From the Principal’s Desk…

Greetings to all members of the community!  Murdock Middle/High School recently presented “Annie” as our annual theatrical production.  The students performed beautifully and our devoted staff, parents, and crew worked diligently to deliver the usual top-notch production for all to enjoy.  It’s especially nice to see the wide range of community members that step out to support our students and find importance in a live production which is still clearer than HD!  Our auditorium is inviting and we are lucky to have it.  We recognize it as a place to show off our school and offer citizens a chance to see what we do.  Our next theatrical event is the Tournament of Plays where classes compete over three consecutive nights.  Competition is high as upperclassmen are anxious to take back the trophy from the reigning champion class of 2011.

Murdock continues to evolve at the instructional level.  Our school improvement plan guides our yearly goals and targets identified areas for growth.  A drastically revised schedule format has proven to be successful this year.  Students have adjusted to a rotating schedule with more classes, more elective choices, and a modified long block that offers a chance for all teachers and students to take advantage of more time during a cycle.  Our math department is actively involved in a lesson study program with the goal of designing effective lessons and allowing constructive feedback through observation.  The Murdock breakfast program was recognized last month by earning third place in the state for its creative design that offers nutritious options at a time of day most beneficial for students’ learning needs.  The climate at the school is positive and statistics support this; discipline referrals have seen a significant drop in recent years and our most recent analysis shows a 49.8% drop from this time last year.

We continue our partnership with the Winchendon Project on a three year implementation of a substance abuse/mental health initiative designed to offer support and education for students.  A wealth of supports from this initiative, funded by Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts and administered by the Montachusett Opportunity Council, offer direct clinical services, support for classroom teachers, and positive education for students around substance abuse and choices. 

Our positive partnership with Mount Wachusett Community College continues to grow as we now offer a peer tutoring program during the school day.  The program is funded by Mount Wachusett and is coordinated and supervised by Mrs. Veronica Guay.  We also have brought two new dual enrollment courses to Murdock this year specifically designed to offer college credit classes to students who may be unsure about college and may benefit from a jump start and easy access.  For 2010 we plan to offer additional courses through a Virtual High School program that will allow students to take on-line courses not offered at Murdock. 

Our boys varsity basketball team and our ice hockey team finished great seasons by making the districts.  In winter track, Molly Martorella established a new girl’s 1,000 meter indoor track record, amazingly followed the next week by a new boy’s record in the 1,000 meter set by senior Will Lary.  Three girls and two boys, along with the girls’ relay team, qualified for states.  Congratulations to all our athletes and thank you to the Booster Club for their tremendous support.

v     Murdock’s sports schedule is continually updated and may be viewed at highschoolsports.net

Nicholas J. DeSimone