From the halls of Houlton Junior & Senior High School

High School News
What a busy time this has been! Beauty and the Beast was a huge success, as our musicals always are.  What talent we have and the musical is a great showcase. We are grateful to all the volunteers who make this undertaking so successful every year. Basketball and hockey games are about to begin and season tickets are on sale in the office at the school. The first home game will be on Dec. 9 when the boys play Madawaska. The first home game for the girls will be on Dec. 23 when they will host Hodgdon.  The junior high basketball games start on Nov. 28. The first hockey game will be on Dec. 9 against Brewer High School at 7 p.m.
    Our Thanksgiving recess is from Nov. 23-27. The “Nutcracker” ballet will be presented on Sunday, Nov. 27. Tickets may be purchased at York’s Book Store, Yorks of Houlton and the Southern Aroostook Cultural Arts Project at 66 Main St.
The junior high band and choral holiday concert will be on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. and the high school band and choral concert will be on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. Financial Aid night for seniors will be Thursday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 p.m. and Friday, Dec. 16, will be an early release day. School will be dismissed at 11:15. Our Christmas break will be the week of December 26.  School will resume on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2012.
Junior High News
The junior high student council recently completed a food drive for St. Mary’s Food Pantry. Over 200 items were collected to donate. The advisory groups who brought in the most items, Mrs. Week’s and Mrs. Peabody’s, were treated to a donut and juice party to celebrate their generosity. In addition, the student council is sponsoring a year-long collection of tabs from cans to support the Shriner’s Can-Tab Program.  The Shriners take the tabs to a local recycling company where they are given a check for the value of the aluminum accumulated. The money is then given to hospitals to acquire equipment that is desperately needed for medical patients.
The junior and senior high student councils continue to run their weekly Change for Change program.  Students donate loose change to the buckets on Fridays to help support a worthy organization or family experiencing difficulties or illness. We are proud to say that over a thousand dollars has been donated already this year, and we have many more important causes on our radar for the upcoming months. We would love to see local businesses join us in this benevolent project. Together we can make help make positive changes to the lives of members of our community.
Yearbook News
We would like to issue a reminder to parents that the deadline to purchase yearbooks is Dec. 22. The price is $50 or you can make a non-refundable deposit of $25 and pay the remainder when the books are delivered. Extra books are not being ordered, so please make sure your yearbook is ordered before Christmas break.
Art Department News
With the pumpkins from the pumpkin show all disposed of and recycled, we want to thank Virgil Farrar from Hodgdon for the 50 pumpkins he sold us at a mere $1 each, and to Todd Willard for donating some of the pumpkins his class grew on the Bird Farm. We may try to open the show for the public next year so students’ families can see their amazing creations. As we move into the second quarter, beginning art students are working on color theory and learning to mix and blend colors. Advanced art students are working on their individual projects, which include paintings and drawings. The junior high art students are designing their personal crest or coat of arms. Time is flying by so quickly and students are working to create many art projects for the end of the semester art show. The photography class is learning about photo composition and taking some impressive prize-winning photos, all of which will be on display at the mid-year art show.
Seeking parents support
The Positive Behavior Support Team is seeking parent involvement.  If you are interested in helping with this initiative, contact Dawn Matthews at 532-6551, EXT. 27.