Principal Report to School Board
April 14, 2010
Paul Penna
Recognition:
I am pleased to announce that I have selected Nathan Fogg and Katherine Hotham as the recipients for the 2010 Western Maine Citizenship Award. The criteria for this award are students who represent the qualities of citizenship, leadership, and scholarship. Nate Fogg is the spirit of GNGHS! Nate is a gentleman at all times, respectfully greeting whoever crosses his path throughout the day. He is a true leader who is a positive example and role model for other students. The “Patriot” mascot has been defined by how Nate interacts with the crowds and taunts the referees during home competitions. His endearing personality will serve him well in the future as he pursues a career in Big Equipment Operations. Nate has many trade skills and he will be the guy who everyone will call upon when they need help on a project. Nate will attend SMCC in the fall and we look forward to hearing about his future success. Nate is the son of Stephen Fogg of Gray, and Pamela Kearns of South Portland.
Katherine Hotham is a kind, genuine person known at GNGHS as the most responsible, reliable leader in the senior class. She is admired for her strong work ethic, integrity and positive outlook. Katie is the Treasurer of the Class of 2010 and she attends every meeting that is scheduled; she is an active member of the Community Service Club, the National Honor Society, and the Captain of the Field Hockey Team. Katie was selected as an All-Conference Team member in 2009. She will attend St. Joseph’ s College in the fall to study Nursing. Katie is the daughter of Grace Bragdon of New Gloucester.
Along with their families Nate and Katie will be honored at an awards banquet on May 12th that will be held at Keeley the Katerer in Portland.
Topics of Interest/Successes:
On April 3rd I attended the annual Maine Principal’s Awards Banquet in Bangor along with this year’s recipient Laura Getchell. Chartering a bus for this event has become a GNGHS tradition! For the past four years we have organized transportation that is shared with our surrounding area schools providing a great opportunity for the students to meet other students and allow the Principals a time to share common experiences.
On April 9th the Criminal Justice class took a field trip to Cumberland County Jail and to the SMCC campus to visit a Forensic Science Course. Our student’s experienced SMCC students processing evidence collected from mock crime scenes setup by the instructor. During our tour of the C.C.J. our students experienced the reality of the world “behind bars”. The day was a great opportunity for students to learn and gain perspective outside of the school setting.
• On April 5th & 6th all juniors took the Maine High School Science Assessment (MHSA) Test
• Quarter 3 grades closed on April 2nd. Parent / teacher conferences were held on Tuesday April 13th
• S.A.T. testing for all juniors is Saturday, May 1st. All students who attend on May 1st will be excused from school on the early release day, Monday May 17th.
Challenges:
Course registration for the 2010/2011 school year is the present focus. On April 5th and 6th, students received course registration materials for the 2010-2011 school year. Guidance Counselors visited each English class in grades 9, 10, & 11 to present information regarding graduation requirements, college admissions, course options, and developing an academic plan. Students also received a current copy of their transcript listing all courses completed and credits earned to date. The counselors met with students individually during study halls, before and after school, and during lunch on April 12th and 13th, to collect and process forms and answer questions. The counselors will enter the student’s course request data into Infinite Campus before the master schedule can be built. I will be meeting with each LRO to discuss teaching assignments and schedule development will begin on May 4, 2010. Our goal is to have students schedules prepared before the end of the school year.
Short-Term Goals:
Complete course syllabus work with Maine Course Pathways.
Continue working on our SIT goals, specifically the Advanced Placement Program Review.
Emerging Long-Term Goals:
Review and plan the implementation of the Alternative Ed Pathway as we prepare for the start of 2010/2011 school year.
