MetroWest Adolescent Health Survey

Good morning,
I am writing to share some important information about a health survey that will be administered to all students at Nipmuc Regional High School on November 8, 2012. Nipmuc is one of 50 local schools in the MetroWest area that will be part of this survey.

Please review the letter below to learn about the topics covered, how to opt out, and frequently asked questions about the survey.

Letter to Parents:


MetroWest Survey Fact Sheet:


Thank you,
John Clements

Daily Schedule at Nipmuc

Good afternoon,
I hope everyone weathered the storm and that you are doing well as we recover from Hurricane Sandy. As we prepare to return to school, I wanted to remind everyone that days missed for weather-related reasons are skipped in the 7-day cycle.

With this in mind, if we are able to return to school on Wednesday, students will be following the schedule for Day 1. The order of classes on Day 1 is A-B-C-D-E.

I wish the best in getting your power restored, your roads cleared, and your yards clean.
Best - John Clements

Special Nipmuc Olympic Warriors (SNOW)

Emma Alcott displaying the hand-painted
tote bags that benefit SNOW

One of the best aspects of the clubs and activities at Nipmuc is that so many of our student groups are focused on providing community service. Whether participating in Pay It Forward, STAND, the Impact Team, National Honor Society, or Student Council, Nipmuc's students have continually looked for different ways to volunteer and make a positive change in their community.

One of newest clubs on the scene at Nipmuc this year shares this focus of volunteerism. The "Special Nipmuc Olympic Warriors" (SNOW), started by Emma Alcott, Amber Calzone, and Lisa Slavin and advised by paraprofessional Tiffany Cote, is a student group that provides support for the Special Olympics. As members of SNOW, students will have the chance to work together with students in our VISTA and STAR programs in volunteer and support the Special Olympics.

We are fortunate to have students who often look for ways to stay connected to those students who face different learning challenges. Emma Alcott is a great example of student who has enjoyed the chance to develop friendships with students in our VISTA program. One of the ways that Emma has done this is by combining her passion for art education and her love of working with our students. Last year, she completed a year-long project in which she worked with students in the VISTA program, teaching them weekly lessons in art and developing meaningful relationships with them. Named after the block in our schedule that they met each day, Emma and the "A Gang" put together a series of art projects that we proudly displayed in our front lobby last year.

This year Emma is continuing her work with the "A Gang" by designing Nipmuc Warrior tote bags. The reusable cloth bags were each hand-painted by students in the "A-Gang" as part of one of their art projects. They are available in our school store for $5 each.

One of the projects that Emma, Amber, Lisa and the members of SNOW are taking on this year is volunteering at the Special Olympics flag football event to be held at Gillette Stadium. Our group from SNOW will design the paper signs that members of the football teams will burst through as they make their way from the locker room onto the field at Gillette. The money that SNOW and the "A-Gang" are raising through the selling of tote bags will help to purchase supplies for this activity and to provide transportation to the event.

Great job Emma, Amber, Lisa, Ms. Cote, and all of the members of SNOW!

New England Patriots and Green Schools Visit Nipmuc

Earlier today Nipmuc had the opportunity to welcome recently retired New England Patriot Kevin Faulk, the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, and Green Schools to our school in order to honor junior Leigh Hamlet and Superintendent Maruszczak for their work to make Mendon-Upton schools more environmentally conscious.

Green Schools and the Patriots Charitable Foundation are joining forces this month in the Patriots' season-long "Celebrate Volunteerism" campaign. This campaign, designed to honor Myra Kraft's lifelong dedication to philanthropy, focused on Mendon-Upton and the great work completed by Leigh and Dr. Maruszczak.

In congratulating our award winners, recently retired Patriots running back Kevin Faulk spoke about the importance of volunteerism and making an effort to give back to the community.When speaking to our sophomores and juniors about his career and experiences, Mr. Faulk explained that some of his greatest accomplishments came off the gridiron, including his graduation from college in 3.5 years and his understanding of the importance of giving back to the community through volunteerism.

Robin Organ and Sean Sullivan, representatives from Green Schools talked to our students about their ability to make a difference and the importance of activism. When receiving her award, Leigh challenged our students to "use their time and talents to make a difference" in the areas that are most important to them. Similarly, Dr. Maruszczak urged the students to gain awareness of how to make our communities "greener", noting that this may be the most significant issue faced by their generation.

As the assembly came to a close, representatives from Green Schools and the Patriots Foundation met with students in Nipmuc's Chemistry in the Community classes who run the school's recycling program. Robin Organ praised our students for their work and urged them to act as student ambassadors, bringing their message of "green awareness" to other schools in the district.

It was a day of environmental learning and celebration at Nipmuc. Again, congratulations Leigh and Dr. Maruszczak!

John and Abigail Adams Scholars



Nipmuc's Adams Scholars

At the end of last week I had the opportunity to congratulate 55 of Nipmuc's seniors as recipients of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for their exceptional achievement on the MCAS tests. As Adams Scholars these students scored in the top 25% of their graduating class. This award will provide our students with free tuition for four years at any Massachusetts public university.
When I met with the students, told them that they should be proud of their accomplishment. During their year of MCAS testing, 96% of our students earned proficient or advanced scores on the English Language Arts test and 90% scored proficient or advanced on the math test. Scoring in the top 25% at Nipmuc not only means that they were ranked as "advanced" in both tests, but also that they achieved in the higher range of the advanced category. Congratulations to the following students for their exceptional achievement!

Nipmuc's Adams Scholars

Nicholas Addeo, Haley Alexson, Jessie Alibozek, Christopher Alleman, Amelia Baynham, Emma Blanchard, Rachel Bloznalis, Megan Brady, Matthew Burke, Marisa Camden, Cassidy Cannavo, Meredith Collins, Samantha Crosby, Emily Davidshofer, Brittany Denecke, Daniel Dias, Kailey Dowd, Christian Dumas, Elisabeth Ferguson, Ethan Fortin, Tyler Giordani, Stephen Granato, Erika Greenwood, Skylar Griswold, Kevin Gurney, Brandon Hall, Charles Hill, Joshua Horn, Hannah Kackley, Cameron Kahler, Holly Kalis, William Kelley, Emily Kerber, Amarie King, Madeleine Laplante-Dube, Stephen Lukas, Allison MacDonald, Michael Manser, Philip McMullin, Samuel Merten, Grant Moyer, Kayla Murphy, Michelle Nikfarjam, Megan Palinkas, Bryan Perkins, Stephen Pihl, Meaghan Roche, Michael Rosen, Nicole Scott, Tara Sharp, Kendal Till, Chenoa Tracy Stone, Deanna Valcour, Brendan Victor, Brendon Wilkinson.