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Pelham~Windham News


Pelham~Windham News Volume 9 Number 11 September 23, 2011 16 Pages


St. Patrick’s School Celebrates 50th Anniversary


by Marc Ayotte


On September 6, 1961, Saint Patrick Convent School in Pelham opened its doors for the first time. During that first year, there were eighty students enrolled in grades one through three. The following year, a fourth grade was added increasing enrollment to 132 students. The staff, under the guidance of Sister Mary Alice, principal, came from the Sisters of Mercy located in Windham. Through the years, the school added grades five through eight and then incorporated kindergarten into the program in the early 1980s. Over 50 years after Pastor George R. Kilcoyne (of St. Patrick’s Church) ceremoniously broke ground, the private Catholic school is celebrating its longevity, success, and positive impact on the lives of thousands of children. The actual anniversary date of September 6 did feature an in-house


celebration designed specifically for the students’ enjoyment. A traditional affair featuring streamers, balloons, designer cupcakes, and singing “happy birthday” was an attempt to help the youngest students understand the significance of the school’s accomplishments and history. However, the ultimate goal is to have amore wide spread and comprehensive celebration in order to display all that St. Pat’s offers and stands for. According to St. Pat’s Director of Development, Colleen Tully, the 50th anniversary is going to be a year-long endeavor, aiming to connect with the entire St. Pat’s community. Tully, who has two children of her own enrolled at the school, thinks it’s important to involve the townspeople; “we want people to recognize and honor the birthday. We want to involve the students, parents, alumni, parishioners and past staff and try to touch all the members of the school community.”


As part of making the celebration a year-long undertaking, Tully plans


on giving regularly scheduled school events a “50th anniversary spin.” For instance, St. Pat’s The Spirit Magazine goes out to approximately 2,000 families in the St. Pat’s school community, will have a “50th anniversary flavor” in future issues. Additionally, the October 2 Mass will be followed with a pancake breakfast at the Parish Hall. The event will be geared towards the parish community and alumni and will feature a slide show with a nostalgic theme; using photos taken of school events held throughout the years. With a yet to be determined date, either in January or February, the PTO will be having an alumni dance at Mt. Pleasant in Lowell, MA, again with an anniversary theme. A St. Pat’s cookbook with the “50th” motif is also in the works, with


continued to page 7- St. Patrick’s Classroom at St. Pat’s School hard at work. Beautiful Day to be Outdoors One of the Antique and Classic cars in the parade


Laurie Jo Tuma had her bike and was ready to go - Congratuation on turning 5 Sunday


Stone Walls and Trees Dominate Discussion of Griffin Park


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by Barbara O’Brien Voters passed the required warrant article last


March and town officials have discussed the issue of additional parking at Windham’s Griffin Park numerous times, but another conversation regarding the $200,000 project took place during the September 12 selectmen’s meeting. The focus of this discussion was what to do about the remnants of an old stone wall, as well as several trees growing in the area. Former selectman Charles McMahon, who has been instrumental in developing the park over the past decade, described the town-owned facility as “a true jewel of Windham.” McMahon was one of the major proponents of last March’s warrant article, which will add an additional 113 parking spaces to the 122 spaces that already exist. The original hope had been that the project would be well underway by now, but concerns regarding water run-off, as well as the fate of several trees and the remains of a historic stone wall running along Range Road have caused the work to be delayed. McMahon did say, however, that the goal is still to have the job finished before winter weather arrives in a couple of months. Frustrated with the slow pace at which progress is being made, McMahon commented that the lack of sufficient parking for Griffin Park has been under discussion for the past six years. “It’s a matter of public safety,” McMahon said. “More people using the park drives the need for more parking.” Due to prior safety concerns, the speed limit on this section of Range Road, a state-owned roadway, has already been reduced and parking along this stretch of Range Road, as well as nearby Horseshoe Road, is now prohibited; thereby creating even more of a parking crunch for those attending events at Griffin Park. Some progress was recently made, though, in that


Kristen Walker, Holly and Brandon Beecher with Snoop dog await for the parade to begin.


Pack 610 with their Chuck Wagon Mascots and candy to pass out


by Lynne Ober Pelham’s Old Home Day was blessed with a beautiful fall day last Saturday that just drew people outside to enjoy the weather. Many of those people wandered down to the Old Home Day celebration where they were entertained, were able to shop, enjoyed the auction and parade, and ended the day with a wonderful dinner. The day kicked off with a road race and


walk to benefit Special Olympics. This race grows every year and this year saw 170 people register on race day. More than 300 people crossed the finish line. The Muldoon Park Band, established in the summer of 2009 and comprised of residents of Pelham, kicked off the music at 9:15 a.m. with a rousing stage recital that was a dynamic combination of popular rock, smooth rhythm guitar, and their infectious, high-energy harmonies. The Women’s Fellowship Country Store opened early in the morning. It offered homemade goodies, handmade “arts and crafts,” and Old Home Day souvenirs at the Country Store. Raffle tickets were also sold. Across the street the White Elephant Tent opened to a crowd of bargain seekers and collectors. One man’s White Elephant became another man’s treasure and bargain hunters


Students from Karate International demostate their skills


could find the usual variety of white elephants looking for new homes here. You name it and it was probably available for sale in the tent. Business was beyond brisk as soon as the tent opened for sales. Who knows when you will be hungry so the


Food Tent also opened early in the morning. Before 9:30 a.m. fried dough, root beer floats and other delicacies were being consumed. This is a day with something for everyone.


The kids’ games began early and entertained the youngsters throughout the day. This year an Inflatable Obstacle Course and a Pitching Speed booth were added to the games. The ever popular Victor Spaulding Memorial


Auction kicked off early and ran late. This auction always has a little bit of everything - one year they even auctioned off the kitchen sink. This year there were several guest auctioneers who had to make up their own patter as they went along. Pelham’s Dave Hennessy had to auction a bookcase. When there were no immediate bidders, he announced that the bookcase was a device for holding books, an item where you flipped the pages to read as opposed to plugging something in. His next item was a magazine rack and he had to explain to today’s plugged in society how you read a magazine and what you did with the rack. His stand up comedy


routine garnered an interested round of bidding.


At 10 a.m. there was a lively karate demonstration done by students at Karate International. The chairs in the audience were filled and toes tapped as the music played. Forty-five minutes later gymnasts from A2 Gym &Cheer strutted their stuff. Gymnastics & Cheer Demonstration participants showed the audience both their gymnastic and cheer- leading skills. The audience was urged to applaud “the next generation of Olympians” as the students showed their amazing and energetic skills. Pelham’s Third Stone Odyssey Band, which


was first introduced at Pelham Old Home Day 2010, took the stage at 11:30. Their music touches people’s souls. With a unique sound of their own, they create songs for the listener that touch upon every emotion It wouldn’t be an Old Home Day celebration without the ever popular Dance Concepts dance demonstration and this year they were accomplished, energetic, and oh so fun to watch. This family oriented studio provides dance opportunities for the recreational dancer through the competitive dancer and it is easy to see why dances from this studio rate high in competitions.


continued to page 7- Pelham Old Home


Windham did receive an alteration of terrain permit from the State Department of Environmental Services (DES). McMahon also noted that the existing walking path that is located in the area of the parking lot will be retained and that a post and beam border will separate the path from the parking lot to provide some protection to those using the trail. The enlarged parking area has been designed to be one way in and one way out. Currently there are three entrances from Range Road, a situation that has created dangerous conditions for drivers and pedestrians. The middle entrance will be gated and open only to emergency vehicles and for maintenance purposes when the new lot is completed. Using the existing footprint, the new lot will include three columns of parking, McMahon said. While some town officials and residents attending the meeting expressed a desire to have the existing remains of the old stone wall rebuilt, McMahon responded that the price tag to accomplish that would be in the neighborhood of $48,000. The sheer weight of some of the stones makes the job very difficult, he said. To raise the money to do the job correctly or to find volunteers to take on the task would have to be done over an extended period of time, McMahon added. “I want to make it abundantly clear, however, that the intentions are never to get rid of the stone wall.” Many of the original stones that lined Range Road decades ago are now piled off to the side of the parking lot. “The goal is to preserve the stone wall,” as much as possible, he stated. Windham resident Diane Carpenter said she feels


town officials should “get a tangible bid” on restoring the stone wall. “You need to reach out and ask,” she said. Carpenter also said she feels an arborist needs to evaluate the trees along this stretch of Range Road, adding that selectmen “need to make sure” which trees need to be cut down. “There are people in town who do these jobs professionally,” Carpenter commented. Windham resident Gary Bennett, who said he


has lived in town for the past 31 years, said that what bothers him, is that the “wrecked stone wall” is basically in the front yard of Griffin Park. He compared the condition of the wall to having several junk vehicles parked on someone’s lawn. “Either take it down and make the area nice or repair it to its original condition,” Bennett said. Gary Bennett’s son, Adam Bennett, who is the proprietor of Colonial StoneWalls, said the restoration job involves “very intensive labor.” The $48,000 estimate mentioned earlier during the meeting includes about a 20 percent discount over what would generally be charged to take on this job, he said. The undertaking would involve a complete tear-down and rebuild, Adam Bennett said.


continued to page 7- Griffin Park


Today!


staff photos by Lynne Ober


staff photos by Len Lathrop


staff photo by Marc Ayotte staff photo by Len Lathrop


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