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Pelham~Windham News


Pelham~Windham News Volume 9 Number 48 June 15, 2012 20 Pages Windham High School Father’s Day:


The Celebration of Fatherhood


by Doug Robinson “On July 19, 1910, the governor of the U.S. State of Washington proclaimed the nation’s fi rst ‘Father’s Day.’ However, it was not until 1972, 58 years after President Woodrow Wilson made Mother’s Day offi cial that the day became a nationwide holiday in the United States” writes, www. history.com/topics/fathers-day. Father’s Day is the celebration of honoring fathers and the celebration of fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the infl uence of fathers in society. In the United States, Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June. Across the world, Father’s Day is celebrated at different times. For example, in Australia, Father’s Day is celebrated on the fi rst Sunday of September. “After the success obtained by Anna


Jarvis (1908) with the promotion of Mother’s Day in the US, history refl ects that some wanted to create a similar holiday for other family members, and Father’s Day was the choice most likely to succeed. Thanks in large part to this association with retailers, who saw great potential for profi t in the holiday, Mother’s Day caught on right away. In 1909, 45 states observed the day, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson approved a resolution that made the second Sunday in May a holiday in honor of “that tender, gentle army, the mothers of America” continues the History of father’s Day. The origin of Father’s Day met with


many trials. “The campaign to celebrate the nation’s fathers did not meet with the same enthusiasm - perhaps because, as one fl orist explained, fathers haven’t the same sentimental appeal that mothers have’ continues www.history.com/topics/ fathers-day. The Father’s Day history continues to state that, “On July 5, 1908, a West Virginia church sponsored the nation’s fi rst event explicitly in honor of fathers. A Sunday sermon (was given) in memory of the 362 men who had died in the previous December’s explosions at the Fairmont Coal Company mines in Monongah the (sermon was a) one-time commemoration and not an annual holiday. The next year, a Spokane, Washington, woman named Sonora Smart Dodd, one of six children raised by a widower, tried to establish an offi cial equivalent to Mother’s Day for male parents. She went to local churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers and government offi cials to drum up support for her idea, and she was successful: Washington State celebrated the nation’s fi rst statewide Father’s Day on July 19, 1910. Slowly, the holiday spread throughout the United States. ”In 1916, President Wilson honored the day by using telegraph signals to unfurl a fl ag in Spokane when he pressed a button in Washington, D.C. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge urged state governments to observe Father’s Day. However, many men continued to disdain the day. As one historian writes, they “scoffed at the holiday’s sentimental attempts to domesticate manliness with fl owers and gift-giving, or they derided the proliferation of such holidays as a commercial gimmick to sell more products - often paid for by the father himself.” The History of Father’s Day continues


by stating “During the 1920s and 1930s, a movement arose to scrap Mother’s Day and Father’s Day altogether in favor of a single holiday, Parents’ Day. Every year on Mother’s Day, pro-Parents’ Day groups rallied in New York City’s Central Park - a public reminder, said Parents’ Day activist and radio performer Robert Spere, “that both parents should be loved and respected together. Paradoxically, however, the Depression derailed this effort.” When World War II began, advertisers began to argue that celebrating Father’s Day was a way to honor American troops and support the war effort. By the end of the war, Father’s Day may not have been a federal holiday, but it was a national institution.


In 1972, in the middle of a hard- fought presidential re-election campaign, Richard Nixon signed a proclamation making Father’s Day a federal holiday at last. Today, economists estimate that Americans spend more than $1 billion each year on Father’s Day gifts.


Tents and walkers continue to stand as the sun rises on Sunday morning, June 10, at Pelham’s Relay for Life at the Harris Family Track behind Pelham Elementary School.


Holds First Graduation Ceremony


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by Sarah Cotton With a simple count of “one, two, three,” students clad in blue caps and


gowns turned their tassels from right to left. The gymnasium was fi lled with cheers – and some tears – as 124 seniors threw their mortarboards in the air, making history as the fi rst class to graduate from Windham High School. The air held a nervous, excited energy all evening as students, faculty, family and friends listened intently to the commencement speakers, including Principal Tom Murphy, who addressed the senior class for the last time.


Murphy painted a picture of the future, telling students that they will be defi ned by what they do and urging them to do good, for their community


and their country. No matter where they end up, though, he reassured the class that they can always call WHS “home.” Salutatorian James Tilley spoke of the legacy he and his peers leave behind as the fi rst class to graduate from the three-year-old school. Their actions and achievements set the foundation for future classes, he said. With a myriad of awards for academics, athletics, music and theatre, this class certainly set the bar high. However, Tilley argued that “[Windham] High School is not like the real


world because there are so many extraordinary people here,” like teachers who always pushed students to do their best. He concluded his speech by telling peers to be confi dent in their potential and never second-guess themselves.


continued to page 11 - WHS Graduates Jaguars Notch First Lacrosse Title Staff photo by Chris White


by Chris White The Windham High School girls’ lacrosse team earned its fi rst state title with a win over Kearsarge in the Division III state championship game on Thursday, June 7. The Jaguars took a 15-10 victory in the title game at Southern New Hampshire University, fi nishing off an undefeated season with a perfect record of 18-0. The score was tied, 6-6, at the end of


the fi rst half, but Windham notched fi ve goals in the fi rst 12 minutes of the second half to take control of the game. From there, Windham’s offense added four goals, while its defense kept the Cougars in check, not allowing them to fi nd a sustained rhythm for the rest of the game. Ali Connors led Windham with six goals, while Kayla Breton netted fi ve goals. Courtney Sweeny and Melissa Cino also had two goals apiece. Cino led Windham with fi ve assists as well, while Jennifer Gaarder provided three assists and Courtney Sweeny had two assists. Windham goalkeeper Tori Cipollone also had eight saves in the victory. There were many factors that contributed to the Jaguars’ completion of an undefeated season this spring.


continue to page 8 - Jaguars Win First Title


T e Lady Jagaurs fresh off their fi rst title win


Pelham’s Third Relay for Life Event Continues its Successful Tradition


by Karen Plumley Approximately 800 people


from Pelham and surrounding towns gathered together for a single purpose - to eradicate cancer in all its ugly forms once and for all. Months of fundraising efforts that included online social networking and solicitation, car washes, bake sales, raffl es and evenings out at Shooters and other night clubs throughout the area culminated in the Relay for Life event, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, at the Harris Family Track & Field behind Pelham Elementary School. In its third year, Pelham


had already raised more than $100,000 before the event even started, according to Relay for Life Co-chair Sara- Jean Caira. “With 68 to 69 teams participating this year, we expect to bring in another several thousand dollars before the conclusion of the Relay,” she said.


Highlights of the Relay included a touching opening ceremony in which several families shared their personal experiences, including two sisters who spoke on behalf of a brother who suffered from cancer.


continued to page 8 - Relay For Life


Why is Your Dad the Best Dad in Town?


Happy


Father’s Day


Staff photo by Karen Plumley


staff photo by Len Lathrop


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