Wellesley High School

The Wellesley High School Drama Society produces four productions every academic year a fall musical, winter show (for non-competitive entry into METG), and two spring productions. There are a variety of opportunities for students as they can either audition to be a cast member or work backstage on the stage crew.

This club serves as the primary representative of the student body. Open to membership from all grades, Student Congress serves to promote the students' interests and enhance their experiences through communication, dialogue, and policy debate.

The Wellesley High School Model UN club is an after school club formed in 2010. The team has attended the BosMUN conference all four years and plans to travel to more conferences in the 2015-16 year.

Wellesley High School has an Academic Decathlon team. The team consistently makes it to the State Finals and has placed in the top 3 in Massachusetts for the past several seasons. In 2015, the team lost to the Acton-Boxborough High School for the state title.[6]

Raiders vs. Rockets in the 2005 Thanksgiving Day Game at Hunnewell Field in Wellesley

Wellesley High School is a member of the Bay State Conference and the Eastern Massachusetts Division of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA).[7] A wide variety of sports are offered at Wellesley High School at the varsity, junior varsity, and freshmen levels.[8] More than 70% of WHS students participate in sports at some point during their time at Wellesley High.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

On Saturday November 19, 2016, Wellesley High School boys cross country team, coached by former Olympian Tim Broe, won the Division I State Championships.[9] On Friday June 10, 2016, the Wellesley High School girls tennis team won the Division I State Championships[10] In 2013, the Wellesley High School girls tennis team defeated Notre Dame Academy to win the state championships.[11] In June 2010, the Wellesley High School boys tennis team defeating St. John's 5–0 to win its first ever Division 1 State Championship.[12] On Saturday, March 15, 2008 the Wellesley High School girls varsity basketball team defeated Millbury at the DCU Center in Worcester to win the State Basketball Championship.[13] In 2006, the Wellesley High School girls ice hockey team won the state championship.[14] In 2006, the Wellesley High School boys lacrosse team won the Division I All State Championships[15]

Varsity Sports in Wellesley for the 2014–2015 academic school year are as follows:

Wellesley High School is widely known for their performing arts department, which has reached state and national levels on a consistent basis. Some of the most notable works by the Wellesley High School performing arts department include the Keynote and Rice Street singers involvements with the Boston Pops, as well as the band and orchestra programs.

• Band
  • 1 o'Clock Jazz Band – Winner of many different medals at the International Association for Jazz Education.[16]
  • 2 o'Clock Jazz Band – The 2 o'clock Jazz Band was a finalist at the Essentially Ellington Jazz Band Competition and Festival in New York City for the second year in a row.[17][18] The group has been accepted as a finalist again in 2009 for the third time. They were also accepted in 2011, their fourth time. They won first place at the 41st Annual Berklee Jazz Festival in 2009, their second consecutive victory there. They won again in 2014. They have won a gold medal at the MAJE state finals for each year since 2002.
  • Concert Band
  • Wind Ensemble – Since the origin of the WHS Wind Ensemble, it has won the gold medal at the MICCA state finals several consecutive years, and has performed at both Mechanics Hall in Worcester and Symphony Hall in Boston.[19]
• Orchestra (strings)
  • The orchestra won a gold medal at MICCA in 2009 and performed at Symphony Hall in March.
  • The Honors Chamber Orchestra won a gold medal at MICCA for many consecutive years and performed both in Mechanics Hall, Worcester and Symphony Hall, Boston.
• Choral Program
  • Concert Choir - Wellesley High School's unauditioned
  • Keynote Singers - Select Ensemble of 60 singers which are known for their light classical arrangements. They appeared at the "Boston Pops: Home Alone In Concert" in 2013 and 2018 alongside the Rice Street Singers and the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart. [20][21]
  • Rice Street - Select Ensemble of 21 singers which are known for their jazz arrangements. They have won numerous awards alongside the Keynote Singers at the all state level. They appeared at the "Boston Pops: Home Alone In Concert" in 2013 and 2018 alongside the Keynote Singers and the Boston Pops Orchestra, conducted by Keith Lockhart.[20][21]
  • Song Sisters - The all treble choir that specializes in more modern music
  • Brooks Brothers - the TB choir that specializes in fun pop music

• Drama Program
  • Four levels of acting classes are offered.
  • The Wellesley High School Drama Society has won the Massachusetts High School Drama Guild Festival and advanced to New Englands five times in the past ten years. Their most recent win was in 2010 with their production of the self-scripted Blüdpayne VII: A Fistful of Blüdpayne.[22] In 2007, Wellesley won with their production of Dark of the Moon,[23] and in 2006, with the self-scripted Der Waffle Haus, Ergo Leggo My Ego.[24]
• Technical Theatre
  • Stagecraft and Stagecraft Intensive classes are offered.

Regular classes are offered in French, Spanish, German, Latin, and Mandarin Chinese (as of 2015).

The foreign language department regularly engages in exchange programs with students of French- and German-speaking countries. The German program was involved in an exchange with students from Munich, Germany in the 2005–2006 school year.

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 physics in ninth grade, chemistry in tenth grade, biology in eleventh grade, and physics and a variety of AP science courses and science electives in twelfth grade.[25] AP courses are offered in chemistry (as a second-year course), biology (as a second-year course), and Physics C.

Electives in technology consist of wood manufacturing and design technology. Robotics is offered by demand. Operating without any school funding, Wellesley Botball team managed to place 1st regionally and Top 10 Internationally in 2009, and third nationally in 2001 [26]

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.

The English Department offers a comprehensive program that covers writing, poetry and literature. Students are exposed to a wide range of literature and given a strong background in writing. Opportunities exist to take variouselectives, and the department sponsors a summer reading program where a particular book is read over the summer by the entire school community. The program culminates with a school wide seminar, usually led by the author of the book, or an individual knowledgeable about the book or its subject. During the summer of 2007, students and faculty read 1776 by David McCullough, who came in to speak when the school year began.

Standard mathematics classes include geometry freshman year, algebra sophomore year, analysis or pre-calculus junior year and calculus or statistics senior year (all offered in varying levels). AP Calculus, both AB and BC, and AP Statistics are offered senior year. There is also a separate Interactive Mathematics Program (IMP) track through junior year.

The Guidance Department provides a variety of services in three areas: personal/social, career/college, and academic counseling. Counselors spend the majority of their time working directly with students. Through individual counseling and semester-long guidance seminar classes, counselors address the developmental needs of students and provide crisis intervention.

Along with elective courses leveled by ability in jewelry making, ceramics, film making, photography, digital art, and newly added creative journal making, the school offers a five-credit honors course for serious artists called Drawing and Painting Intensive. In April 2014 the Art Department will travel to Central Europe with 36 students.

Both entry level accounting, stats and business mathematics classes are offered along with a varied number of business electives including marketing, finance, management, web design and development for business.

The WHS Student Handbook is given to all students attending Wellesley High School. Its purpose is to outline all the official rules of the school, such as consequences for behavior and exactly what is not allowed. A student can not be punished for anything not written in the handbook, and punishments must fit the guidelines written in the handbook. Additionally, the handbook has policies and descriptions of the various branches of School Government, such as Student Congress and Faculty Senate. Currently, any changes from to the handbook submitted by a student must go through Student Congress, and must also be voted on and approved by School Council.

The Bradford is the Wellesley High School newspaper. The Journalism class is responsible for publishing new issues. Their website is whsbradford.org.

Red Ink is an arts and literary magazine with student submitted poetry, stories, and otherwise. It posts content to its website.

The Green Pages is a digital newsletter, published bimonthly by students, focusing on the "green happenings" of the Wellesley Public Schools.

Child Lab is a developmentally appropriate laboratory preschool for 3, 4, and 5 year olds located on the ground floor of Wellesley High School. Since its inception in 1979, the Lab School has enrolled 18 children each year. It is an elective in which high school students enroll to learn about the development of young children and the best ways to approach optimum learning for the children. Child Lab is a great opportunity for high school students to learn about different ages and stages of children as well as to have the children taught by the students who have taken an interest in early childhood development.

Students at WHS may take classes at Wellesley College without paying tuition, provided that the classes are not offered at WHS.

Wellesley is a member of the METCO Program, which gives inner-city students access to a better education, by busing them in from the City of Boston.

Students out of school for an extended period of time due to hospitalization are eligible for this support program.