Westfield Public Schools

Amelia Park Children’s Museum announces the opening of their new permanent train exhibit. The new nearly life-size train houses a three-level train table, crawl-through train tunnel, and conductor controls so children can roleplay driving a train. “Our train table has long been one of our more popular exhibits at the museum, so it’s very exciting to see an upgraded version installed on-site,” said Brianne Zulkiewicz, APCM’s Assistant Director. “We are excited to see how children choose to interact with the train’s new features and learn about train transport. In the coming months, we hope to build off of the enthusiasm for our new exhibit to educate our visitors about the history and importance of trains in our region.” The new train exhibit was made possible through financial support from Shurtleff Children's Services, Inc. and The Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) through the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant Program. Amelia Park Children’s Museum is open Thursday through Tuesday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The museum is closed to the public on Wednesdays.

Westfield Technical Academy senior pitcher Deven Werbiskis and the 34th seeded Tigers upset No. 2 Hopedale in the Division 5 baseball state tournament Round of 32 on the road Sunday at Town Park. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/06/the-westfield-news-scoreboard-no-34-westfield-technical-academy-stuns-no-2-hopedale-4-0-in-d5-baseball-round-of-32.html

The 12 graduates of the Westfield Technical Academy aviation maintenance technology class of 2024 were recognized in a ceremony inside Hangar 2 at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport on May 30. The ceremony had to wait for Air National Guard F-15s to take off from the airport runway. Despite the rain, the hangar doors were wide open for attendees to view — and hear — the military jets. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/06/westfield-aviation-maintenance-grads-told-theyll-fill-urgent-need-in-industry.html

If you missed yesterday's special "Superintendent's Spotlight/On the Mark" program, click on the link below. This show is part 2 of our interviews with staff and students in the Aviation Maintenance Technology Program at Westfield Technical Academy. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZcttch5twA

A high school awards assembly. Prom. Graduation. Ten senior softball players from Westfield High School and their fellow teammates can now add another celebratory moment to their list of accolades – a four-peat. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/latest-feat-for-westfield-softball-a-four-peat.html

Ms. Colleen D'Alessandro, New England Regional FAA Administrator, visited Abner Gibbs Elementary School 4th grade students today to deliver certificates of completion for their Federal Aviation Administration's Adopt a Classroom Program this year. Congratulations!

The second graders at Munger Hill Elementary School brought some of their favorite people to life in their annual Wax Museum on May 22, a 10-year tradition at the school. A team project of the second grade teachers, the students first pick a person of interest. They draw a portrait of that person, research information for a fact sheet and timeline, and put together a speech. Then for the Wax Museum, they dress up as their subjects, and wait for a tap on the shoulder to begin talking about them. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-2nd-graders-bring-favorite-people-to-life-in-munger-hill-wax-museum.html

5th grade students at Westfield Intermediate School recently completed a Project Lead the Way module on Earth’s Water and Interconnected Systems. As a culminating project, students were tasked with designing a water filter prototype to turn dirty water clean. Students showcased their filters to local industry professionals and WHS AP Environmental Science students on Wednesday morning. Students not only demonstrated how their filters worked with dirty water, but also discussed the importance of collaboration and the design process. Volunteers provided written feedback for students on presentation skills and how well they met the criteria and constraints of the engineering challenge. Special thank you to the amazing grade 5 STEM Teachers, Mr. Tyler and his AP Environmental Science students, Westfield Water Department, Springfield Water Department, City Engineer Allison McMordie, Retired Science Teacher Lisa Strycharz, School Committee member Kathleen Hillman, Kristen Mello from WRAFT, Cambrex, and Polish National Credit Union.

Order has been restored in the high school baseball world in Western Massachusetts. The Westfield Bombers are Western Massachusetts champions once more. Westfield won its second Pioneer Valley Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class A baseball title in three years as the No. 2 Bombers upstaged the top-seeded Central Golden Eagles 5-1 at Springfield-Central High School Tuesday night. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-pitcher-josh-wagner-no-2-bombers-down-no-1-golden-eagles-in-class-a-baseball-finals-5-1.html

Westfield Middle School held its annual Memorial Day program last week to honor our fallen heroes. The ceremony included pieces from the WMS band and chorus, under the direction of Mr. Emken and Mr. Gomes, as well as a history of Memorial Day presented by students. We were honored to have local veterans in attendance. Thank you to Mr. Dufraine, WMS STEM Teacher and Retired Air Force Colonel, for organizing the event!

PVIAC BOYS LACROSSE CLASS A SEMIFINALS Westfield 14, West Springfield 6 Tristan Koumentakos scored a game-high six goals and Westfield overwhelmed West Springfield to advance to the championship game. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/the-westfield-news-scoreboard-bombers-boys-lacrosse-chases-west-side-14-6-to-advance-to-class-a-finals.html

The Westfield girl's tennis team won two singles matches and a doubles match to slip past St. Mary’s 3-2 in a crosstown battle May 22 at Stanley Park. Kaitlyn Goulette won a hard-fought two-setter, defeating St. Mary’s Jessica Armstrong at second singles. Westfield’s Jillian Battles swept third singles, 6-0, 6-0. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-girls-tennis-slips-past-st-marys-3-2.html

PVIAC CLASS A SOFTBALL SEMIFINALS No. 1 Westfield 7, No. 4 Minnechaug 2 Westfield exploded for five runs in the fourth inning to seize command of their Class A semifinal game against Minnechaug on Thursday at home. The Bombers advance to play the winner of No. 3 Agawam-No. 2 East Longmeadow on Tuesday, May 28 at Westfield State University at 3 p.m. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/the-westfield-news-scoreboard-no-1-westfield-earns-trip-to-class-a-softball-finals.html

Westfield High School fared well in the Western Mass Track and Field Championship, with the boys team finishing fourth overall and the girls team finishing seventh among the 15 participating teams from across the region. Westfield Coach Dana Geis said 38 WHS students qualified for the championship and the team is now participating in the State Championship hosted at Bridgewater State University. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-track-field-athletes-enjoy-postseason-success.html

Click on the link below for a special joint "On the Mark" and "Superintendent's Spotlight" show from Westfield Technical Academy's Hangar 2. WTA Aviation Department Chair Galen Wilson and students in the Aviation Maintenance Technology Program talk about their experiences in the program and future goals. This is part one of a two-part series. Part two will air on Thursday, May 30, at 9:00 a.m. on WCPC Channel 15 and on 89.5 fm WSKB Westfield. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJoFEbcwMwE

Westfield Technical Academy Vice Principal Kevin Daley, who coordinates the cooperative education program and internships for upper class students, said the school had over 80 placements this year. “That’s the most we’ve ever had,” Daley said. “We have great partnerships with local businesses.” https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/westfield-tech-breaks-its-record-for-most-student-co-op-placements-this-year.html

Three strikes and the Pope Francis Cardinals are out. Westfield senior pitcher Ethan Johnson tossed a one-hitter and the second-seeded Bombers scraped together a 3-0 win over No. 6 Pope Francis in a PVIAC Class A baseball semifinal early Thursday afternoon at Bullens Field. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/ethan-johnson-no-2-westfield-shuts-out-no-6-pope-francis-in-pviac-class-a-baseball-semifinals-3-0.html

If you missed yesterday's "Superintendent's Spotlight", click on the link below. This week, we talked with staff and students in our English Learner Program. Thanks for watching! #AchievingExcellenceTogether https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDh48u_8su4

Kristen Koziol, STEM Specialist at Highland Elementary School, and her third grade programmers presented projects to the School Committee on Monday night. Students completed a Project Lead the Way Computer Science module, which culminated in the creation of their own game in ScratchJR, a kid-friendly, block-based coding application. Students worked collaboratively to program a game that included a main sprite, a target, a moving obstacle, and feedback to the player on if they were successful or not. The games proved to be a big hit among School Committee members, who were very engaged in playing "Penguin Chase", "Space Invasion", and "Get the Alien to Earth". Way to go Highland Huskies!

The Westfield Technical Academy High School baseball team tied a season-high 12 hits and the fourth-seeded Tigers held off No. 5 Mount Greylock, 8-6, in a Western Massachusetts PVIAC Class C quarterfinal Tuesday night at Bullens Field. Westfield Tech (13-3) earns a trip to Thursday’s semifinals where they will face top-seeded Drury (14-3), a 9-1 winner over No. 8 Franklin Tech. First pitch at Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams is 5 p.m. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2024/05/no-4-westfield-technical-academy-outlasts-no-5-mount-greylock-in-class-c-quarterfinal-8-6.html