3/15/2024: Spring Update

Over the last few weeks, students have engaged in many meaningful opportunities, from incredible academic student-led trainings discussing Courageous Conversations on Identity and Race to the unveiling of a new Lion mascot–which was a gift of the Class of 2023–to the Pi Day celebration for the Class of 2027–and everything in between. I will do my best to highlight as many amazing experiences as I can!

With the transition to Spring, we also begin planning for the upcoming school year, and all of the students in our South community. I was so excited to visit Oak Hill and Brown Middle Schools with other leaders to discuss opportunities at the high school for next year and answer questions our newest learners may have. This tradition lost fervor during the pandemic and we were so happy to bring it back! South has a plethora of opportunities for all students to be successful, and it was reinvigorating to share this with our rising ninth graders. This visit was followed up with our incoming grade 8 family night, which occurred on March 7, and we welcomed over 1500 people. We also hosted Grade 8 athletics night last evening, where we welcomed many student-athletes and families to our facilities. I am so thankful to witness the support our community has for our students!

We have also been busy discussing our flourishing students at South in grades 9 through 11 at our Family Nights and PTSO Coffee Events! These nights/mornings are an excellent opportunity to check in with families, discuss opportunities available to students, disperse information on upcoming important dates such as MCAS, and begin to discuss the year ahead. I truly appreciate the time folks take to have such intentional conversations with me and our staff, and our kids are better for it.

The month of March here at South is rich with cultural day celebrations. Both the Black Student Union (BSU) as well as our Asian Student Organization (ASO), South Asian Student Association (SASA) and our Middle Eastern South West Asian and/or North African (MESWANA) celebrated Black Culture Day and Asian Night. The purpose of our student-led culture days is to bring awareness to the strength in the diversity we have in our school community, and celebrate together. In the month of February, we also celebrated Lunar New Year, which culminated with a Lion Dance in the Student Center!

Our Black Culture Day included a history of Black hair and fashion, the history and culture of Black people, celebrations through movement from the African diaspora, and a bi-racial panel to address what it truly means to be of more than one culture. Our Asian Night included performances by both staff and students alike that were a mix of singing, dancing, and playing instruments. The proceeds from this night were distributed amongst various AAPI charities. I want to thank and congratulate all our students, student leaders, and teacher advisors for celebrating and elevating our cultural diversity as these experiences are so important in supporting our whole community, and ensuring every voice can be heard.

Some of my best time here at South is spent in classrooms. Our staff members are caring and considerate, and always prioritize the needs of our students. Our varied academic experiences also strengthen those that our students have outside of the classroom. One such example is placing first in the Greater Boston Mathematics League. Three of our seniors are among Massachusetts' top high school journalists and one of our seniors was named Massachusetts High School Journalist of the Year. Our award-winning Jazz Ensemble was accepted into the NYC Charles Mingus Competition and Festival. Our students won the Spirit of Migus award and the Outstanding Musician Award. Our Jazz Ensemble also won a Northeast, District Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education (MAJE) Gold Medal, moving to the state finals this Saturday in Norwood. Our very own South Stage Theatre Company produced, The March of the Falsettos; this production was student-led by one of our seniors! Congrats to all our amazing students who are highlighted here, and the many more I am sure I have missed. We have phenomenal students, and I want us all to pat ourselves on the back for their successes, as it truly takes a village. Thank you for letting Newton South be an integral part of this village.

Our success–of course–also always extends into athletics. As highlights, the Boys Nordic team competed at the MIAA State Championship on February 14 at Nashoba and had an outstanding competition placing 4 top skiers in positions 1, 4, 8, and 9, winning both a Boys Nordic State Championship, and an individual State Championship to one of our captains Our Girls team had an amazing competition finishing 4th, the best finish by a Nordic girls team in our school history. We are so proud of the many accolades of our skiers, and excited for the future! Our swim team has also been performing quite well! We had athletes earn a gold medal as well as honors at the MIAA Division 1 State Championship. Congratulations to all on an impressive season! Our wrestling teams had a strong season with qualifications to All States and New Englands, as well as a pair of athletes winning Girls States in their weight class at the inaugural Girls Championship! Congratulations to all involved, and all of our winter athletics on strong showings. Also, we would like to shout out two of our student athletes for signing with Division 3 NCAA football programs!

The 2024 UNESCO Team recently returned from their trip to Portugal to attend the Annual UNESCO Conference where the theme was "PEACE". This team developed a community-based project garden that will soon be on display around Newton! We also had the pleasure of holding the Sophomore Speech Finals on March 1st. We are excited for all five of our finalists, who delivered their speeches with poise and elegance.The event was the culmination of the six-week sophomore English course speech unit. In the final round, the five finalists spoke in front of the entire sophomore class during a WIN block, and Goldrick dean Marc Banks, English teacher Julie Stonehill, and myself were lucky enough to be judges.

As we enter spring, we will continue our work to develop a portrait of a graduate for Newton Public Schools. This process is integral to who we are as a community, and who our students can imagine themselves to be as they finish their high school years. By including focuses such as the community’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations for our young folks, as well as inspirations and aspirations as a community, we are better able to shape the learning experiences our scholars receive to meet their needs and goals, as well as our community’s. This is an empowering process that gives voice to all stakeholders on how we can best shape, support, and plan for our students and their futures!

Clearly, South has been absolutely bustling with activities! As we look towards the spring, I am excited to see what progress our academics, clubs, athletics, and everything in between continue to make. We are so inspired by the creativity and problem-solving our students boast in and out of the classroom each day!

Sincerely,

Tamara (Tamii) Stras