Superintendent’s Report

I am both pleased and honored to have the opportunity to provide you with the 2018 Report on the Mascenic Schools covering the period of January through December of the past year. 

The long established vision of the Mascenic Regional School District is “to provide students with the skills to become effective participants in a democratic society”. We are engaged in accomplishing this task by providing students with the beliefs that: 

Acquiring knowledge and learning is a lifelong pursuit

Using their skills to assist others and advance society is a worthy objective

And, Democracy can only succeed with knowledgeable and active participants

 

Through a series of school board work sessions held this past summer, the administration is working closely with the school board has established the following district goals:

 

To promote communication through community outreach and involvement

To strengthen our school culture and recognition of the “Mascenic Way”

To further improve professional development/training and our mentoring program

To broaden opportunities for student learning that extend beyond the classroom

And, to utilize technology to support student success

 The current initiatives underway are providing us with evidence of success. These include: 

• The new Boynton Middle School (BMS) schedule and “choice block”
• The Highbridge Hill Elementary School (HHES) teacher/team reorganization
• Community Conversations at each school and with parents educating their children at home
• The efforts to renew our affiliation with the ConVal School District and CTE Programs
• The launch of the Red Cross Licensed Nurse Assistant (LNA) Program
• The efforts underway to increase the relevancy of  the Mascenic HS (MHS) Program of Studies
• The continuation of the HHES traditions including the Halloween Parade, Christmas Fair & the “graduation” send off
• Evidence of slow and steady academic improvement and student learning at all levels
• The student led revision to the MHS student council constitution
• Reported HHES success in holding student led parent conferences
• The continuing collaboration of the district’s safety committee with police, fire and other public safety representatives
• And, MHS student’s success in becoming NH’s Cross Country Champions 

And then on a more personal note, the wonderful experiences and special memories that I’ve collected as your Superintendent of Schools that are unique to Mascenic. These have included, 

• The energy and enthusiasm evident at the start of each new school year..,
• The MHS graduation exchange of roses between graduates and people who’ve played a significant role in their lives …,
• The tireless efforts of the Advisory Budget Committee in providing an “extra set of eyes” in reviewing our budget proposals and offering of new ideas/suggestions..,
• The BMS Honor Roll assemblies - recognizing student’s academic success..,
• The Conant - Mascenic sports rivalry..,
• The establishment of a student representative to the school board..,
• The MHS Honor Society pinning ceremony..,
• The positive, proactive efforts of the school board in focusing on what’s best for students..,
• And the list goes on…,

 And as I approach the conclusion of my work as your Superintendent of Schools in June, I want to identify some of the important work ahead in 2019. Work that includes: 

• The continuing efforts to focus upon and promote students’ learning and academic growth
• The implementation of the new MHS Program of Studies & Schedule
• A (Hopefully given an affirmative vote!) a new teachers’ contract
• And the expansion of our Career/Technical Education Programs (CTE) through the ConVal Schools. 

In closing, I want to thank the members of the communities of Greenville and New Ipswich, the members of the Mascenic administration/staff and our SAU 87 team for your ongoing support and efforts to promote our students’ success. Onward!

 

Sincerely,

Stephen Russell, EdD