The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
February 10, 2019 - Volume 1 - ISSUE 20
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
February 11 - Combined Honor Societies Induction 6:30PM in PAC
February 13 - Grade 8 Parent High School Curriculum Night 6:30PM in PAC
February 14 - Delayed Opening
February 14 - Panther Praise Awards 8:15AM in the Performing Arts Center (PAC)
February 18-22 - Winter Recess
March 1 – Senior Class Scholarship Meeting – Period 5 in PAC
March 8 – Alumni/Community Band Concert -7:00 in the P.A.C.
March 14 - Delayed Opening
March 18 – Spring Sports Start
March 21 - Naviance Night Grades 10 & 11 Parents 6:30PM in Computer Labs
March 25 – Spellman Contest 6:30PM in PAC
March 26-27 - MCAS ELA Grade 10
March 28 - Delayed Opening
March 29 - Early Release – Professional Development
April 2 – Quarter 3 Ends
April 5 – Early Release & Junior Prom
April 9 – Quarter 3 Grades available on Parent Portal
April 9 - Spring Concert – 7:00 in the P.A.C.
April 11 – Parent/Teacher Conferences
April 15-19 – Spring Break
Dr. Christopher Jones
Decide Your Circumstance
I think about how many times I have blamed my circumstance for the outcome of any particular action. This is a common occurrence to see in sports. Think about how many times there is a complaint about the referee, weather, fans, or game conditions/timing. While this may make us feel good by excusing us at the time, it actually hinders us from overcoming obstacles and achieving at a greater level because we are embracing excuses rather than accountability.
How much more successful do you think we would all be if we had the following mindset:
We are not the product of our circumstances, rather our circumstances are the product of our actions.
If we are able to change our mindset, accept responsibility for our current circumstances, and act to make them what we desire instead of doing the best we can in light of them; we will be able to create our experiences instead of living in them. I talk more about it in the video below. Check it out...
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
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 Info 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. Applications for Local and Community Scholarships will be available on the WHRHS website on 3/1/19 and are due to the school counseling office on 4/3/19. Dollars for Scholars applications are now available on the DFS website at www.whitmanandhanson.dollarsforscholars.org. Completed applications must be completed and submitted online on or before 3/15/19.
Naviance Night
The WHRHS School Counseling Office is pleased to invite grade 10 & 11 parents/guardians to Naviance Night for Parents on Thursday, 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. Please use this link to register: Register for Naviance Night
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 were 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!
"Julian Anderson will be performing at Symphony Hall on March 2nd with the All-State Chorus. He was accepted by audition late in January. Julian is only a 10th grader and is joined by only 45 other tenors from the state of Massachusetts! way to go Julian." - Mr. Donald Legge
Model United Nations - Mr. Brian Walsh
Best Buddies Road Race!
Nurse - Mrs. Margaret Baker
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 - Coach Rodgers
This weekend Whitman-Hanson hosted two incredible high school athletic events and demonstrated once again what a special community we have. On Saturday, the boys wrestling team welcomed the Division 2 South Sectional tournament to our school and on Sunday the cheerleading program put on the Panther Invitational.
We will detail the results of these events a little later, but what is really impressive is how the student-athletes, parents, coaches and our facilities department worked together to put on such tremendous tournaments. We can’t emphasize enough how lucky we are to have such dedicated people in our programs. In particular, we want to recognize wrestling coach Gary Rabinovitz and cheerleading coach Alyssa Hayes for their outstanding leadership and organization.
Now to the results…..
Leading the way for WH wrestling was 138 pound Damari Goldsmith Greene going 2-1 on the day and finishing in 2nd place bringing his season total to 26-15. Also having a very good tournament was Steven Brooks with a fourth place finish and going 2-2 on the day at 152 pounds bringing his season total to 18-10. Both Damari and Steve will represent the Panthers at the Division 2 State tournament in Beverly, MA on February 15-16. Other place winners for the Panthers all taking 6th included 160 pounds Tyler Cullinan, 182 pound John Youngman, 195 pound Christian Schneider and at 220 pounds Mike Gardner.
Great job overall as the team placed 10 of 12 teams with a total of 60 points.
Our cheerleaders added more hardware to their trophy case winning the large school division of the Panther Invitational. You can see the routine on twitter @whathletics . The girls now set their sites on another Patriot League crown when they travel to Duxbury Wednesday night.
The boys hockey team is still just 3 points away from qualifying for the post season. The Panthers have to be a scary draw for the rest of the division 2 field as WH has been outstanding against some terrific teams. For the second time this season, Whitman Hanson took Duxbury down to the wire on Saturday before dropping a 2-1 decision when the Green Dragons netted the game winner with less than a minute to play. Ed Scriven had the lone tally for WH while Bobby Siders kept the team in the game with an outstanding performance between the pipes. The team will host Quincy on Wednesday before they take on Abington on Senior night next Saturday. We will let all students in for free for the senior night game as long as you have a superfan card.
The Whitman Hanson /Silver Lake girls hockey team beat Shawsheen Wednesday 9-1 at the Janas Memorial Rink in Lowell. WHSL was led by Alyssa Murphy with 3 goals and 2 assists, Lily Ulvila with 2 goals, also scoring were Zoe Lydon, Ellie Grady, Neve Corkery and Caleigh Tompkins, Anastasia Ergas chipped in with 2 assists for her first varsity points. Our next game is Saturday 2/9 vs. Norwell at Rockland Rink at 3:30 pm. The team is off until Saturday when they travel to Stoughton.
The Whitman-Hanson girls competed in the Patriot League Track Championships Friday and Medal winners included Ally Bartlett in the 55 Hurdles, Anna Sullivan and Maya Kamperides in the Two Mile, Isabell Amado in the 1000 and the 4 x 400 team of Tori Boss, Skyler Jordan, Isabelle Amado and Anna Sullivan.
The Whitman-Hanson boys competed in the Patriot League Track Championships Friday, the boys had many outstanding performances led by meet champion Theo Kamperides in the 2 mile. Other top Performers, Brandon Hager took 2nd in the Mile, Kyle O’Brien was 6th in the 600 Meters, Chris Hanley finished 3rd in the 1000 Meter, Liam Cafferty was 4th in the 1000 Meters, Billy Martell took 6th in the Shot Put, Nate Tassey finished 4th in the 2mile and the 4x400 team of Brandon Hager, Kyle O’Brien, Scott Mateus, Shane Schraut had a great night finishing 2nd.
The girls basketball team split a pair of games this week. WH (9-7, 6-6) lost a 1 point heartbreaker Friday at Duxbury but defeated Plymouth South, 67-31 on Tuesday. Jr Liv Martin (4’s 3’s) paced the offense with 17 first half points. Anna O’Neill (3 3’s) scored 9. Abby Whitman added 9. Kathryn Dunn had 7 points 9 boards 5 assists and 3 steals. 11 different players scored for the Panthers. The girls need one more win to qualify for the post season.
The boys basketball team already punched their post season ticket but the Panthers are working hard to earn as high of a seed as possible for the MIAA South Sectionals. Just like the girls, the boys split 2 games this week losing at home Friday to Duxbury, 68-65 and rolling past Plymouth South on the road Tuesday, 77-47. Juniors Colby Ahern (13 points) and Stevie Kelly (10 points) led a balanced attack with 11 different players scoring. Liam Keane has been playing outstanding defense while also providing a spark from behind the arc (3 3’s at PS).The Panthers, who are now 13-5, travel to Silver Lake Tuesday before ending the Patriot League regular season on Thursday with a boy/girl doubleheader at home with Plymouth North.
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