It has been awesome to see the student section filled during key sporting events this school year, such as ALS Cup and home football games. Demonstrating sportsmanship and fun, these events have created a strong community feel with many families also coming to participate. Our band and music program has been awesome and has been essential in creating the energy and festive vibe. Mark December 10th on your calendars for the Winter Concert, which is a showcase of our full music program: Band, Orchestra, Chorus and Guitar.

With all of our teams primed for home games in the playoffs, I'm looking forward to the strong community spirit these events foster for our school. Also, note that a great vibe is also brewing in our auditorium. Students part of the theater program are down to 4 weeks until opening night of The Play that Goes Wrong. Ticket sales will start soon, and I'm excited to see a packed house like we have had for prior shows.

Our cheer team is also gearing up for their first competition over at Pentucket Regional High School. This event goes from 8 to 4:00 PM on Saturday. Good luck to our team.

And last, congrats to the Golf Team on earning a sport in the state tournament and also kudos to the cross-country teams for their ongoing success as they gear up for their state-level races.

Be sure to read below for updates and information in the following areas:

• School Council Meeting Summary (Initial Cell Phone Use Discussion)
• What Our Students Have Been Up To
• Class of the CAL - Way to Go Students
• Homecoming (use of Breathalyzers + Social Host Laws Reminders)
• Congratulations - Superintendents Award - Molly Grant
• Course Spotlight - ELA (Gr. 9-12)
• NEF Auction Raffle Tickets (Info in Announcement Section)

The School Council held its first meeting of the school year last week. Here is a link to the Oct. 8 Meeting Summary. A main part of the meeting involved an initial conversation around student use of cell phones during the school day.

Newburyport High School does not allow students to access cell phones during instructional time, but does allow students to use them during passing time and lunch. Be sure to review the meeting summary to learn more about what was discussed.

At the meeting, students shared how they have engaged in thoughtful conversations around self-regulation in their grade 11 and 12 English classes. These conversations have centered around the texts Accountable and Atomic Habits from which our teachers have guided students to think critically regarding their use of cellular devices. See the "What Our Students Have Been Up To" section below to learn more about what has been happening in the grade 11 and 12 English classes.

Our students have been planning, creating, thinking, and taking action in and out of the classroom.

• Grade 11 and 12 ELA classes have embraced the skill of dialogue. With many of our teachers trained to teach dialogue, students have engaged in thoughtful conversations around the texts they have been reading, ACCOUNTABLE, in grade 11 and ATOMIC HABITS (students had 3 other choices, but an overwhelming majority picked this book to read), in grade 12. Through dialogue, students learn the speaking and listening skills to understand opposing ideas around an issue. This also allows them to develop a more powerful written argument as they can convey and rationalize an opposing view. Recognizing local, state, and national concerns around child/teen access to social media, students have focused their dialogues around this area. Thanks to the work of Lynne Cote and the English Department, Katie Greer, a well known expert and speaker on internet safety, will spend an entire day with our junior class in the coming weeks.

• Students in the Red Cross Club continue to push forward with their goal to help every restaurant in Newburyport have at least one person certified in CPR. Students part of the club recently completed training to become certified CPR trainers. They will now be able to offer their services to the community. Students part of this club have modeled an entrepreneurial mind-set as they move forward with their plan. Through this process, group members are gaining a deep understanding of what is involved in creating a start-up organization.

• Students part of the Journalism/Broadcast class and club have combined their journalistic skills with their understanding of effective broadcasting to produce their first publication. You can check out The Report here. The thoughtfulness of their articles and presentation of short videos are highly professional.

• The Global Citizenship Program currently has 31 enrolled students in grades 10-12. Each grade works on a specific curriculum with an overarching theme: 10th Grade - Empathy; 11th grade Cooperation; and 12th graders do a culminating Capstone project with a guiding theme of Taking Action. Each month, students in GCP meet for a cultural workshop. In September, they met at the Firehouse Theater with Sandra Thaxter of Small Solutions/ Big Ideas to view the art exhibit Pamoja. Students explored African Mask, Crafts and Art as a reflection of cultural values & identity.

• Our Bring Change to Mind organization has a mission to destigmatize mental health. This student group runs activities throughout the school year to bring awareness around mental health and resources that are available in the community. Whether through focus groups, speakers, or events, the Bring Change to Mind students have been very creative and innovative in their work. I'd like to commend them on their organization of last Friday night's Purple Out to help all of us prioritize mental health and supports.

• Morgan's Message is another student organization that recently started here at NHS. This group strives to "eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health within the student-athlete community and equalize the treatment of physical and mental health in athletics. It aims to expand the dialogue on mental health by normalizing conversations, empowering those who suffer in silence, and supporting those who feel alone."

• The Student Council continues to provide a strong avenue for student voice in school decisions. Under the direction of the officers: President Tyler Chorebanian, Vice President Gregory D'Ambrosio, Secretary Avery Stare, Sergeant of Arms Christian Brown, Public Relations Priya Kaur, Spirit Week Chair Logan MacKnight, and Members at Large Daniel Marshall, Jackson Padden, and John Mettling; the Council has held its first 2 meetings and is currently formalizing its feedback in various school policies.

Breast Cancer Awareness

• The Student Council supports Breast Cancer Awareness each October. Students can purchase "Clips Think Pink" t-shirts at lunch. Also, last night, our Girls Field Hockey sponsored their annual Runway for Recovery Game and tonight the Girls Volleyball team will also support Breast Cancer Awareness. Bring your pink to the match.

Our Slam Poetry Team, the CWANS, were outstanding this past Monday with their participation in the Indigenous Peoples celebration in downtown Newburyport. They delivered Spoken Word reflections to honor our region's Indigenous Communities and celebrate Indigenous Cultural Arts and Diversity. These were impressive readings delivered by Milla Baptiste, Lila Coffey, Lucius Nelson, and Cady Seaton.

The CWANs team continues to develop original content, and I'm looking forward to their accomplishments in the state contests that will happen later this year.

I’d like to again commend our students on serving as the Class of the CAL. I'm appreciative of our fan leads Brendan Grossman, Tyler Jay, Asher Kinsey, and Brian Lucey for the support they continue to provide to ensure our fans display positive sportsmanship. Last Friday, they also coordinated a post-game clean-up of the student sections. I want to thank all of our students for continuing to represent Newburyport in the best way possible. This transcends into the building where they continue to do their part in keeping the building and grounds clean. I'm very much looking forward to this Friday's homecoming game and dance to celebrate a strong start to the school year.

The Homecoming Dance is sponsored by the Senior Class and will be held in our cafeteria this Friday. Over the past 3 years, this has been extremely well attended and as a reminder, students must have pre-purchased a ticket to attend. The dance will go from 8:00 to 10:00 PM.

Please note that for all of our dances, students Breathalyze upon entry. For families, please be aware of Social Host laws as we all work as a community to help our students make smart decisions and stay safe.

NHS Breathalyzer Policy: Last year through the guidance of the School Council this policy was updated in the Clipper Compass Handbook.

Molly Grant was recently recognized at the school committee for receiving the Superintendent’s Award. This recognition encompasses achievement, service, and leadership. Molly has been a scholar in the classroom while also taking a leadership role in many areas of student life and within the community. Congratulations are in order.

Last school year, our ELA and Library Department spent a lot of time rethinking the summer reading program. Here is a link to help you learn more about this year's summer reading and how it has played into the ELA curriculum and the work students have taken on their English classes.

We are excited to invite you to an upcoming "Getting Started with College Guidance Network (CGN)" Night! This event is designed to help you and your student make the most of the incredible resources CGN offers for college and career planning.

Why Attend? CGN is a powerful new tool that provides your family with to navigate the complex process of post-secondary planning and the college application and financial aid process. Some highlihgts include:

• Ava, Your AI Assistant: Need quick advice or help with a specific task? Ava is trained by over 300 experts to assist you 24/7.
• Expert Guidance: Access to live and on-demand webinars, videos, and panels from top college and career experts.
• Personalized Roadmaps: Custom timelines and checklists tailored to your student’s unique goals and interests.
• Additional Support: CGN complements SchooLinks offering deeper insights and advice for making informed decisions about your student’s future.

In this live webinar, you’ll get a walk through of setting up your account and how the platform will create a personalized plan for you to follow. If you have any questions, CGN can answer them live for you.

Event Details: October 28, 2024 at 8:30 PM on Zoom

Register here for the event.

Girls with Impact is the nation's leading live online business and leadership academy, serving young women ages 14-24. In this program, participants take their interests and passions and turn them into impact with the guidance of a live instructor in just 10 weeks!

Students will meet once a week for one hour and will gain transferable skills that they can take into college, career and beyond with the help of our incredible instructors and staff at NO COST to them!

Enrollment is OPEN NOW for our Winter sessions beginning the weeks of January 13 and February 10.

Girls with Impact Winter Course Flyer

Registration

Help you student stay informed. Have them download the NPS APP.

Download the AS (Activity Scheduler) Mobile App to keep track of all the games happening through our athletics program.