Cougar News

Good Evening, Cougar Nation!

Congratulations to our students on completing semester one! It’s hard to believe that next week we transition into the second half of our academic year. With snow in the forecast, many students were convinced when they left finals that they wouldn’t be starting their new classes until Tuesday...time will tell!

Pictured above are members of our Granite State Challenge team with advisors Mr. Bowman and Mr. Heider. ConVal was one of the schools that brought a team of up to six students—four players and two alternates—to take a qualifying test at the Granite State Challenge Super Saturday event this fall.

The 14 schools with the highest scores on the written test earned automatic spots on the televised Granite State Challenge game show. Four additional schools competed for the remaining two wild card spots, rounding out the 16 teams that ultimately advance to the televised competition. All Granite State Challenge matches are recorded on weekends in January.

Best of luck to our ConVal Cougars! 🐾

As we begin semester two, I encourage everyone to view this transition as an opportunity for a fresh start. As you learn new things, please don’t hesitate to ask questions, seek support from your teachers, and stay curious. Speaking of teachers, you’ll see three new faces below who have just joined our ConVal community. Please help me extend a warm welcome to Mr. McClellan, Ms. Riffle, and Mr. Smith (pictured later below)! Families will have the opportunity to meet them at our second semester open house on February 19.

I also encourage you to read the entire newsletter so you don’t miss important information about the American Exchange Project. Host families are needed, and if this is something you may be interested in, there is a ConVal specific link included to learn more.

I’m heading out of my office now to check in on the boys basketball game in the gym.

Best of luck to all of our teams competing this weekend!

Stay warm and safe with the anticipated snow,

Heather

• January 26 - Start of Quarter 3/Semester 2
• January 30 - Hope Squad Retreat
• February 3 - District Meeting/Deliberative Session, ConVal Gym, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
• February 5 - (snow date) District Meeting/Deliberative Session, ConVal Gym, 6:00 - 9:00 pm
• February 9-13 - Hope Week
• February 12 - ECHO Club Field Trip
• February 12-14 - Winter Play, Lucy Hurlin Theatre, 7:00 - 8:30 pm
• February 13 - Educator's Rising Field Trip
  
  

Attention, Seniors! Please be sure you have placed your cap and gown order so you are ready for graduation day. Even though ordering opened in November, we still have caps and gowns that need to be ordered. Please place your order here if you haven't already done so. The deadline is Sunday, February 1. Please reach out to graduationadvisor@conval.edu with any questions or if you need financial assistance.

With the beginning of Semester 2, three new teachers will be joining ConVal High School.

Congratulations to Aidan Marony! Out of almost 70 portfolios submitted to the 2026 Scholastic Art Awards of New Hampshire, Aidan's portfolio has been selected by the SAANH jurors for top recognition and a scholarship. These awards represent the highest caliber of student artistry, and we congratulate Aidan on this prestigious achievement. His certificate, Gold Key pin, and scholarship for $2000, will be awarded to him during the exhibit and ceremony at Pinkerton Academy in Derry on February 8.

To support their peers during finals, National Honor Society members distributed hot cocoa as students arrived at school on Wednesday, January 21. The warm gesture was especially appreciated on such a frigid morning.

Students in the woodworking class are wrapping up their semester by creating side tables that demonstrate their proficiency with the tools they've learned to use. Pictured here, a sophomore student is using the router to add a decorative edge to her table.

Students in Ms. Madden's Graphic Design I class shared their final projects with their powers and participated in the critique process to give and accept professional feedback. Students were encouraged to consider the growth they had made in using the design software, the challenges they encountered, and how they overcame them.

Students in Mr. Howell's Computer Programming and Game Design class were challenged to create an original educational game that tested participants' wits in an engaging way. Students not only had to design the game, gather & compile information and/or knowledge that players will learn, and describe game mechanics which will facilitate players’ learning, but also create a prototype that would then be tested by their classmates.

Are you interested in a career in biotechnology? Come and check out the campus of UNH Manchester and meet the faculty and current students, plus tour their state-of-the-art lab and get ready to do some hands-on science! Lunch is provided, application fee waivers will be available to all attendees, and you will be entered to win a gift certificate to Aroma Joe's. The trip is Tuesday, February 17; the bus will leave ConVal at 8 and return by 1. Please complete this Google Form and see the main office for permission slips.

Cold and flu season has begun! We ask for your help in preventing the spread of illness in our school. Please click on the link for more information.

• January 26-30: Semester 2 add/drop period.

• January 27-29: Course selection presentations for each class.

• February 8: Deadline to submit course requests in PowerSchool.

• February: ConVal scholarship application opens.
  

• February: Healthy Relationships Month.
  

• February and March: Counselors meet 1:1 with all students to review credits, graduation requirements, and course requests.

• February 11: Applying to College 101 virtual presentation with Granite Edvance for juniors and families; 6:00 pm: register HERE.

• April 8: All Juniors take the school day SAT with essay.

Semester 2 begins on January 26! The add/drop period is from January 26 - 30.

Now is the time for you to make thoughtful adjustments to your schedule if something truly isn’t the right academic fit. Please keep in mind that schedule changes cannot be made based on specific teachers or to be with friends. Add/drop is intended to support your learning, academic progress, and overall goals. ** Schedule changes made after the add/drop period will require parent, teacher, and administrator approval and result in a "W" withdrawal on your transcript.

Schedule an appointment with your school counselor HERE if you wish to discuss your schedule.

During the week of January 26, each class will be scheduled to attend an overview presentation on course selection in the LHT during TASC, beginning with the rising senior Class of 2027.

Students will have until February 8, to enter their course requests in PowerSchool. All course requests must be submitted by this date. Throughout February and March, school counselors will meet individually with each student to review credits, graduation requirements, and course selections, making adjustments as needed. We encourage students to have conversations with their families about future plans, academic goals, and desired courses as they complete the course selection process. The program of studies and course selection materials will be available on the ConVal High School website, under School Counseling, during the course selection period.

Throughout the month of February, school counseling will be promoting the importance of healthy relationships with various activities.

The State of New Hampshire requires all juniors to take the SAT with Essay during the school day. This assessment will be administered at ConVal on Wednesday, April 8.

Students are encouraged to prepare for the exam by completing practice tests and review activities available through Khan Academy and the College Board. Additional information about the SAT can be found at collegeboard.org.

Seniors: Now is the time to begin exploring ways to pay for your postsecondary education. The ConVal Scholarship Application will open in February and is due by April 8.

ConVal is fortunate to have a generous and supportive community that donates thousands of dollars each year to help graduating seniors pursue their future goals. Last year alone, over $100,000 in scholarships was awarded to ConVal students to support their next steps after graduation. Check Naviance in February for the ConVal Scholarship Application.

The NH Charitable Foundation is another scholarship organization available to ConVal Seniors to apply. The New Hampshire Charitable Foundation is the largest provider of private scholarships in New Hampshire, awarding close to $8 million to nearly 2,000 students each year.

The NH Charitable Application opens for students applying for the Fall 2027 school year on January 30. The deadline to submit your application is Friday, April 10. For more information click HERE

On January 22, our Unified Basketball team hosted Hollis-Brookline and continued their great season! So far, the team (see picture below) has defeated all opponents and has demonstrated amazing school spirit, sportsmanship, and skill. Kudos to the amazing players and coaches Carne, Harris, Foster, and Mudrick! Their next home game is Friday, January 30 at 1:00 pm.

This winter, we have four students participating in swimming and representing ConVal at various meets throughout the state. These athletes, seniors Liam Armstrong, Alia Dodge, Bryanna Mattson, and freshmen Eliza Pauquette make up the quartet of Cougars hitting the pool a few times a week. Their dedication is impressive: their practice facility and home venue is Keene State College; they are coached by the Keene High School coach (as is Monadnock High School and Fall Mountain High School); and they (along with their families) are required to get themselves to the various practices and meets. They may, at times, travel with Keene High, but often parents make the drive to Nashua, Colby-Sawyer, Goffstown, UNH, or wherever the swim meet takes place. Their next scheduled meet is Sunday, January 25 at 9:00 am at UNH. On Friday, January 16 they had their last “home” swim meet of the season competing against Keene, Monadnock, Fall Mountain, Conant, Gilford, Laconia, Windham, and Bishop-Brady. Bryanna Mattson had a great day placing 2nd in both the 100 free (58.82) and 200 IM (2:40.09), earning state qualifying times in both events.

The indoor track and field team competed at UNH on January 18. The boys finished 3rd out of 11 teams, scoring 42 points. Ross Stephens led the team with 18 points, winning the 300-meter dash and finishing second in the 55-meter dash. Griffin Schultz chipped in 16 points by winning the high jump with a personal best leap and new school record of 6-foot 2-inches. Griffin also finished in 3rd place in the 55-meter dash. Morly Johnson finished 5th in the shot put . The boys’ 4x160-meter relay team of Schultz, Bretton Davies, Marcus Jordan and Stephens, finished in 3rd place. For the girls, Whitney Adair finished in 6th place in the 600-meter dash, in a season’s best run of 1:49.61. Eight ConVal athletes have met strict qualifying standards and will be competing at UNH on January 24 to improve their times and distances before the Division II State Meet.

Our wrestling team has hosted tri-meets the past couple of Wednesdays and will do so again on Wednesday, January 28 at 6:00 pm. If you get a chance, stop by and see our team on the mat. This weekend, they are headed to Vermont to participate in the Commodore Invitational at Vergennes Union High School. Good luck!

Several of our teams are heading towards their final home games meaning “Senior Game” ceremonies are being scheduled. On January 28, the Wrestling Team will be having theirs, and on January 30, the Unified Team will be honoring their seniors.

Registration is open for spring sports. Students and parents should go to our athletic webpage to register.

The ConVal High School Yearbook staff members are putting the final touches on this year's edition of the ConVal Yearbook. The book is an annual collection of your stories and your photos from the year. There's nothing else like it to share with your friends today and to hang on to share with your families for years to come! Order your copy by clicking here.

Please join us for the winter play, a one-act version of Kodachrome by Adam Szymkowicz. The play is set in Colchester, a small town where everybody knows each other and the pace of life allows the pursuit of love to take up as much space as it needs. Our tour guide is Suzanne, the town photographer, who lets us peek into her neighbors’ lives to catch glimpses of romance in all its stages of development. It's a play about love, nostalgia, the seasons, and how we learn to say goodbye. Performances are February 12, 13, and 14 at 7 p.m. in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre. Tickets can be Purchased at www.cvlht.com.

Avenue A - Winter Schedule 2026

FCVA Bingo Fundraiser Event

FCVA 2026 Winter Raffle

Harris Center - Wilderness Survival Skills

📬 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458

📞 (603) 924-3869 📧 conval.highschool@conval.edu

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