Wednesday, September 17, 2014

National Merit Scholarship/Best Buddies/Open House

Open House

Open House is tomorrow evening.  Please come prepared with your son/daughter's schedule.  The evening will begin at 6pm.

Benjamin Navetta and Nicholas Freiter

The National Merit Scholarship Program honors individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.  Roughly 1.4 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Program.  The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of  U.S. high school seniors. includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.  We are proud to announce that two of our own are among the one-percent selected in the entire country.  Congratulations to Benjamin Navetta and Nicholas Freiter for their tremendous achievement.



Best Buddies Initiative 

Thanks to Shaw's Market for making a $400 donation to GDRHS.  We intend to use the proceeds to help fund the Best Buddies initiative we hope to begin next year.  http://www.bestbuddies.org/



Wednesday, September 10, 2014

GDRHS Newsweek Ranking

Newsweek recently came out with its list of top schools in the country.  According to Newsweek, GDRHS is #5 in the great state of  Massachusetts and #86 in the country.  Follow the link provided for a complete list of schools.

http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-schools-2014

Monday, September 8, 2014

Principal's Notes/PJ Kendall

Hello,

I am happy, albeit not surprised, to inform you that the first two weeks have been remarkably smooth. Staff began with two days of professional development on the 25th and 26th of August.  Many of them spent the summer taking classes and attending professional development seminars.  The high school staff is genuinely happy and eager to start the school year.  The positive tone creates an atmosphere that is conducive to learning.  

We try our best to get all the necessary start of year requirements--pictures, fire drill, class meetings, etc,--out of the way immediately.  All of those distractions are now behind us and we can focus solely on our seminal function of educating students.  The smooth opening is due in large part to the students of GDRHS.  They continue to impress with their behavior, attitude, and how respectful they are.  As a staff we talk often about the culture of mutual respect that exists at GD, and it is not something that anyone takes for granted.  It is another essential contributing factor to a conducive learning environment.  Surely there was a healthy dose of teenage indifference to the start of the school year, as many expressed to me their longing for a few more weeks of summer.  We addressed this very issue of indifference during class meetings.  Using some of the world news as a backdrop, I reminded them why we all should be so thankful to attend this great school.  We all should be grateful to attend a school that is safe, organized, and focused on teaching and learning.  We are looking forward to a great year.  We hope to see you all at Open House on the 18th of September starting at 6pm.

I wanted to recognize PJ Kendall for a significant achievement.  He was selected to serve on the influential Student-Advisory Council.  PJ was one of sixteen student-athletes chosen out of a pool of more than one-hundred.  I have included the letter I received from the MIAA, and a picture of PJ.


Best,

Michael Mastrullo
Principal




Dear Mr. Mastrullo,

Philip Kendall, a Senior at Groton Dunstable Regional High School, attended the 4th Annual New England Student Leadership Conference at Stonehill College from July 15-18, 2014. Philip was one of 250+ students from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont who were selected by their local state associations to attend this event.

Throughout the four days at Stonehill College, Philip represented Groton Dunstable Regional High School, the school community, and the MIAA in an outstanding manner. Philip participated in a variety of small and large group workshop sessions, general sessions and a community service project. Following the conference, Philip applied and interviewed for a position on the MIAA Student Advisory Committee.

It is a pleasure to inform you that Philip Kendall has been selected as one of 16 students from across Massachusetts to serve on the MIAA Student Advisory Committee for the 2014-15 school year. This committee is scheduled to meet on the following dates at the MIAA Office in Franklin, MA:September 26February 10 and May 13. These meetings are scheduled to begin at 8:30am and will conclude shortly after lunch to allow students time to return for after-school activities. 

In addition, the Student Advisory Committee will play an important role in various MIAA Educational Athletics Events throughout the school year. They will be counted upon to conduct leadership workshop sessions for high school students and participate in statewide events on the following dates: October 24(Wellness Summit), November 21 (Sportsmanship Summit at Gillette Stadium), December 12 (Captains Workshop), January 29 (Leadership Workshop), and March 16 (Captains Workshop). Please see the enclosed calendar for a list of these important calendar dates.

The MIAA Educational Athletics Staff will be in touch with you, your athletic director and Philip regarding meeting dates, times, and agendas in the weeks leading up to each event. While the schedule of events is ambitious, Student Advisory Committee members are reminded that their schoolwork and school activities are always the priority. If you have any questions about the role of the MIAA Student Advisory Committee, please do not hesitate to contact me at 508-541-9834. Thank you for your support of this student leadership initiative. We look forward to working with Philip during the upcoming school year. 

Sincerely,

Peter Smith
MIAA Educational Athletics