Spring Sports Registration, Art Awards, Athletics, New Bell Schedule

 

We hope your February vacation is off to a great start. Whether you are somewhere warm and sunny, on the ski slopes, or enjoying time at home we hope everyone is getting lots of rest, relaxing downtime, and spending quality time with family and friends. Our school breaks always come at perfect times and everyone deserves a little rest. Many of our sports teams have been busy over the break and have achieved some excellent and noteworthy accomplishments. It's hard to believe we are approaching the month of March in just a few days. Enjoy the rest of your break and we look forward to seeing to back at CCHS on the 27th!

Spring Sports Registration Deadline

Registration for spring sports is happening now! The deadline to register is March 14. Please remember there are no late registrations accepted.

Scholastic Art Awards

Please congratulate CCHS’ 11 winners from the Scholastic Art Awards! You can view the winner’s artwork here.

Michelle Gu, Smoke Signals, Honorable Mention

Ren Cattafe, Anxious Comfort, Silver Key

Erin Gage, Trapped in Daydreams, Silver Key

Sally Stevens, Butterfly in a Garden, Silver Key

Sophia Annunziata, Unnatural, Honorable Mention

Lucia Eckler, Protege, Gold Key

Aiden Moroney, Anonymous, Honorable Mention

All Whalen, Death and Decay, Silver Key

Adam Foulds, Sunrise Snowplow, Gold Key

Michael Fink, Invasive Plastic, Gold Key

Lucas Milliken, Triple Caution, Silver Key

CCHS Girls Nordic Ski Team

A HUGE congratulations to our Girls Nordic Ski Team for clinching the State Championship (again)! Way to go!

CCHS Boys Hockey

Congratulations to CCHS Boys Hockey for their victory over Bedford High School on Saturday, February 18. 

CCHS Wrestling

Congratulations to Jonathan Charles (3rd place), Joe Lavery (6th place), and Eddie Myles (8th place)! CCHS Wrestling finished 9th as a team! Best of luck to Jonathan and Joe, who will compete next Friday and Saturday at the All-State Tournament in Reading, MA.

CCHS Track and Field

Congratulations CCHS Track and Field for their excellent 2nd place finish in the Division Two State Championship!! Great job CCTF!!

Congratulations to senior, Obi Akubude, who was D1 State Champ in the 300 m and 55 m hurdles. Girl's track finished 2nd overall in D1. 

Girl’s Swim

Congratulations to the girl's swim team, who won the North Sectional for the 1st time in school history! They finished 4th in state, overall!

Boys Hoop and Hockey

Congratulations to the boys’ hoop and hockey who qualified for the state tournament starting next week, February 27!

Fencing

The CCHS Fencing team will compete in the state championship on Sunday, February 26 in Boston. Good luck to the CCHS Fencing team!!

Alpine Ski

The Alpine Ski state championships will be held on Tuesday, February 28. Henry Flint, Drew Callen for the boy's team, and Eliza Todd and Delaney Remington for the girls, are competing. Good luck to all of our skiers!!

New Winter Sports

CCHS has added cheerleading and gymnastics this winter as new sports. For any athletic information, please visit our Athletics website here. 

New Bell Schedule Announcement for the 2023-2024 School Year

As you know, we are thrilled to announce that we will have a new bell schedule for the 2023-2024 school year. If you missed our webinar on February 15th you can check it out here. And if you missed our original blog post about the new bell schedule, you can find it here.

New Bell Schedule Announcement for the 2023-2024 School Year

 

We are excited to announce that we will have a new bell schedule for the 2023-2024 academic year.  This schedule is the first major change to the bell schedule at CCHS in 20+ years.  We believe the new schedule will better meet the current needs of students and staff and are proud of where things landed.

Why?

The current bell schedule has many embedded challenges. Some of these challenges include:

• Not all students have lunch every day.
• There is no time built into the school day for every student to get extra help from teachers, make-up work, or complete homework. This creates more stress at home and reduces the amount of sleep students get each night.
• The pace of the day for students and teachers is incredibly fast-paced within the current schedule.
• In four out of five days, the same block is first, and in four out of five days, the same block is last, creating inequitable learning experiences among sections.
• Some classes meet four times a week for a longer period and some meet five times a week for a short period, making it hard to plan and create continuity among sections.

Process

The CCHS Administration, Leadership Team, and Faculty started work to develop a new bell schedule in early 2020.  However, in March 2020, COVID required us to shift our focus.  

Last spring (May 2022), faculty and staff members re-engaged with the work by creating a Bell Schedule committee to develop different sample drafts.  Throughout the process, the committee, the Administration, Leadership Team, and the Concord-Carlise Teachers Association (CCTA) met with students, teachers, and Administrators from other Districts (Lexington, Newton, Winchester) who had highly positive experiences with flex blocks and the benefits it brought to their school communities.  After sharing several iterations and drafts with the whole faculty, various attributes were compared and contrasted, and those with the most support were further developed.

Benefits and Attributes 

We are confident that the new bell schedule will benefit students and staff.  

Flex Blocks

One of the most significant benefits to our schedule is the addition of two 56-min flex blocks per week.  While we are still working out the exact logistics of these blocks, these will be a time when students can schedule themselves to meet with a teacher to get extra help, collaborate with a classmate, make up a test, go to the band room for extra practice, enjoy time in the gym, read a book in the library or complete homework in a classroom.  Additionally, flex blocks will be a time when a teacher can require a student to come for extra help to either clarify a misconception or provide a small-group and focused learning experience.

We will seek feedback from students and staff over the coming months regarding flex blocks.  The goal of flex blocks is to create time and space for students to get more work done during the school day and reduce the overall burden once they get home.

Lunch

Lunch will no longer be a block to be scheduled in the day, and all students and staff will have lunch every day.  There will be two main lunches (first lunch, 11:00 - 11:41 am, and last lunch, 12:00 - 12:41 pm).  Students will be assigned their lunch block based on the class/department adjacent to lunch on that given day.  For example, if a student has a D block English class, they will have first lunch on Monday and Wednesday, and if the same student has an E block Math class, they will have last lunch on Tuesday and Thursday, and if the student has F block Social Studies, they will have first lunch on Friday.  The example above is shown in the diagram below in red font.

The result of this method is that all students will have lunch every day.

Consistent Block Length and Rotation

While it might seem like a small matter, the consistency of block length across all five days simplifies processes and reduces cognitive load.  Additionally, in the new schedule, there is a more equitable rotation between the first blocks of the day and the last blocks of the day.  

Early Release

While not shown in the above bell schedule, we will have an early monthly release for high school students on Wednesdays (roughly 1:15 PM Dismissal).  We are still refining these details but roughly once per month, students will be dismissed early.

Student Stress

Our goals and beliefs are that the new schedule will reduce student stress by providing flex blocks during the week and having increased consistency throughout the week. Additionally, there are multiple days during the week where only four blocks meet which reduces the amount of homework required on the previous nights.

Advisory

In our new schedule, there is no advisory.  This time has been included in our Flex Blocks. We remain committed to providing Social-Emotional learning experiences for all of our students.  We are already in discussions with our Guidance and Counseling department to discuss opportunities and ways in which this can happen.  We believe that the increased time students may spend with a teacher or adult in the building during flex blocks will help them to have more and deeper connections with adults throughout the building. We will continue to have discussions to seek feedback and input.

Questions

If you have any questions or comments regarding the new schedule, please enter them on this google form.  We will continue to provide updates about the new bell schedule as we revise details, and we will do our best to answer all of these questions in future communications.

Below is a recording of the presentation and slide deck that we did for students:

Recording - February 8, 2023.  Also, here is the slide deck we used to present.

We will also be hosting a presentation and zoom for students and parents/guardians on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at 7:00 PM. 

Topic: New Schedule Presentation.

Please click here to join the webinar. Passcode: 517311

Closing

We know that transitions can be hard, particularly for teenagers.  We also recognize that change can be challenging when it is something as entrenched in school culture as a bell schedule.  However, we firmly believe that the new schedule will create a better learning environment and decrease stress for all students. We are incredibly excited and confident about the possibilities the future will bring for our community.

Principal's Blog: February 5, 2023

Black History Month

Periodic Table of Black History created by Dr. Mike Vela and Rebecca Bryant-Gates, CCHS Science Department!

As February begins, we are reminded of the significance of Black History Month and the important role it plays in celebrating and honoring the contributions and achievements of African Americans.

At CCHS, we strive to create an inclusive environment where every student feels a sense of belonging and respect, regardless of their background or differences. Celebrating Black History Month is an important part of this effort, as it helps to educate and bring awareness of the rich cultural heritage of African Americans and promote understanding and unity among all members of our school community. These achievements should not only be celebrated in February but every day.
 
Throughout February, every department at our school will be intentionally celebrating the achievements and contributions of Black people. This will not only provide a platform for educating our students about Black history and culture but also help to create a sense of pride and empowerment for our Black students. Whether its the daily slides shared in our classrooms or on our campus-wide TVs highlighting achievements of people like Mildred Loving, Ibtihaj Muhammad, or Laverne Cox, or learning about Black athletes of color in Health and Fitness, or famous Black mathematicians and scientists in their respective fields, all students will learn about the rich cultural heritage of African Americans in our society. Additionally, we have spent a lot of time meeting with and listening to the concerns of our Black and Brown students over the last year. We have made great strides in creating additional opportunities and support throughout our community to make sure all students feel seen and heard. In the Spring of 2024, we are thrilled to be offering a new course, Bringing Black History to CCHS, which is something our students have been desiring for a while. We are excited to finally make this a reality.
 
Black History Month is not only about remembering and celebrating the past, but also about recognizing African Americans' ongoing struggles and triumphs in our society today. By taking the time to reflect on and appreciate the contributions and accomplishments of Black individuals, we can help to create a sense of pride and empowerment for our Black students and inspire them to reach their full potential.

In addition to educating our students about Black history and culture, it is also essential for us as a school community to actively work to address and overcome any biases or prejudices that may still exist. By promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all aspects of our school life at CCHS and among our students, we can help to create an environment where all students feel valued and respected.

New Courses at CCHS

We are thrilled to bring several new courses to CCHS next year! There is something for everyone and we are hoping our students take advantage of these fantastic new offerings. Our new courses include: Bringing Black History to CCHS, The Classical Age: Founding Myths, Revolutions: 1789 to the present, The Human Body, The Science of Food and Cooking, Advanced Earth Science: Geology, JROTC: Army 1, Advanced Sculpture, 9th Grade Band, and Explorations: Musicianship Workshop. Please check out more details about these courses here.

Rivers Information Night

Rivers Zoom Info Session, Tuesday, February 7 at 7:30 pm. Please click HERE to register. Questions? Email acohane@concordcarlisle.org.

CCHS on TV - High School Quiz Show

Please tune in to GBH-2 this Saturday at 6 PM as Concord Carlisle takes on Melrose in the opening

round of the High School Quiz Show.

All-State Auditions

On Saturday, January 21st, musicians from Concord-Carlisle High School's bands, choirs, and orchestras attended the Massachusetts Music Educators Association's (MMEA) All-State Festival Auditions at Shrewsbury HS. These students were selected from the top 50% of those accepted to the MMEA Eastern District's Senior Festival and competed against their peers from across the Commonwealth for a spot in one of the highly selective ensembles that will perform at Symphony Hall later this year.

Approximately 40-50% of auditioning students are accepted for this honor each year. Concord-Carlisle far-surpassed this metric with an unbelievable 94% of students accepted to the All-State Festival. The concert will be held on Saturday, March 4th at Symphony Hall in Boston and is open to the public.

Later in January, on the 28th, several of our 9th-grade musicians auditioned for the MMEA Eastern District Junior Festival at Needham HS. Out of the 765 students that auditioned from the 30 cities and towns in our district, only 382 were accepted. This concert will be held on Saturday, March 11th at Lincoln-Sudbury HS and is open to the public.

The CCHS Music Department is incredibly proud of these students and their holistic approach to the audition: focusing on the experience, the opportunity for personal growth, and the journey over destination and outcome.

Please join us in congratulating the students listed below for their hard work! They represented our community magnificently!

MMEA ALL-STATE RESULTS

# = Principal/First-Chair

2023 All-State Orchestra

Anthony Babu, '26 - Trumpet

Raymond Chan, '24 - Bass

Carson Enes, '24 - Bass Clarinet #

Sofia Hughes, '26 - Flute

Brandon Li, '24 - Clarinet

Benjamin Lyczkowski, '24 - Trumpet #

Maya McCabe, '24 - Violin

Sophie Richardson, '23 - Trombone #

2023 All-State Concert Band

Theodore Collins, '25 - Trombone

Samuel Richman, '24 - Alto Saxophone

Ian Wolossow, '23 - Percussion

2023 All-State Choir

Alessandra Giragos, '23

Benjamin Pixley, '25

Marina Ricker, '24

Noah Zall, '24

MMEA EASTERN DISTRICT JUNIOR FESTIVAL STUDENTS

# = Accepted to Festival

Sophie Hong, '23 - Violin #

Abigail Krinicich, '23 - Violin #

Ryan Ma, '23 - Violin

Gabrial McCauley, '23 - Clarinet #

Elise McMorrow, '23 - Trumpet

Leah Greenberg

Leah joined BSA (Boy Scouts) in 2019, and the first-year girls were allowed to join. She is the first female in Concord to achieve the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout.

Inspired by her cousin’s stories about Boy Scouting, as a kid, she signed petitions for girls to be allowed in and was overjoyed when she could finally join a troop. Because Concord does not yet have a troop for girls, she joined Troop 12 in Acton. Over three years, she earned over 21 merit badges, such as First Aid, Hiking, Cycling, and Citizenship in the Community. She won National Outdoor Awards for Hiking, Camping, and Riding (cycling). She organized an American History Trip that involved cycling, canoeing, and walking throughout Concord and solving puzzles at each site. She also participated in numerous leadership positions and was the first elected Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 12. Her year in this leadership position involved overseeing and planning troop activities and running weekly troop meetings.

During her three years in the troop, it grew from approximately ten scouts to about thirty today,

including five scouts from Concord. She did much camping and hiking with the troop, such as a

week-long hiking trip on the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire and a week canoeing in the

Allagash Wilderness Waterway with Maine High Adventure. Her Eagle Scout Project, which she

completed in the spring of 2022, involved leading a group of volunteers to construct and fill

vegetable planter boxes for First Parish in Concord, followed by a planting day for the religious

education program. She continues to be involved in the troop as an Assistant Scoutmaster.

Congratulations Leah!

Leah Greenberg with Anna Campbell at their Court of Honor. They are the first female Eagle Scouts for Concord and Acton.

Lunar New Year 2023

Happy Chinese New Year! January 22, 2023, marks the beginning of a New Year -- the Lunar New Year. This day is also known as the Chinese New Year. Separately, we also bid farewell to the Year of the Tiger and welcome the Year of the Rabbit.

CCHS staff member Bo Feng made this piece using a wood-burning technique  (pyrography) that is truly awe-inspiring.  Needless to say, in addition to being a great teacher, Bo is an amazing artist.

Troop 132, Coats for Kids & Families, CCHS Coat Drive

Concord Scout Troop 132 would like to thank the Concord-Carlisle High School community for its support of the 2022-23 Coat Drive. With your help, we collected 61 coats this year. That's 61 people whose winters will be a little warmer, thanks to your generosity. Coats were cleaned by Anton's Cleaners in Wayland and then distributed to local non-profits, schools, and social service agencies throughout New England. We would also like to thank Ms. Hammer very much for her guidance. If you were not able to donate a coat this year, no worries! You can still donate money to support Coats for Kids & Families' efforts at Donate - Coats for Kids and Families. Thank you again for all of your contributions, and see you next year!

-Grady Flinn, Class of 2025, Concord Scout Troop 132

Alessandra Giragos

On October 23, 2022, Be Here and Be Well and Concord Festival of Authors, presented the Concord Young Writers Award (CYWA) 2022, with guest judge Yung Pueblo, NYT's #1 Best Selling Author. It is with great excitement to announce that Alessandra Giragos, Class of 2023, was personally selected by Yung Pueblo as the winner of the Concord Young Writers Award for 2022! Congratulations, Alessandra and all the CCHS students who submitted their work for this event! 

About the Event:

The CYWA was co-created by Be Well Be Here founder and Concord Festival of Authors curator Lara Wilson, with Concord Public Schools DEI Director, Andrew Nyamekye. Diego Perez, known by 2.3 million Instagram followers as Yung Pueblo, discussed his new book, Lighter, as well as shared mindful wisdom that inspires us all to seek ease, engage in radical honesty, cultivate caring relationships, and show up for one another for the benefit of us all. The name Yung Pueblo means "young people," and it serves to remind him of his Ecuadorian roots, his experiences in activism, and that the collective of humanity is in the midst of important growth. Through writing and speaking, he aims to support the healing of the individual, realizing that when we release our personal burden, we contribute to global peace.

Lara Wilson, Alessandra Giragos, Yung Pueblo

Debate Team Updates

At the Newton South Winter Festival debates on Saturday, January 7, CCHS Debaters had a very successful day, clearing to elimination debates and qualifying three teams for the Massachusetts State Tournament in April.

In novice public forum debate, the team of Caroline Haskell & Noah Arthur were undefeated in the 5 preliminary rounds and won the final elimination round to take FIRST place in the novice competition. Along with Lucy Butler & Evan Moffitt, Caroline & Noah also qualified for states. CCHS also earned 4 speaker awards in Novice: Caroline Haskell (1st), Noah Arthur (5th), Evan Wang (6th) and Chengzhe (Kevin) Jiang (7th).

In the varsity public forum debate, the team of Wilbur Moffitt & Addy Richardson continued their winning ways with a state qualification and speaker awards to Wilbur (4th) and Addy (10th) in a field of 77 debaters.

CCHS Debaters Compete at Big Lexington: Arthur and Haskell Continue Winning Streak

CCHS Debate sent 6 teams to the most competitive tournament of the year so far, “Big Lexington,” on January 14 & 15. The tournament attracted the finest debaters from all over the country, and we had a great educational experience in addition to celebrating the great success of Noah Arthur & Caroline Haskell, who excelled for the second consecutive week. They had a record of 5 wins and 1 loss in preliminary debates and then won octofinals and quarterfinals before losing in semifinals, tying for 3rd place in a field of 60.

The rest of the team also had a great tournament: Competing in Public Forum Debate were Evan Wang & Lucy Butler, Anthony Babu & Chengzhe (Kevin) Jiang, April Tang & Sarafina Zhang, and Evan Moffitt & Addy Richardson. Felicity Zhang competed for the first time in Lincoln-Douglas debate, a one-on-one event based on philosophical argumentation.

CCHS Continues Winning Streak at Boston Latin School

For the third consecutive week, CCHS Debate had success, this time at the Keith West Memorial Tournament, held at Boston Latin School on Saturday, January 21. Each week, it appears that our teams take turns in distinguishing themselves, and on Saturday, the team of Chengzhe (Kevin) Jiang & Sarafina Zhang qualified for elimination rounds and placed 5th in the entire tournament. Sarafina was 10th speaker, Evan Wang was 7th speaker, and Kevin Jiang was 1st place speaker in the tournament!

All four of our teams qualified for the Massachusetts State Tournament this spring: Kevin & Sarafina, Lucas Leonard & George Schweitzer, Lucy Butler & Evan Wang, and Noah Arthur & Caroline Haskell.

Paying Tribute to the Great, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Every January one day is set aside to celebrate the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Monday, there is no school, but it is more than a day off.  It is a day to stop and reflect on one of the most prominent Civil Rights Leaders in our history. It is also a day to think about the sacrifice and fight Dr. King put forth to promote equal rights for all Americans. Some of you may spend this day in service-giving back to your community. Or, perhaps you will spend it attending a local gathering to celebrate the life, legacy, and principles of Dr. King and how it positively contributed to the world we live in today. 

Dr. King helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. On that day, tens of thousands of people gathered and marched together, peacefully protesting against the racial inequalities our nation was facing at that time. Our nation is still faced with inequities and challenges that are far-reaching and need to change. When you are thinking about how to stand up for these inequalities and how you can participate in these changes, think about the example that Dr. King has set for you. 

We have amazing students at CCHS who are empathetic, thoughtful, budding leaders, activists, and simply stated-good humans. We have no doubt that many of you will be out in the world fighting for a better tomorrow and a better future for all. Making change can be hard and can take time. When you are out in the world doing this, remember the words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

We would be remiss if we did not mention the new MLK statue located in Boston Common. This statue, “The Embrace”, honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta Scott King. It is a symbol of the hug they shared after Dr. King won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. We are so lucky to have this beautiful and significant piece of art right in our backyard. This monument will live on and serve as a reminder for people to come together to fight for what is right and good, to serve our communities, and to spread love.

- Katie Stahl and Brian Miller, Acting Co-Principals

"The Embrace," the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial sculpture, at Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts. Jan. 12, 2023. 

LANE TURNER/THE BOSTON GLOBE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Upcoming: Robyn Ochs Speaking Engagement with the Parent Community

 

Robyn Ochs is returning to Concord on Wednesday, February 1st, from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at Concord Carlisle High School. Robyn Ochs has been an advocate for and a member of the LGBTQIA+ community her entire life and has been among the founding members of several social justice groups over her career as an activist, an academic, a Harvard administrator, and the many other hats she has worn. Robyn's presentation for the parent community is titled: 

All the Letters: Understanding LGBTQIA+ Identities & Experiences -- How are people using and experiencing sexual orientation and gender in 2022? And what do you need to know to be culturally competent in this area?

Bring your questions and an open mind. Please click here to RSVP for this event. If you have questions regarding this event, contact DEIB Director Mr. Nyamekye at anyamekye@concordps.org.

Happy Holidays, Student Highlights, and much more!

 

It is with great pleasure that we share the last blog of 2022, featuring highlights from our incredibly talented students and staff. Warmest wishes for a happy holiday season and all the best to the entire CCHS community in the coming year!

- CCHS Administration

CCHS Students Attain the Rank of Eagle Scout

Lucas Herrero

Lucas Herrero from Concord Scout Troop 132 attained the rank of Eagle Scout this past August.  This involved earning over 21 merit badges, including First Aid, Cooking, Backpacking, Electricity, and SCUBA Diving, among others.  As part of the requirements for Eagle Scout, he also developed leadership skills by serving as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and then Senior Patrol Leader for the entire troop - the highest youth leadership position that involves overseeing and planning troop activities throughout the year and running weekly troop meetings.

 

For his Eagle Project, Lucas developed a project plan and sought sponsorship from the Concord Land Conservation Trust in order to build  4 bat boxes.  These serve as houses for bats in order to protect their dwindling numbers while also providing a natural way to minimize mosquitoes in the surrounding land.  The project involved fundraising, working with the Land Trust to find the best location for the project, and overseeing a team of volunteers to build and then install the bat boxes.

 

Lucas has also enjoyed numerous high adventure trips with the Scouts, including a 12-day, 100-mile backpacking trip in New Mexico, sailing in the Florida Keys, and summiting Mount Washington twice.  This past summer he went to New Mexico a second time for a two-week Trail Conservation trip that combined hiking with maintaining and creating trails.

Christian Perrotta

Christian Perrotta joined Boy Scout Troop 132 Concord at the end of fifth grade. Over the course of his seven years in the troop, Christian has hiked and biked across New England and mastered many outdoor skills. Christian has accumulated hundreds of community service hours, spent over one hundred nights camping, served in countless leadership positions, earned 28 merit badges, and attained the prestigious rank of Eagle Scout. Christian was also fortunate enough to complete a twelve-day 105-mile trek with his troop at Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico, during the Summer of 2021. During the Spring of 2022, Christian completed his Eagle Scout Project, which involved leading a group of volunteers through painting, building, and installing four wooden signs around the White Pond Reservation in Concord. Christian's Eagle Scout project will assist the town's long-standing effort to protect the natural beauty and environment of White Pond and its surrounding area.

Please join us in congratulating Lucas and Christian for

this outstanding accomplishment! 

Thanksgiving Luncheon

The Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Luncheon was held on Saturday, November 19. Every year, Class Government and the Council on Aging run this event to provide senior citizens in our community with a great meal for Thanksgiving.  Volunteers used a drive-through and delivery format.  On-site student volunteers packed and handed out the meals at CCHS and the Carlisle Fire Station. Student delivery drivers dropped meals at the residences of seniors who requested delivery.  Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers who made this happen for our seniors!

Debate Team Updates

vs. Lexington High School: CCHS debaters had a great showing at the Lexington High School in-person debate held at Lexington High School on Saturday, November 19. Three of our valiant novice debaters won medals and qualified for the Massachusetts State Debate Tournament, which will be held on March 25, 2023. Debating the topic: “Resolved: The United States’ strategy of Great Power Competition produces more benefits than harms,” the team of Noah Arthur and Caroline Haskell had a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, while Evan Wang, debating alone, also qualified for states with a 3 win-2 loss record. Also debating for CCHS were Addy Richardson and Kevin Jiang. Individual speaker awards went to Evan Wang (1st), Caroline Haskell (3rd), and Noah Arthur (11th). Pictured below: Evan, Noah, Caroline.

vs. Lincoln Sudbury High School: The CCHS Debate team had another great tournament at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on Saturday, December 3. CCHS sent 7 debaters and 3 adult judges for the full day of in-person debating. Debating in the varsity division, Wilbur Moffitt won the award for 8th place speaker. His achievement was especially remarkable because Moffitt was debating alone (mavericking) due to an illness on the team. All three of the CCHS’s novice teams qualified the the Massachusetts State Debate Tournament by earning records of 3 wins - 2 losses of better. Our teams were Caroline Haskell & Noah Arthur (4-1 record and 7th place team), Anthony Babu & Evan Wang (3-2 record), and Sarafina Zhang & Chengzhe Jiang (3-2 record). In addition, Chengzhe won the medal for 2nd place individual speaker in the field of 80 debaters.

Lumos Tournament: At the Lumos Debate Novice Tournament, held on Saturday, November 5, CCHS Debate Team novices had great success. Awards were given based on the success of teams and for individual speaker excellence. The team of Lucy Butler & Caroline Haskell took 2nd place with an undefeated 4-0 record, followed by Anthony Babu & Evan Wang, who were also undefeated (placement was based only on speaker points).  Lucas Leonard & Noah Arthur had a 3-1 record, and Chengzhe (Kevin) Jiang & Evan Moffitt went 2-2. Individual speaker awards went to Noah (2nd), Evan M. (3rd), and Chengzhe (7th).

Natick Holly Festival: CCHS Debaters Conclude 2022 with Success at Natick Holly Festival. Eleven members of Concord Carlisle’s Debate Team and 6 judges/coaches attended the last tournament of 2022 at Natick High School’s Holly Festival on Saturday, December 17, and came home with team and speaker trophies reflecting excellent records across the board. 

In the novice division The teams of Kevin Li & Caroline Haskell and Anthony Babu & Lucy Butler both had 4 win-1 loss records and placed 3rd and 4th, respectively. Individual speaker awards in the field of 65 debaters went to Caroline Haskell (FIRST PLACE), Anthony Babu (THIRD PLACE), and Evan Moffitt (FOURTH PLACE). Also debating in the novice division were Lucas Leonard, Sarafina Zhang, Chengzhe Jiang, and Maxime Pasty. In the Varsity Division, the team of Wilbur Moffitt & Addie Richardson (who debated in varsity even though she is a first year) had a record of 5 wins - 1 loss, and took SECOND PLACE in the tournament by winning the final debate of the day!

Congratulations Coaches Goldberg and McGrath

On December 7, Matt Goldberg and Dan McGrath were honored by the MIAA as Coaches of the Year in their respective sports - Matt in Girls Swim and Dive at CCHS and Dan in Boys Soccer at Reading HS. Matt was also selected as the NFHS Section 1 winner, which means he was selected as Coach of the Year from all of New England, New York, and New Jersey! We are lucky to have both of these dedicated educators working with our students. Congratulations, Coaches Goldberg and McGrath!

Academic Bowl Team

The Academic Bowl team qualified for this year’s WGBH High School Quiz Show. The CC team earned a slot in this year’s televised tournament by recording one of the highest scores among the 65 high schools that participated in the Super Sunday qualifying event held in November. CCHS will take on Melrose in a televised match on February 4th.  The team that earned the invitation to the High School Quiz Show tournament is captained by Will Del Sobral and includes Leah Greenberg, Thomas Griffin, Anthony Babu, and Keira Lonadier. Anyone wishing to join the Academic Bowl is invited to join us Thursday afternoons after school in Room 333.

CCHS Hosts Blood Drive

Student Senate is once again so grateful to work with Boston’s Children's Hospital. For years now, we have been hosting a blood drive for this hospital every fall and spring. In this recent blood drive, we had almost 30 donors give blood! We look forward to the next one in the spring and want to give the biggest thanks to those who gave blood. It really does make a difference.

-CCHS Student Senate

CCHS Musicians Excel at Regional Auditions

Musicians from our CCHS bands, choirs, and orchestras recently attended the MMEA Eastern District Senior Festival Auditions at Milton HS. Students who elected to participate spent several months - some since last June - preparing for these auditions. Out of the 853 students that auditioned from the 30 cities and towns in our district, only 442 were accepted. The top 50% of accepted students receive a recommendation to audition for the All-State Concert Festival.

Students accepted to the festival will attend a full-day rehearsal followed by a concert at Boston Latin School along with their peers from schools across MMEA's Eastern District. At the festival, students will work with a talented guest conductor and perform a rigorous concert program. The concert is on Saturday, January 7th in the Boston Latin HS Auditorium and is open to the public - tickets are available in advance, and I would be happy to facilitate your ticket purchase for this event!

The CCHS Music Department is incredibly proud of these students based on our holistic approach to the audition: focusing on the experience, the opportunity for personal growth, and the journey over the destination and outcome.

Please join me in congratulating the students listed below on all their hard work! They represented our community magnificently!

-Christopher Noce, Director of Bands & Orchestra

Rachel Anderson, Anthony Babu #+, Weston Bateman, Naomi Benyo #, James Bramley, Mariana Cadavid #, Sebastian Casimiro-Nuñez #+, Raymond Chan #+, Theodore Collins #+, Darian Cosic #, Daniel Edelman, Carson Enes #+, Robert (Grady) Flinn #, Anyuu Fong, Jack Gilmore #, Alessandra Giragos #+, Hannah Girma #, Kaia Haeni, Katie Han #, Warren Hansel, Nafeesa Hoda, Sophie Hong, Sofia Hughes #+, Claire Jennings #, Colin Jennings, Sarah Jonczyk, August Lee-Kovach, Brandon Li #+, Stephanie Liang, Mia Lipson, Benjamin Lyczkowski #+, Catherine Lynch, Joshua Ma, Maya McCabe #+, Nora Molten, Gabrielle Monagle-Fleming, Chloe Palmer, Benjamin Pixley #+, Katherine Pohlig, Delaney Remington, David Rennert, Sophie Richardson #+, Samuel Richman #+, Marina Ricker #+, Ranai Shah #, Mia Snorek-Yates, Lilly Soillis, April Tang #, Meilynn Teng #, Dia Wang, Alec Wei, Forrest Williams #+, Ian Wolossow #+, Noah Zall #+, Felicity Zhang

# = Accepted to Festival

+ = All-State Recommendation

MVP Training

I am so proud of all of you who participated in the MVP (Mentors in Violence Prevention) training November 16 and 17. As a group, you were very mature and thoughful as you discussed challenging topics such as sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and homophobia.  It was such a meaningful experience and I am grateful to all for being willing to commit two school days to prevent and stand up against gender-based violence.  This was our 6th annual MVP Training.  It is meaningful to see several students who participated in the 1-day MVP training as 8th graders choose to participate in the 2-day MVP training as high school students.  It is also meaningful to see many younger siblings of MVP leaders choose to follow in their older siblings’ footsteps!

We would also like to thank the parents for supporting their student in participating in the MVP Training.  Thanks especially to the many parents pitched in to contribute snacks (Heather Bout, Christine Brennan, Clair Trudeau, Kristen Avini, Lora Venessy, Liza Snell), organize the parents who brought snacks (Sandy Eisenbies), pick up and deliver pizza (Dan Reilly), and manage the t-shirt order (Bethany Gibson). Our apologies if we accidentally left any parents unnamed!

Ms. Slocum and Mr. Goldberg, MVP Advisors

3rd Annual Holiday Huddle

Thank you everyone for supporting the 3rd Annual CC Football Holiday Huddle.  We delivered over 250 toys to the Concord Fire Department this afternoon.  Assistant Chief Latta and CFD expressed their gratitude and talked to our players about how much this means to our community and local towns.  He said the demand for toys was even higher this year, and our donations would greatly impact many families this holiday season.

Thank you again for everyone's support.  Wishing everyone a healthy and happy holiday season! 

With Patriot Pride, Coach Reed

Toys for Tots

Eddie Myles (sophomore), Grady Snarr (sophomore), and Bella Myles (junior) organized a toy drive and fundraiser for the Toys for Tots Charity. The fundraiser ran through the end of November and the start of December. In total, they collected over 50 toys and raised almost $300 dollars! Thanks to everyone who helped us spread some holiday cheer!

-Eddie, Grady, and Bella

National Honor Society

Teams from the National Honor Society have volunteered at the houses of Concord senior citizens to perform fall clean up yard work. This is a wonderful collaboration between the NHS and the Concord Council on Aging that provides an opportunity for students to help senior residents who can no longer physically do the work themselves.  It was also an opportunity for the students to connect with senior residents, one of whom graduated from Concord High School in 1954 (and took Latin!), another who was a retired Thoreau School nurse and another the widow of former CCHS earth science teacher Wilson Flight.

I would like to give a special shout out to senior Cameron McCleod who, upon learning that the demand for services was greater than the supply of student volunteers, took the initiative to organize his scout troop to provide yard work at six additional houses.

- Madeleine Pooler, NHS Advisor

Here are a few photos of the students in action:

Gropius House Tour

On Thursday, November 10, the Architecture class visited the Gropius House in Lincoln for a guided tour. It was quite inspirational for our final project; a sight-specific tiny house that expresses the values of the scholar/artist who lives there. Gropius' modest home marked the beginning of the sustainable, efficient and inclusive house movement that eventually inspired many of the features we enjoy at CCHS! 

For more information regarding this local gem, please visit: 

www.historicnewengland.org/property/gropius-house/

Raku Fire

Ceramics teacher John Lindner partners with Rivers and Revolutions to conduct a Raku fire in the school parking lot. Raku is a Japanese firing technique that removes ceramic pieces from high heat and rapidly cools them to create a range of unique glaze reactions and colors. Students studied the relationship between the arts and science in their equilibrium unit and were allowed the opportunity to be hands-on in the firing of their own work. You can view all of the Raku fire photos here.

Institute of the Contemporary Art

Last Friday, Senior Honors English students from Mr. Patterson's classes braved the wind and rain for a field trip to the Institute of the Contemporary Art in Boston's Seaport Neighborhood. Students explored the ICA's eclectic collection of paintings, sculptures, video installations, and photographs while making connections between whimsical, puzzling, beautiful, and conceptually rigorous artworks, and key texts from the curriculum, such as Exit West, Frankenstein, and Hamlet. Students made especially insightful connections between certain artworks and the novel Exit West, Mohsin Hamid's magical realistic take on the global refugee situation, noting the wide array of refugee voices and experiences represented in the exhibitions. The students appreciated not only the art but also the opportunity to build community: "It's enriching," one student reported, "to build community outside of the classroom." 

Mr. Patterson and his students are grateful to co-chaperones Ms. Davidson (English), Ms. Dunn (Fine Arts), Mr. Krans (Science and Mathematics), and Mr. Pickman (Fine Arts) as well as the support of the CCHS Administration, English Department Chair Ms. Fleming, and the CPS Transportation Department, without whose support this trip would not have been possible.