LACONIA — A career exploration panel for high school students will be offered by the 200x2020 Initiative on Friday, March 15 (snow date is Monday, March 18) at the Huot Technical Center to provide information about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) and Manufacturing.
Students from any Huot Center sending school may attend during their school's regularly scheduled block at the Huot. Permission slips are required for this event and may be obtained through each high school guidance department. Permission slips are due back by March 12.
The panel will be comprised of a variety of local professionals currently employed in high-tech fields, including engineers, programmers, and managers at several local manufacturing facilities, as well as a civil engineer, an engineer from PSNH, and representatives of the advanced manufacturing programs at the Huot Technical Center and Lakes Region Community College.
In addition, the Huot Technical Center will host an open house on March 15 from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. for parents and community members interested in learning more about their unique four-year Manufacturing Engineering Technology and Pre-Engineering Programs that prepare students for high-tech careers. The Huot Technical Center accepts students from Belmont, Franklin, Gilford, Inter-Lakes, Laconia, and Winnisquam Regional high schools.
The STEM & Manufacturing career panel is the third of four career exploration panels organized by the 200x2020 Initiative for the 2012-13 academic year. The panels are designed to provide information and guidance to high school students seeking to learn more about local career options.
The first panel of the year was in November and focused on law enforcement and public safety. The second panel was in January and highlighted careers in architecture and construction. The final career panel for this school year will be on May 3rd and will focus on arts, audio/video technology & communications.
The 200x2020 Initiative is a workforce development partnership between Lakes Region United Way, Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce, Belknap EDC, Lakes Region Community College, the Huot Technical Center, Greater Meredith Career Partnership Program, Lakes Region Community Services Council, Project Extra!, NHWorks, and many school-to-career coordinators and guidance counselors from our local schools.
The goal of the partnership is to get a minimum of 200 businesses signed on by 2020 to provide local students access to a full range of vocational, technical and occupational experiences throughout the school years to support our region's long-term workforce development needs. In addition to the career exploration panels, 200x2020 is currently developing an on-line database of high school internship and job shadow opportunities in the Lakes Region which will be available starting in the 2013-14 school year.

Photo caption:
Susan Ross, LHS senior, is a Huot Technical Center student in the Manufacturing Engineering Technology Capstone program.  Over the past four years, she has been enrolled in HTC's Principles of Engineering, Open Engineering, and Robotics.  She is looking forward to the STEM Career Panel on March 15 as it will be an opportunity to gain advice from the professionals as she enters college and starts her career in Chemical Engineering. She has been accepted to WPI, Amherst, UConn, Lowell, Buffalo, URI, and University of New Haven.  Her goal is to attend Northeastern and she is anxiously waiting to hear from them soon.  When asked how the Huot Technical Center has helped her, she expressed "it has helped to narrow down my career path and gain a sense of the different types of engineering and how it relates to society."  The project she is most proud of is the Eiffel Tower replica in the background, made out of bass wood, which she designed by reading blue prints.  She claims that perseverance and a lot of patience helped her see this project to the end.  (Courtesy photo)

GILFORD — The annual St. Patrick's Dinner will be held Saturday, March 9 at 6 p.m. at the Gilford Community Church Fellowship Hall.
All the food is homemade and has been a tradition of the church for many years. The menu features slow-cooked Corned Beef and Cabbage, fresh potatoes/carrots/onions, homemade Irish Soda bread, Barry's Irish tea/decaf coffee/water, or bring your own beverage.
Homemade carrot cakes for dessert.
Reservations and payments are needed by March 4, Drop by the church office at 19 Potter Hill Road, Gilford NH, 03249 or mail in your reservations/check. The cost will be $12 per adult and children under 12 will be $5 each. There is plenty of barrier free parking with easy drop off right at the church door.
For more information call the church office at 524-6057 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Visit the church web site at gilfordcommunitychurch.org