From the halls of Houlton Junior & Senior High School

The start of school has gone smoothly and staff and students are looking forward to a very rewarding year. We have already had school pictures taken and soccer games and golf matches have started. The athletic teams have certainly appreciated the great weather we have had this fall. Parents have attended laptop informational meetings so most students are up and going with their laptops. Students have just finished NWEA testing and junior high students will be taking NECAP tests in October.
    We have welcomed Mrs. Jessica Montgomery as a new science teacher, Mr. James Castner as a new social studies teacher, and Ms. Kristin Supa as the junior high school alternative education teacher. Mrs. Karen Thomas has returned to the high school as an Educational Technician.
Parents are already meeting to plan for Project Graduation for the Class of 2012. Quite a few students are involved in the harvest this year.  They may stay out to work if they have a note from the farmer they are working for and a permission slip from their parents/guardians.  Students must also be passing all classes to be excused for harvest and will be required to be in school on rain days.  Monday, October 3, will be a teacher workshop day, so there will be no school for students that day.
A special thank-you goes out to Coach Tim Tweedie and the members of the varsity girls’ soccer team for painting the dugouts and snack shack at the park this summer. The Sports’ Boosters provided the funds to purchase a new storage shed, which has been set in place and is proving to be a great help to the soccer teams this fall.  McPartland’s Plumbing and Heating and Dickison and London disposed of the old building for us, so thanks go out to them, also.
College Night for seniors and parents will be at 6:30 on Thursday, Oct. 13.  School picture retakes will be on October 26.
Junior High News
All eighth grade English students will have the opportunity to venture outdoors on a community project following harvest break.  Five classes will take five routes around the community close to our school collecting garbage. What a dirty job! Gloves and bags have been generously donated for use by Paul Prosser. Thank you, Paul!
Our goal is to not only improve our neighborhood before snowfall, but to also work on writing persuasively. Students will be required to write a piece for possible submission to the Houlton Pioneer Times! This activity ultimately fulfills a written component for Maine’s Common Core (Learning Results).  We are excited to show our community spirit in this worthy cause.  Also, please “like” our Facebook page at English 8 – Houlton Junior High. Homework assignments are listed nightly, and all questions are more than welcome. It is a work in progress.
Yearbook News
The HHS yearbook class is proud to announce that they have switched to Jostens for the publication of the 2012 yearbook. This change also offers another exciting possibility: yearbooks should be delivered at Project Graduation. Parents should be on the lookout for information about ordering yearbooks this fall.  Again, there will be no extras available, so please plan ahead. We have extra yearbooks from 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. If anyone is interested in purchasing one of these books, please stop by the High School office.  The price is $20.00. We have stopped ordering extra yearbooks, so please make sure you order your 2012 book.
Art Department News
During the first few weeks of school, Houlton art students designed and created a collection of art pieces in remembrance of the September 11 terror attacks.  The impressive display of artwork has been on display throughout the school and will also be featured in the winter art show in January.  Junior high students are now working on name art, creative designs of their own names.
Student Council News
Again this year the Junior High Student Council and the Senior High Student Council will be collecting for Change for Change. Students and staff donate change, which will go to benefit families in the area dealing with difficult situations and to organizations fundraising for worthy causes. This program was very successful last year. Funds were raised for the animal shelter, Adopt-A-Block, American Heart Association, American Red Cross to benefit the Japanese tsunami victims, Houlton Regional Hospital to benefit the mammography machine fund, among other organizations and families.
Music Department News
The cast has been chosen and rehearsals are underway for the fall musical, which this year will be Beauty and the Beast.  Performances will be Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. The Nutcracker Ballet will be presented at the High School on Nov. 27 at 2 p.m. This is sponsored by SACAP and tickets will be on sale starting Oct. 1 at York’s Bookstore, York’s of Houlton and the SACAP gallery.