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Health Science Seniors Present Research on KHS Substance Abuse to Keene Board of Education
“If you get hooked young, it’s really hard. We’ve arrested people [in Keene] who became heroin addicts at 13. [When you’re] a teen, you’re not fully capable of making rational decisions and [drug use] becomes your culture.”
— Testimony from a detective assigned to the NH Attorney General’s Drug Task force for the Western Region, which includes Cheshire County.
A 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS) survey reported that substance abuse by Keene High School students exceeds the state average in many categories, including use of cocaine at least once in a student’s life, the taking of over-the-counter drugs to get high, taking a prescription drug illegally one or more times, using marijuana one more more times during the past 30 days, binge drinking, having at least one drink of alcohol on one or more of the past 30 days, and using chewing tobacco. The survey shows that heroin use among juniors and seniors at KHS is twice the state average.
To understand why substance abuse is so prevalent at the high school, students in Health Science Assistant Professor Marjorie Droppa’s senior capstone course spent the semester conducting research interviews and focus groups with KHS students, parents, and staff, and inmates at the Cheshire County Department of Corrections who attended high school in the Monadnock Region and have a history of substance abuse. The researchers also looked at the high school’s Substance Abuse Policy, which hadn’t been updated since 1993. They then made recommendations for more effective education to prevent substance abuse and for changes in the school’s policy. The Health Science students presented their findings to the Keene Board of Education on December 10.
Their research report offered two strategies to support KHS in decreasing substance abuse among its students. The first recommends deeper collaborative partnerships with substance abuse organizations in the Monadnock Region to help provide additional education, support, and resources for both school administrators and families struggling with substance abuse issues at home. The second advocates for a collaborative educational conference at KSC to help bring the community together to solve the problem of teen substance abuse.
Chris Bell ’11: Open, Learning, Creating
Design and Technical Theater major Christopher Bell ’11 was recently back at the Redfern, working behind the scenes with Pilobolus for their big show in October. Shawn Ahern ’10 introduced Bell to some of the Pilobolus executives, who said they were interested in having Bell intern with them, and he jumped at the chance. “The first time they performed at Keene State in 2007, they really inspired me, and I knew how great it would be to work for them,” Bell said. “I really enjoyed their organic process and how family oriented they are. I was able to learn many different sides of the business while also channeling my own creative energy into something tangible.”
Since Pilobolus is a world-renowned company that works with artist all over the world, Bell’s work with them opened the door to many important professional connections. “I hooked into a group of artists that were creating the holiday window for Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury-goods department store on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan, and they were looking for someone of my skill set,” Bell explained. Not long into that project, it became apparent that Bell would need some help. “I mentioned Gary Beisaw [’12] to them. They had a phone interview with him that night, and Gary flew out from Texas a few days later.”
“The project involved a process called resin casting which was I was not too familiar with,” Bell recalled. “It required lots of mold making and very precise chemistry to create pieces of art to be used in the display. I never expected to be doing anything like this, but my professors at Keene were very adamant about staying open to new things and to keep challenging yourself. It wasn’t about what the degree did for you; it was about what you did with the degree.”
“When I left Keene, I took the opportunity to try everything. Though my degree is in Technical/Design, I took classes in dance and acting and even did some performing. I was constantly striving to be well-rounded. My professors always stressed the importance of collaboration. The conversation between directors, performers, designers, and technicians is vital, and I wanted to understand things from all these perspectives. That let me acquire new skills, and I was able to keep creating, which is what I most enjoy. My hope is that I will never be complacent and I’ll continue to grow and challenge myself as an artist.”
Three English Majors Living and Honing their Craft
Three recent English grads—Adam Hogue ’11, Hillary Bailey ’13, and Dylan Freni ’13—are out in the big world, using the skills they learned at KSC and living interesting lives.
Adam Hogue ’11
Adam Hogue is currently living and working in Providence, RI, and is a contributing writer for PolicyMic. Prior to coming back Stateside, he spent two years teaching English in Gwangju, Korea, where he got to do a lot of traveling around the East. PolicyMic recently named him “Pundit Of the Week.” If you know Adam, or would like to know him, you’ll really enjoy the article.
Hillary Bailey ’13
Hillary Bailey is working with AmeriCorps and currently working with flood victims in Colorado. When she tells people that she took a professional writing course, “I automatically become their proofreader and/or document developer,” she said. “My professional writing skills have allowed me to work as a media rep for my team.”
Hillary kept a blog, “The Walking Girl: A Journey Through the History of Keene, NH,” as part of her internship with the Historical Society of Cheshire County last spring.
Dylan Freni ’13
The Clare Literary Journal recently published poet and copywriter Dylan Freni’s poem, “The Sleeping List.” Dylan will be attending the MFA program at the University of New Hampshire next year and, besides his day job writing copy for a website based in Exeter, is the poetry editor for The Squalor Review. He also writes about poetry on his blog, Diagnostic.
“The Writing program at Keene helped me to find what my strengths and weaknesses are as a writer, and also helped me to realize my potential.” Dylan explained. “Now, having a career in marketing as a writer, I am experiencing success both in my professional and creative worlds thanks to the vital skills I learned from my mentors and peers at Keene State.”
NAfME and ACDA Mock All-State Audition
By Danielle St. Amand (public relations coordinator of NAfME) and Amanda Williams (public relations coordinator of ACDA)
The KSC chapters of the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) hosted the first annual Mock NHMEA All-State auditions to help area high school music students prepare for the real thing: the New Hampshire Music Educators Association (NHMEA) All State Music Festival, where they audition for a spot in an honors ensemble. This “mock” audition allowed high school students to not only go through the audition process, where they must perform a prepared piece as well as basic technical exercises such as sight-reading and scales, but also to receive feedback and advice from Keene State music faculty. The faculty worked with the students to improve their audition material and instill confidence before their All-State audition.
Professors Jim Chesebrough and Craig Sylvern volunteered to work with the students.
“It is wonderful to see these high school musicians working towards the goal of making the New Hampshire All-State ensembles,” Dr. Chesebrough commented. “Working with them reminded me that, whether they make the ensembles or not, they will be better musicians for the experience.”
“Thanks to NAfME and ACDA for organizing the mock auditions,” said Dr. Sylvern. “I think it was a good opportunity for the students to get a fresh perspective on their playing with regards to their technique, musicianship, and stage deportment.”
Overall, this event was a great success. The students showed much improvement throughout the day, and many were accepted into their all-state ensembles.
KSC / City Commission Looks to Mutual Benefit
KSC President Dr. Anne E. Huot and Keene Mayor Kendall Lane are forming a community commission to consider how the College and City of Keene might collaborate for the benefit of the City and the College community. Mayor Lane and President Huot will appoint the commission members, who will represent a range of perspectives. These members will be announced in December. A public session will be held in January, which will provide residents and community members with the chance to offer input into the charge of the commission.
And here’s the Keene Sentinel’s report on the commission.
Chance Encounter
When Lt. Josué Román ’98 reported aboard US Coast Guard Port Security Unit 301 in the fall of 2009, Gunner’s Mate Chief Wayne Gibson ’96, who has deployed to Kuwait & Iraq, had been there a year. But it wasn’t until Lt. Roman transferred from Assistant Boat Officer to Weapons Division Officer in 2012 that both men realized they were Keene State alums and that their time on campus overlapped.
Currently Lt. Roman and GMC Gibson are deployed until spring 2014, attached to the Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In civilian life Lt. Roman works as a CPA in Concord, NH, and Chief Gibson works at Worthen Industries in Nashua as the Safety Manager, responsible for safety management of their five U.S. manufacturing plants.
Jonathan Gitelson in Chicago Video Art Show
Assistant Professor of Art Jonathan Gitelson is exhibiting his two-channel video installation, “Staring Contest” in the Chicago Photography Center’s November exhibit, Expanding the Frame, a show of video art. On they day following the show’s opening, Prof. Gitelson also participated in a panel discussion on the relationship between photography and video art.
In September, Prof. Gitleson had a solo exhibition, Halfway between Somewhere and Nowhere, at the University of Vermont, where he attended the opening reception, met with and critiqued advanced photography students, and gave a lecture on his work.
Beyond Expectations—Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday, nationally recognized as the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, fell this year on December 3. The day offers a selfless response to the more indulgent shopping sprees on Black Friday and Cyber Monday by encouraging charitable giving and highlighting worthy causes.
For this Giving Tuesday, KSC’s Annual Giving team set itself the goal of collecting 100 donations of any amount, to any designation. President Anne Huot offered to donate an additional $1000 to support KSC students if the 100-donor goal was met. To put things in perspective, the team usually logs about 13 gifts per day. But, by 3 p.m. that afternoon, 100 generous members of the Keene State community had made donations. When she heard that, President Huot offered an additional $500 if the team could bring in an additional 50 donors. By 11:59 that evening, with help from the intrepid Phonathon callers, the team had logged 164 donations!
Giving Tuesday saw $19,127.12 in gifts come to Keene State in 24 hours. Those donations make a real difference in our students’ education.
Nelson Megna ’59 Receives AARP’s Most Prestigious Award
Nelson Megna ’59 recently won AARP’s 2013 Andrus Award, named in honor of the organization’s founder Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. The Andrus Award celebrates and honors people who make a difference in the lives of others, and is the most prestigious and visible award AARP can present to an individual. The organization claimed that Mr. Megna’s “extraordinary public service actively embodies Dr. Andrus’ motto ‘To Serve, Not To be Served.’”
Read all about it in AARP’s announcement.
Mr. Megna and his wife, Dorothy Reed Megna ’58, recently established the Megna Family Endowed Scholarship here at KSC.
KSC Alumni Gatherings Across the Country!
The Alumni Association has been on the move the past few months! We have been holding regional events all across the country. The first stop was in San Diego, where two separate events attracted locals (and one visiting alumna!). Our biggest KSC Connections event was in Boston—over 40 Keene State alumni and a few KSC parents showed up to connect with each other, and they got to meet KSC’s new President, Anne Huot. We also were in Portsmouth, NH, and last week we visited Westport, Conn. A fun tradition started a few years ago at gatherings—at the end of the event, everyone gathers for a photo in which they’re holding a Keene State College a banner, pennant, a copy of Keene State Today, or something else that boldly says “Keene State”! We have been able to capture these images at every location. You can check them out here.
Be on the lookout for our 2014 travels. Right now, we are planning trips to Burlington, Florida, Indianapolis, New York City, and more. Also—during Winterfest (January 31 and February 1) we will have one of these events right here in Keene! Wonder if we are going to be in your area? Check out our upcoming events.
Alice Fogel—NH’s Poet Laureate
English Lecturer Alice Fogel was recently named New Hampshire’s poet laureate. She begins her five-year term in January 2014 and will serve as an ambassador for all poets in New Hampshire and work to heighten the visibility and value of poetry in the state.
Her books include Be That Empty (2008), a national poetry bestseller, and Strange Terrain (2009), on how to appreciate poetry without “getting” it. Her newest book, Interval: Poems Based upon Bach’s Goldberg Variations, won the Nicholas Schaffner Award for Music in Literature, and is forthcoming from Schaffner Press.
Fogel joins an impressive list of former New Hampshire poets laureate that includes Walter Butts, Patricia Fargnoli, Marie Harris, Donald Hall, Cynthia Huntington, Jane Kenyon and Maxine Kumin.
Bill Pardus Awarded Director’s Prize
Music Department Professor Emeritus and award-winning composer William D. Pardus has been awarded the Director’s Prize in the International Composers’ Competition, sponsored by the Longfellow Chorus of Portland, Maine, for his composition, Five Songs of the Sea, (for soprano voice and piano) which was part of a project of setting 10 Longfellow poems to music, with varied types of accompaniments.
Shari Bemis to Step In as Interim Dean of Sciences and Social Sciences
Shari L. Bemis, associate professor of Computer Science and currently the assistant dean of the School of Sciences and Social Sciences, will step in to the interim dean’s role on January 1 and serve until Keene State selects a Provost and he or she assumes his or her responsibilities.
“Dr. Bemis’ demonstrated abilities and good work as assistant dean for the past three years made her my choice among several faculty in the school who stepped forward to help,” explained Gordon Leversee, interim provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “I appreciate her willingness to take on these added responsibilities and anticipate relatively seamless transitions.”
Three KSC Community Members Receive Governors Arts Awards
Three KSC community members—Peter Ramsey ’76 and Thomas and Barbara Putnam—were recent recipients of the Governors Arts Awards, which recognize outstanding accomplishments in arts education, arts patronage, cultural access leadership, distinguished arts leadership, youth arts leadership, community impact, and lifetime achievement as artists. Governor Maggie Hassan presented the awards during a ceremony and reception at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, hosted by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, in November.
Peter Ramsey ’76, executive director of the Palace Theatre in Manchester, received the Community Impact Award for leading “the theatre through significant improvements to the facility and the creation of varied programming that ranges from showcasing nationally known artists to community-based productions.”
Thomas and Barbara Putnam, whose generosity is apparent across the KSC campus, received the Individual Arts Patron Award for being “exceptional and generous arts patrons in every respect, supporting the arts with their time, their wisdom, and with funding both from their personal resources and through the Putnam Foundation.”
Keene State is proud of Peter Ramsey and the Putnams for the outstanding contributions they have made to the College, our community, and our state!
For the list of 2013 nominees, recipient bios, event images, and general information, visit the Governors Arts Awards website.
Recent Gifts
• Charlie ’67 and Christine Zoulias, regular 1909 Society members, have given $5000 to support the Nursing program and the new teaching lab project.
• Engelberth Construction has paid the first installment ($20K) on their very generous $100,000 pledge towards the new TDS Center. Pierre LeBlanc ’78 is president of Engelberth Construction, and this company has done many major projects on the KSC campus, including the TDS Center.
• Former USNH trustee Andy Lietz and his wife Donna have made a $2500 unrestricted gift to the College, thus continuing their 1909 Society membership.
• KSC’s Grant and Contract Administrator, Susan Ericson-West, on behalf of the West family, has made a gift of $10,000 in memory of her husband, Vaughn West. This unrestricted gift will be used in the Theatre and Dance department.
• We’re also finalizing a number of very significant gifts-in-kind that support of the Nursing Lab project. Look for these details in the near future.