The Panther Press

October 24, 2021 - Volume 4 - ISSUE 9

Welcome to the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Newsletter! It is designed to keep everyone (parents, students, staff, and community members) informed of the many events that are happening in and around the school. It contains links, pictures, and videos so that you have a more interactive experience and the ability to learn more about various topics.

Communication is incredibly important to understanding so we ask that you share our news as much as possible. We also welcome feedback! It is the only way to continuously improve. So, please interact, get involved, and let us know what you think by contacting us and sharing our news!

October 26 - Fall Concert

October 28 - Delayed Opening

November 4 - Quarter 1 Ends

November 5 - Early Release (Grading Day)

November 5 - Meet the Teacher Scheduling Opens for Parent-Teacher Conference Appointment Scheduling

November 9 – Parent Portal Opens for Quarter 1 Grades

November 9-10 – MCAS Math Retest

November 10 – Early Release – Parent-Teacher Conferences by appointment only 12-2PM & 6-8PM

November 11 – NO SCHOOL – Veteran’s Day

November 16-17 – MCAS ELA Retest

November 18 – Delayed Opening

November 24-26 – NO SCHOOL – Thanksgiving Day

November 29 - Winter Sports Start

Make sure you are up to date on your student's grades before it is too late! we have switched to what is called a "hard grade" at the end of each quarter. With no midterms and finals, this means that the grade received on November 4th is 25% of the over all grade!

Don't be caught by surprise. Make sure you reach out to your teachers and counselors if you are struggling or have concerns!

ALL SENIOR PORTRAIT IMAGES AND BIOS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED BY NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30TH.

The following information is intended to provide answers to any potential questions regarding yearbook. If any more information is necessary please feel free to email us anytime.

• First, if you had/have your portrait taken through Prestige you will need to select one image as your "yearbook pose" from the session as soon as you can access them. Information on how to do so has been included on the appointment cards sent home. Photo packages can be accessed via the Prestige website (https://shop.prestigeportraits.com/shop/home.html)

• Second, Images taken by private photographers should fit the following requirements. Vertical shot, preferably head and shoulders, ¾ view, inside or outside. The image must be at least 300PPI and a minimum of 2” by 3” to meet the resolution required for printing. Portraits should be submitted via the private upload link found on the information page of the yearbook website. (www.whpanthers.wix.com/yearbook) This is the preferred method as it filters directly into our editing software. If need be, there are alternative processes.

SENIOR BIO FORM - https://forms.gle/eRkW8wkFmoxCZvk79

Along with the links to the photo submission the yearbook website also has links to create personalized recognition ads for your parents. The sizes range from ¼ to full page ads, prices vary by size. They can be completed and paid for entirely online. It is also possible to have the ads put together offline, please contact us if that is the best option for you. All proceeds go towards keeping the cost of the book lower for our students and support for our yearbook staff.

If you have any questions or concerns, let contact Mr. Casey or Mrs. Maher.

Thank you for your contributions!

Mr. Casey & Mrs. Maher

On Monday October 25th, we will be hosting a taste test with COCOVIBE during all lunches!

COCOVIBE is an organic electrolyte drink. It comes in 5 flavors: Plain coconut water, or coconut water with either apple, passion fruit, pineapple, raspberry, and watermelon. We hope you stop by for some samples and let us know what you think.

To learn more about COCOVIBE, please visit their website!

Duval’s Pharmacy is collaborating with Whitman & Hanson Dollars for Scholars to raise scholarship funds by offering a $5 donation to DFS for every flu shot given. With most insurance coverage there is no fee for the shot. Flu shots are available every day with no prescription needed. Walk-ins are welcome. They also offer a number of other vaccines as well including Pneumonia and Shingles. Please let staff know your donation is going to Dollars for Scholars.

Duval’s Pharmacy is located at 571 Washington Street in Whitman. They have been sponsoring scholarships through Dollars for Scholars since 1963. Dollars for Scholars is an all-volunteer nonprofit which raises and awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors from Whitman and Hanson or who attend Whitman-Hanson Regional High School.

I saw an important concept unfold in front of me this week courtesy of the Whitman-Hanson Regional High School Volleyball Team.

I talk more about the power of groups, teams, and communities in achieving unexpected results if they are positive support systems for all involved.

Check it out in the video. If you like what you hear, share it with someone else who may benefit. I would also love to hear your thoughts.

Not everyone outside the walls of our awesome school get to see the fantastic things going on each day. This short video is meant to showcase some of the great things occurring at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School during the week!

Take a look and feel free to comment...this is our story...and everyone is part of it.

Common App Help Week - Seniors, do you need help getting your Common App started or completed? We will be offering Common App Help all day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for any seniors needing assistance. Students are welcome to come down during an academic seminar or during lunch. If you need help at another time, please reach out to your school counselor to set up a Common App Help session.

Attention AP Students/Parents - October 29th Deadline - AP Exam Registration/Payment forms have been shared with students taking AP classes. Forms and payment (either full payment or minimum $40 deposit per exam) are due on October 29, 2021. All checks should be made payable to WHRHS. If you need a copy of the form, follow this link . Students may also pick up a copy of the form in the school counseling office.

Getting Ready for College - Early College Planning - Our annual Getting Ready for College - Early College Planning workshop will be held virtually from 6:30 - 8:00 PM on Thursday, December 9th. This program is geared toward grade 9 and 10 students and parents and will cover Mass State College/University Admissions Standards, making the most of the high school experience, choosing classes to enhance the college application, Naviance Family Connection for college and career planning, and college admissions and services for students with disabilities. To sign up, please follow this link.

Career Connections Fair - Our annual Career Connections Fair will be held on Wednesday, December 8th during the 3rd block of the day. We have a great line up of industry professionals representing careers with various degrees of post-secondary training and education. This program will be open to all students in all grades. Be on the lookout for sign ups starting next week.

Panther Pathways Visits - WHRHS is hosting a series of in-person visits this fall to help students with post-secondary planning. All visits will be held in the School Counseling Office at 1:45 pm on the days indicated. If your student would like to sign up, please follow the links below:

10/25/2021 at 1:45 PM Western New England University

10/26/2021 at 1:45 PM Suffolk University

10/27/2021 at 1:45 PM Bentley University

10/28/2021 at 1:45 PM Wheaton College

11/02/2021 at 1:45 PM University of Maine

11/03/2021 at 1:45pm Plymouth State University

11/04/2021 at 1:45 PM Curry College

11/09/2021 at 1:45 PM Navy

11/17/2021 at 1:45pm Massachusetts Maritime Academy

11/18/2021 at 1:45 PM Lesley University

If you have any questions, please reach out for assistance.

School Counselors:

Mrs. Carrigan

Mr. Murphy

Mrs. Selig

Mrs. Cunha

Mr. Amado
Ms. Rivera (Administrative Assistant)

School Adjustment Counselors:
Mrs. Siden
Ms. Dalton

Mrs. Robichaud

Calling all math enthusiasts! Mrs. Bissanti is advising our school’s chapter of Mu Alpha Theta this year. If you are interested in joining, check out the information below:

Mrs. Amaral’s Spanish classes use some time each World Language Wednesday to make connections between languages throughout the world. Each week the students take a look at something different: unique languages around the world, the longest words in other languages, music from around the world, etc. This week’s topic was to examine the irregularities and anomalies that we may not even realize exist in our native language in an effort to build a further appreciation for second-language learning.

Our seniors participated in the fifth annual Credit for Life Fair to foster financial literacy. During the event, members of the Class of 2021 visited booths to learn about financial decisions for various services and living expenses such as cell phone, clothing, groceries, renting an apartment, buying a car, choosing insurance, and saving for retirement in an effort to maintain a balanced budget. An enormous thank you to all of the local business volunteers, especially North Easton Savings Bank Eastern Insurance, Bridgewater Savings Bank, Massachusetts Division of Banks, Edelman Financial Services, and Laer Realty Partners. Thank you as well to all of the parent volunteers who assisted in running the booths with our local business partners.

On behalf of the event organizers in the Business Department (Nina Consolini, Tom DeSantes and Julie Giglia) and School Counseling (Ruth Carrigan, Dom Amado, Courtney Selig, Maggie Cate Cunha, Meghan Rivera and Josh Murphy), congratulations and job well done to all of the participants on being one step closer to being fiscally responsible global citizens!

Ms. Gentile’s students recently conducted a “Nuts and Bolts” experiment in Psychology class. This experiment teaches students about the different components of the experimental method such as independent variable, dependent variable, confounding variables and extraneous variables.

Picture caption: Two students doing the "Nuts & Bolts Experiment" in Psychology

Halloween might be this coming week, but did you also know it is the date of a famous event in European history?

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther sent his 95 Theses to the Archbishop of Mainz. He is also to have nailed this list of arguments against indulgences and the Church to the door of All Saints’ Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The 95 Theses were printed and distributed across Europe. Many people point to this famous event as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, an event which changed the course of European history.

The indoor mask mandate remains in place for our district even if one is vaccinated. The Delta variant of Covid is active and so we must still take precautions. It is very important NOT to send your child to school sick! This is a good standard in general but especially living in the times of Covid! It remains more important than ever to adhere to the CDC guidelines of: wearing a mask, frequent handwashing, and maintaining social distancing in order to have success. Here is a useful tool that will help you in deciding whether to send your child to school: the Covid 19 Signs and Symptoms Check List.

Please keep your child home if he/she is exhibiting any of the symptoms on the list and if you have any questions -call the school nurse for further assistance. Please be advised that the school nurses must follow the Mass. Department of Public Health Mandates in deciding if your child must go home if he/she is ill during the school day. Please be advised that if it is necessary for your child to be quarantined as a close contact to a positive case that the school MUST adhere to the protocols as defined by the Mass. Department of Public Health. Also, if your child is an athlete and happens to test positive for Covid you must submit a written doctor’s note clearing your child to return to play sports. This is per the MIAA and there will not be any exceptions to this protocol. The school and the school nurses do not have any leeway in state Covid protocols and we are obligated to enforce them.

Please send in to the school nurse any documentation if your child has been vaccinated for Covid-19. There is further information available on Covid19 on our website.

Meningococcal Vaccine Requirement

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is requiring a second dose of the Meningococcal vaccination for all students in the 11th grade. Please send in your child’s documentation of the vaccine into the clinic as soon as possible.

Medication during the School Day

Please refer to the student handbook or the Health Services website regarding medication to be administered by the school RN during the school day. All prescription medications must be in the original prescription bottle with a written MD order and signed parental consent form. These forms may be downloaded from the website. Students are NOT allowed to carry medication with them during the school day.

Please do not hesitate to call the clinic at any time with any questions/concerns concerning your child’s health- we are here to keep your child healthy!

Ms. Margaret Baker RN, NCSN

Clinic phone: 781-618-7452

Clinic fax 781-618-7409

Thank you to everyone who made our homecoming game so memorable. It was so great to see so many alumni at the game. Just remember it doesn’t have to be homecoming for our Panther family to come back and support our teams.

The highlight of the week came on homecoming night as well as the volleyball team made a huge statement by beating Duxbury for the first time in memory (we are not sure if we have ever beaten them). It wasn’t easy though as it went the full five before the Panthers won it, 3-2 (26-24, 25-18, 12-25, 19-25, 16-14) in their final league match. The win was a team effort by the Panthers, tallying 48 kills total; Senior Captain Lily Welch led the way with 15 kills, while fellow Senior Captain Abby Martin and Senior Anna Stone notched 9 each. Freshman Caroline Gray had a career high of 46 assists. Senior Izzy Baker secured the back row with 19 digs and 12 receptions. The Panthers finish 11-5 in league and are currently 12-5 overall. Whitman-Hanson’s last regular season match is next Friday, away, in a non-league game against Abington.

The football team played their hearts out Friday and held the lead until Plymouth North scored with 7 seconds left to win the game 34-30. On offense the Panthers ran for 256 total yards, a season high. Senior Jake Guiliani led the way with 83 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown and junior Evan Casey punched in 3 touchdowns to go with 46 yards on 11 carries. The offensive line was outstanding, led by juniors Maddox Colclough and Noah Hopkins. Defensively, junior Matt Phelps led the team with 6 tackles. The Panthers are on the road at Duxbury Friday in the last regular season game. While WH will not be in the playoffs, the season will continue with 2 additional games against non playoff teams but the home game on Thanksgiving against Abington.

Our cheerleaders finally got to show off their talents with their first live competition since before the pandemic and the team didn’t disappoint winning their division at the Duxbury tournament. They came within a point of being crowned grand champions. The team will be back in action next weekend before hosting the Patriot League championships on Sunday November 7th at 10am.

The boys soccer team lost all 3 games this week but they also gave me one of the best moments of the fall when the Marshfield coach sent me an email saying how impressed he was with our sportsmanship and effort. He specifically pointed out our senior keeper Ethan Smith. The season will wrap up this week when the Panthers host Duxbury on Monday before traveling to Scituate Friday.

The girls soccer team has hit some adversity after dropping their third straight Friday. However, they are still one of the top seeds in the division 2 statewide playoffs. They travel to Duxbury Monday before hosting Weymouth on senior night Saturday.

The Whitman-Hanson Field Hockey Panthers played on the road against the Duxbury Dragons Thursday and tied 2-2. It was senior night and both clubs put on quite a show. The Panthers got on the board first with a goal on a Penalty corner from Senior Forward Maddy Guidaboni. Both teams volleyed for offensive position, but could not score until the Fourth. Duxbury scored 2 quick goals at the top of the fourth to take the lead. The Panthers responded minutes later with a goal from Senior Captain Olivia Phelps to bring the game to a 2-2 tie. The team is currently ranked in the top 32 which would be good for a tournament post season ticket. They finish the season by hosting Scituate on Tuesday before hosting West Bridgewater on Thursday on senior night.

The cross country team continued training this week but did not compete. They are back in action at the Patriot League championship on Saturday at the Marshfield fairgrounds.

Interested in more videos, reflections, and where a many of these ideas come from and are expanded on? Don't forget to check out and subscribe to my YouTube Channel and WordPress Site

Email: christopher.jones@whrsd.org
Website: https://www.whrsd.org/our-schools/whrhs
Location: 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA, USA
Phone: (781) 618-7020
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrCSJones
Twitter: @DrCSJones