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School Committee Chair Sylvia Wedge hears about health projects from Hathaway School kids.

It was a bittersweet meeting of the Portsmouth School Committee this evening, with memories of the late committee member Doug Wilkey, and a presentation by kids from the schools participating in a health and wellness program that he helped to start.

School Committee Chair Sylvia Wedge announced that there will be a memorial service for Mr. Wilkey on Thursday afternoon at 1 pm at the United Methodist Church in Portsmouth. A moment of silence was held at the opening of the meeting, and several speakers remembered Wilkey's long history of service to the town.

"I will miss Mr. Wilkey very much," said Superintendent Susan Lusi, "He had a tremendous committment to the community, the school committee, and our students. Doug always went above and beyond. I'll miss his commitment and his sense of humor."

Assistant Superintendent Collen Jermain remembered how Mr. Wilkey, an avid motorcyclist, would always beep when he passed her house in the summer. And she welcomed the students from the Portsmouth Elementary and Middle schools who presented some highlight's from this year's health and wellness program. "Fitting that tonight we're going to be celebrating those initiatives," said Jermain, "Since Mr. Wilkey was instrumental in getting this started."

Over 30 parents, students, and staff from the schools were on hand for the presentations, which the kids from Hathaway Elementary kicked off by describing their activity calendars, used to track progress in helping kids stay active and make healthy food choices. Dr. Christina Martin, principal of Hathaway, was on hand, as were the parent volunteers who launched the pilot program last year, which was then picked up at the other schools.

Folks from Melville Elementary talked about their program, which included not only students -- who logged 500 hours of phsyical activity and walked a total of 587 miles -- but also staff, who had their own "Biggest Loser" competition, shedding a total of 165 pounds since November. Elmhurst showcased their walk-and-play club which used donated pedometers and a board game developed to help students learn about healthy snack choices. Principal Bob Ettinger thanked the school committee for "Keeping parents healthy by making them walk a quarter-mile from the parking lot."

Students from the Middle School talked about the work they had done surveying their peers to develop recommendations for healthy snacks in the cafeteria, as well as the web site they developed to educate and inform.

Karin Wetherill of the Rhode Island Healthy Schools Coalition had dropped by the meeting to see what Portsmouth was doing, and was very impressed. "It's wonderful to see the kids teach other kids — it makes such a difference," said Wetherill. "And the community has really taken it on, you can see that by all the parents that are here with the kids."

Just one of the many ways that Doug Wilkey touched — and will continue to touch — lives in this town.