The Peak - April 2024

As last month's Peak was dedicated to the Special Olympics,
this edition will contain some articles from March that we didn't want to miss.

We celebrate autism awareness during the month of April to acknowledge the importance of celebrating differences. It is essential that we break down the barriers that divide us and embrace diversity, which is the cornerstone of a healthy and inclusive community. Autism is a neurological difference that affects individuals in unique ways. It is important that we create a safe and inclusive environment for individuals with autism to feel comfortable and accepted. This month, we celebrate the amazing contributions of individuals with autism and raise awareness about the challenges that they face. As educators, we are committed to enhancing the learning experience for all students, including those with autism. We recognize that every student is unique and we strive to create an environment that fosters their individual growth and development. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of our students and in our community.

Sincerely,

Joan DeAngelis
Director of Special Education and Student Support

Archaeologist Melina Seabrook recently visited virtually with 6th graders at Mountview Middle School. Melina spoke to students about how a trained eye can read ancient bones for clues about our earliest civilizations. Melina studies the formation of the world's first cities from 5,000 years ago in Ur (ancient Iraq). Mountview students prepared for the visit throughout the week and student readers Trudon B. and Gabriel M. hosted the conversation. This visit was possible through a partnership with the Peabody Essex Museum, which helps connect students to archaeologists. Speaking with Melina was a great way for students to learn more about careers in archaeology, bone science, Mesopotamia, and our past.

Community Reading Day at Houghton Elementary School was a great success, with 15 Guest Readers. Our District's Literacy Director Amy Norton joined 14 members of various Town departments & organizations. These readers were escorted to classrooms by designated children, introduced themselves to the classes, described their job responsibilities, and explained how reading is important in their roles. Their readings were followed by a Q & A session. So glad we returned this wonderful event to Houghton School after a five year hiatus due mostly to COVID. Thanks to our staff for their support & our PTO for endorsing this event & making provision for all refreshments.

Community Reading Day Guest Readers included: Amy Norton, Neil Davidson, Tim Plouffe, John Chase, Steve Fugere, Dave Beauregard, Shari Gonsorcik, Bob Marrama, Bill Caldwell, Maureen Cranson, Kelly Jones, Fil Santos, Sheila Beane, Jim Emerton, and Ryan Mouradian

Photo credit to Danielle Ray of The Landmark

Every year, high schools from across Massachusetts compete in the High School Mock Trial Tournament conducted by the Massachusetts Bar Association. The tournament starts in January and runs through the Mock Trials Finals in March. Schools are divided into 32 geographic regions and compete in three preliminary rounds. The Wachusett Regional High School Mock Trial team practiced for six months after school, led by three WRHS advisors: Joe Jourdain, Benjamin Concannon-Smith, and Jason Hilton.

This year’s case was a criminal trial for a defendant who was accused of breaking and entering, filing a false police report, and larceny. The WRHS Mock Trial team won their first three trials at Worcester Superior Court against Notre Dame Academy, South High School, and Doherty High School to gain the title of “Regional Winner.” This year’s appearance in the finals is the third time in four years that WRHS has advanced to the Tournament, and the 5th time overall.

On Sunday, March 3rd they advanced with the top 28 teams from the state and the matches were assigned at random. Wachusett was matched up against Winsor School, an all girls private school in Boston that has won the state championship in the past. The final score was 91-90. Wachusett lost by one point, but they did an outstanding job and gained along the way an understanding of the law, court procedures, civil liberties, and our legal system.

Mock Trial Team

(Seniors) Luch Belau-Lorberg, Ella Hogan, Rachel Mburu, Sophia Mellen, Olivia Roberts, Nick Smith, Jessica Sapozhnikov; (Juniors) Maya Alteri, Emma Bishop, Maddy Deal, Ben Dibb, Grace Hilton, Kiara Kelly, Abbie Rock, Asia Soukseunchay, Connor Trainque; (Sophomores) Ben Duffy, Erik Hamburger Medailleu, Max Hilton; (Freshmen) Elizabeth DeRosa, Joel Homoliski, Adrika Moulik

Judge Reardon visited Mountview Middle School to talk about the legal system as part of Judicial Outreach Month. Debra Mudge, a Civics teacher at Mountview, made the request that brought Judge Reardon to MTV. The 8th grade has been studying the justice system and the court cases that clarified our rights listed in the Bill of Rights as part of their Civics listened to the judge in the cafeteria.

Mountview’s 8th graders left debating how high or low they would set bail (one student was overheard using the 8th Amendment’s right to not be charged “excessive bail”), how they would determine guilt or innocence, and just reacting to some of the cases Judge Reardon involved them in. His talk reinforced the Civics curriculum with real world, engaging examples and Mountview hopes to participate in the program again.

Naquag students donated more than 600 boxes of cereal for our annual Cereal Box Domino event! Our PTO collected the boxes, set them up through the hallways of Naquag and knocked them down as students lined the hallways cheering them on. Sgt. Troy Chauvin of Rutland PD announced the kickoff and knocked down the first domino. Kids had a great time and all boxes were then collected and donated to the Rutland Food Pantry. It was an awesome kickoff to April Vacation!

Students at Thomas Prince School have been exploring how to apply their knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem through designing and testing Barbie Ziplines. The project required students to create three different designs: one with a perilous end, one where Barbie would face obstacles during the ride, and one that would optimize Barbie's enjoyment while ensuring her safety.

Additionally, students had the task of creating their own company. They were responsible for completing a permit accurately, submitting it to our school's administrative assistant, and budgeting for materials and insurance. This hands-on experience allowed them to build and test their ziplines, track data, and solve for speed to determine which company provided the most fun for Barbie.

On Tuesday April 23rd, Shakespeare & Company visited Mountview Middle School to perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream as a culminating activity for the 8th grade Shakespeare Unit. Students were entertained with a 90-minute production that was performed by just 7 actors, who, in between quick costume changes, brought the humor, themes, and language of Shakespeare to life for students! The performance was generously funded in part by the Mountview PTA, giving students the opportunity to see a professional production of one of Shakepeare’s most famous comedies and see first hand that, in Shakepeare’s words, The course of true love never did run smooth!

Superintendent Reilly visited Naquag Elementary School in March for Community Reading Day. He always enjoys spending time in our schools and the students were thrilled to have him. They did, however, have to insist that he return to the central office when the story was over, as he seemed reluctant to do so.

On April 23rd, 64 WRHS Juniors and Seniors were inducted into the Science National Honor Society. We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the administration, faculty, and staff who attended the ceremony. The event included a research introduction by Mr. Eric Chandonnet and a guest scientist speaker, Dr. Bill Theurkauf, from UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester. One of the highlights of the evening was the short video linked below - created by the students and featuring their favorite science experiences (and some favorite pets).

Cindy Sparks

SNHS Advisor

2024 NSHS Inductees:

Ariel Asher, Alexander Baez, Hannah Best, Matthew Bruce, Elizabeth Cain, Matthew Caliri, Ethan Carino-Caal, Saide Cevik, Connor Cheslawski, Dylan Chiem, Abigail Choi, Aiden Cirillo, Sarah Cox, Annika Cranson, Jordan D'Amelio, Maretchia Dakash, Merolla Dakkash, Jared Derr, Benjamin Dibb, Bryn Dillon, Haley Dow, Gavin Finn, Rahma Giwa, Jori Gjylapi, Hannah Grenier, Rebecca Hlavachek, Anastasia Hocurscak, Ella Hogan, Emma Hoye-Flaherty, Zachary Iarrobino, Alexandra Jacala, Nadia Krasheninin, William Kraus, Alyssa Kruger, Kerollos Labib, Michael Leahy, Abigail Lei, Elina Lindberg, Sasha Litvak, Matthew Lyubchik, Jocelyn MacDonough, Jason Manxhari, Dean Mills, Isabel Moreno, Kameron Morris, Abigail Nass, Hannah Parry, Tyler Perna, Madison Powell, Jade-Orelie Previl, Luke Putney, Chau Quach, Isabella Rossi, Logan Small, Lillian Sprister, Sasha Teymurazyan, Samantha Tivnan, Audrey Tomen, Ryan Trainque, Nikhita Varma, Matthew Vigeant, Minerva Vivoni-Ocon, Verena Welch, Xin Yan Zheng