Newtown High School Blog

As incoming ninth graders examine their schedules for the fall, students in English I, Western Studies and Integrated Physical and Earth Science (IPES) may notice that their course descriptor is CP, not CPA or CPB. For many years, CPA and CPB classes shared the same curriculum, but with some differences in pace and instructional approach used to implement the curriculum. As part of the high school reform movement and in the spirit of continuous improvement, the high school community has been discussing the best way to meet the needs of all students who take college prep courses. These discussions have been influenced by NEASC recommendations to place all college prep students together in one level and the need to comply with Connecticut state law to reduce the isolation of students with special needs. These discussions included possible changes to class structures and increased use of differentiated instructional strategies. Read the rest of this entry »

Attention students enrolled in AP courses next year: Many AP courses require that students complete a summer assignment. Information about AP summer assignments will be available on June 1, 2010 in department offices and on department web pages.

Students enrolled in Advanced Placement United States History, Advanced Placement Economics, and Advanced Placement Government for the 2010-2011 school year will have a MANDATORY meeting on Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 2pm. AP US meets in P001, and AP Econ and AP Gov meet in the Lecture Hall. Students will receive information about each course, as well as learn about summer assignments. The AP US meeting will last approximately one hour. AP Econ and AP Govt will last approximately 15 minutes.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010, Mr. Metz and Mrs. Lois Barber hosted their annual World War II veteran experience. This is a stellar opportunity for students to witness history through the eyes of the people who were there and lived it. This was an in school field trip that lasted roughly 5 hours. Students not only were able to hear what the vets had to say but also had an opportunity to see a WW2 style dance performed by members of the Arthur Murray Dance Studios in Danbury. The Military Museum of Southern New England (Danbury) was also present. Between the museum and Mrs. Barber, there was a lot of WW2 uniforms, helmets, flags, and other items for the students to see and touch. This was a success and we plan to do it next year. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Clayton and Mr. Saladin have teamed up again. This time the students of Mr. Saladin’s Western Studies 2 classes have created a “Declaration of Student Rights.” After completing the “Declaration”, the students called Mr. Clayton into their classes to address the grievances identified in the “Declaration.” Among those listed are cafeteria imprisonment, right to free expression, equal access to school privileges and the right to privacy. Read the rest of this entry »

The Social Studies Department is sad to announce that Mr. Brian Micena has resigned from teaching to pursue a career in law enforcement. He will be missed by the department, the students, and the school.

We are, however, excited to announce that we were able to fill his position by hiring Mr. Seth Murphy. Mr. Murphy has received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in History from Western Connecticut State University. He has been working at Newtown High School as the U.S. History teacher in our TAP Program. He also completed a long-term substitute position in U.S. History for the Social Studies Department in the Fall. We look forward to his continued work with our other U.S. history teachers to maintain consistency for all of our students and we welcome him into the department.

NHS members of the Junior State of America Club traveled to Washington DC to participate in their annual mock Congress February 5-7., 2010 The event was attended by hundreds of high school students from across the Northeast. The students were treated to a talk by former Clinton press secretary Mike Mc Curry and a trip to the Supreme Court for a speech and question and answer session with former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The Junior State is a nonprofit nonpartisan national organization that promotes civics and political awareness among high school kids. The Newtown chapter of the Junior State operates as a high school club and is open to all students grades 9-12.

As part of the work in Ms. Repay’s Conversations on Race class, Newtown High School participated in a teacher and student exchange with Danbury High School. After a visit on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 to Danbury High School, the Danbury students visited Newtown High School on Thursday, January 7, 2010. During the visits students participated in “get to know you” activities designed to show students that although they live differently (urban vs. suburban) they are very much alike in many ways. They also explored the stereotypes each believed about the other and they worked to break down some of those stereotypes.

In the photos are students participating in an activity where they examine the unique qualities of each student, yet recognize that they share more similarities than differences. This is the beginning of what we hope to be an ongoing exchange.

Students from Ms. Repay’s Conversations on Race class attended a field trip to Harlem, NYC. On the trip they learn about the African American experience in New York from a step-on guide native to Harlem. The bus tour of West, Central, and East Harlem allowed the students to see the range of lifestyles that exist in Harlem. Read the rest of this entry »

First Sgt. Victor Scalora of the 2nd Connecticut Volunteer Heavy Artillery, Company I from Litchfield County, CT appeared in the Newtown High School Lecture Hall today to share his experiences with Mr. Edwards’ US History classes. 1st Sgt. Scalora resides in Newtown, and has been involved in Civil War reenactments and programs for over 12 years. Mr. Edwards invited Mr. Scalora to supplement his junior classes’ study of The Civil War Era. Students handled memorabilia, dressed up in Union soldier clothing and gear, and participated in discussions and demonstrations. 1st Sgt. Scalora also left information about the “2nd Connecticut Heavies,” in case anyone is interested in finding out more about how to get involved.

Throughout the past week the students in Mrs. Dietter’s and Mrs. Hardy’s American Government classes have been participating in a Mock Congress. Students had to create a bill and present a speech either arguing for the bill’s passage or trying to persuade the rest of “congress” to defeat the bill. The simulation mimics the process of a bill becoming a law as the students learn about the Legislative Branch of government.

Mr. Pescarmona attended a College Board Workshop on Advanced Placement Psychology at the University of Massachusetts in Boston on December 4, 2009. It was a wonderful opportunity to converse with colleagues, receive updated curriculum information, test preparation strategies, relevant activities, and evaluation information for a new textbook.

During the month of November, Mr. Saladin’s Western Studies classes researched the Roman Empire. In “The Fall of Rome Activity” students had to identify key causes that led to the fall of Rome. Students then had to brainstorm ideas that would have prevented Rome’s demise. The culminating activity were group presentations in front of the class. Following the presentations, the students in each respective class voted for the best overall group. Normally this would have been the end of the project. Read the rest of this entry »

Mr. Seth Murphy led the Advanced Placement Economics class as they put Martha Stewart on trial for insider trading. A four person prosecution team and a four person defense team were in the courtroom. Both sides called witnesses that supported their case, Martha Stewart (Casey Tenney) even took the stand in her defense. The prosecution team argued the letter of the law, while the defense team argued against the law itself. This trial was in conjunction with the class learning about how the stock market works and the laws that are associated with trading on the stock exchange. In the end, the prosecution team put on a great case, but the jury still found Martha not guilty of insider trading.

Students from Ms. Blake’s and Ms. Repay’s Sociology classes attended a cultural food tour through New York City. Read the rest of this entry »

Newtown’s State Senator John McKinney, who is also our Connecticut State Senate Minority Leader, visited Newtown High School today as a guest of Mrs. Dietter’s and Mr. Edwards’ period 2 Government classes. After brief remarks about his background and position, Senator McKinney fielded questions from a very informed audience. Students asked a diverse series of questions related to our study of government and politics. Topics included political campaigns, education, and the importance of voting, among others.

On Thursday, November 12, 2009, Shari DeLuca and Jammy Davies from Jury Administration for the State of Connecticut came to Newtown High School to discuss Jury Duty with seniors in American Government classes. The presentation include the facts and myths behind jury selection and the responsibility of citizens to serve jury duty. Students were given sample jury duty notices and the process was explained to them. Some of the groups were entertained by anecdotes about actual cases that had been heard.

Students in Mr. Pescarmona’s Advanced Placement Psychology classes worked on their annual Play Doh Brain Project. Students worked in groups to create a model of the brain showing major structures using different color play doh, buttons, and beads. The students named their brains and each class voted on the best brains. After learning about the functions of the parts of the brain, the assignment is a nice way to visually understand the workings of the brain. The students found the assignment to be an engaging experience!

Newtown High School students visited the Connecticut Supreme Court and the Connecticut Capitol with teachers Melissa Cacioppo and Candace Dietter.  Students learned about the history of the courtroom and toured the museum. Students were also able to listen to oral arguments for a case involving forgery and bribery (the case was about a CT DMV employee creating false licenses and receiving payments). Read the rest of this entry »

Five teachers from Newtown High School’s History Department spent three days in Gettysburg, PA touring the 27 square miles of battlefield from the Civil War. Read the rest of this entry »

Today, Newtown High School students got an opportunity to experience something that many people in the near future will not be able to. They listened to four World War II veterans tell their story. Read the rest of this entry »

On May 22, 2009, 50 students from Ms. Blake and Ms. Repay’s Sociology classes attended a cultural tour of Harlem. After the best soul food in the world at Sylvia’s the students went to and performed at the Apollo Theater. Read the rest of this entry »

Newtown High School United States History students traveled to New York City to visit the Intrepid Air, Sea, and Space Museum and take a 90 Minute Circle Line Cruise of lower Manhattan. The Intrepid is a U.S. aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943 that has served in engagements ranging from WW II to Vietnam. Read the rest of this entry »

Students may pick up Advanced Placement Summer Assignment information from Department Chairpersons on Tuesday, May 19th.

There will be two review sessions for the AP Psychology Exam led by Mr. Pescarmona. Students are invited to atend one or both of the sessions. They will be held in B-150.  Good luck to all students!

Wednesday May 6, 2009 2-4 (feel free to bring snacks and drinks)

Thursday May 7, 2009 7-9 (pizza and soda provided by Mr. Pescarmona)

Students participated in an activity that Newtown High School Economics Teacher Mr. Obloj developed to illustrate the economic principle ‘voluntary trade creates wealth’. Students in his classes were told to bring items from home that no longer had any use or value to them. Read the rest of this entry »

Six Newtown High School seniors traveled to Washington, DC February 6-8 to take part in the Junior State of America’s Mock Congress. Hundreds of students from all over the New England region took part in the annual event where student crafted legislation is debated in a model House and Senate. Read the rest of this entry »

Eight Newtown High School students recently attended The Presidential Inauguration as part of a WorldStrides Educational Tour with Seymour High School, and North Smithfield (Rhode Island) High School. The group had the opportunity to watch history in the making, as President Obama took the Oath of Office to become the 44th President of the United States. Along with the Inauguration, students Read the rest of this entry »

On Wednesday December 3rd, the Conversations on Race class welcomed 40 Bassick High School students to NHS for their third field trip.  For many Bassick students it was their first time in Newtown.  Newtown and Bassick students participated in team building activities, toured the high school, ate lunch in the cafeteria, and listened to Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Lyddy, candidate for Connecticut State Representative, visited Newtown High School on October 1 to speak with students.  His focus was answering student questions about how and why he got involved in politics.  He also addressed what he has been able to accomplish as a Legislative Council member and what he hopes to be able to affect as a State Representative.  Students questioned him about gas prices, the economy, and the candidates for President and Vice President.