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Community Council shares year-end update

To the Editor:

As the 2014-2015 school year comes to a close, Souhegan High School’s Community Council finishes another busy year. The community members that represent Amherst and Mont Vernon want to share an update from Souhegan High School’s governing body.

Currently, there are two proposals that have been discussed and will be voted on in the next few weeks. One of these proposals seeks to create a curriculum advisory committee. If approved by Community Council and the SAU 39 School Board, this committee would work with the administration in an advisory role regarding curriculum changes at Souhegan High School. Gigi Klipa, Souhegan’s dean of faculty, submitted this proposal, with the goal “to bring student perspective and voice,” to the curriculum process.

The second proposal recently brought to Community Council by Alex Bedard, a senior at Souhegan, seeks to increase the parking fee for students from $100 to $105, with the $5 increase going to Community Council operations and scholarships. Over the past few years, the Community Council has encountered increasing difficulty in raising funds. Unlike traditional student councils at other schools, the Community Council is a governing body of the school, and it currently doesn’t receive funding. Community Council funds provide for its operating expenses including office supplies, support for school activities such as FangFest – Souhegan’s school spirit week – and a small scholarship offered to a graduating senior.

In the past few months, the Council has also reviewed the following proposals: discontinuing participation of the NH Scholars program (this proposal failed, Souhegan continues to participate in the program); amending the school’s withdrawal policy to give students a WD on their transcript without a 0.0 factored into their GPA, if they withdraw before the halfway point in the academic year (this proposal passed and will take effect in the 2015-16 school year).

The Community Council is pleased to introduce the new executive council for the upcoming school year: Claire Foley, moderator; Rosie Garvey, clerk; Alex Glavin, communicator; Mitch Greany, treasurer. Paris Dzen will be working with Alex Glavin, as the communicator-in-training. We are sad to see two valuable community members leave their positions on the Council. Both Jane Nilles and Nan Stearns will not be returning next year. While we will miss them and their contributions made to the Souhegan community, we are pleased to welcome Terri Behm and Vanessa Foley as new community representatives, appointed by the Souhegan School Board.

In the last few weeks of school, the Council will continue reviewing proposals and preparing for the 2015-16 school year At-Large representative elections.

We welcome community participation and invite you to attend our meetings. Meetings are most Mondays from 2:20-3:20 p.m. at Souhegan High School. More information can be found at http://www.sau39.org/Page/256.

LESLIE FORMBY

Community member

Community Council of Souhegan High School