9th Grade Quarter 2 Update

Senior Expedition Update

Junior Journey Update

Athletics Update

Math Cup

Shared Space Café

Cougar Kudos

• To the four students who recently won the highest honor our faculty bestows, the Navigator Award for Excellence in Leadership. The award is bestowed twice annually to one student in each grade who serves as a model citizen and embodies the values in the CBHS Character Framework. February's awardees were: Sebastian Milstein-Jones (9). Aimen Ismail (10),  Everett Dietlin (11) and Ida Leavitt (12).

To to the cast and crew of Willy Wonka for their exuberant production. Check out photos here.  

• To the student staff of The Blue Heron, our literary magazine, for receiving the highest rating possible from the National Council for Teachers of English. 

• To Adelina Salianga for Movin' On Up to 16 colleges at our last School Meeting! 

• To Jolie Semuhoza who will be our new Make it Happen Coordinator. Jolie graduated from CBHS in 2014 and earned the Mitchell Scholarship. She graduated from the University of Maine and has worked for the Maine Association of New Americans. 

• To Harley Nimblett who did a fantastic stint as our long-term art sub and who will be doing another one for Mallory Haar when she has her maternity leave in late spring. (And to art teacher Alex Taraschi who will be re-joining us after February break!)

• To the CBHS Parent Advisory Group for funding 7 staff grant proposals totaling over $2500 at our February meeting. The funding will support visiting experts, Sophomore Solo, Community Council,  intensives and more. 

To Lacasia and Crowley Crew for winning the 2024 Spirit Week and Winter Carnival Competition. A most Carnivalicious time was had by all. Students competed in classics such as Casco Bay Idol and Tug of War as well as world premiere events such as Chubby Bunny Karaoke and Clothes Pin Ninja. 

9th Grade in Quarter 2

 

At Casco, we strive to not only improve our community, but also make the world around us a better place. We saw this happen during our expedition “We Are On Indigenous Land”, where we had a chance to not only educate ourselves about Indigenous stories, but also educate others. During this expedition, we wrote children’s books about the Wabanaki land that our school is on. Over the course of a week or so, during art, English, and social studies, we worked on finishing our books. We made a storyline, wrote the story, created art, and put our books together.  On the culmination day, we read our books to elementary school students. The students were excited to learn, and were even able to connect our stories to stories they were reading in their classes.  After we read the books, the elementary students asked us questions, and we were able to share what we had learned over the course of the expedition. This expedition made me realize that even as a student, I can still teach others in my community and have a positive impact on others. 

Other than the expedition, the 9th grade has been studying many different topics in our different classes. In biology, we have been learning about evolution. Recently, we had a project where we chose an animal and created a presentation on the adaptations and evolution of that animal. We created a slideshow that we presented to the class. This project pushed us to be able to research and talk in front of the class, and helped us understand more about adaptations and evolution. 

In geometry, we have been learning about 3d shapes and cross sections. We had a project where we calculated and created a net for a 3d shape, and then made the shape we created out of paper. Recently, we have been learning about circles, circumference, radius, and diameter. 

In English, we are beginning our unit on slam poetry. We’ve been watching videos of slam poetry from numerous poets, on topics such as identity, discrimination, and homeplaces. We’re now writing our own slam poems, which we will eventually read in front of the class. While writing these poems, we’ve been reading them and getting feedback from other students, as well as giving feedback to other students.  This allows us to get comfortable with sharing our poems while also practicing our skills at giving kind feedback to others. 

In social studies, we learned about the Holocaust. We learned about the events that happened during the Holocaust, the ten stages of genocide, and Jewish resistance. We had guest speakers come in to talk to us about their experiences, and about antisemitism in Maine. After learning about the Holocaust, we’re doing independent research about other genocides that have happened throughout history, and we will eventually be making a project on the genocide we researched. So far, 9th grade has been filled with excitement, and I can’t wait to see what happens next in quarter 3!

Senior Expedition Update

Seniors have just finished wrapping up our senior expeditions. This fall, we each chose an issue we were passionate about--from the impact of social media on politics to fast fashion to workplace discrimination. We did a deep drive into our topics, working hard to research, understand and write expert papers about the history of the issue and the solutions that have been attempted. 

At the start of the second quarter, we worked to design our own slice of the solution action projects.  Some of us held events; others created campaigns, designed posters or t-shirts. Everyone worked hard to make their slice of the solution the best it could be. Many culminated at the Changemaker’s Gala at Family Crew Night in January. Then we shared our knowledge with the 9th-11th graders.  On January 26th, all seniors presented our Casco Talks—TED talk style presentations. Our goal was to educate our peers on issues that are present and on-going in this world.  And to invite them to be part of the solution.

~ Amelie Davis Rousseau

 

 

Junior Class Update

Junior Journey will be the first overnight experience for the class of 2025, and we believe it will be transformative for

them as a class and as individuals.

Each junior has been given a purple folder with their name on it with all the materials
needed to understand Junior Journey. Junior parents: if you have not yet seen this purple folder, please ask your student.

Here are some basics:

When: Spring Intensives Week, April 1-5 (Overnight portion is April 2-5)
Where: Schoodic Institute, Acadia National Park
Who: All 11th graders, 10 staff members (including crew advisors), and 4-6 parents/guardians!
Cost: $250 per student; $75 for students who qualify for free/reduced lunch
Credit: 0.5 Elective Credit
Lodging/Food: At the dorms at Schoodic Institute; Kosher, Vegetarian, Halal, Gluten Free, and Dairy Free Options are available. Meals will be provided during appropriate times before sunrise and after sundown for students observing Ramadan.

Please return permission slips and fees to the student’s crew advisor ASAP. Thanks to all who already have.  Please speak to your crew advisor, Ms. Natarajan or Ms. Hampton if you have specific questions.

If you have any specific or confidential questions, including interest in payment plans, questions
about health or diet, or any other concerns, please let us know.   We are committed
to working with every family to make sure that students are able to go on Junior Journey regardless
of any hardships. Please reach out if there is any support we can give.

If you are interested in being a chaperone, please let Ms. Natarajan know that too.

Feel free to check out the same slideshow that the juniors have seen for a preview of what to expect!

Congrats to the Class of 2025 for the excellent Public Policy Presentations at USM last week. 

And finally, the JUNIORS NEED YOUR HELP for our spring expedition:

The People of Portland Project '24.  NOMINATE NOW   Who do you know whose story should be heard?  Who has inspired you--and would inspire all of us if we knew them and their story?

Spring Athletics 

Spring athletics seasons at SailMaine, Portland Community Squash, and Deering & Portland

High Schools have now opened for registration.

Click here for SailMaine registration. (Apply ASAP, limited spots)

Click here for Portland Community Squash (Apply ASAP, limited spots)

Click here for Deering High School registration. (Register by March 15 at the latest.)

Click here for Portland High School registration. (Register by March 15 at the latest.)

Spring DHS/PHS sports include: baseball, softball, boys' & girls' lacrosse, boys' & girls' outdoor track, boys' & girls' tennis, Unified Bocce (co-op both schools).

You will need an active physical on file to participate. Remember that CBHS students cannot switch schools during their high school careers due to MPA rules.

If you need a particular piece of gear that is required for your sport

and is not affordable for you, please contact me. We have access to

funds through the Foundation for PPS to make athletics available to

everyone, regardless of financial status. Please reach out!

And congrats to all of our Winter season athletes - and good luck to all those still competing!

Math Cup

Join us for the 2024 Casco Bay High School Math Cup on Wednesday, March 27th from 6-8PM for an evening of math competition! What exactly is the Math Cup? Learn here. See here for more details, and here to register!

Shared Space Café - A Special Event for Our Multilingual Families

Register Here!