rochester

Rochester Farmers Market Names New Manager for 2019

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Rochester Farmers Market Names New Manager for 2019

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox is pleased to announce that the Rochester Farmers Market has named a new manager for the 2019 season.

Rochester resident Vicky Poland has taken on the responsibilities of overseeing the Farmers Market. For the past ten years Poland has organized and managed numerous events in the greater seacoast area. Along with her new role as Market Manager,
she will continue in her existing roles as entertainment manager for the Deerfield, Belknap and Stratham Fairs, as well as the Hampton Seafood Festival and Wings and Wheels Rochester.

Poland will take over for two Farmers Market founders, Jeanne Grover and Alicia Frye, who had committed to manage the organization through the 2018 season. The pair also founded the Vouchers for Veterans program, which they are now working to expand throughout Strafford County.

“I am looking forward to helping build upon the excellent market that has come to be a staple of summers in Rochester,” Poland said. “I’m also grateful for the foundation that Jeanne and Alicia have laid during their time as managers of the market, and I hope to meet as many Rochester residents as possible at this year’s events.”

The market will be held every Tuesday from 3-6 p.m. at the Rochester Commons, starting June 11 and continuing through Sept. 24. As in past years, the market will feature both a variety of quality vendors and diverse live entertainment options.

“We are very excited to welcome Vicky as the manager for 2019,” City Manager Cox said. “She is a great choice for the market, and we’re all confident that the market will continue to thrive and expand under her stewardship.”

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Wings and Wheels Returns to Rochester’s Skyhaven Airport Later This Year

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  City of Rochester
Blaine Cox, City Manager
31 Wakefield Street
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

*Save The Date*

Wings and Wheels Returns to Rochester’s Skyhaven Airport Later This Year

ROCHESTER — City Manager Blaine Cox and Police Chief Paul Toussaint are pleased to announce that Wings and Wheels will return to Skyhaven Airport this spring.

WHEN: 

Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE: 

Skyhaven Airport, 238 Rochester Hill Road

WHAT:

Rochester’s traditional family-friendly car, motorcycle and aircraft show returns this year, with a variety of activities and entertainment options for residents to enjoy.

The event, which accepts suggested donations in lieu of a cost of admission, will feature a Buffalo wing eating contest, food trucks, community vendors and a variety of performances. The performers will include students from Corinne’s School of Dance, comedian and juggler Bryson Lang, Studio 109 Dance and the Cedar Mountain Bluegrass Band.

Seacoast Helicopters will offer helicopter rides to those in attendance for a fee.

Wings and Wheels is a combined effort by multiple organizations, including the Rochester Police Department, Rochester Rotary, Skyhaven Airport and Pease Development Authority.

“We look forward to this event every year, because there’s something for everyone to enjoy and take part in,” Community Engagement Officer Kyle Danie said.

For more information please visit www.wingsandwheelsrochesternh.com.

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Spaulding High School’s Extended Learning Opportunity Program Thrives

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Rochester Public Schools
Michael L. Hopkins, Superintendent
31 Wakefield St.
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, Feb. 4, 2019

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

Spaulding High School’s Extended Learning Opportunity Program Thrives

ROCHESTER — Superintendent Michael Hopkins is pleased to announce that the Spaulding High School Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) program is thriving, thanks to the support of numerous Strategic Partners.

The Spaulding High School ELO program seeks to provide students experience in the workforce while also training capable future employees for local organizations, and connects students to diverse opportunities, including internships, job shadows, job fairs, and medical mentoring.

More than four years ago, Dean Graziano, extended learning opportunities coordinator at Rochester Public Schools, started a strategic partners group to support the ELO program.

Today there are 22 Strategic Partners, including business, academic, and government leaders, who have helped grow the program and continue to do so by providing funding, offering paid and unpaid internships, attending career fairs, giving mock interviews, and helping the school to implement soft workplace skills into its curriculum.

“The Strategic Partners have been incredible supporters of the ELO program,” Graziano said. “I intentionally reached out to businesses and other local groups when I started the Strategic Partners to expand support for the program outside of the school district, and to better connect the students to the larger Rochester community.”

A group of 10 Spaulding High seniors are currently halfway through a year long ELO pilot program that will allow them to earn an Advanced Composites Manufacturing Certificate at Great Bay Community College while also earning credits for their diplomas. Students that complete the program are also promised an interview at Safran Aerospace Composites, an aerospace manufacturing company in Rochester.

“It’s wonderful to see students earn a certification that will prepare them for a successful transition into the workforce after they graduate,” said Jennifer Marsh, Economic Development Specialist for the city of Rochester. “Moreover, these students aren’t incurring any cost to obtain that certification, and they will have the chance to interview at a notable local organization. It’s an amazing opportunity, and a huge success for Rochester.”

Legislators and educators alike are pushing to start similar ELO initiatives statewide, like the Spaulding/Great Bay certification program. In particular Gov. Chris Sununu has said he aims to create a program for New Hampshire students to earn their associates degrees, at no cost.

On Friday, Jan. 25, Strategic Partners met to discuss their latest initiatives.

“The big takeaway from our last meeting is that we have a healthy, driven group supporting this program today,” Graziano said. “This group will be a huge help by allocating resources, as well as by bringing together business leaders, local government, and schools to develop programs to create workforce opportunities for students.”

A representative from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s office also attended the meeting, and read aloud a congratulatory letter from the legislator.

“I want to thank all of the students, faculty and staff as well as the participating businesses, for coming together to shape a program that is quickly becoming a model for schools around the state,” Sen. Shaheen wrote. “Extended learning opportunities are not only  a crucial component of modern education. They also represent a pathway through which local businesses and manufacturers can train and eventually hire capable employees they need to grow and thrive.”

“These programs are a win-win for students who can refine essential skills and confidence outside the traditional classroom and a workforce hungry for talented workers,” she added.

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Rochester Students Become Citizen Scientists Through Partnership With University of New Hampshire

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Rochester Public Schools
Michael L. Hopkins, Superintendent
31 Wakefield St.
Rochester, NH 03867

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, Jan. 25, 2019

Media Contact: Jordan Mayblum
Phone: 617-993-0003
Email: [email protected]

Rochester Students Become Citizen Scientists Through Partnership With University of New Hampshire

ROCHESTER — Students in multiple Rochester schools have taken on the roles of citizen scientists, thanks to a partnership with the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension and the Leitzel Center.

Through its collaboration with UNH’s Schoolyard Science Investigations by Teachers, Extension Volunteers and Students (Schoolyard SITES), students at five schools are exploring a variety of scientific areas through hands on research and experimentation.

Rochester’s Gonic School students are currently researching local birds’ habitat preferences, while classes at Nancy Loud School and Chamberlain Street School are studying local birds and their feeding preferences. Meanwhile, students at the William Allen and Maple Street Magnet Schools are exploring how precipitation varies as the seasons change.

Schoolyard SITES is a UNH research study that investigates a new professional development model for elementary school teachers, while giving students opportunities to explore science on a deeper and more engaging level. With support from the UNH Cooperative Extension science volunteers, teachers develop science investigations that incorporate student learning goals and the Next Generation Science Standards.

Each teacher-volunteer team designs and teaches a science project that is relevant to the school district’s curriculum and school site. Schoolyard SITES students engage in real-world, problem-based learning and investigate their schoolyard using the scientific process, and they contribute valuable data to citizen science initiatives.

“My students love being Citizen Scientists,” Maple Street Magnet School teacher Dani Stevenson said. “The experience of measuring and recording precipitation data has given them a hands on, authentic learning experience.”

The projects have helped deepen students’ connection to their community, while enabling them to do real world science work outside of the traditional classroom setting. The Schoolyard SITES work has also reinvigorated the teachers guiding the projects.

“Schoolyard SITES has renewed my love of teaching science,” Nancy Loud School teacher Meghan Walkama said. “By bringing Citizen Science to my classroom, my students are more invested and engaged in real world science.”

Students at Nancy Loud School are sharing their work with their peers at Chamberlain, who are conducting similar experiments, while also connecting with students around the world via Project Feederwatch. As part of their work, students are observing the bird feeders they’ve set up, logging sightings of specific bird species and documenting the birds with photos to enhance their research.

“The Schoolyard SITES program is a great learning opportunity for both our teachers and our students,” Superintendent Michael Hopkins said. “I’m so glad that we’ve been able to forge this partnership with UNH so that we can enhance our science curriculum from the top down and create dynamic classroom experiences.”

UNH State Extension Specialist and Affiliate Associate Professor Lara Gengarelly added, “Schoolyard SITES is a new model we are exploring. This year it’s been fantastic to see the teacher-volunteer partnerships evolve and observe the creative ways they are engaging students in problem-based learning focused on a range of science topics such as local birds and weather.”

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