Principal's Newsletter
From the Desk of Russ Booth
December 17th, 2023
It has been an eventful week at MHS with winter sports starting to compete, the production of our annual musical, and our annual holiday concert that was held Wednesday evening. Two of our fall coaches were also recently recognized at the annual MIAA coaches award banquet. Mrs. Carolina DiBiase (Girl's Cross Country) and Mr. Kevin Smith (Girl's Soccer) were each honored as coach of the year for their respective sports and we couldn't be more proud to have them not only as coaches, but also faculty members at MHS. Kevin was also recently named Division 2 Coach of the Year by the Boston Globe!
We also received word that our High School Quiz Show Team will be competing in a 1st round match again Roxbury Latin! For those interested in attending the taping, more information can be found below.
This week we are excited to welcome our elementary students to MHS for our Annual Caroling at Home event (Tuesday), and we also would like to remind all families that Friday is an early release day from school. Students will be dismissed at 11am but lunch will still be served.
MIAA Coach of the Year Honors
Hockomock League Captains Conference
"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"
Winter Concert
Winter Concert
Winter Concert
Seal of Biliteracy
We are once again offering the opportunity for Juniors and Seniors to earn the Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma and transcript. Mrs. Carolina DiBiase recently sent out information to all Juniors and Seniors. The content of that email is below.
Attention All Juniors and Seniors:
We are pleased to inform you of our participation in the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2024-2025 School Year. The Seal of Biliteracy is offered to any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak or sign the language other than English at home or learned it at school or in the community. The State Seal of Biliteracy aims to:
1. Encourage students to study and master languages;
2. Certify attainment of biliteracy skills;
3. Recognize the value of language diversity;
4. Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;
5. Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for attainment of high-level skills in languages;
6. Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society; and
7. Strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.
Please take a look at the slide show attached below and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me. If you are interested in this experience, I will add your name to a Google Classroom for test takers this year and we will confirm dates for our testing in January.
Senior Corner
Senior Families: Graduation has been confirmed for Sunday, June 2nd at the Xfinity Center. More details will follow.
Entrepreneurship Sale for Charity!
Do you need a last minute, affordable holiday gift? Support our MHS Entrepreneurship students by purchasing their homemade products! An assortment of items are available: Hornet Earrings, Santa Reindeer Hornet Ornaments, Peppermint Lipscrub, Vanilla Candles, Assorted Lipbalms, and more! All items are $10 and under. Proceeds will benefit the Animal Rescue League of Boston. To date, Entrepreneurship students have donated just shy of $16,000 to local charities through this semester-long project!
MHS Quiz Show Team
Mansfield High School will be appearing on Season 15 of the WGBH High School Quiz Show TV tournament hosted by Billy Costa. The Hornets' first-round match against Roxbury Latin will be taped on Saturday 20 Jan and broadcast on 2 March. Tickets to the match at WGBH studios in Brighton are free and can be obtained in the link below.
AFL-CIO Scholarship Program - Class of 2024
The Annual AFL-CIO Scholarship Program is in its 65th year. Through the
scholarship program, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO is honored to continue a long
tradition of helping students continue their education as they work toward creating
bright futures.
The Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarship program awardees receive between $500
and $16,000 towards their education. Over 40 unions, central labor councils, area
businesses and charitable trusts from across Massachusetts participate in awarding
scholarships that total nearly half a million dollars. Unions in Massachusetts have
given close to $10 million in scholarships since 2000. About 1,500 students take the
exam annually to compete for a scholarship. Students with a union affiliation are
eligible for both the Massachusetts AFL-CIO awards and those awards listed under
their specific local union/central labor council. Massachusetts students who do not
have union affiliation are eligible for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO scholarships only.
2023-2024 Scholarships
● The scholarship application is available online at www.massaflcio.org/scholarships
All applications must be submitted online; you do not register for the exam at MHS.
● Scholarship Applications are due Friday, December 22, 2023; late applications will
not be accepted.
● The study guide is available online and is updated annually with new information.
They have updated their website to make it more interactive for students to review
material. The study guide can be found at Scholarship Study Guide
● This year's Labor History Exam will be given electronically in school on Thursday,
February 8, 2024 first thing in the morning. More information to follow.
Various Vaping Resources
In an effort to combat the ongoing challenge of vaping within our school (and others), please take a look at and utilize the various resources provided below to learn more about vaping in order to start/continue the conversation with your child. Making progress in this area is a group effort, and we want to provide support for families at home with these resources.
General Info:
Vaping and the impact of Covid
Information on Quitting:
About Us
Russ Booth - Principal
Abigail Barlas - Assistant Principal, Student Support Services
Matthew McGuire - Assistant Principal, Grades 9 & 11
Ellen Noto - Assistant Principal, Grades 10 & 12
Timothy Tichacek - Assistant Director, Special Education
Tim Selmon - Athletic Director
Email: russ.booth@mansfieldschools.com
Website: https://mhs.mansfieldschools.com/
Location: 250 East Street, Mansfield, MA, USA
Phone: 508-261-7540
Twitter: @MHSHornets