Announcements January 11 - 15, 2016

Morning Announcements
Environmental Club will meet during both breaks today (Thursday, 1/14) in room 123.

There will be a Model UN meeting after school on Thursday, 1/14, in room 333.

The lock-out is upon us! Grab your sign-up sheets at the school store and start making your teams.  You can have up to 8 people on a team and it's $8 per person.  Please have your team's form in to Mr. Cody or Mr. Perras by January 20th.

Attention AP Students:  Payments for AP exams are now being accepted.  The cost is $92 per exam.  Please bring payment to Mrs. Grady in the School Counseling Center.  If you need to make payment arrangements, please see Ms. Larracey or Mrs. Grady.  Final payment is due on Friday, January 22nd.

Attention Seniors:  Please bring a copy of your official college acceptance letters as well as a copy of any financial award notifications you receive to Mrs. Grady in the School Counseling Center.

Congratulations to the following Impact Award winners:  Aaron Kearnan, Eric Tolliver, Ryan Horn, Mike McGowan, Megan Baumgarten, Ciara Larence, and Kristin Krauss!  Please see Mrs. Field in room 122 for your award and t-shirt.  And thank you for making an impact!

Student Feature Friday - Senior Sarah Tong Honored at Superintendent's Award Luncheon

Nipmuc's WCSA Scholar Sarah Tong

Each January the Worcester County Superintendent's Association recognizes some of the best and brightest students in central Massachusetts at its scholars luncheon. Held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, this year's event highlighted the academic, leadership, and personal achievements of a talented group of students. The luncheon provided the chance for honored students from each high school to be recognized and awarded a gift.

Dr. Maruszczak and I were thankful to be joined at the event by Nipmuc senior Sarah Tong. Ranked at the top of the senior class, Sarah represented Nipmuc's students and was honored for her academic accomplishments and contributions to the school.

I had the chance to speak with Sarah about this award and what it means to her.

Q. What does it mean to you to be honored by this award? 

A. Receiving this prestigious award is extremely meaningful to me. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be recognized for my hard work and perseverance throughout these four years at Nipmuc.  It is an honor to represent this strong and supportive school.

Q. What are your plans for life after Nipmuc?
A. After Nipmuc, I plan on pursuing my undergraduate degree in biology and physiology to later fulfill my dream of becoming a physician assistant. I would also love to continue my training and passion for dance by seeking out opportunities to perform and choreograph.

Q: What was the most memorable part of the event?
A. Meeting and learning about each and every scholar from our community, Worcester County, was most memorable to me. Being surrounded by all these amazing and accomplished fellow students in one room made me realize how distinguished and unique we all are.

Announcements January 4 - 8, 2016

Morning Announcements
Support Lung Cancer Awareness at the White Out Game - January 8th, 6:30 p.m. - Nipmuc vs. Sutton.  Only $2!  Bring awareness of lung cancer to our community and show support to those who have been diagnosed or at risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer.  Half of the proceeds made will go to the non-profit organization - Lung Cancer Alliance. Please support our Nipmuc Warriors and make a difference for lung cancer!

Attention Nipmuc Ski Club: Our first ski trip will be Wednesday, January 6th.  We will be having a MANDATORY meeting for all participants on Tuesday, January 5th at 2:15 p.m. in the cafeteria to discuss bus assignments and rules.

National Honor Society portfolios are due in Mrs. Kyrka's room 217 on January 6th. 

NHS meeting of CURRENT members is  Thursday, January 7th in the auditorium at 7 a.m.

NHS E-Board Meeting - Wednesday, January 6th.

Attention AP Students:  Payments for AP exams are now being accepted.  The cost is $92 per exam.  Please bring payment to Mrs. Grady in the School Counseling Center.  If you need to make payment arrangements, please see Ms. Larracey or Mrs. Grady.  Final payment is due on Friday, January 22nd.

Attention Seniors:  Please bring a copy of your official college acceptance letters as well as a copy of any financial award notifications you receive to Mrs. Grady in the School Counseling Center.

Want to win an Amazon gift card?  Stop by the media center and check out a new book.  Read it and put your name in for the gift card.  See Mrs. V. 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 & Thursday nights for 5 weeks from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. starting January 12th.  Return your completed application and check to the office by January 11th.

Announcements December 21 - 23, 2015

Morning Announcements
End your year-end junk food run the right way!  Go to Buffalo Wild Wings on December 30th and support Nipmuc Model UN.  Copies of fundraiser forms can be obtained in room 333 or from any Model UN member.

Need hours?  Sign up to help at Youth Baseball for fundraising at the snack table.  Where?  BVT  When?  January 2, 9, 16 & 23 from 6:30 - 9 p.m.  Sign up in room 217 ASAP!

Attention AP Students:  Payments for AP exams are now being accepted.  The cost is $92 per exam.  Please bring payment to Mrs. Grady in the School Counseling Center.  If you need to make payment arrangements, please see Ms. Larracey or Mrs. Grady.  Final payment is due on Friday, January 22nd.

After seeing Star Wards for the 8th time, stop by Buffalo Wild Wings on December 30th! Nipmuc Model UN is hosting a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Stop by Mr. Moloney's room 333 or ask a member of Model UN for a copy of the coupon.

Want to win an Amazon gift card?  Stop by the media center and check out a new book.  Read it and put your name in for the gift card.  See Mrs. V. 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 & Thursday nights for 5 weeks from 6:30 - 9:00 p.m. starting January 12th.  Return your completed application and check to the office by January 11th.

Giving Opportunities:

• Help support our furry friends this holiday season by donating pet essentials for cats and dogs.  A box is in the lobby and at Westboro Pet.  Contact Natalie Rodman with any questions.
• Coat drive - new and gently-used, clean adult and children's coats being collected.
• Dnate to the Mendon Food Pantry.  The Mendon Senior Center is looking for dry goods.  Donate peanut butter, crackers, cereals, fruit cups, granola bars, apple sauce, and gummies.  Contact Emily Gay with any questions.

Student Feature Friday - Light for Loved Ones

Seniors Samantha Taddei and Ashley Sewell

On December 5 Nipmuc seniors Samantha Taddei and Ashley Sewell succeeded not only in raising funds to fight cancer, but also in lifting the hearts and spirits of our community. Samantha and Ashley organized the "Light for Loved Ones" event in which community members purchased floating lanterns to honor the memory of loved ones who were lost to cancer. In designing the event, the girls were inspired to create an opportunity for people to gain support from each other, reminisce about those who were lost, and take steps to fight cancer. Through their efforts they raised a total of $2,322 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and provided a chance for our community to join together in support of our loved ones. In this week's Feature Friday post, I had the chance to hear from Ashley and Samantha about their work on this impactful project.

Ashley Sewell 
Q. How did you get the idea for your DECA project?
A. We got this idea sitting on the beach one day over the summer. We thought of so many ideas that day. We had one general idea that we wanted to give to the Dana Farber institute. We knew this because we both lost our grandmothers to lung cancer and they both went there. After endless conversations we thought about the lanterns we saw over the summer and it hit us. Why don't we light them off in honor of a loved one?


Q. What impact did the event have on those who attended and the community?
A. It had a great impact. Everyone was so supportive and happy about the event. I personally talked to as many people as I could and they were all so happy about the entire thing. They felt it was a great idea and were so happy we put it on.

Q. What impact did the event have on you?
A. The event to me was so successful. I had recently lost my grandmother whom I lived with my entire life. It was hard on my family and this event helped me feel better. The event also showed me a possible major. I always wanted to go into journalism but I'm leaning towards event management because it was such an amazing experience. I enjoyed the entire thing. Being able to give back to a community and learning in general was great.

Samantha Taddei

Q. What were some of the greatest challenges you faced in organizing the event?
A. I'd say one of the greatest challenges in planning our event was not knowing what to expect. Ashley and I had no prior experience in planning an event this large and this sentimental on our own. However, Mr. Perras was very helpful in assisting us with whatever we needed. We also reached out to my cousin who is the executive event coordinator for UMass Lowell, and she gave us great advice. Another challenge was getting the event perfect. We were both in love with the idea we had come up with and wanted to make the event as perfect as possible, especially because it was such a sensitive subject. Trying to make the event as perfect as possible, we gave it 110% of our effort, sometimes this stress was hard to overcome.

Q. What impact did the event have on those who attended and the community?
A. On the night of the ceremony, Ashley and I gave speeches before we gave the cue for everyone to light off their lanterns. During my speech, the crowd was completely silent. I could tell that what I was saying moved them even though I couldn't see their faces. As soon as everyone began to light off their lanterns, they would watch them rise up to the sky. Families were hugging each other, some were crying, and some just watched in awe. The night was truly amazing and I could tell we made an impact.


Q. What impact did the event have on you?
A. Leading up to the event I was anxious about giving my speech in front of 50 people. Talking about how my grandmother’s death had affected me has always been a hard thing to do, especially in front of a crowd. After giving my speech, I felt proud. I knew that what I said touched the crowd before me. As I walked around the beach assisting families with their lanterns, I could tell how moved they were by the night my best friend and I had created. This truly inspired me. I loved how two high school students could make such an impact on their community. I learned that you can accomplish almost anything if you put your mind to it. This night impacted me and I hope Ashley and I can hold future events to help raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

You can get more information about the event by checking their Facebook page here.