Congratulations Class of 2008! — The Mohonasen Class of 2008 celebrated their life at Mohonasen and looked forward to life after high school at the 49th graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 28 at Proctor's Theatre. View the Class of 2008 video that was played at graduation.

Summer reading assignments for incoming high schoolers — To bridge the learning gap over the summer months, Mohonasen High School has required reading assignments for incoming high school students (grades 9-12). Find out more about the Grade 9 Reading Assignment, Grade 9 Honors Letter to Parents (PDF document) & Grade 9 Honors Reading Assignment (PDF document), Grade 10 Reading Assignment, Grade 10 Honors Reading Assignment (PDF document), Grade 11 Reading Assignment, Grade 11 Honors Reading Assignment (PDF document), and the Grade 12 Reading Assignment.

Earning college credit in PLTW classes — Several of Mohonasen High School's PTLW (Project Lead the Way) classes offer the opportunity for students to earn college credit. This year, some PLTW students took the college credit portion of the exam, which will be listed on their report cards. The college credit exam does not affect the student's high school average, it only determines eligibility for college credit. Read more (PDF document).

SADD students raise awareness about how drinking and driving affects everyone — On Thursday, June 5, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) organized an activity to make Mohonasen High School students more aware of how drinking and driving affects everyone.

In the United States, someone dies in a drinking and driving accident every 20 minutes. Throughout the day on June 5, a Mohonasen student’s name was announced over the loudspeaker every 20 minutes as a symbol of the destructive decision of drinking and driving. Read more.

Third Quarter Honor Rolls — The high school's third quarter Gold Honor Roll, Silver Honor Roll and Bronze Honor Roll lists are posted. Congratulations to all those students who achieved honor roll status and good luck to all students on an even better fourth quarter!

Technology classes contribute to courtyard makeover — During the past year the high school courtyard has been through a dramatic transformation. The landscaping and new monuments have made the area a nice place for students to “hang out.” Now, there is one more item to add to the list: Adirondack chairs.

Rob Buehler’s Production Systems class (held in the fall) and Residential Structures class (held in the spring) have been busy making six Adirondack chairs and new trash receptacles for the courtyard. Read more.

14th annual Senior Citizens' Prom was a night to remember —  Mohonasen's 14th annual Senior Citizens' Prom was held on Friday, May 2 at Draper Middle School. This year's theme was "An Evening with the Stars" where student volunteers dressed up as Hollywood starlets. Special thanks to student coordinator Chloe Hester, student photographer Alexandra Calderone, Advisors David Collins and Diane Blinn, Kim Gagnon and the Mohonasen Food Service Department, Cardinal John Productions, the Town of Rotterdam, the Senior Citizens' Association and the Rotterdam Town Board. View the Senior Citizens' Prom program for more information. (PDF document) Photo caption: Mohonasen student volunteers dress up as Buddy Holly and Marilyn Monroe to perform for senior citizens.

Mohonasen Music Department establishes Tri M Music Honor Society — On April 30, the high school music department inducted 55 members into the newly established Tri M Music Honor Society under the initiative of Tri M faculty advisor Kimberly Kondenar. The ceremony took place in the high school auditorium with a reception following. Participants in the ceremony were Miss Kondenar, assistant principal David Collins, department facilitator Keith Bushey, Tri M co-advisor Gail Sparlin, and students Amanda Lavin and Cecelia Gray.

The three M’s in Tri M stand for “Modern Music Masters,” the society’s original name. Students are selected for Tri M using five criteria, based on the five lines of the musical staff. They are: scholarship, character, cooperation, leadership and service. Tri M members are responsible for earning service credit hours by assisting at music department functions and concerts, as well as events in the greater community.

Mock DWI accident a sobering experience for Mohonasen High School students —  On Thursday, May 1, emergency service agencies in the Town of Rotterdam worked with Mohonasen High School to stage a mock DWI (driving while intoxicated) accident scene on the high school grounds.

In the hypothetical crash scene, a simulated two-car accident was caused by an “intoxicated” student driver. “The whole idea is to send the message that alcohol and motor vehicles are a deadly combination,” Mohonasen School Resource Officer Thomas Culbert says. Read more. View photo gallery.

Junior conferences cover options for the future; Conference materials now available — High School counselors are currently in the process of finishing junior conferences with students. These conferences cover graduation requirements, courses for next year and planning for future career and college options. To aid in this process counselors have developed a comprehensive career and college planning guide. These guides are handed out during the conferences, but can also be accessed here. Please pay attention to all dates and deadlines for college fairs, standardized tests, college applications and scholarship applications.

Class of 2008 graduation speakers chosen — The 18th annual Graduation Speaker Contest for the Class of 2008 was held on Thursday, April 10. Speaking candidates in the contest included John Anderton, Brett French, Jackie Gunn and Brittany Tommasone. Judges for the competition included George Amedore, Assemblyman to the 105th Assembly District, FOX 23’s Rich Becker, and Erin Breslin and Susan Whitaker from the Schenectady County Museum. Find out who won the Graduation Speaker Contest.

Find out how to go on a Western Mediterranean Cruise, July 2-July 12, 2009 — Relax on a cruise ship. Soak up sun and ocean air. Dock at incredible ports of call including: Marseilles, France; Barcelona and Malaga, Spain; Milan and Genoa, Italy; the Spanish Islands of Ibiza and Mallorca; Straits of Gibraltor; and Tangiers, Morocco. Fees cover round trip air travel, accommodations, meals and museum entrance fees. Students, families and staff who are interested in going on this district-approved trip from July 2, 2009 to July 12, 2009 are encouraged to find out the details at www.myexplorica.com. Receive a $75 discount for signing up before April 30, 2008. For questions and the voucher code, contact Patrick Keegan at Mohonasen High School in room 9.

Mohonasen student wins second place at state SkillsUSA competition — Tim Vander Wouden, a senior in Capital Region Career & Technical School's AYES Automotive Technician program who is also a Mohonasen High School senior, took second place in the New York State SkillsUSA Competition in Syracuse, April 9-11. Read more.

On your mark...get set...BUCKLE UP! — On April 8, Mohonasen High School’s SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) chapter sponsored a “Battle of the Belts” competition, as part of “Sean’s Run 2008.”

Congratulations to the fastest Mohonasen team, seniors Michael Mora, Chris Marco, Alex Massaroni and Rob Claus, who will go on to compete at Chatham High School on April 27 for the World “Battle of the Belts” Championships! Read more. View photo gallery. View Channel 10's coverage of the event.

Mohonasen to offer Driver Education this summer — Mohonasen will be offering Driver Education this summer to students who will be 16 years or older as of July 1, 2008. If you are interested, please see Mrs. Carroll in the high school main office for more information.

Drugs and alcohol: Helping teens make wise choices — With all of the information available to teens, parents may wonder why their children would even consider experimenting with alcohol, tobacco, steroids or other drugs. But a combination of youthful defiance, fearlessness, curiosity, and peer pressure can lead teens to ignore the risks and make the unthinkable a reality. Understanding the pressures on teens to use drugs and alcohol and learning to identify the early signs of substance abuse can help parents tackle this difficult issue. Read more at the Parent Spot.

Drivers need to STOP for pedestrians — People driving on campus, and anywhere for that matter, need to stop and yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. There are "pedestrian crossing" signs and painted pavement located at all of the schools. With snow banks and low light conditions during the winter, it is even more important for drivers to be aware of students who are walking. Find out more at the School Resource Officers' page. 

Warrior Branch Hours — The Warrior Branch will be open to students and staff on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. At this branch, new accounts can be opened and financial transactions conducted. Find out more.

Mohonasen launches new communication tool: Sign up today! — Mohonasen is pleased to announce the launch of the new "School News Notifier" (SNN), a system designed to help keep parents and the community more in touch with what is happening at Mohonasen Central Schools. SNN is an opt-in e-mail alert system for which parents and residents can sign up to receive e-mail alerts from the district. With SNN, district officials have the power to send updates and reminders about district activities or information about emergency school closings and delays. Users can choose to receive any or all of the alerts, and they can unsubscribe at any time. **Your e-mail address will be kept confidential.** Visit the SNN FAQ & Help page for information on how to sign up and log in, what notifications are available, how to subscribe and unsubscribe from notifications and much more. Continue to the School News Notifier home page to sign up for SNN!

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS REGISTER FOR CLASSES — High School students register for courses for the 2008-2009 school year. View the Course of Study Guide and read about the courses offered at the high school (PDF document). Download the following scheduling sheets:

• Freshman Scheduling Sheet (PDF document)

• Sophomore Scheduling Sheet (PDF document)

• Junior Scheduling Sheet (PDF document)

Mohonasen offers permit test online — Mohonasen is offering students an opportunity to take their Learner’s Permit Test via the Internet, thanks to a new program offered by the State Department of Motor Vehicles. Find out more.

Prevention efforts continue in wake of MRSA staph infection cases in our schools — Like most districts around the country, Mohonasen has been taking steps to prevent the spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA. The district has had three reported incidents of MRSA in students — one case each at Pinewood Intermediate School, Draper Middle School and Mohonasen High School. District officials are working closely with the Schenectady County Health Department to minimize the spread of this antibiotic-resistant bacteria and promote good hygiene practices among students and staff. Health officials say that regularly washing hands with soap and water is the BEST way to prevent the spread of MRSA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has compiled a list of common questions and answers about MRSA in schools. Additional information about MRSA and what Mohonasen is doing to prevent its spread can be found here.

PTSO looking for new members to support activities that benefit Mohonasen students: Check out their new Web site — The officers of the Mohonasen PTSO would like to extend an invitation to all parents and teachers to join the organization. Additionally, the Mohonasen PTSO has a new look — check out their new PTSO Web site! The PTSO sponsors numerous events throughout the school year for our middle and high school students, including teen towns, afterglows, award ceremonies, 8th Grade Career Day and dance, and the annual senior breakfast. PTSO also coordinates fund raisers, such as the faculty basketball game in November and holiday gift wrapping in December.

2007-08 district calendar is available online — The full version of the 2007-08 district calendar is now available online! Please note that the PDF document might take a little while to download.

High School Parent-Student Survival Guide available — The Mohonasen High School Parent-Student Survival Guide has everything you ever wanted to know about high school! Download an updated 2007-08 Parent-Student Survival Guide here. (PDF document)

Extracurricular offerings at the high school — Join a club and get involved! Look here for an explanation of student clubs and activities at Mohonasen High School for 2007-08.

Find out how to go on a summer trip to France and Spain! — Students, families and staff who are interested in going to a district-approved trip to France and Spain June 30, 2008 to July 10, 2008 are encouraged to find out the details at www.myexplorica.com. Type in the ID number "Keegan-2363" in the Enrollment Area. For questions, contact Patrick Keegan at Mohonasen High School in room 9. The price will go up on December 1, so check it out now!

Mohonasen census: New children in district — The Mohonasen Central School District is taking a census of all school district residents who have children under age 5 in order to plan for future student enrollment in our schools. Please take the time to fill out and send in the district census as soon as possible to Bradt Primary School, 2719 Hamburg Street, Attention: Alma DiCocco. Thank you for your assistance.

Visit "The Trading Post" school store — Mohonasen High School's school store "The Trading Post" is a student-run store open during lunch periods and after school during period 10. Students, faculty, parents and other community members are welcome to come and check out the Mohonasen High School apparel for sale. All school store proceeds go to student-run activities and equipment within the high school. Click here to go to "The Trading Post" page.  

"Keep trying" is message to students who score below a 65 on any required Regents exam — Students at Mohonasen High School need to try, try again if they score less than 65 on any of the five Regents exams now required for graduation. "The Regents diploma is the new basic diploma that all of our students need to be working toward," says High School Principal Patrick McGrath, "and this requires a minimum score of 65 on each of five mandatory exams." No student will be considered eligible for the local diploma option unless they have made two or three attempts on any required Regents exam where they scored less than 65. Read more here.

Learn about NY's graduated license program — Confused about the Graduated License Program? Learn all the details about this and other matters on Mohonasen's SRO Web page. Did you know Mohonasen High School has a Rotterdam Police Officer serving the school on a full-time basis? Learn about the role of the school resource officer and check out all the useful news and information designed specifically for high school students and their parents. Learn more here.

SENIORS! Follow this road map to prepare for life after high school! — Your senior year at Mohonasen High School will be an exciting one which, for most students, will be focused on making the smooth transition to college. There's a LOT to do this year (parents and students alike) so take a deep breath and try not to get overwhelmed. Here's a step-by-step checklist to keep you on-track.

High Schools That Work — Mohonasen won a "Best Practice Award" from the Schenectady County Chamber as a participant in the High Schools That Work program. Read more here.


Looking for a particular TEACHER Web page? All of our high school teacher pages are now one click off the high school home page. You can click on the "teacher pages" logo on the top left of the school home page or go there now. 

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