SANBORN REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

POINTS OF P.R.I.D.E.

A weekly newsletter that promotes our core values of

P ersonalization, R isk-Taking, I ntegrity, D iscovery, and E mpowerment

For nearly a decade, Sanborn Regional High School has had a partnership with Northern Essex Community College (NECC) that has allowed for Sanborn to host two NECC classes at the school each year, taught by NECC professors. It is one of several college-credit opportunities available to Sanborn students. The school is excited to announce plans to greatly expand its college partnership with NECC for the 2019-2020 school year. Sanborn will join several other area high schools in this venture, and will offer the chance for Sanborn students to travel each day (by bus) to the college campus to take college classes with other area high school students. This program has been designed for students who will be entering grades 11 and 12 in the fall. Families will be responsible for a tuition cost for the program, but that cost is far below the regular NECC tuition rate.

On February 20th at 6:30 in the SRHS library, the counseling department and Northern Essex Community College (NECC) will host an information session about a new program debuting at SRHS in the fall of 2019. Students will be able to access NECC classes on their Haverhill campus at a significantly discounted rate. These classes will be for dual enrollment credit which means that students will earn high school as well as college credit. All dual enrollment courses are weighted as an Advanced Placement course. Students will take 2 classes in the fall (Sept - Dec), 2 classes in the spring (Jan - May) and 1 class in the late spring (May - June). This will allow students to accrue up to 30 college credits before they graduate (if they participate in the two year program). Students will be bussed from SRHS everyday at 12 and will return by 2:10 in order to still participate in sports and clubs (students will need to make arrangements for days that they need to leave early for games).  

Classes for the Early College program will cost $375 each which is a significant savings - a freshman English class costs on average $1,849 at UNH and a freshman English class at Great Bay Community College is $645. Students who register will be able to take advantage of other classes at NECC during summer 2019 as well as summer 2020 which means they have the potential to earn their associates degree before they graduate from high school. Students will need to pass the Accuplacer exam in order to participate in the program. At this meeting, we will discuss the variety of supports in place to help your student to be successful. In addition, we will review the many schools that NECC has an articulation agreement with which means that these institutions automatically accept credits/specific courses that have been taken at NECC. Early College programs help students to become familiar with college expectations with the safety net of high school underneath them, students gain confidence in their abilities and there is a tremendous cost savings to the family and student. Research with Early College students has shown that they are more likely to complete their college degree and complete it in a shorter time period than their peers (American Institute for Research, 2013). 

Note: This plan still requires final approval from the SRSD School Board. The Board will continue to discuss this program at its next regular meeting. 

Note: Each week, we will feature 1-2 seniors with a spotlight article, written by a staff member.

This article was written by Teacher Josh White

Aiden MacDougall is a student that is an absolute pleasure to be around. He has grown tremendously as a student, athlete and a person during his four years as a high school student at SRHS. After reaching out to other teachers in the building to comment about Aiden, everyone seemed to have the same comment; “Aiden is just a great kid.”

Aiden is three sport, varsity athlete here at Sanborn. He is a member of the Golf, Hockey, and the MEN’s tennis program, all while maintaining above average grades. Aiden is a student who cares about his community, peers, and others. He is a part of the LEO (Leadership, Experience, Opportunity) Club here at SRHS. This club is focused on service in the community, which is why Aiden has volunteered at the Austin 17 house and done roadside cleanup. 

Aiden’s English teacher, Nicole St. Jean had this to say about Aiden, “He is a lively member of the classroom, creating a sense of community among his peers. For our first unit in Senior English, he worked tirelessly on his college essay, revising draft after draft, to successfully make it the best it could be. He is genuine and driven and I am confident he will go on to do great things.” 

Aiden will attend Keene State College in the fall where he will plans on majoring on Occupational Health and Safety. After college, Aiden plans on becoming a police officer. We will miss Aiden, here at SRHS, but know that he will go on to do great things!

Note: Each week, we will feature 1-2 seniors with a spotlight article, written by a staff member.

This article was written by teacher Michelle Wheeler

AJ Hardwick has taken advantage of his experience at Sanborn. He has grown and matured into a positive and determined individual. Throughout his high school career, AJ has looked for opportunities to improve while persevering through challenges and always staying true to himself. 

As a sophomore in Your Government Your Money class, AJ always put in the extra effort to understand the material and complete the assignments. Once one gets to know AJ it is apparent that he is willing to work hard to achieve his goals. Ms. Petraitis notes that, “AJ is a curious, sweet student who has grown so much since [she] first met him. He is very reflective and self-aware with his work and what he can improve on, but he never gives up on himself even when he is frustrated.” AJ is determined and understands the importance of hard work. Ms. Vitolo adds that despite being “anti-art he ended up making very nice projects...that all went out in the hall.”

Ms. Fuller has worked with AJ throughout his time at Sanborn and has really gotten to know him over the years. She says AJ is "one of those students that you are always happy to see around school,” and adds, “ his sense of humor and sarcasm are always on-point and he is genuinely a nice kid to talk to.” Ms. Giovando states that AJ is “an amazing addition to [her] program because of his very positive outlook and his has a fantastic camo shirt!”

These traits of hard work and authenticity extend to his friends and outside of school as well. Working as a cook, he is known as punctual, releilable, and a hards-on learner who picks things up quickly. 

After high school AJ plans to move to Myrtle Beach to work for his uncle and possibly, one day, get into the jewelry business. Stay in touch AJ, we are all excited to see where life takes you!

Note: Each week, we will feature 1-2 seniors with a spotlight article, written by a staff member.

This article was written by Teacher Denise Alenskis

Jon Tarasuik is best known to staff and peers as “JT”. Jon has a quiet presence here at Sanborn, but if you take the time to talk with him you’ll find that he is a student with many attributes. 

Currently, JT is completing his second year at Seacoast School of Technology for Welding and has taken some notable classes here at Sanborn such as Automotive, Pre-Engineering and Math 3. 

When JT was in grade 9 he started working at Taco Bell to help his family financially. While helping his family, JT was able to save enough money to purchase an All Process welder. With his own welder, JT now completes welding jobs on his own to earn money and gain more experience in the welding field. JT has plans to build his own shed, not only to store his tools and materials but also to utilize as his welding shop!

JT is enrolled in a welding internship at Terex Ecotec in Newton, NH and recently interviewed with the company for a full time welding position after graduation. JT is excited to have the opportunity to work both domestically and internationally for this company! 

Outside of school Jon participated in sports at Ellis School playing soccer from grades 2-8 and basketball in grades 7 and 8. JT was interested in playing football for Sanborn, however his work schedule and football schedules conflicted.

Staff members were eager to contribute to JT’s Senior Spotlight and had the following to say:

Jack Kelly- “Jon Tarsuik is quiet, but underneath his low key demeanor is a highly skilled student. JT remodeled his kitchen (it came out great) before he went to SST. He has continued to excel at SST and is a dependable and talented. JT has a bright future.”

Michelle Farrar-“Very close, devoted to family. Jon is in SST for welding. Hard working.”

Kathy Giovando- “Always used to say hi to me when I walked by at lunch!”

Good Luck in your future JT, we will miss you!

Granite State RESPECT Week: An Update by Amanda Feeney, Student Assistance Counselor

This week Sanborn Regional High School and Middle School participated in the annual Granite State RESPECT Week- a campaign focused on raising awareness around teen dating violence and promoting healthy and respectful relationships. Information around signs of a healthy vs. unhealthy relationship, how to help a friend and where to turn to for support were shared around school, and students were able to get some free RESPECT week prizes by participating in an activity at lunch.

If parents would like to learn more about Granite State RESPECT Week and other NH resources they can check out https://www.nhcadsv.org/ . We also encourage you to check out this great resource on conversation starters and dating in the digital era!

February School Counseling News Update

The course registration process has been completed now and letters are in the mail for current 9th, 10th and 11th grade students. Once you receive the letter, please review it with your child, sign the bottom and ask them to return it to the school counseling office. If you have any questions about graduation requirements, NH Scholars or any other post-secondary concerns, please email your student’s counselor. Please be aware that if your child has applied for either year 1 or year 2 at SST, those classes will not appear on their schedule. We must wait until students have been accepted at SST before we can put it on their schedule. Also, please remember that this is a listing of the student’s course requests. It is not a schedule. Students will receive official schedules in the summer.

As we think about course registration and post-secondary planning, please remind your seniors to update their Naviance accounts with information about the status of their college applications. The counseling team uses Naviance to send out mid year transcripts to colleges. Juniors have started their post-secondary planning. On Feb. 12th, the counseling team met with all of the juniors to review their timelines for planning for life after Sanborn. The team discussed employment paths, training and technical schools, 2 year colleges and 4 year colleges. The next step for each junior will be to meet in small groups or individually (for SST students) to further explore their options. The counseling team will be hosting a Junior parent post-secondary planning night on February 18th at 6pm in the high school library. We will focus on steps you should be taking in the junior year, during this summer and how to help the beginning of their senior year go smoothly.  

Speaking of summer and college, for the first time ever, Sanborn will be hosting a College Boot Camp! It will be staffed by one counselor and an English teacher and the goal will be to kick start your child’s application process. Students will be given assistance to walk through the Common Application as well as help in working on their college essay. For students who are in after school sports or have jobs, this is a great opportunity to finish up college application tasks without the extra burdens of homework/sports etc. Please see the HS website for more information.

Other great opportunities for the summer are internships, college immersion programs and summer enrichment programs. Many colleges have summer programs/camps for students to have an opportunity to spend a week or two on their campus, explore their programs and classes and interact with students from all over the country and the world. Some local schools that do this are UConn  https://precollegesummer.uconn.edu/; UMass Lowell  https://www.uml.edu/Engineering/diversity/Engineering-summer-camp/default.aspx.; and UNH  https://unh.app.box.com/s/fygd7d1rm2cy695jeb6m71bpzh7kqg8g We also receive many flyers in the counseling office for programs. If your child is interested, have them stop by.

Finally, coming up in the month of March, we will be working on a Sophomore Career Interest Inventory project (it had been rescheduled due to the snow day), and we will be doing a Signs of Suicide program with Freshmen, Amanda Fuller-Feeney will be meeting students in the Cafeteria during lunch to talk about Healthy Relationships for Respect Week and we will be starting to test students on the Accuplacer for all of our Dual Enrollment opportunities for the 2019-2020 school year.  As always, please reach out to us with any concerns or questions you may have. 

Students To Hold Canned Food Drive

The canned food drive is from Wednesday, February 13 to Wednesday, February 20 and there will be boxes located in the school to put the food in. The cans (or nonperishable items) will be equally distributed to the food pantries in each town. It is a competition between grades for Winter Carnival, but there will also be a box for anyone in the community open for donations. 

SST Offers Tech Fun Night March 22 For Grades 5-9

Sign Up For Driver Education With Pro Staff

Pro staff driving school next driver’s education course will run March 4th thru April 17th 2019 at Sanborn Regional High School. A student cannot be younger than 15 years and 9 months old on the first day of the course to be eligible. Go to www.prostaffdrivingschool.com to register online. “Teaching today for Tomorrow’s safe driver”

ASVAB Testing March 8

Sanborn Regional High School will be administering the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) exam on March 8th from 7:30-11:30 am. While the ASVAB is most well known as a required exam for military enlistment, it is also an excellent resource for career exploration and planning. Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who are either thinking about enlisting in the military or need some extra help figuring out their plans for after high school are encouraged to sign up for the exam. There will also be an information session with an ASVAB representative on March 5th from 8:30-9:30 am. Please see or e-mail Ms. Arena ( [email protected]) to sign up! More information can be found at www.asvabprogram.com.

The SRHS NHS Needs Your Help For Families In Transition Program

Summer 2019 Enrichment Camps

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND: Sanborn Schools are offering a variety of week-long summer enrichment camps. These camps are open to both Sanborn and non-Sanborn students. Space is limited, so ACT FAST to secure your spot in one of these camps today by submitting a registration using this button:

Upcoming Kingston Rec Programs

Yearbook Information