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Pelham~Windham News


Volume 7 Number 48 June 11, 2010 16 Pages


New Location for 27th Strawberry Festival Gets Rave Reviews


by Len Lathrop The buzz heard among Strawberry Festival-goers


Alexis Miedico and Amanda Daly enjoy the famous strawberry shortcake


was how great the Windham High School was working out for the event. With a rainy weekend forecasted, the Friends of the Library of Windham (FLOW) decided on Friday to move the event from the library grounds to the less-than-a-year-old school. FLOW organizers estimated that about 5,000 people attended the event throughout the day. The festival is the longest-running fundraiser that FLOW has had to support the Nesmith Library. Business and community groups lined the hallways with crafts and demonstrations, while the gymnasium was full of Bounce Houses and other activities for the kids. In the cafeteria, there were, of course, the famous strawberry shortcakes, which the event focuses around, and other food vendors with offerings from hamburgers and hot dogs to salads and ice cream


smoothies, specialty coffees, and many other yummy things. Back outside under the main entrance protection


was the perennial favorite, the Dunk Tank, and demonstrations from martial arts students, dance students, and many others. Attendees enthused about having enough parking


at WHS. In the past, parking was at the Center School and other lots along Route 111, where shuttle busses moved visitors to the fire station for drop-off and pick-up. At 2 p.m., there was still some open parking on the far side of the school. Shuttles were used to move people to the library, where the Used Book Sale was still being held. As Saturday turned into a beautiful day, the high


school still was a great place for this Windham tradition.


Ansley Buxton proudly displays her artwork ECRWSS


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Nicole Wagoner, Amy Wagoner, Joyce Wilt, and Julie Lichtmann serve the famous strawberry shortcake


Geo


submitted by Katie Tobin and Ariana Mackey Miss Dube’s Level One World Geography class at Pelham High School of mostly well- educated freshmen decided to review for their upcoming final, but they chose to get creative with it. For extra credit, Miss Dube proposed to her students an ingenious challenge combining her students’ love of music and her own love of geography: they must devise and perform a 20 or more-line song with lyrics utilizing the knowledge gained throughout the semester in geography, complete with music and plenty of typed copies for the rest of the class to follow during a sing-a-long the second time around. If they wanted to add to the flavor of the presentation, they could dress in character. Those who took on the challenge in her D block grouped themselves off into pairs: Kevin Cheam and Alex Newton, Emily Mallard and Joseph Minichiello, Sam Poirier and Mike McMahon. Others from Miss Dube’s A block who went for the extra credit remonstrance were Cam Masse braving it out in a rap by himself, and Kaitlyn Dumas with Michaela Roman. Mike and Sam’s performance was the most


memorable because not only did they formulate their own geographically correct lyrics, but they also composed their own music, which Mike played on an acoustic guitar. With lyrics such as, “It got me with its


poverty, got me with its disease, an AIDS-ridden country with stinging killer bees, from the start it was easy to see, Africa was the place for me,” and, “The Hutu’s attacked and the Tutsi’s would shout, Then the Hutu’s pulled their machetes out, They attacked each other by the cover of moon, when the genocide was over, It lay in ruin.” Other lines included “Gandhi led Hindus in a non-violent way, Muslims retreated to their new land to pray”—they clearly had the most well-developed, 50-line song, which unanimously became the class favorite.


Kevin Cheam and Alex Newton celebrate the class’ obvious enthusiasm for their rendition of “Just A Friend” pertaining to geography


The other songs were just as enjoyable, Kevin


and Alex performed with their dexterously brilliant rendition of “Just a Friend” by Biz Markie: “Africa is poor and their government unstable, they don’t have any money for food on the table, Desertification keeps the Sahara growing, people clap and dance when the water starts flowing. In India, Ganges is the sacred, holy river, Seeing people drink it, makes me want to quiver. People in East Asia are polite and nice, Good diet by staple crops fish and rice. Cambodia and Vietnam, has things you don’t know, Land mines in the ground that are ready to blow, When it comes to oil, South West Asia is the best, Just make sure when you visit, bring your bulletproof vest.”


Sam Poirier, Mike McMahon, Emily Mallard, Joey Minichiello, Kevin Cheam, and Alex Newton pose for the group picture after their performances and the sing-a-long with the rest of the class.


Another hilarious interpretation was Emily and Joey’s version of “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z with its well- known melody, causing the students to demand a sing-a-long at the end. They sang the lyrics, “Over there in Africa, much AIDS and pollution, South of the Sahara, doesn’t seem there’s a solution, Cruising down in Russia, what’s wrong with this picture, can’t find the place ‘cause of the poor infrastructure.” “Iran theocracy, pretty unstable, Fundamentalists change the world if only


they were able,” “This class has answered all my dreams, yeah, ‘cause I know all the five themes.” The entire rap was presented in character.


During interviews with several of the spectators who witnessed these acts, we got comments such as, “It was a great way


Logan Cove, 4, works on a project as sister Ashley supervises


Enjoying the ring throw with a friend is 3.5-year-old Eowyn Ouellette at PHS


Abigail and Ansley Buxton design a painting in the spin art machine


Fire Station Issues


Discussed


by Lynne Ober The construction of the roundabouts that will alleviate the traffic issues in Pelham center will have a negative impact on the fire station. These impacts range from unusable front doors to potential increased response time to calls because of the loss of half of the doors for fire apparatus to concern about the existing septic system, snow removal, and ongoing functioning. Selectmen are currently waiting for a complete list of items outlining changes that must be made. The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has been helpful in identifying many of the issues. Now that construction will go forward, selectmen must make some difficult decisions.


Selectman Bill McDevitt said that selectmen were


waiting for a completed list of items that must be done to the existing fire station in order to make it usable after the roundabout is installed, and was concerned about the costs and scope of that list. When Selectman Dennis Viger asked if there


Mike McMahon and Sam Poirier, wearing matching purple outfits, concentrate on their self-composed World Geography song as they perform it in front of the class


to end the week before the long Memorial Day Weekend. Geography facts came to life and suddenly took on a new meaning. Ms. Dube should definitely do this with her future classes.” Many said they had fun singing along and


watching the others sing their versions of these well-known songs. They said it was an inventive way to review for their upcoming final exam rather than combing the textbook once again to try and cram-study. Overall, Miss Dube’s challenge to her students unfolded to be a successful and intriguing geography concert for the entire class.


was any value to discussing different alternatives to resolve the issues, Town Administrator Tom Gaydos said he had spoken with the Fire Chief regarding options. Viger noted that it might be possible to build a garage with sleeping accommodations at the Transfer Station and keep the Administrative offices at another site. Gaydos tried to clarify the situation and discussed the fire department’s interaction with the public and the fact that someone would need to be present to do so. He noted that the Town had a working Fire Chief who went out on calls. According to Gaydos, the Fire Chief felt it would be a great disservice to the community to split the administrative and working ends of the department because of the cross functionality of the chief’s position. Selectman Ed Gleason believed that a lot of the reason the fire station didn’t pass was due to the big-ticket items on the ballot. Voters had to make difficult choices. It was Gleason’s opinion that if the high school was not coming back on the ballot, the selectmen should place the fire station on the ballot. Gaydos discussed the known items that needed correction, but didn’t have a cost. He also commented that there was a difference of opinion between the Code Officer and the Fire Chief in terms of what codes were applicable and that this needed to be resolved before a complete list was presented to selectmen.


Selectmen continued their discussion as to what direction to take regarding the fire station. Finally, they asked that the Fire Chief meet with them to discuss what renovations were needed/required and at what cost, as well as the possibility of other options.


Jams


courtesy photos


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