Winterfest date changes

Winter Fest will be held today because Parents Association wanted all of the girls to participate in the event. Last year, Winter Fest occurred the Friday before exams, and many older girls didn’t attend because they were studying for exams, Director of Admissions Jeanette Woo Chitjian said.

“I think this [change] is better,” said Neima ’11, “because last year no one came.”

– Tahira

School continues to take precautions for swine flu

The school is continuing to take precautionary measures for the H1N1 flu by monitoring absences closely and following up with families, Director of Middle School Robert Bryan said.

The number of illnesses with flu-like symptoms has not been significant and has not approached the definition of an outbreak by health department standards.

The school will follow the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and local health department guidelines to determine what policies should be put into place on campus in the future.

All such policies and procedures will be assessed in the future based on circumstances as they unfold.

The school has not coordinated any distribution of swine flu vaccine to students.

“We feel that responsibility is better left to families following their doctor’s recommendation,” Bryan said.

–  Julie

Blood Drive to be held

The Red Cross Blood Drive, an annual event that was on hold for the past two years due to construction, will be held Feb. 16, 2010 from 7:00 AM to 1:30 PM in the Collins room.

Students who are interested in donating can log on to www.givelife.org and enter the sponsor code MarlboroughHigh (one word). Students must weigh at least 110 pounds and be 17 years old or 16 with a parental consent.

All participating donors will be eligible for a spa getaway drawing and will also receive a coupon for a free appetizer at Mimi’s Cafe.

–  Julie

UV wins national awards

This year, for the first time, the Ultra Violet received Quill and Scroll’s international first place, National Scholastic Press Association’s first-class rating, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s gold medalist award for the issues they published last year.

“Getting all three top grades says a ton about this group. They’ve worked hard for a lot of years to get that recognition,” UV Adviser Mark Krewatch said.

“The paper is amazing today because of the staff’s blood and sweat. Our goal is to continue working hard, developing the online paper, and encouraging more comments from the school community.” UV Editor-in-Chief Julie said.

–  Elyse