Dear Chaparral Families,

Happy February! I hope everyone has enjoyed the cool and rainy days. Personally, I enjoy the cloudy days, but mostly, I love the rain. The cool weather gives me energy and inspires me to work on projects. February will be a busy month with lots of activity; CHAPTS needs everyone to be ready and jump-in to help.

CHAPTS volunteers are busy with the usual jobs on campus as well as preparations for upcoming Teacher Luncheon, Project Graduation, the On-Line auction and the Spring Fundraiser. Take a look at the CHAPTS and the Chaparral website to keep up with all the events and happenings on campus. CHS Student Government will host Erik Weihenmayer and Kevin Cherilla on February 18 as they give a presentation to the Chaparral community. They will speak about their adventures climbing Mount Everest. Together, Erik and Kevin speak about harnessing the power of adversity, the importance of a "rope team," and the daily struggle to pursue your dreams. Their accomplishments show that one does not have to have perfect eyesight to have extraordinary vision. A portion of the admission and evening proceeds will go to the Chaparral Student Government.

Freshman, Sophomore and Junior students have been working with the Counselors on their class schedules for next year. Incoming freshman students are developing their four-year plans for classes. As the students decide on classes to take, parents are encouraged to consider ways that they can get involved at Chaparral next year. Parents are a great resource for Chaparral and I know that all of you have something to offer the school. This is a great time to think about what lies ahead and how we can collectively work to make those ideas happen.

Please look at the CHAPTS and Chaparral websites. Mark your calendars now for 'One Big Night' on February 18th and the CHAPTS Spring Fundraiser on March 27. Plan to attend the February CHAPTS meeting on February 8th at 7:00 in the Library.

I hope we can all enjoy the cool and beautiful weather a little longer and that we all get excited about the upcoming events at Chaparral. Remember it is never too late to jump-in and lend a hand.

Enjoy the beauty around you every day...
Kathy Barney

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Dear Chaparral Parents,

We are currently in the midst of the second quarter of the school year. Chaparral's site-based management committee, CORE as well as our School Improvement Committee have been busy putting the final touches on this year's School Improvement Plan.  We continue to focus on the areas of Academics and Professional Development for teachers.   This year, Chaparral’s academic goal continues our focus on reading in the content area with a focus on vocabulary development.

This year, we have implemented a new freshmen transition program called Ignite. We initially began the program in May of 2009 with a core group of fifteen students who were nominated by teachers and staff members. This year, we have over one hundred student mentors for our freshmen. They meet eight Fridays’ per year during science classes presenting lessons on setting goals and how to have a successful freshman year. Thank you to CHAPTS for believing in this program and providing the funds to make this possible.

I am proud to tell you that this year Chaparral High School had sixteen National Merit Semi-Finalists and nine Commended Scholars. Students qualified for the National Merit program with the scores they earned on the 2008 PSAT. Semifinalists are the highest scorers in each of the fifty states and represent less than one percent of each states’ high school seniors. Congratulations to our commended scholars; Michael Bull, Madeleine Evans, Judith Giller-Leinwohl, Cailey Indech, Elizabeth Portanova, Madison Schutt, Alexandre Secunda, Shayna Steingard, and Stephanie Zucker and to our Semi-Finalists; Christopher Bremer, Matthew Dundas, Laura Eckhardt, Nathan Gaw, Emily Hudspeth, Stefani Jones, Michaela Karis, Molly Kupfer, Miranda Loeber, Lawrence Matiski, Patrick Murray, David Nguyen, Hillary Novatt, Carter Owen, Neel Rao, and Barbara Terzic.

The fall athletic season is coming to a close and Chaparral athletes have done an outstanding job moving to the 5A II region. The boys’ and girls’ golf teams, boys’ and girls’ swim teams, and the football team are region champions. They will all be competing in the state competitions in the next few weeks. I thank all of the athletes and their parents for their hard work and dedication to Chaparral High School.

Some faculty highlights from this semester include: Chaparral’s Jerry Dawson was named the 21st winner of the Easton Sports’ Master Coach of the Year Award.  Over the past 36 years, Coach Dawson has touched the lives of an untold number of students on this campus.  If you see him in the office or out on the baseball field be sure to offer your congratulations for another well deserved national honor! Kathryn Ellefsen was elected president of the AFLA (Arizona Foreign Language Association). Mike Neer and Speech and Debate program achieved 100 degrees or more last year and placed in the top 10% of NFL chapters nationwide.  The Chaparral Speech and Debate Chapter is now a member of the elite "100 Club".  Alicia McGovern was selected by Fulton Homes as the “Teacher of the Week”. Finally, the Scottsdale Mayor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities selected Michele Thompson-Meyer as the 2009 High School Teacher of the Year.

Chaparral’s Performing Arts Department has been very busy this semester. The Marching Band has been cleaning up awards at competitions all season. "Lend Me A Tenor" was performed last month under the direction of theatre teacher, Julianna Bellinger. The production kept crowds laughing and entertained all week. This week, Chaparral’s Vocal Music is presenting Coffee House where the talents of both Chaparral students and teachers will be showcased.

Once again, I would like to stress the importance of sending your children to school everyday. However, this year we have been faced with many students exhibiting flu-like symptoms prior to October break. Any student exhibiting flu-like symptoms such as fever, aches, pains, and/or headaches should remain at home. They should ONLY return to school after being fever free for twenty-four hours. Please continue to check our website with updates on the H1N1 virus.

With the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to thank all of you for sending your children to this high school. Additionally, I would like to thank the faculty and staff and my fellow administrators at Chaparral for once again for earning the state designation of Excelling high school. Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday.

Mary Lou Muccino, Principal

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