About

Good afternoon,

Wednesday night, April 19th, the Derry Planning Board approved our plan to construct a building that will replace the current Social Studies wing. The current building is just over 25,000 square feet and was constructed in the early 1970s. The building is outdated and does not meet the academic needs of our students, especially those in the NECC and ACT programs. 

The new building will be built on the site of the current building and will be just under 32,000 square feet. It will be 3 stories and house classrooms and other spaces for the ACT and NECC programs and Social Studies Department. The work will also include site upgrades, modified parking areas, and better traffic flow which will enhance student and pedestrian safety. Landscape changes, including more green spaces, will improve the groundwater recharge as well as the design, look, safety, and functionality of that portion of campus. All of the plans have been coordinated with Derry Police and Fire to coordinate for life safety as well as proper fire access. You can find project updates on our website and can view the Planning Board meeting here. 

In the last few weeks, the Classical Society has competed in the Harvard and Granite State Certāmen contests. At Harvard, a semi-national contest, our advanced team, Tyler Abrantes, Mīra Kondor, Maura Covino, & Sarah King, placed 11th (with Maura & Tyler playing above their normal level). At GSC, our intermediate team (Tyler Abrantes, Maura Covino, Ellie Grover, & Emma Barnes) took 1st in NH. The Classical Society also recently competed at various levels in the National Latin Vocabulary Exam, where Karter Hanley and Sarah King scored bronze and Tyler Abrantes, Maura Covino, Mīra Kondor, and Noelle Touma scored gold. For their exceptionally high scores, Maura and Mīra each placed 2nd nationally at their respective levels. Congratulations to these students and to their teachers, Mr. Olkovikas and Ms. Smith!

When we return from break, it will be our Staff Appreciation Week, hosted by Student Council. Staff are encouraged to participate in themes each week, but we welcome the student body to join in and show their appreciation of our great staff! You can find the themes here. Educators Rising are also doing Staff Appreciation Grams; you can send a note to any staff member telling them how much you appreciate all they do. Find them in the cafeterias and Campus Corner starting on Monday.

Whether you’re traveling this coming week or staying close to home, I hope you have a chance to relax and recharge over the break. The end of the school year is closing in; let’s be sure to finish up strong!

Have a good weekend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Timothy J. Powers
Head of School