About

Good afternoon, Pinkerton Community,

I hope you're all doing well and weathering these storms safely – it looks like we have more coming this weekend! While I always prefer having students in school, I have to admit I've enjoyed Dr. Powers' remote day videos!

Continuing my campus spotlights, I'd like to highlight this week our Dean of Academics, Mr. Derek Lee.  Before starting his professional career, Mr. Lee attended Ripon College and Keene State College where he majored in Social Science with a concentration in Economics. He also was a college athlete who played college baseball for Gordie Gillespie, the legendary high school football coach of "Rudy."

His career in education began at Pinkerton, where he student-taught and then taught his first official year. When Windham High School opened, he went there to teach Advanced Placement Economics, Economics, and Humanities. He also established Windham's first varsity baseball program, coached freshman basketball, and advised the school's first graduating class.

Since returning to Pinkerton in 2013, Mr. Lee served as Social Studies Department Head before becoming Dean of Academics, a role he's held for the past ten years. His commitment to Pinkerton also includes twelve years of coaching Special Olympics Basketball. His favorite school day is Constitution Day, when lucky students have the chance to meet "Ben Franklin" on campus who quizzes them on American government and awards prizes.

In his free time, Mr. Lee enjoys spending time with his wife, including dinners out, and coaching his three sons' baseball teams (he has children in 7th, 3rd, and 1st grade).  When asked about his favorite part of the school day, Mr. Lee said it's the daily interactions he has with his Class of 2028 FLEX group: Brayden, Addison, Kaelyn, Michael, Ava, Kathryn, Cara, Mia, Leah, Hunter, Alivia, Sammy, and Alli. A surprising fact about Mr. Lee? He didn't eat his first hamburger until he was 21!  That is correct, 21 years old!!!!!

Weekly Highlights:

Students Walking to School - Please use the crosswalk light when crossing, especially at the bypass. It is still dark in the mornings, and the lights add another layer of safety to alert drivers.

Speech Contest - Attention, students! Are you a strong public speaker? You can win a cash prize by competing in the Rotary's 4-Way Speech Contest! The event will be held at Pinkerton’s Astro Cafe on Friday, March 14th, starting at 9 AM. Email Dr. Powers at [email protected] to sign up of for more information. The completed application should be brought on the day of the event and can be found here.

SAT Prep During FLEX in March (Free): The math department is hosting Math Test Prep on Flex Extra Help Days from March 12th to March 28th. We'll be reviewing test strategies, practice problems, calculator tricks, and mock tests. Students should sign up on Enriching Students for SAT Math Prep under the Clubs & Activities section. They can also join the Google Classroom with code 2337RN2. Students are welcome to come for as many or as few Flex days as they would like!  

Extracurricular Grants:  There are still funds left for the Extracurricular Grants sponsored by the Class of 2020!  These grants are for students needing funding to participate in an extracurricular experience beyond the normal activities of a Pinkerton club.  Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the allotted annual funds have been awarded.  The application can be found at https://forms.gle/hGFckV7pXMtut7Eq5.

Weekly Shout Outs

SHOUT OUTS TO…

Mike Adams -  for receiving the prestigious “Service to the Profession” award from the New Hampshire Music Educators Association. Congratulations on this well-deserved honor!

Julie Kraft and Donna Luna -  for taking the time and  proctoring the ACCESS testing for our English Learners. 

STUDENT SHOUT OUTS:

Eve Klok, Ethan Lang, Sarah Mathieu, Erin Stariknok - for being finalists for the National Merit Scholarship.

Jaden Kermelewicz - for participating in the Penguin Plunge to raise money for the Special Education Program. He did it all on his own without a team! 

To ALL of our English Learners - Thank you for taking your time and putting in the work to finish the ACCESS Testing.  Your hard work does not go unnoticed.

Respectfully,

Michael Perez
Associate Head of School

 @mrperez_pa

@MPerezAHOS