NSD eNews

Dear NSD Families and Staff,

Our students never cease to impress me with their accomplishments, and I have more great news to share today. To start, we are very proud of Deetya Nagri, Nashua HS South Class of 2024. US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona announced late last week that Deetya was named a 2024 US Presidential Scholar.

Deetya is one of 161 seniors from across the country who have met the demanding criteria for selection, meeting academic requirements as well as pursuing a depth of commitment to her school and her community. Deetya will attend MIT in the fall and study computational biology, which combines the study of computer science with the study of molecular biology. Again, congratulations to Deetya on this prestigious honor.

And this is just the beginning. Please take the time to read below about several of our other accomplished students. I continue to be inspired by our students' good work and success in school. It makes me even more enthusiastic for the upcoming graduation season, the most important time of the school year. Until then, enjoy spring and I wish our students well during these final weeks of school.

Thank you.

Mario Andrade, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Nashua School District

May 13, 2024 BOE Meeting Recap

Board members spent considerable time at the end of the meeting discussing the need for a sequential approach to managing the crossroads NSD faces with maintaining equity among facilities and enrollment among the 12 elementary schools. They are planning on scheduling a dedicated meeting no later than early June to decide first steps to address the issue.

Committee on Policy: The Board approved two policies, ACN Nursing Mothers' Accommodation and BEDG Meeting Minutes. The second reading of Policy JLCD is postponed until the next Board meeting.

A. Foundations and Basic Commitments

ACN Nursing Mothers' Accommodation

B. Board of Education Governance and Operations

BEDG Meeting Minutes

Committee on Human Resources: The Board approved 20 recommended personnel actions, and approved the hiring of Christopher McCallum to the position of Brentwood Coordinator for the 2024-2025 school year. Mr. McCallum has worked for the school district the past two years as a peer coach focused on helping to implement MTSS-B (Multi-Tiered System of Supports-Behavior). In addition, Michael Bowse, Director of Human Resources, was hired permanently as Director and no longer is working on an interim basis.

New Business: The Board approved the administration of an UNH ELL Student Survey. Once again, as noted above, Board members spent considerable time at the end of the meeting discussing the need for a sequential approach to managing the crossroads NSD faces with maintaining equity among facilities and enrollment among the 12 elementary schools. They are planning on scheduling a dedicated meeting no later than early June to decide first steps to address the issue.

The next Nashua Board of Education meeting is scheduled to take place Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at Nashua High School North.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua selected Xiadani de le Lima Davila as 2024 Youth of the Year. Xiadani is a member of the Class of 2024 at Nashua South. She is chapter president of the Health Occupation Students of America and is a former member of the field hockey team. According to the Boys & Girls Club, she plans to pursue a career as a respiratory therapist. Congratulations, Xiadani! (Note photo courtesy of The Telegraph.)

Editor's Note: Joseph Risteen, Nashua HS North Class of 2021 and current UNH student studying communication arts, advertising, and public relations, is interning this semester in the NSD Office of Communications. Below is just one of the many NSD events he has covered during his internship.

On Monday, May 13, students in grades 5 through 8 at Fairgrounds Elementary and Middle Schools had the great opportunity to hear from Meg Medina, an author, Newbery Award Medalist, and the Library of Congress' current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Nashua was selected among many applicants to be one of just four to earn her visit.

Students got to hear about her books including Mango, Abuela, and Me, and her Merci Suárez series. The Fairgrounds Elementary students brought with them their own copies, some of which were signed after her presentation. The visit gave students an idea of what it takes to become an author, learn about several authors and poets who are contemporaries of Ms. Medina, and how to enjoy reading beyond the classroom.

Fifty-one students from Nashua HS South competed recently at the DECA International Career Development Conference. There were more than 23,000 competitors in 50 different business categories. We congratulate the following students:

• Raghav Buddhineni, Samarth Chetan, and Vedant Patil finished third in the Start Up Business Plan category, which is quite an accomplishment because it is a particularly competitive category.
• Chloe Zhang won a silver medal and finished in the Top 16 of the test portion of her area of competition: Integrated Marketing Product.
• Anand Madarapu, Vamshi Pagidi, and Naveen Ravindran finished in the Top 10 in the Business Solution Category.
• Kaushani Ghosh, Wendy Huang, and Apoorva Kalindindi placed in the Top 16 for their Finance Operations Paper, and Josephine Mathew and Roseanne Shiju placed also in the Top 16 for their Integrated Marketing-Service Paper.

Students in Nashua North’s culinary program baked cupcakes for the First Annual Cupcake War, held at North. Students from several area high school culinary programs participated. The event was sponsored in part by the Professional Chefs of New Hampshire. Congratulations to two two-person teams from North who placed: Meredith Hildebrand and Sophie Baez-Estey won first place; and Jazmyne Smith and Stari Gonzales-Aviles won third place.

Congratulations to Nashua HS South’s Josh Caruso for winning the John E. Burke Sportsmanship Award. This recognition is given annually to a high school boy and girl who exemplify the principles of sportsmanship, integrity, and dependability on and off the basketball court. The award is sponsored by the NH State Board of Approved Officials. Josh is a three-time nominee, and NSD joins Coach Mazerolle, the South athletics program, and the referee officials in acknowledging the honor. Again, congratulations, Josh. (note photo above of Josh and his South Boys Basketball teammates by Joe Risteen, NSD Communications Intern.)

Congratulations to Mr. Brown! The Nashua Lions Club recently announced the selection of Andrew Brown, US History Teacher at Elm Street Middle School, as the 2024 Lions Club Teacher of the Year! We appreciate the longstanding support of the Lions Club for our teachers. Mr. Brown will be honored by the Lions Club with several of his Elm Street Middle School colleagues and his family joining together at a special event later this month.

Help us spread the word! #NashuaSchools is gaining followers! Since the beginning of the school year, hundreds have joined. Once again, we encourage you to follow NSD on Instagram for all important announcements and school highlights!