Merrimack Valley

Schools must check up on volunteers


Published: September 15, 2008

SALEM — In compliance with state law, Salem School District will be conducting background checks and fingerprinting for volunteers in the district.¬ 

Any new volunteers in the district should contact the district to sign up for a time and location for a background check. There is no fee for the background checks and fingerprinting. Volunteers from past years who have already been fingerprinted do not need to be processed again.

Fingerprinting will be done today from 3 to 6 p.m. at Lancaster School; tomorrow from 3 to 6 p.m. at Fisk Elementary School; Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Woodbury Middle School; Tuesday, Sept. 23, from 3 to 6 p.m. at North Salem Elementary; Thursday, Sept. 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Salem High School; and Friday, Sept. 26, from, 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at Barron Elementary School.

Volunteers are encouraged to register online at the district's Web site: SalemSchoolDistrictNH.com.

Residents can preview bullying presentation

KINGSTON — Sanborn Regional School District and SAFE Sanborn will hold a Community Information Night tomorrow night for parents and community members on an upcoming anti-bullying presentation.

John Halligan, whose 13-year-old son committed suicide after incessant bullying at school, will give a presentation to students in sixth through eighth grade Sept. 23.

Tomorrow's event will feature excerpts from Halligan's presentation and an explanation of how the presentation will be incorporated into Sanborn's curriculum.

Visit www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org for more information on the presentation and www.safesanborn.com.

Windham's credit rating expected to slip

WINDHAM — The local finance director expects the town's good credit rating to slip a few notches due to its low fund balance.

Dana Call expects the rating to rebound in another year when existing debt is paid off.

Meanwhile, selectmen voted last week to increase the fund balance to $300,000, still far less than the Department of Revenue Administration's recommended 5 percent of all appropriations.

Total appropriations for school, town and county in Windham equal about $35 million, 5 percent of which is about $1.7 million, Call said.

Typically, selectmen leave $250,000 in the fund balance, and use the remaining funds to help reduce the tax rate. This year they used $82,000 to help reduce taxes. The fund balance represents assets in excess of liabilities.

Taxes will be set later this year. The town remains on sound financial footing, Call and town administrator Dave Sullivan said.

Book lovers descend on Hampstead

HAMPSTEAD — This year's book sale at the library exceeded all expectations — by a large margin.

The proceeds, which will be used to expand and enhance the library's materials budget, reached almost $2,200, almost $800 more than last year.

Salemfest set for this weekend

SALEM — Civil War re-enactments, live music and museum tours will be a few of the activities during Salemfest Saturday and Sunday.

The event, to celebrate the town and its nonprofit organizations, will be held in multiple locations around town including Kelley Library, the Salem Museum and the Town Common.

Salemfest will go on rain or shine Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For a complete list of events, visit the Greater Salem Chamber of Commerce Web site, GSChamber.com.

Kindergarten will remember popular teacher

WINDHAM — The Windham Cooperative Kindergarten will remember a popular teacher with a ceremony next month.

Meanwhile, her family has started a scholarship in her name.

Karen Casey, who died from cancer in June, taught at the school from 2000 to 2007.

The dedication ceremony is expected to take place at the school in October. Organizers will plant a tree and place a bench in Casey's honor.

For information on donating to the effort, call Patti Michal at (603) 893-3069.

Students assemble computers and save Londonderry money

LONDONDERRY — Students at Londonderry High School saved the district some money by building computers from parts.

According to Peter Curro, the school district's business administrator, the schools went out to bid for motherboards and processors and then hired some of the youngsters to assemble the computers, providing a few paying jobs for some youngsters over the summer.