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The Winchendon School

The best college prep school for students with significant unrealized potential

Academics

Congresswoman Lori Trahan Meets The Winchendon School

By Sydney Brown ’23

On Tuesday morning, I saw firsthand the commitment it takes to serve as a politician within the Massachusetts 3rd District. As Mrs. Lambert introduced Congresswoman Trahan, I listened from the viewpoint of a senior in high school about to embark on my college journey and soon-to-be career in business. From being the first Portuguese-American in Congress, a grandchild of immigrants, receiving a scholarship to play volleyball at Georgetown, to growing through the ranks of what it takes to be at the top serving a community were all elements I held immense respect for and could relate to. After receiving various questions, Trahan delved head-first into the policies she has focused on, one being mental health, which I work closely with through initiatives along with another student Julia ’23. 

The Congresswoman’s conversation wasn’t only an inspiration because she showed that it’s easy to judge a person based on what you see on the outside or their political affiliation, but it’s even harder to be in the position of working in a highly divisive, fast-pace moving, and intense job environment. This was evident in having to balance her family life, being in DC three times a week, and continuing to work for the citizens of her district every single day. 

At the same time, I was in complete awe of her character and knowledge; her immersion in sports with a reference to the NCAA record-breaking numbers that occurred especially for the women’s side, pushing for women to have a seat at the table in business, her presence in high-tech, and the correlation between TikTok’s effect on individuals even without the ownership of the app itself, were clear elements to an individual who has done her research. 

No matter our opinions, our values, or what our belief reaches towards in politics, it’s situations like these that can really exert oneself to the different realms of being a powerful leader in the world.

Student body president, Austin Gatlin ’23 thanks the Congresswoman for sharing her experiences.

All Politics are Local: Robert Kennedy Meets Students from The Winchendon School

New Hampshire Institute for Political Studies at St. Anselm’s College recently hosted Robert Kennedy. Students were able to attend – and were so impressed and moved by his talk, that The Winchendon School faculty member Tiffany Pellegrini said, when her students returned from the talk at Saint Anselm’s College on Friday, March 3rd, they were bursting with enthusiasm and the topics discussed bubbled over into her classroom. 

“It was a very rewarding experience to see the students engaged in civil discourse and debate around the role and responsibility of the individual and government in regard to personal health, community safety, and the environment.  One discussion led to another as they eventually started brainstorming potential business and government solutions to a reduction on the reliance on fossil fuels or ways to tackle the opioid crisis.”

Tiffany Pellegrini, TWS Faculty

Mrs. Pellegrini put the day’s lesson plan on hold so the students could continue their authentic discussion.

“I put my lesson on hold, so they could continue.  As a teacher, mother, and educator it was a very beautiful thing to see and hear our present generation of students and future voters take such an invested interest in discussing and debating domestic and international current events in hopes to find a solution.”

Robert Kennedy greets students from The Winchendon School

Add a Little Flash to Your Dash

By: Brenna Hauver

Photo courtesy of Winchtagram and Allegra Leavenworth.

On March 7th, the Spanish classes at The Winchendon School came together during study hall for a night of salsa and bachata. Students gathered in Trustees Hall, along with a dance instructor who was brought in to help teach the students enthusiastically. The instructor, Dan,  was extremely kind and kept the spirits of the students high throughout the lesson. The lesson started out with the instructor teaching us eight counts, helping us to keep our dance moves on the beat for the rest of the night.

During the lessons we had the opportunities to both learn the dances independently and to dance with a partner. We first learned salsa, which originated in Cuba and Puerto Rico during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The instructor broke the dance into 2 parts, side to side and front to back. After we quickly learned the dance, Dan moved on to teach us bachata, which originated in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s. The instructor also broke this dance into 3 parts, front to back, side to side, and the spin. 

Photo courtesy of Winchtagram and Allegra Leavenworth.

I was lucky enough to be one of the students to attend the lesson. I came into the lesson ready to have fun and I was not disappointed. The way Dan broke down the steps made it easy for me to follow with my lack of dance experience. By the end of the night, I was able to correctly execute each dance with confidence. The lesson was an amazing way for me to learn about a different culture in a joyful way. Being a part of this experience was something that I extremely enjoyed and would love to be a part of in future opportunities. I would recommend attending any events similar to this one instead of hanging out in your dorm room.

The lesson continued with amazing energy coming from the students for the rest of the night. With the echoes of laughter radiating throughout the room, my peers and I successfully learned the dances and danced around the room with our friends. Some students, including myself, even stayed after the lesson was finished to continue dancing with their friends. The salsa and bachata night was an amazing way to bring the community together, educate them about different cultures, and have some fun along the way.

Robotics: Curiosity Gets it Done

It’s a bunch of nerds hanging out together.” – 2023 Robotics Team Member

This year, seven of the nine members of the Robotics Team are girls – a big change from the year when co-mentor, Kayley Irvine was a TWS senior and captain of the team – and we think that’s a story worth following.

Follow along on their Instagram account at : https://www.instagram.com/twsrobotics/

This program proves, yet again, that curiosity is all that is required to begin a journey in STEM. At each step during our build season, new ideas, perspectives, and ways of looking at the world are explored and developed. Students who might not have seen themselves building a radio-controlled robot, complete with autonomous and interactive code, motors, electronics, sensors, and pneumatic systems, now find themselves in the driver’s seat where blue sky is the limit of imagination.

Peter Blais, Chief Technology Officer and Robotics Mentor

Assessing 100 Year Old Technology

What does an iLAB block look like? It can look like these The Winchendon School | NYC students studying Technology and Design spending time at the Empire State Building learning how the technology from 100 years ago stood the test of time during construction of the building.

Students were able to study and learn how the Empire State Building is still utilizing cutting-edge technology and how engineers have increased the energy efficiency of the building. Then students walked back across the street to campus where they considered some of the recent innovations at the Empire State Building that significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the building.

Fun fact: This was the first trip to the Empire State Building for many of the students who live in the City!

What is Justice?

Students are leaning into the second iTHEME of Justice. Our learning across the curriculum is driven by essential questions, ranging from “What is justice?” (9th grade) to “Am I a changemaker in this process?” (12th/PG). Students are piecing together what different types of justice can mean (food justice, criminal justice, racial justice, and environmental justice as examples).

At the Herald Square campus, students began exploring the topic with the 12th graders visiting NYC’s High Line. (What’s the High Line? A brief history is available here.)

Breaking into smaller groups, students explored the different types of justice the High Line seeks to address. Students either explored Artistic Justice, Environmental Justice, Social and Historical Justice, and Racial Justice.

Questions for Exploration

Students needed to be able to research and present back to the group explaining:

  • what their topic has to do with the High Line
  • how justice is connected to the High Line in this way
  • how the High Line furthers the cause
  • what they observed which underscores their answer

Students will come back together the week of October 24th to present their findings.

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