Medfield High School

Medfield High School
Address
88R South Street Medfield, Massachusetts 02052 United States
Coordinates	42°11′06″N 71°17′46″W / 42.185°N 71.296°W / 42.185; -71.296Coordinates: 42°11′06″N 71°17′46″W / 42.185°N 71.296°W / 42.185; -71.296
Information
Other name	Amos Clark Kingsbury High School
Type	Public high school
School district	Medfield Public Schools
Superintendent	Jeffrey J. Marsden
NCES School ID	250753001157[1]
Principal	Robert Parga
Teaching staff	65[2]
Grades	9-12
Enrollment	898[3] (2011-2012)
• Grade 9	201
• Grade 10	233
• Grade 11	237
• Grade 12	227
Color(s)	Blue      White      and Carolina Blue
Athletics conference	Tri-Valley League (TVL)
Mascot	Warrior
Team name	Medfield Warriors
Average SAT scores	601 verbal 607 math 1208 total (2016-2017)[4]
Newspaper	The Kingsbury Chronicle
Website	www.medfield.net/mhs

Medfield High School is a 9-12 public high school in Medfield, Massachusetts, part of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is one of five public schools in the school system, and the only public high school in Medfield.

In 2016, US News and World Report ranked Medfield as the 4th best High School in Massachusetts and number 152 nationally. The student to faculty ratio at the high school is 14.4-1, which is consistent with the state average of 13.9-1.^[2] There are 898 students at the school, 49.8% of which are male, 50.2% female.^[3]

Mission statement

"Medfield High School in partnership with family and community promotes both integrity and excellence in scholarship and citizenship for all learners. Medfield High School is committed to:
Challenging Academics for All,
Lifelong Learning for All,
Excellence: Academic, Co-curricular, and Character,
Achievement of Personal Success,
Respect, Honesty, and Integrity" ^[5]

Student Ethnicity

Euro-American 94.8%
Asian 2.9%
Hispanic 0.8%
African American 0.6%
Multiracial 1%^[3]

History

From the time Medfield was founded in 1649 and established in 1651 as the 43rd town in the then Massachusets Bay Colony, education was considered to be one of the most important aspects of the town. The founder of Medfield, Ralph Wheelock, became the first schoolmaster for the town. Medfield's first schoolhouse was built in 1666 on the south-east corner of North Street and Janes Avenue. It remained the town's only schoolhouse until 1732 when the town was divided into three school districts, north, south and center. Schoolhouses,in addition to the Center School on North Street at Janes Avenue, were then built in the north and south parts of town. The North School (later named the Hannah Adams School) was near the corner of South and High Streets and the North School (later named the Lowell Mason School) was on North Street, just past Dale Street. Then a later north school was built on the corner of North and Harding Street and then a final north schoolhouse was built on the corner of North and School Streets. The north and south schools held students generally in grades 1-6. In 1859 a new Center School was built on what is today 25 Pleasant Street. This building housed students in all grades living in the center part of town and was enlarged several times over the years. In 1879 it was named the Ralph Wheelock School and was in continuous operation until it was destroyed by fire in the early morning of March 21, 1940. Medfield High School was officially established in 1870 and was located in the Ralph Wheelock School. The first graduation took place in 1887. Medfield High School was actually abolished in 1903 when the School Committee recommended that the high school be closed all together, having legal permission to do so under the “High School Law of 1902.” In 1904, due in part to town pride, the town voted to re-establish part of the high school. The first two years would remain in the Ralph Wheelock School and the final two years students would continue at Dedham and Walpole High Schools. In 1906 a third year of high school was added and in 1907, using existing funds, the school committee added the full four-year highs school, where it has remained ever since. In 1908 the first high school graduation since June of 1899 was held in Town Hall. In the 1920s a new high school (Hannah Adams Pfaff High School) was built on the corner of North and Dale Streets(today's park and recreation building) and the Wheelock School became the elementary school. After the Wheelock School burnt in 1940, a new school was built on the corner of Dale and Adams Street (Dale Street School) and this became the new high school with the Pfaff School on North and Dale becoming the elementary school. In 1951 a new elementary school was built on Adams Street (Memorial School) . In 1957, the town accepted a gift of land on Pound Street from the Amos Clark Kingsbury family, a Medfield native, war hero and public school alum. This land was used to build a new junior/senior high school in 1961, which was named Amos Clark Kingsbury Jr.-Sr. High School. In 1966 a new JR. High school was built next door to the Pound Street school and was later named the Thomas A. Blake Middle School. In 1969 Medfield's newest school was built, yet another elementary school, on Elm Street (named the Ralph Wheelock School). This remained unchanged until 2005 when the middle school went under re-construction and was swapped with the high school.^[6] ref: This Old Town, Remembering Medfield by Richard DeSorgher

Hall of Excellence Award

Each year, a Medfield High School alumnus is inducted into the Hall of Excellence and is given the opportunity to speak to graduating seniors at class day. The award is given to graduates who earned distinction in their profession and gave back to others in the community. Previous recipients include: Ambassador Donald E. Booth (Class of 1972), Brian Garrison (Class of 1986), Richard DeSorgher (Class of 1970), Michael Kelleher (Class of 1968), Connie Jones (Class of 1967), Veterans of World War II who left MHS before graduation to serve their country, Dr. Arthur R. Stagg, Jr. (Class of 1956), Laura Vasaturo (Class of 1985), Vincent "Red" Palumbo (Class of 1936), Jeffrey Cook (Class of 1964), Dr. Paula Quatromoni (Class of 1981) and Pauline Goucher (Class of 1943).^[7]

Academics

In the year 2011, 92% of the high school’s students earned "proficient" or higher on the Science Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). 99% scored as well on the Language Arts exam and 97% scored at least proficient in Math.^[8] Medfield High School also prides itself on offering a wide range of honors and accelerated courses, which include 17 AP classes.

In 2012, Medfield continued to show high test scores on the MCAS compared to the state average.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program gives an award to about 300 schools across the country each year for demonstrating academic excellence or for making drastic improvements in academic success. Medfield earned this award in 2008.^[10]

Athletics

Medfield High School sports teams have the nickname ″The Warriors″. They compete in the Tri-Valley League (TVL), which includes Westwood, Hopkinton, Ashland, Holliston, Millis, Dover-Sherborn, Norton, Medway, and Bellingham. Sports are very popular at Medfield; over 70% of students participate in one or more sports a year. Most programs contain Freshman, Junior Varsity, and Varsity teams. In 2004 a synthetic field and track was installed at the high school. In 2008, a synthetic turf baseball field was installed thanks to funding from Curt Schilling (a resident of Medfield) and donations from the Boston Red Sox, next to the middle school. Medfield is known for having one of the most successful Boys and Girls Lacrosse and volleyball programs in all of New England. Medfield is a rival of Dover-Sherborn High School and plays them in football every Thanksgiving.

Notable alumni

• Uzo Aduba, American actress
• Steve Berthiaume, former ESPN anchor
• Matthew Aucoin, American composer, conductor, writer, and pianist
• Blake Boston, Scumbag Steve
• Donald E. Booth, United States Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan

References