Friday, May 29, 2015

Principal's Blog for the Week of May 26th - 29th



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The Class of 2015

Final exams are all completed except those students who may have to complete a make-up exam on Monday.  Next week is such an important week for our graduating seniors.  Please plan to join us next week for our Senior Night ceremony on Tuesday the 3rd of June starting at 6:30.  this event is held in the HIgh School Auditorium.  Senior Night is a mandatory event for our students. 

On Thursday we hold our Baccalaureate Service at St. Denis Church starting at 7:00pm. This is a nice nondenominational ceremony and features our award winning chorus performing three musical selections.  Again, we hope you'll join us for this ceremony.  It is not a mandatory event for our seniors. 

Friday June 5th we will be conducting the 137th Commencement Ceremony.  Weather permitting it will be held out on the athletic field with a 5:30 pm start time.  To accommodate the crowd, we will run shuttle busses from the parking lots at the Middle, Elementary and Primary school parking lots.  It is best to plan for the need to use this shuttle service as the High School lot will be filled in short order.  We have used this shuttle service for a number of years and it has worked out well.  We ask our senior students to park down at these other schools to maximize the number of parking spots that are available here at DHS. 

We also run three golf carts from our parking lots to assist spectators in getting down to the field space. This service also runs after the graduation is completed.  

Our junior class will be selling water and flowers at the graduation event also.  

Now, should we have threatening weather we will be forced to hold the graduation ceremony in our gym.  We have done this in the past and has been a nice ceremony but unfortunately we have limited seating within the gym.  We will provide each senior with 7 tickets for attending the event if we are in the gym.  That will get us to capacity and we will not be able to honor any requests for additional tickets beyond these 7 tickets.  If we are in the gym for graduation, the doors to the gym will be locked until 4:30 when we will begin admitting ticket holding guest for the 5:30 start. 

Seniors have been provided order forms for pictures through our vendor, Morin's Studio of Milford.  We ask that these forms be returned prior to Friday so it will not be a concern for parents, students and the school on the day of the ceremony.  Please consider this opportunity as they do a nice job and they are valuable keepsakes of this important day in your child's education. 

Lastly, during the week our seniors will be attending mandatory rehearsals Monday through Thursday.  The time schedule is posted below.  They will also enjoy the annual Senior Cookout on Wednesday from 12:30 -2:00 pm in the school's courtyard. 

Every year it happens; Senior Week arrives in what seems like the blink of an eye.  This is a great senior class and we look forward to honoring and recognizing them during this week.  Please join us as we celebrate the Class of 2015!

   
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SENIOR WEEK SCHEDULE
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MCAS Science Testing:
Students will be taking the Science MCAS competency exams on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  Wednesday is reserved for make-up exams.  Students will be provided with a light breakfast before heading to their testing sites for a 7:30 am start. This is the final round of state competency testing for the 2014-2015 school year.  
I'd like to thank Mrs. Jill Carpenter and Mr. Desi Vega for all their work in planning and overseeing these exams.  Jill deserves a great deal of credit for her attention to these exams and all the requirements and accommodations that come along with this process.  
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Spring Band Concert
The DHS Band, Auxiliary and Chorus program's will be presenting an Alumni Concert tomorrow night outdoors on the athletic field starting at 6:30.  Mr. DeNoncour and Mr. Elliot have spent a great deal of time and energy putting together this monumental event.  They have a large number of alumni who have committed to participate and it is shaping up to be a great night of entertainment.  We hope you'll consider coming out to the show.  Our present band, chorus and auxiliary groups will also be featured tomorrow night in their final performance of the school year. This is a fundraising event that will not charge an admission, but will graciously accept any donations that they receive.  The proceeds will go to support next years programs which will require fundraising to cover their entire operational costs of the programs. 

Hope to see you there.
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Sports update:
Members of the track teams will be traveling to Westfield State University for the District Championships.  We extend best wishes to these students in this major sports event.  They have enjoyed a wonderful spring season and strong performances at this championship meet will be a nice culminating piece to their season. 

The baseball team will await their seeding for the MIAA Tournament round.  the seeding meeting is Monday.  The team finished its season with a tough loss to neighboring Uxbridge HS in extra innings.  They also have enjoyed a good season and hope to advance in the District Tournament.  We hope that their record may afford them a home game in the first round of the tournament.  We anticipate that they will begin play on Wednesday of next week.  

The Spring Season Awards Night was held on Wednesday night.  Our spring sport athletes were recognized for their season.  We also provided our senior student-athletes with plaques, pins and letters for their years of participation.  We thank the booster's organization for their continued support in recognizing these students.   

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Retirement:
The Booster's were kind enough to present "allegedly" (I haven't given up trying to get him to reconsider) retiring Athletic Director Bobby Doyon with a plaque and a banner honoring not only his years as athletic director at DHS but also recognizing his two decades of dedication and service to the town's sports programs. He has also been an active member of the Booster's organization for two decades as well. Quite simply he has played an important leadership role in Douglas athletics for better than two decades; dedicating himself to the quality of the experience for countless hundreds of young athletes.  He has been a tireless champion of the town's young people by providing of his time, skills, energy and commitment to the programs that the town and DHS have to offer it's young people.  We cannot thank him enough for what he has meant to the town of Douglas. 

As an Athletic Director, he was meticulous in his attention to details, ensuring our student-athletes with the best experience at all levels of participation within our programs.  Without question Bobby is one of the top AD's in Central Massachusetts.  Other AD's seek his counsel and advice all the time, because they know how well he has managed the sports programs at DHS.  

Without question my position has just become more involved as a result of his retirement. I have felt that for the past six years, that Bobby and I have been a good team and I relied heavily on his skill set and his relentless attention to all the small things that come with the AD position.  Over 32 years as a coach and administrator, I have worked with and interacted with a great number of AD's and Bobby is simply as good as I've ever worked with.  
The Town of Douglas and DHS have benefitted from his commitment to the kids of the town and to the student-athletes of DHS.  
Thank you Bobby!    

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Friday, May 22, 2015

Principal's Blog for the Week of May 18th - 22nd

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DHS is off to the Prom tonight. The event is being held at the Sheraton Tara in Framingham with 195 students and 10 chaperones attending.  We look forward to a wonderful night.
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ATHLETIC SCHEDULE      
                        Week of May 25th, 2015                              
                                                                                     BUS
Tuesday,             JV Baseball Home vs Tahanto @ 3:30
May 26th            JV Softball Home vs Tahanto @ 3:30
Thursday,    Varsity Baseball Home vs Uxbridge @ 3:30
May 28th            Varsity Softball Home vs Uxbridge @ 3:30
                      JV Baseball @ Uxbridge @ 3:30               2:30
                      JV Softball @ Uxbridge @ 3:30
Saturday,                 Track and Field Central Meet               TBD 
May 30th                         @ Westfield State
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Track and Field
    The girls Track and Field Team put forth a tremendous effort on May 21st, placing 2nd overall at the DVC Championships.There score of 127 points doubled that of the third place team, who finished with 63.  

Makenzie Cyr won gold in two events (2 Mile, 400) and Anders LaFortune (Discus) and Rachel Dixson (Triple Jump) also won their events.  Other top finishers were Sophie Thorson (Discus), Anders LaFortune (Javelin), Rachael Morin (Triple Jump), Meghan Foley (100 Hurdles and 400 Hurdles), Micaela Goldenberg (400 Hurdles) and Tess Miller (400).

The boys got strong performances from Alec Goldenberg and Zack Eldridge in the 400 as well as Josh Osipitan in the Long Jump and 100.








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Mock Accident
The Douglas Health Advisory held its third Mock Accident presentation for students in the Junior and Senior class. We would like to extend our thanks to all the members of the Health Advisory Board for their work in planning this event.  We thank the Douglas Police and Fire Departments for their support and participation.  They play an important role in this presentation.  We extend our appreciation to the Douglas Public Works with special thanks to John Furno, a driving force behind this presentation. Warm appreciations go out to Mrs. Sokol, Mrs. Stack, Nurse Valliere and Mrs. Carpenter for their continued support of this important presentation. the students in Mr. DeNoncour's Music Tech class did a terrific job in both provinding lighting and sound as well as lending their skills to recording mock broadcasts of the 911 calls and a radio broadcast detailing the incident and its implications. Lastly we extend thanks to Alexandra Briggs, Angela Pignatiello, Mr. Riordan, Mr. LaChapelle and Mr. DeNoncour for their poignant music presentations.  






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Blackstone Valley Education Foundation
Madeline Peck and jared Marston completed a student leadership program sponsored by the Blackstone Valley Collaborative.  Both students took part in a number of session focused on the development of leadership skills for both the school setting as well as within the community.  We are very proud of them for their commitment and participation in this excellent program. The recently attended a banquet that celebrated their participation. Congratulations to both Jared and Madeline.   






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Friday, May 15, 2015

Principal's Blog for the Week of May 11th - 15th

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Advanced Placement 
Students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses concluded their testing in individual content areas.  Students took tests in 12 different content areas with a total of 176 tests being completed. 
We thank all of our AP teachers and Mrs. Stack for their efforts in supporting our students in their classes and in the testing process. 
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Mock Accident
Douglas High School will be presenting its third Mock Accident on Thursday May 21st.  This is simulation intended to provide our students with a look at the impacts of driving while under the influence and distracted driving.  The program is supported by the Douglas School Health Advisory.  It is presented to members of the Junior and Senior class and it does not require mandatory attendance by students.  Please review the letter that was given to all students in these classes.  If you wish to have your child opt out of attending please sign the form and have it returned to the main office in advance of the event. DHS thanks all those individuals and groups who are sponsoring this presentation. 

May 13, 2015

Dear Parent/Guardian:
The Douglas School Health Advisory Board along with the support of the Douglas School Committee will be conducting its third “Mock Accident” scenario on the morning of Thursday May 21, 2015; one day prior to the Junior/Senior Prom on Friday May 22, 2015. This “Mock Accident” is presented to all students in the junior and senior classes at Douglas High School.  We hope that through the staging of this event that the students will have a point of reference with which to draw upon while operating or riding in a motor vehicle.
Nationally, the statistics are staggering! Every day teenage fatalities occur as a result of motor vehicle accidents. That’s 14 deaths per day, 415 deaths per month and 5000 deaths per year! All of us believe that as a community, we have the responsibility to address the enormous problem of distracted teenaged driving.
With the cooperation of the Douglas Police, Fire and Public Works Departments, we will stage a realistic crash site along with the all too often resultant consequences. Hopefully, this event will be an extremely moving experience that our teens will remember for a lifetime.
The presentation does not mandate attendance at this re-enactment by our students.  It is hoped that all will attend but should they, or you their parent, not wish for them to attend this presentation then we ask that you please sign the notice on the back of this page and have your child bring the notice to main office on Wednesday May 20, 2015 or not later than first thing on the morning of the event.  They will be dismissed from attending and will have the opportunity to remain in the school while the event is taking place. Also, please know that our Guidance Counselors, teachers and administrators will be available to our students during and after this event should they need our support.


Sincerely,



Kathleen A. Campbell, RN, BSN
Kevin Maines, Principal





Junior-Senior Mock Accident Waiver of Attendance:
I choose to not have my junior/senior attend the mock accident that is being held on Thursday, May 21, 2015 at Douglas High School.
Junior/Senior’s Name: __________________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian’s Name: _______________________________________________________
Parent/Guardian’s Signature: ____________________________________________________

Members of the School Health Advisory Board: Kevin Maines, Principal; Norman Yvon, Superintendent; Lisa Leon, Food Service Director; Kathleen Campbell, Nurse Leader; Mary Sokol, Educator; Genie Stack, Guidance Counselor; Jill Carpenter, Guidance Counselor; Marlene Bacon, Board of Health Supervisor; Tony Yannino, Police Officer; Patricia Valliere, School Nurse; Patrick Foley, Chief of  Police; Chief Kent Vincent; Shirley Mosczynski, Former Member Douglas Selectmen, Former Douglas School Committee Member. First Responders: John Furno, Deputy Fire Chief, Head of Douglas Highway Department; Keith Stratton, Douglas Police Officer; Lt. Justin McCullum, EMT/Firefighter


                                 
                                       The Town of Douglas is an equal opportunity provider.
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Events this week:
On Wednesday night, the Related Arts will be presenting their "Evening with the Arts." This is always a wonderful evening with a gallery to stroll through and music to be enjoyed.  We hope that you will join us for this night of entertainment and the arts.
We thank Mrs. Littleton, Mr. DeNoncour and Mr. Elliot for their efforts with this annual presentation.  It will run from 6-8 in the main foyer of the HS.

Prom
DHS will be holding their Prom on Friday evening at the Sheraton Tara in Framingham.  The Junior Class Prom committee and their advisors, Mrs. Fitzpatrick and Mrs. Adamson have done a wonderful job of planning the event and we look forward to a night for our students to remember.  Tickets will remain on sale until Tuesday afternoon and they are priced at $80.00 for one and $150 for two.  Buses are provided to and from the prom.  Should be great.

The Junior/Senior prom will be held on Friday, May 22nd at the Sheraton Tara Hotel in Framingham.  If you still need to fill out a dance contract please see Mrs. Fitz for a form.  Also, if you are planning on bringing a guest they must have completed a guest verification form AND a dance contract. The sooner these forms are passed in the better!  If you have any questions please see Ms. Fitz or Ms. Adamson. Tickets will be on sale until the end of the day Tuesday, May 19th. 

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Meeting for all parents with a student who plans to participate in athletics next year:

On Tuesday May 19th at 6:30 pm in the HS Auditorium the Athletic Boosters will be holding a meeting to vote on a final proposal for fees for the 2015-16 athletic year.  All parents of student athletes are highly encouraged to attend.   To view the options being voted on, please go to the high school website to view. It is very important that parents attend as the Athletic Boosters will be working on finalizing plans for the necessary fund raising needed to continue to provide sports programs at DHS.  Please plan to attend.

ATHLETIC SCHEDULE
                 Week of May 18th, 2015                                                          
BUS
Monday, May 18th            Boys Varsity Volleyball @ Medfield @ 6:00 4:30
           Varsity Baseball @ AMSA @ 3:30 2:15
           Varsity Softball @ AMSA @ 3:30
           JV Softball Home vs AMSA @ 3:30
           JV Baseball Home vs AMSA @ 3:30
Tuesday, May 19th            JV Softball Home vs BMR @ 3:30
Wednesday, May 20th             JV Softball @ Valley Tech @ 3:30 2:30
          Varsity Softball Home vs Valley Tech @ 3:30
Thursday, May 21st          Track and Field Home (DVC Championship) @ 3:00
         Varsity Baseball @ Quaboag @ 3:30 2:00
                                              JV Baseball Home vs Quaboag @ 3:30
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Spin Bikes
On behalf of the Douglas High School we would like to thank the Douglas Athletic Boosters and the Class of 2013 for their generous donation to the and PE program. These two spin bikes make a wonderful addition to our fitness room. 

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Track and Field
Our Boy's and Girl's Track teams have concluded their DVC season with both teams performing well.  The girls ended their league portion of the season with a 5-1 record and the boys have finished with a 4-2 record.  They both will be competing tomorrow in the District's and we wish them well in these meets.







Boy's Volleyball 
The Boy's Volleyball team is wrapping up their season.  They have just two games remaining on their schedule with their next game being Monday at Medfield HS.


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Art Show
The Douglas High School Art Show will happen on Wed. evening from 6 to 8 in the high school lobby.  Come and see what the talented art students have done over the year with Mrs. Stand and now Ms. Littleton.

Ceramics, pottery, pencil, ink, watercolors, pastels, acrylic and sculpture.We will also celebrate the work of all of our Art students as well as focusing on the work of our Art III and IV students. 

We will also display the work of our Art All-State finalists: 
Briel DiDonato and Karyna Wilson.  
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Social Host Law
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IMPORTANT DATES FOR SENIORS
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     If you are planning to attend the prom, please stop by the main office to pick up an early dismissal form and return it to the main office prior to the date of the prom.  Seniors who will be dismissed during final exams are required to have your parents sign an early release form.  Both of these forms are now available in the main office.
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    Kiss the Seniors goodbye!! For one dollar, send a packet of Hershey’s Kisses to a senior with your personal note. Proceeds will go to the Douglas Band Boosters to help support our band and chorus programs next year. Kisses available at all lunches through next Wednesday. 
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  Juniors - Assumption College will be hosting a College Fair on Wednesday, May 20th from 6:30 to 8:30.  This is a great opportunity to visit with some college admissions representatives and start your college list!
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Friday, May 8, 2015

Principal's Blog for the Week of May 4th-8th



MCAS Math testing takes place this week on Tuesday and Wednesday for our grade 10 students.  They are to report to their testing sites by 7:30 after reporting to the cafeteria for a light breakfast.   

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DHS Chorus Trip
     This weekend the chorus participated in the Music in the Parks Philadelphia music festival and was awarded 2nd place in their category with a rating of “good”. Alex Briggs was recognized as an outstanding vocal soloist and the group was also awarded the Esprit de Corp trophy for their excellent personal and professional presentation. Congratulations to all chorus members on your successful trip and performance. 


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Art Show
The Douglas High School Art Show will happen on Wed. evening May 20th from 6 to 8 in the high school lobby.  Come and see what the talented art students have done over the year with Mrs. Stand and now Ms. Littleton.
Ceramics, pottery, pencil, ink, watercolors, pastels, acrylic and sculpture.
We will also celebrate the work of all of our Art students as well as focusing on the work of our Art III and IV students. We will also display the work of our Art All-State finalists: Briel DiDonato and Karyna Wilson.  Please mark this on your calendar.  The show will be open for students and staff from May 20th -22nd.
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AED Presentation
Today at Sutton HS, 11 area high schools were presented with AED's for athletic programs by the family of Michael Ellsessar who was a student-athlete from Sutton HS who passed during a high school game a few years back.  John and Luann Ellsessar have provided these emergency service devices to honor their son Michael's memory.  It is such a kind and caring gesture on their part and certainly one that is appreciate by not only Douglas High School by all those schools in the Blackstone Valley that received this gift.  Athletic Director Bobby Doyon and students Makenzie Cyr, Brian Pineo and Chris Cicero represented DHS at this poignant ceremony.
We extend our most humble appreciation to the Ellsessar family.



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Cinco De Mayo celebration in the World Language Department
World Language classes recognized the cinco de mayo holiday with a friendly French classes vs. Spanish classes soccer "battle" to reenact the legendary Battle of Puebla, when a small Mexican army defeated Napoleon's army using guerrilla warfare tactics in 1862. Thanks go out to Mr. Nauss, Ms. Smith, Ms. Turner and Mrs. Cicero for their work on this new tradition at DHS.  





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Social Host Law


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DHS Volleyball
The Boy's Volleyball Team is just beyond the midpoint of their season.  They are presently 3-10 on the season.  Coach Farese and the team members are competing with a good deal of intensity and with each game they are improving and getting more familiar with the movements of the game.  They will travel to North HS today.





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DHS Softball
The Softball team is also just beyond the midpoint of their season.  They are enjoying the confines of their new field space.  Their season has been a bit up and down but they are playing every team tough.  They are home today versus BMR at 3:30.

Emily on the pitcher's mound recently.


Kam playing third base.


Ashley working behind home plate.

Julie playing defense at shortstop.

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Mr. DHS
The Student Council held their annual Mr. DHS night last week and it was a fun-filled night of interesting entertainment.  Taylor Trottier, Nicholas Daly, John Keough, Jesse Mosczynski and Connor Gauthier were this years candidates. The event was well attend and the crowd was festive and enthralled with the show.  Nicholas Daly emerged as this years Mr. DHS!!  Congratulations to Mr. Daly on this prestigious title. We thank the members of the student council, all those who served as judges and Ms. Smith and Mr. Nauss for their work on this evening.  






The five contestants: Taylor, John, Nicholas, Connor and Jesse.
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Teacher Appreciation Breakfast
The members of the Student Council provided the faculty and staff with a lovely breakfast on Tuesday morning.  The staff enjoyed eggs, bacon, pancakes, french toast, cinnamon buns, fruit and coffee. It was a wonderful gesture on the part of our student council members which was very much appreciated by the staff. The tables were decorated with statements of appreciation from the students to the staff.




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A Senior Project
Thursday afternoon Senior Leah Manyak conducted an interesting Senior Project.  Leah hosted a gather of students who were interested in the hair and makeup fashions of the 50's and 60's.  Below is a sample of the end result of the project.  



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ANNOUNCEMENTS

        The Junior/Senior prom will be held on Friday, May 22nd at the Sheraton Tara Hotel in Framingham.  If you still need to fill out a dance contract please see Mrs. Fitz for a form.  Also, if you are planning on bringing a guest they must have completed a guest verification form AND a dance contract. The sooner these forms are passed in the better!  If you have any questions please see Ms. Fitz or Ms. Adamson.
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     If you are planning to attend the prom, please stop by the main office to pick up an early dismissal form and return it to the main office prior to the date of the prom.  Seniors who will be dismissed during final exams are required to have your parents sign an early release form.  Both of these forms are now available in the main office.
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      77 Blossom Flower Shop is offering complete prom flower packages that include the wrist corsage and the coordinating boutonniere. A portion of proceeds will be returned to the class. There are informational cards available in the Main Office if you are interested!
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        Interested in traveling abroad? Seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris and eating tapas in Spain? Guess what? YOU can during next February vacation! It's not too late to sign up for a trip of a lifetime! On Wednesday, May 6th at 6pm there will be a meeting for parents and students who are interested in traveling to France and Spain February Break of 2016 in Ms. Smith's room (C203).  This is not a school sanctioned trip.
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ATTENTION ALL SENIORS & PARENTS OF SENIORS

2015 Celebration Graduation
Douglas Senior Class Graduation Night Event

Permission slips were emailed to all Senior class members.  In order to attend this event on Graduation Night, permission slips must be completed and returned by Friday May 15th, 2015. If the permission slip is not completed and returned, your student will not be able to attend…No exceptions!!!  

Thank you ~ 2015 Celebration Graduation Committee.
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