March 2020
Dear NCHS Family, 
 
March brings hope for warmer weather that can invigorate learning as spring approaches and chases winter away! It’s another busy month at NCHS, beginning with the NCHS Visual and Performing Arts annual “Through Our Eyes VIII” Art Exhibit opening on March 2nd at the Carriage Barn at 5:00 pm and running through March 20th. The NCHS Winter Musical production of “Mamma Mia” will open Thursday, March 19th with additional performances on Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st at 7:00 pm in our auditorium. This promises to be another wonderful performance by a very talented cast and crew.
 
The Connecticut School Day SAT takes place on March 25th. The SAT test is for all juniors and will start at our usual time (7:30 am). Freshmen and sophomores may have late arrivals on this day. Please keep in mind that buses will maintain normal school arrival and dismissal times. Students arriving early should plan to visit the library or cafeteria. Seniors participating in SIP will have a mandatory internship training on March 25th in the Wagner Room. Students with the last name A to K must attend the 8:00 am to 9:00 am session and students with the last name L to Z must attend the 9:00 am to 10:00 am session. Emails will be sent with more detailed information with a schedule for the day.  
 
RAM JAM is scheduled for Friday, March 27th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium. Join us in supporting our senior class as they Lip Sync, perform live music and strut the catwalk. I am sure it will be an evening that we will not forget!
 
I look forward to seeing you at our many school events throughout the remainder of the year. As always, thank you for your continued support in making New Canaan High School an amazing place! 
 
All the best, 
 
Bill Egan
March PFA General Meeting
The Pressure to be Perfect, Alicia Farrell, Ph.D.
Wednesday, March 11th
9:30am, NCHS Wagner Room

Alicia Farrell, Ph. D. will discuss the topic of “The Pressure to be Perfect and Its Unintended Consequences”.
In such a competitive world, parents, educators and leaders are unwittingly passing on to their children the pressure to be perfect. In turn, our children are feeling anxious,
overwhelmed and stressed. What can we do about it?

This presentation is done in partnership with New Canaan CARES.
Safe Driving Week
April 6th-9th

With a special focus on keeping our teen drivers safe, this important week-long initiative will include impactful, daily interactive activities including distracted driving simulators, Fatal Vision Goggles Challenge and Teen Driving Jeopardy that will drive home safety messages to bring awareness to and help prevent the riskiest of teen driving behaviors. The week will conclude with powerful assemblies for all grades featuring Jacy and Steve Good, advocates for phone-free roads, who will share Jacy’s miraculous recovery from a 2008 crash caused by a distracted driver that tragically claimed the lives of her parents and left Jacy partially paralyzed.  Parents – you are welcome to attend the Jacy and Steve Good student assemblies on the morning of April 9th. Stay tuned for details.
NCHS Scholarship Foundation
NC Color Run
Saturday, April 25th
Kid's Color Dash: 9:00am (.8 miles)
NC Color Run/Walk: 9:30am (5k)
Run (or walk) and celebrate the annual NC Color Run. Register here between March 15th and April 25th. The cost to register is $35 per individual; the family maximum is $130. Day of registration opens at 8:00am and will be an additional $10 per individual. Children 5 and under are free!

By participating in the Color Run you will help support the New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation. This foundation is critical to many of our high school graduates who hope to pursue higher education at the undergraduate level. To volunteer, please click here!
Make a difference in a student's life -- please make a gift to the NCHS Scholarship Foundation.

NCHS Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) represents a broad-based community effort to provide financial aid to deserving NCHS graduates who are pursuing higher education at the undergraduate level. There are several ways and levels to give, please visit  NCSF for more information.
Grade Level Parent Meetings & Information
9th Grade, Freshmen
PFA 9th Grade Networking - Save the Date
High School: A Look Ahead
Thursday, April 2nd
9:30am, Wagner Room
High School: A Look Ahead - guidance counselors to discuss the remainder of freshman year and what's next

Networking Chairs: Caryn Kelly & Claire Tiscornia
12th Grade, Seniors
Senior Internship Program
The Senior Internship contracts were emailed to Seniors and Parents on February 13th which explain the rules/guidelines. The contract must be signed and returned by March 19th to the Attendance Office. Seniors participating in SIP will have a mandatory internship training on March 25th in the Wagner Room. Students with last name A to K must attend the 8:00am-9:00am session and students with last name L to Z must attend the 9:00am-10:00am session. 
 NCHS 2020 Post Prom Party
Friday, May 15th
11:59pm, Waveny House

DONATE TODAY!! Please take a minute to make your Post Prom donation today so we can ensure we have sufficient funds to continue planning this amazing event for our Seniors! We have been busy buying prizes, booking entertainment and reserving tents, but WE STILL NEED YOUR DONATIONS to plan this once-in-a-lifetime event for our kids!
To make your Post Prom donation click here!
 Desperately Seeking Senior Photos!
Needed for the Post Prom Senior Video:
• Candid Group Shots of 3+ Seniors
• Any High School Event
• From Any Grade
• JPG Format with Good Resolution
• Please Identify Students with Names in the Email
• Email Today to nchs20seniorvideo@gmail.com

Questions? Contact Senior Video Chairperson,  Mike Mottolese
NCHS 2020 RAM JAM
Friday, March 27th
7:00pm, NCHS Auditorium
Get ready to shake it up at this SCHOOL-WIDE event that is our biggest Post Prom fundraiser! Bring your friends and family to RAM JAM to see our Seniors lip sync, perform live music and yes- strut the catwalk! You won't want to miss it! Click here for tickets!
Parents We Need Your Help!

Please consider volunteering on the night of Ram Jam! Contact Kristin Seelert or Margo Findlay if interested.
Counseling News
Mark Your Calendars Now!
Upcoming Testing Dates

March 25th - In-school SAT for Juniors
April 4th - ACT*
May 2nd - SAT*
June 6th - SAT*
June 13th - ACT
*Denotes NCHS as testing location

 SAT/Subject Tests may be registered for at www.collegeboard.org
ACT may be registered for at   www.act.org
NACAC Co​llege Fair
March 31st, 9:00am-11:30am and April 1st, 9:00am-11:30am
Connecticut Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A 
100 Columbus Boulevard, Hartford, CT 06103
Click here for more information. 
Attention Juniors:
There will be a college interviewing workshop held in the College and Career Center on April 7th during the lunch block. To reserve a space, email Mrs. Carroll and let her know what lunch you have that day. We will be talking about the interviewing process and conducting mock interviews as well. 

Course Selection
The course selection process has now begun for the 2020-2021 school year. All students can now go into their portal through their own account (not the parent account) to view the courses that they have been recommended for and select their schedule for next year. School Counselors will be working with students personally to help them through the process during March but they should go in and make a first round of choices by March 1st and hit submit to save. Changes can be made through March. Find a tutorial on the School Counseling website or click the link here. Course registration tutorial

Sophomore and Junior students and parents - Save the Date! 
On April 2nd, the School Counselors will host a college admissions evening with representatives from University of California at Irvine, Colgate, MIT and University of Miami who will speak about the college admissions process and what to expect in your post secondary journey. The session will kick-off at 7:00pm in the NCHS Auditorium. More details to come.
School News & Notices
New Canaan High School Theatre
MAMMA MIA!
A Jukebox Musical 
March 19th, 20th, and 21st at 7:00pm 
New Canaan High School Auditorium

On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding — one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? Sophie doesn’t know who he is! Her mother Donna, the former lead singer of the 1970s pop group Donna and the Dynamos, refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother’s old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry. She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought! Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! has become a worldwide sensation that has audiences everywhere dancing.

  • Purchase Tickets $15 and $18
  • Get Season Info
  • Advertise in our Play Program
NCHS Athletic Department
A Letter from our Athletic Director
Boy Ice Hockey is gearing up for their championship season. Currently seeded 1st in the FCIAC tournament and ranked #2 in CIAC Division I. 

Girls Ice Hockey (15-5-2) will play Darien on Saturday at 4:00pm for the FCIAC Championship. Seeded 4th for the state championship.

Wrestling ended the season at 5-4. Congrats to Tyler Sung who won 1st place Class L and his 3rd straight State Championship and Matthew Benevento who placed 6th at Class L Championships.

Boys Basketball qualified for their second consecutive FCIAC tournament. They will play Ridgefield on Saturday at 7:00pm at Fairfield Warde. The team also qualified for CIAC tournament and will host a 1st round game.

Girls Basketball finished the season 10-10. They qualified for the CIAC tournament and will travel to EO Smith HS on March 3rd.

Swim and Dive is competing in the FCIAC Championships March 4th and 5th.

Spring tryouts begin March 21st. Full tryout schedules can be found here.

Jay Egan
Director, NCHS Athletics 
Board Of Education
News
February 3rd, BOE Meeting:
School Start and End Times Discussion: Dr. Luizzi began with the 2018 survey that showed high school students needed more sleep. He reviewed the latest PreK-6th survey on school start/end times. Elementary Schools are split between Scenario A (elementary schools starting at 7:45am and Saxe 5/6 starting at 9:15am) and Scenario B (Saxe 5/6 starting at 7:45am and elementary schools beginning at 9:15am). Saxe 7/8 and NCHS start times are slotted for 8:30am in both scenarios. Dr. Luizzi acknowledged there would be challenges with sports schedules and afterschool activities in both scenarios. A bus consultant was hired to find more time in scheduling transportation (best routes, times, and schedules).

For detailed meeting minutes click here.
For meeting video click here.

February 24th, BOE Meeting:
Cancelled.

Upcoming BOE meetings: March 9th, and March 23rd @ 7:00pm, NCHS Wagner Room. Public comment is available during allotted times.
Community Event
March Programming for NC Cares:
Click here for more information on Cares Events.


  • Help Your Child Get Organized & Plan Ahead for Success in School with Less Stress. March 10th, 9:30am at Saxe Middle School
  • The Pressure to be Perfect & Its Unintended Consequences. March 11th, 9:30am in NCHS Wagner Room
  • LGBTQIA+: Understanding the Terminology of Identity. March 26th, 6:30pm at NC Library, Lamb Room
  • Financial Fitness for Women. March 3rd, 10:00am at NC Library, Lamb Room
Service League of Boys (SLOBs)

General Meeting
Saturday, March 7th
2:30pm, NCHS Cafeteria
Don't miss the next General Meeting. This is the 4th meeting and all SLOBs are required to attend at least 4 of the 5 meetings.
If you are interested in being a SLOBs liaisons next year, go to the SLOBs website  and fill out the application!
The New Canaan Coalition Presents:
Talk Saves Lives
Wednesday March 18th
10:00am-11:15am, NC Library Lamb Room
Talk Saves Lives is a community-based presentation that covers the general scope of suicide, the research on prevention, and what people can do to fight suicide. Attendees will learn the risk and warning signs of suicide, and how together, we can help prevent it. The Talk Saves Lives presentation is open to the community.

Presenter: Denique Weidema-Lewis, Director of Prevention
Positive Directions - The Center for Prevention and Counseling
New Canaan Organizations Team Up to Produce Community Podcast “Talking About It”

The New Canaan Abuse Prevention Partnership has partnered with the New Canaan Community Foundation and The New Canaan Moms Group to launch a new podcast series. Talking About It is dedicated to reducing the stigma around behavioral health issues our community members face, preventing abuse, and promoting healthy relationships.
For more information or to listen to the podcasts, visit TalkingAboutIt.org–– Because we’re not perfect and we’re talking about it.
Talking About It is also available on Spotify, Apple, and Google platforms.
Live Girl Presents:
Sunday, March 8th - International Women’s Day
2:00-3:00pm, Hayvn, Darien
LiveGirl is hosting a live taping of our mother/daughter Confident podcast, featuring special guest, Denise D’Agostino, Co-Founder of Her New Standard. The event will be held at Hayvn - a women’s coworking space in Darien from 2:00-3:00pm.

Saturday, March 28th
1:00-2:00pm, New Canaan Library
We invite readers of all ages to join a parent/daughter discussion led by mother/daughter duo Dawn and Phoebe Kurth and best-selling author, Marie Benedict, as we explore her novel, The Only Woman in the Room.
Visit our Website