Waltham High School

Waltham High School is the only public high school serving the city of Waltham, Massachusetts.

Waltham High School
Address
617 Lexington Street
Waltham, Massachusetts 02452
Information
Opened 1969 (current site)
School district Waltham Public Schools
Superintendent Dr. Drew M. Echelson, Ed.D.
Principal Greg DeMeo
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 1,375 (2010-2011)
School color(s) Red, white
Mascot Hawks
Average SAT scores 473 verbal
500 math
471 writing
1444 total (2015-2016)[1]
Newspaper The Talon
Yearbook The Mirror

Coordinates: 42°22′43″N 71°13′59″W / 42.3785°N 71.2329339°W / 42.3785; -71.2329339

Old School Building

Waltham High School

The old building, now the John W. McDevitt Middle School
Location 55 School Street., Waltham, Massachusetts
Coordinates 42°22′44″N 71°14′3″W / 42.37889°N 71.23417°W / 42.37889; -71.23417
Area less than one acre
Built 1902
Architectural style Classical Revival, Romanesque
MPS Waltham MRA
NRHP Reference # 89001531[2]
Added to NRHP September 28, 1989

The old Waltham High School (located at 55 School Street) was originally constructed in 1902. Designed by Samuel Patch and Robert Glancey, it follows the local contemporary style of Romanesque and Classical Revival architecture. Added onto in the 1920s, the building eventually fell out of favor and was replaced with the current Waltham High site in 1969. It was used as the Central Junior High School in the 1970s and 1980s. The old Waltham High became defunct by the 1990s and sat empty for many years. The building was ultimately reinhabited; the additions constructed in the 1920s were removed, restoring the school to its 1902 appearance, and a modern addition was added directly behind the old building, which left the historical structure as the façade. The new construct, known now as John W. McDevitt Middle School (named for a former superintendent), entered service in 2003.[3]

The old Waltham High building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[4]

Current building

The current Waltham High School facility opened in 1969. It is designed in two long rows of rooms connected by several transverse hallways. The west side is the Fine Arts wing and includes the Robinson Auditorium, home of Waltham's Reagle Players. There are two outdoor courtyards built into the design. The school department's offices and school administration occupy the center of the first floor. Two gymnasiums and the cafeteria dominate the east side of the building. A detached Automotive Technology annex faces the visual arts hallway.The high school now has a school store called "Hawk's Nest" where the students can buy sports apparel with Hawk's logo on it. The school also has a Television studio. The television channel is called WE-TV (Waltham Educational Television)

Although Waltham High is well maintained, the building itself is now over forty years old and has had little work performed on it in its entire lifetime. Waltham High is older than nearby Newton North's old facility, which was torn down after only thirty-seven years of service due to it aging poorly; although Waltham has held up better, this provides a context for the facility's age and need for renovation, including the science labs, which are essentially unchanged from 1969, and the lack of a central air-conditioning system. At the present time, the school department is exploring a partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help prepare and finance either a renovation of the building or construction of a new one. These talks, however, have been ongoing for over two years.[5]

Administration

School administration[6]
Department administration[6]
  Dr. Nadine Stein

Sports

Waltham High has multiple sports including ice hockey, track and field (indoor and outdoor), football, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, swimming, skiing, soccer, golf, etc. Waltham High athletic teams compete in the Dual County League. The mascot for most sports in Waltham is "The Hawk". It also offers many activities such as show choir, show band, band/orchestra, language clubs (Spanish, French, Italian and Latin), student council, GSA, Dance Theatre and many more. The basketball team has qualified for the state tournament three years in a row. The football team of 2014 has had their best season in recent history.

Notable alumni

Notable faculty

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2015-16 SAT Performance Statewide Report". mass.edu. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. ↑ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ "John W. McDevitt Middle School". schooldesigns.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  4. ↑ National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  5. ↑ "School Committee Minutes 2011-2012". walthampublicschools.org. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Waltham Public Schools Home Page". walthampublicschools.org. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
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