12/4/2025

STAMFORD HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL'S NEWSLETTER

55 Strawberry Hill Ave. Stamford, Connecticut 06902

Week Ending Friday, December 4, 2025

Mr. Matthew Forker, Principal

THANKFUL!

Football Victory, Service to Community and Students Highlight Holiday Week!

Thanksgiving week is always a special time of year for SHS!  Highlighted by our continued commitment to feed the less fortunate and our senior citizens, SHS students, staff and families delivered once again during our annual “Athletic Department Holiday Food Drive,” supplying 150 premade bags containing all items needed to put on a feast!  The generosity of our school community is unmatched and something we should all be proud of!

Another SHS tradition that continues to get better every year is our “First Thanksgiving” celebration for our ML students, exposing them to one of America’s oldest traditions while being together as a school, giving thanks for what we have, and of course eating!  With support this year from the SHS culinary classes, who prepared the meal and acted as servers, students and teachers enjoyed each other’s company and celebrating a joyous time of the year!

The week concluded on Thanksgiving Day, when after a morning of back and forth play the SHS Black Knights prevailed, on a last second field goal by Junior place kicker Leo Kantrowitz as time ran down, to secure a 17-14 victory which extended our winning streak against rival Westhill to 8 years (and counting!).

A special thanks goes to all the teachers, staff, and student volunteers who supported all of our events and worked on the grills and snack bar on Thanksgiving morning.  Truly a “thankful” week for all of us!

Our festive (and busy) week is another reminder of how lucky I am to be a part of such a great school of students, families, and staff who make things look effortless while navigating their own personal lives and families

THIS WEEK’S UPDATE

Here are some quick updates and reminders for the academic week ending December 4, 2025.  Links have been provided, where applicable, to help with further details.  Have a great weekend with your families! 

O’HALLORAN NAMED TO ALL-NEW ENGLAND TEAM

Senior SHS Soccer player, Rory O’Halloran, was recently named to the All-New England team! 

From Coach Summa: 

“These are all well-deserved honors, and Rory has worked incredibly hard to achieve these.  To be recognized as one of the best players in all New England is a huge accomplishment and one that I know he and his family are incredibly proud of.  We are all so happy for Rory and proud of the way that he represents our program and our school on and off the field.”

Rory now joins a short list of names that have received All New England Honors in the last 30+ years for Stamford High School Boys Soccer: Keith Segovia (1996), Joe Ritchie (1997), Jared Ashe (2002), Noel Vargas (2024).

DECEMBER DATES TO REMEMBER

December 23:  Early Release 

December 24 - January 2:  Winter Recess (NO SCHOOL)

 COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER

The College and Career Center hosted Instant Decision Days for Class of 2026 students. Students were able to interview with admissions representatives from Iona University and Quinnipiac University. After the interviews students were given their admissions decision on the spot! 

The College and Career Center Newsletter is up to date and can be found here. 

ASVAB testing is RESCHEDULED for January 13, 2025, 10th through 12th graders can test. Please register on the google form. This is used as a career exploration tool!

Seniors! If you missed CT State Community App day don't worry! We are hosting another app day on December 11, 2025 for all lunch waves.

Interested in a certification and joining the workforce? Career Hub will be presenting on December 16

Seniors- have you applied to your post secondary plan?? If so, we want to celebrate with you! Confirm your application submission with your counselor then come to the College and Career Center on Dec 18th during your lunch wave for a celebration

Our financial aid raffle winner for the month of November was Ritchie! We will be hosting a December financial aid completion raffle, please be sure to complete yours before the end of the month to be included.

Follow us on IG @shscounselingdept for all event details and inspiring videos- which staff member would you like to see next on our "Why Wednesday" series?

BIOLOGY CLUB TAKES “BONE SHOW” ON THE ROAD

Last week, members of the Biology Club visited Westover Elementary School to present to their students the different aspects of both human and animal bones through an interactive experience! 

From third grade teacher Ms. Allison Hanson:

“Their lesson on bones was engaging, informative, and perfectly tailored to our students. The presenters were confident, well-prepared, and clearly excited to share their knowledge—our students absolutely loved it!

It was especially meaningful to see two former Westover students among the presenters. A special shout-out to my former student, Marilyn Sanchez, for reaching out and helping coordinate this wonderful opportunity. Moments like this remind us how powerful school connections can be.

Thank you again for supporting such enriching experiences. We truly appreciate the collaboration and look forward to future opportunities to partner with your amazing students and staff.”

STUDENTS ATTEND CT ED RISING LEADERSHIP SYMPOSIUM

Last week, student from SHS attended CT Educator Rising Leadership Symposium with students and educators from around the state.  In addition, SHS teacher Dan Lauture presented to a panel on “best practices” to future public-school educators!

SPIRIT “KNIGHT” IS BACK!

Spirit Knight is a special event that brings our SHS Community together to celebrate Fashion, Fun and School Spirit - all while supporting a great cause!

Sign up is now open using the google form, all grade levels are encouraged to participate: https://forms.gle/AfvVaojf5WN8RwoKA

SHS “U-KNIGHTED NATION” TUTORING

If any student needs extra academic support throughout the school year, the SHS U-Knighted Nation organization is here to assist!  Made up of student volunteers, the UKN tutors are available to assist and help ANY student that may need it.

CELL PHONE POLICY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’S)

For cell phone Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.

“OPEN CAMPUS”

Parents and families, as a reminder, the SPS “Open Campus Policy” is only permissible for students in GRADES 11 and 12.