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Schools

Gold Award Girl Scout Spotlights the Arts at Her High School

Abigail Robinson creates arts and literary magazine at Souhegan High School

      AMHERST, NH – Athletes have long been the stars of their high schools, with trophies and banners on display. With the focus on STEM over the past few years, more attention is now paid to those involved in math and science. But what about those who excel in the arts? Thanks to Gold Award Girl Scout Abigail Robinson, these students are getting their chance in the spotlight at Souhegan High School. 

      The Souhegan Literary and Arts Magazine is both the culmination and the title of Robinson’s Girl Scout Gold Award project. The Amherst 17-year-old spent more than 80 hours working

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to change the perception of students involved in the arts to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award - the highest honor available to a Girl Scout in grades 9-12.

Robinson was determined to give the artists, writers, photographers, and others involved in the arts at her school the recognition she felt they deserve. To do so, she decided to create a literary and arts magazine online to showcase the work of students at her school – and develop the framework to keep the magazine running in the future.

      “My eyes were opened to how many artists there are at my school who I wouldn’t necessarily think were artists’” she said. “Students don’t have to take a lot of art classes to be artists. I learned that there are students at my school who are so much more talented than I originally thought, for there were some pieces that blew me away.”

      Becoming involved in the school’s newspaper, The Claw, led to Robinson’s project. Her advisor, teacher Adam Theriault, encouraged Robinson to stretch her skills both at the newspaper and with her arts magazine. 

      “She put countless hours in,” said Theriault. “She started planning meetings and managing an editorial staff. Getting submissions is the hardest thing to do, and she did it. We didn’t have a really strong platform for a literary magazine.”      He noted that Robinson really ran with the project and will support it going forward. “One of the things that we talked about was it continuing” he said. “Kids in the past

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Submissions included in Abigail Robinson’s Gold Award project, Souhegan Literary and Arts Magazine.

Clockwise from top left: drawing called “The Death of Eos” by Jay Levesque; a photo by Jules Hazen – “I Am Brave”; “Pointe,” a photo by Robinson; and “Sólheimajökul” by Chloe Grund. The magazine also includes poetry and short stories.

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have started something and by the time they’re a senior it fizzles because they haven’t recruited younger grades into the mix. Abbie wanted to get younger kids on the staff. She’s already recruited some onto the editorial staff.”

“Next year, my senior year, I’m going to work on it again,” she said. “I’m going to try to get incoming freshman involved in it.”

      The Souhegan Literary and Arts Magazine can be seen at https://shsslam.wixsite.com/slam1.

      This outstanding student who also plays field hockey, competes in alpine skiing, track and field when not writing, editing, or taking photographs, said she has a “big list of colleges I’m looking at.” 

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New Hampshire Back to School Guidance

CONCORD, NH – Today, the State of New Hampshire released Back-To-School guidance for New Hampshire schools. This guidance offers a roadmap for school districts across the state to reopen safely. In keeping with New Hampshire’s longstanding commitment to local control, the State allowing school districts flexibility and is offering guidance that public health officials believe can allow for safe in-person classroom instruction.

“We all share a goal in getting our kids back to school safely and believe this guidance allows schools to open , but we know each school district will have a different path forward,” said Governor Chris Sununu. “Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, this is a guide that values local control, and helps each school district make the best decision for their students and teachers.” 

      “This guidance provides concrete steps schools can take to re-open with built in layers of protection to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, while also allowing school systems the flexibility to establish a process that will help them meet the unique needs of their student populations and communities,.” Said State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan. “The novel coronavirus is still present in our state and our communities, and as with any re-opening during the pandemic, school officials have the difficult task of maximizing the benefits of students returning to school and minimizing or mitigating the risks of spreading COVID-19 in schools. We will continue to work with individual schools, school districts and the broader education community to support their efforts to reopen in a safe manner.”

      “I want to thank the thousands of experts, parents, teachers, school leaders and community members who provided invaluable input to the School Transition Reopening and Redesign Taskforce in the development of our reopening guidance,” said Education

Commissioner Frank Edelblut. “We expect students to be back in school in September, with local schools making decisions that work for their communities. These plans should emphasize good hygiene practices and mitigation procedures that are appropriate for their communities. Schools should be prepared to accommodate students and staff with underlying health risks, and have a robust response plan in place if coronavirus is detected. Nothing can ever eliminate all risk, but we must balance that risk with the need to educate New Hampshire children.”

Student and staff safety remain the primary factor in developing these recommendations, recognizing that, through various mitigation efforts, risk can be reduced. With these recommendations, schools can fully reopen for in-person instruction in a safe manner.

 Among the highlights: 

  • Robust daily screening process for staff, students and visitors for symptoms of COVID-19 or risk factors for exposure prior to entering the educational facility.

  • Recommendation for classroom arrangement to minimize close contact between students.

  • Masks are not mandated for students when seated in the classroom, but are recommended in circumstances when physical distancing cannot be maintained.

  • Educators and staff who are working with students are also encouraged to wear a face cloth covering when physical distancing is difficult to maintain.

  • Masks are mandated for all outside visitors when visiting a school.

  • Plans for how a school can provide in-person education as well remote-learning options for those who choose not to return to school for health or safety reasons.

  • District transportation plans must implement safety protocols that are realistic and not overly disruptive of the instructional models.

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