Phil Pettis on Blogger: Clipper Foundation Grants Fill Gaps in Governmental Funding

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Clipper Foundation Grants Fill Gaps in Governmental Funding

A partner with the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, firm of Boynton, Waldron, Doleac, Woodman & Scott since 2009, Phil Pettis focuses on employment and business law. An involved member of his community, Phil Pettis serves as vice president of the board of directors of the Clipper Foundation.

The Clipper Foundation awards grants for innovative teaching programs not included in the city budget. Some of the initiatives approved for 2019-2020 include:

- Launch! Kitchen. Meeting before and after school, Launch! Kitchen shows at-risk students and students from families with low incomes how to prepare nutritionally sound meals. The program is especially popular on Fridays, when children can take their cooking home.

- Sensory pathway. Three elementary school teachers joined forces to convert a corridor into a “sensory pathway” that helps learners who struggle with focusing in class.

- K-12 bookmobile. Serving some 300 students, town and school librarians will donate their time to circulate reading materials and exchange books at community centers.

- Broadcasting lab. This grant will set up a middle school multimedia center where learners can prepare their own news shows and develop writing, graphic design, and production skills.

About Phil Pettis

A lawyer with more than two decades of experience, Phil Pettis completed his undergraduate degree at Bates College, where he studied political science. An accomplished student, Phil Pettis co-captained the college's football team during one season as well as earned an "Outstanding" and "A" grade on his senior thesis, titled "The Evolution of Special-Purpose Governments As a Result of Military Base Closures: A Case Study of the Pease Development Authority." He went on to earn his juris doctor from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law in 1998.

In 2002, Phil Pettis joined the Boynton Waldron law firm in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he is a partner. He assists clients with such legal services as litigation and trial work with a focus on employment law and business law. Over his career, he has successfully argued cases in state and federal courts. Among his most notable cases are Becksted v. Nadeau, 155 NH 615, which he briefed and argued before the New Hampshire Supreme Court, and eClipse Enterprise Solutions, Inc. v. Endoceutics, Inc., a case that he successfully tried before a jury in the New Hampshire Federal District Court.