Wellesley Senior High School - Wellesley, Massachusetts/MA

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Wellesley Senior High School

50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA, 02481-6007 -

tel: (781)446-6290
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Definition of Terms

Wellesley Senior High School

School Level

High school

Grades Offered

Grades 9 - 12

County

Norfolk County, MA

Students & Faculty

Total Students

1203 students

% Male / % Female

49% / 51%

Total Classroom Teachers

89 teachers

Students by Grade

Grade 9 - 330 students

Grade 10 - 292 students

Grade 11 - 289 students

Grade 12 - 292 students

This School

( MA ) School Average

Teacher : Student Ratio

1:14

1:14

Students by Ethnicity

This School

( MA ) School Average

% American Indian	n/a	n/a
% Asian	3%	5%
% Hispanic	2%	14%
% Black	4%	8%
% White	89%	71%
% Unknown	2 %	4%

Additional Student Information

This School

( MA ) School Average

% Eligible for Free Lunch

24%

% Eligible for Reduced Lunch

% Migrant Students Enrolled

n/a

n/a

( MA ) Statewide Testing Performance

School Statewide Performance

View Education Department Test Scores

School District Name

Wellesley School District

This School's Agency

( MA ) District Average

Number of Schools Managed	9	3
Number of Students Managed	4,559 students	1,973 students
District Total Revenue	$58,646,000	$24,738,000
District Expenditure	$62,955,000	$23,460,000
District Revenue / Student	$12,864	$19,938
District Expenditure / Student	$13,809	$10,244
District Graduation Rates	n/a	n/a

Wellesley High School is a public high school in Wellesley, Massachusetts and is one of the most academically challenging public high schools in Massachusetts.
History and current state: Originally built as a public works project in 1938 during the Great Depression, the school was designed by Perry Shaw and Hepburn and built by M. Spinelli and Sons Co., Inc. The building has been modified with several additions throughout its existence, most recently with a new fitness center. Currently the older parts of the building have systems issues, are outdated, worn out, and below standard. As of October, 2005, options for a new building or refurbishment are being explored by the town.
Of the class of 2004, 92% of students planned on attending four-year colleges, while the remaining 8% planned on attending two-year college, specialized school, or post-graduate school. Many graduates attend some of the most selective and prestigious institutions in the nation. According to matriculation data provided by the high school's guidance department, the Wellesley High has been a major feeder school for NESCAC colleges.
Extracurricular activities - Sports: Wellesley has a strong athletic program, participating in the Bay State Conference and consistently sending various sports teams to the Eastern Massachusetts playoffs. Over 70% of all WHS students participate in one of the 34 different offered sports. Altogether, there are 63 varsity, junior varsity, and freshman teams at the school.In 2005-2006, the Wellesley varsity girls ice hockey team won the state championship. The boys lacrosse team made it to three straight state finals between 2004 and 2006, managing to capture the title of state champions in 2006.
The girls and boys teams have won many Bay State Conference All Sports awards, presented to one of the twelve Bay State League teams whose athletic program has had the strongest and most consistent year of school athletics. The boys teams won the award for the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 seasons, and the girls won the award for each school year from 2000 to 2006.
Football and Thanksgiving Rivalry: The Wellesley High School football team was formally known as the Red Raiders, but was changed to simply the Raiders in the 1990s due the name's racial insensitivity. The 2006 football team finished with a record of 6-5, led by head coach Bill Tracey and Andy Levin. The school continues to participate in the oldest high school rivalry in the nation between Wellesley and Needham. The game is played every Thanksgiving and began its tradition in 1882. In the most recent game, the 120th consecutive meeting, the Raiders won by a score of 14-6. Wellesley also leads the all time series against the Needham Rockets 58-52-9.
Performing arts - Band: 1 o'Clock Jazz Band.
2 o'Clock Jazz Band - The 2 o'clock Jazz Band is one of the best high school jazz bands in the region and in 2006 was a finalist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition and Festival in New York City for the second year in a row.
Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra (strings).
Drama Program - In 2006, Wellesley's drama program self-scripted a show through improvisation which was entered in the Massachusetts State Drama Festival. This show, "Der Waffle Haus, Ergo Leggo My Ego", went on to win first place and represent Massachusetts in the New England Drama Festival.
Technical Theatre - "Sound & Light Crew".
Departments and programs - Foreign languages: The Foreign Language program at Wellesley High School regularly engage in exchange programs with students of Spanish, French, and German speaking countries. The German program was involved in an exchange with Students from Munich, Germany in the 2005-6 school year. Twenty-eight students and two teachers visited Wellesley High School from October 21 to November 12, 2005. Wellesley students returned the visit in the spring of 2006. The Spanish program welcomed students from Chile in the fall of 2006 and WHS students returned the visit that winter. But due to certain inappropriate behavior, the exchange program is currently on hold. The school also offers classes in Latin.
Science and Technology: The science and technology department at Wellesley High School offers a comprehensive program of science education, and a selection of electives in technology. The departmental sequence in science consists of earth science in ninth grade, chemistry in tenth grade, biology in eleventh grade, and physics in twelfth grade. AP courses are offered in chemistry (as a second year course), biology and physics B. Electives in technology consist of wood manufacturing, automotive technology, design technology, and computer programming. Robotics is offered occasionally, depending on demand.
Social studies: The social studies department offers several elective majors, available for junior and senior students. These include Russian History, Theory of Knowledge, East Asian History, Economic Theory, Political Science, and Sociology. The department offers two advanced placement courses: AP Psychology and AP United States History. In 2005, one of the best-known teachers in the school, Jon Hamilton, retired after decades of teaching. He was the speaker for the Class of 2005's graduation and remains as the head coach of the varsity golf team.
Mathematics: Standard mathematics classes are offered through AP Calculus BC and AP Statistics, and there is also a separate Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) track through junior year.
Art: Along with elective courses leveled by ability in jewelry making, ceramics, film-making, photography, digital art, and newly-added scrapbooking, the school offers a five-credit honors course for serious artists called "Drawing and Painting Intensive". The course is taught by artist and teacher Dr. Robert Callahan, and, in addition to assigning weekly homework assignments, is counted towards students' GPA.
Partnership with Wellesley College: Students at WHS may take classes at Wellesley College without paying tuition, barring that the classes at Wellesley College are not offered at WHS. Students typically take advantage of this opportunity for math and language classes.
METCO Program: Wellesley is a member of the METCO Program, which allows for inner-city Boston students to attend the high school.
Technology Education (Tech-Ed): Wellesley High School contains an automotive shop and a wood shop. The back of the automotive shop also houses the design and technology program, an architectural and drafting program. Currently, these programs have over 165 students enrolled and are continually increasing. Matt King, superintendent of Wellesley Public Schools, pushed towards closing the shops in 2005 in hopes to create more classrooms for regular school curriculum. However, his efforts failed after hearing an almost unanimous uproar from the community; they were outraged that students who struggled learning by textbook and lecture—as well as those who enjoyed the shops as a creative outlet—be denied the ability to learn hands-on concepts to prepare them for hands-on jobs in life, such as automotive mechanics, craftsmen, tradesmen, and architects. Although King heard the voice of the community opposing to the closing of the shops, he continued his pursuit to create more preparatory classrooms, and is currently struggling with the community in his last year as superintendent.
Notable alumni: American poet Sylvia Plath, former Wellesley resident, remains an influence on the town and school. Ms. Plath attempted suicide while living on Elmwood Road, a story which she retold in her acclaimed work, The Bell Jar.
Wellesley High School graduate Jane Curtin went on to join the original cast of Saturday Night Live.
Richard Preston, a 1978 graduate, wrote the best seller, The Hot Zone, later the basis of the movie Outbreak.
Duncan M. Rogers, a 1982 graduate, is an actor and award winning filmmaker.
Billy Squier, a 1968 graduate, became a sell-out rock star during the late seventies and early eighties. He has since faded from the pop charts.
Craig Mustard, an English teacher currently at WHS, also works as a Boston Red Sox commentator on WEEI 850 sports radio for the weekend show, "Mustard and Johnson".
David McCullough, Jr., another English teacher currently at WHS, is the son of the renowned historian David McCullough.
Jess Hatch, a teacher of business at WHS, is the son of Senator Orrin Hatch, who gave a controversial speech at the high school December 2005.
Jay Harrington, a 1988 graduate, is an actor in Los Angeles and was recently seen on Desperate Housewives.
Matt Flanagan, a 1992 graduate, is a screenwriter in Los Angeles, former staff writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, and co-writer of the 2007 Jessica Simpson vehicle Blonde Ambition.
Source: Wikipedia; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL
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About This Zip Code (02481)

School Zip (02481)

(MA) State Average

Population (Approximate)

14,168 people

6,259,314 people

% (age 25+) w/College Degree

83%

40%

Population Average Age

40 years old

36.5 years old

Average Household size

2.9 persons

2.5 persons

Median Household Income

$123,622

$49,984

Avg. # of Rooms in Household

8 rooms

5.4 rooms

Median Age of Housing Structure

63 years old

55 years old

View current housing listings in 02481

Median Value of Housing Unit
Zipcode (02481)

What's a Zindex?
Subject to Zillow Terms of Use

% Owning / % Renting

88% / 12%

58% / 42%

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Weather: 10-day forecast or monthly climate averages.

Nearby Schools:


1. Needham High School - 1398 students - view location
2. Newton South High School - 1700 students - view location
3. Newton North High School - 2003 students - view location
4. Weston High School - 688 students - view location
5. Natick High School - 1218 students - view location
View all schools in: Wellesley Town, Norfolk County, Zip 02481

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Note: Data has been gathered from several government and commercial data sources. School data reflects years 2002-04 statistics (most recent years available). Area and demographic data reflects year 2000 statistics. Public School Review does not ensure the timeliness or accuracy of the information on this site.

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