October 18, 2019
Dear Families,
As we start to settle in to the academic year, I hope to start a conversation about the role of culture in our school and the need for all of us as a community to begin to explore both the culture in which our students live and the consequences (good and bad) that living in this culture has for them.
School isn't what we experienced growing up. Our students define themselves as the school shooting generation, a post-Columbine phenomenon. Rates of anxiety, stress, and school refusal are at levels never seen before. Coupled with this, the academic and co-curricular expectations (particularly in athletics) have never been higher, often to the point of being unrealistic.
On top of this our students are armed with myriad technological devices which exacerbate the pace of their lives, provide an unfortunate vehicle for them to exercise their impulsivity, and simultaneously expose them to new experiences while disconnecting them from one another. Notice just in this newsletter alone the juxtaposition between school safety initiatives, emotional well-being initiatives, and opportunities for students to connect, all of which are necessary and part of the student experience for better or worse, and all of which need to be expressly addressed in ways that weren't necessary before.
Students have been bombarded by photoshopped images of what life is supposed to look like and they live in a world where every mistake they make has the potential for public dissemination and judgment. Can you imagine having to navigate a digital record of your 15 year-old decisions? School isn't what we experienced growing up.
In the article below, one of several that I hope to write this year, I want to share my thoughts on what I've seen over the last twenty years and most especially in my last eight in Cohasset. While I hope my argument is cogent, I'm more interested in starting a conversation around what students' actual experiences are because I think the majority of students share some experiences that contribute to the increasing anxiety they feel, experiences that could be changed if just we acknowledged that the silent majority of students and parents don't like or want them and that they don't need to persist.
And if there is something to which you can relate, even if it starts in silent acknowledgement, perhaps we can begin to change some basic structures which, although well-intentioned, likely exacerbate the problem.
The work won't be completed in a year, but honest and ongoing dialogue is an integral part to working to create the best experiences for all students, and it's in that spirit that I offer my thoughts. Sometimes the conversation might be uncomfortable, but one thing you can come to expect from me is that I hope to acknowledge all of the good that goes on within our walls, but also directly acknowledge the things that I think need to change.
Sincerely,
Brian T. Scott
Credit for Life Fair at CHS!
Who: WE NEED YOU!
What: To Volunteer your time!
When: October 25 8:30-11:00 am
Where: At the Credit for Life Fair (Cohasset HS Gymnasium)
Please join us as we work together with the teachers and staff of CHS at the Credit for Life Fair on Friday October 25 from 8:30-11:00am. This is a wonderful opportunity to build relationships with teachers and staff and interact with students at the high school. You do not need to be an “expert” to help. We will provide information on booths a week prior to the event. Let’s come together as a community and model the positive culture we are establishing at our schools. Thank you for supporting this effort! For more information, check out this link: https://bit.ly/2kD03WK
PSATs are On!
Drop offs
A Note About School Cancellation Days (in my stern voice)
Please help us by not allowing your students to go see if the gym or fields are open. They aren't.
Exciting New Partnership!
Date: November 9th-10th (noon to noon)
Location: Starland Sportsplex in Hanover
Cohasset is proud to partner with A Shot for Life by participating in the ASFL Gauntlet. This marathon game is meant to test the physical limits of what the body can handle as a sign of solidarity with all of the people around the world that are battling cancer. Every dribble, every shot, every sprint has an impact that goes far beyond basketball. Through this event, become an advocate and teammate for everyone who is unable to play in a game like this.
Teams play every three hours with an optional shutdown period from 12AM-8AM. Proceeds from the event will benefit the MGH Cancer Center.
See Coach Rotondi for details. You don't need to have been on the team to play, and they are also looking for volunteers to help with the event, an excellent opportunity if you are not a basketball player but want to help the cause.
Finally, anyone interested in applying for their internship, it is included below. Please return it directly to me. Side note: playing or volunteering would be a good thing if you're applying. Depending on the number of applicants and their needs we will develop a process in conjunction with ASFL.
YouTube
Senior Jason Conforti shared this video with teacher Mr. McCabe who shared it with me and I'm sharing it with you (because that's how sharing works). Between the school safety drills, World Mental Health Day, discussion on culture and community, and the opportunities for empathetic activities in this newsletter, I think this video ties a lot of it together and in a way that's relatively simple.
The video is titled "I Was Almost a School Shooter" which yes, is dramatic, but dramatic fills a lot of time for high school students in particular and this is how they get much of the information they use to process their experience in the world.
There's a lot of judgment that exists in our students' worlds which contributes to the problems they face, and while some of that judgement exists naturally among the students, it sometimes exists disproportionately between adults and students (i.e. "everyone knows" and "that kid" and "what are you going to do about it"). We could all stand to "give love to the people who we think need it the least." Thanks to Jason for sharing.
World Mental Health Day
World Mental Health Day was recognized on 10 October, a day for us to unite in our efforts to improve the mental health of people around the world. The theme selected for this year’s Day is suicide prevention and we began our efforts to raise awareness of the scale of suicide around the world and the role that each of us can play to help prevent suicide from occurring.
Students picked the theme: “Take 40 Seconds” and asked all students and staff to reach out to anyone that may have lost someone to suicide, or who may be dealing with mental health issues and spend at least “40 seconds of your time during the day to let them know you care and are there for them.” Let them know there is hope and help each and every day.
Student Security Drills
First Responders' Breakfast
Safe Schools Night October 15th
Senior and Teacher Appreciation Night
METCO News
Director Ms. Gittens-Carle also partnered with our 9th grade English teachers to collaborate on ways to teach racism in Of Mice and Men.
SAT and ACT Scores
NROTC Scholarship Information
The NROTC Scholarship is a $180,000+ scholarship opportunity for your students to apply. The 2020 scholarship application process had opened 1 April 2019 and closes 31 December 2019. Information and assistance in applying for the scholarship can be found through guidance.
Put a Pin in It
Dates to remember
10/18/19 -- Teacher Appreciation Night, Cohasset Football vs. Bishop Stang, 7:00 PM
10/22/19 -- School Council, 2:30, Babaian Room
10/25/19 -- Credit for Life Fair
11/2/19 -- SAT @ CHS, 8:00 AM
11/5/19 -- End of First Quarter
11/6/19 - 11/7/19 -- MCAS ELA Retests (students affected will be notified)
11/11/19 -- Veteran's Day -- NO SCHOOL
11/12/19 -- Diana Clark presentation on pressures parents can put on kids (6:30 in the auditorium)
11/13/19 - 11/15/19 -- Dodgeball and Gaming Tournaments
11/17/19 -- Putting for Patients 11:00-2:00 Gymnasium
11/21/19 -- NHS Induction Ceremony, 7:00
11/26/19 -- Powderpuff, 5:00, Alumni Field
11/27/19 -- Alumni Breakfast, 10:00 in the cafeteria
11/28/19 -- Thanksgiving Football @ Hull
Cohasset High School
Website: www.cohassetk12.org
Location: 143 Pond Street, Cohasset, MA, USA
Phone: 781-383-6100
Twitter: @CoHSPrincipal