In Laconia Schools: School spirit abounds in Laconia schools

There is great excitement in our schools as students engage in spirit week and other activities across the district. For more information and great pictures of our students having fun, please check out the social media pages of our schools. I want to share some highlights of some great things happening in our schools:

Craig Kozens receives national recognition

Craig Kozens, the dean of students and athletic director at Laconia High School, was recognized by the National Interscholastic Administrators Association as a certified athletic administrator in a press release by the NIAAA on Feb. 9. Mr. Kozens “has demonstrated the highest knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration ... Craig Kozens is one of an elite group of interscholastic athletic administrators to attain this level of professionalism.” Coach Kozens was the LHS football coach for 20 years. He has served as the athletic director and dean of students for over a decade.

LHS’ unified national champions banner

Last spring, Laconia High School was identified as a Special Olympics Unified Champion School based on having an inclusive school climate and exuding collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. LHS is only the eighth school in New Hampshire to receive this distinction. On Feb. 22, as a Unified Champion School, LHS was awarded a unified national champions banner of recognition for demonstrating commitment to inclusion after having met 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from the Special Olympics and the education community. The presentation was preceded by Winter Carnival games and followed by a unified basketball game in a gym filled with Sachem pride and school spirit.

Winter sports at LMS and LHS

Winter sports at the Laconia Middle School and Laconia High School are coming to a close.

• 82 Laconia Middle School student-athletes (about 20% of the student body) participated in boys and girls basketball A and B teams, cheerleading, and unified basketball. Some highlights include:
  • 26 of these students played on the boys and girls B basketball teams, which were brought back to the school this year.
  • The girls A Basketball team finished with a strong 15-2 record.
• Participation in Laconia High School winter sports was the highest it has been in five years, with 112 student athletes (also about 20% of the student body) engaged in basketball, cheer, ice hockey, indoor track, ski, swim, and unified basketball. Some highlights include:
  • Dustin Couture, a sophomore, qualified and participated in States for swimming. The Laconia Sun did a great story on him.
  • Will Stafford, a freshmen, finished 11th in the giant slalom in the boys’ state championship race at Gunstock.
  • Albert D'Almeida, a senior, represented LHS at the indoor track state championship.
  • Keaton Beck, a senior who scored his 1,000th point last month, also recorded his 1,000th rebound later this season.
  • The girls varsity basketball team finished with a 15-3 record and the boys varsity basketball team finished with a 12-6 record. Both teams will host playoff games next week.
  • The cheer team recently placed second in their cheer competition in Nashua and came in first in a recent competition. We believe this is the first time they have placed in a competition since 2013.

'One District, One Book'

The elementary schools received feedback from families to determine which book will be read for the “One District, One Book” to decide what book will be read by students and families this spring. The choices were "Gooseberry Park" by Cynthia Ryland and "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davis. The winner: "The Lemonade War." This is a great book meant to engage families and students in the joy of reading.

A musical in the spring at LMS

"Disney’s Beauty and the Beast Jr." is playing at the Laconia Middle School Multipurpose Room on Friday, May 24, at 5:30 p.m. The 60-minute musical, designed for middle school-aged performers, is based on the 1994 Broadway production and Disney’s 1991 animated feature film. The cast includes Laconia Middle School students led by Norm Gilbert, director; Teagan Sault and Marc Didonato, music directors, and is supported through the Office of Extended Learning, The REAL Initiative.

In closing, we have a great staff who are impacting the lives of young people every day. We are honored to work with incredible students and their families.

— Steve Tucker, superintendent, Laconia School District