Brian M. Stack's School Leadership Blog

Last month, New Hampshire’s Governor Maggie Hassan took a bold step in the debate over whether or not students can opt out of standardized testing by vetoed a bill that would have allowed for students to do so. In a Manchester Union Leader article , Hassan was quoted as stating, “ House Bill 603 would conflict with current state educational accountability laws, undercut one of the tools that educators use to evaluate K-12 student progress, and jeopardize federal funding for New Hampshire schools.” Jim Roche, President of the New Hampshire Business and Industry Association , applauded the decision. He stated, “Aside from the very real fiscal ramifications of losing significant education aid to New Hampshire, HB 603 sends a message that our state doesn’t value student achievement and educational excellence. This is not a message that is conducive to economic growth and will likely discourage companies from considering New Hampshire as a state to grow an existing business or locat...

An Update by English Teacher Aaron Cass: This year’s SRHS Creative Writing students did some fantastic work, which they have showcased by publishing their own online portfolio blogs.   In the course, students wrote everything from flash fiction to definitional essays to Elizabethan Sonnets, and you can see it all here . Teacher, Aaron Cass, had this to say about the students’ work: “I’ve been blown away by what they have achieved this year.   They wrote some of the most honest, creative, moving pieces I’ve read in my ten years as a teacher.” Sanborn Regional High School offers a variety of engaging elective courses in a wide range of subject areas.   For more information on what Sanborn has to offer, see the SRHS CourseCatalog for details.

This year, under the supervision of Assistant Principal Ann Hadwen, our school started a restorative justice model as a way to help empower students to play a leadership role in their school. The program is called the Justice committee. The idea came out of a school culture survey that our school conducted three years ago as a way to promote a more positive school culture and climate.  The following information was compiled by Mrs. Hadwen to help our community understand how this pilot year went with the Justice Committee. A Brief Summary The 2014-15 school year marked the first full year of Justice Committee (JC) implementation at SRHS. The committee heard a total of six cases, which involved students from all four grades. Total membership was increased to 22 students with the addition of seven freshmen. At the end of this year we will be saying goodbye to four seniors who have been JC members from the start of our program two years ago. 2015-16 Goals ...