Friday, June 9, 2017

Graduation, Girls Tennis, Rivers & Revolutions, Girls Lacrosse, Spamalot, Kiefer Read, New Staff & More


Photo by Iolanda Volpe

Graduation Ceremony

On June 3rd, under partly cloudy skies and a slight sprinkle, we graduated the Class of 2017. In Class of 2017 fashion, the ceremony was exceptional filled with great music, excellent speeches by CCHS faculty member, Ashley Cohane and senior class president, Eliza Davidian.  We wish the Class of 2017 nothing but great success.  On behalf of the entire CCHS educational community, I thank you, members of the Class of 2017, for being inspirational human beings who fill us with high hopes for the future.

Michael Mastrullo's Speech

Class President, Eliza Davidian's Speech

Ashley Cohane's Commencement Address

Concord Journal 2017 Graduation Photos

Concord Journal Graduation Article

Senior Will Bojanic Concord Journal Article




Girls Lacrosse Amazing Season Continues
Wednesday night the CCHS Girls Lacrosse Team advanced to the MIAA Division 1 East Sectional Final with a 14-9 victory over league rival Westford Academy. The Patriots were paced by Junior Kylee Bowen and Freshman Fallon Vaughn (each with 4 goals and 1 assist). Senior Amelia Slade was outstanding in goal with eight saves. 

After graduating nine starters last June, many thought 2017 would be a rebuilding year. Great team chemistry and solid leadership from team captains Allie Haney, Annie Wilson, and Payton Vaughn has brought the team to a 17-3 record entering Friday night's championship game against Franklin High School. 



Photo by Wicked Local Staff Member Ann Ringwood 


Girls Tennis
The Girls Tennis team, led by coach Bob Fury and captains Maggie Dorr, Alex Muchinsky, and Rholee Xu, are enjoying a dominant season with a record of 15-2. In the first round of the playoff, CC Girls Tennis defeated Central Catholic in convincing fashion with a 5-0 victory.  The second round they defeated Burlington 4-1. 

The third round was played yesterday at Tufts University against number 1 seed Winchester. The Patriots clinched the match at second doubles when sophomores Caitlin McCarthy and Lillian Keefe won a hard fought game that propelled Girls Tennis to a 3-2 victory in the MIAA Division 2 North semifinals.  Maggie Dorr also performed well yesterday.  She has only lost 1 match all season.  That is not a typo!

Tomorrow we play Wayland for the North Title at Newton South at 4:00.  Good luck!

http://concord.wickedlocal.com/sports/20170609/concord-carlisle-girls-tennis-edges-winchester






Rivers & Revolutions
The first event I attended after being hired to be the principal last year was the Rivers and Revolutions Exhibition of Learning which is held annually at The Umbrella.  I remember vividly listening to student presentations where they shared highlights of their experience with the audience.  I remember one student imparticular who teared up while sharing what she deemed "a life changing semester."  

I harbored similar sentiments this year when I attended the event.  Touched by the deep connections the students have formed with each other and staff. I would highly encourage any member of the community to attend this event next year.  It is truly inspiring and one of the many reasons why I feel fortunate to be the principal at CCHS. 

By Michael Goodwin
On May 24th, Rivers and Revolutions Cohort Ten celebrated the end of their semester at the Umbrella Community Arts Center. Through the stewardship program - an integral part of the Rivers experience - students designed, built, and curated the exhibition which served as the backdrop for the evening: Where am I? When am I? Spring’s Arrival Beside a Vernal Pool. Much as a vernal pool provides essential and temporary habitat for a wide array of rare and beautiful creatures, so Rivers and Revolutions creates a learning community that offers profound experiences for a diverse array of students. The event was attended by several hundred people -  including many friends, family members, and Rivers alumni. The evening culminated in a series of powerful remarks from students, including the following from recent graduate Mia Royce.

By Mia Royce
"If we look at the phrase “experiential learning,” it appears quite simply to mean, well, learning through different experiences. Upon hearing this out loud, the definition seems to be just a mere skeleton of what experiential learning means for us in Rivers. Experiential learning is: 

Being on the brink of frostbite, sitting in 3 feet of snow after a 40-minute trudge deep into Fairyland… While reading a story about an Arctic adventurer who ACTUALLY IS, in fact, quickly dying of frostbite.

It means, gathering around a little sand table and using tiny archeologist brushes to uncover an ancient fossils at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

It means, reading a poem about the great metaphor of the river meeting the sea, and then, a mere 40 minutes later, having our toes in the water watching the Concord River spew out into the Atlantic Ocean.

It means, pondering the meaning of life and living deliberately while rambling the sandy shores of Walden Pond.

Experiential learning is wandering through a tranquil arboretum, Arnold Arboretum, in the heart of the bustling city while we explore the value of hidden gems in our lives and in ourselves.

Yet still, experiential learning is more than these adventures, more than getting on a bus, and more than a bullet point on the daily agenda. Experiential learning is:

Watching my classmates’ eyes fill with wonder, with their heads tilted upwards at the swirling planetarium sky.

It is a room filled up with Oohs, Ahhs, and gasps as the glassblowers at Diablo Glass School poor lava over a tree-stump to make art.

It is seeing the toothy smile and hearing the giddy laugh of a friend as they shake dirt from the dense network of roots of an especially stubborn (and especially invasive) Buckthorn.

Experiential learning, the Rivers way, is so far beyond mere learning through experience. It is the big adventures and the little moments that really teach us what it means to love a cohort and how to be curious and excited about each other and the world."

The event marked the conclusion of five years of the program. At this point, 500 students have been through the program, and area schools have been taking notice. We are proud that Rivers receives visitors from schools across the state on a regular basis as these communities aim to create interdisciplinary, experiential programs of their own. This year alone, Rivers faculty and students have been working with the following communities: Danvers, Charlestown, Weston, Scituate, Wellesley, Duxbury, Shrewsbury, and St. Mark’s. 

Please note that there are still several slots available for both the fall and spring semesters school year 2017-2018. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to your guidance counselor and Michael Goodwin (migoodwin@concordcarlisle.org) as soon as possible. 


For a detailed description of the program, as well as a full collection of student testimonials and access to print and television coverage, please visit: www.riversandrevolutions.or








Best, Worst Designer In The World?
By Michael Hamblin
Kiefer Reed is a sophomore at CCHS and a member of our Robotics team. Recently he entered a design competition held by Make Magazine. He did this through his own initiative and not as part of any course or program here at the school. 

This was a wide-open competition across the world open to all ages. While the contest was for the design of a practical joke the effort and design ingenuity is not a joke.  It takes great skill. 


Follow the link for more information about the competition and details about Kiefer's accomplishment.
http://makezine.com/2017/03/31/april-fools-contest-worst-cup-ever/




Spamalot Production
The CCHS production of Spamalot was nominated for an amazing 8 awards. The Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild's Musical Theatre Awards will be held Saturday, June 24.  Good luck!

Concord Patch Article





Congratulations to Our New Staff

Congratulations to our new staff for completing a successful first year.  They have worked very hard to connect, engage, and inspire our students.  Well done!  Thank you to Iolanda Volpe for running the mentor program that allowed our new teachers to not only get acclimated to our new school but also to grow as educators.  

Back Row (Left to Right): Stephanie Omobono (Math) Sarah Khan (Math) Amanda Thompson (Science)  Marie Stevens (English) Sue O'Connor (ELL) Andrew Fall (Science) 

Front Row (Left to Right): Matt Rudman (Guidance) Ryan Palmer (Science) Hollie Haycock (World Languages)

Not Pictured: Jenna Lashley (H&F) (Kori Pasternak (WL) James Truncer (Science)
(photo credit  C. Smith)


Summer Reading

By Robin Cicchetti
The CCHS faculty is also building a reading culture! In our third year of reading we are The
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. We invite you to join us in reading the winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize.

Here is a list of what members of the CCHS will be reading over the summer. Following that are some recommendations of favorite books
Summer Faculty Reading


What are you reading?
With the wonderful summer months comes time to slow down, unplug, and read. In addition to our recommended list of wonderful books, we also have some additional resources to get you thinking about the importance of reading in our world. Members of the CCHS faculty have also shared some of their summer reading selections. In the fall, as a way to reconnect after the vacation, we will discuss summer reading during advisory.

CCHS Learning Commons 2017 Summer Reading Recommendations


Be Thoreau
Join Be Thoreau, an online conversation on learning led by Thoreau, Concord Public Schools, Concord-Carlisle Regional School District, and Concord Museum. Read more about the project or contribute your own creative media to the conversation at:http://www.concordps.org/be-thoreau / 


Summer Work Permit Information
Summer Work Permit Procedure

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