Weekly Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - December 3, 2021
Message From Principal McKillop
We have officially entered December and the temperatures have reminded us that it truly is winter.
We received some exciting news this week that The Region 14 Applied Technology Center is the recipient of a $37,000+ grant from the NHDOE to support the Construction Trades program. We are excited about the opportunities this will bring to our students. More information is included below.
Congratulations to four of our ConVal students on their acceptance to New Hampshire All-State instrumental and vocal ensembles. The students will represent ConVal at the New Hampshire All-State Music Festival in April 2022. Additional details are included below.
Please consider stopping by the public library tonight between 5:00-7:00pm for the opening reception of the Here and There Art Exhibit that features work from some of our talented junior and senior students.
Students may also want to visit the library on Monday, December 6 from 3:00 pm- 4:00 pm for the high school book group kick off event. Students will get a tour of the new building, be able to sign up for a PTL library card, enjoy delicious pizza and snacks, and select the books that the group may considering reading this year. I look forward to attending!
Lastly, I am excited to share that I will host a parent meeting on Monday evening, December 13 from 6:00 pm- 7:00 pm. Please see additional information below which includes a brief registration form and details regarding our focus.
I wish everyone a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Heather
Email: conval.highschool@conval.edu
Website: cvhs.convalsd.net
Location: 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH, USA
Phone: (603) 924-3869
Upcoming Important Dates
December 3, 2021 - Opening Reception for Art Exhibit (5-7pm at Peterborough Town Library)
December 6, 2021 - Kick off of Joint ConVal and PTL Book Group (See below for more Info)
December 7, 2021 - Joint ConVal and PTL Book Group SNOW DATE
December 13, 2021- Parent Meeting in the CVHS Library (6-7pm - see below for more info)
December 15, 2021 - Winter Concert (6:30pm - CVHS Gym)
December 16, 2021 - Winter Concert (6:30pm - CVHS Gym) SNOW DATE
December 23, 2021 - January 2, 2022 Holiday Break
Parent Meeting Hosted by Principal McKillop
Attention: All Graduating Seniors
It is that time of year for graduating seniors to order Caps and Gowns. Please click here to go to the link to place your order. All orders need to be placed no later than December 22, 2021. If there is a financial concern or any other questions please contact Leah Seymour at lseymour@conval.edu
"Here & There" Art Exhibit
There will be an art exhibition called Here & There opening at the Peterborough Town Library. The exhibit is work from some of our ConVal High School 11th and 12th grade students. There will be an opening reception on Friday, December 3, 2021 from 5-7pm. The exhibit work will be on display throughtout the month of December.
Region 14/CTE Information and Update
The Region 14 Applied Technology Center is the recipient of a $37,000+ grant from the NHDOE to support the Construction Trades program, which is housed at Conant High School. The grant application met the following priorities: expanding access to and attainment of industry recognized credentials (in this case, OSHA 10 certifications and InterPlay Learning certificates, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor); sustainability of project through employer match; and alignment of project to work based learning. The funds received from this grant will be used to pay for student training & certification fees for OSHA 10, National Center for Construction Education and Research text books, and VR equipment and software, which will allow students to be trained in trades like plumbing, electrical, and HVAC virtually. Students who are able to explore these construction-related trades virtually and find they are interested in additional training would then be able to participate in classes and work-based learning in real-life environments.
CTE Student of the Month
It is with great pleasure that we announce that junior Alex Olivo has earned the CTE Student of the Month award at the Region 14 Applied Technology Center for November 2021. Alex was nominated by his Computer Programming & Software instructor, Gil Morris for excelling in all the career readiness skills but especially building positive relationships, practicing perseverance, and collaboration. Mr. Morris shared that Alex consistently helps other students with their projects and always contributes to a positive classroom atmosphere. Mr. Levesque, who had Alex in Digital Photo & Video last year, shared that Alex is one of the kindest and most hard-working students he’s ever known. The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough has generously decided to honor our CTE Students of the Month this year with a $150 award, $100 of which goes directly to the student and $50 which will be donated to a nonprofit of the student’s choice. In addition, Alex has also earned the right to park in our reserved CTE Student of the Month parking space for the duration of December. Congratulations, Alex!
ConVal Students Qualify For All-State Music Festival
On Saturday last week, New Hampshire All-State auditions were held at Memorial High School where students performed a rigorous repertoire.
Congratulations to the following students on their acceptance to New Hampshire All-State instrumental and vocal ensembles:
- Zach Cassidy (’23) String Bass
- Clara Christensen (’25) Trumpet
- Alissa Cutting (’22) Soprano Voice
- Rowan Davidson (’23) Tenor Voice
The students will represent ConVal at the New Hampshire All-State Music Festival in April 2022. Their qualification is the result of a tremendous amount of individual effort.
AP Students Engage In Dramatic Reading Of Miller’s The Crucible
Students in Bethany Cooper’s AP English Language and Composition class engage in a dramatic reading of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Act II.
This is the part of the play where Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick arrive at the Proctor house with a warrant for Elizabeth Proctor’s arrest. Cheever discovers the poppet that Mary Warren had made for Elizabeth. He finds a needle stored inside the doll and considers this as proof of witchcraft and as evidence for the accusation made by Abigail Williams, the villain in the play, that Elizabeth’s spirit had stabbed her.
“Miller’s allegorical play is very powerful in that it examines the deeper meanings of who deserves our sympathy and our pity in very complex situations,” said Cooper about the present-day significance of The Crucible.
“The work harkens back to the deeper structures of Greek plays, in particular tragedies, where protagonists — usually persons of societal importance and outstanding personal qualities — fall to disaster through the combination of personal failing and powerful social forces such as the broad-based belief in witchcraft which, though unproven, controls their family’s destiny.”
Cooper considers the close reading of The Crucible as an important scaffolding step for students towards the themes that will be studied at a deeper level in AP Literature.
Engineering 3 Students Complete Chess Game
Students in Karen Fabianski’s Engineering 3 class recently had the chance to collaborate in a unique project-based learning (PBL) opportunity in ConVal’s Region 14 Applied Technology Center (ATC).
“The Engineering 3 class concentrates on design and manufacturing,” explained Fabianski. Her students decided to work on a chess game that combined these two focus areas. “I always encourage my students to choose their own project to meet criteria and create the project with classroom machines. In this example, SolidWorks and v-carve software, a 3D printer, and a laser engraver-cutter were used.”
While one student used programming skills for the laser-engraving of the tesselated Moiré pattern on the wooden game board, the other created the computer instructions for the 3D-printed chess pieces.
The final project was both functionally sound and aesthetically remarkable!
English 10 Honors Students Collaborate On Website
Athletic and Co-curricular Information/Update
Congratulations to the following Division 2 All-State Soccer selections:
Second Team - Zach Burgess and Carter Rousseau
Honorable Mention - Wyatt Beaulieu, Bryson Boice, and Kendall Larson
Congratulations to the following students for their acceptance to New Hampshire All State:
Zach Cassidy String Bass
Clara Christensen Trumpet and Chamber
Alissa Cutting Soprano Voice
Rowan Davidson Tenor Voice and Chamber
The Interact Club will be sponsoring a PJ Drive to benefit New Hampshire children
November 15th- December 20th. Please click here for details. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bULqAcFiTVCKYw61dpSrSKGxsnPDsfRu/view
If you have any questions, please contact Director of Athletics and Co-Curriculars
John Reitnauer at jreitnauer@conval.edu.
Dollars For Scholars “Shoe Us The Love” Fundraiser Extended To December 17
Do you have shoes, sneakers, and boots you are looking to get rid of? The ConVal Community Dollars for Scholars shoe drive has been extended to December 17!
All money raised from this fundraiser will help us to award scholarships to ConVal students who have faced life challenges and demonstrate a financial need. So clean out your closets and make a difference locally and globally. Thank you!
Chris Heider (cheider@conval.edu) and Rebecca Dunn (rdunn@conval.edu) serve on the Board of Directors for ConVal Community Dollars for Scholars and are happy to answer any questions you might have.
Joint ConVal, PTL Book Group Begins Monday, December 6
The CVHS Library and Peterborough Town Library (PTL) are teaming up to offer a high school book group to ConVal students!
The Book Group kick-off event will be on Monday, December 6th, from 3-4 pm, at the Peterborough Town Library. In the event that there would be a cancellation due to inclement weather, The Book Group will be Tuesday, December 7th, from 3-4pm. Students will get a tour of the new building, be able to sign up for a PTL library card, enjoy delicious pizza and snacks, and select the books we will read this year! The PTL is open until 6 pm on Mondays, so students are welcome to stay past 4 pm. Students are also welcome to come to the kick-off event even if they aren't sure if they want to join the book group!
Please indicate on this form if you are interested in participating, we look forward to seeing you there! For the Ledger-Transcript story on the new book club, please click here.
Lock Down Drill
ConVal Solar Panel Project Progressing Rapidly
Despite the stretch of rainy weather over the last several weeks, the solar panel project at ConVal Regional High School is progressing rapidly.
As these pictures that were taken just before the Thanksgiving break show, the solar array assembly on top of the main building looks like it is nearing completion.
The conduits and wire pathways from the solar cells to the electric distribution panel are in the process of being connected and are getting ready to be tied into the main electrical system.