Good News from

Wareham High School

February 2, 2008

STUDENT ATHLETES ~ WORK HARD

Wareham High School’s Varsity Girls Volleyball received the Massachusetts Interscholastic
Athletic Association’s Gold Academic Excellence Team Award presented to the team for
having achieved a cumulative 3.53 grade point average during the 2007 season. The student-
athletes receiving this recognition are senior Tri-Captains Heather Holmes, Bonnie Thorne,
and Megan Welch; Seniors Audrey Collier, Cheryl Hathaway, Layne Petrie, and Lakesha
Wiley; Junior Victoria Morse and Sophomores Rebecca Shaw and Melissa Welch. These
young ladies epitomize the value of athletics in education and represent the essence of the
term Student Athlete. Congratulations on your hard earned and well deserved award.

WHS MUSIC

In music auditions this fall, several WHS students were placed in elite music groups for the
various music festivals this January and February. They include:

All-Cape Music Festival: Senior Kelly Orcutt, top ranked trumpet player on Cape Cod;
Senior Sarah Martin, Clarinet, Sophomore Kaleigh Kelleher, Flute; and Junior Brittany
Nyman, Soprano

Junior Southeast District Festival: Freshman-Ashley McDowell, Alto

Southern New England Honor Band at the University of Rhode Island:
Senior Kelly Orcutt, Trumpet, Senior Laura McQuade, Alto Saxophone;
Sophomore Lisa Horigan, Flute; Sophomore Amanda Labossier, Bassoon.

“Success Lasts a Lifetime”

508-291-3510 Fax 508-291-3577
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AWARD WINNERS

Martha Spragge and Robins Patel have won awards for artwork submitted to the Boston
Globe Scholastic Art Awards. This is a very prestigious competition that puts our students
up against students from every high school in Massachusetts.

Martha won a Silver Key (2nd place) for a drawing titled “Shattered Reality” and Robins won
3 awards for Photography: a Silver Key and 2 Honorable Mentions.

NOVEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH – MEIN HE

Since her arrival at WHS in September of 2005, Meien has displayed outstanding and
consistent effort both in the classroom and beyond. A native speaker of Mandarin Chinese,
Meien has worked diligently to master English. Presently a junior, she has been a member of
the Junior Honor Society for two years. She belongs to the Foreign Language Club, and has
participated in winter and spring track as well as soccer and volleyball. While Meien takes
her schoolwork very seriously, her ready wit and laughter make us smile! She is always
willing to take on any challenge, especially those which involve helping others.

DECEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH – ZAHRA MELENDEZ

Zahra arrived at WHS in September of 2006. As a native speaker of Spanish, she faced the
challenge of completing her freshman studies in English as well as adjusting to the cold
weather of New England – quite a contrast to her home in Puerto Rico! Happily, Zahra has
excelled not only in learning English, but in her academics and in sports as well. She is a
member of the Junior Honor Society. She has participated in soccer for two seasons and is a
valuable asset to the team, having served as captain in this year. Zahra’s sweet smile and
sunny disposition make her a joy to know. In the classroom and on the playing field, she
willingly takes on new responsibilities, and she can always be counted upon to follow
through.

HEALTH NEWS

Wareham High School in collaboration with the Massachusetts Dental Society will be
offering the opportunity for students to see a dentist for Free Dental Services on a date to be
announced which will be in April of this school year. Parents please call the health office for
more information. 508-291-3510 ext. 711, to speak to Mrs. Schutt our school nurse.

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JUNIOR PARENT NIGHT

Mark your calendars: Tuesday, March 25, 2008 @ 6:30 p.m., Wareham High School will be
holding a Junior Parent Night for College Planning for all parents and guardians of WHS
Juniors. This event, sponsored by the high school guidance department and presented jointly
with Steven Briggs, Director of Admissions at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth,
will include information on the college admissions process. This presentation will mirror the
one that juniors will receive in the classroom prior to March 25th.

SATS

The guidance staff will be visiting junior classes in early March to provide registration
forms, a practice test and additional information on the May 3rd SAT to be given at WHS.
The SAT is the standardized exam that is required for admission at almost all four-year
colleges. The registration deadline for the May exam is April 1st.

COLLEGE HOMECOMING

Thirty-one WHS alumni presently attending college came back to WHS on January 3rd to
speak with the seniors about their college experiences. This program, sponsored annually by
the guidance department, allows alumni to give their first hand views on a variety of aspects
of college life. An informal reception in the library followed.

FINANCIAL AID NIGHT

Over seventy-five parents/guardians of seniors attended the annual financial aid night on
January 10th. Eileen O’Leary, Director of Financial Aid at Stonehill College presented an
overview of financial aid including step-by-step instructions on filing the FAFSA form.
Scholarship information was presented by the guidance staff. A question and answer period
followed.

EMPLOYEES OF THE MONTH

The November Employees of the Month are Lynn Sykes and Tina Clark:

Lynn Sykes: As many already know, Ms. Sykes is a key contributor in our after-school
program, summer program and night school program. She purposefully and appropriately
Advocates for struggling students, always investigating new curriculum or strategies. From
design, to instruction, to assessment, to re-teaching key objectives, Ms. Sykes models
planned effectiveness. Her interests and research in the areas of technology and diagnostic
reading programs have, and will continue to, benefit WHS Students.

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Tina Clark: A week in the professional life of Mrs. Clark includes; providing valuable input
regarding academic initiatives, assembling a coaching team for winter track and developing a
flexible schedule that works for the students-athletes and the coaches, providing much
needed driving hours in the evening that students need before a deadline, preparing engaging
lessons in physical education, and constantly demonstrating the athletic and interpersonal
behaviors we expect from students. This is only the piece of her week we are aware of.

The December Employees of the Month are the Mentor/Protégé team of John Wilson and
Judi DeBonise.

John Wilson: High expectations, opportunities for self-improvement and proof of higher
order thinking skills are on display in Mr. Wilson’s room daily. A colleague wrote “Mr.
Wilson pushes students to expect more of themselves, to think, to analyze, and to make
connections. He is often the last person out of this building at night, fine-tuning his plans, or
grading resubmitted papers. His great work is done with a dignity for the profession and
often goes unnoticed”.

Judi DeBonise: Successful organizations of all kinds need people who are there at the right
time, always asking “How can I help?” One of those people at WHS is Mrs. DeBonise.
Peers submitted her name for this recognition for fixing computers, managing school data,
helping to teach employees new software, and demonstrating effective research strategies.
Mrs. DeBonise is successfully collaborating with department heads, teachers and TA’s to
train students to efficiently use electronic and print media. The faculty is impressed with her
preparation in the library and thoughtful suggestions about student research.

COLLEGE ACCEPTANCES
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CONGRATULATIONS TO:

Danielle Ambrose Bay Path College

Jamie Andrade Curry College
Caitlin Bennett St Joseph’s College of Maine
Rivier College
Vanessa Borges Cape Cod Community College
Nicole Canha University of Tampa
U/Mass Dartmouth
Kendall Dunphy Assumption College
Jordan Fonts Cape Cod Community College
Karen Fuller Mitchell College
Anna Maria College
University of Southern Maine
Wesleyan College
University of Hartford
David Johnson Mass Maritime Academy
Simon Kvilhaug Mass Maritime Academy
Victoria Lockyer Bay Path College
Thoms MacDonald University of Maine Orono
College of the Holy Cross
U/Mass Amherst
Megan MacKenzie Cape Cod Community College
Sarah Mahoney Cape Cod Community College
Nicole Mendes Becker College
Brittani Patton Suffolk University
Tyvonne Pina Cape Cod Community College
Noelle Richard Franklin Pierce University
Trevor Robinson Cape Cod Community College
Devon Rufo Fashion Institute of Technology
Lasell College
Jarred Sewall Mass College of Pharmacy and Health
Nicholas College
Bridgewater State College
Allied Health Services
Amanda Sylvia Cape Cod Community College
Matthew Topoulos Mass Maritime Academy
Christopher Townsend Fitchburg State College
Jamie Tucker Cape Cod Community College
Chad Turner Cape Cod Community College

John Vaccaro Cape Cod Community College

Nicholas Vroom Cape Cod Community College
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Russell Wedge Franklin Pierce University
Thomas College
Megan Welch Curry College
Chelsi White Lasell College
Brandy Young U/Mass Dartmouth
Castleton State College