Dear NCHS Family,
Seniors Kailey Marti and Anderson Cook were celebrated at the CT Association of Schools’ Outstanding Arts Award Banquet alongside their parents, teachers, Ms. Kimanne Core, Mr. Barry Zhou, and Assistant Principal Ari Rothman. The event took place on Tuesday, April 2nd, at the Aqua Turf in Plantsville, CT. This prestigious event, the Connecticut High School Fine Arts Awards, recognizes two exceptional seniors from each member school in the state who demonstrate excellence in the performing or visual arts, as well as scholarship and leadership qualities. While proficiency in the arts is the primary consideration, scholarship and leadership are also considered. Congratulations to Kailey and Anderson on their well-deserved recognition. It was a wonderful evening celebrating their accomplishments and artistic and musical talents.
Solar Eclipse on Monday, 4/8
On April 8, we will be fortunate enough to experience a solar eclipse! Here is some important information for you to know before the eclipse. The path of the eclipse over New Canaan will result in 92% of the sun being blocked by the moon at the height of the event, which is approximately 3:26 p.m. Viewing of the eclipse must only occur through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. No matter how dark, regular sunglasses are unsafe for viewing the sun. Even if cloudy, you must use eclipse glasses to look at the sun. Your Period 3 teacher (last block) will distribute solar eclipse viewing glasses to you on Monday, April 8th, so that you can view this historic moment safely. If you do not have class during this time, please pick up a pair of glasses in the main office on Monday. If you would like to view the eclipse at school, join us in The Dome directly after school for a brief demonstration before we go outside to safely view this incredible phenomenon. Click here for additional information about the upcoming eclipse.
Here we have our Astronomy teacher, Mr. Brentson, practicing his eclipse viewing technique in The Dome.
The Power of the Pen Creative Writing Contest had 78 submissions this year! The winning entries will be published in the NCHS Spectator literary magazine this spring.
The four winning writers are below:
Sofia Brooks – “The City in the Sun”
Avery Cotton – “Approaching Altitude, Please Stand By”
Kathleen McDonough – “Revealed by the Waves”
Lana Suvar – “Meandering Through Trees”
Honorable Mention distinctions were given to the following writers:
Charlotte Lee
David Marz
Sam Mettler
Emerson Miller
Claire-Helene Ritter
George Wang
Congratulations to all our talented writers this year!
CALLING ALL POETS!
NCHS will host its annual Poetry Fest on Thursday, April 25th, at 6 PM in the Wagner room. All students are invited to submit an original poem or two to share at the event. To participate, simply email your typed, original poem to Mrs. Brown in the English department at Kristen.brown@ncps-k12.org no later than April 12th. Talk to your English teacher for more details.
It’s National Assistant Principals Week, and we thank them for working tirelessly to bolster teachers, motivate students, support and create a positive learning community, and face the many unpredictable challenges that land on their desks.
Thank you for all you do!
The HUB hosted its first Community Building Block BINGO game with students from Jen Lee’s Algebra and Mike Staffaroni’s AP Economics classes. Additionally, Assistant Principal Kristi Carriero and Officer Deak joined the group activity. Congratulations to all our Bingo winners: Augusto Baldini, Cooper Fox, Mariana Zepeda, and Finn Greiner!
A renowned Social Media expert, Max Stossel, shared insights on Thursday at an assembly for students dealing with constant phone and social media presence. He shared tactics tech companies use to grab our attention and offered strategies to navigate this digital world mindfully. By empowering students with practical tools, Max aims to help them regain control over their tech usage and strike a healthy balance. His goal is to inspire students to interact more intentionally with technology, fostering academic and personal success in today’s digital age.
NCHS ALPINE SKI TEAM: SNOW TRAILS AND TRIUMPHS!
Despite sparse snow, the New Canaan High School Alpine Race Team persevered, training and racing weekly at Mount Southington in the CT Interscholastic Ski League.
In the CT Interscholastic State Open Championships on February 29, 2024, the Girls’ Varsity team secured eighth place out of 14 teams. Freshman Lucy Paine led the team, earning 36th place with a combined time of 48.85. Senior co-captain Kailin Downey also excelled, securing a top 50 spot with a time of 50.10. Freshman Sienna DeKanter and Senior co-captain Ella Schwartz showed strong performances as well. Lucy and Sienna received CISL Honorable Mention All-State recognition, with teammates Maddie Casey, Beth Cheng, Charlotte Hanover, and Lily Racioppi contributing to the team’s success. The Girls Alpine team ranked 4th among 15 Class S teams in the regular season.
The Boys’ Varsity team, led by Junior Captain Slade Logsdon, demonstrated significant improvement throughout the season. Sophomore James Bakal also landed in the top 50 overall, with Junior Matt Angiletta close behind. Freshman Cooper Fox showcased progress, while teammates Henry Ravanesi and Max Boccocio displayed promise for the future.
GRADUATION LAWN SIGNS
Celebrate an NCHS Senior! Buy a graduation lawn sign to display on your lawn or as a gift for a family member or friend. Signs are $40 and include the stand. All proceeds will go toward the NCHS Scholarship Foundation general fund. Please click here to purchase a lawn sign and to learn more about NCSF.
A MESSAGE FROM THE NCHS RED CROSS CLUB:
Thank you to those who participated in the Blood Drive at the New Canaan Library on March 30. The American Red Cross collected 45 units of blood to help those in need. We’re thrilled to announce that the New Canaan High School Red Cross Club will host another Blood Drive on June 1st! More information to come!
College interview workshop for Juniors:
A college interviewing workshop will be held on April 11 during the lunch block. Email Mrs. Carroll (susan.carroll@ncps-k12.org) to reserve a space and let her know what lunch you have that day. (B DAY)
SAFE DRIVING WEEK SCHEDULE APRIL 8TH – 12TH
DEPARTMENT NEWS:
GYM BUDDIES:
CTE:
Woodworking 1:
Students have completed their first project using power tools, mainly the bandsaw and drill press. Students were provided a few examples to get inspiration from and then had to choose one of the models or design their project, which involved curved cuts and at least one drilled hole. Projects included, but were not limited to, combs, animal figures, rattles, and phone stands. We are now discussing the miter saw and table saw, which will lead to our cutting board/coasters and picture frame projects.
3D Animation:
We have wrapped up our 3D Modeling unit, where students created a creature/robot of their choosing. Some created their designs, while others worked on replicating existing character designs. We will eventually return to these models to use them as the basis of our skeletal animation project.
Culinary/Rams Cafe students practiced making fresh pasta using the new KitchenAid attachments. Currently, they are making the mother sauces, including a Hollandaise sauce for egg benedicts.
Child Development students planned Easter lessons for the NCHS Preschool Program, including an Easter egg hunt. Anna prepared a sensory lesson that involved fine motor skills in a lesson designed to teach writing the alphabet.
Ms. Zilly’s Fashion Merchandising & Design classes have begun working on their first sewing project: pajama shorts! After this, the students will upcycle, embroider, and complete a final garment construction project.
The Interior Design classes just completed a “Client Design” project. Students were randomly matched up with a classmate whom they interviewed and designed a space for within a specific budget. Students presented their designs to one another and filled out a design feedback form. Overall, they were very happy with their designer/classmates’ work!
SCIENCE:
Students in Honors Biology model their understanding of meiosis.
Students in AP Biology perform transformation with engineered plasmids.
Students in Environmental Science have been busy in the energy unit. They modeled a geothermal heat exchange to test the variables that lead to the highest efficiency. Then, they jumped into wind power by designing their wind turbines and measuring the energy output.
Students in AP Environmental Science were wrapping up a terrestrial and water pollution unit by having small group discussions on current events related to the unit. Here, they got to offer their opinions, relate the content to their lives, and tie the unit to other areas of study.
SOCIAL STUDIES:
As a part of the Cold War unit, US History classes have been examining the intentions and efficacy of the policy of containment in several 1950s conflicts, including the Korean War, the Indochina War, and this week, the Guatemalan Coup of 1954. Working in groups, students evaluated primary documents from the period from several perspectives, including from that of the CIA, the Guatemalan president, the American fruit company at the center of the issue, newspaper articles and radio addresses from both nations, as well as memoirs written sometime after from those involved in the coup, to determine the motives behind US involvement in this historical event. Students were engaged in a thoughtful discussion, highlighting the grip that fears of communism had on US foreign policy, coupled with balancing the need to protect American business interests and the lasting implications of American involvement in these Cold War-era conflicts.
World History 1 class worked with the Library staff to begin working through the academic research process. Focusing on Medieval Asiatic Trade, students chose a particular kingdom/empire/city-state that participated in developed research questions. They worked to answer those questions through academic sources and historical thinking.
VPA:
Photography 2
After many trials, errors, and lack of cooperation with the weather, the Photography 2 students put up their best attempt at the Cyanotype art process! Despite the challenges, they turned out some beautiful photographs and learned plenty about exposure and timing! Want a closer look? Stop down to room 123 for a peek!
WORLD LANGUAGE
Cecily Bradley, Brandon Ma, and Pranav Sant endured hours of torrential rain and faced students from Boston Latin School and Walton to participate in the annual Harvard Certamen. They placed second in each of the three rounds they participated in.
Students in Latin 4 wrote and delivered Ciceronian judicial speeches (orationes) in which they accused Greek gods of abuse of power or defended literature, songs, or albums that they thought were most important to save for the future. While Apollo seemed to be the most egregious offender among gods and was the subject of many speeches, there were also speeches in defense of Kanye West’s Graduation, Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up, Star Wars, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, and Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird.
LIBRARY:
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