kearsarge regional school district

Kearsarge Regional Middle School Hosts Annual Holocaust Symposium

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Kearsarge Regional School District
Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 19, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Kearsarge Regional Middle School Hosts Annual Holocaust Symposium

From left: Melita Sedic-Lawton, a refugee from Bosnia.; Jack Mayer, author of “Life in a Jar, the Courageous Story of Irena Sendler;” Jeanne Baer, Holocaust survivor; Henry Weinstock, Holocaust survivor; Tracey Osborne, daughter of a Japanese internment camp survivor; and Marika Barnett, Holocaust survivor, spoke to students at Kearsarge Regional Middle School’s Holocaust Symposium on Wednesday. (Photo Courtesy of Kearsarge Regional School District)

NEW LONDON – Superintendent Winfried Feneberg is pleased to share that Kearsarge Regional Middle School held its annual Holocaust Symposium this week. 

The symposium was held on Wednesday, April 17, at Kearsarge Regional Middle School. For approximately 20 years, Kearsarge Regional Middle School has been hosting Holocaust speakers annually thanks to a grant from the Frank M. Barnard Foundation. Over this time period, it’s likely that more than 3,000 students have heard personal and family stories.

This year, speakers included Marika Barnett, Holocaust survivor; Henry Weinstock, Holocaust survivor; Dr. Jeanne Baer, Holocaust survivor; Jack Mayer, author of “Life in a Jar, the Courageous Story of Irena Sendler;” Trace Osborne, daughter of a Japanese internment camp survivor; and Melita Sedic-Lawton, a refugee from the war in Bosnia.

Kearsarge hosted the speakers on Tuesday night at a dinner organized by teachers and administrators. On Wednesday morning, speakers were greeted by eighth grade hosts, who led them to classrooms. The speakers later convened for a luncheon put on by parent volunteers.

Each speaker at the symposium gave two, one-hour presentations to small groups of students in classrooms. Students heard from two speakers and were able to ask questions and interact with honored guests.

The annual symposium aligns to the World War II unit eighth grade students are currently studying, and it precedes a trip students will take this spring to Washington D.C., where they will also visit the Holocaust Museum. 

“It is incredibly powerful for students to hear the firsthand stories of witnesses and survivors,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “This symposium brings history alive for students, and puts faces to the events they’ve learned about. Thank you to the Frank M. Barnard Foundation for continuing to support this event, and to the speakers who shared their remarkable stories with our students.”

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Kearsarge Regional Middle School Students Incorporate Service Dogs Into Learning 

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Kearsarge Regional School District
Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Kearsarge Regional Middle School Students Incorporate Service Dogs Into Learning 

NEW LONDON – For two Kearsarge Regional Middle School students, walking the halls and attending class with a service dog by their side has become routine. 

Anna Cook, a seventh grade student, has been bringing her service dog, a black lab named Yoshie, to school for a little more than a year. Jacob Heath, a sixth grade student, just began bringing his service dog, a German shepherd named Sophie, to school for the past month.

“Service animals provide a critical service to the people they help, and it’s wonderful that Jacob and Anna have Sophie and Yoshie to help them with their daily studies,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “The training these dogs have is amazing, and it is a pleasure to welcome them at Kearsarge. It’s also a great learning opportunity for other students to see what these animals do.”

Both students have diabetes, and their service dogs are trained to recognize a change in their student’s blood sugar by smelling their skin and breath. The dogs will then alert the students to a change by jumping up, nudging the student, or whining.

“It’s calming to have Sophie with me and the day goes a lot differently because she is there,” Heath said. “Sometimes the day is stressful, but most days it’s pretty easy going because she listens to me pretty well, and she’s a stress reliever to me.”

The dogs wear service animal vests at school, and at first the animals spurred a lot of questions from Heath and Cook’s classmates. Their peers have since come to understand that the dogs are at school to serve a vital role in monitoring Heath and Cook’s health.

“It’s become more normal since it’s been a year,” Cook said. “At first there were a lot of questions about Yoshie, but now my classmates are used to it.”

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Kearsarge Teacher Receives Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical Award

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Kearsarge Regional School District
Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Kearsarge Teacher Receives Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical Award

Kearsarge Regional Elementary School teacher Kristin Lizotte has been awarded the 2019 Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical Award from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation. (Courtesy Photo Kearsarge Regional School District)

NEW LONDON – Superintendent Winfried Feneberg is pleased to share that Kearsarge Regional Elementary School teacher Kristin Lizotte has been awarded the 2019 Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical Award.

The Christa McAuliffe Sabbatical Award is given annually by the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation to a public school educator who wishes to pursue a project to enhance classroom learning. The award supplies educators with a year off from daily work and pays them their full year’s salary and expenses of up to $12,000 to complete their project.

Lizotte, a first grade teacher, will work during her sabbatical over the course of the 2019-2020 school year to develop project-based learning opportunities for students and connect with other educators throughout the state looking to introduce more experiential learning into their classrooms.

Project-based learning encourages students to investigate “real world” challenges, problems, and tasks in order to learn, grow, and strengthen their skills.

Lizotte will be recognized at the New Hampshire Excellence in Education Awards, also known as the EDies, on June 8. 

“This type of teaching and learning is engaging for students, and involves them in activities where they can make choices about their learning and promote skills like collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking,” Lizotte said. “It also connects what they are learning to the world outside of the classroom and helps them to see the connections between academic subjects and how they are related to real world problems.”

Lizotte will begin her sabbatical by researching schools in New Hampshire that are already using project based learning techniques, and will attend a conference at Northeastern University this summer on experiential learning. She will then offer professional development opportunities, materials, and activities to schools throughout the state, and will also help schools plan, assess, and implement experiential learning opportunities.

Lizotte will also launch a statewide website to connect New Hampshire educators interested in project-based and experiential learning. The website will include a discussion forum, professional learning materials, links, videos and unit and lesson plans.

“It’s wonderful that Kristin has been given this opportunity to explore the ways in which she, and educators throughout the state, can implement project based learning in the classroom to enhance student learning,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “To receive this award is a great honor, and we’re looking forward to watching Kristin explore this topic and bring these techniques into the classroom.”

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Kearsarge Junior Places 3rd, Wins Scholarship in SkillsUSA Baking Competition

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Kearsarge Regional School District
Superintendent Winfried Feneberg
114 Cougar Court
New London, NH 03257

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 12, 2019

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Kearsarge Junior Places 3rd, Wins Scholarship in SkillsUSA Baking Competition

Kearsarge Regional High School junior Olivia Lord, left, stands with her baking instructor, Chef April Hall, after coming in third place at a recent SkillsUSA Commercial Baking Competition. (Courtesy Photo Kearsarge Regional School District)

NEW LONDON – Superintendent Winfried Feneberg is pleased to share that Kearsarge Regional High School junior Olivia Lord placed third in a recent SkillsUSA Commercial Baking Competition. 

Two Kearsarge Regional High School students attended a March 20 SkillsUSA event at Nashua North High School, where two separate competitions were held in the culinary arts and in commercial baking. 

Lord competed in the commercial baking competition, where she was tasked with baking a variety of goods, including muffins, eclairs, cookies, three types of bread, puff pastries and decorated a cake.

Each competition was timed, included a written exam and required students to share their resume. Students were judged on their skills, presentation, sanitation and uniform.

Lord spent significant time preparing for the commercial baking competition, and began staying after school late to practice her skills in November.

“I am incredibly proud of her,” said Chef April Hall, Lord’s baking instructor at Kearsarge High School. “Olivia worked really hard to prepare. It takes dedication to be a part of this. Both students were able to network with various chefs in the industry and meet peers who share their passion for cooking and baking.”

In addition to coming in third place in the commercial baking competition, Lord was given a $1,000 scholarship to the Culinary Institute of America and a $500 scholarship to Johnson and Wales University. 

Lord is currently planning on earning her associate’s degree in the culinary arts at Lakes Region Community College before moving on to pursue her bachelor’s degree. Her grandmother taught her to bake at a young age, and Lord has enjoyed the culinary arts ever since. 

“I have always enjoyed baking and I’m especially thankful to my grandmother who got me into it young,” Lord said. “As a young kid there was no greater pleasure than hearing my grandmother call my name when it was time to bake. My favorite part of baking is that moment when everything comes together and my finished product is even better than I intended.”

Lord plans on competing in next year’s SkillsUSA Commercial Baking Competition as well. 

“This competition was really comprehensive, and challenged students to showcase a wide range of skills in baking, taking written exams, creating a resume, sanitation and presentation,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “Olivia proved herself to be a dedicated, talented young chef, and we look forward to seeing her continue to expand her skills and pursue her passion for the culinary arts.”

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