High School Outdoor Classroom/Garden to Host Event May 9

The event will feature dinner and ice cream. The learning space is already taking root in the high school courtyard.

  The high school courtyard is a space for all subjects, a learning space. Already students are growing vegetables and plants in raised beds, monitoring the growth and studying pH levels. Soon there will be more. A butterfly garden and butterflies. Song and dance. Drama and poetry.  The school's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math coordinator, Brandy Wilbur, has woven the garden into the STEM program. There will be lessons in chemistry, biology and math through soil analysis, water quality, growth rates. Buck Harris' health students took to a courtyard nook Wednesday for class. And on May 9, the school will host a dinner and ice cream event to benefit the learning space. People interested in attending the Outdoor Classroom …

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Big Blue Sports

Milestone Within the Meet for Swampscott Senior

Senior shot-putter Ny'Cole Young-Thomas was overjoyed Tuesday with her personal best throw that qualified her to compete in the state track and field meet.

The Big Blue girls track and field team defeated Gloucester April 30 at Upper Jackson, 85-51. But one of the victories within the victory was a senior's shot put throw of 30 feet 10 inches. That throw brought senior Ny'Cole Young-Thomas to her knees in elation and to tears in teammates' arms. Coach Peter Bush said Ny'Cole's eclipsing the 30 feet mark qualifies her for the state track meet. Not only that but the throw broke the barrier she has been trying to break since last year. She set the 30-foot mark as a goal for winter track and fell short. She set it again for spring, but was stuck in the 28-foot range. But on Tuesday her hard work got her past the mark, and now that she has surpassed it and gained confidence, there is no telling …

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Site Visits Set for High School Principal Candidates

The three finalists will come to town on Wednesday and Thursday.

  This information was submitted by the Swampscott superintendent's office. The three finalists for the Swampscott High principal opening will visit the school and town on Wednesday and Thursday. The finalists were selected from a semi-finalist field of 11 and a pool of 39 applicants.  The finalists are John Dillon III, assistant principal at Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington, Edward Rozmiarek, headmaster at Lowell High School, and Andrew Wulf, administrator of teaching and learning at Salem High School. Finalists will visit the high school and town Wednesday and Thursday, their visits including open forum meetings with staff, community members, students, parents, and administration.   Andrew Wulf – 5/1/13 …

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Former NBA Star to Talk About Recovery at SHS

Basketball player Chris Herren will talk at an all-school assembly on Weds. at Swampscott High.

1) Newsbit of the Day:  The School Committee meets tonight at 7 p.m. in room B208 at the high school. Agenda items include recognition of students Peter Hale and Jackie Thomsen and of the Swampscott High hockey team. A vote has been requested on a concussion policy. 2) Town and School Watch:  Former NBA player and Bay State basketball star Chris Herren will speak to an all school assembly, at Swampscott High School, at 12:30, today. The event is being sponsored by SHS Peer Leaders/Peer Mentors and the Swampscott Parent Teacher Forum. Chris will tell of his journey from being a basketball hero to a substance abuser and his path to recovery. Seniors Victoria Malatesta and Rachael Moran have made this event possible.  From Chris's website:  …

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Big Blue Sports

Big Blue Serpents Robotics Team Competes in Regionals

The 30-member Swampscott High squad were among 50 teams at the Boston University competition.

  Swampscott High School’s Big Blue Serpents robotics team ranked 29 out of 50 teams in the Boston Regional Competition of the FIRST Robotics Competition March 20-22. Over 30 students took part in the FIRST competition under the leadership of robotics teacher Dick Leonard. FIRST stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, and is a robotics program that describes itself as “a varsity sport for the mind.”  The competition combines the excitement of a sport with the rigors of science and technology.  Under strict rules, and with limited resources and time limits, teams of students are challenged to raise funds and design and build a robot to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors.  This competition …

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5 Things to Know: Winter Concert at High School Thursday.

The high school concert band and the school percussion ensemble will perform first, followed by a brief intermission, then the brass quintet will play. The concert starts at 7 p.m.

1) Town and School Watch:  Selectmen meet 7 p.m. Wednesday. Agenda items include a possible nonpublic meeting to discuss litigation, a school heat and power unit discussion, an application from Railroad Liquors for an alcohol license and a Michael McClung warrant article discussion. 2) Newsbit of the Day:  The Swampscott High Music Department will present its Winter Band Concert: A Salute to America's Veterans, including a special performance by The Nautilus Brass Quintet in the school auditorium on Thursday at 7 p.m. The high school concert band and the school percussion ensemble will perform first, followed by a brief intermission, then the brass quintet will play. Emerging as one of New England's most ambitious musical ensembles, the …

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Students Attend Youth Summit Devoted to Change

Seven Swampscott students went to the Danvers summit at the Double Tree Hotel hosted by the Essex County district attorney.

  Members of a Swampscott High School club devoted to making good decisions went to a youth summit this week held by Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett. The summit, "Pass It On, Be An Agent of Positive Change," was at the Double Tree Hotel in Danvers attended by about 100 high school students from schools including Swampscott, Lynn English, Salem, Peabody and Manchester Essex, said Abby Price, a Swampscott High junior and co-president of the high school's Students Against Destructive Decisions club. Swampscott School Resource Officer and SADD Advisor Rose Cheever brought Abby and SADD co-president Keila Cox, as well as sophomores Anya Peterson, Julia Potter, Mackenzie Robertson, Nikki Rose and Jessica Potter to listen to a …

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School Counselors Host UMass Night March 12

Representatives from four UMass admission offices will present information and answer questions, March 12, at 7 p.m. in the Swampscott High auditorium.

Dear SHS and MHS students and parents/guardians, We are very excited to offer you our newest school counseling sponsored event, "UMASS Night," here at Swampscott High School on March 12, at 7 p.m. in the SHS auditorium. There will be a presentation from each of the four admissions offices-Amherst, Lowell, Boston, and Dartmouth and a question and answer session to follow. Come learn about each college's programs, sports, extracurricular activities, admissions expectations, deadlines, and much, much more. Over the past five years, an average of 68 percent of seniors applied to at least one UMASS school. Since 2009, we have seen a 20 percent increase of students applying to these schools. This year, 77 percent of the senior class has already …

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MOMents

MOMents — A Time For Reason

Turnover in our schools.

The announcement this week that our high school principal, Layne Millington, has resigned to become principal of Marblehead High brings an opportunity for us to learn from the past and improve the process for selecting  and retaining our next high school principal. There are many things that will always remain outside our control, but other factors we can and should control. We have an opportunity here. First, we are hearing quite a bit about turnover.  People are wondering why Swampscott has so much. Is it a problem unique to Swampscott or part of trend that is occurring in towns and cities across America? If so, should we conduct searches or grow talent from within? Turnover is the new reality Before we go too far down that road, we need…

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Amy OConnor

7:54 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Nicely said, Amy.   more ›