The Panther Press
Official Newsletter of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School
Welcome!
December 16, 2018 - Volume 1 - ISSUE 14
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
December 22 - January 1 – Holiday Break
January 2 - Return from Holiday Recess
January 9 - College Admissions Seminar
January 16-22 - Mid-Year Exams/Finals
January 17 - Delayed Opening
January 21 - No School – Martin Luther King Day
January 22 - Quarter 2/Semester 1 Ends
January 23 - Semester 2/Quarter 3 Begins
January 24 - Combined Honor Society Induction 6:30PM in PAC
January 25 - Early Release – Grading Day
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
March 29 - Junior PromIt's THAT Time of Year!
Get Involved and Make a Difference!
The Panther Education Trust (PET) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), community-based organization committed to enriching the quality of public education at the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School (WHRHS). We do this through sponsoring community-based events and by raising money that is used to fund programs that enrich the educational experiences for all of the students at WHRHS.
Funds for the PET's programs are generated through fundraising activities, individual contributions, grants, and in-kind donations from local and national businesses.
SAVE THE DATES!
PET 2019 Monthly Meeting Dates:
Jan 14
Feb 4
March 4
April 1
May 6
June 3
Like and follow the Panther Ed Trust Facebook Page or @PantherEdTrust on twitter
for upcoming news and events.
Dr. Christopher Jones
Our Story...
Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.
Counseling - Mrs. Ruth Carrigan
PSAT Score Release
PSAT scores were released on Tuesday, December 10, via email sent from the College Board to the email addresses students reported on their answer sheets. Scores have also been loaded to Naviance student accounts. Hard copy reports will be distributed once they arrive at WHRHS. If you would like to find out more please follow this link for College Board resources and for videos about accessing and understanding score reports: https://blog.collegeboard.org/when-do-psat-nmsqt-scores-come-out
FAFSA Help
Any seniors/senior parents needing help completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) are encouraged to get help from one of the following resources:
1. ASA (American Student Assistance), 231 Main Street, Suite R, Brockton. Call 508-586-3111 or email domartin@asa.org to make an appointment. Walk-in services are also available.
2. Bridgewater State University is hosting a FAFSA Filing Day on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at 1:00 PM. Follow this link to register: Register Here
Panther Alumni Day
On Friday, December 21st, WHRHS Class of 2018 graduates, will be visiting the high school for Panther Alumni Day. During their visit, they will have an opportunity to share advice with current WHRHS students about making the most of high school and the successful transition to college, the military, or career training. Teachers will be able to sign up their last period classes for the program.
College Admissions Seminar
Please join us for Whitman-Hanson’s annual College Admissions Seminar that will be held on Thursday, January 10th at 6:30 p.m. This program will be an informative and interesting evening with presentations by college admissions professionals. Representatives from Harvard University, Boston College, The University of Massachusetts - Boston, and Massasoit Community College are expected to participate. Topics to be covered include Opportunities at Two-Year Colleges, The College Search Process, The College Application Process, Selective College Admissions, and The College Essay. The program is open to all students, however we especially encourage sophomore and junior students and parents to attend the WHRHS College Admissions Seminar.
Project Contemporary Competitiveness – PCC
PCC is a residential summer enrichment program (4 or 6 week program sessions are available) held at Stonehill College. PCC applications are now available in the School Counseling Office, and any student currently in 7th, 8th, 9th or 10th grade may apply! Completed applications are due to the WH School Counseling Office on January 17, 2019 and should include a $25 deposit, scholarship application, and essay. For more information about PCC, please check out their website at https://pccasp.org.
If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s school counselor.
#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!
Ms. Lauren Drosos... "Shout out to Lauren Drosos for always sharing her time and expertise with department members. She is our Google guru and presents at department meeting, shares materials/resources with colleagues, and gives up her prep time to help others learn. Just the other day, she helped Mr. Ceurvels learn how to use Google assessments. Thanks Lauren!" - Mrs. Amy Floeck
Ian Brown and Brian Fox... "They have begun working with students at Whitman Middle School helping with their writing skills. They received this email from Mrs. Sabens: "I just wanted to say you both did a wonderful job today! Joe enjoyed working with you and he was quite happy that he got so much work done. I will be in touch as we go along here so that we can try and form a regular schedule for this." Brian and Ian have clearly already made a positive difference!" - Ms. Danielle Diogenes
Teachers Attend Institute
The after school enrichment staff participated in two day conference in Devens, MA. The 21st Community Learning Center Grant Winter Institute focused on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion as well as Empowering Youth and Adult Relationships. They continued to expand their knowledge concerning culturally diverse populations and strategies to support students and families. What they learned will be put to use helping the students who participate in our after school program.
Annual Holiday Trip
Athletics - Mr. Bob Rodgers
Our WHAM (Whitman/Hanson Middleboro) swim team is off to a terrific start winning their first two meets. The team defeated Randolph on Friday, 88 to 50. Madison Navicky had a qualifying score for states while Niki Kamperides also broke her record time in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1.23.59 . The boys have split their first two meets defeating Randolph on Friday, 91-71. The next meet is Tuesday against Rockland at the Burkland pool at 4:30pm. A reminder that since we are a co-op with Middleboro the meets do not appear on the Whitman Hanson schedules. However, we have added a direct link on our website at www.whathletics.com . Here is a direct link as well - http://miaa.net/athletics/calendar/schedule.php?school_id=855&team_type_ids=102,105
The Whitman-Hanson Girls Track & Field team (0-1) lost to Duxbury 59-41 Wednesday evening. The Panthers kept it close trailing by only 8 points heading into the relay events, but Duxbury won both the 4 x 200 and 4 x 400 to gain the 18 point victory. Winners for Whitman-Hanson included Senior Captain Ally Bartlett in the Hurdles, Senior Maeve McDonough in the Two-Mile and Sophomore Isabelle Amado winning the 1000 Meter run. Junior Captain Samantha Perkins also had a good night with 3rd place finishes in the High Jump, Long Jump and the 55 Meter Dash.
The Whitman-Hanson Boys Track & Field team (1-0) beat to Duxbury, 51-49 in a thriller Wednesday evening. Winners for WH included Liam Cafferty mile, Pat Bui 300, Dan Kline Hurdles,Brandon Hager 1000 and Theo Kamperides 2 mile. Both the boys and girls return to the Reggie Lewis Center on Friday night to take on Hingham.
Whitman-Hanson traveled to Marshfield for a Super Quad Wrestling Meet finishing 1-4 on the day. Round 1, Marshfield 42 - WH 39, Round 2 Whitman-Hanson 41- Pembroke 39, Round 3 Toll Gate RI 42- WH 39. Round 4 Oliver Ames 60 - WH 18. Round 5 Duxbury 54 - WH 23. Top wrestlers for WH were Matt Butler at 4-1, Bethany Ralph 3-1, Rocco Ruffini 3-2, and the following with 2 wins each: Myles McInnis, Damari Goldsmith Green, Joel McInnis, Nate Morse, Tyler Cullinan and Christian Schneider. The Panthers are currently 0-1 in the Patriot league and 1-8 overall. The team travels to Silver Lake on Wednesday for a Patriot League meet starting at 6:00pm.
The boys basketball team has split its first two games of the season recording a come from opening night win at home against Quincy and then falling in a great battle at Hingham on Friday, 58-55. In the win over Quincy Juniors Ben Rice (21 points) and Colby Ahern (14 points and 10 rebounds) led the way. At Hingham, Sophomore Cole Levangie paced the offense with 14 points. The team has two home games this week before this Christmas break (Tuesday against NQ and Friday against Marshfield).
The girls basketball team is battling some injuries and have opened the season with a pair of losses. In Friday nights 42-34 home setback to Hingham, Kathryn Dunn and Liv Martin each scored 8 points each while Olivia Johnson had 8 points and 7 rebounds. The team travels to North Quincy Tuesday in search of their first win of the season.
The boys hockey team looks much improved this year as the Panthers followed up last week’s win at Pembroke with a hard fought tie against Silver Lake on Wednesday, 4-4 before suffering a 5-4 setback to Scituate on Saturday. Ed Collins paced the offense with a pair of goals while Ed Scriven and Adam Solari each added one in the tie. In the Scituate game, Chris Stoddard netted the hat trick. The Panthers have shown a lot of firepower this winter scoring a total of 14 goals in their first 3 games.
It was a tough season debut for the WH/SL (co-op team) girls hockey team as they fell 8-0 at Dennis Yarmouth. However, the girls are very optimistic about the season. I had a chance to spend some time with captain Maddie Soule and senior Zoe Lydon and both were energetic about the season citing the addition of several key new players. The girls are off until next Saturday @ 345pm against@CHSGHockey at Rockland Rink. The game will be played in memory of Laurie Sheehan-Moran. The team will be wearing their new Laurie Strong patches in her honor. They will be collecting donations and will also be raffling off a Cam Neely autographed picture. All proceeds will go back to Rylee and her siblings. Please join us for this great night.
The gymnastics team has been hard at work and will finally open the season Wednesday at the Hanover YMCA as they take on Scituate.
Our state champion cheerleading team is in the process of building their winter routine. The girls won the fall state championship and have their sites set on another winter title. In the meantime, the girls can also be seeing at the boys basketball games bringing great school spirit to the games while also displaying their outstanding athleticism during timeouts.
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