School's Out For Summer!After taking their Block 4 final exams and completing their last project presentations, students leave ConVal Regional High School for a well-deserved summer break. Stay healthy and safe, we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!
Foster Turtles Released Back Into The WildOn the last day of school, Ms. Young and students in her Topics in Biology class released two foster turtles back into the wild. The Turtle Foster Project was conducted in cooperation with John Benjamin, teacher naturalist at the Harris Center for Education.
Students Arrive For Last Day Of FinalsAs students arrive for their last day of finals, they are being greeted by Principal Heather McKillop on the apron of ConVal Regional High School. Good luck with your exams and final project presentations!
Class of 2021 GraduationTeachers, staff, and administrators — dressed in their academic regalia — applaud the members of the Class of 2021 as they process in toward the ConVal Stadium Field. The event was live-streamed online in order to allow faraway family members to attend virtually.
"Bright Star" Musical To Stream OnlineIf you want to see the ConVal production of "Bright Star" in the LHT, you can now stream it online. For tickets and show information, please go to www.cvlht.com. The stream will go live on Sunday, June 13, at 7:00 pm. "See" you at the performance!
Awards And Scholarship Event Celebrates SeniorsThe Awards and Scholarship Event at ConVal Regional High School celebrated the achievements of the students of the Class of 2021 with parents, teachers, staff, and administrators. Please see also the related post in the Honors & Awards section below.
On the last day of school, students in Carol Young's Biology Topics class released back into the wild two baby snapping turtles they had fostered since early May.
The turtles had hatched last fall and were raised over the winter with four of their siblings by John Benjamin, teacher naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education. As the six turtles grew, they needed more space, so "Toothless" and "Jerry" came to ConVal.
The students constructed a habitat for them out of a kiddie pool, rocks, silk plants, and a UV light. Every day, they fed them mealworms, sardines, and live minnows.
By mid-June the turtles had grown large enough to be released back into the wild. Together with John Benjamin, the students, class aides, and Principal Heather McKillop set out to find suitable release spaces in the greater ConVal environment.
Now Toothless, Jerry, and their siblings are fulfilling their role as top predators in the ConVal wetland and helping to keep this ecosystem healthy for the many other wildlife species that rely on it.
As part of their work with the Explore Virtual Learning Committee, several high school teachers and staff recently had the opportunity to field test demonstration units of the Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality headsets provided by Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and District Systems Director Mark Schaub.
"The capabilities of these VR headsets have come a long way in recent years," said Schaub. "Just a few years ago, units were quite expensive, required external tracking cameras to define the VR space, and had to be hardwired to a computer. The latest units are much more capable than their predecessor models, have outward-facing tracking cameras built-in, are completely self-contained and very intuitive to use."
Mathematics teacher Lance Flamino, Social Studies teacher Greg Leonard, librarians Rachael Bowman and Ashley Jones, and technology integrator Helfried Zrzavy took turns exploring the demo units by going through the setup procedure and trying out the handheld controls in a variety of simulations.
The Oculus Quest 2 is already prepared to connect to a well-developed ecosystem of immersive educational applications in areas as diverse as:
Social Studies (MasterWorks: Journey Through History, Discover Egypt: King Tut's Tomb, Pompeii VR, The Great Wall: Mysteries of China, American Experience, Anne Frank House VR, etc.)
Science (Human Anatomy VR, Brain VR, Heart Tour, Plant Cell, Chemistry VR, Exciting Physics VR, Solar System, International Space Station Tour VR, etc.)
Environmental Studies (David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef, David Attenborough's First Life, Antarctic Ocean, Sea Level Rise Explorer, etc.)
Art (Meeting Rembrandt: Master of Reality, Mocove Arts, Museo Soumaya VR, Art Gate, Art Plunge, etc.), and
World Languages (Mondly, Dynamic Spanish Trips - Long Weekend in Spain, etc.)
There is even an app — Virtual Speech — that is designed to help students overcome public speaking hesitancy and improve their verbal communication skills through practice in realistic VR scenarios. Training rooms include public speaking, sales pitches, networking, business storytelling, and more.
Over the next several months, this new technology will be vetted more thoroughly to explore how VR could fit into existing strategies for engaging instruction, what use modalities will have to be developed, what evidence would need to be gathered to drive student outcomes, and what technical and pedagogical supports would be required to integrate VR successfully into student learning.
Congratulations to this year’s Envirothon team for placing 2nd overall in the annual state competition which was held virtually from May 21-27.
Students competed against area schools in four subjects:
Forestry
Wildlife
Aquatics
SoilsÂ
Team members also researched and presented to a panel of judges on climate and water-related issues impacting the ConVal region.
Despite not meeting for a full year due to COVID-19, the team still managed to be a formidable opponent. Practices ramped back up in March of 2021, and the team persistently worked to learn and grow over the course of two months.
Team coach and Earth Science teacher Andria Johnson was particularly impressed with the team’s progress in such a short time. “I am so proud of the accomplishments of this team," said Johnson. "I am a new coach and this is essentially a new team, and to have come so far so fast is just amazing. 2nd place overall is fantastic, and I cannot wait to see what this team can do next season!”
This was the 29th consecutive year that ConVal has participated in the Envirothon competition. The Envirothon team is always looking for new members, and team meetings will begin again next September. Contact Andria Johnson (ajohnson@conval.edu) to learn more and join the team.
While COVID-19 pandemic provided a serious obstacle to rehearsals and the staging of the musical "Bright Star," the ConVal drama department persevered and found an innovative solution that allowed for the live-streaming of the musical's concert version in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre.
Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony®-nominated score by comedian and virtuoso banjo-player Steve Martin in cooperation with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, "Bright Star" tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and 1940s.
When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from the war, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past — and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. With beautiful melodies and powerfully moving characters, the story unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion.
The cast or characters (in order of appearance) were:
Older Alice (Abby Theberge)
Middle Alice (Hadi Lancaric)
Younger Alice (Alissa Cutting)
Billy Cane (Owen Hannah)
Daddy Cane (Amy Braby
Daryl (Gabe Young)
Lucy (Liasiah Torres)
Younger Jimmy Ray (Rowan Davidson)
Daddy Murphy (Beau Olesky)
Mama Murphy (Grace Phillips)
Mayor Dobbs (Caroline Stultz)
Stanford (Haley Serafine)
Margo (Abbey Shumway)
Middle Jimmy Ray (Zach Cassidy)
Older Jimmy Ray (Dan Sleeper)
Townsfolk (Esther Janis, Adeline Mackensen, and Kaitlyn Stone)
For the complete program, please click here. The performance stream went live on Sunday at 7:00 pm and was very well received by the audience.
On the last day of school, students in Carol Young's Biology Topics class released back into the wild two baby snapping turtles they had fostered since early May.
The turtles had hatched last fall and were raised over the winter with four of their siblings by John Benjamin, teacher naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education. As the six turtles grew, they needed more space, so "Toothless" and "Jerry" came to ConVal.
The students constructed a habitat for them out of a kiddie pool, rocks, silk plants, and a UV light. Every day, they fed them mealworms, sardines, and live minnows.
By mid-June the turtles had grown large enough to be released back into the wild. Together with John Benjamin, the students, class aides, and Principal Heather McKillop set out to find suitable release spaces in the greater ConVal environment.
Now Toothless, Jerry, and their siblings are fulfilling their role as top predators in the ConVal wetland and helping to keep this ecosystem healthy for the many other wildlife species that rely on it.
On the last day of school, students in Carol Young’s Biology Topics class released back into the wild two baby snapping turtles they had fostered since early May.
The turtles had hatched last fall and were raised over the winter with four of their siblings by John Benjamin, teacher naturalist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education.
As part of their work with the Explore Virtual Learning Committee, several high school teachers and staff recently had the opportunity to field test demonstration units of the Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality headsets provided by Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and District Systems Director Mark Schaub.
“The capabilities of these VR headsets have come a long way in recent years,”
While COVID-19 pandemic provided a serious obstacle to rehearsals and the staging of the musical “Bright Star,” the ConVal drama department persevered and found an innovative solution that allowed for the live-streaming of the musical’s concert version in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre.
Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony®-nominated score by comedian and virtuoso banjo-player Steve Martin in cooperation with singer-songwriter Edie Brickell,
On Friday, June 11, the ConVal High School graduation ceremony was held on the school’s Stadium Field.
In addition to teachers, school administrators, and staff, who wore their academic regalia in honor of the graduates, Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ann Forrest attended the event, representing the SAU leadership.
ConVal Regional High School’s Commencement Exercises for the Class of 2021 took place on June 11. Please see the names of graduates and the photo gallery below.
The Class of 2021
Armon Adkins, Chloe Ahern, Sierra Aho, Emma Anderson, Nisse Anderson, Aiden Anthony, Owen Armstrong, Kyle Ball, Anna Bartsch, Isis Battaglia,
Students, parents, faculty, staff, SAU administrators, and community members celebrated student learning and achievement with the Scholarships and Awards event at ConVal Regional High School on June 9, 2021.
Director of School Counseling Tim Cotreau and Principal Heather McKillop served as Masters of Ceremonies for the evening which was attended by ConVal Superintendent Dr.
Congratulations to the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who are being recognized by teachers in various academic departments at ConVal Regional High School and the Region 14 Applied Technology Center (ATC).
In all, 60 recognitions are being awarded to 52 students. Special commendations go out to dual award winners Hazel Armstrong McEvoy, Molly Dishong,
School's Out For Summer! After taking their Block 4 final exams and completing their last project presentations, students leave ConVal Regional High School for a well-deserved summer break. Stay healthy and safe, we look forward to seeing you again in the fall!
Foster Turtles Released Back Into The Wild On the last day of school, Ms. Young and students in her Topics in Biology class released two foster turtles back into the wild. The Turtle Foster Project was conducted in cooperation with John Benjamin, teacher naturalist at the Harris Center for Education.
Students Arrive For Last Day Of Finals As students arrive for their last day of finals, they are being greeted by Principal Heather McKillop on the apron of ConVal Regional High School. Good luck with your exams and final project presentations!
Class of 2021 Graduation Teachers, staff, and administrators — dressed in their academic regalia — applaud the members of the Class of 2021 as they process in toward the ConVal Stadium Field. The event was live-streamed online in order to allow faraway family members to attend virtually.
"Bright Star" Musical To Stream Online If you want to see the ConVal production of "Bright Star" in the LHT, you can now stream it online. For tickets and show information, please go to www.cvlht.com. The stream will go live on Sunday, June 13, at 7:00 pm. "See" you at the performance!
Awards And Scholarship Event Celebrates Seniors The Awards and Scholarship Event at ConVal Regional High School celebrated the achievements of the students of the Class of 2021 with parents, teachers, staff, and administrators. Please see also the related post in the Honors & Awards section below.
