"LIFE AND TIMES" BLOG ENDED

I'm sorry to say that there won't be any more posts to this blog. I and other staff who contributed don't have time to maintain the postings of news about Hanover High School. To our readers, thank you for your interest for the last three years.

You can find continuing news of the school at the students' "Broadside" blog/newspaper through the main HHS web site.

Best regards from Don Buck.

Read more!

STUDENTS PLACE FIRST AND SECOND IN STATEWIDE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Senior Alexandra Burkot of Norwich won first place in a musical theater festival on October 31, sponsored by Granite State NATS, the New Hampshire chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. Her program included "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" from Sweeney Todd (Sondheim), "What Does He Want of Me" from The Man of La Mancha (Leigh), and "Science Fiction Double Feature" from the Rocky Horror Show (O'Brien). She sings in the HHS Chorus & Footnotes and studies voice with Louis Burkot.

Jacob van Leer, also a senior, took second place in the Granite State NATS musical theater festival. His program included "Who I'd Be" from Shrek, The Musical (Tesori) and "On the Street Where You Live" from My Fair Lady (Loewe). He is also a member of the HHS Chorus & Footnotes and a voice student of Julie Van Ness.

Read more!

ABIDJAN WALKER, STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Senior Abidjan Walker, from Hanover, NH is November's Student of the Month.

Abidjan is an amazing individual. She is an inquisitive student who always strives for higher understanding; she is a natural leader, motivating those around her; and she is a giving person who is continuously looking to be helpful to those in need. Abidjan has served on the HHS council since her freshman year, plays the violin for the orchestra and has risen to the challenges of some of our most difficult classes. Without question Abidjan is a tremendous asset to our school both in and out of the classroom.

Read more!

HIKE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS SPONSORED BY HHS AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

Read more!

"OH! THAT WITH AN IRON PEN THEY WERE GRAVEN IN THE ROCK."

Poems, stories, essays, drawings and photographs fill up the latest issue of the Pen of Iron. The literary magazine offers 74 works by forty students. Where does the title "Pen of Iron" come from? Check out the two Biblical quotations on the first page. Ask for your copy from Ms Wahrenberger in room 214.

Read more!

PICK A SCHOOL CLUB AND JOIN! (VIDEO)

Read more!

"SUMMER RUNNING," AN ESSAY BY LEAH EICKHOFF

The first fingertips of rain tap the windows, then grow more insistent. The pattering is a signal, and the drum in my chest quickens its tempo in response. The sky growls, and something rises and expands deep inside me. My body is thirsty for the storm. I flash upstairs to change clothes, and then leap back down, pulled magnetically to the door. I don’t bother with socks or shoes. My body begs me to let go, and I comply, bounding out of the shelter of my house into the torrent. I pause in the driveway to lift my face to the rain, and the darkness above me shudders and cracks. The raindrops fall heavily, but I feel lighter with every pounding drop. The water streams down, and I can’t stay still any longer. I let my body take over.

The wet pavement is rough and familiar to my bare feet. With each step, my toes reach to embrace the curves of Earth. I marvel at the textures. The white paint of a crosswalk delights me in its smooth slipperiness. I don’t shy away from the gravel; the pressure doesn’t prick my calloused soles. My strides are light and quick, and my body relaxes into the motion. I breathe to the rhythm. I run through the center of town, but today it is new. The car headlights are streaky stars through my eyelashes, and I race them, my legs lengthening and reaching, faster and faster. The sky splinters and falls to batter the ground, and in the tumult I lose the sounds of my feet striking the ground and my lungs pulling for air. I am silent, and my silence makes me light, so light in the darkness of the rain. I overtake hooded passers-by on the sidewalk, and feel them watching as my bare feet lift me away. The sky threatens to collapse. They shrink from the lightning, huddle from the rain that my own body strains to touch. I feel them wondering, but I’m already gone. I hope they watch me go. I hope they see me. I feel like something wild and beautiful, and I want to share it, this power that pulses and rages inside me. I am a wood nymph, a winged huntress, a stormy goddess. I’m not self-conscious. The water cloaks me, pricks and wraps my bare skin. I’m gleaming. I’m gliding. The wind weaves and stirs the leaves into a shimmery wet frenzy, and though my hair is pulled back, it twists and stings my neck like Medusa’s snakes, writhing to be free. My skin is cold, but a fire burns inside me.

My entire being resonates with the rhythm of my muscles. The sky glowers and glares, flashes and booms. It rips; it tears. I want to sing, I want to howl, I want to race. The motion is natural, instinctive as breathing. My heart beats for this. My lungs fill for this, I know it with every sharp, exalted breath. My muscles pulse heat through my body.

I run defiantly, blindly into the wall of water. I don’t need to see. I have my breath. I have the rain. I have the ground. I don’t care where I’m going. I don’t run for distance, or time, or speed. I don’t care what I’m wearing, or who sees me. This is my worship, my release, my escape, and my captivity. The hurt and the joy is excruciating, and I couldn’t stop if I wanted to. This is what I was born to do.

Read more!

SENIOR BRIDGES PROJECT, APPLICATION

Andrea Alsup, English teacher, writes:

The Senior Bridges Interdisciplinary Project is an opportunity for second-semester seniors to work on an intensive project of their own choosing. Seniors are invited to engage in independent study projects in any subject area(s) extending beyond the boundaries of our current curriculum.

Although projects can be in any area of student interest, each will require that the student research the topic, work with a community mentor, write a substantial amount, create a tangible project illustrating what was learned/accomplished, and prepare a presentation about the topic for a class or panel of community members, students, and teachers. Credit areas and course hour commitments will be determined on an individual basis, depending upon the scope of the project as defined by students in their application forms.

Click "read more" to see the application forms.

The process:

Senior Bridges Project at Hanover High involves three phases and many skills:

The Paper: Acquisition of knowledge. The student learns about a topic by observing, researching, interviewing and writing.

The Project: Application of knowledge. With the help of a community mentor and a teacher-advisor, the student participates in a project—resulting in a tangible product or an experience, or both.

The Presentation: Synthesis of knowledge. The student presents findings to an HHS class or to a panel consisting of the community members, teachers, and students.

Why do it?

Senior Bridges offers graduating seniors several educational possibilities:

1. An opportunity to design and pursue their own courses of study for a range of 1-5 semester credits.

2. An opportunity to practice independent study—scheduling and time management-with an advisor.

3. An opportunity to work with a community mentor/expert.



What else?

As well as allowing students to design what, where, when and how they study in the last semester of their senior years, Bridges allows students to demonstrate mastery of the skills a graduating senior should have:

1. To gather and analyze information

2. To speak and write clearly

3. To make connections among past, present, and future events

4. To solve problems

5. To work cooperatively

6. To transfer skills between one discipline and another



























Name:________________________
Email address:__________________


SENIOR BRIDGES STUDENT PROPOSAL GUIDELINES


RESEARCH AND WRITING:

1. What is your topic? Try to define it in a few sentences.

2. Have you identified a potential community mentor? If so, who? Have you met?


3. In what ways might your project be connected to career possibilities for you?


4. What do you already know about the topic? How will it constitute new learning for you?


5. What are the primary questions you hope to answer? (What do you want to learn?)


6. What kinds of research (people, media, print) will you need?
(Bibliography here)


7. What kind of writing would result from your research? For example:

A traditional research paper proving a thesis: “The Abstract artists of the fifties owe more to scientific breakthroughs of the 19th century than to the artistic ones.”
OR
A report with graphics and annotated bibliography”
“The design and building of the Ledyard Bridge.”
OR
A reflective account of your project: what happened, what you learned, what new questions are now raised for you:
“A month working with terminally ill children.”
OR
Another form designed by you, to fit your needs.


8. What is your project? Try to define what you hope to achieve in a few sentences.


9. How are writing and project related?


10. Will it cost money? How much? (If community service is involved, some scholarship funding may be available).



11. Will your project involve other students? If so, how?



PRESENTATION:

12. What preliminary ideas do you have for your final presentation?


CREDIT:

13. Topics and projects will be considered on an individual basis, but if you are requesting a semester credit, bear in mind that one hundred and twenty hours of instructional time are necessary for a one semester course, and plan research, writing, and project accordingly. How much time do you estimate you will spend on each segment?


14. How much (e.g. .5 fine arts or .5 English) and what kind of credit are you requesting?



Are you requesting release time from classes? Explain:





Bridges Timeline:


A. September-mid Oct: meetings with Ms. Alsup in Room 103 to discuss your project ideas, write and revise proposals.

B. October 15: A written proposal following guidelines given you by Ms. Alsup will be due. You should have a community mentor at this time. Mentor agreement form due.

C. Before holiday break: Your proposal will be reviewed by a representative of each department.

D. January after finals: Begin assembling resources (written, living, electronic).

E. End of January: Party/meetings with community mentors and oral presentation panel members.

F. February: Research/project conferences with Ms. Alsup. Must have calendars and documentation from mentor.

G. March: Research/project conferences with Ms. Alsup. Must have calendars and documentation from mentor.

H. April 1: Q3 Mentor and self-evaluations due, project checkpoint due.

I. May 13: Drafts of papers due. Continue meetings.

J. May 20: Projects complete. Continue meetings.

K. May 23-27: Oral presentation practice with Ms. Alsup and other seniors in project. Continue meetings.

L. May 31: Senior Bridges portfolio (documentation of project, log, final paper, mentor evals. photos, notebooks) due. Continue meetings.

M. May 31-June 3: Oral presentations (20 min. present, 10 min. questions) to school and/or community audience; review of portfolios by Steering Committee.


Deadlines and all meetings are critical. You must meet them or lose credit.



HANOVER HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR BRIDGES PROJECT


The role of the mentor:

Because every student proposal is different, the role of each mentor will be different.


We do ask that you all observe a few guidelines:

1. Have an initial meeting with your student to review proposals and suggest resources for independent study: people, places, and media.

2. Plan a minimum of four meetings between February and mid-May to answer questions, review papers and projects, and discuss progress in general. Andrea Alsup will be the in-school advisor for the student; we will plan meetings to alternate with mentor meetings.

3. Attend the student’s final presentation (about one half hour, in a class or after school during the week after Memorial Day). If it isn’t possible for you to attend your student’s final presentation, please let your student know as soon as possible. We will ask you to help evaluate the presentation with others- -students, teachers, and community members.

4. Write a mid-semester progress report by April _ and a final evaluation after the oral presentation.

Please see evaluation forms in the Senior Bridges project handbook. Your student will provide you with stamped, addressed envelopes for mailing.

If you have problems or questions, please call Andrea Alsup:
at Hanover High: 603-643-3431 x2201
at home: 802-222-3372
Email: andrea.alsup@dresden.us

Thank you very much for your interest in our students.






Senior Bridges Quarter Three Grades

Quarter Three grades will be based on your work in progress. We will average:

1. Your own self-assessment
2. Your mentor's comments (see following form)
3. My assessment based on our conferences and your rough drafts of paper(s)


Please fill in the blanks and return this sheet to AA's mailbox no later than April ______ the school day the quarter closes. Fee free to discuss your grade with me Depending on your project, some of you will have only one subject grade.

__________________letter grade ___________________letter grade

__________________letter grade ___________________letter grade


Comments, suggestions, and requests:























Senior Project Checkpoint: Due April_____________________________

(Because your project is special, not all of the following will apply, put an NA by questions not applicable to your project.)

MENTORS/INSTRUCTIONS/ADVISORS:
1. Who has helped you so far and how? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

List contacts: who when
Phone calls ________________________ ________________________
Interviews ________________________ _____________________ __
Classes/Volunteer time ________________________ ________________________
Help Meetings ________________________ _________________________
Other ________________________ __________________________

Materials:

List reading material: author, title
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

If you are making your project, list the materials you have actually use so far.
a.________________________________________________________________________
b.________________________________________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________________________________________________
d.________________________________________________________________________
e.________________________________________________________________________

TIME MANAGE MENT:
Breakdown of time spent so far.

Hours Describe what you were doing.
______ _______________________________________________________________________________
______ _______________________________________________________________________________
______ _______________________________________________________________________________
______ _______________________________________________________________________________
______ TOTAL HOURS

Describe how your time management of completing your Senior Project works in your busy schedule
Mid-Semester Mentor Progress Report for Senior Bridges


Please return to Andrea Alsup by April _____, the end of the marking period.

Date:________________________________________ Student:______________________________________

Please comment on your student's progress to date. Are satisfied that the project is going well and that the student is working hard?














Are there problems?








Assign a letter grade if you wish: ________________________________

Is it OK to discuss your report with your student?____________________

Signature:_____________________________________________________________________

Thank you very much for your time.



ORALS


TASK ANALYSIS FOR PRESENTATION:_____________________________________

Name:_______________________________________________Date:_____________________

1. Give an overview of your presentation. What do you hope to accomplish, to prove or to show your panel. Include main ideas and/or skills you have learned from both your research and your project.







2. How are your project and your research paper related? How do you plan to show this relationship to the panel?




3. Analyze your presentation. What do you plan to use for an introduction? What will you say about the research paper? The project? How will you conclude your presentation? Will you be demonstrating or performing as part of our presentation?

A. Introduction:












B. Project Detail:









ORAL EVALUATION

SENIOR PROJECT PRESENTATION ASSESSMENT


Student Name:_______________________________________________________________________
Panelist_____________________________________Advisor____________________________
Please indicate, with a check under yes or no, whether or not each characteristic of the presentation was acceptable. Please add comments on back of this sheet or on separate sheet.


1. INTRODUCTION of SPEECH YES NO COMMENT
*gained attention of audience ____ ____ ____________
*topic was clearly stated ____ ____ ____________
*related topic to audience ____ ____ ____________
*student's credibility established ____ ____ ____________
*body of speech was previewed ____ ____ ____________

2. BODY of SPEECH
*sufficient information presented ____ ____ ____________
*clearly reflected student's learning ____ ____ ____________
*accurate, relevant information ____ ____ ____________
*”visuals” incorporated ____ ____ ____________

3. CONCLUSION of SPEECH
*effective and definite ____ ____ ____________
*summarizes main ideas ____ ____ ____________
*gives closure ____ ____ ____________

4. DELIVERY
*appropriate dress ____ ____ ____________
*effective eye contact ____ ____ ____________
*self-confident, enthusiastic ____ ____ ____________
*effective flow of communication ____ ____ ____________

5. RESPONSES to QUESTIONS
*ease and accuracy of communication _____ ____ ____________

Did the presentation meet expectations of an acceptable speech? If not please explain on back of sheet.
Please make suggestions for the student to carry away from this speech, for her/his future is:


Senior Bridges Portfolio

Senior Project Resume for page 1



Your (conscientiously fill in!) calendar



Your journal and conference notes (mentor and AA)



All final papers



Your self-evaluation; typed or neatly printed



Your mentor verification and evaluation form


Any contents which might enhance your portfolio--photos, art work, interview notes, original work--just be sure to attach neatly labeled caption sheets. Include times which will reveal your personality and voice.















Paper Evaluations
( to be includes in final portfolio with paper)



Paper(s) will be read by your advisor, your mentor, and by at least one Steering Committee member. Each paper will receive tree grades from each reader:

Content: clarity of ideas, thoroughness of investigation, originality of expression

Process: inclusion of drafts with evidence of revision based on reader commentary, timliness

Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics: Final should be publishable


Due Drafts: First draft May _____
**advisor and mentor reading of draft**
Final draft in portfolio on day of presentation

You must meet these deadlines. They may seem early, but the ground will rush up to meet you when it is time to prepare final portfolios, projects, and to practice for the oral presentation.





Hanover High School Senior Project
Student Verification and Mentor Evaluation


Student Name:_________________________________________________________________


Topic:__________________________________________________________________

Senior Bridges Teacher:_______________________________________________________________

Mentor’s Name:________________________________________

I verify that I worked at least _____ hours on all aspects of the Senior Project. I have categorized the number of hours that I have spent in the following way.

Number of hours worked Phase of Project

____________________ Proposal

____________________ Active Research

____________________ Writing

____________________ Presentation

____________________ Reflection, Evaluation

____________________ TOTAL HOURS WORKED

Student Signature____________________________________________ Date ___________________

Mentor: I verify that I have worked with this student over the course of the entire Senior project. I have seen the project in its various phases, not just as a final product.

Mentor Signature____________________________________________ Date______________________














Please evaluate the student in the following areas. Five is highest and one is lowest.

lowest highest
Effort 1 2 3 4 5

Creativity 1 2 3 4 5

Time Management 1 2 3 4 5

Quality of Final Product 1 2 3 4 5

Quality of Learning 1 2 3 4 5






Senior Project
Mentor Evaluation Form continued

Low Average High


Courteous 1 2 3 4 5

Responds well to instruction 1 2 3 4 5

Shows responsibility (keeps
appointments, meets deadlines) 1 2 3 4 5

Show commitment (works steadily
on project) 1 2 3 4 5

Sets and meets goals 1 2 3 4 5

Works independently 1 2 3 4 5

Interpersonal/communication
skills 1 2 3 4 5

Overall quality of work 1 2 3 4 5

Do you have any suggestions for the student?_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Do you have any suggestions for improving the Senior Bridges Program?_________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Additional comments or observations?:_____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Please attach additional sheets if necessary and return to Andrea Alsup at Hanover HIgh in the enclosed envelope. We very much appreciate your participation in this program. Thank you.














SENIOR PROJECT: SELF-EVALUATION


Senior_____________________________________Senior Project Title__________________________


Describe your project in 25 words.








Complete the following:

Date started_______________________Date completed___________________________

Estimated total hours spent on the project_______________________________________

List of resources and materials used:




List at least three things you now know after completing this project:





B.




C.




List any personal satisfactions you gained from the experience of working on this project.





List any problems you encountered during any part of Senior Project.




What was the picture in your mind of your project before you started working on it? How does this picture compare with the outcome you experienced?











If given the opportunity, what would you do differently now that you have completed the project?










What is your evaluation of the project -- Passing, Good, or Excellent? Justify your evaluation in at least 25 words.












FINAL GRADES FOR SENIOR BRIDGES

NAME:______________________________________________________________________________

MENTOR:___________________________________________________________________________

ADVISOR:___________________________________________________________________________







PROJECT (50%)______________________________________________________________________

*Self-evaluation
*Mentor evaluation
*Advisor evaluation



PORTFOLIO (35%)____________________________________________________________________

*Mentor evaluation
*Steering committee member(s) evaluation
*Advisor evaluation



PRESENTATION (15%)_________________________________________________________________

*Panel evaluations
*Advisor evaluation



FINAL GRADE:_______________________________________________________________________

SUBJECT AREA OF CREDIT:_____________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Read more!

MACKENZIE ANDERSON CHOSEN AS STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Mackenzie Anderson, from Hanover, NH, is the school’s Student of the Month for October. Mackenzie is a terrific student. She is easygoing, very hard-working, positive and upbeat. Mackenzie attends the Hartford Culinary program and would like to go on to a culinary college. She is captain of the basketball team and, in addition, is the only girl on varsity football and has earned the respect of her male peers. She is a leader in and out of class. Simply the best!

Read more!

AN ESSAY: "THE BOOK THIEF"

AN ESSAY ABOUT SUMMER READING: "THE BOOK THIEF"

Students in English were assigned to write an essay in class on The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Here is the assignment, and the essay by senior Clio Doyle.

"Can ordinary people be considered heroes, or should the term 'hero' be reserved for extraordinary people? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from The Book Thief, and, if you wish, from other readings, studies, experiences and observations."

There is little that I can say about this topic that does not sound hackneyed. It is the situation that makes the hero. People who live in ordinary surroundings in times of peace generally do not have the opportunity to distinguish themselves. Extraordinary situations create the need for heroes, and people rise (or do not rise) to the occasion. As Gray says in his “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”, the world is filled with “mute country Cromwells” and “Hampdens guiltless of their country’s blood." Or something like that. The point is that a crisis -- in this case, WWII -- will bring out the best in certain people. If one must speak of the Book Thief, one might point out that the Hubermanns take in a Jew, Max Vandenburg. They are far from heroic, but the situation (life in Nazi Germany) mixed with chance (Hans Hubermann’s promise to the accordion player’s wife) leads them to do something that can be called heroic. It seems to me that this is Zusak’s point.

Of course, Zusak is making a bigger point. Namely, that humans are capable of withstanding and inflicting great suffering. This is far from original, albeit true. He seems to see the world as made up of connections between people, which are threatened by hatred, racism and fear. Liesel and the Hubermanns, Liesel and Rudy Steiner, Liesel and Max Vandenburg, are connected to each other in various ways. These interpersonal links are constantly threatened by outside forces, until they are suddenly broken by the bombing of Himmel Street. This is also where the main action of the novel ends, as though novels and heroism cannot go on in a vacuum or gravitate around a single person. Heroism is a social force. It grows out of love for other people.

One can speak of heroism, but perhaps not of “heroes." “Hero” is subjective. Jesse Owens is Rudy Steiner’s hero. Does that make him “a” hero? (I am not saying it doesn’t.) This goes back to the question of whether one can be a hero in a vacuum. Must other people witness and approve of one’s actions for one to acquire the status of “hero”? And then, of course, one must define a “heroic” action. What separates the “heroic” from the merely “decent”? Perhaps “heroism” implies the risk of one’s life for pure and unselfish motives. But few movie stars and musicians risk their lives for the good of mankind.

No, one must separate the “hero” from the “heroic." In fact, heroes hardly ever do anything heroic. They are signposts that point the way for lesser mortals. Most acts of heroism remain unknown (or so seems to be Mark Zusak’s point of view) to all save death and the perpetrator.

And are there any “extraordinary” people? (I have just reread the question). Is it not a little unfair to the human race to assume that the people who distinguish themselves must be extraordinary, and not just lucky? The human race need not think like Plutarch any longer. I don’t believe there are extraordinary people -- only people. That makes it a lot more exciting. That means that any one can be a hero (here one enters into the wilds of the hackneyed -- but it can’t be helped). I’m not sure I believe in heroes either -- only in people. It’s far too convenient to believe in heroes. It lifts some responsibility off one’s own shoulders.

People invent their own heroes. To Rudy Steiner, Jessie Owens represents everything heroic, including his (Rudy’s) own potential heroism. But that’s only a convention. In times of war and great upheaval, conventions fall away. People have to become their own heroes. No one wants to be a hero. It’s unpleasant. The people who want to be heroes never are.And here is the rest of it.

Read more!

2nd ANNUAL DEUTSCHER TAG AT HHS

HHS German teacher Uwe Goodall-Heising writes: One day after the 20th anniversary of the German Reunification, the HHS community celebrated the Second Annual German Day. The German Club and German language students had organized the event. We welcomed 25 band students from our partner school in Neustadt an der Weinstraße on their visit to the Music Department, and some of them, in turn, played some tunes for us during Activity Period. There was an exhibition in the atrium on Germany and the reunification, as well as games and lots and lots of HARIBO gummi bears. Students from HHS's varsity soccer team played against German students in the Gym.

The Pizza Party after school, which was generously sponsored by the "Half & Susanne Zantop Fund." lasted about 45 minutes even though the actual pizza was gone in less than 5 minutes. Thanks for participating.

Read more!

FIFTEEN ARE NATIONAL MERIT SEMI-FINALISTS

Fifteen members of the class of 2011 have been named National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists. They took the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test last fall. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state. The number of semifinalists in a state is proportional to the state’s percentage of the national total of graduating seniors.

They are now offered the chance to submit personal high-school transcripts and essays to qualify as National Merit Scholars. The scholarships are administered by the non-profit National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Hanover High's semi-finalists are: Jackson Blum, Jessica Buckey, Scott Collins, Clio Doyle, Mary Finlayson, Keegan Gantrish, Cameron Glouchevitch, Rebecca Haynes, Andrew Pillsbury, Christopher Stevens, Libby Tolman, Althea Valence, Jake van Leer, Scout Wallace and Claire Weaver.

The class of 2010 had eleven semi-finalists.

Read more!

SENIOR CREATES PEER MENTOR PROGRAM FOR NEW FRESHMEN

Principal Deb Gillespie writes: HHS began a Peer Mentor Program this year. The idea came from senior Meghan Gerling, who wanted to provide support to incoming 9th graders. She worked with Guidance and the administration to create a program that assigned 9th grade students to a small group of other freshmen and two juniors or seniors. The program helps freshmen transition to HHS by providing a mentor who can help them with time management and involvement in clubs and extracurricular activities. We have been impressed by our mentors and feel the program is off to a good start.

Read more!

ALUMNI NOTES: LT JAKE MIRALDI BACK FROM AFGHANISTAN; THANKS STUDENTS FOR HELP

UPDATE: Jake Miraldi, class of 2003, went to West Point, and then to Afghanistan. He's at right in the picture. Last week he sent the school a report about his service and his return:

Everything people from the school sent to me in Afghanistan helped a great deal and went a long way towards endearing us toward the local people in the various districts we operated in. Today the situation is almost universally improved from where it was in the beginning of 2009. The bad guys have been pushed further from the population centers in the Konar River Valley and daily life has improved for just about everyone. While we were there we developed several tribal counsels called "Shuras" to help integrate the local tribal governance systems into the national system we are trying to foster. There were many, many frustrations but I feel like we at least improved the Afghan outlook on what national government can do for them if they are willing to be active participants. All in all I believe we laid the groundwork in places where Americans had never really operated for the follow-on success of the units that replaced us.

We were in a very violent place and we had 7 wounded in action in the platoon (including myself) and one killed in action. His name is SSG Eric Lindstrom and he is survived by his wife Tara and their 18-month-old twins Olivia and Riley. I keep in contact with his family and they are doing fine, or at least as well as can be expected given the circumstances. In the end, though, all of our wounded have healed up fine and we were very lucky given some of the circumstances we found ourselves in to have not had more people get hurt. The platoon also came back highly decorated with four Bronze Stars with Valor awarded the platoon and one Silver Star still going through processing.

For me personally, I will not deploy with this unit in the spring because in January I am going to the Captain's Career Course to learn how to be a company commander. That will end in June of 2011 and, I am trying, after that to get put into a unit going back to Konar Province in early 2012, hopefully as a company commander.

Read more!

DIKSHA GAUTHAM, STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Diksha Gautham of Hanover is the Student of the Month for September. She is a very generous person as well as being courteous, hard-working and extremely smart. Always patient and willing to listen, Diksha volunteers for many causes because she is genuinely interested in others. She has worked with the Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program and is eager to tutor younger students this fall. She's a member of Model UN, Amnesty International and is an insightful member of Council. Diksha has a great sense of humor and loves to have fun rowing on the Connecticut with friends or writing funny plays in class.

Read more!

WE PROMOTE LEARNING AND ENCOURAGE RESPECT

Dean of Students Ian Smith greeted the school on opening day:

Welcome back everybody. It's good to see all of you and I'm really looking forward to a good year.

I took the time this summer to reflect on how we operate as a school, and I thought about initiatives that would benefit both the students and adults that share the building. I considered information for my opening remarks that I think is both good and necessary for you to hear.

I'd like to begin by mentioning the opportunities we have here to one, promote learning and two, encourage respect. I believe that these two efforts are the cornerstone of this high school and neither can be accomplished fully unless they are practiced every day. To work hard and treat people in a civil and decent manner are reasonable expectations to have for all those who come to this building everyday to work together and learn together. It is not unreasonable for the staff to expect this from you or for you to expect it from the staff.

Now this doesn't mean you can't have fun, you can't laugh, or enjoy each other's company - but first and foremost, this is where we learn, where we teach and where we work and we have expectations for how you spend your time in this building, structured or unstructured, and we expect you to meet those expectations. The vast majority of you do and it's important for you to know that we appreciate that. Beyond treating people well there are a few other things that are important for you to know. For years as part of our attendance policy we have had a rule in our handbook stating that if you accumulate 5 cuts in a class, you are withdrawn failing from that class. We looked at the language last year and again this summer and the policy can't be more clearly written. With attendance being the underpinning of all that we try and do here it would make sense that the staff and students on council, with the support of the school board, have placed a premium on being in the classroom and there are serious consequences if you willfully choose not to attend. As a student, I would want to know this. If we didn't remind you of this 5-Cut Policy we would be doing you a disservice.

Another issue that I spent a good deal of time on last year and would like to talk about with you is our Academic Integrity Policy. If you violate our Academic Integrity Policy in either your 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade year, if you cheat, and it's determined that the events surrounding your case are actionable (meaning that we can move forward in good conscience), than your name is forwarded to your guidance counselor. When it comes time to apply to schools in your senior year, your guidance counselor then has the moral and ethical responsibility to reveal to colleges and universities you've applied to that you have violated this policy.

There are other consequences (for example schedule-up, notification of parents, a zero on the assignment etc.) but the penalty that most concerns students and parents is the reality that this offense becomes part of your permanent record, regardless of the year in which the offense took place. If you are suspended out of school, again, regardless of whether it is your 9th or 12th grade year, this becomes part of your permanent record and we, and you, are obligated to report this information along to the schools you applied to. The practice of notifying schools of your behavior and associated consequences extends even after you have been admitted to the school of your choice, money has been sent and formal plans have been made. As a student, I would want to know this, be reminded of it in this setting so you can perhaps reference this information while you are in the midst of making a poor decision.

Finally, I want to talk about insubordination, the behavior of not following the reasonable instructions of an adult. Our handbook clearly references this behavior as being a suspendible offense. Our expectation is that any time a student and an adult in the building have an interaction, the exchange will be appropriate and instructions will be followed. This is important to me because how we treat other is reflective of the kind of school we are, what our values are and whether or not this is the kind of place that people want to be.

I've talked about things today that I think you ought to know and that I think you need to hear. Please know that this staff is committed to working with you, helping you with things that concern you, making every effort to accommodate you if need be, but please know that our expectations are high. We will monitor the effort you make, the work that you do and the behavior you exhibit, not only in the classroom, but in the atrium, the cafeteria, the turf field or anywhere else that students gather.

As I try to guide your behavior, and make you are aware of longstanding rules and expectations, I also want you to know that I would choose to spend all of my time in a more preferable way if the choice was entirely mine. I want to attend your classes, hear you laugh in Ms. Stevenson's room and exchange witty remarks with Mr. Hackman, make pancakes for you in Common Ground if I get the chance, go to your games, hear you sing -- and be impressed, amazed and proud of the things you say, the work you produce and the music you make. Thank you for your time. Please take the time to come by and visit me in my office if you can. I would enjoy talking to you. It's truly good to have you back and have a great first day.

Read more!

SENIORS WIN ENVIRONMENTAL-WRITING PRIZES

Libby Tolman won first place in June in a writing contest sponsored by "2012 and Beyond," an Upper Valley environmental group. Isabelle Dietz won second place and Clio Doyle won honorable mention. All are incoming seniors.

Libby writes: "The contest accepted essays, graphic novels, and stories, and I chose to write a story. The work had to be about the effect climate change would have in the future; the contest suggested that the work mention a specific year after 2012 but during the probable lifetime of today's teenager. Also, the work had to make specific reference to the Upper Valley.

"Ms. Alsup gave my English class the option of writing something for the contest instead of completing a different writing assignment she'd assigned. I chose to enter the contest because we don't usually get the chance to write stories in school."

In 2007 Libby was one of seven finalists in an essay competition sponsored by the New Hampshire state court system on the question of whether the 4th Amendment to the US Constitution (protection against random search and seizure ) should apply to students at school. In 2009, as a sophomore, Libby won second place in New England for an essay sponsored by the national Bill of Rights Institute for her essay on the civic value of justice.

To read the prize-winning story "2054," click "read more." It is the narrator’s duty to relate the events that happened on that small planet in that fateful year, so that his readers, no matter what their location in the space time continuum, may draw from his story what lessons they will.

Paul Thompson wasn't usually the sort to go for a walk, especially not on a July day, but that day wasn't the normal sort of day.  No, today definitely wasn't normal, he thought, pausing in front of Baker Library and looking across the green.  In his own days as an undergraduate he and his friends passed Frisbees there, but today the green was nearly empty.  The only students hurried across in groups of two or three, eager to get out of the hundred and fifteen degree heat and into the air conditioning.  Thompson sympathized with them, but something about sauna-like heat helped him think.
"Professor!" a call made its way through the humidity-heavy air. Thompson looked up, startled, at the young dark man making his way out of the doors of the library.  He'd always liked John Cross, even if his manner was a bit brash.  Thompson couldn't blame him; a man had to be brash to lose a home through a government Mandatory Relocation of Low-Lying Island Residents program and make it to an Ivy League campus emotionally intact. Besides, the young man was a veritable physics genius.
John looked concerned.   "They told me I'd find you out here. Don't you know the state warnings? In this time of summer, a man of your age outside for ten minutes risks stroke," he insisted.
"Yes, John, yes," Thompson sighed, "you have the problem set for me?"  He took the pencil-covered sheet from John's hands and examined it through bifocal glasses. "This is good work, John, good work.  With a physics mind like yours, some day you'll discover the key to oil-free society." As the last phrase left Thompson's mouth, his face contorted in an odd way.  John was surprised: the expression "key to oil-free society" was common enough, and while it often provoked looks of wry hopelessness, he'd never seen it illicit quite the mixture of smugness and concealment he'd just witnessed.  Passing the expression off as the effect of summer heat on an aging mind, he thanked the professor and made his way back to Baker, glad that the old man, too, was walking towards the air-conditioned comfort of his office.
A few minutes later, Thompson had placed John's problem set on the top of his pile of student work and was sorting through the jumble of other papers on his desk.  As his eyes fell on a sheet of paper covered with big block letters spelling AW Oil, he thought back to his conversation with John.  If there was one thing John wouldn't do, he reflected, it was discover the key to oil-free society. No, Thompson had found that just last night.  It had been a bit of an accident, really: he couldn’t sleep out of anticipation of the AW Oil letter, and he’d leafed through the physics department’s old research notes in hopes of boring himself to sleep. At about one in the morning, he’d started on a recently-deceased colleague’s notes. It was there that he found it. The use of hydrogen in a clean fuel cycle had been an active topic of research since the beginning of the 21st century, but physicists hadn't succeeded in making it efficient.  As Thompson read his colleague’s unpublished research, he realized they'd been using the wrong approach for decades; the colleague had found the answer while pursuing completely unrelated research on subatomic particles.  Thompson regretted that sharing this helpful discovery with the world would bring him little fame and even less money.  His late colleague would get all the credit; the man’s heirs, the money. Thompson was a little surprised the man hadn’t shared the information before he died, but, after all, the new strain of tick-born encephalitis often caused severe confusion in its victims before death.
Thompson wasn’t happy to find success where thousands of others had failed; rather, the accident presented him with a dilemma: an oil-free society wouldn't be good for him.  He fingered the AW Oil paper, and murmured its first few lines to himself: "Mr. Thompson, with this letter Alaskan Wilds Oil encloses its promised check of 95 million dollars for the use of the oil rights to your property in northern Canada.  We would also like to thank you for the use of your land; with peak oil nearly half a century behind us, your property is one of perhaps a dozen that still have viable, promising oil fields.  Our yearly payments will continue as long as the oil supplies remain; our technicians suspect this will continue for the better part of a decade..."  The better part of a decade.  I'll be almost a billionaire, the professor mused.  Thompson had spent the better part of his teen years working as a valet for an old millionaire, and since then he had always wanted money. The old man had left the Canadian property to Thompson in his will; at that point, it was the least valuable part of the old man's portfolio, and until Thompson discovered oil, the taxes had made his inheritance more of a burden than a gift.  He suspected that was what the old man had intended. If only the old man could see me now, Thompson thought, at the beginning of a life of wealth and ease. Wealth and ease or a saved world: that was his choice, or at least so it had appeared until Thompson’s reverie on the green. Now, he realized, there might be a way for both.
Placing the AW Oil letter down on his desk, he picked up his colleague’s research notes. It was lucky that the man had been so quirky; any normal person would have stored work in a hard-to-destroy electronic format. Thompson knew just how to destroy paper. He walked over to the fireplace, a quaint relic of the time when Hanover was cold in winter. Digging a match out of his closet, the professor struck it against the brick wall and placed the small flame against the paper. As the research fell from Thompson’s hands to the fireplace, it flared, illuminating the dimming office with its glow. Many feet above, the tiny stream of smoke leaked from a chimney into hot air.
Thompson smiled at the ashes. He knew the key to an oil-free society, and he would share it, later, after he’d earned his billion dollars. The fire would make sure no one could discover it before. Leafing through his papers, he picked up the check, and made his way through the heat to Ledyard Bank.
John Cross left Dartmouth that night to visit a friend in Canada. He was there when he got the news: a hurricane was forming in the Atlantic, one that looked to be far more powerful than the typical weekly storm. At first, it seemed the storm would avoid Dartmouth. But then it took a northern turn, and hit the campus with devastating ferocity. The Hopkins Center was the first to fall; Collis, Baker, and a dozen dorms and fraternities followed it quickly. Other buildings were flooded or partially destroyed. Death tolls were so high that The Dartmouth printed a list of survivors, rather than of fatalities. Scanning the list of names, John noted that that of his old physics professor was not among them.
The rest of the history of the planet barely serves telling. Massive methane releases flowed from the oceans; seas continued to rise; temperatures skyrocketed; no one discovered Thompson’s colleague’s world-saving ideas. Ironically, though, it wasn’t heat that ultimately did the world in. Instead, the apocalypse came from oil. Soon after Thompson died, AW Oil’s field in Canada became the only source of fuel. The company’s patriotic executives sold only to the United States, and naturally this angered Europe, Asia, and anywhere else not fortunate enough to be American. Tensions came to a climax when Russia issued an ultimatum: either AW would give oil to the Russians, or Russia would use its nuclear arsenal. A translation error made it appear that AW wouldn’t budge from its policies; and Russia released nuclear weapons on half a dozen American cities. The US used a dozen weapons in retaliation, one accidentally hit China, and from there events snowballed. A week later, the planet was a hot, charred ball of nuclear waste. No human being survived.

Perhaps the reader thinks that the tale of Paul Thompson has nothing to do with him, for he is in a different time or place. But in his own small way, is not the reader Paul Thompson? Has not he put off doing want was right for his planet, if not for money, then for comfort or ease? If the reader takes anything from this story, then, let it be this: that when it comes to saving a planet, later may be too late.
Sources

Mrasek, Volker. “A Storehouse of Greenhouse Gases Is Opening in Siberia.” Spiegel Online International.N.p., 17 Apr. 2008. .

“The Weather IS Becoming More Extreme.” Center for American Progress Action Fund. N.p., 16 May 2007. .

Struck, Doug. "Climate Change Drives Disease To New Territory." The Washington Post. N.p., 5 May 2006. Web. 25 May 2010. .

“Water oxidation advance boosts potential for solar fuel.” Physorg.com. N.p., 5 May 2006. Web. 25 May 2010. .

Read more!

ACRYLIC SELF-PORTRAITS: BLENDING, LAYERING, USING THE VISUALIZER

First, students in Ms Greene's painting class spent several days blending acrylics and learning layering, application and mixing techniques. Then most students traced pencil outlines of themselves onto their canvases using a camera device called a Visualizer, which allowed them to get proportions right in a reasonably short time. A few advanced students painted directly from observation. The portraits are hanging in the atrium for the last several weeks of school.

From top to bottom: Mason Cleveland, Scott Welch, Nicole Lawless, Maria Wallace, Maggie Dwyer, Emily Lohr,Colleen Garrity and Alex Bozuwa.

Read more!

MUSTER DAY WITH THE HHS BAND

At the town Town of Hanover's Muster Day (Memorial Day) at the Old Meeting House, the HHS Band accompanied the audience in the singing of America The Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner. Boy Scouts read the Pledge of Allegiance and Girl Scouts read the Gettysburg Address. Then the Scouts led the audience to the cemetery while the band played the anthems of the Army, Navy , Coast Guard, Air Force and Marines. Two buglers ended the ceremony with Taps. HHS Band Director Norman Wolfe writes: "It's a very simple but memorable occasion and I am lately humbled by the large number of band students who participate. Sixty student volunteers took part, or about 75% of the Band, double the number from a few years ago."

Read more!

SAM FARNHAM, STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Sam Farnham, class of 2010, is an easy-going, curious and genuinely kind student who gives a lot of his time to other people without seeking any recognition. He volunteers at the Dartmouth Child Care Center and coaches 3rd & 4th grade basketball. Sam has sung in the chorus and played baseball and soccer for four years, but it is soccer that he loves. He has taken Italian at Dartmouth and this year he co-taught the March Intensive class “Speaking Spaghetti.” Sam will attend Dartmouth College in the fall where he plans on majoring in Italian and Economics.

Read more!

"IT'S NICE TO SEE ONE OF OUR YOUNGER MEMBERS GIVING BACK TO THE CLUB."

The Grafton County Fish and Game Association now has six newly-renovated "popper" pistol targets thanks to HHS freshman welder Dashiell Andrews. Dashiell, an associate member of the group for two years, heard that they were looking for a volunteer to make metal repairs on the old targets.He used his cutting and welding skills to make new steel bases, and developed a threaded bolt adjustment system that allows for a wide range of target-setting in normal and windy conditions. Shop teacher Dave Holloway and club member Glyn Reinders advised Dashiell, who will earn community-service credits as well as credit for the welding class.

"It's nice to see one of our younger members giving back to the club," says the association's newsletter.

Read more!

YALE ACAPPELLA SINGERS MEET HHS CHORUS

Music teacher Jane Woods writes: Yale University's acappella group, Mixed Company, presented a morning concert for the school on May 18. The group of 13 excellent singers performed a mix of contemporary rock and jazz tunes in the auditorium and was enthusiastically received.

Mixed Company then did workshops with three sections of the HHS chorus. The visitors answered questions about singing and college life, performed additional songs, and taught HHSers an acappella tune (which was learned in 20 minutes!) Members of Mixed Company divided into their four vocal parts and worked with the respective sections from the HHS Chorus. Once the basic parts were learned everyone joined together in a rendition of the complete song (MacDonald Girl and Seasons of Love). HHS's chorus learned a lot from working closely and singing together with the Yale students.

Read more!

STUDENT OF THE MONTH FOR MAY: SENIOR NICK O'LEARY

Nick O'Leary from Hanover, NH is our Student of the Month for May. Nick has been part of every HHS show in his four years here. He sings, acts, directs, and does stage design, and also acts in the North Country Community Theater teen show. Nick sings in HHS's chorus and is on the board of Footlighters and is Captain of the Quiz Bowl which won the New Hampshire Quiz Bowl League state championship this year. Nick is an accomplished, likable and relaxed student who takes life in stride.

Read more!

NEW LINK: CHEMISTRY and PHYSICS PROJECTS for SENIORS (CAPPS)

Click the new link at the top of the right-hand column to see HHS's prize-winning robots, Sumo robots and more. It's the Lego Collective, the blog for the HHS class Chemistry and Physics Projects for Seniors.

Read more!

ALUMNI NOTES: BLAIR SHEDD, CLASS OF 1996, NOW "DOCTOR WHO" ILLUSTRATOR, VISITS ART CLASS

Blair talked to students about the arc of his career, starting with high school, moving on to his post-high-school art education and then to his work as a graphic designer, illustrator and comic book artist. He has done work for Dr. Pepper, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and many other clients. He demonstrated how he uses PhotoShop to create drawings and construct his work flow. Recently-published issues of "Dr. Who" comics were illustrated by Blair with colorist Charlie Kirchoff. Today Blair lives in Fairlee, VT with his wife and children. A portfolio of his work appears at www.oneGemini.com.

Read more!

"WICKED," LINCOLN CENTER AND CARNEGIE HALL: CHORUS VOLUNTEERS' TRIP TO NEW YORK

After many rehearsals at school, forty volunteers from the HHS chorus traveled to New York over April vacation to work with cast members from Broadway's "Wicked," rehearse in Lincoln Center, and perform in the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall with a guest conductor. To hear students describe the trip, scroll down to the April 28 blog post.

Read more!

MARCH INTENSIVE CLASS: HOW THE TOWN OF HANOVER IS MANAGED

Physics teacher Carl Mehrbach writes: During the week of March Intensive courses this group of students learned about the geographic, ecological and environmental complexity of their town of Hanover.

On Day One members of the Planning and Zoning offices walked us through the reasons all buildings in Hanover must be planned carefully, from pre-construction through finish. One continuous problem struck the students: Hanover’s land is amazing in its variety. We discovered how complex it is to run a town which covers 50 square miles with 200 miles of roads. Controlling water and sewage were the two most important topics, but we also touched upon all other services which make up a town, from internet service to electricity supply.

We surveyed the building of a new hotel in downtown Hanover and spoke of its construction problems, including dealing with various soil types, e.g., an underground stream runs right through the middle of downtown Hanover.

On Day Two we rode town dump-trucks to and from a sand pit, then delivered the sand to a storage pile in the Hanover Public Works Department facilities. This natural sand will be mixed with manufactured sand and used to sand winter roads after the snow storms of next winter.

We watched the 5000-gallon tanks at Hanover's waste plant “in action.” The waste water facility handles approximately 1 million gallons of waste water per day, cleaning the water mostly by natural bacterial action, then delivering it into the Connecticut river. The most starling fact: The treated water delivered to the Connecticut River is cleaner than the drinking water delivered to Hanover homes!

Day Three: Students took a course in the use of a defibrillator, and received certification in CPR. We learned search-and-rescue techniques in a simulated building engulfed by fire. Students learned how to stay low because of heat-rarefied air; how to search in visually impaired situations; how to find people requiring assistance despite limited visibility; and carrying unconscious and/or impaired people to safety.

We rode in and helped to operate fire trucks, including a hook and ladder. Students were lifted over five stories about street level by an automated ladder on a fire truck.

Every worker we met in Hanover’s Public Works Department was incredibly skilled and knowledgeable. Each employee had a different set of skills, from water chemistry to carpentry to mechanics to electrician. These many skills fit together to make the town work seamlessly, and without worry, for all residents of Hanover. And here is the rest of it.

Read more!

GOLD MEDAL FOR PAUL SULLIVAN, A JUNIOR AT HHS AND HARTFORD TECH

To win his national gold medal in Collision Repair from SkillsUSA, HHS junior Paul Sullivan had to estimate his fender job, fix the fender dent (metal fender with a plastic attachment), weld, repaint the fender and take two written tests, all between 8AM and 3PM, and all against 15 other contestants. After that victory in Burlington, Paul will head for the 46th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference sponsored by SkillsUSA in Kansas City in June.

Paul has raced stock cars in Canaan, NH since he was eleven. Today he splits his time between attending HHS, attending the Hartford Area Career and Technology Center, and maintaining the cars he drives.
According to its web site, SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure that America has a skilled work force. Its mission is to help its members become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. The organization serves more than 300,000 students and instructors annually, and has 13,000 school chapters. More than 14,500 instructors and administrators are professional members of SkillsUSA.

Read more!

STUDENTS' 90-MILE HIKE THROUGH SPAIN

Spanish teacher Eric Picconi writes: Eight HHS students hiked in Spain over April break, led by me and Math teacher Eve Ermer. The first five days were spent hiking part of the the famous pilgrimage route El Camino de Santiago, beginning in Puente la Reina and ending in Belorado. During the march of 145 kilometers (91 miles) the group saw Roman roads, ancient bridges, enormous and ornate cathedrals and churches, and pastoral views with blooming flowers.

In the days that followed, we visited the cities of Burgos, Segovia and Madrid. In Burgos we marveled at the city's cathedral and museum. In Segovia, we saw the breathtaking ancient aqueduct and the fortress of Queen Isabel. The students roamed the narrowing, winding streets of the walled city of Ávila before heading to the capital. In Madrid the group visited the Prado museum, the Reina Sofía modern art museum, and the Royal Palace. We also strolled through the gigantic city park, El Parque de Buen Retiro, and finished by doing plenty of sightseeing, people watching, and shopping near the Plaza Mayor. Everyone returned home exhausted, but with plenty of memories to share with friends and family.

Read more!