New Hampshire

Oyster River Launches “Take 5 for Balance” Challenge to Encourage Healthy Workplace Environment

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Oyster River Cooperative School District
SAU No. 5
Superintendent James Morse
36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824

For Immediate Release

Monday, April 16, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Oyster River Launches “Take 5 for Balance” Challenge to Encourage Healthy Workplace Environment

DURHAM — To encourage healthy lifestyles among staff, Oyster River Cooperative School District launched the “Take 5 for Balance” challenge this month.

The voluntary eight-week program, created by Taylor O’Connor at HealthTrust, is part of Oyster River’s ongoing effort to prioritize overall wellness for its employees.

In the week since the challenge began on April 2, 236 staff have already signed up, forming 26 teams that compete in weekly exercise challenges during their work day. Each person and group records their workouts and accumulates points. 

To maintain the energy and momentum of the program, participation prizes will be given out weekly by the “Prize Patrol” and a grand prize will be awarded to the winning team at the end of the challenge.

“Overall wellness is a priority for the district and health initiatives like this encourage collaboration and team building and assist in creating an Oyster River community environment,” Superintendent Morse said. “Employees who are committed to their health are also happier in their daily lives and better able to meet the Oyster River mission of engaging every student.”

While individual schools compete in wellness challenges multiple times a year, in the spring of 2014, Oyster River held its first district-wide competition: “7 Simple Moves.” The program called for participants to complete seven simple exercises every day that had been determined to reduce the occurrence of common injuries. At the end of the challenge, staff praised the community environment it fostered.

“We hope to capture that same excitement with our ‘Take 5 for Balance’ challenge,” Superintendent Morse said. “So far, staff are really embracing this, so we’re excited to see the end results in a couple of months.”

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Kearsarge Preschool Bus Involved in Crash, No Injuries Reported

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

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Kearsarge Preschool Bus Involved in Crash, No Injuries Reported

NEW LONDON — Superintendent Winfried Feneberg reports that a Kearsarge Regional School District bus carrying preschool students was involved in a crash this morning, but no one was injured.

At 10:48 a.m., one of the district’s buses carrying five students to James House Preschool, 114 Cougar Court, was rear-ended at the exit 11 ramp on Interstate 89.

The bus was in the process of traveling onto King Hill Road when a vehicle failed to stop and hit the bus.

No one was injured and both vehicles sustained minor damage.

New London Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene, along with Assistant Superintendent Michael Bessette and James House Preschool Coordinator Nicole Gagnon. The five students were evaluated on scene and where transported by bus to James House, where they also met with the school nurse.

“We’re thankful that nobody on board the bus was injured,” Superintendent Feneberg said. “I want to thank the New London first responders and emergency personnel for their quick response to the scene and for their assistance evaluating students and others involved in the crash.”

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Oyster River Middle School Robotics Team Heads to World Championship

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Oyster River Cooperative School District
SAU No. 5
Superintendent James Morse
36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 26, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Oyster River Middle School Robotics Team Heads to World Championship

DURHAM — Principal Jay Richards is pleased to announce that one of Oyster River Middle School’s VEX IQ robotics teams will be heading to the World Championship next month.

Over the winter, a team of four middle school students — seventh graders Kelly Zang and Michael O’Laughlin and eighth graders Andrew Kelly and Vincent Xiao — competed at the New Hampshire and Vermont state round of the VEX IQ Challenge at Manchester Community College. Their performance solidified them as one of two teams to qualify for the World Championship.

This year’s competition, titled the VEX IQ Ringmaster, required students to design and build a robot that would earn the highest number of points by mastering sophisticated driving and programming commands.

To succeed in minute-long challenges, a robot had to be able to pick up and place colored rings in certain areas and on post-like structures on a 4-foot by 8-foot playing field, and use its arms to release a bonus tray full of additional rings. The more difficult the task, the more points the team earned.

Oyster River Middle School robotics teams first competed at the district level, with three moving onto the state level. There, Zang, O’Laughlin, Kelly and Xiao won the teamwork championship award, robot design award and the robot skills award, securing them a spot at the World Championship.

The team of four will head to the World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky on April 29-May 1 where they’ll represent the Oyster River Cooperative School District and New Hampshire.

“This is a special group of kids who have tackled a number of challenges throughout this process, which is what has made them successful,” Robotics Coach John Silverio said. “On top of being extremely intelligent and talented, each of these students has a certain skill set that complements the other, like engineering and programming. The World Championship is going to be a tough competition, but the students have quite a robot and are excited to show off what they can do.”

Silverio, along with Oyster River Middle School Robotic Coach Jason Duff, re-launched the robotics program in 2014. This is the first year students have worked with VEX IQ robots.

In order to travel to Kentucky for the competition, the robotics team is fundraising to help offset some of the costs.

Residents who wish to make a donation to the robotics team can do so through the team’s Gofundme page here.

About the Oyster River Cooperative School District:

New Hampshire SAU 5, the Oyster River Cooperative School District serves 2,100 students in Durham, Lee and Madbury. It is one of the oldest cooperative districts in the state. The Oyster River Cooperative School District has a long history of providing excellent educational opportunities for its students. The District is committed to and supportive of quality education. This commitment and support have helped the district recruit and maintain an excellent teaching staff and outstanding administrative leadership team.

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Exeter High School Students Win Scholastic Art Awards

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New Hampshire School Administrative Unit 16
Christine Rath, Interim Superintendent
30 Linden Street
Exeter, NH 03833

For Immediate Release

Monday, March 19, 2018

Media Contact: John Guilfoil
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: john@jgpr.net

Exeter High School Students Win Scholastic Art Awards

EXETER — Principal Michael Monahan is pleased to announce that two Exeter High School students earned 2018 Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire.

Senior Renee Bryan and junior Will Baker both earned silver medals for their oil paintings, joining just 23 winners from New Hampshire to place in the national competition.

Bryan’s “A Good Boy,” a portrait of her dog Matches, and Baker’s “Humility,” a rendering of Buddha’s face, were created in analytical cubism. The technique — used by Pablo Picasso — requires the artist to separate objects into planes and draw the subject from multiple perspectives.

In January, “A Good Boy” and “Humility” earned gold medals at the regional Scholastic Art Awards, qualifying them for the national competition.

Bryan and Baker received medals and certificates of achievement for their work.

“To be recognized both regionally and then nationally for their work is quite an honor,” said fine arts teacher Jennifer Vigneau, who oversaw Bryan and Baker in her art class. “Renee and Will show immense talent and are extremely deserving of this recognition.”

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