WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan recognized the students and teachers at Dublin Consolidated School as November’s Granite Staters of the Month. Dublin Consolidated School honored local veterans by inviting them to a special assembly on Veterans Day and by raising money for the ‘Wounded Warrior Project’.

Dublin Consolidated School, which serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade, invited local veterans to a special assembly to honor Veterans Day. The teachers and student body were unsure how many veterans would participate, but on assembly day, almost 20 veterans arrived for the celebrations. At the event, veterans were honored with songs and readings, and the students thanked the veterans for their service. While this is the first Veterans Day assembly hosted by the school, they are determined to ensure that it won’t be the last.

The teachers organized this event as a way for students to learn about military service and the important contributions of veterans to our country. In the weeks leading up to the assembly the students learned about the ‘Wounded Warrior Project’ – an organization which provides support for wounded, ill, and injured veterans, along with service members and families. Together, the students and teachers brainstormed ways to raise money for the organization, and held a coin drive which raised more than $900 in total, an amount matched by USAA Bank.

The special Veterans Day celebration hosted by the students and teachers at Dublin Consolidated School is a true example of the Granite State spirit of showing gratitude and respect for our veterans and that is why Senator Hassan is proud to name them November’s Granite Staters of the Month.

Senator Hassan launched the “Granite Stater of the Month” initiative in 2017 to recognize outstanding New Hampshire citizens who go above and beyond to help their neighbors and make their communities stronger. To nominate a New Hampshire citizen to be a “Granite Stater of the Month,” constituents can complete the nomination form here.

To read Senator Hassan’s statement for the Congressional Record, see below.

I am honored to recognize the students and teachers at Dublin Consolidated School as November’s Granite Staters of the Month for their efforts to honor local veterans, including by inviting them to a special assembly and by raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project.

At the beginning of this school year, the students at Dublin Consolidated School – which serves children in kindergarten through fifth grade – invited local veterans to a special Veterans Day assembly. While the students and teachers were not sure how many veterans would participate, on Veterans’ Day, the students honored almost 20 veterans with songs and readings, and after the assembly the students thanked the veterans for their service. This special assembly was the first Veterans Day event that the school has hosted, but they have resolved that it won’t be the last.

The teachers at Dublin Consolidated School helped organize the event as a way for students to learn about military service and the contributions of veterans to our country’s history. They also helped students learn about the Wounded Warrior Project and the support that it provides for wounded, ill, and injured veterans, service members, and families, and brainstormed ways to raise money for the organization. Through a coin drive held in the weeks leading up to the assembly, the students raised more than $900, an amount matched by USAA bank, to help those who kept our country safe, secure, and free.

The special Veterans Day celebration hosted by the students and teachers at Dublin Consolidated School is an example of the Granite State spirit of showing gratitude and respect for our veterans. Their work to honor local veterans is why I am proud to name them November’s Granite Staters of the Month.

Region 14 Applied Technology Center teacher Sarah Grossi (left) served on a three-person panel at the Career Tech Vision Conference in Nashville on Wednesday, December 10. The conference was organized by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

The panel with the title "Building Support Systems for CTE Teachers: A Community Approach" presented on the redesigned Support Community of Practice which was created for those who prepare, mentor, coach, and champion beginning educators.

Through discussion, collaborative activities, and idea sharing, the panelists explored the best ways to support early-career CTE professionals and shared with their audience practical tools, strategies, and inspiration to strengthen their local and regional support systems.

The panel discussion was one of three presentations that Grossi delivered at the national conference.

Dean Eggert of Wadleigh, Starr & Peters, P.L.L.C., gave an hour-long presentation on Open Enrollment to the Administrative Council Leadership team (ACLT) on Thursday. Open Enrollment refers to policies, currently evolving through legislation and statutes such as RSA 193:3 and 194-B, that allow K-12 students to attend public schools outside their assigned resident district.

Eggert explained the October 2025 NH Supreme Court decision in the Pittsfield case, which ruled that a student's home school district must pay tuition for a student who seeks to attend an "open enrollment" public school in another district, even if the home district never voted to adopt an open enrollment program.

Eggert also outlined the work the district needs to complete over the next few months in response to that decision.

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The ConVal School District has been fully reimbursed $666,227.90 in legal fees by the state of New Hampshire after a lawsuit over state education funding.

In Contoocook Valley School District v. State of New Hampshire, known as the “ConVal” case, the district sued the state to hold it accountable for its constitutional obligation to adequately fund public education under the NH Constitution. Several other school districts later joined ConVal in the lawsuit.

In a landmark decision in July, the NH Supreme Court court upheld an earlier trial court ruling which determined that current base adequacy funding is constitutionally insufficient and must exceed $7,356.01 per pupil.

Separately, a recent court decision awarded attorney's fees to the district, recognizing that ConVal vindicated important constitutional rights and provided a significant public benefit. ConVal's partner districts will also be fully reimbursed for their legal costs.

The district considers this a victory for constitutional rights and public education funding. ConVal Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest said the reimbursement “validates the core argument” of the legal challenge the district had brought in 2019. “The fact that we got complete reimbursement of legal fees confirms that school districts can successfully challenge systemic constitutional failures and be made whole again,” Forrest stated.

The ConVal School Board will now decide how to use the recovered funds.

The All-Staff Meeting to start the 2025-2026 school year was held in the ConVal High School Gymnasium on August 25.

Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest (standing, left) welcomed new and returning ConVal employees, then introduced the administrative leadership teams of all eleven ConVal schools. She also introduced the staff members and administrators of SAU #1, including the new Assistant Superintendent Amy Stevenson (seated, right).

After the welcome and introductions, Dr. Forrest read the poem "Advice to Writers" by former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins as an inspiration for the coming school year.

The following bus routes have been established for the 2025-2026 school year:

Bus 1 (Antrim), Bus 2 (Antrim), Bus 3 (Antrim), Bus 5 (Peterborough), Bus 6 (Bennington), Bus 8 (Hancock), Bus 10 (Greenfield), Bus 11 (Hancock), Bus 12 (Peterborough), Bus 13 (Temple), Bus 15 (Temple), Bus 16 (Dublin), Bus 17 (Dublin), Bus 18 (Peterborough), Bus 19 (Sharon-Peterborough), Bus 20 (Bennington), Bus 22 (Francestown), Bus 23 (Francestown), Bus 24 (Greenfield), Bus 25 (Peterborough), Bus 26 (Peterborough).

Questions? Please contact: Student Transportation of America, (603) 924-9211.

The Community Forum on August 13 gave members of the public the opportunity to learn more about the New Hampshire law that requires school districts to institute a bell-to-bell ban on personal communication devices during the entire school day.

According to this new state mandate, students cannot use cell phones, smartwatches, or similar devices from the first bell to the last bell of the day. Devices must be turned off and put away during class and passing times. The policy is designed to help reduce distractions, encourage face-to-face conversations, and keep the focus on learning.

This requirement does not change current practices at the elementary and middle school levels, as Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest explained. The change will mainly affect students at ConVal High School, where a group of staff members and Principal Heather McKillop had already been studying the problem of cell phone use and had been working on ways to aid in the transition to a phone-free school day.

The forum, including the Q&A session, was recorded and can be watched on the ConVal YouTube channel here.

The ConVal School District invites families, students, staff and community members to a public forum on the upcoming implementation of a bell-to-bell ban on personal communication devices in all ConVal schools. This new policy, mandated by recently passed state legislation, will prohibit the use of cell phones and similar devices during instructional hours. The forum will provide an opportunity to learn more about the rationale behind the policy, how it will be implemented across grade levels, and what supports will be in place to help students adjust to this change.

The forum will be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 7:00 PM in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre at ConVal High School. For those unable to attend, the event will be live-streamed on the ConVal Events YouTube Channel. Community members are encouraged to submit questions in advance or during the event by emailing forum@conval.edu. We hope you will join us for this important conversation about how we can best support student learning and well-being in a distraction-free environment.