Newtown High School Blog

Young students enrolled in the Newtown High School preschool program (The Nurtury) shared Valentine’s Day cards with each other, and with their NHS ‘Buddies’. Preschool Director and Child Development Teacher, Ms. Stephanie Gacso, then demonstrated the process of creating a special Valentine card for area birds.

Preschoolers applied ‘Sun Butter’ (made from sunflower seeds) to heart-shaped cards, then covered the surface with a variety of bird seed. Cotton yarn was attached to allow the gift to be hung from a tree branch.

Thank you to Ms. Gacso and her NHS student staff for giving the preschoolers a perfect Valentines Day gift – Learning and Sharing!

Newtown High School students participated in the 2012 American Mathematics Competition taken on February 7, 2012.  First place on the AMC -10 was awarded to Siyuan Sun; second place went to Billy Begg; third place went to Alexa Reilly. First place on the AMC -12 was awarded to Yossi Kohrman-Glaser; second place went to Jay Destories; third place went to Alex Strzeleski.

On Thursday, February 16, 2012, the Link Crew gathered for a training lesson titled D.R.E.A.M. (Dare to Realize Everyone’s Abilities Matter) with Jill Gonski and Mimi Riccio, Best Buddies Faculty Advisors.

The Link Crew was trained on how to instruct the freshman class on this disability awareness lesson. The students learned about different disabilities through instruction, video clips and disability simulations.

The Link Crew will present this lesson D.R.E.A.M. to the freshman during the CAPT “non testing time” on Friday, March 9, 2012. A culminating musical event with the Kandoo Band will occur on Friday, May 4, 2012 last period for the freshman, Link Crew, and Best Buddies students.

The Kandoo band is a musical group of young individuals who all have William’s Syndrome. They sing original music like, “Take the Diss out of Disability” as well as today’s hits. The band promotes acceptance and inclusion for people with disabilities.

Students enrolled in Mrs. Carol Pelligra’s Ceramics 3 & 4 classes thrive on 3-dimensional creative challenges. Combining artistic statements with practical functionality requires thinking skills of the highest order. Themed serving platters, still in progress, offer clear evidence of success.

Pictured are Erica Thill (10), Meagan Foy (10), and K.C. Boule (12).

Outstanding Work!

Sole Savers, a Relay for Life Team, is made up of  freshmen Hannah Schwartz and Kelly Coughlin, sophomores Brianne Moulder (team leader), Kiera Elkow, Kathryn D’Alessandro, Julia Lansing and Michaela Guinee, and seniors Erin Begg, Katie Burns, Randi Jackson, and Emily Ashbolt. They recently held a bake sale and raised $216, putting them in third place in fundraising for the event. Those interested in donating are asked go to the team page.

Students enrolled in Ms. Vivian Sheen’s Cooperative  Work Experience (CWE) course earn credit towards graduation with a mix of classroom time and on-the-job training. Classroom time is spent teaching and reinforcing skills necessary to find and acquire employment, and then to keep and advance in a job. On-the-job training affords students practical application of skills and theories, as well as a quality resume entry, and money $!.

Pictured are Ryan LeMay (12) employed at 5 Guys in Brookfield, Mike Scalzo (12) employed at My Place in Newtown, and Brandon Gonzalez (12) employed at Shoprite in Southbury.

CWE is open to enrollment by students in grades 11 and 12.

Students at Newtown High School make great choices everyday and we want to recognize them! As part of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports at NHS, tickets are given by staff to students who demonstrate HAWKS behavior. Students are then responsible to put their tickets in a jar located in the main office. All students who earn a ticket are sent home a postcard to recognize the choices they have made. Additionally, a drawing is made each week, and winners earn a HAWKS water bottle as well as a coupon for Andrea’s Bakery.

Congratulations to Sydney Hansen and Rachel DiVanno, the HAWKS Recognition Drawing Winners.

There will be a meeting for all students interested in trying out for a spring sport on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 2:10pm in the main gym. All spring sport coaches will be there to give general tryout information and to answer questions.

The Student-Teacher Japan team of Ms. Repay, Annie Beier, Greg Hennessey, and Eric Song, participating in the Ritsumeikan Uji International Conference reports tremendous success. The students are doing a great job with their presentations. They are also forming significant friendships with people from across the world in Britain, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Australia, and other countries attending the conference. Their presentation to their peers about “Progress” has been recognized as admirable and exemplar.  Yesterday, the Newtown team took individualized tours of Kyoto. Today, they will take a trip to Kobe to experience the local culture.

Newtown Police Department’s K-9 officer, Baro, conducted a search of the student parking lot on Friday, February 17, 2012. Officer Felicia Figol was assisted by SROs Jason Flynn and Lenny Penna. The search is part of the administration’s ongoing vigilance to keep illegal substances off school grounds. Baro identified ten vehicles and illegal substances were found in two of them.

The Newtown High School Varsity Cheerleading team recently participated in Valentines for the Troops. The girls made cards and purchased candy, toiletries, snacks, and small non-perishable items for a member of the Air Force serving overseas. Valentines for the Troops is in its seventh year of reaching out to the community. Each year, volunteers with Valentines for the Troops help groups of people send care packages to deployed personnel in places like Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Japan, and to ships at sea.

Congratulations to the Newtown High School Cheerleading team who placed first and were declared Grand Champions at the Central Connecticut State University Devils Dare Cheer Competition on Saturday, February 18, 2012.

Congratulations to the boys and girls indoor track teams for an outstanding effort at the CIAC State Open Championships that were held at the New Haven Fieldhouse on Saturday, February 18, 2012. Jake Feinstein won the 3200 meter race, Reagan Cerney came in fourth in the 600 meter race, Lauren O’Connell came in second in the pole vault, Melissa Buccino finished fifteenth in the 55m hurdles, Amy Anyoha finished eleventh in the Shot Put, and Palmer Lintz finished thirteenth in the 1000 meter race.

Students in Mr. Ding’s Chinese III class are making a Venn diagram for a comparison of the schools in China and those in United States. With their knowledge obtained from their discussions with the Chinese delegates, the students discussed similarities and differences in both students’ life and the schools. They were  to defend their ideas for choosing a Chinese school or a U.S. school for high school learning.

Chris Horkachuck, a student in Ms. Swift’s class, delivered this sermon to his English I classmates. Students selected any topic to write on that would inspire better lives for their peers. It was one of the culminating activities after reading Doubt. Chris demonstrated his ability to create and extend a metaphor.  Read it here:  Ignorance

The Opening Ceremony of the International Forum at Ritsumeikan Uji School began Friday, February 17, 2012 with a wa-daiko (Japanese drumming) performance from a group of Ritsumeikan University graduates. This was followed by a welcome address from the Mr Sumio Shiozaki (Principal of Ritsumeikan Uji). Speeches followed the principal from Miss Yuka Esashi (Student Representative) and Mr Monte Cassim (Vice-Chancellor of the Ritsumeikan Trust).

The second half of the ceremony included a presentation on the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami by three Ritsumeikan Uji students. Mr Darren Kimura introduced each of the participating schools to welcome and officially begin the international forum. Newtown teacher Amy Repay and students, Annie Beier, Greg Hennessey, and Eric Song will begin final preparations for their presentation to the thirty country representatives as they address global topics. Upon return, NICE and the Newtown delegates will collaborate to build an annual international experience for students of Newtown, sharing the immersive experience with the community.

This week, Newtown says goodbye to the remaining student delegates and one teacher as they leave from JFK airport on Saturday, February 18, 2012. The small group of students immersed themselves in the American educational system by following our Newtown students through classes each day. The visiting educator was a guest teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, Reed Intermediate School, and Newtown Midle School. The teacher conducted workshops in Mandarin, Art, Calligraphy, Culture, and a “Day in the Life of a Liaocheng Student”. Newtown and Liaocheng are working to develop further learning opportunities for students both in district and abroad as visiting teachers from both countries offer their expertise in content and cultural experiences.

Mrs. Repay, Annie Beier, Eric Song, and Greg Hennessey departed JFK Airport on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 for the International Conference being held at Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto, Japan. The international forum brings together student representatives from thirty countries around the world. Newtown and the NICE program are representing the United States as the only American program invited to attend. The conference invites three students and a teacher to represent each country attending.

The international forum for students will come together to discuss global challenges, present resolutions and understandings, and experience the cultures of one another. NICE and Ritsumeikan Uji School are currently working to formalize a collaborative partnership for future international opportunities. Upon their return, the delegates will share their experience with the community, highlighting their opportunity to collaborate with students on a global scale.

Kurtis Liniger (12) is pictured demonstrating the proper use of a Scoop Coater to apply a light-sensitive emulsion to a screen. The stencil used to screen print will then be produced photographically, to a very high degree of accuracy, yielding crisp detail. Sarah McMahon (12) and Chris Mottola (10) look on.

The students are all enrolled in Mr. Dave DeFeo’s Graphics Tech 2 course, and learning marketable skills in current industry processes. Many of these students will take positions in the Newtown High School Graphics department student-run enterprise where they will also be responsible for managing production schedules and customer relations.

NHS graduates are readily accepted into graphics tech programs at the college level, and into a variety of positions in the Graphic Tech industry.

Graphics Tech 1 and 2 are open for enrollment by students in grades 9 – 12.

Students enrolled in Chef Lori Hoagland’s Culinary 1 course recently created a variety of pancakes – without using a boxed premix. Affordable healthy eating is a core component of all instructional units in the Newtown High School Culinary Department, and Chef Hoagland’s students learn that they can save money, select healthier ingredients, and customize tastes by avoiding the prepackaged food options most of us choose.

Pictured are Allie Hotchkiss (11), Christian Mather (11), and the team of Gabby Kalinowski (11), Grace Hubbard (11), and Haylee Naphen (11).

No wonder NHS Culinary students are the most popular roommates after they graduate!

Culinary 1 is open to enrollment by students in grades 9 – 12, with no prerequisite.

Students enrolled in Ms. Carol Skolas’ Sculpture course were recently challenged with converting 2-dimensional resources (paper) into a 3-dimensional artistic expression (sculpture). The mental demands involved in the planning and visualization process transcend the Art classroom. Three dimensional problem solving is one of the most effective ways to develop our brains in preparation for greater success in all areas.

Some successful artists/problem-solvers are pictured: Pat Capozziello (10), Emily Berube (10), and Brandi Braziel (12).

Sculpture is open for enrollment by students in grades 9 – 12, and has no prerequisite.

Congratulations to the Newtown High School Poetry Out Loud 2012 winners: first place – Kelsey Hughes; second place – Erin Begg;  third place – Kamryn Harmeling. The poets were up against some stellar competition judged by a panel of six. Kelsey will represent Newtown High School at the state final on March 21, 2012 at Southern Connecticut State University.

Students in Mr. Kelso’s Spanish 3 honors class are learning how to form informal and formal commands with object pronoun attachments. While students in Ms. Napoli’s ECE Spanish V class had previously learned this grammatical concept, they reviewed the intricacies of the rules in order to improve their conversation and composition.

The two classes met in the lecture hall where the SpanishV students worked in small groups (two Spanish V students to two Spanish III honors students) to make a group of four.

The Spanish V students reviewed the grammatical concept with their Spanish III peers and guided them through activities which they (Spanish V students) had created for homework. Any questions that the Spanish III students encountered were quickly and accurately answered by their peers in Spanish V ECE. This activity fostered student to student engagement along with scaffolding, engagement and rigor. The feedback that we received by both classes was extremely positive.

Melanie Romano from The Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, Inc. covered the topics of healthy relationships, dating violence, and sexual assault with Ms. McLean’s eleventh grade health classes.

Mrs. Lombardo’s tenth and eleventh grade Physical Education classes recently participated in their very own swim meet. Students were put into teams and competed in events by swimming the competitive strokes, kickboard frenzy, handstand competition, and noodle run. Students were awarded points based on the placing of events, sportsmanship, and effort level.

The Newtown High School Student Government would like to say thank you to the students and staff who participated in this year’s blood drive. The American Red Cross collected seventy-five units of blood and had one of the most successful blood drives at Newtown High School.

Newtown High School football coach Steve George, physical education teacher Laura McLean and athletic director Gregg Simon attended a workshop titled Power of Your Influence: Steroid Use &Rx Drug Misuse at the Ethan Allen Hotel in Danbury on Wednesday, February 15, 2012. The workshop was presented by the Housatonic Valley Coalition Against Substance Abuse and the Taylor Hooton Foundation. The keynote speaker was Don Hooton whose brother Taylor took his own life at the age of seventeen when he fell into a deep depression upon discontinuing the use of anabolic steroids. The Taylor Hooton Foundation is dedicated to the education of young people about the dangers of steroids.

The Newtown High School National Honor Society Habitat for Humanity Committee is holding a Used Cell Phone/Printer Ink Cartridge Drive! Bring your dried-up ink cartridges and old cell phones, regardless of their conditions, to the drop-off boxes located in the Main Office and the Career Center. Donations will be accepted from now until the end of the school year. Thanks!

Three Newtown High School students – Julie Ficks, Kate Bartel, and Sera Pisani – made it to this year’s Poetry Slam final for the chance to make the Connecticut “One Word” Slam Team that will compete in Brave New Voices held in San Francisco this summer. The Finals will be on February 19, 2012 (this Sunday) at The Bushnell in Hartford, CT from 1:00pm – 4:00pm in the Seaverns Room. Doors open at 12:30pm. There is no charge for this event. It’s going to be stellar and raucous! They would love your support! There are fifteen finalists from all over the state. Bring your friends, spouses, etc. Need more information? Speak to the students or Lee Keylock.

The worlds of Culinary and World Language recently came together in a successful interdepartmental lesson. French teacher Mrs. Davidson brought her French II class to Culinary, where members of Mrs. Hoagland’s Introductory Culinary class taught them how to make crepes. Crepes are associated with the early February holiday called Le Chandeleur (Candlemas). The tradition of eating round, golden-colored foods at this mid-winter point through Spring Equinox is found in many cultures, as their color and shape evoke the sun. The students had a great time learning to make crepes, and they had an even better time sampling their efforts!

Seniors who have not fulfilled their Senior Health requirement will have the opportunity to attend one health-related workshop on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 during the class 8 lunch wave. The video Cyber Security will be shown in B150-152 during each lunch wave. The video cautions students about the potential hazards to their computers, not to mention their careers, finances, and futures, as well as details computer safeguards to help students increase their online security.

Students may choose to eat their lunch while attending the workshop. However, students will need to bring their lunch, as there will be insufficient time to go to the cafeteria before the workshop begins.

Newtown High School PBIS is selling personalized yard signs for graduates.  Order yours now!  Orders will be accepted through May 01, 2012.  Yard Sign Order Form

The Business Education Department teachers have developed a course description overview sheet to help students select elective courses based on their interests. The sheet shows what courses are available to each grade level, and any prerequisites that must be met.

Students can print the attached document, or get a copy from their Guidance Counselor or Business Education teacher.

BusEd_Overview_02.13.2012

Newtown High School Peer Leadership is hosting a book drive from February 6-17, 2012. Bring in all your new and gently used books to be donated to the C.H. Booth Library. Boxes are located in the main office and school library. Please donate and show your support. Any books are greatly appreciated!

Congratulations to Danielle Capozziello and Linda He for being selected as recipients of the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) Outstanding High School Visual (Linda) and Performing Arts (Danielle) Award.  The two students will be honored with other recipients from across the state on April 9, 2012 at the Aqua-Turf in Southington, CT.

High school students interested in learning about the role of peace in their communities are invited to attend a symposium presented by The World Youth Peace Summit Office of Peace Projects on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at Kingswood Oxford School in West Hartford, from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. The program is open to all Connecticut high school students at no charge. However, space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. The symposium will begin with an opening address by State Representative Andrew Fleischmann. The event will also feature Congressman John Larson, Senator Beth Bye, and several other people of note.

For additional details as well as registration information, please visit http://www.casciac.org/pdfs/Flyer_Peace_Symposium_3-10-12.pdf.

Members of the Newtown High School Junior State of America Club traveled to Washington, DC February 2, 2012 through February 5, 2012 to participate in their annual Winter Congress. The students wrote and debated legislation in a mock Congress attended by hundreds of other students from around the Northeast.

Besides the Congress, the students enjoyed a speakers program that included presentations by; Connecticut Congressman Joe Courtney, who stressed the importance of public service and political activism; NASA Systems Engineer Jim Schier, who shared exciting new prototype space vehicles being designed for the agency by private industry; Al Jazeera’s Washington Bureau producer Mahmoud El Hamalawy, who explained that organization’s role in the Arab Spring uprisings; and Ayn Rand Institute Outreach Liason Thomas Bowden, who challenged the students to critically reassess the fundamental role of government in our society. Read the rest of this entry »

The Junior Prom will be held on Friday, March 23, 2012 from 7:00pm- 11:30pm at the Villa Bianca in Seymour, CT.

Ticket prices are $60 per person or $120 per couple. Tickets will be on sale during all lunch waves in the cafeteria from February 27, 2012 to March 12, 2012. Students will need to bring payment (cash or check payable to NHS) as well as a completed prom information sheet. Prom information sheets are located in the main office or Junior homerooms. When you purchase a ticket you will receive your invitation which you will need to bring the night of the prom and information about prom picture package pricing. Guests from outside of Newtown High School need to fill out a guest form, also available in the main office.

If you have any questions please see Mrs. Swann in the Business Department or Mrs. Metz in the Social Studies Department.

Newtown High School hosted our largest farewell ceremony to date with nearly 150 guests from the school, the delegation, and the community.  We extend our sincerest thanks to our supporters! Read the rest of this entry »

Newtown High School’s National Honor Society will be babysitting at the high school’s cafetorium (cafeteria in the new building) from 5:00pm to 8:00pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, for any parents who need a few hours to enjoy their Valentine’s Day! Children must be school-age and there will be plenty of games, snacks, and drinks for all! There will be adult and teenage supervision, and there is no charge.