It was a banner year at ConVal’s middle schools, with championship seasons in boys’ soccer, ladies’ soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, monitor and discipline, and discipline hockey, to not point out a implausible year for the SMS band.
SMS Athletic Director Sara Norby attributes the success of the college’s groups this year to the college’s constructive, student-centered tradition.
“It blew my mind to have this happen as my first year as athletic director. The only word I can think of is just ‘proud,’” Norby mentioned. “To see not only how we were successful as teams, but also to see how our kids represented our school, and how they grew in sportsmanship, in teamwork, and in perseverance. We don’t only measure success by the number of wins.”
Norby, who has been at SMS for 23 years and teaches seventh-grade science, says whereas the entire SMS group celebrates the college’s championship groups, the groups that didn’t have successful information completed each bit as a lot.
“Especially for our developmental teams, with kids maybe trying a sport for the first time, we look at how much did they grow over the season? Did they grow in their sportsmanship? Did they grow as a person and a player? And did they enjoy it?” Norby mentioned.
Norby says the important thing to the tradition at SMS is excessive expectations.
“We have very high expectations in grades and academics. Our students’ grades could not go under 70 if they are going to play on a team, and they can’t have any behavior write-ups. If they got in trouble at all, they could not participate in practice or games. In the beginning of the season, I had some kids sitting out, and then they realized I really was checking their grades,” Norby mentioned. “Then they really rose to the occasion. Each of them sat and met with their teachers and made a plan, and we checked that they were making progress, and none of them had problems for the rest of the year. In middle school, it’s all about growing the person; it’s all about development.”
Norby attributes this system’s success partly to longtime SMS Athletic Director Tod Silegy, who retired in 2025.
“He was definitely my mentor, and I still talk to him almost every day during the school year,” Norby mentioned.
SMS’s fall groups have been notably profitable in 2025-26, with boys’ soccer going 15-0 and ladies’ soccer making it to the semifinals, solely to lose by one objective.
SMS boys’ soccer (A) completed its season 12-0, gained first place in the regular-season Tri-County standings, was 15-0 after playoffs, and was Tri-County League Division III West champion.
“Boys soccer went 15-0; they won the championship, they dominated, and they had a lot of goals. The coach was really proud he was able to play the whole team throughout the season,” Norby mentioned. “We have a strong program thanks to our feeder programs, both Peterborough Rec and the ConVal Soccer Club.”
The SMS-Great Brook ladies’ volleyball crew gained the Fall Mountain “Diggin’ in the Den” match, beating many groups from larger divisions.
“The growth on the volleyball team was just insane, and that is kind of out there. We look at where kids ended up compared to where they started off, and that is what we are really proud of,” Norby mentioned.
The SMS monitor and discipline groups competed on the Meet of Champions, with the boys coming in fourth and the women coming in eighth total.
“Girls 4×1 relay finished first in the entire state, and we think maybe broke a CV high school record,” Norby mentioned. “We had five girls on our team, with four running at a time, and the chemistry on that team was unbelievable. It was so fun to watch, because they could just read each other, and they did a tremendous job at the Meet of Champions.”
The 4×1 crew was composed of Inora Rushalko, Greta Bielagus, Charlotte Broadley, Brooklynn Sipe and Penny Griffiths.
Also on the Meet of Champions, Locke Olesky took first in the state in shot put.
SMS discipline hockey had an everyday season of 10-1, earned second place in the regular-season Tri-County standings, ended the season 12-2 after playoffs, and was Tri-County League Division III West champion runner-up. Girls soccer had an undefeated common season (8-0-2) and made it to the playoff semifinals.
“Field hockey lost to Boynton Middle School, and they had an extremely talented team this year,” Norby mentioned.
Winter sports have been additionally robust at SMS. Girls A basketball completed its season 11-5, 9-3 in the Tri-County common season, incomes third place in the regular-season Tri-County standings, and ended 12-6 after playoffs. Boys A basketball gained the Tri-County League Division III West championship after ending its common season 10-6, 9-3 in the Tri-County common season, and was Winter Slam champion.
“Boys basketball lost their first six games,” Norby mentioned. “They had to figure out how to click, and then once they did, they really did, and they ended up winning the league championship.”
Norby says ConVal’s constructive, student-centered tradition comes from the highest down.
“It feels really good to be here right now. The energy we get from the administration is that they care about the kids, and the kids come first, and it’s fun to be here,” she mentioned.
SMS Band wins Platinum
The SMS seventh and eighth grade band additionally had a triumphant year, bringing dwelling a platinum score on the Great East Music Festival in Lowell, Mass.
“On top of all the athletic success, our music program shined too. They brought home platinum, which is the highest honor possible,” Norby mentioned.
Band Director Ed Lowy mentioned whereas the band attends the Great East each year, they haven’t achieved a Platinum score for 13 years. The band achieved a complete rating of 98%.
“Every year I say, this is the year, but this year they finally got it. They were really fantastic this year, and they just really excelled, completely went far beyond my expectations,” Lowy mentioned.
Lowy mentioned the SMS schedule is a major issue in the band’s means to excel.
“I really credit our principal, Mr. Conway, for building a schedule around band. The band gets time to practice every day, all year,” Lowy mentioned. “We’re not all together, but the seventh graders and the eighth graders get to rehearse every day.”
Lowy mentioned one of many judges at Great East requested him a number of instances if the SMS band “was really middle schoolers.”
“He could not believe we were not a high school band. He said we were one of the best bands he had ever seen,” Lowy mentioned.
Great Brook athletes shine
Multiple groups at Great Brook School had successful or championship seasons as nicely.
“We have had a lot of success this year, and it really all comes from the kids. We are just so proud of them,” mentioned Great Brook Athletic Director Cassie Anderson. “Especially when you look at our school being in the Tri-County League for the first time this year, I thought we did a fantastic job this year.”
Anderson mentioned lots of Great Brook’s athletes went above and past, even practising exterior of official practices.
“I was at ConVal one day to watch the softball game, and there was our girls’ 4×4 team, out by themselves, practicing, and the coach was not even there,” Anderson mentioned. “The baseball team would stay late after practice. I said, ‘Does coach even know you are here?’ The kids worked so hard and were so determined.”
Anderson mentioned the SMS-GBS wrestling program additionally had a fantastic year.
“We have a joint wrestling program with SMS, and we handle the oversight. We had the largest turnout we have had in a while. It’s elementary school through middle school, and we have many kids who have succeeded in their weight class.”
Great Brook’s sports successes this year embody the women’ cross nation crew, which gained the women’ Tri-County cross nation championship.
The members of the 4×400 ladies’ monitor crew, which competed in the Meet of Champions, included Aliyah Chamberlain, Cora McNulty, Collins Harris and Marissa Hardwick. Hardwick certified for 3 occasions, and Nerea Jaramillo got here in third place in the excessive leap.
The ladies’ cross nation first-place crew for “A” Race Division 3 West included Cora McNulty, Laurel Brown, Makaya Gadson and Marissa Hardwick.
The GBS baseball crew made it to the Tri-County Championship recreation, the place it positioned as runner-up. In boys’ cross nation, Bradley Allen positioned eighth in the boys’ division, and the GBS discipline hockey crew certified for the Tri-County quarterfinals.
For extra details about ConVal athletics, go to conval.edu.
