The Black and White

By: Bridget Pouliot

With midterms finally over and schedules for the 2025-2026 school year chosen, students have now entered a little break in the quick-paced flow of the school year. Of course, the second semester comes with its own new things, such as a flipped schedule and testing for upperclassmen. However, before students get too far into the new quarter, here’s a recap of the last one.

Quarter two was a strong one for Pilgrim High School. Described by Mr. Gibbons as a “settling in period”, he explained how new students are comfortable with their teachers and classes by this point in the year, and how everything starts to run more smoothly. “I think the student leaders from the 11th and 12th grade have done an excellent job setting the tone for the school,” he stated.

Mr. Gibbons also wanted to celebrate the successes of the fall athletics season, including the “playoff run” for the boys soccer and football teams. Along with this, Pilgrim is home to the first ever Girls Cross Country State Champion: Keaney Bayha! “The end of the fall athletic season,” Mr. Gibbons detailed, “brings the holidays. And the holidays bring the musical, band, and chorale concerts.” Calling the musical and music concerts “amazing”, Mr. Gibbons also spotlighted the Debate Team, Robotics Team, and Science Olympiad Team, which all did a stellar job at their competitions this semester.

In addition to the successes of the athletics and the school’s clubs, another accomplishment was the decrease in this year’s chronic absenteeism. Despite this triumph for Pilgrim, Mr. Gibbons expressed that there is still more students can do in terms of “being in school and being on time”.

“The year is half over, which means there are new opportunities for all,” Mr. Gibbons explained. “The days are getting longer and it is nice to look ahead to warmer weather. Keep up the great work and don’t be afraid to be positive and look forward to the next challenges that are on their way.”