Dear Nashoba Regional High School Community,

I am writing in follow up to the superintendent’s message from Friday. As a learning organization it is our goal to create a safe and welcoming environment for all students so they may learn and grow academically and personally. We strive to create a true sense of belonging for all in the fulfillment of our vision “Be your best self. Pave your path. Impact the world.” and in helping guide our students to be joyful, caring, lifelong learners as they graduate from NRHS and make their way into the world. These are, at the same turn, foundational and lofty goals. While we strive every day to be that organization, we know the lived experience for some students and families may not reach that ideal.

Displays of hate; including racism, anti-semitism, sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, and intellectual superiority that have occurred both nationally and in our community are personally felt by our students and families and erode that sense of belonging and safety that are so critical for a sense of connection. Acts such as these are intended to create harm, a sense of distrust, and damage the fabric of community. As indicated by the superintendent on Friday, we are taking intentional steps to learn how our students and families are impacted by these actions to receive feedback and ideas about how we can improve as a learning community and a place of belonging for all.

To that end, I will be reaching out to our students and families to participate in important conversations regarding race, equity, inclusion and belonging after February break. Student and family voice is instrumental in helping us learn, grow and improve as a school community. Our student athletes, club and activity members and participants, and student government leaders will also be invited to engage in these learning and listening conversations; and our staff will also have the opportunity to participate through joining these conversations. This is just the beginning of critical and self reflective work for us as a school.

Students are the Why of our work and we are committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment that fosters a deep sense of belonging for all so that they may thrive.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kate Boynton, principal

Nashoba Regional Dollars for Scholars opens its Scholarship Portal on Jan 17th and schedules a Scholarship Drop-In day for seniors on Feb 8th

Hello Class of 2023 - it's that time again.......time to get working on more applications! This time, however, the applications are for scholarships! A very important thing to remember about scholarships is that they aren't just for students with strong academics. Overall, there are a large variety of criteria that reach across all levels of students. You may not believe there is a scholarship for you, but take a closer look!

You can find available scholarships in your Naviance account - there are many scholarships open and waiting for you. We recently opened the Nashoba Regional Dollars for Scholars scholarships - they alone administer over $40,000.00 in awards each year! To access their scholarships, please see the attached information and instructions. Guidance will provide any requested supporting documents directly to them.

A few important reminders for all scholarships:

• Please follow the instructions for each scholarship carefully. You do not want to inadvertently disqualify yourself because you missed a box on a checklist.
• The deadlines are the deadlines - there are no exceptions, so please do not wait until the last minute! Give time for processing, mailing, etc.
• Guidance will provide supporting documents for outside scholarships as well. Because students may not view teacher or counselor recommendations, we will add the required supporting documents (letters of recommendation/transcripts) and submit your application for you. If you are applying for an outside scholarship, please bring your portion of the application to Guidance with enough lead time so that your donor receives it by the deadline.

On February 8th, volunteers from NRDfS will be available in the Media Center for parents and students to drop in and receive additional information and assistance regarding their scholarships. Parents, please sign in at the Main Office first if you would like to come in. Students may utilize their study, lunch, or after school time.

Seniors, if you have any questions, please stop by the Guidance Office - we are happy to help!

Mrs. Hilliger
Guidance Office
Nashoba Regional High School
978-779-0122