Solon Salutes: January 2018

January 28, 2018

2017-18: Week 22

A Solon Salute to Mae Dunham, Casarah Acosta, and Bob Powell, for making cookies and a card for UES.

Photo and Salute thanks to Katrina Phillips

A Solon Salute to Kat Pringles for this excellent visual representation of the MPS Learning Expectations. Thanks Kat!

A Solon Salute to MHS Boys' Basketball Team for their weekend win. Follow all of the MHS winter teams @MHS_Solons

Join Us for Ghanaian Culture Night!

Announcements

Please visit the new Guidance Website.

2018-2019 Program of Studies is now ready.

January 31st: Central Vermont Career Center Showcase Day. 8:00-12:30pm.

Month of February: Black History Month. Led by the Racial Justice Alliance, this February will have a concentrated effort on recognizing implicit biases, privileges, and building equity in our learning community. Assemblies, speakers, movies, discussions, the raising of a Black Lives Matter flag, dedicated curriculum, and more will be taking place this February.

Feb. 10th: Ghanaian Cultural Night: 6:30 to 10:00pm

Full Poster

Feb. 13th: Incoming 9th Grader Parent/Guardian Night, 7pm.

Athletic Calendar

January 20, 2018

A Solon Salute to everyone in the MHS Learning Community. After a three day weekend, we began last Tuesday morning normally. By mid-morning we were in a full lock-down with police teams from around the state on our campus. The scary and stressful standoff outside of Montpelier High School on Tuesday ended tragically with the loss of former student Nathan Giffin. My heart goes out to all those that have been affected. I extend my well wishes to his family, the employees of VSECU, and to the police involved Tuesday. I wish to also extend my well wishes to our students, student families, and staff. Your teamwork to work calmly through a harrowing scenario was incredible. We have heard from many of you this week, extending your gratitude and support--please consider that gratitude and support mutual. I expect that as a school community (and beyond) we will be working to understand what happened from many angles and viewpoints over the coming weeks and months. Please know that no matter how or when this event affects you--the community at MHS is strong and available when called upon. As a way of sharing the strength and resilience of our amazing students and staff, I'm sharing a few photos and a video from Thursday at Montpelier High School.

Sincerely,

Mr. McRaith

Apollonia and many other art students were working on their self-portraits this week

The Outing Club gathered their gear and headed up for an after school ski on Thursday

Asa, Ericson, Machlan, and Liam found some time to play a few chords

Nick Gambill kept us laughing with this great dance poster and his daily announcements about the dance.

And we were well cared for by our extended community. Thank you to all for your thoughts and compassion!

A Solon Salute to Leo Riby-Williams. Leo was named the Times Argus athlete of the week. Congrats Leo!

A Solon Salute to all of the students that led and attended THE CONVERSATION this past Friday. This is important work and leadership!

A Solon Salute to the MHS Debate Team. The team started the new year with a very busy schedule and has been debating the topic: "Spain should grant Catalonia its independence". At the Montpelier High School tournament Angus Fraser and Omeed Fallahi obtained first place, followed by Emily Sheftman and Jackson Markow in second place and Violet Tabacco and Neil Rohan with the first novice award. At the Bellows Falls Academy Tournament this Saturday Violet Tabacco (MHS) and Basil Humke (U32) obtained first novice team place. Next month they will engage with a topic on tax reform and attend the Novice state tournament, the Harvard National Tournament, and District national qualifier tournament".

SUMMATIVE RE-TAKE WEEK
(Note: The afternoon Solon Block is split into two different sessions)
Need to organize yourself? Try this Template Scheduler

Join Us for Ghanaian Culture Night!

Announcements

Please visit the new Guidance Website. (Thanks to Chris Ilstrup)

2018-2019 Program of Studies is now live. (Thanks to Chris Ilstrup again!)

January 22nd: Off for District In-Service

January 23rd-26th: Summative Re-Take Week

Schedule and Explanation Letter

January 31st: Central Vermont Career Center Showcase Day. 8:00-12:30pm.

Feb. 10th: Ghanaian Cultural Night: 6:30 to 10:00pm

Full Poster

Feb. 13th: Incoming 9th Grader Parent/Guardian Night, 7pm.

Athletic Calendar

January 15, 2018

2017-18: Week 20

A Solon Salute to the Racial Justice Alliance (formerly Diversity Club) student group. On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, your work in the past year has been a highlight for the growth and development of our learning community. Thank you for your inspiration and dedication in helping to strengthen our community by better recognizing our individual and collective implicit biases and privileges. With your leadership, we continue our work on being the just and inclusive community we all want and deserve. We are looking forward to supporting your concentrated efforts for justice and learning in our community over the next six weeks.

Image from Carnegie Mellon University

A Solon Salute to Micah Blomberg, Avi Isaacs-Corcoran, and Lila Markow for their impressive photography exhibit at Bagitos, which is on display through the month of January. An additional salute to CBL Community Partners Stefan Hard and Jeb Wallace-Brodeur for their steady mentorship throughout the CBL experience, and to Soren Pfeffer at Bagitos for his ongoing support of MHS artists.

A Solon Salute to the MHS Boosters for the quick help in having a snack ready for last Tuesday's special schedule. Thank you Boosters for your friendly, expert, and timely support!

A Solon Salute to English teacher Kerrin McCadden and the MHS students who recently launched the literary journal Mandatory Assembly. Mandatory Assembly is hosted and edited by MHS as a publishing outlet for poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction by students from schools outside MHS--nationally and internationally. We are now open for submissions. Please help us spread the word--and visit us at www.mandatoryassembly.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This journal is hosted by Montpelier High School and edited by students, under the guidance of Kerrin McCadden, Jonathan Helland (a former MHS intern and fiction writer) and Samuel Kolawole (a graduate student at VCFA's Masters in Writing and Publishing program).

SUMMATIVE RE-TAKE WEEK

Announcements

January 19th: End of Marking Period 4

January 22nd: Off for District In-Service

January 23rd-26th: Summative Re-Take Week

Schedule and Explanation Letter

January 31st: Central Vermont Career Center Showcase Day. 8:00-12:30pm.

Feb. 10th: Ghanaian Cultural Night: 6:30 to 10:00pm

Full Poster

Feb. 13th: Incoming 9th Grader Parent/Guardian Night, 7pm.

Athletic Calendar

2 Hour Delay Schedule (Just in case)

January 6, 2018

2017-18: Week 19

A Solon Salute to Ms. Katy Chabot (Science) and Profa Colleen Purcell (Spanish) for earning their National Board Certification. This rigorous undertaking is both an honor and a tremendous amount of work. Please join us in congratulating them on this accomplishment! (To read more about National Board Certification).

A Solon Salute to John Jose of Central Vermont Solid Waste Management and the MHS Earth Group. Together they recently completed a full MHS waste stream audit. Click here to view the full report and be sure to visit MPS full website dedicated to Sustainability Education.

Dear Families and wider MHS community,

Please join us on January 8th for an evening with Michael Nerney. The event will be held from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the MHS Auditorium. There is no charge to attend. Michael will share his Risky Business Presentation. The student assembly will be on Tuesday, January 9th.

(SPECIAL SCHEDULE for JANUARY 9th)

Risky Business: Why Adolescents Love Risk-Taking, and How We Can Help Manage It: 110 mph on the highway, music blaring, open containers, four teens in the car…why do adolescents find drinking alcohol and engaging in high-risk behaviors so attractive? Recent research on the adolescent brain clearly demonstrates that adolescents perceive and process risk assessment in ways that are remarkably unlike adults. Changes in receptor site numbers and sensitivity, neurotransmitter action, and social-emotional responses all combine to influence how teens evaluate risk. In this program, Mr. Nerney will offer new ways to think about and talk about adolescent risk reduction, including access to structured risk taking, and the use of “gist” language. These concepts can be applied across the spectrum of adolescent risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, and others.

Michael Nerney is an internationally known lecturer on Adolescent brain development, who acquired is expertise by teaching Middle School and High School students for 13 years, followed by 4 years as a Substance Abuse Counselor in Hamilton County NY. For 10 years after that he was the Director of the Training Institute of the Narcotic and Drug Research Institute located in New York City.

Announcements

Please consider supporting a family in our community that had a fire in their home last week. Go-Fund-Me

January 8th: Michael Nerney Parent/Guardian Risky Business Night: 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the MHS Auditorium

January 9th: Assembly with Michael Nerney & Extended TA (SPECIAL SCHEDULE)

January 15th: Off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

January 19th: End of Marking Period 4

January 22nd: Off for District In-Service

January 23rd-26th: Summative Re-Take Week

Schedule and Explanation Letter

Feb. 10th: Ghanaian Cultural Night: 6:30 to 10:00pm

Full Poster

Feb. 13th: Incoming 9th Grader Parent/Guardian Night, 7pm.

Athletic Calendar

2 Hour Delay Schedule (Just in case)

January 1, 2018

2017-18: Week 18

Dear Parents/Guardians and wider MHS community,

Please join us on January 8th for an evening with Michael Nerney. The event will be held from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the MHS Auditorium. There is no charge to attend. Michael will share his Risky Business Presentation.

Risky Business: Why Adolescents Love Risk-Taking, and How We Can Help Manage It: 110 mph on the highway, music blaring, open containers, four teens in the car…why do adolescents find drinking alcohol and engaging in high-risk behaviors so attractive? Recent research on the adolescent brain clearly demonstrates that adolescents perceive and process risk assessment in ways that are remarkably unlike adults. Changes in receptor site numbers and sensitivity, neurotransmitter action, and social-emotional responses all combine to influence how teens evaluate risk. In this program, Mr. Nerney will offer new ways to think about and talk about adolescent risk reduction, including access to structured risk taking, and the use of “gist” language. These concepts can be applied across the spectrum of adolescent risky behaviors, including drug and alcohol use, sexual activity, and others.

A Solon Salute to senior Jackson Markow. Jackson was nominated by all three VT national representatives to the US Naval Academy recently. Congratulations Jackson!