CMHS Times

Macs of the Month is the high school's initiative to recognize our outstanding students and staff! Each month, a staff member will be recognized, voted on by their colleagues and students. Students will be recognized by their peers and staff in the categories of creative arts, kindness, academic achievement, school pride, athletic achievement, and leadership.

We proudly announce our February Macs of the Month below! Congratulations to everyone on the well-deserved recognition!

Congratulations to Ryan Landucci, Marina Horgan, Lucca Simms, Dayton Dille (thumbnail), and Emily Elliott for having their artwork featured in this year’s Youth Art Month (YAM) Juried Exhibition!

We are especially proud to share that two students from our district received special recognition: Lucca Simms earned the High School Division Award, and Emily Elliott received the Region 1 Award.

Congratulations to these outstanding artists on their incredible achievements! Click on the button below to see the full exhibit.

On February 10, students in business classes met with a representative from Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW) to learn how the program could benefit them. PFEW is an intensive, week-long summer program that teaches students how the American free enterprise system works. During PFEW, participants also see from a practitioner's perspective what it takes to be successful in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Accented with motivational speakers and interactive learning exercises, this one-of-a-kind program furnishes a real-life educational experience for eager students.

If you are a current sophomore or junior and are interested in participating in PFEW, check out the information linked below.

After reading Act 1 of Radium Girls in Mrs. Jakiel's Honors English 10 classes, students worked in small groups to make connections between characters, symbols, and motifs. They used the hexagons to create visual connections between these different concepts in order to collaborate with their group and develop a theme for Act 1.

Student in Ms. Sydney Norton's Spanish II classes celebrated Día de San Valentín by creating ¨tarjetas¨ (cards) in Spanish! They talked about various expressions that are used in the target language and students colored and created their Valentine cards on the 13th (just in time for the holiday on Saturday)! This was a fun, relaxing activity for students to complete after finishing their quizzes on Spanish II content.

The Canon Mac High School Academic Competition team had a great 2025-2026 season! Our varsity team made it to the final competition at South Fayette High School. They scored 4th placed for our division of schools. The top scorer for the varsity team this year was senior Mackenzie Szabo. Congratulations and best of luck to our graduating seniors!

The Junior Varsity team had a great season, and they finished first in our division. They brought home a trophy that now sits in the trophy case in the lobby of the high school. This team of 9th and 10th graders also went to the final round of matches held at Trinity High School. They beat Elizabeth Forward and South Park to make it to the final round at the championship where they lost to South Fayette. The top scorer for the JV team this year was freshman Coleson McCormick. Congratulations to the JV team for an amazing season!

Thumbnail photo: Varsity Competition Team

CMHS Art Club and NAHS members have been painting seasonal artwork on the windows of Canonsburg Hospital since 2016. Students make 4 trips a school year (fall, winter, spring and summer) and members create and paint the designs in the windows of the hospital cafeteria and Emergency Department. *Thumbnail photo: (L-R) Campbell Garner and Amber Mistick

Group photo (L-R): Amelia Martin, Lauren Capra, Grace Guyton, Bianca Donella, Jillian Wadding, Drew Lavallee, Campbell Garner, Amber Mistick

In November, the Pennsylvania Bar Association released a fictitious case regarding a medical malpractice lawsuit (the first malpractice case in the history of Mock Trial). Students in Mr. Dill's Mock Trial Club signed up for roles (three were attorneys, three were witnesses, one was a timekeeper, and the rest served as paralegals).

The club met after school approximately once a week to discuss the case and strategize. The witnesses were based on depositions that they gave (provided by the Mock Trial Association). So the witnesses had to study those depositions. The attorneys also had to read the depositions and cases to formulate questions that would be asked to the witnesses (as the plaintiff and defense). We had an attorney (Carrie O'Connell) that helped to coach the kids on how the witnesses should answer and what questions. the attorneys should ask.

On Februrary 7, the mock trial team competed on Feb. 7 at the Washington County Courthouse against Peters Twp. (we were the defense and they were the plaintiffs) and then against Ringgold in the afternoon (we were the plaintiffs and they were the defense). CM put on a great show, but unfortunately did not place. We will get them next year!

Members who competed (from left to right): Mr. Jason Dill (Coach), Bryan Weber, Liliana Harris, Jessica Jost, Bailey Robbins-O'Connell, Anja Dessify, Tova Wudkwych, Leah Thomas,and Carrie O'Connell (Attorney Advisor).

The National Art Honor Society recently concluded its third and final intergenerational art session with seniors from the Canonsburg Senior Center. With the support of club members, participants recreated simplified versions of iconic artworks depicting love throughout art history in celebration of Valentine’s Day. Seniors selected the piece they felt most connected to, fostering personal expression and thoughtful reflection.

The activity made the creative process both accessible and enjoyable while sparking meaningful conversations and strengthening connections across generations.

Thirty-five students in the Ski and Adventure Club joined Mrs. Bellino, club sponsor, in an adventure to Seven Springs on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. They were able to take advantage of a great weekday deal being offered for groups where rentals were only $13. This offer gave students new to skiing the ability to try it out for an affordable price, and it allowed the experienced skiers to enjoy the slopes with no lines. There is no better way to spend a snowy February evening than getting some exercise and fresh air on the mountain! They are hoping the cold weather sticks around for a few more weeks so they can head up one more time before the season ends.

The Student Leadership Executive Board of CMHS hosted this year's PA Student Leadership Consortium. Student leaders and sponsors from 11 local schools attended the 2026 PASLC at Canon-McMillan High School. This event was entirely student-driven - our students spent countless hours planning, organizing and preparing to make the event meaningful and impactful. They created breakout room sessions to discuss and engage in activities based on fundraisers, pep rallies, school spirit, mental health, student advocacy and team building & leadership. They also included brain break activities with a cookie decorating class and Just Dance! The event left student leaders feeling inspired and motivated to bring their newly obtained knowledge back to their home schools.

Coaches Jon Weber and Lance Vallee had their senior track and field athletes take part in the 2nd & 7 Foundation Reading Event at South Central Elementary. The senior athletes senior athletes had the opportunity to read to the 2nd grade students at South Central, and then take part in a small question and answer session with them. The event went really well and was a great opportunity for our senior athletes to work with younger students in our district.

It is with great pleasure that I send to you the Community Scholarship Foundation of Canon-McMillan Dollars for Scholars application. It is NOW OPEN! Click the link below to get started!

Update: Only about 10% of the senior class has completed their Dollars for Scholars application so far! Get those applications in ASAP! The Deadline is March 4th and there will not be an extension.

CMHS's new Academic Ambassador Program provides peer tutoring daily to all students in the library! Please see the flyer below and scan the QR code for the schedule.

If you want tutoring and the schedule does not accommodate your availability, please use this PEER TUTORING REQUEST FORM. Then, check your school email for information once you have been assigned a tutor based on your needs.

If you have any questions in regards to Peer Tutoring, please email Ms. Humbertson, humbertsons@cmsd.k12.pa.us.

Dear Parent(s) & Guardian(s),

The 2026 Graduation is quickly approaching! Don’t forget to recognize your senior’s hard work and accomplishments by creating a Senior Recognition Ad. All Recognition Ad's can be made online by using the link below. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. White.

The CMHS yearbook staff is working hard to make this the best yearbook yet! This yearbook will include over 200 pages to truly capture all the memories that were made this school year. Don't forget to place your order to ensure your copy of the yearbook!

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. White at whitem@cmsd.k12.pa.us.

March 25: End of 3rd Marking Period

March 30: No School; In-Service Day

March 31-April 2: No School - Spring Break

April 6: Report Cards Distributed

Follow our School Counseling Office on Instagram @CMHS_COUNSELING

Every high school student is encouraged to join the School Counseling Resources group in Schoology! Resources including academic development, career development, employment, community service opportunities, scholarships and more can be found there! Students can join the group by using the following access code: DB7QW-K4WWP

Each month, the Chill Project will provide the community an evidence-based coping skill that is being reinforced at school.

We look forward to a strong partnership, and if you have any questions about the Chill room or the Chill Project, please reach out to the Chill room Facilitator, Mr. Dan Harshman, harshmand@cmsd.k12.pa.us, or Mrs. Kelsey Oberly, Special Education Coordinator, oberlyk@cmsd.k12.pa.us.

Kristen Speer, School Nurse

Email: speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us

Phone: 724-745-1400 ext. 5013

We will be giving away 1 free parking pass for the 2026-2027 school year. The drawing will be held on May 1, 2026. To enter, all you need to do is turn in your completed 11th grade physical and immunizations turned into the nurse's office before May 1st, 2026."

All 11th graders are required to turn in a physical assessment completed by a physician. To fulfill this requirement, please complete one of the following options:

• If you wish to have your student seen by the school physician in March of 2026, pelase complete the following Physical Examination Google Form.
• If you wish to have the exam done by your family physician, you may do so at your own expense. Please have the physician complete the Physical Exam Form and return it to the school nurse.

If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Speer at speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us or by phone at (724)-745-1400 x 5013.

To start the 12th grade, a second dose of the Meningitis A,C, W, Y vaccine is required.

Please provide the nurse with a copy of your immunization records either in person or via email at: speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us

If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Speer at speerk@cmsd.k12.pa.us or by phone at (724)-745-1400 x 5013.

If your student needs to take a daily medication or needs to have an as needed medication available at school please use the following form . It must be completed by a doctor and signed by the parent/guardian. The medication must be brought in the original pharmacy container or unopened over the counter container that matches the paperwork.

The medication authorization form must be completed each school year by the physician and turned in to the school nurse for the new school year.

If you have any questions you can contact the nurse.

Marijke Lucia

Secretary of Student Affairs

mailto:luciam@cmsd.k12.pa.us

Phone: 724-745-1400 ext. 5009

Fax: 724-745-4490

All forms are linked below. You can also access the forms on the high school's website under School Forms, linked here for your reference.

Attendance:

If a student is not seated in their first period class by 7:45, they will be considered absent (shown as IUn in PowerSchool). Prior to the end of 2nd period, an attendance rollover will take place and those students still marked as absent will be marked absent for all 9 class periods. That evening you will receive both a phone call and an email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of your student's absence.

Please send your student in with an excuse within three (3) days of their last absence. You can either provide us with a parent note, an email, or complete the form, linked below. Parent notes can be placed in the absence excuse bin in the Student Affairs Office.

Each student is allocated 15 absences (for any reason), per school year, before a doctor’s excuse is required. Any absence over 15, that is not accompanied by a medical excuse, will remain unexcused.

Tardies:

If your child is going to be entering the building late, they must first go through the Student Affairs Office to receive a late pass. Please provide your student with an excuse. Acceptable forms are a parent note, doctor's excuse, email or an online form submission found here: Tardiness Form. If they enter with an excuse, their absence will be changed to an excused tardy (TEx.) If they do not have an excuse, they will be entered as tardy unexcused (TUn.) If your child is marked as tardy unexcused, that evening you will receive both a phone call and email from our BlackBoard messaging system alerting you of their tardy. Each student is allocated 4 tardies, per semester (parent note or online submission) before a doctor's excuse is required. Disciplinary action will be taken for excessive tardies. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

Early Dismissals:

If your student will need to leave the building prior to the end of the school day (2:40pm), you must provide them with an early dismissal note. This can be a parent note, email or online submission found here: Early Dismissal Form. A student is allocated 13 early dismissals per semester. All early dismissals require BOTH written and verbal confirmation. Please call Mrs. Lucia in the Office of Student Affairs (724-745-1400, ext. 5009) to confirm your child’s early dismissal. All early dismissal requests must be made by 9am. If you are requesting an early dismissal after 9am, please allow 20-30 minutes for your request to be processed. Once both forms are received, a pass will be sent to your child and they may leave at the time of their dismissal. If you are picking your student up, they will meet you outside, if they are a driver, they are free to leave and drive themselves. If you choose, you can come into the main office to sign your student out. No student’s will be permitted to leave until both forms of confirmation are received. All early dismissals will be entered as ER in PowerSchool. If your child has medical documentation for their early release, please provide us with this information and we will change their ER to a medical early release (MER.) Medical early releases are not counted in attendance reports. There are no half days at the High School. Students must be present a minimum of 3½ consecutive hours in order to participate in an after school activity or a game or practice for a sport that is in season.

The Student Affairs Office is closed daily from 12:30-1:00. Students may leave during the closure IF their early dismissal request was submitted and confirmed prior to the closure. If you did not submit a request and you need your child to be released during the office closure, please come to the main office to sign them out.

CTC (Western Area & Parkway):

Please note that if your child attends WACTC or Parkway and is absent from school, you must provide 2 excuses (parent note or medical excuse). One will need to be given to Mrs. Lucia in the Student Affairs Office and one will need to be given to WACTC/Parkway. No copies will be made of a student's excuse and forwarded to another location.

Pre-Planned Trips:

The pre-planned trip form, linked below, must be submitted no later than two weeks prior to the start of your trip. Please note that students will only be given one day, for each day they are absent, to make up their work, and they are highly encouraged to make arrangements for their work prior to their trip.

Standing Medical Notes:

If your student has a standing medical note, please note that we will need an updated copy for this school year. Medical notes are only good for one school year and must be updated annually.

Ms. Brittany Taylor - High School Principal

Ms. Jenna Handra - Academic Principal

Mr. Thomas Orr - Assistant Principal

Ms. Jamie Hopkins - Assistant Principal

Follow CMHS on Instagram @canon_mcmillan_high_school