Weekly Update March 17
Dear NCHS Family,
Career Night is on! Our new date is March 22nd for this outstanding opportunity for our students to learn about many exciting careers.
Hockey game:
New Canaan High School is very proud of the achievements of all our sports teams. This winter our boy’s hockey team is having an exceptional season and will be playing Northwest Catholic in the CIAC Semi-finals tonight at Ingalls Rink on the campus of Yale University. The game is run by CIAC officials and security is provided by Yale University and the New Haven Police Department. We want you to be aware that as a result of fan behavior at last Saturday's FCIAC Championship Hockey game, the CIAC has put us on notice that any incident of negative, obscene or inappropriate fan behavior may result in the entire student section being ejected from the arena. The CIAC has told us that there will be no warnings.
We hope that everyone comes and cheers on our team in a positive and respectful way.
Exchange Club Scholarship:
The Exchange Club of New Canaan Foundation provides a grant to a student enrolled in college and university programs, community colleges, technical or vocational schools. The grant is based on financial need, and the student must maintain a B average or its equivalent, and satisfactory complete yearly program requirements. The scope of the grants are as follows:
First year $2,500
Second year $2,500
Third year $2,500
Fourth year $2,500
For an application, please see Mrs. Granite in the Guidance Department.
NCHS Scholarship Foundation:
Just a reminder that The New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation is celebrating its 50th Anniversary! NCSF represents a broad-based community effort to provide financial aid to deserving NCHS graduates pursuing higher education at the undergraduate level. We are announcing new and exciting changes to the Foundation. We will continue to have General scholarships and, in addition, new named scholarships. These scholarships can be funded annually or by endowment. Our annual appeal will see some changes this year as well. Instead of the annual NCHS Scholarship Drive, the New Canaan community will be invited to participate in the first-ever NC Color Run to be held on April 29. It will be a fun-filled event open to all ages. We hope that you can join us; stay tuned for more details. For more information, please visit our new website at www.nchs-sf.org. Thank you for your support.
If you are a senior and are planning on enrolling as a full-time student in a college or university (including technical and vocational schools), you may apply. Eligible students may qualify to receive aid for a maximum of four undergraduate years. Each applicant’s financial status is assessed by the College Scholarship Service. The basis for the Foundation’s decision is the information reported on the financial aid form and analyzed by the Service. The Foundation is using the same data that colleges refer to in making their decision. All decisions are based solely on need alone.
Thank you:
A special thank you to the PFA for providing our students with the opportunity to listen to a bagpiper during lunch. The kids totally enjoyed the experience and cheered for him after he finished playing. Please see some images below.
Special Assembly:
We have a special schedule that I wanted to make you aware of. On March 27th, we will have a Color Run assembly. All classes will meet on this day and we will follow what is typically our Connections schedule.
Monday, March 27th (Day C)
Special Schedule for All-School Assembly
Period 3 7:30 – 8:14 AM
Period 4 8:19 – 9:03 AM
Period 1 9:08 – 9:54 AM (includes Announcements)
ASSEMBLY 9:59 – 10:22 AM
Period 2 10:27 – 11:11 AM
Period 7 1st Lunch 11:16 – 11:36 AM
Class 11:41 AM – 12:27 PM
Class 11:16 – 11:39 AM
2nd Lunch 11:44 – 11:59 AM
Class 12:04 – 12:27 PM
Class 11:16 AM – 12:02 PM
3rd Lunch 12:07 – 12:27 PM
Period 8 12:32 – 1:16 PM
Period 5 1:21 – 2:05 PM
Best,
Bill Egan
Principal
Upcoming Events:
3/17 Through Our Eyes reception (rescheduled) tonite 5-7 pm, Carriage Barn Arts Center
3/17 Will Rogers Follies, tonite 7pm and Saturday 2pm & 7pm NCHS Auditorium
3/22 Career Night (rescheduled) 6:30 pm
3/24 Post Prom Fashion Show 7-9 pm
Pictures From Around NCHS This Week:
Department Updates:
VPA News:
The NCHS Theatre program presents the musical production of “The Will Rogers Follies, A Life in Revue” this evening. This production is comprised of a cast of 45 actors, 15 crew members, and 12 orchestra members for a total of 72 members. This delightful musical offers extravagant costumes, exhilarating production numbers to twirling cowboys and is one that the entire family will enjoy from the children to the grandparents.
Don’t miss this one….. join us for opening night this evening, March 17 @ 7pm and March 18 @ 2pm & 7pm . A snow date is scheduled for March 20th @ 7pm in the case of inclement weather. Ticket are $18 for orchestra seating and $15 for mezzanine seating. Tickets are available at http://www.newcanaanhighschooltheatre.com/
Music Tech and TV Broadcasting Trip to Harry TV:
World Language:
Students in Spanish II classes just completed unit 9, which covers irregular preterite verbs as well as vocabulary related to the stages of life. To apply the vocabulary and the grammar concept learned in class, students had the opportunity to research and do a presentation about a distinguished deceased person from Latin America or Spain.
After conducting their research and gathering information about the different stages of life of the person of their choice, they prepared a Google Slides presentation to be used with the oral presentation. Students had to do their presentations in Spanish, dress in character, and share with the class the person’s stages of life as if they were the person they researched. Some of the people they researched were Roberto Clemente, José Fernandez, Frida Kahlo, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Fidel Castro, Selena Quintanilla, Pancho Villa, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí.
After conducting their research and gathering information about the different stages of life of the person of their choice, they prepared a Google Slides presentation to be used with the oral presentation. Students had to do their presentations in Spanish, dress in character, and share with the class the person’s stages of life as if they were the person they researched. Some of the people they researched were Roberto Clemente, José Fernandez, Frida Kahlo, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Fidel Castro, Selena Quintanilla, Pancho Villa, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí.
Social Studies News:
This past week, Ms. Browner's Global History I classes delivered persuasive speeches to the Roman Senate -- while appropriately attired, of course! -- debating whether Julius Caesar or Augustus Caesar was more deserving of a statue in the forum.
Ms. Bacon and Mr. Schwartz’s Global History I classes are collaborating on the Collapse projects to determine whether or not their assigned civilization collapsed due to the problems plaguing society or were able to adapt to those problems to endure as a civilization. They will create an infographic together to visually present their research and their findings about their civilization. They will present their infographics to both our classes as a whole and then students will collaborate afterwards to find trends about why societies collapse or endure and then apply them to the United States.
Pictured below is a pair of students doing some brainstorming on the Collapse project in the Co-Lab.
In several sections of Global History II, Imperialism projects are underway or just wrapping up! After extensive research, students act as representatives of individual colonies and meet in regional summits on the eve of WWI to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of imperialism in their regions. Students will argue for continued regional colonialism OR a regional movement for independence, and will produce a propaganda video expressing their argument to colonial citizens.
Other sections of Global History II, a few days ahead, are taking on the role of European diplomats on the eve of World War I, scrambling to avoid its outbreak ahead of the Archduke’s assassination, then in the wake of it.
Psychology students in Ms. Greco’s classes had a panel of adults visiting today to discuss parenting and the ups and downs of adulthood as part of the development unit. This lively discussion always leads in great directions.
Science Department News: Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
This week over 45 of our Physics and Chemistry students took part in the annual TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) competition here at NCHS. Participants started the competition earlier in the week with a written essay focused on the Utilization of Alternative Energy Sources in Connecticut. Teams had to describe the pros and cons of a chosen source as well as create a cost analysis of a state wide conversion to that energy source over a 5 year time frame. On Friday March 17th, participants came together to complete an 80 question multiple choice test component that focused on Engineering and the Environment. Teams worked together to complete this task. Once students finished the test, the real fun began. Each of the 6 student lead teams were given a design challenge in which their collaboration, design and engineering skills were put to the test. This year’s challenge was to design a robotic arm from a specific set of provided materials. The robotic arm must pick up and move a 16.9 oz bottle of water into a bull’s eye target. Each team will be judged on the amount of material used to create their robotic arm, the accuracy of their bottle placement and the time it took to place the bottle with their robotic arm.
Results of the three part competitions will be available once all of the teams in Connecticut have completed and submitted their competition components. Below are some of our students in the thick of it.
School Counseling News:
Counselors are meeting with each of their students through their English and PE classes to finalize course selection and discuss plans for future classes. Students still have time to make changes in their schedules for the 2017/18 school year but the portal will close to them on April 1st. For students who wish to appeal for reconsideration to a higher level course, forms are due also by April 1st. Parents can view their child’s courses through their own portal page but students will need to be on their own school google accounts to fill out and submit the appeals form.
This week, counselors also met with sophomore parents to begin discussions around how we are preparing students for post high school planning and what they can do to help. Video of the presentation will be uploaded within the week.
