Wachusett Regional High School
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Wachusett Regional High School | |
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Address | |
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1401 Main Street , 01520 United States | |
Information | |
Type | Public comprehensive secondary |
Established | 1955 |
School district | Wachusett Regional School District |
Superintendent | Darryll McCall |
CEEB code | 221010 |
Principal | William Beando |
Teaching staff | 140.88 (FTE) |
Grades | 9-12 |
Enrollment | 1,964 (2021-22)[1] |
Student to teacher ratio | 13.94 to 1 |
Classes offered | 616 |
Language | English |
Color(s) | Green & White |
Mascot | Mountaineer |
Newspaper | Wachusett Echo |
Website | Wachusett Regional High School |
Wachusett Regional High School (abbv. WRHS) is located in
Academics
The school offers a wide range of courses in many subjects, chiefly of four difficulty levels. The CPA, College Prep - Accelerated, is the accelerated college preparatory level, and the majority of students take classes at this level. The Honors level is above CPA. CP, College Prep is the regular level for students and prepares them for studies after high school. Students at the CP level may need a little extra support with their studies to prepare them for post-high school studies. The fourth main class level is
The
The high school also consistently exceeds state and national averages for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT.[5]
School activities
Music Department
WRHS has a large and well regarded music department- which includes several choirs or varying sizes, orchestra and concert bands, string and wind ensembles, as well as jazz performance groups (both vocal and instrumental). WRHS's music department also has a special partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra which permits the students to sit in on rare closed rehearsals of the orchestra. In the spring of 2005, WRHS performed admirably at an international music competition in Toronto, Ontario. At the Festival of Music, Wachusett received first place in the Jazz Band competition, receiving recognition for having several excellent musicians, soloists, and sections. Jazz Choir and Orchestra also took first place in their respective categories. Singers and Chamber Choir took first place in the Mixed Men's and Women's Choir section. String Orchestra received a first place award as well. Wind Ensemble received second place overall. In April 2003 and 2007, the Honors Music Program performed in Florida and visited Walt Disney World, performing on various stages within the park and in Disney Springs. Also in 2007, the Honors Choirs performed at Foxwoods with Kenny Rogers, and also in 2008 at Mohegan Sun. In the spring of 2009, WRHS competed in the North American Festival of Music in Toronto, Ontario, receiving several first and second place awards.
The Wachusett Madrigal Singers were first led to International Music Festival Gold in 1993 by beloved director, and recipient of the MMEA Lowell Mason Award, and the MMEA Distinguished Service Award, Grace V Reidy.
Extracurricular activities
Wachusett Model United Nations and Civics Club
Wachusett's Model United Nations program was first established in the 1970s. Under the current guidance of a political science teacher, Wachusett frequents several model United Nations conferences in locations such as Northeastern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Clark University, and Princeton University. The Wachusett Model United Nations organization has since been disbanded and replaced by the Wachusett Civics Club. This new club was founded in 2018 and continues to participate in model United Nations events along with Model Congress and moot court.
Massachusetts Club
Formed during the 2005–2006 school year, the Massachusetts Club takes group trips to historic places throughout the state, usually on weekends. Trips taken include a day spent in Rockport, several visits to Boston, and a trip to Salem.
Sports
Under the
Science Seminar and Science Fair
Every year, Wachusett conducts a school science fair. Winners of the school competition advance to the Regional Science Fair. In order to help students develop high quality projects and to stimulate their interest in science, Wachusett holds Science Seminar meetings every Tuesday night. Interested students take an entrance examination in order to be admitted to Science Seminar. For the first hour of these meetings, a scientist from the community speaks to seminar members about his/her work. The second hour consists of meetings between students and their science project advisors for help and guidance in the process. Many students have done well at the Regional Science Fair, State Science Fair, International Science and Engineering Fair, and other fairs. Science Seminar is presided over by Carol Sullivan, a longtime teacher at the school, as well as a variety of advisers who are current or retired scientists in the field. Every week a prominent figure in the field of science is brought in to give a one-hour lecture on their chosen subject (subjects range from forensic science to the latest solar panel technology to the size of the universe), and then students break into groups to meet with their adviser and discuss their year-long science project.
Theater Arts
The Theater Company at Wachusett performed in the
Wachusett's Film Directors Guild
WFDG (often pronounced "woofdige") is WRHS's filmmaking club. Club members participate in many film-related activities including, but not limited to, the production of short films. Group formation, plot creation, casting, and shooting must be completed using in-camera editing during a single club meeting. The films are screened at the next club meeting. Additionally, many club members organize the Wachusett Community Film Festival. Members of the Wachusett community may submit films to the festival.
Notable alumni
- Jill Lepore, Harvard professor, historian, and prolific author on American history and culture.
- Jay Cutler, professional bodybuilder and a Mr. Olympia titlist.
- Todd Richards (snowboarder), former professional snowboarder and Olympic athlete.
- Lewis Evangelidis, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and Worcester County sheriff
- Brooke "Brookers" Brodack, believed to be the first performer discovered on YouTube and offered a contract by mainstream media.
- Daniel Colman, professional poker player
- Burt Grinstead, professional actor
- Adrian Ballinger, American mountain climber
- Roy D. Buol, Mayor of Dubuque, Iowa
42°21′11.7″N 71°52′23.8″W / 42.353250°N 71.873278°W
References
- ^ "Wachusett Regional High". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education - 2020-21 SAT Performance Report - All Students Statewide Report".
- ^ "Home". wrhs.wrsd.net. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
- ^ "WRSD Staff Directory". www.wrsdonline.net. Retrieved 2023-11-18.
- ^ Wachusett Regional School District. "SAT Reasoning Test Scores". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2011-05-04.