Cohasset High School Newsletter

News and Happenings at Cohasset High School

September 20, 2024

Dear Families,

In my opening newsletter I shared that my ultimate goal for the year and every year is to be the right people for your student(s). At our first faculty meeting last Tuesday, we broadly discussed how we do that in practice by rearticulating how we structure ourselves as a cultural model and more precisely how we develop and deliver our data model that allows us to pinpoint what actions we can take towards the goal of being those right people.

I share because I want to be transparent about what goes into the decisions that we make and in what context those decisions should be understood and evaluated. And I borrowed a model from author and organizational theorist Simon Sinek and his work around "The Golden Circle". You can find his first TED talk on that here if interested.

In it, Sinek talks about how organizations describe themselves and what impact that has on the consumer. He says that all organizations are about three things: What they do, How they do it, and Why they do it. And the order in which they describe those things matters. As an educational institution, consider the difference in the following:

WHAT: We are a public high school. We teach students the skills and content outlined in the MA Curriculum Frameworks.

HOW: We do that by implementing a variety of best practice strategies.

It kind of reduces teachers to package delivery drones. And the WHY is often left out, unarticulated. Or it's filled in by an ambiguous SO-THAT. We teach people content and standards by using best practices,

SO-THAT students can get into Harvard

SO-THAT students become D1 Athletes

SO-THAT and the list goes on and on and the answers often complicate what we are trying to accomplish.

But if you flip it, if you start with the WHY, the messaging goes something like this:

WHY: We allow students to reach their full potential, one in which they are guided by inspiring character, find their own unique path to fulfillment, and use their skills to make our community and our world a better place.

HOW: By creating a learning environment that is grounded in best practices but personalizes the experience of each student so that they feel seen and heard.

WHAT: We are a world class high school that helps students discover who they are beyond just discovering what they might do.

The latter message is grounded in our Vision of the Graduate. And while many schools have a Vision of the Graduate, they often highlight skills that students need to have in order to be successful (students will be able to think critically, collaborate effectively, evaluate information, etc.). While these are skills that we want to deliberately teach students, to what end is the more important context that is often taken for granted. We want students to grow and become who they are at their core -- unique persons grounded in ethical behavior who are connected to something greater than themselves.

When we ask students to try new things, to challenge themselves, to look for windows of opportunity when doors seem to close . . . it is towards this end. And that process will be different for everyone. It will be one in which students may develop some scrapes along the way, but not scars. Where they engage in disagreement but not disrespect. The path to self-discovery is neither easy nor is it programmatic, but we do it with intention and directed towards the realization of the Vision of the Graduate.

Sincerely,

Brian T. Scott

Principal

Open House is Tuesday, September 24th, at 6:00

High School Open House is this coming Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 6:00. I have attached the schedule below.

Parents can log into Aspen to view their student(s) schedule. You will report to period 1 and follow the first four periods on Day 1. Fifth period is the first block in Day 2. Following the classroom visits we invite everyone to the Learning Commons to view a presentation by Ai3, the architectural firm that is helping us design our bid for submission to the Massachusetts School Board Authority for consideration of a new school.

While we love seeing our students, this event is designed for parents. Students from Student Council and National Honors Society will be in the halls to help you find rooms, and some of our community partners will also be set up along the main corridor. Hope to see you then!

Congratulations to Christian Bunge!

Congratulations to Christian Bunge, who was recognized as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Christian was within the top 16,000 performers on the PSAT/NMSTQ exam, putting him in the top 1% of test takers in the country. He is now eligible to compete for a National Merit Scholarship.

Congratulations to Eamon Maxwell and Aydin Tiryaki!

Congratulations to Eamon Maxwell and Aydin Tiryaki, who were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as Commended Students. Commended students are within the top 50,000 performers on the PSAT/NMSTQ exam, and while they do not fall within the top 16,000 of that category, their achievements are certainly extraordinary.

Congratulations to Mr. Turner!

Congratulations to Mr. Shawn Turner, who was recently recognized by the Massachusetts School Administrators Association as the 2024 Everett Masters National Honors Society Advisor of the Year. Shawn's dedication to upholding the pillars of the National Honors Society and his dedication to students is certainly commendable.

2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools

The announcement of the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools will be this Monday, September 23rd, at 1:00. The award is considered among the highest honors an American school can receive, and “affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging and engaging content”.

Might we recognize someone on the list?

You may access the announcement any time after that from the following links:

Cell Phone Task Force

Thank you to Buttonwood Books for hosting an informative and passionate dialogue around Jonathan Haidt's The Anxious Generation this past Wednesday night. In response to that discussion, we are creating a task force to better understand and perhaps make changes to high school policies regarding cell phone and other devices like smartwatches.

The task force will be comprised of 9-10 members including students, teachers, parents, an administrator, and community members, with the goal of understanding what role, if any, cell phones have in the high school educational environment. The group will be expected to meet roughly 6 times between October and April, and make policy and procedural recommendations to the school administration, School Council, and School Committee regarding phones in schools as outlined in the school handbook.

If you are interested in joining such a committee, please complete the following interest form. Consideration will be given to create a broad representation of stakeholders and opinions and common meeting time availability.

Thank you for your consideration in this important work.

Spirit Week and Homecoming

Our very active Student Council has prepared a fun-filled Spirit Week which will start next Monday, September 23-27th. During this week there will be dress up days, Pep Rally, Athletic Homecoming Games, and our Home Coming Dance.

Underclassman dress up day themes:

Mathletes or Athletes - Monday
Secret Service/FBI - Tuesday
USA Day - Wednesday
Surfers or Bikers – Thursday

Senior dress up days are always a surprise.

With this dress up days we ask that no fake guns, any type of toy weapons, etc. be brought into school. All outfits should be school appropriate. We look forward to a fun filled week!

Dance tickets will be sold at the door for $10.00 cash or check.

The Homecoming football game is against Nauset High School which begins at 6pm.

Dances, Social Events, and School Activities

Friday, September 27th will be our Homecoming Dance. As a reminder, students who attend any school dance, social event, or school activity will be required to observe the rules of behavior that are in effect during the school day. In order to participate in such activities, students must be in good behavioral standing as determined by the administration. In order to attend any dance, social event, or other school activity, students must be present in school for the full day unless otherwise determined by the administration.

Cohasset High School dances and social activities are planned for members of our school. No guests are permitted for Homecoming. Students must remain for the entire dance unless previous arrangements have been made with the administration. Students will not be permitted to enter the dance or activity fifteen minutes after it has started.

Each student entering a school-sponsored dance may be required to submit to a breathalyzer test. A full copy of the Breathalyzer Protocol that is currently in effect can be found in this Handbook.

When possible, and at the discretion of the administration, a police officer will be present at school dances to assist the administration in the event of any law enforcement issues that may arise. A student whom the administration has determined to have violated the school’s alcohol and controlled substances policies will be sent home with a parent or turned over to the police for protective custody or arrest. School consequences may be applied subsequently.

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

For any school that contains grades nine to twelve, inclusive, the council shall review the student handbook each spring to consider changes in disciplinary policy to take effect for the following school year. If interested please contact Brian Scott at bscott@cohassetk12.org.

College Visits

Reminder to sign up for next week's college visits through Naviance. See your counselor if you are having difficulties logging in to Naviance. (*if there are no students signed up through Naviance, the visit will unfortunately be canceled).

Endicott College
University of Maine
Savannah College of Art and Design
College of Charleston
Fitchburg State University
Trinity College Dublin
High Point University
Syracuse University
University of Vermont
University of Rhode Island
St. John's University-New York
Coastal Carolina University
Salve Regina University
College of the Holy Cross!!!

Get Off My Lawn

Please adhere to the traffic pattern when dropping off students. Although faculty members need to be able to access parking up the main driveway, student and parent vehicles interfere with bus traffic and create safety concerns for the students. Thank you for you attention to this.

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