Announcements November 30 - December 4, 2015

Morning Announcements
Please donate any canned food items to the bin in the office for a chance to win a pizza party after school with you and 5 of your friends!  Any questions?  See Rachel Thibodeau.

Do you want to help sick children in the hospital this holiday season?  Milford Hospital is in need of new activity books, coloring books, markers and crayons for their pediatric unit.  Donations will be collected through December 18th in the candy cane box in the office.  If you have any questions, please ask Cole Alibozek.

Attention Class of 2017:  Please stop by Sra. Soto's room 242 if you ordered Yankee candles.  They are in!

Attention all girls interested in trying out for spring softball: There will be a meeting next Tuesday, 12/8 starting at 2 p.m. in the media center.  Any questions, please see Mrs. Curtis.

Attention Freshmen:  Please remember to bring in your pizza order to Sra. Soto's room 242 by Friday, 12/4.

Attention all High Honors Scholars attending the dinner on Friday night:  There will be a meeting in the cafeteria on Thursday, 12/3 at 1:45 p.m.

Attention NHS Members:  There is a meeting this Thursday, 12/3 at 7 a.m. in the auditorium.  Members must attend!

Want to win an Amazon gift card?  Stop by the media center for more details.

A pajama drive will be held at Nipmuc December 1 - 11.  Please consider donating a new set of women's pajamas for Abby's House Women's Shelter.  Collection boxes are in the front and office and school counseling center.

Light for Loved Ones will take place Saturday, 12/5 at Kiwanis Beach.  Ashley Sewell and Samantha Taddei are hosting this event dedicated to those who have been affected by cancer.  All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Visit "Light for Loved Ones" Facebook page for more information.

Applications for the January Driver Education class are available in the office and on the school website.  The evening class will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights for 5 weeks from 6:30 - 9 p.. starting January 12th.  Return your completed application and check to the office by January 11th.

Student Feature Friday - Nipmuc announces Forty-Five John and Abigail Adams Scholars

Class of 2016 John and Abigail Adams Scholars

Nipmuc Regional High School is pleased to announce that forty-five students in the class of 2016 have qualified to receive the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship based on their performance on grade 10 MCAS English Language Arts and Mathematics tests. This scholarship entitles students to four years of free tuition (not including fees) upon their acceptance to a participating Massachusetts public institution of higher education, including a University of Massachusetts campus, a Massachusetts state university, or a community college.

Congratulations to: 

William Applegate
Jake Barefoot
Brooke Bukunt
Charlotte Burlingame
Samantha Capalucci
Abigail Colombo
Samuel Crocker
Isabel DesRoches
Marla DiPoto
Shannon Dowd
Kristina Dubois
Elizabeth Faubert
William Gavin
Alison Goddard
Elizabeth Hilton
Lauren Jordan
Aaron Kearnan
John Kossuth, Jr.
Ciara Larence
Kiley Larocque
Madison Lynnworth
Hannah Martel
Megan Mathieson
Meghan Mercier
Mary Morcos
Jake Osgood
Jillian Penfield
Karin Plante
Jared Plumb
Sarah Plutnicki
Maxwell Polay
Stephanie Poly
James Rogan
Somaiya Rowland
Madison Sauter
Peter Schiloski
Bryan Seserman
Amanda St. Germain
Carly Thibodeau
Joria Todd
Sarah Tong
Sequoia Tracy Stone
Daniel Whitcomb
William Whitcomb
Steven Wickstrom

Announcements - November 23 - 25, 2015

Morning Announcements
Who wants to hear Ms. Leja sing?  Here's your chance!  The Nipmuc Music Department is holding the first-ever Nipmuc Idol on Tuesday, 11/24 at 7 p.m.  The events will be judged by Mr. Messick, Mr. LaPete, and Senora Soto, with performance by Ms. Leja, the Nipmuc A Capella groups and many more talented musicians.  Tickets will be sold at all lunches for $5 and &7 at the door.  Come support Nipmuc's musical talent!

Freshmen - Please pick up your FAST t-shirts in room 142 during breaks today.

Reminder to all Swim Team members:  There is a meeting at 2:30 after school today (Tues., 11/24).  Let Carly Thibodeau know if you cannot attend.

" Light for Loved Ones",  December 5th at Kiwanis Beach in Upton.  Join Ashley Sewell and Samantha Taddei who are hosting this event dedicated to those who have been affected by cancer.  All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Visit their Facebook page "Light for Loved Ones" for more information.

Attention Sophomores:  You can pick up your FAST t-shirt beginning today in Mr. Moloney's room 333.

Want to win an Amazon gift card?  Stop by the media center for more details.

Now through November 24th there will be a box in the main office collecting personal care and hygiene items for the Mendon-Upton communities.  Any donations are greatly appreciated.

Applications for the January Driver Education class are available in the office and on the school website.  The evening class will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights for 5 weeks from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. beginning on January 12th.  Return your completed application and check to the office by January 11th.

Win an authentic autographed Rob Gronkowski jersey!  Tickets: 1 for $10 - 3 for $20.  See Mr. Allen or Mr. Della Rovere for tickets.  All proceeds benefit the Nipmuc weight room.

Announcements - November 16 - 20, 2015

Morning Announcements
Nipmuc Drama Guild presents "Harvey"!  Friday 11/20, 7 p.m., Saturday, 11/21, 2p.m. & 7 p.m., and Sunday 11/22, 2 p.m. Tickets are available at www.ticketstage.com/NRHSDG $10 adults and $7 students and seniors.  Don't miss it!

January Driver Education class applications are available in the office and on the school website.  The evening class will be held Tuesday and Thursday nights for 5 weeks from 6:30 - 9 p.m. starting January 12th.  Return your completed application and check to the office by January 11th.

World Challenge will have a meeting today - Weds., 11/18 - from 2 - 3 p.m. in room 310.  Bring your iPads!

There will be a Model UN meeting on Thursday, 11/19, after school in Mr. Moloney's room 333.

The Nipmuc Music Department is holding the first-ever Nipmuc Idol on Tuesday, November 24th at 7 p.m.  The events will be judged by Mr. Messick, Mr. LaPete, and Senora Soto, with performances by Ms. Leja, the Nipmuc A Capella Groups and many talented musicians.  Tickets will be sold at all lunches for $5 and $7 at the door.  Come support Nipmuc's musical talent!

For those students attending the Mike Smith Field Trip - There will be a brief meeting on Tuesday, 11/17, in room 333 after school.

The Nipmuc Book Club will meet on Thursday, 11/19, after school until 3 p.m.  Please bring your book with you to the meeting.

Want to win an Amazon gift card?  Stop by the media center for more details.

Winter sport paperwork is due by this Friday, 11/20.  Please turn paperwork in to Mr. Schmidt in the office.

Reminder to all Swim Team members - fill out all sides of both athletic forms found in the main office.  Questions?  See Carly Thibodeau.

Penny Wars against the classes have begun for FAST!  You can find your class jar in the front office.  Every penny counts!  Also, student sign-ups for pep rally games during FAST can be found on the bulletin board in the cafeteria.  Sign-ups must be completed by Monday the 23rd.  All students must sign up!

Please join us for "Light for Loved Ones" on December 5th at Kiwanis Beach.  Ashley Sewell and Samantha Taddei are hosting this event dedicated to those who have been affected by cancer.  All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Visit Facebook page "Light for Loved Ones" for more information.

Sign up for winter sports today during all lunches.  Student-athletes should bring all forms and athletic fee of $175.  Forms are available in the main office.  No one can participate in tryouts unless forms are turned in prior to start of practice on Monday, 11/29.

Personal Care/Hygiene Collection - Now through 11/24 there will be a box in the office to collect personal care and hygiene items for the Mendon-Upton community.  Any donations are greatly appreciated.

Win an authentic autographed Rob Gronkowski jersey!  Tickets: 1 - $10, 3 - $20.  See Mr. Allen or Mr. Della Rovere for tickets.  All proceeds benefit the Nipmuc weight room.

Student Feature Friday - Latin American Experience Project

Alexa Mirageas, Pat DeVries of Chevre, Joria Todd, Arianna Aniello

One of this year's most exciting additions to Nipmuc's program of studies is the Latin American Experience. This senior course exposes students to the cultural, social, and political aspects of the Spanish speaking world. One of the key units of the class asks students to build connections with community members who have cultural roots in Latin America. Using their knowledge of Spanish, students are asked to develop relationships with local business owners and professionals in order to develop a more personal and meaningful understanding of Latin American culture.

Students are excited about the course because it gives them a practical way to apply their learning. In speaking about the class with World Language Chairperson, Mrs Tricia Moloney, she mentioned that the class is a great fit for seniors because it "gets them out into the community to interact with real people in real situations. The class helps to get students out of their comfort zone in order to interact with community members as they will in their life beyond high school."

After visiting the class, I knew I wanted to feature the impressive projects being completed in the course.  This week I am excited to share the work of Alexa Mirages, Joria Todd, and Arianna Aniello. Through their project these students connected with Patricia DeVries, owner of Chevere, a jewelry store and gift shop in Uxbridge.  Ms. DeVries met with the students to share the story of her journey to America from Latin America and the challenges she overcame to become a small business owner. Included below you will find our students' thoughts about what they took away from this awesome experience.

Arianna Aniello
Q. Tell me about the Latin American Experience course and what you enjoy most about the class?
A. I decided to take the Latin American Experience class for a different type of Spanish class rather than grammar and spelling. This class was a lot different than what I expected and is for sure an experience in itself. The class focuses mainly on Latin America - learning new things about the culture along with finding people in the real world and talking to them about their experiences. This class is a new style of learning to learn and explore outside of the classroom. A project-based class, that teaches you a lot of skills you'll need to know for the future, including how to be self-reliant and mange your time wisely. I most enjoy being able to find people around me who have Latin backgrounds and learning about their experiences there and coming to America. It's a great thing when school and fun combine, being able to talk to real people one-on-one while learning at the same time. I especially love working with my friends on these projects getting to experience the same things with them as well. I do think this class is a good start for allowing students to have trust with their teachers and learn outside of the classroom. I am very happy to have taken the Latin America Experience class this year and I encourage students to take it in the future.

Q. What are some of the skills you used in order to complete this project?
A. Throughout this project I have learned a lot of new learning skills. This project was mostly something we had to complete ourselves with some guidance from Mrs. Moloney. We had a due date and we had a list of things we needed to get done by that time on our own. We had to find a business owner, set up multiple times to meet and discuss with her, complete a trifold poster on the business, and set up a filmed interview. This project taught me how to be more self reliant which is a skill I used. You need to be able to handle things in and outside of the classroom on your own without a teacher telling you when do to them. Also time management skills, being able to find time to get everything done. A new style of learning and having trust with your teacher to be able to leave the classroom to get work done. I feel like this class will help us in the future for college when we have to do everything on our own, this is a good starting point for that.

Alexa Mirageas
Q. What was the most interesting/rewarding part of your project?
A. The most interesting part of my project was getting a personal perspective from someone whose story we were researching. I was able to see a different point of view and learn about an unique experience in a different way. The most rewarding part of the project was being able to use my Spanish education in a useful way. I contributed by translating and interviewing in Spanish. It was rewarding to know how beneficial my education in Spanish had become.

Q. Tell me about the Latin American Experience course and what you enjoy most about the class?
A.The Latin American Experience course is a course that gives you a different classroom experience. Students were able to leave class and given the responsibility to complete their class work and term project on their own schedule. I enjoyed the freedom and different experiences this course offered.

Joria Todd
Q. What was the most interesting/rewarding part of your project?
A. The most rewarding part of this project was seeing how happy Pat was to talk about Chevere and to hear her story of coming to America. It was so eye opening listening to a first-hand account of someone telling their own story instead of reading it or hearing it from someone else. It also felt so good to know that we could complete a project this extensive and do a good job on it as high school student.

Q. Tell me about the Latin American Experience course and what you enjoy most about the class?
A. I love the freedom Mrs. Moloney gives us. She really trusted us enough to go off during class time to interview Pat and buy poster supplies. It was nice that a teacher recognized that we can handle a challenge and use our time wisely and effectively even if we're not under their watchful eye.

Mrs. Moloney also has so many group and hands-on activities that keeps all types of learners involved and engaged. I'm never bored in her class and I actually learn well from her teaching style. The Latin American Experience class is structured so as to give us a lot of freedom and really let us learn how to be time efficient. It is also nice to learn more about the Latin culture because I haven't been exposed to it before.

Q. What are some of the skills you used in order to complete this project?
A. The skills we used every class were time management, creativity, effective collaboration, technology skills (updating our blog from our iPads, creating our movie, editing our interview), and soft skills, like good interview practices and how to act in a professional setting.

Overall, this project was so educational and was one of the highlights of my year and one of the most effective and worthwhile projects I have done at Nipmuc. Pat was awesome to work with and Mrs. Moloney's project taught the three of us so much about ourselves, group projects, and the Latin American culture.

Thank you Arianna, Alexa, Joria, and Mrs. Moloney! You can access the students' blog which captures some of their work in the project here.

Announcements November 9 - 13, 2015

Morning Announcements
Join us for "Light for Loved Ones "on Saturday, 12/5.  Students Ashley Sewell and Samantha Taddei are hosting this event at Kiwanis Beach in Upton.  The event is dedicated to those who have been affected by cancer.  All proceeds go to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Visit their Facebook page "Light for Loved Ones" for more information.

This Friday, 11/13, help spread positivity around our school!  If you see a sticky note with a compliment or positive message, pass it on.  This idea is based on Operation Beautiful.  Stay Positive.

Reminder to all swim team members to fill out all sides of BOTH athletic forms, which can be found in the office.  Questions?  Ask Senior Carly Thibodeau.

Attention Senior Football Players:  This is the last call for the Central MA Football Officials Scholarship.  Please see Mrs. Hefez to turn in your application or if you have any questions.

Sign ups for winter sports will be this week during all lunches.  Student-athletes should bring all forms and athletic fee of $175.  Forms are available in the main office.  No one can participate in tryouts unless forms are tuned in prior to start of practice on Monday, 11/29.

Personal Care and Hygiene Item Collection - Now through November 24th there will be a collection box in the main office for the Mendon-Upton community.  Any donations are greatly appreciated.

The Nipmuc Book Club will hold their meeting on Thursday, 11/12 after school until 3 p.m.  All members - please bring your book.

StuCo thanks everyone that participated in the leak raking activity on Sunday, 11/8.

Win an authentic autographed Rob Gronkowski jersey!  Tickets: 1 for $10, 3 for $20.  See Mr. Allen or Mr. DellaRovere for tickets.  All proceeds benefit the Nipmuc weight room.

News from the Athletic Department
Field Hockey - Game Tuesday, 11/10 at 4:45 p.m. at Grafton High School vs. Lunenberg.  Tickets will be sold at the gate - $7 adult, $5 student.  No noisemakers or backpacks allowed in the stadium.

Boys' Soccer - Game on Wednesday, 11/11 at 7:00 p.m. at Foley Stadium in Worcester vs. Millbury.  Tickets sold at the gate - $7 adult, $5 student.  No noisemakers or backpacks allowed in the stadium.

Football - Last home game of the year will be played on Saturday, 11/14 vs. Saint Peter Marian at
1 p.m. at Nipmuc.

Student Feature Friday - Project 351 Ambassador Maya Simpson

Freshman Maya Simpson, Project 351 Ambassador

In this week's Feature Friday post, I'm excited to share the volunteerism of Nipmuc freshman Maya Simpson. Over the course of the past year, Maya has worked as the Mendon representative to Project 351, a youth leadership organization comprised of 351 students - one from each community in the Commonwealth - who participate in volunteer projects that strengthen our communities.

The website for Project 351 states that "leaders dream, dedicate, persevere, collaborate, create, inspire, appreciate, and find a singular and meaningful way to leave their mark on the community and the world." Maya's hard work as an ambassador for the program certainly qualifies her as a leader.

In this week's feature, I asked her a few questions about her participation in this awesome program.

Q: How did you become involved in Project 351?
A.  I was chosen as Mendon's ambassador for Project 351. I honestly had no idea what it was until I was sitting in the office at Miscoe when I found out I had been chosen. I was told that the eighth grade teachers come up with a small list of students that they think should be the ambassador for that year. The seventh grade teachers then choose one person from that list, and the eighth grade teachers say yes or no. I had no idea that I would ever be chosen for this, but I was.

Q: What are your responsibilities in serving as a Project 351 Ambassador?
A.  Ambassadors are given the option to lead service projects in their hometowns. During Spring Service, in 8th grade, I led a clothing drive to benefit Cradles to Crayons, a non-profit organization that helps homeless families. For Fall Service, I plan on leading a food drive that will benefit the Mendon and Upton food pantries.

Q: What has been the valuable/meaningful part of your participation in the project?
A.  There are so many meaningful and valuable parts of being in Project 351. First, I have met so many people through Project 351, it's unbelievable. Many of them are people I probably never would have heard of otherwise. Second, Project 351 has taught me so many things, and I can never put into words how much that has positively influenced who I am as a student, an ambassador, and as a person in general.

If I had to choose one thing that is the most valuable, it would have to be that Project 351 showed me that there is a leader inside of me. I have the capability to accomplish things and help others. Project 351 has also shown me that everyone has the capability to be a leader. Sometimes you just need an opportunity to get your ideas out there.

Learning to be a leader, to me, is a lot like learning a new language. The more you use it, the better you get. Some aspects of it are easy, and you catch on fast. Others aren't so easy, and it takes some time before you understand it fully, but everyone still has the capability to learn it.

***

Maya will be running a drive at Nipmuc from December 1 - 14 in order to collect snacks, canned fruit, and other food to support local food pantries.

10 Reasons to Be Excited about the 21st Century Learning Conference

"We believe that it is important for students to see how their education will be useful to them and seek to make connections between the academic work and the world beyond the classroom. "

- Nipmuc Regional High School Beliefs about Learning

On Monday, Nipmuc will host its first "21st Century Learning Conference" for all students. The conference welcomes more than 30 professionals and community leaders to our campus to offer sessions on college, career, and community readiness in partnership with our teachers. The conference is a highlight event of our newly formed 21st Century Learning Center. I'm excited to share some of the many reasons that we are thrilled to host this event!

10 Reasons to Be Excited about the 21st Century Learning Conference

1. Collaboration with professionals and community leaders. We are thrilled to welcome more than thirty professionals, national speakers, and community leaders to run workshop sessions for students.
2. Developing the growth mindset. Based on the research by Carol Dweck, the growth mindset is a belief that our most important abilities – like intelligence or talent – can be developed through hard work and dedication. As the theme of the conference, the growth mindset will be highlighted in the sessions offered by teachers and guest presenters. 
3. Achieving our school goals! Nipmuc has embraced the challenge of teaching & assessing the skills that make our content come to life. Monday’s conference is a feature event of our 21st century learning center as we establish college, career, and community readiness for all of our students. 
4. Professional learning experiences. Our day is modeled after professional conferences. Students had the opportunity to select their sessions and customize their day.
5. A variety of options. Check out our schedule for the event to see the many choices available to our kids.
6. Dressed for success! Part of the professional learning experience is coming dressed for success. Students have been asked to come in business casual dress for a day of professional learning.
7. Meaningful college readiness training. College representatives and our school counselors will offer a variety of sessions on getting ready for college. Some of the college prep sessions include, “Tackling the College Essay”, “Trends in College Admissions: What You Should Know”, “Entering College Undecided – Making the First Year Count”, “Paying for College: Don’t Panic”, and “Be the Best You Can Be: Tips and Tools to Avoid the Freshman 15”.
8. Authentic, real-world learning experiences. Check out our offerings on topics like entrepreneurship, financial literacy, composing a resume, getting your dream job, taking control of your day and many more that give students the chance to build a skill set needed for life beyond high school.
9. Keynotes that will leave a lasting impression. Nipmuc is thrilled to welcome Mike McGuinness, Director of the HR Policy Foundation’s jobipedia.org, and Cindy Taccini, Director of Health Communications for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc, to provide collaborative keynote and endnote speeches for all students.
10. Providing our students with a competitive advantage. Teaching and learning at Nipmuc has never been more impressive. We’re excited about the many ways that this event expands our curriculum and gives our students the skills they need and the competitive advantage they deserve! 

21st Century Learning Conference

On Monday, November 9 Nipmuc Regional High School will host its first 21st Century Learning Conference. The day will provide students with the opportunity engage in a day of learning focused on college, career, and community readiness. Faculty members and thirty professional partners will be running conference sessions helping students to develop skills for life beyond the walls of our school.

The conference schedule can be accessed here.

Students are asked to register by the end of the day on Wednesday (11/4). Information for registration has been sent to all student email accounts. Students should bring their iPads to the conference and are asked to "dress for success" (business casual) as they engage in a day of professional learning.

Each student will attend one keynote/endnote session and select two breakout sessions much like one would do at any professional conference. The breakout sessions are anticipated to be no larger than 25 students. Over 130 students have already registered. Our students are encouraged to sign up right away before sessions fill up completely!

Questions and/or technical problems may be directed to Beth Hennessy, Community and Career Coordinator at: ehennessy@mursd.org

Announcements November 2 - 6, 2015

Morning Announcements
All students are reminded to check their student email for an invitation to next Monday's 21st Century Learning Conference.  See Mrs. Hennessy in room 230 with questions.

Attention Sophomores!  Don't forget to buy your FAST t-shirt this week!  Only $10 for a great shirt - buy yours before Friday.  See Mr. Moloney (room 333) or Mrs. Blackburn (room 238) today!

Sign-ups for winter sports will be next week during all lunches (11/9-13).  Student-athletes should bring all forms and athletic fee of $175.  Forms are available in the main office.  No one can participate in tryouts unless forms are turned in prior to the start of practice on Monday, 11/29.

Girls Lacrosse Meeting for any girl considering playing this spring - Thursday, 11/5 in Miss Manzella's room 337 - blue wing.

Mrs. Field's CSI class will be eating 3rd lunch today.  Please come directly to class C block.

Volunteer to rake leaves for local senior citizens on November 8th for community service hours.  For more information, contact Scott Estabrook - estabrooks16@student.mursd.org - or have a StuCo member invite you to the Facebook event.

Students are reminded to check their student email for an invitation to Monday's 21st Century Learning Conference.  See Mrs. Hennessy in Room 230 with any questions.

Win an authentic autographed Rob Gronkowski jersey!  Tickets:  1 for $10 - 3 for $20.  See Mr. Allen or Mr. Della Rovere for tickets.  All proceeds benefit the Nipmuc Weight Room.