The Peak - October 2024

Monthly News from the Wachusett Regional School District

Now in his senior year at Wachusett, Remy St. Germain has consistently exemplified what it means to be a Mountaineer. Several years ago, he started Remy's Ride to raise money for childhood cancer awareness and research to honor the memory of his cousin Sophia. Since then, Remy's Ride has raised over $30,000 and has been recognized and celebrated through various media outlets as well as by the New England Revolution. On October 24th, Remy was featured in WCVB's High 5 segment (linked below).

https://www.wcvb.com/article/high-5-holden-high-schooler-goes-extra-100-miles-to-fight-childhood-cancer/62693748

As mentioned in the High 5 story, Remy plays soccer at Wachusett as well as for the Revolution Special Olympics Unified team, which allows players with and without disabilities to enjoy the game together. Not surprisingly, Remy was also instrumental in launching the Unified Track & Field program at WRHS last year.

Nice work, 6 Gold!

Mayo Elementary School held a coin drive to raise funds for the school library. Students were encouraged to contribute loose change into one of two buckets. One bucket was labeled "Shark" and the other was labeled "Unicorn". Their choices would decide Principal Kasper's costume for the school's Book Fair. Over $750 was raised in total, but the bucket with more money at the end of the collection was... SHARK!

Volunteers from the Rutland Cub Scouts recently gave the Glenwood Elementary School Nature Trail a thorough makeover. What was once just a dirt path through the Rutland woods has been transformed into... okay, well it's still a dirt path but it's MUCH nicer now. The scouts and their leaders did a great job clearing leaves, sticks, and other debris from the trail.

Thank you, scouts!

WRHS Football Coach, Mike Dubzinski secured his 200th win as a Head Coach against Algonquin on Friday, October 25th. On Tuesday, 10/29, a ceremony led by Andre Tippett, retired Patriots Linebacker, Patriots Hall of Fame, and NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame Member, was held at Wachusett honoring Mike on this outstanding achievement. In recognition of Coach Dubzinski's milestone, the WRHS Football Program will receive a $1,000 donation from the Patriots organization. In addition, Patriots All Access, airing on Friday, November 24th, will include a segment on Mike's 200th win.

Congratulations, Coach Dubz!

Last week, the WRSD Office of Student Support held its fist Parent Workshop of the 24-25 school year: iGEN's Battle to be Mentally Healthy in a Digital Era. The workshop focused on the unique challenges we face in the digital age and how to promote a healthy balance between technology and human connections. Future workshops are listed below.

• November 20 - Considering Safety - In the Cloud and on the Ground (virtual)
• January 14 - Bullying and Cyberbullying Prevention with Dr. Elizabeth Englander
  (in person at WRHS Auditorium)
• February 11 - The Digital Wellbeing Playbook (virtual)
• March 12 - Identifying Anxiety and Supporting Effective Regulation (virtual)
• April 9 - The Brain on Social Media (virtual)

Descriptions and more specifics can be found on the Office of Student Support Events page

Students at Davis Hill Elementary School are learning about the Scientific Method while making paper airplanes. During the research phase, students learned about the forces of flight. Using that information, each flight crew needed to develop a hypothesis on how wing design would affect the distance their plane flew. Once they did, it was time to design and test their paper planes. They were able to build three prototypes to test wing design, flight distance, and patterns, ultimately leading to a conclusion to their hypothesis. Their best design would be put to the test in the final airshow!

Students in our Skills Transition Empowerment Program (STEP 2) recently began working out at the Greendale YMCA. This is a great way for our older learners to gain experience outside of the classroom while working on their overall health and wellness. We're very excited about this opportunity and our students are off to a great start.

This month, we welcomed a new addition to our TPS playground! We now have a Buddy Bench! Last year, the TPS PBIS Committee was looking for ways to promote building relationships and friendships in school. The addition of a Buddy Bench will allow students to make new friends, identify a classmate who may not have a peer to play with, and encourage empathy and belonging. The location of the bench is perfect, too, right near the play structure! A special thanks goes out to our PTA who funded this project, the Select Board that approved the work and the Princeton DPW who installed the bench! I'd also like to thank the staff on the PBIS Committee who are always looking out for our TPS Warriors.

- Mrs. DiFonso, TPS Assistant Principal

In 7th grade Art at Mountview Middle School, we are doing an exciting new painting project. Perfect for Halloween coming up, students chose a favorite snack or candy and printed a photo of the packaging. Students measured and established a grid system to enlarge and replicate the image on a larger scale. Students are carefully observing, drawing, and mixing colors to match the original. This drawing and painting project was inspired by Pop Artist Andy Warhol. Students will continue the long term project by using papier-mache and other recycled materials to create a sculpture of one of their candies or snack foods to go with the painted packages. So far the students are having fun and making great work!

-Ms. Lavallee, MTV Grade 7 Art