WHS Principal’s Newsletter for 05 June 2026

Dear Families,

I wanted to write this afternoon to make sure everyone knew about the fact that because of circumstance, we will not be offering the Evolutions program at Wellesley High School this fall. 

Since some of you might not know the history of the program I will provide a little context.  Thirteen years ago I was an assistant principal at Wellesley High School and we were in a place where we were very worried about our students.   As a school we worried about the mental health of our kids who were telling us they wanted more from their school. We started our Bridge program to help students transition back to the high school after a long term absence. We designed our new High School building to have three houses to keep a better eye on kids than two. We launched an advisory program to keep an eye on our kids every day.  We created the ERP program to give kids more places to connect without the pressure of a varsity sport or a high commitment club.  And, I stole the idea of Evolutions from The Island School and a program at Concord-Carlisle High School called Rivers and Revolutions.  I got the idea when a student of mine who had struggled from a semester at the Island School as a changed young man.  When I asked him what the difference was, he looked at me and bluntly said, “I found out I was smart”.  That was all I needed to hear.  I knew we had to create something new at Wellesley High School. The goal of that work from the beginning was to create a program where students could learn in ways that would feel relevant to them.   We would focus on skills and integration of knowledge and we would give kids more voice and choice in their learning.  We would connect their learning to a community within the program and push them out of their comfort zones by creating partnerships with the Town of Wellesley and beyond.  We would do everything we could to create learning experiences for kids that were valuable and meaningful.  The Evolutions team did all of that and more and we still have this need at Wellesley High School. 

I am so proud of all the teachers who did that for hundreds of students over the past 11 years. In full disclosure, during the 2022 school year one of those students was my own daughter who thrived in the program and credits her current success to lessons she learned while a student in Evolutions. Losing this program is deeply personal to me. Thank you to Thom Henes, Craig Brown, Emily Giddings, Larry Lovett, Brian Corey, Christine Derosiers, Alice Liao, Crystal Bartels and Mindy Hoge who all taught in the program.  

And yet, as we looked at the budget numbers for this year we saw we had a crisis. We simply could not ignore that the numbers had been declining. We heard from our alumni and parents this winter about the value this program adds to our school and yet when we tried to be responsive in our annual recruitment push, the student requests for this year landed at 12. Please know we wanted to run the program to keep it alive for these kids and the future. We had strong plans to do this and when we realized the team itself was not going to be able to be the same, the hill just got too high to climb. We had no choice but to make this decision right now. 

Our hope is that we can rework, rebrand, and relaunch Evolutions in the years to come. We may be asking for your help to figure out how the program, which was always designed to change, should change now. This year away will hopefully give us time to figure out the right next move for the students of Wellesley High School. 

Congratulations to all the Seniors and their families on your upcoming graduation! After all of the festivities, consider donating your gown for reuse for next year. Doing so helps cut down on the production of single-use graduation regalia, and you’ll pay it forward for another graduate.

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:

SBIRT screening (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) will be conducted during 10th grade Health classes. SBIRT is a mandated screening for substance use/abuse in public schools. The screening is interview-based and takes approximately 5 minutes. All results are kept confidential and are not included in your student’s school record. The screening is completed by trained health teachers and nurses. For more detailed information see the full letter here: SBIRT Info Letter.

If you would like to have your child opted-out of this screening for this year, please let us know by filling out this form: SBIRT Opt-Out Form.  

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

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at the Wellesley Free Library (in the first floor cafe/commons) at 7:30pm

to discuss The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (realistic fiction)

Summer read – A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Tuesday, September 15, 2026 – discussing A Prayer for Owen Meany!

Any question can be emailed to whslibrary-group@wellesleyps.org

I hope everyone has a great weekend. 

Best, 

Jamie