The MHS Varsity Dance Team is hosting a Kids Fun Night on Friday, January 31 in the Glover Gym from 6:15-8:30pm. Sign up using the QR code or at this link: https://forms.gle/o8DSxb9C8nWuuSXR9 Come join the Wildcat fun!

Cunningham 1st grader Shannon Rever is a featured reader on the MPL's Dial-a-Story service during the month of January! Dial-a-Story is a Milton Public Library service where folks can call 617-915-1915 anytime and listen to librarians read stories and tell jokes. The content changes monthly, and includes guest readers who read a picture book in the Dial 6 slot. This month, Shannon is reading Dragons Love Tacos 2: The Sequel by Adam Rubin. The January stories are posted now and will be live all month long. Great reading, Shannon!

Save the date for the Summer Program Night hosted by the Pierce PTO! OnThursday January 9, 2025, the Pierce PTO is hosting a Summer Program Night from 6-8 p.m. in the Pierce cafeteria. Several businesses will be available to share summer programs for your children of all ages, K-12, with tables ranging from summer camps to memberships to internships. Admission is free and kids are welcome.

Thirty-one 8th grade students who take Explorations in STEAM went on a December field trip to tour Design Communications Limited in Avon. This was made possible through the generosity of the School to Careers Program. The students toured the facility to see how they design, build, and install everything from signage for hospitals and malls to interactive displays for museums and stadiums. Do you recognize the reproduction of the Eiffel Tower which they created for the Netflix series Emily in Paris? Chances are if you have been to TD Garden, Gillette Stadium, Disney, or watched Netflix, you have seen some of their work!

In December, MHS Jazz Band students Layla Raymond and Chloe Bergeron had the opportunity to participate in the JazzHers Honors Ensemble Festival. JazzHers is a non-profit organization which provides the opportunity for female and non-binary students to have an enriching experience focused on jazz improvisation. Chloe and Layla spent the first portion of the festival in clinics and rehearsals and then had the opportunity to perform in a concert showcasing what they learned over the past two days. From Layla and Chloe: “JazzHers was a wonderful experience to play with female and non binary students across Massachusetts. It was even elevated by guest performances from musicians and composers Christine Fawson and the KDF Big Band. Despite the array of different backgrounds, Lisa Linde and all those at Jazzhers provided a space for students to thrive and talk about their own experiences with Jazz. I loved every second of the two days spent and can't wait to attend another session."

On December 14th, the Pierce Debate Team participated in the Lumos December Debate Tournament. Students debated whether or not the United States should reduce military support of Taiwan. Students used the Public Forum debate format to discuss the positive and negative consequences of military support for Taiwan. Otto Bertolina, Aster Caldwell, Alexander Chan, Alicia Chan, Henry Hasha, Tommy Hooper, Matthew Howard, Jimmy Huang, Koji-Love Kerr, Selassie-Love Kerr, Anamarie Landry, Eliot Levinson, Julia Litvak, Jack Murray, Ivy Muzquiz, Ben Rosenbaum, Giac Tran, Alisa Villar, and Andrew Zheng competed in this tournament. Alicia , Tommy , Anamarie , Julia , Ivy , and Alisa received awards for delivering speeches in a clear, eloquent, and convincing manner! The Pierce Debate Team looks forward to competing again in February.

We hope you can join us on Monday, January 6 in the Collicot Library at 5 pm to discuss all things Collicot! Principal Concannon and Superintendent Burrows will lead a discussion centered around the systems and structures in place at Collicot.

Welcome Back!

Just before break, our MHS students who are members of Milton Youth Advocates for Change (MYAC), in collaboration with The Milton Coalition, hosted a Mental Health Fair at MHS. With a goal of educating students about mental health, ways to manage stress, and when/how to ask for help, MYAC students coordinated a variety of stations to provide education and interactive activities to students during their Health and Gym classes. Thank you to the agencies and professionals who participated! The Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office provided an activity that demonstrated the effects of driving under the influence; the Milton Department of Health demonstrated the impact of not asking for help through a “How Much Can You Hold” activity; the Norfolk Suicide Coalition discussed the importance of self care, coping skills, and self acceptance; the Leggett Group answered questions and provided information about therapy; Blue Willow presented information about how acupuncture can be used to support mental health and Freckle Face Yoga encouraged students to move their bodies and educated them on how yoga can support mental wellbeing. The MYAC students did an impressive job planning and executing this well attended event!

Fun pre winter break activity in the MHS Library- Speed Dating with a Book for our 9th graders!

Cunningham 2-5th graders enjoyed a special treat the week before break - a visit from Big Nate author and cartoonist Lincoln Pierce! Our young readers were thrilled to meet Mr. Pierce!

Last week we welcomed MPS retirees to the MHS library for lunch and a chance to catch up with old friends and colleagues. It was wonderful to see so many of our former MPS staff members!

They went all in for Deck Out Day at Cunningham last week!

Thank you to the MHS and Pierce music departments for the beautiful music all through December!

Just before the winter break, our MHS Christmas Carolers entertained Unquity House residents while Advisory students delivered Holiday Treat Bags they made for the residents. The visit closed with a rousing sing-along of "Deck the Halls." The MHS Students were grateful for the chance to spread holiday cheer! A special 'shout out' to our van drivers, Mr. Mackinaw and Mrs. Spinelli, who made the trip possible.

MPS Winter Break December 23 - January 1, 2025

The Milton High School Robotics team competed at the Ryken Robobowl in Shrewsbury on Sunday December 15. Students have spent the last four months planning, building, coding, and testing their robot for the First Tech Challenge (FTC). Milton made it to the finals and finished 5th of 27 teams! Students will have another competition at Canton High School on February 8 and all are welcome to attend and cheer on our team!

Last week, the MHS Achieve, Launch, and Partner Programs teamed up with the Unified Art and Unified Music classes to go on their annual holiday shopping trip! Students went to the South Shore Plaza to practice budgeting and money skills and worked in groups with their buddies to buy holiday gifts for their family and friends. And what trip to the Plaza is complete with out a trip to the food court? Our MHS crew ended their trip with a table for 40!

Last week, Mrs. Maliel’s Glover 5th grade class enjoyed a lesson on coding from AP Computer Science students from MHS. They made bracelets with their initials using beads representing binary code. What a fun way to celebrate Computer Science Week!

Spirit Week at Pierce kicked off with Color Wars on Monday! Who wore it best? Grade 6 - Red, Grade 7 - Blue , Grade 8 - Black!