Principally Speaking DECEMBER 2017 A Story of Stratham Each year over the course of my twenty-something years here at SMS, I have written to my staff about a story that has resonated with me at this time of year. Some of the tales have been included as part of my Principally Speaking, a piece of me to share with the community. As I reflect on my impending retirement, I wanted to take one last time to share a story about how the season that is upon us has affected me in one way or another. Last Saturday, I was in a local grocery store purchasing a good number of items for the homestead. Seeing as though I have become an empty nester recently, the items in the cart were few and far between. I was able to manage and navigate the isles in the store, folks bustling about in their desire to make this task of shopping less daunting. For me, shopping for groceries is an event. There are always people to chat with from yesterday and today. During this particular encounter, I spoke to three former SMS parents, two SMS students now in college, two Exeter High School students (yes, from Stratham), four SMS parents and five of my current

cherubs. Yes, the dialog was fun, informative and engaging. As I finished sojourning up and down the aisles, it was time to select a cashier. I looked at the folks at the varying registers and thought…Hmm…this one went to SMS, that one too…heck, a third kiddo from my school….so, I decided that the first number I saw would make the choice for me. On a package of M&Ms was the price $8.98. So doing the math, I was able to select the first cashier based upon the simple division of 898/3. I pushed the cart to the ‘winning’ cashier and proceeded to wait in the line. There must have been fate in that selection because in front of me was a woman with two young children and a basket full of food. I didn’t recognize the trio, but smiled at the young’uns as the woman frantically placed the items on the conveyor. You could hear the beeping of the scanner as the items were swept and then bagged. The high school boy placed the bagged goods into the woman’s cart and then the cashier asked for the payment. The woman reached into her pockets and pulled out a very warn wallet. She then told the woman she didn’t have enough cash, but would use her credit card for payment. Upon sliding it, the card was denied. Trying it a second and third time contained

the same results. She then tried a different card with the same result. A third card emerged with no success. The woman, a bit embarrassed for sure, asked if she could pay with the little cash she had for some of the items. The cashier looked at me, a bit disdained by the ordeal, but it didn’t matter to me about the time being taken for the transaction.

the woman to roll her window down, which she did. Looking at her face, I could see a hint of being discouraged, one of sadness. Smiling, I then told her that she had forgotten the rest of her groceries. She got out of the car and peered into the bags. She looked at me and said, “This one isn’t mine. It has two small bags of M&Ms. I didn’t buy those.”

Going through the items, the woman had $12.00 and change for a bill that was three times as much. She went back through the items in her bags and then selected those pieces that were of most importance. The rest remained in the cart she had pushed.

I responded by saying, “Enjoy the goodies”; and peering at the duo in the back continued, “… looks like they have earned them.”

The woman turned and thanked me for waiting, grabbed the two bags of goods, took hold of the children and departed the store.

Two days later, upon driving home from school, I stopped at the Exeter Parks and Recreation Park to go for a run. I got out of the SUV and took off! Completing my run, I then got in the Jeep and drove home.

The cashier started to ring my groceries before I knew it…then I asked her to stop. I am not sure what made me do it, but I then asked her to “ring-up” the woman’s selections as quickly as possible. Once done, I took the items out of the store and attempted to find the trio. Frantically, I looked left, right and started to walk into the parking lot. To my luck, the car with the woman in it was backing out from her space. I pushed the cart to the vehicle and waved at the driver. I could see the two wee ones in their car seats, both in the back of the depleted auto. I motioned for

I then pushed the cart around and filled the passenger seat with the rest of the items. Returning into the store, I paid for my things and left.

Later that evening, I received a phone call from a woman that claimed she found my wallet. I asked where she had discovered it and she told me by the Planet Playground in Exeter. It was lying on the ground, in the last parking space. Right where I had parked! While speaking to the woman, I went to see if my wallet was in its usual places, but it wasn’t! The woman shared she would leave it in a bag and drop it off at the town library. I asked if she would accept a reward or a gift for finding it. She told me that was not

necessary. She had received a blessing earlier in the week from a stranger. I rushed to get into my Jeep, and quickly drove to the library. There to my surprise, was the auto from the grocery store…and just getting out of the vehicle was the woman from the store. She got the two cherubs out from the back seat. She took a hold of their hands and walked to the front of the library. In the hands of a little one was a small package….HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

After School Activities OUR FIRST AFTER SCHOOL SESSION IN THE FALL HAD WELL OVER 250 STUDENTS IN A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS. Some of these activities included OMS, SFL, sewing, Dainty delights, Action Jackson, and ArtFUL DODGERS. We are currently setting our sights on a winter session (6 weeks) beginning on Monday, January 8th and concluding February 16th. It also provides us with a one week reprieve in case of poorweather. More info and registration can be found on our website: http://sms.sau16.org

Our School Board will be meeting on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 6:30 in the school library. The meeting will commence with a dialog relative to the 2018-2019 school budget. This conversation will include members from the Stratham’s appointed financial advisory committee. It will be the group’s third work session on the fiscal side of the upcoming school year.

Congrats to all those that were able to support the STA book fair. This year, the total purchases for the fair was over $12,000.00. We thank you for your generous support and assistance with the event!