National Honor Society, scholarships and a open house: Education news

McClelland Elementary School community teams up to offer holiday help

ROCHESTER — Superintendent Kyle Repucci shared that students and staff at McClelland Elementary School, with support from the community, worked together to support families in need this holiday season.

A total of 43 childrens' families were assisted this year thanks to the program and hard work of students and staff.

The Holiday Help program at McClelland started in 2010, when first grade teacher Davita Fortier and front office secretary Kim Perkins began a program to help families who have trouble making ends meet during the Christmas season.

"My parents went through some tough times when I was young and if it hadn’t been for our church community sponsoring us, we would not have had a Christmas for several years," Fortier said. "I look at this as paying it forward."

The program is funded with donations from staff members via events like $1 Jeans Days, the Parent Teacher Association, and the annual Fall Walk, in which students get donations pledged and then walk to earn the pledged donations. The program is also supported by the generosity of several local businesses and the First Baptist Church of Greater Rochester and the Linus Project at the United Methodist Church in Rochester.Fortier works with Guidance Counselor Kathy Poitras to gather names of students whose families may need help, and then they reach out to those families to see if assistance would be welcomed.

"Some thank us for our concern, but say they are all set, and there are others who thankfully accept our offer," Fortier said.

The Holiday Help program prioritizes assisting with needs — such as coats, hats, and boots first, but any funds left over after addressing needs are used to buy toys from children's wish lists.

"I'm so happy that this project has bloomed into a larger community project of people looking to make a difference in the lives of our McClelland families," Fortier said.

"I'm so proud of our students and staff for their work to help others during the holiday season," said Principal Maegan Jerr. "This is just one of many efforts supported by the McClelland Elementary staff which helps achieve one of the district's goals, which is to 'recruit, hire, develop, and retain caring educators.'"

Gonic Elementary School hosts holiday shopping spree for students

ROCHESTER — Superintendent Kyle Repucci shared that students at the Gonic Elementary School were able to experience the joy of getting presents for others this holiday season via a shopping opportunity that was created right at the school.

On Thursday, Dec. 15, Gonic Students were able to participate in the Holiday Shopping Spree, an opportunity created by students' and staff members' donations. The tradition has been ongoing at the Gonic School since 1991.

Students and staff donated gifts that were available during the shopping spree, which were then laid out on tables in the school's cafeteria so that students could "shop" for items to give their families as gifts.Thanks to the generosity of students and staff, each student was able to choose four gifts.

The items were available at no cost to students, but students paid the opportunity forward by making financial donations that will be split between food pantries at Spaulding High School and Bud Carlsen Academy in Rochester.

Even though the gifts are free to students, the shopping spree still gets them thinking about shopping and saving money, which helps teach the students about the value of money and planning ahead for shopping.

Students from Bud Carlsen Academy and students from the National Honor Society at Spaulding High School volunteered time to help elementary students wrap their presents.

"The students truly get excited to shop for others. When you talk to the kids they light up about each gift that they have picked out and love to tell you why that gift is perfect for the person for whom they purchased," said Principal Greg Brown. "Some of the older students are very proud that their donations are going to a place in their own community that helps others. For the students, staff and volunteers, it truly is an experience that you do not forget as it brings so many smiles to the school."

16 Oyster River High School students inducted into National Computer Science Honor Society

DURHAM – The Oyster River Cooperative School District shared that 16 Oyster River High School students have been inducted into the National Computer Science Honor Society.

Oyster River High School's Coding Club, CodeRunners, has been working hard these past few months to bring this amazing opportunity to students interested in the field of Computer Science.

The Society is sponsored by the Computer Science Teachers of America, and encourages enthusiasm for computer science, advances equity by recognizing that all students have the potential to excel in computing, and promotes service.

Students inducted on Dec. 15 were: Maya Ajit, Marcus Anderson, John Caparso, Dominic Couture, Courtney Giroux, Mihira Govindarajula, Cindy Han, Deepthi Onkaram, Liam Meredith, Michael Mo, Annika Pant, Raghavan Rajkumar, Kai Sowers, Zane Vaughn, Kelly Zhang, and Maggie Zhang. Students represent the Class of 2023, Class of 2024, and Class of 2025.

Under the guidance of Computer Science Teacher Cathi Stetson, they have demonstrated a high level of excellence in computer science and will complete 10 hours of related volunteerism.

Students have already volunteered with the annual Coding and Cocoa program, held on Dec. 7, sharing their expertise with other students to foster interest in STEAM pathways for all District students. Students are also teaching HTML coding at Mast Way Elementary School, serving as mentors for younger students.

ConvenientMD awards $2,000 scholarship to Somersworth High School senior

DOVER – Somersworth High School Senior Mary Laflamme was recently awarded a $2,000 scholarship from ConvenientMD Urgent Care. ConvenientMD’s Student Scholarship Program awards $2,000 scholarships to a high school senior from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts who is planning to pursue a career in a health-related field.

“ConvenientMD recognizes the need for a skilled workforce in the medical field. With these scholarships, we are proud to support the next generation of healthcare workers,” says Katie Morgan, Director of Operations and Advanced Practitioners, Seacoast New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts.

Nominations for the scholarships were submitted by school nurses as part of ConvenientMD’s School Nurse Partnership Program. This program offers free resources to school nurses to help promote health and wellness in the communities served by ConvenientMD.

School Nurse Nan Soule, RN, nominated Mary for the scholarship saying that she “demonstrates the qualities of an amazing nurse; compassionate, curious, natural leader, and works well under pressure.” Mary is a high honor student, member of the National Honor Society, past Class Vice President, Cheer Captain, and tutor. Mary is enrolled in the school’s Medical Assisting Program and, upon completion, will be a Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist.

“Our Social Impact Committee was impressed to see Mary’s commitment to academic success, while also finding time to engage in extracurriculars,” said ConvenientMD’s Community Partnerships Manager Morgan Faustino.

ConvenientMD is New England’s leading urgent care provider. Its clinics, including the location at 14 Webb Place in Dover, are open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to serve the community’s immediate medical needs – no appointment necessary. Learn more at ConvenientMD.com.

Great Bay to offer open houses and Express Admissions/Accepted Students Day in January  

PORTSMOUTH/ROCHESTER — Great Bay Community College will host open houses in January at its Portsmouth and Rochester campuses. Admission counselors, academic advisors, professors, staff members, and others will be on hand to talk with prospective students about opportunities at the college, answer questions, and assist with the application process as well as provide info on paying for college.  Tours of campuses will also be offered throughout both events.

Open houses will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, at the Portsmouth campus, 320 Corporate Drive; and from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the Rochester campus, 5 Milton Rd. Unit 32.

The Open House in Rochester will focus specifically on technical programs offered through the campus. Hands-on programs include Automotive Technology, Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) Machining, Nondestructive Testing and Welding Technologies as well as non-credit courses in manufacturing foundational skills.

In addition to the Open Houses, Great Bay will host an Express Admissions/Accepted Students Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 10 in Portsmout. At the Express Admissions/Accepted Students Day event, prospective and newly accepted students will have the opportunity to apply, register for classes, complete placement testing and stay for Orientation in time to begin spring semester classes on Jan. 17.

For details and information, visit https://www.greatbay.edu/admissions/admissions-events/.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: National Honor Society, scholarships and a open house: Education news