Cougar News

Message from Principal McKillop

Good Evening, Cougar Nation!

After a week away for break, we returned to school in a new month, and it was quite a busy start! Twenty of our students traveled to Northern Spain and Portugal and had wonderful things to say about their experience. A special thank you to Señora Pacheco for organizing the trip and spearheading such a memorable opportunity for our students.

This week, we celebrated Educator Appreciation Week. Throughout the week, we had a little something each day to recognize and celebrate our staff. I am pictured here with students in Ms. Montgomery’s TASC as we took time to write notes of gratitude to staff members throughout the building. A BIG thank you to the many parents and guardians who donated flowers, snacks, treats, and beverages for our staff meeting this Wednesday. We are so fortunate to have a committed staff who go above and beyond to support our students each day.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Please see the image later in the newsletter, which outlines different opportunities available to students. Mental health matters, and we want all of our students to know that support is available, asking for help is a sign of strength, and no one has to navigate challenges alone.

Please take some time to read through this entire newsletter to learn more about the exciting things our students are doing and achieving. Also, please stay tuned to your email on Monday, when I will share our CVHS end-of-year calendar, which highlights many of the events that will take us through graduation and final exams.

I look forward to seeing many of our students at Prom on Saturday evening.

Happy early Mother’s Day to all moms everywhere. Thank you for all that you do!

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

Best,
Heather

May 9: Prom at Hidden Hills -7:00 - 10:00 pm
May 14: Wear Green for Mental Health Awareness
May 15: Spring Day of Service
May 16: Children and the Arts Festival
May 17: Music Department Mattress Fundraiser
May 19: NHSAS Science Test
May 22: Professional Development Day (no school)
May 25: Memorial Day (no school)

World Language Students of the Month

The World Language Department would like to announce and congratulate the April Students of the Month. These students exhibit the key qualities of successful language learners. They have a positive attitude, show a willingness to take academic risks, demonstrate perseverance and curiosity, and are successful collaborators. German: Alivia Landry and Logan Montano. Spanish: Brenton Boice and Scarlett Rogers. Congratulations, all!

Cougar C.A.R.E.S. Awards

88 students were recognized with Cougar C.A.R.E.S. awards on Friday before April vacation. Based on student, teacher, or staff nominations, the awards are given on a monthly basis to students who have contributed in an exemplary manner to the ConVal High School conduct principles of Community, Adaptability, Respect, Engagement, and Safety. Principal Heather McKillop visited with students in their classes to read their individual endorsements and deliver the awards.

Weeds to Blooms Art Show

The works of students in AP Art, 2D, 3D Art and Ceramics are on display in the Peterborough Town Library's Community Art Gallery until May 29. The art show is part of the annual Children and the Arts Festival and this year's theme of "Let Your Garden Grow!" The public is also invited to attend the closing reception on Friday, May 29, from 5:00-6:30 pm. Come see the incredible talents of ConVal's student art community!

Student Videos Get Accepted To New Hampshire High School Film Festival

Congratulations to the three photo/video teaching assistants on the acceptance of their films to the New Hampshire High School Film Festival this year: MIchael Gonzalez with his documentary, Bridge the Gap- Unified Sports; Nathan Janis with his narrative film, Inevitabl; and Judah Cyr-Underwood with his experimental film, The Sound of a Houseplant. The film festival will be held at Chunky's Cinema Pub in Manchester on May 17, 2026, starting at noon. This is a very competitive film festival, with over 15 New Hampshire high schools submitting their works. These three films, as well as several other ConVal video student works, will screen at our very own ConVal High School Film Festival on Thursday, June 4, at 7pm in the LHT. Both festivals are free admission and open to the public.

"Catch Me If You Can" Musical Performances A Hit

ConVal Theatre gave three electric performances of the Catch Me If You Can musical comedy recently. Based on the hit film and the incredible true story, the plot revolves around Frank Abagnale, a con man who works as a doctor, a lawyer, and a co-pilot for a major airline, all before his 18th birthday. Nominated for four Tony awards, this entertaining musical extravaganza was created by the "dream team" of Terrence McNally (book) and the songwriting duo of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who created the show's jazzy, 1960s-inspired score. For many seniors in the Theatre program, this was their final performance, but one that will be remembered for a long time.

Spanish Program Trip to Portugal and Spain

Students enrolled in the Spanish program had a fantastic language and cultural immersion experience visiting Northern Spain and Portugal during April break. They visited important UNESCO World Heritage sites, such as the Sé de Braga cathedral and the Bom Jesus do Monte Sanctuary, a Baroque construction with a beautiful view of the countryside in Braga, Portugal. They visited small towns as well as large cities like Vigo, León, Bilbao, and Getxo. During the trip, they communicated with locals, noticing different accents, ways of greeting, and, of course, the wide variety of food in each area. They had the opportunity to walk a few miles of the Camino de Santiago that ended with a dinner, participated in a traditional Galician cooking class at the Ficha da Rocha, and, after crossing on foot the Vizcaya Bridge, took part in a traditional Basque Folklore Dance and Music Workshop in the fishing village of Getxo/Areeta. This was definitely a trip to remember!

I Decided Day

ConVal seniors celebrated "I Decided Day," also known as National College Decision Day or College Signing Day, on Thursday, May 7. While originally just a logistical deadline — the date by which high school seniors must commit to a college for the upcoming fall semester by submitting their enrollment deposit —, "I Decided Day" has evolved into a celebration marking the culmination of a student's high school journey and a commitment to their future education in college, the trades, or the armed services.

English

Mrs. Harris' students took to nature to write poems that will be displayed in the upper hall of the Town Hall during Children and the Arts. Students wrote acrostics, rhyming couplets, haiku, free verse, and concrete poems.

English

The students in English class with Ms. Maughan, Ms. Paradis, and Ms. Holcombe are wrapping up their novel study of The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. Throughout the unit, they reviewed the parts of a story, including character traits and setting details. They each chose a specific setting from the story to recreate in a shoebox diorama. They have been hard at work creating their dioramas, which they will present after April Break.

Introduction to Technology (CTE)

Students in Intro to Tech are learning about trusses and how they contribute to bridges' structure and stability. Sophomore Victor Boucher constructed his bridge using Warren trusses and is preparing to test for durability.

Thank you to the many families who contributed so generously to our Educator Appreciation Week this year! Every day this week brought new signs of gratitude honoring educators for their lasting impact on students at ConVal High School. Parents contributed a wide variety of savory snack meals, cookies and other sweet treats, assorted juice blends, ice teas, and flavored seltzers, even individually wrapped floral bouquets! In addition, students hand-made appreciation cards and created friendship bracelets for their favorite teachers.

Job & Career Fair

On Thursday, April 23, ConVal hosted a Job & Career Fair in the gymnasium. Organized by the Region 14 Applied Technology Center, the event attracted more than a dozen exhibitors with organizations representing area businesses, non-profits, town and state departments, as well as recruiters from the armed services. Students used the opportunity to look for summer jobs and to connect with prospective employers for work after graduation.

Upcoming Events

May: Mental Health Awareness Month.

May: AP Exams during the first two weeks of May.

May 29: Field trip to NEACAC Spring College Fair @ Franklin Pierce University -permission slips available in the counseling office.

Mental Health Awareness Month

Throughout the month of May, School Counseling in collaboration with HOPE Squad and Break the Stigma, will be hosting various activities to raise awareness about mental health.

Upcoming Field Trip

NEACAC Spring College Fair @ Franklin Pierce University - May 29.

Apply to College 101 Presentation

In case you missed it, view the Applying to College 101 presentation from Granite Edvance at the link below.

https://graniteedvance.zoom.us/rec/share/aJpt3rjtu1gwcaqTlq8kUKAUs5D4OBAY8Lv_PIuTskTk9XJN9yjwrVJ1Zx6Sm8aM.iQBhNGtg5ybY50SY?startTime=1770850950000

Passcode: EU1A9^8n

College Planning Presentation for 9th and 10th Grade Students and Families

The School Counseling Department would like to share a college planning presentation with you to help you and your child begin thinking about and preparing for the future.

College Planning Presentation

In Sports

We are one week into May and it has been busy on our athletic fields, courts, and track. Almost every weekday there is a game or match to watch. The spring season goes fast and the regular season for all of our teams ends by the end of May. In fact next week we have our first “senior game” with the girls tennis team playing their last home match of the season on Wednesday, May 13 at Adams Playground. Other teams' final home games will be the following week. Several of our teams are in playoff contention, so if you get a chance, come check out a game! Our schedule can be found on our athletic website.

A “thank you” goes out to Coach Kevin Proctor for coming back to coach the girls’ basketball team this past season. This week Coach Proctor notified us that he is departing from the ConVal Girls’ Basketball team after being involved with ConVal basketball for the past 16 years as a coach and/or parent. We appreciate your service to CVHS.

Along with the girls’ basketball position, we also have an opening for a golf coach. If you, or someone you know, is interested in coaching girls’ basketball or golf, please contact Larry Pimental at lpimental@conval.edu.

For the most updated athletics’ schedule, please go to our website at https://convalathletics.org/.

Elm Street - Peterborough

The Elm Street bridge in Peterborough will be closed for the remainder of the school year. If students need to ride the bus to Elm Street or the Community Center they will need to ride bus 25.