Our first snow day appears likely tomorrow, but the hallmark of 2020 is very little of the status quo remains and snow and its impact on school is no exception. The good news for 75% of the student body, is the way we treat weather disruptions this year allows for a fixed last day of school, which is currently slated for 15 June.
Seniors, I am sorry to say, but your traditional snow day complete with sleeping late and a missed day of school never to be made up is a thing of the past. This is a state mandate and not my declaration, but I still find it necessary to apologize.
The decision to call a snow day is a decision that rests with the Superintendent. That announcement could come tonight or tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, this is the plan if snow makes it impossible to physically attend school tomorrow. On that note, if this happens the building is closed to all students and staff and anyone not responsible for snow removal.
If snow closes the building tomorrow:
Classes will meet as planned but all will meet virtually with no in-person learning. The schedule will not change tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday regardless of whether or not we have snow tomorrow. Power outages are possible and teachers will notify you of contingency plans should that occur.
Attention Seniors & Parents: Early Decision & The College Process
Winter recess is but a few days away, and seniors can't even celebrate a potential snow day on the horizon. The great Class of 2021 has endured much, more than most, and many months of sacrifice lay ahead. It will test their patience and resolve. Past is never a perfect guide to predict the future, but it is typically a useful tool, but the unprecedented nature of our lives leaves little blueprint to follow.
College decisions are trickling in, and they are met with excitement and cheers for some and disappointment, frustration, and tears for others. College applications across the country exceed historical norms, which only adds to the anxiety or frustration if the desired outcome is not achieved.
It is not fair; however, what you have and continue to endure has made you more resilient and battle-hardened than you are likely aware. You must emerge from this experience more resilient than bitter.
Suppose you are one of the students waiting for a college decision. In that case, I know it feels like the most critical thing in the entire world, and I am not going to try and convince you it does not matter because it matters to you, and that is reason enough to recognize that it matters. I do want to offer some perspective.
Let's take a brief journey to the future. To fast forward past this pandemic is a luxury most of us wish for, but I want to leap even farther into the future to the year 2040. You are now thirty-eight years old. Maybe you landed a great job in Boston, Silicon Valley, or LA.
Perhaps it turned out differently, and you are starting another business after a few successes and failures. Or, maybe you just finished post-graduate work, and you are getting married to the person of your dreams.
Perhaps you are traveling to exotic locations for pleasure, for work, for both. Possibly you are raising two, three, four children of your own. Visualize any of these scenarios, or visualize where you hope to be at the age of thirty-eight. The present moment: good, bad, or indifferent, will have far less impact than you might think.
I want to remind every student waiting with bated breath that the college you choose will not define you. If you have decided to forego college and pursue a different path, well, this post-high school decision will not define you either. However, you will be defined by how you treat people and what you do with the opportunities that lay ahead.
Regardless of the path chosen, I urge you to weigh this moment with proper proportion. Congratulations to all of those who received a yes from the college of their choice. I am so happy for you. Be proud. Be excited. Be humble. As poet Wendell Berry said, "you do not know the road; you have committed to a way."
The reality is, we have made this moment in time for seniors far more significant than it warrants, and we all shoulder some of the burden for this.
I fully recognize sitting in my position; it is easy to tell students, don't worry, it will all work out, but I honestly believe it will. If you do not get into college #1, #2, or even numbers 3, 4, or 5, it will work out; you will end up where you belong. The college that accepts you is lucky to have you, and to the ones that said no, well, use that rejection as fuel to demonstrate their mistake.
In moments like this, it is difficult, but necessary, to keep perspective. In some respects, this year is defined by hardship, and if the most devastating moment of the year is a rejection letter, then life is good. Know that your family and friends are proud of you, no matter what, and so are we!
I share a New York Times article I read years ago. Below is a portion of the article I find particularly poignant. I included a portion of it below. It will all work out. I promise!
Warmly,
Michael J. Mastrullo
Letter to their son
Dear Matt,
On the night before you receive your first college response, we wanted to let you know that we could not be any prouder of you than we are today. Whether or not you get accepted does not determine how proud we are of everything you have accomplished and the wonderful person you have become. That will not change based on what admissions officers decide about your future. We will celebrate with joy wherever you get accepted — and the happier you are with those responses, the happier we will be. But your worth as a person, a student and our son is not diminished or influenced in the least by what these colleges have decided.
If it does not go your way, you’ll take a different route to get where you want. There is not a single college in this country that would not be lucky to have you, and you are capable of succeeding at any of them.
We love you as deep as the ocean, as high as the sky, all the way around the world and back again — and to wherever you are headed.
Mom and Dad
How to Survive the College Admissions Madness
Frank Bruni is an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times. This essay is adapted from his book, “Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania.”
How to Survive the College Admissions Madness
CCHS Debate Team
The CCHS debate team has been enjoying a very successful season. The team has joined the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA), the Massachusetts Speech and Debate League (MSDL), and the Boston Catholic Forensic League (BCFL - not religiously affiliated). The team is currently comprised of 16 members, and 4 teams have qualified for the Massachusetts State Tournament which will be held on April 10 & 11. Qualifiers so far are Richard Li & Molly Branigan, Grace Waldeck & Evelyn Reidy, Alisha Bhatt & Maddie Edmondson (all 3 teams in Public Forum debate), and Darcy Keenan Mills (in Lincoln Douglas Debate).
Parental support has been crucial since parents receive training and serve as judges for the competitions. Many thanks to Ling Liu, John Branigan, Scott Edmondson, Kerry Moffitt, Adam Adourian, Yongli Ji, and Joy Shen for their service to the team.
CCHS is coached by Tim Averill of Waring School in Beverly MA, who has been coaching debate since 1971 and took interest in CCHS when parents asked for help and his grandson Wilbur Moffitt joined the team in September of this year.
CCHS is actively recruiting new students, and all interested students are invited to attend our weekly meetings, held on Mondays (via Zoom) at 3:30 PM. For more information, contact Tim at CCHS staff member, Emily McKneight.
Nia Hislop Named Girls Soccer DCL MVP
Congratulations to junior Nia Hislop for being named the Girls Soccer DCL MVP this year! In addition, Nia was named to the All-Emass, All-State, and All-New England teams (only 11 players in Massachusetts were named All-New England).
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