Message from Principal McKillop
Good Afternoon, Cougar Nation!
It is hard to imagine we officially only have one month of school left in this academic year! I am so proud of how hard our students continue to work as we near the end of the semester.
As I shared last week, May is Mental Health Awareness month. The opportunities this week included rock painting positivity during TASC and mindfulness/yoga in the mini gym. Next Tuesday, there will be opportunties to make stress balls during TASC. If interested, please book to Mr. Bennett. Thanks to our School Counseling Department for organizing activities in honor of Mental Health Awareness. Please remember that if you would like to make an appointment with your school counselor, stop by the school counseling office or click on this link to schedule an appointment.
There are several seniors games that will take place this afternoon and next week. If you would like to assist with concessions, please see the information below to volunteer.
This weekend, I look forward to attending the Children and the Arts Festival on Saturday. Students from throughout the district have contributed art pieces and the parade at noon promises to be a spectacular community event as always. This Sunday, several of our students will have their films showcased at the statewide New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival at Chunky’s Cinema in Manchester.
Next Sunday, May 28, there will be a 5K walk/run for suicide prevention awareness. Registration begins at 8:00 am. Although this is not a school-sponsored event, we support our students who have worked so hard to plan and organize this event. All proceeds will go to the Grapevine/Avenue A teen center for mental health awareness-related programs in our region.
Please also see the upcoming important dates that include the Pops concert on campus that you won't want to miss. Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Heather
P.S.: When you have finished reading this week's newsletter, please respond to a short, anonymous reader survey here (link fixed).
Band, Choir Win Gold At Great East Music Festival
On Friday, May 12, the ConVal Band and Choir performed at the Great East Music Festival in front of expert adjudicators. The Band played James Swearingen’s “Aventura” and a medley from Disney Pixar’s movie soundtrack “Brave.” One adjudicator told the Band how much he enjoyed the energy from their performance. The Choir sang Coldplay’s “Fix You” and Jacob Narverud’s “Ad Astra.” The Choir was complimented on the range of their repertoire. The performances were awarded with a gold medal each.
18 Students Inducted, 19 Receive Senior Cords
On May 16, the German and Spanish National Honor Society induction ceremonies were held in the LHT. Clara Christensen, Hannah Daniels, Maeve Finn, Jennifer Hopkins, Isobel Jobin, Eva McCullough, Kai Reitnauer, Isabelle Schmidt, Donny Sweeney, Ryan Whitney, and Laramie Wilson were inducted into the German National Honor Society Delta Epsilon Phi. Zachary Cassidy, Annabelle Delisle, Lily Mandel, Laura Phillips, Natalie Preble, Kaitlyn Stone, and Inaya Vaidya were inducted into the Sociedad Honoraria Hispana. 19 students received senior cords for graduation.
Student Achievements At The National German Exam
Congratulations to the following German 1 students who took the National German Exam in April. Thomas Flynn won a Bronze Award. Olivia Michaels, Addie Regis, and Ella Stultz each received an Achievement Award. Their achievement is all the more remarkable since they did not have any German in three and a half months. The National German Level 1 Exam is comprised of 100 multiple-choice questions, a 40-minute listening and viewing portion, and a 45-minute reading portion that consists of a variety of print texts, including graphs and images. All materials used in the exam come from authentic resources.
4x100m Relay Team Breaks School Record — Again!
Congratulations to the Cougars boys 4x100m relay team of Kendrick Edwards, Elliot Featherstone, Jack Harris, and Anthony Cadwallader. They crushed their newly-broken school record with a 44.94 sprint at a meet at Conant High School in Jaffrey on Tuesday.
Mr. Thibault's Teaching Geometry
Mr. Thibault is seen pictured teaching Geometry Honors. Today's objective was to understand segments of a circle and to apply properties to find missing lengths. While students were mulling over their warm-up problems, Mr. Thibault emphasized the importance of developing mathematical reasoning. Fun Fact: The yard stick featured in the snapshot is the same one that Mr. Thibault has used since his first year of teaching!
To access the information about the CTE programs at the Region 14 Applied Technology Center, please click this link.
School Counseling Newsletter
For the May edition of the School Counseling newsletter which covers a variety of topics, from mental health awareness month to "I Decided Day" celebrations, please click here.
In a crisis? Text HOME to 741741
You can also reach out by typing @CrisisTextLine on Facebook Messenger.
The service is here for any type of crisis and is available 24/7 for high-quality, text-based mental health support.
A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, all from a secure online platform.
Reach out to get the help you need.
May 19: ConVal Nation Event of the Week - Softball will host John Stark at Ecco Field under the lights at 7pm. Come on down to Adam’s Playground for the most exciting softball game of the season…so far.
May 23: Rising 9th grader athletics information night at 6pm. Come by the high school at 6 pm and meet the athletic director and find out how to get your student involved in high school athletics.
May 26: ConVal Boys Lacrosse will be celebrating their seniors in their last home games of their careers where they will host the Blackbirds of Keene.
May 26: Division II State Track Meet will be held at Oyster River High School.
Please visit our athletics website for a full listing of events.
Volunteers Needed For Remaining Home Games
Friends of ConVal Athletics (FCVA) is in need of volunteers for our remaining spring home games. FCVA is the booster club for 24 ConVal Teams. Visit the FCVA portion of the ConVal Athletics website to access all FCVA-related information. As you know, concessions is the #1 fundraising effort for all FCVA teams. Anyone can participate, please sign up by clicking the Signup Genius link.
ConVal Students Compete At Envirothon
On Tuesday, May 16, ConVal’s Envirothon Team took a field trip to NHTI in Concord to participate in the New Hampshire Envirothon. The competition tests the students’ knowledge in such areas as forestry, soil and land use, wildlife, aquatic ecology, and current environmental issues. The photos show ConVal Envirothon team members at the wildlife station where they had to identify animal pelts, scat, and tracks. Teams also had to give an oral presentation about climate change and how we adapt.
Student Council Members Take Service Learning Trip
On Thursday, Student Council members traveled to the Seacoast Science Center in Rye, New Hampshire, for a service learning trip. Students worked with the groundskeepers and facilities crew to prepare the area for an upcoming event and worked on clearing rocks from grassy areas so Odiorne State Park remains a beautiful place for groups of all ages to come together to learn about marine life and splash around in the tide pools.
Immersive Language Trip To Spain Planned For 2024
As an immersive language experience, the Spanish Department at ConVal Regional High School is in the early planning stages of a student trip to Spain in the spring of 2024. The tour is designed for students who are upper-level students (grades 10 and up) and have completed Spanish 2 by the end of fall semester 2023.
This will be a unique opportunity for students to explore the rich culture and history of this fascinating country. The tour will take them to the capital Madrid where they will witness the vibrant Spanish lifestyle firsthand while exploring the city's famous landmarks such as the Royal Palace, the Prado Museum, and the Puerta del Sol. The trip will also include a tour of the Andalusia region in the south, where students will experience the enchanting beauty of historic towns such as Seville, Granada, Ronda, and the Pueblos Blancos, the white villages nestled among the hills in the Andalusian mountains. The tour will give students the chance to learn about the country's rich cultural heritage while practicing their Spanish skills and making unforgettable travel memories.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please attend an orientation session on June 1, 2023 at 6:00 pm in the ConVal library. Questions? Please contact Señora Pacheco-McMahon at vmcmahon@conval.edu.
Children & The Arts Festival Goes "VROOOM!"
The 28th Annual Children and the Arts Festival will go "VROOOM!" on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The parade this year will be devoted to cars, boats, trucks, trains, planes and more in all shapes, styles, and speeds! Local school students, visiting performers, artists, and members of the community will celebrate mechanical things that accelerate their imaginations. In addition to the parade, the festival will include crowd favorites such as crafts, dancing, live music, and many other activities. To see the Children and the Arts Festival flyer, please click here.
