Attached are stories that I have recently worked on that are important to me.
When teachers and administration offer an opportunity for students to share their opinions, it sends a powerful message: our voices matter.
Whether we as students take this opportunity or not determines the change we make.
I’ve learned that using my voice isn't just about being fearless, but it's about inspiring others to gain the confidence to speak up.
Just because students are young that doesn’t stop them from being able to use their voices to create change. There are so many ways to express speech and beliefs throughout school.
Our school in particular offers journalism and yearbook classes where students are able to contribute to the school's publication and digital media sources. Students get to report, write and advertise issues and events that are important to them.
Getting involved in student government is something I would highly recommend to all high school students. Whether it is attending your class representative meetings or going a step beyond to attend Student Council meetings, .
It does not matter how big of a scale you contribute and use your voice in the community, but, it is important to learn when and how to use it.
I wasn’t angry or upset when I heard that the school district was going to move forward with this decision. Rather, I was disappointed in the district that is responsible for shaping my education and the education of future generations.
I, along with seniors Gabriel Dantas, Ben Bristol and Lexi Thibodeau, attended the 2025-26 Londonderry School District Budget Meeting held on Thursday Jan. 15. I wanted to stand up for the student body and make a positive impact for my peers and teachers. So I used my voice.
When it comes to public speaking or speaking your mind can take over and your words may shake. When your words shake, it proves that you have emotions and that it makes you human. Staying silent has a cost: beliefs become broken.
In school, students are taught and encouraged to be vocal and advocate for what is right. These skills shouldn’t just be practiced in the classroom; they need to be used in real-life situations such as speaking in front of town electors and when it feels right to do so.
It is definitely easier said than done, but I hope students feel encouraged to speak up about the things they find important, no matter how controversial it may be.
Being an advocate will only spark greater change and further reform for other critical issues. So, even if speaking up may not seem important now, remember this: your voice carries more weight than you think. Sometimes, it can change everything.
Londonderry had voting on March 10th, where new propositions were voted on and, most importantly, the full-day Kindergarten finally made its way onto the ballot. In Londonderry, we have three elementary schools that are divided up by proximity to where you live closest to. In addition to this, we only have one Kindergarten program, Moose Hill.
It has been confirmed at previous school board meetings and other hearings that by the time Kindergartners make their way up to the Elementary schools, they have spent a majority of the year "reteaching" information and basic skills that should have been acquired during Kindergarten.
Although full-day Kindergarten has been passed. Families will still have the option to enroll their students in half-day school if they so please, although this will affect all taxpayers in the upcoming year.
Londonderry Water Supply: PFOAS in our water
Advanced Placement Environmental Science Teacher Daniel Grant is currently teaching the water source unit to all of his environmental science students. Learning the difference between well water and how it affects it.
As Grant teaches this segment in his class, he stresses the importance of understanding that even though people cannot see PFAS, they need to understand their damage.
“I think everyone has a right to know what's going on in their body,” Grant said. “They have every right to know what is going on in them is going to damage them or may damage them, and then it gives them a choice to find a different source of water, or not.”
After first receiving his undergraduate degree, and then furthering his education in Education and Science, Grant truly questions why other scientists do not take the time with their research to understand how there can be easier treatment plans for these issues.
“I would think that now that we know what and how they get into the water,” Grant said. “That any type of manufacturing plant would have to have some strict regulations on what to release into the ground, so I am somewhat hopeful.”
Construction on the south side and middle of Londonderry has been made more of a hassle to deal with. Making people question what is happening in the town that they live in.
Town of Londonderry, Director of Engineering and Environmental Services, John R. Trottie, PE, expresses “extreme concern” within the Town of Londonderry’s Public Filtration System.
Oct. 7, 2026, is when my investigative reporting started on this matter. Constant updates, changes, and secrets, all of which the public deserves to know. I did my due diligence when I attended a town Water Utility meeting hosted on Jan. 28, 2026, where families and community members were able to sit in and understand how PFAS were affecting their water.
The Londonderry Water Utility Committee invited the New Hampshire Department of Science, where they were ultimately able to answer questions that the community members had. One reason why public records for the Londonderry public school district have not been released over the last couple of years.
Water Utility Chair, Jeffrey McGraw, volunteers his time to the community by doing research and community outreach throughout this process. McGraw mentioned, “If people have the ability to help, and have experience that would be really helpful.”
All committee members are unpaid and simply do this to give back to the community; a handful of members have done additional work in water or science and are able to bring this information to the table.
One of the biggest issues they are facing is money. McGraw commented on the budget they have for money and how they are trying to seek outside donations to help make this big project smoother.
“We can raise a lot of money this year, we can start a lot of work this year,” McGraw said. “We can raise a little bit of money, we can do a little bit of work.”
More information to come on the matter. Community members are encouraged to reach out to their local town government and are committed to seek additional information on how they can help make this project easier.