Somersworth School Board candidates talk about the issues [Foster’s Daily Democrat, Dover, N.H.]

Oct. 24--SOMERSWORTH -- Incumbents Jessica Paradis of Ward 1, Dana Rivers of Ward 2, Robert Gibson of Ward 4 and Kenneth Bolduc of Ward 5 all face no opposition to maintain their seats on the School Board. Also running unopposed is George E. Wentworth Jr. of Ward 3.

WARD 1

Paradis, 40, of 17 Hamilton St. is an educator, activist and mother of five sons ages 6 to 16.

Paradis has been the Herne School of Discovery's PTO president, N.H.'s Sexual Assault Support Services board of directors' vice president, on the board of directors for the Brixham Montessori Friends School in York, the Porch Light Award chair, a violence prevention volunteer educator and the 2011 recipient of WZID's N.H.'s Top 20 Women.

She has been married for 16 years and said her hobby is being an advocate for children's rights.

"I have spent my entire adult life working toward keeping kids as safe as possible and as well educated as possible," she said. "We owe that to all of our kids."

A resident of Somersworth for 14 years, Paradis wants to continue to serve on the to make sure the budget is being spent as efficiently as possible and to give children in her community a great childhood with great educators.

"I want them to feel so well educated in our schools and so well taken care of in our community, that they move back here after they are done with their secondary education and raise their kids here," she said. "I see the future of Somersworth in these little tiny faces."

Paradis wants to see cooperation maintained between City Council and the School Board.

"In an ideal educational environment, each child would be taught in the specific way that he learns best. In our Somersworth public schools, teachers are always figuring out alternative, creative ways to educate each student so that they can understand, not just regurgitate information," she said.

She said Somersworth children begin gaining computer skill confidence as early as kindergarten.

"I'm excited to see these alternative approaches to traditional education take shape with our fantastic teachers," she said.

WARD 2

Rivers, 68, of 40 Milo Lane is a retired U.S. Army logistics manager and has a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Maine at Orono.

Rivers has been on the School Board for six years and was a member of the Joint Building Committee for the Idlehurst Elementary School.

He has been married to his wife, Carol, for 40 years and has one daughter, Kari. Rivers is a fan of following national politics.

He said, "I think what I bring to the table is that I do a lot of research on subjects related to K-12 education, be it Common Core State Standards, special education issues and cost impact or the need for vocational and technical education being taught in our district. I really try to attend school events so I have a feel for what is going on."

A Somersworth resident for seven and a half years, Rivers feels it is important and responsible community involvement to serve on the board.

He sees Somersworth's largest challenge in the upcoming year as spending as efficiently and constructively as possible.

"We need to continue to improve the image of the city, through the schools, people working together and tougher efforts to improve property values," he said.

Rivers would like to see a stronger vocational baseline for those attending voc-tech classes. He also said he favors the use of technology as a teaching tool and feels it is important. However, he said it could have a bad reputation when people think it will be used to invade students' privacy.

He said his opinion of the ideal teaching environment would be one where the same standards are in place across the state.

"It is a must that students ' ... have skin in the game.' Such as in Massachusetts where students must pass a state test to get their diploma," he said.

WARD 3

Wentworth, 23, of 1 Marion Lane, Apt. D, is a member of the Somersworth Conservation Commission and serves at the New Hampshire Food Bank as a N.H. Catholic Charities AmeriCorps VISTA member.

A Somersworth High School graduate, Wentworth has a B.A. in political science with a minor in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.

He married his wife, Tiffany, about a year ago and said he enjoys bowling in a league on Wednesday nights. He has lived in the city for nine years.

"With all the cuts plaguing our government, I see more of a reason to advocate for those whose voices are not heard: namely, the children who cannot vote who are affected by the decrease of funding for education," he said.

He said when he attended Somersworth High School, the feeling that the education was subpar and could not compete with other schools was commonplace.

"I hope to help Somersworth students achieve a sense of pride in their city and schools. I would also like to see more civic engagement within the community," he said. "I know that when I was in school, I tried to institute a community service requirement in our high school. This is something I would push to pursue if elected."

As far as standardized testing, Wentworth said he wouldn't disregard state standards, but would like to see a teaching environment that promotes curiosity as being just as important.

Wentworth also said he understands and values the role of technology in the classroom. He said, "In a society where new equipment is being constantly developed, I believe our students will only have a chance to compete in today's world if they're able to learn and adapt to new technology."

He said because Somersworth has a large majority of disadvantaged youth, integrating technology is that much more important.

"My belief is technology is like a smooth rock skipping across a pond," he said. "A seamless transition can only be done if children are surround by technology; otherwise, they will sink to the bottom."

WARD 4

Incumbent Robert Gibson of 59 Myrtle St. will run unopposed for the Ward 4 seat. He did not respond to attempts to have his information included. According to the School Board website, he is a member of the Negotiations & Personnel, Technology and Cable committees.

WARD 5

Bolduc, of Union Street, has lived in the Hilltop City for 21 years and has four adult children who attended Rollinsford and Somersworth schools.

Bolduc is running for the Ward 5 seat because he has a desire to contribute and help provide the best possible education for Somersworth students so they will be able to get into the colleges or careers of their choice.

Bolduc said the word he most dreads to hear at budget time is "cut."

"Funding is always a big concern," he said. "The downshifting of costs from the federal and state governments along with the increasing cost of materials and services places a big burden on local taxpayers."

He said the tax cap will present challenges to allow for all the services citizens expect.

Bolduc said that with all the requirements students must meet, the school day or school year should be lengthened to accommodate.

He said testing is needed to measure individual abilities, but shouldn't be used in the "good or bad" school ranking system.

In regard to the importance of technology being integrated into classrooms, Bolduc said, "Very, very important. It presents new opportunities for teachers in the classroom."

Bolduc said in today's world, "keeping up with the newest technology is a must for teachers and students to be successful."

AT-LARGE

Current at-large board members Donald Austin of Ward 4 and Matthew Hanlon of Ward 2 will be joined in the race for seats by Kelly Brennan of Ward 4, Joanne Pepin of Ward 1 and Rene J. Philpott of Ward 5.

Austin, 56, of 51 Cinnamon Ridge Road has been on the School Board for four years and has served as the chair for three years.

Austin was previously a member of the board of directors for the New Hampshire School Boards Association and the past president of the NH Congress of Parents and Teachers.

He has lived in Somersworth for more than 22 years and works as a life insurance underwriter for Liberty Mutual.

Austin has been married for 32 years and has 3 adult children and a dog, Sparky. He enjoys reading, singing and "dabbling with small carpentry projects."

He said, "My biggest concern within the Somersworth School District for the next year, and potentially for many years in the future, will be our ability to continue to provide quality educational opportunities for all students in an environment that includes major cost shifting from both the federal and state governments to the local level."

Austin would like to see the Career Technical Center renovated to ensure it remains relevant and meaningful to its students.

"Technology is no longer an option. It is embedded into the fabric of our very existence," he said. "It is a tool rather than an end unto itself, so it is just as important to recognize that there must be an effective and robust curriculum that is supported by the technology."

Austin said he has always been opposed to standardized test scores being the sole means of evaluating the success of a student, group of students, teacher(s), school or district. He said such testing should only be one tool to measure success, not the only tool.

"We need to ensure that every student who attends our public schools is given the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of concepts and competencies that they will need to be successful in post-secondary schools and careers," he said. "We must include other methods and strategies to measure 'success' in those areas."

Hanlon, 36, of 30 Victoria Drive has been on the School Board since 2009 and is its current secretary.

Hanlon is the board's NHSBA delegate and is the chair of the Curriculum and Activities Committee. He is also a member of the Policy Committee and was the chairman of the Vision 20/20 Committee through the master plan review from 2009 to 2010.

"My wife Jacqueline and I chose to buy our first home in Somersworth in 2007," he said. "We love the sense of community and history that Somersworth has."

He said, "Serving on the board, giving back to the community and ensuring the quality education of our students has been very rewarding."

Hanlon sees the tax cap as a concern in the upcoming year as the board will need to work to provide the best education and services possible within its parameters. To be successful, he said it will be crucial for the board to communicate honestly with City Council and the community on what their needs are.

"I believe a truly successful school environment is a collaboration of rigorous high quality academic standards combined with the holistic whole-child approach that addresses all of our diverse students' talents and needs," he said.

Hanlon said this will also allow for more project-based learning integration.

"In this way we can help students, not only pass the tests, but also understand the big concepts, improve necessary communication skills and advance their leadership skills while increasing their creativity," he said.

Hanlon said technology in the classroom isn't important, it's necessary.

"We know that today certain areas of study change so rapidly that by the time we have upgraded our textbooks for a given subject, they are outdated. Moving forward with integrating more current technology not only ensures that we are providing our students with access to the most current information available, but could possibly save us money in the long run as well," he said.

Brennan, 40, of 8 Wilson St. has lived in the Hilltop City for seven years and has worked 17 years in the restaurant/hospitality industry, primarily as a manager.

Brennan attended the University of Southern Maine and has been married for 12 years to her husband, Fred Zinkevich. She has two children, Brooke, 16, and Dylan, 11.

Brennan is running for an at-large School Board seat to bring a "fresh and balanced perspective." She said she would like to more actively contribute to the community.

"Throughout my experience in several different levels of business leadership, I know what it takes to balance the budget with wants and needs," she said.

Brennan said she would like to be a part of determining if the "pay to play" process for student athletes can be eliminated.

"I believe that athletics play a very important role in developing a well rounded student," she said. "This should be an opportunity that does not come as an additional financial burden to the student athletes and their families."

Brennan believes everyone learns differently and "not every student is built to succeed at standardized testing." She said there needs to be several different ways to measure success.

Brennan would also like to continue to see technology integrated in the classroom.

"In my opinion, technology is very important in the classroom," she said. "In order for our students to move forward and have the current and up-to-date skills and technological knowledge, it is key to have this integrated in the classroom."

For Somersworth's future, she said she would like "to make Somersworth a destination of choice for residents, businesses, educators, students and anyone else who wants to come visit our wonderful city."

Pepin, 62, of 54 Rocky Hill Road believes she can make a difference. A lifelong resident of the city, she worked as a teaching assistant at Somersworth High School for 10 years and is now retired.

Pepin graduated from the Somersworth school system in 1969 and then went on to get her bachelor's degree in human services from NH Community Tech where she graduated Phi Theta Kappa with academic excellence.

She has been married to City Councilor Martin Pepin for 44 years and together they had three sons. She also has a "very spoiled" German Sheppard named Cait.

Pepin previously worked as a call dispatcher at the fire station, was a member of the call force for 22 years and was once the president of the Somersworth Firemen's Association.

Pepin was previously a Somersworth Children's Festival board member for about five years.

She sees the city's primary concern is balancing what it needs with what it can afford.

"Somersworth's future is whatever we all are willing to work for," she said.

Pepin would like to see 21st century learning and common core. "I believe we must continue to move forward with these, but at the same time incorporate the best of past practices," she said.

Pepin would like to see a change in the hiring process that puts equal value on those who are dedicated to the city rather than just the quality of their degrees and experience.

"We live in a tech world ... Without it in our classrooms they will never be successful competing for jobs in their futures."

Pepin said, "Success should be measured by a student reaching for their own personal high mark and helping them get the knowledge and tools to be happy, contributing and successful citizens."

Philpott, 63, of 342 Main St. has been a member of the board of directors of the Greater Somersworth Chamber of Commerce for 11 years and has served as the board's president and secretary.

For the past 22 years, Philpott has worked as the public relations director for The Homemakers Health Services. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter/photographer for a number of different newspapers and worked at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, France in the Commercial Affairs Department.

She has also been a member of Somersworth's Vision 2020 Committee and secretary of the Strafford Network Board.

Philpott has lived in Somersworth for 40 years and is married with one adult daughter and five grandchildren.

As she moved from one state to another and even to another country as a "military wife," Philpott's daughter's education was never one dictated by state standards. Philpott said her daughter is successful, so that while standardized testing may be used as an indicator of success, other measures should be incorporated, too.

Philpott would like to join the School Board because she believes in individual responsibility and wants to make an impact on the education Somersworth students are receiving.

"In this increasingly complex 21st century world, public schools have their work cut out for them in order to prepare all students for success after high school," she said. "While policymakers at the federal, state and local levels all have a role to play, I believe the supportive involvement of the community is the strongest guarantee that the challenge will be met."

She said of technology in the classroom, "It's extremely important for both students and teachers. It can be utilized by teachers to enhance the learning process and students definitely need to have technological devices available to them to utilize and learn."

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