This past month, the Telegram and Gazette released its Fall Super Team. North Middlesex has one representative on the Golf Super Team and one representative on the Field Hockey Super Team. The golfer is Shawn Amari and the field hockey player is Meredith Southard Pantano. Both of these athletes and their accomplishments will be celebrated on June 25th at the DCU Center in Worcester. Please be on the lookout for their Super Team profiles including headshots in the next issue of Hometown, a Telegram and Gazette Publication.

This year, NM has begun recognizing a student-athlete/student-athletes each month based on coaches' nominations. Coaches are asked to complete an application which includes information about the student-athlete's academic performance, community service, athletic performance, and more. We are looking to highlight well-rounded student athletes which aligns with our mission to prioritizes educational athletics and the whole student-athlete.

December's recipient is Sam Chaple. Sam is a senior indoor track and field athlete who works hard every practice, brings an infectious positive energy to the team, and the ability to push other athletes to be better. He can be found participating in a number of events like the 300m, 600m, 4x200 relay, and long jump for NM Indoor Track.

This month, North Middlesex introduced its newest unified sport, Unified Strength and Conditioning. This team means Tuesdays and Thursday from right after school until 3:30pm and is coached by Coach Rivers, Coach Boccelli, and Coach Brooks. The team works through a wide array of exercises as well as conditioning drills. They are breaking a sweat and having a great time doing it. The season will conclude with a showcase for families.

The NM Athletic Department is launching two new programs based in educational athletics which are providing student athletes the opportunity to grow.

The first opportunity will be having its first meeting on this Thursday, January 30th from 2-2:50pm. This opportunity is the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). This is a concept employed by many colleges and even the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletics Association which allows for a formal platform for student-athletes to have their voice heard and be a part of the growth of the athletic department. This opportunity is open to all student-athletes no matter what season they participate in. On the 30th, we will be looking to understand what the SAAC is and set the tone for the rest of the year.

The second opportunity is the Patriot Playbook which will meet for the first time on February 13th from 2-2:50pm. This program is focused on the development of our student athletes in the areas of leadership, mental skills, life skills, communication, teamwork, and grit. Development of these skills are what separate the good from the great student-athletes but are also what we want all student-athletes to leave NM with so they can become successful adults.

Please reach out to Mr. DeMar (rdemar@nmrsd.org) if you have questions or comments.

Athletic Director- Ryan DeMar- rdemar@nmrsd.org

Athletic Trainer- Katie Douglas- kdouglas@nmrsd.org

Unified Strength and Conditioning- Jason Rivers- jrivers@nmrsd.org

Girls Basketball- Pete Page- ppage@nmrsd.org

Boys Basketball- David Lorden- dlorden@nmrsd.org

Indoor Track and Field- Jim Burson- jburson@nmrsd.org

Wrestling: Travis Hughes- thughes@nmrsd.org

Boys Ice Hockey- Steve Trundle- strundle@nmrsd.org

Hawthorne Brook Boys Basketball- Tyler Lapierre- tlapierre@nmrsd.org

Hathorne Brook Girls Basketball- Josh Mello- jmello@nmrsd.org

Nissitissit Boys Basketball- Timothy Burson- tburson@nmrsd.org

Nissitissit Girls Basketball- Sophia Couto-scouto@nmrsd.org

Girls Ice Hockey Cooperative Team (Leominster)- Nancy Leblanc-lhsnmhockey@gmail.com

Ski Cooperative Team (Bromfield)- AD Dave Boisvert- dboisvert@psharvard.org

Swim Cooperative Team (Tyngsboro)- Andrew Rogers- andrew.rogers@tyngsboroughps.org

Gymnastics Cooperative Team (Groton-Dunstable)- AD Matt Ricard- mricard@gdrsd.org

NM Athletics is looking to connect with its alumni, young and old. We want to build a strong NM community that includes current students and their families but also alumni. We want to continue to support alumni as they have continued to support us. Please reach out and let us know your successes but also do not hesitate if you are need either because remember #WeAreNM.

NM Athletics is always looking for support and ideas to continue to grow our department and support our athletes, so please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. DeMar, rdemar@nmrsd.org, if you are looking to help or support NM Patriots Athletics.