Does Woburn need to improve its school system?

by Megan Clark

Earlier this month, Boston Magazine released their “Best Schools” edition, wherein they listed the top ranked schools in the Greater Boston area.  Woburn Public Schools, ranked outside of the top 100 schools, fell at 113 out of a total on 147 schools.  Many of Woburn’s surrounding towns were ranked fairly higher than Woburn, such as Burlington at 76, Winchester at 13, and even Lexington at 3.

            The ranking system that the Boston Magazine used to determine the placement of schools was based off of 20 different classifications consisting of topics such as: class size, the percent of graduating students entering college the following year, and both MCAS and SAT scores.  Woburn has been struggling with some of the categories for the past few years, such SAT scores, falling below average on a state-wide scale.

            To students, it is never all that obvious where their school stands compared to other schools, but it is clear when you are faced with a standardized test.  When asked for their opinion on where Woburn Public Schools falls in the ranking of the Greater Boston area, senior Caterina Gentile had a very strong opinion.

            “As far as the ranking goes, I am not really surprised.  I feel as though there aren’t many classes that actually help me, there are maybe one or two classes per year where I feel as if I actually learned something useful,” said Gentile.  “Some of the stuff on the SATs was curriculum that I have never seen before, and I feel as though the same thing happened to me with the math MCAS.”

            Gentile has a great first-hand experience with the school system, being a senior at Woburn Memorial High School, and her peers at school can also relate to the feelings felt about Woburn’s school system due to her history with the MCAS and SATs.  Unlike Gentile, senior Kara Razzaboni believes that Woburn is fine the way it is.

            “I think that Woburn has something that other towns lack, and that is opportunity.  I have switched schools many times and I have never had an easier time making friends or getting involved than I have with Woburn,” said Razzaboni.  “I also think that teachers in Woburn really try and get to know their students and behave as a mentor and role-model to students and it really makes me feel like they don’t just care about us getting a good grade in their class.”

Woburn has many clubs and sports to involve students and help them make new friends, as well as the Freshman Mentoring program which is run to help freshmen get used to the school and also have a student role-model to reach out to.  Students oftentimes have a hard time talking about their problems, and Jack Schneider, journalist for The Washington Post, feels as though teachers have more of a job than just teaching.

“Yes it matters that history teachers know history and chemistry teachers know chemistry.  But it also matters that history teachers know their students, and that chemistry teachers know how to spot a kid in need.  It matters that teachers have strong academic backgrounds.  But it also matters that they can relate to young people – that they see them, hear them, and care for them,” said Schneider.

Schneider also takes pride in his teaching background, being a role model to many kids who needed it.

“Thank you for being the role model I needed,” said one of Schneider’s past students.

Apart from talking to teachers, students often seek guidance from their parents also.  When they are struggling with school work, it allows parents to see the holes that need to be filled within the school system.  Peg Clark, who has had children enrolled with Woburn Public Schools for 21 years, is very disappointed with Woburn’s rank.

            “After I had read that Woburn was in the lower 25^th percentile of the Greater Boston area, I was unimpressed, but was also not shocked.  I strongly believe that Woburn needs to take a deeper look into the problems that the school system is facing and make a change.  It makes me wonder whatever happened to WE³: Woburn Expects Excellence in Education,” stated Clark.

Apart from parents, teachers also have their own ideas on Woburn’s rank.  When asked about their opinion on the Boston Magazine’s list, Woburn Memorial High School English teacher, Kristen McMahon feels as though the school system needs to address more possible reasons as to why Woburn is failing in certain areas.

            “I believe that Boston Magazine needs to take a look at demographics, and base the ranking of the school system with other schools like Woburn’s,” said McMahon.  “I have had students come into my class without knowing any English, whereas in towns like Winchester, almost every student speaks English as their primary language.  It is not fair to Woburn.”

            McMahon points out some interesting points, and others would concur with them, such as comparing Woburn to more alike towns.  Amy Maynes, who is a seventh grade science teacher at the Joyce Middle School, believes that Woburn does not deserve the rank that they received. 

            “I wasn’t surprised at all by the ranking although I definitely didn’t agree with them.  I don’t think the data that they use to ‘rank’ schools is entirely fair.  Is it a really good idea to rank a school because of MCAS scores? Or by the percentage of students that go on to college?  There are just too many variables to consider,” said Maynes.

Although Woburn has been ranked 113 of 147 in the Greater Boston Area, the classifications going into the list contains many qualifications where it is unfair to towns like Woburn where there needs to many more credentials that go into the scoring.  For instance, if Woburn were to be compared with Medford at 124 or Peabody at 123, Woburn would fall right in line with them, and if not, look better.

While Woburn may have received poor MCAS and SAT scores in past years, but recent data has shown improvement in these areas.  At Wednesday’s School Committee meeting, Superintendent Mark Donovan presented the district’s MCAS results for 2013. According to the state’s data, Woburn has improved in every category of both the SAT and MCAS tests since 2012.  This may not mean that Woburn has improved their standings against other school districts, but Woburn has improved within themselves.

What many people do not know, is that Massachusetts schools typically outscore every other state in the United States, and each school in Massachusetts annually receives a designation based on test performances.  This designation ranges from a Level 5 school, which is the lowest, to Level 1, being the highest.  Every year, Woburn receives the designation as a Level 2 school, but this year, Woburn was only a mere two points away from receiving a Level 1 designation. 

No ranking, poor of favorable, means that Woburn cannot continue to make adjustments to improve upon their school system.  Some may believe that Woburn needs to make drastic changes in their school system to become more like other schools where their SAT scores are profound and 100% of students graduate high school and travel on into college, but in the end, the most important thing is remembering that not every school is the same.

Works Cited

Schneider, Jack. "What's Missing from Education Policy Debate." The Washington Post. N.p., 6

Sept. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013.

For a look at the DESE comparable schools analysis, click here. 

Cross Country teams already off and running

by Laura Zakrewski and Michaela Zelandi

The Woburn Memorial High School cross country team has high hopes and a lot of potential for this fall season, and it’s only the beginning.

“The cross-country team is as amazing as usual.  They’re the happiest team in the school.  The season is just starting and we’ve already had several outstanding performances,” stated Sarah Bramley, assistant coach of the cross-country team. 

The team has only had three meets and though the boys varsity are 0-3 and the girls varsity is 1-2, there is plenty of hope and promise for improving this season.

Senior and captain of the girls cross-country team, Alex DiMauro, explained,“We lost to Lexington, but we’re not going to get our hopes down because we still have the league meet and we’re not even half-way through the season.” 

“This is the best team we’ve had at the school.  We only have a couple really fast people, but the team as a whole is extremely talented,” shared Jackie Mosko, senior and captain of the girls cross country team.

Alex Brodeur, junior, had the same positive attitude as the two captains,“We have almost an entirely new varsity team.  Also, returning players have greatly improved.”

It doesn’t hurt that the cross country team is led by Coach O’Connor, whom runners can look up to, either. Junior Jake Boyle appreciates O'Connor's leadership.

“Coach O’Connor is a really great coach with experience.  It feels like he’s been coaching forever,” described Boyle.

Not only does the cross-country team get you into shape, but everyone on the team agrees that it can make you feel like you’re a part of something bigger. 

Senior Ron Hibbard agreed, “We’re more than a team, we’re a family.”

“Cross country makes you feel confident about your abilities and talents," added freshman Laura Flagg.

Sophomore Jake Marquis concurred with Flagg.

Marquis said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more motivated on improving myself since joining cross-country.”

As for the JV squads, the boys are 1-2 and the girls are 1-2.  The girls won their second meet on Tuesday against Winchester. 

Junior Marilyn McCall said about the win, “I think it was awesome because we took the win out of Winchester.”

The team is already enjoying its season and has high expectations and hopes for the remainder of the fall season.  Their next meet is on Saturday in Wrentham.

The grass is greener on field hockey’s side

by Emily Crampton and Alex Paladino

The varsity field hockey team at Woburn Memorial High School is one of ambition and aptitude.  This season’s team is shaping up to very adept and successful.

As described by Adrianna Manzi, captain and forward, “We are a great team and we have a lot of potential and talent this year! We have really good chemistry and are a great group of girls.”

Another advocate of this year’s strength, Kate McCall, junior and defender, said, “I think we have improved a lot since last season; our stick work and general sense of the game has gotten better.  As a team we all get along and I think that reflects on the field.”

While being a good team through practice of skill can unite people, at field hockey they go even beyond that.

As senior and captain, Devin Parziale explained, “Our team this year is very hopeful to win more games.  We enjoy our season with pasta parties and other fun activities, like mini-golf and going out to breakfast.  We have a lot of potential to win and we are constantly growing.”

            Unity plays a big role on any team, but especially in a varsity setting with kids from all grades.  In addition each grade has a distinct perspective on the sport.

Kylee Gonsalves, senior, said, “Our team is great! I love playing with everyone.  Being a senior on this team is really scary because it is my last year and I am really going to miss it.  I met some of my best friends playing field hockey and it has been a great couple of years.”

            Junior Karen Thifault said that, “It is really fun being on the team. Everyone gets along and we all really love field hockey.  Even though everyone is in different grades we can work really well together.”

Michelle Miller, a sophomore, shared her view on things, “I think it’s cool that I get to play with the upperclassmen and play on a level higher than JV.  I think it is helping me improve more because I’m playing against people who play at a higher level.  I miss being able to play with my friends on JV, but being a better player is what really matters.”

            The spirit and unity on this varsity field hockey team is evident, and if all goes as plan, it will show on game day, today in Arlington, as they are hoping to improve the record of 1-5.  

WMHS students reflect on the first week of school

by Kellie Herbert

It’s back to school for Woburn and at the high school everyone has been getting back in to the swing of things with their first week of school! Many teams have already had their first games and some students have already written their first essays of the year.  From the veteran seniors to the newbie freshman, all the students are anticipating a great new school year.

It may be the first week back but seniors are already counting down the days to graduation and that final day in May. Most seniors are already thinking about their transition from high school to college or their transition from high school to careers during their first week back to school. Senior Marjorie Hollohan shares her last first week of high school feelings.           

“The first week of senior year is odd, getting used to being the oldest in the school and learning how to balance college applications with work and homework is something I will have to get used to,” said Hollohan.

Freshmen on the other hand are getting ready to start their four year journey through high school. Finding their way around the high school this week has been an experience notes freshman Molly Herbert.

“This first week I have been kind of nervous because I don’t know my way around all the hallways and staircases. I had no idea what the high school was like from the way lunches worked to the lockers. It has all been a very new experience for me,” said Herbert.

Don’t worry freshmen; it will all be a piece of cake by the time Thanksgiving rolls around!

Ninth grade students aren’t the only new faces this year. There are new teachers and new students who aren’t freshman who are also getting accustomed to Woburn High. Junior MiKaela Hayes who transferred from Covenant Christian Academy shares her take on being a new student at Woburn High.

“Well, everyone has been very welcoming and the teachers are great! The amount of help I have received so far is astounding and I can’t wait for the rest of the year,” said Hayes.

 Also new to the building is English teacher Katherine Lapolice who taught eighth grade English at the Joyce Middle School and is excited to start her new position at the high school.

“It’s very exciting. I’m still getting to know where everything is but I recognize a lot of students from the Joyce, so seeing familiar faces are really helping me to feel comfortable here,” said Lapolice.

She also got an upgrade on her environment from when she was at the Joyce. “I also have a nicer classroom than at the Joyce. I’ve always wanted to teach older students, so we can have more mature conversations and deeper topics. Everyone is really respectful. I’m looking forward to getting to know more students and being here for a long time,” said Lapolice.

Not forgetting the sophomore and juniors, they have also started another year with a clean slate. Sophomore Madeline DiMauro is still missing summer but she is ready to get back in to the school year.

“Although I’d rather be home watching Teen Wolf, it’s been a wonderful week! I really like all my teachers and the freshmen also aren’t as bad as I expected them to be. I haven’t had too much homework. I’m also having a lot of fun at cross country,” said DiMauro.

Teen Wolf will have to wait but the next summer will be here before you know it!

The 2013-2014 school year will be one to remember! The first week is only the tipping point with only 176 days to go! Welcome back Woburn! Make this school year a good one!