Good morning,
On Monday we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. His actually birthday is January 15th and he would have been 88 years old this year. Martin Luther King Jr. is an American civil rights hero. He led the civil rights movement, ending legal segregation of African Americans, the civil rights act of 1964, and the equal voting act rights of 1965. He championed the rights of minorities and was assassinated in 1968 at the age of the 39. Martin Luther King Day is a day to celebrate his brave leadership and also a day to consider what we all might do to better our society and be more active citizens.
This Re-Take Summative week will likely mean more free time for many of us. I encourage students and adults to consider how they might use at least some of that free time to help our fellow citizens and think about how Dr. King’s life and work might inspire our own work for ongoing equity and justice in our society. I leave you today with my favorite Dr. King quote:
“Life's most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?”
Thank you and have a great day,
Mr. McRaith
Citizenship opportunities this week: We had hoped to have more specific volunteer options available for students this week. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to email myself (mikemc@mpsvt.org) and I will pass them along to our learning community. We do have one good opportunity for students, for more details please email English teacher Kerrin McCadden (kerrin@mpsvt.org). Other ideas to inquire about include our local food pantries and soup kitchens, Just Basics, our local senior center (Barre senior center is looking for volunteers and can be reached at activities@barreseniors.org), our local humane society, and our local hospital. Be sure to call ahead to see what and when might be most useful. And as always, consider the unique ways you might be able to use your voice and your skills to positively contribute to your family, friends, and larger community.
A Solon Salute to longtime MHS history teacher and community leader, Bill Haines. Bill passed away on Thursday. After his retirement, he still came back for many years to assist in his passion of teaching canoeing. He assisted with developing the current curriculum and received the VTAHPERD community award for all his work as a volunteer a few years ago. His enthusiasm for education and his loyal friendship with colleagues will be missed. (From Brian Gallagher)
A Solon Salute to our debate team coach, Jim Higgins and all of the MHS debate community who hosted a statewide debate last weekend. Jim Higgins writes:
The Sounds of Fierce Debate Rock the Hallways
Nearly 100 students from nine Vermont High schools converged at MHS for a statewide debate and forensics tournament on Saturday, Jan. 7th. Juniors George Huang and Omeed Fallahi each won individual speaking awards in debate with George winning No. 2 Speaker and Omeed, No. 6 Speaker. Fellow juniors Emily Sheftman and Jackson Markow were edged out by just one point for a Team award. The debate topic was the hot button issue of whether the United States should raise the military budget, or not. Interestingly, those teams arguing for increasing the budget kept pace with the "con" side by winning a tad under 50% of their debates.
"All but one of our 12 debate judges were recruited locally," said team coach Jim Higgins, "and to a person they told me afterwards how intense and rewarding the experience was for them and how especially challenging it was to score debates that were so frequently dead-even in the quality of the presentations."
Special thanks to Elmira Behzadikia, and Marianne in Learning Services (former Forensics coach) for their extraordinary assistance before and during the tournament, and to MHS teachers for sharing their classrooms with visiting students. Kudos also to Tom, Bob, and Rob for superb facilities help, and Betty in the kitchen for being there for us with supplies and her effervescent willingness to help in any way possible.
A Solon Salute to our local Shaw's for their generous contribution! MHS recently received a $400 educational donation from the Shaw's store on Main Street, thank you!
Schedule This Week: January 17-20th
Semester 1 Summative Re-Take Explanation (full letter)
Monday, January 16
Martin Luther King Day: No School
Tuesday, January 17
Study time ………………………………. 7:30 - 8:25
Time for all Green Block 1 classes ……....8:30 - 10:00
Break …………………………………… 10:00 - 10:20
Time for all White Block 1 classes ……... 10:25 - 11:55
Lunch …………………………………… 12:00 - 12:45
Make-up exams and study time ………… 12:50 - 3:00
Wednesday, January 18
Study time ………………………………. 7:30 - 8:25
Time for all Green Block 2 classes ……... 8:30 - 10:00
Break …………………………………… 10:00 - 10:20
Time for all White Block 2 classes ……... 10:25 - 11:55
Lunch …………………………………… 12:00 - 12:45
Make-up exams and study time ………… 12:50 - 3:00
Thursday, January 19
Study time ………………………………. 7:30 - 8:25
Time for all Green Block 3 classes ……... 8:30 - 10:00
Break …………………………………… 10:00 - 10:20
Time for all White Block 3 classes ……... 10:25 - 11:55
Lunch …………………………………… 12:00 - 12:45
Make-up exams and study time ………… 12:50 - 3:00
Friday, January 20
Study time ………………………………. 7:30 - 8:25
Time for all Green Block 4 classes ……... 8:30 - 10:00
Break …………………………………… 10:00 - 10:20
Time for all White Block 4 classes ……... 10:25 - 11:55
Lunch …………………………………… 12:00 - 12:45
Make-up exams and study time ………… 12:50 - 3:00
Related Community Announcements:
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- Helping Your Teen Navigate the Digital World: Going from Hurtful to Healthful (January 18th, 6:30pm at the U-32 Auditorium)
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