Highlander Times

Hello, everyone.

We look forward to seeing many of you at parent/guardian conferences are November 13th from 4:00 - 6:00 pm. PLEASE NOTE THE NEW TIME - WE HAD TO SHIFT A LITTLE EARLIER TO ACCOMODATE ANOTHER EVENT IN THE BUILDING. Please sign up for a conference on Aspen. If you are having trouble, email the teacher directly or call the community for help.

Quarter 1 Report Cards are posted in Aspen. They will also be mailed home this week!

We will be practicing our safety protocols - Lock Down and Secure and Hold - on Thursday, November 20 at 1:15 pm. These practice safety drills will take about 15 minutes. We will be collaborating with the Somerville Police Department. No one will be allowed in or out of the building during the drills. Please reach out to your student's community if you have questions or concerns.

Winter sports sign up is open and we encourage students to get involved! Medical clearance is Nov 19-20 and tryouts/practices begin December 1. Sign up for basketball, ice hockey, swimming, track, and cheerleading.

I also wanted to send another reminder that many families in our community are experiencing food insecurity. If you are in need of food or other resources, please visit this Somerville website, reach out to our family liaisons, or have your student reach out to their counselor, dean or Assistant Principal. If you would like to help out, we are doing a food gift card drive - see details below.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students.

Principal Kersten

This year we excited to bring back the Senior Showcase. All seniors will be completing a project in their senior English classes, and will be presenting those projects in May. Seniors also have the option of doing an ECHO project, which would allow them to pursue their project more in depth and be excused from classes during fourth quarter. Students opting into the ECHO project need to apply by January 21 (see details below). There will be an informational session for parents/guardians Thursday, November 13 from 4:30-5:00pm in the Highlander Forum (During Parent/guardian conferences). For more information about the Senior Showcase and ECHO, please email Ms. Spinelli mspinelli@k12.somerville.ma.us or Ms. McDevitt mmcdevitt@k12.somerville.ma.us

The Healey School PTA is collecting new and used books for the Healey School's homegrown book fair because every child deserves books to take home and love! They are collecting books for PreK - 8th grade in all languages. If you are looking to make room for new books, please consider sending no longer wanted books with your child to the High School - there will be a collection box in the school library. Thank you!

At this time of year, SHS, SFLC, and the PTSA traditionally do a gift card drive (grocery stores, Target, Dollar Tree etc) for families in need. Ideally we need gift cards for $25-$50. This year there is definitely an even more urgent need. If you can contribute, please drop off gift cards or cash/checks to the main office and we will make sure they get distributed. You can also contribute by clicking on the PTSA Gift Card Drive site or scanning the QR code. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Please drop off adult-sized warm winter clothing to the high school to help us with our winter clothing drive. Please make sure all items are in good condition! See details below.

SHS Library and Makerspace Accepting Donations!

It has been an active start to the year in the Library and we have seen most 9th graders with some Multilingual Learner Education classes for an introduction to the library and makerspace. We have worked closely with English Department classes for the recent independent reading creative projects. 2D Art, History, Psychology and Health/Wellness have also stopped by for lessons. We are looking to supplement our budget with donations!

We are looking for:

• Posterboard & construction paper
• Fabrics(cotton, linen, denim, old jeans are fine)
• Air Dry Clay (“Model Magic” or other brands)
• Lego Minifigs, Accessories & Baseplates
• Printmaking & stamp making supplies
• 3D printer filament (open box is fine)

Questions? Email Kathleen Ross: kross@k12.somerville.ma.us

Donations can be left with Main Office or dropped off in the Library/Makerspace.

The class of 2026 yearbook is in full production by a talented and diverse group of students. This year's keepsake for our seniors is looking to be a great one! We have three very important and time sensitive items to share with you below regarding the yearbook.

Senior Portrait Photos!

• Senior Photo Deadline: Photos should be turned in by November 24.
• If another photo is not submitted: Picture day photos will be used.
• Email Senior Portraits to: yearbookatshs@gmail.com
• If you need a photo taken: CTE Graphics is taking basic portrait photos for those who need them. E-mail yearbookatshs@gmail.com to request a photo and we will reach out to you with a date and time.

Yearbooks are on Sale NOW! By ordering early you really help us to plan and keep our commitments. Yearbooks are $75 each - Order one by November 29, and be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card! Follow this link to order your yearbook online: Order Link If students have cash or checks and want to order a book in person, see Mr. McElroy in C-400.

Senior Quotes can be Uploaded NOW!

Senior quotes can be uploaded now through December 1st. These quotes go under a student's photo in the yearbook. Quotes can be up to 110 characters (including spaces and punctuation). The link to the quote form is here: Form Link

Emergency Food Drive Assistance Update: Thanks to the SHS community’s generosity, the PTSA raised over $7,600 to date. We gave 100 Market Basket/Stop & Shop $25 gift cards to Somerville Family Learning Collaborative staff last week, to be distributed to SHS/Next Wave Full Circle students/families facing food insecurity. We are on track to share an additional 200 food gift cards with SFLC staff by Thanksgiving, for distribution to families in need. If you want to contribute to this effort, you can make a donation here

It's not too late to become a PTSA member, or renew your membership, which must be updated every school year. Stay apprised of events with our newsletter and bolster the PTSA’s efforts to support the SHS community. To join or renew your membership, go to our website (https://shsptsa.org/) and click on the red “join now” button on the top.

Call for Party Planning Volunteers: Given the huge success of our 2025 dance party fundraiser, we’re going to hold another in March 2026. Details are still TBD but like last year, it will be a fun adult-only evening party. We need volunteers to help plan and organize the activities. Email info@shsptsa.org if you’re interested.

Next PTSA General Meeting: Tuesday, January 13, 2026, 6:30PM, Somerville High School, room TBD. Save the date.

• November 12: MCAS Retest - Math Session 1 (Optional)
• November 12: SHS School Improvement Council
• November 13: MCAS Retest - Math Session 2 (Optional)
• November 13: SHS Music Ensembles Field Trip to BSO Open Rehearsal
• November 13: Parent/Guardian Conferences, 4:00pm-6:00pm
• November 19: Perfect Attendance Celebration Qtr.1 during X-block
• November 19: Winter Sports Medical Clearance, 1:40 - 3:45pm in Gymnasium
• November 20: Winter Sports Medical Clearance Make up, 2:45 in the Gymnasium
• November 26: Pep Rally; Early Release Day; Thanksgiving Recess begins
• November 27: Thanksgiving Day Football Game at CRLS
• November 27 -30: Thanksgiving Recess
• December 1: Winter Sports Tryouts begin
• December 2: Somerville Tree Lighting Ceremony - City of Somerville + Music Department, 5pm
• December 10: Quarter 2 Progress Reports
• December 10: School Improvement Council, 6:30pm-8:00pm, C205
• December 11: City Middle School Winter Concert, 6:30pm, Auditorium
• December 12: Winter Sports Registration closes

New! In this section of the newsletter we will update you on fundraising efforts by different SHS clubs and organizations.

Junior Class Fundraiser - Slice Into Something Sweet: Pies for Thanksgiving

• Support the Class of 2027 and get a delicious pie for Thanksgiving!
• A percentage of each purchase will go straight to the Junior Class.
• Orders must be placed by Nov. 15!
• All pies are only $16
• CLICK HERE TO PLACE YOUR ORDER
• Pies will be available for pick up right here at SHS on
• Tuesday, November 25th during lunch or after school from 2:45-4pm

10 amazing pie flavors are available to order:

🥧 Blueberry 🥧 Apple 🥧 Apple lattice 🥧 Cherry 🥧 Pumpkin

🥧 Southern pecan 🥧 Strawberry Rhubarb

🥧 Boston Creme 🥧 Chocolate Creme 🥧 Lemon Meringue

Senior Class Fundraiser

From the Somerville High School Senior Class Officers: Please donate to our GoFundMe! We are incredibly excited for our upcoming prom, which will be in May. After four years of hard work, prom is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the journey we've taken through High School. We are committed to making sure every member of the class of 2026 can enjoy our celebration - this means doing some significant fundraising to keep ticket prices down and support all of our seniors. We ask for your help in giving our senior class a year to remember!

Congratulations to the Somerville High Debate team who competed in both varsity and junior varsity this past weekend at the first Boston Debate League tournament. The team of eight students debated over two days. The team had lots of fun and debaters Silas Wickenden and Miles Marable made it to finals, winning and becoming T1 champions. This was at a tournament attended by almost 200 students from over a dozen schools in the Boston area. Sage Milbury, Kai Chin and Jacqueline Heines also won team and speaker awards. Go Highlanders!

Somerville High School's seniors had so much fun dressing up and showing off school spirit this year! Staff members joined in and dressed up, including Highland Community rocking out with a group costume. This year's graduating class got to participate in a costume contest before their early dismissal. Check out some of the photos below or the video on EdTV.

Last Wednesday, varsity athletes from Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Lynns Classical & English and Somerville competed in the annual Greater Boston League cross-country championship. The Highlanders secured victory with both the boys’ and girls’ teams winning! Check out the SomervilleEd video of the event here.

Each quarter, staff present Highlander of the Quarter awards to students who exemplify our Highlander Habits and BE SHS values. This group of amazing students received awards for helping others, demonstrating a growth mindset, strong academic performance, thoughtful class participation, and other wonderful character traits. Congratulations, Highlanders!