Woodland Regional High School
Encyclopedia
Woodland Regional High School is a high school located in the western part of Beacon Falls, Connecticut
, near the town line shared with Oxford
.
The school is operated by Regional School District 16. The school mascot is the hawk
. Students from the towns of Beacon Falls and Prospect
in grades 9 through 12 attend the school.
, several of which are required:
Of the 25 credits needed for graduation, 16 are core/mandatory and 9 are elective. Every student must be registered for 7 credits each semester. For students planning on attending college
, three years of the same World Language are strongly recommended.
In order to receive credit, the student must have a final grade of 70 or above. If not, Summer School
Mastery is available in some subject areas.
In addition to the credits required for graduation, there are 6 other graduation requirements:
Woodland follows a block schedule, which is an A/E model. Students take 8 blocks of classes, labeled A-H. Students meet with classes A-D on "A" Day and classes E-H on "E" Day. Each of those periods lasts 80 minutes. A 25-minute lunch period; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd is added into the middle block of the day (either C or G).
Also, a 20-minute Advisory group meets every day before the final block of the day (either D or H). This Advisory group is composed of the same 12-15 students and the same teacher for all four years. The advisory acts as the primary contact person for students, parents, and teachers. Each year has a specific focus: Grade 9 focuses on the transition to high school and contributing to the Freshman Exhibit; Grade 10 focuses on the presentation of the Sophomore Exhibition; Grade 11 focuses on developing a post-secondary plan and having a Junior Interview; Grade 12 focuses on preparing and presenting the Senior Project.
Between each block is a 5-minute passing period when students have time to visit their locker and commute between classes.
, and Advanced Placement. Woodland offers many Advanced Placement courses, which upon passing a standardized test at the end of the course, can earn a student college credits. These courses are:
Advanced Placement in Music Theory
was once offered, but was discontinued at Woodland in 2011.
at Woodland gives students access to an estimated 6,000 books, periodicals
dating to 2001, 44 computers with internet, and other media. Only about one-third of the books are fictional, and all books can be checked out for 2 weeks at a time without an overdue fee.
, World Language Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Woodland Experimental Theater (WET), Math Team, Future Business Leaders of America
, Gay–Straight Alliance, and more. The Student Council has its own constitution and is similar to a parliamentary legislature.
production organization within Woodland. Students may take Journalism
classes to become involved with the group. The Journalism Department is headed by a faculty advisor and their productions include the school newspaper
, The Hawk Headlines, the school website, and radio webcast
s. WRHS Media produces live broadcasts of home football, volleyball, and basketball games as well as various podcast
s on its website.
(NVL), which is a 14-team conference. The Hawks are members of the Copper Division
in league football
play but switched over to the Brass Division in every other sport effective in the fall of 2009 due to the expansion of the NVL. Woodland is also a member of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference
(CIAC), which is the main governing body of Connecticut high school sports. Woodland began participating in varsity
athletics in its second year of existence, 2002.
: fall, winter, and spring.
The school also accommodates athletes who wish to participate in gymnastics
or wrestling
.
Beacon Falls, Connecticut
Beacon Falls is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,246 at the 2000 census. The population increased to 6,049 at the 2010 census. Beacon Falls is also home to the national-known Meteorologist Jim Cantore. Settlers from Derby, Connecticut settled Beacon...
, near the town line shared with Oxford
Oxford, Connecticut
Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,272 at the 2010 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central...
.
The school is operated by Regional School District 16. The school mascot is the hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
. Students from the towns of Beacon Falls and Prospect
Prospect, Connecticut
Prospect is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,707 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water...
in grades 9 through 12 attend the school.
Graduation requirements
In order to graduate, students must meet several requirements. Each student must accumulate 25 creditsCredit (education)
A course credit is a unit that gives weighting to the value, level or time requirements of an academic course taken at a school or other educational institution.- United States :...
, several of which are required:
- 4 credits of English
- 9th Grade Humanities- World Cultures
- 10th Grade Humanities- American LiteratureAmerican literatureAmerican literature is the written or literary work produced in the area of the United States and its preceding colonies. For more specific discussions of poetry and theater, see Poetry of the United States and Theater in the United States. During its early history, America was a series of British...
- 11th Grade Humanities- American Literature and Composition or Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
- 12th Grade Humanities- Two-part class: World Literature and English Language and Composition
- 3.5 credits of History
- 9th Grade Humanities- World Civilizations
- 10th Grade Humanities- United States History I
- 11th Grade Humanities- United States History II or Advanced Placement United States History
- 0.5 credit in CivicsCivicsCivics is the study of rights and duties of citizenship. In other words, it is the study of government with attention to the role of citizens ― as opposed to external factors ― in the operation and oversight of government....
- 3 credits of Mathematics
- 3 credits of Science, one of which must be BiologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
- 0.5 credit of Fine Arts
- 0.5 credit of Applied Technologies
- 1.5 credits of Physical EducationPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
/HealthHealth educationHealth education is the profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health...
(0.5 credit for three years)
Of the 25 credits needed for graduation, 16 are core/mandatory and 9 are elective. Every student must be registered for 7 credits each semester. For students planning on attending college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, three years of the same World Language are strongly recommended.
In order to receive credit, the student must have a final grade of 70 or above. If not, Summer School
Summer school
Summer school is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, that teaches students during the summer vacation....
Mastery is available in some subject areas.
In addition to the credits required for graduation, there are 6 other graduation requirements:
- 40 hours of community serviceCommunity serviceCommunity service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
which is documented in the Guidance Office - Four years of Advisory (successfully passed all four years)
- Completion of a FreshmanFreshmanA freshman or fresher is a first-year student in secondary school, high school, or college. The term first year can also be used as a noun, to describe the students themselves A freshman (US) or fresher (UK, India) (or sometimes fish, freshie, fresher; slang plural frosh or freshmeat) is a...
Exhibit - Completion of a SophomoreSophomoreSophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
Exhibition - Completion of a JuniorEleventh gradeEleventh Grade is the eleventh, and for some countries final, grade of secondary schools. Students are typically 16 or 17 years of age, depending on the country and the students' birthdays.-Brazil:...
InterviewInterviewAn interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -... - Completion of a SeniorTwelfth gradeTwelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
Project, which is considered a 0.5 credit course.
Schedule
The day at Woodland starts at 7:35 p.m. and ends at 2:05 p.m.Woodland follows a block schedule, which is an A/E model. Students take 8 blocks of classes, labeled A-H. Students meet with classes A-D on "A" Day and classes E-H on "E" Day. Each of those periods lasts 80 minutes. A 25-minute lunch period; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd is added into the middle block of the day (either C or G).
Also, a 20-minute Advisory group meets every day before the final block of the day (either D or H). This Advisory group is composed of the same 12-15 students and the same teacher for all four years. The advisory acts as the primary contact person for students, parents, and teachers. Each year has a specific focus: Grade 9 focuses on the transition to high school and contributing to the Freshman Exhibit; Grade 10 focuses on the presentation of the Sophomore Exhibition; Grade 11 focuses on developing a post-secondary plan and having a Junior Interview; Grade 12 focuses on preparing and presenting the Senior Project.
Between each block is a 5-minute passing period when students have time to visit their locker and commute between classes.
Levels of courses
Woodland offers several different levels in most core courses: Core, College Preparatory, HonorsHonors course
Honors course is a distinction applied in the United States to certain classes to distinguish them from standard course offerings. The difference between a regular class and the honors class is not necessarily the amount of work, but the type of work required and the pace of studying...
, and Advanced Placement. Woodland offers many Advanced Placement courses, which upon passing a standardized test at the end of the course, can earn a student college credits. These courses are:
- Advanced Placement in Studio ArtAP Studio ArtAP Studio Art is a series of Advanced Placement Courses divided into three different categories: AP Studio Art Drawing, AP Studio Art 2D, and AP Studio Art 3D.-The portfolio:...
- Advanced Placement English Language and CompositionAP English Language and CompositionAdvanced Placement English Language and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program....
- Advanced Placement English Literature and CompositionAP English Literature and CompositionAdvanced Placement English Literature and Composition is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The Course:This course is designated for motivated students with a command of standard English, an...
- Advanced Placement United States HistoryAP United States HistoryAdvanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
- Advanced Placement World HistoryAP World HistoryAdvanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
- Advanced Placement PsychologyAP PsychologyThe Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
- Advanced Placement CalculusAP CalculusAdvanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
- Advanced Placement StatisticsAP StatisticsAdvanced Placement Statistics is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program...
- Advanced Placement Environmental ScienceAP Environmental ScienceAdvanced Placement Environmental Science is a course offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students interested in the environmental and natural sciences...
- Advanced Placement BiologyAP BiologyIn the United States, Advanced Placement Biology , is a course and examination offered by the College Board to high school students as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level biology course....
- French Advanced Placement PreparationAP French LanguageAdvanced Placement French Language and Culture is a course offered by the College Board to high school students in the United States as an opportunity to earn placement credit for a college-level French course...
- Spanish Advanced Placement PreparationAP Spanish LanguageAdvanced Placement Spanish Language is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program.-The course:...
Advanced Placement in Music Theory
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
was once offered, but was discontinued at Woodland in 2011.
Media center
The Media CenterHybrid library
Hybrid library is a term used by librarians to describe libraries containing a mix of traditional print library resources and the growing number of electronic resources.-Overview:...
at Woodland gives students access to an estimated 6,000 books, periodicals
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
dating to 2001, 44 computers with internet, and other media. Only about one-third of the books are fictional, and all books can be checked out for 2 weeks at a time without an overdue fee.
Extracurricular activities and clubs
Woodland offers numerous extracurricular activities and clubs. Among these are the Woodland Regional Student Council, WRHS Media, Jazz Ensemble, Pep Band, Ski Club, Yearbook Staff, National Honor SocietyNational Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
, World Language Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, Woodland Experimental Theater (WET), Math Team, Future Business Leaders of America
FBLA-PBL
The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, or FBLA-PBL, is an American career and technical student organization that has its headquarters in Reston, Virginia...
, Gay–Straight Alliance, and more. The Student Council has its own constitution and is similar to a parliamentary legislature.
WRHS Media
WRHS Media is the mediaNews media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
production organization within Woodland. Students may take Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
classes to become involved with the group. The Journalism Department is headed by a faculty advisor and their productions include the school newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
, The Hawk Headlines, the school website, and radio webcast
Webcast
A webcast is a media presentation distributed over the Internet using streaming media technology to distribute a single content source to many simultaneous listeners/viewers. A webcast may either be distributed live or on demand...
s. WRHS Media produces live broadcasts of home football, volleyball, and basketball games as well as various podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s on its website.
Athletics
The Woodland Hawks are members of the Naugatuck Valley LeagueNaugatuck Valley League
The Naugatuck Valley League is a 14-team athletic conference of high schools, located in the Naugatuck River Valley of Connecticut....
(NVL), which is a 14-team conference. The Hawks are members of the Copper Division
Division (sport)
In sports, a division is a group of teams who compete against each other for a championship.-League system:In sports using a league system , a division consists a group of teams who play a sport at a similar competitive level...
in league football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
play but switched over to the Brass Division in every other sport effective in the fall of 2009 due to the expansion of the NVL. Woodland is also a member of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference
Connecticut Association of Schools
The Connecticut Association of Schools and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference is the governing body for secondary school athletics and other interscholastic competition in the state of Connecticut.- History :...
(CIAC), which is the main governing body of Connecticut high school sports. Woodland began participating in varsity
Varsity team
In the United States and Canada, varsity sports teams are the principal athletic teams representing a college, university, high school or other secondary school. Such teams compete against the principal athletic teams at other colleges/universities, or in the case of secondary schools, against...
athletics in its second year of existence, 2002.
Sports offered
There are 22 sports teams at Woodland which participate in three seasonsSeason (sports)
In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an...
: fall, winter, and spring.
- Football (Varsity, JVJunior varsityPrimarily in North America, junior varsity or JV players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition , usually at the high school and college levels in the United States and Canada. The main players comprise the varsity team...
, Freshman) - Girls' VolleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
(Varsity, JV, Freshman) - Boys' Soccer (Varsity, JV)
- Girls' Soccer (Varsity, JV)
- Girls' SwimmingSwimming (sport)Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
(Varsity) - Boys' Cross CountryCross country runningCross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
(Varsity) - Girls' Cross Country (Varsity)
- Boys' BasketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
(Varsity, JV, Freshman) - Girls' Basketball (Varsity, JV, Freshman)
- Boys' Indoor TrackTrack and fieldTrack and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
(Varsity) - Girls' Indoor Track (Varsity)
- Boys' Swimming (Varsity)
- CheerleadingCheerleadingCheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
(Varsity) - Dance Team (Varsity)
- Weightlifting (Varsity)
- BaseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
(Varsity, JV, Freshman) - SoftballSoftballSoftball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
(Varsity, JV, Freshman) - Boys' Outdoor Track (Varsity)
- Girls' Outdoor Track (Varsity)
- Boys' TennisTennisTennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
(Varsity) - Girls' Tennis (Varsity)
- GolfGolfGolf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
(Varsity)
The school also accommodates athletes who wish to participate in gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
or wrestling
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
.