Cougar News

Good Evening, Cougar Nation!

It has been an exciting and celebratory two weeks on campus. As you will see from the table of contents, there is so much to recognize and celebrate across our school community. I want to extend one more heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2026, a truly remarkable group of students. Our campus community was honored to celebrate our graduates last Saturday. It was a beautiful, sunny day and a meaningful morning spent recognizing such an important achievement together.

This will be the final edition of ConVal Cougar News for the school year, and I am already looking forward to continuing this newsletter during the 2026–2027 school year. Please be on the lookout for a midsummer newsletter from me in late July or early August, followed by a back-to-school communication with the latest updates and announcements about a week before the first day of school.

I look forward to welcoming everyone back to campus in just a few months. Until then, I hope you and your families have a restful and joy-filled summer.

Have a wonderful summer, and as always, GO COUGARS!

Best,

Heather

• July 23: Summer Musical Performance - 6:00pm
• July 24: Summer Musical Performances - 2pm and 6:00pm
• August 2: Monadnock Summer Lyceum on "Growing Up Today"
• August 13: Football begins
• August 17: Fall Sports begin
• August 26: New Student Day
• August 27: First Day of School
• August 27-Sept 2: Add/Drop Period
• August 31: Co-Curricular & Club Fair

On August 2, recent graduates Hadley Bates, Ava Cronin, and Clara Wilsher will share the stage at the Monadnock Summer Lyceum and discuss the topic "Growing Up Today." How do social media influence their lives? How do they respond to politics? What does it feel like never to be fully disengaged from the feed of information? Young people today are often spoken for but sometimes remain unheard. The ConVal graduates will talk about how they see their world, its options, and challenges. Having come of age with lockdowns, not fire drills, with texting, not writing letters, they inhabit a universe that sometimes puzzles parents and grandparents. The moderator of the session will be Social Studies teacher Eric Bowman. Now in its 57th season, the Monadnock Summer Lyceum brings people together each summer to listen, learn, and reflect on the ideas, stories, and voices shaping our world. The 2026 season runs from July 5 through August 23, with programs held on Sunday mornings at the Unitarian Universalist Church in downtown Peterborough.

Members of the Class of 2026 received Athletic and Academic Awards during a student assembly on June 10, 2026. During the event, Hadley Bates was announced as this year's Valedictorian. Zadie Marshall is the Salutatorian for the ConVal Class of 2026. In all, 99 students were honored with an array of CTE completion certificates, graduation cords, and departmental honors. For a complete list of award recipients, please see here.

Senior Scholarship Night was a moving testament to the tremendous community support that the nine district towns provide to ConVal High School graduates. Based on eligibility criteria such as merit and future career plans, over $185,000 in financial aid was provided to students by 36 local businesses, civic organizations, and private donors. Congratulations to the 45 scholarship recipients who will be able to apply their scholarships towards trade certifications and tools, college tuition and course fees, books, equipment, supplies, and other expenses. For a complete list of scholarship recipients, please see here.

Under a cloudless sky, 148 seniors graduated from ConVal Regional High School on Saturday, June 13. The musical performances of guitarist Jordan Sweet, the ConVal Band, and Select Choir framed the Commencement Exercises beautifully. There were numerous thoughtful reflections in the speeches by Principal McKillop, Valedictorian Hadley Bates, Salutatorian Zadie Marshall, and Student Speaker Alyssa Hamlin. Tyler Mudrick presented the ConVal Faculty and Staff Award to Alida Brissette. Ben Putnam delivered the Message to Seniors. Brayden Boice gave the Farewell Address. Thank you to the countless teachers and staff members — too many to name individually — who helped make the graduation of the ConVal Class of 2026 such a memorable event!

The World Language Department would like to announce and congratulate the April 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. For German: Bekah Belcher and Collin Mao; for Spanish: Selena Woodhouse and Lexi LaChance.

Peer mentors, seen onstage in their blue-and-yellow T-shirts, hosted 8th-grade students from South Meadow School and Great Brook School and led guided school tours on June 8. Step-Up Day introduces middle school students to ConVal High School and allows them to make early connections with school counselors, administrators, teachers, and high school peer mentors. Welcome, members of the ConVal Class of 2030!

On June 9, the 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade classes gathered at various locations around ConVal High School during TASC to hear speeches from candidates running for student government positions. Electronic voting was completed the same day, and the following results were announced the following day. Here are the results: Class of 2027 — President: Gavin Lyons; Vice President: Marcus Jordan; Secretary: Maddy Guay; Treasurer: Colby Harris; Class Officers: Emma Gow, Grace Lacroix, Lily Albert, and Ethan Whitaker; Student Council Representatives: Eliza Jusseaume, Grace Lacroix, and Harlan Bielagus; School Board: Van Stahlin. Class of 2028 — President: Colin Maybury; Vice President: Luke Schoel; Secretary: Berkley Bates; Treasurer: Addison Hardwick; Class Officers: Sam Stacy, Van Stahlin, Mallory Mason, and Rylan Davison; Student Council Representatives: Willow Rushalko, Lindsay LaPlante, and Julianna Chreighton; School Board: Van Stahlin. Class of 2029 — President: Brenton Boice; Vice President: Viktoria Petrov; Secretary: Della Sutherland; Treasurer: Stella Arnone; Class Officers: Benjamin Ferrisi, Ava Marony, Penelope Stephens, and Eliza Paquette; Student Council Representative: Chas Gamage; School Board: Van Stahlin. The students of the incoming freshman class, ConVal's Class of 2030, will elect their representatives in the fall.

Graduates Brielle Proctor and Ema Richardson are heading to the Educators Rising National Conference on June 20-23 in Portland, Oregon. They will compete in the Children’s Literature category with their interactive book “Our Deep Blue Sea.” The picture book teaches elementary students about the animals that live in the sea. Proctor and Richardson are program completers in the Careers in Education CTE track, taught by Sarah Grossi.

August 26: New Student Day

All incoming freshmen and transfer students will be invited to attend New Student Day on August 26. This is a half day for new students to get acclimated to the high school. Students arrive at 9:00 am. They will meet with peer mentors, receive a copy of their schedule, and be able to go to their classes and meet their teachers. The day ends with an ice cream social, and dismissal at 12:10pm.

On Wednesday, June 3, we recognized freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, for their accomplishments this year. 51 students received awards for their academic, athletic and co-curricular achievements. On Wednesday, June 10, we recognized 98 seniors who received awards to recognize their academic, athletic, and co-curricular achievements.

Student/Family access to PowerSchool will be off for most of the summer. In August, students and families will be notified when the portal is back on and students will be able to view their schedule for next year.

School Counselors will return to work in late August. If you would like to meet with your school counselor to adjust your schedule, please reach out for a meeting after August 17.

The first 5 days of classes (Thursday 8/27 - Wednesday 9/2) is the add/drop period to meet with your school counselor if you wish to make any changes to your schedule. After the add/drop period, any changes made to your schedule may result in a withdrawal on your transcript and will require parent, teacher, counselor, and administrator approval.

Have a great summer! We look forward to seeing you all in August.

Wednesday, June10, we held the Senior Awards Ceremony and several student-athletes were recognized for their contributions to the athletics program and to ConVal High School. Major awards given included:

• The Cougar Courage Award, presented to a student athlete who despite being faced with personal obstacles, maintains a great attitude and work ethic, showing courage in the face of adversity. This year the award went to Elijaiha Torres.

• Male and Female Sportspersons of the Year, presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated the highest level of character and leadership on and off the field over their career. This year the awards went to Brayden Boice and Charlie Pyle-Cunningham.

• Male and Female Athletes of the Year - the awards were presented to Ross Stephens and Zadie Marshall.

• The Cougar Volunteer of the Year recognizes one individual or group of individuals for their commitment to outstanding volunteerism and making a positive difference in our ConVal community. This year the award was presented to Ruthanne Boice.

• NHIAA 4-year, 3-Sport Athletes: Whitney Adair, Eve Antonellis, Ivy Armstrong-McEvoy, Brayden Boice, Alia Dodge, Sara Mackie, Charlie Pyle-Cunningham.

Congratulations goes out to all our spring teams for a great season. Four teams participated in the state playoffs, with each team garnering a first round win! The softball team went to the final four, the boys lacrosse team, baseball team, and the girls tennis teams all made it to the state quarterfinals. Several track and field athletes competed in the Meet of Champions and the New England High School Championship Meet. Individually, Ross Stephens and Griffin Schultz ran in the 400 meters (finishing 9th and 18th, respectively, out of 32 participants), and the 4 x 400 team of Schultz, Walter Stephens, Brenton Davies, and Ross Stephens also qualified and finished 9th out of 27 teams. Congratulations!

Several Cougars were named to all-state teams by their state coaches associations:

Baseball- Isaac Clough (1st Team), Evan Aho (2nd Team), Henry Mackenzie-Hartwell (3rd Team)

Softball- Sydney Borges (1st Team), Mae Hagelberg (2nd Team), Chloe Hamlin (2nd Team), Kinley Moore (2nd Team)

Lacrosse, Boys- Brayden Boice (1st Team), Max Sweeney (2nd Team)

Lacrosse, Girls- Kierra DeLoria (2nd Team)

Outdoor Track- Ross Stephens

Registration for 2026-2027 athletics is open! Registration can be completed on our Athletics Webpage. Fall sports begin the week of August 17. For details or more information, please reach out to our coaches. Coaches contact information can be found HERE.

Coaching Openings: ConVal is in search of a golf coach, a girls’ basketball coach, and an athletic trainer. All open positions can be found on the district’s “Careers” webpage.

Ross Stephens was named ConVal High School's Athlete of the Year. His athletic accomplishments include a 300-meter run, which broke a 21-year-old state record during the indoor season. He dominated the statewide meet, capturing state championships in the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and the 4x400-meter relay. Stephens also set a new 400-meter state record with a time of 47.67 seconds at the Meet of Champions.

The traditional ConVal Mud Volleyball Tournament took place on June 11. Teachers Reagan Riffle and Gretchen Lima joined teams while others, like Randy Stetzer, Anne Clifton-Waite, and several parents came to watch. Volleyball coach Annie Keating refereed the game. The 1st-place winner was team LORCHK (the Taylor brothers, Kinley Moore, Ryan Pimental, Chloe Hamlin, and Leah Kimball); the American Muddie Buddies won Best Uniform.

End 68 Hours of Hunger Summer Registration

Avenue A Summer

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