Welcome back, Panthers! This past week marked the first of many for the 2022-2023 school year at NMSHS. Students spent their week becoming situated in their classes, practicing for the new athletic season, and seeing their friends after summer vacation. In order to kick off the new year, NMSHS organized a Back to School Night and ice cream social. Students and parents met the new principal Gavan Goodrich, as well as teachers, athletic coaches, and counselors.

The night began with a meet and greet and ice cream social, where attendees could learn about athletic registration from the high-school cross country coach, Gavin Coombs, explore mental health resources from Clinica Family Health, and chat with the administration about the upcoming year. From there, principal Gavan Goodrich and athletic director Sean DePaula spoke in the auditorium about what parents and students could expect for the upcoming year.

Mr. Goodrich delivered a welcome address in which he highlighted how excited he is to be acting as principal for NMSHS. He stated that he feels very welcome at the school and that the staff and students are wonderful to work with. He mentioned his plans to prioritize the safety and security of the school, as well as his intent for implementing student expectations. Mr. Goodrich has high hopes for the year, mentioning that “the students have been great about getting to class on time and being fair and respectful with each other and the staff. They have been extremely kind.” He also spoke about club opportunities for students such as fall theater and student council.

Afterward, Sean DePaula spoke about the opportunities for sports at NMSHS, as well as how to register for the season. Though it may be a small school, the sports offered at NMSHS do not disappoint. This fall, the high school is offering cross country, boys’ soccer, girls’ volleyball, and mountain biking. Middle schoolers will have the opportunity to sign up for girls’ volleyball, cross country, flag football, and girls’ basketball. There will be many more sports for students during the winter and spring. Mr. Depaula was adamant about student registration, saying, “We want every student to be involved! Even if you have never played that sport before, we hope you will sign up and try something new”.

After the welcome address, parents got to follow their students through a simulated eight-period day, where they would meet their student’s teacher and learn about any important information from such.

The success of the back-to-school night marks the beginning of what will be a great school year at NMSHS! So far, students have excitedly jumped into their academics and athletics. For many high school students, this is the first “normal” year of learning, where students can focus on their schoolwork without being interrupted by Covid-19. So, classrooms are full of students who are ready to try new classes which they may have missed during the quarantined years. All signs point to this being a great year. Welcome back, Panthers!

To learn more about registration for NMSHS sports, please visit https://neh. bvsd.org/athletics.

To learn more about the beginning of the year, please visit https://neh.bvsd.org/ about/announcements