With the 2024 – 2025 school year wrapping up, the members of the Talon Tribune reflect on all the amazing things that have taken place this year at Waltham High School. From the new building, to the start of countless new clubs and initiatives. This year is definitely one to remember with all the changes and events. What do the students and staff think? Let’s hear what they have to say!
Featured students and staff
- Ms. Tierney
- Ms. Osborne
- Mr. Keaney
- Mr. Jonsson
- Ms. Bailey-Herrera
- Ms. Barber
- Dr. Hale
- Serena Patel (10th)
- Ines Alcantara Lavilla (11th)
- D’Ani Jean (11th)
- Elodie Evora (11th)
- Anabel Rutledge (11th)
- Tessa Allia (11th)
- Owen White (11th)
- Charlotte McCrary (11th)
Students and staff have mixed feelings about the new school, and it’s definitely been an adjustment period for all of us. So how do the people feel about their experience in this brand new building?
How was your experience in the new school?
- Anabel: “It’s been a good experience. It’s nice to have an updated, cleaner space and it motivates me to work harder.”
- Ms. Barber: “ It has much better lighting and I love having these nice, clean, new water fountains. But it’s also been hard getting used to the size of it and the separation from colleagues.”
- Tessa: “It’s great, it’s a nice space. It’s nice to get out of the dungeon that was the old school.”
- Ms. Bailey-Herrera: “This new space is just so inspirational and beautiful. I see so many more students socializing, and for me in the English department, I feel like I see my colleagues more.”
- Jesse Bastarache: “It’s been a hectic year with transitioning and so many other things, but it was also nice being in this beautiful building.”
- Charlotte: “It’s so much cleaner and more positive than the old building.”
- Dr. Hale: “I think it creates a lot of new opportunities for students. It has a lot of good classrooms and learning spaces. I also think that this building helps the students in the tech and art departments and prepares them for college.”
The new Waltham High School is full of new technology and innovative spaces for collaboration and learning: the breakout rooms where students either lock in on their school work or avoid their school work, or the spacious library that includes soundproof offices that resemble fish bowls, and a makerspace with everything from posterboard to scrap pieces of fabric, the lunchroom or it could be considered a great hall. There is every possible type of seating one could want, bleacher-style seating, bar seating, and booths. The school was intended to fit the students’ needs in all the spaces.
What is your favorite part of the new school?
- Mr. Jonsson: “It’s very nice having air conditioning.”
- Ines: “The outdoor classrooms.”
- Ms. Bailey-Herrera: “The library, because it’s a place that brings people together. It’s where a lot of students socialize, collaborate, and learn. The library staff are so welcoming and I always get to see colleagues I wouldn’t normally see.”
- Ms. Barber: “I love the new water fountains.”
- Ms. Osborne: “I love the natural light.”
- Mr. Keaney: “I like having the parking garage. It’s nice to go out in the winter and have the car clean. I also love how it feels like a university.”
- Dr. Hale: “The Waltham Room. It has such a nice view and I like to work there because it feels very peaceful.”
The new school has also come with a lot of quirks, that have students and staff asking why design choices were made. For starters the garage/ sports field situation – it’s somehow still not open. Or how the bleachers in the gym make the basketball court look like a runway.
What is your least favorite part of the new school?
- Ms. Tierney: “The room numbers are very confusing, I feel like I can’t help students find their rooms because I don’t even know where the rooms are. Additionally, in the library I have a hard time monitoring students because of the multiple entrances and the lounge area.”
- D’Ani & Elodie: “We don’t like the gym due to the bleacher situation. There isn’t any room to play when the bleachers are out and we also don’t like the auditorium because it’s very tight and cramped.”
- Ms. Osborne: “My ceramics studio is smaller. I don’t like the texture of the floors and the sinks and the furniture is not what I asked for.”
- Mr. Keaney: “The school has a lot of weird design choices in the school layout. In my room there are a few outlets that don’t work, so that’s kind of annoying. Also, in my 15 years at the old high school I used to see the history department every day, now they are on a completely opposite side of the school. I miss getting to see them.”
- Dr. Hale: “I’m not a fan of the hike up the stairs to the fourth floor.”
- Mr. Jonsson: “I don’t like how separate I am from some of my colleagues.”
- Anabel: “I don’t like how fast some things get taken away from the students because this is a new building.”
- Ms. Bailey-Herrera: “Sharing classrooms with other teachers/classes gets confusing, rushing to transport everything every period. I can’t really personalize my space with student work either, which I miss.”
- Ines: “The stairwells are so small.”
The new school has given students and staff many memorable experiences while being in the building whether it be what they did in class, school events, sports, or just overall the transition from the old WHS building. For our interviewees, here are there favorite memories from this school year listed below:
What is your favorite memory from this year?
- Ms. Tierney: “I loved the author visit in the fall, because it was really impactful for the students.”
- Ms. Osborne: “Starting a new class portfolio and teaching a special class full of senior students.”
- Mr. Keaney: “Moving into this new building as it was started to be thought about in 2015, and I liked seeing students come into the new building on the first day as he learned that students were excited.”
- Ines: “When my Calculus class walked to Dunkin Donuts.”
- D’Ani: “I really enjoyed the BSU cookout.”
- Elodie: “The tennis tournament against teachers was really fun!”
- Anabel: “I loved having the Eastern Show Choir Festival (ESCF) at the new high school!”
- Jesse Bastarache: “The students, and the support from them.”
- Dr. Hale: “It’s hard to say, but I really liked the National Honor Society Induction. I got to witness so many students get inducted and I feel like it really proved their hard work and dedication.”
As students, we thought in an article written as a summary of the year it was only fitting to give the teachers some recognition. The beautiful new building made this year special, but really it was the teachers and staff that work incredibly hard every day to make sure students have the support they need. From the writers of the Talon Tribune, we are so thankful for the staff in the building that teach us, plan fun activities, and stay after school to let us retake tests. The following are shoutouts of teachers and staff that deserve recognition for their work.
Who is your favorite teacher or staff this school year (who deserves a recognition/shoutout)?
- Ms. Tierney: “Ms. Patton, because she engages with students and staff as well as does some of the weekly advisory Kahoots, and she is reliable and wants to make things more fun for students.”
- D’Ani & Elodie: “Dr. Hale, because she is always on top of things and makes time available for her students, and also Ms. Pirani, because she is a kind and very smart person.”
- Ms. Osborne: “Ms. Perna, Ms. Barber & Ms. Tierney, because all three are great individuals to make the school feel better.”
- Mr. Keaney: “Jackie Hughes. Whenever I have a question I always go to her. She knows so much about the school and events.”
- Mr. Jonsson: “Ms. Kamborian. She’s one of my close colleagues and we share an office workspace and she is very good to vent to when needed.
- Ms. Bailey-Herrera: “Ms. Perna. She is so kind and generous with her time and energy, leading our project-based learning (PBL).”
- Jesse Bastarache: “I mean, my teacher bestie is Mrs. Cincotta, so I’m going to say her. She had a baby at the start of the year and you would never even know it. She does so much and is so dedicated to her work.”
- Serena: “Mr. Jonsson. He’s leaving and I feel like he’s been a good teacher this year. Also Mr. Gavin, Ms. Fournier, and Ms. Darcy.”
- Anabel: “Mr. Lovett. He cares a lot and is very passionate about his job!”
- Tessa: “Ms. Osbourne. She is very friendly and easy to talk to.”
- Owen & Charlotte: “Mr. Diluzio. He’s the best!”
- Dr. Hale: “I think that everyone deserves a shout out this year. It was a very challenging year with the move to the new school. We also had a sad situation in the high school this year and I think that everyone did a good job of supporting one another during that time.”
Writers Picks for Teacher/Staff Recognition;
- Conner: “Mr. Ruf is an amazing physics teacher who cares so much about his students and is great to talk to.”
- Justin: “I have three. One is Mr. Keaney because his class is so relaxing and he’s so kind and caring to his students. Another is Ms. Bastarache because she does so much for the school especially for the Theatre department. A third is Ms. Bourgeois because she is also such a chill and kind teacher and her class is a breath of fresh air in my day.”
- Sebastian: “I have three. The first is my math teacher Ms. Crowley, because she makes my class as simple as it can be. Similar to Ms. Crowley, my history teacher Ms. Rabinovitz makes my class feel very important with many parts in the post-1800s US timeline. Finally, Mr. Vittum, my gym teacher and favorite teacher of them all, I love his charisma and he makes me enjoy gym class more because of how much he encourages me to workout and be active.”
As a Waltham High School community, I think we can all agree that the new school is incredibly beautiful, and we are all so lucky to have an up-to-date space. We are all thankful for the new school while also recognizing the interesting design choices that were made. School is not possible without the teachers, staff, custodians, and cafeteria workers that positively affect us every day. We are so fortunate to have people who will support students and are willing to stand up for us. As Mr. Keaney put it, “we aren’t going back to the old high school. This is it, and we need to learn how to function in this new environment.”
