Whooping Cough Outbreak in Londonderry Schools

Students who aren't immunized are being asked to stay home from school.

A staff member at Londonderry Middle School has been diagnosed with pertussis, and students who have not been immunized are being asked to stay home from school. In a letter to parents, Londonderry Superintendent Nathan Greenberg said this is the third case of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, at Londonderry Middle School this year. That qualifies it as an outbreak, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. [Greenberg's full letter is attached as a PDF to the right of this story.] Students who are not immunized are being asked to stay home from school, according to School Board policy. Greenberg said school staff called all 13 families Monday night who have children who are not immunized. They will have to miss…

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Graduation Day at LHS

407 graduates received their diplomas on Friday night.

Londonderry High School’s Class of 2013, described by Principal Jason Parent as “one of the nicest” he has known, was encouraged to embrace the uncertainty of the future during their graduation exercises at the Verizon Center last night. In a rousing address, Class Valedictorian and President Ethan Doherty reminded classmates that they have faced and overcome many times of uncertainty from their first day of high school, to waiting to hear if they had been accepted to their “dream college.” “That’s why today is worthy of such great celebration. Times of failure or shortcoming make the days you do succeed that much more rewarding,” Doherty said. “Remember, when you look back, it will be the trying days, the days of uncertainty that will …

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Londonderry Students Win Ride on a Fire Truck

Two lucky students will ride home from school on a fire engine today.

Two lucky Londonderry third graders will ride home from school on a fire truck today after winning a contest sponsored by the New Hampshire Fire and Life Safety School Year Calendar for 2013-2014. Matthew Thornton Elementary School students Annabella Wu and Maeve Ryan were among 12 student artists who had their artwork selected to be included in the first-ever fire safety calendar. Wu's piece will serve as the calendar's cover, while Ryan's illustrates the month of October.  The contest was sponsored by the New Hampshire Department of Safety, the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the New Hampshire Fire Prevention Society. A total of 548 posters were submitted from 26 schools and towns throughout New Hampshire. The poster contest winners…

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Police: Nursery School Director Stole from School

She reportedly stole about $16,000 from St. Mark the Evangelist nursery school.

The former director of St. Mark the Evangelist's nursery school has been charged with stealing money from the school, according to WMUR. The television station reported that Lisa Wallace, who resigned in 2012, was arrested Friday for stealing about $16,000 from school accounts which she used to make purchases for herself. It is believed that she continued to steal from the school even after her resignation. Wallace's arrest was not listed in Friday's Londonderry police log. When asked about the case by Londonderry Patch earlier this week, Londonderry Police confirmed that Wallace had been arrested, but referred further questions to the arrest affidavit in Derry District Court. Court officials said that file was not available.

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Meet Londonderry High School's Top 10 Seniors

Londonderry High School's top students will receive their medals at Baccalaureate on Thursday night.

Below is a list of the Londonderry High School Top 10 Honored Students from the Class of 2013. They will be presented their medals at Baccalaureate on Thursday night and will graduate on Friday at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester. Submitted by Londonderry High School.

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School Repairs on Tap This Summer

The schools are slated to spend $470,000 on some smaller projects.

Several school projects are slated to be completed this summer, according to the Derry News. Peter Curro, the school district's business administrator, told the weekly newspaper that nearly $500,000 worth of projects, including security improvements, roof repairs, paving and gym upgrades, will start as soon as school gets out. More money is needed for larger projects, but voters rejected a $4.5 million school renovation plan in March. [Read the full story here.]

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Derry Students Compete in Solar Sprint

The event will be held today at 10 a.m. at Hood Middle School.

School Warns of Whooping Cough Spread

A letter went home to parents Thursday after a student at Londonderry Middle School was diagnosed with pertussis.

Londonderry Middle School Student Diagnosed with Whooping Cough

The school district announced the news in a letter to parents on Thursday.

One person at Londonderry Middle School has been diagnosed with pertussis, also known as whooping cough, the school district announced on Thursday. In a letter to parents, Superintendent Nathan Greenberg and Director of Pupil Services Kim Carpinone said that "one individual" at the middle school has been diagnosed with whooping cough, and that other cases may occur over the next few weeks, as it is highly contagious. Greenberg confirmed in an email on Thursday that it was a student who was diagnosed with the disease. Whooping cough is spread by direct contact with discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person or by breathing in droplets in the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It can also be spread by sharing …

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