COMMUNITY AT CAMP
Summer camps offer connection to others and to the outdoors — and it's not too late to sign up!
March 26 - April 1
Free and engaging
MATHCOUNTS / COURTESY
Winners of the New Hampshire State MATHCOUNTS competition held on March 14th at the NHTechnical Institute who will represent New Hampshireat theNationalMATHCOUNTS competitioninOrlando,FL inMay.From lefttoright: CoachTomWhartonof RichmondMiddle School, Rhys Yapof St. John Regional School, Agastya Chakrabarti of Richmond Middle School, Edward Elmore ofCooperative Middle School, Harvey Vale Dwyer of Richmond Middle School.
State winners for MATHCOUNTS announced
LocalwinnersoftheNewHampshire StateMATHCOUNTScompetition heldonMarch14atNHTIwillrepresentNewHampshireattheNational MATHCOUNTScompetitioninOrlando, FLinMay.MATHCOUNTSisanational mathematicscompetitiontoprovideengagingmathprogramsto6th,7thand8th gradestudentsofallabilitylevelstobuild confidenceandimproveattitudestowards mathandproblemsolving.InNewHampshire,itissponsoredbytheNewHampshireSocietyofProfessionalEngineers andtheNewHampshireTeachersof Mathematics.TitlesponsorsincludeRTX,
andtheU.S.DepartmentofDefense STEM.Nationalsponsorsinclude NorthropGrummanFoundation,theNationalSocietyofProfessionalEngineers, 3M,andAoPS.
Thestateisdividedintosixregions.The studentsfirstcompeteattheirlocal schoolsandthenattheregionallevelin February.Thethreewinningteamsfrom eachregion,togetherwithtop-scoringindividualsnotrepresentedonthoseteams, thencompeteatthestatelevelinMarchto determinethefourtopindividualswho willreceiveanall-expense-paidtriptothe nationalcompetitioninMay.
Thisyear,theStatecompetitionwas heldonMarch14thattheNHTechnical InstituteinConcord.Approximately70 middle-gradestudentsfrom23schools participated.Inthemorning,studentsare giventhreewrittentests.Basedonthose results,the12top-scoringcompetitors thencompeteinpairsintheCountdown Round,whichisafast-pacedtestheldin frontoftheaudiencewherequestionsare projectedonascreen,andthestudents haveamaximumof45secondstoanswer. AftertheexcitingCountdownRound,the winnersareannouncedandawardedtro-
phies,medalsandplaques.
Thetopfourstudentsin theStateCountdownRound werethefollowing:1stPlace –EdwardElmore,CooperativeMiddleSchool2nd Place–RhysYap,St.John RegionalSchoolSemi-finalist–GanashyamBolineni,BoleneniHomeschool Semi-finalist–NoelMathew Amazers,Homeschool.
Thetopthreeteamswere: 1stPlace–Richmond MiddleSchool,Tom Wharton(Coach)2ndPlace –St.JohnRegionalSchool, TaraHenley(Coach)3rd Place–ShakerRoadSchool, ChristineMigdal(Coach).
Basedontheirwrittentest scoresattheStatemeet,the followingfourverytalented andexcitedstudentswill
representNewHampshire attheNationalCompetition inMayinWashington,D.C. 1stPlace–RhysYap,St. JohnRegionalSchool2nd Place–Agastya Chakrabarti,Richmond MiddleSchool3rdPlace–EdwardElmore,CooperativeMiddleSchool4thPlace –HarveyValeDwyer,RichmondMiddleSchool= TomWharton,coachof thefirst-placeteam,will coachtheNewHampshire teamandaccompanythem totheNationalCompetition.Ifyouareinterestedin coachingateam,volunteeringtohelpatacompetitionordonatingtoMATHCOUNTS,pleasecontactthe NHSocietyofProfessional Engineersatwww.nspenh.org.
NH Horse Council announces Horseperson of the Year
TheNewHampshire HorseCouncil (NHHC)hasnamed DedeBatchelderofThorbercheronFarminDunbartonasits2026New HampshireHorsepersonof theYear.Theawardispresentedannuallytoanequestrianwhohas“selflessly dedicatedtheirtimeandenergytowardhelping,promoting,andunifyingNew Hampshire’shorsecommunity,orhasotherwisebeen anexemplaryrolemodelor advocateforhorsesinthe state.”
“Forover30years,Dede Batchelderhassharedher passionandequestrian knowledgewithbothher studentsandmembersof theBowandGoffstown HighSchoolEquestrian
Teams,”saysChristina Keim,NHHCpresident. “Dedeisknownforhergenerosity,forconsistently puttingothersbeforeherself,andforthegenuinejoy shereceivesinwatchingher studentsgrowandsucceed.”
Batchelderwastheunanimouschoiceforthisyear’s recognition,whichwasannouncedvirtuallyatthe NHHCAnnualMeetingon Sunday,March1.
TheNHHCwasfounded in1986byagroupofforward-thinkingequestrians seekingtosupportthe needsofthestate’sequine industrybyadvisingstate agencies,monitoringlegislationrelatedtoagricultural businessandmanagement,
Dede Batchelder is the 2026 NH Horseperson of the Year.
Easter Brunch
andpromotingequineaccesstostateandconservation lands.Today,theNHHCcontinuestodoallthisandmore.
“ItisourgoaltocontinuetoserveequestriansinNew Hampshirethroughadvocacy,education,andoutreach,” saysKeim.
JoinNHHCtodayat:http://www.nhhorsecouncil.org/andbeanactivepartoftheequinecommunity inNewHampshire.
Summer camp promotes connection
By LAUREN BETZ NH Audubon
Communicationisatan all-timehigh,butare weconnected?The answeriscomplicated.We certainlycanbe.
Theinternet’srisewas excitingbecausewehad “theworldatourfingertips!”Inseconds,wecan communicatewithsomeone thousandsofmilesaway. Wecanreceiveimmediate notificationsofevents
The internet’s rise was exciting because we had “the world at our fingertips!” In seconds, we can communicate with someone thousands of miles away. We can receive immediate notifications of events across the country and watch them in real time, sending comments and reacts and tagging others to tune in.
acrossthecountryand watchtheminrealtime, sendingcommentsandre-
actsandtaggingothersto tunein.Thepotential boundsofourawareness
haveexploded–andwith that,sohavethedemands forourattentionandfocus,
PATHFINDERS: JUNE 24-27, 2026
TRAILBLAZER I: JUNE 28-JULY 4, 2026
TRAILBLAZER MINI I: JUNE 28-JULY 1, 2026
TRAILBLAZER II: JULY 5-11, 2026
TRAILBLAZER MINI II: JULY 5-8, 2026
JUNIOR HIGH I: JULY 12-18, 2026
JUNIOR HIGH II: JULY 19-25, 2026
NAVIGATORS: JULY 26-AUG. 1, 2026
SENIOR HIGH: AUG. 2-8, 2026
LIT JUNIOR: JUNE 24-JULY 11, 2026
LIT SENIOR: JULY 12-AUG. 1, 2026 COME JOIN US FOR A
HAVE YOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
butnotnecessarilyourcapacity.
Whenweknowhowto usethetoolsatourdisposal inwaysthatarehelpful, screensandappsandtheinternetarevaluable,evenfor learningaboutnature.But foryouthnavigatingquickdopamine-fixobstacles thesamethatleadusto “doomscrolling”—theweb canhaverealaffectson braindevelopment.A numberofrecentstudies showhowinternetusecan beaddictive,impacting whatisknownasachild’s functionalconnectivity.
Andit’snosecretthatour youngfolks,theoneswho tendtobethemostattuned toourtechnologicaltrends andchronicallyonline,are feelingmoreisolatedand lonelythananyotherage group.A2025reportbythe WorldHealthOrganization showsthat13-17-year-olds
havethehighestrateof lonelinessamongallofus. Summercampcanbea strongremedy,building communityandconnection awayfromscreentime,with othersandwithnature.
Atcamp,acuriosityabout treesbecomessensoryobservation:wetouch,smell, listen,see,andsometimes eventaste!Peerssharetheir experienceswithtreesand welearnstoriesfromthe livesofotherswhowecan directlyrelateto new friends!Curiosityatcamp requiresustoverbalize goodquestionsandlistento answers,processinginformationdifferently,moreeffectively,becausewecare aboutthepersonsharingit withus.Evenwhenweare distracted playinggames ordaydreamingwhilewe eatoursnack weare buildingmemoriesinthe shadeofthetreesand breathingsharedair;weare somaticallyaffectedbythe trees’presence.
Atcamp,welearnfun factsandsynthesizenewinformation,butevenmore
importantly,wearetruly connectingwiththeworld aroundus.Oursocial-emotionallearningandacademiclearningbecome multifacetedandintertwined.Theseconnections underlinebelongingandunderstandingwithinacommunity,andwhenweare partofacommunity,we careaboutit.Webecome helpers,listeners,doers, andprotectors.Whenwe understandourplaceina community,ourresources forprocessing challengesandhardships areexpandedandwefeel morecapable,becausewe
knowwearesupported that’sresilience! Summercampcanbeone ofthemostimpactfulexperiencesofachild’slife, sparkinginspirationanddevelopingpersonalidentity throughthesevariousconnections.Bearingwitnessto immeasurablecharacter growthandimpactful learningintheyouthwho crossthethresholdinto campisaprivilegethat campleaderslikemegetto experienceeverysummer. AndIhopeitmightinspire somegrownupstoseek camplikeexperiencesfor themselvesaswell.
Lessons, grooming, bathing, trail rides, horse care, class work, camp fires, arts & crafts, horse show &more REGISTER NOW! per week $495
SUMMER CAMPS
Masters Learn to Row begins June 1st
Youth Learn to Row begins June 22nd
REGISTRATION
Registration for Masters opens April 15th
Registration for Youths opens April 1st
CONTACT
Register at: www.concordcrew.org Email us at: info@concordcrew.org
• Outdoor/Indoor Pool and Splash Pad Every Day!
• Professional Coaching
• Lunch Available to Order in Advance
• Sports and Activities for all Levels and Abilities
1 Week - $275 • 4 Weeks - $900 • 8 Weeks - $1600
Camp hours 8 am - 4 pm, before and after care available 7-8 am and 4-5:30 pm, included in cost
No horse experience necessary
24B Currier Rd, Candia, NH 03034
NHTI to screen ’My Undesirable Friends’
AspartofNHTI’sFilmSeries,“MyUndesirable Friends:PartI–LastAirinMoscow”(2024)will screenSaturday,March28at2p.m.atSweeneyHall AuditoriumonthecampusofNHTI,Concord’sCommunityCollege.NHTIstudentsenterforfree.Allothersmust pay$15(cashorcheckatthedoor,noadvancesales). ThereisfreeparkingatNHTI.PleaseparkinLotC.
Aboutthefilm:
“MyUndesirableFriends:PartI–LastAirin Moscow”(2024)NotRated,5hours,24mins.,withintermission;inRussianwithEnglishsubtitles.
A Senior Living Community
FilmmakerJuliaLoktevfollowsindependentjournalists inMoscowfacinggovernmentcrackdownasRussiainvadesUkraine,capturingtheirfightforspeechamidrisks ofbeingbranded“foreignagents”andthecountry’sdrift towardsauthoritarianism.Structuredin5chapters, Loktev’sfilmisanextraordinaryveritedocumentofimmensechangeandanxiety.
COURTESY
"My Undesirable Friends" will screen at NHTI.
book of the week
My Big, Dumb, Invisible Dragon by
Angie Lucas
2026,32pages,Genre: Children’sPictureBook
Everyonceinawhile, yougetwallopedbyan unexpectedsourceof belongingandfeelingseen fromabook.Allowmetointroduceyoutothenewest
oneIdiscovered:MyBig, Dumb,InvisibleDragonby AngieLucas,illustratedby BirgittaSif.Init,wefollowa youngboywholoseshis momandgainsadragon thatwillnotgoaway.Theillustrationsandwritingstyle workbeautifullytogetherto helpchildren(&adults)visualizetheiremotions,identifythedifferentstagesof grief,andshowtheimpact oflossonachildwhomaybe doesn’tquiteunderstand everythingthat’shappened orhowhefeels.
Carpet
“Thosewhowriteforchildrenaretryingtoarmthem forthelifeaheadwitheverythingwecanfindthatis true.Andperhaps,also,secretly,toarmadultsagainst thosenecessarycompromisesandnecessaryheartbreaksthatlifeinvolves:to remindthemthatthereare andalwayswillbegreat, sustainingtruthstowhich wecanreturn.”-Katherine
Rundell
Certainly,IwishMyBig, Dumb,InvisibleDragonexistedwhenIwasakid.Ireallycould’veusedthis mirrortoseemyself,and understandthegriefIwas holding,better.Maybethen Icould’vefoundabetter,
lesslonelywaythroughmy childhoodlosses.Inany case,Iamverygladthis bookfoundme;andI’m happytoshareitwithmore people.
“Therearegoodbooks whichareonlyforadults, becausetheircomprehensionpresupposesadultexperiences,butthereareno goodbookswhichareonly forchildren.”—WHAuden
Thisbookisproofthatit isn’tthenumberofpagesor pictureswhichdeterminea book’simpact.Foradults,I willberecommendingthis titlerightalongsideJane Eyre.And,forchildren,it’s joiningtherankswithClif-
fordtheBigRedDog. Nomatteryourage,thisis yoursigntoreadapicture bookthisyear. VisitCPLatwww.concordpubliclibrary.net Ariel ConcordPublicLibrary
Leadership Greater Concord opens applications for Class of 2027
LeadershipGreater Concord,theGreater ConcordChamberof Commerce’sannualleadershipprogramforareaprofessionals,isacceptingapplicationsfortheclassof 2027.Foroverthree decades,thisinitiativehas introducedover650communitymemberstothe
innerworkingsofthecapitalregion.Eachyear,participantsembarkonaninemonthimmersionintothe innerworkingsofthe greaterConcordcommunity.TheLGCprogramincludeshands-onandinteractivesessiondaysthat covermanyaspectsofour region’spublicresources
andgovernance,andeach classconnectswithprominentbusinessandcivic leaderswhoaremakingdecisionsaboutGreaterConcord’sfuture.
“Youlearnsomuchabout what’sgoingoninyour community,”remarkedclass of2026participantPatricia McLaughlinofRiverbend
CommunityMentalHealth, “It’sthisdeepknowledge levelwhereyoulearnthe soundtrack meetingwith stakeholders,meetingwith communityleaders [it] hasbeenreallyfascinating.”
Asexplainedbytheclass of2024’sGarryCorneliusof MerrimackCountySavings Bank,“[LGC]fast-tracked
somethingthatwouldhave takenmeyearstodoindependentlyonmyown.”
Thisyear’sprogrambeginsinSeptember2026and continueswithmonthly day-longsessionsconcludingwithagraduation receptioninJune2027.Participantsgethands-onexperienceacrossdifferentaspectsoftheregion,includinghistory,arts,culture,education,housing, government,criminaljustice,economicdevelopment,media,andhealthand humanservices.
LGCfeaturesaprestigious lineupofhigh-profile speakers,suchasGovernor KellyAyotte,Executive CouncilorKarenLiotHill, CityofConcordMayor ByronChamplin,Commis-
sioneroftheNewHampshireDepartmentofHealth &HumanServicesLori Weaver,JimSchachterof NewHampshirePublic Radio,andmembersofthe ConcordPoliceDepartment amongothers.LGCparticipantshavepersonalconversationswiththesepresentersandcontinuetoengagewiththemaftergraduation.
Althoughknownforits richandinsightfuleducationalprogramming,the bondsformedbetween classmatesandpresenters areoftenconsideredthe highlightoftheprogram.
“Mymostfavoritething abouttheclassisthe people,”affirmedClassof 2026participantSarah GlaudeofSocialClub Creamery.“Ilookforward eachmonthtomeetingwith thisgreatgroupandseeing howclosewe’vegotten.”
Thesetrustedconnectionscreateanenvironment
whereparticipantscan openlydiscusschallenging issues,askdifficultquestions,andshareinsights fromthesessiondays.LGC classmatesformlifelong bonds,endupworkingtogetherascommunitypartners,orusetheseconnectionsassteppingstonesto findimpactfulvolunteeropportunitiesandcivicengagementroles.LGCis uniquelydesignedtopre-
pareparticipantsforleadershiprolesacrossthecommunity aselectedofficials,industryleaders,or nonprofitboardmembers.
TheGreaterConcord ChamberofCommerceinvitesapplicantsfromanyindustryorsectorofthecommunity.Interestedindividualslearnmoreaboutthis engagingprogramandapply onlinebyMay3rdatconcordnhchamber.com/lgc
“My most favorite thing about the class is the people. I look forward each month to meeting with this great group and seeing how close we’ve gotten.”
Sarah
Glaude, Class of 2026 participant of Social Club Creamery
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Dump Runs
LOOSENZ
Business/Commercial
Rooms
Junk, Appliances, Furniture, Cleanouts, Small Moves, Houses, Garages, Basements & Attics From Truck Loads to Dumpsters
SNOW PLOWING
Serving Central New Hampshire 7 Days a Week 603-753-8555 603-568-7291
Mobile Home Services Vinyl skirting, Painting, Etc., Doors & Windows Roofing Solutions
30+ years experience reasonable installations fully insured. Dan 603-707-2864
Masonry
CW MASONRY EXPERTS
Roof Repairs
Chimney Sweeping & all Masonry needs 603-674-0492
Pest Control
Experienced, dependable, reasonably priced and licensed Wildlife Control Operator. Humane wildlife removal.
Woodchucks, porcupines, skunks, raccoons, possums.
Feel free to call for wildlife advice! 603-491-6044
Stay Comfortable Year-Round with Capitol Comfort Heating & Cooling!
Reliable Heating, Cooling, Water Heaters, Indoor Air Quality Products.
Installation, Repair & Service.
Expert HVAC Service & Installation
Quality products you can trust
Fast, Friendly & Professional Technicians
Call Today: (603) 665 0271
Email: service
@CapitolComfortHVAC.com
Visit: CapitolComfortHVAC.com
Your Comfort is Our Priority!
ROB PARKER & SON CONTRACTING LLC
ROOFING ROOFING ROOFING FALL DISCOUNTS ASPHALT, METAL, CEDAR, RUBBER, WINDOWS, DECKS AND HOME IMPROVEMENTS SEAMLESS GUTTERS CALL FOR A QUOTE 603-554-5253 FULLY
change?READY FOR A
CROSSROADS CHIROPRACTIC
Affordable care, great results!
No appointments with flex scheduling
Short wait times
Caring doctors and staff
Voted Best Chiropractor
*results
At Crossroads we believe our patients deserve more than a guess. That’s why we perform a careful examination before we adjust. We value the private consultation to understand each person’s concerns and take our own x-rays when they’re necessary before adjusting the spine. We don’t casually “crack backs” here. We are thorough, specific and create a PLAN for correction. That’s one reason we’ve been voted best chiropractor year after year. We adjust tiny newborns to seniors and everyone in between because we believe in creating a healthier community through natural chiropractic care. Give us a try - this month a complete exam with any necessary x-rays is just $59.
For over 25 years New Hampshire families have come to us for help with: Sciatica
Low
Digestive Problems
Overall Wellness
Athletic Performance
Headaches and Migraines
Asthma
Numbness/ Tingling
Allergies
Knee
Carpal Tunnel
“I had gone to a couple of doctors for some shoulder and neck issues, and no one could tell me what the issue was or what was causing the pain. I went to Dr Graham and he was awesome. Took X-rays and told me what the issue was. He gave me a game plan and it has been awesome! I have such relief and have gone to one of the classes and the pain is very minimal if to no pain at all... They are all very genuine people, you always feel comfortable as soon as you walk in. I can't say enough good things about this practice. Thank you.” - S.W.