Community Leaf Raking Project

Our leaf raking crew getting ready to
head out to the community.

"Everyone can be great, because everyone can serve."
 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

As this year has started, I've often been asked about my new position and what part of my job I like the most. When asked about my new role, I'm never at a loss for words in sharing my excitement about the achievement of our students, the work of our teachers, or the strength of our art, music, and athletic programs. There are many aspects of our school that deserve recognition; however - as the quote above references - nothing is "greater" at Nipmuc Regional than the dedication of our students to giving back to the community.

On Friday morning, our students once again demonstrated this commitment to service by participating in a community leaf raking project to benefit the senior citizens of our communities. On an holiday morning when they could have been sleeping late or relaxing, a group of our students joined me at Nipmuc to be part of a service project that we hope to make an annual tradition.

After a rain soaked Thursday, we were hopeful to get some cooperation from the weather as we headed out to a number of homes in Mendon and Upton. Our students braved the cool temperatures and fought the wind as they made their way to the homes of our senior citizens. After splitting up into teams, they put their rakes, tarps, and leaf blowers to good use across our communities. Within a few hours, they were able to lend a helping hand and make a difference for a number of our seniors. The day provided another opportunity to see just what makes our kids so great to work with. 

Mrs. Moran and I would like to thank Mr. Mike Clements for all of his help in running the day. We'd also like to thank Jamie Gardner, Holly Whalen (Upton Senior Center) and Amy Wilson Kent (Mendon Senior Center) for their help in connecting us with senior citizens who could benefit from this service.

Check out some pictures from our day on the Nipmuc Regional High School Flickr page or on the slide show in this blog.

Leaf Raking Tomorrow!

With the weather for Friday looking cool but sunny, we will continue with our leaf raking project on Veteran's Day morning. I am so proud of the students who are volunteering on a holiday morning to dedicate their time to our senior citizens by cleaning up their yards and helping them get ready for the winter. Earlier this morning, I had the chance to speak with each of the senior citizens who will have their yards raked tomorrow. They are so thankful for the support of our students!

As a reminder, we will plan to meet at Nipmuc at 9am tomorrow in the school lobby. From Nipmuc, our teams will head out to our community members' homes to rake their leaves. Parents are encouraged to come into the school in the morning so they can get the address and directions to the home in order to pick up the students at the end of the project. We are hopeful that each yard will take no more than 60 - 90 minutes with everyone providing help.

If parents would like for their students to get rides with another adult or other students, they should be sure to have the student complete a transportation waiver. The waiver is included below and will be available in the school lobby tomorrow morning. I have also attached the informational sheet that was handed out to students yesterday afternoon.

Since our soccer teams will be competing in the afternoon in district semi-finals, we know that those players will not be able to participate in leaf raking. We are especially thankful for everyone else who will be able to lend a hand on Friday.

Anyone who would like to help out but who did not have a chance to sign up can feel free to arrive on Friday morning at 9am. Students and parents are welcome.

Thank you for your support of our community!

Nipmuc Leaf Raking Project

On Veteran’s Day, November 11, the Nipmuc community will be working together to participate in a community-wide service project to help rake leaves from the yards of senior citizens. Our students will be looking to help as many senior citizens as possible in this service effort.

We are also looking for the help of any parents who might be interested in working with teams of students as they rake our senior citizens’ yards. The event will start at Nipmuc at 9am on November 11. From Nipmuc, our leaf raking teams will head out to local homes to help our senior citizens. In order to participate, we are asking our students and volunteers to come prepared with a rake and warm clothing. Transportation waivers will also be required of any student who is travelling with a student, teacher, or another adult on that day.

If you are interested in participating in this service event or if you know of someone in need of this type of help, please contact us at NipmucLeafRaking@gmail.com. We are especially thankful for your help in getting the word out to our senior citizens.

Thank you for your help!

Great work, Chenoa!

Nipmuc junior - Chenoa TracyStone

Congratulations goes out to Chenoa TracyStone for her great work in organizing a book drive to benefit Rosie's Place - a Boston-based shelter that offers long term support to women who are in need of assistance. Over the course of just a few weeks, Chenoa worked with the principals in all the schools in Mendon-Upton to collect 564 books to benefit Rosie's place. The books - most of which are children's literature - will be a great benefit to the women and families at the shelter. The books will be stored in a common area at Rosie's place and will be greatly appreciated by the families who live there.

Thank you to the other schools in the district, the community, and - certainly - Chenoa for completing such an important project.

A New Standard of Education

It was good to return to school on Thursday morning after spending several days at another high school in Massachusetts as the chairperson of a school accreditation team. As a member of the commission for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), I have the opportunity each year to lead of team of teachers and administrators in the process of evaluating the educational practices, leadership, and funding at another accredited high school. Each visit provides a great opportunity not only to provide professional service to another community, but also to work with educators from other school districts and to gain a deeper understanding of the standards by which NEASC accredits its member schools.

The accreditation process helps schools toward the achievement of high standards through a process of self-reflection, goal-setting, and peer review. NEASC has established seven standards by which they guide all aspects of school effectiveness, from teaching and learning to resources and funding. We are fortunate in that these standards are rigorous and require that schools are responsive to students' needs.

In 2011 the association updated its standards to address the obvious ways the world has changed and to meet the needs of 21st century learning. There are so many ways that the world has changed for our students' generation. The video below, put together by educational thinker Scott McLeod, shows the many ways technology has altered our global society.



In Thomas Friedman's book The World Is Flat he documented the way technology and social change have created a true global marketplace in which our students must compete. Likewise, in Tony Wagner's book The Global Achievement Gap he talked about the importance of teaching "survival skills" that can help our students adapt to the ever-changing workplace.

We are fortunate that NEASC has considered these changes in the most recent update of the standards for accreditation. The standards have placed an emphasis on 21st century learning, requiring schools to consider how to change their practices in order stay responsive to students' needs. Today's learners not only need the content knowledge to become socially literate, but also the skills that will allow them to use technology effectively, collaborate across networks, think creatively, and communicate with clarity and focus. As Karl Fisch, one of the co-creators of the "Did You Know" videos stated, "We are currently preparing students for jobs that don't exist, using technologies that haven't been invented, in order to solve problems we don't even know are problems yet."

When you think about schools in those terms, it can make the job of teaching and learning seem unattainable. Fortunately, the NEASC standards provide a framework by which schools can approach these challenges and set a new standard for public education.

At Nipmuc, we have begun the process of identifying our core values and beliefs as we prepare to determine our 21st century learning expectations. I look forward to gaining feedback from our entire school community as we hold true to the strengths that define our school while complementing our curriculum with the skills that will guide our students toward success.