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WHS Principal’s Newsletter
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Dear Families –
I’ll start this afternoon by saying I hope you find a way to honor those who lost their lives defending our country in the armed forces. If you’re not sure what to do, you can always pause what you’re doing on Monday afternoon at 3 pm (whatever the time zone) for the national one minute of silence. Thank you.
What a week it’s been for the high school! I’ve tried to include as many pictures as possible, because I don’t have enough words to describe it all, and the pictures are a lot of fun!
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Monday evening our “Varsity Ceramics” students held their end of year showcase at the Gorse Mill Gallery in Needham. The folks at Gorse Mill are so good to our ceramics program and the kids were up beat and excited to share their work. The pictures can’t do it all justice, but you can get a sense of the amazing work they did.
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You should mark your calendars for next May to come to our annual Young Ethnic Scholars (Y.E.S.) International Night. There was food, artwork, dancing, singing, poetry, musical instruments, and a fashion show. What I loved about this night was how our students put their own selves on display and did it with such joy and passion. Over and over I saw students I knew who I had no idea had the talents they displayed. A huge thank you to all of the kids for their hard work putting it together.
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On Wednesday the Wellesley Education Foundation held the annual 25th year chair appreciation ceremony at Wellesley College. The inductees are all in their 26th year working for the Wellesley public schools and they each chose a colleague to speak for them. The district had 17 educators who were honored (amazing and it speaks to the commitment of our teachers to the community and the community’s commitment to them). Wellesley High School honored three educators: John Brown, Director of Athletics who was presented by our Hockey Coach Paul Donato. Andrew “Drew” Kelton, Assistant Principal, was presented by our Social Studies Department Chair Mike Reidy. Christie Kerr, English Teacher, was presented by her English teacher colleague Carol Dube. Congratulations to all the chair recipients!
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On Thursday morning the senior class heard some words of wisdom and encouragement from Alumni Katie Redford (Wellesley High School class of 1986) who is a human rights lawyer who has spoken at both the U.N. and the Supreme Court. Katie remarked to our kids that their journeys, like hers, probably won’t follow a linear path, but to embrace that changes to the plan are coming and they should keep an open mind that they can often turn out for the best. Katie was joined by some dozen guests, most of whom were also graduates from the class of 1986 and who live here in town. I thought it was great for our seniors to see graduates from Wellesley High School 40 years ago still connected and still friends. Thank you to our Student Congress for sponsoring this event.
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Finally, this morning our seniors had their annual Pet Parade. I must have had 6 different faculty members comment to me that this day is their favorite event of the year. The mood was great. The weather was great. There were many dogs, a couple of cats, a turtle, a gold fish, and one bird. I heard there was a hedgehog, but I never saw it so maybe that was a legend. All of the animals I saw were well behaved. Thanks to all the parents who helped get the animals back home so the kids who couldn’t do it themselves could be in class on time.
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Attention WHS Class of 2026 Graduates and Families:
Please provide the following information:
- Name of the student graduating, and their House (Bradford, Perrin, or Phillips)
- Number of guests who need accommodations
- The guests’ names/relationship to the graduate
Please note: Requests should be limited to the guest(s) who require accessible seating and an additional guest as needed to provide assistance, as we cannot accommodate entire families in the accessible area. We kindly ask those who do not require special accommodations to please use the bleachers.
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Imagine your student hiking the volcanic terrain of Isabela Island, spotting a blue-footed booby nesting just feet away, and snorkeling through crystal-clear Pacific waters beside sea lions and marine iguanas. Picture them standing on Santiago Island—the very ground where Darwin spent the most time during his historic expedition—and feeling the weight of that scientific legacy beneath their feet.
Along the way, students build a deeper understanding of ecology, evolution, and conservation that no textbook can replicate—along with the curiosity and confidence that come from exploring the world’s most extraordinary natural classroom.
Mr. Bateman’s Charting the Galápagos Islands information meeting is taking place this week, and this is your last chance to RSVP: https://bit.ly/4shtRF4 If you’ve already RSVP’d—you’re all set! But feel free to remind friends to register, too, so they don’t miss out on important trip details and enrollment information.
We hope to see you there!
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Congratulations on your upcoming graduation! We wish you incredible success in all your future endeavors. Before you head off to your next chapter, please review these important technology wrap-up steps to ensure a smooth transition:
- Account Deactivation: Your @wpsraiders Google account is scheduled for suspension on August 1, 2026.
- Data Backup: Please download any Google Drive files you wish to keep before August 1, as you will lose access after that date. Feel free to visit the Tech Office if you need any assistance with this process.
- Update Contact Info: If you have provided your WPS email address to colleges or other organizations, please update them with your personal email address as soon as possible.
- Login Credentials: For any external accounts or portals where you used your WPS email to create a login, remember to update your profile settings to a personal email address.
- Equipment Return: If you were issued a WPS laptop and charger, please return them to the Tech Office on or before Friday, May 29th.
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Ever wonder about the books teens are reading?
Ever read a popular YA book and wished you had someone to discuss it with?
The librarians at Wellesley High School host a monthly Book Club for parents where we read YA books and discuss. If you are interested in participating please email us at whslibrary-group@wellesleyps.org Upcoming dates and books:
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at the Wellesley Free Library (in the first floor cafe/commons) at 7:30pm
Upcoming dates and books:
Next year (2026-2027)
Tuesday, September 15, 2026 – discussing A Prayer for Owen Meany!
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One month from now the school year will be over. In that time there is still a lot of school work to be done and finishing up can feel like a pretty intense time for the underclassmen. I know we want all the kids to finish the year well, so please let your team here know if you have any concerns or questions as we end the 4th quarter and move into finals.
I hope you’re all able to enjoy some brief periods of good weather and get some rest this weekend.
Best,
Jamie
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