Gray - New Gloucester High School

Greetings Patriots! 

We’d like to start this edition off by congratulating our Senior class and their advisors (Mr. Oren and Mr. Mercer) for putting on an incredible prom this past Saturday (05/18) at the Hilton Garden View Inn in Auburn.  The venue was beautiful, and the food and music was well done!  A special thanks to the staff who chaperoned (to include Mr. Oren, Mr. Mercer, Mr. & Mrs. Licht, Ms. Spinney, Ms. Virgilio, Mr. Whelan, Ms. Gould, Dr. Harvey, and Mr. Griffin) and to all those students who attended representing our school and community with great class.

We’d also like to thank our Guidance Department for organizing our Academic Awards Night, held this past Thursday evening (05/16).  Congratulations to all students who were recognized for their various achievements.

Heartwood Magazine: Copies of Heartwood – 2019 will be on sale for $8 at the celebration night on Tuesday (05/21).  All are invited to attend this publishing celebration event which will take place from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the GNGHS Library. There will be light refreshments and the opportunity to share and celebrate the published work. We hope to see you there!

Seniors: All books checked out by Seniors are due back to the Library by Tuesday, May 28th.  All books for students in grades 9-11 are due Monday, June 17th.  All Library items borrowed by teachers are due by Thursday, June 20th.  Please see Mrs. Lewis if you need to make special arrangements.

Planning ahead, below is a list of events that you may want to take note of that will take place between now and the end of May:

05/20 = Telling Room Activity (during Advisory)

05/21 = Heartwood Magazine Publishing Event (GNGHS Library; 6:00pm  – 8:00pm)

05/22 = Representatives from CMCC & SMCC to meet with any interested Sophomore or Junior about taking onsite/online courses next school year at either campus.  This meeting will begin at 9:30 in the Cafeteria.

05/22 = Telling Room Activity (11:00 – 2:00; room 145; with Ms. Murley)

05/22 = Early Release/Staff Workshop (12:00 – 3:00)

05/23 = “A Dose of Reality” – presentation for grades 9 & 10 (10:00 – 11:00; Cafeteria)

05/23 = NACAC College Fair for Juniors in Augusta (8:00am – 11:00am)

05/23 = Town Meeting/Budget Validation (6:30pm; HS Cafeteria)

05/23 = PATHS Graduation Ceremony (6:00 – 8:00 PM at Merrill)

05/27 = No School – Memorial Day Band & Color Guard Parades/Ceremonies

05/28 = NHS Induction Ceremony (6:00pm; HS Cafe)

05/29 = All Senior laptops, chargers, & cases to be returned

05/31 = Last academic day for Seniors.  Class BBQ from 11:30 – 1:00 followed by the Cords & Coins Assembly (1:00 – 1:45; Gym)

From Our Guidance Department: By now, all Juniors, Sophomores, and Freshmen should have had their individual meetings with their school counselor to review their schedule for next school year.  A reminder to parents and students that you can go to our web page (msad15.org) and click on the high school link.  From there, you will find another link on the left side of our web page titled Graduation Requirements and Endorsements.  Click on that link and you will be provided with a user-friendly document that explains the new requirements and what the endorsement options are all about.  Feel free to contact the Administration or Guidance with any questions you may have.  We are on track to have all current students (in grades 9 – 11) to have their schedules in hand for the new school year by the end of this month.

CMCC & SMCC: On Wednesday, May 22nd at 9:30 am in the cafeteria, representatives from CMCC and SMCC will be here to speak to current 10th and 11th graders about the free onsite and online college courses available to our high school students at the community colleges. This is a great opportunity to learn about educational opportunities outside of GNGHS.

College Fair: The deadline was extended from Friday (05/17) to Monday (05/20) for any Junior interested in going to the College Fair at the Augusta Civic Center this coming Thursday (05/23).  We must have a signed parent permission form by the close of school on Monday (05/20) or the Junior will NOT be allowed to take advantage of this great opportunity.

PATHS: We’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the following PATHS students for recently being inducted into the PATHS National Honor Society:

• Sara Bernier = Early Childhood Occupations
• Benton Hayes = Automotive Technology
• Dora Roy = Early Childhood Occupations
• Emily Thompson = Dance
• Ryan Verrill = Food Service

We’d also like to recognize our PATHS Seniors who will be graduating from PATHS this coming Thursday (05/23).  Their Senior Celebration will take place at the Merrill Auditorium in Portland between 6:00pm – 8:00pm.  Congratulation again, we are so very proud of you!

A Dose of Reality: On Thursday (05/23), there will be a special presentation arranged by our School Resource Officer (Deputy Chandler) for all students in grades 9 & 10 called “A Dose of Reality” which will take place in the Cafeteria from 10:00 – 11:00. This 45-minute assembly is engaging, positive, and age appropriate. With a unique blend of seriousness and humor, the presenter will empower students to make good choices and stay safe. In this assembly, the presenter will:

●Empower the students with intervention skills.

●Share how drugs and alcohol affect the body.

●Emphasize the importance of advocating and getting help for friends                                          

●Discuss peer pressure and explain why it is sometimes hard to “say no” and hard to make the decision to “get help for your friends.”

●Share personal stories involving young people who have made poor choices.

From the Student Council: Any student who is interested in being a Class Officer for the 2019 – 2020 school year should see Dr. Harvey beginning on Tuesday (05/21) to pick up a nomination form.  All Class Officer nomination forms are due back to Dr. Harvey by Friday (05/24).  Students who return a nomination form will be expected to give a speech to their classmates NEXT Wednesday (05/29) during class meetings which will be held during advisory.  The election of Class Officers will take place during both lunches NEXT Wednesday (05/29).

Student Council: Any student who is interested in being a Student Council Officer for the 2019 – 2020 school year should see Dr. Harvey on Monday (06/10) to pick up a nomination form.  All Student Council nomination forms are due back to Dr. Harvey by Thursday (06/13).  Students who return a completed Student Council nomination form will be expected to give  speech (time & location TBD) on Friday (06/14).  The election of Student Council Officers will take place during both lunches on Friday (06/14).

Please Take Note: The annual town meeting for Gray and New Gloucester residents on the 2019 – 2020 school budget is scheduled to take place at the high school cafeteria on Thursday (05/23) beginning at 6:30pm.

That concludes this week’s edition of the Patriot Express!  We hope you have a great week and a safe and enjoyable April vacation.

Mr. Ted Finn, Principal

Ms. Sadie Grealish, Assistant Principal

Last updated 5/20/2019