April 30, 2020
Editor Marilyn Bedell/Meeting notes taken by Bruce Pacht
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We are still social distancing
No face to face meetings
Harvest Hill is closed to the public
due to COVID-19.
Zoom Meetings
A decision was made to hold weekly Zoom meetings.
We will be meeting every
Thursdays at 5:30 PM
Please join us if you can!!
Need to learn how to join a Zoom Meeting? Click Here
Our Next Meeting will be
Thursday, May 7, 2020 at 5:30 PM
A link to the next web meeting will be sent by e-mail
Reminder, you can join the meeting by desktop computer, tablet, smart phone, and landlines
Our Speaker on May 7, 2020 will be Bob Sherman,
Great Eastern Radio
Great Eastern Radio, based in West Lebanon, owns 16 stations spanning Central Vermont, New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, and the Upper Valley. Whether you’re looking for oldies, talk radio, sports, or the best hits of today, Great Eastern has it all. Q 106, KIXX 100.5, Kool 93.9/96.3, GXL 92.3, ESPN Radio 94.5 (1230AM-1400AM), and The River 106.7
Our Speaker on May 14, 2020 will be Rotary Foundation Trustee Julia Phelps
Trustee 2017-20
Rotary Club of Amesbury
Massachusetts, USA
Julia Phelps, who began her career in education in 1976, is the associate commissioner for the Center for Curriculum and Instruction for the state of Massachusetts. She served on the board of the Amesbury Educational Foundation Inc. and the John Ashford Link House Inc.
A Rotarian since 1997, Phelps has served as director, vice chair of RI’s Audit Committee, Rotary Foundation alumni coordinator, and district governor. She is a member of the Operations Review Committee.
Phelps is a Major Donor, Benefactor, multiple Paul Harris Fellow, and a member of the Bequest Society. She is a recipient of The Rotary Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service.
Our Speaker on May 21, 2020 will be Susan Mooney, MD, MS, FACOG, President and Chief Executive Officer at APD
Sue Mooney, MD, MS, FACOG has been the President and CEO of Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital since April of 2013.
She completed her undergraduate degree at Princeton University, her Medical Education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and her residency at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
She joined the Medical Staff at APD in 2000 as a fulltime Obstetrician/Gynecologist and continued in that role until 2005 when she took a leave of absence to pursue fellowship training as a Veterans Administration Quality Scholar. During that two year period of time, she received a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Quality Improvement from the Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth (now The Dartmouth Institute). Upon her return to APD, she became the Medical Director of Quality and ultimately the Chief Medical Officer before transitioning to her current role.
Dr. Mooney is passionate about improving the quality of care that APD provides to patients
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Moorings
The start of our meeting was a little disjointed as our guest speaker hadn't arrived to the Zoom meeting. Marilyn enlisted Bruce Pacht to give him a call. While Bruce did this, we began with the ringing of the bell, and we all mumbled through the reciting of the 4-way Test. This was followed by happy thoughts, and a couple of our announcements. We were then delighted to see that John Higgins was able to join our meeting, and he launched into providing an update about the Ledyard Charter School.
Our Speaker
John Higgins, EXECUTIVE Director of Ledyard Charter School
John apologized for joining us beyond our start time. He shared that he was just off the phone with the bank, and he has been working with USDA. He is trying to secure 39 Hanover St as a permanent home for the Ledyard Charter School. The goal is to get a Rural Development loan at very low interest rate. If this can be approved, it would be great for the future of the school, and they could expand to adding 7th and 8th grade students.
Running the school has been turned upside down by COVID-19.
The school has support from local school districts. Mascoma and Grantham as well as Lebanon District. They have a strong partnership with these schools, as they take students who might not reach graduation without the Charter's school alternative ways used to help students learn and grow academically. We look at ourselves as a partner and community support to public education. Collaboration with them has lowered the drop-out rate and gotten more diplomas to kids. Getting kids to graduation is their validation that what we are doing for our students is worthwhile. Ledyard Charter School isn’t a competitor – it is a partner trying to contribute to helping everyone in our community.
COVID-19 has required them to do remote learning. John shared the the school started a “Blizzard Bag” program two years ago because if we get done 80% of the work scheduled on a snow day, the day counts toward the number of days we have to operate in the school year. This was their first leap into distance education, and has helped prepare them for distance learning during social distancing.
Although not every student had computers and/or WiFi at home, the school lent out equipment and made arrangements for WiFi for 18 families. This still left about 4 families without access. For these students come to the school to pickup and drop off of books and materials/assignments. Fortunately, these students of transportation to make picking-up and dropping-off assignments possible.
Again if they are able to get the loans to purchase 39 Mascoma Street, John is hoping to expand to 7th and 8th grade. He is working with districts to see if there’s a need for alternative education for middle school kids and it does seem that there is a need. There would be space at 39 Hanover Street for the additional students.
John Stated they enroll 40 students. He shared that 40 is a good target and we’ve been operating at that level, graduating 9-10 students a year. We’ve had a waiting list a couple of years – 42 is our high water mark. Sometimes they accept kids needing just a few credits to graduate.
Success stories
- Student came late in freshman year, a tough start. Mother came in embarrassed – three previous children had not graduated from High School. That boy graduated and now in his second semester at community college in Concord. While at Ledyard, he was still able to participate local sports at his sending district in junior and senior years. If he hadn’t had an alternative education, this child probably would have followed his older brothers’ path of not achieving a high school diploma. Ledyard was able to kept him connected to his community while receiving an alternative education.
- A student came to Ledyard in 9th grade. During the summer time she met a boy and was planning to return to LHS. She started 10th grade at LHS. Ten days into that year, she asked to return – Her anxiety was so high at big building she just knew she couldn't succeed their. In her senior year, was accepted to American/ Japanese abroad study program and did 6 weeks of study in Japan after graduating. She graduated from Hartford Tech program after 2 years. Now works full-time at DHMC
John is trying to sort out if there can be a summer program. Last year summer school was supported by 1 teacher. This year hope to have a total of 3 teachers. John worried where our learners will be after this odd 4th quartet with remote learning. Priority is to make sure students have reached the competency levels for their grades. He is working on a grant to engage within the building (or remotely) for 8 weeks, a curriculum of one quarter of “recovery credits.”
For the seniors it is working to get them to the finish line and do a meaningful graduation ceremony. Governor Sununu will give us guidelines on Friday. As of May 11, we will use a special education model under CDC to re-engage our students. Each teacher will be back in the building 1 day/week while continuing remote learning. One senior may visit with that teacher at a time and then rotate that student with other teachers. Most students have their own transportation. Everyone at the school will be required to mask masks, temperatures taking will be done for all entering the school, gloves will be available We’ll set up student/teacher at 6’ distance. The goal is to help the students feel connected.
Normally anyone would be welcome to attend our graduation ceremony, but social distancing will limit what may be possible. Johns goal is to find a way to make it very meaningful for the student and their parents. One idea is to have an outdoor ceremony – a table up front; everyone separated by 6’, then engage the parents in the process. Ask parent to hand diploma to their child – There would be a lot of virtual high-fiving or hugging going on. So far, we’ve stayed within our school calendar. If 4th quartet learning goes well, we could meet the state timeline that will permit the seniors to graduate on time..
The Kilton book given in honor of John Higgins is Out of This World: The Surreal Art of Leonora Carrington.
A gorgeously illustrated picture book biography about the fascinating life of surrealist artist Leonora Carrington, from Michelle Markel and Amanda Hall, the acclaimed team behind The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau.
Ever since she was a little girl, Leonora Carrington loved to draw on walls, in books, on paper—and she loved the fantastic tales her grandmother told that took her to worlds that shimmered beyond this one, where legends became real.
Leonora’s parents wanted her to become a proper English lady, but there was only one thing she wanted, even if it was unsuitable: to be an artist. In London, she discovered a group of artists called surrealists, who were stunning the world with their mysterious creations. This was the kind of art she had to make. This was the kind of person she had to be.
From life in Paris creating art alongside Max Ernst, to Mexico where she met Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, Leonora’s life became intertwined with powerful events and people that shaped the twentieth century.
Out of This World is the powerful, stunningly told story of Leonora Carrington, a girl who made art out of her imagination and created some of the most enigmatic and startling works of the last eighty years.
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SHARING HAPPY THOUGHTS OR CONCERNS:
- John Yacavone – remembering our Zoom meetings – they’ve all been bad weather! It nice being able to stay at home and join the virtual meeting.
- Hank Clarke began a listing of trips that have been cancelled. He has officially canceled our trip to New Mexico for the Balloon festival.
- Jane Mason has canceled her cruise to the Caribbean next January.
- Ernst Ointmann has canceled trip his trip to Taiwan and Japan.
- Bruce Pacht cancelled his trip with his son to Canada.
- Ron and Marilyn Bedell had already cancelled their cruise to Alaska that was to be followed by going to the RI convention in Hawaii.
- Ernst Ointmann then shared that he has started to transcribe his father’s diary from the last few months of the war in Holland. He is up to page 20 and has many pages to go. At some point he may have enough material to do a program about the diaries. Ernst met Paul Tierney on a walk; they talked for about half an hour.
- Rudy Fedrizzi shared that he has a birthday last week (to be cherished nowadays). He then went on to tell us that today he started a course called Science of Happiness at 2.8 million people taking it through Yale. Rudy will include it in Currents this week so anyone can jump on. It’s free.
- After the meeting, Rudy sent this message: Here is an article with a link to the most popular course at Yale, now free to anyone. Lord knows we all need more happiness now.
Please share with the club.
- JoAnn Lemieux just completed a course on contract law with Harvard. Many of us reflected that a course on Happiness sounded like more fun.
- Steve Whitman announced his greenhouse is full of small plants – let Steve know if you want plants...broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, eggplant.
- Ernst – the Adams farm cut down lots of trees to open sun to their fields. Could be an opening to cutting cord-wood?
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ANNOUNCEMENTS/UPDATES
- Rich Wallace - has agreed to be our Membership Chair. Thank you, Rich!
- Paul Tierney – minimal goals for 2020/2001– 47 a net gain of 1 members is the new target. To reach this goal we will need to recruit at least 5 new members as some members will leave the club. 300 volunteer/service hours; 1 member will join a Rotary Action Group; 10 member will participate in a leadership development activity; Four member will attend the District Conference; One member will join a Rotary fellowship group; four members will participate in District projects, programs, committees. Paul will try re-sending the goal in a different format. We, either as a board or a club or a subcommittee will need to come up with a better description. of the goals Paul invites everyone to contribute, to participate in a meeting to decide what we want to do.
- John Yacavone gave us an update on upcoming speakers. They are listed at the beginning of the newsletter
- Rotary International COVID-19 Telethon will be on Saturday at 10 AM. See info at the beginning of the newsletter.
Listen Dinners 2020
NEXT DINNER (very tentative) June 9, 2020
Cook team to arrive at Listen at 3:30 PM
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Gathering on Thursday, May 14, 2020 - Cancelled
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27th Bedell Classic
GOLF TOURNAMENT
Cancelled 
Goal is to reschedule later in the year. Stay tuned for the Golf Committee's new plan
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2020 Holiday Party and Yankee Swap
It's never to early to plan...Mark you calendars now, our 2020 Holiday Party and Famous Yankee Swap! It will be on Thursday, December 17, 2020, at the Quechee Inn at Marshland Farms. Cost will be the same as 2019...$40/person.
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