The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce welcomed 25 students selected to take part in Capital Area Student Leadership 2020 during a reception held at the Chamber’s 49 S. Main St. office in Concord on Feb. 19, also attended by parents, guardians, CASL committee members and Chamber staff program liaisons.
CASL is New Hampshire’s only regional student leadership and civics program. It is offered annually by the Chamber for high school sophomores in the Greater Concord area and generously underwritten by Northeast Delta Dental. Supplemental funding for CASL is provided through the Chamber’s annual Funds for Education Golf Tournament.
This year’s class includes students from nine schools in the capital region: Max Aframe, Hopkinton Middle High School; Tristan Allard, The Derryfield School; Katelyn Bouchard, Hopkinton Middle High School; Aidan Burns, Hopkinton Middle High School; Juliet Chehade, Hopkinton Middle High School; Abigail Denise, Bow High School; Salvatore DiGregorio Aubin, Bishop Brady High School; Katherine Earle, Concord High School; Eliza Fisher, Pembroke Academy; Ryan Flaherty, John Stark Regional High School; Emily Fleegle, Hopkinton Middle High School; Sarah Guerrette, Bow High School; Laura Houle, Concord High School; Ava Kehas, Bow High School; Mary McCarthy, Bow High School; John Murphy, Concord High School; Abigale O’Brien, Merrimack Valley High School; Ashley Panzino, Bow High School; Madeleine Paul, Bow High School; Andrew Pollack, Concord High School; Samuel Quinn, Concord High School; Emily Roy, PACE Career Academy; Dylan Sheehy, Merrimack Valley High School; Abigail Smart, Pembroke Academy; and Madeline Swenson, Merrimack Valley High School.
Students received their session day agendas, assignments and met the steering committee members who volunteer for seven months to plan a series of four unique sessions focused on an important topic within the community, beginning with an orientation in March. Capital Area Student Leadership Committee Co-Chair Megan MacMullin congratulated the incoming class and CASL 2019 alumni Nika Mitchell of Concord High School offered advice for getting the most from the program saying, “Being in this program not only changed my social interactions, but it also changed me, and who I am as a person.” She continued, “Learning about the government, downtown, the prison, and all the other lessons that came with it, stuck with me so much, and I want you all to create such a memorable experience like I did. These next few weeks can be a life changing moment.”
CASL encourages students to become active and effective participants and future leaders in their schools and communities through exposure to the historical, cultural, environmental and civic aspects of the Greater Concord area. Using Concord as a classroom, these sessions offer first-hand knowledge and provide opportunities for dialogue with established leaders. Through field trips, hands-on experiences and facilitated discussions, students gain special insights into the functions behind a working community. More than 700 students have graduated from CASL over the last two decades.
For more information about Capital Area Student Leadership, the Funds for Education Golf Tournament or the Chamber’s volunteer committees, please contact the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce at 224-2508 or visit ConcordNHChamber.com.
Kristina Carlson
