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James P., Walpole High School representative to the School Committee provided the following report:

• Academic & Class Updates: Term 3 ended on April 2nd, and report cards were issued today, April 10th. The 2025 Senior Packet and Class Page are now available online with important dates, announcements, and scholarship opportunities. Seniors are encouraged to check their email for more information on community scholarships.
• School Events & Programs: Career and Education Tier II, a post-graduate program for students aged 18–22, is currently seeking internship partners. For more information, please contact Mrs. Tempesta. WHS will host an electronics recycling event this Saturday, April 12th, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Proceeds will benefit the Walpole High School Film Festival.
• Clubs & Student Activities: The WHS Robotics Team is heading to the World Championship in Houston next week. The team will compete on April 17–18, with potential finals on April 19th. Congratulations to the Speech & Debate Team, which had three finalists at the State Tournament held at Boston Latin. Student Council held a successful Spirit Night fundraiser at Chick-fil-A on April 7th. The PM Club is planning a trip to the New England Aquarium on Friday, April 11th. The WHS UNICEF Club is organizing its second annual “Egg My Yard” fundraiser.
• Athletics: Spring sports are off to a strong start. Baseball, softball, boys lacrosse, and girls lacrosse have all opened their seasons undefeated. The boys and girls Track and Field teams had their first meet on April 9th in Newton. The Walpole XC/Track Boosters hosted a successful Trivia Night fundraiser on April 5th to support the program.
• Finally, the WHS PAC is organizing the annual Staff Appreciation Luncheon, scheduled for May 18th, and is currently seeking donations. Families can contribute via Venmo (@Whs-Donations, include “PAC - staff appreciation” in the note) or by dropping off a check (payable to WHS PAC) at the main office.

1. Out of State Field Trip Requests: School Committee approved the following requests:

• Old Post Road's PE Teacher, Erika Green requested approval for Jump/Dance students to travel to Keene Recreation Center to compete on June 7th, Keene NH. Erika was also recognized for recieving a $1000 NFL Play 60 Grant.
• Walpole High School's Speech and Debate coach, Emily Murray, requested approval of three out of state field trips for Grades 10-12 Students to compete at the following tournaments
1. NFCL National Tournament - Chicago, IL - 5/22 - 5/26/25
2. Yale Invitational Tournament - New Haven, CT - 9/19 - 9/21/25
3. Sunvitational Tournament - Fort Lauderdale, FL - 1/8 - 1/12/26

2.Disaster Preparedness Project - Swara Sonchhatra, FEMA’s Youth Preparedness Council discussed her upcoming project: Disaster Preparedness Project which includes free workshops for CPR, First Aid and Home Alone Safety. Please see the flyer in the Virtual Backpack

3. DLC presentation -The DLC team is doing phenomenal work integrating technology meaningfully across all grade levels. They’re helping teachers embrace AI, develop digital wellness, and get students involved in interactive storytelling, character design, podcasting, and more. The School Committee also praised the DLC team for keeping our educators on the cutting edge — it’s no small task staying ahead of tech trends in education. Please see the full presentation here. (15:50)

4. Mrs. Gallivan and Dr. Gough reviewed TEC and BICO 3rd Quarter Report:

BICO (Bi-County Collaborative):

• Successful transition into the Johnson Middle School building.

• DESE is conducting a program review (similar to Tiered Focus Monitoring).

TEC (The Education Cooperative):

• Sharon and King Philip will officially join TEC on July 1.

• New K–2 behavioral program currently at Mansion Drive is expected to move to Johnson.

Dr. Gough reported the following:

• The past few weeks have been full of energy and student achievement across the district.

  • On March 28, the METCO program hosted a fun and well-attended Elementary Bowling event at the Kings Bowling in Dedham.

  • The Middle School’s first musical production of Matilda Jr. was a fantastic showcase of student talent and staff dedication.

  • At Student Government Day at the State House, WHS seniors Sarah Mukkhuzi and Ronan McAndrew represented Walpole. Sarah was selected as Governor for the Day and delivered a speech to student representatives and officials.

  • WHS hosted the Speech and Congressional Debate State Finals on Saturday. Congratulations to the WHS Speech and Debate Team for organizing such a successful event

  • Also on Saturday, Nirjara Akkole competed in the Lions Youth Speech “Best in State” Championship and was named the 2025 Massachusetts State Champion.

  • The WHS Robotics Team (FRC Team 1153) recently had a strong performance at the New England Championships. They were finalists in their division and earned a place at the World Championship in Houston this May. They were also awarded the Autonomous Award for robot performance — congratulations to the team!

  Our students continue to represent Walpole with excellence, and we are proud of their accomplishments.

• WPS School Climate Survey: In mid-May, please be on the lookout for an email asking families to take a WPS district-wide Family School Climate Survey to learn more about you and your child’s experiences in our schools. We have partnered with K12 Insight to administer the survey and compile the results. Walpole Public Schools values your feedback, and we thank you for continuing to be a valuable source of information as we work to create the best learning environment for our students.

• We are excited to announce that WPS has been awarded a competitive grant to support the implementation of the OpenSci middle school science curriculum, thanks to the efforts of Jill Masterson, Principal Ruggiero, and Dr. Hahn.

• Looking ahead, we are launching an initiative through our Work Study Program and Career Innovation Pathways to create opportunities for students interested in careers in education. This effort, led by work study coordinator Mr. Connolly, aims to grow the educator pipeline — and maybe inspire the next generation of WHS teachers.

• The District Art Show will be held May 7th (6:00-8:00 p.m.) at the Walpole Public Library. For those unable to attend, the library will continue to display WPS student work during the month of May.

• Please remember to check your calendars for the many end of the year events. There is no school Friday, April 18th. April School vacation is April 15, through Friday, April 25.

1. School Committee approved the school start and end times for 2025 - 2026. See times here.

The 2025-2026 District Calendar is scheduled to be released the first week of May. We don’t anticipate any significant change to the calendar. Grades 1-12 are scheduled to start on Wednesday, August 27th. Pre-K and K are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, September 2nd.

2. Budget Update: Mr. Frisica reported that the district continues to monitor a significant deficit related to special education for FY25. He is currently awaiting information on any potential extraordinary relief allocation, which is expected to be announced in late April. At this time, a 15% holdback remains in effect for the goods and services budget. Looking ahead to FY26, the projected budget gap has been reduced from $1.3 million to $650,000. Potential reductions to close the remaining gap are currently under review. Chairperson Buckley noted that the House supplemental budget includes an additional $58 million in Circuit Breaker funding and a $125,000 earmark for WHS traffic improvements. The proposal also includes important provisions for increased oversight of special education transportation.

2. Middle School Building Project - Update. Recent building photos and videos can be seen on the middle school webpage. The community is encouraged to visit the webpage and reach out to the Middle School Project team with any questions or comments via email at middleschoolproject@walpole.k12.ma.us.

3. High School Project - Update: Crews continued with construction of the new fieldhouse. Deliveries of steel continue with future delivery dates of April 14th and April 15th. Information about the project can be found WHS Renovation Project webpage