Women to watch for March 14: Dr. Shanon Gruchot

The Lancer Spirit is celebrating the women of Londonderry during the month of March in honor of Women’s History Month. For each day of the month, LSO will be highlighting an inspiring woman within the Londonderry community who has demonstrated strong leadership and influential behavior.

Today’s “Woman to Watch” is Dr. Shanon Gruchot, M.D. because she has been a motherly figure on all the band trips she has accompanied the Marching Lancers on and a positive light everywhere she goes. 

She is there when a Marching Lancer falls under the scorching hot sun. 

She is there to give children their flu vaccines.

And she is there to be an absolute boss. 

Her name is Dr. Shanon Gruchot, M.D., and she has helped Londonderry and the marching band in more ways than one. 

“Working with the band has been an amazing experience,” Gruchot said. “Chaperoning as the med staff for the band has brought me to so many incredible places and events and I am very grateful to get to be involved with such an incredible music program.”  

Every year, the marching band travels to New York in March for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and recently they’ve traveled to California for the Pasadena Rose Bowl Parade.  Gruchot has accompanied the band to St. Patrick’s Day Parades, Rose Bowl Parades, D.C parades. 

One teacher who knows Gruchot through the struggles of shuffling 240 students into six buses for a school trip is LHS Band Director Serge Beaulieu. 

“When her daughter was in the band, years ago, she had offered to be one of the med staff,” Beaulieu said. “It’s always really nice. She’s always just generally fun to be around. She has a lot of great stories to share with everyone.” 

Gruchot’s commitment to the band is extraordinary. After all, assisting roughly 240 band kids isn’t an easy feat. 

Two band students, senior Mackenzie Gagne and senior Kelly Calawa know just how busy a regular band trip can get. 

“[My boyfriend] Brian dislocated his knee two weeks ago,” Gagne said. “After that Dr.Gruchot was the one who brought him to the hospital and just stayed with him.”  

Having med staff go on band trips gives students like Calawa and Gagne a reassuring feeling. What adds to their reassurance is Gruchot’s positive attitude. 

“Every time that we’ve ever walked past her, she’s always super upbeat and smiling. She’s such a sweetheart,” Calawa said. “She always seems like the kind of person you can go to for anything.”

Beaulieu has also been with the band and has seen first hand how hectic things can get when a sickness goes around between students and staff. 

“If there’s a flu going around or there’s a certain sickness in particular, it’s a lot to go through,” Beaulieu said. “The doctor and any of the other med staff parents have to go through all the med forms ahead of time to identify students with allergies.”  

Beyond her time assisting the marching band, Gruchot has been working at Londonderry Pediatrics for 19 years. 

“I love my patients and have made so many special connections over the last 19 years in practice,” Gruchot said. “I moved to Londonderry in 2001 knowing no one and having no idea if I would even like living and raising my kids in New England. And now I love this town and really enjoy working in the same community that I live in with my family.”

In her time of working at Londonderry Pediatric, Gruchot has seen over 4,500 patients (roughly) per year. 

“I love when a new set of parents bring in their first newborn and are so excited,” Gruchot said, “or when kids that I have seen for their whole life are coming in to get their college physical and tell me all about their plans.”

The amount of care she gives to each child that goes to Londonderry Pediatric is unparalleled, and she doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. 

“Growing up I always thought I wanted to be either a teacher or a doctor, and I quickly found that doing pediatrics does involve a lot of educating, especially the new parents,” Gruchot said. “There are things I really like about every age child I see, and although it is a sad part of my job when the kids get too old to see me, I feel proud to see them head off into life as a healthy young adult.” 

The dedication that she puts into everything in her life is just what the Londonderry community needs. She never denies to help you. She always has a smile on her face, and most of all she keeps a positive atmosphere in the worst of times. 

“I enjoy helping to educate people, supporting families and watching kids grow and develop,” Gruchot said. “[I like] doing my part to keep them healthy.”