Cohasset High School Newsletter
News and Happenings at Cohasset High School
May 27, 2022
Dear Families,
On the heels of the seniors' last day of school and prom, on the eve of Memorial Day, and in light of the tragic events of late, I find myself struggling to apropriately acknowledge each without minimizing any one. We're in the beginning stages of celebrating our seniors and through them our larger school community while being surrounded by communal strife.
It makes me wonder how students can hold both images in their minds, and it leads me to muse that this is not new, and that this weekend I should carve out a little time to reflect on gratitude and courage in light of all of it.
The celebration of our seniors is fundamentally a celebration of freedom. Of the opportunities they have earned and the resilience needed to access those opportunties; of their own personal growth as they navigate both the good and the bad in the world and decide what their role in the larger community will be; as they dream of possibility with an understanding that personal fulfillment is attainable.
I recently read an article that the first Memorial Day (called "Decoration Day" at the time), occurred following the Civil War, which claimed the lives of between 600,000 and 800,000 American soldiers. The first national commemoration occurred on May 30, 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery.
What I didn't realize was that the first unofficial recognition of Memorial Day was held on May 1, 1865 -- three years earlier -- organized by a group of Black Americans freed from enslavement less than one month after the Confederacy surrendered. Largely erased from the written and oral records, it was rediscovered in the late 1990's by a professor at Yale while looking through two boxes of unsorted materials from Union veterans.
According to professor Blight in his book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a march was held on the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club in South Carolina, a site that had been turned into a prison for Union soldiers which claimed the lives of over 260 soldiers who died from exposure of the outdoors while being held captive, their bodies buried in a mass grave near the grandstands.
After Charleston was sacked and Confederate soldiers fled, freed slaves remained. They exhumed the bodies and buried them properly in a new cemetery. And on May 1, 1965, over 10,000 people, including freed slaves and members of the 54th Massachusetts and other Black Union regiments marched in commemoration of all those who died protecting the very freedoms we continue to celebrate and fight for today.
As we enter Memorial Day weekend I'm reminded of the gratitude that I have for those who have fought to protect something larger than themselves, something that allows our seniors and all of our students to pursue lives of purpose. And I'm reminded that more work and more courage is needed so that every student can pursue happiness and that maybe in 2065 our students and their children aren't dealing with the same issues that inspired the first Memorial Day march.
Have a safe and restful weekend.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Scott
Principal
Senior Events and Graduation
NOTE: There were a few senior signs left on the Common that were returned to the school. They will be available for pick up on the back circle until graduation after which they will be discarded so if you don't have yours and want it for the dorm room you have a little over a week.
Arts Night a Resounding Success
NHS Officers
Congrtatulations to our newly elected National Honors' Society officers for 2022-2023:
President – Sam Grech
Vice President – Catherine Brisbane
Secretary – Alexis Steinmetz
Public Relations Director – Emma Thornton
College Learning Library
Are you feeling overwhelmed about the college admissions process? Are you curious to know what your options are for life after graduation?
Look no further than the newest shelf in the Learning Commons! Thanks to a generous grant from the CEF, the library now boasts a new section of resources about college and career development. Come browse the various titles and learn how to successfully navigate this often anxiety-provoking process. There are also several books on standardized testing, essay writing, and simplifying the financial aid process. Students and their families are encouraged to check out the Guidance page on our school website for additional resources and contact their counselor with any questions. Happy Reading!
A sample of the new books we have to offer:
- Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to College Admissions Mania
- Who Gets In and Why: A Year Inside College Admissions
- College Essay Essentials
- Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About Colleges
- Paying for College: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College
- & several more!
Class Field Trips
Several class field trips are scheduled post-graduation. A description of the trips are below. Each trip will cost $20 per student and can be paid through your MySchoolBucks account. Descriptions of the trips are as follows. Special thanks to Student Council, Ms. Reardon and Ms. Norton for putting these together.
Grade 9
On Tuesday, June 14th, all grade 9 students and students taking Introduction to Physics are invited to the Museum of Science to take in the various exhibits, a 4D film, and a show in the Planetarium. We will be departing for Boston at 9:15 am after class elections are held in the auditorium and returning at 2:45 pm in time for afternoon dismissal. Students have the option of packing a lunch or purchasing one at the museum. It should be a great trip full of many applications of the various physics concepts students learned this year!
Grade 10
On Wednesday, June 15th, all sophomore students are invited to participate in a field trip to the New England Aquarium followed by lunch in Faneuil Hall. We will be departing for Boston at 9:15 am after class elections are held in the auditorium and returning at 2:45 pm in time for afternoon dismissal. Students have the option of packing a lunch or purchasing one in Faneuil Hall. It should be a great day of bonding for the sophomores who have not had the opportunity to attend many field trips given the last two years.
Grade 11
Finally, we are excited to announce that on Thursday, June 16th, all 11th grade students are invited to participate in a field trip to Level99, “a sprawling real-life game world with over 40 rooms of physical and mental challenges” located in the Natick Mall. We will be departing for Natick at 9:15 am after class elections are held in the auditorium and returning at 2:45 pm in time for afternoon dismissal. A delicious lunch buffet is included in the cost. It should be a great day of bonding for the juniors who have not had the opportunity to attend many high school field trips given the last two years.
CSCR
PSO
PSO High School Liaison 2022-2024:
The PSO is looking for a parent or parents to be the Cohasset High School liasion for the 2022-2024 school years.
The main purpose of the role is to help improve the school experience for our high school students and to connect Cohasset High School families with school staff and administration.
Responsibilities include:
- Assist in arranging and coordinating programs, services and events to meet the needs of students.
- Meet with other PSO members twice a year to approve school grant requests and represent CMS requests during those meetings.
- Coordinate and conduct CMS PSO meetings with parents four times a year.
- Update the PSO website calendar with HS events once a year.
- Meet with PSO board members 4 - 5 times a year to go over PSO and school events, curriculum enrichment programing and fundraising.
- Total hours needed for this role are estimated to be about 20-25 hours a year.
Guidance Updates
MCAS
Grade 9 Science 6/07/2022 - 6/08/2022
More information about the MCAS can be found here: https://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/
Check Out the Following Photos from Mr. Dan Leahy!
Boys' Lacrosse vs. Sandwich
https://photos.app.goo.gl/48b2WAP87aKuHTeX9
Girls' Lacrosse vs. Hull
https://photos.app.goo.gl/tSZ2UuHTXahpwoaj7
Baseball vs. Dedham
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iUTb6bwcikkayauH6
Boys' Lacrosse vs. Abington
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yc1tQi8i95hk85ES8
Boys' Lacrosse vs. Foxboro
https://photos.app.goo.gl/JZNHnvn1zLodrA8RA
Baseball vs. Mashpee Senior Day
Put a Pin in It
Dates to remember:
A Downloadable Version of the Calendar can be found Here:
Cohasset High School
Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal