An ‘upstanding’ resolution

On May 15, Hanover High School Council passed a Student Affirmation Resolution. Council is one of the governing bodies of our democratic school.

The resolution was Council’s response to political action outside our school community that was being felt directly by those within our school community. It took time and it was hard work. There was a fear that this work would be more divisive or worse, cause additional harm to individuals in our school. Weeks of discussion and respectful debate challenged us to examine our beliefs and assumptions. The resulting resolution amplifies students’ voices and affirms that Hanover High School strives to be an environment where identities are not stigmatized and differing beliefs do not keep community members from sharing a commitment to collective well-being.

The Council resolution is the courageous action step of an “upstander.” An upstander chooses to take action to stop bullying behavior and to support a person being abused or harmed. By passing this resolution, Council has reaffirmed the HHS Mission Statement and use our “minds, hearts and voices” to interrupt and challenge situations that normalize discrimination and potential violence.

By voting for this resolution Council resolves to reinforce and protect an environment where all students and staff respect and accept each other, including their identities, regardless of beliefs about the legitimacy of that identity. To quote from the resolution, “A collection of political beliefs, no matter how deeply felt or grounded in one’s experience, does not constitute an identity. Every person’s identity is complex and intersectional, and one should never be defined by a particular category they fall into.”

Our students are leading a movement that models empathy, inclusion and creating space for difficult and challenging dialogue that builds bridges, not fear and isolation. I invite you to follow their lead.

Linda Addante

Norwich

The writer is the council executive at Hanover High School.

Who I’m fasting for

Fasting is something I decided to do because of my outrage and powerlessness in the face of the suffering being inflicted on the Palestinian people in Gaza. How does one cope with the daily death counts and starvation of fellow human beings, the destruction of their hospitals, homes and livelihood, when suffering is ignored for politics?

Today I’m taking time to sit with this on an empty stomach and find myself imagining sending my oldest boy with a cooking pot I rescued from the rubble of our home to fight for a place at the closest feeding station wondering, Will he be hurt? Will he get there in time before the food runs out? Will we eat tonight?

This imagined Palestinian mother continues in her despair, ‘I’m exhausted from moving, protecting us from the bombings, trying to feed the children, and we may have to move again to get to where there will be food distributed. What’s going to become of us? We can’t continue to survive on 256 calories a day (note that one ½ ounce lunch-size package of Ruffles is 240 calories). Will my family only ever know a tent in the rubble and lining up for food handouts!’

On my couch contemplating her plight, I pray that the world’s people of conscience will come to the rescue of the Palestinians and make sure that they have the opportunity for a life in a place where they, too, can prosper.

Mary Ann Cadwallader

Hanover

NH needs better education funding

I am a retired senior and I have a property tax problem. Every month I save my Social Security to pay my property tax bill. My property tax takes almost all of it. I can’t continue to afford this and at some point I will have to sell my property. We need responsible tax relief help from our legislators and governor.

New Hampshire’s public education system is at a crossroads — and the decisions made in this year’s state budget will have lasting consequences for students, families, and taxpayers across the state.

Right now, our schools are being asked to do more with less. The state’s contribution to public education remains far too low, leaving local communities to make up the difference through ever-rising property taxes. This places an unsustainable burden on residents — especially seniors and those on fixed incomes — and deepens the inequities between wealthy and less affluent districts.

We need a budget that increases state education funding and targets that support where it’s needed most: in communities with lower property values and higher concentrations of students requiring additional services. It’s not just about fairness; it’s about giving every child in New Hampshire a real chance to succeed.

At the same time, we must reject any effort to weaken what’s considered an “adequate” education. Removing vital subjects like the arts, computer science, or even Holocaust education from public school expectations does not prepare students for the real world — it limits their future.

This moment demands courage and clarity from our elected officials. It’s time to deliver a budget that reflects our values: equity, opportunity and real investment in the future of public education.

James M. Contois

Claremont