Friday, March 10, 2017

International Women's Day, Skiing, Track, Theater, The "Fearless Girl," CCHS Ranking & More

In honor of International Women's Day, CCHS teacher Caitlin Smith, a member of our esteemed Foreign Language Department along with the Activism Club, organized a school-wide appreciation and recognition for all women and girls.  Students and staff wore red attire and donned red heart stickers to celebrate the girls and women in their lives, while also supporting their rights.  Students and staff were encouraged to consider shopping at women-owned businesses in Concord, Carlisle, and Boston.  

Perhaps because I am the father of two girls, my youngest turns nine this weekend, but the statue of "The Fearless Girl" by artist Kristen Visbal resonated with me deeply.  The defiant girl was placed in front of the bronze charging bull located near the New York Stock Exchange.  It was put there by an investment firm, State Street Global Advisors, which said the idea was to "call attention to the lack of gender diversity in the management of companies as well as how few women work in financial services, and the fact that they get paid less than men." The photo below speaks for itself.  LOVE IT!

I recently watched a documentary on an inspiring former professional football player named Steve Gleason.  Steve is battling ALS, a debilitating condition commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. One of many quotes of Steve's that I love is: "Believe your future is bigger than your past."  

Although progress has been made since the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920, I am hopeful that the future for my daughters and the future for all the women and girls across the globe is bigger than the past.  




Switching gears, I recently received an inquiry regarding CCHS high school rankings published in various publications.  There are many different national and local publications that use different metrics to rank public high schools across the state and country.  They measure various things ranging from student achievement to school resources.  I have included the CCHS report card below from one of the publications in question.  

I will refrain from getting too deep into the details for various reasons; partly because I do not put much stock in the ranking systems in general, but you will find CCHS ranks near the top of the list when measured solely on academic performance. 

As I said last week, never perfect and ahead lay countless hours of work to improve, but there is no doubt that CCHS is a high achieving academic institution that excels in many areas, and it is a fantastic place to come to school and work each and every day.  We are all so very lucky to have the opportunity to do so.  

CCHS Report Card From A School Ranking Website (Niche.com)



Wiqh News
By Nicole Walton
The second season of "This Concordian Life", WIQH's radio magazine debuts this Sunday from 7-8 p.m. on 88.3FM and streaming online at WIQH.org.  During the hour, Leanna Bomer '20, Julia Hubbard '20, and Maria Terhune '20, will interview Concord Town Manager Chris Whelan about what, exactly, it takes to manage a town.

Jason Genova, '18, talks with CCHS Principal Michael Mastrullo about what is needed to manage a high school.  Maria and Leanna will also sit down with David Hesel of the Concord Toy Shop to chat about the shop's history, and its future as he prepares to retire.  They'll also visit Sorrento's where pizza master Marcos takes us behind the scenes at one of Concord's favorite eating spots.

WIQH Sports Director David Craft '17, looks back at the CCHS winter sports season, and the whole crew quizzes unsuspecting people on the street about one of Concord's unique geographic features.  Want more?  OK, then how about some cool music selected by our guests from their lists of favorite songs?

This Concordian Life is on WIQH this Sunday from 7-8 p.m., and again next Sunday, March 19, at the same time.  Listen in the Concord area on 88.3FM, and globally online at WIQH.org.

Will Tappen



















Alpine Ski
By Austin Pinard
On Tuesday, March 6, 2017, the Concord Carlisle Alpine Ski team took part in the Massachusetts State Alpine Ski Finals.  Five racers, three boys, and two girls, took to the slopes to go up against the top talent in Massachusetts. The day started out early as the bus left the high school at 6:30 promptly. The sky was grey and as we all knew: a storm was a brewin’. The forecast stated it would be 50 and rainy, a skier’s worst nightmare. Nonetheless, the CC racers did not let the weather affect our moral.

The Alpine Team skied in 70-degree weather all season and even fashioned their own “Alpine Water-Ski Team” shirts. The team was represented by Will Tappen, Paola Loy, Alden Harring, Austin Pinard, and David Craft. Boys slalom was first, and girls started off with GS. Will Tappen came in 21st for slalom with Austin Pinard on his tail in 26th place of 150. Alden Harring finished 31st in GS and Paola Loy in 40th of 150. A promising start to the morning.

After lunch, the boys competed in GS and the girls in slalom. Will placed an astounding 7th in GS earning him a spot at Easterns this weekend. Alden placed 31st in slalom. Unfortunately, for the boys, all three members did not finish all races and thus were unable to qualify for a team medal. Likewise, the girls were unable to place as only two female members of the CC Alpine Team qualified for states.  Even though no team medals were taken home, it was a massive success for all our Alpine skiers.

The Alpine Ski Eastern High School Championship will be held this weekend at Attitash Mountain in NH. Will Tappen will be representing CCHS and the state of Massachusetts in the competition.



New Balance National Indoor Track Championships
Good luck to our indoor track stars who are competing in the National Championship this weekend. Valerie Reiling, Claudia Koontz, Sarah Reichheld and Sarinnagh Burdris will be competing in the sprint medley.  Margot Ehrenthal will be competing in the mile.  Good luck, girls!








Nordic Skiing
The Boys’ Nordic ski team finished 1st in the Mass Bay West league, and the Girls’ team finished 2nd in the  Mass Bay West league.

In the state meet on February 28th,  the boys finished  2nd in the state with 4 finishers in the top 20! Senior Tyler Lee finished 2nd overall.   The Girls’  team finished 4th in the state.

Good luck to Lydia Yoder, Phoebe Meyerson, Alex Burt, Julian Henry, Tyler Lee, Aiden Nichol, and Henry Johnstone as they will compete over the next two weekends in various Nordic Ski Championships.  Good luck, all.  








Activism Club Event
By David Nurenberg

It is easy for young people to feel discouraged and powerless in the face of large political forces that seem to decide their destiny. That's why, on March 2nd, seven recent CC alums, from the class of 2005 through 2012, returned to share wisdom and experience from their own careers in activism. Their work spanned the fields of public health, education policy, GLBT rights, and local food movements, and included perspectives from across the political spectrum (indeed, one of the recurring themes was seeking ways to bridge partisan gaps). The alums discussed, with a room full of about 30 students and faculty, both small and large ways to get involved and become empowered, even as a teenager. The problems are vast, they agreed, but teens are far from helpless in the struggle to solve them.

Ms. Smith of Foreign Language Department and I organized the event and it was sponsored by the CCHS Activism Club."



"Wolf's Bane"
By Carly Dwyer
I would like to congratulate and express my excitement and gratitude to the company of artists that brought "Wolf's Bane" to life on stage last weekend. "Wolf's Bane" was conceived, devised and written entirely by the CC Theater Company and was honored over the weekend with awards for their achievements. While the whole company worked to create this compassionate, challenging and innovative piece the following three CCHS students were recognized at the festival.

Ben Tull '18 was awarded Excellence in Design for his original projection work.

Burke Hutchinson '18 was awarded Excellence in Acting for his dual roles as Luc and Auburn's Woodsman

Sarah Lindner '19 was awarded Excellence in Acting for her role as Auburn

Please join me in congratulating the entire company on their achievements.

There will be a community performance of Wolf's Bane coming up in the next couple of weeks!






Red Cross Club
By Kasey Stewart
The Red Cross Club is very appreciative of everyone who donated to the "Troop Care Supply Drive". Like last year, the donations once again covered so many of the items our troops overseas are in need of. These generous donations will be going to the service men and women that live in our community and are based out of Hanscom Air Force Base. They will receive all of these donations at the end of this month. Thank you again for bringing some of these simple everyday comforts to our troops that are so far away from their homes and families. - The Red Cross Club


Late Start Public Forum
The Concord-Carlisle Regional School Committee invites you to a Public Forum to discuss the initiative to move the high school start time to 8:00 am.  The forum will be held:

Tuesday, April 4, 7:00pm-8:30pm at the CCHS Learning Commons

Please join us to learn about the initiative, discuss the logistics and challenges of implementation, ask questions, and share input.

We hope to see you there!  

Thank you, and please email the Regional School Committee with any questions: concordcarlisleschoolcommittee@concordcarlisle.org.

School Related Articles & Budgets
Town meeting is fast approaching.  Learn more about school related articles & budgets.

Concord Town Meeting begins Monday, April 24.  In preparation, the Concord and Concord-Carlisle School Committees will host a series of Information Sessions regarding the 2017-18 school budgets and school-related articles.


There will be five school-related articles at Town Meeting:
ARTICLE 13 – Concord Public Schools Budget: FY18 CPS Budget is $37,046,694, a 3.89% increase from FY17, which provides for the launch of Elementary Spanish Instruction and a CMS Latin elective.

ARTICLE 14 – Concord Public Schools Supplemental Appropriation of $400,000 for the current school year.  
ARTICLE 15 – Concord Public Schools Capital Renovations and Repairs of $850,000.

ARTICLE 16 – Concord-Carlisle Regional School District Budget: FY18 Budget is $28,042,499.  The Budget includes funding for the Later Start Time initiative within the Finance Committee Guideline.

ARTICLE 17 – Concord-Carlisle Regional School District Landfill Remediation: Cost $1.2 million – includes an environmentally sound solution with Flexible Fill to allow for future land use options.


Please join us at any of the following information sessions to learn more:

Wednesday 3/22   7:00pm-8:30pm CCHS Learning Commons
Tuesday 3/28   9:30am-11am         Ripley Conference Room 4
Wednesday 4/11 9:30am-11am Ripley Conference Room 4

The School Committees will also be hosting a Public Forum specifically regarding the Later Start Time Initiative for the high school:

Tuesday 4/4 7:00pm-8:30pm CCHS Learning Commons


We urge all residents to be informed about the budgets and other articles and to attend Town Meeting to vote.

Thank you, and please email either School Committee with any questions: concordschoolcommittee@concordps.org or concordcarlisleschoolcommittee@concordps.org

Changing Landscape of Journalism
CC ACE’s Advisory Committee presents, Changing Landscape of Journalism in the 21st Century.

When:    April 5th
Where:   CCHS Auditorium
Time:     7 pm

Program Flyer


Community Education
By Jill Asser
We have a lot of test prep classes coming up this spring and summer. Here are our next two SAT classes: 

SAT Prep class, 6 Thursdays, March 16th - May 4th, 6-9 pm, $625

Chemistry SAT Subject Test Prep, 4 Sundays, March 26th - April 30th, 9 am - 12 pm; $175

Spring and summer Driver Education dates are posted online and open for registration at www.ace.colonial.net. For questions, contact us at 978-318-1432 or stop by our offices off of dining commons. 

Ultimate Frisbee
A sign that spring is near.  Ultimate Frisbee practice has commenced!















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