Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - November 6, 2026
Message from Principal McKillop
Good Afternoon, Cougar Nation!
What a stretch of weather we have experienced over the past few weeks! It is hard to believe we are already in November!
If you were unable to attend last night's performance of The Farnsworth Invention by Aaron Sorkin, there are still two opportunities to catch this wonderful production! Please consider joining us at the Lucy Hurlin Theater, right here on campus, this evening (Friday, November 6) or tomorrow evening (Saturday, November 7), with both performances beginning at 7:00 pm. Come out and support our talented student performers and crew!
A BIG shout-out to our school counselors for their tremendous efforts in supporting so many students during ApplyNH Day. Their guidance and encouragement helped students take important steps toward their postsecondary goals. Be sure to read more about this wonderful initiative below!
Congratulations to all of our fall athletic teams, who have now officially wrapped up their respective seasons! What an exciting fall it has been for Cougar athletics. And we have one more exciting game ahead of us! This afternoon, at 4:30, our boys soccer team will depart campus and head to Bill Ball Stadium in Exeter, where they will take on Campbell High School for the State Championship! Thanks to a generous donation from Brady's American Grill, we are also able to offer a fan bus for students who want to cheer on the Cougars in person! Please be sure to read the additional details below, including information about the game and a link to watch from afar. Let's fill the stands and show our team the incredible support of Cougar Nation as they kick off at 7:15 pm.
As pictured above, earlier today we celebrated our latest Cougar CARES Award recipients with a special ice cream social at the beginning of TASC. Each month, staff and students have the opportunity to nominate students who exemplify our ConVal C.A.R.E.S. values: Community, Adaptability, Respect, Engagement, and Safety. These awards provide a meaningful opportunity to recognize and celebrate students whose actions positively contribute to our school community. Congratulations to all of our recipients, and thank you for demonstrating what it means to be a ConVal Cougar!
I look forward to cheering on our boys soccer team at tonight's championship game and supporting our talented theater students at tomorrow evening's performance.
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend filled with opportunities to celebrate and connect with our Cougar community!
And, as always, GO COUGARS!
Best,
Heather
World Language Students of the Month
The World Language Department would like to announce and congratulate the October World Language Students of the Month. These students demonstrate the keys to being successful language learners. They have a positive attitude, willingness to take academic risks, perseverance, curiosity and they are successful collaborators. German: Riley Johnson and Chelsea LaPlante. Spanish: Natalie Ellis and Sara Galbraith. Congratulations, all!
CTE Student of the Month
Congratulations to junior Charlie Gile, who has earned the CTE Student of the Month award for October. Charlie was nominated by his Construction Trades teacher, Matt Hagar, who said, "Charlie has been an outstanding student since the beginning of the year. He is always on time, has his materials ready, and works well independently and in group settings. He not only puts effort into the shop side of the class, but also the classroom aspect as well. He is by far a standout in all 3 of my classes. I would also add that other students look up to Charlie; I often hear 'ask Charlie; he knows.'"
The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough generously honors our CTE Students of the Month 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. Please join the Region 14 ATC in congratulating Charlie. We are proud of his successes and look forward to seeing where he goes from here!
ApplyNH Day A Great Success
ConVal held its annual Apply NH Day on Thursday, November 5. All application fees to attend a New Hampshire college or university were waived that day. Mrs. Dunn, Mrs. Haley, and Mrs. Pike as well as college admissions counselors from UNH, Plymouth State, New England College, and Granite Edvance were on hand to help students with their applications. 56 students — more than one-third of the senior class — completed over 200 applications and so qualified for a drawing to win a $500 scholarship.
English
Students in Mx. Hamitlon's 9th grade English class are working on identifying when to use commas in various types of sentences. The independent work followed direct instruction on the use of commas and gave students the opportunity to apply that lesson with multiple types of sentences.
English 9 Honors
Students in Alyssa Hamilton's English 9 Honors TASC Extension are researching important topics in order to build context before reading Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. Instead of reading a story in a vacuum, students gather background information, such as history and social conditions, to better understand the real-world forces that influenced the author and the work. The students in the English 9 Honors TASC Extension meet periodically to engage in honors-level analysis and inquiry with other peers.
Environmental Science
Environmental Science students must learn to appreciate the environment where they live before they can learn the science involved. Students for this activity were put in the ConVal forest to simply observe the living and non-living things around them. Students were separated, not allowed to talk to one another, and just observe, document, and appreciate what was around them.
Physical Science
On Monday, October 26, students who are taking Physical Science this semester went on a field trip to the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock to learn about sustainable building practices. They explored the center's Green Building, where they learned how natural lighting and triple-glazed windows improve energy efficiency, how solar panels support electric self-sufficiency, and how composting toilets conserve water and electricity.
Anatomy and Physiology Histo Art Show
For the past 27 years, students enrolled in Ms. Young's Anatomy and Physiology course have had the opportunity to combine science and art. The assignment asks them to create artistic expressions based on their observations of the microscopic structure of cells and tissues that make up the human body. Students studied thin slices of epithelial, connective, muscle, and nerve tissues under the microscope to understand the composition and function of their cells, which inspired a wide range of impressionistic and abstract artworks depicting galaxies, lightning strikes, a variety of animals, and complex landscapes. The different works of art were created using a diversity of media, including pencil drawings, watercolors, Sharpies, mixed-media collages, and ceramics. They were juxtaposed with the original slide images alongside some explanatory text and, in some cases, with notes about which artist's style had inspired them. Students, parents, teachers, and staff members were invited to view the art gallery during two blocks on Friday and voted for their favorite artwork.
St. Paul's Advanced Studies Program (ASP) - Rep Visit
The St. Paul's Advanced Studies Program (ASP) is an intensive five-week academic summer program held at St. Paul’s School, a boarding school in Concord. The ASP is open exclusively to current public and parochial-school sophomores and juniors from NH. You can learn more about the program by visiting the ASP website - be sure to watch the video with student testimonials and views of the campus! You can also reference the At-A-Glance flyer with the Summer 2026 stats by clicking on the link. We are hosting an info session with a representative from St. Paul's on Tuesday, November 10 at 12:30 pm! If you would like to attend to learn more about this program, please contact your school counselor!
School Counseling Meetings with Students
This fall, school counselors are hard at work supporting students across grade levels! We’ve been meeting 1-on-1 with seniors to assist with college and financial aid applications, resumes, and post-secondary job plans. Meanwhile, we're meeting with all freshmen in small groups to introduce counseling resources, navigate Naviance, and kick off their four-year goal planning. As always, school counselors are here to help every step of the way!
ASVAB Testing - Grades 10, 11 and 12 (ages 16+)
The ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) is a free, multiple-choice test, that measures aptitude and knowledge for career paths in the military and other vocational fields. It assesses verbal, math, and technical skills, with different subtests focusing on areas like word knowledge, arithmetic reasoning, general science, and electronics. Scores are used to determine eligibility for military service and to match individuals with suitable military occupational specialties. You do not need to be interested in the military, and participation in the military is not required to take the ASVAB. It is also used as a career aptitude test.
When: Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Time: 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Where: ConVal High School
Sign up HERE or with Ms. Bull in the School Counseling Office
What is the NH Job Corps?
Job Corps is a free, federally-funded, residential or non-residential career training and education program for eligible young people aged 16 to 24, offering high school completion, career technical training, and employment assistance with the goal of helping students become self-sufficient. The program provides free room and board (for residential students), meals, basic medical care, and a living allowance in addition to job training and academic support.
Date: Friday, December 4, 2026
Time: 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Where: NH Job Corps -Manchester
*Permission slips are will be available in the school counseling office
FAFSA/Financial Aid 101 - Presentation with Granite Edvance
What is the FAFSA? FAFSA is the free application for federal student aid.
Who should fill out the FAFSA? All college-bound seniors and one parent need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form to be eligible for federal student aid such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans.
The FAFSA is available now for current seniors who are planning to attend college for the Fall 2027 semester. Complete the FAFSA now at studentaid.gov
On Wednesday, October 14, ConVal families joined Conant families for a virtual presentation from Granite Edvance, which went over the financial aid process and paying for college.
In case you missed it, see the recording of the presentation below.
Financial Aid 101 PresentationPasscode: *Y9CCPw. (include the ".")
College Overview Presentation
On Wednesday, September 23, school counseling hosted a college overview presentation for families of seniors and juniors who are college bound.
Hello Cougar Nation
Congratulations to our Field Hockey Coach, Kelly Shirk, for being D2 Coach of the Year! We certainly think so too… well deserved!
Boys soccer competes tonight in the Division Two Championship vs Campbell High School at 7:15pm at Bill Ball Stadium at Exeter High. Let’s pack the stands for Conval! If you are unable to attend this evening’s (Friday) boys’ championship game, you can still cheer on our Cougars from afar! The soccer game will be livestreamed on the NFHS Network. Once you click on the link, you will see that a subscription is required to watch. If you do not wish to continue your subscription beyond the game, be sure to cancel it afterward to avoid future charges.
Whether you're cheering from the stands or watching from home, we appreciate your support!
Cross Country Competed in the State Championship last Saturday. Here is how they did:
On Saturday, October 31 the ConVal Boys Cross Country team competed in the NHIAA D2 Championship race at Derryfield Park in Manchester. The team finished 14th overall. Freshman Ari Pape once again led the team. He finished 60th overall in a time of 19:53. Will Ricaurte, Van Stahlin, Vinny Hollenbeck, Marcus Jordan, Jeff Belcourt, and Bradley Allen were the other varsity runners for the ConVal Cougars. With five of the top seven runners returning next year, the Cougars have potential to be even more competitive next year. Great job, Cougars!
There is a Baseball meeting on Tuesday, November 10 at 2:30 in room 651. All interested players should attend.
Stay tuned in to the next newsletter for a list of our Fall student athlete all state accolades!
More friendly reminders:
Please use our new website on Arbiter for the most up to date schedules: https://convalathletics.arbiterwebsites.com/
ConVal boosters is looking for more volunteers to step up as team representatives.
Winter Sports Night will take place in the gym on November 9 at 5:30. If you are playing a winter sport, this is a mandatory event! Please be sure to make it to review mandatory requirements and to meet your coaches. ConVal boosters will be serving cookies in the concession stand beforehand and there is a boosters meeting at 5pm.
ConVal is transitioning to in person concussion testing for winter sports, until further notice. Concussion testing will be held in the athletic conference room at 2:30pm on the 9th, 10th and 12th. This is mandatory for students in grades 9 and 11, or anyone who has not received a concussion test in the last two years.
For students participating in swim: First date of tryouts: Monday Nov 16 or Tues Nov 17 at Keene State College pool. Families who have questions can please reach out Michael Atkins matkins@sau29.org, the Keene High School Athletic Director.
Students participating in Nordic Ski: Keene HS first day of tryouts is Monday, December 7 at Dublin School.
Envirothon Club
Members of ConVal's Envirothon Club attended a field training event at the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum in Warner on Wednesday, October 28. Students rotated through 5 stations to learn about soil, wildlife, forestry, aquatics, and current events. Envirothon is North America's largest high school environmental education competition that involves multiple science disciplines as well as history and cultural studies. Tournaments are hands-on, team-based academic and field events where five-member student teams solve natural resource and environmental management challenges.
German Club
German Club hosted their annual Oktoberfest celebration, bringing students together for a festive afternoon of culture and learning. Visiting Austrian exchange students and members of the Spanish Club also joined in the festivities! Attendees learned trivia and history about the festival including the fun fact that Oktoberfest actually begins in mid-September. Students then played some Oktoberfest themed games such as "Toss the Pretzel" and "Stemmen". Danke to all of those who came out to celebrate!
What's Happening in Co-Curriculars
The National Honor Society and Student Council’s Red Cross Blood Drive was an absolute success! Thank you to everyone who donated to help save a life.
The Farnsworth Invention, brought to you by the ConVal Performing Arts plays tonight, November 6, and tomorrow November 7, at 7pm in the Lucy Hurlin Theater. Tickets for students and seniors are $5, adults are $7. Break a leg team!
ConVal Student Council is hosting our very first powderpuff flag football game on November 13 at 3:00. Sign ups are outside of Ms. Montgomery's room (room 112A) on the bulletin board. Please turn in your permission slip to Ms. Montgomery.
Be a nature and science mentor with the Harris Center's LAB GIRLS+ after-school program. Meetings are at South Meadow on November 18, and at Great Brook on November 12. Help middle schoolers connect with STEM and the outdoors. For more information on this community service and science opportunity, contact Ms. Johnson or Ms. Young.
Art Club is on for Monday Afternoon! Room 410B with Tebbs. Art club is a drop-in club every 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Monday of the month! All Welcome!
The weight room will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:45-4:15, supervised by Coach Aruck and Coach Davis from football. Please see the athletics office to fill out the waiver before participation is allowed.
On Fridays, please bring your school supplies such as pencils, pens, markers, highlighters, glue sticks, white-out containers, and dry-erase markers so that they can be brought to room 223 for recycling. Please don’t litter or throw them in the trash. Every little bit helps!
Yearbook meetings are happening after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the photo video room.
📬 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
📞 (603) 924-3869 📧 conval.highschool@conval.edu
gps 42.9099171, -71.9407079 (map)