December 2008 - January 2009

Dear Hall Community:

Can you believe we have already completed the first quarter of the school year! Now that we have settled in, it’s time to formally meet your child’s teachers. Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on Wednesday, December 3 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm and Thursday, December 4, from 7:30 – 9:30 am. Specific information was mailed to each student’s home on November 12. Please realize that you may contact a teacher, school counselor, or administrator at any time of the school year if you have questions or concerns regarding your child’s education.

Our students continue to exhibit enthusiasm for their learning and I am proud of the growth I am witnessing daily. It is inspiring to work with a tireless faculty that instills a love of learning. As testimony to that statement, Connecticut Magazine has listed Hall High School 13th as one of the best high schools in the state! The criteria Connecticut Magazine used to rate the high schools included, “the number of AP courses offered and how many students take at least one; the number of AP tests grade “3” or better; CAPT results for reading, writing, math and science; SAT verbal and math scores; percentage of faculty with advanced degrees, and the percentage of graduates going on to two- or four-year colleges.”

More reasons to celebrate: Ari Jacobson for excellence in film making and having his film “Smoke House” selected to be screened at the Northampton Independent Film Festival; Mariah Murray for excellence in academics and receiving the National Merit Achievement Award; Nathaniel Barshay, David Haber, Nicole Rivilis, Dan Rodowicz, Woosung Lee, and Feng Cheng for excellence in technology education and placing first in Robotics Engineering and second place overall at the Connecticut’s Hub-B.E.S.T. robotics competition at CCSU. Their teacher, Mr. Chet Bacon, will be accompanying them to the regional competition in Alabama in December – good luck! Samuel Cantor and Kenny Brand were nominated to participate on Connecticut’s First Congressional Youth Cabinet and will serve on the CYC committees/task forces and/or projects. The following individuals participated in the Unified Soccer Tournament. They received gold medals for their great play: Dan Fiorentino, Greg Leo, Mariella MacGillis, Garnet Muganda and Isabelle Zujko as well as Kate Mascolo, Julia Pazniokas, Colin Schlank, Jessica Scholflick, and David Shortell. Last, but not least, congratulations to Naomi Bilmes, for excellence in theatre and writing and for having her one-act play “The Happiest Dressmaker Alive” performed at the Hartford Stage. Naomi was selected as one of the ten winners of Write On: The Youth Playwriting Competition.

Kudos to Mr. Sean Harris, Mr. Scott Sampietro, and the entire cast and crew of “You Can’t Take It With You.” The teachers’ and actors’ hard work and passion for theatre was evident as another great stage production came to life.

I am sure everyone will be getting busy with their plans for the upcoming holidays. The season brings the Madrigal dinners, Winter Concert, and Solisti Showcase. I encourage everyone in the Hall Community to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate than ourselves during this time of year and all year round. Count your blessings and take time to reflect on what you have to be grateful for.

It was great to see our students participating in Spirit Week and having Kid Fresh MC our pep rally before the traditional Hall vs Conard football game. As I write this and by the time it goes to print, my prediction for the trophy is . . .

“Together we are Proud . . . Together we are Hall High!!”

Sincerely,

Donald J. Slater, Ph.D. Proud Principal of Hall High School 

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