WHS eNotes

Dear students, staff, and parents/guardians:

The Metro West Adolescent Health Survey (MWAHS) that was administered across the Metro West districts last year provides some useful information when determining the services we need to provide for our students. Attached please find two MWAHS infographics customized for Walpole on the topics of digital media use and mental health. These are designed to provide a brief summary of key data points. We hope you find these helpful in raising awareness and sparking discussion on these issues.

Also included below is a list of the updated start & end times for the Walpole School District beginning in the 2025/2026 school year. Please make note of these adjustments. The 2025/2026 school calendar will be made available after the May 1st School Committee meeting.

Have a wonderful weekend

Sincerely,

Stephen Imbusch

Principal

The Walpole High School Junior-Senior Prom will be held on Friday, May 2nd at Gillette Stadium, Route 1 Foxboro from 6 pm - 10:00 pm. Attendance is mandatory until 9:30 pm.

Students may enter through the West Gate Doors beginning at 6 pm. Please see the attached map for parking. Lighted electronic boards and directional signs will direct you to our event.

If you have any further questions please contact Ms. Allison at: sallison@walpole.k12.ma.us.

As May 2nd is not an early release day, students must be present for four periods that day to be eligible to go to prom. This includes any Study periods.

Dear Parents and Guardians -

Happy Spring! The much-anticipated staff appreciation luncheon is coming soon! We need your support to ensure this year’s event is a wonderful celebration for all teachers and staff of Walpole High School.

It’s easy to donate!

As the WHS PAC does not run traditional fundraisers, we rely on the generosity of the WHS community to fund the activities we organize for the staff. We began this year with a Rita’s Lemonade kickoff, brought Country Kitchen treats in October, and restocked the staff room with lots of goodies and drinks in February. Please help us continue with these signs of appreciation. To make a family donation: Venmo @Whs-Donations (include “PAC - staff appreciation” in the note) or by check (payable to WHS PAC) dropped at the office.

Plans in progress

For this year’s celebration we will purchase delicious lunch options and special treats from a local restaurant. With enough donations, as an additional token of appreciation, we will be able to give every staff member a gift card. Please help us reach that goal. Watch for more information soon, along with a request for volunteers to help with setup and clean up.

Thank you for your support and for helping to show the staff how much they are appreciated!

Sincerely,

Kathy Falvey, Meghan Alson, Mary Patey, Nancy Niles

WHS PAC Committee

Dear WHS Parents and Guardians -

You’re invited to learn tips and tricks for helping your student navigate their post-high school options. Please attend the April 30th PAC meeting at 7:00pm in the Media Center. All are welcome and encouraged to bring your questions.

Guidance Director Jen Dolan and a parent panel will share their experiences with the college planning process. We’ll also hear about the successful expansion of the WHS Work Study program that offers students an internship opportunity for their second semester senior year.

This is the last PAC meeting of the year and will be a great source of important information. If you missed the junior parent online meeting or want to get ahead of the topic for your freshman/sophomore students, please join us for this engaging discussion.

Please RSVP to confirm you can make it. We look forward to seeing you!

Sincerely,

Kathy Falvey, Meghan Alson, Mary Patey, Nancy Niles

WHS PAC Committee

Attention Seniors! There are several scholarships available to WHS Class of 2025 given in memory of community members or organizations in town. Please check your email for additional information- if you would like to be considered the application is in your SCOIR drive and is due 4/27. See your school counselor with questions.

Walpole Teachers Association

Chief Carmichael Jr. Scholarship

Tom Olen Memorial Fund Scholarship (see flyer below)

KPW Youth Hockey Scholarship- Application in School Counseling Office

Syrian Lebanese Women's Club of Greater of Boston- Application in School Counseling Office

Walpole Teachers Association- Google form on Scholarship List

Walpole Youth Football & Cheer Scholarship- Application in School Counseling Office

The Garden Club Federation of Mass.- Available for students majoring in Horticulture, Landscape Design, Biology, Conservation

NCF/Best Buy Health Scholars Program- Available for Nursing or STEM-related healthcare fields

NAAAP Future Leaders Scholarship- Available for students of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society Scholarship for female graduating seniors who plan to pursue a career in teaching- Application in School Counseling Office

Juniors are invited to attend a field trip to Bridgewater State University to attend a college fair on May 29th. Students will be transported to campus by bus for a college fair, admissions presentation and lunch in the dining hall. There is no cost to this trip, however, if students choose to eat in the dining hall, the cost will be approximately $10. Please return the attached permission slip by May 15th.

Over 100 participating colleges and universities are listed here: NEACAC College Fair

Mrs. Lamar, the school librarian, would like to introduce you to the heart of the Massachusetts' Teen Choice Book Award! Now, listen closely, because this is special: this is the only book award in our entire Bay State where you, students in grades 7 through 12, get to decide the best new books of the year!

Think of it – your voices, your choices!

A dedicated committee of public librarians, school library media specialists, and educators have carefully selected a fantastic list of nominees just for you. You can start diving into these amazing books over the summer, and then, come September, you'll have the power to cast your vote for your absolute favorite! So, get ready to read, discuss, and make your voices heard! I can't wait to see which books you choose!

On Friday, April 4, 2025, Sarah M. and Ronan M. represented Walpole High School at Student Government Day at the Massachusetts State House. Sarah M. submitted a speech in the Student Government Day Speech Competition and was selected, out of all the students in the Commonwealth, to serve as Student Governor for Student Government Day! She delivered her speech to all of the students and elected officials from the floor of the House of Representatives. The students met with Senator Rush and Representative Philips then discussed and voted on legislation currently being debated in Boston. To read more and see images from Student Government Day, check out the Social Studies Student Government Day website.

Competing against thousands of high school students on approximately 200 other teams from all over New England, Walpole High School’s Robotics Team —Timberwolves FRC 1153— earned themselves a place at the World Championship in Houston, TX. After ranking 2nd in their division, 1153 took on the role of an alliance captain in playoffs and ended the competition with a silver finalist award. In addition, their consistency and high performance earned them the prestigious Autonomous Award, marking the 3rd technical award that the team has won this season, the first two being Excellence in Engineering and Industrial Design.

In addition, both Zena Girhotra. and Dyuthi Prashanth were chosen to advance to the Houston Championship for the prestigious Dean’s List Award, named for FIRST founder Dean Kamen. As a result of the many successes of the season, the team’s decision to forgo the World Championships was reversed, and the team will be competing with their robot this season. However, this decision also comes with a whopping $21,000 added to team expenses on an already tight budget. If you can help in any way, a donation link can be found on their website: www.walpolerobotics.org or through their Facebook fundraising link. You may also donate through Venmo at @walpole-robotics-foundation.

Facebook Donation Link: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1301072060974175/1095170592643695/

Congratulations to Walpole Speech and Debate for hosting a spectacular speech and congressional debate state final on 4/5! We are so proud of all Walpole students and volunteers who made the tournament extremely successful.

Walpole placed 7th out of 24 schools!

Congratulations to finalists:
Bhakti Belle placed 2nd in Prose, 5th in Duo, and competed in DP.
Kayla Ahern placed 5th in Prose, 5th in Duo, and competed in KL.
Hemant Selvamurugan placed 4th in Radio and earned a double entry award for also competing in Impromptu.

Aaron Arora placed 5th in Declamation, 4th in Multiple, and competed in Duo.
Our “Wizard of Oz” multiple featuring: Aaron Arora, Damien Black, Kaylee Ebb, Shaurya Panchal, Anna Pileggi, and Swara Sonchhatra placed 4th.

Last call to participate in our second annual Egg My Yard Fundraiser!

Want to have your own Easter Egg Hunt without the hassle of filling the eggs? Let the members of the UNICEF Club prepare your candy-filled eggs for you.

We have two options available:

1. We can quietly scatter the candy-filled eggs in your Walpole yard in the evening of either Friday, April 18th or Saturday, April 19th.

or

2. We can drop off the bag of candy-filled eggs for you to scatter yourself.

The sign up form (https://forms.gle/RJAfnz1U31YN9AFfA) will close on Monday, 4/14 at 3pm so be sure to reserve a time slot and place your order for 25 eggs for $25, 50 eggs for $45, or 75 eggs for $65 for one of those days. You can also purchase golden/special eggs (for $5 each) which will contain small easter toys such as squishies, tattoos, and stickers. Please see the flyer for more information including a QR code linked to the sign up form or email the WHS UNICEF Club advisor, Mrs. Vanessa Hackett at vhackett@walpole.k12.ma.us with any questions. Thank you for your support!

The Photography Club will meet April 17, 2025 after school. The theme for next week is a little bit of gray, Concrete and Clouds. We are going with our gray theme of bad weather and threw in some concrete because well it's gray too. It's been just bad weather and well why not try to capture the gray mood on camera? So hopefully brighter days are coming but for now we celebrate the gray. Follow us on instagram: @photography_whs123 Anyone wanting more information can contact Mrs. D'Agostino: jdagostino@walpole.k12.ma.us

All event information is listed in the link below. We look forward to seeing you at the games.

Walpole Timberwolves apparel check out the link below.

https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/massachusetts/walpole/walpole-high-school

For a list of upcoming events please click on the following link: https://sites.google.com/a/walpole.k12.ma.us/athletics/

Email: rdowd@walpole.k12.ma.us
Phone: 508-660-7257
Twitter: @WalpoleAD

Email: simbusch@walpole.k12.ma.us
Website: http://walpolewhs.ss5.sharpschool.com/
Location: 275 Common Street, Walpole, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 660-7257
Twitter: @WalpoleHS