This Week's Nominee
| | Our 2022 Community Partner
While the challenges continue, so do the good works done by our neighbors, our teachers, our health care providers, our volunteers and so many others. This is their story. Ledyard National Bank is proud to support the 2022 Hometown Heroes, who were nominated by members of the community and selected by editors of the Concord Monitor. Nominate your Hometown Hero Today. |
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| | Hometown Hero: Pierre Guillotte is always willing to lend a helping hand
By EILEEN O’GRADY
Monitor staff
Pierre Guillotte is a high school student with a mission to give back in his own small community through school projects and acts of service. |
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| Guillotte is a Hill resident and a senior at Franklin High School, where he studies automotive repair through the Huot Technical Center in Laconia. Guillotte, who is interested in a career as an automotive technician, is building his experience working in the field at Benson Auto Company in Franklin.
This summer, Guillotte dedicated hundreds of community service hours to helping people in the community needing physical labor assistance, including helping people move their belongings and organizing their new house, and helping older community members with yard work. Word has spread in the community about Guillotte’s work and people call and text him when they need assistance. When someone reaches out, Guillotte says that if he can fit it into his busy schedule, he always says yes.
“I’ve had a lot of help in my life and I was raised in a family where it’s important to treat others well,” Guillotte said. “When people need help, they need help, and it’s important that they get that.”
At school, Guillotte is very active as a founding member and current captain of Franklin High School’s robotics team. Guillotte says the team is a great way for students who are interested in STEM to collaborate and gain skills in areas like problem-solving and public speaking.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to get out there with other students from different backgrounds and be able to just be themselves and go out and do something fun and that gives them an opportunity to further their education,” Guillotte said.
He advocates for STEM education by leading assemblies at Franklin Middle School to promote robotics, which led to the creation of a middle school Lego team. The high school robotics team has also advocated for a broader STEM curriculum, which has led to six new courses being added to Franklin High School’s program of studies, including computer science, manufacturing and machine tool math.
Guillotte has also led the robotics team in many community service initiatives, including managing the school’s Karma Korner, a free, anonymous supply room full of donated clothes, toiletries and school supplies for students in need. In the winter, the team collects coats to provide to students who need them.
In 2020, the team began raising awareness about mental health by making packets – Ziplock bags with fidget toys, fact sheets and resource pamphlets with the numbers of crisis centers and hotlines – to hand out to other people at robotics events. The team won an award for their mental health awareness work this fall.
Their latest initiative is raising money to buy an automated external defibrillator (AED) device to bring to competitions, and to get their team members first-aid certified.
Guillotte believes these kinds of student-led initiatives are important for giving back.
“You’re getting a free education here in the city of Franklin,” Guillotte said. “You should be able to give back into your community.”
In addition to the robotics team, Guillotte is also on the Franklin High School football, basketball and baseball teams. Besides being a three-sport athlete, Guillotte also pays it forward by refereeing and coaching youth sports in Franklin, at the rec center and the middle school.
“It’s important for kids to have access to sports and to be able to have a coach who they can look up to, someone that can teach them how to do things and have fun and build that character,” Guillotte said. “Being able to let the kids have fun while developing life skills for them is great.”
After graduation, Guillotte hopes to attend Lakes Region Community College’s automotive program. |
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