October 4, 2024
Dear Families,
As was announced last week, Cohasset High School was named a 2024 Blue Ribbon School in the Exemplary High Performing category. We are the only high school in Massachusetts and one of only two high schools in New England to receive the award. So it's a pretty big deal, and it's a testament to how much the community values and supports education here in Cohasset.
Let me tell you how we didn't do it.
When I started in 2012 as an assistant principal, the aspiration of becoming a Blue Ribbon School was communicated to me. And the culture that had been created around that aspiration was from what I could tell top-down, and one that valued academic rigor above all else. MCAS scores were emphasized, as were Boston Magazine rankings which were proudly positioned in Central Office. Student class time was untouchable. There were very few field trips, assemblies were frowned upon, and relationships with organizations like CSCR were viewed skeptically at best. It was a fine goal on the surface, but missed the mark of what we were really trying to accomplish.
By the time 2019 rolled around the school had experienced a bit of a cultural crisis. Issues like safety, communication, and a lack of appreciation for and integration of diversity rose to the top of challenges. And I described in one of my opening newsletters the cultural challenges that we needed to address. In part, "The focus of this year is on culture, with the aims of imbuing students with a sense of purpose, a sense of meaning, and ultimately laying the foundation for a sense of joy and strength that withstands life’s trials. This endeavor isn’t in lieu of promoting strong academic skills, vibrant artistic and athletic opportunities, and life-long friendships. Quite the contrary. Focusing on real and human relationships and working together to articulate just what it is that the Cohasset “C” represents lends a deeper meaning to all that we do, values students for who they are, and builds for strong and confident young adults prepared to enter the world. The work is long and slow but there is nothing more important."
The most important step we took as a district was to logically create a stand-alone middle school so that we could address it's own culture and it's own distinct culture. The transformations of both buildings cannot be underestimated in developing student engagement and providing the care and attention to each constituency, students, families and faculty alike. At the high school we hosted events like Challenge Day, an experience of belonging and connection between and among students, faculty, and staff. We had a full-school screening and discussion of The Hate U Give. We partnered with organizations like A Shot for Life, which uses sports to fight brain cancer. We added positions in guidance, adjustment counseling and social work as well as adding academic faculty in math and social studies. We invested in new facilities upgrades in athletics, the cafeteria, the courtyards, green technologies, and most importantly was granted a CEF gift to install Project Adventure Programming. (And to all you naysayers reliving the glory days of how the building served you just fine, the facility does matter. Just like your house matters.)
We reinvented our 9th grade wellness class (at the expense of a quarter of 9th grade science), added 20 elective offerings including computer science, created a pathway to the Seal of Biliteracy, expanded our relationships with CSCR, Holly Hill, and Safe Harbor, promoted our civics projects and defined a clear path for student independent studies. We amended our schedule to create a daily utility period and created over 15 student-led clubs, and partnered closely with the elementary schools through both selective initiatives around diversity and recycling, and through independent student aids in rooms.
This was possible because we were given a great deal of autonomy from Central Office and School Committee, were provided financial resources by the PSO and CEF, and were really invested in by our community partners, particularly CSCR, Holly Hill, and Safe Harbor.
We defined our culture by drafting the Vision of the Graduate, beginning in 2019 and completing it in 2023. More than just a piece of paper, the Vision outlines our collective understanding regarding the purpose of education as voiced by all of our stakeholders, not some metric imposed on us. It's our why, and it's what our resources and energies should be directed towards. It establishes the foundation of our culture.
That's what we did. And yes, we rewrote curriculum and studied how to incorporate best practices and established data teams and metrics. But only as a means to realizing the Vision and not as a means to winning an award.
What we didn't do was hyper-focus on MCAS, SAT, ACT or AP test scores. We didn't focus on AP enrollment (and continue to actively counsel students to create a schedule that is best for them, whether or not that includes AP). We didn't focus on trying to understand the metrics of the award and meld what we do in order to win anything.
As a result, we:
- Improved advanced coursework completion of special education students by 13% (51- 64%) since 2019
- Improved advanced course completion for black students 26% (57-83%) since 2019
- Enrolled 57% of students involved in computer science compared to 18% average among competitive south shore schools; Marshfield is closest with 34%
- Realized 95% participation in the arts compared to 60% average among competitive south shore schools (the next closest is at 69%)
- Entered into the State Civics competition, and this year 6 of our Freshmen are presenting their 8th grade Civics projects at the 104th National Council for the Social Studies Conference at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on 11/23 (more to say on that in a later newsletter).
- Obtained the highest AP enrollment and test participation among competitive South Shore schools (second in performance)
- Scored the highest five-year average on SATs among competitive South Shore schools
- Improved outcome data (the number of graduates who matriculate through four years of college after CHS) up 14.5 % from 83.5 in 2019 to 98% in 2022, the highest among competitive South Shore schools.
- Saw effective communication improve 39% from 47% to 86% in 2022.
- Improved respect for cultural diversity, up 22% from 55% in 2018 to 77% in 2022. Among black students, the number has climbed from 33% in 2020 to 91% (with 9% neutral) in 2022 and 100% in 2024. The top two self-identified strengths from students were trust and empathy.
- Significantly reduced substance abuse (see graphic below)
- Improved sleep from 28% of students who said they got enough sleep to 51% from 2019 to 2023.
- Reduced the number of students who reported physically injuring themselves to feel better from 12% to 9.5% from 2019 to 2023
- Reduced the number of students considering suicide from 13% to 6% from 2019 to 2023
- Reduced the number of students who have ever been told by someone that they were considering suicide from 31% to 18.7% from 2019 to 2023
This is all to say that the award is much appreciated, but it's not the end goal. Never has been and isn't now. I'd like to close with an anecdote from a parent of three students who are in or recently graduated from CHS, classes 2024, 2026, and 2028. In exiting Open House he waited to tell me that in all his years coming through the school system, what really resonated tonight was how consistent the message was (and this is among ten different teachers). He went on to say that everyone stressed how much they love and care about their children, how they want their children to find a home, to be challenged and supported, and to find their voice. It's by far the best feedback I've ever had from an Open House, and far more valuable than a Blue Ribbon (although I'm not complaining about that either, woo-hoo for us!).
Ever Onward Cohasset.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Scott
Principal
Check out the Pep Rally Photos, Courtesy of Dan Leahy, followed by Owen Gurtz' tribute video to the senior class HERE. A must watch.
School Council Positions Open
We have one School Council position open for parents this year. School Council is comprised of parents, students, teachers, and administrators as an advisory board. We meet the fourth Tuesday for about 30 minutes every other month starting in October.
The law outlines four major areas of responsibility for councils. Specifically, School Councils are to assist principals in:
Adopting educational goals for the school that are consistent with local educational policies and statewide student performance standards
Identifying the educational needs of students attending the school
Reviewing the annual school building budget
Formulating a school improvement plan
Safe Harbor
Safe Home Campaign
Please view our video for all campaign information: https://videopress.com/v/rhvBG5Mp
Safe Harbor Cohasset Coalition is excited to reintroduce the “Our Safe Home” campaign to address the issues of youth access to alcohol in the community. This effort involves parents, guardians, merchants, and youth themselves You do not have to have school age kids to participate, it’s simply a message of support. This is not a pledge for adults to not have alcohol in the home- it is a pledge to not provide to minors. You don’t have to share more than your name if you don’t want to, to participate. You can join us in our efforts to create a safe space for youth in Cohasset by joining the Our Safe Home Directory at our website, www.safeharborcohasset.org/oursafehome
CADCA Leadership Forum Scholarships
February 3-6, 2025
National Harbor, Maryland
Leadership Forum is for community leaders, coalition members, and advocates. CADCA equips coalition member with the tools, knowledge, and support necessary to create positive change in their communities. With over 4,000 attendees from across the globe, we will share insights, learn best practices, and network with like-minded professionals. Featuring over 100 workshops, plenary sessions with renowned speakers, and countless opportunities for professional development, the 2025 CADCA Forum is your chance to gain the resources needed to drive positive change.
To apply for a scholarship by October 11th : https://forum.cadca.org/scholarship.cfm
A special thank you to the Walls Family for donating $100,000 towards the purchase of a new scoreboard. A member of the CHS Hal of Fame, Mr. Walls was known as the "Voice of the Cohasset Skippers" for many years over the PA. Pictures can be found here. Ever humble, the family was not seeking recognition but we took some photos anyway :).
Cohasset High School
Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal