Warriors Weekly
π January 2-6, 2023 π
β Class of 2026 Toast to Change β
Mrs. Doggett's 9th grade English students wrote down their intentions and hopes for personal growth as part of their exploration of the Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell. Students were reflective and exhibited a growth mindset through this exercise. Some of their submissions are included above! Thanks to Mrs. Doggett for facilitating this important activity and for sharing student work.
π΅ CHS Musicians on Tour π΅
Prior to break, Clinton musicians visited the Sangertown Mall and various stops throughout our community to spread cheer to local seniors. Thanks to Ms. Conklin for sharing these great photos and to our incredible music department for creating this opportunity for students!
π§ͺ Science Olympiad Places 4th in Recent Competition π§ͺ
The Science Olympiad teams competed at Fayetteville-Manlius high school in the invitational on Saturday, 12/17 and placed 4th overall against some highly competitive teams from across the state. The team took 2nd place in Forestry and 3rd place in Scrambler. The team took 4th place in Experimental design, It's about Time, Remote Sensing and Write It, Do It. The team took 5th place in Bridge Building, Dynamic Planet, Forensics and Wifi lab. They took 6th place in Cell Biology, Codebusters, Environmental Chemistry, Green generation and Trajectory. The teams will attend the Regional competition at LeMoyne College on 1/21. Go Warriors!
Thanks to Mrs. Callaghan and Mrs. Washburn for their leadership of this organization and for providing this information and photo.
π΅ Chamber Singers Participate in Wreaths Across America Day π΅
On Saturday, December 17, members of the Clinton High School Chamber Singers took part in the annual wreath laying ceremony at the Old Burying Ground in Clinton. This annual day of remembrance is hosted by the Daughters of the America. Thanks to Mrs. Wratten for helping with this event for for providing this photo and information.
π Winter Pep Rally Fun π
2022 closed out for Warriors with a Pep Rally that included a student Omnikin tournament and a faculty pie-in-the face fundraiser. All week, students donated money to the Kindness Closet for a chance to pie a teacher or administrator of choice. Students raised over $200 and the "winning" faculty members were Mr. Waskiewicz, Mr. Gaetano, Mrs. Pavone, Mr. Bialek, and Mr. Deep. Dr. Lee joined the fun as well! Thanks to our faculty volunteers for being such good sports, to Student Council and the P2 Ambassadors for organizing this pep rally, and to the 2023 Clintonian staff for sharing some of the photos below!
π¬ Congratulations, Science Fair Winners! π¬
1st Place : Bioplastics by Madelyn Gray
2nd Place: Effect of Oxygen on Handwarmers by Charlotte Gale & Juliana Bean
3rd Place: Our Schoolβs Water by Claire Morford & Gemma Spadea
4th Place: At Home Learning VS In School Learning by Chloe DeNoon
Peopleβs Choice Award: What Makes a Bridge So Strong? by Gavin Kapes VanSlyke
πͺ Bakers at Work in the High School Office πͺ
This year, members of the high school office team participated in a cookie competition to kick off the holidays. Each participant submitted 12 cookies to be judged by an esteemed panel that included Mrs. Tesak, Mr. Waskiewicz, Mr. Ezman, and CCS Culinary Students Matt Gromo '22 and Alec Brewer '22. Mr. Sirianni's melting snowman cookie was selected as the best appearance and Mrs. Zegarelli's s'more cookie won for taste. Thanks to Mrs. Young for organizing this event and for providing the photos below!
π Mental Health Matters π
Guiding Your Teen Toward Positive Resolutions This New Year
As your teen starts a new year, consider sharing the following with them, from Psycom:
Resolutions can be a great catalyst for change. So how can we set ourselves (or our teens) up for success and ensure that we really take care of ourselves in the new year? Focus on making small positive changes that can help cultivate positivity and improve overall mental health.
According to Shawn Achor, a leading expert on happiness and positive psychology and author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential: How Transforming the Pursuit of Success Raises Our Achievement, Happiness, and Well-Being, small changes that touch on how we positively interact with others or how we cultivate our inner world can lead to big wins across the board.
When we are positive, our brains experience a major performance boost, or what Achor calls the βhappiness advantage.β Hereβs how it works: When weβre hopeful and appreciative, dopamine floods into the body. This not only improves our mood and triggers feelings of happiness, but it also turns on all of the learning centers in the brain, enabling us to be more engaged, creative motivated, energetic, resilient and productive. In other words, choosing a resolution that taps into this dopamine lift will help you keep your promise to yourself.
The best part: no grand overtures are needed to reap the benefits. βWeβve found that there are ways you can train your brain to be more positive. In just a two-minute span of time, done for 21 days in a row, you can actually rewire your brain, allowing the brain to work more optimistically and more successfully,β Achor explains.
Encourage your teen to consider the following expert-vetted resolutions to give you a head start to better mental health in the year ahead:
Practice gratitude.
Short on time? Practicing gratitude is one of the quickest and most effective ways to increase happiness, manage depression, and cultivate resilience. All it takes is jotting down or mentally acknowledging a few things youβre grateful for every day. Gratitude is a skill, but with practice you can change the lens through which your brain views the world.
Keep a journal.
Whether itβs revisiting a positive experience you had during the day or doing a quick-fire brain dump of all the negative thoughts swimming around in your head, journaling is a great way to ease anxiety. The process can also help you to recognize triggers and learn how to manage them, make sense of how youβre feeling, work through issues and keep yourself from ruminating so you can finally get some quality sleep.
Move your body.
Studies show that movement is an effective form of medicine in helping manage depression. You donβt have to sign up for a marathon or even join the gym but engaging in some form of exercise every dayβa short walk, yoga, or a barre classβcan go a long way in keeping your mental and physical health in tip-top shape. The thing that makes this different from the classic, βI want to lose five poundsβ resolution is that youβre focused on the action, not the outcome. It changes the intention and how you measure success.
Unplug.
There is growing research showing a negative correlation between screen time and psychological well-being. Most of us know that Instagram, Facebook, and other social media apps are more like highlight reels than accurate portrayals of peopleβs real lives, but itβs hard not to start comparing yourself with others and start feeling anxious and inadequate because your own life seems radically less rosy. Try taking a step back from your social media accounts and see how it impacts your mood and stress levels. You might find that youβre much happier (and not missing out) not being constantly connected. Plus, you may even find that you have more time to dedicate to the things and people that actually bring you joy.
Nourish friendships.
Fact: being around other people is critical for your health. Carve out time this year to connect and deepen relationships with the people in your life that inspire you and nurture your soul. Instead of hitting up happy hour, use your time together to get out into nature or attend a cultural event or try something new.
P2 Character Strength of the Week: Optimism
This week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Optimism. Optimism means you expect the best from the future and work to achieve it.
Optimism represents a state of hopefulness and confidence about the future (both short and long term). People with this strength are future-oriented. They have a positive vision of what the future holds and maintain confidence that they will get there. Despite setbacks, they keep a positive attitude and often find ways to convert what seems like an obstacle into a stepping-stone to achieving their goals.
Optimism is not about wearing rose-colored glasses and rolling over when the going gets tough. Itβs about staying focused on the good in any situation -- allowing you to be aware of opportunities and accountable for your emotions. Optimists are strong leaders. They find meaning in hardship and can create a vision for the future. Optimists are inspiring; their example is contagious. And, by sharing and achieving their vision -- despite setbacks -- they help us all achieve more.
π©ββοΈ Update from the Health Office π©ββοΈ
Counseling Office Corner
π· Follow us on Instagram: @ccs_hscounseling π·
π Attention Seniors: π
Click here for SAT registration & deadline information!
Free MVCC Courses Available!
Please see your counselor this month for more information.
Click here for information on MVCC SAT prep classes!
Click here to order graduation caps, gowns and senior gear!
Search for Clinton Senior High School. All seniors may choose to order a maroon or white robe.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!
Please visit the Class of 2023 Google Classroom for application information!
π Important Information for Seniors Applying to College & Parent/Guardians π
If you are attending college, did you file for Financial Aid yet?
Looking for money to attend college? Complete the FAFSA by your college's earliest financial aid deadline. Check to see if the CSS profile is required for financial aid. For more information please visit our Financial Aid Process information sheet.
Are you applying to a college with a late December or early January deadline? Remember to plan ahead.
The Counseling Office is closed from December 24th-January 2nd and college application forms (including transcripts, letters of recommendations, and secondary school reports) will not be submitted during the break. The counselors require 2 week notice to submit application materials. If you have applications due by January 5th, the Counselors must be notified by December 9th. Please reference the chart below and notify your counselor accordingly.
*Seniors do not have to complete their part of the application by December 9th but must invite their counselor by that deadline. Seniors can file their application portions separately from the counselors and teachers when they are completed.
- If the college deadline is January 1st-5th, documents must be submitted to the counseling office by December 9th
- If the college deadline is January 15th, documents must be submitted to the counseling office by January 3rd
Have you submitted College Applications?
Check your e-mail! Make sure you are checking your e-mail. Many colleges post application updates, release decisions and post critical information to their portal and will send you a username and password to gain access.
Events this Week:
Monday January 2:
- No School
Tuesday January 3:
- 7:00 Sports Boosters Meeting (Media Center)
For the full calendar of athletic events, please click here.