Cougar News
ConVal High School Happenings - May 22, 2026
Message from Principal McKillop
Good Evening, Cougar Nation!
It has been an exciting and vibrant time for our school community. Over the past two weeks, we have had a number of special events both on and off campus, highlighted by our whole school Day of Service. I am pictured above with a student from Francestown Elementary School, where my group and I had a wonderful time interacting with children. In total, students and staff participated in 50 service projects! A BIG thanks to teacher Amy Rushford and the NHS students for coordinating the event.
Last weekend also brought joy and energy as students and community members participated in the Children and the Arts Festival. Our students volunteered by painting faces, singing at the library, acting in the town hall, and performing in the parade. On Sunday, I was also fortunate to attend the NH High School Short Film Festival, where one of our students received an impressive award. Please read more about that below.
Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the World Language National Honor Society Induction. Our students are incredibly talented and continue to impress us with their dedication, hard work, and excellence. I look forward to sharing more about this special event in my next newsletter.
We have also had many senior games on campus, with several of our student-athletes competing in their final home games. To our seniors, thank you for all you have given while wearing your ConVal Cougar uniforms. We are proud of you!
Looking ahead to next week, I am excited to host a senior meeting during TASC on Tuesday. During this meeting, we will share important end-of-year information, as well as details about a voter registration drive taking place on Monday, June 8. Our student school board representatives will address the class and provide more information about the drive. Please see the student guide to voting just below this message.
We are also looking forward to hosting the Pops Concert on Wednesday evening. It is always a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the talent of our students and the joy of music in our community.
Please take a moment to review the list of upcoming important dates, including the Break the Stigma 5K Run/1-Mile Walk, which will take place on campus at 9:00 am on Saturday, May 30. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we are proud to close out May with this meaningful event.
As we head into Memorial Day weekend, I offer my gratitude to those who served our country and wish everyone a wonderful long weekend.
Best,
Heather
ConVal High School's Commencement Exercises will be held on Saturday, June 13, 2026. The outdoor ceremony will start at 10:00 am on Stadium Field. If there is inclement weather, graduation will take place inside the Robert McGuire Gymnasium, with the same start time of 10:00 am. Each graduate will be given six (6) tickets for guests to attend outside graduation. If the ceremony is conducted outside, there will be additional first-come, first-served self-seating options on the stadium field bleachers. In the past, there have also been some spectators who have watched from outside Stadium Field. For friends and family members who are unable to attend the graduation ceremonies in person, the event will also be live-streamed online at www.youtube.com/@convalevents.
If you have any questions, please direct them to ConVal High School’s graduation advisors who can be reached at this email address: graduationadvisor@conval.edu. The graduation advisors will send future updates to candidates for graduation to their school cvsd.me accounts. Please remind your child to check their email regularly for updates.
On Friday, May 15, students and staff engaged in our Spring Day of Service event. Despite cold and rainy weather, more than 500 students participated to complete 50 total projects, 37 of which occurred off campus in the towns of the district. A few of the off-campus activities included volunteering at each of the elementary schools and both middle schools. Students also volunteered with the Antrim and Greenfield Recreation, Peterborough, Dublin, and Hancock Libraries, Antrim Fire, Peterborough Police, RiverMead, Scott Farrar, and many more sites. On campus, students created encouraging cards for Operation Care for Troops, No Sew Blankets for Project Linus, Cards for Hospitalized Kids, Animal Toys for Monadnock Humane Society, as well as a campus trash cleanup and gardening projects. After service, students were welcomed back with hot cocoa, water, and snacks, and a guest appearance from the ConVal Cougar for a closing assembly. Great job, ConVal students!
Gonzalez Wins Spotlight Community Impact Award
Congratulations to Senior Michael Gonzalez, who received the first-ever Spotlight Community Impact Award for his short film, Bridge the Gap (Unified Sports), at the New Hampshire High School Short Film Festival in Manchester on Sunday. He is pictured with CTE Digital Photography and Video teacher Lance Levesque receiving his award. ConVal also received $500 for the photo/video program.
Student of the Month (CTE)
Please join us in congratulating senior Eli Torres, who was selected as the CTE Student of the Month for April. Eli was nominated by Dan Guillou, his welding instructor. Mr. Guillou shared that “Eli comes in after hours on his free time and works hard. He is working toward his AWS D1.1 certification. Eli is a pleasure to have in the shop and a team player.” The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough has generously decided to honor our CTE Students of the Month this year with a $150 award, $100 of which goes directly to the student and $50 which will be donated to a nonprofit of the student’s choice. He has also earned the right to park in the reserved CTE Student of the Month parking space, near the ATC entrance, for the duration of May. Congratulations, Eli!
ConVal/Town Library Book Club Meets
The CVHS/PTL Book Club met on Tuesday, May 12, to discuss Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Naturals, a thriller about a group of teenagers with extraordinary abilities who are recruited by the FBI for a secret program to solve cold cases. Students were joined by the ConVal librarians, Mrs. Bowman and Mrs. Mudrick, as well as Aimee LaRue, Head of Youth Services, and Anna Greenwood, Teen Librarian at the Peterborough Town Library. This was the CVHS/PTL Book Club's final meeting of the year.
Prom 2026
May 9 proved to be an unforgettable evening as our students gathered for this year’s prom. While the weather outside brought plenty of rain, it couldn’t dampen the incredible spirit inside. The venue was glowing, and the energy was electric from the moment the doors opened. It was truly an amazing night full of non-stop dancing, laughter, and fun. The dance floor was full all evening as students made memories that will last a lifetime. A huge thank you to parent volunteers, staff volunteers, and everyone who worked so hard to make the evening such a spectacular success.
Manufacturing II (CTE)
Students in Manufacturing II created tongue drums in groups. The students used a template and a basic set of plans to create the instrument. The pitch of the different sections varies based on how much material is removed as it changes the vibration.
Careers in Education II (CTE)
Students in Careers in Education II visited the Eric Carle of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA to learn more about the author and how he translated his vision into the enduring children's books so many children grow up with. In addition to Carle's works, other special exhibits included "Under the Cork Tree: The Story of Ferdinand" and "Entwined Memory: Indigenous Stories of Creation, Place, and Continuity."
In Sports
Next week is the final week of the regular season, and several of our teams are making a playoff push. The baseball, softball, boys’ lacrosse, and girls’ tennis teams are right in the mix for a playoff spot.
What a week it has been for several of our teams and athletes. For many of our teams it was “senior day”. On Monday, May 18, the boys’ tennis team paid tribute to their only senior, Brady Clark; on Wednesday, May 20, the girls tennis team, girls’ lacrosse and boys’ lacrosse teams paid tribute to their seniors, and yesterday, May 21, the track team paid tribute to their six seniors at their final track meet of the season.
It has been a great couple of weeks for the softball team as they have been on a six game winning streak. Junior pitcher Sydney Borges has been on fire! During this stretch she has thrown a no-hitter, had two 18 strikeout performances, and on May 13, vs. Souhegan, she picked up her 500th career strikeout!
Next week there are a few more home games (girls softball on Monday, May 25, and softball and baseball on Tuesday, May 26, and JV baseball on Wednesday; May 27, all games at 4:00). Hope to see you there!
Stay tuned for state tournament updates. They will be posted on our athletic website as the news comes out.
For the most updated athletics schedule, please go to our website at https://convalathletics.org/.
📬 184 Hancock Road, Peterborough, NH 03458
📞 (603) 924-3869 📧 conval.highschool@conval.edu
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