When the Covid-19 pandemic ends, will we be able to put the children back in public school, give every child a standardized test, and continue school just as it was?  Martha Carlson doesn’t think so.  Founder and headmaster of a small progressive school in rural New Hampshire, Carlson thinks this might be the time for a national pause and some deep thinking about how school might need to be different.
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Post-Pandemic School: When I do, I understand offers ideas and anecdotes from the private experimental school that Carlson and her husband founded in 1988.  They operated Sandwich Community School for almost 20 years, exploring new avenues of learning that Carlson thinks may be pertinent for public schools in a post-pandemic world.   Her book also examines several educational philosophers and how their abstract theories may assist our thinking about a new school paradigm. This book is for teachers and parents who know school will never be the same. Post-Pandemic School is available on Amazon.com in paperback and ebook formats.

 The 2021 application deadline is Friday April 16 at 5:00 pm ET. Please share this information with any students who could benefit from these scholarships for Sandwich students.

The Alfred Quimby Trust and the Doris L. Benz Trust both provide scholarships to Sandwich residents. These scholarships each have distinct and different criteria and processes.

Doris L. Benz Trust
The Doris L. Benz Trust will consider scholarship awards to Sandwich residents who meet ALL of the following criteria:
(1)  Resident of Sandwich 
(2)  Graduated from Interlakes High School 
(3)  Enrolling in an accredited undergraduate post-secondary education program

Alfred Quimby Trust
Graduate and adult students or traditional students who did not graduate from Interlakes High School are not eligible for funding from the Doris L. Benz Trust.  
The Alfred Quimby Trust sponsors scholarships for residents who do NOT qualify for the Doris L. Benz Trust.  This means if the student is a Sandwich resident but did not graduate from Interlakes High School or is a graduate student or an adult student, they qualify for the Alfred Quimby Trust.

The Alfred Quimby Trust and the Doris L. Benz Trust scholarships are managed through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation’s online application. 

The 2021 application deadline is Friday April 16 at 5:00 pm ET.

To access the online application and to receive further instructions students should visit the Foundation’s website at www.nhcf.org.  For more information about the Quimby or Benz scholarships or other student aid resources, please contact the Student Aid Office at the NH Charitable Foundation at 1-800-464-6641 or studentdocs@nhcf.org.

An important message from Julie Dolan, chair of the Sandwich Broadband Advisory Committee:

Exciting news: Sandwich is one of 58 towns that has received a letter from the NH Electric Co-op’s new broadband subsidiary announcing its plans to move ahead full speed to begin building fiber-optic networks to serve thousands of rural residents who now lack good internet service.
 
The new nonprofit company, called NH Broadband, will make decisions by this spring about which areas will be first to get wired up. Altogether, the 58 towns involve hanging 2,000 miles of fiber-optic cable, so it can’t all be done in one go.
 
As chair of our Broadband Advisory Committee, I’m asking you to help us make the case that Sandwich should be among the first towns. If you’d like to tell NH Broadband you’d be interested in their broadband service, click on this link: http://www.sandwichnh.org/boards_and_committees/broadband_committee.php Even if you’re an Eversource customer, please fill out the form.  If you want to read the NHBB letter in its entirety, click on this: http://cms6.revize.com/revize/sandwich/NHEC%20Broadband%20Update.pdf   
 
An expression of interest does not obligate you to anything. But it’s the most important thing you can do to advance our cause. In making its decisions NH Broadband needs an idea of how many households and businesses might subscribe.
 
We may remind you again to make sure everybody who might want to register interest gets recorded. Please act now. And urge your neighbors who may not have seen this post. Each one of you can make a difference!
 
Thank you, 
Julie Dolan
sandwich.broadband@gmail.com

Diane Johnson writes: Saturday turned out to be a perfect day for the Community Tree Party. The weather was amazing. Santa and Mrs. Claus were perfect and there were folks of all ages around the Library and Quimby Field and the Tennis Courts. Families and children were talking to Santa, leaving wish lists and letters, getting gifts, candy canes, and $10 family gift certificates to their choice of E.M. Heath Grocery and Hardware, Bayswater Bookstore, or Innisfree Bookshop. 

​Kids and families were sledding and sliding, building snowmen, XC skiing, and a group of middle school youths were hard at work building forts and a maze in one of the tennis courts. Some families tromped through the snow to read the Story Trail--Ox Cart Man by Donald Hall--which is set up on the Library lawn. Many thanks go to all the elves, generous donors , and families who came out to set a truly Currier and Ives scene. It was Sandwich at its best. Covid protocols were followed and didn't dampen the atmosphere. 

The Community Christmas Tree Party has been a Sandwich tradition since at least the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Even the oldest folks in town can't remember a year when this party didn't happen so it is likely been going on for nearly 100 years. In the 30's and 40's, the local girl scouts under the direction of Helen Ingles and others decided to make gifts, put on a skit, sing carols, and have a party for all the children in town. Fresh fruit was hard to come by in December so an orange or banana was a special treat. 

The Sandwich Woman’s Club was organized in 1928. It is a 501c3 civic and social organization that exists to do good in the Sandwich Community. In a normal (i.e. non-pandemic ) year, members meet four times a year for lunch, an interesting speaker or program, and a short business meeting. The ladies raise funds for book and supply money for college students from Sandwich and sponsor the annual holiday party for all children in Sandwich. Woman of all ages in Sandwich and environs are welcome to join.

The club is run by a membership of nearly 70 women and an executive board. Regular meetings, programs, and luncheons in are held on Wednesdays in March, May, September and December at local restaurants. Funds are raised by a summer raffle held during Old Home Week, a snack bar during the Old Home Week Art Show, and by dues and donations. Annual dues are $10. Donations are always welcome (Sandwich Woman’s Club, PO Box 485, Center Sandwich, NH 03227). Please consider joining and being a part of this wonderful group. For more information follow Sandwich Woman's Club on Facebook or email sandwichwomansclub@gmail.com

We all need extra love this year. The Sandwich Woman's Club  wants to make sure that all families with children from birth through grade 6 get a little extra community attention and some holiday joy.  

The list of children and families includes all children in Sandwich from birth through Sixth Grade no matter where they go to school. Children who are younger siblings of children at the Sandwich Central School and all students at the school are included as well as all Children at the Sandwich Children's Center and their siblings. Grandchildren who are in town can be accommodated. If you are a family who is new to Sandwich, or if you know of a new neighbor, or child, please let Diane Johnson(284-7168 call/text, sandwichnews@hotmail.com) know their name and age so a bag can be made up.

The annual Christmas/Holiday Party will happen. However, it cannot be the same type of gathering as in the past due to Covid.  Modifications have been made to have a socially distant and safe event on Saturday December 19, from 1-3 pm.  Families are invited to come to the area around the Library, Tennis Courts, and Quimby Field. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be outside the Library to visit with and wave to children and to accept Christmas wish lists in a container destined for the North Pole and later reading from Santa. Elves have prepared gift bags for each family and contactless distribution is planned.  The wicked weather/snow date will be Sunday, December 20, from 1-3.

Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11, the Sandwich Super Sew-ers 4-H Club and Club Sandwich 4-H are preparing a delicious Spaghetti Supper to honor veterans and first line helpers. Dotty Burrows and her 4-H Sewing Group have been hosting these suppers for many years. Usually, the community gathers and enjoys a homemade supper with veterans while the 4-H youths serve and wait tables. This year the supper is take out only because of COVID. 

Veterans and First Line Helpers are guests and will enjoy their meal at no charge. Everyone else is invited to order and enjoy a meal and support this supper while thanking our Veterans and Helpers. the cost is $8.00 for adults and children under 12 are $3.00. 

Dotty Burrows, and 4-Hers will spend Wednesday afternoon safely preparing sauces, spaghetti, homemade rolls, and desserts. Suppers may be pre-ordered by calling Dotty Burrows at 603-247-5270. Placing your order well ahead helps Dotty and the kids know how much food to prepare. Please let Dotty know how many dinners you want, and if you want meat sauce or meatless sauce. Give her the time you plan to pick up the meals and call her when you arrive at the Methodist Meetinghouse. A 4-Her member will bring your meal(s) out to your vehicle.  

Suppers may be picked up on Wednesday, November 11 between 4:30 and 6:30 pm. The Methodist Meetinghouse of the Community Church of Sandwich is on Main Street (Route 109). The kitchen is in the basement and is most easily accessed from the back parking lot. Take Church Street and just beyond the OLD Fire station there is a driveway on the right that takes you to the back of the church. The new granite steps to the front of the church are arriving Monday 11/9. The exit to the church parking lot is on the side of the church. 

Julie Deak writes: Started over 40 years ago by a enterprising group of local craftspeople, Sandwich Christmas in the Village has grown into a two-day holiday tradition, expanding and reinventing itself with each new generation. Keeping with tradition, the 44th Annual Sandwich Christmas in the Village will be held the weekend of December 5th and 6th.

Things will be a little different this year, as we face the challenge of organizing in a way that will help to keep customers and vendors safe. Detailed plans are still in the works, but we do know there will be return to smaller venues, and for the first time, some craftspeople will be “virtual” participants - selling their work only online.

Partridge Hill Farm is one location providing socially distance spaces for 4 vendors from Sandwich. Juli Hird will have her “woolery” open selling fleeces and roving for hand-spinning and quality yarns from her flock of Romney, Merino, and Romney-Dorset cross sheep.

In the spacious barn, will be Marci Greene selling her modern everyday bags handmade with lots of love, and Rachel Bartlett offer her high fired, functional ceramics, designed for everyday use. Donna and Ken Carlucci from Kindred Spirit Farm will be there as well with herbal soaps, scented candles and gourmet dog treats, along with warm, hand-knit hats, wool dryer balls, and yarns from their Fine Fleece Shetland sheep and nesting balls for your fine feathered friends.

That’s just a sample of what will be happening. As plans progress, all the details will be posted on the Christmas in the Village - Sandwich NH Facebook page, including a list of locations and links to virtual booths online. For more information, please contact Diane Johnson 603-284-7168 (call/text)  or email Julie Deak at sandwichchristmasinthevillage@gmail.com.