In the School Highlights for Dec. 20th, through Jan. 2nd, I wrote briefly about my visit to the Social Studies Fair at Woonsocket Middle School Hamlet. If you recall, I wrote about how the students were asked to write a five paragraph essay along with a visual of one of three topics. The students could pick from grave robbers, mummification, and pharaohs and had well over 100 projects and essays on display. What I want did not get to write about was how impressed I was with the outstanding teachers and articulate studenst that I met and my observations of how the middle school philosophy …
In the School Highlights for Dec. 20 through Jan. 2, I wrote briefly about the support the Air Force Junior Recruit Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC) program provides the Adopt-A-Family program. However, the AFJROTC program provides so much more for our students and community that I felt compelled to write more about this program. The Air Force partially subsidizes this exemplary program, so not only does AFJROTC provide outstanding instruction in Woonsocket High School but it also does so while saving the district the full cost of the instructors. Both Lt. Col. Dan Richard and S. Sgt. Dan …
The Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education has recently passed new regulations for high school graduation. These regulations require school districts to provide multiple pathways to educate all students. Woonsocket High School has been so successful at this that they were chosen to present their successes in providing multiple pathways at the New England Secondary School Consortium's Regional Conference in Nashua New Hampshire on April 9, 2010. But that story will be reserved for another spotlight on another day. This article focuses on the "multiple pathway…
Adopt-A-Family is an all volunteer organization that helps to provide Christmas gifts to the children of Woonsocket families in need. Darlene McGaw and Julie Wonderlich who are members of the Adopt-A-Family Board as well as the School Success Coalition at Family Resources Community Action, invited me to visit. We went to the Elks Lodge last week to meet the people behind the scenes. I was amazed to see how during the week of Dec 13, the Elks Lodge on Social Street is transformed into Christmas Central. It is stocked with mountains of toys, games, clothes, bicycles and volunteers. Some…
There is so much good and kind work happening at this time of year that it is hard to keep track of it sometimes. I was able to attend many of these events and they are all so special in uniquely different ways. I will report on these events in the following chronological order:Bowling Novans Halloween Dance – October 29, 2010Woonsocket Middle School Feinstein Thanksgiving Celebration – November 24, 2010AAA's Walk Safe National Pilot Program Poster Contest – December 1, 2010Holiday Family Photo and Activity Night at WACTC – December 2, 2010Woonsocket High School Assembly with Special Guests …
The Woonsocket Athletic Department has a rich history in interscholastic athletics. Since the beginning, Woonsocket Athletics have accomplished many special moments in athletic competition. Woonsocket has recently witnessed a resurgence of its athletic programs since the year 2000. Woonsocket High School teams have won multiple league and state championships in Football, Field Hockey, Girls' Basketball, Boys' Basketball, Softball, Wrestling, Cheerleading, Ice Hockey, Girls' Tennis and Girls' Track. In late July 2009, the school committee was faced with cutting the entire athletic program…
Woonsocket High School has many innovative alternative programs in place to help students succeed and graduate. One that is very special to me is the Feinstein e-Learning Academy where the motto is "The alternative pathway to graduation". If you look closely you can see the motto on wall of the computer lab. I am particularly fond of this program because in my previous position, I organized a site visit in Massachusetts to look at a virtual learning model with some of my Northern Rhode Island Collaborative (NRIC) colleagues. Although I was not able to implement virtual learning in my …
The Woonsocket Education Department has so many things to be proud of. It is a pleasure to be able to share our successes online with our community at Patch! The City of Woonsocket and its schools have a rich heritage that continues to evolve hence our motto "A City on the Move". During the 2009–10 school year the new Woonsocket Middle School Hamlet and Woonsocket Middle School Villa Nova were finished and occupied. For many years students, parents, school committee members, former Superintendent Macera, and Mayor Menard all performed the significant roles required to gain the …
