School lunches
Whittier Vo-Tech
Monday: Baked ham, mashed potato, sliced carrots, wheat bread, pineapple chunks.
Tuesday: Chicken fajita, corn, pear halves.
Wednesday: Soup and sandwich special, assorted fruit.
Thursday: Spaghetti and meatballs, green beans, sliced Vienna bread, peach slices.
Friday: School pizza, small salad, pretzels, fruit cocktail.
Breakfast served daily as a meal or a la carte. Pizza and sub sandwiches served daily. Choice of 8-ounce homogenized, low-fat chocolate or 1 percent milk served with each meal.
Martial arts day camp
Chang's Tae Kwon Do America will offer a full-day summer martial arts camp. For early registration incentive, please sign up before April 30. Massachusetts licensed child care circuit vouchers are accepted. For more information, call 978-556-1616.
Shamrock Associates scholarship raffle
Shamrock Associates will hold its annual St. Patrick's Day party and scholarship fund raffle Thursday, March 27 from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Crescent Yacht Club on Ferry Street in Bradford. Entertainment by Dan Ryan and a catered buffet. Grand prize is a $500 AAA travel gift certificate. Admission is $10 per person. Single books of raffle tickets are $5. Five books for $20. Fifty raffles for more than 90 prizes. Scholarships are awarded to graduating high school seniors who are Haverhill residents from middle-income families.
'Footloose' performance
Students at Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School will perform "Footloose" March 28, 29 and 30 at the school, 115 Amesbury Road. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Students have been rehearsing five afternoons a week to perfect their lines as well as the show's 16 musical numbers and several large group dance scenes. There are 31 cast members, including several Whittier Drama Club veterans and many underclassmen who auditioned for the first time. Tickets are $7 at the door.
Cooking classes
The Children's Department at the Haverhill Public Library presents Katie Wilton in Cooking Class I on April 5 from 2 to 3: 30 p.m. and April 10 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and Cooking Class II on April 17 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Cavallaro Room. In the hands-on classes, children make one recipe and sample all the food made. Programs are for children 10 to 15 years old. Registration is required. For information, call 978-373-1586 or visit www.haverhillpl.org and click on calendar.
SHADE poster contest
"Limit the sun, not the fun" is the theme for the 2008 SHADE poster contest. Students in grades kindergarten through eight can submit hand-drawn posters on an 8.5- by 11-inch sheet of paper. Entries should be original, creative and suggest ways to prevent skin cancer. Winners receive state and national prizes. The overall national winner will receive a trip for four to Disney World. WeatherBug Schools is providing a scientific-grade, weather-tracking station as a national prize. Deadline is Tuesday, April 1. For more information, visit www.epa.gov/sunwise.
Poetry contest
Creative Communication is accepting entries to the Spring 2008 Poetry Contest. Poetry Contest divisions are grades kindergarten through three, four through six, seven through nine and 10 through 12, with 10 top winners in each division. To enter a poem, submit one original poem, 21 lines or less. Deadline for entries is Tuesday, April 8. To submit a poem, visit www.poeticpower.com or mail your entry labeled Poetry Contest or Essay Contest to 1488 N 200 W, Logan, UT 84341. For more information and regulations, call 435-713-4411.
Northern Essex Community College news
"Can Democracy Prevent Genocide?": Richard Kamber, professor of philosophy at The College of New Jersey, will speak March 26, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Technology Center as guest lecturer in the school's Genocide Awareness series sponsored by the NECC Diversity Committee. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Judith Kamber at 978-556-3955, or e-mail jkamber@necc.mass.edu.
Upcoming alumni activities: Early childhood education reunion on March 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. President and Alumni Night at the Theater on March 30, 7 p.m. with "The Diary of Anne Frank." Light refreshments following the performance. This event is free with a reserved ticket through the Alumni Office. White-water rafting from June 6 through 8 along the Dead River. Cost is $178 per person and includes two nights lodging and the rafting trip on Saturday. Lowell Spinners Aug. 7 at 5:30 p.m. Cost is $30 per person and includes the all-you-can-eat Gator Pit buffet, great game seats and fun. For more information on any event above, call the Alumni Office at 978-556-3621.
New director: John Murray of Kittery, Maine, will be the first full-time faculty member assigned to the expanding sleep technology program. Murray, a registered respiratory therapist and polysomnographic technologist, recently managed the Maine Sleep Institute at Maine Medical Center. He served as director of Rehabilitation Services at Huggins Hospital in Wolfeboro, N.H., and has developed and implemented courses in polysomnography at two community colleges in Maine, including a certificate program in polysomnography at Southern Maine Community College. For more information, call 978-738-7274 or e-mail jmurray@necc.mass.edu.
The Northern Essex Community College Haverhill campus is 100 Elliott St.
Kids helping kids
Students and families at Little Sprouts Child Enrichment Centers are accepting gift donations for Debbie's Treasure Chest, a charity developed by three adopted girls, ages 8, 11 and 12, which helps children in custody of the Department of Social Services. To donate, e-mail jtodisco@littlesprouts.com. For more information, call 781-929-2858.
Free preschool screening
The Haverhill Public Schools provides free preschool screening to 3- and 4-year-old children in Haverhill. Preschool screening is a brief look at a child's overall development including the areas of language, motor skills, and thinking- and reasoning skills. Screening is a brief, child-friendly, play-oriented time during which a trained preschool teacher will work with the child. The information gained from preschool screening may help answer some of parents' questions and help make decisions about good learning experiences for your child. For more information or to make an appointment, call the Moody School at 978-374-3459 or 978-374-3484.
Emergency and cancellation information
Notices of school closings and delayed openings due to inclement weather are announced on radio and television by 6 a.m. Radio stations: WBZ-AM 1030, WRKO-AM 680. TV stations: 4, 5, 7 and 32. Closings and delays are also available on the Emergency Snow Line at 978-469-9078. During delayed openings, school will start two hours later. Bus pickup, therefore, will also occur two hours later. If it is necessary to dismiss schools prior to regular times, announcements will be made over the radio and TV stations normally used for cancellations, along with the school Web site. If a parent or guardian decides that a child cannot travel to school safely due to weather conditions, the child may remain at home. Provide the school with a written note when the child returns to school.
Fit 'n' Fun after-school program
Cedarland Family Fun Center will offer after-school care for children in grades one through five starting this fall. Children will partake in various indoor and outdoor activities that vary by season and include: indoor play maze, outdoor playground, indoor swimming, sports games, basketball, mini-golf and batting. Homework time and arts and crafts will also be offered. Children can register for anywhere from one to five days a week. Drop-in care will be available if space allows and paperwork is complete. Bus transportation will be provided from Bradford Elementary and Greenleaf schools in Haverhill. Cedarland is located at 931 Boston Road. For more information, call Program Director Beth Bailey at 978-373-1596. To register, visit www.cedarland.net and select Fit 'n' Fun after-school program.
Military help with college loans
Get help repaying college loans by investing $1,200 in the Montgomery G.I. Bill to receive more than $30,000 for education expenses. Receive an associate in applied-science degree in your specialty from the world's largest community college and the only accredited degree-granting program in the Armed Forces: the Community College of the Air Force. For more information, contact Sgt. James Moore at 978-686-1464; 160 Winthrop Ave., Stadium Plaza, Lawrence; or e-mail to James.Moore@rs.af.mil.
