Weymouth High School
Encyclopedia
Weymouth High School (WHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Weymouth, Massachusetts
that serves students in grades nine through twelve. Weymouth High School also offers a Career and Technical Education Program offering such courses as Aesthetics, Allied Health, Architectural Design, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood Education, Information Technology, Construction Technology, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Graphic Communications and Sheet Metal.
Weymouth High School also has many athletic teams. Fall sports include cheerleading, boys' and girls' cross country, dance team, football, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, swimming, and girls' volleyball. Winter sports include boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' hockey, boys' and girls' indoor track, wrestling, and gymnastics. Spring sports include baseball, softball, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' lacrosse, boys' and girls' outdoor track, boys' volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee.
In the 2009-2010 Season, Girls Cross Country, Football, Wrestling, and Boys Outdoor Track were Bay State Carey Division Champions.
and a minimum of 20 credits to graduate. A credit is rewarded each time a class is passed with an average letter grade of D- or higher, or at least 60%. The amount of credits is dependent on how often the class is taken. For example, a Calculus
course that meets every day for the year will reward the student with 1 credit if that student passes. In classes that do not meet every day or that are only a semester long, such as Psychology
, which is only for half the year, will receive reduced credits. In this case, Psychology meets every day in a 6-day cycle for either the first two or last two quarters of the term, so the passing student would receive .5 credits.
For the past 6 years Weymouth has received Academic Support Grant money to tutor students who have failed the Math and/or English MCAS exam. We have small numbers that need support for the retests. A six week program is run for these students immediately prior to the exams. The students generally come from studies to tutoring. The student to teacher ratio is often 1:1 or 1:2. This individualized approach has been very successful.
The minimum amount of courses that one must take from 9th-12th grade are as follows:
Vocational students may not be affected by the floating block at all if their vocational classes fall into the floating block. Such a schedule structure has continuously caused confusion and time conflicts.
Weymouth, Massachusetts
The Town of Weymouth is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, Weymouth had a total population of 53,743. Despite its city status, it is formally known as the Town of Weymouth...
that serves students in grades nine through twelve. Weymouth High School also offers a Career and Technical Education Program offering such courses as Aesthetics, Allied Health, Architectural Design, Automotive Technology, Early Childhood Education, Information Technology, Construction Technology, Cosmetology, Culinary Arts, Graphic Communications and Sheet Metal.
History
Weymouth High School was first established in 1854. Since that time, it has gone through several incarnations:- The building used to house Weymouth High in the early 20th century stood next to the Town Hall on Middle Street.
- A new building to house Weymouth High opened in 1963 on Commercial Street. A great example of mid-century modernism, it earned a prestigious national architectural award. It housed students in the 11th and 12th grades; 10th graders attended school in the Middle Street building.
- The town population grew in leaps and bounds in the mid 20th century, necessitating a second high school. In 1971, Weymouth South High School opened on Pleasant Street. The building on Commercial Street became Weymouth North High School. Also in 1971, an arsonist set fire to the original Middle Street location of WHS, and the current Abigail Adams Middle School was built in its place.
- The high schools were again merged into one Weymouth High School in 1991, and this new high school was housed in the former Weymouth North High School building.
- The building that currently houses Weymouth High School opened in 2004 at One Wildcat Way in South Weymouth. This building was the original Weymouth South High School and most recently housed the junior high school students in Weymouth. The old Weymouth South High School is known as the "Maroon House." The "Gold House" was newly constructed for the opening in 2004, and was built on the site of the old South Intermediate School. This expansion cost the school approximately USD$22 million, and took about two years to complete.
- With the opening of the facility at One Wildcat Way, several security staff were introduced to maintain order among students. The performance of these staff has been negatively received and criticized by students, faculty, and the general public since their installment.
Terminology
- The Maroon House is the first building of WHS constructed, and is colloquially known as the "Maroon Building" or "Old Building" for this reason. It houses the EnglishEnglish studiesEnglish studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language , English linguistics English studies is an academic discipline that includes the study of literatures written in the English language (including literatures from the U.K., U.S.,...
, HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, ArtThe artsThe arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
and MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
wings, as well as the gymGymThe word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium. The auditoriumAuditoriumAn auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances at venues such as theatres. For movie theaters, the number of auditoriums is expressed as the number of screens.- Etymology :...
and one of WHS's two cafeterias are located here, appropriately named the Maroon Cafeteria.
- The Gold House refers to the addition completed in 2004. The building's site partially overlaps with where South Intermediate School's track once resided. It houses the MathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, ScienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, vocational educationVocational educationVocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
, and foreign languageForeign languageA foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
wings, as well as the planetariumPlanetariumA planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
, the libraryLibraryIn a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
and the Gold Cafeteria. Vocational students may also work in its bakery, bank, restaurant, and salon for academic credit.
- The connector, as it is called informally, which is one of two long, wide corridors that connect the two Houses. It leads from south of the gym to the intersection of the Math and Science wings. This connector joins the 2000-level classrooms of the Gold House with the 100-level classrooms of the Maroon House.
- The north connector, or back connector, is the second corridor that acts as the passage from the English wing to the Science wing.
Athletics and Activities
Weymouth High School students partake in a range of after-school clubs and activities. These activities include chapters of SADD and Amnesty International, a Student Senate, a Math Team, a Concert Band, a Choir, a Drama Club, and a Yearbook Committee.Weymouth High School also has many athletic teams. Fall sports include cheerleading, boys' and girls' cross country, dance team, football, golf, boys' and girls' soccer, swimming, and girls' volleyball. Winter sports include boys' and girls' basketball, boys' and girls' hockey, boys' and girls' indoor track, wrestling, and gymnastics. Spring sports include baseball, softball, boys' and girls' tennis, boys' and girls' lacrosse, boys' and girls' outdoor track, boys' volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee.
In the 2009-2010 Season, Girls Cross Country, Football, Wrestling, and Boys Outdoor Track were Bay State Carey Division Champions.
Graduation
Weymouth High requires passing the MCASMassachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, commonly shortened to MCAS , is the Commonwealth's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993, in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year...
and a minimum of 20 credits to graduate. A credit is rewarded each time a class is passed with an average letter grade of D- or higher, or at least 60%. The amount of credits is dependent on how often the class is taken. For example, a Calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
course that meets every day for the year will reward the student with 1 credit if that student passes. In classes that do not meet every day or that are only a semester long, such as Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, which is only for half the year, will receive reduced credits. In this case, Psychology meets every day in a 6-day cycle for either the first two or last two quarters of the term, so the passing student would receive .5 credits.
For the past 6 years Weymouth has received Academic Support Grant money to tutor students who have failed the Math and/or English MCAS exam. We have small numbers that need support for the retests. A six week program is run for these students immediately prior to the exams. The students generally come from studies to tutoring. The student to teacher ratio is often 1:1 or 1:2. This individualized approach has been very successful.
The minimum amount of courses that one must take from 9th-12th grade are as follows:
- 4 credits of History courses (US History II required)
- 4 credits of English courses (English 9, 10, 11 & senior electives required)
- 3 credits of Mathematics courses (Mathematics course in grade 10 required)
- 3 credits of Science courses (Biology course required to be taken in grade 9 or 10)
- 1.5 credits of Unified Arts
- 1.2 credits of Physical Education (CTE students are required to take .4 credits)
- 0.3 credits of Health Education
Schedule Structure
In contrast with other educational institutions, WHSs non-vocational schedule structure is not static from day to day. The school year is based around a repeating seven day schedule lettered from A to G with each day broken up into 7 blocks labeled 1 through 7. In a full-length school day, there will be five standard blocks of 50 minutes and one long, "floating" block of 90 minutes that consumes either the preceding or proceeding block.Vocational students may not be affected by the floating block at all if their vocational classes fall into the floating block. Such a schedule structure has continuously caused confusion and time conflicts.