Happy Thanksgiving!

A few thoughts entered my mind as I paused to admire the view outside of Mr. Sitnik’s room the morning after the first snowstorm of the year.  The first was of disbelief because in what seems like the blink of an eye, we already find ourselves at the beginning of the 2014 holiday season.  Where did the time go?

The second was one that has remained with me and grown over the Thanksgiving Holiday: gratitude.  My mind processed all of the incredible times and wonderful people I have been fortunate enough to experience since the beginning of the school year.  From greeting our Freshmen and their families in August, to sitting through a freezing night of soccer in late November cheering in the Boys and Girls 2014 Western Massachusetts Champions, and every classroom visit and conversation with a student, faculty, or community member in between, this has unequivocally been the most meaningful professional experience of my career and my heartfelt thanks goes out to all that have been a part of it. This is a truly special place and I believe strongly that our school’s best days lay ahead!

In closing, I would like to invite all of you to a very special community event at the High School this Thursday, December 4th at 6:00pm.  We are delighted to be able to present in conjunction with Monson HEARS and through the generous support of the Monson Athletic Boosters and Country Bank, an evening with former NBA player Chris Herron.  Chris will share his personal story of addiction and recovery that has been an inspiration to people all over the country.  I hope to see you then!

October

It has been a great October at Monson High School.  Both our Girls and Boys Soccer teams have finished strong regular seasons and are getting ready for the playoffs.  The Boys and Girls Cross Country runners had an impressive showing at their final home meet of the season defeating both Palmer and Southwick.  The Golf Team even had a hole in one!

In academics, our senior class set a new school record for the number of students awarded the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for strong performance on the MCAS!  I am so proud of our students accomplishments in our classrooms and beyond.

I look forward to getting the One Act Festival up and running in the coming weeks and of course to take in our student's performances.

This week the first term will be ending for Semester One.  If you have questions or concerns about your child's performance, I strongly encourage you to reach out to their teachers and partner up with them in strategizing how your child can improve in their class.

This Saturday night, will be the Halloween dance from 7-10pm.  The cost is $7.00 or $6.00 with a canned good for MHS students.  I will be sure to bring my camera and update the blog this weekend with costume pictures.

Week of September 28th

This week the Monson High School community welcomed its newest member, Officer Bryan Ellithorpe of the Monson Police Department; he joined us as the School Resource Officer. Legislation passed over last summer mandates that all communities in Massachusetts have a police officer assigned to the schools.  Officer Ellithorpe will have an office in the gymnasium and his work will focus on School Safety, Drug and Alcohol Education, and Community Outreach.  He will split time between our three schools.

He is a volunteer with the Shriners and is looking forward to the opportunity to work with the young people in our community to promote safety and good choices.  Over the next few Fridays, he will be visiting all of our Advisory groups to get to know all of our students on a more personal level.  If you see him when you are on campus, please say hello!

I am very excited about the success so far of the roll out of Rediker's Portals for our teachers and students.  A number of families have already signed into this free service and can now monitor their child's progress with a few clicks.  If you have not already done so, I encourage you to sign up today!  This is another way for us to keep the lines of communication between home and school open and direct!  With over a month of school already in the books, it is an excellent time to check in on your son's or daughter's progress and to partner up with their teachers to address areas of concern.  Our students are most successful when we all stand together to hep them achieve success!

Week of September 21

This last week the class of 2018 worked with the folks from Adventure In Adventure Out on team building and breaking  down the barriers that often times prevent us from reaching our true potential.  It was also a time to reflect on just how many feelings and ideas we often share with those around us but keep inside.

It was a great way to spend a beautiful September day and I am already looking forward to bringing the program back next year to the high school.  The students truly enjoyed themselves and many reported to me that they got a lot out of the experience.  This amazing day was made possible by the generous contributions of the Monson Cultural Council and the PTSA.  I am extremely grateful for their support.  I have truly been humbled by the support the community has consistently shown our schools and students.  When the community is behind its schools the possibilities are limitless. Thanks again to everybody that made this wonderful event possible.

To learn more about Adventure In Adventure out you can visit the website.

Week of September 14th

It was an exciting and action packed week at the high school as a number of community events took place.

On Friday, we hosted the first of two annual blood drives in the gym.  Ms. Evans put together a great event that will had a number of staff and students stepping up for a great cause.  Thank you Ms. Evans!

A big thank you also goes out to Sara Szado and the Monson Athletic Boosters for putting on some great soccer games under the lights on Thursday and Friday night.  I am happy to report that both the boys and girls won and continue to be very competitive in their conferences.

On Saturday, the weather was gorgeous for the PTSA as they hosted the second annual Fall Fair.  It was  a great family event that drew a number of people in from the community.  I particularly enjoyed the band from my perch in the jail cell for the A-Team as we raised money for the PTSA.  My kids are already looking forward to next year and the bounce house!

Saturday night the Student Council hosted the Fall Black Light and Neon Dance.  The kids had a great time and I learned that Mrs. Webster has no rival on the dance floor!

Week of September 7th

The first five day week of the school year is behind us and things continue to go well at the high school.  I was happy to meet many families at our Open House last Thursday night as I believe strong partnerships between school and home drive student success.

Congratulations are in order for our first group of athletes of the week.  For the week of September 1st, it was Varsity Boys Golfer Colton North.  For the week of September 8th, the honor was shared by Girls Soccer Players Senior Mikaela Rouette and Freshman Shannon Jalbert.  Nice work guys!

Friday we had  some beautiful fall weather and Mr. Kozikowski's AP English classes went out in the courtyard to find some inspiration in nature.  Mrs. Maloney's SAP group also enjoyed some time outside soaking in the gorgeous weather and shooting hoops.  At the end of the day, Mr. Fletcher's Environmental Science class could be found behind the building searching for samples.  I have been reflecting a lot over the weekend about how fortunate we are as a community to have such a beautiful campus that blends perfectly with the natural environment around us.  I am excited for the foliage!

Speaking of enjoying the fall weather, I hope you all join us at the Fall Fair next Saturday afternoon at Quarry Hill.  I am hopeful that some of you will help bail me out of jail as the PTSA has informed me that the Principals from each of the buildings will be locked up for charity.  See you there!

Week of August 31st

Another fantastic week is in the books for the Mustangs.  Competitions began for the fall athletic season and our student athletes are off to a great start.  The Golf team won their home opener match against Saint Mary's Parish.  Girls Varsity Soccer played a terrific home opener in front of a great crowd at Rogers Field, besting Lennox 5-0.  Boys Varsity Soccer had an impressive 2-2 draw on the road against last year's State Champions, West Springfield.  Palmer Football also won their home opener 31-14.

Many of our students were also involved this weekend in the Monson Summer Theatre's production of the musical Footloose.  If you did not make it to one of this week's shows, you can still catch the performance next Friday or Saturday in the Granite Valley Auditorium.

The Student Council held their first meeting of the week this year and were happy to report that students are very pleased with the reopening of the School Store during lunches.  They also decided to move the Fall Welcome Back Dance to September 20th.

Please don't forget the High School Open House is this Thursday, September 11th at 6:00 pm; I look forward to seeing many of you there.  Please also remember that the Fall Fair is Saturday, September 20th from 2:00-6:00 pm, see you there!