Many stopped and others honked as they drove by while our Rotary Club of Dover NH was in downtown Dover at our annual Rotary Gardens Planting Day. Every Fall, we take out the old flowers and plants and know that the gardens will look fabulous again in the Spring.

Thank you to our Rotarians who joined us as we planted and mulched the gardens so those that live, work and play in Dover can enjoy this year. It is a project that our club looks forward to and cannot wait to see the gardens as they begin to grow.

We hope that you will love the gardens as much as we do!

We would like to thank those that have joined the Rotary Club of Dover as we host Rotary Story Time. Recently, our Rotarians were excited to read one of our favorite books “In my Heart” by Jo Witek to kids of all ages.

Click on this link to join in on our Zoom Story Time Meetings: https://zoom.us/j/5097735825, and to join in via phone only call 646-558-8656

Please share with your family, friends and other organizations on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons from 4:30pm-5:00pm so we can get the word out about this great way to interact with the kids while they are at home. Everyone is invited to sit back and relax during this time on our Story Time Zoom meetings and enjoy a fun story.

The Rotary Club of Dover welcomed our newest Rotarian, Naila Aslam of Dover Eyecare at our recent Club meeting. Our club looks forward to you getting involved with the Rotary projects and being a part of our community.

On Friday afternoon, the Rotary Club of Dover NH visited with the residents of The Residence at Silver Square - Dover, NH to share stories Who we are and where we came from. It was great to hear the journeys and adventures many of the residents had during their lifetime and how they arrived here in Dover. We played trivia from the 1950’s and 1960’s and Learned that they knew the answers much more quickly than we did. As you can see, they loved our gift of warmth with the Rotary fleece blankets.

Congratulations to Rotarian, Betsey Andrews Parker as she was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow Award for consistently exemplifying the club’s Service Above Self ideals and always working with a smile and laugh. Betsey is the CEO of Community Action Partnership of Strafford County and is there for those in our community that need help and assistance everyday.

The Dover Middle School was where we were celebrating 7th grader, Sana Kahn as she was selected as the Rotary Club of Dover NH - February Student of the Month. This award is given to a DMS student who shows love, kindness and compassion to others in school and our community.

Sana Khan’s presence at Dover Middle School is a joy as she embodies so much of what we educators strive to instill in our students. She is a commitment to academic excellence, a dedication to the cultivation of high personal values and the conviction that they can make a difference in their community.

Her desire to assist others is evident both at school and in the long-term goals she has set for herself. In the classroom she can be seen time and time again acting as a gentle guide and support to students struggling with a concept or assignment. With regard to the future, Sana hopes to work in some capacity within the medical field, a choice that would be a natural extension of her personal gifts.

Sana Khan truly radiates love and goodness in a way that is seldom encountered in one so young. In her own unique way and with a lighthearted shining spirit that endears her to everyone she interacts with, she serves as a positive role model for her peers and a source of pride for her teachers.

Congratulations Sana as you show “service above self” in so many ways.

Congratulations to Braydon Morton a 6th grader at Dover Middle School as he was awarded the Rotary Club of Dover’s - Student of the Month.

Braydon epitomizes how we want our students to relate with others by empathy and compassion. He recently witnessed a bullying situation on the bus. When he heard the taunting, he stood up and addressed the situation by telling his peers to stop. Many students may have recognized the distress the victim was experiencing, but he was the only one to take action. Braydon’s ability to put himself in someone else’s shoes is commendable. His modesty when his actions were shared shows a truly selfless young man.

This award is given to a DMS student that goes above and beyond to be kind and compassionate to others while focusing on projects within school or in the community. We love that we are able to recognize these students each month as we move forward in sharing “service above self”.

Being an adviser at the Dover High Interact Program, it was a goal of mine to get an Interact Community Service program at Dover Middle School. Over the past year, with the help of our President Elect, Gregg Dowty and Dover Middle School Principal, Kimberly Lyons to create the Student of the Month program that recognizes a Dover Middle School student each month for above and beyond based on “service above self” through kindness and compassion to others in school or within their community.

The Rotary Club of Dover held it's first recognition ceremony this week as we honored our September, October, November and December recipients of the Rotary Club of Dover Student of the Month awards.

Remarks by Kim Lyons, Principal, Dover Middle School:

• Program created in partnership with the Rotary Club of Dover Student of the Month program began this school year.
• Selection of Student of the Month is done at a faculty meeting each month, any teacher or staff can nominate someone, then teachers vote.
• Explained process and choreography of arranging for “surprise” announcements
• Excellent way to acknowledge students who are doing excellent things. and how important it is to recognize students who do special things.
• This year’s theme at DMS is “Compassion in Action”, such a powerful lesson.
• Kids receive a recognition certificate and are told why they were selected, and also receive a long-sleeve shirt with Rotary logo, a $25 gift card, and $25 to a charity of their choice.
• The goal was to get DMS involved and being recognized for the student's involvement in their school and the community.

Student of the month recipients were:

September

7th grader Luisa Pelletier – chosen because of kindness to others, and her charity chosen was the Dover Middle School Color Club, a group that gives back to the school.

October

8th grader Carolyn Schultz – a silent leader in school and on the field hockey field, always helping others, and her charity chosen was End 68 Hours of Hunger.

November

6th grader Sydney Lane – always helping other with a smile, and her charity chosen was Hope Memorial Society, formerly Cochecho Valley Humane Society.

December

6th grader Braydon Morton – spoke up on school bus to stop bullying, and his charity was the SPCA dog shelter.

Congratulations to all of our Student of the Month award winners as they are leaders and now able to share with others the importance of getting involved and showing "Compassion in Action."