Study Tour applications to China, Japan, Spain, and France are available to all current eighth through eleventh grade Newtown students. Professional study tour opportunities are also available to Newtown educators. An interview process will begin in early June, followed by an informational meeting that will highlight program components and student responsibilities as ambassadors to Newtown and the United States. Selected delegates will be responsible for submitting a non-refundable deposit at the informational meeting. It is recommended that students and teachers note their first and second choice of study tours on their application. Applications are due June 7, 2013.
On Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at 7:00pm, the Newtown High School Wind Ensemble, members of the Symphony Orchestra and Choirs will perform the world premiere of GLORIFICARE, a major musical work by internationally renowned composer Samuel R. Hazo. Music teachers from the Newtown Public Schools, musicians from the Newtown community, and members of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and Hartford Voce Singers will join in the performance. This original composition is dedicated to those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook School on December 14, 2012.
Samuel R. Hazo became the first composer in history to be awarded the winner of both composition contests sponsored by the National Band Association. He has composed for the professional, university and public school levels in addition to writing original scores for television, radio and the stage. His original symphonic compositions include performances with actors Brooke Shields, James Earl Jones, David Conrad and Richard Kiley. He has also written symphonic arrangements for three-time Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams. Mr. Hazo’s compositions have been performed and recorded world-wide, including performances by the Tokyo Kosei Wind Orchestra. His music has been featured in full-length programs on National Public Radio. In 2004, Mr. Hazo’s compositions were listed in a published national survey of the Top Twenty Compositions of All Time for wind band. In 2007, by request of Virginia Tech University, Mr. Hazo composed Bridges, a beautiful tone poem honoring their fallen students.
Mr. Hazo has communicated that his emotional connection to writing GLORIFICARE has resulted in “the best work of my career”. Our Newtown High School musicians have been rehearsing GLORIFICARE with sensitivity and care and are performing this emotionally powerful piece with great expression and maturity. Mr. Hazo will be a guest conductor for the Wind Ensemble rehearsal on May 21, 2013 and conduct the premiere at the May 22, 2013 concert.
Congratulations to the Newtown High School drama program for their eight nominations from the Connecticut High School Musical Theater Awards for their spring musical, How to Succeed in Business. The nominations included Outstanding Hair & Makeup, Outstanding Set Design – Tom Matson, Outstanding Direction – Jane Matson, Outstanding Choreography – Jane Matson, Outstanding Music, Outstanding Ensemble – The Secretaries, Outstanding Lead Actor- Taylor Varga –J. Pierpont Finch, and Outstanding Production. The Award Ceremony will take place on Tuesday June 4, 2013 at the Palace Theatre in Waterbury, CT.
The Newtown High School National Honor Society will be hosting a Ford Explorer car smash fundraiser! The event will take place on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 during the last three periods of the day in back parking lot behind the cafetorium area. Purchase a $5 sledgehammer strike or a $1 small hammer strike and smash the car. All proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life.
As a quality performance assessment, ninth grade Newtown High School science students had to develop a stance on whether they think single use plastic bags should be banned from Newtown. As part of the project they had to research pros and cons of using plastic and then do a persuasive presentation trying to convince others of their point of view. The presentation could take any form. Students submitted: websites, videos, letters to the editors, posters, power points, prezis, mini-magazines, rap songs, acoustic songs, plays, and more. The students were very creative and very persuasive. Above left are Maddy Bridges and Julia Wiberg doing a play. Above right is a picture of a magazine submitted by Catie Ingersoll. Here is a website by Dori Farley and Katie Reilly. Below is a video by Tim Mammen and Jacob Branchflower.
Joe Chabot, Director of High School Admissions for Porter and Chester Institute, presented Newtown High School Senior Jack Zahansky with a Snap-on Cordless Drill for winning the spark plug replacement contest at the recent Connecticut Construction Career Day Expo (8 plugs taken out and replaced in 38 seconds!).
On Friday, May 24, 2013, Newtown High School’s National Honor Society will be holding a babysitting event! From 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Newtown residents and NHS faculty can drop their children (of all ages) off in the NHS cafetorium and enjoy a nice Memorial Day dinner! Newtown High’s Honor Society students will host the event. Snacks and age appropriate games will be provided, along with adult supervision by someone with CPR and First Aid training. Please RSVP to Lauren Frazzetta, National Honor Society Vice President, at lfrazz@charter.net.
Newtown High School Advanced Placement Environmental Science students did some field work for Project Periphyton, a project funded jointly by NOAA and Education Connection. As part of the project, students go to a local river to do water quality tests and to collect biological data in the form of diatoms. Students from NHS went to Kettletown Brook on May 14, 2013. Another group is going to the Still River on May 21, 2013. Maddy Good and Cassie Ekstrom are scrubbing cobbles to collect diatoms. Katie McManus and Kelley Baylis are testing dissolved oxygen levels. Kelsey Packer and Jenny Morrissey are looking at the river bottom using a quadrat. Also seen is a group measuring stream width and depth and a different group of students with consultant Alberto Mimo, a scientist, naturalist, and a consultant for Project Periphyton.
On Sunday, May 19, 2013, Newtown High School Feeding the Need club members Daisy Zheng, Trystan Wagner, and Sonya Stanczyk participated in the Connecticut Food Bank’s Walk Against Hunger at Library Park in Waterbury, CT to raise awareness of hunger in America. Team Feeding the Need raised $278 to support the CT Food Bank. Every dollar raised provided three meals to those in need. There was a great turn out even with the rainy weather, and approximately 400 people came to have fun and walk against hunger. Generous companies donated food and refreshments for all of the participants. It was a lovely event and it was great to see all of the support from local organizations based in Waterbury. Team Feeding the Need was proud to represent Newtown and Paul O’Leary, the Chief Operating Officer of the CT Food Bank, was glad to see us there.
Congratulations to Anna Northrop and Matthew Mossbarger for being selected by the faculty of Newtown High School to receive the annual William Honan Lions Award (formerly the Lions Club Past President Award and Trull Award). The award recognizes the “Best All Around Junior Students” and is based upon a strong academic record, extraordinary leadership skills, a commitment to community, and outstanding character. The students were honored at a dinner and were presented with a monetary gift. Congratulations, Anna & Matthew!
As part of Newtown’s Turning the Page, New Stories for Newtown author event, the Newtown High School Library Media Center hosted bestselling authors Christopher Paolini and Neil Gaiman on May 17, 2013. Mr. Paolini and Mr. Gaiman gave engaging and inspiring presentations to captivated audiences. Between presentations, the authors graciously met with students, faculty, and staff to answer questions, autograph books, and pose for photos. It was a wonderful visit that will not be soon forgotten.
Newtown High School students taking Advanced Placement English Literature in the 2013-2014 school year must attend a mandatory 30 minute meeting immediately after school in the Lecture Hall on Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Course expectations and summer assignments will be explained.
The Newtown High School Humanities class is discussing the essential question How are individuals defined and perceived? Through understanding Surrealism in art and literature, students read Jean Paul Sartre’s play No Exit, designing sets, acting and producing in front of their peers. The artistic component will be an artwork depicting their interpretation of heaven or hell using a surrealistic device of their creation.
The National Honor Society (NHS) is the premier service organization, which is based upon a student’s exemplary performances in the areas of: Scholarship, Service, Leadership, and Character. These areas are known as the pillars of the organization. Students will be notified after the completion of their fourth semester and/or sixth semester regarding eligibility for the National Honor Society. This posting will explain more about the area of Service Read the rest of this entry »
On Wednesday, May 16, 2013, the Newtown and Brookfield Varisty Softball teams competed in their first annual Sandy Hook Memorial Game. The teams raised $1500 for the Sandy Hook Elementary Fund through The Newtown Lions Club. The money will go towards covering the cost of counseling for Sandy Hook students, staff, families, and first responders. A big thank you to everyone who came out to support the teams and the cause! Brookfield came out on top on Wednesday, but the teams will see each other again on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 at 4:15pm in the first round of playoffs in Brookfield. Come out and support Newtown!
Forty Newtown High School students recently attended the Connecticut Construction Career Day Expo held at the Durham Fairgrounds. The expo offered an introduction to a variety of industry careers, the skills required by them, and the training methods and institutions available for those interested.
Many techniques and demonstrations offered strong visual and conceptual connections that go beyond classroom learning. The expo also proved to be a great networking opportunity to foster business relationships for future field trips and guest speakers at NHS.
Students enjoyed speaking directly with industry professionals, but the favorite part of the day was the opportunity to get hands-on experience with several tools and large pieces of power equipment!
This trip was offered by the Career Center staff, Peg Ragaini and Kitty Latowicki, Business Education and CWE teacher Vivian Sheen, and Technology Education teacher Steve George. Student reflection on the bus ride home indicated this was a very worthwhile day.
The first ever Letter Writing Frenzy will be hosted by the Junior Newtown Action Alliance on Friday, May 24, 2013, 7:00pm – 8:00pm in the Newtown High School Cafetorium. Young and old are welcome to join the fun! Bring a laptop, tablet, cell phone, or even the good ol’ pen and paper. We’ll reach out to our legislators together. Bring the whole family! There will be a bake sale and games table to keep the kids busy.
On May 15, 2013, Newtown High School students in Chemistry, AP Biology, and Biotechnology were treated to classroom presentations by Marc Zimmer, Professor of Chemistry at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut. He was invited to NHS as the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Visiting Scientist for 2013; NHS hosted the ACS Visiting Scientist previously in 2012 and 2010.
Over the course of six class periods, Dr. Zimmer spoke on a variety of topics (world diseases, the brain, bioluminescent creatures), all of which were linked to the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the ways it has been used to investigate them. You can learn more about this protein on the GFP website maintained by Dr. Zimmer.
He spoke to over 200 of our students, and while some of them will hopefully be inspired to pursue careers in science or perhaps develop a broader and clearer vision of what they may study after high school, we feel quite certain that all of them learned something new.
A native of South Africa, Dr. Zimmer has been in the United States for almost 30 years and lives in Connecticut with his wife and children.
Newtown High School student Stan Weston (10) recently traveled to Hartford to film the final scenes of a documentary film he is producing for an assignment in Miss Staci Stamm’sVideo Production class. The documentary chronicles the growth of the NHS CTIA team as they progressed towards their award-winning finish at the CT Innovation Expo earlier this month.
Video Production courses are open to all students in grades 9-12.
Newtown High School Advanced Culinary Student Lauren McMahon (12), recently displayed mastery of a range of culinary and interpersonal skills as she deftly used a knife to portion and plate, while confidently explaining her process.
Lauren was preparing the plate for service at an after school meeting the Culinary students were catering in the NHS Cafetorium.
Nice Job, Lauren! You represent your program and your teachers (Chef Hoagland & Chef Neumeyer) very well.
Newtown High School Class of 2012 graduate Ryan Washburn is finding continued success in life. He was recently photographed at the CT Construction Day Expo held at the Durham Fairgrounds.
Ryan was attending the Expo as a student-representative for the Porter and Chester Institute, where he is studying advanced CAD modeling skills.
Newtown High School Video Production student Evan Degirolamo (9), has recently released the official trailer for his upcoming documentary, Bingo Mania, a look inside the little known, but very intense hobby of competitive Bingo.
Evan produced the trailer as an assignment for his Video Production class with Miss Staci Stamm.
This is only one of Evan’s many productions. Visit his YouTube channel for a larger sampling.
Newtown High School students taking Advanced Placement Government or Advanced Placement Economics in 2013-2014 must attend a mandatory 25 minute meeting after school in B150/B152 on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 at 2:10pm. If you can not attend the meeting, you must contact Mr. Edwards for Government or Mrs. Kiely for Economics before the meeting occurs. Course expectations and summer assignments will be explained.
In addition to regularly scheduled bi-weekly meetings, the Newtown High School Chapter of Best Buddies got together at Peachwave and the Sandy Hook arcade. Both events were enjoyable nights out for buddies and peer buddies; a $50.00 donation was given to the arcade in appreciation for their opening especially for Best Buddies. A huge piece of the success of Best Buddies is the commitment to foster relationships outside the building and we are fortunate that our chapter is so dedicated. Also, Best Buddies lunches are still happening on “B” days. All our members sit together in the “old” cafeteria during the lunch waves and spend time together. Cookies and treats are brought to share and an enjoyable lunchtime is had by all. Read the rest of this entry »
The Newtown High School Career Center, with the financial assistance of the Newtown High School PTSA, is sponsoring RoadTrip Nation on May 30, 2013 at 7:00pm in the high school’s Cafetorium. (Please remember all guests must enter through the front door.) RoadTrip Nation is an educational program on PBS and has a philosophy about the integration of personal growth, careers, and the contribution one can make to the world. The idea behind RoadTrip Nation “is simple – talk to people who do what they love, and you’ll get a better understanding of how to create a life you love. What began as a road trip turned into a movement, all dedicated to helping individuals define their own roads in life.”
Class presentations will occur during the day on May 30, 2013. Not all students will have an opportunity to attend the day presentations. Please take advantage of this opportunity. We are very fortunate to have RoadTrip Nation presenting at Newtown High School.
All high school students and families are welcome. If you have any questions, please contact the Career Center at 203-426-7679 or email ragainip@newtown.k12.ct.us and/or latowickik@newtown.k12.ct.us. We hope this program will reinforce the connection for our students between resiliency building, building on their strengths, and constructing a future.
The Newtown High School DECA club is always looking for new ways to give back to the community. Their most recent donation was sent to the CT Food Bank’s Kids Backpack Program which serves many needy children in CT communities by providing them with nutritious foods during the times they don’t have access to in-school meal programs.
DECA is a Business and Marketing club open to all students in grades 9-12. You can join at any time. Stop by room A112 after school on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month and take a peek.
Congratulations to all DECA members, Dodgeball Tournament participants, and DECA advisors, Ms. Sheen and Mrs. Swann, for a job well done!
Wear OPI’s new, limited edition Sandy Hook Green nail polish to Prom. Sandy Hook Green will be introduced at Ricci’s Salon & Spa on Sunday, May 19, 2013 and is free with every salon service. You can book an appointment and walk-ins are welcome. For Prom, there will be a special, limited release starting today at the Sandy Hook Promise office for free, with a $10 donation. The Sandy Hook Promise office is located at 14 Church Hill Road, over Down on Main. This offer is only for Newtown High School students, so please bring your student ID to get your Sandy Hook Green. Wear the shade. Make the Promise!
You are cordially invited to celebrate with us the accomplishments of our Junior/Senior project students. All presentations are in the Lecture Hall at Newtown High School from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Jillian Lyon: “Self-Injury Awareness” Sam Svensson: “THE NIGHTWATCH CHRONICLES” Colleen Hart: “The Cycle of Thought” Aspen Kraushaar: “Fairfield County Pets Website” Lee Cummings: “Room to Read”
Thursday, May 30, 2013 Kenna Bassett: “Training a Therapy Dog” Charlotte Gray: “Disabilities Awareness” Amy Anyoha: “Dream Your Change” Carly Sullivan: “Skin Cancer Awareness” Rachel Cole: “Where Does The Litter Go?”
Monday, June 3, 2013 Eric Song: “NICE: A History” Paige Fedorchek: “Finding Your Body Image” Connor Anderson: “What’s the Secret to a Comfort Dog?”
Newtown High School students in Ms. Repay’s Conversations on Race class went on a field trip to Harlem Friday, May 13, 2013. The highlights of Harlem tour included the students seeing Strivers Row, Grant’s Tomb, the statue of the Invisible Man by Ralph Emerson, Trinity Cemetery (the only active cemetery still in Manhattan), the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Sylvia’s Cafe, and the Apollo Theatre. Students got a behind the scenes tour of the Apollo theatre which has been the place to be in Harlem for the past 75 years by the legendary Mr. Billy Mitchell. Students also got to experience the culture of soul food by dining at the world famous Sylvia’s cafe where students enjoyed fried chicken, spare ribs, potato salad, sassy rice, corn bread, and collard greens. Students really got to embrace the African American culture through different aspects of this field trip and learned just how beautiful Harlem truly is.
On Monday, May 13, 2013, Newtown High School teachers Leah Clark and Kristin Violette, with colleagues from Reed Intermediate School, attended a conference entitled The Growth Mindset: A Powerful Path to School Improvement presented by Dr. Lisa S. Blackwell. The workshop focused on building teaching and administrator capacity for promoting student success through a growth mindset. A wealth of information was presented and is available here.
Please join us Wednesday, May 15, 2013, from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, in the Newtown High School Cafetorium, as NICE celebrates another successful year! Hear from our student ambassadors, host families, and teachers about their experiences traveling abroad, as well as the hosting experience for students and educators from our international sister schools in France, China, and Japan. The evening will provide an opportunity to learn more about the NICE program, what we offer to the Newtown community and our students, and what’s to come next year and in the future.
On Wednesday May 29, 2013 at 7:00pm in the Newtown High School Lecture Hall, there will be a presentation for parents on adolescent mental health. John Desrochers, PhD a will be our presenter. John is an Adjunct Professor at Fairfield University and Editor of Communique, the monthly publication of the National Association of School Psychologists Topics will include typical adolescent development, depression, anxiety, academic motivation, and resiliency. Take home information and refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there! Presenters: Newtown High School pupil service staff Jennifer Hoag, PhD, School Psychologist, H. Thomas Brant, MA, CAS, School Psychologist, and Suzanne Tyler, LCSW, School Social Worker will all be present.
The Newtown Parent Teacher Student Association Scholarship deadline has been extended to Friday, May 17,2013. The $500 scholarship is awarded to one male and one female NHS student. PTSA Scholarship 2013
T-shirts will be distributed to Newtown High School Seniors on Wednesday, May 15, 2013, after school in the main lobby. If you have not already received a t-shirt, please stop by to pick one up.
The Newtown Greenery greenhouse will be open on Saturdays from May 18, 2013 until the end of school or until items are sold out, whichever occurs first. Hours are from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
The annual Newtown High School Peer Leadership Student vs Staff Basketball Game is back this month! This year all canned food items and a portion of the proceeds will go to local food banks. Grab your friends, make a team, and play against your favorite teachers. Please sign up as a team of five or sign up individually and you will be placed on a team. The sign up sheet is located in the Main Office or you can sign up with Mr. Nichols. The game is Tuesday, May 21, 2013, 2:30pm to 4:30pm, in the NHS Main Gym. Admission is either$2 or two canned items for spectators and $5 or four canned items for participants. Please direct questions to Mr. Nichols, Ms. Sheen, or a Peer Leadership member.
Study Tour applications to China, Japan, Spain, and France are available to all current eighth through eleventh grade Newtown students. Professional study tour opportunities are also available to Newtown educators. An interview process will begin in early June, followed by an informational meeting that will highlight program components and student responsibilities as ambassadors to Newtown and the United States. Selected delegates will be responsible for submitting a non-refundable deposit at the informational meeting. It is recommended that students and teachers note their first and second choice of study tours on their application. Applications are due June 7, 2013.
Comments Off 
Entries (RSS)