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2014 |
Community Ties Project |
| In Mascoma High School’s first community newsletter earlier this Fall we asked for suggestions for: community service projects our students could explore, proposals for hands on projects that may connect our students with people and expertise in our community that can enhance our curriculum, and strengthen community ties, and for projects enabling Mascoma School District to strengthen connections in our community. Numerous projects have formed from suggestions we have received so far. Ms. Hurd's 10-2 English class is working on a project for the Community Ties Student Showcase Festival. They are creating a video that represents what sets the five towns apart, making them special, and what brings the separate towns together to form one community. Students are working on this project during their own time and for 20 minutes each Friday. There is a project manager, an assistant, a production manager, creative visionaries, writers, photographers, editors, and students who have signed up to market the Student Showcase Festival May 17th, 2014 and share our project within the five towns. Those who watch our video will see photographs that showcase the five towns and might hear lines like, "A link of kith and kin, driven and bound by a common destiny," and "Our names may never skim the page of a textbook that future generations will read, but we will still change history with every step we take." Kim Harvey’s class has been collecting the can tabs for David’s House again. “It’s part of our “Hopes and Dreams” writing assignment from the beginning of the school year where we as a class voted to choose David’s House to collect the tabs to donate.” Laurie Sanborn has asked NH Voc Rehab if they would like to put brochures or information table as an informational resource. Canaan Elementary School PTA will help with a gardening service project. This will involve students from Canaan Elementary and the Mascoma High School Student Council. Teachers will be invited to bring students to the town playground to weed and perhaps plant bulbs with the help of some high school volunteers. A Mascoma Portfolio student is involved with the town of Enfield creating a mandala for the shed at the beach on Mascoma Lake and a mural for the Family Pavilion at Huse Park. Experiencing the Arts has plans for a week-long hands on residency with Mrs. Alverez’ Anatomy class that would involve many levels of our community in a training event and expose students to careers in emergency services, the police and fire department and the Mary Hitchcock Hospital. Our goal is to construct a training event that could potentially impact the school community. Mascoma parent Ted Makalinaw and Medical Technician Sasha Edwards will team up with the Anatomy students. This Year’s theme for our hands on week May 12-16 and the District wide Student Showcase Festival, Saturday May 17, is “Community Ties.” The goal is to have all grades and departments and programs represented. |
Celebrating the Amazing Achievement of our Students |
| Art 1 students cast their own faces and transform themselves into an animal that represents their personality. These masks are made of plaster, cardboard, newspaper, wire, paint and other decorations. These masks are on display at Mascoma High School. |
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| Click here for more photos of masks |
Currier Museum of Art Featuring their Exhibition Romare Bearden: A Black Odyssey |
| “Romare Bearden’s works of art reflect universal experiences filtered through an African-American lens. In this exhibition, Bearden’s colorful collages and watercolors tell Homer’s ancient tale, The Odyssey. While the story of Odysseus has been told for more than 3,000 years, in Bearden’s vision, the brave Greek hero and all of the characters are black. Although the imagery is rooted in the African-American experience, the familiarity of these tales and the beauty of the images will remind viewers that each of us is on a personal odyssey.” Mascoma Art 1 created collages in his style dealing with the concept of heroes. Following the activity and lunch, students had some time to explore the museum’s permanent collection. |
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French Trip |
| Weather was wonderful and Madame Beaufays put together an amazing trip - rich with culture and history. By all accounts, it was a excellent educational experience. |
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| Click here for photos of French Trip |
Congratulations to Mascoma's LifeSmarts Team for winning Nationals |
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Junior Class Field Trip |
| Experiencing the Arts sponsored a field trip for all Mascoma Valley Regional High School Juniors in support of a request from the English department. Students experienced an interactive tour of The House of the Seven Gables. “The House of the Seven Gables was built by a Salem sea captain and merchant named John Turner in 1668 and occupied by three generations of the Turner family before being sold to Captain Samuel Ingersoll in 1782. An active captain during the Great Age of Sail, Ingersoll died at sea leaving the property to his daughter Susanna, a cousin of famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne's visits to his cousin's home are credited with inspiring the setting and title of his 1851 novel The House of the Seven Gables.” The Junior class also experienced and a second interactive experience at Walden Pond. “Henry David Thoreau lived at Walden Pond from July 1845 to September 1847. His experience at Walden provided the material for the book Walden, which is credited with helping to inspire awareness and respect for the natural environment. Because of Thoreau's legacy, Walden Pond has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement. Park Interpreters provide tours and ongoing educational programs. The Reservation includes the 102-foot deep glacial kettle-hole pond. Mostly undeveloped woods totaling 2680 acres, called "Walden Woods," surround the reservation. Now part of the Massachusetts Forests and Parks system, Walden Pond State Reservation includes 335 acres of protected open space so that visitors from near and far may come to experience the pond that inspired Thoreau.” Experiencing the Arts sponsored this field trip at no cost to the students. |
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| Click here for more photos |
Student Showcase Festival |
| In two days there will be about 1400 projects and artwork on display at the Student Showcase Festival. This is a fantastic celebration of learning and gives one excellent energy for the resource that is our students. I always hope this is the must-do family friendly event for the district. |
Emergency Training Drill |
| An emergency drill will be staged as an exercise for the Canaan Police and Fire depts., Canaan and Enfield Emergency Medical Services, DHMC's DHART helicopter & personnel, as well as students from the Anatomy and Physiology class and SPEAK group at MVRHS. This is a major effort by the Mascoma School District to raise the readiness by collaboration with school community, emergency services, and to expose our students to potential careers in these exciting fields.
Excellent work by the Anatomy class working in cooperation with Mark T. Makalinaw (Teddy) and Sasha D. Edwards, AEMT, Life Support Program Sr. Simulation Technician Asst. Department of Simulation Based Education and Research. Mascoma Anatomy students enjoyed a week long residency learning about traumatic injuries and creating the moulage for the drill. The students also were the victims during the drill and did an excellent job with their scripted injury scenarios. Gregg Champlin, who has acted as a National Hazards Specialist, and New Hampshire Emergency Management said the moulage the students created was the best he had seen at any simulation! |
Here is an excellent video about community produced by Shannon Hurd's Mascoma High School English class: |
Posted by Mascoma Proud on Wednesday, May 28, 2014 |
Portfolio Show |
| Featuring the work of Portfolio Students: Paige Doody, Braden Hewes, Mariah Niemi, Kylie Peavey, Makayla Ruel, Roland Veasey, Morgan Cantlin, Brent Carter, Katelyn Yoder, Meghan Meagher, Eilis Murphy, and Independent Drawing student Samantha Olsen. Each student wrote an artist's statement and hung and arranged their own show. The students were responsible for welcoming the public and answering any questions. |
| Click here for photos |
Witness Show |
| Experiencing the Arts had its first field trip to see the "Witness" show at the Hood Museum of Art featuring art from the civil rights movement of the 1960's. Strong show! It was intense and provocative with more art than photography. It was rich with variety and bold on many levels, both content levels and with color and graphic impact. This first trip was students from Art 2, Drawing and Portfolio. We will bring Art 1 students just before they have their "Issue" assignment which should help get them thinking about issues. Sophomore English classes that cover "To Kill a Mockingbird" will see it in November. Our students were brilliant with their insight and comments. They were excellent responding to the docent's prompts. I was proud of my students! |
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Save the Mill |
| On a cool overcast Saturday, October 11th, Mascoma Class of 2008 graduate Andrew Cushing hosted the Grafton Historical Society's third annual "Save the Mill" race. Despite the cool weather, there was a good turn out for the race and many Mascoma alumni were present. Grafton Historical Society hopes to restore the carding mill (photographed here). The 5K followed the Northern Rail Trail from its intersection with Prescott Hill Road in Grafton Village to the common in Grafton Center, then loop back. The 8K followed Prescott Hill Road to Williams Hill Road and Riddle Hill Road to Grafton Center, then followed the rail trail back to Grafton Village and the museum. This route has hills, but this affords the gorgeous views |
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Annual Academic Awards Night |
| Mascoma High School hosted its Annual Academic Awards Night, October 13th, 2014. Principal Collins introduced the event. Brooke Pushee led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Kerry Wheeler welcomed attendees and the keynote speaker, Sarah Kulig MVRHS class of 2005. Sarah received her Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Smith College in 2009 and her Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies from Lesley College, 2013. She is working in Art Therapy. Sarah spoke of finding herself through her Art. She emphasized being honest with yourself and having objectivity enough to accept your flaws as you work to rise above them. She spoke of her challenges in Art Therapy and the reward of seeing her work help clients accept everything about themselves and to become positive and productive. A candle lighting ceremony followed. Kolton Sumner lit the candle of Scholarship. Wesley Stenger lit the candle for Service. Elanor Dacier lit the candle for Leadership, Karina Zawilinski lit the candle for Character. Also in attendance was senior Caleb Caraway. Faculty sponsors: Skip Chalker, Ann Doody, Christine Jespersen, Jenn Hammond, Julie Hogue, Jane Plumley, David Shinnlinger, Barbara Sirotkin, Leah Wheelan, and David Wilson, introduced the new National Honor Society members. The new members of the Mascoma Valley Regional High School National Honor Society are: Joseph Arnold, Shea Curley, Mhairi Holmes, Benjamin Jones, Serena Lyman, Dakota Lyon, Alaina Pringle, Kialah Reeder, Michaela Selinga, and Alaina Shelzi. National Honor Society Advisor, Ann Doody administered the Oath and the faculty sponsors pinned their new members with their National Honor Society pins. After the National Honor Society ceremony concluded, Principal Collins and Associate Principal JoAnne Ladd presented the Academic Honors Awards to qualified members of the Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes. |
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Hood Museum |
| Click Here for some nice photos taken at the Hood Museum of Art of our students enjoying the "Witness" show of art from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's. Thanks to Dartmouth for providing the photos. |
| Despite the 34 degree temperatures and the frisky wind, 132 people registered for the Ed Kehoe fundraising 5K. Both runners and walkers made Mascoma Proud supporting this event! |
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| November 7th, Experiencing the Arts made it possible for all Spanish 1 students to attend a double bill, cultural extravaganza playing in Concord, NH. 52 students and chaperones enjoyed the two shows: “Latin American Carnaval” featuring a variety of traditional Latin American dance and music. The second “Corazon de Espana,” showcased Tablao Flamenco, La Tuna Troubadours, a Zarzuela, and other Spanish folkloric music. |
Posted by Mascoma Proud on Friday, November 7, 2014 |
Understanding Veterans: Canaan Elementary School Connects to Those Who Served |
| Click Here for Valley News Story |
Christmas in Canaan all three of the Art Teachers displayed student art by students of all ages in the Catholic church (St. Mary's). |
| Click here for photos |
| 2005 Mascoma Graduate and Hypertherm employee Lyndsay Brown was able to fulfill some of her Community Service hours volunteering at the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair. She found herself assigned to tent 7 where Mascoma Art teacher Christopher Morse was displaying his etchings. "It was great to spend the day with one of my former students." Morse said. Hypertherm's HOPE foundation helps get their employees engaged in community activities, volunteering at the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair is one way they can do this. |
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