North Attleboro High School Alumni Association

November 2007

North Attleboro High School
Alumni Association
November 2007 Newsletter

From the President:

Happy Holidays from the NAHS Alumni Association! Please enjoy this third edition of our E-Newsletter. If our website www.NAHSAlumni.org is the face of the Association, this Newsletter is the arm we extend to you, keeping you informed about Association and NAHS happenings, as well as sharing news from your classmates. I'm proud to succeed Mitch MacDonald as President, as it truly is an exciting time for the Alumni Association. On behalf of all alumni, I extend our sincere thanks to Mitch for his leadership over the past two years. Last June we enjoyed a successful Alumni Association Awards Banquet that you will read about below. Today we are preparing to make our first donation of technology to the High School, and we plan to announce our next major goal and intensify our fund raising efforts in January. As always, we invite your participation and ask you and your friends to bookmark www.NAHSAlumni.org as one of your favorites. Enjoy the holidays!

Keith Lapointe '93

Association News

The NAHS Alumni Association honored 11 alumni and former NAHS staff members at the NAHS Alumni Association Awards Banquet, held at Leona's Restaurant in North Attleboro on June 15, 2007. Over 175 people attended what we hope will be an annual event. Visit www.NAHSAlumni.org to view a photo of the award recipients and read their bios.
The NAHS Alumni Association is accepting nominations for this year's Alumni Association Awards. Click here to read a description of the awards and make a nomination. We plan to present the awards at our 2nd Annual Alumni Association Banquet, scheduled for June 20, 2008.
The NAHS AA plans to announce its first donation of technology to the High School in January. Bookmark www.NAHSAlumni.org so you don't miss the announcement.
The Alumni Association is planning an informal social to be held in January. We look forward to seeing many of you after the holidays. Stay tuned to the website for more information.
The NAHS AA recently received a generous gift from John D. Tew, grandson of Ruth Cooke Carpenter, Salutatorian of the NAHS Class of 1915. The gift is a photo of Ruth Cooke and several of her classmates, taken at Mt. Vernon in April 1915. To view the photo and read a list the students' names, click here.

The 3 A’s at NAHS

Academics:
Several NAHS students have received recognition for their performance on the PSAT/NMSQT taken by 1.4 million students nationwide in October 2006.

Anupama Khan has been named as a Semifinalist Student in the 2008 National Merit Scholarship Program for placing in the top 1.5% of the students who took the test. Anupama has an opportunity to continue in the Merit Scholarship competition by meeting a number of additional requirements and advancing to Finalist standing.
Six NAHS students have been named Commended Students for placing in the top 2.4% of the students who took the test. They are: Lauren Alix, Lucas DeForest, Thomas Howard, Sara Krasney, Jonathan Wagner and Andrew D. Walker.
Maria Norris was named as a 2008 National Achievement Program Participant based on her test scores.

Also, Anupama Kahn and Lucas DeForest have received Association of School Superintendents Certificates of Excellence for their academic excellence. Congratulations to all of these students and their teachers!

Arts:

Fine Arts Festival -- The NAHS Art Department and Music Department will combine their efforts to produce their annual Fine Arts Festival on Wednesday, December 19th at 7:00 PM. Student artwork produced in first semester classes will be displayed in the senior hallway, and the Winter Concert will be presented in the Cobb Theater.
Winter Concert -- The NAHS Music Department will present its Winter Concert on December 19th at 7:00 PM in the Cobb Theater. Tickets cost $5.00 for adults and $3.00 for students and senior citizens. In addition, the Marching Band and Jazz Choir will perform in the NA Santa Parade on Sunday, November 25th, beginning at 3:00 PM.
One-Act Play Festival -- The NAHS Theater Department will present its annual One-Act Play Festival on Friday, January 18, 2008, at 7:00 PM in the Cobb Theater. Tickets cost $12.00 for adults and $10.00 for high school and younger students. The student directors all plan to present comedies!

Athletics:
Big Red athletics teams enjoyed another successful fall season, led by the Boys Soccer team that finished 18-2-1. The boys won their first ever Hockomock Lg. Championship and advanced to the third round of the state tournament. Here are the final records of the other Fall teams: Girls Soccer (10-5-3); Girls Volleyball (11-8); Girls Cross Country (5-4); Boys Cross Country (7-2) and Girls Field Hockey (4-10-4). North Football, currently 6-2-1, will host Attleboro in the upcoming annual Thanksgiving Day. Congratulations to the players and coaches who participated this Fall.

Faculty Spotlight

Several NAHS faculty members plan to retire by the end of this year. To wish them well, thank them for their efforts, or share a fond memory from your high schools days, feel free to send a card or note to the teacher, c/o NAHS, 1 Wilson Whitty Way, North Attleboro, MA 02760.

Elaine Bedard '69 has taught English at NAHS for 34 years, beginning in 1974. Elaine helped create several of the courses currently taught in the English Department, including Protest Literature, Critical Thinking and Writing, and The Short Story. In addition, she served as faculty advisor to a variety of student organizations and has served as an inspirational mentor to dozens of teachers throughout her excellent career.

Ginny Benson joined the NAHS staff in 1996, following 15 years as Public Library Director in both Foster and Scituate, RI. A true professional, she has enjoyed working with the students and developing the collection to include more adult fiction to foster more leisure reading. Ginny hopes to travel and work part time in a variety of fields. She is the wife of former English teacher Rus Benson.

Sue Hogan joined the NAHS faculty in 1976, after teaching three years at Katherine Gibbs. In her 30+ years as a member of the Business Department, Mrs. Hogan has witnessed first hand the transition from manual typing to electronic communication. Besides teaching Accounting and Business Math, she has taught Keyboarding, Computer Applications, Fundamentals of the P.C., Desktop Publishing and HTML.

Earlene Robert will retire after 33 1/2 years of teaching mathematics at NAHS. During her career, which began in 1972, Mrs. Robert taught Finite Math, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Pre-Algebra and General Math. Earlene, the current head of the Math Department, is looking forward to playing golf and spending time with her grandchildren.

North Alumni News and Announcements

1940-1949

Loren Precourt ('47) reports that his son, Stephen Loren Precourt, has been elected to the Florida State House of Representatives. Loren and his wife, Beulah (Boots), have lived in Orlando since his discharge in 1952 from the service. They enjoy their five grown children and their spouses, along with their 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Every year since 2000, Loren has celebrated his birthday by taking a 100-mile bike hike with his daughters!

1950-1959

           Max Sarazin ('51) reports that the Class of 1951 held a mini-reunion at the Old Country Buffet in Hyannis, MA, on Sunday, October 14th, to celebrate their 56th anniversary. To view photos of the men and women who attended, click here. John Thorp ('52) has lived a productive life in North Attleboro with his wife, Claire. Following two years of "very active" duty, John completed six years in the reserves. He was part of the occupation force in Germany and then moved to France to operate a fixed radio facility in Saran, France. John has been very active in town government and other civic activities. He held a number of elected positions and served on several town boards and committees. In addition, John's efforts on behalf of the NA Pop Warner Football program resulted in his election to their Hall of Fame in 1992. Congratulations, John, on your many contributions to our community.
           Ralph Johnson ('53) is enjoying retirement in Ohio. "Raising horses . . . turned out to be a lot more work than I expected," he writes. "This spring three Belgian draft horses' mares had foals successfully. By now they are as big as our quarter horses and eating even more." Ralph wonders if the Class of 1953 is talking about a reunion yet, or are they going to wait until the 60th?
           From Keneth Gookin ('54) and his wife, Suzanne, comes news that their son-in-law, John Stevens (married to their daughter Stacy) was named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers last October. One of John and Stacy's sons won three awards in the Squirt Division of the Nationals in NY City last July. Kenneth and Suzanne live in Hershey, PA, and spend the winter in La Quinta, CA. They have four grandsons that are all doing well playing hockey. David Rushlow ('54), a retired jockey, and his wife, Twyla, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on September 29th at their home in Chula Vista, CA, with their four daughters, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
           Dana Wilcock ('57) reports that he just attended the reunion for the NAHS class of '57 and enjoyed getting reacquainted with some of his classmates. He estimates that 25 classmates attended. Dana and his wife, Judy Johnson, live in Sharpsburg, GA. They have two children, both married, and four grandchildren. Dana worked 5 years for GM, spent two of those years in the Army, worked 31 years in aerospace (18 at Pratt & Whitney and 13 for a repair vendor, Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corp.), then he retired in May 2007. He continues to do consulting as an FAA Designated Engineering Representative. For his 65th birthday, he participated in his BMW Club's Driving School at Road Atlanta racetrack. That gave him a chance to go as fast as he wanted and not have to watch for blue flashing lights! He appears to be quite active.

1960-1969

Phil Tobey ('61) reports that his firm, SmithGroup, was recently named one of the ten largest Architect/Engineering firms in the country, with a staff of 880 located in nine US cities. SmithGroup recently completed the design and construction of the National Museum of the American Indian for the Smithsonian Institution on the Mall in Washington, D.C., the Dept. of Defense National Military Rehabilitation Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, TX, and they have just been selected to design the National Center for Brain Trauma Injury at the National Military Medical Center.

1970-1979

Perry Fong ('76) has little news to report, but he would enjoy hearing from some of his 1976 classmates. John Vaillancourt ('78) is a CPA and works as a Corporate Controller for Charles River Development in Burlington, MA. He lives in Walpole with his wife, Jennifer, daughter Deidre (6) and son Russell (5). The Vaillancourts spend summers in South Yarmouth on Cape Cod, which has become the gathering place for many of John's brothers and sisters and their families. At last count, John has 15 nieces/nephews, with brother Lou's wife expecting #16 later this month. Lisa Riley Kovach ('79) has been named Vice President of KEY ARTIST GROUP, which is an award winning, full service talent and event production company. They produce and provide entertainment ranging from atmospheric artists to full scale, custom, production shows and name acts for corporate events, theme parks, trade shows and festivals. Lisa would like to thank her drama teacher at NAHS, Judy Cobb, for instilling the love of theatre and live entertainment in her, and without which this rewarding career may not have been realized.

1980-1989

Kristen E. Darling ('87) is engaged to be married May 3, 2008 in Savage, MD. She and her fiance, Robert Churchill, live together now in Laurel, MD. Kristen also received a Masters in Public Policy (concentrating on social and educational policy matters) this past May from the American University in Washington, D.C. She is currently working as a Research Analyst for child Trends, Inc. Rosemarie (Al-Amir) Robles ('88) is wondering if the Class of 1988 will hold a 20-year reunion. Any word yet? Congratulations to Cindy (Bliss) Detscher ('89) and her husband, Mark, who had a baby girl, Meredith Bliss Detscher, on July 16, 2006. Meredith was welcomed home by brothers Cam (8) and Will (5). Lisa Guillette ('89) currently lives in Providence, RI, and works in the child welfare field as the executive director of a statewide non-profit that supports foster parents and children in state care. She was recently married to Niall Murphy and is now the proud step-mom of two boys—Joe (8) and Conor (5).

1990-1999

           Kate (Lush) DiAmico ('92) recently gave birth to baby number two—Abigail Frances (7lbs., 15 oz.). Mother and daughter are doing well! Glen Jusczyk ('93) is co-owner of Lil' Dogs, located in Ludlow, MA. Glen recently became the first person ever to complete an Ironman distance triathlon on a BMX. Sean Fisher ('93) and his wife, Katie, welcomed Natalee Kathleen Fisher to their family last summer. Mother and child are doing well. Christina Marchand ('95) was recently engaged to Shayne Roderick from Mansfield on November 3rd. They plan to wed in the Fall of 2008.
           Keri (Robert) Kelly ('95) is the proud mother of Emma Grace (6lbs., 12 oz., 21 ") on June 15, 2007. Keri is the oldest daughter of NAHS Math Department Head Earlene Robert. Melanie (Zagami) Amorim ('96) is currently married and the mother of 2 1/2 year old Nikolas. She and her husband met in 2000, eloped to the Caribbean and married on New Years Eve 2003. Their son, Nikolas, was born in 2005, and they purchased their first home together in 2007. Melanie reports that they "are simply a happy family enjoying every minute our life." Melanie is also a career mom working full time as a graphic designer outside of her home. In addition, she maintains an informative, fun family-based blog.
           Michael Chapman ('95) and his wife, Julie, gave birth to their son, Brady, on July 6, 2007. Brady weighed in at 7lbs, 12 oz. Michael is a social studies teacher and assistant football coach at Westborough High School. Kristen (Robert) Pitman ('98) currently teaches 2nd grade at the Delaney School in Wrentham, MA. Paul Gaudreau ('99) married Luisa Rodrigues on September 20, 2003. They reside in Seekonk with their little pup, Mackenzie. Paul currently works in Bristol, RI, as a Production Design Engineer. Also from the class of 1999, Edmund J. Lerner ('99) writes that after three years working in Boston at a mutual fund services firm, where his main client was a mutual fund complex in St. Petersburg, FL, he moved to St. Pete in July 2007. He now works directly for that firm (AEGON/Transamerica). Edmund claims to have seen every Red Sox game when they have visited the Devil Rays!

2000-2006

Jessica Reidel ('00) was recently engaged to Dave Sarcione of Milbury, MA. Jessica and Dave live in the Metro-Washington D.C. area and seek to buy their first home in Northern VA this spring. Jessica works as a patent examiner for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Dave is the Assistant Fleet Manager for Flexcar, an innovative car-sharing company based out of Seattle, WA. A Fall 2009 wedding is planned. Nicole (King) Doura ('01) just gave birth to her second child, Anthony Raphael Doura, Jr., on August 30, 2007. Congratulations! More good news arrived from Vicky (Leco) Curran ('01). She was married to Robert Curran ('01) in June 2007.

Many thanks to all who contributed to this newsletter!

To share news about your accomplishments, births, marriages, promotions, or anything else you feel is newsworthy, send your notes to jjohnson@naschools.net and we will publish them in our next e-newsletter.

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