In early 2013, former Lebanon City Manager Greg Lewis was looking for a way to ‘bump up’ citizen engagement in the City’s policy and advisory boards. The idea he landed on, creating the Lebanon Citizen’s Academy, was designed to educate residents on the inner workings of city government to spur their interest in volunteering. And by all accounts from the perspective of both the City and Academy graduates, the idea is working.

According to the City’s website, the Lebanon Citizen’s Academy “consists of a series of entertaining, hands-on, educational short courses, and will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of how your city government works for you.” The Academy faculty is the City’s own department heads and support staff, providing an in depth picture of how each component supports the City’s mission to provide quality programs, facilities, and services to Lebanon residents and guests.

While the task of implementing the program falls to Deputy City Manager Paula Maville, Lebanon citizens have stepped up to get involved and three years in the program has indeed met its goals. Says Maville, “We’ve had good feedback so far. I think people leave the Academy with a much better understanding of how the City works.” Maville notes that participants range in age from their early 20’s to residents in their 70’s, and that the program has attracted both newcomers and people who have lived in Lebanon all their life (‘so far’ as the old saying goes). “The Academy opens doors for people who live here and for the people that are teaching the classes, so it’s a win-win experience for everyone.”

One of these new citizen recruits is Amy Motta, who is successfully ran for the office of Ward I Moderator. Amy always had an interest in city government, and recently moved to New Hampshire from Utah. “I thought it would be a good way for me to learn about my new city,” says Motta. As to Motta’s favorite aspect of the Academy? “I loved seeing the antique maps and “the vault” of old paperwork like muster rolls on the City Clerk’s night.” Motta has a better appreciation for the work being done throughout the City as a result of her attendance.

Devin Wilkie is another recent graduate of the Academy, who was inspired to participate in the Academy after Interim City Manager Paula Maville spoke to one of his groups about how city resolutions are introduced and supported. “When Paula mentioned the class to us, I and a few of my colleagues decided to take it to learn more so that we could more effectively speak about Lebanon and municipal governments in general,” says Wilkie. Since participating in the Academy, Wilkie has run for the City Council, attended several board and committee meetings, and is an active member of the Arts & Culture Task Force. “The Academy helped me to understand the city more fully, so that when I make comments or recommendations I am able to consider how decisions might affect other functions in the city.” Of particular value to Wilke was seeing each component of the City’s facilities and operations on its own as well as in the larger context of how they operate as a whole, including the Police Department’s K-9 demonstration. “Visiting the operations it is impressive to see how much the city is able to accomplish!”

Becky Book and her husband thought attending the Lebanon Citizen’s Academy was a great idea after speaking with their City Councilor. They decided to join the Heritage Commission as a result, and note that their view of the City has changed. “There are so many parts to the “whole” business of running a City. I met the people behind the scenes who do the work and that made a huge difference. They are no longer unknowns to me, they are our friends and neighbors, people like us who care about our city and I might add – do a fantastic job. It was a tremendous learning experience, and I loved meeting the K-9 police officers!” The Books are particularly interested in the City’s efforts to restore the Dana House on Elm Street in West Lebanon. “What a little Gem we have here – Lebanon’s oldest remaining home, dating to 1763,” says Book.

For lifelong residents Doug & Lisa Wentworth, the Academy was a way to learn more about the City they grew up in, and something they enjoyed doing as a couple. Says Lisa, “I am not sure that it changed our view of the City, but made us understand more of the details and bigger picture.” With two high school aged children involved in sports, the Wentworth’s didn’t have time to get involved after they completed the Academy, and now as empty nesters, take care of new dogs and are busy volunteering in other activities.

For Devin Wilke’s part, he wishes more people would take advantage of the opportunity to learn about how their government works. “I loved Citizens Academy and wish more people would consider it – it’s a great way to learn more about what we have and what opportunities are available, without the usual access barriers!”

Paula Maville echoes this sentiment. “The one thing that comes out of the academy that’s really important is that it creates that connection with the city staff. Most people understand how to register their car, but this puts the public in contact with the people who are doing the work. If they have an issue, they now have someone they can talk to because they now are familiar with city officials.”

So if you want to learn more about how your City works and get involved in shaping the City’s current and future activities, you can contact the City Manager’s office at 603-448-4220 with questions.

The New York Times has been given credit for using the following motto: “All the news that is fit to print.” That definitive statement served as a source of pride for that publication in its masthead since the 1800s.

Today, the quotation has come into question as mainstream media often appears to have changed its mission, and now reports and emphasizes only the sensationalist or ‘bad’ news, both in print and over the airwaves. Just what is fit to print these days? A lot of heated rhetoric surrounds this question.

I know how to find the answer to this question. Take a few minutes out of your day and sit down with longtime publisher, Jen MacMillen, and have a chat. She may have to clear out a space for you to sit in her busy office, and you may have to wait for her to finish her daily multi-tasking duties, but you will come away convinced that there is good news out there. Trust me on this. If there is local news out there with a positive slant that emphasizes the good in people and communities, Jen will find it and bring it right to your doorstep – at no cost!

This talented and dedicated lady began her ‘good-news-only’ publishing businesses when she started an employee newsletter for Gannett Outdoor billboard advertising company back in 1988. Today, the Quechee resident publishes the Lebanon Times, the Quechee Times, the Norwich Times, and the ironically named Northeast Journal of St. Petersburg, Florida. The New England papers are published quarterly and are mailed directly to every resident in the communities they serve at no cost whatsoever to the readers. Local businesses and civic and non-profit organizations fund the publications through paid advertising space and content sponsorships.

As a longtime journalist/photographer, I was attracted to her work like a moth to a bright light. I quickly offered my editorial services, which she happily accepted! That was in 2013 right after the first issue of the Lebanon Times published. From then on, I have joined the crusade to emphasize the good-news-only concept. For me, being engaged with people in the community and reporting on the good things that happen here is the most rewarding contribution of my career.

Although it’s been an idea percolating for about 12 years, Jen is now ready to expand her journalistic mission and extend the concept to other communities across the country… to literally spread good news! As her dream comes true, everyone can share her passion and love of all things positive. Don’t take my word for it. Let me allow Jen to explain the details herself. (After all, she is the publisher!)

DN: What prompted the change of your business from Village Green Publishing to Greater Good Media? Have you revised your mission statement?

JM: I actually love the name Village Green Publishing. It evokes a wonderful image of a central community gathering place where citizens can engage in typical community-building activities. New Englanders are familiar with this image and the positive feelings associated with it. However, I’m ready to expand and need a name and image that is more universal and captures what my true mission is.

Now that my daughters are essentially on their own (one in college and one recently graduated from college), I am ready to put into motion the idea I’ve had to help others spread good news in their own communities. One day while driving, the name Greater Good Media popped into my mind. That was it! I knew it was exactly the right fit for my bigger vision in that it perfectly describes what my mission is and is broad enough to include all forms of media. Don’t get me wrong, I love print and believe strongly that everyone still values a beautifully crafted, tangible piece. It’s like getting a present in the mail versus an online gift card. As a business owner, I do know that I must keep pace with the times, and see the tremendous value of other, more immediate forms of media as an opportunity to spread farther and faster the good news themes that abound in my printed community journals.

DN: Going forward, what is a blue-sky scenario for your publications?

JM: I keep going back and forth between wanting to launch papers myself in communities I believe will receive them best, to serving as a consultant of sorts to others who want to ‘be the bearer of good news’ in their community. I love both ideas for different reasons. I like the idea of Greater Good Media acting as a central headquarters from which the model I’ve created can be used efficiently elsewhere. At the same time, I believe whole-heartedly that the way we will be able to make real, lasting, positive change around the world – that must happen in short order for a variety of reasons – is to start at the community level. With that said, helping others establish their own good-news-only media, as they see fit, appeals to my core beliefs. Either way, I am excited to play a small role in creating a ripple effect of positive change further afield.

DN: As you look back on the early days of getting these publications to become a reality, what kind of feedback have you received from the communities involved?

JM: The fact that my papers are still alive and kicking tells me that readers and businesses see the value in reading about the positive, everyday stuff that traditional ‘news’ outlets don’t always focus on. If all we read about is what’s bad in our community, it’s hard to shake that feeling. If, on the other hand, we get a shot of good news or receive public recognition for doing good deeds, we are more likely to take pride and ownership in our community and want to participate. New Englanders aren’t known for being effusive, but I’ve never received anything but positive feedback. My greatest reward happened when an elder woman from Lebanon called to thank me personally for publishing the Lebanon Times. She said she was mostly homebound and that this paper helped her feel connected to the community. My job is done! That one phone call made all of the incredibly hard work it takes to produce these papers absolutely worth it!

DN: As you face the future and look to expand your coverage areas, what do you anticipate will be your biggest challenge?

JM: Myself! As is the case with many small business owners, I get so caught up in the day-to-day details of producing the papers – while making sure the mission remains the guiding force – I don’t find the time to work on my dream. Because I am not trying to be a ‘newspaper,’ I can easily fit into any community without stepping on anyone’s toes. I’m all about collaboration and the principle that there is room for everyone. So, if I can get out of my own way, I’ll make it work and have a blast.

DN: Is there indeed ‘good’ news out there is these stressful times?

JM: Thankfully, yes! While I have strong opinions about how derisive and divisive things are in today’s world, if we really zoom in on the least-common denominator – that place that makes us all human – we all want the same things… love, acceptance, and our basic survival needs met. When we operate with that as a guiding principle and an ‘abundance’ mentality, then it’s easy to see the good in everything and everyone!

Jonathan Warren graduated from the Lebanon School District in 2007 with a keen interest in the arts. Now, he’s returned as the visual arts teacher. “Just as the arts helped shape me as a student, I value the opportunity to work with today’s young artists. The arts provide a vehicle for self-expression as students develop their voices… and provide an opportunity to work collaboratively.”

Zoe Liebold, LHS Class of 2017 dances in
Lebanon Ballet School’sproduction of Clara’s Dream.

On the District’s last professional learning day, arts teachers Lauren Haley, Jonathan Warren, Jonathan Verge, Todd Matte, John Carey, Gary Rothe, Yvette Garnham, Todd Renninger, Christine Greenough, Margaret Schultz, Megan Cardillo, and Thea Calitri-Martin met to work on the PreK-12 curriculum.

Working from a foundation rooted in their collective passion and professional experience, these teachers met to create a program to fulfill unique objectives in educating their students. Agreeing that the inventive nature of the Arts encourages young people to actively participate intellectually, emotionally, kinesthetically, and socially in all subjects, they had their work cut out for them to create a program that considered the big canvas and the fine details. Aware that art in early education promotes the development of creative problem solving, critical thinking, self-expression and mindfulness, they knew that creating a solid yet comprehensive foundation would be key… thus, the Essential Arts Department was born.

The name ‘Essential Arts’ is no accident. What makes the Arts essential is that they dovetail well with other core areas of study. The Essential Arts department teachers find that students have a much deeper and richer understanding of concepts and academic study if they can apply them in an artistic way. In collaboration with the other elementary school teachers, the group of Essential Arts teachers will discuss current themes in other grade-level courses to integrate the arts material with that of social studies, science, English Language Arts, and math.

Visualize

LHS book folding project

The arts programs are integrated into the student experience during their elementary years, and students will begin to specialize in middle and high school. Hanover Street School art teacher, Megan Cardillo, says, “There is nothing better than seeing a student’s eyes light up when they have information to use in art class that they have learned in another class.” Students seem to be amazed at the unlimited possibilities by combining art and technology.

The arts offerings in elementary and middle school include Physical Education, Family Consumer Science, STEM, and Health. Middle school students learn new games like rugby and tchoukball and gain information on how to live a healthy lifestyle through a variety of health related topics. In the Family and Consumer Science program, students learn how to put this information to work with cooking skills, kitchen safety, and nutrition.

Dr. D’Entremont, middle school principal said, “Administrators from around the country often comment about the depth and breadth of arts programming offered at LMS. Elementary and middle school students are exposed to coding, typing, and a variety of other STEM related topics. Middle schoolers learn to fly planes over Google Earth and build and fly rockets through the design process. “We are fortunate to be able to offer such variety to our students,” D’Entremont said.

African Drumming Class Recital.

On a visit to any of the District’s four schools, artwork is proudly displayed in hallways and classrooms. In the middle school, student work such as coil pots, animation, bobbleheads, and sketches adorn the walls and display cases.

Middle schoolers learn basic woodworking to create small projects. By high school, the visual artists can hone their skills with classes like Art and Design, Drawing, Photography, Digital Animation, Modern Art, Painting, Portfolio, Creativity, Ceramics and Sculpture, and Woodworking to continue their artistic education. Many LHS students have continued their art education at Rhode Island School of Design, NH Institute of Art, Maine College of Art, Emerson College and others by using the skills they learned early in programs like these.

Play

The Essential Arts Program offers extensive music opportunities, as well. In elementary school, students can explore drumming, playing the recorder, and other activities that create a foundation for further study.  It is in Grade 5 that students choose an instrument and begin the process of learning what it means to be an instrumental musician and member of the band.

“Playing an instrument is more than learning key and time signatures, it is also about becoming part of a community,” says Bonnie Robinson, Director of Curriculum at LHS. The District’s annual Spring concert features beginning musicians from the Middle School and Grantham Middle School, several small groups and ensembles comprised of the bands of grades 5-8, and the High School Concert Band. The middle school and high school also provide opportunities for instrumentalists to specialize by playing in the Jazz Band and/or Pep Band.

All-District Choral Concert.

Last spring, the 74-person high school concert band was given the opportunity to tour Ireland and marches in 2-3 parades annually.

However, students who are not part of the band programs have opportunities to learn to play instruments in other ways. At both the middle and high school, students learn to play guitar. The high school offers courses in piano, wind ensemble, ukulele and African drumming and hold well-anticipated end-of-semester recitals in the Library.

In addition to general music classes, students can sing in a chorus offered at all four District schools. Each year at the All-District Choral Concert, four schools come together to celebrate choral music and sing together as a group.

Both middle school and high school levels offer a cappella groups; students may audition for and sign with The Treblemakers in middle school and then may move on to join the honors choir at LHS, The Superlatives, or the school’s a cappella group, Pandemonium. Students may also study independently through the Extended Learning Opportunities department.

These choral musicians often participate in community events such as assemblies, graduation, holiday tours of local retirement facilities and often volunteer to sing the national anthem before athletic events.

Ukulele Class Recital.

Pretend

If all the world is a stage, Lebanon students have plenty of opportunities for curtain calls. Theater is integrated into classrooms beginning in elementary school, and each school has opportunities for performance.  LMS has a vibrant 5-8 drama club that puts forward a musical production each year. Last year’s show was Madagascar Jr.

Bird painting by Anna Wolke. LHS Woodworking.

LHS has added courses in Acting, Musical Theater, and Stagecraft to its Performing Arts Department.  Acting and Musical Theatre classes teach valuable skills for anyone that needs to present in front of a group. The classes help students gain confidence while performing to a group of any size by focusing on breath support, diction, clear communication and storytelling. The Technical Design classes engage students in creating the world of a play through lights, set design, costume and sound.

The high school Wet Paint Players is a club that performs two plays annually allowing students to participate in major productions like this fall’s She Loves Me scheduled for November 29-December 1 at the Lebanon Opera House. In addition to the Wet Paint Players, LHS and LMS  students can take their skills to community groups like the Trumbull Hall Troupe, North Country Community Theater, and Northern Stage.

Pursue

The Extended Learning Opportunities (ELOs) recognize that learning happens beyond the classroom. The Lebanon community contributes and supports art education with local dance studios, the Upper Valley Music Center, the AVA gallery and many local private teachers.

The high school has established a partnership with the Lebanon Ballet School in hopes that all students will be able to study dance as part of their regular school day. Until that happens, several students have completed ELOs with dance teachers Linda Copp and Jennifer Henderson. Their performance of classical ballet variations has launched many students to study dance after high school – some with full scholarships.

Create

7-8 Band.

Clearly, the arts are essential in Lebanon Schools and valued beyond the classrooms in the Lebanon community. Bonnie Robinson says, “The arts are an important means of communication and we are continually impressed with our students’ accomplishments. Each member of the PK-12 arts team brings expertise and excitement, and their collective wisdom is inspiring.”

The Lebanon School District would like to express gratitude for the community’s support, both as teachers and members of appreciative audiences. Lauren Haley, the Director of Bands at LHS, says, “Central to our philosophy are the characteristics of growth, excellence, and service. We serve our school and community with pride.”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was credited with the following quote many years ago: “Music is the universal language of mankind.”

Joe Clifford, Executive Director of the Lebanon Opera House, apparently is an exponent of that theory and from October 10-12 he made that bit of wisdom a reality for the Lebanon community and the Upper Valley. Joe arranged to host a group of musicians from Egypt to tour the region and give performances for area music students and concert-goers.

The band from Egypt performed a farewell concert at
First Congregational Church

The musicians were part of a band from Cairo, Egypt who were making their American debut. The group was led by Youssra El Hawary, a singer/songwriter who playfully blends the sounds of Cairo’s underground music scene with French chanson, Indie rock and jazz. She proved to be a captivating performer who plays the accordion while singing original songs. The Upper Valley tour began with a performance at Lebanon High School to treat the music students and others, followed by a another appearance for the Dartmouth College music department at the Hopkins Center for The Arts. Before departing the area, the band gave a stunning farewell concert at Lebanon’s First Congregational Church.

The reception by area music devotees turned into a rewarding experience for all involved, including the band itself. Perhaps the music was a new concept and the lyrics were in Arabic, but the message remained the same. Music is indeed universal. How did all this musical magic come about? Joe explains.

“The band embarked on their US tour this Fall thanks to a program called Center Stage. Center Stage is a partnership between the US State Department and the New England Foundation For The Arts. Every two years they produce tours from a handful of artists between two countries in conflict and this round featured Egypt and Ukraine. I have long admired Center Stage and decided this was the year the Lebanon Opera House would jump into the mix. Once the show was booked, I worked with the band’s managers to develop an enriching residency in the Upper Valley. It was great fun drawing on my experiences doing this kind of work at the Hopkins Center at Dartmouth.”

The band kicked off the local tour at Lebanon High School by conducting a lecture/demonstration which proved to be a fantastic way for the students, many Lebanon High band members, to be exposed to unfamiliar rhythms and instrumentation. Lauren Haley, the director of bands at Lebanon High School, noted the local reaction by her students.

“Youssra El Hawary is a very talented artist and it was wonderful having her band come to our school to perform for our students. I was particularly excited that the band so openly discussed what their music was about. They answered thoughtful questions from our students and together we were able to discuss similarities and differences between our music and cultures.” Lauren said.

The musical exchange tour proved to be a true highlight for the band, as well. Youssra El Hawary pointed out that for her and the band, it was an equally rewarding experience.

Lebanon High School music students enjoyed a performance by a visiting band from Egypt

“We were delighted to see that everyone was so interested in our music and our culture,” Youssra explained. “The people here are so open and friendly… it is amazing! What people may not realize, however, is that in our native Egypt, American music has a huge following. Our band members all grew up listening to all types of American music including Rock ’n’ Roll. My favorite growing up was Michael Jackson! We were most delighted with all the feedback we received and the reaction to our performances.”

Joe Clifford now looks toward the future and the prospect of presenting more cultural events for Lebanon and the surrounding communities.

“Given my extensive background connecting artists and audiences through contact and content, I hope to continue this kind of engagement at the Lebanon Opera House at least once per season. It’s our mission to serve as the Upper Valley’s community arts hub and Lebanon’s shifting demographics.”