Why the Ray School has worked so well for us
We made the choice to move to the Hanover / Dartmouth area based on one guiding principle - find a community where our children would stay in one school system the whole way through. Giving a single, well-managed school system the opportunity to have your kids from an early age straight through to graduation means that the child’s education has a beginning, a middle and an end with the continuity of a single philosophy. Essentially - kids are “fully minted” when they leave.
Bernice A. Ray School’s dedication to excellence
So it was in this vain that our two kids entered the Bernice A. Ray Elementary School & we were not disappointed in the outcome!
Ray School Playspace
The first thing that hit us was the dedication of the staff. I really can’t think of any way that transitions into the school or between grades could have been handled any better. I think teachers have the autonomy to bring their own personalities and passions to their classrooms. The process of matching the child to the teacher with the most appropriate teaching style is done thoughtfully and in our case, the matches worked out very well.
If you go beyond the experiences with classroom teachers and into arts, languages, special needs and phys-ed the school only gets stronger.
Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 5:12 pm. Add a comment
Hanover, Lyme, Lebanon, Norwich, Thetford Buyer’s Guide: Don’t forget seasonality
Startling Fall Views
We are fortunate in the Upper Valley to have 4 distinct seasons (summer, fall, winter & mudseason - smile) but the pernicious side of seasons is that they can really mask the “liveability” of a house. Depending on when in the year you look certain aspects of a property will be highlighted and others will be hidden.
For example, you may be impressed by the amount of winter light that floods in as the sun tracks low in the sky but you might not be thinking of how much of the view you will lose when the leaves are on the trees. One Dartmouth alum buying a second home was chagrined to find that he only got his view of Baker Tower when he was up on ski trips! Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 9:02 am. Add a comment
Like the actual housing markets in Norwich, Hartford, Hanover & Lebanon…
A Highly Desirable Neighborhood !
the ranks of houses on the ginger bread market have swelled and buyers can certainly command a great deal! Each year in December a huge number of gingerbread creations are displayed and bids are collected silent auction-style throughout the day with the winners announced at 4:00pm. The proceeds of these “closings” go to benefit The Family Place, a shining example of a Vermont Parent Child Center doing what they do best - helping parents and families in the Upper Valley find the services they want. Continue Reading…
Posted 1 year, 7 months ago at 2:11 pm. Add a comment
I want to admit to one of life’s little thrills. It has happened to me a whole bunch of times and it doesn’t get any less pleasurable!
Let me set the scene…it’s a Sunday evening and my family & I are driving north on Interstate 93 to our Hanover, New Hampshire home some 200 km north of Boston. On the southbound side of the divider are canoes, kayaks, mountain bikes, snowmobiles, snowboards, bass boats, ATVs and horse trailers as far as the eye can see - nearly every one of them sitting on top off or behind an SUV stuck in stop & go traffic 3 lanes wide.
If I had a way to poll the people heading back to the urbs and the burbs I guess that most would say that they wish they could swap their Monday-Friday gig for their Saturday-Sunday gig. And that’s what makes my smile the widest - because we did. Every mile I put between us and the crowd is another guarantee that my Mondays will be traffic-free, low-stress and spent with neighbors who not only yield to a commuting cyclist but gladly offer a smile and a thumbs-up.
When I pass the Dartmouth College campus and step out of the car after the trip back from Boston I breathe in sweet, cool air and see a dazzling display of the heavens. And I don’t even feel so bad for the Southbounders because when they get home they are probably being lulled to sleep by the sweet sounds of highway traffic.
Posted 1 year, 8 months ago at 11:36 am. Add a comment