Cohasset High School Newsletter

October 10, 2025

Dear Families,

If you really knew me, you'd know that much of my philosophy about education was shaped from my experiences, both as a child, later as an adult, and of course working in the field itself. I had a very happy childhood and wish that for all of our students. Growing up in Weymouth, we were not poor by any stretch (at least that I could tell), but solidly middle-class, and probably even a little better off than most. But there was always an understanding that what you have doesn't make you better or worse than anyone else, that there was value in hard work regardless of what that work looked like, and an expectation that we would never embarrass ourselves or our family over money. My father put it much more directly, in language I won't repeat here.

As I got into college, I learned that who we are is far more than what we project to the world. This was before any kind of social media, when phones still attached to the wall, most people didn't have the luxury of seeing who was calling before you answered, and email was restricted to dos text through something called a Vax. You never had conversations over text or email. You had them face to face. Sometimes you'd get a letter in the mail and if you were lucky a couple of bucks from Grandma.

And as I began teaching I was fortunate enough to work in a private school where you had to create a sense of community because it drew from over 80 cities and towns and at least two other countries. It was a place where what students thought they were coming in as changed quickly and they had to learn to adapt. I'll give you an example. When I was at Catholic Memorial, they were and continue to be a perennial powerhouse in basketball. About 115 students tried out for the 9th grade teams (there were two), which means that roughly 80% of the students were cut. These are kids who were the best in their towns growing up and most of them could seriously play.

And when that image of them was challenged, they had to reach deep into their core and wrestle with what was next. Some left. Some continued to try out. And many reinvented themselves, going into student broadcasting, choosing a different sport, or doing something entirely different altogether. And our job as educators was to help them identify those things in themselves that they might not have seen. Those things that are hidden, "beneath the iceberg" so to speak.

Last Tuesday, the junior class assembled and was part of something called Challenge Day, an experiential learning exercise that challenged students to "lower the water line". They challenged students to connect with each other on a much deeper level than what they assumed about the other person and maybe what they assumed about themselves. They were asked to share their answer to the question "If you really knew me" and over the course of the day challenged to see their entire class as one bonded by more than those identity markers which we set up to isolate us, often unintentionally.

And what they learned was that the human condition is complicated. No one truly has it easy and all of us have been impacted by different struggles in life regardless of what we appear to others to be. Whether we are at the top of the academic scale or the bottom (or god forbid, in the middle); whether we are the star athlete on the team or the manager; whether we are rich or poor, come from a one parent house or a two parent house; are white or non-white, straight or LGBTQ+, popular to still trying to find our people.

As Michael Owens put it, they found the common denominator for us, and we saw each other at the most basic level. The most human level. Roughly 25 teachers, administrators, counselors, and coaches joined the students in participation, and in our post-conference with the facilitators, one of the adults remarked that he had never been asked those questions until now.

When we talk about creating an atmosphere of belonging, what we are really talking about is creating an atmosphere of authenticity and trust, where people feel that they experience and contribute to a classroom environment where they are consistently heard, valued, and accepted to be their authentic self, while feeling physically and emotionally safe to take healthy intellectual risks with complex materials, make mistakes, and grow within a supportive community that celebrates both our individuality and our collective unity. It's a powerful place to be, and we're so close to getting there.

Sincerely,

Brian T. Scott

Principal

2025-2026 DAR Award Winner, Jack Kearney!

Congratulations to the Class of 2026's DAR (Daughter of the American Revolution) Award winner, Jack Kearney! Jack was selected by the CHS staff and his peers for this honor. The DAR Award is based on qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism!

Congratulations to Coach Rotondi!

Cohasset Boys' Lacrosse coach Steve Rotondi was selected at the 2025 MIAA Boys' Lacrosse Coach of the Year. Rotondi was hired as the Athletic Director in 2018 and the boys' lacrosse coach in 2020, having the first season cut short due to COVID. Since then the Skippers have made the Final 4 three of the past four years, winning the state title in 2023 and losing to a talented Norwell team in 2025, one that they beat in overtime earlier in the season, earning a record of 21-3 on the year. He was selected as the Boston Globe Coach of the Year in 2023 and over his 9 year career as a head coach has amassed an overall record of 124-48.

In addition to coaching for Cohasset, Rotondi coaches club lacrosse for Laxachusetts and is the Director of the Lagacy College Lacrosse League. He is a member of the Eastern Massachusetts Lacrosse Coaches Association, The National Interscholastic Administrators Association, and the Intercollegiate Me's Lacrosse Association. Says coach, "My coaching philosophy is to teach kids valuable life skills and lessons through hard work and dedication. Establishing a culture that regardless of position, skill, or role, they go on to apply those skills in their everyday lives. I want my athletes to have pride in where they played and the lessons they learned, knowing they put a team above themselves. I want our athletes to look back and appreciate their hard work, the hard work of their teammates."

Homecoming and Pep Rally Photos

A little late but better late than never right? Please see some photos from this year's 2025 Pep Rally courtesy of Ms. Anthony and a senior video created by Toby Carpenter and Jack Heald.

Historical Society Tour and CoastSweep

On October 3rd, the Historical Society hosted a tour of local Cohasset history for our 9th graders, followed by a cleaning of local beaches as part of CoastSweep 2025, a statewide beach cleanup organized each fall by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM). Special thanks to our teachers, particularly Coach A and Mr. Ford, Katie Holden and the Historical Society, and photographer Leah Hyde for the photos.

open_in_new

South Shore League Captains Leadership Summit

On September 18th, fall captains were invited to Abington High School to participate in the second annual South Shore League Leadership Summit.

HIGH SCHOOL HEALTH SCREENINGS

9th and 10th grade health screenings will be starting next week (Oct. 14th) in the high school nurse’s office.

The freshman class will be screened for scoliosis. This requires students to remove their shirts so that the spine can be evaluated. The screening is performed in a private examination room.

The sophomore class will be screened for hearing, vision, height and weight.

At all times student’s privacy will be respected.

If a student does not pass the screenings the parents/guardians will be notified by the school nurse.

Please email Mrs. Collins R.N. jcollins@cohassetk12.org if you would like to opt your student out of the screenings or if you have any questions.

MCAStic Job!

Congratulations to Cohasset K-8 who with the release of the 2025 MCAS scores were listed as one of only 14 districts to have recovered learning loss from COVID!