On Saturday, March 31, 2011 Be Well Woburn hosted a Health and Wellness Expo at the Woburn Memorial High School. "Spring into Health" featured over 90 exhibitors sharing information and providing free health screenings on many health topics such as asthma, diabetes, mental health, tobacco cessation, hypertension, food allergies, sun safety, oral health and insurance coverage. Fitness demonstrations and interactive physical activities were ongoing throughout the day. Healthy meal planning and samplings were also included.

A Wii / Wii Fit was raffled off for participating in the event and completing an evaluation. Congratulations to this year's winner, Carol Downing.

Be Well Woburn's next citywide event is the second annual "Just TRI it - Youth Triathlon" on May 20th and the Malcolm White Elementary School will be hosting the Spring Festival at Spence Farm after the race.  This event will be supported with a "Training for the TRI" program where your child to learn about safety, train, and get comfortable with the race day format. The program is free and will take place two weeks prior to race day. Each practice session a supporter of the race will present a short message to the athletes and after the athletes will have a training session for race day. For more information on this event, go to http://cityofwoburn.com/index.aspx?nid=1135 

Be Well Woburn is a citywide initiative that encourages community members to strengthen their health and well-being through educational programming and wellness activities. The mission of Be Well Woburn is to promote community wellness by enhancing opportunities to make healthy lifestyle choices. The focus of "Spring into Health" is to bring together the wellness resources in our community and increase health awareness through education and prevention.

Mrs. Rebelo, a first grade teacher from the Shamrock Elementary School was interviewed about her first grade food drive.  The food drive was in honor of the 100th day of school. Mrs. Rebelo was asked the following questions...

Where does the food go?

Her answer was; it goes to the Council of Social Concern.

What made you want to organize the food drive? She replied, 

"We wanted to come up with an idea for the 100th day of school so we decided to start the food drive with the goal of the kids collecting 100 cans."

When did it start and end?

She said, "it started on February 1st and ended on February 8th.

What kinds of food were brought in?

"Vegetables. rice, pasta, jelly, pudding, cereal, soup, and more. We created a big food pyramid to organize it."

How much food was collected?

The first graders collected 167 cans!

Thanks to Mrs.Rebelo for organizing that very successful food drive for the 100th day of school.

The Linscott-Rumford Fourth and Fifth Graders conducted a fundraiser to raise money to help purchase Bio-Sand Water Filters for the villages in Africa.

Nearly 1 billion people suffer needlessly without access to safe water. The Linscott-Rumford 4th and 5th graders are convinced this can change - one village at a time. It's incredibly important work.

Each grade, K thru 5 decorated a large Poland Springs Water Bottle and was asked to collect spare change and deposit it into the bottle. The grade that collected the most by Friday, March 16th would receive a movie afternoon with popcorn and fresh cold water.

The 4th and 5th grades had a goal of purchasing 7 water filters @ $150.00, a total of $1050.00. The school was decorated in an African décor and the children showed great support during special "Life Water Africa" hat days as well. The entire school showed great interest and support in this school wide fundraiser. The children truly showed the world is our community. The school exceeded the goal and collected $1350.00 and the 4th grade classes won the contest collecting the most money. The Linscott-Rumford will be purchasing  9 bio-sand water filters for their neighbors in Africa.

 "True beauty lies within."

"An adventure is never too far away-it's waiting right outside your front door. "

"Take time to get to know someone before you pass any judgments."

            These are just a few of the lessons you will learn from the children's books written by our 8th grade Blue Team students for Scholastic's Kids Are Authors contest. The national writing contest asks students from grades K through 8 to write and illustrate a children's book with a plot, set of characters, and a message that would captivate young audiences. The winning books will be published and sold at Scholastic Book Fairs.

            Students worked in groups and write the stories as part of an English project. After writing their stories, the groups decided if they wanted to illustrate and submit them into the contest. Ms. Borelli played a key role in helping students complete their projects for the contest. We want to thank her. We couldn't have done it with out her!

            The following is a list of the six groups that submitted projects into the contest, along with the book titles of their stories.

An Old Western Friendship

Justin Cushing, Sarah Harkins, Katie Weber, Danielle DiFrumolo, Michael Doyle.....illustrator

Jonah's Adventure to Maple Leaf Park

Allison Maloof, Arianna Tzovaras, Shannon Lynch

The Boy Who Cried Vampire

Anthony Lisacki, Heli Patel, Michael White, Elyssa Delano

Beyond the White Picket Fence

Katt Carpenter, Justin McCrea, Matt Ercolini, Michelle Miller

The Golden Carrot

Jiin Chung, Matt Brown, Connor Ryan, Dennis Chacon

Gracie's New Friend

Katie Denker, Nicole Vieira, Brittany Sutton         

The Special Education Department invites all parents of entering kindergarten students who are currently receiving special education services to a transition breakfast. The breakfast will be held on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 at 8:30 a.m. in the Shamrock School cafeteria. We will be discussing the kindergarten program and the transition process for students on IEP's as they enter kindergarten. In attendance will be Dr. Gary Reese, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, building principals, and Special education staff.

Coffee and "goodies" will be provided. We look forward to seeing you!

Chris Lenahan

Director of Special Education

The entire fifth grade enjoyed doing a research project on weather instruments. One student named Maya stated, "It was an easy task, but I learned many new things." Another student named Joey said, "The project was simple, but not too simple. And it was hard, but not too hard." The students had to make a poster and a model to represent the instrument they were assigned. The students chose between the thermometer, the weather vane, the barometer, the hygrometer, the anemometer, and the rain gauge. Mrs. Doyle's class was required to hand draw a diagram of the instrument they were researching and other classes used the Internet to find accurate pictures. Alexa, another 5th grade student, said, "I enjoyed the project and I learned new information!" "It was not hard, but it took me time and effort," said Angie. Lia and Leandra said, "It was hard to get the models to work properly, but the time spent on it was worth it." Most fifth grade students were ardent about this project. Many of the students enjoyed this experience and had fun with it.

The Malcolm White Elementary School has been awarded $4,000 to support its Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative. This nationwide funding program awards schools funds to help increase awareness of and access to nutrient-rich foods and physical activity opportunities for students.

You may remember that on Thursday, February 2nd, the Malcolm White Elementary School celebrated the Super Bowl by participating in the Fuel Up to Play 60 "Big Game" Contest. Our commitment to school wellness on this day certainly paid off as we were awarded a prize from our friends at the New England Dairy & Food Council and Fuel Up to Play 60. The prize was an autographed Patriots football that will be raffled off at the Woburn Spring Fair/Pony Plop Fundraiser to be held at Spence Farm on Sunday, May 20th following the triathlon.

This week, the Malcolm White School introduced another phase of our Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative. With the goal of increasing student access to healthy, nutrient-rich foods we've launched our "Grab n' Go" style breakfast to ensure that every student starts the day with a healthy meal. Funds from this grant allowed us to purchase a breakfast cart, which can be found in the lobby of the school each morning. Breakfast items include cereal bars, fruit and other various breakfast items and milk. Each morning thus far, students are entering the building and eagerly grabbing some breakfast when they otherwise may have missed this meal. As a school, we recognize the link between a nutrient-rich breakfast and improved academic achievement and social behaviors.

With the goal of improving physical activity and increasing student engagement and participation while at recess, we're already looking ahead to the next phase in our Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative. We are pleased to announce that award-winning teacher and author, Dr. Curt Hinson creator of the Project PlayFit program will be visiting our school on Monday, April 30th. This program will teach children developmentally appropriate games that they can play during recess. The hope is that the games will not only keep kids active, but also help diminish common playground problems that arise. This full-day program will begin with a staff meeting in the morning and then a whole-school assembly. During this assembly, Dr. Hinson will provide students with a first-hand look at what to play, how to play, and how to be more active. After the assembly, Dr. Hinson will spend the entire day on the playground teaching students games and activities to help make recess trouble-free and most importantly fun! We are fortunate to have funds available through this grant for this program and training opportunity.

As we move to the completion of the school year, it is time for us to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of all of our students. For seniors and their families, graduation from Woburn Memorial High School is an accomplishment in which to take great pride. The events planned in connection with graduation are all celebrations of this accomplishment. We applaud all of our students, parents of our soon-to-be graduates, our teachers, and all others who made this accomplishment possible. All of us in the WMHS community must work together to make these closing weeks memorable for all of the right reasons.

Senior Activities: A mailing is being sent home to all senior families outlining the calendar of events through graduation. I cannot stress enough that we must encourage all of our students to remain committed to their work until they complete all classroom responsibilities. In addition to class work, please be diligent in stressing that students complete all other responsibilities (books, lockers, debt) so that nothing impedes graduation. This senior class has stood out as a steadfast group committed to their work and to the greater WMHS community. Members of this senior class have provided strong leadership for the student body. In many ways, the tenor of a school year is defined by the tone set by the senior class. This class has been noteworthy in their leadership.

Please continue to discuss with your sons and daughters about making healthy decisions. The coming month includes many activities that our graduates and families enjoy very much. From the Scholastic Awards Night, the senior prom, senior cookout to the class day and finally graduation; all of these activities have traditionally been favorites. A special note of recognition must be offered to senior class advisor Teresa Christerson for her positive work with the senior class. Lastly, special note of thanks to Senior Class President Hunter Romano for his leadership.

Award Recognition: As graduation approaches, a fair number of students receive awards, scholarships and gifts to help support their post-high school plans. Whether these awards are community based (Spring Awards Assembly, Graduation, and Woburn Scholarship Foundation) or from some other source, it is important for graduates to express their thanks for the award. Seniors are reminded to acknowledge any awards they might receive. Parents, please ensure that your child send the appropriate note of thanks to the giver.

Welcome Rising Freshmen: A heartfelt welcome to the families of rising freshmen. The next four years   have much to offer your children in many, many ways. We look forward to working with you in this journey through high school. Having completed the course selection process, your child and you should begin to think about the activities which they want to be involved with at the high school. Getting involved in an activity early in the school is among the best ways to ensure a smooth and enjoyable transition into high school.  

Recent Accomplishments and Activities of WMHS Students

• The WMHS Jazz Band participated in two jazz festivals during the month of March.  On March 6th the Jazz Band participated in the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education Northeast District Festival at Woburn Memorial High School.  Thirteen bands performed at the festival.  Our band received a Bronze Medal rating and took part in a clinic after the performance.  Outstanding Musicianship awards were won by Emelia Oliveira, Jesse Myers, and Michael Paladino.

• The band also participated in the 44th annual Berklee High School Jazz Festival on Saturday, March 10th at the Hynes Convention Center.  The festival is the largest of its kind in the United States.  The festival featured performances by more than 200 high school groups from all over the country and was viewed by more than 5000 attendees.  Jesse Myers won the Judges Choice Award for the performance.

• On Friday, March 30, 2012, students from Woburn Memorial High School competed in the Massachusetts School Bank Association's annual banking bowl. Twenty-one cities and towns, all of which have branch banks in their schools, sent teams to represent them.   Students were tested on their knowledge of banking, money, and the Federal Reserve System. Taking the second place award and representing Woburn were Hunter Romano, John Tobin, Evan Fallon, Stephanie Tarpy, and Christina Donahue.

• Yeji Choe, an extremely gifted junior in the Art Department, was accepted to a Portfolio Preparation Course at Boston University. This is a five week program that meets every Saturday at BU's College of Fine Arts.

• The After School Art Club is currently in its fifth year under the guidance of Donna Childs, a staff member in the Art Department, and services a diverse group of students at the High School.

• The Youth and Government group from Woburn Memorial High School did an outstanding job at the 2011-2012 Massachusetts Youth and Government Conference in Boston this year. The Woburn delegation included Jesse Myers, Francesca Malvarosa, William Lee, Mike Paladino, Ben Quinn, and Mia Leone.       All of them did a phenomenal job in committee, debating bills, lobbying, presenting their bills and getting bills passed in the House of Representative and the Senate. Jesse Myers excelled as Speaker of the House of Representatives and Ben Quinn took home a special honor as recipient of the Ginny Robinson Student Leadership Award. Together the group received a Premier Delegation Award at the Conference. Three of the delegates were also honored by being chosen to attend the Youth in Government Conference on National Affairs in North Carolina this summer.

• Seventeen WMHS students received awards on the highly competitive National Latin Exam.

• The first annual WMHS three-on-three charity basketball tournament was a major success! Over one hundred Woburn High School students and teachers competed against each other in the gymnasium to raise money for charity. Admission to the event benefited the Cleft Palate Foundation and over $400 was raised. The tournament's proceeds will help the Cleft Palate Foundation continue to improve the lives of individuals who are affected by facial birth defects. Key Club would like to congratulate competitors for their participation and donations. A special thanks to Key Club members for hosting the event.   
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• A contingent of WMHS students traveled to New York City in March. Students visited the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, The Empire State Building and The paintings at The Frick Collection.

• Mia Leone's article, "Kevin Brooks speaks to students against drunk driving and the importance of reaching for the stars" was chosen for High School Journalism's national edition during the week of March 26-30.  Leone is a member of the WMHS journalism class and the student run newsmagazine, The Bull's Eye. 

• Mr. Carbone's health classes and Ms. Hannigan's child development classes, sponsored by the Shannon Lee Meara Foundation, once again welcomed REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, a multi service agency providing prevention, intervention and advocacy services in Woburn and surrounding towns. Coordinated by Loren Baccari (D.V.T.T.Coordinator), Detective Ed Fumicello (SRO) and Meghan Patrissi (Wellness Dept. Head), Colleen Armstrong, a Youth Education Specialist, incorporated Dating Violence Awareness into the Health and Child Development Classes to prevent dating violence in the school community and provide support to students impacted by dating violence.

• Ms. Morton's Earth Science classes have been participating in "Meatless Mondays" in an effort to cut down on the environmental damage caused by meat production. Students report what they ate each week by writing it on the board. Woburn families are encouraged to support their efforts and join them! For more information, see meatlessmondays.com.

• The WMHS library is now offering e-books on the catalog. To access the books, students can go to the library's link on the school's website and click into our new website to see the e-book selection.  

• Student Government Day

The 59th Annual Donald A. DeLuca Student Government Daywas held on Tuesday, April 24, 2012. Winners of the WMHS English Department's Annual Essay Contest earned the right to participate in this exciting and annual event. We thank Mayor Galvin and all of the city departments for their commitment to this program. In addition, special recognition and thanks are extended to WMHS English Department Head Gayle Murphy for her leadership in organizing the event.

Mayor                                                                                                Benjamin Quinn    

City Council President                                                                    Collin Duffany

Police Chief                                                                                         Sarah Rollins

Fire Chief                                                                                            Laura Rosa

School Superintendent                                                                        Jackie Kelley

Assistant Superintendent of Schools for Curriculum                        Gina Mantica

Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operation                        Tim McCall

School Committee  

Chairperson  

Christina O'Brien   

Public Works Superintendent                                                  

Ryan Connolly

Purchasing Agent                                                                                 

Andrew Madanjian

Human Resources Director                                                     Delaney McDaniel

Veterans Agent                                                                                 Alyssa Davis   

City Clerk                                                                                          Yanni Kelly

City Auditor                                                                           Svetoslava Vodenicharska

Collector/Treasurer                                                                           Tim Roche

City Solicitor                                                                                      Eunice Park

Board of Assessors Chairperson                                                     Vanessa Nguyen  

City Engineer                                                                                    Kelly Niland

Executive Director of Housing                                                          Rafaela Lima

Building Commissioner                                                                     Brianna Gangi

Library Director                                                                                 Molly Persky

Recreation Director                                                                           Emily Crampton

Conservation Director                                                                    Elizabeth Kenny

Planning Board Director                                                          

Evan Fallon

Director of Council on Aging                                                             Matthias Griecci

Board of Health Chair                                                                       Kylie Romano

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