Cougar News

Good Evening, Cougar Nation!

It’s hard to believe we are already approaching October! After-school life on campus has been buzzing with rehearsals, practices, co-curricular activities, and games. Pictured above, I had the privilege of joining our student council during one of their meetings. I was impressed by their thoughtful planning for next Saturday’s Harvest Festival and grateful for the invitation. Many of our clubs have been active this fall, and with Homecoming and Spirit Week just around the corner, school spirit is sure to be at its peak.

Our school is also continuing to collect donations for the annual NH Tackles Hunger food drive. Please see the section below for details and consider contributing.

This week, 30 students attended an off-campus college fair, and today dozens more participated in the NH Construction Career Day field trip. Be sure to check the updates from School Counseling for additional opportunities and resources.

I was fortunate to spend this afternoon cheering on our ConVal Cougars at home. First, I caught an exciting win at the field hockey game, then headed up to the stadium field to cheer on our soccer teams. It was inspiring to see so many students, parents, community members, and fans coming together to support our student athletes. With the warm sun and a busy concession stand (where my young boys and I made a few visits), it was a beautiful September day for Cougar sports and community spirit.

Finally, I encourage you to take a look at the classroom snapshots below. They highlight just a few of the many engaging learning experiences happening across our school. Visiting classrooms and seeing our students and teachers in action is always a highlight of my week.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, and as always, GO COUGARS!

Best,

Heather

• September 29-October 4, 2025 - Homecoming Week
• October 1, 2025 - Deposit due for Spain Trip (see details below)
• October 2, 2025 - ECHO Field Trip
• October 2, 2025 - National Honor Society Field Trip
• October 2-5, 2025 - German PASCH Scholarship Trip
• October 4, 2025 - ConVal's Harvest Festival - 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
• October 4, 2025 - Homecoming Dance at SMS Gym 7:00 - 10:00 pm
• October 7-8, 2025 - NWEA Testing
• October 9, 2025 - ConVal Fall Day of Service
• October 10, 2025 - Professional Development Day (no school)

ConVal hosted the NHCUC Mini College Fair on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, welcoming representatives from fifteen colleges and universities across New Hampshire. More than 130 students in grades 9–12 attended the event, taking advantage of the opportunity to connect with admissions representatives, explore a wide range of academic programs, and learn more about their future college options.

30 ConVal High School students took a field trip to attend the College Fair at Mt Wachusett Community College on Thursday. The event was organized by the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) and was held in the college gymnasium. There were over 100 admissions representatives from colleges and universities on hand to answer student questions about college costs, programs of study, and specific majors.

The ConVal High School counselors held an overview presentation about the college application process for seniors and their parents on Wednesday night. The presentation covered the various application components, including financial aid. A special event dedicated to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will be held virtually on October 22. See the details below.

Students in Mr. Bowman's AP US History class work visuals that will support their research on the American Revolution. Each student selected a specific battle of the revolution, with the expectation that they would inform their classmates on the battle and how it fits into the larger strategies used in the war.

Students are learning how to use the pottery wheel in Mrs. Mitschmyer's Ceramics classes this week! Experienced students lead demonstrations to show beginner students the basics of using the pottery wheel. From tool selection to centering, opening, pulling, and finally cleaning up; students showed a variety of strategies for success. All beginner students will be moving on from pinch and coil work to expand their skills in the coming weeks to make bowls, mugs, vases, etc.

Physics students are learning about the Doppler Effect in which the frequency of a wave emitted by a sound or light source differs from the frequency that an observer perceives if the source or the observer is moving. An example of this is when a speeding car approaches a bystander and the pitch, or frequency, of its engine sounds higher. As the car drives away from the bystander, the engine's pitch sounds lower. The orange Doppler ball in the photo is emitting a sharp tone. As the distance between the students and the ball decreases, the students hear the tone get higher in pitch. As they move away from the ball, the tone gets lower. The Doppler Effect is used in many scientific applications including measuring the speed of stars, tracking storms, monitoring fetal heart rates, and traffic speed enforcement.

Students in the Auto I & II programs had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the Army National Guard, including SSG John Nedeau, to learn about automotive technician career paths available in the military. Students learned about the service members' experiences as technicians in the military, the equipment they have access to (including the pictured Humvee) and different locations where they had been stationed.

50 students in grades 9-12 had the opportunity to experience a multitude of career paths associated with construction trades at the annual NH Construction Career Days on Friday, September 26. Students met with industry professionals from careers ranging from plumbing and electricity to welding and communications and timberwork and robotics. Heavy equipment was on site for students to operate, and there were a variety of other interactive exhibits for the students to participate in.

Students in Careers in Education I & II began their practicum work this week. Students in Careers in Education I go to the Dublin Community Preschool and Childcare Center to learn more about young children and how they learn, while their Careers in Education II peers go to Antrim Elementary and Great Brook Schools to observe the learning processes with older students. These high school students have the opportunity to observe teachers in the field and create and execute lesson plans of their own during these twice weekly practicum visits.

Throughout the months of September and October, school counselors will be meeting with seniors in small groups, and will be scheduling 1:1 meetings with every senior to go over their post high school goals and help with resumes, job searches, college applications, and more. Seniors, be on the lookout for an e-hall pass from your school counselor. During September and October, school counselors will be meeting with their freshmen students in small groups for an introduction to high school and school counseling and to complete the Strengths Explorer survey in Naviance.

What is 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.

When: The FAFSA is available each year starting on October 1. It is best to submit your FAFSA as early as possible because many schools offer financial aid on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click the link above for more information.

Join us virtually on Wednesday, October 22 at 6:00 pm for our Financial Aid Presentation with Granite Edvance - Click HERE to register for the webinar

Check in Naviance to see when college admissions representatives are visiting CVHS. This is a fabulous way for students to sit down with a rep from a college and ask questions. We host numerous colleges and universities.

Who: Donald Anselmi from St. Paul's School

What: Is your student interested in a unique residential summer program where they work with other talented and engaged high school students on academic exploration, leadership development, and college prep? Check out St. Paul's School Advanced Summer Program. Learn More Here

When: Thursday, October 30, 2025

Time: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

Where: Room 417 (across from the library) - Sign up in school counseling if you're interested in learning more.

School counselors are also offering Common App help sessions during TASC once a week in October. You will be able to book to school counseling for TASC on the following days: 10/9, 10/17, 10/23, 10/30. Common app help sessions will take place in room 417, across from the library.

When: Thursday, November 6

Time: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm

Where: CVHS Room 41

What: This is an opportunity at CVHS for students to apply for free to any NH school and receive help with any college application from college admissions counselors. Every student who participates in this event is entered for the chance to win a $500 scholarship.

Sign up in school counseling

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: Monday, December 8, 2025

Time: 8:00 am - 11:00 am

Where: ConVal High School

Sign up in school counseling

If you are an AP student, do not forget that you need to bring in your form to indicate whether or not you wish to take the AP Exam in the Spring, along with your payment by Friday, October 17, 2025. We need both payment and the form returned to Mrs. Bull in school counseling by this date.

The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough is continuing to generously support the Region 14 Applied Technology Center CTE Student of the Month this school year. Every month, students are nominated by their CTE teachers for demonstrating work readiness skills and a willingness to engage with their communities. Through the financial support of the Kiwanis Club, award recipients receive a $150 prize, with $100 going to the student and $50 going to a nonprofit of the student's choice, in addition to other benefits. Please consider supporting the Kiwanis Club of Peterborough at one of their upcoming yard sales!

Bring Back the Trades awards monthly scholarships during the school calendar year to students from across the United States who are attending post-secondary education in the Skilled Trades. Monthly scholarships of $1,500 are awarded each month and sent directly to the secondary school the award recipient is attending. Applying is easy! Click here, write a short essay or share a short video (8 MB or less in size) explaining why you deserve the scholarship.

Congratulations to the ConVal cross-country senior runners who were celebrated at Wednesday's home race with Milford, Hollis-Brookline, and Laconia.

ConVal Cross Country's Senior Night took place on Wednesday, September 24. The race is the single home race of the season for the Cougars. They hosted Hollis-Brookline, Laconia, and Milford. The ConVal girls finished third overall and the ConVal boys finished fourth overall. The girls were led by Whitney Adair who finished second overall in a time of 21:42. Walter Stephens was the top ConVal boy with an 8th place finish and a time of 18:21. The Cougars are back in action on Saturday, September 27, at the Black Bear Invitational.

ConVal is in search of coaches. We are looking for Indoor Track Coaches (head and assistant coaches); assistant boys’ basketball coaches; and a varsity softball coach. If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested, please contact me at lpimental@conval.edu or go to our Careers website to see all the listings.

NCAA Eligibility: Student athletes looking to play college sports at the Division I or Division II level must register with the NCAA. To do so, please check out the NCAA Eligibility Center by clicking HERE.

On Wednesday, 9/17, we celebrated our Unified Soccer Team senior players before their game versus Alvirne High School. The team made it two wins in a row with a win over Alvirne High School. Great offense, defense, teamwork, and sportsmanship were on display. The team has two more games left, both on the road at Keene on Wednesday, 10/1 and at Hollis-Brookline the following week.

Next week is also NH Tackles Hunger Week! Members of the CVHS National Honor Society are promoting this important community event. Between now and next Friday, October 3, we are collecting non-perishable food items to donate to local food banks. The TASC homeroom with the most donations will win a pizza party from FCVA! Donations can be pasta, pasta sauce, soups, canned fruits/ veggies, cereal, snacks, and more! Additionally, on Monday, September 29, the National Honor Society will be running a special Blitz Donation Day! Students who bring in items on this day SPECIFICALLY, will be entered into a drawing to win a gift card to Dunkins. Thanks to the National Honor Society and to FCVA for their promotion, and thanks to our community for taking great care of each other!

September 29 - October 4 is Homecoming! Thanks goes out to our Student Council for organizing what promises to be a great Homecoming Spirit Week! We're starting off on Monday with "Comfy Cozy Day" with pajamas, slippers and sweats. “Tropical Tuesday” is next with Hawaiian shirts, sandals, tie dye and sun protection. Wednesday is “School Colors Day”- show school spirit in blue and gold! Thursday is “New England Day”- wear your best Sandler fit, your flannels, camo, sports jersey or lobster costume. Friday is a “Pink Out”, in support of breast cancer research and awareness. Also Friday, “ConVal Games” is on! This whole-school event during the school day includes games, contests, music, and fun led by students and staff to kick-off the homecoming weekend! Later that night the volleyball games host Hanover, and the spirit and football teams are under the lights at 7 pm. Saturday at 10 am, we are kicking off our first annual Harvest Festival with booths and food (only cash accepted) run by co-curriculars to go along with a field hockey game (10:00 AM) and soccer games (boys’ at 12:00, girls’ at 2:00). Check the sports schedule for more info and keep your eyes out for posters around the school. The senior class has started selling tickets to the homecoming dance. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door, cash or check only. The dance is themed "A Night in Rio”. The event is Saturday, October 4, at the SMS gym from 7:00-10:00pm.

Volunteering is a great way to support our Student Athletes and help raise money for their programs! It’s also a great way to be a part of our pretty great community and it’s fun!

Let’s go Cougars!!!!

Please click on the link to sign up.

The Inclusivity Club hosted a “Gaming Get Together” on Thursday, September 25 after school. All students were invited to play a mix of video and board games, while having snacks and juice.

The Trouble Clefs (ConVal's premiere contemporary choir) has begun rehearsals in preparation for the winter concert. We have nearly 50 members this fall which is the highest enrollment for this choir in its history!

Select Choir (ConVal's honors’ level choir) also held auditions and rehearsals in preparation for the concert next week, which includes a piece in traditional Hawaiian text, a first for the CVHS choir community.

ConVal students will have the opportunity to be part of a teacher-led tour of European countries in the spring of 2026. This extensive cultural experience is intended for students who have Spanish 2 communication skills and above. It includes guided tours of cities in Portugal and Spain as well as visits to world-renowned museums. The trip will culminate in an exploration of the Basque Country. See the poster below and put in your deposit by October 1.

ConVal students will be donating some of their handmade bowls to the Empty Bowls Event to benefit families in need at the Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter. Please join us at the Dublin Community Center on Saturday, October 3, from 11am - 2pm. Make a donation and enjoy an array of homemade soups paired with artisan breads, then take home a one-of-a-kind handcrafted ceramic bowl, each created by talented local artisans and ConVal students. Click on this link for more information.

Driving Towards Zero-NH DOT

NH Tackles Hunger

Hope for Gus Foundation

📬 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458

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

🌐 cvhs.conval.edu

gps 42.9099171, -71.9407079 (map)