Woodsville High School JAG

2011-10-31T10:12:00.003-04:00

Each Wednesday, second period JAG students serve as peer mentors to Mrs. Mac's special education class. This week the students threw a Halloween party for the class. Each student got to piant a pumpkin, frost cookies for themselves, and play a game of pin the smile on the jack o'lantern. Laura Irwin recently attended the 4th Annual North Country College Access Convention. Experts in admissions and financial aid from many different schools shared strategies with the students to help them plan and pay for college.

Guest Speakers

2011-10-13T21:38:00.007-04:00

It has been quite a busy week for Woodsville High School Jag students. The first visit of the week was made by Mr. Gerald Winn. Mr. Winn shared with the JAG seniors the art of public speaking in preparation for this years senior events. The seniors were asked to stand in front of the group and to speak upon a specific topic in an exercise that Mr. Winn claims to be the number one way to become comfortable speaking in front of larger groups. He shared many tips, and techniques to help each student feel more comfortable and confident in the spotlight. The second visit of the week was made by Miss New Hampshire(Regan Hartley) who talked to all of the JAG students at Woodsville High School about the effects of bullying. She shared her unpleasant experiences with bullies as a teenager, and how she overcame their unprovoked anger and jealousy. She shared with the students her experiences as Miss New Hampshire, and the road that led her to her career. Many students took the opportunity to ask questions about her trials, and what it takes to become Miss New Hampshire among other things. Though it was a busy week many students appreciated the break from class, and we all gained valuable lessons that can be applied not only to giving speeches, and discovering talents and careers, but to every day life.

I&I Video

2011-10-05T13:57:00.003-04:00

I&I Video showcasing JAG from the 2010-2011 School year and Summer Youth Program.

We're Busy Bees!

2011-05-23T12:15:00.005-04:00

JAG members went over to Copper Cannon to do a group clean-up on Thursday, May 19th. I'm sure the employees at Copper Cannon greatly appreciated such a large group of volunteers to fix up the camp! Good job everyone!

Last Saturday night, the 21st, the seniors attended prom right on the shore of Lake Morey. What a gorgeous place to dance the night away! But who was elected Prom King and Queen? Our JAG members: Mason Prata and Dawn Kozuch! So proud of you!

This Wednesday I'll be traveling down to Concord to Job Shadow Ray Burton thanks to Mrs. Spaulding's miracle works. We'll start the day off with Breakfast with the Governor; then I'll be learning about Ray Burton's duties and responsibilities; followed by a lunch date and then a Commissioners' Meeting. It looks to be a successful day!

Non-Senior Event is coming up as well! The pressure's on you underclassmen to bring those trophies home this Thursday! We're counting on you - so go for the GOLD!

Seniors will also be heading out on Friday for their class trip to Lake George in New York! We'll be going to an amusement park, on a dinner cruise and shopping!

With all this going on none of us have forgotten that the school year is coming to an end. The countdown has begun! Seniors have 8 days left of school! Underclassmen have 17 days left!

Willing to Get Rid of the Best? Prepare for the Worst

2011-04-29T12:04:00.007-04:00

These times are hard. We all see it around us with pink slips being handed out left and right. Everyone fears unemployment is just around the corner and sometimes it hits many by surprise, leaving them with no way to support not only themselves but their families. And of all people to let go of, why would anyone choose the best to say goodbye to?

The Federal Governement has cut the JAG budget by about $300,000. Like I said, we all realize these times are hard, but how may I ask, was this justified? How does anyone rightfully justify the extraction of teachers and staff who make the biggest impact on students' lives? Why take out those who help shape our future and give us the tools and experiences we need to become the best we can be. We are the generation to come and take charge of the this country. Why would anyone deprive us of the best education we could have? This country needs highly educated and qualified individuals to run the country. How irresponsible to take out the best and most important people in the lives of students!

Our JAG youth specialists and staff prepare us for the world like no other program has. The students themselves, from states all over the country, have spoken out about how JAG has changed their lives. JAG is known for welcoming students that every other person would label "a doomed failure" and turn them into a success that no one else would have dreamed possible for them. For every job shadow request we've made, our youth specailists made it happen like magic. We concentrate on teambuilding, employment skills, leadership and acedemic skills. We've volunteered at local food pantries and other locations within our communities. There's also a Summer Youth Program which we all take part in which employs us for six weeks so we get experience in the work force. Also, every year, students are chosen to make a trip to our Nation's Capital to participate in intense leadership activities and explore different areas of Washington, D.C. like Arlington Cemetary to appreciate what our country has done for us. We also have the chance to be Senate Pages. No other program goes this far for their students. "The opportunities are endless" is not just an expression when we join this program but it becomes a reality!

This program has done so much for students. JAG gives hope to those who have none. Our program in the small town of Woodsville, NH has students known as "screw-ups" and "quitters", musicians, artists, farmers, a teen mom and students from low income families. Because of JAG these students are getting the opportunities they would not have had otherwise. That is my biggest concern. Future students will not have these oppotunities that I've had and I've benefitted from so much. I'm a better, more motivated person because of JAG. I am a leader because of JAG.

CDC Event

2011-04-15T12:29:00.003-04:00

It's true - beauty is pain! After all the hard work (and arm hairs that were pulled out) with our plaster hand molds, we won another year in the Marketplace! Thanks to Mrs. Spaulding's last minute brilliance, we created our hands to represent who we are and our individualities. (Apparently, Mrs. Baldwin believes my hands are for writing. Too bad I have tendinitis in the hand that I write with! Haha!) Every piece of our Marketplace represented some part of us as individuals and us as a community. It truly was a masterpiece!

We won many trophies and came back with a total of $5,300 in scholarships. Congratulations Seniors!! Go JAG!!! On behalf of all the JAG seniors I'd like to thank Mrs. Spaulding for her incredibly messy, yet brilliantly creative, ideas and Mrs. Baldwin for keeping us all sane.

CDC Market Place in the WoRkS!!

2011-03-28T12:06:00.004-04:00

Mason Prada and David Peart were the lucky two to head down to Concord to serve as Senate Pages for the day. They spent Wednesday, March 23rd in the Senate Room where they met our new Senator, Jeanie Forrester. They were in the dead middle of all the action as senators were arguing over certain aspects of of bills. They both said that they had a great time ("especially at the Chinese restaurant" that they went to afterwards says Mrs. Spaulding).

Anderson Lane performed at the Bradford Academy on Saturday, March 26th. David Peart jokes about how his brother Josh Peart broke a bass string. All turned out well though and they had a fabulous crowd.

We are currently working on our CDC market place. Mrs. Spaulding has to keep leaving the room to breathe because so much is going on. Everyone is hard at work on this masterpiece!

Burning Bridges

2011-03-08T12:11:00.003-05:00

Well, we didn't necessarily "burn" bridges. Instead, we worked in teams to build bridges that were 16 inches long using only toothpicks and Elmer's Glue. The goal was to make the strongest bridge. We tested them by putting a bucket on the bridge and loading the bucket with bricks. David and Hannah came in third place with a bridge that held 16 lbs. Myles and Sarah came in second place holding 32.25 lbs. Our first prize winners were Joe, Haley C. and Alisa with 37.75lbs. Nice Job!

Going back to just before February Break, the seniors were announced the winners of Winter Carnival! (Not that that's a surprise.) Go SENIORS!! And here's a huge shoutout to the freshmen for putting together such a fantastic lip sync this year!

During February break Haley Wurtz went down to the Sunshine state to escape the cold. While she was down there she ran half a marathon at Disney World. Congratulations Haley!

Last Wednesday on March 2nd, Tyler DeCosta and Luke Lalmond went on a job shadow at Hypertherm. They followed a few mechanical engineers and learned about their jobs. They even got to use some of the equipment.

Also on March 2nd we had a guest speaker. Jeff Barry, a representative from Lincoln Technical institute came to talk to students about that school's culinary program, automotive courses, and much more that Lincoln Tech has to offer. Lincoln Tech is located in Hartford, CT and has several satellite campuses as well as on-line courses.

We are currently working on a fundraiser selling Yankee Candles. We are selling not only a wide variety of sweet smelling candles, but flowers, tea light holders, tarts wax potpouriis, gift baskets, car fresheners, and so much more! Please help support our JAG program.

Happy Cupid Day!

2011-02-14T12:05:00.004-05:00

Today is the day we put our trust in the hands of a flying infant with a deadly weapon. Let's just hope Cupid has improved his aim this year and chooses a special individual for everyone. Happy Valentines Day!

On Monday, February 7th, I participated in a job shadow at the Alpine Clinic with Jay Raehl, a Physician's Assistant. We spent the busy day with patient after patient. I managed to drown him in questions about his job which I found very interesting! I learned about how the occupation started and the responsibilities on the job.

On Thursday, February 10th Sargent Cheney's assistant Brittany came in to speak to the JAG members about diversity and problem solving. When problem solving, remember your goals and keep them in sight. Know your obstacles and brainstorm possible solutions. Not many people do this, but weighing out your pros and cons helps significantly. Her bottom line was that "you are in control of and responsible for resolving problems in your life" and "learn from your mistakes". It's okay to ask for direction. (That's what "Mrs. Spauldwin" is for!)

Who is Mrs. Spauldwin?? Does anybody care? Look closely at the name - they make a great team!!!

Anderson Lane won second place in Battle of the Bands on Saturday night in Manchester. Rocko's Bar and Grill hosted a great competition. Congratulations to Josh Peart, David Peart, Mike McNamara and Dylan Frazier!!

Winter Carnival is this week! As a part of the class of 2011, I'm sorry, but.. GO SENIORS!! Good luck to everyone and have fun! Vacation is starts Friday at 3:05 P.M.

Rockin' Out With Anderson Lane!

2011-01-31T12:01:00.005-05:00

Last Friday, January 28th, JAG hosted a dance at the Armory. Anderson Lane, a local band with several JAG members, put on a great show and rocked out hard core! It was well attended and "very loud" as Mrs. Spaulding put it. Luckily she got her hearing back around 10A.M. the next morning.

The first period class is working on the "Navigating the Real World" Newspaper for the school and sharing it with the state of Maine. It will discuss topics like careers, college, money, and different life challenges and how to overcome them. It will include real life stories of past JAG members who've used what they've learned through the program to become successful people. We can't wait to start producing!

Next Monday I will be at the Alpine Orthopedic Center in Franconia. I'll be watching a surgery done by Dr. O'Neal, the Doctor of the U.S. Olympic Ski Team.
I'm so excited! Let's just hope I won't faint at the sight of blood.

Winter Carnival is the next event. It will be February 15th, 16th and 17th. The Winter Carnival Dance will be the night of February 17th. It's a great time to get your groove on! Let's show Shakira that we know "Hips Don't Lie"!

New Semester, New Start

2011-01-18T08:31:00.003-05:00

It's the last day of finals if you have a third period class like I do. Everyone else was done last Thursday and is enjoying their five day weekend. Man, I wish that was me! Tomorrow will be the first day of the new semester and new classes. Only 91 days left of school!

Back from Winter Break

2011-01-07T11:46:00.005-05:00

"The ship is sinking. What do you do?" Yes, it was questions like this that were part of our mock interviews yesterday and Wednesday. Kids were shaking nervously in their dress up shoes but came back smiling and laughing. Who wouldn't get a kick out of walking into a room only to be interview by Mr. Flateau or Mr. Cornity? Unfortunely, some kids told their interviewers that they were willing to skip school to work (trick question guys!).

Who's ready for finals?? Well, they're next week! Get studying everyone!

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-24T08:38:00.003-05:00

All of us in WHS JAG wish all of you a very Merry Holiday Season! Enjoy your vacation and we'll see you next year!!

Runway Project

2010-12-13T11:42:00.004-05:00

Just last week everyone was strutting their stuff down the runway advertising their ideas of professional outfits made entirely out of junk! Well.. it wasn't really junk but we all tried to construct the best possible professional outfits using trashbags and art supplies in the classroom. Some were masterpieces!.. Others - not so much but this activity brought the creativity out of every student. Nice job to everyone!

Anderson Lane has been performing around lately. Josh Peart (JAG member), David Peart (JAG member), and Micheal McNamera (former JAG member) are all part of the band along with a fellow student in school, Dylan Frazier. They performed at Rocko's on November 27th and December 11th. Both events were a success. Rock on!

Washington DC

2010-11-24T12:46:00.003-05:00

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to spend a few days in Washington, D.C. for the National Student Leadership Conference. My group stayed at the Sharaton Hotel from November 17th through the 21st along with many other JAG students from other states. There were constantly new people to meet and even when we broke up into our Leadership Groups, we all got all along as if we were old friends. Together, we worked on several different activities to apply the skills and qualities of a strong leader. It was an awesome experience and tons of fun!

Fall Frolic

2010-11-03T17:22:00.001-04:00

In celebration of Halloween, students came to school last Friday dressed up in their costumes. Mason Prata pulled off a Mexican with his colorful poncho and sombrero. All he needed was a taco. Hope everyone had a Happy and safe Halloween!

Just Yesterday we had Fall Frolic! Instead of the hay-maze this year, we had a three-legged race. We also played giant volleyball with a yoga ball after the first ball popped, and we played capture the flag. In the gym we played hockey. Inside the school, there was trivia, pictionary, and balloon dress-up. The big events were a hit! Everyone had a great time!

A REALLY nice acknowledgement!!!!!

2010-10-17T11:33:00.004-04:00

Mr. Bryan Flagg, editor of the Northcountry News, had this on the paper's Facebook page!

Northcountry News-nh
Thank you to Kimberlee Spaulding, Youth Specialist,Donna Baldwin, Program Assistant and all the Woodsville High School JAG Students for presenting the Northcountry News with a participation & support award today at your ceremony. It was truly an honor to accept it. We will continue to support the WHS NH JAG program within our pages. It is certainly an important and very worthwhile program. Keep up the great work and thank you all again! It is an honor to be associated with the WHS NH JAG program and people...

I&I Ceremony

2010-10-15T11:46:00.003-04:00

Just yesterday we had our I&I Ceremony with Dr. Virgina Barry, the Commissioner of Education, as our guest speaker. She spoke very highly of specifically the Woodsville JAG Program. She and Priscilla Parisien, the President of NH JAG, both commended Mrs. Spaulding for getting us out into the community so much and really giving us all the hands-on experiences that we wouldn't have otherwise. Mrs. Parisien pointed out the success of the Woodsville JAG program and praised Mrs. Spaulding for all her efforts in getting us all involved as much as she has. (A big thanks to Mrs. Spaulding and Mrs. Baldwin for never giving up on any of us!) We also had several middle school JAG officers who attended. Even Senator Reynolds made an appearance. The I&I Ceremony and pot luck luncheon were a huge success!

Come Hungry - Leave Happy

2010-09-29T11:55:00.004-04:00

Last Friday, Sept. 24th all the JAG Officers made a two hour trip down to Pat's Peak for the Leadership Conference. We participated in various events. First we broke up into groups based on our positions in which we talked about our responsibilities and were given guidelines as to how to perform our jobs efficiently. Also, we discussed how to get other people more involved and how to set good examples for them. After stuffing ourselves at lunch and taking a group picture, we all spent some time outside playing problem solving games. Everyone left smiling and agreed that this leadership event was much better than last year!

Just yesterday, Tuesday, Sept. 27th Josh Peart and I went down to St. Anselm College for the Gubernatorial Debate with Ms. Spaulding. We met up with other JAG members from Manchester Memorial High School and Raymond High School. It was very different being there in person, watching Governor Lynch and his opponent John Stephen argue their different points. It was actually quite intense! Then we ended it off with an incredible gourmet meal! (We convinced one of the students from Manchester Memorial High School to eat the flower which yes, was edible. It was funny to watch.) Once again, we were all smiles with full bellies!

We Have Our New Officers!

2010-09-13T11:52:00.004-04:00

We're on a roll all right! We've picked our new officers for JAG. Josh Peart is our new President. Travis Levreault is Vice President. Haley Coutu is our new Historian. Halee Davidson is the Social Activities Coordinator and I'm your Secretary/Reporter.

Myles Lalmond has also finished the design for our JAG t-shirts for this year and everyone's excited to get theirs! We've had plenty of trial and errors but here comes the final product!

In addition to that, we are anticipating the upcoming I&I Ceremony at which Virginia Barry, Commissioner of the Department of Education, will be attending to support us all. She'll be our guest speaker. We've got a lot of preparation work to do for the ceremony.

Here We Come (Ready or Not!!)

2010-08-31T11:51:00.004-04:00

We've all enjoyed our summer vacation. Now the alarm is ringing way too early and homework is already being piled high again. Welcome back to school everyone! Hope you've all finished your summer reading! This is the time to step it up and get yourselves going.

JAG is currently electing new officers for the year. These lucky officers will be anticipating the Leadership Conference scheduled for the end of September where we'll learn more about our positions and how to perform them with excellence. We'll also be promptly planning the upcoming I&I ceremony which the officers will be in charge of arranging this year. Good luck to you all!

A comment from HCMS

2010-08-14T11:38:00.006-04:00

We recently received an e-mail from Jim Borgman over at the Middle School in which he commented about the job our SYP crew did over there. His e-mail:"Here are a few snapshots of a project the HCMS JAG crew worked long and hard on. It was the best crew we've had in a long time...Happy Summer!"

Well Jim - it was our pleasure!

Thank you for the compliment!

Another Successful SYP

2010-08-07T14:51:00.003-04:00

Our 2010 Summer Youth Program has ended! Look for our group photo coming up in the Bridge Weekly and North Country News (thank you Mr. Kimball and Mr. Flagg.) What a whirlwind 5 weeks we had. WHS,WES,HCMS and WVS are in tiptop shape once again and ready for the dreaded "first day of school." Horse Meadow Senior Center, Cottage Hospital , Grafton County Nursing Home and Woodsville Elementary Pre-School (we are confident) were sorry to see us leave. As always we ended with our traditional cookout and awards ceremony on August 5th. Joe Towne was named Employee of the Summer, Haley Wurtz was awarded the Leadership trophy, and Haley Coutu was named the Most Improved Employee. When you see them be sure to congratulate them! Enjoy the rest of your vacation. We're getting ready to start ours in just a few more days and we can NOT wait. See you all soon!!
Mrs. Spaulding & Mrs. Baldwin

Working Hard and Having Fun

2010-07-25T12:38:00.003-04:00

My name is Tina. I'm a senior this year (thank goodness!) and can't wait to go to college. For now tho, I'm going to be your reporter for the WHS JAG Program so keep checking to see what we've ben up to!
This year's Summer Youth Program is on a great roll. They're back to washing windows, painting classrooms and (best of all..) weeding! We're all getting ready for the upcoming school year. We're also preparing for our Annual Mentor Breakfast coming up this Thursday, July 29th. We're hoping for a great succes with it as we did for our trip to Copper Cannon, where kids like Matt Latour made new friends. All we can say is: he won't be forgetting Reka for too long!

Where does the time go?

2010-07-24T07:35:00.008-04:00

The North Haverhill Fair is literally right around the corner! This summer is flying by. Summer Youth is in full swing and we have been busy! Our light maintenance crews are scraping/painting/cleaning here at WHS as well as WES, HCMS and Warren Village School. Haley Coutu and Deven Paquin are working in the dietary department at Cottage Hopsital; Meg Bullard, Alisa Picknell and Darlene Towne are activity aides at Grafton County Nursing Home; Travis Levreault, Josh Peart and Kara Veillette are dietary aides at Horse Meadow Senior Center; and Tina and Myles Lalmond are working as child-care aides in the summer program at WES. We are a multi-faceted group!! We spent a day at Copper Cannon Camp in Franconia for our teambuilding/leadership experience. There we participated in several outdoor activities which concentrated on learning how to trust each other. Watch our slideshow - you'll see exactly how these activities promoted trust! Next week we'll be taking our occupational field trip to the King Arthur's plant in Vermont. We'll certainly let you know about that so stay tuned!

We're getting ready for a new year of JAG

2010-06-17T09:49:00.005-04:00

Well, it's hard to believe but we're actually getting ready to start yet another year of JAG! Where does the time go?? Our Summer Youth Program begins Tuesday July 6th and there will be several new members joining us. As soon as things get rolling we will be updating both this site and our web site so be sure to check in every so often!

Mrs. Spaulding & Mrs. Baldwin

Thank you Jess....

2010-06-03T08:09:00.003-04:00

for all your hard and well done work on our Blog this past year! I very much enjoyed working with you-or should I say I very much enjoyed nagging at you to enter your posts??!! Poor Tina. Now she will have to put up with not only me but you. And remember what I have repeatedly said to you - you can not put all your faith into spellcheck!!!! Adieu, Mrs. Baldwin(Baldy)

The Final Countdown

2010-06-02T11:20:00.004-04:00

This year has been an incredible journey for all of us. Whether you are a freshman and just learning the reigns of this place, or a senior who is moving on to life outside of Woodsville, or even the grades in between working on adding to their academic resume and community involvement. It's hard to believe that the seniors will be gone in just three days and everyone else will be out on the ninth.
JAG is having its potluck this Thursday. It will be the last get together that we will have that includes all of us. Sadly this summer, the seniors will not be doing the Summer Youth Program with the rest of you. I am proud to say that Tina Lalmond will be replacing my amazing reporting skills next year :) I will be checking this blog from Keene so keep me updated Tina.
Congratulations Class of 2010. We are eternally grateful for this JAG program that has helped get us through these four years.

If mud ain't flying than you ain't trying

2010-05-17T13:19:00.004-04:00

The car wash on Saturday sure paid off. We raised $338 from the bake sale, car wash and yard sale. There was a large variety of vehicles to be washed from construction trucks to school buses and everything in between. Thanks to all who donated to our yard sale, we sold items such as bicycles, lawn mowers and even a kitchen set. The bake sale was a favorite to many...aren't they always?! Brownies, cupcakes and cookies galore. We are quickly getting close to the amount it will take for transportation to the Blue Man Group.
An update on graduation for all you followers. 19 days until graduation!!!!! There are 13 days left of school for those seniors that will have enough attendance points to leave after finals on June 4th. The rest of you will have to stick around for 6 extra days until the 10th. Don't blink or you'll miss it.

Workin' at the Carwash...

2010-05-11T10:50:00.003-04:00

On May 4th the JAG students celebrated teacher appreciation week.
We held a complimentary car wash at our school for all the teachers during each JAG period. On Saturday May 15th from 10-2 we are holding another car wash. It will be at the Woodsville Elementary School and the money we raise will go towards transportation to the Boston to see Blue Man Group.
Seniors are in the last haul now. We have marching practice, baccalaureate(at which Amanda will be speaking) and class night. We just had prom on the 8th. It was a magical night that I'm sure many of us will remember forever. Seniors aren't the only ones that have plenty to keep them busy. It is that time of year again where juniors take the standardized tests and everyone creates their schedules for next year. We all also have a JAG final to be working on. As the next thirty days pass I would like everyone to remember how significant JAG has been in their success.

Showing 'em what we're made of

2010-04-27T10:49:00.003-04:00

Just before Spring Break our JAG class went to the annual Career Development Conference in Concord. Ten seniors; Trevor, Jimmy, Doug, Amanda, Nina, Kiri, Tyler, Mike H, Mike M and myself were joined by Tina, Haley C, Halee D and Josh. Although we were worried in the morning about having to reconstruct our Market Place, all the hard work paid off. The day couldn't have been more successful. WHS brought home 6 trophies. First places were for: Public Speaking (myself), Quiz Bowl and our Market Place. Second Places were for: Public Speaking (Doug) and Decision Making. We brought home a third place trophy for the scrapbook that Tina put together.
Aside from trophies, scholarships were also given out by Bishop Sanderson. A total of 29 were given out, 5 being WHS students; Doug, Amanda, Trevor, Nina and myself. It was a day full of tough competition, butterflies in the stomach and brain freezes when you needed the words to come out right. But this competition was preparing us for the real world, and making us good competitors for the work force.

Rain,Rain and CDC

2010-03-29T13:05:00.004-04:00

Last Wednesday the second block JAG class finished up the weather unit with Mrs. Mac's class. For the past few weeks we have been getting prepared for a puppet show presenting weather forecasts for all New England. Groups of two created sock puppets then chose a town in a New England state, wrote a script and then presented the forecast. Amanda and I designed and put together the stage. Advancements were made by Meghan and Tiffany for a pull string curtain. Mrs. Mac's class decorated the finished product. We taped each presentation and they will be uploaded on the blog soon.
Seniors have been very busy preparing for NH-JAG's CDC (Career Development Conference). All of us are involved in one or more of the following competitions: Decision Making, Interviewing Skills, Public Speaking, Quiz Bowl, Career Marketplace and Imagination Station. Between proofreading speeches, finishing the yearbook, and reviewing with JAG Jeopardy we have been working hard to show Mrs. Spaulding that we do listen and are learning skills. :) CDC is two weeks away- April 16th! Time just flies when you're having fun!

Now THESE are some wheels!!

2010-03-17T07:19:00.003-04:00

On Friday March 12, Mr. Simano took Mike Gadwah and Trevor Hesseltine along on a trip to the Norwood, MA campus of Universal Technical Institute. UTI offers technican training for careers in the automotive, diesel, collision repair, motorcycle and marine industries.

What's new

2010-03-16T11:08:00.004-04:00

Dwight Davis came to speak to us on March 11. He engaged the JAG class and also members from Kingstreet school in many discussions. Topics ranged from attendance policies to public transportation. It was an open floor for anyone's questions, many of which were written down so Mr. Davis could bring them to the governor. We are eagerly awaiting the answers.
Mrs. Spaulding took Travis, Tina, Myles and Josh on a job shadow yesterday, the 15th. They visited Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratories in Hanover, NH. This is a US Army Corps of Engineers lab that studies the impact and nature of cold temperatures on humans, military operations and other facilities. Myles was very interested in going there again. The tour guide was personable and informative.

Back to school

2010-03-03T10:39:00.004-05:00

Just before vacation JAG students had the opportunity to go to a Dartmouth Hockey Game. About ten of us sat in the front rows and enjoyed the Dartmouth vs. Union game. Dartmouth scored 4 points in the first period but then had nothing for the last two and Union won 5-4. For a few of us, this was our first hockey game! It was yet another unforgettable event that JAG has made possible.
On Sunday the 29th, Mrs. Spaulding took Shane Elethorp to Waterville Valley to volunteer at the New Hampshire Special Olympics. The next day her period two class was supposed to join them but due to a lovely New England snow storm the trip was canceled.
JAG just finished with the Yankee Candle Fundraiser. Each student had to sell at least four orders to be eligible to attend a field trip to Boston to see Blue Man Group in May.
Tomorrow is CASAS testing for everyone. Goodluck and meet your score so you don't have to do it again.

The Highway and the Runway

2010-02-10T10:15:00.004-05:00

Mrs. Spaulding took Kiri and Amanda to Manchester on Monday. Amanda went to visit Gail Fisher's All Dog Gym & Inn, a working kennel that also teaches grooming. This is what Amanda wants to do after high school. Kiri explored Manchester Karate School. She liked the confidence that the people carried and the size of the school, BIG! Kiri plans to take a year off and save money then go into the army. Later in life she will return to her calling - martial arts.
Yesterday we were visited by Miss New Hampshire Lindsey Graham. The JAG class was joined by the Modern Mozart class. In the library we all listened to the stunning woman talk about passion, scholarships, dreams, and realistic goals. Everyone got to hold her crown and pass around her sash. The music class was specifically interested in her talents. She plays piano and sings with a beautiful range which she demonstrated for us with the song "Hallelujah". Lindsey was extrememly enthusiastic and personnable. She answered all of our questions and gave lots of advice. At the end she stayed and visited with certain students who had more questions.
We wish her luck in her next competition.

And the winners are -

2010-01-27T14:59:00.001-05:00

JAG SUPERLATIVES are ready to view on our web site. Click on the dandy clown over in the right column and see if you agree!

Planning, Preparing and Procrastinating

2010-01-26T11:27:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday, Stacy Dumont from Hesser College came to speak with us. She gave us advice on how to prepare for college, credit scores and the college life. She had us play a career trivia game, much like Jeopardy.

We are looking into getting tickets to a Dartmouth College Hockey game in February!! The Student Ambassadors are arranging a book drive for CHaD. Mrs. Spaulding is trying to tally the votes for JAG Superlatives 2010 so be on the look-out for those. We'll let you know when to "click" on the icon over on the right to zip you over to our web site!

Onward to Concord

2010-01-11T13:10:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday January 6, Mrs. Spaulding took Tina Lalmond and Haley Coutu to the State Capitol building. They were lucky enough to be Senate Pages for the day. They got to meet Senator Deb Reynolds who introduced them to the Senate. They got to listen to and observe bills being debated. Tina's favorite part was "the 8th grader from a different school, who sang the National Anthem! She was amazing!!" Haley says, "the people were very funny and sarcastic. It was entertaining to see how passionate they were towards bills they wanted passed."

New Year; Old Work

2010-01-04T12:33:00.003-05:00

As we come back from a long break, the race is still on. Our Pre-Employment Work Maturity (PEWM) competition continues. Everyone has placed a vote on which peer they think will complete the packet first. We aren't allowed to share whom we picked or look in their packets to see how close they are. Mrs. Spaulding will buy lunch for the winner.
We only have a week and a half left to this semester. Our seniors are applying to colleges, while the underclassmen are taking the courses that will give them the bulk of credits they need for graduation. It is a rat race to finish all of our work for this semester. But after finals I'm sure we will all give a sigh of relief and have a feeling of accomplishment.

Live in Action: WHS JAG

2009-12-14T13:15:00.005-05:00

We've been quite busy in room 16. Our Service Learning Projects have kept us busily involved in the community and spreading the spirit among our peers. This past week Halee Davidson, Haley Coutu and Darlene Towne have set up a table during lunch A and B to sell Angels so that they can make a donation to Make A Wish Foundation. Haley C., Josh Peart, Haley Wurtz, Tory Leonard and Tiffany Henry went to Littleton to interview a Pearl Harbor survivor for their documentary. There's also a group trying to create a Career Fair involving local companies and workers. More on that after the break. Happy Holidays!!

Motivated Motivated and Down Right Dedicated

2009-11-30T13:22:00.003-05:00

Last week, before the craziness of turkeys and Black Friday, Mrs. Spaulding and I went to Washington DC. We joined with over 400 other highschoolers from all across the United States for the National Student Leadership Conference (though it seemed that South Carolina brought their entire state!) It was impossible to be bored on this trip. Each day we broke up into our Leadership groups and spent hours in sessions learning new leadership skills while putting aside our shyness and stepping outside of our personal bubbles.
I was star struck when Miss USA, Katie Stams, took a picture with Mrs. Spaulding and me the night I presented my success story. The next day she came to the hotel and told us her experiences. I got the chance to hear many stories from teens all over the country and I finally saw how life-changing JAG is.

Look out World, Here We Come

2009-11-10T13:09:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, Monday the 9th, Mrs. Spaulding and I woke up before the sun and headed to Concord for JAG's Fourth Annual Leadership Awards Event. Heather Coulombe from Berlin High School sang the national anthem during the Presentation of Colors. Our JAG president Priscilla Parisien made opening remarks and spoke about the student ambassadors that would be going to Washington DC next Tuesday. We heard from several peoplef how important NH JAG is and why it should grow and how valuable it is to have before you graduate.
We dismissed for breakfast and then were joined by two guests; Amylynn Kukler and our Senator Jeanne Shaheen. Amylynn Kukler, a NH JAG alumna shared how JAG changed her life and has made her a "valuable employee." Senator Jeanne Shaheen reminded us of the importance of our actions. WE are the future! It is the JAG students that will be deciding someday where the elderly should live in nursing homes. It was powerful to hear our senator, whose accomplished so much in her life already, telling us that she knows we can do great things.
An award was also given to the AT&T foundation. Throughout the years they have made contributions to JAG of over a million dollars.
It was quite the day, being surrounded by the people that believe in you and support you and keep your program running regardless of the stress. They were all friendly and personable. Once a conversation started I was shocked at the amount of congratulations I was receiving, just for being a part of JAG and one of the Student Ambassadosr. I never realized how important this program is to other people. We are the hope for the future. Our supporters have the faith, and JAG has the weapon of realistic preparation for the workforce.

Initiation and Installation Ceremony

2009-10-28T12:52:00.003-04:00

Yesterday JAG had its annual I&I Ceremony. It began at 11:30am at the Woodsville American Legion Post building. We were joined by Mr. Jones, our parents and other supportive members of the community. The ceremony lasted about 45 minutes. Mike Heintz joined me in singing the Star Spangled Banner. Doug Fenoff did a wonderfull job as our narrator. Nina, our president, led us in the lighting of our candles to re-enforce our commitment to JAG. Mr. Jones recited a beautiful poem for us. Tina prepared a slideshow that went through our mission statement and included pictures from our jobsites, our trip to Attitash and our awards ceremony. We finally received our CPR completion cards. It was a great ceremony and we thank all of our supporters.

Snow in October??!!!! & other crazy things

2009-10-13T12:18:00.004-04:00

On Sept. 31, Mrs. Spaulding took Jess Laundry to Manchester for her NH Jag Student Ambassador interview. It was Jess's first interview ever but apparently it went well. The next day, Oct. 1st, they called to let her know that she was chosen out of 11 interviewees. She and Mrs. Spaulding will be going to DC in November.

Last Thursday, Oct. 8, four Jag members and one appreciative guest drove to Durham to tour UNH. Everyone loved it from the campus security to financial aid and class sizes. Michael Heinz was intrigued by the ROTC program, Amanda was excited about internships for zoology and marine biology, Tina was only disappointed with the "American food", Reggie and Jess loved it all! We're sorry you missed it Tyler, it definitely stood out among other NH schools.

This Thursday, Oct. 15, the Jag Officers will be going to Concord for a Leadership Conference. There will be officers workshops for President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary/Reporter. Lots of educational fun. We will make a quick stop at NHTI for our President Nina who is interested in going there.

2009-10-05T14:27:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Jess Laundry! She will be representing our JAG program at the Leadership Conference next month in Washington, DC!

What's new in JAG

2009-09-22T12:47:00.002-04:00

All of us are still busy with our Service Learning Projects. We've been writing propsal letters, emailing people to sponsor us and doing lots of planning. The Field of Flags and makind a Video of Veterans for elemenary schools to use are the two main projects running.
Jag students have been selling Sally Foster fundraisers. Cookie dough of all kinds, wrapping paper, chocolates, etc.
Jess, Tina, Halee, Amanda, Nina and Tiffany are the officers that will be attending the Leadership Conference on October 15th.
Jess sent in her NH JAG student ambassador application, and is going to Manchester for an interview on Sept. 30.
That's what's new in room 16

A week of fun

2009-09-22T12:35:00.002-04:00

Last week was Spirit Week. Each day was something different that showed your school spirit, all leading up to the first Homecoming Woodsville High School has ever had!
*Monday was green and white day. You could barely pick someone out in the halls. It was as if we were all part of a green and white train; ready to track you down!!
*Tuesday was twin day. The judges could barely decide a winner between the hula girls, redneck women, neon gals and other crazy combinations.
*We all frolicked around last Wednesday. Crawling through hay mazes, capturing the flag, playing giant volleyball, dunking RJ Newell, passing the puck around, racing to find our shoes and much more. Celebrating a day of fun as usual during Fall Frolic.
*Thursday was hat day.
* Friday was the pep rally. We all gathered at Kings Plain and cheered our sections on, chanting over one another, getting psyched for that night's game against BMU.
Woodsville won both games and then danced the night away with the other school. It was our very first Homecoming and the plan is to make it into a tradition.

Engineers: Back on Track

2009-08-31T13:04:00.003-04:00

We ended with a bang and 2 1/2 weeks until another school year! On the 6th of August the entire JAG group took a trip to Attitash. We were split into small groups and went on the mountain and water slides, climbed rock walls and tanned. It was a superior ending to a hard summer of work.
We are all back in classrooms, busying ourselves with homework and waking up at the crack of dawn to catch a bus. Fall is quickly approaching and soccer will be ending just as quickly as it started. Come cheer on your Woodsville Engineers!!!!
JAG's big project for the up-coming school year is the Service Learning Projects. Each student will have a community based project that will help us help the community. It's similar to the 'Christmas in July' that we did except students must brainstorm and collaborate on several ideas that our community will benefit from.
Senior year is like I will have arrived at my stop! I'm sorry the blog has been delayed and I will work harder to get one in every week. Take care, check out our pictures; there's never a laughter free day in room 16!

Summer Youth comes to an end for yet another summer

2009-08-14T13:14:00.003-04:00

We're done! SYP is officially on vacation until NEXT summer. Everyone did a great job and we are very proud of them. School starts up again in just a week and a half - tempus truly does fugit !!! When Jess, our CA Reporter, comes back with the rest of the student body she'll fill you in on what we were up to around the community. At the end of our last day we had a cook-out. Although each and every one of our students did an outstanding job, 3 were especially recognized for their work. Tyler Leclerc was Employee of the Summer, Jimmy Emery was Most Improved and Joe Towne was recognized for his Leadership. Please congratulate them when you see them!

Project Nighthawk - Some Good News!

2009-08-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

We received more news the other day from the Audubon Society about the Nighthawks. The female in East Concord whose nest drowned did in fact re-nest and is currently incubating her new brood which is expected to hatch sometime within the next week. So although the birds will be starting their southern migration very soon, these news chicks should be able to join them. Again in East Concord another "active" nest has been spotted on the ground (not far from the roof-tops that were expected to "house" a nest!!). A healthy fledgling has also been observed in Keene. All was not lost - maybe we'll be lucky next year.

JAG isn't all fun and games

2009-07-28T21:14:00.004-04:00

It's fun, games and hard work!
July 13th-15th we participated in a CPR course directed by Ms. Butler. We followed demonstrations on tape and directions from our teacher. Each group learned how to resuscitate adults, children and infants. At the end we were individually tested on each; one by one we stood in front of the group and labored over "Charlie" the dummy. Every JAG student aced the test and now we are prepared to save the world; 3 reps of 30 at a time!

On the 17th we attended a team building day at Copper Cannon. It was a new experience for all of us. It forced us to interact with a new group of peers, trust each other at points with our lives and problem solve as a team. The staff were entertaining and friendly. We split into two teams, did activities all morning and then were treated to a homecooked lunch. Before we left the JAG students regrouped for an intense game of soccer in the rain!

This week is our Christmas in July and Mentor Breakfast! It's our chance to give back to the community and our mentors who've helped us with years of support for JAG and its students as individuals. We will do so by cleaning fire engines, painting walls/fences and giving the elementary school a learning project they can use over and over again. As for our mentors, they can enjoy a complimentary breakfast on Thursday which will be prepared served by the young adults they're involved with all year long .

Project Nighthawk update-July 8, 2009

2009-07-09T08:22:00.005-04:00

We received word from the Project Nighthawk coordinators in Concord that the weather has played a significant NEGATIVE role in the breeding of the Nighthawks this season. The one nest patch in East Concord that was known and under monitoring was found to be literally under water. Most unfortunately, a chick and an egg that was pipping were drowned. They hope the female will attempt to renest but she will need to do that very soon as the end to the breeding season is fast approaching. We have not observed any activity this season and were told we can dismantle the chick shelters that were put on each nest patch. Hope springs eternal however and we will put the shelters back on the roof once again in the spring! Many thanks to Mr. Dickey and Mr. Jones for climbing that formidable ladder to do the roof checks!! Mr. Jones, can we bribe you to do it again next year? (Mrs. Baldwin)

July 2, 2009

2009-07-02T07:49:00.003-04:00

Hello!
My name is Jess Laundry. I am the Career Association reporter for the upcoming school year. I am a senior this year and super excited for what this year holds. We just received breaking news: on July 9th, JAG will be going to see Cirque Du Soleil perform in Manchester! It will be a late night for those that are working the next morning so drag your behinds out of bed! No whining or pouting. Those who attend have a commitment to JAG - be sure to maintain your reliability. Summer Youth starts next week so stay tuned for news about that!

June 13, 2009

2009-06-14T10:18:00.005-04:00

First and foremost - Congratulations to all of the 2009 Woodsville High School Graduates!! You worked very hard to get to this important day and we wish you the best in all your future endeavors. And to the WHS JAG students who recieved their diplomas - we sincerely hope you enjoyed your time in the JAG program and leave with fond memories. We will miss you.

Congratulations to Mike Heintz and Meghan Bullard! Each received awards at the end of the year Awards Assembly held on Friday June 12th. Mike's Music Award was given to him by his very proud Dad, David Heintz. Meghan received not one but TWO awards! Great job!!!!

Thank you Mike Gadwah and Shane Elethorp for cleaning up the flower beds and planting the new flora out front. Everything looked picture perfect for Graduation Day.

The NH Audubon Society informed us the Nighthawks are on the move up the Connecticut and Merrimack Rivers. We have started monitoring our site for activity and although there are no signs the birds have made it up this far we will continue with our surveying on a weekly basis throughout the summer. (Mrs. Spaulding & Mrs. Baldwin)

Senate Pages

2009-06-07T09:42:00.001-04:00

On June 3, Amanda Charles and Justina Marro spent the day in Concord serving as Pages to the NH State Senate. Throughout the school year various JAG students participate in this work-based learning part of the program which affords them the opportunity to job-shadow.

June 3, 2009

2009-06-03T09:21:00.004-04:00

This past Friday evening (May 29th) we held our first annual Family Potluck Dinner at the Community Building. Everyone brought absolutely delicious food - lasagna, several different types of pasta salads (hot and cold), potato salad, cake, brownies, ICE CREAM (yeah!), cookies, you name it! Everything was so good we really didn't have much leftover. After dinner, the seniors were recognized and awarded certificates for having successfully completed the JAG program. They were also given what has become a yearly tradition - the coveted Funny Awards. These awards are designed by us (Mrs. Spaulding and Mrs. Baldwin) and are specific to each student. They are usually given out at the end of our Summer Youth Program, but since graduated students can not participate in SYP we decided to start something new and recognize the seniors at the dinner. Recipients were: DJ Allard - The Golden Hammer Award; Cocolee Millette - The Glue Gun Award; Timmy Marro - The Yes! I Finally Made It Award; Nick Smith - The Parking Meter Award (you have to ask him about this one!); Karen Byrne - The Gift of Gab Award; Morgan Henry - The Shutterbug Award; Hillary Foren (outgoing CA President) - The Hail to the Chief Award.

Congratulations to Cocolee Millette who will be going to White Mountains Community College!

Things are hopping around WHS! Graduation is just days away and final exams are coming up for underclassmen. Our Summer Youth Program starts up on July 6. Mr. Scianna and Mr. Feid will be back with us and we are looking forward to working with them again.

Remember to keep checking our Blog and Web Site over the summer for news about SYP and our ongoing work with Project Nighthawk!

Karen - Thank you very much for all your help with the Blog! I truly appreciate what you did and enjoyed working with you on it!-Mrs. Baldwin

Kim and Donna

May 28, 2009

2009-05-28T11:56:00.002-04:00

On May 21, Woodsville JAG students went to the Non Senior Event at Plymouth State University. We won two trophies, one for Team Jigsaw Puzzle, and the Giant Volleyball Tournament. There was great team spirit among all the Woodsville students, and they had a great time.

Our Family Supper will be held Friday, May 29, from 5:30-7:00 in the Community Building cafeteria.

TTFN!

May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T11:51:00.003-04:00

On Thursday May 7, 2009 Woodsville High School JAG participated in the annual Career Development Conference at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire. This conference is made up of a series of competitions in which all New Hampshire schools featuring a JAG program participate. The competitions range from public speaking to creating a display known as the "market place" to writing up a business plan and marketing a product, as well as a quiz bowl competition.

Woodsville students participated in a variety of competitions- teambuilding activities like decision making, quiz bowl, and Imagination Station.

This year our Imagination Station was a developing clothing line called Signs of the Times that produced shirts and bags educating others about sign language. The idea was thought up by Morgan Henry and Cocolee Millette. Cocolee, who has an eye for fashion, loved the hands-on idea. "I liked making the shirts, and I loved making my bag," she said.

This year, Woodsville students prepared very hard and, due to their hard work, placed in the following competitions:
1st place in Decision Making
1st place in Public Speaking
3rd place in Employability Skills

Woodsville JAG students also had the honor of being awarded with four scholarships from Bishop Jason Sanderson and Mr. Robert Stephen. Those students are:
Cocolee Millette
DJ Allard
Morgan Henry
Karen Byrne

Michael Heintz had the distinction of opening up the conference by performing the National Anthem on his electric guitar.

Our marketplace this year was a crossword puzzle. Each school was given a clue and then could come and see if they were correct. Bishop Sanderson and Mr. Stephen were featured as clues on our crossword puzzle; they enjoyed seeing their names on our display.

We have been in every North Country newspaper as a feature for Project Nighthawk. Many people have been congratulating us on our success.

We are getting ready for our Non Senior Event which will be on May 21. The Non Senior event is a fun day in which freshman-junior JAG students compete in competitions like croquet, team building activities like puzzle solving, a scavenger hunt, and going in a blow-up maze. Last year we won the Team Sportsmanship Award. Let's get it again this year, Woodsville!

There are 30 days until graduation! Let's make this last month count!

April 27, 2009

2009-04-27T11:56:00.001-04:00

Project Nighthawk
WHS JAG partners with NH Audubon Society
In 2007, the NH Audubon Society launched Project Nighthawk which is designed to test the potential for re-establishing nesting sites for the threatened Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor.) Once fairly abundant along the Connecticut River, this urban-nesting bird is actually a member of the same family as the Whip-poor-will (Family Caprimulgidae) and is not a raptor as its name would imply.
Woodsville High School JAG students have partnered with the Society and on Wednesday April 22, under the guidance of Audubon volunteer and Upper Valley Project Nighthawk Coordinator Lou-Anne Conroy, constructed 3 nest patches on the roof of WHS.
The Nighthawk does not use what we think of as traditional nesting materials. Using the age-old bucket brigade method, the students and Mr. Wayne Dickey(WHS Maintenance) hoisted nearly a ton of pea stone to the upper-most roof of the school and raked the gravel into the nest patch configuration. Within the next week another trip to the roof will be scheduled in order for shelters to be placed on each nest patch for any chicks that may be born.
JAG participants will then be responsible for monitoring and reporting any activity or lack of activity at least 3 times over the course of the summer. The birds usually nest between late May and early August. If any activity is documented, more frequent observations will be made.

This was a fun learning experience for all of us, and hopefully our efforts will produce nighthawks that will roam freely in the North Country once again.

April 10, 2009

2009-04-10T11:51:00.003-04:00

Yesterday JAG hosted a Career Day at Woodsville High School for students and faculty. There were eight guest speakers who volunteered their time to come and speak about how to enter the work force after high school, how to find a job, sexual harassment, stress management and how credit and loans work. Former NBA basketball player Dwight Davis,\ gave us words of wisdom to live by.

Mr. Davis told us that even if life gets off track, we can always find a way back to succeed. He told us that we are the future of New Hampshire and the world, and that we need to work hard and respect our teachers because they are the ones that can help us succeed. Mr. Davis also spoke about his personal life experiences and how they shaped him as a person. He was an eloquent speaker to whom we enjoyed listening.

Students were receptive to the speakers for many reasons. It was a valuable day that offered real life knowledge after high school. This was a work-based learning day. We wanted to share with our fellow students what we in NH-JAG learn on a daily basis. We are glad that we had such amazing speakers and hope that students truly enjoyed the day we set up.

April 2, 2009

2009-04-02T11:50:00.004-04:00

In the previous blog post, we mentioned that Michael Heintz played Bobby's Bash in Manchester, NH. He did wonderfully! If you would like to watch the video, check click on it below! Good job, Mike.

Morgan and Tiffany Henry went to Manchester Memorial High School on April 1st. They observed classes designed for the hearing impaired such as math, life skills, and English. They got to experience what it is like to be one of two thousand kids in a school during lunch time.

Our Yankee Candle fundraiser ends tomorrow.

We will be partnering up with the New Hampshire Audobon Society collecting data on an endangered bird- the night hawk. This bird lives along the Connecticut River and at one time Woodsville High School was a breeding ground for these birds. We are hoping to continue to prolong the life of this bird. Three students will be in charge of this for their community service throughout their JAG years- Amanda Charles, Tiffany Henry and Nina Marro. We will keep you up to date on this.

Career Day is coming along well. It is April 9th. We will let you know how that is going.

Seniors are busy getting ready for our Career Development Conference in May. They are working diligently on their resumes for their interviewing competition so that we can bring back the first place trophy!

The new quarter started yesterday and with it came some changes. WHS is having a trial run of the use of electronic devices being allowed in hallways, during lunch periods, etc. The Student Council at WHS has worked very hard to bring the change of this policy into fruition and we hope that their hard work has good results.

TTFN,
Karen

Mike's solo at Bobby's Bash,March 17, 2009

2009-03-23T11:11:00.005-04:00

March 17, 2009

2009-03-17T12:11:00.003-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

On March 16, 2009 we had Trooper Michael Kokoski come and tell us about what it's like to not only be a state trooper, but also his work with the Major Crime Unit. He talked about forensic science and collecting evidence as well as a little bit of education about the law. He emphasized that good communication and writing skills would be necessary to this job. Many students came and asked interesting questions. The presentation was fabulous, and all who attended really enjoyed it.

New Hampshire JAG has also begun its annual Yankee Candle fundraiser! The fundraiser goes until April 3rd and will benefit our Career Association so that we can hopefully go on a trip this spring. If you see any JAG student in the hallway, make sure to ask them about the fundraiser.

Our Career Day is on April 9th and our next guest speaker, Meghan McGovern, is a professional photographer. She will be coming on Monday, April 27.

We are also preparing for our annual Career Development Conference which is held May 7 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester. At this Conference, seniors compete against other seniors in the state wide New Hampshire JAG program in a variety of competitions. Scholarships and awards are also given. We hope to bring home some trophies when we go to represent WHS!

Michael Heintz will be playing at Bobby's Bash in Manchester this evening. The chairman of NH JAG, Bobby Stevens, puts on a fundraiser annually to benefit the JAG students going onto college or certificate programs. Good luck, Mike!

March 31 will be the end of the first semester, so all students make sure to keep your grades. Only one semester left for us seniors!

TTFN!

March 13, 2009

2009-03-13T12:27:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, March 10, five JAG students went to Hypertherm in Hanover for a tour of the facility. Hypertherm is a family oriented business, started in their garage forty years ago. It was extremely interesting.

On Thursday, March 12, April Allin from the North Country Health Consortium in Whitefield was our guest speaker. She spoke about different health fields that students could enter and also went through scholarship opportunities for those students interested in the health field.

This coming Monday, State Trooper Mike Kokoski from the Major Crime Unit will be coming to speak to the JAG students about forensic science, criminology, and what it's like to work for the state police. We are looking forward to it.

Also, Monday we're starting our Yankee Candle fundraiser. Look out for that!

TTFN,
Karen

February 27, 2009

2009-02-27T12:01:00.003-05:00

Hello, again, everyone! We are back from vacation, and I am happy to announce that we have a lot of JAG goings-on to report.

On February 12, Jess Laundry and Kiri Veillette went to the Senate House in Concord to serve as Pages. This was JAG's second year doing such a job. They were present for the State Address from the Governor about the upcoming budget for the next year. They received a private tour and met Senator Deborah Reynoldswhom they resented a JAG plaque for her continuing support.

Yesterday JAG students had the pleasure of having guest speaker Sgt. Marini of the United States Army come to discuss the benefits of serving in the military. He also talked about the difference between active and reserve duty, and college and job training options that the military offers. He was extremely informative, and we were glad to have him.

We are finishing one of our fundraisers, and are going to be starting our annual Yankee Candle fundraiser in March. Buy, buy, buy! These candles are wonderful!

Upcoming events in JAG:
Michael Heintz will be performing at the Annual Bobby's Bash in Manchester March 17. This is a fundraiser for scholarships given to JAG students entering college or taking a certification course. We'll sure to let you know how that went.

We will be having 2 guest speakers in March: April Allin from North Country Health Consortium will be presenting health careers. Trooper Kokoski of the State Police Major Crime Unit will be speaking to us about criminology and forensic science. Unfortunately, the mobile lab will not be coming. We cannot wait for our upcoming speakers, and as always, Mrs. Spaulding is planning for more.

Progress reports for all Woodsville High School students were handed out today. We are halfway through our first quarter of second semester.

Finally, our Lady Engineers will be playing tonight in Sunapee. Good luck!

TTFN,
Karen

February 12, 2009

2009-02-12T11:36:00.004-05:00

All of us in JAG would like to thank everyone who came to the JAG dance on February 6. We had an amazing turnout, and we are glad so many of you had a good time. A special thanks goes out to all those who came to set up, as well as No One's Hero for performing. We hope to have another dance soon.

This past Tuesday, several JAG students helped clean out the Armory. We disassembled classrooms, removed trash, and cleaned. There will be photos of our work in next week's Bridge Weekly. A slideshow is being put together and will soon be posted here for a limited time and then on our Web Site.

JAG students Amanda Charles and Michael Heintz were featured in this week's Bridge Weekly. They,along with students from the HCMS JAG program and the Grafton County Out of School program, met with other NH-JAG chapters at the State House where their individual State Senators introduced them to the entire Senate at the opening of the afternoon session.

Since this week is Winter Carnival, I will not be updating next week, but I am sure when we come back there will be plenty to update you about.

January 27, 2009

2009-01-27T12:22:00.002-05:00

January is mentoring month, and with that in mind, we decided to honor our advisors at the high school with flowers as a way to say thank you. The mentors were appreciative of their flowers.

Our advisors are Mr. Ackerman, Mrs. Allsop, Mrs. Ivey, Mr. Nichols, Mrs. Herlihy, Ms. Clark, Mr. Edwards, Mrs. Holden, Ms. Morris, Ms. Slack, Mrs. Greenwood, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Mulliken, Mrs. Herrera, Mrs. Wilson, and Mrs. Beaudin.

Thank you!

January 21, 2009

2009-01-21T12:19:00.004-05:00

Hello! It's Karen again, writing from the desk of Mrs. Spaulding in fourth period JAG.

A new semester has begun and with that some new and exciting things have happened not only in our country, but at Woodsville High School as well.

In addition to new classes beginning, yesterday on Inauguration Day, WHS had the pleasure of hosting author Jodi Picoult who talked about her book Nineteen Minutes. Nineteen Minutes is the story of the tumultuous challenges a small town faces after its high school is the site of a shooting. The guidance counselors thought that this book was necessary for the community to read in order to get a firsthand glance about what bullying is like in high schools today. So, they set out to create a "Community Read" program in which anyone who was interested could read Nineteen Minutes. To end the "Community Read" program, Ms. Picoult came yesterday and spoke to the student body and community about her book and the research that went into it. She was articulate and and informative not just about this book but the work that goes into creating all her books and what the writing process entails for a well-known author. I asked her a couple questions, which she graciously answered. Afterward, students and community members were able to meet Ms. Picoult, have books signed and pictures taken (I even got a hug).

Later in the day, students watched the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. It was a historical moment to watch. In conjunction with that, after the inauguration students and faculty watched Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The Friends of Rachel club also handed out the Challenge Bracelet that they made for both the students and faculty. The bracelets represent unity, respect, and responsibility. They were appreciated.

After that, we met with our advisors and discussed bullying in our school and ways that we can prevent it.

It was a fun, unique, and informative day that I really enjoyed. I know many others enjoyed this experience as well, as it isn't one we get to have often. I hope we can do more things like that in the future as it makes WHS a much more fun place to be.

In addition, JAG is working on 3 different projects- Career Day, organizing speakers and public relations with getting guest speakers to come to our school. We will keep you informed.

TTFN!

January 13, 2009

2009-01-13T06:50:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone! All of us in JAG hope you enjoyed your vacation and came back healthy and ready for another exciting year! Since final exams begin this week everyone has been very busy preparing for them. As soon as the "pressure" is off, we'll be back to our usual updates. JAG has a lot of exciting activities planned for the rest of the school year so check back soon!

Mrs. Spaulding & Mrs. Baldwin

December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T12:12:00.003-05:00

Hello, everybody! After the snow day on Friday, I'm here to update you all on the current goings-on in JAG.

Firstly, I (Karen Byrne) was accepted to Lyndon State College. I am very excited.

Recently, Stacy Dumont came from Hesser College to speak with the senior class about the classes that Hesser offers. She also spoke about the affordability and different options one can take when searching for colleges.

We had our first ever Project JAG fashion show this past November. Students were given two days to create a business appropriate outfit out of various materials, such as trash bags, newspaper, tissue paper, feathers, glue, tape, and pipe cleaners. All of the designs were innovative and creative.

Once the designs were made, we had an official runway show with our models Jess Laundry, Morgan Henry, Mike Heintz, Matt Emerson, Shane Elethorp, Amanda Charles, Tim Marro, and Ashley Bradford. They strutted their stuff and did a fabulous job! The designers who created the outfits were then quizzed on their leadership and teambuilding skills to create the outfits. It was a fun opportunity, and I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to do it. You can check out our pictures by looking at the haute couture slideshow on the right sidebar, or if you want a better view, you can go to our website.

We also did Packet G.53 on "Ethics and Behavior" and we watched the movie Radio, which tied in the nine basic disciplines of ethics. It was a great movie.

On the 18th of December, 5th period will be going to the Food Pantry.

Congratulations to the following JAG students who made first semester honor roll:
Meghan Bullard
Doug Fenoff
Faustina Lalmond
Cocolee Millette

Great job!

I'd like to wish everybody a happy and safe holiday season. I'll see you in the new year!

Karen

November 21, 2008

2008-11-21T11:50:00.003-05:00

On Monday, November 17, we had our Initiation and Installation Ceremony at the American Legion. Councilman Ray Burton, WHS grad '58, spoke at our ceremony. We were very glad to have him there as well as Bonnie St. Jean, who received one of our plaques this year. Priscilla Parisien, the President of NH JAG, was also in attendance. This year we had the Stevens High School JAG specialist and the president of their Career Association attend as well. A big thank you to them for coming.

We would like to commend all our members of the Career Association for attending.

We would also like to thank Michelle Allard and Sarah Foren for making the fabulous lasagna and cookies. They were delicious!

Nina Marro and Morgan Henry went on their job shadow to Cottage Hospital on November 20. They shadowed three nurses, and they learned a lot about what it takes to become a nurse. They also learned about the different jobs that each department has, and the qualifications necessary for those jobs. It was very eye-opening and informative for them. We are very appreciative to Cottage Hospital for the opportunity they gave those JAG students.

Chad Taber and Matt Emerson went down to the Food Pantry and unloaded food for the coming Thanksgiving season. They were also able to present Dan McGregor with his plaque, thanking him for his support of JAG.

Our canned food drive is ending, and we would like to congratulate Nina Marro as this year's winner of the Walmart gift card - she brought in the most food. Congratulations, Nina!

On Monday, we will start the first annual Project JAG fashion show. We will have the pictures and a full report about this new venture up soon.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving, and I'll talk to you soon.

Karen

November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T12:02:00.004-05:00

Hello, everyone, it's Karen again, and I'm prepared to update you on everything going on in JAG.

Our I&I Ceremony is next Monday at the American Legion at 12:00 p.m. We will be honoring Dan McGregor from the Tri County Food Pantry, Senator Deborah Reynolds and Bonnie St. Jean, Department of Ed, with plaques commemorating their contributions to JAG.

Second period has been working with Mrs. MacPherson's class again, doing leadership activities with her students. Today they practiced nonverbal communication and set up mazes for her students to go through. The activity was fun for all.

Amanda Charles did her job shadow at the Grafton County Prosecutor's Office, and job shadowed Rick St. Hilaire, our county prosecutor for the morning. She got to go observe him during a trial, and learned a lot about the inner workings of the legal system.

Jess Laundry did a phone interview with Andrea Currier (Mrs. Spaulding's cousin), who worked for the Department of Defense and taught on the military bases in Spain and Turkey, as well as other European countries. Jess is interested in traveling to developing countries and teaching. Their telephone job shadow was very informative for Jess.

We are doing our 4th Annual Food Drive, benefiting the Tri County Food Pantry. Any canned or dried food goods should be brought to Room 16. The JAG student who brings in the most will win a $25 gift card to Walmart from Mrs. Spaulding.

Tune in two weeks from now and you'll get the scoop on our I&I Ceremony.

Karen

October 24, 2008

2008-10-24T12:14:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, JAG had an ice cream social welcoming the 8th grade JAG program. We had ice cream sundaes, cupcakes, and brownies. Fun was had by all.

Mike Heintz and Hillary Foren had a job shadow at Valley Vista on the 14th of October; "It was very informative," says Hillary, who wants to be a counselor. Other JAG students are preparing for their job shadows, which include paralegal with the County Prosecutor's Office, nursing at Cottage Hospital, HypoTherm and New England Hair Design.

Invitations for the November 17 I&I Ceremony have been made, and are just waiting to be mailed out; this year it will be held at the American Legion Hall. Again this year, we will be awarding three plaques to deserving supporters of the NH-JAG program.

Mrs. Spaulding and Mrs. Simano heard from J. Pigsley, a former JAG student, who is stationed in Kuwait. He says it's "very hot" over there.

Seniors are busy filling out college applications and preparing for SATs and researching a career they have interest in.

Tune in in two weeks to see the next JAG update! Thank you!

Karen

September-October 3, 2008 JAG Goings On

2008-10-03T11:53:00.002-04:00

Before I tell you about the latest goings-on in JAG, I must apologize for not keeping this blog updated as frequently as I would like. We have been very busy in JAG, which is why updates have not been as frequent, however, they will be in the future.

The first period JAG students have been going around town and filling out job applications in the area.

The second period JAG students have been working in Ms. Mac's room doing teambuilding and leadership activities with her students.

The fifth period JAG students have been assisting down at the food pantry, despite the rainy weather.

The other classes have been busy doing their CASAs and teambuilding activities.

We are still doing our Sally Foster Fundraiser until October 10. Anybody interested in buying something, feel free to contact your nearest JAG student or call Mrs. Spaulding's room at the high school, extension 116.

We are also preparing for the arrival of the HCMS 8th grade JAG students into our classroom. We cannot wait to meet them and see what an exciting bunch they'll be! We are planning an ice cream social to welcome them to the high school.

JAG is also currently planning a dance, though many details are still being fleshed out. However, we do know that Mike Heintz will take on the role of deejay for the event.

Job shadows are upon us once again, and this year students will be shadowing several places, including Cottage Hospital, Valley Vista, and the Bradford Vet Clinic.

On September 30, 2008, five of the seven JAG officers attended Leadership Training with other JAG state officers in Henniker, NH, at Pat's Peak. We received training in our respective fields, and if you look around the school, be on the lookout for our new white sweatshirts.

Applications for the National JAG Student Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., are due by October 14. Any Woodsville JAG member interested in going should see Mrs. Spaulding.

And, finally, congratulations are extended to Tim Marro who enlisted in the Army Reserves this past summer. He will go through Basic Training after graduation. Congratulations, Tim!

School's Back In Session!

2008-09-10T12:09:00.005-04:00

School started back up on August 27, and JAG classes started again in full force. The first week of school we spoke about the new JAG curriculum that is being implemented. We are currently learning entrepreneurial skills and what it takes to open our own business.

We have done team building activities using word scrambles. We did a personality test in which we drew pigs. Where the pig was drawn and its' features determined traits of your personality. If you want to try your own pig personality test, you can use the following link:
http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test2.aspx

We have picked our Career Association officers . Their names are posted in the above right side of our blog!

We are going to Pat's Peak September 30 for a leadership conference. All officers throughout the state will be attending this day long event.

We are starting our annual Sally Foster Fundraiser September 19, 2008 for two weeks. All our fundraising money goes towards our social activities fund.

We have also begun planning our I&I Ceremony in October.

We are also planning on having The Logger come and visit us and do a show at WHS in the spring. We will keep you posted!

We have a lot of great ideas that we will hopefully use throughout the school year. We hope you can enjoy them with us.

Hi! I'm Karen, reporter for WHS JAG!!!

2008-08-25T14:10:00.003-04:00

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Karen Byrne, the 2008-2009 reporter for the Woodsville High School JAG program. As reporter for JAG I will be responsible for creating the scrapbook and writing about the "goings-on" within JAG and the Career Association during the school year. I also had the distinction of being the President of our JAG chapter last year.

Even though classes aren't in session during the summer, JAG is always in full swing! We have a Summer Youth Program that operates for 6 weeks during the months of July and August. Students work in a variety of job settings. This summer some worked out in the community at places such as Cottage Hospital, Head Start Plus and Horse Meadow Senior Center. Others worked at the Elementary School, Middle School and right here at WHS helping to get the buildings in top shape for the start of the school year.

We had a lot of things going on in SYP this year. In July, we had our third Annual Mentors' Breakfast. At this event we JAG students honor the faculty and staff that are our mentors during the school year. We served breads, muffins and light desserts (all of which we made, of course!) along with fresh brewed coffee and a variety of juices. Almost all our mentors attended and were very appreciative of our gesture.

Summer Youth JAG also continued work on an endeavor we started last year - Christmas in July. We "give back" by doing community service and helping others. Although we would have liked to accomplish more, the wet weather hampered our outdoor work somewhat. However, we did go to the Food Pantry and several other areas around town to help out.

As an end of SYP "thank you for your hard work,"we went to Attitash Mountain. During the summer, the ski/snowboard resort area has a chair lift which takes you on a scenic ride up the mountain, a rock wall, a bungee trampoline, and alpine and water slides. We had a fantastic time despite the dreary weather.

When we returned to WHS we had an ice cream social and attended our annual end of the SYP awards ceremony. Per tradition, every participant was given a funny award certificate (personal to each student) and then 3 trophy awards were given. Trophy recipients this year were Nina Marro - Employee of the Summer, Damian Dukette - Most Improved Employee and Trevor Hesseltine - Most Cooperative Employee.

We can't wait to continue our hard work in school this year. The 2008-2009 school year is sure to be JAG's best one yet!

IT'S TIME TO ROCK 'N ROLL !

2008-07-30T16:32:00.003-04:00

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