Monthly Archives: July 2016
Veritas Updates Principal’s Page
As most know, John Harrison is the new principal at Rockland High School. He assumed his position on July 1. The Veritas will therefore be updating the Principal’s Page on the Veritas website, beginning with Mr. Harrison’s first post on his blog (below). So, as always, check this page on the menu bar throughout the summer and the school year to get the latest from Rockland High School’s Principal https://rhsveritas.wordpress.com/principals-message/ or go directly to his blog: http://rocklandhs.blogspot.com
Friday, July 1, 2016
Greetings from the new RHS Principal!
July 1, 2016
Dear Rockland High School Community,
It is with great excitement that I begin as Principal of Rockland High School. I feel very fortunate to join a learning environment with a committed staff, passionate student body, and supportive community.
Over the past few months, I have enjoyed attending a variety of school-wide events that have allowed me to start to understand the culture of Rockland High School. I was impressed by the thoughtful expression of ideas and strong presentation skills our students displayed at the Spellman Oratorical Contest. I was amazed by the high quality talent our art and music students displayed at the Arts Festival. The care students exemplified for each other at the Student Government Council Awards Night not only indicated how strong this leadership organization is but the strong values our students have to support each other. I observed the level of rigor involved to be a National Honor Society member at the Induction Ceremony and left impressed at how the students ran the entire night from start to finish under the direction of their advisor. When I attended the prom and graduation, the strong connections between staff and students were evident and the tightly knit sense of community in Rockland stood out. The past four months have afforded me the opportunity to realize how lucky I am to be Principal of Rockland High School.
Over the the next few months I will be working on my entry plan as Principal. While I will be meeting with all stakeholders within the Rockland community throughout the course of the entry plan, one of the elements of this plan is to meet with students and parents. When the school year begins, I will sit down with students to better understand the strengths and needs of Rockland High School. Throughout the summer and into the fall season, I have set-up the following dates and times for parents to meet with me this summer:
Tuesday, July 19th
8am-9am: Room Location H141 (room across cafeteria)
6pm-7pm: Room Location H141 (room across cafeteria)
Tuesday, August 23rd
8am-9am: Room Location H141 (room across cafeteria)
6pm-7pm: Room Location H141 (room across cafeteria)
Wednesday, September 14th
6pm-7pm: Room Location H141 (room across cafeteria)
It would be helpful if all students and parents could take the time to complete this brief survey so I can get to know the Rockland High School community in anticipation of the upcoming school year. Throughout the summer, I encourage you to stay informed by visiting my blog at http://www.rocklandhs.blogspot.com or following me on twitter @RocklandHS. I wish you a restful, well-deserved summer and I am very much looking forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
John M. Harrison
Principal
Rockland High School
jharrison@rocklandschools.org
Molly Hurley, Class of 2013
On the right, Molly Hurley, Class of 2013, will be interning at WCVB this summer. She is a Communications major at Bridgewater State University.
Mike Ivanoskos, Veritas Staff
It is time at last for another edition of the alumni series!
Recently, I was able to catch up with Rockland High School’s Class of 2013 alumna Molly Hurley and conduct an interview. Hurley is a great developing writer and journalist who cannot thank RHS enough for the lending hand to success that it has provided in her life.
We asked her if she feels about her Bulldog roots. Hurley responded, “For me, being a Bulldog brings me so much pride. It reminds me of where my roots are, and how I’ve struggled and conquered some of my greatest battles. Being a Bulldog means I’m never alone. I have classmates, teammates, teachers and faculty members all rooting for me. From these statements we can see how being bulldog made Hurley battle tested in every challenge she has encountered up until now.
It is always important to remember where you came from to know where you are going. Hurley seems to understand that perfectly as she references how her experience at RHS helped her learn and grow during her tenure there. Hurley explained, “I’ve accomplished a lot since graduation and I can’t possibly thank all the teachers, coaches, and faculty members for providing such a stable foundation for me to grow. If I’m being honest, my education at RHS made me realize that school only gets harder. The advice and constructive criticism was always sincere and I wish I hadn’t taken it for granted.”
Molly Hurley, Class of 2013
Ms. McDonough wrote on one of my last papers, “Smart, beautiful women make it far in life.” Those words have followed me in everything I’ve set myself out to accomplish. The teachers I had while attending RHS knew I was capable of applying myself more to my schoolwork than I did when I sat in their classrooms. So, I think that’s what helped me succeed, the lessons that I learned.” This is a great credit to our teachers and other mentors at RHS for setting the tone for a supportive and motivation in-fused atmosphere.
You know the old saying, “High school is some of the best years of your life”? Well, that saying has not fallen on deaf ears when we hear the positive feedback about what RHS alumni have missed about their time here. Hurley said, “ RHS is a memorable place. There’s not much that I don’t miss. For starters, I miss the social life that RHS provided me! Most importantly, I miss Friday night football games.”
After Hurley’s RHS experience she was able to turn the page to the next chapter in her life. Hurley says, “After graduation I attended the University of Maine, where I studied Journalism. UMaine is a D1 school. The transition from being a big fish in a little pond to being little fish to a big pond was a little overwhelming. I had a blast in Maine, but realized how much I appreciated home once I left. I spent three semesters in Maine before I transferred to Bridgewater State University. I wanted to continue studying Journalism, but BSU didn’t offer Journalism as a major. After meeting with advisors I decided to enroll in Communication Studies and a Concentration in Media and Film. When I transferred, I told myself I wanted to start writing and telling stories again. I found out about the Comment, Bridgewater’s school newspaper and joined their staff. I wrote my first story on the 175th anniversary of Bridgewater State University.
This was my first time writing a story since my departure from The Veritas. The void that I felt when I was in Maine was suddenly filled. I’ve been writing for the Comment for three semesters now. I’m excited to enter my senior year as Editor-in-Chief. This summer I’ll be involved in a double internship with WCVB-TV and BTV which I’m also super excited about!” Hurley’s life has shown that sometimes change can be beneficial.
Hurley told us about her big long term plans for her future. Hurley tells, “The number one goal I set for myself when beginning my college education was to graduate. If all goes as planned I’ll graduate in 2017. I would like to graduate cum laude which is determined by your cumulative GPA. Someday, I’d like to see myself as a news reporter. I’ve learned so much about the media industry thus far and admire all the career opportunities this industry has to offer.”
Hurley had some great lasting advice for the Class of 2016. Hurley stated, “Don’t let anyone tell you that what you’re doing is insignificant or that you can’t do something. Life after high school is fun, but it’s time to take control of your life. I remember being told Journalism was a dying field and pursuing a career related to Journalism was pointless. I think of how much I’ve grown and how inspired I’ve been over the past few years. I’m proud of the choices that I’ve made. If you want something so badly, you’ll do anything and everything to get it. Class of 2016, get excited, be nervous and set goals for yourself. Rockland High School has prepared you to succeed, so go out and do just that.
Click here to see one of Molly’s pieces from her senior year at RHS!
In closing, a special thanks to RHS Class of 2013 alumna Molly Hurley for agreeing to conduct this interview and an on-camera interview with us (below). We wish her the best in her future endeavors.
This marks the final edition of the RHS Alumni Series for the 2015-16 school year! The Veritas would like to wish reporter and graduate, Mike Ivanoskos the best of luck in all his future endeavors. We will look forward to doing an alumni interview with him in the near future.
THE VERITAS 