewing expenses being incurred
voucher, but wanted things to be handled differently moving
by the Windham School District, School Board Vice-Chairman
forward.
Tom Murray earmarked one of the vouchers and brought it up
School board member Rob Breton was fully supportive of
for discussion during a meeting. The $2,500 expense was for
Greens appearance at Center School. For me, the benefit far
a presentation at Windham Center School by former National
outweighs the cost, he said. Our educators should be the
Football League player and best-selling author Tim Green. The
ones making these decisions. The school board shouldnt be
issue subsequently became one that generated controversy
questioning this decision.
among administrators and the public-at-large.
Our resources arent endless, Murray said. We need to
After retiring from his position of defensive end with the
assure all the resources we do have are used wisely. Its not
Atlanta Falcons, Green pursued a career as an attorney, then
about Mr. Green, Murray continued. Its about the process.
switched gears again and achieved another of his goals;
Its about respecting financial resources and the taxpayers. We
becoming an author of childrens books. Green, who says he
have a fiduciary duty to evaluate expenditures. Murray said
has always enjoyed
reading, is now
spending much of
his time touring the
country; instilling
his enthusiasm and
love of the written
word in youngsters.
In addition
to promoting
reading, Greens
by Barbara OBrien
presentations also
Fourth and fifth grade students at Windham Center School will meet former National Football
encourage physical
League player and New York Times bestselling author Tim Green during an all-school assembly
fitness and character
on Thursday, March 4.
development. The
Green has been touring nationwide for the past few years, reaching kids in more than 1,000
all-school assembly
schools. His primary goal in speaking with these young people is to instill a life-long love of
will reach 745
reading, as well as the importance of education, in general. Green also talks to kids about
students, Center
character-building and physical fitness; both elements that have helped him to reach his own
School Principal
goals.
Kathy Bates said.
Green, 52, played defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons (#99) for eight years. As a college
Murray said
student at Syracuse University, in central New York, he broke records that still stand today. While
he didnt have
at Syracuse, he achieved All-American status in both athletics and academics and served as coa problem with
valedictorian at his graduation. Green retired from professional football in 1994, after suffering
Green, at all, but
nearly a dozen concussions. For the next 11 years, Green worked as an analyst for Fox News.
rather with what
After leaving the network, Green went back to college and earned a law degree. His mom, a
he believes is an
teacher, had instilled a love for education, especially reading, in her son. Aside from his already
exorbitant expense;
astounding accomplishments, Green had a goal to become a fiction writer. One of his majors at
a cost Murray
Syracuse University had been English. It wasnt until Green had children of his own, however,
claims was not
that he fully realized that he wanted to write books for young people.
budgeted properly.
On the recommendation of a publisher, Green took on the task of writing football-themed
Chairman Ken
books aimed at upper elementary and middle school aged students. His first book Football
Eyring agreed with
Genius was a national bestseller, as are the 13 that have followed. His latest book is entitled
Murrays complaints
Kid Owner and involves a young boy who inherits a professional football team when a close
about how the
relative unexpectedly dies. His books have already sold in excess of one million copies.
expense was
Green encourages kids to read at least 20 minutes every day. Its a grassroots effort, he said,
handled. Currently,
but its spreading nationwide. Reading is weightlifting for your brain, Green said. Students
the boards policy
who read are more compassionate, more curious, more understanding. They are more able to
is that anything
put themselves in someone elses skin. Reading is an exercise that allows the person to put him
more than $5,000
or herself into someone elses shoes.
must be brought to
As for the money he charges to speak with groups of young people, I use all of my speaking
the school boards
fees to buy books and give them to kids and schools and libraries that cant afford them on their
attention for review.
own, explained Green. I havent cured cancer or created peace in the Middle East, but, in a
The $2,500 fee
small way, I feel like Im helping to make the world a better place.
for Greens visit
did not fall within
those parameters,
however, resulting
Tim Green, No. 99, now renowned author, when he played defensive end for the Atlanta Falcons
in several comments
being made by the
public that certain
school board
members are micromanaging the dayto-day operations of the school district.
he still wasnt satisfied with the answer he received on how
Explaining that the $2,500 cost had been divided into two
the money was budgeted. It should have been listed under
categories of the 2015-2016 budget ($2,000 under assemblies
guest speakers, he commented. I will not be approving this
and $500 from the student activities account), Interim
voucher!
Superintendent Tina McCoy asked that the program, slated for
Dennis Senibaldi pointed out that, per school board policy,
March 4, be allowed to proceed as planned. Center School
the boards concern must be the educational well-being
students have been preparing and looking forward to Greens
of students. If our educators believe in the value of this
visit for weeks, she told school board members.
presentation, we should be paying attention to their advice,
A letter from a concerned parent was also read during the
he said. We have to rely on these people, he said; noting
meeting; commenting on the importance of establishing a
that they have decades of experience. We hired an excellent
life-long love of reading at an early age. Meeting an author
staff, Senibaldi said. Were going beyond our job by secondprovides that spark; plants that seed, in a child, she wrote.
guessing them. No one should be on this board if student
She also pointed out that none of the five school board
welfare isnt their greatest concern, he said.
members are educators by profession and should be leaving
Were here to represent the town, Eyring said. Its our
such decisions to the teachers and staff hired to make those
job to provide checks and balance. Everything needs to be
choices.
aligned with a strategic plan. We need to know where the
School board member Daniel Popovici-Muller seemed to
money is going. Eyring said he agreed that an author is
be on the fence when it came to the issue. We shouldnt
capable of lighting a spark in young children with this type of
tease our kids with this author, and then pull it out from under
program; that students can be motivated by guest speakers, but
them, he said. However, we shouldnt have to pay someone
also said he believes there is more than one way to achieve
to talk about their books and encourage literacy. Popovicithis goal. We need to spend every dollar wisely, Eyring said.

I will not vote to approve this expense. We have to prioritize.

We shouldnt be rubberstamping every idea brought forward.
Just because you have money in the budget, doesnt
mean you have to spend every penny, Popovici-Muller said.
Expenses have to be justified. We need to get on the same
page as to how expenses are to be justified.
Everyone here wants whats best for the school district, Dr.
McCoy said, stating that, moving forward, administrators are
more than willing to discuss such events and to work together
with the school board.
The decision to bring in this author was definitely well
thought out, Bates said. This is an amazing opportunity
for our students. Were spending the money to provide an

Former NFL Player Turned Bestselling Author

Comes to Center School

Courtesy photo

outstanding experience to our kids, she explained. These

kids are already reading these books voraciously. Reading is
food for the brain. Tim Green has already made a difference
for our students and he hasnt even gotten here. An
unprecedented 140 books had already been ordered through
the school, Bates noted. Green will be autographing any of
his books brought to the presentation, whether they are bought
through the school or elsewhere. Greens presentation is
aligned with the school curriculum, Bates pointed out.
Windham resident and parent Michelle Davis told school
board members that 100 percent of the money paid to Green
is donated to non-profit entities. The money doesnt go into
his pocket, Davis said.
At the conclusion of the lengthy discussion, the motion to
move forward with Greens presentation on Thursday, March 4
at Windham Center School was approved by a vote of 3 to 2.
Voting to support the literacy program were Breton, Senibaldi
and Popovici-Muller. Voting not to pay for the assembly were
Eyring and Murray.

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10 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

In My Opinion...

by David Bates

Unraveling the Joanis Scandal

by David Bates, Supervisor of the
Checklist, Windham
Until recently 13.6 percent of
the names on the Windham voter
checklist were of people no longer
eligible to vote in our town as
registered. For many years the
responsibility of keeping that list
up to date and accurate had been
sorely neglected. Now that the
current Supervisors of the Checklist
are working diligently to correct the
deficiencies they inherited, nearly
every Windham resident appreciates
their efforts - except a small minority who appear to be trying to
manufacture a political scandal to sway the upcoming school board
election.
The current Supervisors of the Checklist are Representative Mary
Griffin, Representative David Bates, and Eileen Mashimo. If you
are willing to believe that these three people conspired to unjustly
disenfranchise one particular family, there is probably no reason
to continue reading further because it is unlikely that any facts
will cause you to abandon such erroneous preconceived notions.
However, if you know that these public servants are people of
integrity who meticulously discharge their duties circumspectly, then
you may want to read on to find the rest of the story. Having done
so, it is likely that you will want to separate yourself from the small
group who rashly believed the scandalous accusations hurled at the
supervisors and particularly the one currently running for a seat on
the school board (Eileen Mashimo).
To begin with, it is worth mentioning that adding or removing
names from the voter checklist improperly is a crime. All three
Windham Supervisors of the Checklist take their responsibility very
seriously and follow all the processes in law with great care. One of
the requirements in the law is to remove the names of people who
have died or moved from the address where they are registered to
vote. Last year the supervisors found and removed well over 1,400
such ineligible voters.
In some cases a few families had moved from one location to
another within Windham. When this occurs, the law requires that
they fill out a change of address form with the Town Clerk or directly
with the Supervisors of the Checklist at one of their meetings. When
that is done, their voter record is updated to reflect their new address
and they remain on the checklist without interruption. However, for
those who fail to do so, their names are removed because no one
is entitled to vote from an address where they no longer live (unless
they are a UOCAVA voter).
At the recent Presidential Primary election there were some
people who had to re-register because they moved within the town
but failed to fill out a change of address form and consequently
their names were removed from the checklist. All - but one family
- graciously reregistered at their new address without any fuss.
However, that one family, whose names were removed with a batch
of over 700 other people, seems to feel they are entitled to special
treatment. It appears they expected the supervisors to deal with

them differently than everyone else - that the supervisors should

have gone beyond what the law requires to find out where they
moved to.
Michael Joanis is dismissive of the fact that his familys names
were removed because of their own failure to do what is required of
them. Additionally, it is also extremely important to note that after
he had moved and prior to being taken off the voter list, Michael
Joanis voted in the towns special election last November. When he
did so, he again failed to disclose the fact that he had moved. RSA
659:13 I. (a) says,
A person desiring to vote shall, before being admitted to the
enclosed space within the guardrail, announce his or her name and
address to one of the ballot clerks who shall, if the name is found
on the checklist by the ballot clerk, repeat the name and address. If
the address announced by voter is different from what appears on
the checklist, but is in the same town or ward, the ballot clerk shall
correct the address in red on the paper checklist and the supervisors
of the checklist shall cause the centralized voter registration database
to reect the correction.
It is unclear why Mr. Joanis failed to follow the law when he voted,
but if he had announced his new address - as the law requires, that
address would have been updated, and his name would not have
been removed. In spite of that undeniable reality, the Joanis family
still disclaims any personal responsibility for their names coming off
the checklist and, with their political allies, they continue trying to
place all blame solely on the supervisors especially Eileen.
Accusations of a malicious act, and incompetence have been
directed at Eileen and cited as specific reasons to not vote for her.
None of the facts concerning the Joanis failure to follow the law
seem to matter to those who want to portray the Joanis situation as
some grand conspiracy while tying it to the school board election.
Sadly, this smear campaign seems to have had a measure of success
with some people including certain town and school district
officials. The rush to judgment about the Joanis claims (without
ever speaking to any of the Supervisors of the Checklist) by members
of the Select Board, Planning Board, and even school district
administrators reflects very poorly on their judgment and objectivity.
The controversy at issue has been clearly and decisively put to
rest by the New Hampshire Attorney General after Michael Joanis
made a complaint to that office about his name and those of his
wife and daughter being removed from the voter checklist. Assistant
Attorney General Steven LeBonte investigated the complaint and
determined that their names were removed properly because they
moved from the address where they were registered to vote. The
three supervisors followed the process prescribed in law when
removing their names from the checklist along with over 1,400 other
people who had also moved or died. If there was any doubt about
the propriety of removing their names or the process followed to do
so, the Attorney General would have ordered that their names be put
back on the checklist immediately.
This determination by the Attorney General should settle the
matter and it would with most people. However that is not the case
with the Joanis family and some of their friends who are trying to
distort and misuse this event as a means to affect the outcome of the
school board race. Their effort to smear Eileen Mashimos reputation

to help Dennis Senibaldi win the school board race is a new low in
dirty politics for our town.
On her Facebook page Wendy Joanis takes exception to me
pointing out how her family and cohorts have politicized this
situation, but in her very first post on the subject she wrote Please
take notice Windham, as one of these supervisors, Eileen Mashimo,
is running for our school board. Do not give this woman your vote.
Wendy denies being politically motivated, but her words speak for
themselves. Not surprisingly Dennis Senibaldi liked and shared
Wendys post two times within two hours of her publishing it.
In addition to other people making similar statements on Facebook
about not voting for Eileen, Andy Ducharme wrote a letter to the
editor last week where he also explicitly advised people not to vote
for Eileen because of the Joanis incident. These are remarkable
conclusions because all this whole episode proves is that Eileen and
the other supervisors did their job exactly as they were supposed to.
It is quite noteworthy that while the official closure letter to the
Joanis complaint was issued on Feb. 22, 2016, Assistant Attorney
General Stephen LeBonte communicated his finding verbally
to Mike Joanis on the phone on Friday afternoon, Feb. 5, 2016.
That means the Joanis family knew full well the supervisors had
done their job correctly according to the law before the school
deliberative session, before they contacted several newspapers to
spread their accusations, and before they launched their social
media misinformation campaign.
I have not been shy about my opinion concerning the suspected
motivation behind this conduct, but the voters in Windham can
decide for themselves if my speculation is more probable or if Mary
Griffin, Eileen Mashimo, and myself, David Bates are guilty of the
malfeasance we are being accused of. If you believe the latter, you
may want to join with Planning Board member Daniel Guttman,
who wrote Eileen Mashimo should go to jail for voter fraud and
David bates should lose his state representative position due to this.
An ethics complaint should be filed with the legislature.
For Dan Guttman and any others who agree with his sentiment
and wish to pursue an ethics complaint, as your State Representative,
Ill be happy to provide you with the contact information of my
colleagues on the ethics committee or the former Speaker of the
House who chairs that committee. Alternatively, I can send you the
complaint form and the address where it must be sent. Please let me
know how you would like to proceed.
For the rest of you, I encourage you to see this whole episode
for what it is a genuine scandal. Yes, a scandal indeed, but not
a scandal by the Supervisors of the Checklist, it is truly a scandal
on the part of those who will resort to anything to cause Eileen
Mashimo to lose the election so Dennis Senibaldi can remain on the
school board.
My fellow Windham residents; dont reward this kind of behavior
because when these vicious attacks are successful in swaying an
election, it provides incentive to continue the tactics again in future
elections. Our town deserves better. How about we all just vote
for the candidates we believe are best suited for the office they seek
without attempting to destroy their opponents in the process.

In My Opinion is strictly an OP-ED column that stands on the opinion of one writer, David Bates, as opposed to a newspaper reporter who does not provide an opinion but reports the facts. This column, in many
instances, is a counterpoint to published stories and does not reflect the unbiased reporting policy of the Pelham - Windham News or the opinion of the management, advertisers and ownership of Area News Group.

One Supervisor of the Checklist Seat up for Grabs

by Barbara OBrien
The supervisors of the voter checklist do not usually generate much
notoriety, but a recent event has thrown the office into the spotlight.
Controversy was created when several residents were removed from
the voter checklist after having moved from one Windham address to
another home in Windham. According to the state attorney general,
the supervisors did nothing wrong in removing their names, but the
situation did call attention to the process.
Windham has three supervisors of the checklist: Mary Griffin, David
Bates and Eileen Mashimo. Griffin, who is also a New Hampshire
state representative, was appointed to the position last spring after
the death of the former supervisor. It is Representative Griffin whose
position is up for election next month. Two candidates are seeking
that slot: Mary Griffin and Roy Dennehy.
Both Griffin and Dennehy spoke briefly about their reasons for
seeking election during the Feb. 23 Candidates Night sponsored by
the Womans Service Club of Windham.
Griffin has served on the Windham Planning Board, the Capital
Improvement Plan Committee, the Cable Committee and the Elderly
Housing Committee, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.
As a state representative, she is assigned to the Rockingham County
Executive Board. Im very reliable, Griffin said. When I do a job,
I do it well. I love this town. I love the people, she said. And I
plan to remain active. Griffin moved to Windham in 1972.
Dennehy said he and his wife returned to Windham about a year
ago, after having moved to Massachusetts for six years. He was

employed by Eastman Kodak for 25 years and is a former director of

admissions at Fisher College. Currently, he keeps himself occupied
by working as a night custodian at Windham Middle School. I
want to give back to the community I call home, Dennehy said,
when asked why he was running for the job of supervisor of the
checklist. I want to help prevent voter fraud and keep the voting
process clean, he said.
When asked how they would strike a balance between removing
voters from the checklist to prevent fraud, without disenfranchising
eligible voters, Griffin said laws are in effect to make sure the

right thing is done. Its in the attorney generals hands, she said.
Dennehy said he would follow the state laws exactly.
The two candidates were also asked about their computer skills.
Griffin described herself as being computer illiterate and glad of it.
Dennehy said he was one notch above Griffins skill level. Im Mr.
Low Technology, he said, but I can handle the basics.
A supervisor of the checklist is elected for a six-year term.
Election Day is Tuesday, March 8.

Dr. Mohr Resigns - continued from front page

the parents, the teachers, and guidance to develop a plan that
can lead to success for the student.
Dr. Mohr has championed the notion of a comprehensive
public high school as a place to prepare not only college bound
students, but those interested in a technical education and
general career preparedness. As technology became increasingly
important in nearly every area of work, she has consistently
worked to provide student access to computers in school. It
began with the computer lab to support the English departments
writing program. It came to fruition though school budget
funding and grants. She has never stopped working toward
bringing technology to every student in every content area. All
of this foundational work with access to technology brought
forth the kind of activities that allow our students to become
researchers, collaborators, and citizens in the global community.
As a teacher who has worked in five districts with eight
different principals, Dr. Mohr is one of two of the very best
in terms of communicating a clear vision of what the school
should do for students and thinking very carefully about the best
ways to achieve that vision. She does not seek a silver bullet
solution to educational problems, but embraces a foundational
and multifaceted approach. She is able to challenge us to push
ourselves to deliver the best learning experience for students so
that they may gain the vital skills of critical thinking and creative
problem solving. She always encourages this professional growth
by modeling the very teaching techniques she would like to see
us use with students - posing questions, sending links to current
research on learning and teaching, encouraging collaborative
work with our peers, encouraging experimentation with the new
ideas for supporting student learning that we learned from formal
professional development classes and workshops, and deep
professional reection on our individual practices.
I have also been impressed with Pelhams approach to NEASC

accreditation process. Every other school in which I have

worked has set aside all work with maintaining accreditation
until the year before the self-study. Then panic ensues. Under
Dr. Mohrs leadership, Pelham High has addressed the standards
for accreditation as they evolve during the ten years between
formal visits. This goes beyond filing periodic reports on how
the school has worked to address deficits from the last visit to
being proactive by providing the staff with opportunities to
explore how changes in the standards impact our practices as a
school and reect on how to incorporate those changes in the
schools daily practices. Many of us are concerned that having
new leadership as we begin our NEASC self-study would be
highly detrimental. The teachers have participated in the NEASC
reection activities that Dr. Mohr has periodically provided
but she is the one that keeps her eye on that aspect of the
schools commitment to the Pelham community for high quality
education.
Furthermore, Dr. Mohr has been able to deal with the
challenges of ongoing construction in the midst of the
educational space working to keep disruptions to classes,
students, and staff to a minimum. The shufing of teaching and
working spaces has been a challenge, but the impact to students
in classes has been managed effectively.
The teachers would feel much more confident moving forward
if rather than accepting Dr. Mohrs resignation tonight, the Board
could persuade her to give a few more years of her experience,
wisdom, and caring to Pelham High to help us achieve the vision.
We need her to lead us across the bridge into the next phase and
help us get our bearings on the other side before continuing our
journey.
Thank you for listening to the support for Dr. Mohrs leadership
from the Pelham High School teachers.

Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 11

Considering the Health Impacts of the Proposed Pipeline

by Kaela Law
recommended that the towns seek legal counsel.
Residents from towns across southern NH, including House
Pelham Selectman Bill McDevitt took the microphone briefly to
Speaker Shawn Jasper, spent Sunday afternoon, Feb. 21, at a Pipeline
remind Pelham residents that there is a pipeline warrant article on
Forum held in Pelham.
the ballot for the upcoming town elections on March 8 at Pelham
The forum was sponsored by the Outreach Subcommittee of the
High School.
Staff photo by Kaela Law
Pelham/Windham Pipeline Awareness group with volunteers from
neighboring towns, and the Toxics Action Center with partial
support provided by the New England Grassroots Environment
Fund. Curtis Norgaard MD, a pediatrician from Dorchester, Mass.,
was the featured keynote speaker presenting, An Unacceptable
Health Risk: Compressor Stations and Methane Gas Pipelines.
As part of the Northeast Energy Direct project, proposed by
Kinder Morgan and Tennessee Gas Pipeline, a 30-inch diameter
pipe would be buried across southern New Hampshire. Pipeline
Inspection Gadget stations and compressor stations are a part of
the pipeline infrastructure. Dr. Norgaard helped explain the risks
that accompany each.
PIG stations are above-ground pipeline appurtenances where
the Pipeline Inspection Gadget either enters or exits the pipeline
system. The PIG acts as a large squeegee that cleans deposits
which build up on the inside of the pipe. Deposits, are a black
sludge that gets pushed through the pipes by the PIG and, can
contain radioactive, toxic, cancer-causing material, explained Dr.
Norgaard. There is a PIG station proposed for the Dracut/Pelham
border.
A compressor station is a large industrial structure. Stations
along a pipeline system, like the 46,000-horsepower compressor
proposed for New Ipswich, pressurize and drive the gas through
From left, Representative Jim McConnell, House Speaker Shawn Jasper, Julia Steed
the pipes. It is important to note that the station proposed for New
Mawson, Selectman Bill McDevitt, and Town Administrator Brian McCarthy participate
Ipswich was originally put forth as an 80,000-horsepower station
in a Pipeline Forum at the Pelham Town Hall to raise awareness about the various healthwith a 36-inch diameter pipe, however, Kinder Morgan has been
related impacts of the proposed Northeast Energy Direct pipeline.
through two open seasons to sign up customers for their pipeline
and have fallen far short in contracts for those grandiose specs. A
compressor station is proposed for Dracut, Mass., less than one
mile from Pelhams border.
Article 11 of the 2016 Town Meeting Warrant: Shall the Town vote
Dr. Norgaard spoke about blow downs or pipeline venting
to raise and appropriate the sum of Forty-Nine Thousand ($49.000)
in conjunction with compressor stations where volatile organic
to be expended at the discretion of the Board of Selectmen in
compounds and methane are projected into the air. He spoke
opposition to the proposed Northeast Energy Direct high pressure
also about pipeline condensate storage tanks, which are located
gas pipeline and/or to minimize the impact thereof on the land
at compressor stations, where gas is processed. A scrubber or
and people of the Town, including, but not limited to, expenditures
dehydrator pulls out the non-methane parts of the gas compressing
for legal representation and consultants, land use planning and
them into these storage tanks, venting toxic chemicals into the air,
consultation, public information purposes, administrative and court
said Norgaard. An air sample measurement, taken from a study
filing fees, participation in multi-town coalitions, and any and all
done in Texas, resulted in 1100 ppb (parts per billion) of Benzene.
other expenses reasonable related to opposing Kinder Morgan
Benzene causes leukemia. Its a carcinogen that at 0.14 ppb
pipeline project and/or mitigation the effects thereof. This will be a
increases cancer risk. It is considered toxic at 3-9 ppb. Benzene
non-lapsing appropriation per RSA 32:7, VI and will not lapse until
suppresses the bone marrow, where we produce red and white
December 31, 2020. (Recommended by the Board of Selectmen)
blood cells. Not having enough red blood cells is called anemia.
(Recommended by the Budget Committee) (Majority Vote Required)
Not having enough white blood cells is called leukopenia, which
Voting yes on this warrant article would allow the Town of Pelham
is another way of saying your body cant fight off infections. Dr.
to remain active and split the legal fees with the New Hampshire
Norgaard sited another study of air samples taken 227 meters away
Municipal Pipeline Coalition. Thirteen other pipeline affected towns
from a compressor station resulting in Benzene levels at 5.7 ppb.
are participants. Town Administrator Brian McCarthy is representing
In closing his discussion, Dr. Norgaard asked the audience to
Pelham in the coalition.
consider what is the communitys threshold for health concerns?
Speaker Jasper and Representative Jim McConnell (R-Cheshire
Does it differ from the state agencies threshold parameters? Does
District 12) were invited to the podium next to discuss a few bills to
it differ from the federal requirements? Does it differ from Kinder
be voted on in the state House of Representatives.
Morgans standards? He urged listeners that it is extremely important
HB 1660 a bill that would allow a landowner to require
to become involved in state and federal regulatory proceedings. He
a pipeline company take their entire parcel rather than just an

easement thereon, is expected to pass the house and move on to the

Senate, according to Jasper.
HB 1101 a bill prohibiting tariffs to electric ratepayers for
pipeline construction, is also supported by House Speaker Jasper.
People should not be forced through any type of a tariff to pay for
the cost of this pipeline. If this project is economically viable,
there should be no reason to pass the cost to ratepayers through a
tariff.
Rep. McConnell, the man who worked on drafting many of
the pipeline bills this session, made a speech about how this
pipeline approval process has not proven to be fair or measured.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (the agency which
oversees pipeline applications) held scoping sessions last summer
that never should have happened. Kinder Morgans pre-filing
documents were filled with To Be Determined data. TBDs all
over every page. You cant very well assess the impact and the
environmental damage for a pipeline that you dont even have a
route for. Those scoping sessions were extremely premature. His
pipeline bills are aimed at slowing this process down to ensure
that the Kinder Morgan project has been studied and properly
analyzed before being allowed to progress any further in New
Hampshire.
During the question-and-answer segment of the Pipeline Forum,
Pelham resident Sam Thomas took the microphone. I worked
in the pipeline industry for 46 years at Tyco International, said
Thomas. Ive worked in Russia, the Middle East, onshore and
offshore ... I think the big risk is the 30-inch pipe itself. If youve
ever seen a pipeline that has a pinhole and it ruptures, Ive seen
it in Russia with Gazprom, pilots can see it at 25,000 feet because
its a bomb going off. What I think the group should be concerned
about is the pipeline itself. If the cathodic coating is not applied
properly, and you put that pipeline near the right of way for the
power lines, the electric current follows down the steel pipeline and
it blows the coating off the pipeline. That is a source for corrosion.
The type of steel, diameter of the pipe, bending over hills, under
tremendous pressure my concerns as a citizen of Pelham are
about the pipeline itself.
What can you do to help? According to Julia Steed Mawson,
founder of the Outreach Subcommittee for Pelham/Windham
Pipeline Awareness, Vote yes on Warrant Article 11. The town
estimates that this will cost about $5.50 per household per tax bill.
Also help us tell the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
that we want them to initiate a Comprehensive Health Impact
Assessment as part of the review process for this and other pipeline
proposals. Our governor and delegation have made a similar
request, and we would strongly encourage folks to add their voice
to that request by writing a comment to Docket No. CP16-21 to
FERC. The Kinder Morgan NED export pipeline will put our health
at risk due to contamination of air, soil and water from pollution
from blowdowns, leaks and accidents created during and after
construction. We must understand the health impacts and have
baseline information to assess future health concerns. Prepared
postcards with this message will also be available at the Pelham
Library or by request. Just add your name, stick on stamps and
put them in the mail. Please reach out to us with questions or to
volunteer, at PelhamPipelineAwareness@gmail.com or on Facebook
at Pelham Pipeline Awareness.

Price Tag for Proposed Track and Field Increases

by Barbara OBrien
If Windham voters want a track and a synthetic
athletic field at the local high school, it is going to
cost even more than initially anticipated. During
the recent school deliberative session, held earlier
this month, the overall price tag was increased
by $250,000; going from $3.994 million up to
$4.244 million due to last-minute alterations in
the plans.
The proposed field and track was brought forth
to voters through a citizen-petitioned warrant
article, authored by Windham resident and Track
Coach Marjorie Dastous. The petition included in
excess of the 25 required signatures.
No one seems to dispute the need for a track
in Windham, as well as additional athletic fields,
but many are concerned about the high cost,
especially in a year when voters are also faced
with a teacher contract and a construction bond
for Golden Brook School and Windham Middle
School.
During her pleas to residents, Dastous, who
has worked tirelessly on this proposal since last
spring, said, Windham does not have a track at
our high school or in town, so our high school
and middle school tracks teams have to use any
available space to practice.
Unfortunately, she continued, this includes
the streets and parking lots. The teams are not
able to practice and compete in all of the track
and field events and home meets are impossible.
There is a shortage of playing fields in Windham,
and the grass fields that we do have are overused
and often need to be repaired, she added. The
plans for the high school had originally included
more athletic space, including a running track,
but those plans were cut back when budgetary
constraints became necessary. The high school

opened to students in September 2009.

The proposal, as detailed in Warrant Article
3, includes a six-lane track, areas for long jump,
triple jump and pole vault pits, a high-jump arena,
discus cage and designated areas for shot put and
javelin. The synthetic turf field would be made
with non-toxic in-fill. The dimensions would be
208 feet wide by 360 feet long, with additional
space outside the field of play. One-thousand seat
bleachers would be set into the adjacent hill, with
two points of access. Four lights for night games
and practices would be erected.
In order to pay for the proposed track and
synthetic field, the petitioners are recommending
a 20-year bond, which would, reportedly, result
in a tax impact of $56 (in the second year of the
bond) on property assessed for taxes at $350,000.
The impact would, reportedly, decrease during
subsequent years. The first year of the bond
would be interest only.
This proposal would give our high school
and middle school track teams a safe place to
practice, Dastous emphasized. It would allow
them to compete in every event and have home
meets. The turf field would accommodate soccer,
field hockey, football, lacrosse and track field
events, she continued. Also, the synthetic turf
field with lights would significantly increase the
amount of time this field could be used. It would
allow for evening games and practices on a field
that is always ready for use.
According to Dastous, if the bond to build
a track and synthetic field at the high school
manages to garner 60 percent of the votes cast on
March 8, the estimated construction time would
range from four to six months. The estimated
length of time the track surface might last would
be about 10 years. The cost to resurface a track

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runs about $100,000. A turf field lasts from

about eight to 10 years and costs approximately
$400,000 to replace. An existing secondary
access road to the high school would be located
between the new turf field and the grass soccer
field. It would remain gravel and continue to be
15-feet wide.
Windham High School Principal Bob Dawson,
who had expressed some concerns about the
dimensions of the soccer field, during a school
board meeting last month, said he would like to
see the new turf field as wide as possible, so that
it would be acceptable for soccer competition.
The recent alterations, do give us something we
can live with, however, Dawson said during the

deliberative session. Its definitely an upgrade

from what we have now and would be a safe
place for all our athletes, Dawson said. I am
very comfortable with all aspects of the plan as it
now stands, he said.
School board members voted unanimously (5 to
0) to support passage of Article 3 for the proposed
track and turf athletic field at Windham High
School. Voting to support the citizen petition
were Chairman Ken Eyring, Vice-Chairman Tom
Murray, Dennis Senibaldi, Rob Breton and Daniel
Popovici-Muller. Voters will have their say on
Tuesday, March 8. The polls at Windham High
School will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

12 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

Comments expressed in this column are the sole views of those callers and do not reect the views of the Pelham~Windham News or its advertisers. Town and school officials encourage
readers to seek out assistance directly to resolve any problems or issues. The Pelham~Windham News editorial staff holds the right to refuse any comment deemed inappropriate.

Thumbs down to hearing about

the opioid crisis! No one forces
anyone to take drugs. If you are on
pain meds after surgery, limit yourself
to how much you take. Dont be
weak or blame your dr. I have had
several main surgeries and use pain
meds for only a week after two total
hip replacements and more. I am 66
and have never even tried pot. Get
a backbone, you weak drug users.
Dont look for taxpayers to send
you to rehab. I have no sympathy
whatsoever for any illegal drug user.
Narcan is a crutch. Wake up NH!

Thumbs up to the Pelham Rec Department

for starting the elementary school wrestling
program. Thumbs up to the coaches for
donating your time to this. Double thumbs
up to the young man, Mitchell, for your time
coaching. My kids really listened to you!
Thumbs up/Thumbs down. Please,
someone, look into putting in a traffic light
at the end of Sherburne Road and Mammoth
Road. Todays versions are capable of keeping
the traffic flowing in all directions. No more
foolish roundabouts.

Thumbs down to Eileen Mashimo, Supervisor

of the Checklist in Windham, for all the issues
with people voting last week. Especially with
leaving off former Windham School Board
members that moved within the town and is at
a majority of the meetings. Just because he has

different opinions of how the Windham School

District should be run, does not give you the
authority to take them off the list. You should
disqualify yourself from running for the open
School Board position until the Attorney Generals
office completes their investigation.

Thumbs down to Superintendent Amanda

Lecaroz of the Pelham School District for her
treatment of Dr. Dorothy Mohr after 30 years of
fabulous service.
Thumbs down to the part-timers that work at the
Pelham Recycling Center. This past Friday I went
there with two barrels of coal ash. The attendant

was too busy eating his breakfast before it got cold

to assist me in empting the barrels of ashes into
the bin. I think thats a little too much.
Thumbs up to St. Patricks Knight of Columbus
Fish Bake. Everything was wonderful. They give
you so much I had it for lunch the next day. I will
definitely be back.
Thank you for your submissions. All comments, thumbs
up or down, are anonymous and not written by the
Pelham~Windham News sta. Thumbs comments can be
sent via telephone, 880-1516 or emailed to us at thumbs@
areanewsgroup.com. When submitting a Thumbs comment, please specify that you would like it printed in the
Pelham~Windham News. During the election campaign,
no comments will be allowed that are direct endorsements
or censure of candidates on the thumbs page. No names
are necessary. Please keep negative comments to the issue.
Comments should be kept to 100 words or less.

Pelham Youth Council to Give Voice to Students

Staff photo by Kaela Law

by Kaela Law
The Pelham Youth Council
Nia Manjunath, an exceptional
would serve under the auspice of
and self-driven young woman, is
the board of selectmen, explained
collaborating with Selectman Amy
Spencer. As such, there would be
Spencer to work on creating the first
a board of selectmen representative
ever Pelham Youth Council.
at all times. The student body
Nia came up with the idea, said
president of the high school would
Spencer. The high school sophomore
have an automatic seat on the
was interviewing Spencer and asking
council. One representative from
her some very thoughtful questions
each grade would be selected by
about where I wanted to see certain
the board of selectmen rep and
parts of the town going. I turned the
town administrator, as well as one
same questions around on her and
member from the middle school and
Nia came up with the Mayors Youth
one member selected at large from
Council of Boston. The idea to form a
home-schooled students or Pelham
like-minded youth council in the town
students attending a specialty
of Pelham flourished from there.
school.
The Mayors Youth Council of Boston Student Body President Nia Manjunath and Selectman Amy Spencer
Manjunath, who is considering a
provides young people with an active
future
in business or economics, has
make a great team in championing the idea to establish a first-ever
role in addressing youth issues.
always loved leadership positions. I
Pelham Youth Council.
The goal for Pelhams Youth Council
ran for homeroom representative,
is to provide community service,
explained Manjunath when asked
community development and the student leaders who will be
about how she became involved in student government. I didnt
providing a voice for the youth in town. We would provide them
get it the first year, but the next year I re-ran with a vengeance, she
with leadership training and the avenues to meet local and state
recalled fondly. Manjunath was part of the Leadership Team and the
leaders to grow their opportunities, said Spencer. She has been
National Junior Honor Society in middle school. At the high school
unofficially nominated and self-appointed to be the Pelham Board of
she was elected freshman class president and now, as a sophomore,
Selectmen representative with the Pelham Youth Council.
she is the student body president for the entire school.
The proposal for the Pelham Youth Council was outlined in a
I like listening to people, says Manjunath, and listening to their
constitution drafted by Manjunath and Spencer at the Feb. 16
views, opinion and questions. And I like taking action. I want to be
board of selectmen meeting. A motion to approve the creation or
proactive. I want to be their voice.
establishment of the PYC through that constitution that outlined
Manjunath has already begun a few exciting community service
some basic guidelines for member selection and eligibility
projects that can apply both locally and globally that she would like
parameters was unanimously approved. It will allow room for the
to see transition into Pelham Youth Council projects.
students chosen to shape this project.
I ask my mother for a new backpack every year, so my closet

was filling up with backpacks from previous years. I wanted to do

something with them, says Manjunath. The result: Weve Got Your
Back a program working with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of New
Hampshire to donate gently used backpacks to children in need
across the region, but hopefully it will be across the country and
across the globe, added Manjunath.
The Pelham Youth Council would operate a Facebook page and
a Twitter account to extend their reach. Incorporating service
through technology opens up the worldview and provides a role for
the students to think in terms of the big picture. Currently, through
YouTube Manjunath helps teach children in India.
My aunt is a teacher in Bangalore, India, explained Manjunath.
She teaches first and second grade. They are really bright kids,
but they could use help with their English and grammar, so my aunt
asked if I could create a few videos helping to educate them and
teach them little lessons about what it is to be a good role model,
while at the same time showing them how to better enunciate.
The videos are titled Elementary Communications and feature
Manjunath in two-minute clips speaking eloquently and precisely to
show the English language being spoken by real kids in a way that
promotes positive messaging. It is a program that Manjunath hopes
to see expand in the charge of the Pelham Youth Council.
There are many other community service ideas on the table, and
once the members of the Pelham Youth Council are selected, those
ideas will be more fully formed and implemented.
The Pelham Youth Council will present fun and amazing service
opportunities to Pelhams youth. It is a vehicle to responsibly give
students a more hands-on and hands-in approach to self-governing,
encouraging them to become very active members of the Pelham
community now, to be their own voice.
We are very excited to welcome applicants and choose the very
best leaders that Pelham has to offer, said Spencer.
For application information, contact Selectman Amy Spencer
through pelhamweb.com/board-of-selectmen.

Newcomer Takes on Incumbent for School Board Seat

by Barbara OBrien
There is only one seat on the Windham School Board up for
election this year; the one currently held by Dennis Senibaldi. Two
candidates want that seat: Senibaldi, who is seeking a second threeyear term, and newcomer Eileen Mashimo.
Both candidates got the chance to present their views during the
Windham Womans Service Clubs Feb. 23 forum at Town Hall.
Mashimo said she has 25 years of experience working in the
insurance industry, with an emphasis on financial services. She
is the mother of two children, neither of whom attends Windham
public schools. Mashimo said she took her children out of the
public school system because of issues they encountered while
there. The children were subsequently enrolled in area charter
schools. Mashimo said one of the reasons she wants to serve on
the school board is to make sure other parents and their children
dont have to deal with similar situations. Mashimo said she has
not recently been involved with the day-to-day operations of local
schools, but does attend some events and is a regular attendee at
school board meetings.
One of my goals is to assist with financial stability, she said,
commenting on her reason for seeking office.
During her opening statement, Mashimo said she feels too many

decisions are being made by the current school board in crisis

mode. This is not the way to go, she said. Mashimo would
like to institute a five-year comprehensive strategic plan to resolve
some of these issues. I want to be fiscally responsible and improve
achievement, Mashimo said. Projects and expenditures need to be
prioritized, and a cohesive budget needs to be created, she added.
We need to create stability to move forward in a positive manner.
Senibaldi has lived in Windham for the past 16 years. His three
sons, including a set of twins, attend Windham schools. Senibaldi
is currently in a management position at the Windham Transfer
Station. Senibaldi said he has 20 years of business experience and
35 years of serving on various boards and committees, including the
Conservation Commission, the Recreation Committee, the Parent
Teacher Association, the School Facilities Committee, the Capital
Improvement Committee and three years on the Windham Board of
Selectmen.
I believe in giving back to the community, he said. Senibaldi
also commented that he has been highly involved in the school
district for years; ranging from chaperoning field trips, to spending
time at the various schools interacting with students and staff, to
assisting with contract negotiations.
Senibaldi said he considers himself to be a balanced mixture of
fiscal conservatism and pro-education. These two aspects cant
be mutually exclusive, Senibaldi said. Senibaldi has a Bachelor of
Science degree in business administration and recently completed
his masters degree.
In response to a question about the proposed charter school
known as Windham Academy, Mashimo said she is not involved
personally, but is a great advocate of charter schools in general.
Senibaldi also said he hasnt been involved in the local proposal,
other than in his capacity as a school board member. As for whether
Windham Academy would help with the overcrowding in the
Windham School District, Senibaldi said he wasnt convinced it
would actually alleviate the space crunch.
Senibaldi agreed with Mashimo that the school district would
benefit from a long-range strategic plan, but commented that it
would only be effective if there was buy-in from all those involved.
You cant just hand a plan to the superintendent and say run with
it, Senibaldi said. Everyone has to be involved. Its been difficult
to develop a strategic plan in recent years, he continued, because
of the frequent turnover in superintendents. As for being financially
responsible, Senibaldi said he was the only school board member to
give direction to the administration as to where cuts should be made
in the proposed budget. These recommendations, totaling $570,000,
were based on staff input, he explained.
When asked their opinions of recent standardized testing results,

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Mashimo said she felt they were good, but could be better. I
always want each child to achieve at his or her highest ability, she
said.
Senibaldi mentioned that Windhams most recent statewide test
results were higher than the state average, across the board. But,
theres always room for improvement, he added. You should never
settle for less than can be achieved, he said.
As to recent behavior at school board meetings, some of which
has been criticized by residents as delaying the process and
inhibiting progress, Senibaldi said he believes he has behaved in a
civil manner. However, you cant go along just to get along, he
said. There is diversity on the board; there are different passions
and philosophies. Thats a good thing, he said. I vote based on
what I believe.
Mashimo said its not possible to have 5 to 0 votes all the time,
but members do need to be civil to one another. Everyone needs to
respect other opinions, she said. Sometimes you just have to agree
to disagree.
Mashimo said she hopes the warrant article for the proposed
school construction project passes, even though the cost has
escalated since last years proposal. If it doesnt pass muster on
March 8, the school board will have to come up with a plan that
taxpayers can support, she said. Senibaldi said he has been in favor
of the proposed project since its inception. It meets the needs of
the school district, he said. To do less would be an injustice to
taxpayers and students.
While Senibaldi said he supports the proposed 2016-2017 school
district operating budget, Mashimo said she does not. Senibaldi said
he feels an excellent job was done in preparing the budget proposal,
despite what was an extremely difficult task. Mashimo said she
looked at the proposal very closely and felt there were areas that
contained insufficient information. Both Mashimo and Senibaldi
said they support the proposed two-year teacher contract.
Both sides made compromises, Mashimo said. Overall, its a
very good contract.
Senibaldi said he believes the proposed contract is fair to both the
teachers and the taxpayers.
As for the proposed track and athletic field at Windham High
School, with a price tag in excess of $4 million, Senibaldi said he
supports the warrant article, but that the construction project at
Golden Brook and Windham Middle School is his top priority. It
will be up to the voters, he said, as it should be.
Mashimo agreed that school construction should be the top
priority. I would hate to see the renovations fail and the track pass,
she said. We really need to prioritize our needs.
The third candidate listed on the ballot, Matthew Rounds, has
withdrawn from the school
board race and did not attend
Candidates Night.
Voters will get the chance to
cast their ballots on all these
issues and decide who will hold
this seat on the school board
during the Tuesday, March 8
election. Polls at Windham
www.travisterrycpa.com
High School will be open from 7
25 Main Street, Salem, NH
a.m. until 8 p.m.

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Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 13

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Windham Hockey
Looks to Enter
Postseason with
Momentum
by Craig Smith
The Windham boys hockey team has had a peculiar season.
They started slow giving some sources reason to doubt the teams
conviction and desire to compete at a high level. In the first three
games they finished 1-2 and scored six goals while giving up a
total of eight. It simply didnt look like the team was ready to play
at its potential. Suddenly, amid the backlash, the team ripped
off a six-game winning streak and didnt allow a single goal until
the last game. In those five games that Windham did not allow a
single goal and scored 28 of their own goals.
They stumbled a little midway through the season, dropping
two games in a row and losing both by only a single point. It had
seemed like the honeymoon was over, especially after Bishop
Brady almost obliterated Windham before the Jaguars scored four
times in the final period to save some face. They responded to the
loss by outplaying Timberlane 12-0, their most points scored in a
game all season and adding to their total of clean sheets. In the
final four games played before March, Windham would go 2-1-1,
scoring a total of 10 goals and giving up 10 as well.
Its hard to peg this team even as the season comes to an end.
At times they are a juggernaut, a force of nature unrivaled by any
competitor, and at others they struggle to gel and play with the
intensity that won them so many games. They lost their last game
against Spaulding 0-4, but they still have two more games on the
season before the playoffs. This team seems to respond well to
momentum, and, once they have it going, they are unparalleled.
They play Goffstown on March 2 and Dover on March 6, both of
which will be prime opportunities to get out of the little funk they
were in against Spaulding.
Right now Windham is 10-5-1, which is good for the fifth seed
if the playoffs were to start right now. If Windham can treat these
last two games of the season as if they were the playoffs and get
into the intense mindset of what the postseason games will be like
then they will be in great shape. Goffstown is 8-6 and Dover is
11-4, meaning that they are both quality opponents, especially
Dover who is thus far the third seed. A win against these two will
not only boost Windham in the standings, but prepare them a bit
for the later rounds of the playoffs.
The playoffs are always a different animal than the regular
season, but Windham has great leadership and fantastic players.
The only real concern is consistency, but even that wont be a
problem as long as the athletes can get locked in to playing their
brand of competitive hockey. Each player has shown flashes of
brilliance this season, both on the ice and as a leader. Whether
it be Mike Tardif, Jack Crowley, Bryce Blanchard, or any of the
other players these teammates know how to listen to one another
and lean on each other for support. Once the season is over and
they have a little more momentum going into the postseason, it
is very likely fans could see a new emergence of talent from this
team, above the already excellent play that has been witnessed all
season long.

49 Bridge st, Pelham, NH

603-635-9617 Cell 603-765 8665

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Address

Description
24 Bush Hill Rd
1-Fam Res
23 Keyes Hill Rd
1-Fam Res
91 Main St
1-Fam Res
1161 Mammoth Rd Unit B
Condominium
1276 Mammoth Rd
1-Fam Res
40 Nicholas Ln
1-Fam Res
17 Savannah Dr
Res PDv Land
19 Stevens Rd
1-Fam Res
4 Theodore Ave
1-Fam Res
22 Whispering Oaks Rd Unit 22 Condominium
N/a
37 Bear Hill Rd
9 Bristol Hill Rd Unit 9
76 Brookview Rd Unit 76
10 Candlewood Rd
22 Depot Rd
9 Easy St
43 Heritage Hill Rd
48 Londonderry Rd
28 Marblehead Rd
4 Nathan Rd
58 Northland Rd
3 Oxford Rd
3 Oxford Rd
4 Robin Hood Rd
Sawtelle Rd
76 Searles Rd
28 Sharon Rd

1-Fam Res
Condominium
Condominium
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
Res Dev Land
1-Fam Res
Res Dev Land
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res
1-Fam Res

Seller
Carol E. Goss
T Virginia R Est & J P. Mansour
Lepore Peter Est and LLepore
Richard P. and Linda C. Savard

Oxner LT and Arthur W. Oxner

Deborah L. Foltz & V Brito
Laurie A. Vafides
Patricia E. Manning
John A. and Gretchen L. Haga
C Hauff & Ronald R. Hauff
Crayton IRT and L Crayton

P Merrill and June Frechette

Wright FT & Robert L. Wright

Sold Transactions through Jan 31, 2016

Buyer
Sale Price
William Pitts
0
Carol E Goss RET and Carol E. Goss
1
C&T Beauregard Landhldgs
201000
Kyler W. and Ashley G. Hinton
0
Robert Mackay
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Pelham - Windham News | February 26, 2016 - 14

Three Candidates Run for Two Open

Planning Board Seats
James R. Cowboy Jim Poirier
James R. Cowboy Jim
Poirier, 81, of Pelham,
formerly of Billerica,
Mass., died Feb. 11,
2016, at Southern New
Hampshire Medical Center
following a brief illness.
He was the beloved
husband of Diane R.
Howard who survives
him.
Born in Somerville,
Mass., March 15, 1934, a son of the late
Raymond J. and the late Beatrice (Gaudet)
Poirier, he attended Somerville schools and
was a graduate of Somerville High School.
A veteran of the Korean Conflict, he
proudly served his country in the United
States Army attaining the rank of Sergeant
before his Honorable Discharge in 1955.
Jim was most recently employed as an
Inventory and Paint Specialist with Friend
Lumber in Hudson. Previously, he worked
as a contractor in the construction industry
for most of his life.
Among his many activities, Jim enjoyed
crossword puzzles, traveling, movies,
dining out and was an avid reader. At one
time in his life he was also known to be
an accomplished bull rider. He was an
extremely proud member of AA for over 43
years.

In addition to his wife Diane, Jim is

survived by four daughters, Diana L. Morse
of Lowell, Mass., and Darlene Laminack,
Marlene Miller and Jeanne Marie Yearwood,
all of Belton, Texas; four sons, Paul Jolicoeur
and his wife Paula of Billerica, Mass.,
Dwayne Jolicoeur and his wife Debbie of
Enfield, Conn., Kevin Jolicoeur and his wife
Kimberly of Windham, and Mark Poirier
of Belton, Texas; many grandchildren and
great-grandchildren; a sister, Louise Russo of
Somerville, Mass.; two brothers, Paul Poirier
of Florida, and Joseph Poirier of Carver,
Mass.; and several nieces and nephews.
He was also brother of the late Lorraine
Buchan and the late Theresa Griskis and
father of his late dog and companion,
Angel.
In accordance with his wishes, there will
be no calling hours. His Memorial Service
will be held on Saturday, March 12, in the
morning, at Grace Community Church, 275
Billerica Rd., Route 129, Chelmsford, Mass.,
at 10:30 oclock. Parking and entrance in
the rear of the building.
Those wishing may make contributions in
his memory to the MSPCA at Nevins Farm,
400 Broadway, Methuen, MA 01844.
E-condolences/directions at www.
pelhamfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by
the Pelham Funeral Home (603) 635-3333.

Calling on the President

to Take Added Measures that
Combat Opioid Epidemic
submitted by the Ofce of
Congresswoman Annie Kuster
Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH02) has called upon President Obama
to take emergency steps to combat the
ongoing opioid epidemic. Following the
New Hampshire state medical examiners
announcement that 414 Granite Staters died
from fatal drug overdoses in 2015, the letter
asks the president to take additional steps
to help prevent the further spread of the
epidemic.
New Hampshire recently learned that
drug overdose deaths exceeded 400 in one
year for the first time in history, with the
majority of these deaths involving dangerous
opioids like fentanyl and heroin. This data
unequivocally marks the devastating impact
that the opioid epidemic is having on
communities across the state and beyond,
said Congresswoman Kuster. If we are

by Barbara OBrien
Three candidates are vying for the two open seats on
the Windham Planning Board, but only two of them
made an appearance at the annual Windham Womans
Service Club forum on Feb. 23. Listed on the ballot are
newcomer Stephen Mavrellis and incumbents RuthEllen Post and Kristi St. Laurent. Mavrellis was a noshow at the event.
Post is an attorney, law professor and arbitrator. She
has served on the Windham Planning Board for nine
years. This past year has been one of the busiest,
Post said. The towns landscape is changing. The
planning board has approved 100 house lots in the past
year, she noted, not to mention numerous plans being
brought before the board for commercial development.
Commercial development is on the rise, Post said. I
expect that trend to continue.
Post said she feels that her job on the planning board
is to be proactive in long-term planning. Referring to
the ongoing update of the towns master plan, Post said
shed like to see the process become as inclusive as
possible. Id like to hear a lot of voices, she said. Post
said she listens carefully to all sides before making a
decision.
St. Laurent has lived in Windham for the past 16
years. As a resident and member of the planning board,
St. Laurent said she is concerned about property values
and the quality of life in Windham. She has served two
elected terms on the planning board and two previous
years as an appointed member. She also served for
two years as planning board chairman. Professionally,
St. Laurent has 25 years of experience as a physical
therapist. In seeking re-election, St. Laurent said, My
goal is to facilitate the process; to hold everyone to set
standards, adding that she is receptive to all input.

to overcome the ongoing crisis, we need

to ensure that our medical providers, law
enforcement, and community leaders have
the resources they need to prevent another
life from being lost to addiction or overdose.
I urge President Obama to take all necessary
steps to make emergency funds available
to states in order to support the invaluable
work being done on the ground to bring an
end to the epidemic.
In the letter, Kuster joined 59 of her
colleagues in Congress in calling upon
President Obama to take a number of
emergency measures to help combat the
opioid epidemic as soon as possible.
Among other requests, the letter urges the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to
declare the opioid epidemic a Public Health
Emergency, which would facilitate a timely
and comprehensive response to help control
the epidemic.

Selectmen Refuse Donation

from Liberty Utilities
by Barbara OBrien
It wasnt a unanimous decision on the part of Windham Selectmen, but the result of the vote
was that a proposed donation from Liberty Utilities was refused.
Liberty Utilities, which has made donations to Windham in the past, offered to donate
$1,500 to be used toward a new Welcome to Windham sign, but two of the four selectmen
attending the recent meeting said no thank you.
Selectman Ross McLeod said he was not comfortable taking money from Liberty Utilities
during a time that the town is involved in a dispute over the proposed gas line slated to
travel through a portion of Windham. Selectman Roger Hohenberger voted not to take the
donation at this time, but said he would be glad to take the money when the issue is settled.
According to Hohenberger and McLeod, Liberty Utilities has a connection with Kinder
Morgan.
Selectmens Vice-Chairman Joel Desilets said that Liberty Mutual has made donations to
Windham in good faith in the past and he assumes that would the case this time around.
Selectman Bruce Breton did not attend the meeting, causing the vote to be tied 2 to 2. Voting
in favor of accepting the donation were Vice-Chairman Desilets and Chairman Al Letizio, Jr.
Voting not to accept the $1,500 donation were Hohenberger and McLeod. Since the vote
resulted in a tie, the donation was refused.

Two Candidates Vie for Open

Selectmans Seat
by Barbara OBrien
Two candidates are running for the Windham
selectmans seat being vacated by current chairman
Al Letizio, Jr., Jennifer Simmons and Gabriel Toubia,
neither of whom has served on the board of selectmen
previously.
The candidates were given the opportunity to talk
about their goals and experience during the annual
Womans Service Club of Windhams Candidates
Night, held at Town Hall on Feb. 23. The womans
club has sponsored these events since 1996. The
2016 edition was moderated by Selectman Letizio.
Approximately 60 people showed up to listen to what
the candidates had to say.
Although Jennifer Simmons did not attend
Candidates Night, due to a pre-planned family
trip, she did ask that a letter written by her be read.
Simmons said she and her family moved to Windham
from Maine in 2002. She has a Bachelor of Science
degree in accounting and finance from the University
of Southern Maine. Since coming to Windham she has
been active in numerous organizations, including the
Friends of the Library, the Parent Teacher Association,
Windham Endowment for the Arts, and Helping
Hands. She chaired the annual Strawberry Festival for
several years and is past vice chairman of the towns
Capital Improvement Plan Committee.
The decisions we make today will shape Windham
for generations to come, Simmons wrote, adding
that it is her goal to build strong relationships with
town employees, control costs and maintain a strong
infrastructure. Simmons says she has no ties to any
special interest groups.
Gabriel Toubia and his family moved to Windham
in 2006. He was raised in New York, then moved
numerous times throughout the United States. When

Pelham Fire Log

Monday, February 8: 11:30 a.m. Investigate medical alarm activation, Gumpas Hill Road. 12:26
p.m. Motor vehicle accident, Bridge Street. 2:07 p.m. Medical emergency, Sky View Drive. 2:49
p.m. Odor investigation, Shannon Circle.
Tuesday, February 9: 11:04 a.m. Medical emergency, Windham Road.
Wednesday, February 10: 9:00 a.m. Medical emergency, Main Street. 4:55 p.m. Medical
emergency, Tenney Road.
Thursday, February 11: 9:04 a.m. Medical emergency, Bridge Street. 7:16 p.m. Medical
emergency, Main Street. Friday, February 12: 3:01 p.m. Medical assistance, Main Street. 4:33 p.m.
Medical assistance, Majestic Avenue. 5:06 p.m. Medical emergency, Windham Road. 6:01 p.m.
Medical assistance, Main Street. 6:10 p.m. Investigate fire alarm activation, Highland Avenue.
Saturday, February 13: 8:13 a.m. CO alarm activation, Kinnal Avenue. 9:57 a.m. Medical
assistance, Terrace Circle. . 7:47 p.m. Medical emergency, Windham Road. 11:54 p.m. Investigate
fire alarm activation, Benoit Avenue.
Sunday, February 14: 5:49 a.m. Investigate fire alarm activation, Collins Way. 9:52 a.m. Medical
emergency, Balcom Road. 11:43 a.m. Investigate fire alarm activation, Herrick Circle. . 2:30 p.m.
Service call, Village Green. 5:10 p.m. Smoke investigation, Mammoth Road. 8:55 p.m. Responded
to Hudson for mutual aid.
Sunday, February 15: 3:09 a.m. Medical aid, Wellesley Drive. 7:42 a.m. Investigate medical
alarm activation, Sherburne Road. 10:24 a.m. Service call, Pulpit
Rock Road. 10:38 a.m. Motor vehicle accident, Quail Run Road.
11:00 a.m. CO alarm activation, Garland Drive. 6:26 p.m. CO
alarm activation, Atwood Road. 8:07 p.m. Medical emergency,
Currier Road. 9:12 p.m. Service call, Stagecoach Circle. 9:51 p.m.
Medical emergency, Ledge Road.
Monday, February 16: 12:27 p.m. Medical emergency, Homestead
Road. 3:36 p.m. Investigate fire alarm activation, Main Street. 7:40
p.m. Medical emergency, Bridge Street.
Tuesday, February 17: 4:10 a.m. Medical emergency, Ledge Road.
7:46 a.m. Medical emergency, Nashua Road. 9:29 a.m. Medical
emergency, Litchfield Circle. 4:30 p.m. Medical assistance,
Wellesley Drive. 8:08 p.m. Motor vehicle accident, Poplar Hill
Road. 8:12 p.m. Medical emergency, Bridge Street. 8:45 p.m.
Medical emergency, Main Street. 9:55 p.m. Medical assistance,
Main Street.
Wednesday, February 18: 10:15 a.m. Investigate report of wires
down, Foreman Lane.
Thursday, February 19: 7:39 a.m. Dispatched to Windham for
mutual aid, cancelled en route. 9:03 a.m. Medical emergency, Bush
Hill Road. 10:01 a.m. Medical emergency, Glenside Drive.

As for the proposed Market Square Overlay District,

which involves about 165 acres of land off Route 111
and Wall Street, St. Laurent said she believes it is a good
opportunity for the town; that it is the highest and best
use for this land. It adds value to the town, she said,
noting the convenient location off Route 93 and Exit 3.
Posts opinion differed from St. Laurents. The
concept has morphed over the past couple of years,
Post said, urging voters to read the proposed warrant
article carefully. It wont promote a quaint village
atmosphere, she said, noting that shed rather see
this location developed as a professional business and
technology enterprise. Id like to see less emphasis on
retail development.
When asked about the feasibility of bringing
municipal water or sewer to parts of Windham, Post said
theres no doubt that the lack of these services sharply
limits both commercial and residential development.
But whos going to pay for it? she asked. I dont see
taxpayers rushing to pay for it. St. Laurent said she
would be interested in discussing the possibilities of
municipal water and/or sewer, but is wary of proposals
that might burden taxpayers.
St. Laurent and Post both said they wish the planning
board had much more time to work on updating the
master plan, a process that needs to be undertaken
every 10 years. Its critical to be able to steer our own
ship for the next decade, Post said, remarking on the
importance of a comprehensive Master Plan. Currently,
all but two chapters of Phase One are completed. A
consultant is proposed to assist with Phase Two.
Voters will get the final say on who fills the two
vacant seats on the planning board on Tuesday, March
8. Each term is for three years. Polls at Windham High
School will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

he and his wife decided to move to New England,

Toubia said they found the best possible town when
they selected Windham as their home.
Toubia has a Master of Business degree in finance,
as well as a masters degree in investment banking. He
has been employed by various financial institutions,
primarily in a financial analysis capacity. Currently,
Toubia is a member of the Windham Planning Board
and has recently joined the newly formed School
District Finance Committee.
My vision is simple, Toubia said, referring to his
desire to see growth managed wisely. He also said he
believes in fostering transparency and building strong
relationships with those who work for the town.
During the question-and-answer period, Toubia
said he is not affiliated with the Windham Taxpayers
Coalition. He also told those in attendance that he
supports the proposed school construction project,
believing that it is both the fiscally responsible and
fiscally conservative avenue to take. As for future
economic development, Toubia said he feels it needs
to be well thought out and planned. He said he
is in favor of the proposed Market Square Overlay
District for property located off Route 111 and Wall
Street. Toubia also said he thinks the current board
of selectmen operates extremely well together and
doesnt foresee the need to make any major alterations.
Toubia also stated that he opposes the proposed
Kinder Morgan pipeline project and would be in favor
of joining the regional consortium dedicated to halting
the project. I do not support eminent domain for
private purposes, Toubia said.
Toubia commented that he would be happy to
speak with any resident who has questions about his
candidacy, in a one-on-one forum, between now and
the Tuesday, March 8 election.

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15 - February 26, 2016 | Pelham - Windham News

Former Pelham
Razorback Garners
Top Football Honors

by Craig Smith
On Feb. 10 the
Windham Jaguars
girls basketball
team traveled to
Pelham to face their
neighbors in a crossdivision matchup.
In their previous
meeting Windham
fell to Pelham 4450, unable to keep
up with Pelhams
lock-down full court
press and selfless ball
distribution. This
game would be a
similar scenario as
the Jaguars slowly
fell behind, each
quarter slightly more
than the last. The
young women would
only score six points
in the first quarter
and eight in the
Kelsey Kendzulak (#11) inbounding the ball
second. The third
quarter would be a
nearly joined the dynamic trio for doublelittle better as they almost doubled their score
digit points as she scored eight points.
thanks to some scoring help from Steph Davis
Hannah Klaassens, Amanda Carey, Kelsey
and Kaleigh Walsh. Ultimately, it wouldnt be
Kendzulak, and Ali Schiebel would all
enough to stop Pelhams lock-down defense
score as well, adding to an already sizable
and Windham would fall 33-44.
lead. They would truly honor the veterans
Following the second half loss to Pelham
with their consistent hustle and dedication
the Jaguars regrouped and worked out some
to playing selfless basketball as they
of the kinks that had harrowed them. The
handily routed Milford 67-40. The win
women got to come home and play for
would not only be huge for the confidence
their families against Milford, a team that
of the young women who have been
has struggled far worse than Windham this
through a tumultuous season, but create
season. The team was also celebrating
some much needed momentum as the
Warrior week to honor veterans and came
season comes to a close.
out with a ton of energy. Sam Adamson had
The momentum certainly generated
one of the best games of her young career
some satisfactory results for the Jaguars as
as she poured in 17 points, along with nine
they headed out to face Hollis-Brookline
rebounds. Walsh and Davis also scored
on their home turf. The young women
in double digits, Walsh with 14 and Davis
would need every bit of energy and
with 12 points. Both would also match
momentum they could find against this
Adamson in rebounds as well. Nina Berni
team. Hollis-Brooklines record going into

the matchup was 10-5 with nearly all of their

losses coming to a net difference of three or
fewer points. They have been a force to be
reckoned with all season on both ends of the
court, and it was going to take some serious
firepower to upset these juggernauts.
Windham struggled coming out of the gate,
falling behind 8-15 at the end of the first
quarter, but they evened it up at the end of the
first half. The game would essentially be back
and forth for the remainder of the contest,
but the young women came through in the
fourth quarter to maintain the lead and finish
with a win. Walsh dominated with 27 points,
and Klaassens followed her with 12 points of
her own along with four steals. The Jaguars
finished with a 53-50 victory, sneaking just
ahead of one of the most talented teams in
the league.
Once again, these Jaguars have shown
incredible talent and fortitude. The flashes of
talent that are displayed on each night show a
bright future for each of these young women,
and now that the squad is on their second win
streak of the season there is a chance at some
serious end-of-the-season fireworks.

Courtesy photo

Windham Rebounds from Loss, Wins Two Straight

Staff photos by Craig Smith

Steven Jackson of Pelham will play football for Stonehill College this fall.

Steph Davis (#32) sizes up her opponent before scoring.

submitted by Coach Tony DiFrumolo

Steven Jackson, Pelham resident and former Razorback
had an award-winning football season. An honor student at
Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Mass., he led his
team to a Division 1 North title and a trip to the MIAA Super
Bowl.
His honors included the following: Merrimack Valley
Conference Player of the Year, Scholar Athlete Award, Eagle
Tribune Player of the week, Central Catholic Player of the
Year, Massachusetts High School Coaches Association Super
26 All State Team (one of only two wide receivers in the
state), Boston Globe All Scholastic Team, Boston Herald
All Scholastic Team, MVC All Conference First Team, ESPN
Mr. Football Finalist, ESPN MIAA All State team, MAX Prep
School All State First Team, and the Shriners All Star Team.
Steven has committed to play at Stonehill College in the fall
of 2016

Coach Regan Hits the Century Mark for Wins

by Mike Bourk
After a relatively competitive first quarter, things came unraveled
quickly for Somersworth as they fell to Pelham 75-39, giving Python
Coach Matt Regan his 100th victory.
The Pythons held a 24-18 against the Toppers after one quarter as
Somersworth was able to run early with Pelhams up-tempo style of
play. The Toppers stamina did not carry over into the second quarter
as they were outscored 18-4, giving Pelham a comfortable 20-point
lead at the half. That lead was doubled in the third period as Pelham
outscored Somersworth 27-7. Keith Brown, who knocked down
5 three-pointers in the game, led all scorers with 32 points. Cam
DeLoreto scored 21 for the Pythons.
The victory was the 100th for Matt Regan as head coach of the
Pythons. Coach Regan has been at the helm since the 2010-2011
season. Regans accomplishments have been many. Last season he
guided Pelham to the NH Division III championship. Over the past
five-plus seasons his teams have compiled a 9-4 playoff record split
between divisions II and III. Regan talked about his success here at
Pelham, Ive been fortunate to have been able to coach many gifted
athletes. Im lucky to have a terrific feeder system at the Memorial
School and in the Pelham Travel Basketball program and a super
assistant coach in Mike Larson. Im also thankful the administration
has given me the opportunity to coach here at Pelham High.
Pelham Overwhelms Farmington
The Python offense was clicking, and their defense in a word was
impenetrable as they routed the Tigers 78-29. Pelham started out
fast. Pelham scored a season-high 33 points in the opening stanza
as every starter scored in the first quarter for the Pythons. They were
led by Keith Browns 15 points and Kyle Franks 9. Their defense was
equally outstanding limiting Farmington to zero offensive rebounds.
Pelham was consistently one step ahead of Farmington on each
possession.
Up by 30 at the half, the Pythons coasted to a victory. Coach
Regan talked about the game afterwards, With the tournament
coming up our focus tonight was sharpening communication among

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players. The guys need to know where their teammates are on the
here are great team players. It just so happens that scoring is a
court and in which direction theyre going to break if were going to
significant part of their contribution to their teams success.
have another successful playoff run.
Over the last 14 months this reporter has covered about 30
For the game, Brown led all scorers with 32 points playing just a
Pelham games and can say, while Brown is a prolific scorer, he is
couple minutes at the start of the second half. Frank also scored all
much more than that. He has an unselfish nature. His passing,
of his 11 points in the first half. Also scoring for the Pythons was
defense, rebounding, on-court coaching of other players, and
Ryan Nystrom with nine. Joe Pantaleo and Jake Kirane each chipped
dedication are what make him an extraordinary athlete.
in with six apiece.
Coach Regan sums it up best in a single statement, Keiths biggest
Brown Breaks Scoring Mark as Hawks Fall to Pythons Bite
contribution to our team is that he makes the players around him
A rare Saturday afternoon game
better players.
featured an even rarer record-breaking staff photos by Mike Bourk
Pelham Bests Campbell
shot as Pelham beat Hopkinton
This was a competitive game early on,
75-56. Keith Brown scored 14 firstbut Pelham pulled away in the second half
quarter points. His three-pointer
to beat Campbell 83 to 49. The game was
from the left side at the top of the
tight early on. The Pythons, specifically Cam
key bought his career total for points
DeLoreto, Keith Brown, and Colin Loring
to 1,811 breaking the previous mark
began to exploit their height advantage, and
of 1,810 set by Justin Hojlo in 2009.
a 9-8 lead rapidly turned into a 20-8 lead
Hopkinton came into the game
in the first quarter. The Cougars hung tough
as the fifth-ranked team in Division
throughout most of the game but never
III, with a 12-3 mark, looking to
threatened to take the lead.
improve its positioning for the
Size matters. The Pythons have seven
upcoming tournament. Throughout
players on their roster listed at 6 feet 2
the first half, Pelham had excellent
inches or better. Campbell has one. The
ball movement and shot selection.
three players previously mentioned, along
The boxing out done by Cam
with Robert Ryan, made life impossible for
DeLoreto, Joe Pantaleo, and Keith
the Cougars inside. During one 14-minute
Brown on the defensive glass limited
stretch from the third quarter into the fourth,
the Hawks to just a single shot each
Campbell had just one offensive rebound.
trip down the floor.
During that same time Pelham had two,
Hopkinton went on a 10-2 run
three, and sometime four offensive chances
to start the second quarter, cutting
at the other end of the floor.
Pelhams 23-11 first-quarter lead
Campbell, with their quick guard play and
to 25-21. Brown was fouled five
good ball movement might have been able to
times in the quarter and although
parlay that strength into a competitive game
he made five of six free throws, the
had it not been for Frank. After the game
fouls did seem to disrupt his rhythm
Coach Regan talked about him, Defense is
on offense. Nystrom answered the
Kyles forte. He does a very nice job staying
call on offense scoring 10 of his
a step ahead of the player hes covering.
15 points in the quarter, helping
In addition to his defense Frank was sharp
Pelham to a 51-28 halftime lead.
bringing the ball up court under pressure
Colin Loring drives the ball to the basket against Hopkinton. against some very fast Campbell guards.
Nystrom has a very quick release
on his outside shots. In the instant
For the game Brown led all players with 32
it took for a Hawk defender to get
points. Nystrom scored 13. Loring and Frank
on him, the ball was already away. In addition to Nystrom, Brown
had nine and eighth, respectively. DeLoreto scored 15 points, but
finished the game with 27 points, Frank scored 11, and Trevor
it seemed like he scored 30. He was a beast on the offensive glass
Gagnon scored nine.
and, unofficially, had 10 or 11 offensive boards.
The big story of this game was Keith Browns record-breaking
The Pythons sit securely as the top seed in NHIAA Division III
shot. After the game in his humble, team-oriented nature, Brown
play. They are 16-1 in division play and 18-2 overall. They will
first spoke about his team, The last couple games werent very
draw a bye for the first round of play and will host a tournament
competitive. We knew wed have to play hard today to win as
game at the Snake Pit next week.
Hopkinton is a pretty good team. I thought everyone did a good job
today to get the win. He continued, As far as the record goes, Ive
had some great coaches and teammates over the years, the support
of my family, and Ive worked very hard at improving my game.
Pelham High Athletic Director Todd Kress talked about Browns
accomplishment as well, What a lot of people dont realize is
that Keith, along with some of the other terrific players weve had

16 - February 26, 2016

Pelham vs. Windham The Rivalry Continues

Staff photos by Mike Bourk

by Mike Bourk
High school
basketball games are
typically officiated by
two referees unless
the schools expect
a more intense
game than usual, in
which case either
school may request
a third official. It
is highly unlikely
there will ever be
a two official
game between
rivals Pelham and
Windham. Nearly
500 fans packed the
WHS field house last
From left are the seniors from Windhams cheer team: Madalyn Caiado,
week to watch the
Krissy Folsom, and Kyana Baiguy.
Pythons take down
the Jaguars 64-46.
For the Jaguars, in addition to Kyle Adamsons 11
Windhams Kyle Adamson goes in for an early score over
Ryan Nystrom drives the lane against Windhams Bobby Dickey. Kyle Frank and Keith
Windham cashed
Brown made the most
points, Cole Gill scored 10 points. Windhams
Pelhams
Trevor
Gagnon.
in early on Pelhams
of the few secondCoach, Todd Steffanides, talked about his teams
poor shot selection
followed by a threechance opportunities
performance after the game, Pelhams guards did
and multiple turnovers and jumped out to a 14-5
pointer by Trevor Gagnon gave the Pythons their
Pelham was able to secure. With the score tied
a great job pressuring and frustrating our offensive
lead in the first quarter. Senior captain Cole Gill
first lead of the game, 16-14. Keith Brown was
25-25 the Pythons went on 11-0 run that included
rhythm especially after the first quarter. Weve
led the charge knocking down a pair of threes and
a bit off shooting but contributed with defense,
three baskets by Frank, Brown, and Gagnon in
faced that type of pressure before, and weve got
grabbing 4 rebounds. Gill finished the game with
rebounding, and passing. Kyle Frank, Trevor
a wild 25-second frenzy. Toward the end of the
to do a better job next time.
10 points for the Jaguars. Windham had good ball
Gagnon, Joe Pantaleo, and Cam DeLoreto all
third period Kyle Adamson scored 5 of his teamCoach Regan also talked after the game
movement and excellent shot selection throughout
picked up their offensive game filling the scoring
high 11 points settling down the Jaguars, but the
Windham is one of the larger home fan bases we
the first quarter. A couple of baskets in the last
void as Pelham outscored Windham in the second
damage had been done as Pelham led after three
visit. Early on I thought some of our guys were
minute pulled Pelham to within five points as the
quarter 14 to 8 to hold a one-point lead at the
periods, 47-35.
a bit nervous. We had four air balls in the first
Jags led 14-9 after the first quarter.
half, 23-22.
The fourth quarter saw Windham scoring
half. At halftime I told the guys to relax. You guys
Although the Pythons were limited to just a
In the second half, Windham continued to limit
most of their points from the free throw line as
are good basketball players, just play at the level
single shot each time down the floor thanks to
Pelham to very few offensive rebounds. Pelham
they converted 7 of 11 attempts. Pelhams Cam
youre capable of playing. This was a very good
solid boxing out and rebounding by Cole Gill and
Coach Matt Regan talked about the rebounding,
DeLoreto was tough inside as he scored six points
team win for us.
Bobby Dickey, their second-quarter shot selection
We did struggle to get boards tonight. From early
in the quarter. Kyle Frank led Pelham in scoring
was much better. A steal and layup by Kyle Frank
in the fourth quarter we did a much better job.
with 16 points followed by Keith Brown with 15.

Pelham Basketball Runs Away with the Season

Staff photo by Craig Smith

by Craig Smith
Anyone who has even glanced at the standings knows that the Pelham
girls basketball team has taken the season into their arms and dismantled
it one game at a time. The Pythons started out with a three-game win
streak that was cut short due to two close losses, but the young women
banded together to iron out the mistakes and went on to win another four
in a row before barely falling short once again. Those three losses would
sink into the hearts of the athletes until they refused to allow that feeling
of disappointment show its face again and they went on yet another win
streak. Their school rival, Windham, was in their way of extending this third
streak to the end of the season, and, on Feb. 10, Pelham hosted the Jaguars,
fully intent on proving that they should be a Division II team.
The match started slowly as neither team could find the bottom of the
net. Even when the defense could be exploited neither Windham nor
Pelham could get the ball to go where they wanted it. Turnovers were in
abundance as bad passes were picked off, and general confusion led to
traveling calls on both sides. It would be a painful back-and-forth affair
until Jessica Lessard (#4) hit a floater toward the end of the quarter to give
Pelham a 5-4 lead, and, after that, Pelhams offense would get cooking.
Jillian Schwab (#24) inbounded the ball to Lilly Shlimon (#3) who would
score an easy layup, and then Shlimon would hit two free throws after
drawing a foul in the paint. With Shlimons offense opening the paint
Danielle Sirois (#41) was put to work on the block, and she made sure she
got the ball to an open teammate as she hit Abby Joncas (#22) for an open
jumpshot. Pelham would finish the first quarter with an 11-6 lead.
The Pythons defense held Windham to only a handful of points, but it
couldnt hold off these talented athletes for long. Pelham switched its focus to

Staff photo by Mike Bourk

Coach Regan
Notches his 100th Win

Matt Regan, pictured with Athletic Director Todd Kress,

marks his 100th win as coach of the Pelham High School boys
basketball team

Jessica Lessard (#4) posts up a defender.

being more selfless with the ball on offense to make up for Windhams
sudden scoring barrage. Lessard, Sirois, and Caitlin Riordan (#14) all
blocked shots and ripped down rebounds to stem the sudden comeback
and it resulted in increased aggressiveness and hustle from the rest of the
team. Pelham would finish the first half with a 23-14 lead, and much
of that had to do with Pelhams intensity in grabbing the 50/50 balls
that could go either way. It also helped that Olivia Gagnon (#10) snuck
in some points by weaving through Windhams defense and snatching
offensive rebounds at the last second, putting them up for easy layups.
Schwab, too, made a habit of doing that same play and made Windham
pay for not boxing out efficiently.
The second half would be an up-and-down affair as well. The third
quarter went well as the young women of Pelham were able to nearly
double Windhams points, leading 27-18, but it would stay at about a
standstill at that point as Windham refused to give up any more runs. At
times, it looked like Windham would close the gap and make Pelham
sweat, but the Pythons full-court defense and exhausting hustle did its
job, and Pelham managed to finish the game with the victory, 46-33.
This win would only be another stepping stone on the path to total
domination as Pelham would go on to rip through the rest of the teams
on their schedule for the week as they extended their winning streak to
seven. Newport (57-26), Hopkinton (50-31), and Somersworth (47-40)
would all bow to Pelham as the final game of the season reared its head.
The postseason is certainly in the future of these young athletes; now
it is only a matter of how far will this momentum take such a talented
group of individuals.

All Pythons Advance to Meet of Champions

by Len Lathrop
Pelham entered four
wrestlers into the NHIAA
Division 3 tournament,
held Saturday at Campbell
High School, and all four
student-athletes placed and
will advance to the Meet
of Champions at Nashua
North on the 27th. There
all NHIAA division wrestlers
battle to be the best in their
weight class.
As a team, Pelham
finished in sixth place with
67 points. There were 16
schools at this statewide
final.
Senior captain Jason
Gleason, wrestling at
145 pounds, capped off
a Hollywood-scripted
season by not only attaining a
preseason goal to win a state
championship, but did it in
fine fashion by becoming
Pelhams newest member
of the century win club,
scoring his 100th-career win
while earning the first-place
finish.
Junior Alex Becker,
competing at the 126 pound
weight class, finished in
second place. Taking
home third-place honors
was junior Zack Koch,
who battled back in the
consolation round, earning a
spot alongside Gleason and
Becker at Saturdays MOC
championship at Nashua
North High School. Taking
fourth-place honors was
senior Dom Branco who
lost a tough match in the
consolation finals.

Alex Becker scores three points for a near pin in his match against Andrews Fielders of Winnisquam.
Staff photos by Len Lathrop

Zach Koch pins his opponent