On Wednesday, students started to work on a new ConVal mural in the main hallway that combined the school's motto — "Here Comes ConVal" — with the basketball court center court logo that dates back to 1971. The logo depicts the ConVal cougar coming over the mountain.

A Community Forum was held in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre on December 4 to inform the public about the planned renovations of the Career and Technical Education spaces at ConVal High School as well as other proposed improvements to the facility.

This year, ConVal is eligible to receive state funding to subsidize the modernization of the Applied Technology Center. This state funding covers 75% of the CTE renovation costs. In preparation for this opportunity, the ConVal School Board and Administration partnered with the architectural firm LAVALLEE | BRENSINGER to develop a comprehensive renovation plan.

This plan incorporates improved safety features, ​such as a more secure main entrance, the replacement of aging electrical equipment, and an upgraded fire alarm and evacuation system. Lastly, the plan contains an option to reconfigure the Lucy Hurlin Theatre (LHT), a space that was originally envisioned to be a lecture hall but has served as a makeshift performance space.

At the Forum, architect Jay Doherty summed up the issues that would be addressed by the renovations.

The World Language Department would like to announce and congratulate the November World Language Students of ​the Month.

The following students demonstrate ​the keys to being successful language learners. 

They have a positive attitude, willingness to take academic risks, perseverance, and curiosity, and they stand out as successful collaborators.

For German: Piper Bernier and Sarah Brace. For Spanish: Willow Rushalko and Keira Schaub.

Congratulations, all!

Members of the ConVal Social Studies Department attended the 104th annual conference of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) at the Hynes Conention Center in Boston, November 22-23.

All of the disciplines of Social Studies were addressed at the conference — US History, World History, Civics, Economics, Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, and Geography.

The event hosted presentations and workshops by college professors and high school teachers from 8 AM to 7 PM each day. The Social Studies teachers all took instructional practices and aids home with them and are eager to incorporate them into their classes.

Frau Concannon and Frau Hodgdon participated in the 2024 ACTFL Annual Convention and World Languages Expo at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, November 22-24. The event was attended by more than 6,000 world language teachers from around the country.

At the conference, Frau Hodgdon gave two presentations, one devoted to ways how Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland can be incorporated into the study of German ("Flachify Your Curriculum") and the other on "Using Humor to Advance Student Engagement."

As faculty of ConVal High School — one of only 14 high schools in the United States to be designated as a "Partner for Future School" (PASCH) — they also participated in a PASCH networking event and did some work as a GEM (German Educational Multiplier) for the Goethe Institut.

The goal of their work at the conference was to facilitate sustained dialogue to ensure that the teaching of German adheres to current standards, promotes innovation, and meets the needs of today’s students.​

On Wednesday, 15 members of the ECHO student club took a field trip to attend a student leadership conference at Saint Anselm College. 

Along with students from other New Hampshire high schools and community members, students discussed the forum’s essential question: “What did you call me? A Conversation on Discourse in our Communities.” The keynote speaker for the day was Dr. Chris Beem of Pennsylvania State University who addressed the issue of labeling as an impediment to community discourse and social dialogue.

ECHO grew out of the former Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). The goal of ECHO is to model positive student leadership that reflects the core values of ConVal High School. ECHO also leads school-wide activities, for instance the "Claws for a Cause" basketball game, and has been planning a community project to support the Peterborough Food Pantry.

With Peterborough Children and the Arts volunteers Terry Reeves and Jeannie Connolly serving as guest instructors in Mr. Putnam's 3D Studio Art classes, students worked paper lanterns in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.

The classroom visits were part of a series of community lantern-making workshops that included schools and the Peterborough Town Library, which is a co-sponsor of the event.

Once completed, the lanterns will be donated to children who want to participate in the Annual Lantern Festival parade in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, December 7.

The theme for this year's festival parade is "Our Towns" and will feature a collection of house lanterns, star lanterns, and pyramid lanterns. The lantern installation in Putnam Park will be in place from Friday, December 6, to Sunday, December 8. For more details, please click here.

On Saturday, November 16, ConVal held its Annual Craft Fair which helps defray the cost of activities of the Class of 2025.

Over 70 vendors registered and participated in the event, in addition to tables that were run by a variety of student groups. 

The event was well attended by the public and busy all through the day.  Several vendors commented on how well the Fair was run and how polite the student volunteers were. Some of these volunteers are shown in the photo, together with class advisors Jen Kiley and Alexis Harris.

More than $3,000 was raised during the one-day event.