The Nashoba school year of 2015-2016 has, as always, been an eventful one. However, it has been several years since so many new and exciting changes have been implemented.

One of the most well-received novelties has been the late starts. Hardly any student in the school has found reason to complain about the sporadic chance to sleep in ever other Wednesday. Some kids have also enjoyed the water bottle filling device that made an appearance in the hallway this year.

Along with that, Nashoba was pleased to welcome new teachers and staff members. Mr. Hunter and Mrs. Glenister (formerly Ms. Pelchat) have been wonderful additions to the History and Music departments respectively, as well as Ms. Barr and Ms. Sheridan to the World Language department, and Mr. Gorer to the Math Department. In addition to the new teachers and classes, Nashoba gained two new friendly faces in the office: Ms. Femino and Ms. Pelletier, who took the place of Mrs. Hilliger (who moved down to guidance) and  Mrs. Nicoll.

A few new classes were also added to the roster, and kids have had the opportunity to try Origins of Everything, Game Design, Digital Creativity, Theatre Arts, Dance and Movement, and Acting 3. As class variety and numbers have been growing, the school itself has been forced to expand a bit. This fall, Nashoba students took classes in portable classrooms for the first time at the high school. Reactions to this change have been both positive and negative, although mostly curious toward the future of our expanding school.

Administration has made several other efforts to keep the growing student body under control. Student parking spots are now numbered, therefore making ‘illegal’ parking on campus almost impossible. Hall passes have also been much more strongly monitored this year, with new rules about when and how students may conduct themselves in the halls.

A huge movement in the school this year has been the creation and growing popularity of the Nashoba Cup. This Hogwarts-like competition has increased school spirit throughout the student body. While some Chieftain pride has risen and strengthened, some controversy has grown surrounding the mascot. Although this has always been something of a debate, the Native American mascot has been a particularly hot topic during 2015 and 2016.

Despite the controversy, extracurriculars and sports were hopping as always. In the drama department, seniors won the class plays in the fall by a slim margin. The fall play this year, Fame, had a new director: Ms. Martell. However, old favorite Bill Grady returned to direct  The Addams Family musical in the spring.

Sports also saw some major successes as the football team went undefeated and won the state championship. The hockey team followed suit, also claiming a state championship. The Destination Imagination team was once again invited to the World’s competition, but they decided not to participate this year. Finally, the RoboChiefs made it to the World Competition this year, and they were able to proceed to the final rounds.

Along with these big events, a few smaller events have highlighted the year. The famed bullet-in-the-hallway incident resulted in an unexpected early release from school, and NRHS got a Snapchat filter in March.

As seniors prepare to leave, and the 2015-2016 school year comes to a close, we will be saying goodbye to some of the favorite teachers in the school, as Mrs. Offt and Mrs. D are both retiring this year.

Yet again, Nashoba has had a successful, eventful, and exciting year. There’s sure to be another one to come!