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AMHERST – Lorraine Alice Hamilton of Amherst, New Hampshire, Beach Haven, New Jersey and Rancho Mirage, California died June 14, 2020 from pancreatic cancer at her home in California. She was 73 years old and a participant in the trial of a new cancer drug at NYU Langone in New York City since April 2019. She hoped that results from the trial would improve care for other patients who develop this cancer. She was with her family when she died and was
Letters
AMS Principal Stepping Down
To the editor:
While mother nature certainly has us fooled this week, Spring truly is here! Spring is a time of transitions, growth, and new beginnings. At the middle school, we’ve begun planning for next year, helping our 8th graders set their sites on high school, and setting teams as well as determining electives and courses.
This spring will also mark the beginnings of a transition in leadership at AMS. At the close of this school year, I will be making a transition to write the next chapter in my professional life and stepping aside as the principal to pursue opportunities outside of SAU39. It has been a privilege to serve the families of Mont Vernon and Amherst over the past seven years.
I am so very proud of our community of learners and all that we have accomplished during this time. I am committed and dedicated to helping us close out another year of learning at AMS and to collaborating with the SAU and all of AMS to help a new leader step into our incredible school. I have been assured that a principal search will commence immediately. Thank you for entrusting your children into my care. It has been an honor.
With deepest regards,
Bethany Bernasconi
Amherst
To the editor:
We have survived another contested and contentious election, and I believe we will all be better in the long run. There really is no need for gloating or sucking sour grapes, as we are all neighbors in a very small town. We congratulate those who prevailed in their positions, and we wish for them that they will serve successfully and with honor. We congratulate all candidates, and honor them for stepping up with a desire to serve our community.
The members of the JFAC have worked hard at presenting the town with information and making their case for a new building. These are great hard-working people in our community and they have and will continue to make great contributions. They uncovered issues with the physical plant, and this whole experience has uncovered some serious flaws in the governance and administration, not only the physical plant, but the schools, in general.
Yet the fact remains that the community is not on board with the need to build a new school – especially when one considers that 60% is needed to pass such a bond, but 62% of the voters said no. We can talk about blame; however, it might be beneficial to look at areas of improvement and to put together plans to do what it takes to fix what is broken with our schools.
Our school boards will hopefully take more assertive positions with SAU administration, insisting on more widely acceptable quantifiable and verifiable measures that prove our children are receiving the absolute best possible education. Hopefully our school boards will find ways to have real dialog with our teachers to achieve this. To prevent future election disappointments, our school boards must find ways to have real discourse with the community. Though we live in a small town, we still need a plan that we all agree upon and contribute to.
Lastly, we voters and community members should take a look within ourselves. We are an extremely successful and generous community. Given the wealth of insight and experience among members of our community, it would be incredibly beneficial if more residents would get involved. This is a watershed moment! More of us must engage at all levels. I personally can't sit on the sidelines anymore, the stakes are too high for all of us. For those who have great ideas and want to work, can we join with those already engaged?
Faithfully,
Dwayne Purvis
Amherst
Let's Fix What is Broken
JOINT PRESS STATEMENT
SAU #39 School Board and SAU #39 Superintendent Adam Steel
The SAU #39 School Board announces that on March 11, 2022 its Superintendent Adam Steel submitted his notice of resignation. In accordance with his contractual obligation, the resignation will take effect on September 7th, 2022. The SAU #39 School Board is already taking steps to appoint an Interim Superintendent to succeed Mr. Steel for the 2022-2023 school year. Mr. Steel will complete the current school year in the role of Superintendent and will then transition to a supportive role as the Interim Superintendent assumes those duties. During the coming weeks, Mr. Steel and the future Interim Superintendent will be working together on a Transition Plan which we expect to be presented for approval at the SAU #39 School Board’s May meeting.
The SAU #39 School Board wishes to express its sincere appreciation for the five plus years Mr. Steel has served the communities of Amherst and Mont Vernon. We also acknowledge the many accomplishments he achieved during these years for our school community.
We wish him the very best in his future endeavors.
Superintendent Adam Steel:
“I would like to offer sincere gratitude to the communities of Amherst and Mont Vernon for the opportunity to serve you and your students these past six years. It has been an honor to represent you through the challenges and triumphs of our schools.
My family and I have made the decision to seek new adventures and opportunities outside of serving as a school superintendent. While I am not sure what the future holds, I am confident I will continue to seek leadership opportunities that allow me to support the best interest and well-being of children. My family will be leaving the area with fond memories of being a part of a strong and engaged community that values education, supports the needs of students, and respects the collective best interest of all residents.
I will have more to share as my time officially winds down, but for now, please know I am excited for the future of our schools and remain proud of the work we have done together in SAU #39. Our schools have grown, risen to new heights, and embraced challenges well. Our teachers have selflessly and tirelessly met the needs of students in new ways, our nurses have become public health experts and advisors helping to develop effective practices through the pandemic, our paraprofessionals have continued to be the lifeblood of the operation of our schools, our custodians and facilities staff have developed renewed vigor for keeping our schools clean and respectable to our community, our office support staff have become air traffic controllers for supporting the countless and unique needs of every student and staff member, our school nutrition services workers have learned new techniques and even became delivery drivers for a time, and our school administrators have extended their skills and knowledge to improve the quality of instruction to our students.
I am proud and humbled to have served with such an incredible team of principals and SAU administrators who have worked to find new solutions to common challenges in schools.
Thank you to the many school board members with whom I have served. I am most appreciative of the ways we have worked together to meet the needs of our students while matching the expectations of our community. Thank you for entrusting me with the opportunity.”
