The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
March 15, 2020 - Volume 2 - ISSUE 26
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
April 8 – “Meet the Teacher” available to book Parent-Teacher Conferences
April 10 – No School – Good Friday
April 14 – HS Early Release – Parent-Teacher Conferences by appointment only 12PM-2PM & 6PM-8PM
April 16 – HS Delayed Opening
April 20-24 – No School – Spring Break
April 27 - Spellman Competition during period 5
April 29 - Junior Prom – Canoe Club 7-10PM
May 4-15 AP Exams
May 12 Arts in Bloom
May 18 Senior Final
May 19-20 Math MCAS – Grade 10 students
May 19-21 Senior Finals – Early Release for Seniors ONLY
May 21 Senior Prom at Granite Links
May 22 Senior Final Exam Make-up – Senior Quarter 4/Semester 2 Grades Close
May 25 No School – Memorial Day
May 27 Parent Portal Open - Senior Quarter 4/Semester 2
May 27 Graduation Rehearsal 9AM
May 28 Graduation Rehearsal 9AM & Senior Cookout
May 29 Graduation 6PM
Savannah Murphy Wins Sticker Shock Contest!
During the fall of 2019, the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative invited students from across the greater Brockton region to participate in a Sticker Shock Contest. What is Sticker Shock you may ask? Sticker Shock is a prevention initiative that engages local youth to address underage drinking in their community. Five local school districts participated in the contest including Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.
Students were tasked with creating a sticker design that included a prevention message to deter adults from buying alcohol for minors. Sticker entries were required to highlight the Massachusetts Social Host Law including the penalties for buying alcohol for minors which is up to one year in jail and/or $2,000 in fines. The winner of the contest would have their sticker printed and posted in local liquor stores to spread this youth-driven prevention message.
All students from Whitman Hanson Regional High School's computer graphic design class, led by District Lead Art Teacher, Christina Maher, submitted entries into the regional Sticker Shock Contest. Savannah Murphy, a student in this class, created the winning sticker that will now be disseminated in local liquor stores and businesses across the region. In some communities, the sticker will even be posted in multiple languages.
On March 10th, Savannah will join her peers from the high school's Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter, as well as members from Whitman Hanson WILL, the Collaborative and the town's police departments, to disseminate stickers throughout the 21 establishments that sell alcohol in Whitman and Hanson. Murphy’s sticker will be placed as window clings on beer coolers, in addition to post cards at store counters with the intent of swaying adults from purchasing alcohol for minors.
2019-2020 SEPAC meetings
All meetings held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 6-8pm
in the Whitman Hanson Regional High School library
Please check out our website for more information
April 14th – Occupational Therapy Presentation - 6-8pm
May 12th – Speech and Language Presentations on Language Pragmatics (meeting will be held in WHRHS Courtyard Café due to Arts in Bloom being held in the WHRHS library) (6-8pm Middle & High School)
June 9th – Planning 2020-2021 meetings, general discussion - 6-8pm
Student Selected Staff member of the Month
Ms. Ashley Balbian
Students commented on her ability to create and sustain an atmosphere where student voice is valued. Students work hard to succeed in her class, but do so in an engaging, supportive, and challenging way. Ms. Balbian is clearly making history an exciting subject to study.
Be sure to congratulate Ms. Balbian when you see her!
Dr. Christopher Jones
COVID-19: Be Healthy, Safe, and Well
To All the Members of the Whitman-Hanson Family
Panthers -
In this unprecedented time of uncertainty, closures, fear, and information overload, I just wanted to offer three steps to help cope with what we are seeing unfold each day. I talk more about each in the video below, but at a glance they are:
- Set a schedule - This helps you stay productive, gives you something else to focus on, and offers a degree of normalcy in a time there is anything but that present.
- Keep a journal - An inherently cathartic exercise, this will help you get your thoughts and perceptions out for later reflection. It can also serve as a good discussion starter with children. Use any medium with which you (or your children) are comfortable. It will also serve as a fantastic piece of history to share with your grand and great grand children
- Practice gratitude for what you have rather than focusing on what you are missing - yes we are being kept from our old comforts and routines. Sometimes it is even causing difficulty. However, focus on everything you have in your life that is positive. Change "I have to" to "I get to" and you will see what I mean. Enjoy the extra time spent on family dinners, game nights, reading, or just plain extended conversations.
I wish you all the very best and want you to know that if you need anything we are here. Do not hesitate to reach out and ask or inform. Otherwise we can't help when we don't know there is a need. Once a Panther...always a Panther!
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Mr. David Floeck
I wish all of our Panther families continued good health and spirits. As we face these challenging times together, we are committed to “keep the learning alive” for our students. We understand that your child’s education will look different in the coming weeks but we are committed to insuring every student has the opportunity to continue to grow. In the face of adversity our students will have the opportunity to develop new skills, learn in different ways, and explore new things and in the end be stronger because they persevered. We ask that you reach out to your child’s teachers or support staff with any questions as they will be available through various communication methods. If you have any questions for the main office, please email us and we will be sure to respond.
Education is a gift that none can take away.
American Proverb
Mrs. Ruth Carrigan
Course Selection
Course selection for the 2020/2021 school year is underway! All students currently in grades 9 – 11 should enter their course selections into Infinite Campus from March 6 - March 13. Recommendations for major academic classes will be made by current classroom teachers. Students are responsible for entering PE and all elective course requests. Students received course selection information and instructions on 3/6. Please contact your school counselors for help with any questions. Follow this link for the 2020/2021 Program of Studies.
Naviance Night
The WHRHS School Counseling Office is pleased to invite grade 10 & 11 parents/guardians to Naviance Night for Parents on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. 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
Boston National College Fair
The Boston National College Fair will be held at the Boston Convention Center on April 30 and May 1. 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 Friday, May 1. The cost of the field trip will be $10 per student to cover transportation expenses. Permission forms for this field trip were given to juniors when school counselors visit their English classes for Junior College Planning in January.
Scholarships for Seniors
A scholarship assembly for seniors was held on February 26. Information was presented on both Dollars for Scholars and Local and Community Scholarships. Applications for Local and Community Scholarships are available on the WHRHS website and are due to the school counseling office on 4/8/20.
Dollars for Scholars
Applications are now available on the DFS website at www.whitmanandhanson.dollarsforscholars.org. Completed DFS applications must be completed and submitted online on or before March 15, 2020.
If you have any questions on any of these programs, please reach out to your school counselor.
Mrs. Carrigan - Ruth.Carrigan@whrsd.org
Mrs. Selig - Courtney.Selig@whrsd.org
Mrs. Cunha - MaggieCate.Cunha@whrsd.org
Mr. Amado - Domingo.Amado@whrsd.org
Ms. Stephanie Martino & Mr. Chris Szkutak - Math Honor Society
Pi Contest!
Saturday, 3/14, was every mathematicians favorite holiday: Pi Day! This year the Math Honor Society members had a pi-themed t-shirt designing contest. The members voted and the winning design was created by Savannah Murphy. Savannah was also the winner of our digits-of-pi contest, memorizing and reciting a whopping 81 digits!
Mr. James Dunn - History National Honor Society
Students Make the News for Registration Efforts!
Ian Brown and Samantha Thompson (Co-Presidents of the History National Honor Society), enjoyed a great opportunity to volunteer as election observers at this year's primary. More important, is that it follows their recent successful effort to increase student involvement by holding a voter registration drive at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Art - Mrs. Christina Maher
Art Stars
WH Juniors, Savannah Murphy, Lucas Mitton and Emily Concannon were selected to take part in the South Shore Art Center’s Art Stars Program. They will meet every Saturday in March with a small group of exceptional South Shore Art Students and professional artists to create a series of murals that will be installed at the art center and featured at the South Shore Art Festival in Cohasset this spring.
Art All State
Youth Art Month Exhibit
Massachusetts State House Art Exhibit
The 6th District Art Exhibition hosted by Representative Josh Cutler will be on display from March 9th to March 20th at the State House. Congratulations to the following students who were selected to participate:
Savannah Murphy, Payton Manter, Abby DeLory, Riley Scott, Lexi Dyszczyk, Ciara Cortez, Lucas Mitton, CJ Gouthro, Julie Buckley, Joe DeLory, Lily Hawk, Lauren Keddy, Hannah Previtti, Eryka Ingram.
Sticker Shock Campaign
Art Dept. Fieldtrip
SADD - Ms. Amy Medeiros & Ms. Heidi Martin
Bake Sale Success!
On February 14 SADD sponsored a bake sale fundraiser at the boys senior night basketball games and it was a huge success! We sold over 100 items at our very first bake sale, including homemade cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and rice crispy treats. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed to our bake sale through the purchase of various items. The money raised will be put towards future awareness events.
In addition to our bake sale, we collaborated with Whitman-Hanson Will to display an informational activity called “Weeding Through the Myths”. This was an opportunity for parents and students to inform themselves about the harmful effects of marijuana and other commonly abused substances.
Sticker Shock!
On Tuesday March 10, SADD officers, Lucy Nixon, Christina Short, Alyssa Kalp, Allison Gallahue, and Skylar Leonard promoted their Sticker shock campaign with a design created by Junior Savannah Murphy in Ms. Maher’s Graphic Design class. As a group, we traveled to liquor stores across Whitman and Hanson where we promoted awareness regarding the Social Host Law and its consequences by posting stickers on beer and liquor coolers.
School Resource Officers Derek Harrington of Hanson and Kevin Harrington of Whitman assisted us throughout our towns, and this campaign was sponsored by the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative and the Whitman Hanson WILL coalition.
Upcoming Dates
Friday, March 13, 2020 - “Alumni/Community Band” Concert 7:00 pm W-H PAC.
March 20-21, 2020 - Senior SEMSBA Festival
Saturday, March 21, 2020 - Show Choir Competition, Andover MA
Monday, March 23, 2020 - Show Choir Chipotle Fundraiser 5pm-8pm Derby Street Chipotle
Saturday, April 4, 2020 - Show Choir Competition, Waltham, MA
Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - Music Department Spring Concert 7:00 pm W-H PAC
May 1-2, 2020 Junior SEMBSA Festival at Silver Lake Regional High School
Show Choir/Pit Band
High Frequency is proud to announce that they took home a silver medal and third place overall at their first competition of the season! Featured soloists include: Lauren Bain (senior) Mikayla Horton (Sophomore) Grace Morgan (freshman) Kiley Concannon (senior) and Adam Wheeler (freshman). High Frequency is student choreographed by seniors Samantha Thomson and Julianne Wheeler, who are so proud of their teammates hardwork and dedication. We are also proud to announce that senior Lauren Bain received the “Outstanding Performer” award, which she also received her freshman year. Congratulations to all!
Raffle Ticket sales for the VIP parking spot will be on sale at lunch at the end of March to win this prime parking spot for the month of April.
Ticket Prices: $1 - 1 tickets $3 - 5 tickets $5 - 10 tickets $10 - 30 tickets
On March 23rd, show this flyer to your cashier at the Hingham Chipotle and help support High Frequency!
Chorus
The new semester has started and we are working hard and improving our talents for the 2020 spring concert. We have some beautiful arrangements for you to hear, including feature soloists, Dylan Reed (Tenor) Paul Shaugnessy (Bass) and Kiley Concannon (Soprano).
Three students will be attending the senior SEMSBA Festival on March 20-21 at Stoughton High! Good luck at SEMSBA Emma Rogers (Soprano, Junior), Julian Anderson (Tenor, Junior) and Lianne Leavitt (Soprano, Senior)
Band
The new semester has started and we are hard and improving our talents for the 2020 spring concert.
The High School Concert Band is preparing for the “Alumni/Community Band Concert on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 7:00 pm in the W-H PAC.
GOOD LUCK! to violinist Nora Rooney who will attend the Senior SEMSBA Festival at Stoughton High on March 20-21 and to clarinetist Rachael Conca who will attend the Junior SEMBSA Festival at Silver Lake on May 1- 2
“Something Natural” A Capella Group
We are so excited to be working on new, fun songs for the spring concert!
New members always welcome!
Drama Club
Meetings are Mondays & Fridays 2:00-3:00
We have been having so much fun already in rehearsals with this talented cast!
If you have any interest in getting involved, please email Brookescriven@gmail.com
Mrs. Catherine Brunelle
What will we read this summer?
What will we read this summer?
YOU HELP CHOOSE!
- Read as many books on the list as you want giving them a 1-5 star rating
- Join the Selection Committee! (let your ELA teacher know if you would like to be on the committee)
Books will get into the Final 16 by the student and staff’s positive reviews!
SMACKDOWN 2020 April 30, 2020
Ms. Margaret Baker & Ms. Lisa Tobin
Nurse’s Corner - Winter 2019
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 in the spring.
Vaping
We have all heard about the increase in vaping in recent years- especially in children. There have been at least 34 reported deaths due to vaping in 2019 in the US. Vaping remains under investigation by the Mass. DPH and the CDC.
Attached are 2 pertinent articles from the Surgeon General of the U.S.:
- a fact sheet about vaping in youth
- a parent tip sheet for talking to your child about e-cigarettes. that offers further resources.
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 or Mrs. Tobin at 781-618-7430 for any questions regarding medication.
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!
Athletics - Coach Bob Rodgers
These are difficult days for our students, including our athletes. However, there is plenty of positive to focus on as well. The boys basketball team won the state championship on Wednesday at the Boston Garden by defeating Beverly in a near perfect game. It felt like the entire Whitman Hanson community made the trek into Boston to support the boys. The Panthers never lost in 2020 going a perfect 20 and 0. In all, WH won their final 23 games to win a school record 25 games, breaking the previous record set by the 2016 boys basketball team which was 24 wins. The team would like to thank all of their classmates, especially the SuperFans. In addition, the team is grateful for the Hanson and Whitman police for providing an escort to and from the Boston Garden.
The 2020 State Champions: Captains Ben Rice and Stevie Kelly, Jonathan Zeidan, Xavier DePina, Liam Keane, Colby Ahern, Alex Shea, Tom Vassil, Cole Levangie, Nate Amado, Tim Leahy, Abe Vital, Ryan Vassil, Ryan Vallancourt and Dom Masone.
As far as the spring season is concerned, the start date has been pushed back once again.
Below is the message from the MIAA.
March 16, 2020
The MIAA Board of Directors voted today, March 16, 2020, to amend the start of the 2020 spring sports season in light of recent mandates from Governor Baker and recommendations from governing health agencies. The updated start date for the 2020 spring season is April 27, 2020.
Additionally, the MIAA Board of Directors voted to have completion of regular season and tournament games by June 20, 2020 with consideration of June 21, 2020 for weather and facility needs.
Details regarding the structure of the spring season will be addressed by the Tournament Management Committee (TMC). An update will be provided and reviewed by the Board by March 25, 2020.
These decisions are based on available information and are made in the best interest of our student-athletes, schools and communities. These decisions will be revisited and adjusted as needed.
Thank you for your patience while dealing with this very fluid situation. Be well.
Sports Short Wrap Up 3/2/20 - 3/9/20
There is so much going on with all our athletic teams, but you can catch up on all of it by reading Athletic Director Bob Rodgers' update and watching this weekly round up of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Panthers' athletic teams in action!
Hit subscribe and follow to catch them all!
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