Kids interested in football likely will be interested in attending the 2005 National Football League Pepsi Punt, Pass and Kick competition on Saturday, Aug. 27.

Hosted by Neighborhood News Inc., the free skills competition, taking place at Goffstown Mountain View Middle School’s soccer and hockey fields, is open to boys and girls ages 8 to 15. It’s set to begin at 9 a.m. and will run until every registered attendee has had a chance to participate and has been scored.

Participants should register online at www.nflyouth football.com, and bring the registration form to the event, along with a copy of his/her birth certificate to prove eligibility to compete.

Top scorers in each age division of this local competition will advance to the sectional competition, which will take place on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October.

This is a wonderful event for area children, and one that Neighborhood News has hosted in previous years. We encourage area children to come on out Saturday and show off their talents in a fun atmosphere. It’s a perfect way to kick off the fall football season and to spend some time with fellow athletes.

Questions? Call Marc Thaler, sports editor and coordinator of the event, at 314-0447, ext. 48. If he’s out, leave a message and he’ll get back to you. Or visit www.nflyouthfootball.com.

See you Saturday!

Editorials published by Neighborhood News Inc. are written by an editorial board. The board is composed of Publisher and President Amy J. Vellucci, Executive Editor Ginger Kozlowski and Managing Editor Christine Heiser.

To the Editor:
The Goffstown School Board asks you to join us in welcoming a new school year. There are already many things happening within our schools in preparation for an exciting and unique year for all our students. We welcome a number of new staff and the continuation of our veteran educators. Among several of the changes to look for this school year are the following: a transition to a trimester schedule for grades 1 to 8; the publication of the District Report Card, the beginning of construction of our long-awaited kindergarten, changes in school hours and much more.

If you are a parent or guardian of a school-aged child, please take a moment to read through the information sent home from your student’s school or teacher, remembering to return those completed papers as soon as possible. This information is important for our school records and enables us to serve you and your child effectively.

To help parents remain informed, the board has developed an e-mail service through which the board will periodically send district information to anyone wishing to receive this information via their e-mail. To sign up, please go to the district Web site at www.Goffstown.k12.nh.us and submit your e-mail address. Your board members’ e-mail addresses are also posted so that you can contact each of us as well.

As I mentioned above, this year grades 1 to 8 will be working on a trimester system of assessment reporting. There will be three report cards sent home, as well as progress reports. Please see your child’s agenda/handbook for more information on how this will work. This system will allow more time for students needing support to improve their grades and will also provide additional learning time before report cards, given the amount of time it takes to conduct the local- and state-required assessments in the fall and spring. Any student demonstrating difficulty early in the trimester will be identified by his/her teachers and the parents will be notified early in the term. We want to provide the support necessary for all our students to succeed. Parent involvement in this process is critically important.

The school hours are changed slightly as well. Bartlett, Maple Ave. and Mountain View will start at 8:40 a.m. and end at 3:10 p.m. GHS will start at 7:50 a.m. and end at 2:41 p.m. Watch for bus schedules in The Goffstown News.

The District Report Card has been published and is available at each school. This is a document filled with statistical information about Goffstown schools which may be of interest to you. This report is available on our Web site as well.

Our kindergarten project is moving along. We have completed the subdivision and anticipate the signing of the deed very shortly. We have applied for all required permits and continue to move forward through the review and approval process at the state level.

We have presented a site plan to our planning board and received valuable input from their perspective as well as input from the town department heads. We plan to return to the planning board in early September for a follow-up presentation. Ground breaking for this long-anticipated project should be in September, with a grand opening for our kindergartners in September 2006.

In spite of a few letters in the paper against this project site, please be assured that the board is following all appropriate steps necessary to bring this project to a successful completion. We have taken and continue to take all appropriate measures to assure that the positive voter results to fund this project on the selected site is upheld. Your elected representatives and expert consultants are following the correct process, performing the necessary studies and working within the correct avenues to see this project through in the best interest of our entire community. Your repeated and continued support for this very worthwhile project is greatly appreciated. The site selected was done so after years of requesting input from town officials and the public, and we are confident that the Glen Lake site will serve us well not only now but in the future. Our engineers and expert consultants have been hard at work studying and documenting what we need to do in order to complete the project. Watch for information about our ground-breaking ceremony coming soon. Information on this project is again available on our Web site and will soon be updated.

Our high school and middle school are both starting the self-assessment process of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NES&C). This is a cyclical accreditation review process, which will help us improve our education processes. Goffstown High School is starting this fall and Mountain View will begin in the fall of 2006. Your input will be important in this process as it goes through the next three to four years. It is an excellent way for any school community to reflect and document what they are doing and how they can do even better.

The school board remains grateful for your support and your excitement for bringing the best education we can to all our children.

Ellen Vermokowitz, Goffstown School Board
chairman

To the Editor:
Twenty-four-year-old Misty Boucher Brisiel is a beloved member of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Goffstown, whose wish, following the death of her husband, Sgt. Randy Rosenberg, in Iraq last year, was to dedicate a memorial acknowledging the loved ones of those who gave of themselves in extraordinary ways for their community, church or country.

Misty’s family, friends and parish community constructed a modest copper and flagstone fountain bordered by granite edges and two large granite slabs from the original parish house foundation to form Misty’s Memorial.

It was dedicated May 29, 2005, on the church grounds following the baptism of young Jacob Allard, Misty’s nephew. Melissa Frost, Misty’s sister, was recently married at St. Matthew’s. The two young women grew up in the church.

The recent family celebrations were a welcome change from the shattering sadness of January 2004, when Misty’s husband became the first New Hampshire soldier killed in Iraq.

The outpouring of support and sympathy was commendable and genuine. So was the unshakable respect and support for our young soldiers and their families, even in the midst of real questions about the war itself, its reasons, scope and whether our young people were properly equipped.

Over the last 18 months, Misty and thousands of others have struggled to stand tall in the face of pain and loss. Her faith, family, friends and church have been a help to her all the way.

Misty’s Memorial is intended to be a safe and holy place where the loved ones of those who gave of themselves in extraordinary ways may come in thanks and solidarity.

St. Matthew’s Church office is honored to keep a Book of Honor as record of those individuals, and their loved ones, who gave of themselves for the welfare and peace of their community, church or country. For details, contact St. Matthew’s at 497-2003 or office@stmattsepiscopal.org.

As Episcopalian Christians, we are people dedicated to the example of Jesus Christ. He and those who loved him literally offered themselves to make homes, communities and nations places of safety, healing, justice and generous human kindness.

Misty’s Memorial is a sign of encouragement for all of us to go and do likewise, while honoring those in our lives who have already done their part.

Rev. William E. Exner
rector at St. Matthew’s

To the Editor:
I would like to help support real efforts to get soda and junk foods out of schools and expose the soda industries’ recent half-measures of pulling soda machines out of the elementary schools.

Given that poor diet and obesity are problems among teens, soda has no place in America’s high schools and middle schools, which are much bigger markets for soda companies than elementary schools.

Children’s diets are too high in calories, saturated fat, trans fat, refined sugars and sodium, which contribute to health problems such as obesity, heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and tooth decay. Over the last two decades, rates of obesity have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents.

The federal government invests significant resources in the school meal programs and has strong nutrition standards for those meals. Foods sold out of vending machines, school stores and other venues do not have to meet similar nutrition standards. Selling low-nutrition foods in schools undermines the national investment in school meals, undermines parents’ ability to feed their children a healthy diet and undermines children’s health.

Citizens need to urge Congress to act now by passing legislation that calls on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to update its nutrition standards for foods sold out of vending machines, snack lines and other venues to rid schools of junk food and provide more healthy food choices to children.

Stephanie Herlihy
Dunbarton

To the Editor:
Owning your own property?

Medvil is always touting own your own property and have a say in managing the co-op, when in reality residents would own a share of the co-op, which includes a share in all the park bills.

Since the inception of Medvil, you have not had a say in how the co-op spent money or what the rules are. Actions speak louder than words, so why would it change in the future?

It is the wish of many residents that Hometown America will purchase the park. We know what Hometown’s four-year plan is, and the increases are within reach of the current residents.

Why would anyone want to increase their rent by $100 to $200 a month for uncertainty when Hometown’s increase would be $15 per month?

We doubt that anyone would buy a car or house without knowing what the cost was going to be. People don’t even buy groceries without knowing. Why in the world would you vote to pay out $12 million without knowing the effect on your budget?

Doesn’t make sense to us.

Roger and Marilyn Buxton
The Village of Glen Falls
Goffstown