Seacoast School of Technology - New Student/Parent Information Night

Regional Career & Technical Center opens its doors to parents and community

Exeter - The Seacoast School of Technology (SST) in Exeter invites all area students, parents, community members and employers to its annual New Student/Parent Information Night on Wednesday, February 15^th from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

SST provides career and technical education programs designed to empower students by teaching them tangible, marketable skills.  Many of the programs are taught at the college level and enable students to earn college credit while completing their high school graduation requirements.  Over 75% of SST students will continue their education after graduation, and their technical, hands-on training makes them uniquely ready for both college and career.

Students from Epping, Exeter, Newmarket, Raymond, Sanborn Regional and Winnacunnet High Schools are eligible to choose from 12 different programs including Animal and Plant Science, Automotive Technologies, Biotechnology, Building Construction Technologies, Computer Programming, Culinary Arts, Digital Communications, Early Childhood Education, Health Science Technologies, Marketing Technologies, Pre-Engineering and Welding Technologies.

This year’s New Student/Parent Information Night will help students and their parents understand how combining a career and technical program with a traditional high school curriculum can better prepare students for life after graduation.  Staff will be on hand to give tours of the campus and to answer questions about the unique opportunities available to students at SST.  A special invitation is extended to middle school students and their parents to come and learn how technical education can be a part of their high school plans.

The Seacoast School of Technology is located at 40 Linden Street in Exeter.  Open House guests are asked to park either on the Tuck Learning Campus, or behind the former Exeter High School Annex.  For more information about the SST New Student/Parent Information Night, please call 775-8461 or visit www.SeacoastTech.com.

NH Republicans Hosting a Climate Conference? Really.

Warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, severe storms - all caused by man-made (and avoidable) carbon dioxide emissions - are having a dramatic effect on New Hampshire's Seacoast, its environment, its economy and the health of its residents.  Everyone is at risk from climate disruption. Democrats. Republicans. Independents. Everyone.  That's why the New Hampshire Carbon Action Alliance and enlightened New Hampshire Republicans -- that's right, REPUBLICANS --  are co-sponoring a day-long conference, Climate Change & New Hampshire's Seacoast, on Thursday, November 17, at the Portsmouth Harbor Events & Conference Center in downtown Portsmouth. The goal of the conference is to explain why climate change is a continuing threat to the well-being of the Seacoast region.  Ten speakers -- scientists, academics, businesspeople and one (Republican) politician -- share their research on how climate change is affecting New Hampshire and ideas about what we can do about it. (See complete program below). Presentations at the conference are evidence-based, science-driven, and non-confrontational. Media: click here for free registration.

____________________________________________________   Republicans want solutions, too. Really. For more than a century, Republicans have been leaders in fostering the protection of our environment and our natural resources.  Republicans have helped preserve public lands, wildlife, wilderness, and wetlands. Republicans have helped to keep our air clean and our water safe. Teddy Roosevelt helped protect our national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wild lands and waters for posterity. Another Republican president signed the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and created the Environmental Protection Agency. For decades, responsible Republicans have supported and extended these landmark measures. Should climate change legislation and the regulation of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases be treated differently? Listen to how one courageous Republican -- former Congressman Bob Inglis of South Carolina -- suggests how Republicans can help solve our nation's energy and climate problems and foster prosperity, too. Congressman Inglis' luncheon speech is being sponsored by:  Conservation is Conservative

_______________________________________________________  Climate Change & New Hampshire's Seacoast Thursday, November 17 - 8:30 - 5:00 Portsmouth Harbor Events & Conference Center (Downtown Portsmouth, NH, next to Marriott Residence Inn) Program 8:45 - Why are hurricanes becoming more powerful,            more destructive? Should the Seacoast be concerned?            Kerry Emanuel, Ph.D, Director, Program in Atmospheres, Oceans            &   Climate, Massachusetts Inst. of Technology. *     *     * 9:30 - Why are storms becoming more intense in New England?            Ellen Douglas, P.E., P.G., Ph.D, Environmental, Earth and Ocean            Sciences Program, Univ. of Massachusetts, Boston. *     *     * 10:30 - How climate change is impacting the Great Bay             and its estuaries.             Fred Short, Ph.D, Jackson Estuarine Laboratory,             University of New Hampshire. *     *     * 11:15 - Why are allergies and asthma getting worse along              the Seacoast? A clinician's perspective.              Mark Windt, MD, Center for Asthma, Allergy & Respiratory              Disease, North Hampton, NH. *     *     * Noon - Is There a Free Enterprise Fix to Energy and Climate?            Former Republican Congressman Bob Inglis, South Carolina. *     *     * 1:00 - Why are New Hampshire's sugar maples in trouble?            Martha Carlson, Sandwich, NH. Maple Syrup Producer, Forest            Watch & University of New Hampshire (Ph.D candidate). *     *     *  1:30 - Is the Seacoast prepared for heavy rains & flooding?           Bob Roseen, P.E, Ph.D, Director, Stormwater Center,           University of New Hampshire. *    *     * 2:00 - The Partisan Divide on Consensus:            Climate Views from a New National Survey.            Prof Larry Hamilton, Carsey Institute, Univ. of New Hampshire.   *     *     * 3:00 - New Jobs - Cleaner Air.            Anne Kelly, CERES, Boston, MA.   *     *     * 3:30 - New Hampshire: Birthplace of the modern wind farm.            Farrell Seiler, Chairman, New Hampshire Carbon Action Alliance.  *    *     * 4:00 - New Hampshire Climate Town Hall            Governors Mitt Romney (Invited) & John Huntsman (Invited)  ______________________________________________________ Climate Change & New Hampshire's Seacoast  Thursday - November 17 - 8:30 - 5 PM Portsmouth Harbor Conference & Events Center 100 Deer Street, Portsmouth New Hampshire (Downtown Portsmouth, NH, next to Marriott Residence Inn) For complete conference program, click here.   Media registration here _____________________________________________________  The New Hampshire Carbon Action Alliance is a grassroots organization committed to reducing the impacts of climate change by eliminating greenhouse gas emissions at their source. The Alliance believes that our nation's energy needs can be met by developing energy efficiency, by reducing energy demand and by stimulating the rapid deployment of clean, green, and renewable energy sources. New Hampshire Republicans for Climate is a grassroots group of enlightened Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents who acknowledge the scientific basis of global warming. NHRC supports vigorous government regulation of polluters and innovative free market solutions to energy, economic and environmental challenges posed by the unregulated emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

Seacoast Eat Local - Thanksgiving Holiday Farmers' Market November 19th, SNAP (foodstamps) now accepted at winter markets

A Locally Grown Cornucopia at the Winter Farmers’ Market November 19^th at Wentworth Greenhouses.

Make Your Thanksgiving Feast Locally Grown

On the Saturday before Thanksgiving, 50+ farmers and food producers will be offering their own farm-grown products from 10am-2pm at Seacoast Eat Local's 5th annual Holiday Farmers' Market indoors at the Wentworth Greenhouses in Rollinsford. Wentworth Greenhouses is located at 141 Rollins Road, a mile past Red's Shoe Barn of Dover.

One Stop Shopping For Thanksgiving

From cheese, milk, eggs, and butter to apple cider, pears, pie pumpkins, and apples, farmers and food producers will be offering a wide variety of foods for a completely delicious and local feast. There will be potatoes, carrots, winter squash, onions, beets, leeks, broccoli, parsnips, turnips, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts and salad greens.

Farms are taking pre-orders for turkeys (see www.seacoasteatlocal.org for details). A wide variety of beef, pork, poultry and will also be for sale. Dinner rolls, pre-baked pies from locally grown fruit, bread for stuffing, and honey and maple syrup.

Area food producers have pledged to a high standard of localism and will be offering ready to eat meals, soups and stews, sausages and more, utilizing local ingredients in their recipes.

New Website Makes It Easy To Shop The Market

Seacoast Eat Local has begun using an online resource to manage the Winter Farmers’ Markets, providing customers with exciting new ways to get to know participating farmers, what products will be for sale, and even where to find their market booths before arriving at the market. The full list of participating vendors, product search, and interactive market maps are online at www.seacoasteatlocal.org

SNAP/EBT Cards Now Accepted At The Market

SNAP (foodstamps) can now be used at the winter farmers’ market. With support from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Seacoast Eat Local will now be able to offer SNAP beneficiaries a way to purchase delicious local foods directly from farmers. SNAP customers will be able to swipe their EBT cards, and then use tokens to shop with approved vendors. With 15% of Americans now receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, alongside a crisis in health and obesity, it’s significant to be able to offer access to customers who seek healthful foods for their families.  

Rollinsford Benevolent Police Association to collect donations for Holiday Food Baskets

The police association will be on hand accepting donations of food – including fresh foods – for their Holiday Food Basket program, which last year fed over 200 people and supplied a boost to area food pantries. Shoppers are encouraged to purchase fresh foods to donate; pantries are seeing a sharp increase in demand for their services and those in need are also eager to eat wholesome foods. Potatoes, carrots, onions, salad greens – any product available for sale at the market would make a welcome donation. Farmers generously donate hundreds of pounds of foods at each market and the combined efforts of shoppers and farmers creates a significant positive impact in our community.

Purchasing locally grown food directly from area growers helps ensure our farms stay in business - keeping open space and good food growing in the seacoast and keeping dollars and jobs in our community. Market Sponsors for the 2011-2012 Winter Season include Underwriting Sponsor Veris Wealth Partners, LLC, Wentworth Greenhouses, and Exeter Hospital.

For more information, including a complete schedule of area winter farmers’ markets, visit www.seacoasteatlocal.org

Additional Information: Photos and Webtool links

The 5th Holiday Farmers' Market, will take place on November 19th at Wentworth Greenhouses from 10am-2pm. In addition to one stop shopping for delicious and local foods of every type and variety, we are please to announce that we are now able to accept SNAP/EBT (foodstamps) at the winter markets.

We are also excited to share features of our new website that will help shoppers plan ahead for the markets if they wish, including interactive market maps to know where farmers are located within the market, product searching and more. All of these tools can be found at http://seacoasteatlocal.org/find-local-food/our-winter-farmers-market/

Courtesy promotional photos


NH CIder Works Apples: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoasteatlocal/5193402916/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Stout Oak Farm Winter Squash and Pumpkins: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoasteatlocal/5193415220/sizes/l/in/set-72157625433745884/

Wake Robin Farm Broccoli: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoasteatlocal/5196200558/sizes/l/in/set-72157625433745884/

RJ Joyce and Susan McGeough of White Gate Farm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoasteatlocal/5272473542/sizes/l/in/set-72157625500721851/

SNAP Accepted Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/seacoasteatlocal/6334828698/sizes/l/in/photostream/

NH Carbon Action Alliance - "Climate Change & New Hampshire's Seacoast" - Nov. 17, Portsmouth

Seacoast School of Technology FFA Members earn awards at the 84th National FFA Convention in October, 2011

Exeter- Members of the Seacoast School of Technology FFA Chapter recently traveled to Indianapolis, IN to compete in the 84^th National FFA Convention.  The convention drew over 48,000 FFA members from across the country to compete in 22 Career Development events.

The national convention attendees, who are students in Anne DeMarco’s Animal & Plant Science program at the Seacoast School of Technology in Exeter, earned the privilege of representing New Hampshire at the national level based upon their performance in last spring’s state competition. 

Charlotte Faria, Kelsey Mathouser and Meghan Abrahamson, all seniors at Exeter High School, each competed in the Dairy Cattle Evaluation event.  In this event, FFA members judge six classes of dairy cattle, linear classify five Holstein cows, competitively evaluate four sets of dairy pedigrees, complete a sire selection and dairy management exercise, and give four sets of oral justification on their individual placing of dairy cattle.  As a team they earned a bronze rating, and as individuals Charlotte earned a silver medal and Kelsey and Meghan each earned bronze.

The Livestock Judging team consisted of Michaela Kirby from Exeter HS, Tiffany Leith from Exeter HS, and Alayna Perkins, who graduated last year from Winnacunnet HS and is currently studying Animal Science at the UNH Thompson School.  Each of these team members earned individual bronze medals and together garnered bronze honors for their team performance.  While competing in this event each member had to evaluate classes of beef, sheep, swine and meat goats, give an oral presentation for each class of animal, and complete a written exam. Additionally, the team had to evaluate production records to determine the best quality of livestock for a breeding program.

The Seacoast School of Technology also sent an Agricultural Sales team, which earned an overall bronze for their work in presenting a sales campaign, completing a written test, working through a team sales situation, and completing a practicum designed to generate new customers.  Members of the Agricultural Sales team were Brain Berridge from the Great Bay eLearning Charter School, who sold quality chicken feed, Josh Boswell from Epping HS, who sold his Boswell Pet Finder, Hannah Proulx from Raymond HS, who presented her environmentally safe equine predator flies, and Jessica Downing from Sanborn Regional HS, who sold Downing Farm Fresh Eggs.

Victoria Bussey, of the Great Bay eLearning Charter School, also attended the convention and served as the State of NH Flag bearer at numerous events.

The National FFA, formerly known as Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of 523,309 members, all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. The FFA Mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing leadership, fostering personal growth, and encouraging career success through agricultural education.