I'd like to thank my family and all of my friends. I would also like to thank my fellow Pet Idol contestants. You were all very cute and adorable.

I'd especially like to thank Boston and Sadie. Boston, how appropriate you should win second place. Think of all the food you can lay your cute little head on! Food makes a fantastic pillow! But I don't have to tell you that!

Sadie, I love black labrador retrievers ... especially cute female labs that wear coconuts and grass skirts! And if you're wondering ... I'm single and looking.

Again, thank you for bestowing such a huge honor upon me. I hope I can live up to everybody's expectations.

Fenway Szelog
a.k.a. Fantasia, or Little Ruben
P.S. I'm very excited to take refresher obedience courses at American K9 Country. Actually, my mom made me type that. I was hoping for second place.

(Editor's note: Beth Szelog of Candia is the owner of the Pet Idol winner.)

As an SAU, we share a superintendent, assistant superintendent, business administrator and secretarial staff. Superintendent LaSelva is proposing changes that will increase the role of the SAU.

His current proposal is to combine all the special education administration from the three towns and make them SAU positions. There are many things to consider with this plan. There will be some cost savings, but Hooksett will no longer employee its own special education administrators.

Mr. LaSelva's plan also includes adding five physical offices to the SAU building. This building is owned by Hooksett and receives rent from the SAU, so Hooksett will have to pay for this construction.

Mr. LaSelva has suggested using some of the money from the Cawley School building bond. When Cawley School was finished, there was money left over. Last year a warrant article asked voters to move the money to allow for much needed repairs to Underhill School and also for repairs to the SAU building. The warrant article failed.

Hooksett scools face very different challenges than the towns of Auburn and Candia. We are already nearly three times larger than Auburn and four times larger than Candia. There are an hundreds of additional homes planned for the Head's Pond development alone. The school board is considering another school within five years, should the development go forward.

In 2005, after superintendent LaSelva was hired, the SAU board paid off the contract of the former assistant superintendent in the amount of approximately $60,000. This was money paid out for no work done, and I was unable to find out the reason for this move.

In July 2005, the SAU board gave Mr. LaSelva a $4,000 raise and a $3,000 bonus, these amounts being given when he was at the end of the first year of a two-year contract.

If you are dissatisfied with your superintendent, don't go to your Hooksett School Board because he doesn't answer to them. You have to go to the SAU board, which only has three regular meetings a year.

I attended the Nov. 1 meeting and heard three Hooksett residents voice their concerns about Mr. LaSelva.

The board's response was, "We gave him a raise and a bonus."

The Hooksett School Board no longer allows Mr. LaSelva to answer questions from the public at school board meetings. I don't know if this is the case with anyone else, but he doesn't answer my e-mails, either.

So where do we want our leadership to come from? I feel that the closer to the students the leadership is, the better it will serve them. We need leadership that is accountable to the community it serves.

David Pearl
Hooksett

Before I make my point, let's look at the evidence in support of the aforementioned.

. The most popularly known and read book in the world is identified as the Bible.

. There are billions of believers and followers all over the world.

. Archaeological findings support much of scripture content.

. DNA - the probability of nature generating new genetic information is so low that evolution could not possibly account for the origin of the vast amounts of complex coded information in living things. Creation is the explanation consistent with the evidence.

Now let's look at a thought/ belief submitted without any evidence to support the impossible truth.

. Imagine a process of moving from point to point without any end in sight, which, by the way, is accepted as truth by (I.ll go out on a limb) all scientists, physicists, astrobiologists, astrochemists, astrogeologists, astrologists, etc.

. The impossible truth as it pertains to two separate entities are identified as infinity and state of consciousness.

. A distance so great that rays of light, which originate from a point at that distance can be considered parallel.

. A process, which never stops with no evidence of a beginning.

You don't have to be one of the aforementioned to accept the first premise. Remember - he is!

Jim Breagy
Epsom

Entertainment was provided by the hilarious Paul D'Angelo. Without the hard work of our volunteers and the generosity of the community, this would not have been possible. The money raised will go a long way in providing new programs, fund existing programs and supplementing teacher grants that will benefit all of the students.

The following businesses and individuals showed their support to educating our children by their generous donations: Hooksett Tool Rental, Longfellow's Service Center, Tsingtao House, New Hampshire Snow and Skate, Levesque's Sew and Vac, Eastern Mountain Sports, Express Fitness, The Divine Gardener, Swinging Door LLC, Mr. Andy Lalos, Irving, Vintage garden Jellies, Target, Verizon Wireless/SMG, Palace Theatre, Hooksett PTA, Brain Haskell, Belisle Granite Countertops, T-Bones, Aimee Cronin, Great West Trading, Goodales Bike, Shorty's, Guyl Robidoux, Mr. Bee's, Mary Hennessey, The Dana Center, Highland Piano Studios, Pro Cut CNC Machine, Chantilly's, Mailbox Express, Teach and Learn, Stonebridge Country Club, Doris St. Pierre, Home Depot, Manchester Boy's and Girl's Club, HYAA, Heidi Ford, R & D Cleaners, Granite State Furniture, Everett Sports, Mary Ruel, Alpha Omega Framing, Tokyo Joe's, Topic of the Town, Susan Auger, Inkerbelles, Yarde Metal, Corri Wilson, Heritage Bracelets, Al Terry Plumbing and Heating, Intervale Country Club, Supernails, Mt. Sunapee, Rj Moreau Communities, Hooksett Family Eye Care, Stephen Sciarrio, DDS, Neighborhood News, Metro Sports, Community Electric, Lisa Devos, Charmingfare Farm, 3 G Wireless, Merrimack County Savings Bank, Enterprise Car Rental, Waddell and Reed, Elaine Mondor, Profile Self Storage, Lynn Fosher, The Covey Family, Tri-Town Ice Arena, Ray Dumont, Cawley Girls Soccer Team, Manchester Monarch's, the Argo family, Southern NH Bank and Trust, Steve and Deb Walls, Faulkner's Landscaping, Cawley lunch ladies, Ron Pedro, Sundance Spas, Boston Red Sox, Harry Connick Jr., Mudge Real Estate Services, St. George and Spenard, Macy Industries, Grace Limousine, Puritan Backroom, Merchants Motors, Applebee's, Staple Panera Bread, TD Banknorth and Anthem Blue Cross.

I would also like to thank the following individuals for donating their time. Thanks to Kara Argo, D.J. Argo, Shannon Argo, Sue Bernsten, Deb Bonnin, Barb Brennan, Christine Brennan, Eddie Burdzy, Patti Rae Burdzy, Suzie Campbell, Cathy Chagnon, Barbara Cliff, Lynn Cote, Talia Cote, Mary Darby, Gary Dempsey, Laura Duchesne, Elaine Donati, Cara Donati, Annie Faucher, Heidi Ford, Carla Gallivan, Amy Gillam, Linda Harrington, Lisa Lally, Andy Lalos, Debbie Lyscars, Maribeth Luby, Elaine Mondor, Anne Mulligan, Lisa Mudge, Maura Ouellette, Alyssa Nelson, Lisa Nelson, Marie Papp, Christopher Pare, Jeffery Pare, Sonia Pare, Ron Pedro, Linda Penney, Corrine Pryor, Paula Rowley, Becky Wing, Paula Woods, Jeff Dionne and Debbie Dionne.

Lori Macey
Auction chairman
Hawks PTO
Cawley Middle School

And, we know that, without the support from the community, she never would have been able to reach and exceed her goals.

Because of so much support from community members and businesses, Jackie was able to get 81 wonderful people to join her MS Walk team, the Candia Crusaders, and then she even got the entire Manchester Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.) Chapter 1294 behind her to raise money by hosting a motorcycle ride. Her amazing team of friends, family and even strangers raised more than $17,000.

As a person with MS, I am so grateful for everyone that pitched in with either monetary donations, raffle items donated, time to work at the team's many fundraisers, donations of food, airtime, press, use of facilities and so on.

I am so proud to live in a community where people really do care. I live in a community where children are willing to learn about helping others and about accepting people with disabilities or different diversities.

Where even one voice can make a difference, but many voices ... well they can change the world!

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!

Kathleen Kuhn
Candia

My counselor continues to advise me to maintain my patience and avoid negative comments and thoughts. He will do what needs doing and let me know what I need to do, if and when there is anything I should do. Looking on the bright side and holding my sharp tongue is unnatural for me, but has been very comforting and rewarding. The days are brighter and the nights are shorter.

It appears that Mr. Jodoin is being "successful," as previously defined. Kudos to you, sir! This is very good and reassuring. I still hope to see more good stewardship and fiscal ingenuity. Hearing that things are running so smoothly and that positive attitudes are prevailing is refreshing and relieving.

Of course, there's no relief like tax relief! I'm sure many were pleasantly surprised, I certainly was. Even gas prices are receding, (whew, it was getting scary). Pat was right about him.

As I have stated before, Pat Rueppel is clearly one of the few servants, serving. I found her attitude to be in stark contrast to most of the other councilors.

When Pat was at the polls, she was doing more than just holding a sign and chatting with allies. She would actually listen (and honestly answer, politely) to her constituents, even those not in her district, and even me! Her motives were plainly altruistic and often geared toward the less-fortunate. Thank you, Pat.

She will be missed by many people throughout the town. Charity begins at home and she is doing what every good mother should do, caring for her family above all else. It's not surprising to find, "like mother, like son," another servant from the Rueppel home. I earnestly pray that her son's tour of duty will be safe and triumphant. His name wasn't mentioned, so if someone would tell me, I would like to add his name to my list.

Yes, it is a little selfish because like many, I hope Patricia will return to serve us again too!

David Ross
Hooksett

P.S. - I can't resist asking the obvious, though. Where was all that money, over a half-million, which was "returned?" Are there any other shoe boxes laying around?

Minds in Motion has two components - high academic achievement and school-wide enrichment.

It is the enrichment portion that really pertains to your readers.

We are looking for community members to come and share their occupations, hobbies, interests, areas of expertise, travel experiences, etc. with our students. It could take various forms - perhaps coming in for an hour to speak, or to work with a small group over a matter of several weeks. Even one-on-one mentoring is a possibility.

Please call the school at 483- 2251 if you.d like to help us give the students of Moore School a more enriching educational experience.

Thanks for your support.

Judi Lindsey
Minds in Motion teacher
Candia