On Monday, October 21, the Austrian exchange students arrived at ConVal for the first time.

For the next two weeks, 26 ConVal families will be involved in hosting 26 Austrian students and their four teacher chaperones. Students are matched with a host family and will have multiple opportunities to attend high school classes.

In this introductory meeting in the Lucy Hurlin Theatre, students met the members of the ConVal administrative team and SRO Justin Hyland. At the end of this first get-together, the Austrian students were asked to teach each of the administrators a word or phrase in German. Principal McKillop's phrase was: "Wir freuen uns, hier zu sein" ("We are excited to be here").

The ConVal-Akademisches Gymnasium exchange between ConVal High School and the Akademisches Gymnasium in Salzburg, Austria, is now in its 28th year. During this time, the two high schools have grown closer. All involved refer to the exchange as their “family away from home.”

On Saturday, October 19, ConVal Junior Ben Michaud presented at Peek into Peterborough as part of a panel on Workforce Housing. The Peterborough Community Theatre showed a short film — “What is Workforce Housing?” — that Michaud had directed. The film featured students of the ConVal Theatre Department doing a live adaptation of a comic book from New Hampshire Housing Authority about the importance, and the scarcity, of workforce housing in New Hampshire.

Twenty-eight juniors and seniors participated in an information session and campus tour at Southern New Hampshire University on Thursday, October 17.

For more than half of the students, this was their first time visiting a college, according to the exit tickets that they filled out at the end of the visit. Some of the new buildings and programs at SNHU — including Aeronautical Engineering — were particularly interesting to students.

Southern New Hampshire University is a private university located between Manchester and Hooksett. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with national accreditation for some hospitality, health, education, and business degrees.

Since 2018, ConVal Regional High School has been a designated PASCH school — one of only 14 high schools in the United States to have received this special honor.

"PASCH" stands for "Schulen: Partner der Zukunft" in German, which translates to "Schools: Partners for the Future" in English. PASCH brings together schools that place a high value on German language instruction. Sponsored by the Goethe Institut and the German Federal Foreign Office, the initiative is aimed at promoting German language education and fosters cultural exchanges between Germany and other countries.

Over the past weekend, the Goethe Institut organized a weekend camp in Colorado for German students and teachers from recognized PASCH schools in the United States, with exciting competitions based around the German language and culture. ConVal was represented by Frau Hodgdon, Riley Heider, and Campbell Maggs.

For more information about the weekend in Colorado with the motto "German, STEM, and Sports," please see this Facebook post from the Goethe Institut in Washington.

Spirit Week at ConVal High School was capped by the Homecoming Dance on October 12.

375 tickets to the dance had been sold during lunches in the weeks leading up to the event. The sophomore class sold concessions and had a successful fundraising night.

Learning a world language involves classroom instruction, homework study, becoming familiar with the cultures where the language is spoken, and sometimes a trip to a classroom away from campus.

On Thursday, October 10, students enrolled in Spanish 2 and 4 classes went to the Museum of Fine Arts in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Students got to see paintings of classic Spanish masters like El Greco, Diego Velázquez, and Francisco Goya, modern Spanish painters like Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Salvador Dali, as well as Latin American and Indigenous artists, such as Frida Kahlo, Fernando Botero, and Stan Natchez.

Students in Mrs. Grossi's Careers in Education classes began their twice-weekly practicum work last week in area schools. 

Students in Careers in Education I visit the Dublin Community Childcare and Preschool, and Careers in Education II students work with teachers at Antrim Elementary School as well as Great Brook School. 

These CTE students have the opportunity to observe teachers and their students interacting while building toward writing and then executing their own lesson plans.  This experience gives the high school students an authentic taste of what the student teaching experience will be should they choose to pursue it in college. 

Students who complete all of Mrs. Grossi's classes have the opportunity to earn up to 12 credits through Early College at Nashua Community College!

Students in Mr. Sudell's manufacturing program had the opportunity to tour both American Steel in Greenfield and New Hampshire Ball Bearings in Peterborough recently to learn about the businesses, their manufacturing processes, and internship opportunities. 

They heard from Peter Sirois at American Steel and Bill Farr at NHBB about how they use some of the manufacturing techniques that the students have been learning in their shop classes. 

Students were able to get on the shop floor in both locations and learn about what it takes to be employed in the manufacturing industry.