June 12, 2024
Congratulations Class of 2024!
Congratulations to our graduating seniors at Somerville High School and Full Circle High School for all your accomplishments! You are an amazing group of students. Attending my first Somerville High School and Full Circle graduations was touching, uplifting, and unforgettable. Thank you to the wonderful educators and staff, families and students, and members of the Somerville community who support and teach our students and for making this a wonderful first year as superintendent.
Enjoy a relaxing summer. - Superintendent Dr. Rubén Carmona.
Scholarships and Awards
SHS Scholarship Awards
147 Somerville students received scholarships at the 2024 SHS Scholarship Awards Night. A total of $397,460 was awarded across 251 scholarships. Thank you to Melanie Kessler and Julie Phylis for organizing this wonderful event.
Somerville Municipal Scholarship Winners
Eight students won the Somerville Municipal Scholarship. The winners are Katernina Dinka, Yasmin Nazhar, Maria Clara Teixeira, Victoria Dutra, Marcia Narh-Botchway, Halaf Montarroyos, Clara Larios Flores, and Estefan Medrano.
QuestBridge Scholarship Winner
Senior Yasmin Nazhar won the selective QuestBridge national scholarship. Yasmin will attend M.I.T. this fall, where she plans to study nuclear engineering.
CTE Senior Awards
CTE seniors worked hard to balance a full academic load alongside their technical training. Seniors earned 50 awards, including tools to start their careers, state recognition, and scholarships. 29 CTE graduates were recognized as members of the National Technical Honor Society. Thank you to our incredible CTE educators.
Seal of Biliteracy
Over 30 seniors earned the prestigious Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy and 11 earned the Seal with Distinction. The Seal indicates a high level of proficiency in both English and another world language. Most students earned the Seal for Spanish, but Portuguese, French, Nepali, Romanian, Albanian, and Russian were also represented. Thank you to our wonderful world language department.
SHS Band Wins Gold Medal
On Friday, June 7th, the SHS Band performed for a packed audience at the Great East Music Festival in Huntington, MA, earning a GOLD rating from the judges. Thank you to Band Leader Tim Moyer and to all our music educators and bravo to our student musicians.
Seniors Honored by Art Department
Congratulations to the fourteen art students honored by Art Department educators in a first-of-its kind event. Seniors were honored for showing exceptional creativity and talent, making contributions to the SHS art program, and displaying a dedication to the arts. The honorees are Nestor Amaya Cortez, Katerina Dvornik, Lilly Thompson, Yasmin Nazhar, Ana Gruez, Ray Switkes, Jayden Haley, Cecelia Crounse, Christopher Hopkin, May Ferry, Cam Grosser, Madeline Zarecor, and Marlene Portillo Ramirez. Thank you art educators for organizing this event.
Lisa Machnik Named Teacher of the Year
World Language Supervisor Dr. Lisa Machnik has just been awarded “Teacher of the Year” by the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP). The AATSP writes that they were “particularly impressed by [her] service to the Communication Review Panel for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education World Language Frameworks, [her] commitment to equitable access to all students, [her] administrative work in the areas of student certification and assessment, [her] support of the less commonly taught languages, especially Portuguese. Also noteworthy is [her] teaching of Portuguese to Spanish speakers, and the Growth Mindset that drives all [her] classroom work.” Great job, Ms. Machnik!
Tara Beardsley Murphy wins Tufts Community Grant for WHCIS
Congratulations to Tara Beardsley Murphy, grade 7 and 8 teacher at Winter Hill Community Innovation School. She teaches the Newcomers Academy for students just starting their English language learning journey. Ms. Beardsley Murphy wrote a successful Tufts Community grant that will fund engaging robotics and engineering projects. Pictured are Ms. Beardsley Murphy and several students on the Tufts campus.
Athletics Round Up
3 Teams won Greater Boston League (GBL) championships
Girls Lacrosse, Boys Baseball, and Boys Outdoor Track and Field. Congratulations!
3 Student Athletes Named Greater Boston League Most Valuable Players.
Holly Schmidt (Girls lacrosse), Ian Born (Boys baseball), and Damian Mangino (Boys Tennis). Congratulations!
Coach of the Year
Baseball Coach Matthew O'Donnell was named Greater Boston League Coach of the Year. Congratulations and thank you!
Student and Family Stories
Girls Who Code
Students had a 10-week introduction to coding and robotics in the inaugural Middle Grades Girls Who Code club this year. Girls, and students of all genders, wrapped up the program by showing off their projects to family and peers. Three SHS Robotics Team members Mayhew, Bhavroop, and Alison taught the younger students, alongside Club Advisor and Somerville High School Computer Science and Robotics Teacher Laura Peters. Read Ms. Peters' district blog post about the program, including videos of robots like the one that pours milk into cereal!
SHS art Show and concert
The Music Department and Art Department repeated their phenomenal annual collaboration by combining a student gallery show with a student concert at Somerville High School. If you missed the event, you can watch it on Somerville EdTv. Jazz Band, Guitar Classes, World Percussion Ensemble, Band, Chorus, and Orchestra performed. Audience members were invited to admire student artwork before and after the concert.
Kennedy Literacy Maker Night
In April, the Kennedy K-8 School held a "Literacy Maker Night" for students in grades PK to 3. Students and families connected over a pizza dinner then dug into some literacy and making, based on the Tufts Novel Engineering model. Families chose a book to read together, then used the story as a starting point to build a solution to a problem in the story or continue the story's narrative. About 75 people attended and students built magnificent artwork. Thank you to Kindergarten Teacher Roxanne Scrima and Liaison Francesca Broekman for organizing the first Literacy Maker Night since 2019.
Information, Activities, and Resources
All activities and resources are free, unless otherwise noted.
Summer Resources
There are many resources available for families and students over the summer.
Housing, Food, Basic Needs. Call 617-625-6600 x6994 or email Regina Bertholdo or Jen Ochoa for support from the Basic Needs Office.
Local Free Food Resources. Students and families looking for free shared meals, local food pantries, and other food resources may visit the Somerville Food Security webpage for information. Our family engagement team has also put together a list of important information available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.
SNAP and EBT. For families already accessing SNAP and EBT, your child should be automatically enrolled in Summer EBT. Eligible students receive a one-time payment of $120. Those families should receive a letter in early July about the payment. If you have questions, contact Jennifer Ochoa at (617) 625-6600 x 6996.
Free Food Markets. July 9 and August 6. All Somerville Public Schools families are welcome. Please bring your own bags. Food will be distributed while supplies last. Summer markets are only at the East Somerville Community School from 2:30-4:30p.m.
Summer Events
Student Concerts. Somerville EdTV created a spring concert playlist.
Getting Ready for School. August 20, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. at Somerville High School, 81 Highland Ave. Save the date for the district-wide Get Ready for School Fair. Meet staff and other families, learn about resources, and participate in fun activities.
Athletics Team Registration Open. SHS students, including incoming 9th graders, are invited to register for a fall sport. Student athletes will need to attend a medical clearance event and some sports will hold tryouts. Find more information on the Athletics Department website.
Early Release Wednesdays start next year. Starting in fall 2024, students in grades PK-8 will be released early every Wednesday. The Wednesday school day will end at 12:00 p.m. for prekindergarten and at 1:00 p.m. for grades K-8. Learn more about this schedule change on our website. Somerville High School and Next Wave / Full Circle schedules will remain the same.