Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - January 28, 2022
Message From Principal McKillop
We are officially one week into semester two. As you can see by the table of contents below, there is quite a bit to explore in this newsletter. I will keep this introductory message brief so that you can read the contents below.
We are very proud that many students who have earned Scholastic Awards in various areas! Congratulations to all students that submitted pieces.
Please consider joining us this evening in our gymnasium to support the boy's basketball team as they participate in senior night. The JV plays at 5:00 pm and Varsity plays at 6:30 pm.
Good luck to all players and thank you to all of our seniors for all you have done over your time here. I look forward to cheering on our Cougars tonight!
Next week we will host our senior night for the wrestling team on Wednesday, February 2nd. Our girl's basketball senior night will take place on Friday, February 4th. Please see the Co-Curricular/Athletic Updates section below for the start times.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay safe tomorrow in the snow!
Best,
Heather
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH, USA
Table of Contents (TOC)
- Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- Senior Night Basketball Game
- Two-Tiered Report Cards
- District Strategic Plan Surveys
- School Counseling Newsletter
- Student Scholastic Writing Awards
- Student Scholastic Awards for 2D & 3D Arts
- Express Admission Date Added
- Starting Pronunciation in Spanish I
- New Faces at ConVal
- New Semester Chemistry Lab Safety Review
- Parent Volunteer Opportunities
- Co-Curricular/Athletic Updates
- Covid-19 Updates
- Upcoming Principal Meeting with Heather McKillop
- Peterborough Recreation Flyer
Upcoming Important Dates and Events
- February 1, 2022 - NHHEAF 6:00 pm (Juniors applying for college)
- February 1-11, 2022 - Course selection for next year (Grades 9, 10, & 11)
- February 7, 2022 - Parent Meeting
- February 14 -18, 2022 - Student Spirit Week
Senior Night Basketball Game - Tonight!
The ConVal High School boys basketball team is having an outstanding season. Tonight is senior night for the playoffs-bound team!
This year there are nine seniors who have been playing together for eight or more years. “I have been around Cougar Basketball teams for a long time. This group of seniors has been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch, ever since they were at the freshman and junior varsity levels,” said Athletic Director John Reitnauer. “This team has had a fantastic run. What makes them so special is that they are having fun as they play as a unit that never misses a beat.”
You are invited to join the team tonight, January 28, in the ConVal High School gymnasium and cheer them on. JV plays at 5:00 pm and Varsity plays at 6:30 pm.
Good luck to the team!
Two-Tiered Report Cards
District Strategic Plan Survey
Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and the School Board’s Strategic Planning Committee encourage community members to complete a survey to help the ConVal School District to develop a new strategic plan.
Strategic plans act as a roadmap for the District to follow during a five-year period, highlighting specific projects and goals for long-term sustainable growth. The most recent strategic plan was created in 2016 and lasted through June 2021.
The survey will gather input about long-term strategies and goals that are most important to community members. Data collected will help the District to shape a strategic plan that reflects community priorities.
The survey is open to all stakeholders – parents/guardians, students, staff, and residents of ConVal’s nine sending communities.
“We ask everyone to take a few moments to complete this important survey,” Superintendent Rizzo Saunders said. “This input is vital in guiding the District to develop a strategic plan to serve our students that reflects the goals and visions of our community.”
The survey is open and will remain live through Tuesday, Feb. 1. To take the survey:
Parents/guardians of students, click here.
ConVal District staff members click here.
Students, click here.
Community members, click here.
A draft of the strategic plan is expected to be completed by June 2022. The plan will be reviewed by the School Board and implemented after approval. More information about the strategic planning process can be found on the district’s website here.
School Counseling Newsletter
Students Achieve Scholastic Writing Awards
Congratulations to the students in Courtney Smith’s and Lance Levesque’s classes who have achieved honors at the 2022 Scholastic Writing Awards.
The writings of the following students were recognized in these categories:
NOVEL WRITING
Silver Key
- Jennifer Hopkins, “Wind, Thunder and Ice”
Honorable Mention
- Jennifer Hopkins, “Moon, Earth and Sky”
SHORT STORY
Honorable Mention
- Leah Krason, “Maiden Voyage”
FLASH FICTION
Honorable Mention
- Arwyn Kelley, “Accidents Happen?”
WRITING PORTFOLIO
Honorable Mention
- Sydney Rousseau
Every work which received a gold or silver key as well as any work which received honorable mention will be published in Middle High School Voices 2022, the anthology of award-winning writing by middle and high school students in New Hampshire, which will be available to order by the beginning of May.
Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized some of America’s most celebrated writers while they were teenagers, including Peter S. Beagle, Truman Capote, Stephen King, Joyce Maynard, Robert McCloskey, Joyce Carol Oates, and many more.
Students Receive Scholastic Awards In 2D and 3D Arts
Congratulations to the students in Mary Goldwaithe’s, Karrie Mitschmyer’s, and Ben Putnam’s art classes who have achieved honors at the 2022 Scholastic Arts Awards.
These ConVal students were recognized in the following categories:
CERAMICS AND GLASS
Gold Key
- Ronia Foecking, “Dot Mug”
- Thomas Sennett, “Jugular”
- Ethan Weber, “Pattern Vase”
Honorable Mention
- Garret Rousseau, “Flower Vase”
DRAWING AND ILLUSTRATION
Honorable Mention
- Sophia Bohl, “Inktober 2021”
- Kalyn Ross, “Space”
PAINTING
Silver Key
- Anneliese Strong, “Psychological Landscape”
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Scholastic Art Awards ceremony will be held virtually once again this year, and will be shown via livestream on March 11 at 6 p.m. The work of the award recipients will be on display in the CTE atrium following the ceremony, and posted online.
Express Admission News and One More Day Scheduled
There is one more Express Admissions day scheduled with NHTI on February 10th, and there are currently 8 students signed up! Any interested student should sign up in the School Counseling office.
Thanks to everyone who helps behind the scenes to help get students connected to these opportunities!
Starting With Pronunciation In Spanish 1
Students in Sara Krapohl’s Spanish 1 class are learning how to pronounce vocabulary terms in Spanish. Proper pronunciation is the key to acquiring a new world language because even though words may look similar, they can be pronounced very differently in the target language.
In Spanish, there are 27 consonant and 5 vowel sounds. Of these, 18 are equivalent to English but 9 consonant sounds are markedly different; the vowel sounds stay constant in Spanish.
In this introductory lesson on just the third day of class, students are trying to sound out words that Maestra Krapohl has put up on the interactive whiteboard. Each word is broken down into its constituent parts with the familiar and new sounds and then put together as the word would be spoken by a native speaker.
The students are doing a great job memorizing the special cases — how is “ll” pronounced at the beginning of a word? is “qu” always pronounced as “k”? what about the rolled “r” sound? how about the “c” before an “i”? — and are working through the lesson with admirable speed and accuracy.
New Faces At ConVal — Cesaria Reynoso
My passion is teaching, and I have already twenty-three years in school. I live in Bennington with my husband and my son.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to be part of this fantastic school team at ConVal!
New Faces At ConVal — Heath Haskell
I am excited to help the students in Honors Chemistry and AP Chemistry. I will be working with the students until the end of this school year. I am currently also working on my RN degree in hopes of finishing within the coming year.
When I am not at work, I love to have a Netflix binge with my dogs.
New Semester Begins With Lab Safety Review
As the new semester begins, students in Randy Stetzer’s Chemistry course familiarize themselves with the required safety procedures and take notes on the Safety Data Sheet (SDS).
Preparation and planning are key to working in a school chemistry lab. To be prepared, students must understand the hazards of any chemicals that they will be working with.
The SDS provides detailed information about the properties of the chemicals typically used in a chemistry classroom, their potential hazards, and how to protect oneself from those hazards.
“Teaching students about the importance of lab safety protocols in a chemistry class is an imperative part of an experiential formula,” Mr. Stetzer said.
Please Consider Joining Us As A Parent Volunteer!
If interested in volunteering, please come to the high school between 5:30 pm-7:00 pm on Monday evening, February 7 to be fingerprinted free of charge.
Athletic and Co-curricular Information/Update
Senior Nights
- The Varsity Wrestling Senior Night is Wednesday, February 2nd with the match starting at 6 pm.
- The Girls Varsity Basketball Senior Night is Friday, February 4th with the game starting at 6:30 pm.
All of our winter athletic schedules & updates can be found on the ConVal athletics website. Please come out and support our athletes and their coaches.
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars John Reitnauer at jreitnauer@conval.edu.