North Attleboro High School Alumni Association

October 2008

Association News

The 3 A's at NAHS

Personal Profiles

Alumni News and Announcements

North Attleboro High School
Alumni Association
October 2008 Newsletter

Greetings from the President:

Hello and happy fall! Thanks for taking the time to view our fifth E-Newsletter, featuring Association news, information about academics, the arts and athletics at NAHS, as well as two personal profiles. In addition, the North Alumni News and Announcements section includes submissions from over thirty-five alumni, our biggest response to date. We're excited to share the news from NAHS and the alumni community, and we encourage you all to contribute to future editions.

We're happy to report that we enjoyed a successful 2nd Annual Alumni Association Awards Dinner last June, and we're very enthusiastic about our upcoming Fall Class Agents meeting on November 6th. We hope this program will expand the number of individuals directly involved in the mission of the NAHS Alumni Association and help boost attendance at the Awards Dinner.

As always, our goal is to enhance the quality of the educational experience at North High and strengthen the bonds among the NAHS Alumni around the world. Please visit our website (www.nahsalumni.org) regularly and get as involved as possible.

Warm wishes,
Keith Lapointe '93

Association News

The 2nd Annual Alumni Association Awards Dinner was held on Friday, June 20, 2008 at Leona’s Restaurant in North Attleboro. The dinner recognized ten individuals in our four categories of recognition. To view a photo of the award recipients and read their bios, click here.
Fall Class Agents Meeting: The fall meeting of class agents is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Thursday, November 6, 2008, in Room 161 at North Attleboro High School. Following the brief meeting, we will adjourn to a local establishment for refreshments. If you have agreed to serve as a class agent, thank you; we look forward to seeing you. If you're interested in being involved, please come to the meeting on the 6th.
Harris Publishing Disclaimer: Many of you have submitted personal information to the Harris Publishing Company that is included in an NAHS Alumni Directory that shares your updated information with our Alumni database. However, our affiliation with Harris Publishing extends no further than the sharing of alumni information; we do no receive any money from them, and we do not support their efforts to manage a website that competes directly with www.nahsalumni.org.

The 3 A's at NAHS

Academics:
The Class of 2008 enjoyed a chilly outdoor graduation ceremony on Beaupre Field on June 6, 2008. The ceremony included participation from members of the Class of 1958, led by class president Dennis Redding, who were on hand to mark the 50th anniversary of their high school graduation.

Arts:
The NAHS Theater Company will perform Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Nile" on Friday & Saturday, November 21 and 22, at 7:00 pm in the Cobb Theater. Tickets cost $12 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.

The NAHS Music Department held its annual Poinsettia Sale on the weekend of October 18th and 19th. Their next concert will be on December 11, 2008.

Athletics:
The 87th Annual Fisher-Kelley Banquet honoring senior athletes was held on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at Leona's Restaurant in North Attleboro. Derek Smith ('01) served as guest speaker to the 126 senior athletes, their parents and coaches. Kristin McLoughlin received the Dr. Grant Award for "exceptional achievement in scholarship, athletics and citizenship," and the Dr. DeYoung Award for "dignity and selfless commitment to NAHS athletics" was presented to Elijah Harris.

The Spring 2008 athletic season featured several winning records and state tournament appearances by North teams. Here are the final records of the spring teams: Baseball (13-9), Softball (13-9), Boys Tennis (15-5), Girls Tennis (14-6), Boys Spring Track (7-2), Girls Spring Track (7-2), Boys Lacrosse (1-17) and Girls Lacrosse (1-15).

Finally, NAHS was awarded the 4th Annual Hockomock League Sportsmanship Banner signifying exceptional sportsmanship in all varsity sports offered during the three athletic seasons of the 2007-2008 school year. North has won this award, which is voted by the Hockomock Lg. coaches, twice and finished second twice. Congratulations to the many Big Red coaches and their teams for representing NAHS well.

Personal Profiles

NAHS Faculty Spotlight -- Meet Mr. Dwight Estey ('70), Physical Education Department Head
By Jack Johnson '80

Dwight Estey has been a fixture in North Attleboro Health and Physical Education since 1974. However, he intends to retire at the end of this school year. The NAHS Alumni Association thought it was important to spend some time with Dwight as he reflects on his teaching and coaching career and contemplates his future.

Tell us about your teaching career.
I have spent my entire 35-year teaching career in North Attleboro. I started in the Fall of 1974 after graduating from the University of Connecticut ('74) with a Bachelor of Science degree from their School of Education. I spent the first seven years teaching physical education at various elementary schools including Richards Avenue, Falls School, Allen Avenue, Roosevelt and Amvet Blvd. Then, I switched to a schedule that included a combination of Elementary and High School Classes. For three or four years in the late 80's, I taught strictly health classes. A year after giving up the Health Director position I took over as Director of Physical Education so my teaching load became four PE Classes per semester. That is how it has remained since 1991.

What additional supervisory positions have you held within the school system?
First I spent two separate stints as Director of Intramurals K-12. Then in the late 80's I was Director of Health. As Director of Health I was first responsible for curriculum development only, as I was also the only teacher of health in the district. Along with Superintendent William Kelly, I helped in the formation of the South East Massachusetts Health Consortium that brought together health directors and school administrators from the area.

During my tenure, the health offering in the high school was expanded to a second year. Health instruction was introduced to the elementary schools by identifying and training already existing staff who volunteered to teach a new curriculum.

Then in 1991 I took over the physical education department. Besides my teaching duties, I supervise twelve staff K-12 and 25 to 30 physical education leaders per semester.

What has been your teaching philosophy during your 35 year career?
We are all physical beings, and our bodies are incredible machines. Research has proven the profound benefit physical activity has on not only the body but also the mind. Without going into deeper detail, I believe that all students benefit from an active lifestyle.

So, the role of physical education is to teach the skills and concepts that help students to understand, appreciate and be successful participants in physical activity. To do so, the class must be a challenge but students have to feel safe. They have to accept they have physical strengths and limits – yet be comfortable with themselves. Most of all, students should all get a chance to see how the body reacts positively to physical stimulus and negatively to inactivity.

It has been my observation that students that embrace physical activity are happier and better adjusted socially.

Give us an overview of your long coaching history.
Before coaching I was the starter for track meets and coached intramurals in North Attleboro starting in the Fall of 1974. I started coaching girls' spring track in 1979.

Below are some of Coach Estey’s career coaching records:
Outdoor Girls' Track – '74-'86 and '89-'07 Career Record 237-22-1 Longest Streak 44 consecutive victories
Outdoor Boys' Track – '89-'95 Career Record 60-3-1 (longest streak 59 consecutive victories)
Indoor Girls' Track '85-'89 and '05-'07 Career Record 48-9-1
Indoor Boys' Track Two years head and one assistant – Record 12-9-1
Girls’ Cross Country '86-present – Current Record 111-77

Please share the coaching philosophy that has guided your successful career.
It evolved through the years. Athletes continue to have as much of an impact on me as I have on them. Although I’m rigid about certain things – representing the town, school and self with pride, having integrity, and dedicating to the team – I put a lot of the responsibility for guiding the team upon the seniors. They are the ones that have soaked up the traditions of the program and are invested in seeing it continue. In addition, I wore the red and white. I think it represents something special. It all flows from a having integrity – and expecting the same from self as from others.

Tell us about the Estey Family.
My wife, Arlene, has taught in the North Attleboro School System since about 1985. She's an outstanding teacher and runner. My son, Ethan ('95) enjoyed a successful running career at NAHS before earning a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of New Hampshire, and an M.S. in Marine Biology from University of North Carolina – Wilmington. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Marine Biology from the University of Rhode Island as well as a commercial aquaculturist specializing in oysters. My daughter, Emily ('97) also enjoyed great success in high school track & field. Emily then earned her BA from Yale University in American Studies and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. She is currently employed as a corporate lawyer for Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Door LLP.

What other interests do you have besides teaching and coaching that will keep you occupied once you retire?
In addition to being an avid runner and fisherman, I maintain the website www.Northrunning.com. I plan to move to Cape Cod to start a new career that allows time for travel.

NAHS Alumni Spotlight -- Meet Melanie Herald Granoff ('92)
By Stacey (Bliss) Nassaney '92

Melanie Herald Grannoff ('92) is a Vice President in the mortgage bond-trading department of Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York City. NAHS Alumni Association Vice President Stacey Nassaney ('92) reached out to Melanie to find out about her life after high school. Here is what Stacey learned about Melanie, her job and the impact NAHS has had on her life after high school.

What did you do after graduating from NAHS in 1992?
After graduating from NAHS in 1992, I attended Bowdoin College, a liberal arts college in Brunswick, ME. While there, I majored in Spanish with a minor in Economics, studied in Valencia, Spain and enjoyed several years competing for the school's alpine ski team. Following graduation, I was selected to receive a post-graduate Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The fellowship provided me with funding to spend one year backpacking alone through Mexico, Chile, and Spain photographing festivals in each of those countries. It was a unique opportunity to travel internationally, further hone my Spanish skills, and explore my passion for photography. The Rapa Nui Festival in Easter Island, Chile was definitely the highlight! Upon returning from my travels in 1997, I took a job as the Director of Marketing at WorldBoston, an internationally focused non-profit in Boston, followed by several years working as a management consultant at Norbridge Inc, a firm in Concord, MA. In 2000, I decided to further my education by studying for my M.B.A, which I received from Cornell University in 2002.

What are you doing now (e.g. career, family . . .)?
I am currently living in New Jersey with my husband, Jeff, whom I met at Cornell, and our dog Cocoa. We are expecting a new member of the family shortly, which should be quite a change. Since 2002, I have spent the last six years working at Goldman Sachs & Co, in New York City. I am a Vice President in our mortgage bond-trading department, and given the recent financial crisis’ to hit Wall Street, it has been interesting to say the least!

How did NAHS prepare you?
NAHS prepared me very well for the challenges I encountered in college and my career over the years. The strong curriculum of class work, including the AP classes, provided me with the educational foundation I needed in college to compete with my classmates, many of whom attended private schools. My participation in activities such as student government, Model Senate, and SADD helped me develop teamwork and leadership skills that have proven essential throughout the years. As captain of the tennis team at NAHS, I reaped terrific benefits of being part of team, staying in shape, and competing, which I was able to continue in college and afterwards. And most importantly, I developed a wonderful network of friends from NAHS, many of whom are still some of my closest friends.

Is there a teacher at NAHS who had an impact on you?
There are many teachers who had a positive impact on me while at NAHS, though there are several who stand out. First is Ms. Cosme, my Spanish teacher who encouraged my love of the language, which I continue to speak. She also set me up with numerous contacts during my travels to Mexico and has continued to remain a friend of mine to this day. Second is Ms. Samma (Palenchar), my English teacher, who made me write, and re-write, hundreds of essays in Sophomore English. The writing skills she taught have stayed with me forever, and without them, I may never have gotten accepted to the schools I did, nor received the fellowship, which required a lot of writing to win. And third, is Mr. McGrath, who helped me survive through Algebra classes and probably would be surprised to know that I am now working in finance!

What advice do you have for current and future NAHS students?
Quite simply I would say: work hard, be involved, have fun with your friends, and maintain networks when you graduate. While you may not like studying for hours after school or on the weekends, keep in mind that the concepts and material you are learning now are important building blocks for much of the work you do later. And given the competitiveness of getting into colleges these days, if that is your goal, your grades and involvement in activities do matter. The organizational and teamwork skills you get from different activities, whether it sports, theatre, student government, science projects, etc, help develop confidence, enable you to be well-rounded and ultimately are a lot of fun. And lastly, make time for fun and stay in touch with your friends, as they’ll hopefully be friends forever.

Alumni News and Announcements

---1950s---

Max Sarazin ('51) is organizing the Class of 1951 Annual Mini-Reunion for Tuesday, October 28, 2008. Contact Max at msarazin@capecod.net for more information. Ken Gookin ('51) and his wife Sue are proud to announce that their daughter Stacy is married to John Stevens, who is the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. John was awarded the honor of being the top coach in the NHL for 2007-2008 as voted by the NHL News.

The NAHS Alumni Association was saddened by the death of John L. Thorp ('52) on September 7, 2008. John was a proud veteran and active member of North Attleboro society for several years. He will be missed. We offer our condolences to the Thorp family.

---1960s---

Bruce Brockway ('62) and his wife Cheryl (Cheetham) ('65) moved to Brewster, MA on Cape Cod in early September. They had lived in Old Town, Maine, since 1970 after Bruce returned from Vietnam. Bruce was employed as a professional forester for 34 years and Cheryl as an elementary school librarian for 24 years. Their oldest daughter, Melanie, and her family, including her husband and two boys ages 3.5 and 1.5, live in nearby Orleans. Bruce and Cheryl's other children, Jennifer and Steven, both continue to live in central Maine. Jennifer was married on August 16th 2008.

Barbara Wilkie ('67) reports that she and her husband Dave ('65) are still living up in Maine. We are still working, at least for the moment! Barbara is Assistant to the Director at Husson University in South Portland. We purchased a 31' RV a few years ago and really enjoy traveling in it, in spite of the gas prices! We just came back from a week in New Brunswick, and have traveled as far as Key West – a surreal place if ever there was one. We hope to do a lot of traveling after retirement.
Our 3 children are in Nashua (son Bob '92) and Houston (daughters Gail '89 and Sandra '93). We have 5 grandchildren whom we don't see nearly enough! One is living in North Attleborough - she attends Bristol Country Agricultural High School. We are in pretty good health, although Dave had a quadruple by-pass in February. We are both trying to be good to ourselves now as far as eating and exercising goes. Although we do still subscribe to the North Attleborough Free Press, we would love to see news from our classmates in the newsletter.

Karen Bergevine ('69) reports the birth of a new baby boy added to the family. Adrien Knowles and his wife, Ann, have added a new baby to the family. Marcus Adrien Knowles was born on April 14th. Their first son is Henry David and is now 2 years old. Adrien and his wife and children live in Philadelphia PA. Grandparents are Karen Bergevine and Douglas Knowles. Brother is Justin Knowles. All, by the way, are graduates of North High. Also Adrien and Justin's godmother is Elaine Bedard ('69).

---1970s---

Tim Collins ('75) writes that his wife, Christine (Nicholson) Collins ('77), has been invited to attend a dinner with her employer, Euclid Hospital, a subsidiary of the Cleveland Clinic, celebrating her 10th anniversary there as an Occupational Therapist . On the evening of September 11, 2008, I will be attending a reception for a number of Cleveland doctors, medical professionals and lawyers, and honored guests of our law firm from Ireland, at the residence of the US Ambassador to Ireland. Since September 11 is the birthday of our oldest child, who will be 23 this year, I have always sought out unique and contemplative places to be on that date. In 2001 my son and I were attending a concert at Oberlin College in Ohio, and will never forget the thoughts and feelings we had individually, as a family, as a member of the audience, and as an American. I expect that commemorating September 11 in a country where, after many centuries, rampant terrorism has been nearly eradicated will be a unique experience.

Andrea (Werner) Clarke, '78 sadly reports the passing of follow classmate Kellie Murphy-Tolo, '78 in April 08. Andrea has been enjoying seacoast life in Ipswich, MA since 1995. Andrea is married to Steven and has two wonderful sons, Matthew 27 and Joshua 25. SSgt Joshua Miner and his wife Kim, stationed in The Netherlands, have made her a proud grandparent to Riley, 3 and Liam 3 months. Andrea is currently a Clinical Trials Manager with Cubist Pharmaceuticals in Lexington, MA. In her free time, she enjoys sailing, kayaking and therapy pet visits with her standard poodle, Miss Daisy.

David Trima ('79) is proud to announce that he became a grandfather to Gabrielle Marie Trima-Parkinson on January 2, 2008. "Gabby" was the first baby born at Sturdy Hospital this year! Congratulations to all!

---1980s---

           Kathy (Firth) Comerford ('81) reports that she now has four boys, including two at NAHS -- Patrick ('09) and Luke ('12).

           Janice McKearney ('83) reports that the Class of 1983 held its 25th reunion on August 2, 2008, aboard the Vista Jubilee dinner/dance cruise in Narragansett Bay. Everyone had a wonderful time and most even continued the evening at a local restaurant late into the night after the boat docked! "I'm looking forward to the next one and hope even more people plan to attend!" she writes. Click here to see a group photo from their 25th reunion.

           Marc Shepard ('85) is Associate Publisher at the Portland Phoenix & Style Magazine. He recently produced two videos entitled "Mud Volleyball" and "East End Wiffle Ball." He is doing a six-week video series called the "2008 Portland Phoelympics", a fictional event held in Portland ME.

           Ann Miller-Rauch ('87) is the Corporate Director of Corporate Culture for Software AG. Software AG is the third largest database company in the world. Ann moved back to Germany from Palo Alto, California, three years ago with Software AG. Ann was previously Software AG's Corporate Marketing Director. Ann has been married for two years to Dr. Joerg Rauch and is expecting her first child in August. Ann and Joerg built a house in Plankstadt, a suburb of Heidelberg. Ann received her BA in Anthropology and Biology from Boston University in 1991 and advanced graduate degrees from University of Tuebingen in Archeology and Archeozoology. Ann received an International Business MBA in Marketing from the University of Reutlingen and Eastern Michigan University in 1999.

           Cindy (Bliss) Detscher ('89) and her husband, Mark, have a 4th addition to their family. Cam (9), Will (6) and Meredith (2) adore their little sister, Abigail Cynthia Detscher, born on September 18th at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and 20" long.

           Aimee (Morrison) Hefron ('90) and Michael Hefron ('87) are proud to announce the birth of their identical twin boys. Liam and Seamus Hefron were born on January 3, 2008. The twins were born 7 weeks early, but after a 2-week stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Women and Infants Hospital the boys went home. They are now growing like weeds and are happy, healthy boys. These are the first children for Aimee and Michael. Aimee is now a stay-at-home Mom and Michael is a successful Corporate Controller working for HEI Hotels in Cambridge, MA.

---1990s---

           Kimberley (D'Onofrio) Lopez ('93) is proud to announce the birth of her baby boy - Braedan Edward Lopez, born June 25, 2008, 7.6lbs, 20.5 inches long.

           Keith Lapointe ('93) reports that the Class of 1993 will be holding its 15-year reunion on Saturday, November 29th, at the Tavern in Plainville, MA. Contact Keith at keithlapointe@yahoo.com for more information. Incidentally, Keith and his wife, Melanie (Moore) ('93), are the proud parents of their second child, Zach Paul Lapointe, who was born in early September. Zach checked in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and was 19 1/2" long. Congratulations to the growing Lapointe family!

           Christina (Marchand) Roderick ('95) reports that she got married on July 5, 2008, to Shayne Roderick of Mansfield. The two were married at Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, RI, and had an amazing wedding.

           Sara (Sigman) Hill ('95) and her new husband, John, were married on May 11, 2008 on the beaches of Costa Rica (Playa Langosta.) She and John met while working for the same software company; they now live in Newton, MA.

           Pooja (Shukla) Devendran ('95) and her husband, Anand, enjoy working and living in New York City. They are proud that they were able to attend 3 out of the 4 Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments this year -- the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Their next challenge is attend 4 out of 4 in a single year!

           Kate Duggan ('95) reports that she and her brother John ('97) recently joined their father and went back out on their own to practice family law in North Attleboro. They practice in family law (including divorce and paternity), estate planning, Medicaid planning, bankruptcy and various other areas of law.

           Michael Miller ('96) is the Global Platform Director of Environmental Health and Safety for Danaher Corporations' Mechanic Hand Tool Group. Michael has EHS and risk management responsibility for over 20 manufacturing and distribution facilities globally. He has recently moved to a new house in Rockwall Texas, which is the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex. Michael was previously with Textron Corporate in Augusta, GA (2004-2007) and Providence, RI (2001-2004) where he was a Division EHS Manager.

Michael received his BA in Environmental Science and Policy from Clark University in 2000, attended and conducted climate change research at Columbia University's Biosphere 2 Center in 1999, and attended graduate school at Clark University from 2000-2002. Michael also received PMP Project Management certification from Bryant University and is a Six Sigma Certified Greenbelt.

           Emily K. Gordon ('98) is a Senior Underwriter-Construction Services for the Lexington Insurance Company in Boston, MA. Emily reports that the class of 1998 is having a 10 Year Class Reunion on Friday, November 28, 2008 at 7:00 PM at Corinne's Banquets in Pawtucket, RI. Tickets must be purchased by November 1, 2008. For more information please contact redrocketeers1998@gmail.com.

           Matt Feid ('98) is a financial analyst at Sturdy Memorial Hospital. He and his wife, Robyn, were married in May 2008 and bought a house in Attleboro. Besides working full-time at Sturdy, Matt is a high school football official.

           Nicole L. Lemay, MLT (ASCP) ('99) is a Medical Laboratory Technician in the microbiology dept. of Sturdy Memorial Hospital.

---2000s---

Ian Hobson ('04) just graduated from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University with a BAS in Aeronautics and a minor in air traffic control. He is currently working a summer job until the FAA hires him as an air traffic control specialist.

Ian reports that Brian Ludwig ('04) graduated summa cum laude from Bridgewater State College with a major in Criminal Justice. He also recently enlisted with the US Army as a Military Occupational Specialty of intelligence.

Jeremy Adams ('06) lives in Elizabethtown, PA, with his wife, Amanda, whom he met at Susquehanna University, as they were undergraduates. They are both teachers--Amanda in fifth grade, Jeremy in high school English. In addition, Jeremy is the head boys' lacrosse coach and assistant boys' soccer coach at Elizabethtown High School.

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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Finally, please remember to log on to www.NAHSAlumni.org to update your personal information!