By Julie Huss
DERRY — A Pinkerton Academy student has received a Burger King Scholars Program scholarship.
Maria Deltrecco, a member of Pinkerton's Class of 2008, received a $1,000 scholarship from the "Have it Your Way" Foundation, one of six scholarships awarded to top students in New Hampshire.
Deltrecco received her award in recognition of her outstanding academic achievement, along with other academic and community service criteria.
Burger King Corp. has awarded more than 11,776 scholarships, representing $11.7 million since 2000. For more information, or to learn about applying for a 2009 scholarship, visit online at www.bk.com/scholars.
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Derry Superintendent Mary Ellen Hannon announced on Tuesday night that enrollment numbers were pretty much what the district predicted for opening day 2008, but fifth-grade figures at Derry Village Elementary School were higher due to a large number of new student registrations recently.
"Derry Village had the most enrollments this summer," Hannon told the Derry school board at its meeting Tuesday. "(A lot of new families) are moving into the Fairways."
Hannon said the numbers could fluctuate more once school begins on Sept. 2, as the district might lose some students who moved and did not notify school officials.
Once class at Derry Village currently has 27 students enrolled, Hannon added. She said once doors open for the new year, the first day of school numbers can be looked at and decisions can be made.
"The numbers might go down the first week," she said.
School Board members agreed to authorize the hiring of a certified classroom assistant to help with the large Derry Village fifth-grade class. Hannon said the district had 50 or so remaining highly qualified applications it could use to find the perfect fit for Derry Village.
"There's definitely people who could fit in," Hannon said, adding Derry Village could also incorporate some smaller group instruction in the school to help keep students in closer teacher/ration numbers.
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Pinkerton Academy opened its doors on Aug. 27 with a sea of students readying for the new year and learning the ropes of getting around on the large Derry high school campus. Freshmen had arrived the previous day to get a leg up on directions, new classes, and teachers.
And along with all the new freshmen on campus, Pinkerton's administration faces are a bit different this year. As the school bid farewell to longtime administrator Charles Varney in June, Glenn Ahrens now takes the helm under Headmaster Mary Anderson as the school's dean of students. Dean of faculty is Beverly Lannan, and dean of academic affairs is Dr. Chris Harper.
Taking on associate dean of students duties are: William Lonergan and Kevin Yahnian, freshmen; William Patriquin, Sharon Clute, and Richard Towne, sophomores and juniors; Elizabeth Rodrick and Susan Mansor, seniors.
The entire Pinkerton staff was scheduled to stand proud for the annual all-staff photograph during the first official days of the new year.
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Derry School Board members serving on the district's Transportation Committee are planning to visit some local bus stops once classes begin on Sept. 2 to make sure buses and stops run smoothly.
Board members Neal Ochs, Mark Grabowski, and Ken Linehan are members of the committee and will spend about 15 minutes at various stops around Derry where there may be some bus concerns or confusion.
"This helps us see what's working and what's not," said Superintendent Mary Ellen Hannon.
Hannon said a few bus concerns have come to the district's attention, and having board members visit the stops makes solutions easier and helps everyone see what's working and where changes can be made. A representative of the bus company accompanies the tour of the stops, too, she said.
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The Derry School Board approved the second reading of a district policy to go ahead with obtaining automated external defibrillators for the district.
"This won't happen tomorrow," Superintendent Mary Ellen Hannon said, "but now we have the ability to move forward with the policy.
For many months, the School Board has discussed the possibility of bringing the lifesaving devices to the district. Hannon said the PTAs were anxious to support the program.
