Rotary Log for August 8th, 2019
President Leo opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and called upon Justin Finn for the Invocation. That was followed by Senor Rice leading the membership in a rousing verse of “God Bless America.”
As Justin fiddled with his phone and adjusted the microphone to introduce guests, Leo took the opportunity to make an announcement. Anyone whose phone rang during future meetings would pay a $10 fine! There was a flurry as members made sure their phones were indeed off or muted!
There were many guests at the meeting, all of whom were given a warm Rotary welcome. They included Brian Cisnero (guest of Ian Oneail,) former Rotarian Joan Rice (guest of husband John,) former Rotarian Joanna Liu and Robert Baddell (both guests of Tony Delyani.) And still more guests. Norm Olsen (Stella Scamman,) Greg Burdwood and Catherine Duclos (Bill Simpson.)
Visiting Rotarians included Nick Shea of Greater Salem, N.H., Steve Caron of Andover, Mass. and Atul Chopra of Panipat Central, District 3080, India.
Leo read a long list of Rotarian birthdays and anniversaries for the month of August totaling an impressive 276 years of service.
There are lots of opportunities to make up missed meetings, Leo reminds us. For example, you can volunteer at Crossroads House, the non-profit we are partnering with for another year (see Tiffany.) There are also opportunities at the Salvation Army Soup kitchen (see Sara Treacy.)
Kicking off general announcements, Leo mentioned the upcoming Eco-Challenge taking place in Belize from Sept. 8th to 15th – cost will be in the region of $1200. Sara Treacy is looking for three more volunteers at the Salvation Army soup kitchen for Sept. 17th. Larry Harvey needs volunteer help at a fundraising event for veterans’ families on Veterans Day Nov. 10th.
Ramona Dow reports that the Board has approved two Basic Needs Committee requests. One $1500 gift goes to My Breast Cancer Support and $1000 will be donated to Zebra Crossings. In addition, the Board approved a $500 donation to Wrap-A-Smile which provides hand-made post-surgical quilts to Rotaplast patients.
Leonard is still excited about last weekend’s Parade of Sails and reminds members that the antique schooner “Harvey Gamage” was docked at New Castle Pier offering 2-hour sailing trips this Saturday and Sunday (for details, check
https://sailportsmouthnh.org/sail-with-pmc/).
Leo also reminded us to pay our dues. New Rotarians may need to check with the Treasurer to make sure they have paid their prorated dues in addition to their initiation fee.
Cindi Shanley, celebrating a birthday and a Rotary anniversary in August, also celebrated her $52 50/50 raffle win. Sadly, though, she did not pick a match for the bonus of $125.
John Rice, St. Paul’s School Form of ‘65, introduced the guest speaker, Kathleen “Kathy” Carroll Giles. Kathy is the newly appointed and first female Rector of St. Paul’s School in Concord. She is no stranger to the Seacoast, having owned property in Hampton for 14 years. The Portland, Maine, native is a 1980 graduate of Portland High School where she was the grateful recipient of a Rotary Club scholarship. She then graduated summa cum laude from Harvard/Radcliffe colleges and went on to earn degrees from Harvard Law School and Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her husband, Ralph, also an educator, is joining the faculty at St. Paul’s. The Giles’ have three children.
The former head of Middlesex School and member of the Groton faculty, Kathy has had a distinguished career. Now, as the 14th Rector of St. Paul’s, she acknowledges the challenges and opportunities of independent schools. Her goal is to promote scholarship, leadership, character and community. She emphasized the advantages for young people of growing up in a global village where students learn to live with and respect people who are different. She will “push the good” to help young people grow into the citizen-leaders they need them to be and become.
The new Rector explained that SPS is also a business with more than 200 full time employees. The school has a $56 million-dollar annual budget and an annual property tax of $550,000. Some buildings date back to the mid-1800s and require significant maintenance. Tuition is just shy of $60,000, with 40% of students receiving an average of $56,550 in aid. Still, there is competition from area public schools. For example, Concord, Ma., has a new $110 million high school and Dover, N.H., has invested $50 million in a new high school.
The St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program is in its 62nd year, bringing together 250-plus New Hampshire high school seniors from all over the state. They live and work together on campus for five weeks. The program is designed to open the doors to competitive higher education for students who might not otherwise be completely prepared.
In the Q & A that followed her remarks, Kathy touched on international enrollment at St. Paul’s, which is approximately 14%. She discussed the pressures parents and students experience as they navigate the college applications process, where competition is real and increasing. She notes that colleges perform “enrollment management,” trying to attract more international students. Sadly, students often idealize certain college names and strive to enter these schools rather than asking themselves, “What do I want to do with my life?” Kathy encourages businesses to hire interns so that students are exposed to real life work.
In answer to another question, she also touched on the challenges of dealing with parents. She encourages them to give their children space. She sees parents helping them to understand that achievement follows growth. Specialization is not necessarily the answer to a scholarship offer – rather it is fear of missing out at its worst.
The last question had to do with the availability of marijuana. Since neighboring states have legalized pot, St. Paul’s struggles to handle the challenge. Kathy is unequivocal in stressing the dangers of marijuana. Legalization gives young people the false impression that it is safe, she says. She believes marijuana is a gateway drug and urges adults to come out and say that it is not OK. She believes the ways to work with marijuana are to increase adult supervision, enforce discipline and enhance vigilance. There is no substitution for “eyes on kids!”
After thanking Kathy for her presentation, Leo asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the El Paso and Dayton shooting victims. He then closed the meeting with the members joining him in reciting the Four-Way Test.
Respectfully submitted Francoise Meissner
Photos by Sara Treacy
