The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
March 14, 2021 - Volume 3 - ISSUE 23
Welcome to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening in and around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more about various topics.
Communication is incredibly important to understanding so we ask that you share our news as much as possible. We also welcome feedback! It is the only way to continuously improve. So, please interact, get involved, and let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!
Important Dates to Plan
March 24 - SAT at WHRHS
March 24 - District Professional Development (afternoon)
April 2 - No School – Good Friday
April 7 - Quarter 3 Ends - Grading Day (afternoon)
April 9 - Meet the Teacher Open to book Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences
April 13 - Grading Portal Opens – Quarter 3 Grades
April 14 - Virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences by appointment only 12:00-2:00PM and 6:00-8:00PM
April 19-23 - No School – April Vacation
April 26 - Spring Sports Season Begins
Upcoming Senior Events!
Mr. Whitman-Hanson!
Savannah Murphy
Savannah Murphy Wins DAR Award!
Congratulations to Savannah Murphy for winning the Daughter of the American Revolution (DAR) award for good citizenship! Pictured above is:
A framed certificate that says: "The National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution. This certifies that Savannah Murphy having been selected as the DAR Good Citizen of Col. Thomas Lothrop Old Colony Chapter for the current year and having demonstrated the qualities of Dependability, Service, Leadership and Patriotism, is hereby awarded this DAR Good Citizen Certificate."
A citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives: "Be it hereby known to all that: The Massachusetts House of Representatives offers its sincerest congratulations to: Savannah Murphy in recognition of Your being selected for the Good Citizen Award in honor of your outstanding character and quality of Good Citizenship. The entire membership extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all endeavors."
Savannah also received an American flag that was flown over the United States Capitol for Savannah Murphy in honor of Receiving the Good Citizens Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Make sure you congratulate Savannah for this accomplishment the next time you see her!
Dr. Christopher Jones
Choices of Uncertainty
When nothing is certain anything is possible... We are in uncertain times. Unfortunately, we tend to take a negative mindset whenever we are uncertain about a situation. We begin accusing, sometimes insulting others, and judging our perceived reality before knowing or seeing the whole picture as a way to deal with being uncomfortable.
Whenever confronted with uncertainty or a situation we are not uncomfortable with we have three choices.
Clarify what we are uncertain about to the greatest extent possible in an effort to decide how to respond to the situation. It's very hard, but essential to suspend judgement while looking for clarity.
Accept the circumstances for what they are and adjust to the new reality; looking for the positive aspects that will now define who we are and what we do.
Work to change the circumstances in a positive, productive way. Thereby having a greater voice in the new situation that will now define who we are and what we do.
No matter what the circumstance we have a choice as to how we respond. It is important to make sure that we are focusing our energy in a positive rather than negative direction. Just because something makes us uncomfortable doesn't mean its wrong. It just may mean we need to expand ourselves a little or get through being uncomfortable to arrive at a better place.
Follow these three steps and remember that negative creates negative, positive finds solutions, and a closed mind allows fear and hate to grow.
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Mrs. Ruth Carrigan - Counseling
Course Selection for the 2021/2022 School Year - Course selections via the Infinite Campus Portal were due on Friday, March 12. Any students who did not finish are asked to complete the process now. Check out the following resources or check in with your counselor if you need help:
2021 Dollars for Scholars Application Deadline- March 15
Students from the Class of 2021 who wish to apply for a Dollars for Scholars scholarship award are reminded that the deadline for submitting online applications is Monday, March 15 at midnight. Students may fill out their student profile at WhitmanAndHanson.DollarsforScholars.org under the “ Student & Parent” section. Students do not need to complete financial aid and reference sections. Please note that school counselors have until March 22 to complete transcript requests. Any graduating high school senior who resides in Whitman and Hanson (or attends WHRHS) and has a 2.5 GPA or above is eligible to apply for a DFS scholarship. For more information please visit: www.WhitmanAndHanson.DollarsforScholars.org or contact Mike Ganshirt at 781-252-9683.
Scholarship Information for Seniors - Seniors, it is time to think about Scholarships! Here are some important resources that were shared at our February 25th Scholarship Assembly. Be sure to visit the WHRHS Scholarship Web Page to access all local and community scholarships. If you have any trouble accessing these links, all resources have been shared in the School Counseling Google Classroom for Seniors.
Virtual College Fairs - The National Association of College Admissions Counseling and The College Board are hosting virtual events for high school students to connect directly with college admissions representatives. Go to virtualcolleegefairs.org and cb.org/bigfuturedays for more information.
Naviance Night - The WHRHS School Counseling Office is pleased to invite grade 10 & 11 parents/guardians to Virtual Naviance Night for Parents on Thursday, March 18, 2021. This program will teach you how to conduct a comprehensive on-line college search. You will get acquainted with Whitman-Hanson’s Naviance Family Connection program that offers:
College Match – narrows down choices by location, size, surroundings, and more.
College Look Up – read profiles of specific colleges
Scattergrams – matches your student’s GPA and SAT scores with recent graduates to find great college choices for your child
Please follow this link to register for Naviance Night
Need to speak to your counselor?- Please know that whether we are in hybrid or full remote learning, your school counselor is here for you. If you have questions or need support, please reach out for assistance.
Student Support Center
Ms. Rivera (Administrative Assistant)
School Counselors
Mrs. Carrigan (Director)
Adjustment Counselors
Featuring some of Whitman-Hanson’s Talented Artists
Julie Buckley
This year (as part of rethinking everything) Art in Action/WH Art Dept. will be featuring several of our class of 2021 student artists on an individual basis. They will be featured in the 3 showcases along the art hallway for approximately 2 weeks. Their work will also be featured here in the newsletter. Our second artist is Julie Buckley. Some of her pictures are here, but you can find more art and information at this link.
English - Mrs. Amy Floeck
Another great week in the ELA Department!
English teachers continue to collaborate as we prepare for the full in-person return of students, as well as look ahead to the 2021-2022 school year. Over the last two weeks, ELA teachers have been reviewing current curriculum resources, noting everything from novels, short stories, poetry, expository texts, speeches, songs, films, Ted Talks etc. that are currently used at the various levels. After compiling an extensive list, we will now enter the next phase and begin to review the authors and selections to ensure that students are exposed to a wide variety of topics/themes.
This past Wednesday, the entire department was fortunate to participate in a professional development opportunity with a consultant from IXL. During the 1 ½ hour session, teachers learned about the real-time diagnostic capabilities, analytics, and the best way to individualize student performance to impact growth. We are looking forward to a follow-up session in the coming months to dig deeper into the capabilities of IXL and support our ELA students.
Senior students...the year is going by quickly! You have made it through the senior college essay project and are finishing up senior research papers. As the spring weather approaches, please don’t lose focus; make sure to keep up with all your ELA work -- it is a graduation requirement. If you are having any troubles at all, please reach out to your teacher.
AP Literature and AP Language students continue to prepare for May exams. All tests will be online this year, so please be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks.
Lastly, just a reminder that all 10th and 11th grade students are scheduled for MCAS testing on May 6th & 7th. Please encourage your students to continue to engage and ask questions in ELA class. We are here to help and support our students!
Ms. Margaret Baker & Mrs. Susanne Ford
Nurse’s Corner - Spring 2021
We continue to navigate school during the Covid 19 pandemic.
Finally, there is much encouraging news with the vaccine being implemented! However, it remains important to adhere to the CDC guidelines of: wearing a mask, frequent handwashing, and maintaining social distancing. Here is a useful tool that will help you in deciding whether to send your child to school: the Covid 19 Signs and Symptoms Check List. Please keep your child home if he/she is exhibiting any of the symptoms on the list and if you have any questions call the school nurse for further assistance. Please be advised that the school nurses must follow the Mass. Department of Public Health Mandates in deciding if your child must go home if he/she is ill during the school day. Also, you must follow the Mass. State Travel Orders if you are planning on any travel out- of- state. We must receive a negative PCR Covid test result in order for your child to return to school after travel. The WHRSD has implemented a confidential Covid 19 phone line. Please feel free to leave a message at any time for advice or follow-up from our District Nurse Leader Lisa Tobin RN. The phone number for the Covid line is 781- 618-7450. There is further information available on Covid19 on our website.
Meningococcal Vaccine Requirement
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is requiring a second dose of the Meningococcal vaccination for all students in the 11th grade. Please send in your child’s documentation of the vaccine into the clinic as soon as possible.
Medication during the School Day
Please refer to the student handbook or the Health Services website regarding medication to be administered by the school RN during the school day. All prescription medications must be in the original prescription bottle with a written MD order and signed parental consent form. These forms may be downloaded from the website. Students are NOT allowed to carry medication with them during the school day.
Please do not hesitate to call the clinic at any time with any questions/concerns concerning your child’s health- we are here to keep your child healthy!
Ms. Margaret Baker RN, NCSN Mrs. Susanne Ford RN
Clinic phone: 781-618-7452
Clinic fax 781-618-7409
Athletics - Mr. Bob Rodgers
The football team played its first game in more than 15 months and came out firing, beating Silver Lake, 24-9. Cam Cummings ran for 85 yards on 19 carries and 2 TD’ s, while Will Stafford ran for 85 yards on 13 carries as the Panthers ran for 280 yards on the Panthers opening night victory. Whitman Hanson will host Marshfield Friday at 6pm. The game will be streamed live on YouTube (find the link at www.whathletics.com ). Only parents with school issued lanyards may attend (siblings listed in each school database may also attend provided they arrive with and sit together).
In its second week of competition, the Girls Fall 2 Track and Field team saw dramatic improvement among its Sprinters, Distance Runners and Jumpers with nearly all its athletes setting season records in the process. The top medal winners for the week ended March 20, included Juniors Myah Kamperides and April Keyes who each scored 16 Points. Myah had wins in both the Mile and 2 Mile along with 2nd place finishes in the Long Jump and the 1000 Meter run. April won the 55 Hurdles and 300 Meter Dash and had second place finishes in 55 Meter Dash and High Jump. Freshman standout Savannah Kamperides, with wins in the 55 Meter Dash and the Long Jump and top 3 finishes in the 300, 1000 and Mile scored 15 points.
The boys track team continued to work this week, and the warmer weather aided the many improvements we saw. The mile race featured an exciting duel between Theo Kamperides (4:50.0) and Liam Cafferty (4:50.5). We also saw significant improvement in the mile runs from Andrew Bergin, Chris MacDonald and Ethan Fostello. Top two finishes in the 300M came from Jake Caterer (39.8) and Chris Blackman (41.8). The 1000M finished another close duel between Liam Cafferty (2:50) and Theo Kamperides (2:59). Andrew Buckley showed great improvement in his 1000M run this week. Jake Caterer continued to run well in the 55M sprint (6.86). The 600M run finish was led by Liam Cafferty (1:31.3) and Chris Blackman (1:37.4). Chase Baker improved his 55M Hurdle time ( 9.44). The 2 mile run resulted in another great performance from Theo Kamperides (10:23). Alex Kahayias showed great improvement in his 2 mile time. Our shot put group is steadily improving and Adam Vinton and James Molito made the greatest improvements this week. Boys long jumpers also working to improve were led by Jake Caterer, Chase Baker, Chris Blackman and Alex Kahayias. Steadily raising the High Jump bar are our best two jumpers so far, Jake Caterer and Chase Baker. The spring weather and team enthusiasm has brought positive motivation to the boys track and field team.
Contact Us
Email: christopher.jones@whrsd.org
Website: https://www.whrsd.org/our-schools/whrhs
Location: 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA, USA
Phone: (781) 618-7020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCSJones
Twitter: @DrCSJones