AHS Principal's Newsletter
May 10, 2024
Dear AHS families,
"Alexa, play 'The Final Countdown,' by Europe."
It's official. The final countdown is on. But - even though the end is in sight, it's not quite time to hang up the backpacks yet. As students get excited for summer vacation and seniors get ready to graduate, we ask for continued support from home and the community when it comes to schoolwork, attendance, and making good choices. Thank you, thank you for providing that reinforcement.
This past month was full of big events like our senior week kick off meeting, the AEFI Hall of Honor assembly, and of course, the junior prom! We also celebrated our staff on Administrative Assistant's Day, National School Lunch Hero Day, and during Teacher Appreciation Week. Thanks to Heav'nly Donuts, Cider Hill Farm, Flatbread Pizza, Crave, Water Street Cafe, Five Daughters, and Hodgies who all made donations to help our staff feel special! I feel so grateful to work with such a wonderful team of educators. Take a moment and send a quick email or note to let that special one know what an impact they've had on your life!
The final weeks of school will be filled with AP and MCAS testing, senior week, field trips, spring sports, Open Mic Night, and lots of celebration of learning. Please be on the lookout of end of year information including our underclass awards ceremony, student scheduling for 24-25, and more.
As always, don't hesitate to reach out with questions.
With gratitude,
Danielle
Pictured with AEFI Hall of Honor Inductee, Ashley Waters. Ashley and I grew up playing softball together!
Attention Senior Families
Senior Week is rapidly approaching. All activities and information are posted on our website: Senior Information
We look forward to welcoming Ashley Bendiksen who will be speaking to our senior class on 5/30 following grad rehearsal. Ashley is an award-winning speaker and advocate for healthy relationships.
Class questions? Email advisors Mr. Bastien and/or Mrs. Burrell:
Yearbook questions? Email Ms. Leary.
AEFI Hall of Honor
AEFI inducted Dr. Stephen Schissel, Jerry Schrock, and Ashley Waters into its Hall of Honor
$$$
On the way to UMaine!
Senior Bayleigh Shanahan is off to run track at UMaine! She signed her letter of intent with family and friends.
Principal's Coffee -
Have questions? Ideas? Looking to connect? In an effort to connect with more people, my next Principal's "Coffee" will be held virtually. Join me on Tuesday 5/21 at 8:30 am at AHS. Please RSVP to jennifer.machado@amesburyma.org by Friday, May 17th.
What I'm Reading
This month I started reading Jonathan Haidt's "The Anxious Generation." As I watch the mental health needs of our students on the rise, I find myself looking for ways to better support our youth. I haven't finished this one yet, but so far there's a lot of interesting research and suggestions for next steps. Here's a snippet of the Amazon description:
After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood” began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood” in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.
Email me your recommendations for my next read!
Amesbury High School
Email: danielle.ricci@amesburyma.org
Website: https://schools.amesburyma.gov/Domain/861
Location: 5 Highland Street, Amesbury, MA, USA
Phone: 978-388-4800
Facebook: facebook.com/amesburyhighschool