The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
January 27, 2019 - Volume 1 - ISSUE 18
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
January 30 - Parent Portal Open for Quarter 2/Semester 1 Grades
January 31 - NAEP Test for Selected Students
January 31 - “All Band Night” 7:00PM in PAC
February 8 - Early Release – Professional Development
February 13 - Grade 8 Parent High School Curriculum Night 6:30PM in PAC
February 14 - Delayed Opening
February 18-22 - Winter Recess
March 14 - Delayed Opening
March 21 - Naviance Night Grades 10 & 11 Parents 6:30PM in Computer Labs
March 26-27 - MCAS ELA Grade 10
March 28 - Delayed Opening
March 29 - Early Release – Professional Development
Save the Date for this Upcoming Program!
Whitman-Hanson Key Club - Mrs. Alicia Edkin & Mr. Christopher Szkutak
Join us for our first fundraiser of 2019!
Tickets can be purchased online at www.panthereducationtrust.org
$25 per player and One $500 Grand Prize Winner!
All proceeds go towards grants for WH High School enrichment programs!
Follow us on twitter @pantheredtrust
Dr. Christopher Jones
The Source of Your Experience
We often talk about our commitments and what we're committed to doing, but do we really commit ourselves these things? The true measure of our commitment is the result we get. Don't like your results? Reexamine your commitment to that result. Accountability is hard, but honest when judging our movement towards increased success. We all need to start by remembering that not about reacting. Instead it is about responding because we are the source of all our experiences. Have a listen...
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Mr. David Floeck
NAEP Testing
NAEP Testing will be held on January 31, 2019. All selected students have been notified and a meeting was held to explain the NAEP process. We are excited for these students to participate in the process and contributing to the Nations Report Card. The video links below provide more information about NAEP and the Nations Report Card. Thank you to all the students participating, we know you will represent Whitman Hanson well.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8drjkhe0iQU&feature=youtu.be
Counseling - Mrs. Ruth Carrigan
AP Exam Registration Deadline
Students enrolled in AP (Advanced Placement) classes who will be taking AP exams in May are reminded that AP exam registration forms and exam fees ($90 per exam) are due on Friday, March 1. Students that receive free or reduced priced lunch are eligible for a reduced exam fee of $30 per exam. Payment plans may also be available. Please contact Mrs. Carrigan with questions at Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.org.
Scholarship Assembly for Seniors
A scholarship assembly for seniors will be held on Friday, March 1, 2019 during the school day for all seniors. Information will be presented on both Dollars for Scholars and Local and Community Scholarships.
Naviance Night
The WHRHS School Counseling Office is pleased to invite grade 10 & 11 parents/guardians to Naviance Night for Parents on Wednesday, March 21, 2019. This program includes a hands-on workshop in WHRHS computer labs that will teach you how to do 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
Space is limited and is available on a first-come, first served basis. A registration link will be available in our next issue of Panther Press.
Boston National College Fair
The Boston National College Fair will be held at the World Trade Center on April 4 and 5, 2019. This is a great opportunity to speak to college admissions representatives from colleges all over the country. The School Counseling Office will sponsor a field trip to the Boston National College Fair for Juniors on Thursday, April 4. The cost of the field trip will be $10 per student to cover transportation expenses. Permission forms for this field trip will be given to juniors when school counselors visit their English classes for Junior College Planning on January 28 and 29th.
If you have questions regarding any of the programs mentioned, please feel free to check in with your child’s school counselor. They are assigned by student's last names:
A-B Mrs. Carrigan
C-F Mrs. Garrett
G-L Mrs. Selig
M-P Mrs. Cunha (Covering for Mrs. Bianco)
Q-Z Mr. Amado
Administrative Assistant Mrs. Getchell
#WHPantherPride
The #WHPantherPride section is filled with shout outs to staff and students here at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School. They are our way of recognizing hard work, creative thinking, and characteristics that make us proud to be part of this community. Please contact Dr. Jones if you wish to give a "#WHPantherPride" award to someone!
Mrs. Catherine Bouzan!
Mrs. Bouzan starts each of her semesters by presenting the top five things she wants her students to know about her. Mrs. Bouzan then asks the students to write the top three things they want her to know about them. According to Mrs. Bouzan the students "tackle them with serious thoughtfulness!!! #RelationshipsMatters!!!" Bravo to Mrs. Bouzan for modeling what the actions she expects and by doing so, increasing student engagement and success! - Dr. Jones
DECA - Mrs. Nina Consolini
We had another successful DECA District Conference. In summary, there were over 500 students from 10 schools that attended the conference to compete in various categories. As always, our Whitman-Hanson students (21) acted professionally and came home with awards!
Whitman-Hanson students earned:
11 medals for top scores
5 trophies for highest scores overall in their categories (all 3 tests combined)
- Brian Fox – 1st place!
- The team of Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue and Erin McCoy – 3rd place!
- Griffin Pulkinen – 4th place!
- Anna Williams – 4th place!
9 students placed in the top 8 of their category (all 3 tests combined)!
Make sure you take the time to congratulate these individuals on their hard work and accomplishment!
ESports - Mrs. Amanda Ferrara
Tryouts for the new season of esports will be held on Thursday, January 31st from 2-4pm in room 331. If you know of any interested students, have them come check it out!
Students who attend tryouts will be sent home with a permission slip/contract. Anyone interested will be instructed to submit these signed forms and $64 to me by Thursday, February 7th.
Official season starts Feb 25th but we’ll likely start holding practices before that. Practice schedule to be determined shortly.
Matches will be held every TUESDAY at 3:30pm. Teams will play 2 consecutive matches against the same team on that day. As soon as both games are complete, we will head home (I’m estimating around 5/5:30pm?)
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Best Buddies - Mrs. Catherine Bouzan
WH Best Buddies celebrated the month of January together by playing good old fashion board games. It was an afternoon of lots of laughter and remembering how fun Uno, Guess Who and Candyland can be!
Best Buddies Road Race!
English - Mrs. Amy Floeck
Poetry Out Loud!
The English department is excited to announce the upcoming Poetry Out Loud National Recitation contest. Any high school student interested in competing should sign up with Mrs. Floeck in room 305 or speak with their English teacher. The competition will be held on Monday, February 4th in the John McEwan Performing Arts Center and students will be judged according to the Poetry Out Loud evaluation criteria. For the school-wide competition, students are required to memorize two poems from the Poetry Out Loud anthology; one must be 25 lines or fewer, and one must be written before the 20th century. The winner will represent the Whitman-Hanson Regional School District in the regional competition in early March. For additional information on poetry selection and judging criteria, please visit www.poetryoutloud.org.
Ms. Danielle Diogenes
Nurse - Mrs. Margaret Baker
Screenings
The Mass. DPH requires the school to do the following health screenings each year:
- Height and Weight, including BMI –grade 10
- Scoliosis Screenings- grade 9
- Vision and Hearing –grade 10
- SBIRT Screenings- grades 9 and 10
Please contact the school RN if you DO NOT wish your child to participate in any of the health screenings in writing. Scoliosis screenings will begin the month of January.
Flu Information
Flu season has returned! Please Note: There were approximately 80,000 deaths during the 2017-2018 flu season- it is not too late to receive your flu shot for yourself and /or your family! The CDC recommends a yearly flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older. Please contact your child’s physician to schedule a flu shot.
Many pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens, and Duval’s offer flu shots. The vaccine is free with a copy of your child’s insurance card. Remember- the flu can be deadly!
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 call Ms. Baker at 781-618-7452 for any questions regarding medication.
Athletics - Mr. Bob Rodgers
We have just started a new semester and this is a great opportunity for a new beginning. Student athletes should always remember that academics are our top priority and playing sports is a privilege that is extended to those who are meeting their responsibilities in the classroom. The new eligibility list will be released on Wednesday and in order to continue with winter sports AND to be able to try out for spring sports, students must have 5 passing grades from semester 1 (only full credit classes count – school service for example does not count). Students should remember that third quarter progress report grades determine eligibility for students to continue with their spring season. To be clear, to play a spring sport you must pass 5 classes for semester 1 and then to maintain your spot on the roster you need to pass 5 classes for quarter 3.
We are entering the home stretch of the winter sports season and many of our teams are poised to make the state tournament.
Boys hockey had an impressive win on Saturday dominating the defending state champion Plymouth South Panthers, 7-1. Josh Hagan netter the hat trick while Josh Pike, Ed Scriven, Chris Stoddard and Josh McDonald also scored. Jack Allen, Mike Savicje, Kevin Willis and Ed Scriven played well on defense. Bob Siders earned the win in net. The Panthers improve to 7-6-1 overall. The team is back in action Wednesday night at 7:50pm against Silver Lake at Hobomock Arena.
The girls hockey team earned a hard fought 2-2 tie in Plymouth last night. Emily McDonald and Maddie Soule both scored. Alyssa Murphyand Abbey Powers both picked up assists. The girls will host Scituate on Wednesday at 7:30pm at Zapustas Arena.
Whitman-Hanson Wrestling hosted a quad meet Saturday and came away with 2 big wins and one loss. WH 42 Rockland 30, WH 48 Nauset 34 and Hanover 57 WH 18 to finish the day. 7 wrestlers went 2-1 on the day lead by Steve Brooks with 2 pins at 152 pounds and Christian Schneider also with 2 pins at 195 pounds. Other wrestlers with 2 wins included Myles McInnis at 113 pounds, Bethany Ralph at 120, Alex Rapoza at 126, Damari Goldsmith Greene at 138 and Tyler Cullinan at 160 pounds. Next up for WH is a home meet on Wednesday January 30th.vs. Duxbury.
Whitman Hanson Girls Track (0-5) lost a close one to Plymouth North 54-46 Wednesday evening at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center. Individual winners for the Panthers included Sophomore Anna Sullivan (2 Mile), Senior Captain Ally Bartlett (55 Hurdles), Senior Dorothy DiMascio-Donohue (Long Jump) and Junior Courtney Woodward (600 Meters.)
The boys track gave a very good Plymouth North Team everything they had with some outstanding performances but fell short, 60-40. Winners for the Panthers included Theo Kamperides In the 2 Mile, Billy Martell the Shot Put, Brandon Hager Mile, Kyle O'Brien 600 and the 4x200 team of Sean Kukauskas Billy Martell, Scott Mateus and Pat Bui.
The boys and girls track teams will not shift their attention to preparing for the Patriot League meet on February 8th.
WHAM Swimming continues to have a great season. The boys beat Rockland 79-73 to improve to 5-4 while the girls moved to 7 and 2 on the season with an 89-84 victory over Rockland. Maddie Navicky did awesome in all three relays as she continues to be one the best swimmers on the south shore. Mariella Crowley got her personal best time in the 100 back and in the fly. Katelyn Sweeney also did her best personal time in the 100 fly. Abby Bonney was solid in the 50 free also gaining her personal best time. Lillian Graham turned in her best personal time in the 50 free, and also was terrific in relay events. Nate Manley came away with his best personal time in the 50 free and also in the 500 free. WHAM hosts Norwell on Tuesday at 4pm.
WHAM gymnastics fought hard Tuesday unfortunately being Marshfield took the win, 127.65-119.35. The girls however had a great meet with their score being the second highest of the season. Erin McCoy had her best beam routine receiving an 8.0. Sarah Bombardier killed it on floor with an 8.4. Next Tuesday will be both Captains (Erin McCoy and Joelle Puopolo) Senior Meet at our home gym MGC. This will be a quad meet with Pembroke/Silver Lake, Hanover & Hingham 7:00pm w/u 7:30 meet.
The girls basketball team had a tough week losing to two outstanding teams (Bridgewater Raynham on Monday and Hingham on Friday). On Friday night at Hingham, the Panthers came back from an 11 point deficit at halftime to get within 4 with 2 minutes to go but just could not get over the hump falling, 39-31. WH had their best defensive effort of the season. Sr Meg Henaghan (12 points) scored 10 in the second half with 4 blocks. Rylie Harlow had 7 points. Kathryn Dunn and Brittany Gacicia combined for 20 rebounds. The girls travel to Scituate on Tuesday and host Bridgewater Raynham on Thursday.
The boys basketball team split a pair this week, easily beating Phoenix Springfield at the basketball Hall of Fame on Monday but dropping a heartbreaker in overtime on Friday against Hingham. The Panthers had a 4 point lead with 27 seconds to go before the Harbormen showed their poise as a senior dominated team to tie the game and force overtime. Joey Depina and Stevie Kelly led the way for the Panthers with 17 points apiece. The boys fall to 10-4 on the season and need one more win to qualify for the state tournament. They host Scituate Tuesday at 6:30pm before welcoming another top 20 team on Friday when they host O’Bryant Friday night in a rematch of the 2017 South Sectional Final.
Sports Short Wrap Up
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
Twitter: @DrCSJones