When the program was instituted, the Civil Rights movement was at its peak; to the creators of the program and the first students who participated, I stand in awe of the courage and foresight of the program. I applaud the town of Concord for being one of the founding members of the program. We are so very proud of our participation in the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunities program. The students from Concord, Carlisle, and Boston are all the better for it. We are fortunate to have a dedicated METCO Director who cares deeply about kids and the program. Please read on for some recent METCO event highlights, upcoming events, and some CCHS students who are doing some pretty amazing things.
By Aaron Joncas
METCO is a state-funded, voluntary desegregation program that began in Massachusetts in 1966. It currently operates in thirty-one cities and towns in Greater Boston and seven in Greater Springfield. Concord-Carlisle welcomed its first students in September of 1967, and our program is home today to 141 students in grades K-12 from neighborhoods throughout Boston.
Our METCO Program enjoyed a busy weekend. On Saturday, CCHS teacher Hanna Bruno and I took 24 students to Project Adventure in Beverly for a day of ropes course challenges to kickoff POWER (Positive Opportunities With Engaging Relationships), our mentor program for Boston students. In POWER, 11th and 12th-grade students are matched with 9th-grade students to provide guidance and positive peer support. The upperclassmen develop leadership skills while the freshmen are able to lean on their student mentors during the transition to high school. It was a rewarding day for all of us!
On Sunday the CCHS and Concord Public Schools communities came together at CCHS to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of METCO in Concord with an outdoor picnic. Over 100 current and former students and their families joined teachers and staff on a beautiful afternoon. We are planning to invite more alumni back to campus this year to share their experiences with students in honor of this special anniversary.
Our gratitude to the CCHS Parents Association for generously funding the picnic provided by Trail's End Cafe. A group of teachers and staff were also instrumental in making the day a success!
Keep an eye out for upcoming news about future events commemorating METCO this year!
Kicks for Cancer
Started in 2007, Kicks for Cancer is played annually in support of all families who have been touched by this awful disease. All proceeds from the evening’s game will be donated in memory of Lois Wells to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to support woman's cancer research. Teams will wear pink or teal uniforms to support breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
For the first three years of the event, only one game was played. Starting in 2010, Kicks for Cancer expanded to 2 games. The following year the event expanded again, featuring 6 games and now features 10 matches between some of the top high school soccer teams in Massachusetts. The 2017 Kicks for Cancer event will see 7 recent state champion teams take the field.
Since it's inception, Kicks for Cancer has raised $288,148.54
2016 - $60,021.00
2015 - $46,940.00
2014 - $44,307.65
2013 - $33,409.01
2012 - $28,989.96
2011 - $28,273.27
2010 - $17,051.00
2009 - $10,124.25
2008 - $11,032.40
2007 - $8,000.00
The 2016 Kicks for Cancer raised $60,021.00
http://www.cchsmenssoccer.com/kicks-for-cancer
By Ray Pavlik
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Lois Wells Memorial Kicks for Cancer. Lois is the mother of our very own Steve Wells. Tomorrow, 9/23, many of the top men's and women's teams in the state will play matches on the CCHS turf fields and wear special pink and blue game jerseys honoring people in their lives who have battled cancer by wearing the names of their loved ones on their backs. It is common to see players have, Nana, Pop or Mom and Dad on their jerseys as they play.
There will be eighteen local schools participating in twelve full-length games that will run 10:00 am through 7:00 pm. 24 soccer teams, 20 Varsity, 4 Junior Varsity, girls and boys teams will play. CCHS JV and Varsity girls field hockey teams will play "Sticks For Cancer" 10:00 am and 11:30 am.
By Aaron Joncas
METCO is a state-funded, voluntary desegregation program that began in Massachusetts in 1966. It currently operates in thirty-one cities and towns in Greater Boston and seven in Greater Springfield. Concord-Carlisle welcomed its first students in September of 1967, and our program is home today to 141 students in grades K-12 from neighborhoods throughout Boston.
Our METCO Program enjoyed a busy weekend. On Saturday, CCHS teacher Hanna Bruno and I took 24 students to Project Adventure in Beverly for a day of ropes course challenges to kickoff POWER (Positive Opportunities With Engaging Relationships), our mentor program for Boston students. In POWER, 11th and 12th-grade students are matched with 9th-grade students to provide guidance and positive peer support. The upperclassmen develop leadership skills while the freshmen are able to lean on their student mentors during the transition to high school. It was a rewarding day for all of us!
On Sunday the CCHS and Concord Public Schools communities came together at CCHS to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of METCO in Concord with an outdoor picnic. Over 100 current and former students and their families joined teachers and staff on a beautiful afternoon. We are planning to invite more alumni back to campus this year to share their experiences with students in honor of this special anniversary.
Our gratitude to the CCHS Parents Association for generously funding the picnic provided by Trail's End Cafe. A group of teachers and staff were also instrumental in making the day a success!
Keep an eye out for upcoming news about future events commemorating METCO this year!
Started in 2007, Kicks for Cancer is played annually in support of all families who have been touched by this awful disease. All proceeds from the evening’s game will be donated in memory of Lois Wells to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute to support woman's cancer research. Teams will wear pink or teal uniforms to support breast cancer and ovarian cancer.
For the first three years of the event, only one game was played. Starting in 2010, Kicks for Cancer expanded to 2 games. The following year the event expanded again, featuring 6 games and now features 10 matches between some of the top high school soccer teams in Massachusetts. The 2017 Kicks for Cancer event will see 7 recent state champion teams take the field.
Since it's inception, Kicks for Cancer has raised $288,148.54
2016 - $60,021.00
2015 - $46,940.00
2014 - $44,307.65
2013 - $33,409.01
2012 - $28,989.96
2011 - $28,273.27
2010 - $17,051.00
2009 - $10,124.25
2008 - $11,032.40
2007 - $8,000.00
The 2016 Kicks for Cancer raised $60,021.00
http://www.cchsmenssoccer.com/kicks-for-cancer
By Ray Pavlik
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Lois Wells Memorial Kicks for Cancer. Lois is the mother of our very own Steve Wells. Tomorrow, 9/23, many of the top men's and women's teams in the state will play matches on the CCHS turf fields and wear special pink and blue game jerseys honoring people in their lives who have battled cancer by wearing the names of their loved ones on their backs. It is common to see players have, Nana, Pop or Mom and Dad on their jerseys as they play.
There will be eighteen local schools participating in twelve full-length games that will run 10:00 am through 7:00 pm. 24 soccer teams, 20 Varsity, 4 Junior Varsity, girls and boys teams will play. CCHS JV and Varsity girls field hockey teams will play "Sticks For Cancer" 10:00 am and 11:30 am.
As part of the fundraiser we sell these jerseys to the public; 100% of the proceeds go to Dana Farber to support women's cancer research. We would love to have all members of the community in attendance this weekend. The campus will be full of athletic competitions all weekend.
Pink Dance
This Friday, September 22 the Pink Dance will be held in the cafe from 8:00pm to 10:30pm. Students may leave beginning at 10:00pm on their own. No student can leave before 10:00 unless picked up by a parent. Students must enter the dance through the cafeteria. All bags, coats, and sweatshirts must be left at the coat check. This is an all-school dance that raises money the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Teacher Spotlight
https://youtu.be/Ij0uFKWr1Fo
This week's teacher spotlight features Andy Marton, a new member of our math department. Andy summarizes his teaching philosophy this way. "My teaching is centered on helping students learn to think deeply and explore, rather than memorize formulas. I want to give them the tools they need, and encourage them as they find creative solutions to the problems I assign them."
Follow the link for the complete feature on Andy Marton.
Schuyler Winstanley
Sophomore, Schuyler Winstanley recently performed in the Learning Commons. I have included a short clip from her performance. She is really talented. Thanks, Schuyler.
Eagle Scout
Congratulations to Alejandro Cancio for earning the prestigious honor of Eagle Scout. Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Only four percent of Boy Scouts are granted this rank.
I asked Alejandro to share some his experiences working with the Boy Scouts.
"The Boy Scouts of America has offered me countless opportunities; I will forever be indebted to a program that is dedicated to developing young men into the leaders and innovators of tomorrow. The BSA has taught me many lessons, but I am going to highlight just three.
I joined Troop 132 (based here in Concord) in 2010 and quickly learned the ropes. Enamored with the acquisition of new talents, skills, experiences, and of course, shiny badges, I dove head first into scouting, and quickly moved up in the ranks. By the eighth grade, I had already been elected Senior Patrol Leader and had reached the rank of Life Scout (one below Eagle). It was here that I learned the first of my lessons. It’s simple, slow down. That’s it. What I realized, was that I had been running with my nose to the ground for 4 years. Yes, I learned a lot of skills and earned a lot of badges, but I had missed the ride. I realized the value of slowing down and experiencing every moment that comes to you; Time, as we all know is the one resource that is truly non-renewable, and it's important we appreciate every second.
With that lesson firmly tucked under my belt, I turned to face the rank of Eagle Scout. The BSA likens the rank to a mountain, and I can’t think of anything better to compare it to. If there is one thing that I have done a lot of in my life, it’s climbing mountains (physically and metaphorically). The second lesson that I learned helped me climb to the top of Eagle Peak, it goes something like this: Success isn’t something that just happens, we work hard to create a better tomorrow, but the thing is, the tomorrows keep coming. The only way to conquer a mountain, or to achieve something, is to constantly chisel away at the rock, until you have sculpted your future as you wish. Using this method, and working every day towards my goal, I received the rank of Eagle Scout in September, 2016.
The third lesson that I wish to highlight came from my experiences as a Junior Assistant Scoutmaster. What I came to realize while watching the entire troop as a whole, is that being a leader is not solely confined to fancy titles, or ranks; every single person, regardless of what your elected position, age, or ideas are, can be a leader. I learned that leadership is something that comes in all forms; sometimes all it takes is following the rules, and setting a good example to be an effective leader, and setting a good example is something anyone can do. Above all else, I learned that the best way to be a leader, regardless of who you are, is to lift up others and help them. Not only are you allowing them to become stronger, you in turn, make yourself stronger, you inspire others to do the same, and before long, you have helped to create a better community in which its members are collectively at their best.
Throughout the seven years that I have been a Boy Scout, I have grown immensely, and am forever grateful for all of the assistance, support and guidance that I have received along the way (especially to Bill Duggan, my Scoutmaster). Hopefully, I will be able to teach the lessons I have taken away, and provide guidance to scouting generations to come. I plan to continue with scouting for as long as I can, because if there is something I’ve realized, it’s that you’ve never learned it all; there’s a new mountain out there, go climb it."
 |
| Sacha Weksler |
International Students at CCHS
Every year Concord Carlisle High School welcomes several exchange students from all over the world. This year we have students from Belgium, Brazil, and Belgium. We are delighted to have them with us. They add diversity to our halls and a global perspective to our classrooms. Over the next three weeks, I will introduce you to our visiting students. The first edition features Sacha Weksler, a student from Belgium.
Where are you from?
I am from Belgium and I live in the capital, Brussels.
Please tell us a little about the town/city you live in and what your high school is like?
My city is pretty big, there are a few parks but the majority of the city is made up of buildings. Moreover, we have a European district because Brussels is not only the Belgium capital, it is also Europe’s capital. I live on the edge of the city, so it is pretty quiet. I have a forest just next to my house.
Why did you want to come to the United States and Concord Carlisle to study?
I wanted to come to the US because my sister did it 10 years ago and she told me things about the US that made me want to live there myself. Moreover, I wanted to “learn” English for my future study ( Business School ) and CC is a very high-level school so it can help me in my ambition.
How has your experience been so far?
My experience now is very nice, students are kind with me, they help me to integrate into the school, my host family is just perfect and I have already done a lot of things since the beginning of my travel, only 1 month ago...
What are you most excited about?
I’m waiting for the holidays like Halloween, Christmas, New Year,... because here, everything is big hahaha, you live the holiday, there is so much decoration while in Belgium we don’t have that. And I am waiting for the Prom too!
Anything else you would like to share?
I don’t know… Maybe that all the people that I already met are great and I hope meet new people all year.
Pathways Blog
The purpose of the Pathways Blog is to help keep students, parents and other interested parties up-to-date on exciting Pathways news and events. The blog is located at the following internet address: http://cchspathways.
We hope you enjoy this new method of communication and we are excited to be able to easily share all the great things that are going on withPathways students every day.
We hope you enjoy this new method of communication and we are excited to be able to easily share all the great things that are going on withPathways students every day.
MIT-Concord Research Team
By Doug Shattuck
The MIT-Concord Research Team began in 2015 when seven CMS students were invited to conduct original research with MIT's Laboratory for Atomistic and Molecular Mechanics. Their work was published and presented at a national conference in 2016. Ten additional students joined the team in 2016 and continued the project and their work was also published and presented at the 2017 national Microscopy and Microanalysis Conference.
Five members of the team interned in the lab last summer working on different projects. They presented their findings to the Lab on Sept 20 and were invited to return again next summer.
CCHS Social Media
If you are interested in following us on social media, here are the links:
Facebook @concordcarlislehs
Twitter - Mike Mastrullo @MJM_CCHS
Twitter - Brian Miller @CCHSAPMiller
Twitter - Leslie Knight @LPK_CCHS
Instagram @concordcarlislehs
Blogger (principal’s blog) @cchsmm
Pictures from the recent METCO events.
No comments:
Post a Comment