A Great Start to the 2013-2014 School Year!

The 2013-2014 school year is off to a great start!  All students met with their advisories this morning then went to the auditorium for our annual welcome assembly.  Class of 2015 President Lexi Gardiner led us in the Pledge of Allegiance then the Class of 2014 President Marco Caporratta welcomed everyone back from what seemed like a very short summer break.  He encouraged the freshmen to get involved and make the most of their high school years, while reminding them that, if they got lost, to remember that the school is basically a big square!  Mr. Devine then asked everyone to join him, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, in a moment of silence to remember those who have given their lives for basic human rights.  He then welcomed the new staff members at HHS:

• History teacher Ms. Cowen
• Shop teacher Mr. DeLollis (more on this in another post!)
• Paraprofessional Ms. Ruxton
• School Resource Officer Fahey (more on this in yet another post!)

Mr. Devine then laid out the goals for the school year:

• To increase our SAT scores
• To continue to reduce the dropout rate
• To increase student involvement in co-curricular activities  

Students then went to classes, had their school pictures taken and had class meetings where Mr. Sivo let all the students know about the academic and behavioral expectations for the year.

It was a great day and, even though the students appeared to be a little bit tired, they all seemed very excited to be back at good 'ole HHS!

Thank you so much for entrusting us with the care and education of your students.  We will not let you down!

As Mr. Devine said to the students and teachers today - we have a lot to be proud of but we still have a lot of work to do and Hull High School's best days are yet to come.

Are You Ready!!??

I'll be honest... yesterday I was sitting on the beach and dreading the end of summer.  Today, I spent the day with the faculty and staff of Hull High School and I am now PSYCHED for the start of the 2013-2014 school year!  We have accomplished great things in the past few years, but there is still a great deal left to do.  From continuing to reduce the drop-out rate to increasing our SAT scores, from getting all students using google docs to increasing the number of students involved in co-curricular activities, our entire educational community is ready to do what it takes to make our school even better than it already is.

We start the 2013-2014 school year this Wednesday and I know that this year will be the best that HHS has ever seen.

Ready or not... here we come!

REMINDER:  2013 Freshmen Open House

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

6:30 - 8:30

Hull High School will welcome the Class of 2017 to Open House on Wednesday night.  This will not be a formal program, but a literal open house.  Students can arrive with their parents at any time between 6:30 - 8:30.  They will be given a fresh copy of their schedule along with their locker number and combination.  They are free to walk around the school, follow their schedule, access their lockers, and ask questions of National Honor Society members who will join us.

We look forward to meeting the Class of 2017 and their families for this annual tradition.

A GREAT Boosters Fundraiser!

Hull Boosters & Midge Lawlor of A Moment In Time Photography have created a great opportunity to take some Senior Portraits or some family ones. On September 7^th starting at 8 we will be reserving sittings for 75.00 ea. at Black Rock Beach.  Along with the $75.00 sitting fee you will receive a CD of the pictures taken.  A family sitting is for immediate family only. Please e-mail Denise Heavern @ heaverns4@gmail.com to reserve you spot.

Thank you to the Boosters and to Midge for all their support of  the academic and co-curricular programs here at HHS!

Come Run and Support Hull's Schools!

Nantasket Seaside Roadrace-  4 Mile Run

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Start Time:  8:00 AM - Hull High School

Online Registration at : www.racewire.com

Day of Race Registration Opens at 7:00 AM

All Proceeds benefit the Hull Academic Support Coalition

All Ages Welcome to Participate

HHS Summer Reading!!

Summer Reading 2013

Honors English 9:  Students are required to read Bleachers by John Grisham. They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

College Prep English 9:  Students are required to read Bleachers by John Grisham.  They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

Honors English 10:  Students are required to read The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.  They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

College Prep English 10:  Students are required to read The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.   They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

Honors English 11:  Students are required to read The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore.  They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

College Prep English 11:  Students are required to read The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

Honors English 12:  Students are required to read All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald.  Please see enclosed assignment sheet with additional extra credit assignments.

College Prep English 12:  Students are required to read All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald. They should then complete one of the assignments.  This will be a graded assignment.

 Books are available at the Hull and Hingham Public Libraries and are all available for $13 or less on Amazon.com.

Summer Reading Assignments

 ASSIGNMENT #1

Create a soundtrack to the book you read. Choose ten songs that you feel correspond with the themes of your book. Explain four of the songs, why you chose them and how they relate to the book.  Please cite specific lyrics to show evidence of this shared theme.  Each one of your four analyses should be a 1/2 page. 

 ASSIGNMENT #2

Write a creative dialogue between a character in your novel and a character from a different novel you have read in one of your past English classes. You may want to choose a character with similar viewpoints or a character foil (a character with opposite attributes).  In a concluding paragraph explain why you chose the character you did and how he/she relates to the character from your summer reading novel. Your written piece should be approximately 2-3 pages.

ASSIGNMENT #3

Find a current newspaper article on-line that relates to an issue in your novel. Briefly summarize the article and include it for your English teacher’s perusal.  Explain how it is addressed in the novel as well as your thoughts on the issue.  Your written piece should be approximately 2-3 pages.

Mr. Devine's End of the Year Letter

June 24, 2013 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It has been an amazing year at Hull High School.  I read somewhere that “amazing” is considered one of the most overused words in the English language, but I think it is the perfect word to describe this past year.  Here are just some of the highlights:

•  Hull High School was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence.
• We gathered our entire school community in the auditorium to share the news that we had won the Blue Ribbon.  This is one of the most meaningful moments of my career.
• We started the year with six new teachers and a new school nurse.  They have all done their jobs so well and I look forward to all of them returning next year.
•  Our SAT scores went up.
• Our drop-out rate declined.
• The Class of 2014 earned the highest MCAS scores in the history of our school with 99% earning a score of Advanced or Proficient on the ELA MCAS and 94% earning Advanced or Proficient on the Mathematics MCAS.
• Under the direction of Mr. Barkon and Mr. St. George, our combined MMS/HHS band performed three concerts and played at several community events, including the O’Donnell Baseball Tournament, the Memorial Day Remembrance and the re-dedication of the town’s war monument.
• We opened up the Parent Portal on Aspen so students and parents could check grades and assignments in real time.  In the words of one senior, “Now every night is progress report night!”
• Ms. Held put on Hull High School’s first student art show.
• The HHS faculty worked together with the MMS faculty to align our curriculum to the new Massachusetts Frameworks.
•  Hull High School Theatre Arts staged three excellent musicals.
•   For the second consecutive year, our school’s athletic program earned a place on the MIAA Sportsmanship Honor Roll.  
• The Class of 2013 had a fantastic year of learning, growth and celebration.  They won the Class Cup and graduated on our athletic field on a beautiful June day.

As we end the 2012-2013 school year, I want to say thank you to all the parents and guardians who have helped make this past year possible.  Whether you volunteered your time and talent to make our co-curricular activities possible, or checked Aspen to make sure your student was doing his/her homework, or emailed me and/or your student’s teachers with concerns or feedback, you helped your student, and our school, be more successful. 

Only July 1^st, I will begin my 5^th year as the principal of Hull High School.  I consider myself so blessed to be able to spend time working with, learning with and making memories with your child. 

Have a wonderful summer and I will see you again in August as we start what will surely be another amazing year at Hull High School.

Sincerely,

Michael Devine

Principal

Hull High School