From the Director Spotlight on Student Success! - Pemi

Vol 13, No. 1
A newsletter for
volunteers and friends of
December 2015
READINGS
From the Director
Pemi-Baker Literacy
In our fourteenth year at Pemi-Baker Literacy we celebrate our accomplishments. In January
of 2014 the high school equivalency exam, GED, was replaced with a new test, the HiSET.
Our tutors and students faced this challenge head on and we have had much success with
the new assessment. Our program has seen a steady increase in students seeking to learn
English as another language. This fall we expanded our service area to include the Lincoln
region. Through it all, our flexible and resilient volunteer tutors and board have been ready
to adapt. The most rewarding part for all of us is to see our students flourishing in their new
lives. Please take a minute to read about some of our recent success stories!
258 Highland St.
Plymouth, NH 03264
603-536-2998
pemibakerliteracy.org
Spotlight on Student Success!
Board of Directors:
Meagan Campbell
Kate Donahue
Carole Elliott
Pat Hage
Vicki Kelly
Sue Kling
Kelly Mask
Robin Peck
Marilyn Pomerantz
Dayna Titus
Beth Wilkie
Staff:
Darci McCarthy
Sherry Poissant was one of Pemi-Baker Literacy’s first
students to take the new HiSET test. She completed her test
in June of 2014 and earned her high school diploma. Sherry
went on to an accelerated LNA (Licensed Nursing Assistant)
program at Lakes Region Community College. She is now
working part time as an LNA making more money than she
ever has. She’s driving a reliable vehicle for the first time
in her life and best of all, she no longer relies on public
assistance to make ends meet! When Sherry stopped by
the PBL office this September she was glowing with pride at
all of her accomplishments. She says, “It feels great to be
independent and move on with my life.”
In last year’s newsletter we told you
about Elisabeth Kill who came to PBL to
improve her English skills after moving
here from Colombia. Elisabeth and her
tutor, Gloria Sterling, have been working
together for two years now. In that time
Elisabeth has gained the confidence to
find work at Credentials Administrative
Services in Bristol and volunteer at places
like Ladders Thrift Shop. We are happy to
report that this October Elisabeth passed
her test to become a United States
Citizen! She is thrilled with her progress
and so are we!
Kieu Phan came to PBL in the winter of 2014 to earn her high school diploma after closing
her restaurant. Kieu has been in the United States for many years, but was never been able
to perfect her English skills. Kieu took our HiSET class, but when the class finished did not
feel quite ready to conquer the test. She began twice weekly tutoring sessions with Diana
Crim and Carole Elliott. Over the course of about 16 months, Kieu worked steadily, one
test at a time, toward passing the HiSET. In June of 2015, Kieu was able to pass her final
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test, writing, and earn her well-deserved diploma. Kieu spent over 230
hours with PBL and many more on her own to reach her goal. Kieu
is currently looking at different employment options and hopes to go
back to school for hairdressing or massage therapy in the near future.
PBL Board –
Comings and Goings
Pemi-Baker Literacy is pleased to welcome Vicki
Kelly, Kelly Mask and Marilyn Pomerantz to the
board. Vicki teaches 2nd grade at Russell Elementary
School and is a resident of Campton. Kelly is
Director of Pupil Services at Lin-Wood Public Schools
and a resident of Plymouth. Marilyn is a retired local
business owner and resident of Thornton. Marilyn
has also been a tutor at PBL for almost two years.
Diana Crim and Marilyn Wixson said goodbye to
PBL in June. Despite moving out of the area, Diana
still supports PBL through tutoring. Marilyn looks
forward to more time for family commitments, but is
also available to tutor students. They will be missed
dearly, but we are very lucky to still have them as
talented tutors.
4th Annual Community Spelling Bee!
This year’s Community Spelling Bee on Friday, November 6th was not to be
missed! Twenty teams of three spellers and their devoted fans gathered
at the Common Man Inn to pursue their dream of becoming the area’s
best spellers. AJ Coppola (dressed as a bee!) hosted the event for the third
year. He literally buzzed with energy! AJ was assisted by Kate Donahue,
who chose and pronounced the words to challenge the teams. Will Gunn
made his debut as timekeeper, sounding the gong at the end of each
round. The judges were Grace Burson, Karen MacDonald and Alyssa
Rioux, who together make “Vowel Movement,” last year’s winning team.
Students from the National Honor Society at Plymouth Regional High
School lent a hand all night long, selling raffle tickets and making sure
the crowd could see how each word was correctly spelled. The winners
of the bee were “Cast a Spell” -- Lisa Davis, Kathy Bagley and Cindy Day,
who correctly spelled the word “acerbate.” “Cast a Spell” was one of three
teams representing the Altrusa Club of Meredith, who have always been
great supporters of PBL.
The Common Man Inn provided a delicious array of
desserts once again. The evening was also sponsored
by Elliot Insurance Consultants, Meredith Village Savings
Bank, Noyes Insurance, Plymouth Rotary Club, Venture
Print Unlimited, Inc., Bridgewater Power Company,
Community Guaranty Savings Bank, Forrest Howes’ Auto
Repair, M&M Scoops, New Hampshire Electric Coop,
Off Campus Rentals, Tenney Mountain and Woodsville
Guaranty Savings Bank.
Beth Smarse captured all of these memorable moments
as the evening’s photographer. We can already hear the
“buzz” for next year’s Bee!
See more Bee photos at pemibakerliteracy.org
Highlights
Over the past year…
• 83 individuals contacted PBL for help with
literacy or basic computer skills
• 6 students passed the HiSET and one student
has completed 4 out of 5 parts
• 9 students worked on learning English as
another language
• 7 individuals came to PBL for basic computer
instruction
• Students received 707 hours of instruction from
our dedicated volunteers
• Students who completed more than 12 hours
with the program, spent an average of 44
hours with a tutor
• PBL currently has 23 active tutors who have
worked with at least one student. Two of our
board members also volunteer as tutors.
Nonprofit Org
PRSRT STD
US Postage PAID
Plymouth, NH
Permit No. 8
Pemi-Baker Literacy
258 Highland Street, Suite 4
Plymouth, NH 03264
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Volunteers
Needed!
While the number of
students contacting our
program increases so does
our need for volunteers. Do
you have a couple of hours
each week and a desire
to help an adult in our
community? We invite you
to attend an orientation for
prospective volunteer tutors before making a commitment. This orientation
is not a guarantee you will be matched with a student immediately, but
it is an important first step. Join us on Tuesday, January 26, 2016 at 3:00
at Whole Village, 258 Highland Street in Plymouth. The snow date will be
February 2nd at the same time and place. Please call 536-2998 or email
us at [email protected] to RSVP.
You can see the latest news by liking our
Facebook page, facebook.com/pbliteracy.
Many Ways to Support
Pemi-Baker Literacy
Pemi-Baker Literacy is extremely fortunate
that 70% of our financial support comes
from donations from individuals. To make
giving easier, electronic donations can be
made via PayPal using the email address
[email protected].
You can even support PBL as you shop! If
you do your online shopping at Amazon.
com, just start at Smile.Amazon.com. When
you choose to support Pemi-Baker Literacy
.5% of your shopping will be donated to us.
Please remember Pemi-Baker Literacy in
your estate planning and contact us if you
would like more information about making
a bequest in your will, trust, retirement plan
or insurance policy.
All of us at PBL appreciate the support we
receive. Whether it’s time, tutoring space
or financial support, we are grateful to all
our donors!