MASSABESIC HIGH SCHOOL
2023-2024
Student & Family Welcome Letter
August 7, 2023
Hello MHS Students and Families!
Greetings to all and a very warm welcome to the 2023-2024 school year. We are busy gearing up for what we hope to be a wonderful year of learning and achieving for everyone. With about 3 ½ weeks to go before the first day, excitement is building across our campus and within the community. I have had many opportunities to speak with students and families over the past several weeks about their Massabesic HS experiences and their desires for the coming year - it is clear through these conversations that we have a great opportunity to build upon the school pride and positive school culture we achieved last year. In an effort to build upon our achievements I have provided the following key pieces of information for your review:
Activities, Club, & Athletics: I believe strongly that involved students are successful students. Over the course of my career I have learned that the more involved our student population can be, the more successful we can be in the classroom and in our personal lives. Engagement with groups allows students to develop strong relationships with their peers and to feel a sense of achievement throughout the school year. I highly encourage all students to join an athletic team, an after school activity, or school-sponsored club. We will review the long list of these groups on the first day of school.
Main Office & Guidance Office Recalibration: Mrs. Allison Ellis’ office space has moved into the Main Office area. Our four Guidance Counselors will be more centrally located, visible, and accessible within the Guidance Office. Mrs. Liane Renaud be in charge Mr. Lavertu’s, Mr. Fryzlewicz’s, and Mr. Thurlow’s daily calendars in the coming school year. If students and/or parents need to schedule meetings with members of the administration please contact Mrs. Renaud (lianerenaud@rsu57.org).
Building Projects: Construction crews continue to work in the building with multiple ongoing projects. Our gymnasium floor is being repainted and resurfaced. Various hallways, classrooms, and offices continue to undergo retiling, and window replacement continues throughout the building. And, of course, our own maintenance and custodial crews are working through their summer responsibilities. We greatly appreciate the efforts of so many to prepare our building for the upcoming school year - this is not an easy task and it takes an entire team effort to pull this off.
Campus Safety: We will continue to place a strong emphasis upon building and campus safety. We do not, and will not, tolerate students creating unsafe conditions for themselves, other students, staff, visitors, or our community. Although we do not delight in consequences or disciplinary actions, we will not hesitate (as we have done in the past) to address student safety issues with swift action and stern consequences per RSU 57 School Board policies. Each student, staff member, and visitor to our campus deserves to experience a safe and welcoming environment. We have high expectations for our students and we know they can meet those expectations for behavior. Instead of choosing unsafe behaviors I would challenge each student to think about the upcoming school year and to determine small ways in which they can help others around them experience some kind of joy, happiness, achievement, or sense of worth. Together we can make Massabesic HS a desirable place for all.
It has been a busy summer thus far at Massabesic High School with many renovations and welcoming new staff to our campus. In closing I’d like to share a personal note: I had the good fortune to accompany my father and a few of his buddies on an annual fishing trip to Lake Ontario. Three “good ‘ol boys” from the woods of Northern Maine and me - yessah, bub. The elder statesmen of the group, Leonard, had been looking forward to the trip all year and often remarked that he only needed to keep on ticking until July so he could make the trip. We fished for two days and had great success. We hauled in several King Salmon that were north of 15 pounds. In the final hour of the trip Leonard hooked a fish with more than 500 feet of line off the spool (this is a massive distance for those unfamiliar with the fishing world). He toiled for several minutes and finally pulled in a monster weighing in at 24.1 pounds - when we arrived at the marina we found out that he had caught the largest fish the Port of Oswego, NY has seen this calendar year. I’ve never seen a fellow so tired and so happy at the same time (pictured attached).
Wishing you all the best as we begin our year together,
-Ty Thurlow, Principal
New Staff
We experienced several retirements at the end of last year, we also said goodbye to some longtime employees looking for new experiences and adventures, and we added staff to key positions that went unfilled last year. Wish all our former employees the best of luck as they enter the next chapter of their lives. We are fortunate to welcome new staff to our campus this summer and into the new school year. We have hired the following staff to fill the following positions:
Chief Joseph Lipp - NJROTC Instructor
Mrs. Kayla Pazmany-Kinney - School Nurse
Mrs. Autumn Cyr - Nurse Educational Technician
Mrs. Annie Murray - Math Teacher
Ms. Mackenzie Bickmore - Math Teacher
Mrs. Erica Garcia - Spanish Teacher
Mr. Evgeni Bousakine - Special Education Teacher
Mrs. Bridgette Kearney - Guidance Counselor
Mrs. Julie Cryer - Guidance Counselor
Ms. Mackenzie Williams - Administrative Assistant in the Athletic Department
Mr. Daniel Lawrence - Athletic Director
A: GRADE 9 STUDENTS ONLY - Wednesday, August 30, 2023
B. GRADE 10, 11, & 12 Students join on Thursday, August 31, 2023
Q: What are school start and end times
A: School starts at 7:30 AM and dismisses at 1:49 PM
Q: Where can I get my schedule?
A: Student schedules will be available on the StudentVue & ParentVue of the Synergy platform starting Friday, August 11, 2023. Please contact the Guidance Department with questions regarding schedules after August 11 when you have viewed your schedule.
Q: Will there be a back-to-school event this year?
A: Yes! Open House for MHS students and parents will be Wednesday, August 30, 2023 from 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM.
Q: I didn't see my question here, who do I ask?
A: You are always welcome to call our office at (207) 247-3141, stop in and see us, or email our administrative team directly:
Mr. Ty Thurlow, Principal - tythurlow@rsu57.org
Mrs. Liane Renaud, Administrative Assistant to the Principal - lianerenaud@rsu57.org
Mr. Scott Lavertu, Assistant Principal - scottlavertu@rsu57.org
Mr. Jim Fryzlewicz, Assistant Principal - jamesfryzlewicz@rsu57.org
Mrs. Allison Ellis, Dean of Academics & Director of Guidance
Mrs. Marie Proctor, Administrative Assistant to the Director of Guidance - marieproctor@rsu57.org
Important Upcoming Dates:
Monday, August 14th:
Fall Athletics Begin
Wednesday, August 30th:
First day for Grade 9 students ONLY
Wednesday, August 30th:
MHS Open House from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Thursday, August 31st:
First day for Grade 10, 11, & 12 Students
Friday, September 1st - Monday, September 4th:
Labor Day extended vacation - No School
Tuesday, September 5th:
School Pictures (packets will be sent home on the first day of school)