WHS eNotes

Dear students, staff, and parents/guardians:

Today, March 21st, is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), officially recognized by the United Nations since 2012. The date—the 21st day of the 3rd month—was chosen to symbolize Trisomy 21, the genetic condition that causes Down syndrome. WDSD is a global day of awareness and celebration, highlighting the rights, inclusion, and contributions of individuals with Down syndrome.

One way our community celebrated World Down Syndrome Day today was by "Rocking Our Socks", which means wearing brightly colored or mismatched socks to show support and start conversations.

March 21st also marks the vernal equinox (or spring equinox) in the Northern Hemisphere, the beginning of astronomical spring. Bring it on!!

Have a wonderful weekend

Sincerely,

Stephen Imbusch

Principal

The Walpole High School Junior - Senior Prom will be on Friday, May 2, 2025 at Gillette Stadium Route 1 Foxboro from 6 pm - 10:00 pm. Mandatory attendance until 9:30 pm.

Tickets are on sale now until Monday, March 31st. Students must use this prom link to fill out prom information and purchase their tickets. The ticket price is $95.00 each.

If students are bringing a guest to the prom who DOES NOT go to Walpole High School, you must fill out a "GUEST PERMISSION SLIP FORM". The guest permission slips are in the main office, in the cafe during lunch, or in the prom link when purchasing tickets. The guest permission slip must be filled out completely with all required signatures and returned, along with a photocopy of the guest’s I.D. showing date of birth, to your assistant principal for approval or your guest will not be admitted to the prom. Guest Permission Slips will be due by Friday, April 4th.

We will also be accepting prom table requests during all lunches.

Please get a table form during lunch from the prom committee. Fill out and return by Monday, March 31st.

You may write up to ten names on the table form. If you wish to sit next to another friend's table, please write that person's name at the bottom of your table request form. Only one student in the group needs to pass in a table request.

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

Student artwork from Walpole and Norwood High Schools will be displayed, along with floral interpretations of the artworks from the Norwood Evening Garden Club, at the 19th annual Art in Bloom exhibit. It will be held at the Morrill Memorial Library, 33 Walpole Street, Norwood MA on Saturday, March 22nd 10 am - 5 pm and Sunday, March 23rd 1 -5 pm. The public is invited and admission is free!

The World Language Department is offering students the opportunity to earn the Massachusetts Seal of Biliteracy. The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school

or district in recognition of students who have attained proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in two or more languages by high school graduation.

The Seal is awarded at two proficiency levels and can be used to communicate with academic institutions, employers, and the community that students are able to study, work, and engage with others in two or more languages. Students who meet the criteria for the Seal of Biliteracy will receive an insignia provided by the Department of Education to be affixed to their high school transcript. An application is now available for Juniors (Class of 2026) with testing dates in late March and April; the application is included in these enotes. Interested students can talk to their World Language teacher or see Ms. Kay (room 1321 inside the language lab). The deadline to apply is Monday, March 24, 2025.

PricewaterhouseCoopers Accounting Careers Leadership Institute (PwC ACLI) at Bryant University

PwC ACLI is a five-day, hands-on opportunity for rising high school seniors (current juniors) to learn more about the accounting profession and about the key role accountants play in society. Throughout the program, participants will work directly with Bryant University faculty, staff, and students, as well as professionals from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). Except for transportation to and from Bryant University, there is no fee to participate in the program. The program will provide overnight accommodations, meals, planned activities, and educational materials.

To apply, students must have a minimum of a 3.0 GPA (4.0 scale) and completed at least Algebra 2 by the end of junior year.

Follow this link to access the official program brochure and to apply, click here. Please note that space is limited. The application deadline is set for Friday, April 11, 2025.

This is our final call for candid pictures of the graduating class. Share your favorite pictures from childhood through today. The more pictures we receive, the more personal the Yearbook will be. Upload your pictures here: https://photos.jostens.com/4NDFVZ

The Walpole High Dance Company will be performing two shows on Friday, March 21st and Saturday, March 22nd starting at 7:00 pm in the Auditorium.

Admission is Free

It's time for 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) is officially open and you can 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 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 Thursday, March 27th after school. The theme is "Flat Things". Be creative. Tables and envelopes are flat, but so can tires, pancakes, and shoes be flat. Flat top haircuts. There is so much more than just a flat object. So look for flat things this week and take pictures. For more information on Photography Club contact: jdagostino@walpole.k12.ma.us Follow our instagram at: @photography_whs123

The Walpole Speech and Debate Team placed 5th out of 42 schools at Needham’s March Merryness Tournament on 3/15!

Congratulations to all finalists:

Kaylee Ebb was a triple finalist and placed 2nd in the “Show Them Greatness” award where students who do well in a regular event and special event are recognized! Kaylee Ebb made team history yesterday as the first Walpole student to achieve this great achievement! She placed 3rd in Play Reading, 4th in Freeze Improv, and 6th in Children’s Literature

Bhakti Belle placed 1st in Duo and 2nd in Dramatic Performance.

Hemant Selvamurugan placed 1st in Big Questions Debate and 3rd in Impromptu Sales Pitch.

Kayla Ahern placed 1st in Duo and competed in KL.

Nirjara Akkole placed 1st in Radio and competed in Oratory. This was Nirjara’s last tournament as a senior; she will be doing something speech related on 4/5 but will also help Walpole host speech states that same day! More exciting news to come out about Nirjara later.

Aaron Arora placed 1st in Mixed Duo and competed on Dec and Duo.

Sawyer Young was the top novice and placed 2nd in Freeze Improv and competed in Group Discussion.

Blanka Lazri placed 2nd in Speaker Points in Big Questions Debate.

Mariya Joji placed 3rd in Speaker Points in Big Questions Debate.

Swara Sonchhatra placed 6th in Radio and competed in Duo and Impromptu Sales Pitch.

Damien Black placed 7th and was the top novice in Radio.

The Robotics Club had a great weekend on March 13-14 at the University of Rhode Island last week at their first FIRST competition. They are playing the game Reefscape this year, a water themed game. The Junior Team, the Pup Cups had a great showing. They got picked by the 8th seed alliance in the first round of alliance picks and played well in the playoffs and made it through one round. The Senior Team, the Timberwolves made it to the Semi-Finals. They fought hard and played very well. They won the Industrial Design Award which celebrates the team that demonstrates industrial design principles, striking a balance between form, function, and aesthetics.

Along with the great showing of both teams, Dyuthi P. and Zena G. both were chosen for the FIRST Dean's List Finalists. Out of about 16 students these two students both from Walpole Robotics, were chosen based on an essay written by their coach and their interviews at the competition to become Dean's List Finalists at the New England District Championship in Springfield, MA in early April. Congratulations to Dyuthi and Zena.

The next competition is March 22-23 at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). If you would like to check out the action of the Walpole Robotics teams this weekend you can watch on these Twitch channels:

https://www.twitch.tv/nefirst_green

https://www.twitch.tv/nefirst_red

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