We woke to quite a different morning than Americans did 79 years today. The attack on Pearl Harbor arrived in the early morning on December 7, 1941, "A day that will live in infamy." A date forever time-stamped into the minds of Americans.
The attack thrust a reluctant country into World War II, a war that ravaged much of Europe and beyond for nearly two years at that point. The Axis Powers attempted to strike a crushing blow against the United States with the hopes of breaking the will of the country before she even entered the war. Thankfully for all of us, the will of that generation would not bend to the want of the enemy.
It is worth noting that the country spearheading the attack on December 7, 1941, is one of our closest allies in 2020, an essential partner in the defense of democracy. History has taught us that the Allied Powers led by the United States prevailed in the end, but on this fateful day, that was far from a foregone conclusion.
The attack undoubtedly frightened millions of Americans. The future looked bleak with an uncertain outcome and a quiet understanding of what it would take if we were to prevail. Millions of Americans sacrificed much for a victory, and more than 400,000 gave the ultimate sacrifice. They prevailed, and although we face a very different enemy in COVID-19, let us draw strength that we too can and will prevail.
The war changed the course of history: for our country, humanity, and families forever changed bear the scars of this dreadful conflict that uncovered unspeakable evil.
We are the benefactors of the sacrifice of this generation. The end of the war ushered in a reign of prosperity that marches on, albeit with ebbs and flows, to this day. I can think of no better way to thank and honor the men and women of that generation than to highlight some of our exceptional students. In some respects, these students are their legacy, and it is one to be proud of.
With Gratitude,
Michael J. Mastrullo
Pictured above is Andrew Kamionek, Zuhayr Huseni, Anas Benhamida, and Linda Xu
NHS / COA Fall Clean up Weekend a Success!
Over two weekends in November, more than thirty members of the National Honor Society volunteered to assist Concord senior citizens with fall clean up work. Students completed a range of tasks including raking leaves, pruning perennials, and planting bulbs at ten different homes. This was the first of what is intended to be an annual collaboration between the CCHS National Honor Society and the Concord Council on Aging.
"It was refreshing to be able to work together with my peers. Lots of community service opportunities have been put to a halt because of COVID-19, but the members of the National Honor Society were all happy we were able to get outside and do community service together."
-Linda Xu
While the yard work was laborious, it was really satisfying seeing the final product of a raked yard! It was super fun to work with my friends in such nice weather and you can definitely tell just how grateful the seniors are to have a helping hand! -Akshaya Seetharam
Akshaya Seetharam, Joe Vann, and Stephanie Donovan raking
Will Delise and Tal Kronrad cleaning out a flower bed
Annie Creamer and Anna Jasinski pruning hydrangeas
Nick and Christian Healy, Ryan Nigborwicz, Joachim Laurent, Arya Naidu, and Vishal Chandra dumping a tarp full of leaves over a stone wall
- submitted by Vicky Chan and Madeleine Pooler
Congratulations to senior Cooper Jones for being named the DCL MVP this year! In addition, Cooper was named to the all-Emass, all-state, and all New England teams (only 11 players in Massachusetts were named all New England).
Last month CCHS Class Government members kept the annual senior citizen Thanksgiving luncheon alive. Students and staff packaged and distributed 260 Thanksgiving lunches to senior citizens throughout Concord and Carlisle.
All meals were produced in-house by Bryce MacKnight and his incredible staff. Thank you to the Parents Association, the Concord and Carlisle councils on aging, as well as the Concord and Carlisle friends of the aging. Also, thank you to all the generous people who kindly made financial contributions to make this event a success.
Thanks to all the students who made this event possible and a special thank you to CCHS seniors Zoe Jackson and Julia Clark who put in a tremendous amount of effort mapping delivery routes and managing pickup locations. Well done, all!
Tess Wood - Global Competence Certificate work with Project Literacy
By Becky Teiwes
We are proud to highlight CCHS senior, Tess Wood, and her Global Competence Certificate work with Project Literacy in Watertown, MA.
On November 10th, 2020, as part of her final presentation for the Global Competence Certificate, Tess Wood gave an incredible summary of the work she did as a volunteer with Project Literacy, a non-profit located in the Watertown Public Library that offers free services to adults learning to read, write, or speak English. Below is an excerpt from her essay:
"I stood there quietly for a moment, seeing how intertwined Daniel’s English ability was with a broader sense of identity. It’s true that language can tell you a person’s story, in some ways. Daniel’s Brazilian accent signals that he comes from somewhere else and that English isn’t his first language. But, when you only hear his accent, you don’t see the hours he spends on the homework assignments I give him. You don’t hear him ask question after question, some of which even I struggle to answer, about the subtleties he’s noticed in someone’s English. You don’t fundamentally understand what it's like to be him: to not speak the dominant language in a society that all-too-often quantifies an English ability with a larger judgment of intelligence."
To read Tess's complete essay, click here. And to see her Google Slide Presentation highlighting her experience, click here.
If you have questions about the Global Competence Certificate, please reach out to Rachel Washa at rwasha@concordcarlisle.org or click on this link for more info.
National Signing Day
Congratulations to the following students for signing their National Letter of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at the next level. We are so proud of all you have done and look forward to following your career in college.
Pictured below in order:
Roman Ercoli- St. Anselm
Sophia Eckler - Providence
Ryan Grace - Quinnipiac
Gabrielle Mirak - West Point
Connor Trant - St. Joseph's
Charlie Reichle - Georgetown
IMSCC is celebrating 40 years of music lessons in our schools with faculty performances posted online through the end of 2020. On October 30, the featured performer of the week was IMSCC alum and recent CCHS graduate Marisa Ih, clarinetist. Marisa's performance, in collaboration with student pianist Naomi Yamaguchi, is online here. Marisa is currently a freshman at Oberlin Conservatory. IMSCC congratulates these students!
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