KEENE HIGH SCHOOL APRIL/MAY 2017 VOLUME XI ISSUE IV KHS WEB SITE: HTTP://KHS.KEENESCHOOLSNH.ORG/

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The mission of Keene High School is to cultivate the academic, civic, and social growth of all students to empower them to become contributing members of the global community.

Principal Notes

I’m hopeful the snow is behind us, and we’re on the path to a beautiful spring season. This winter has certainly made it difficult for teaching and learning due to snow days and late starts. Students have missed a considerable amount of time, and the staff is working hard to get course content taught before the end of the school year. To date we have had seven snow days. Because of this, graduation is tentatively scheduled for June 16, 2017, and the last day of school is tentatively sched-uled for June 21. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that there will be no more snow days. I would like to commend all the athletes and coaches for a great winter season along with all the clubs and organizations that have been busy competing and representing Keene High School. We have a great deal to be thankful for. I look forward to walking the buildings and grounds to watch the students practice and compete in spring activities. Please be reminded that all juniors and sophomores will be taking the SAT/PSAT 10 assessment on April 5. The PSAT 8/9 is optional for freshman. All seniors and those freshman NOT registered to take the PSAT 8/9 are to organize their community ser-vice hours which are required at each grade level.

Students are required to complete a total of 30 hours of community service, 5 hours for freshman and sophomore years and 10 hours for junior and senior years. Community service is defined as voluntary work intended to benefit or help the public. This work can include working with individual people as well as public and/or/private institutions in a number of areas. Keene High School considers community service a partnership between the school, the student (along with the student's family), and the entity where the service is being performed. Students are required to complete an annual log of the service that they have performed and submit it to their advisors at the end of each year. There will be opportunities to complete community service within the school, co-curricular activities, and within the community. Please visit the KHS website for more information. I would like to, again, thank you for all you do to support your student and remind you to visit KHS on the web at http://khs.keeneschoolsnh.org/.

Cheshire Career Center Greenhouses will be opening for the season on May 1. We will have some beautiful hanging baskets and herb gardens for Mother’s Day along with our early selection of annuals and vegetables.

KEENE HIGH SCHOOL APRIL/MAY 2017 VOLUME XI ISSUE IV

KHS WEB SITE: HTTP://KHS.KEENESCHOOLSNH.ORG/

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Competencies 2017

KHS staff members continue to work on laying a foundation for competency-based education (CBE) at the high school. The Core Competency Team (CCT), comprised of one representative from each KHS department, along with Center for Collaborative Education (CCE) recently organized the work that needs to be completed for second semester.

CCT members have spent time analyzing professional readings, recommended by CCE and competency-based education work-shops, and the reviews of these materials may be found on the KHS website. All of these resources stress similar key points, and they are helping us create a plan that works for KHS, a plan that moves at a pace that works for us.

Our goals for the 2016 – 2017 school year include the following: • Implement Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) including training PLC facilitators for each department • Use professional readings and videos to build knowledge • Create a shared vision • Ensure that ongoing learning takes place • Create clear, specific, and attainable action steps • Create shared power and decision making among staff • Create school-wide competencies and rubrics for these competencies • Create department competencies • Match learning objectives in individual courses to department competencies

We continue to use a PLC format for meetings, and this allows us to work with a common body of knowledge to complete common tasks. Books such as The Ideal Team Player, The Advantage, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and The Six Secrets of Change help guide us in our collaborative work. We acknowledge how important it is to provide clarity of our vision and transparency for all of the work we are completing. Other schools in NH have been working with competencies for 5 – 7 years, but we know that adopting what they have done will not make KHS successful. We have to determine what is best for our students, and gathering data and input from all stakeholders takes time.

Our research has validated many things we already believed. Students today must employ imagination, curiosity, adaptability, persever-ance (grit), problems solving, and creativity in their educational career. Today’s learners need to be critical, creative, and collaborative, and they must be able to communicate in a variety of ways. Teachers need to clearly identify learning outcomes and determine what students already know and what they are ready to learn. Teachers then need to guide students to reach targeted levels of performance until the outcome is well learned and can be transferred to other content areas. Teachers need to provide meaningful, engaging, and relevant challenges in order for students to truly learn a concept and skill. Skills-based lessons provide students with more relevant, personalized learning.

With all of this in mind, KHS staff recently evaluated our CARE 21st Century Learning Expectations in order to change them to school-wide competencies. We also created rubrics for these school-wide competencies and will be piloting them through the end of this school year to determine if more revisions are needed. Departments are currently working on creating department-wide (content specific) competencies. We anticipate 3 – 7 competencies per department. Once these department competencies are finalized, departments will match learning objec-tives in individual courses to the department competencies.

After research and discussion, we are excited to announce that KHS has applied with the state to become a PACE school. Performance Assessment of Competency Education (PACE) is sponsored by the NH State Department of Education, who partners with CCE, NEA New Hampshire, NH Learning Initiative, and Center for Assessment for NH PACE schools. When a school or district is accepted to be a PACE school, they will be assigned to one of three tiers. Tier 3 is for schools that are just beginning the process to move to competency-based edu-cation. The state supports these schools to make a change in teaching and learning over time and provides consultants to work with the school. Tier 2 schools learn how to build and implement performance tasks and how to score them. These schools also learn how to use PLC meetings to analyze data in order to effect positive change on student learning. Tier 1 schools are fully immersed in competency-based educa-tion, from assignments and grading to reporting student progress. They also use two English statewide performance tasks and one math statewide performance task to assess student achievement.

The NH DOE will work with us to determine which tier is best for us, and once accepted, we will move to higher tiers when our school is ready. KHS is working at a pace (no pun intended) that works for us. Access the url https://www.education.nh.gov/assessment-systems/pace.htm to learn more about PACE.

If you have not already done so, we encourage you to read the February/March 2017 Beacon newsletter that provides an overview of competency-based education at KHS.

For more information on competency-based education, access resources on the KHS website under the Competencies tab.

KEENE HIGH SCHOOL APRIL/MAY 2017 VOLUME XI ISSUE IV

KHS WEB SITE: HTTP://KHS.KEENESCHOOLSNH.ORG/

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Scholastic Art Show Best in Show

Sophomore Natalie Wood's scratchboard project titled Rise and Shine received best of show honors in this year's New Hampshire Scholastic Art Show. Natalie's artwork was one of 12 artworks selected as best of show out of 925 exhibited artworks from stu-dents in grades 7 to 12. She received her certificate and $100.00 at the awards ceremony at Pinkerton Academy in February.

Congratulations to Natalie and her Art 2 teacher, Mrs. Fedoro-wicz, for their dedication to the Arts.

Scholastic Writing Awards Congratulations to senior Remy (Megan) Scholz who placed in multiple categories in the Scholastic Writing Awards.

Remy's fiction pieces - "Something Stranger" and "Full Circle" each won a Silver Key. Remy's collection of poetry - Poems About Something (including "Coming Out", "On Coming to the Conclusion", and "Virus") won an honorable mention.

Remy will attend the Scholastic Writing Award Ceremony on May 4. Remy's writing will be included in a published book sold after the ceremony and online.

National Merit Scholarship Finalist The National Merit Scholarship Program has announced that Grace Horn has been named a finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 7,500 Merit Scholarships will be awarded to more than 15,000 Finalists in March. Con-gratulations and good luck to Grace!

KHS Project Graduation 4th Annual Dancing with the Keene Stars Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22

Our five Female Stars and our five Male Stars from the Keene Community were announced on February 24. The stars are Megan Bassett, sponsored by Mia Capelli; Alison Woods Baker, sponsored by Unicron Property Management; Beth Tru-man Kirkpatrick, sponsored by Savings Bank of Walpole; Erin Temmen, sponsored by C & S Wholesale Grocers; Heidi Newkirk, sponsored by Dartmouth Hitchcock-Keene; Kevin Gena, sponsored by Keene Police Department Union Association; Jimmy Ells, sponsored by Ells Electric & the Monadnock Ma-rauders; Josh Greenwald, sponsored by Greenwald Realty Associ-ates; John Goode, sponsored by the KHS staff; and Ryan Bar-

come, sponsored by Lab ‘n Lager. Past Stars will return as part-ners and/or for the group dances in the show. This is definitely a show you do not want to miss!

This is KHS Project Graduation’s biggest fundraiser. Get your tickets early by seeing a Star, going to www.keeneprojectgrad.org and clicking on the Event Brite link, or by calling Karen at 852-5405. We are expecting both shows to sell out.

Thank you to our 2017 Corporate Sponsors: GOLD - Greenwald Realty Associates

SILVER - Keene Auto Body BRONZE - Fenton Family Dealerships,

Law Offices of Joseph S. Hoppock, P.L.L.C., Liberty Mutual,

NGM, St. James Thrift Shop.

Library News

The old adage says that April showers bring May flowers, but April also brings us the yearly NH Flume Award list and the Teen Top Ten list from the Young Adult Library Services Association. We purchase print, audio, and digital copies of all of the titles, and we promote the titles for the 2017 – 2018 school year. Students have from April 2017 to April 2018 to read the NH Flume Award books, (There are 10 on the list.) and they may vote for their top choice in April. The winner is announced in May. Students may read the Teen Top Ten list from April 2017 through September 2017 and vote in September and the first week of October 2017 for their favorite titles. We promote the titles for the entire school year.

April is also national poetry month. The library’s Teen Advisory Group (TAG) is sponsoring many activities. For A Poem In Your Pocket, TAG members will give away copies of poems to students and staff. The library staff and TAG members will randomly ask students and staff if they have a poem in their pocket. If the per-son produces a poem, s/he wins a prize. For Take A Poet to School Day, students may choose from seven poets to color, cut out, glue to a Popsicle stick, and carry around for the day while taking pho-tos of the poet’s journeys at KHS. Students who participate re-ceive a prize. There will be daily trivia contests, and the library will showcase poetry tabletop displays.

National Library Week is April 12 - 18, and this year’s honorary chair is retired professional soccer player, two-time World Cup champion, and three time Olympic medalist Julie Foudy. Librar-ies Transform is this year’s theme. Students may enter a book-mark contest to celebrate national library week. Entries are due by April 6, and up to three winners will receive gift certificates to Toadstool Bookshop. The library will celebrate this event with displays, daily trivia, and free giveaways.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to receive updates on con-test winners and weekly and monthly events.

KEENE HIGH SCHOOL APRIL/MAY 2017 VOLUME XI ISSUE IV

KHS WEB SITE: HTTP://KHS.KEENESCHOOLSNH.ORG/

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April 2018 Trip to Paris and London! (Note the meeting time change!!)

Does your daughter or son have the travel bug? Do you want her/him to have international travel experience? Consider joining the 25 travelers who have already signed up! Teachers Jen White and Amy Chapman of the Social Studies Department are offering a trip to London & Paris in April 2018. The trip will be run through EF Tours, and there will be a guide with us 24/7. We started a year and a half out (Note the 2018 date!) so that people have enough time to save up for it! You can still sign up by going to eftours.com and typing the tour number 1912659NY in the box. Our next meeting for parents and student travelers will be on Wed., April 5 at 5:30pm in room 321. We ask all students attend meetings with a parent. If you have any questions, email Jen White at jwhite@sau29.org!

Quebec Trip 2017

On February 9-11, 33 students from KHS and MRMHS had an amazing three-day trip through Vermont and Canada all the way to Old Quebec City. Twenty-two KHS students enjoyed the road signs in French, hearing French spoken everywhere, and being able to use their French to buy souvenirs or order food. They made friends with the Monadnock students who also attend French classes there.

Although leaving on a "snow day" was a little lonely, we were fortunate to have Principal Jim Logan help us board the coach and wave goodbye. Students showed exemplary behavior, enjoyed the culture and the Quebec tour, as well as the Winter Carnival. Our guide was fantastic, and the weather sunny and cold. We even met Bonhomme, the friendly snowman several times. He is supposed to bring you luck, but at least chaperones (Marylise Reilly, Erin Williams, and Sharon Wilson) got some great hugs!

Plenty of snow made the winter sports exciting and fun: tubing, country skiing, and ice skating. Some students tried on skates and skis for the first time. This trip was another successful attempt to help students open up to and appreciate differences in other cul-tures as well as use their French language in a French country! There is nothing more educational than traveling to a country where they speak the language you are learning. Thank you to parents, guardians, and our administration for being supportive of these extracurricular and educational opportunities.

French Exchange 2017 Twenty-four French students will visit Keene High School April 9 to April 19 to stay with American host families in Keene and the nearby towns. The French students will shadow their hosts in classes and lunch for two days at Keene High School. They will enjoy the American way of life in New Hampshire through field trips to the State House in Concord, a visit to the Norman Rock-well Museum in Massachusetts, the Keene State College campus, and other destinations. At the end of the visit, they will travel to New York for three days before traveling back to France.

We are so thankful for the families who have agreed to host these French students and show them around. It is a real commitment to have a visitor from another country who speaks another lan-guage staying with you, but the benefits are great. The teenagers will remember this experience forever. The visit also helps stu-

dents practice the language they are learning in school. They will also learn an invaluable skill--to be an enthusiastic ambassador of their towns and country.

This French Exchange Program has been successful for 25 years. There will even be a wedding this summer resulting from the French Exchange. The young American bridegroom (who gradu-ated from Monadnock High School years ago) is so thankful to the French Exchange for having been the way he met his future bride. He wrote this in a letter to Madame Sharon Wilson: “Thanks to the French Exchange, I have met the love of my life! Merci!” We are still looking for four host families; if you are able to host, it is not too late to apply. Please contact Madame Reilly, Madame Williams or Madame Wilson.

Le Grand Concours 2017 - French National Test – March 16, 2017

About 60 students took the Le Grand Concours (French National Test) on March 16. These students were eligible according to their final grade first semester and by their choice. Students used Chromebooks for the hour-long test, which consisted of different levels of French. Once a student starts the contest, he/she needs to take the next level each succeeding year. Prestigious colleges recognize this French National Test, and it is a real asset on a re-sume, especially if the student wins a gold medal. Our students have won gold, silver, and bronze medals every year. They may also receive a check if they come in first, second, or third for their state or nationally. We want to thank Keene High School and the World Language Department for financing and helping with this event, which is free for the selected students.

Music Department News The KHS Music Department will perform its annual production of Nostalgia on Friday May 5 and Saturday May 6 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will go on sale April 1. Tickets are $7.00 and can be re-served by emailing nostalgiakhs@gmail.com. Please include your name, how many total tickets you want, and which night (Friday or Saturday). You can also purchase tickets at the door. The KHS Strings Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble and Concert Band will perform at the Spring Instrumental Concert on Tuesday, May 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the KHS auditorium. The concert will include recognition of graduating seniors and presentation of senior awards. The KHS Concert Band will perform at the Keene Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29 at 10:00 a.m. in downtown Keene. The KHS A Cappella Choir, Concert Chorus, Vocal Jazz En-semble, Momentum, Inertia and Amplitude groups will per-form at the Spring Choral Concert, on Tuesday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. in the KHS auditorium. The concert will include recognition of graduating seniors and presentation of senior awards.

Did you know two out of three teens get their alcohol from home or the home of a friend? Have alcohol or prescription drugs in the house? PLEASE LOCK IT UP. What else can you do? Go to: drugfreenh.org

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Speakers Series

Justin Patchin - Cyberbullying Justin Patchin, co-founder of Cyberbullying Research Center, spoke to KHS parents and community mem-bers on Sunday, March 12 and presented to all KHS students on March 13. Since 2002 Patchin has focused on teens and technology, particularly cyberbullying, social networking, and sexting. Author of eight books, his most recent publication is Words Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go Viral. This book, available in the KHS Drew Library, strives to teach teens how to positively deal with online prob-lems. Patchin’s parent presentation focused on how parents can help their students use technology correctly. He stressed that parents need to talk frankly with their children about their online usage and posts and that par-ents need to understand what devices and applications their children are using. He also suggested that par-ents help students manage their use of their devices and that taking breaks from the devices can be benefi-cial. “Some parents have a rule of no cell phones at the dinner table or no cell phones after a certain time at night. It’s up to individual families to determine what works for them. “ Patchin said that when he began his presentations ten years ago, he recommended that students not have a computer in their bedrooms, but today “with cell phones and portable devices such as laptops, ipads, and tablets, it’s more about monitoring and discussing with your children how to put limits on usage than saying you can’t have something in your room.” Patchin’s student presentation focused on teens’ use and misuse of technology. He provided specific exam-ples of cyberbullying and how students can receive help if they are being bullied online. About 10% of peo-ple are bullied online, but Patchin said that number should be smaller, and it’s up to all of us to prevent cyberbullying. Patchin also explained to students how they can protect themselves online and the appropri-ate ways they should use technology. Teens should manage their online presence and be proud of their posts. If “you worry about your parents, school, boss or college seeing some of your posts, then maybe you are posting things you should not be.” He also cautioned students about managing their online profiles, in-cluding how much personal information such as cell phone numbers and addresses they should include online. Patchin provided examples of how easy it is to find out information about someone online. He stressed that just because an online presence is ubiquitous does not mean that we shouldn’t control it. Patchin highlighted how quickly negative items can go viral on the Internet, and he encouraged students to “make kindness and compassion go viral instead.” Access the website http://www.justinpatchin.com/ to learn more about Justin Patchin and the website http://cyberbullying.org/ which has many resources for parents and students. This presentation was made possible with funding from the Keene Academy Fund.

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Upcoming Dates • APRIL 4 – “Understanding Your Financial Aid Award Letter” Seminar 6:30 p.m. (LGIA) • April 5 – PSAT 8/9, PSAT 10 & SATS all day • April 7 – (tentative) Quarter 3 Report Cards distributed • April 7 – “Mr. Keene High “ 7 p.m. (café) (snow date: April 8) • April 9-18 – French Exchange students visit Keene • April 13 & 14 – Earth Day celebration (LGIA) • April 12 – Peru trip departs • April 14-25 - China trip • April 12-21 – Artists of France & Spain trip • April 17-21 – Spring vacation/no school. SAU offices closed 4/21 • April 21 & 22 – “Dancing with the Keene Stars” 7 p.m. (aud.) • May 1-12 - AP testing begins • May 5 & 6 – “Nostalgia 2017” 7:30 p.m. (aud.) • May 9 – “KHS Runway” 7 p.m. (aud.) • May 16 – Spring Instrumental Concert 7 p.m. (aud.) • May 23 – Spring Choral Concert 7 p.m. (aud.) • May 26 – Early Release Day – Students dismissed at 11:50 a.m. • May 29 – Memorial Day – no school/SAU offices closed • May 30 – National Honor Society Induction 6 p.m. (aud.) • May 31 – Cheshire Center Awards 7 p.m. (aud.)