Highlander Times

Hello -

I want to reiterate how saddened we are by the recent hate speech graffiti that appeared in our school. We strive to be an inclusive, supportive community. We deliberately build strong relationships between students and adults, provide a proactive curriculum that teaches students about injustice and encourages them to be upstanders, and employ restorative practices throughout the school. We are committed to continuing these efforts. If your student feels unsafe or upset, please have them reach out to a trusted adult for support. Additionally, if you would like to talk further, please email me at akersten@k12.somerville.ma.us.

On a more practical topic, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) will be administered to all SHS students on March 12. The YRBS helps us monitor the health behaviors of adolescents, such as mental health, substance use, physical activity, and more. This survey, which students complete anonymously, plays a critical role in tracking trends over time, helping us identify emerging issues, and allowing for the development and evaluation of programs that support youth health at local, state, and national levels. While it is extremely helpful if all students complete the survey, parents/guardians can opt out by completing an opt out form. You can also contact your student's community for the form.

And finally, parents/guardians of seniors (members of the class of 2025 who will be graduating this June!) should have received an email with important dates and deadlines, including information about ordering caps and gowns and yearbooks, and information about prom tickets and graduation. You can find updated information in this newsletter by clicking on the "class of 2025" button at the end of the newsletter. If you are concerned about your student graduating, please reach out to their counselor, dean, assistant principal. All students must have completed required credits by 2:30 on Wednesday, May 21.

Thank you,

Principal Kersten

The multicultural fair committee is seeking donations of the following art supplies for students’ project boards: markers, construction paper, glue sticks, acrylic paint tubes, and paint brushes. Please reach out to Ms. Albrecht, school counselor, at kalbrecht@k12.somerville.ma.us if interested in donating.

The SFLC is looking for donations of new and/or gently used gloves to help our students through the winter months. We have given out over thirty winter jackets so thank you to everyone who donated! We are also looking for men's dress shoes and button up white dress shirts to assist students with appropriate clothing for prom, graduation, and job interviews. There is a donation box in the main entrance of the high school.

Spring sports begin March 17. You can register for tennis, baseball, softball, boys' volleyball, track and field, crew, and ultimate frisbee by clicking here. Medical clearance for spring sports takes place on Wednesday, March 12.

Somerville Municipal Scholarships - Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the City of Somerville Municipal Scholarship Committee are excited to announce the award of 7 scholarships to Somerville residents who are currently graduating in the Class of 2025 and plan to attend an accredited post-secondary institution. Students apply online. The application is due March 31, 2025. https://www.somervillema.gov/somerville-municipal-scholarship-2025

The spring selection process for the Somerville High School National Honor Society (NHS) is currently underway. Current 11th graders who have a qualifying GPA have been invited to apply. Prospective students can find more information by clicking here to learn about the requirements and expectations for membership. Applications are due Friday, March 13 by 2:30 pm. Late applications will not be accepted. If students have questions, they should reach out to Ms. Rowlinson in room C314. Please note: as this is an organization that aspires to to both celebrate and cultivate leadership, applicants are expected to advocate for themselves and should initiate conversations about the process, membership, and expectations in a timely manner.

• A 21+ community event sponsored by the Somerville Parent Teacher Student Association
• Saturday, March 22nd, 7PM-11:00PM
• Dante Club, 5 Dante Terrace, Somerville
• Live music performance by Jimmy Plunkett
• Cash bar
• Light food available
• Tickets: $25.00, but those who cannot afford full price can choose to pay less ticket purchase link: https://bit.ly/3EvrPNG

Proceeds will support Somerville High School youth by providing food gift cards and covering costs of caps, gowns, and prom tickets for those who need help.

Gift baskets with goodies from many local businesses will be raffled at the event. Raffle tickets are available at the event or via the above link. Raffle ticket prices: One ticket: $3/Three tix: $5/Seven tix: $10

Can't make it to the event? Donate directly to the PTSA at this link https://venmo.com/u/SHSPTSA1

The PTSA event planners could use some additional help with logistics, including decorating Dante Club and prettifying the gift baskets full of goodies. Please join our next event planning meeting via Zoom, Monday, February 24th at 8:00PM: https://mit.zoom.us/j/94059269030 If can’t make the meeting but want to help with planning, email Laura Beretsky at beretsky@yahoo.com.

• March 6: MCAS retest ELA session 1
• March 7: Third quarter progress reports available and mailed home
• March 7: MCAS retest ELA session 2
• March 7: SomerStars performances (Class 6 & 7)
• March 11: MCAS retest - math session 1
• March 12: Youth Behavior Risk Survey (YBRS) all students
• March 12: MCAS retest - math session 2
• March 12: SHS School Improvement Council
• March 12: Medical clearance for spring sports 9th graders 1:40pm; 10th graders 2:15pm; 11th graders 2:45pm; 12th graders 3:15pm
• March 13: SHS spring play performance, 7:00pm
• March 14: SHS spring play performance, 7:00pm
• March 15: SHS spring play performance 2:00pm and 7:00pm
• March 17: Spring sports tryouts begin
• March 17-21: Prom tickets on sale during all three lunches
• March 22: PTA fundraiser for the senior class
• March 25: SAT school day for juniors 8am-11am
• March 25: 10th grade MCAS ELA session 1 + math mock AP exams
• March 26: 10th grade MCAS ELA session 2 + math mock AP exams
• March 31: Spring sports registration closes
• March 31: 9th grade SBIRT testing in social studies classes
• March 31: Student/staff basketball game

On February 27, all Somerville High School 9th graders attended a presentation by artist and Jewish Holocaust survivor, Jack Trompetter. Mr. Trompetter spoke about how he and his parents were separated for the first three years of his life. He was a hidden child and was sent to live with the DeGroot family, who were Christian farmers in rural Netherlands to escape Nazi persecution. Ninth grade students were prepared ahead of time for Mr. Trompetter's visit and came with interesting questions after the lecture. Many students stayed after the event to ask more questions and have their photos taken with him. This event was the funded by an Innovation in Education grant won by social studies teacher Beatriz Thomas courtesy of the Somerville Foundation. Using this grant, the social studies department partnered with Facing History and Ourselves to bring a survivor of genocide to speak with 9th grade students during their genocide and resistance unit.

On 2/26, students from Everett High School, William H. Lincoln High School in Brookline, and Newton North High School joined us for the Greater Boston GSA Student Leadership Regional Meeting, hosted by the Safe Schools program. Students participated in a lesson on disability justice, engaging in discussions on inclusivity and intersectionality.

During February break, Converse invited Youth Guidance Boston to its headquarters to bring high school scholars from both the Becoming a Man (BAM) and Working on Womanhood (WOW) programs. The event started with a panel discussion in the style of Jeopardy with questions for the panelist and the BAM and WOW scholars. It showed different Converse sneakers and unique questions to help keep everyone engaged. It finished off with a nice lunch, a quick tour, and lastly a shopping opportunity. The scholars were given 30% off everything in the Converse store and a $100 gift card to spend.

On Monday, February 24th, the Patriots Foundation invited the same groups to Gillette Stadium. The day consisted of a panel including hall of famer Andre Tippett. After that there was dinner and a raffle where Zael Torbeck won a signed autographed photo of retired New England Patriot, Rob Gronkowski.

Overall, the scholars had a great time with special moments and memories from both events.

National Honor Society and Best Buddies students organized and hosted an event on February 5th that brought members from both groups together. Over cookies and cocoa, students chatted, colored pictures, and built community within the high school. The event was a big success with both students and faculty/staff expressing excitement. This was NHS's first time hosting the event but based on feedback it sounds like this might be a new tradition!

The following CTE students won medals representing their shops in the SkillsUSA district competitions held on 2/26. Each student competed virtually against ten schools in a competition that tested their shop and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) knowledge as well as their employability skills. Students with a (Q) next to their name will move on to the Massachusetts States Competition May 1st-3rd. Congratulations to all the following students!!!

Ojas A: Bronze Medal - Additive Manufacturing

Sam R. (Q): Gold Medal - Advertising Design

Rafael R. (Q): Gold Medal - Architectural Drafting

Jasmine D. (Q): Silver Medal - Architectural Drafting

Shane M.: Bronze Medal - Architectural Drafting

Eva M., Nalia F., Adian D. (All 3 students Qualify - Team Event): Silver Medal - Automated Manufacturing

Kaedan J. (Q): Gold Medal - Carpentry

Tad M. (Q): Silver Medal - Carpentry

Maximilian J.: Bronze Medal - CNC 2 Axis Turning Programmer

Molly M (Q): Silver Medal - CNC 3 Axis Milling Programmer

Diana M. (Q): Gold Medal - Cosmetology (Over 500 Hours)

Eden G.: Bronze Medal - Electrical Construction Wiring

Gerteasha M. (Q): Bronze Medal - Graphic Communications

Soleil B.(Q): Gold Medal - Graphic Imaging Sublimation

Chase L. (Q): Silver Medal - Graphic Imaging Sublimation

Christopher G.: Bronze Medal - Graphic Imaging Sublimation

Gabriel S.(Q): Silver Medal - HVACR

Aaron G. (Q): Gold Medal - Industrial Motor Control

Cyrus O: Bronze Medal - Industrial Motor Control

Aden B: Bronze Medal - Plumbing

Hayley M (Q): Gold Medal - Technical Drafting

Jack V (Q): Silver Medal - Technical Drafting

Cedric B (Q): Bronze Medal - Telecommunications Cabling

Alison H: Bronze Medal - Welding Sculpture

Brian R (Q): Silver Medal, Telecommunications and Cable

The SHS Robotics Team 6201 competed in its first of two regional competitions this past weekend, in Salem, NH. The team worked hard on “Plunk,” and even released a robot reveal video showing off its completed bot. The team finished in eighth place out of 32 robots, which is the best our team has done since 2020! Next week, on March 8th and 9th, the team will compete at Revere High School for their second regional competition. Come cheer them on!

The Class Cup Olympics came to a close on Friday, February 13, sending everyone home in good cheer. It was a hard-fought competition over several weeks, with the seniors pulling off the win in the end (though the 9th graders made it clear that they'll be tough to beat over the next three years!). The most heartening part was that students cheered for each other, even if they were in a different grade level. It was a tremendous show of community and school spirit.

Our MLE program has 267 students from around the world. There are twenty-six different countries and fourteen different languages represented.

Teachers prepare students in speaking, reading, listening, and writing with an emphasis on students’ identities, cultures and languages, student voice and choice, and community belonging.

In ESL 1, students started a unit on environment where they read and write informational texts to develop vocabulary, practice writing summaries, and incorporating phrasal verbs to analyze various weather conditions and patterns around the world and its effect on daily living.

In ESL 2, students are beginning a unit on teamwork, where they read a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts to identify the central idea, the past tense, and answer the essential question: What makes a good team? Currently, they are reading an article about a group of teenagers who worked together to address the challenges of hunger and food insecurity.

ESL 3 students are beginning a unit on argumentative writing and debates. Students will be exploring the topic of tracking technology, the inequity of homework, and other relevant current event topics. They also did daily presentations for Black History Month. Finally, these students took part in a monthly cultural exchange program with native English speakers in order for all students to develop their language skills and build empathy, community, and cultural awareness.

In ESL 4, students are working on persuasive techniques in rhetoric through analytical writing and competitive debates on community issues like police in schools, uniforms at SHS, and sex education.

Literacy ESL classes provide reading and writing foundations, oral language development, and content literacy, alternating units in science or social studies.

In our Goal pathway program, students explore topics in civics, choose an issue of personal importance, and write a letter to an elected official about its effects and suggestions for change. To celebrate Black History Month, students compared and contrasted two key speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama, analyzing themes, making connections to their lives, and engaging in class discussions.

The MLE Department is looking forward to an exciting third quarter!