Hamilton-wenham Regional High School Website Links For
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Hamilton-wenham Regional High School














































Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School
Principal Robert Krol
Assistant Principal Phil Conrad
School type Public High School
Religious affiliation None
Location Hamilton, MA
Sports team The Generals
Sports Logo
Colors
Navy Blue and White
School Motto
''A Passion For Learning''



EXTRACURRICULARS

The school is the home of "Harmony", a select vocal group which has sung at Red Sox games, at Tanglewood, and other assorted venues; it is also home of Theatre Workshop, which is an annual participant in the MSHDG One-Act Festival . Since their first appearance at State Finals under Margaret "Peg" Ferrini in 1965 (the only time Theatre Workshop appeared with Margaret Ferrini as director), Theatre Workshop has since returned 7 times, all under the direction of Chris Shailor, and have moved on the New Englands three times, as below.


The Eight Plays

  • 1965 - "The Apollo of Bellac" (New England Representative) http://www.mhsdg.com/1960.html

  • 1990 - "Directions" (original by Chris Shailor, Eric Singer, and the Cast)

  • 1994 - "The Tower" (Eric Wiess, New England representative @ Acton-Boxborough, MA)http://www.mhsdg.com/1992.html

  • 1998 - "The Sound Of A Voice"

  • 2002 - "Cleveland" (New England Representative) http://mhsdg.com/awards02.html

  • 2003 - "World Without Memory"

  • 2005 - "Kansas" (original by John Robinson, New England Representative @ Duxbury, MA)http://mhsdg.com/awards05.html

  • 2007 - "The Black Parade" (adapted from Shakespeare's " The Life And Death Of King John " by former English teacher Catharine Thibedeau)



SPORTS

Hamilton Wenham also fields two top cross-country teams, the boys' team and the girls' team. Coach Steve Sawyer has been named Coach of the Year by Salem Evening News, along with many other accomplishments. Two runners, Emily Lanois and Gabe Pacione, have done exceptionally well. Both were named in the Boston Globe's All Scholastic Runners. Pacione, winner of the Cross Country All-States in 2006, is widely recognized as one of the best runners in the league. The girls team placed second at the 2006 All State Meet in Northfield MA, only to be beaten by Bromfield, a nationally ranked team.


BUDGET CONTROVERSY

Hamilton-Wenham's education budget remains a matter of controversy in the school district, as 2008 holds major cuts to all schools therein. The loss of roughly 30 teachers district-wide in the next year is of great concern to students and faculty alike, and is generally attributed to lack of resources. It is up for debate as to potential poor allocation of funds.


FY08 Budget Scenario

For FY08, the school district faced a level service deficit of ~US$1,500,000. The towns passed a Proposition 2 1/2 override of ~$500,000. The Save Our Schools initiative began raising funds to restore teaching positions district-wide; the group managed to raise ~$220,000 out of the necessary ~$600,000 to restore all positions fully.http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_155120208


NEASC REPORT

The New England Association Of Schools And Colleges recently released a report on the school, reprimanding the school for the aforementioned teacher layoffs, course eliminations, and failure to update the school's technology.http://www.salemnews.com/punews/local_story_155120208


Key Points of Report

Praise was earned in the following areas:
  • Commitment to high academic, social, and civil standards.

  • The level of instructional expertise among faculty.

  • The parents who are engaged as partners through individual volunteers and volunteer organizations.


Concern was raised for the following issues:
  • Reductions in staffing.

  • Elimination of course offerings.

  • Use of outdated computer systems.http://hs.hw-regional.k12.ma.us/pdf/NEASCREPORT.pdf



NOTABLE FACULTY

  • Kevin O'Reilly - Named Top U.S. Economics history teacher of 2004 at the NASDAQ national teaching awards.http://www.ncee.net/news/story.php?story_id=53



NOTABLE ALUMNI

  • David McWane - Lead Singer, Big D And The Kids Table

  • David Morse - Actorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001556/

  • Helene Pruszynski - KHOW intern (unsolved murder victim)http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_4390933,00.html



EXTERNAL LINKS



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