Rockland District High School

 From the Principal’s Desk: February/March 2010

 For those of you who actually look forward to these monthly newsletters, please accept my apologies for the recent lapse and know that I will make every effort to provide you with consistent, current information regarding life here at Rockland District High School. As we begin to transition out of winter, there have been many exciting happenings in RSU 13.

The Infinite Campus student portal is open. Notification of this was sent home with the last batch of report cards. If, however, you did not receive this information, please call RDHS Guidance for pass codes and instructions. Please take advantage of this opportunity to stay connected to your child’s academic progress.

Another way to stay connected is to attend our Spring Parent Conferences – Tuesday, March 9 from 3:00-7:00 at RDHS. Sign-up sheets will be posted in the high school bus lobby, beginning next week. We wholeheartedly encourage parents to visit teachers and administration.

College acceptances and scholarships are starting to come in. Here are a few that are particularly noteworthy:

• Hayli Kinney was awarded the Quest Bridge scholarship, providing a full scholarship to Amherst College.
• Jenny Herbert was awarded the University of Maine Top Scholar scholarship (4 years).
• Cameron Paddock McCrea was awarded the Maine Pulp and Paper scholarship (4years).
• Vinh Nguyen is a finalist in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program and will travel to Atlanta, Georgia in March.

We are extremely proud of these folks and of all our students whose aspirations lead them beyond RDHS.

Speaking of being proud, I am honored to present the Rockland District High School Class of 2010 Honor Graduates, a distinction bestowed upon a student who maintains a grade point average of 93 or above during his or her entire high school career. This year we have 12 Honor Graduates:

• Haley Wotton – 93.01
• Hannah Woodman – 93.06
• Kyle Fowlie – 94.01
• Everett L. Spear IV – 94.32
• Kayla McGuire – 95.0171
• Ian Ellis – 95.0187
• Vinh Nguyen – 95.34
• Cameron Paddock McCrea – 95.63
• Alexander Peabody – 97.49
• Kotaro Taniguchi – 98.33
• Hayli Kinney – 99.52, Salutatorian
• Jennifer Herbert – 100.24, Valedictorian

Congratulations and thanks to these fine young men and women for maintaining a standard of excellence in and out of the classroom.

Congratulations, as well, to the RDHS Boys’ basketball team for advancing to the Eastern B quarterfinals in Bangor. This team showed plenty of heart when faced with late season adversity. They ended the regular season with a win at Camden to make the tournament, beat Winslow on the road in a prelim game before ultimately losing their quarterfinal game, in overtime, to Ellsworth. In addition, we had a record number of young women and men from our indoor track teams receive KVAC all-conference honors.

Rockland District High School once again has the pleasure of hosting the Regional B One Act play competition on Friday and Saturday, March 5 and 6. Friday performances begin at 6 PM and Saturday has Noon and 6 PM start times.  Nine area schools will compete. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students and seniors (MPA mandated prices) and are available only at the door. One note of caution; each session has 3 plays and there will be no admittance during the performances, so please arrive early. Our own Just off Broadway Players will perform Wily and the Hairy Man at 6 PM on Saturday. Break a leg.

Finally, this Tuesday at 6 PM, in the RDHS gymnasium, the Harlem Rockets will compete against a team of Rockland District High School students and faculty. This is a fundraiser for our Project Graduation program and tickets are available in advance or at the door.

Tom Forti