Nock Celebrates Flag Day with Veteran's Town Hall

Under the leadership of 8th grade teacher Jen Groskin, the 8th grade celebrated Flag Day today with a Veteran's Town Hall. Eleven local veterans visited with the students in small groups to share their experiences and answer questions. We are thankful to Ms. Groskin and all the veterans for sharing their time with us.

NHS Graduate...10 Things I wish I Knew in 8th Grade

2014 NHS Graduate Drew Bourdeau was here this week  speaking with our 8th grade. Drew is a rising senior at St. Anselm's college majoring in math and secondary education. He is also a member of the Hawk's lacrosse team.

Drew shared his reflections on "What I Wish I Knew in 8th Grade" with Mr. Murphy's 8th grade Wellness classes.

His 10 points included tips on "going all out," supporting your friends at all-school events, staying drug and alcohol free, and remembering that teachers are people, too.

Students enjoyed hearing from a fellow Clipper!

8th Grade I am We Seminars

Hon. José Sánchez discussed juvenile justice with students 

The culminating project for our 8th grade social studies course is called "I am We." Students spend the year studying American government and finish by exploring who they are in the "We" of "We the People."

As a part of this project, students select an issue to study. They examine the issue from the legislative, executive and judicial angles. Additionally, they think about how the issue is impacting citizens. Based on their research, students take a stand on their issue.

Chief Fowler shared his expertise on a variety of topics 

To promote civic engagement and teach students about the different roles of our government, students are required to meet and interview professionals. 

On Wednesday, two groups of students were able to spend an hour learning from Massachusetts Juvenile Court Justice Honorable José Sánchez and Salisbury Chief of Police, Thomas Fowler.

We are thankful to both Judge Sánchez and Chief Fowler for generously giving their time to help our students explore the complexities of the American justice system. 

7 Crimson Students Discuss Bullying

As a part of their ELA and SS classes, a team of five students on 7 Crimson facilitated a text-based conversation on the essential question: How do you think bullying has or can become the new normal?

The students developed the essential question and designed the one-hour lesson. Using an article and several video's, the students guided their peers through a lesson that included an interactive survey, a large group discussion, and reflective journaling.

It was powerful to watch as the students ran their class for close to 90 minutes. The conversation was rich and included comments such as:

• "I don't think normal is the right word to use. If something is normal then we aren't trying to stop it."
• "The article talked about the profile of bullies. But I think anyone can be a bully, especially over social media."
• " Maybe if you have more friends to back you, if you are more popular, it is easier to be intimidating."
• "Sometimes people bully because of their back story. But does that really matter?"
• "People think burns are funny, but they really hurt. The person getting burned or roasted may be acting like it's fine but they are actually crying inside."
• "It's about speaking up. Let the bully know right away you don't like it. We need to stop saying 'it's a joke'."
• "Sometimes I feel like there are a million different reasons why someone might bully: your friend group, your parents and how they solve problems and treat people, your social status."

The group ended their lesson with a video from UpTV Who Will Stop the Bullying