Mr. Devine's Remarks Concerning the Opening of School and the Graduation of Mr. Stanley Gould

This morning at Hull High School we began our school year with our traditional all-school assembly.  Today's assembly was unique from past years, because we posthumously awarded a Hull High School diploma to the family of World War II veteran Mr. Stanley Gould.  As always our students were gracious and respectful during the assembly.  It was a powerful way to start our school year and we felt we should share the remarks from the event with the community.

Hull High School

Opening Remarks

August 29, 2011

Good morning and welcome to the Hull High School 2011-2012 school-year.  Please join me in welcoming Sam Campbell, Junior Class president, who will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

To start us off this year, I would like to introduce the President of the Class of 2012, Becca Garber.

At the start of each school year, we pull together as a community to celebrate a new beginning.  Today, as we do this, we will also look back more than 65 years to honor a man who, although gone for 20 years, is someone from whom we can still learn a great deal.  Before we get started, I want to take a few minutes to introduce some special guests that we have with us today.  Seated with me on the stage today are:

• Our superintendent of School, Dr. Tyrell
• The Vice Chair of the Hull School Committee, Mrs. Marianne Harte
• The Secretary of the Hull School Committee, Mr. David Twombly
• Hull School Committee member, Mr. Eric Hipp

Also joining us today is our Town Manager, Mr. Lemnios, and representing the Hull Veterans’ Council, Mr. Paul Dunphy.

Because this is our opening meeting, it has become our tradition to introduce to you our new staff.  They are:

• Our new English teacher – Ms. Carew
• Teaching Spanish – Mr. Eaton
• Also teaching Spanish – Ms. Wescott
• Taking the reigns this year of our music program – Mr. Gasaway
• And, joining us in the Special Education department – Mr. Zuccaro

I also want to take this time to either introduce – or reintroduce – some of the familiar faces that you will be working with this year.

• The first face you see when you enter Hull High School, woman who runs the main office, and really, our whole school – Mrs. Powers
• We all know this next guy – our Athletic Director and Coordinator of Community Outreach – Mr. Quatromoni
• In guidance – the friendliest secretary I know – Mrs. Troy
• Our two guidance counselors – who have worked hard all summer taking care of advisory, schedules, lockers and so much more – Ms. Vaughan and Mrs. LaVigne
• He worked all summer getting our building looking as clean as it does today – Mr. Campbell
• And, to say a few things about how our day will run today, your favorite assistant principal and mine – Mr. Sivo

Freshmen – welcome to Hull High School.  To quote that great American philosopher, Ferris Bueller, “Life goes by pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once and a while, you will miss it.”  You are just starting the four-year adventure called high school.  Work hard, study, do that homework, learn all you can, and don’t forget to look around every once and a while and savor this experience.  Some never have it.

Sophomores – MCAS year for you.  Listen to your teachers – they know what they are talking about – and our school has the scores to prove it.  And remember, only 12 months ago you were that freshman getting lost on the first day of school.  Be nice!

Juniors – Congratulations.  I can’t share the details with you, but last year, you earned some of the best MCAS scores that Hull High School has ever seen.  Your scores – amazing.  Your growth – even more impressive.  When I can release the scores – we will pull together again to celebrate, but know that a celebration, one that you earned, is coming soon.  Great job.

Class of 2012 – seniors – welcome to your last first day of school in Hull.  No matter what you do next year, serve in the military, go to college, join the workforce – I know you won’t be here at Hull HS next year.  Enjoy this year.  There will be times that it is not too much fun, but this is a year you will never forget.  Remember – no second chances.  This is it.

Now, the reason that our guests are here today.  Here at Hull High School, we value creativity, citizenship, integrity, life-long learning, responsibility and service.  Mr. Stanley Gould embodied all of our core values.  Stanley Gould was 17 years old when he dropped out of Hingham High School.  At the time, Hull did not have its own high school, so this towns high school students went to Hingham.  Why did he drop out?  It was 1943 and Stanley Gould joined the millions of young American men and woman fighting against the Axis powers in World War II.  Born and raised here in Hull, Mr. Gould was the youngest of 6 children, and he was called to service not only because he believed in fighting tyranny, but because his father was ill, and there was nobody else to support his family.  He joined the United States Navy, served in the North Atlantic, in the Pacific, and took part in the occupation of Japan.  And, every time he got paid, he sent that money home to his mother and father.  After the war, Mr. Gould returned to Hull, married, and raised a family.  He constantly reminded them, through his words and actions, that family, country, community, and education, were the most important things in life.  Mr. Gould served our community as a building inspector, police officer, committee member, and giving citizen.  Mr. Gould died 20 years ago without ever receiving a high school diploma.  That changes today.  Because of his service to our community and our country, because of the value that he placed on education, because of his humility and belief in the good of life, and because of his unwillingness to complain and his willingness to see the positive and try to make our town and our world a better place, it is my honor to recommend to Superintendent Tyrell that Stanley J. Gould be awarded a Hull High School diploma.

I now call the Vice Chair of the Hull School Committee, Mrs. Marianne Harte to the podium to posthumously award a Hull High School diploma to Mr. Stanley J. Gould.  Accepting this diploma on his father’s behalf will be Mr.  Gerald Gould.

As we all go through this year, let us remember Mr. Gould’s example.  Take every opportunity you have to learn, to serve others, to see the positive in all around you, and to make the most of this precious life you have been given.

Welcome back, let’s have a great year.

Principal Devine's Letter to Parents: Opening of the 2011-2012 School Year

August 18, 2011

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I was born and raised here on the South Shore, and I cannot image living anywhere else.  Sure, every year, right around the end of February, I think about all the warmer places that I could live, but summers like the one we are enjoying this year remind me why I tolerate our often-fierce New England winters.  I love summer, but as soon as I turn the page on the calendar to August, I start to get that nervous excitement about the start of another school year.  It amazes me that in a little more than a week, the classrooms will again be filled with our students and the 2011-2012 school-year will have begun.  Here are some things you need to know as we approach the first day of school.

Staff Changes

As most of you know, Mrs. Galluzzo, Mrs. Gonzalez and Mr. Gilliam, all said their farewells to Hull High School in June.  Scott Sivo and I, along with teacher and parent volunteers, have conducted interviews throughout the past month to fill these open positions.  Unfortunately, we were unable to find a qualified French teacher, so this year we will begin to phase out our French program.  Students currently enrolled in French II, III, and IV will have the opportunity to finish their French studies using a virtual (on-line) classroom.   However, we have hired two Spanish teachers to ensure that all students have the opportunity to learn a foreign language while at Hull High School.  Our two new Spanish teachers are:

• Aaron Eaton, a graduate of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, has taught for the past three years at Nobel High School in North Berwick, ME.
• Elizabeth Wescott, a graduate of the University of Vermont, has taught at Pollard Middle School in Needham, MA, for the past year.

In addition to these outstanding additions to our faculty, I am very pleased to welcome:

• Our new music teacher, Scott Casaway, is a recent graduate of the Berklee School of Music.
• Our new special education teacher, working with our Team-Based Learning program, John Zuccaro, is a graduate of Salve Regina University, and has been teaching at Quincy High School for the past two years.
• Our new English teacher, Denille Sprague, has transferred up to the high school after teaching last year at the Memorial Middle School.

New Ways to Connect to Hull High School

This summer we have made an effort to make it easier for students, parents, and community members to keep track of what is going on at Hull High School.  We are now utilizing different forms of social media to get important information out to the public.  We strongly encourage students and parents to familiarize themselves with at least one of the following ways to access HHS on the web:

• The Hull High School Blog
• The platform for these new efforts will be our new blog.  This blog will be updated by members of the HHS administration when they need to share information with the community.  You can follow the blog at http://www.hullhighschool.blogspot.com/.
• Facebook and Twitter
• In order to allow our blog followers to receive updates, we have linked the Hull High School Blog to both Facebook and Twitter.  Please search the new Hull High School fan page on Facebook and “like” us.  All updated HHS Blog entries will update to the Hull High School wall.  Also, you can follow the blog via Twitter by following us at @HullHighSchool.

Handbook and Agenda

In keeping with our desire to “Go Green”, we will not be providing hard-copies of the Hull High School Student Handbook this year. However, if a hard copy is needed we will be happy to provide you with one. Otherwise, students and parents will be able to access the handbook at the Hull High School homepage.  If your child benefits from having an agenda, please purchase one for your student.  However, please remember that all cell phones have a “memo” and/or “calendar” feature, and students will be encouraged to use these features to track their homework assignments and other school responsibilities.

Freshman Open House

All freshmen and their parents are invited to join us on August 23, 2011 at 6:30 PM for our annual Freshman Fall Open House.  Freshmen will have a chance to find their lockers and follow their schedules throughout the building.  Parents of freshmen will have the opportunity to meet some of our faculty and staff, as well as have those “last minute” questions answered. Light refreshments will be served.  This is a great chance for freshmen to “get to know” our school better before they arrive on the first day of school.

Summer Reading

If your student has not already started (or completed!) his/her summer reading assignment, please encourage him/her to do so.  Students who receive a “B” or better on this assignment will be able to have their lowest quiz grade in their English class dropped, and will have his/her name entered in a drawing for a new digital camera.  The summer reading books and assignments can be found on our homepage.

First Day

The 2011-2012 school-year starts for all students on August 30, 2011.  All students must report to their advisory (a list of all advisories will be posted in the main lobby) by 7:25AM.  Please remember that we have added 10 minutes to our school day, and that dismissal is now at 2PM. 

School Pictures

Hockmeyer Studios will be here on the first day of school, August 30^th, to take school pictures.  All students will be required to take a picture for their student ID, and, as always, families have the option of purchasing pictures of their student(s).  More information will be coming from Hockmeyer Studios in the next week.  Seniors who have not yet had their senior portraits taken may have them taken on the first day of school.  More information regarding senior pictures will be sent in the next few weeks to parents of students in the Class of 2012.

Open House

Mark your calendars now for our annual Open House, which will take place on September 13, 2011 at 6:30 PM.  The evening will begin in the Joseph Doniger Auditorium here at Hull High School.  All parents are invited and encouraged to attend.  In addition to meeting your student’s teachers and guidance counselors, parents will have the opportunity to hear from the various fundraising organizations about opportunities to support our co-curricular program, learn about the new policies and programs offered this year, and win a season’s pass to all Hull High School athletic events. I really hope to see you there. 

School Council

This year, we have two parent seats on our School Council that need to be filled.  The School Council advises me on issues related to the budget and policies, and, last year, helped to run our incredibly successful Quiz Night.  At our Open House, the PTO will run an election to fill these two vacant seats.  If you are interested in running, or would like more information about the School Council, please contact me at mdevine@town.hull.ma.us. 

School Improvement Plan

If you would like to see what our school’s priorities are for the 2011-2012 school year, please take a look at our School Improvement Plan, which can be found on our high school homepage.  The School Council and I developed this plan last spring, and it was approved by the School Committee in June.

Calendar

Included in this mailing is the Hull High School events calendar for August and September.  A calendar of upcoming events will be included in each mailing you receive from me this year and the calendar for the entire school year will be posted on the high school website.

Student Government

Students are reminded that the process of electing our student government will begin as soon as we return to school.  There will be an informational meeting for all prospective candidates after-school on Wednesday, August 31^st.  Students interested in running for the following positions should be in attendance:

·         Student Body President (seniors only)

·         Student Council Representative (four positions per grade level)

·         Class Officer (four positions per grade level)

All elections will take place during the second week of school.  We strongly encourage students to consider serving the student body by running for one of these leadership roles.

As I start my third year as the principal of Hull High School, I am so proud of the amazing things that our students and staff have accomplished. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer and see you soon.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Devine

Principal

Welcome to the HHS Blog

Welcome to the new Hull High School Blog.  The goal of this blog is to allow our school to reach out and share news, information, and upcoming events with our school community.  We hope it becomes a place to celebrate the accomplishments of our students during the 2011-2012 school year and beyond.

This blog will feed directly to the Hull High School Facebook page.  You may also follow us on Twitter at @HullHighSchool.

Bare with us as we get this new technology rolled out, but we hope you enjoy following our school in this new and exciting manner.