June 22, 2023

Dear NSHS Community,

The old adage - time flies when you are having fun - is seemingly true. It feels unbelievable to me that I am at the end of my second year here at Newton South–what an adventurous two years it has been! This newsletter marks the end of the 2022-2023 school year; a year of positive progress and triumph for South. Having the ability to see the joy in classrooms, in education, and–most importantly–in our student’s lives is the best part of my job. As we close out the school year, I would like to provide folks with some highlights on the amazing things we have accomplished at South in just the last few months.

South is a school with many purposeful traditions. This year, we were overjoyed to see the return of our Spirit Rally in April, where our four houses engaged in friendly competition which was part of another larger year-long tradition of the House Cup–shoutout to Cutler House–the winner of the House Cup! Cutler House is the first to have a repeat win, and how fitting for them to win this year as they say goodbye to their long-standing dean, Josepha Blocker, who will take on the role as Principal of Natick High School. Good luck Josepha! South is indebted to you for your years of service and we wish you nothing but the best. As mentioned in my previous update, another treasured tradition to make its way back to South was our Faculty Variety Show. It was such a wonderful evening watching our staff perform their talents for our students and witnessing the connection our students and staff share, all while raising money for our students in need fund. We are so lucky to have such a talented and generous staff. Another time-honored tradition that we were delighted to bring back was our annual GELF (Global Education Leadership Fund) dinner, which raised $23,000 for our students who engage in international travel. Speaking of international travel, South took students to Latvia, Argentina, Italy, and France; we look forward to adding Ghana next year! One of my favorite memories this year was the bringing back of the lip dub which was spearheaded by our incredible senior class! Here is the link if you are interested in watching the bliss that radiates and fills the halls of South on a daily basis.

We also continued to engage in some newer traditions–the Lions 5k made its second annual return this May, and I am happy to report that my family and I did not come in last place this year! We also started a brand new tradition, Celebrate South, which is instrumental in increasing our sense of community. Our students engaged in week-long activities that included athletics, dances, and friendly competitions! We are so grateful for our boosters as well as our PTSO, who make so many events possible through generous contributions of their time and resources. Our PTSO (as always!) ran our after prom party–Southfest–which was the best-attended one thus far! These traditions provide so many important moments to connect within our community, which leads to lifelong memories for our students!

It would not be South if we did not touch upon a few high-level achievements! We honored hundreds of students in the last two weeks of May for their achievements throughout their high school careers. We are also honored to have 4 National Merit Scholarship winners here at South. Congratulations to all who received recognition! End-of-the-year awards are always something I look forward to. Honoring, recognizing, and celebrating our students and their multitudes of achievements always brings on the warm and fuzzies, whether it is our students who were celebrated for years of hard work from the Calculus Project to students who received a multitude of scholarships for excellence. We are so proud! We are also extremely proud of our graduating seniors who persevered through a global pandemic and ended their high school career at the top of their game. I wish every senior the best of luck for their future endeavors.

Our Math Team traveled for the New England Mathematics Competition, placing 4th in the large school category. This is a huge achievement for us and shows how hard these students work! Shifting to music, our Jazz Combo and Jazz Ensemble groups both received a gold medal at the state finals! We are continually impressed with the talents of our students whether it is academic, performing arts, sports, and everything in between.

In April, the Lion’s Roar, our print newspaper, staff attended the 53rd Annual Suffolk University High School Journalism Awards Nights. For the print journalism competition, schools send in three of their issues from the current school year. Out of 15 schools in Massachusetts, the Roar won: the General Excellence Award, first place in news writing, and placed second in editorial writing and sports writing. We are elated to see the hard work of the Roar staff be recognized with such achievements! Two of our sophomores spoke at Newton’s Earth Day rally over break where Rep. Auchincloss and State Senator Creem were in attendance. They were amazing speakers who engaged and represented the best of South. Our students’ ability to speak to issues they believe in is unmatched. Our Gender Equity Club hosted two panels in May titled and centered around Healthcare for Marginalized Genders and the Gendering of Fashion. This second session was hosted by Shay Weissmann and Soleil McAneny, the winners of the Van Seasholes principal award this year for seniors! In June, many of our students joined in the Boston Pride Parade. These panels, parades, and events are a testament to the work our students continue to engage in to ensure safe environments for all in our community.

While we always have a plethora of athletic accomplishments, we would like to highlight our runners! We had 9 students run the Newport Marathon with Dreamfar; we are proud of their tenacity! The girls' Sprint Medley Relay won the national title at the Nike Outdoor Nationals track meet in Eugene, Oregon this past weekend with a time of 4:02.29 and titles of All American. Amelia Everett received her 8th All-American nomination by finishing 2nd in the Championship girls 800m. The boys' Sprint Medley Relay came in 4th with a time of 3:39.54, also securing All-American honors for each of the runners. Congratulations on a phenomenal season.

While we always will value our students’ accomplishments, it is also imperative for us as a community to both support and embrace true diversity in all of its forms. To this end, on May 3rd, South hosted a Disability Awareness Day. This event seeks to foster Newton South High School’s values of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging by providing opportunities to embrace disability as a part of the natural fabric of our community. In an effort to create a continually more inclusive community, the offerings were tailored to demonstrate that all people bring excellence to our school community. Events included disabilities in the media, panels with staff, students, and alumni, and how to best be an ally. Educating our community on inclusion allows us to best support diversity in all student activities. To this end, I was so proud to be in the audience for our Unified Theatre performance in the past couple of weeks. The passion with which our students performed Kid Frankenstein was unmatched–the show was equal parts funny and moving. They worked so hard all year to put on this production and their efforts did not go unnoticed; congratulations to all who participated.

While South continues to make remarkable progress in academics, extracurriculars, and equity, moments of hate continue to be addressed with a no-tolerance lens. While our investigations came back as nonfinding, we engaged in specific educational practices to begin the healing process. Through the South Human Rights Council, students engaged in restorative practices, processed the incidents with appropriate support structures, and engaged in the No Place For Hate walk in addition to unpacking incidents in WIN Block. On June 7th, the Lappin Foundation sponsored an impactful assembly in which students learned about the history of the Swastika; students also had the very special opportunity to hear from and ask questions of two Newton residents who survived the Holocaust. We thank the Lappin Foundation for their involvement in the continual betterment of our community. Through the use of both restorative practices and educational assemblies, panels, and discussions, it is our continued goal to ensure all members of our community feel safe and welcome, and understand we have zero tolerance for hate in our school.

This year would not be possible without our incredible teachers and staff. I am proud to share that Kelli Fitzgerald and Ryan Normandin were both awarded the Ann Elliot-Holmes Teaching Excellence Award. Kelli and Ryan are amazing educators who deserve all the accolades they have received thus far. In addition, our close out meeting this morning also honored Krissy Noonan and Paige Perkinson with the Chris Kim Mentorship Award. Krissy and Paige have the unique quality of ensuring all students feel seen and heard. These four teachers are a small representation of the hard work and care that all our teachers put in to ensure that all students here at South have the experiences they need to be successful in life beyond South. Speaking of life beyond South, I would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you and congratulations to all of our retirees: Dr. Jordan Kraus, Dr. Marcia Okun and Ms. Lisa Soo Hoo who have all given their lives to South and our students for over 25 years each. We are greatly indebted to them and their service. We wish you a relaxing retirement filled with activities you love!

As we head into the summer months I want to thank you all for such a joyous year of learning. I’d like to shout out our teachers and faculty, administrators, secretaries, and facilities team for all the hard work you have put into the 2022-23 school year; without such an incredible team, our students' experiences would not be the same. I hope over the next few months you are able to re-engage in a hobby you love, connect with family and friends, and spend time recharging your metaphorical battery for another great school year!

Best wishes and many thanks,

Tamara (Tamii) Stras