Westfield High School

If you missed last week's Westfield High School Holiday Chorus show, click on the link below. The students sounded amazing! thanks for watching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffuh39wADVQ

This time of year, everyone is always talking about the weather: record temperatures, the chance of snow, and the extra layers needed to stay warm. Folks even keep statistics about the weather. Jacob Kapinos’ students in the Statistics and Probability class at Westfield High School designed a random sample of 50 dates during the winter months (Dec. 1 to Feb. 28) from 1975 to 2021. https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/12/westfield-high-school-statistics-students-study-winter-temps-make-hats.html

There will be no school for students starting Monday, December 26, 2022 - Monday, January 2, 2023, for the Holiday Recess. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Happy Holidays from all of us in the Westfield Public Schools!

Please click on the images below to read the second District Quarterly Newsletter of this school year. Happy Holidays from all of us in the Westfield Public Schools!

The Westfield Public Schools saw the Food Pantry's request for help and quickly created a "festive dress down day" to raise some money. All the schools and administration combined raised $1,089 for the pantry and had some fun while doing it. Here are a few pictures from the Intermediate school.

Over the past two weeks, the guidance departments of Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy, along with the Hampden County Drug Task Force, have sponsored assemblies in each of the high schools and an informational meeting for the community at large on drug overdose awareness, and in particular the online availability of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. The events were organized by school adjustment and substance abuse counselors Kristine Hupfer at WTA, Carrie Ann Fiordalice at Westfield High School, and Community Resource Officer Lt. Eric Hall in coordination with the Hampden County district attorney’s office. https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/12/westfield-police-medics-warn-of-overdose-risk-from-fentanyl-laced-drugs.html

If you missed "Superintendent's Spotlight" yesterday, click on the link below. This week we talked with Athletic Director Greg Vouros about fall and winter sports at WTA and WHS. WTA Culinary students also helped us celebrate National Cupcake Day. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyvgqhAZVAM

Good afternoon, Tonight’s ornament painting party has been rescheduled to December 21 at 5 pm. Thank you

Join us this Thursday, December 15 from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week we will be talking with our Athletic Director, Greg Vouros, about winter sports at Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy. Thanks for watching!

On Dec. 3 at the YMCA of Greater Westfield, Jillian Battles once again achieved her goal to stuff 800 “goodie bags” for members of the Armed Forces and veterans as a thank-you for their service. “Yesterday was absolutely amazing! So many volunteers turned out to help Jillian stuff her 800 bags for our troops and veterans. It was so beautiful to see so many from the community come together,” said her mother Jen Battles. Battles, a sophomore at Westfield High School, was joined by students from the Leaders Club, the Key Club, the Westfield YMCA Wave Swim team, the National Honor Society and members of the Westfield High School staff. Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe, state Rep. Kelly Pease, Medic Now Foundation representative and City Councilor Nicholas Morganelli, Dave Sutton of One Call Away and many veterans and their families also joined in. The reusable bags, donated by Big Y, were stuffed with instant coffee, hot cocoa, boxes of tea, ramen noodles, gummy bears, granola bars, trail mix, Rice Krispie treats, cookies, crackers, hard candies, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss picks, disposable razors, lip balm, deodorant, hand sanitizer, tissue packets, decks of cards, pens, pencils and puzzle books and blankets or throws. They were brought to Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield to be sent to military bases. “Dave Sutton from One Call Away was an absolute godsend helping us get the bags to Barnes and also to the various locations for our veterans,” Jen Battles said. She said their friend Tom Heavren was another “godsend,” packing 111 bags into his minivan and delivering them to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. He then returned to load again and bring the rest of the bags to One Call Away to be distributed to veterans’ organizations. The Battleses thanked Big Y, J.L. Raymaakers, Crestview Construction, Mestek, Advance Manufacturing, Westfield Stop & Shop, Westfield Bank, Sarat Ford, Bigelow Tea, Westfield Gas & Electric, Little Debbie McKee Foods, West Springfield Costco, Westfield Home Depot, Westfield Walmart, Albanese Candy, Shortstop Bar & Grill, Baystate Dental, Kasperowski Family Dentistry, MGM Springfield, Fitness First and many private donations that helped make the effort possible. Her mother said for every “yes” that Jillian heard when asking for donations, she had about six “no’s,” because she doesn’t have nonprofit status for the project. “It didn’t discourage her, though. She continued to email and call and pound the pavement asking in person, hoping for that one ‘yes.’ Because every little bit adds up to a whole lot in the end. Our troops and veterans should never, ever have to struggle for anything and they deserve nothing but the best,” said Jen Battles. Extra donations will be split between the local veterans’ food pantries at One Call Away and Project New Hope. Jen Battles said Jillian plans on doing this every year and hopes to get the community even more involved. At the end of the day, Jillian was presented with a Good Deed award from the American Legion Post 124 Auxiliary for her efforts on behalf of the troops and veterans. https://www.thereminder.com/localnews/westfield/westfield-hs-sophomore-stuffs-800-goodie-bags-for-/

A local high school student, along with multiple volunteers, put together care packages on Saturday for troops and veterans at an event at the Westfield YMCA. Jillian Battles, a student at Westfield High School, helped organize the filling of over 800 bags for soldiers. The bags included items like instant coffee, hot cocoa, boxes of tea, pens, pencils, ramen noodles, and much more. “I’m making 800 care packages for troops and veterans. They don’t nearly enough and they aren’t appreciated and I feel that something as small as this, just here in Westfield and gathering from people here in western Mass. will make a big difference,” Battles explained Battles added that supporting veterans is very important and it also brings the community together in doing so. https://www.westernmassnews.com/2022/12/04/westfield-teen-packs-hundreds-care-packages-soldiers-veterans/

On weekends downtown, shoppers may have been fortunate enough to run across Westfield High School students busking for their band. The Busking Project, initiated by Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane, has taken off, and is bringing extra joy to the holiday shopping season. Matthews-Kane said she spoke to WHS Band Director Patrick Kennedy, who brought in senior Samantha Adamtsev to take charge of the project. https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/12/westfield-high-school-musicians-take-band-to-the-streets-in-busking-fundraiser.html

If you missed this morning's episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight", click on the link below. This week we featured Westfield High School's Show Choir with Korey Bruno, chorus instructor, and Principal Jendrysik. The students performed live on the show and sounded wonderful. Westfield Technical Academy Culinary Arts students also treated our guests with homemade apple fritters to celebrate National Fritters Day. Thanks for watching! #NationalFrittersDay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfIxVZLT0CI

For anyone who is concerned about a loved one or who wants to learn more about a growing problem and the local resources available to help, Westfield Technical Academy at 33 Smith Ave., Westfield, is hosting a talk on “Preventing Accidental Overdose: Counterfeit Pills and What You Need to Know” on Tuesday, Dec. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. This free event facilitated by the Hampden County district attorney’s office will provide education and awareness on easy access to counterfeit pills and other drugs online, and is intended for parents and caregivers, community members and organizations. WTA adjustment and substance abuse counselor Kristine Hupfer said she and Carrie Ann Fiordalice, her counterpart at Westfield High School, have been concerned about how much the drug culture has changed, even in the past few years, and want to help parents and guardians understand the trends. https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/11/info-session-at-westfield-tech-will-focus-on-preventing-accidental-overdoses.html

Westfield High School is proud to announce our Q1 Honor Roll. Congratulations to our students who have worked so hard for this recognition. Click here to view the entire list https://5il.co/1la6p

Tune in this Thursday, December 1, from 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. on WSKB 89.5 FM, WCPC cable channel 15, or westfieldtv.org for the next episode of "Superintendent's Spotlight". This week, we will talk with members of the Westfield High School Show Choir. The show will also include live student performances. Thanks for watching!

Click here to see the latest edition of the Bomber Bulletin: https://5il.co/1l4w4 There are so many great things happening at Westfield High School, you don't want to miss this!

The statewide cross country competition wrapped up this past weekend and two local runners showed their speed. Westfield Technical Academy’s Kaylin Hawley and Westfield High’s Megan Moran finished tops in their respective divisions. Hawley finished runner-up in Division 2 and fourth overall in the Mass Vocational Schools championship at the Wrentham Development Center, finishing with a personal best 21:33. That personal best did not last long, however, as she broke it on Saturday at the All-State Cross Country meet, finishing the race in 21:28. She placed 43rd out of 183 runners. https://www.masslive.com/westfieldnews/2022/11/cross-country-runners-megan-moran-westfield-kaylin-hawley-westfield-technical-academy-use-quick-feet-to-achieve-notable-feats.html

If you missed last week's "Superintendent's Spotlight", click on the link below. In this episode, our District Instructional Leadership Team explains our Multi-Tiered System of student Support. We also recognized National Play Monopoly Day. Thanks for watching! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Owb4DOsO4Y

The Westfield School Department’s Thanksgiving meal drive went into overdrive this year, with co-chairs Sue and Ralph Figy and Eileen and Jimmy Jachym ordering and delivering turkeys and all the fixings to a record-breaking 230 families this year, 80 more than anticipated. Ralph Figy said the district coordinated with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, which is providing 100 meals for area families. The school volunteers put together 230 meals, so that between them 330 families would receive meals. https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/11/thanksgiving-effort-goes-into-overdrive-to-help-families-in-westfield.html