As school districts across the state and country end the school year after months without students and staff being together in their buildings, one principal asked the question: Is there still school spirit without students in schools?
Aaron Sicotte, a Greenfield High School alumnus, Class of 1993, and current principal at Needham High School, created a short video titled “Quiet Times at Needham High School” to show that school spirit comes from the hearts of students and staff, not the brick-and-mortar buildings. The video can be viewed at bit.ly/2YFtfwy.
“The spirit of NHS is very much together, no matter where we are all located,” Sicotte said. “We will welcome students back in the building and continue to build on our great community.”
The project was filmed with help from Denise Domnarski, a school wellness teacher. Sicotte said she was responsible for the editing and production. The two of them talked through a few storylines before settling on the school spirit video.
In the video, Sicotte finds himself all alone in Needham High School. At first he celebrates the freedom by riding a scooter through the hallways, shooting hoops in the gym and parking in the “No Parking” zone while School Resource Officer RJ Poirier is away. Eventually, Sicotte awakens from his “dream” feeling lonely, missing the smiling faces and energy from students and fellow faculty.
He turns to Superintendent Dan Gutekanst for advice. Gutekanst tells him that while students aren’t together, school spirit still remains. The video ends with a montage of school activities, including robotics events, pep rallies, dances and sports celebrations.
Sicotte said he wanted to create the video to bring some fun into the experiences students and faculty were having while stuck at home during remote learning. Sicotte said he was aware of the hardships students were facing, and that everyone was missing the interactions they typically have throughout the school day.
“We were hoping to show some of that and bring some smiles to their faces,” he said. “We also wanted to show people a range of the building and the NHS experience. Additionally, we were thinking it’d be fun if I made a fool of myself for everyone. I was jokingly hoping for ‘productive embarrassment’ through the video.”
As principal since 2016, Sicotte oversees the Needham school population of 1,700 students from the Needham and Boston area. Like schools back in Greenfield and Franklin County, Sicotte said virtual learning came with some challenges.
“We needed to recreate everything we do — which is a relationship-oriented exchange — and make it work in a remote setting,” he said. “The teachers were incredible about making it all happen, learning new skills and shifting practices, and staying connected with students through the video conferences and other exchanges. It was far from an ideal learning environment, but we certainly made the most of it all.”
The high school celebrated its seniors each Friday from mid-April through the start of June with “Fun Fridays,” where students were given anything from T-shirts to video messages from famous Massachusetts natives. Sicotte said a recent graduation parade saw the entire town turn out to cheer on the graduates. In July, students will take part in a full diploma ceremony and “Senior Send Off” barbecue.
Sicotte said his interest in being an educator was inspired early in life, by time spent with his grandmother. He said his teachers at Greenfield High School helped support and refine this interest. Recalling his time in Greenfield, Sicotte said he was fortunate to have “outstanding” teachers, coaches and counselors.
“Collectively, they pushed me to grow and to excel in many different areas of life,” Sicotte said. “They modeled establishing deep relationships with those around them, expecting the best of ourselves each day and having some fun along the way.”
After graduating from Greenfield High School in 1993, Sicotte went on to Union College and graduated in 1997 with a degree in English. He then earned his master’s degree in teaching in 1998.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.