Write up and Photo credit to Mr. Jon O'Connor

On Wednesday December 14th, Groton-Dunstable Regional High School continued its annual tradition of The GDRHS Winter Concert and Art Show at the Middle School Performing Arts Center.   Doors opened early to a large audience for the art show which featured a variety of drawing, painting, photography and design from students of all levels at the High School.   The reception was accented with food and fundraising by the Groton-Dunstable Arts Boosters who help sustain the Arts at the High School.

Catherine de Groot (2017) has had artwork in the show for the last three years.   She helps with the set up and take down, all of which occurs in one evening. "Its amazing how colorful the hallway becomes with hundreds of art pieces. It totally transforms."

For yet another year the crowds packed the performing arts center.  The concert featured performances from concert band, jazz band, chorus and the internationally recognized High School Chamber Choir.  Special acts included Drum Corps, numerous music solos and jazz singer Hannah Loomis (2019) who performed Sammy Cahn's Let it Snow through a special effects blizzard.  

Saxophonists Charles Peterson (2019) and Grant Wilsie (2019) both commented on the significance of the Winter Concert.    Peterson has been playing for ten years and Willsie for four but both made the cut for Jazz band which is audition based.    "Its great to be home at the PAC playing just for the community," said Peterson.  

Wilsie explained, "A good deal of our performances are for paneled competitions. 

 But this is one of our biggest shows and it's just about getting out there and having fun."  

Peterson nodded.  "As fun as it is, a ton of work goes into the prep for this one night, there are many songs we only do just for this show, so this is one of the best reasons to get out and see us play.  Be sure to catch us next year if you missed us this year."

PSAT Reports are available.  Please see the following communication from the Guidance Department.  Thanks.


Paper PSAT Student Score Reports are available in Guidance.  They can be picked up during break and all lunches.  Any reports not picked up will be filed in the students cumulative folder.

Congratulations to Mr. Savoy and the following 15 students from GD that made it into Central Districts Music:

Sarah Bettencourt

Taryn Emerle

Mary Heinser

Matt Lilliedahl

Joshua Marion

Nathaniel Martinez

Andrew McCusker

Shay McGillivray   Number #1 Bass vocalist in Central Districts.

Finn McGillivray

Emily Miller

Curtis Monahan

Emma Rasmussen

Matt Suchecki

Alex Sullivan

Celeste Vandermillen  Number #1 Obeo in Central Districts.

Great job Ms. Penchansky and Student Council for their efforts to help those in needs and to bring service opportunities to our school.

On Friday, December 9th, the Groton Dunstable Student Council hosted its first Community Service Fair. Various local charities were invited to showcase a poster presentation about their mission, along with a signup sheet for students to volunteer with their service. Representatives from ten local organizations, ranging from The Groton Community School and Miracle League to larger charities such as Loaves and Fishes and Habitat for Humanity, were present. Overall, the fair was a great success! Not only did the fair expose students to the need for service in their community, but it was truly heartwarming to see how many of our students were eager and willing to sign up to make a difference this holiday season. Additionally, the Lowell Humane Society brought two adorable puppies to their booth, which were undoubtedly a huge attraction!

As mentioned, this fair was hosted by the Groton Dunstable Student Council, and organized by Connor Griffiths, Jennifer Kenney, and a team of Class Representatives. Throughout Community Service Week (December 5th-9th) the student council has raised over $2,500 and has collected an abundance of food and clothing for donation. The Community Service Fair was a good way to show students that, in addition to donating money and goods, another great way that they can help out their community is by donating their time this holiday season.  

Term 2 Progress Reports will be available in the Community Portal this afternoon.  
Have a wonderful weekend.

Congratulations to the TGD Swimming & Diving teams who opened up with wins over Leominster yesterday!   Of note, GD Senior George Colarullo set the team 1 Meter Dive record with a score of 262.35.
http://www.lowellsun.com/sports/ci_30645274/swimming-sums

Join us for a seasonal tradition! 

High School Winter Concert and Art Show 

Wednesday,  Dec 14th

Middle School Performing Arts Center

6:15 PM: Art Show, Concessions, Raffles

7:00 PM: Concert 

Adults: $10

Students: $5

Seniors and Children under 12: Free

We have had concerns voiced to us lately about the number of parents who are dropping off in the morning in the student parking lot. This is a high traffic area and is not the approved location for dropping off students. Please use the approved and "safe" area at the far end of the parking lot near the tennis courts. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.

Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated by GDRHS staff for student of the month honors so far this year.  While we have not received bio information from all students we wanted to recognize everyone who was nominated.

Matthew Monroe, Alexis Tubens, Sam Leinhard, Julia Joyce, Ainsley Wortman, Liam Smith,
Zoe Pappas, Alex Valles, Shay McGillvary, Emily Wilson, Ethan Cooke, Jacob Lhodra
and Andrea Whitney.

Thanks, Mr. Fittz, for sharing this article.  Well deserved recognition for our staff and our school.

https://k12.niche.com/rankings/public-high-schools/best-teachers/m/boston-metro-area/

Time is running out to earn the $200.00 discount for 2018 trips.  Costa Rica has only three spots remaining!!!  For more info on each of the trips, click the link below.

http://gdglobalscholars.weebly.com/2017-2018-trips.html

Thanks to Mr. Arena,  Mrs. Reynolds and Mr. Murphy for their help in planning our Veterans Day program this week.  Most of all, thanks to all the veterans for all they have done for our country.

Below is a link to the Nashoba Valley Voice article.

http://www.nashobavalleyvoice.com/ci_30558171/wwii-veteran-gets-surprise-visit-veterans-day

Term 1 Report Cards are now posted in the community portal.

Our GD Mock Election was in full swing during lunches today.  I want to thank Mr. Villagomez and his class for all of the hard work that they have done to educate our students about the democratic process.  Also, thanks to Ms. Kaplan for helping set up our voting stations this morning.

Results:

President Hillary Clinton wins at Groton-Dunstable RHS

PRESS RELEASE (Jay Villagomez, Groton-Dunstable Regional High School)

The Groton-Dunstable Regional High School electorate has spoken: Hillary Clinton won the 2016 Mock Presidential Election.

Five hundred twenty-one out of 811 students cast their votes giving Clinton 48.2% (251 votes).  Donald Trump garnered 32.6% (170), while 10% (55) voted for Gary Johnson and 8.6% (45) voted for Jill Stein.

GDRHS National Art Honor Society: New Members; Student Artwork Displayed at Annual NAHS Exhibit 

The National Art Honor Society at Groton-Dunstable Regional High School welcomes returning members – Haley Ashburn (Treasurer), Kiley Lawton (President), Pamela Marino, Charlotte McCarthy, and Saya Norton (Vice President) – and will be inducting new members Catherine de Groot (Secretary/Historian), Emma King, Andrea Pellizzari, and Matthew Suchecki (formerly NJAHS), as well as new National Junior Art Honor Society members Lara Stecewycz (President) and Jessie Wang (Vice President). An induction ceremony will take place on Wednesday, November 16^th at 5:30 p.m, followed by a reception featuring artwork by new and current members.

This year, artwork by Groton-Dunstable's NAHS members Catherine de Groot, Kiley Lawton, and Pamela Marino have been accepted into this year’s National Art Honor Society exhibit in Massachusetts, “Defining, Designing, Discovering.” Selected works include Bliss (digital) by senior Catherine de Groot, Savanna Monarch (acrylic on canvas) by senior Kiley Lawton, and My House (acrylic on canvas) by junior Pamela Marino. Artwork will be on display until the closing reception on Saturday, November 12^th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Lower Level Commons Gallery at Lesley University.

Catherine de Groot

Kiley Lawton

Pamela Marino

GD@Play is working to bring a synthetic turf field to our campus. If you are interested in learning more, please see the invitation below.

Join us! The Groton-Dunstable Regional High School Fields Renovation Project engineering plan will be presented during an information night to be held on Thursday November 3rd, 2016 in the GDRHS Library at 7 p.m. GD at Play, Inc. is sponsoring the information night. GD at Play was commissioned in June by the GDRSC to work with the field engineering organization, Gale Associates, to bring the project through to the permitting necessary to implement a synthetic turf surface at the main stadium field. GD at Play is raising private monies to fund the project. GD at Play encourages the public to attend and learn more about the initiative, the goal of which is to provide consistently safe and sustainable outdoor classrooms while utilizing the successful dual-surface field model employed by over 60% of communities in our Commonwealth. GD at Play is a not-for-profit whose mission is to raise funds to support educational goals within the Groton-Dunstable Regional School district.

GD Graduation:  Current field conditions

Example of what new field would look like.

Project Pura Vida has wrapped up its fundraising activities and is sending a $500 donation to Amigos of Costa Rica to use for educational purposes.  Great Job and congratulations to this group!

2018 International Trip Information

2018 International Travel Information:

The signups for the 2018 Trips are open! Please refer to this link to sign up for the trips. Be aware that there is a discount that is active until November 15th and space is limited.

Travel Information Night for 2018 travel is tonight, October 27th in the Black Box Theater.  Our program will begin at 6:30pm.  We will outline our various travel opportunities for 2018 including Costa Rica, Iceland, Italy & Greece, Peru and Amsterdam & Berlin.  These trips will run at various times during the spring and summer of 2018 to provide opportunities to as many students as possible. Representatives from EF Tours will be on hand to answer questions about all aspects of their tours including insurance, cost and a variety of other topics.

If students register this evening they will receive a discount towards the cost of the trip.  Spaces are limited on each of these trips.

Groton-Dunstable Drama Students Present Arsenic and Old Lace

Since the start of the fall semester, Drama Guild has been working on their production of Arsenic and Old Lace, a comedy by Joseph Kesselring. The cast and crew consist of fourteen actors, three stage managers, and many more backstage crew, set builders, painters, and costume designers. The show follows Mortimer Brewster (Alex Sullivan, ‘17), a Brooklyn drama critic who discovers that his two sweet, charming, elderly aunts, Abby and Martha (Jill Carleton, ‘17, and Lauren Maloomian, ‘20), may be hiding an interesting secret. To add to the peculiarities of his family, Mortimer’s brother thinks that he is Teddy Roosevelt, and no one in the family ever mentions his other brother, who has not been seen in Brooklyn in years.

The play is being directed by Mrs. Leung, an English teacher at GD Middle School, and student directed by junior Celeste Vandermillen. Performances are on Friday, November 4 at 7 P.M. and Saturday, November 5 at 2 P.M. and 7 P.M. Tickets are $8 for students and seniors and $10 general admission. Shows are in the GDRHS Black Box Theatre. See you there!

Yearbook Request

The Key Yearbook GDRHS 2017

---

Dear Seniors and Parents and Guardians of Seniors,

We are beginning to put together GDRHS’s yearbook for the Class of 2017!

Read on to learn how you can purchase a yearbook, submit a senior portrait, and buy and design an ad to celebrate a senior’s graduation, and how a senior can submit their senior quote, baby picture, and more. As you plan your submissions, keep five things in mind.

First, some important deadlines.

• Friday, October 14: Senior Portrait
• Monday, October 31: Parent and Friend Ads (see enclosed materials) and Baby Photo
• Saturday, December 31: The cost of ordering a yearbook goes from $65 to $75
• Until December 2: Story ideas to record a significant event or achievement in academics, sports, extracurriculars, or life that happened or will likely happen to a student from March 2016 to February 2017 can be submitted. (Note: Though all stories will be considered, space will limit selections.)

Second, photo specifications.

• High resolution—Minimum of 300 dpi
• File format—JPEG
• Senior Portrait Print Specs—2 x 3 inches
• Senior Portrait Composition Specs—In color. Vertical orientation. Head and shoulders.
• Senior Portrait Content Specs—No props. No hats. Tasteful.
• Candid Content for Stories—Action or emotion. Not posed!
• Special instructions for Senior Portraits: If you used Mark Lawrence—make an appointment to select your portrait from your proofs ASAP. Mark Lawrence will send the photo directly to us. If you used any other photographer—it is up to YOU, not the photographer, to submit your portrait. Please give your photographer the photo specifications information above and upload your portrait to http://www.hjeshare.com (CODE: gdyearbook).
• Problems with or questions about senior portraits? Contact Mr. Jon Adams (jadams@gdrsd.org).

Third, Herff Jones online services.

To access the GDRHS portal, go to www.yearbookordercenter.com and type 6666 (our yearbook code) as the order number. You will be brought to a screen that has three tools that allow you to:

• Buy a yearbook (using your credit card)
• Create a yearbook ad (using your credit card)
• Upload photos (free)

Problems with or questions about online services? Contact Ms. Kelly Cook (kcook@gdrsd.org).

Fourth, “old school” methods.

If you prefer not to use online technologies, you still have options to buy a yearbook or ad.

• Order a yearbook using a check: Make your check payable to GDRHS Yearbook and mail the check to Ms. Barbara McNulty, GDRHS, 703 Chicopee Row, Groton, MA 01450. Students may also drop off their order to Ms. McNulty in room 229.
• Purchase an ad that the staff creates for you from physical photos (details here): Indicate your ad size and design on the enclosed materials and make a check payable to GDRHS Yearbook. Mail your ad materials and check to Mr. Jon Adams, GDRHS, 703 Chicopee Row, Groton, MA 01450. You may also send your child to drop off your ad materials and check to Mr. Adams in room 112. A yearbook staff member will send you an email confirmation when your ad materials have been received. Once the ad is designed, you will receive your materials back in the mail along with a proof of the ad.

Fifth, special senior submissions.

Using students’ personal @gdrsd.us Gmail accounts, the yearbook staff will be sending seniors online forms to collect information. Be on the lookout for an email from hsyearbook@gdrsd.org to submit your Quote, stories, and to vote for superlatives.

Your senior portrait needs to be submitted according to the photo specifications on the first page of this letter. Please note, the directions differ depending on the photographer you used.

Seniors submitting a baby photo have two options:

• Upload a digital file by going to http://www.hjeshare.com (CODE: gdyearbook). Type your name in the box under “Student(s) shown in picture. In the box under “Description,” type baby photo.
• Scan a hard copy with a yearbook staff member, who will be set up with a scanner at lunches from October 12-14. We will scan your photo in your presence and return it to you immediately.
• Note that staff members will only be available to scan your photo the week of the 12th, and any online submissions after October 31st will not be included in the book.

Suggest a story! One purpose of a yearbook is to tell the story of a year. We want to be able to highlight your achievements for this year, but we can’t if we don’t know about them. If you or one of your classmates has had an experience (or you anticipate will have an experience) that you believe deserves to “go down in history,” submit a story idea to hsyearbook@gdrsd.org. We will consider any events that have occurred since March 2016 until our final deadline.

Sincerely,

The Key GDRHS Yearbook Staff

Just wanted to share some information I received from a parent this morning.  After utilizing our Naviance SAT test prep application for the week prior to taking SATs this fall.....her daughter's SAT scores went up by over 100 points.  Great news!  If you haven't been using the test prep option in Naviance and would like to know more, please ask your guidance counselor.

We had a wonderful evening at GD on Friday night even though the weather did not cooperate.  Please check out the link below to see the details.

http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_30498564/groton-dunstables-biggest-booster-gets-boost-new-set


GD@Play is actively working to bring a new synthetic turf field to our campus.  Please see the invitation below.

Join us! The Groton-Dunstable Regional High School Fields Renovation Project engineering plan will be presented during an information night to be held on Thursday November 3rd, 2016 in the GDRHS Library at 7 p.m. GD at Play, Inc. is sponsoring the information night. GD at Play was commissioned in June by the GDRSC to work with the field engineering organization, Gale Associates, to bring the project through to the permitting necessary to implement a synthetic turf surface at the main stadium field. GD at Play is raising private monies to fund the project. GD at Play encourages the public to attend and learn more about the initiative, the goal of which is to provide consistently safe and sustainable outdoor classrooms while utilizing the successful dual-surface field model employed by over 60% of communities in our Commonwealth. GD at Play is a not-for-profit whose mission is to raise funds to support educational goals within the Groton-Dunstable Regional School district. 

We are pleased to announce that seniors, Abigail Vervaeke and Zach Gavel have been awarded the National School Development Council Award for Growth and Student Leadership in Learning. These awards are given annually to seniors who have consistently pursued a high level of academic effort and who have served as role models for the student body. These two students certainly display admirable character and accomplishment. Congratulations Zach and Abigail!



We are enjoying hosting our new friends from Pfungstadt in Germany.  Yesterday they enjoyed some history at Plimouth Plantation as well as enjoy a typically New England tour of a cranberry bog.  Our exchange students will be in attendance this evening as our Crusaders play host to Westboro High School on "Senior Night" for our football players and cheerleaders.


Mr. Villagomez's  Government class played host to congressional candidate Ann Wofford this morning.  Thanks to Mrs. Wofford for visiting us and graciously spending her time talking with our students.

A reminder that we will be hosting a Travel information Night on Thursday, October 27th at 6:30pm in the Black Box Theater.  I encourage any students and parents interested in travel for the 2018 Spring and Summer to attend.  Space on these trips will be limited and those who sign up early will be eligible for discounts for EF Tours.

Welcome G.A.P.P. students

Last night our exchange students from Germany arrived.  It was so nice to meet their chaperones this morning and we are all looking forward to the getting to know everyone much better in the upcoming weeks.

Travel Information Night:  October 27th at 6:30 in the Black Box Theater

Please join us to learn more about travel opportunities for the 2018 Spring semester as well as the Summer.  Representatives from EF Tours as well as GD tour chaperones will be here to answer any questions that parents have. Space is limited on our trips, so if you are interested please sign up asap.  Students will be able to sign-up as early as 10/27 at the meeting.  Discounts available to those who sign-up early.

Destinations are limited to the following:

Ms. Salemme will again be leading a trip to the Amazon in Peru over the Summer.  Below are some photos from last years expedition.

http://opwall.com/sixth-form-high-school/locations/peru-school-expeditions/

Thank you Mrs. Erickson for creating this beautiful flyer highlighting our Spring trips with EF Tours.

Costa Rica (Language Immersion)

Iceland

Italy & Greece

Also available in the summer of 2018....  EF Student Leadership Summit

This is an opportunity to join together with students from all over the world to examine some of the topics important in the world today.

http://www.eftours.com/educational-tours/collections/student-summits

Space is extremely limited for this opportunity.

ATTENTION STUDENTS TAKING THE PSAT EXAM TOMORROW (10/19/16)

We will start seating for the Exam at 7:00 am sharp.  

Bring your calculator and No. 2 Pencils.  We will NOT HAVE EXTRA CALCULATORS.

DO NOT BRING COFFEE.  Only water will be allowed.

Thanks to my friend Ben Durand, former Auburn University quarterback, for coming in today to share your stories and time with this group of football fans.  We had a lot of fun.

Have a Great Extended Weekend!

Today is the culmination of Pink Week supporting awareness for Breast Cancer and collecting donations for research.

Today also marks the beginning of Homecoming Weekend.  Come by tonight to see our Crusaders battle Marlborough.  Kickoff is 7pm.  The annual tailgate will begin around 4:30pm.  Please come and visit the booths and see our teams and groups display their creativity and culinary talents.  We will close homecoming tomorrow with the Homecoming Dance.  The dance runs from 7:00 -10:00pm.

If you have a moment, take a look at this amazing video created by Sophomore, Ainsley Wortman's video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk_EBVSFFDU&feature=youtu.be


see Ms. Cook's explanation of the origin below:

 This year, instead of having a summer reading assignment, the HS English Department had a Summer Language Exploration, a Universal Design for Learning version of what students could choose from so as not to regress in their language skills over the summer--lots of options, not just reading.

Ainsley Wortman created The World I Want To Live In: A Visual Poem and submitted it to the 2016 White House Film Festival.

It is the best and most original work I've received from a student in my career. 

Pink Week at GD!

All this week, students are encouraged to wear PINK to support awareness in the fight against breast cancer.  T-Shirts are on sale each day at lunch.  We are hoping for a sea of pink at the pep-rally on Friday afternoon.

Did you know.....

That test prep is available at NO COST to all GDRHS students through Naviance?
SAT and ACT test dates are approaching quickly.  Please take advantage of this tool.
Our test prep access also includes all AP Courses offered at GD!

Here is some information regarding the service.

If you or your student(s) has any questions please contact your guidance counselor.

Naviance Test Prep courses are:

• Personalized, adjusting student activities each day and predicting scores on test day;
• Game-based and tablet-compatible, encouraging students to earn points and badges as they take the course in bite-sized units, resulting in higher course completion rates and improved scores.

Progress reports are available through the community portal as of 9/30/16.

Next week will be our Fall Homecoming.  We would love to see everyone come out and support our teams next weekend.

Have a safe and happy weekend.

MEFA COLLEGE FINANCING SEMINAR

Parents and students are invited to attend a free seminar on paying for college, which will be held on Thursday, 9/29/16, at 6:00 pm in the High School Black Box Theater.  This seminar is offered through MEFA, the Commonwealth’s authority on planning, saving, and paying for college. An experienced MEFA representative will provide an overview of the college financing process, including types of financial aid, how to apply, and financing options for your family. Before the seminar, be sure to visit MEFA’s website — mefa.org — to download a copy of the seminar presentation and explore other tools and resources to assist you in the college planning process.