Nelson Grapevine March 2013

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GRAPEVINE-2 News for Nelson and Munsonville

March 2013

Winter Issue

SOPHIA’S SAMPLER

SULLIVAN STUDENTS COME TO NELSON he decision is in and Sullivan has received the necessary votes to move forward immediately with their withdrawal process from the Monadnock Regional School District. They have formed a provisional school board and selected schools for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year. Sullivan is working to transition their upper grade students to Keene High School, their 7th and 8th grade students to the Keene Middle School, and they have chosen the Nelson School for their elementary students. There is a phasing-over process where older students in each school segment are “grand-fathered” such that they can choose to switch schools or to stay in their current school until graduation to the

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REMEMBER:

Nelson School District Meeting Friday, March 8 Nelson Town Meeting Tuesday, March 12 Voting for all offices is done on March 12th

Volume 30, No. 1

next school level. This means that students who would be next year’s 5th and 6th graders have the choice to stay in the Gilsum Elementary School or transition to the Nelson School this fall. The budget that the school board presented at the school district public hearing on January 9th did not reflect this happy circumstance. The budget that we walked thru that evening reflected the cost of educating Nelson students only, in the current configuration. The school board had preliminary projections for a NelsonSullivan combination which we reviewed with the public, hoping that Nelson would be selected. The Nelson board believed it was safer to take a more conservative approach until Sullivan’s decision was finalized. The School budget that is on the warrant and will be presented at the Nelson School district meeting in March has been updated and now reflects the merge of the Sullivan students into the Nelson School. The number of students who will join us is not absolute at this time, because Sullivan parents are still making their student placement choices. The range will be between 25 to 35 students - higher numbers in kindergarten and first grade, because that is the current demographic; and lower numbers in 5th (continued on page 3)

by Bert Wingerson ast September, a remarkable part of Nelson’s past found its way back to the town where it was made over 200 years ago. A sampler stitched by Sophia Griffin in 1801 was given to the Nelson Town Archives by Nancy and Ray Fos t er wh o traveled all the way from St. Petersburg, Florida to deliver it. Most young girls of that time made samp lers to demonstrate t h e i r proficiency with needle and thread. Sophia was only 11 years old when she felt capable enough to produce this example of her skills. In faded letters the inscription found within a decorative border reads: “The education forms the youthful mind/ Just as the twig is bent the tree’s inclined.” It is further signed “Sophia Griffin aged 11/ Packerfield July 21, 1801.” Nancy Foster’s curiosity led her to search the internet to find the location of

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