Highlander Times

I hope everyone's new year is off to a good start. We are almost halfway through the year, and January is a busy month!

• The semester ends on January 24. Report cards should be mailed home the following week.
• Next week we will have a special schedule to wrap up semester 1 and allow for ACCESS testing. Please see the schedule below. Students who are not taking the ACCESS test and need to work with their teachers can arrive at ten a.m. but need a pass from their teacher.
• This week students in grades 9-11 began learning about courses they can take next year. They attended an electives fair January 15 and can begin inputting their course selections into Aspen on January 22. All course requests are due February 10. Please see the Course Selection Page and our Program of Studies for more information. You can reach out to your student's counselor with any questions about scheduling.
• Many of you have been asking questions about our exciting new senior ECHO project. You can learn more at our school committee presentation on January 27. We will also send out slides in our January 29 newsletter.
• January 30 we'll have Parent/Guardian conferences from 3:00-5:00pm. Look in Aspen for sign ups next week.
• Finally, this January we are once again hosting our Class Cup Challenge, which runs January 6-February 14. Students can earn points by demonstrating school spirit and by making contributions to creating a positive community. The competition culminates in a Class Cup Olympics on February 14. The class with the most points will win an ice cream party.

We hope everyone is staying warm this winter. Don't hesitate to reach out to our family liaisons if you are in need of warm winter gear!

Thank you,

Principal Kersten

Our Somerville High School Community and Athletics Scholarship application is now LIVE! The application deadline is February 14th at 11:59 p.m. View the scholarship book here. Last year our students were awarded almost $400,000 in scholarships, so please encourage seniors to apply!

We are happy to announce that the city is in the process of on-boarding a crossing guard for the intersection at Highland and Vinal who will work on Thursdays and Fridays. We are still looking for folks who can work Mondays, Tuesdays, and/or Wednesdays. Please email akersten@k12.somerville.ma.us if you are interested!

Wednesday January 22, 2025 from 2-3 p.m., join Somerville Public Schools' Special Education Department and Somerville SEPAC for a virtual meet and greet with members of the special education department including administrators and IEP team leaders. Discussion to include:

• Introduction to the special education team
• Brief overview of the new IEP form
• Q & A session

Please share your questions on the day of and/or in advance using the following form: https://forms.gle/uK44sMkURnMzwffJ7

Zoom link:

https://k12somerville.zoom.us/j/83501708109?pwd=4dTUrLxrpXakmSC7sX7jG4JoUPZMCw.1

The session WILL be recorded.

We invite you to come cheer on our players at the 6th annual Tufts Classic this Sunday, January 19, at Tufts' Cousens Gym. The girls' team plays at 12:00, and the boys' team at 1:30. For information on parking, please click here.

On January 28 from 8-9 am, please stop by the SHS lower cafeteria to meet with Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) staff and other parents/guardians to learn more about youth mental health.

Please mark your calendar for a PTSA Spring Fundraising Social event at Dante's in Somerville Saturday, March 22nd, 7:00-11:00PM. We will have light snacks, music, and gift basket raffles. Details, including ticket purchasing access coming soon.

Meantime, consider joining the PTSA Event Planning Committee to help flesh out details for the Dante event, and plan a second social event to be held Thursday, June 12th at SHS.

Next meeting via Zoom, Monday, Jan 27, 2025 08:00 PM: https://mit.zoom.us/j/93246919742 If can’t make the meeting but want to help with planning, email Laura Beretsky at beretsky@yahoo.com.

• Upcoming college & career lunch visits: These are times that colleges and other programs will come to visit SHS. You do not need to sign up or register. They will be at a table in the cafeteria during lunch times and anyone can go talk to them!

• January 13-17: Prom Tickets on sale
• January 17: Course Selection Process Begins
• January 20: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• January 22: College and Career Kickoff for Juniors and Seniors
• January 22-24: Access Testing/MidTerms - Special Schedule
• January 23: An Evening of Song
• January 24: Last Day of Quarter 2 - Grades Close
• January 27 - 31: 8th Graders Visit Somerville High School
• January 30: Parent/Guardian Conferences 3:00-5:00pm
• February 1: Spring Sports Registration Opens
• February 2: MCAS Science Tests - Biology/Physics Session 1
• February 3: MCAS Science Tests - Biology/Physics Session 1
• February 7: Somerville Choral Festival
• February 8: Massachusetts Thespian 2025 Festival
• February 10: Final deadline for students to enter course requests in Aspen
• February 10-11: SomerStars Audition Days
• February 10-14: On the Spot Admission for State Colleges
• February 12: SHS School Improvement Council
• February 12: Open House for Prospective Families 8:15am - 10:00am (Snow date: 2/25)
• February 13: Open House for Prospective Families 8:15am - 10:00am and 12:45pm - 2:15pm (Snow date: 2/25)

On January 10 before the boys' basketball game, alumnus Jerry Knight was the first person inducted into the Somerville High School Athletics Ring of Honor. As a student, Knight was an excellent basketball player, graduating in 1961. After earning degrees from Northeastern University, then Boston State, he returned to Somerville in 1968 to teach physical education until 1985 when he became the head of that department. In 1988 he became the director of athletics and physical education, a position he held until his retirement in 2006. He also coached the boys’ basketball team and track team along the way.

Family and friends turned out in large numbers to honor a true Somerville legend.

From the dedication in the evening’s program:

“Through your unwavering years of coaching, dedication, wisdom, and passion for the game, you shaped not only skilled athletes, but exceptional individuals at Somerville High School. Your guidance went beyond the court, inspiring excellence, teamwork, and resilience in every life you touched.

“Thank you for being a coach, a teacher, a mentor, and a lifelong motivator. Your legacy of impact will forever echo in the hearts of your students.”

Jerry Knight is a fitting first inductee. Go Highlanders!

The SHS Winter Concert & Arts Showcase was a huge success! Featuring all nine of SHS's performing ensembles and beautiful art from the students of the Art Department, the creative power of Somerville High School was on full display. Don't miss the next one, May 15th! Click here to watch the December 2024 performance.

Concertgoers had the opportunity to walk through the various art exhibits before the show, with every art class represented.

With course selections on the horizon, there are so many options!

Over all four communities at SHS, just under 130 students were celebrated for perfect attendance. They could have no absences, no tardies, and no dismissals. Each student received a perfect attendance award. There were snacks and games, including a raffle where they could win mini robots, mini drones, winter accessories, books, a ping-pong table set, slippers, crossbody bags, movie tickets, and more. Well done, students!

In the library, our second shipment of new books just arrived! The shelves are looking great, especially the Manga and graphic novel collection which has grown to 577 titles and is one of the busiest areas in the library. Our recently expanded “Book to Screen” section has also proven to be very popular!

In the makerspace, Mr. Blake/Ms. Mullane’s Case Studies classes visited the library to learn how to search the Boston Globe Archive Database for local history research. In the Fashion class, the librarian visited to teach students how to search fashion magazines for relevant archival articles from the 1960’s. Students created designs inspired by their research.

Ms. Solorio-Fielder also brought her freshman English classes to the Makerspace. Students designed and created maps and traps based on "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. Mr. Carter’s Sports Medicine class spent time in the library & Makerspace working on innovative sneaker design projects. And Mr. Blomberg’s MLE class has been creating objects connected to class readings.

In the TV Media class, students gain an understanding of the video production process as well as editing techniques, engaging with classic and contemporary films in new ways in order to analyze the structure and choices made. Students also have the chance to produce their own original work by creating a storyboard, scriptwriting, filming, and finally editing.

Classes have, among other projects, recreated scenes from famous Hollywood classics such as The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Dead Poets Society, and Napoleon Dynamite. They also created screenplays from original story ideas.

Additionally, the new SHS Communications Club is off to a great start with its student-and-staff-produced morning announcements! Check out the club’s YouTube page with all of the most recent videos.

The SHS Library is now accepting donations for Makerspace materials:

• yarn, embroidery thread, fabric
• beads/jewelry supplies
• craft supplies (Play Dough, clay, stickers, etc.)
• Legos

Email Tania Connor at TConnor@k12.somerville.ma.us if you are able to help.