Hudson - Litchfield News
April 23, 2010 - 5
Hudson Man Receives Decoration of Chivalry Honor
by Doug Robinson
Dennis Couturier of Hudson was recently honored as he received the Decoration of Chivalry from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), which is the oldest fraternal order in North America, as it was founded around 1819. The Decoration of Chivalry is given for the most extraordinary service. The Decoration is given to both men and women who have rendered valiant or meritorious service in the cause of the fellows. During the ceremony, officials read that “Men and women have been decorated for such services by their kinds and countrymen from the dawn of civilized governments. All of the great countries of the world have established some sort of jewels, medals, or other symbols usually to be worn upon the
beast of those who have rendered service to merit this distinction. These decorations are bestowed upon our members, not because of service upon the fields of battle, nor in the world of commerce, but because of service they have rendered to their fellow man by the relief of the wants and sufferings of the common people.”
Couturier has been a member of IOOF
Echo L since 1995. Initiated into the Order by his brother Philip, Dennis has filled the ranks of Past Nobel Grand, Past Chief Patriarch, Past Department Captain of the Canton, Past Grand Patriarch, and Department Commander for IOOF of New Hampshire. As an Odd Fellow, Couturier has committed his life to a belief of universal brotherhood, based on the Fatherhood of
God and the brotherhood of Man. “Based on the purest principles of equality, [Odd Fellows] are a fraternal society which believes that they are a source of comfort in times of trouble and adversity, a worldwide force that stands for all that is noblest and highest, an everyday guide for conduct, an organization that favors no person for their wealth and frowns on none for their poverty, and believes that they are fulfilling a mission in the world which no other institutions have successfully attempted. Odd Fellows was founded on the inspired word of God as revealed to man in the Holy Bible,” according to the IOOF’s philosophy and purpose. For decades, Couturier has been fulfilling the need to help local missions with their endeavors. He has worked closely with both the local hospitals and police departments with his teddy bear donations. “I enjoy every opportunity to offer a child in need a teddy bear. Nothing says more about love and caring than a teddy bear. When our police officers respond to a home and a young child is present, the police officers have a teddy bear to present the child to help calm the child from whatever event is happening. In local hospitals, I take teddy bears to the children’s wards and give them teddy bears to hug and hold. Nothing can be scarier to a kid than being in a hospital with nothing to hug or hold,” said Couturier. In addition to Couturier’s teddy bear gifts, he has also spent years educating the public about autism. Over the years, he has educated and informed the public to autism and he has raised several thousand dollars for the cause.
“I am most proud of my service project to honor our veterans,” continued Couturier. “Every time I saw a man in uniform or a man whom I knew to be a veteran, no matter what war, I made it a point to approach the
Dennis Couturier receives his Decoration of Chivalry from his granddaughter, Felicia Cordak, 11, of Hudson
AHS Hosts First-Ever Conversation Café
submitted by Ashley Iannaco
On Thursday, April 15, Checkers
Restaurant at Alvirne High School was filled with the joyous sounds of people from many different cultures meeting, greeting, and conversing at the first-ever Conversation Café. Put on by the Hudson School District’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) department, this event definitely got people talking. Children and families of all ages and schools came together to practice their English in a comfortable, friendly environment and enjoy themselves at the same time. And it was a success. Karen Goyette, Alvirne’s new ESOL teacher, explains how she got her inspiration to hold this event: “I wanted the community to have an event where they could connect with each other, practice their English skills, and learn about the different cultures. The Conversation Café was the best way to do this.”
When guests first arrived at the
Conversation Café, they were greeted by a group of smiling Café Helpers consisting of teachers from Alvirne, as well as a few students from Alvirne and Campbell. After about a half hour of mingling, the Café guests began an ice-breaking activity in which they were given a pack of multicolored pipe cleaners and had to create shapes and animals out of them while the other guests tried to guess what they were creating. This was a great, universal way to get everybody talking and communicating with each other. Later, the guests were served a delicious spaghetti dinner catered by Checkers Restaurant. By this point in the night, everybody was laughing and greatly enjoying themselves. And finally, to end the night, the guests were treated to ice cream sundaes as they listened to the unique musical stylings of “Black Bear Moon,” an African tribal band. These tribal rhythms had everyone up dancing and clapping along and were a great way to end a great night. Mrs. Goyette shares her thoughts about
such a successful outcome: “I feel that this night was very successful because it got people from different cultures talking and
Courtesy photos
and it turned out to be a really fun night.” Elsa moved to the United States from Peru just five years ago and her native language is Spanish. Elsa also expresses, “If they had another Conversation Café, I would definitely come again.”
Black Bear Moon performs during the Conversation Café
gave them the opportunity to connect with each other. It also gave me the chance to meet new children and families from around the school district. All around, it went very well.” Kathy Bouchard, Alvirne’s librarian and a colleague of Mrs. Goyette agrees, “I thought that this was excellent. I actually work with these kids and help them research in the library. Tonight, I was able to see these kids and their families on a human level and they are absolutely wonderful, smart, and witty. Overall, this was a very great experience.” This event really did
allow students from all over the school district to interact and get to know each other on a more personal level. Students of all ages and several cultures attended, and they also agree that this was a fun night.
A senior at Alvirne,
Elsa Villanueva, shares, “I thought that this was a great way to meet people from different backgrounds. There was definitely a lot of cultural interaction
After seeing all of this success, Mrs. Goyette definitely intends on having more Conversation Cafes in the future. She hopes to hold a total of four next year—one per quarter. “We hope that it will continue to grow and become a community event,” says Goyette.
Certainly, the entire community got involved in the success of the event this
year. Mrs. Goyette would like to thank all of the helpers and volunteers, as well as Chef Buxton and the culinary department, Mr. Lane, Patty Langlais, the other ESOL teachers from around the school district, the members of Black Bear Moon, the custodial staff, and everybody that made this event possible.
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Conversation Café participants work on their ice-breaking activity
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Getting “Ready to Roll”
Soon, you can head out into the great outdoors to camp! The
following tips will help ensure that your trip is as carefree and enjoyable as possible by making sure you, and your gear, are “ready to roll.” The key to any enjoyable camping trip is planning, and although a decision where to camp all depends on your personal preference, a little pre-trip planning can help avoid preventable mishaps. So the question is, “Where to start?” You might want to look through state campground directories, travel guides, national directories, state tourism boards, and other Internet sites. Another good source of information is local stores that sell camping equipment. Many stores provide bulletin boards that note useful information—and talk with other RVers and campers. Wherever you choose to go, make sure that the park meets
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serviceman and say ‘thank you.’ I also said ‘welcome home, and thank you.’ We need to recognize these men and women for their services to us every day.”
In addition, Couturier has also been a volunteer to the Special Olympics and the United Way Day of Caring, as well as performed the duties of Frosty the Snowman at the Derry Winter Festival. He has also taught the Cub Scouts proper flag etiquette, including how to fold a flag and handle a flag properly, he said.
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Mike Hogan's
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Staff photo by Doug Robinson
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