Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - February 6, 2026
Message from Principal McKillop
Good Afternoon, Cougar Nation!
We are officially one full week into our second semester—a fresh start for everyone. Please remember that our staff is always happy to support you with questions or help identify ways to support your students’ individual goals. Do not hesitate to reach out to a school counselor, teacher, or any member of our staff if we can be of assistance.
We have officially entered February, and according to Punxsutawney Phil, we have six more weeks of winter. Don’t despair—his predictions have not always been accurate!
As shared on the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website, National School Counseling Week 2026 is February 2–6 and is designed to focus public attention on the unique contributions of school counselors within U.S. school systems. Sponsored by ASCA, this week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors have in helping students achieve academic success and plan for their futures. National School Counseling Week is always celebrated during the first full week of February, and this year’s theme—“School Counselors Amplify Student Success”—captures the important and meaningful work our counselors do every day. We are incredibly grateful for our school counseling team.
Pictured above and directly below this section are students from our German and Spanish programs who participated in a field trip to Great Brook today. Our students led engaging activities for eighth-grade students, introducing them to the world languages available at ConVal. I was grateful to observe and participate in some of the activities and enjoyed meeting some of our future ConVal Cougars!
Please see the table of contents below, which includes information about our upcoming Winter Play. You will also see a notice about our District Community Forum, which will be held at the high school on February 18. We also look forward to seeing those who can join us on Thursday, February 19, for our Grade 8 Parent Information Night and second-semester Open House.
Have a great weekend, and GO COUGARS!
Best,
Heather
The World Language Department would like to announce and congratulate the January Students of the Month. These students demonstrate the keys to being successful language learners. They have a positive attitude, show a willingness to take academic risks, demonstrate perseverance and curiosity, and are successful collaborators. German: Brady Clark and Piper Bernier. Spanish: Willow Rushalko and Eliza Paquette. Congratulations, all!
Congratulations to Charley Pyle-Cunningham who has been selected to receive a National Honor Society National-Semifinalist Scholarship. Chosen from nearly 16,000 applicants, Charley will receive $3,200 from the National Association of Secondary School Principals in recognition of her outstanding dedication to scholarship, service, leadership, and character. Way to go Charley!
Course Requests Are Due Sunday, February 8
The School Counseling Department met with students in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre to explain the course selection process for the 2026-2027 school year and to remind them that course requests must be submitted by Sunday, February 8. School counselors will then meet with students individually to discuss course preferences and graduation requirements. More information is available on the Course Selections web page here.
Student Council Makes Unified BB Senior Signs
The ConVal Student Council hosted students during TASC to make signs for the seniors playing in the Unified Basketball Game against Milford High School. Students made over two dozen signs for the entire CVHS team and passed them out during the game! At the end of the game, the signs were delivered to the players as a token of appreciation for all their hard work during the game last Friday (see separate story and photos below).
Mascenic Students Visit ConVal ATC
40 freshmen and sophomore students from Mascenic toured the Region 14 Applied Technology Center on January 28 to learn about the career pathway possibilities available at the ConVal site. Students were able to interact with current CTE students and instructors while participating in hands-on activities to learn more about the courses and potential career directions. All students completed a post-tour survey and were resoundingly positive about their experience.
History
Ms. Montgomery's US history class played the Oregon Trail game to enhance their understanding of Manifest Destiny and westward expansion. Many students played the card game version, while others used the 1975 text-based strategy video game to learn about the difficulties that Americans faced on their journeys out west. The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in the Oregon Territory.
English
Mrs. Moore and Mr. Mudrick's co-taught English 11 (American Cultural Studies) class engages in an "escape room" as they review important terms in analyzing and understanding the elements of fiction. Groups worked through seven tasks to complete the puzzle and solidify their knowledge!
Careers in Education (CTE)
Students in Careers in Education are celebrating National CTE Month by sharing with their powers the amazing opportunities that they have in their CTE program. In addition to talking about their program, they're also sharing with other students how to sign up for CTE programs for next school year.
UNH Manchester Field Trip
Are you interested in a career in biotechnology? Come and check out the campus of UNH Manchester and meet the faculty and current students, plus tour their state-of-the-art lab and get ready to do some hands-on science! Lunch is provided, application fee waivers will be available to all attendees, and you will be entered to win a gift certificate to Aroma Joe's. The trip is Tuesday, February 17; the bus will leave ConVal at 8 and return by 1. Please complete this Google Form and see the main office for permission slips.
In Sports
Now that we are in February, teams are gearing up for the state playoffs.
This past weekend, junior Griffin Schultz participated in the high jump at the D2 Championship. Griffin finished 4th with a leap of 6 feet. Griffin set the indoor school high jump record earlier this year with a jump of 6’2”. This year the state split the championships over two weekends so several members of the team will be competing Sunday morning February 8 at Plymouth State University to complete the rest of the state indoor championships including: Morly Johnson (shot put), Schultz (55 meters, 300 meters, 4x200 relay), Ross Stephens (55 meters, 300 meters, 4x200), Whitney Adair (600 meters), Brenton Davies (4x200), and Marcus Jordan (4x200). Congratulations for qualifying, and good luck!
The Alpine Ski Team celebrated their four seniors yesterday at Crotched Mountain. For seniors Maisie Michaud, Remy Kekuewa-Colon, Gavin Niemela, and Clara Wilsher, it was their last time wearing the ConVal suit at Crotched Mountain. However, the team will be participating in the Division 2 State Championships at Cranmore Mountain on Monday, 2/9 (boys) and Tuesday, 2/10 (girls). Good luck, Cougars!
Senior swimmer Bryanna Mattson qualified for the state swim meet being held on Saturday, February 14 at UNH. Good luck Bryanna!
On Saturday, February 21, ConVal will be hosting the Division III State Championship.
While some sports are wrapping up, the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams will be busy over the next few weeks with seven games each over the next three weeks. Check out the Athletic Website to see our athletic calendar.
ConVal is still accepting applications for the boys’ varsity soccer head coach position for the 2026 season. If you are interested, please reach out to Larry Pimental at lpimental@conval.edu.
Spring sports registration is open. Please go to our athletic website for more information.
Nailbiter Game Tops Undefeated Season
The ConVal Unified Basketball team closed out its season with a 47-46 win over archrival Milford on Friday, January 30. The visiting Milford Spartans brought their A-game in both offense and defense, and the score was close throughout the game, with both teams taking the lead at various times. In the end, however, the ConVal Cougars, who played in front of an enthusiastic home crowd, pulled out the victory and celebrated an undefeated season. Congratulations, Unified players and coaches!
ConVal High School Yearbook Online Orders Now Live
The ConVal High School Yearbook staff members are putting the final touches on this year's edition of the ConVal Yearbook. The book is an annual collection of your stories and your photos from the year. There's nothing else like it to share with your friends today and to hang on to share with your families for years to come! Order your copy by clicking here.
Winter Play
Please join us for the winter play, a one-act version of Kodachrome by Adam Szymkowicz. The play is set in Colchester, a small town where everybody knows each other and the pace of life allows the pursuit of love to take up as much space as it needs. Our tour guide is Suzanne, the town photographer, who lets us peek into her neighbors’ lives to catch glimpses of romance in all its stages of development. It's a play about love, nostalgia, the seasons, and how we learn to say goodbye. Performances are February 12, 13, and 14 at 7 p.m. in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre. Tickets can be Purchased at www.cvlht.com.
American Exchange Project
📬 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
📞 (603) 924-3869 📧 conval.highschool@conval.edu
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