NHS Principal News

First, thank you to everyone who donated games for students to use during lunch. This year, we implemented our new cell phone policy based on feedback from the community-wide dialogue held last spring. Under the policy, students are not allowed to access their phones during the school day, except at lunch. As we work to coach students in regulating their phone use, the donated games have helped promote meaningful interaction at the tables.

I want to also extend gratitude to our student council for helping us launch this part of the initiative.

Next, I want to wish all of our teams well in their upcoming games as they launch into their respective tournaments. Here is the MIAA link that will show the upcoming brackets. And good luck to our girls volleyball team on their first round match tonight as well as football who is looking to secure their 3rd win in a row.

Last, this past Tuesday was the offical ribbon cutting of the brand-new Cindy M. Johnson Video Production Studio. It was absolutely awesome to have such a large turn-out for this special event. The studio, funded by the Newburyport Education Foundation (NEF), is a great example of how the NEF supports initiatives that help us create programs giving students opportunities to build skills and experiences in their areas of interest. With the addition of the studio, our school program will now include an academic pathway for students to gain experience in multimedia broadcasting. Don't forget the NEF Auction is taking place next Saturday night.

Be sure take time to review the updates below.

• UPCOMING DATES, EVENTS, SCHEDULES
• Reminder - Red Cross Club - Community CPR Certification (Nov 8)
• Recent Powerful Learning Experiences - Gr 11 ELA - Senior Civics
• 2027 NCAA Information Night
• Mock Trial Team

Have a great night and Go Clippers!

EARLY RELEASE FOR STUDENTS (11:45 DISMISSAL)

To Accommodate for parent conferences, the high school will have a delayed start the morning of November 5th. First period will begin at 11:15 AM for students. Since all other schools in the District will start at their regular time, bus pick-up will still take place at its regular time. Students coming to school by bus will be able to access our library and breakfast will be served at its regular time.

Buses will still run at regular time in the morning.

During CLIPPER BLOCK on November 7th, the entire school will participate in a Veterans Day Assembly. Thanks to the work of students who are part of the Red Cross Club, they have organized an impressive event for us to hear from local Veterans, recognize staff who have served, and listen to selections from our band. Thank you to all of the club members and their advisor, Ms. Colleen Fallon for making this happen.

There’s nothing like an opening night at NHS! The cast and crew of The Great Gatsby are working hard to make their final preparations, and based on what I’ve seen, it’s going to be fantastic. If you can’t make it this Friday, there are four other opportunities to catch the show. See the flyer for all dates and times.

On Saturday, November 8, from 10:15 AM to 12:00 PM, the club will host a community CPR training at Newburyport High School. The cost is $45 per person, which covers the certification processing fee and supports the club’s initiative to provide free CPR training to Newburyport restaurants.

Be sure to attend the Annual Lighthouse Auction, proudly presented by the Institution for Savings, on November 8th from 6-9:30 PM at City Hall in Newburyport. It will be a night filled with excitement, generosity, and fun! This is the NEF's biggest annual event, raising over $150,000 for Newburyport Public Schools. Can't come in person? You can bid from home.

Register to bid on-line for free.

The live event is sure to be one filled with laughs as Ben Weetman and Tucker McDonald will once again be our emcees & auctioneers for the evening and local alt-rock band The Better Things will be providing entertainment. Bid on a select number of live auction items that will only be available to those who attend the live event.

All of our juniors are currently reading The Great Gatsby. Recently, teachers Mr. Cam Smith, Ms. Laura Collins, and Ms. Kim Ragoza teamed up with Ms. Stephanie Phillips (teacher and director) to design a powerful learning experience for students. Students were organized into groups and assigned a passage from the novel along with the corresponding section from the play script. They compared and contrasted the two versions, then used what they discovered to write and perform their own script, reimagining the scene through the lens of modern-day Newburyport. It was great to see how engaged students were throughout this series of lessons which guided them to demonstrate the following competencies of our Portrait of a Graduate. The students:

• Evaluated information from multiple sources
• Communicated ideas succinctly and clearly
• Came up with ideas that were original and unique
• Effectively collaborated with group members to work towards a common goal

I want to give a shout-out to all of our seniors currently in Civics, along with their teachers, Mr. LaChapelle and Ms. DeCarciofolo, for the powerful learning they’ve engaged in over the past few weeks. With an election year in play, students have explored local issues to understand their complexities and the perspectives behind various positions. They then used this knowledge to craft thoughtful questions for the candidate forums held over the last two weeks. Additionally students volunteer for candidates of their choice based on what they learned from their own research and at the forum.

I am extremely appreciative of all the candidates running for office who took the time to participate and make the learning real for our students. This is a great example of the community support that makes Newburyport so special.

Thank you to our College and Career Center and Athletics Department for their collaboration. This past Tuesday, they coordinated an NCAA Information Night for student-athletes. It was exciting to have many parents and students attend to learn about college recruitment and the student-athlete experience firsthand from coaches at local colleges.

Building on their success from last school year, the Mock Trial team is gearing up for another run at the state level. Recently, returning members led a lesson for new participants on “Introducing Evidence.” With nearly 30 students involved, Ms. Martin’s classroom was buzzing well before the start of school this week. It’s great to see our older students mentoring their younger peers to help ensure the continued success of the program.

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