My Community by Mary and Kellie

In Wilmington, a suburb a few miles north of Boston, Massachusetts, a new high school has been built. We started building it in 2012, and have finished during February vacation of 2015. First, our gym was torn down, then they started building a new sports field with a running track around it. We were still learning in the old high school while the town was working on the new high school, which was built right next to the old one. Many people didn't want the new high school to be built, which is why it took us a long time to start the project.

The Old School Being Knocked Down!

The New School!

                               

The new school has three levels with around 20 classrooms on each floor. The first floor has the nurses' office, the cafeteria, the main office, the library, the art rooms, and the auditorium. The auditorium is where we have big meetings as a class when they need to address everyone together. The cafeteria is small, but has 4 independent dining rooms where you can sit with your friends in a separate room than everyone else. If it's nice out, you can also sit outside in our courtyard which is a place with benches and walkways for people to enjoy fresh air. 

This is the courtyard!

The gym has 6 basketball nets with one main court. Seats are placed around the gym and a lot of students come to the sports games held there like basketball and volleyball. We also have a walking track which is above the gym. People use this during gym class or during our free block, which we call W3. During this period, teachers let us go to their rooms to work on any subject that we need help with. If we need help with math, we can get a pass to go to our math teacher and they can help us with our homework. 

This is the break-out room which is sound-proof so you can make up work!

On the second and third floor, there are rooms called break-out rooms. These are between the classes and we can work in them if we have to make up a quiz or other work. We also have water filters in the hallway. These are where we can place our water bottle underneath the nozzle and it will fill up your water automatically.

Wilmington's unique town common

Town Common

Wilmington's town common, which is the spiritual center of our town, is located in the middle of town and right across the street from our brand new high school. The common is full of green grass with a memorial for our military veterans, lights that shine blue in awareness of autism, a special Fourth of July building, and a giant W made of blue and white rocks to represent our school colors and team name. The common is where we gather when parades occur and special events happen so it is seen as the main place where our community gathers. The Fourth of July building is very unique because we have national pride mixing with a close community, as seen through the red, white, and blue trash barrels and having it be the place people register for sports and events in the town. Having a giant W made of white and blue rocks where the students of the school park their cars is unique as well because it shows how much spirit and pride our school and community has. The town common connects our town, gives the town a different look, and represents a place we can all gather for some fun.

School's W

Fourth of July Building

  Wilmington, Massachusetts

Casey and Christina

     Our community is located in a small town in Massachusetts called Wilmington.  The community is rural and very sport oriented.  We take pride in our community; athletics is a big part of that.  The center of town is where most of our community's events take place such as The Fourth of July carnival and fireworks, the Easter egg hunt, the lighting of the Christmas tree, and concerts.

gazebo in town common (concerts are held here)

These events help bring together all different cultures and beliefs that are in Wilmington together.
     Our favorite thing about the community is being in the new High School. This new school is right next to the old one and if you look out the window you can see the demolition of the old school.

old high school being torn down

new high school

Our least favorite thing about the community is we only have one turf field that we have to share with several other sports teams during the season. But, we do have a lot of new cool features like the indoor track, elevators, weight room, and water fountain all in our school.

our indoor track

Growing up in this community helped us become competitive athletes.
     People in our community volunteer and serve to help the community is ways such as volunteering for organizations called TOPS and rotary club. TOPS is a team put together for special needs or disabled children who want to participate in sports. No one gets paid to help out, the whole association is ran off of volunteers. Rotary club is a community service group. High school students can receive community service hours for high school mandatory volunteering. Some things they do is raking leaves for the elderly people and feeding the elderly and kids.
      Wilmington is considered a suburb and is a little ways outside of the capital of Massachusetts which is Boston. It is a beautiful town that contains many neighborhoods. Although, our community is not very diverse. It is made up of mostly whites. The town common is in the center of town and is right across from the high school. The town in general has a lot of old, ancient trees that show how long the town has been here. Wilmington is a peaceful and beautiful place to live and a great environment to raise children and have a family.
     

What makes WIlmington unique?

    What makes Wilmington unique?

      Wilmington is a unique town in Massachusetts due to it's town spirit and the closeness of its people. The new High School that was just built is unique to other towns and their high schools because it expresses creativity of the students both artistically and in reguards to sports. The new art

sign in front of the main office

department in the high school includes classes for art, ceramics, and visual arts such as graphic c  

First floor, plaques and dedications 

design, and digital photography. The new High Schools' gym is very large and updated, perfect for sports. Across from the high school we also have a fourth of July building, in which they help to plan the fourth of July fireworks and carnival that happen on the town common This building helps to express our love and devotion to the United States. The new school also provides its students with a better enviornment to learn how to become self directed learners, effective communications, and innovative problem solvers. The old school was the cause of many restrictions of students and did not allow students to be the best students they could be, because the old school was so outdated and did not have technological advances that we are lucky to have in our new building.

view from third floor staircase of old school

What Makes Wilmington High School Unique

Wilmington High School has always been a place where students can express their own unique thoughts and ideas. Recently, the high school underwent a transformation and we were granted a brand new high school that can now live up to the expectations of both the students and teachers. Wilmington High School is unique because the student's talents are emphasized everywhere you look, whether it be on the morning announcements or the art cases located in the hallways.

Display case for the art and
photography
students to show off their work

Display case for the ceramic's
students

Another feature in the high school is the new technology that appears all around the school. From the interactive projectors to the hands-free water bottle fillers the new technology helps the students become active members of the community and the world around them.

Hands-free water bottle fillers

No matter where you are in the high school it is clear to see that the students and faculty both value the creativity and opinions of others, as well as using new technology to further their education.

History in the Making

History in the Making

As I sit in my classroom on a Monday morning, I look out the window and I see the remains of a 65 year old brick building. This wasn't just any brick building, but it was a place where teenagers between the ages of 14 to 18 went to learn how to be effective communicators,  innovative problem solvers, and self-directed learners. Yes, this was indeed my town's high school. 

 Peering out at the remainders of the old WHS

The new Wilmington High School stands right next to the old one. It's quite a powerful sight to see how far we have come in the near lifetime that the old school was established. Not many students or communities can say they have seen their own town's earlier school standing proud and tall next to it's new predecessor. As the school is being demolished, it's not entirely being erased from existence. On the walls of the new school are plaques that were inscribed on the walls of the previous school. Tarnished and rusted, those plaques hold an important piece of history. Even with the modernized and pristine new walls, we continue to let it be known where it all began. 

The new, state-of-the-art Wilmington High School

Plaques taken over from the old school

Along the lines of keeping history dear to our hearts, Wilmington High school students are encouraged to purchase our class' yearbook. Every yearbook ever created is kept safe in the guidance office for visitors to travel back in time with. The book is full of endless memories that shaped us throughout our stay here at WHS. It wouldn't feel right without that colorful reminder of how wonderful it was to be a Wildcat.

Friendly reminder to buy a yearbook
No matter where I go in life, I will always remember back to what it felt like to be a Wilmington Wildcat. I'll always have that sense of belonging to my town and to my community. And I will forever be a part of its history.

Wilmington Supports Each Other

My community of Wilmington, Massachusetts, is very unique and there are some aspects that no other community has.  Wilmington is located just 20 minutes north of Boston and is a tight knit community that focuses on coming together and having fun.  Wilmington focuses greatly on the arts and being able to support each others interests.  Wilmington High School has concerts, art viewings and many more art related events that the whole community loves to go to.  People of all ages ranging from 2-92 go to band, strings, and chorus concerts to support their community and help them get better and move onto bigger things.

The Fourth of July building

A flyer advertising a concert that
will be for a cause. 

 Not only do they attend art shows, they also attend sporting events. All sports have a lot of support from the number of fans that show up at the games and the spectators cheering them on. The community helps many people by being involved in charity and having annual walks, such as the walk for hunger.  Wilmington also has a Fourth of July building dedicated to the Fourth, representing the patriotism that Wilmington shows and honors.
 On the Fourth of July, there is a big celebration in the town common, which is a place in the center of town that a lot of events are held at.  There are fireworks, food and many activities to celebrate the independence of the United States.  The town of Wilmington is not just a community, but a family that helps, supports, and cheers on their fellow citizens.

A quote in Wilmington High School describing
 Wilmington's citizens

Patriotism

American flag in the Town Common

The official Fourth of July building

Red, white & blue trash cans used at the 4th of July carnival

Wilmington is very unique from other communities. One of the main ways is that it is very patriotic. In front of most buildings are large American flags on posts. It is also one of the few towns that includes a Fourth of July building. The Fourth of July is the day we gained our independence. It is a big holiday for us and we often times celebrate it with a carnival in the town center. Behind the building are multiple red, white and blue trash cans stored just for that occasion.

In the center of town there is a Veterans Memorial. The town also supports the military by having a Memorial Day Parade to honor the soldiers that have died. During Christmastime, students even have the option of writing a letter or giving a gift to a member of the army. All of these things help instill the value of the military and a sense of pride in Wilmington’s community through patriotism.

A Veteran's Memorial in the town common

WIlmington's Artistic Side

By: Maryssa Murray, Ruby Miller-Nuzzo, and Siobhan Collins

WHS sign advertising band event
to the town

New music room at WHS with special
sound panels and educational musical materials

The new auditorium in the new WHS

Many communities in the United States do not have the public interest or the budget to support the arts. The town of Wilmington is unique due to its overwhelming support for the visual, theatrical, and musical arts. Throughout our community, we can see signs that the people around us are proud to bring attention to the arts of Wilmington. The citizens of Wilmington voted overwhelmingly for a new school, featuring special rooms and accommodations for the arts. Specialized rooms for art classes including ceramics and photography add to curriculum to create more well rounded students. Though we as bloggers are not artistically talented enough to make a pot in ceramics, we are able to admire the talents of other students through display cases throughout the art wings. A new, state-of-the art auditorium was constructed; bigger and better than the old one. This will be used for new plays and musicals- events that are well advertised and attended by the civilians of Wilmington. Music groups will also perform in this space, after practicing in the ensemble room. This room was especially designed for the Wildcat Band, Strings Attached Orchestra, and Wilmington High School singing groups. The room is complete with sound panels, storage space, and new supplies for musical education. These musical groups are loved and embraced by the community, while being emotionally and financially supported.

Wildcat Band marches down Main Street in Disney World
this past December, 2014

Strings Orchestra instruments in
 handmade stand in music room

    The musical groups in Wilmington High School are large and growing still. Groups are supported by the community to perform and travel. The Wildcat Band ("Best Band in the Land") is in attendance at every home Friday night football game, and has recently traveled to Disney World in Florida to march down Main Street. Many members of the community donated to this trip, and even traveled to see the parade. The Strings Attached Orchestra travels to Europe every two years where they represent the community. They enjoyed overpriced pasta and gelato while performing for Italian government officials.These groups would not be successful or financially able without the support of our unique community. The tax payers and leaders have invested in the arts at Wilmington High School and have allowed the programs to grow and travel. Without the unique love and care from our unique community, arts at WHS can flourish and enrich the lives of students and community members alike.

Our Unique Wilmington High School

(The Bird Man is coming so
bring your form to participate)

(Lets talk plays!)

Although Wilmington High School is not a very cultural diverse place, it makes up with it with its diversity in school clubs.School clubs at WHS can range from the regular sports teams like the Football team to clubs like the Drama Club and the Bio Club.What makes these clubs even better is the people in the clubs themselves. The people inside the clubs are very diverse and different. The Football quarterback is sharing the stage with the head of the chess team, meanwhile the track star and the cheerleaders are in the Bio club discovering the world together. No one is ever left out in these groups and no one cares where you come from , everyone just enjoys sharing the same interests. My freshman year of high school I decided to try something new and joined the Theater Club. At first I was nervous because I didn't know what to expect and people I never dared talking to where also in the club, everyone was so nice though , people I was afraid off invited me into their groups and no one cared about weather you where in a sports team or not.

(Notifications for the next
 Environmental Club Meeting)

Unlike other schools , another feature that makes WHS so unique is the effort the school does to teach students all about different cultures and languages. Not only is there a class about different cultures which was my favorite course to take but it also taught me about different cultures religion. My favorite part every year is the culture week , where during the morning announcements (that take place every morning) student read the announcement in a different language every day. During my sophomore year I got the opportunity to read the announcements in German, and I loved sharing a part of my culture with the rest of the school. Another unique feature is that our school takes field trips to other countrys. Our String Instrument students went to Ireland 2 years ago while last year students went to South America. Next year the holocaust class is going to Germany , Poland and Austria. All these opportunities are supplied to almost every student.

(Board outside class talking about language club)

Sports in Wilmington

In the hometown of Wilmington, Ma, sports is such a major theme in our everyday lives. Sports can be competitive as well as a team building and team unity for many different sports in our town. Some new facilities in our community is the new school with indoor track and gym, a new turf field, as well as a spontaneous track. This shows that our community in Wilmington is dedicated not only for one sport but for all the athletic sports that we organize in our community around us. Sports is defined as an individual event up to a team game that involves determination, hard work, and unique character from each individual player on a team.

In our community there are numerous youth leagues for sports and brought up throughout the years which shows that in Wilmington sports does really mean a lot. From the work done on all the baseball fields to the brand new turf football/soccer/lacrosse/field hockey field, this community has a reputation for its sports. During every Spring morning day there is a baseball ceremony at the local Rotary park where most baseball fans and youths gather from all ages to celebrate the start of a new season. Wilmington does not only care about sports but the sports here care about the community seeing how many kids are physically active and participate on a daily basis.


       

                       New Baseball field

   New Track and Turf field

 Indoor track in new school

 Back of new school/Stands

 Sign- Home of the Wildcats

Thanksgiving Football Game 2014

Joe V, Walter V, Nick C

Why is Wilmington Unique?

The Fourth of July building in Wilmington.

In America every summer on the fourth of July we celebrate our country's Independence from Great Britain in the American Revolution. This holiday is celebrated with barbecues, fireworks and family. Patriotism can be tasted all around the states and especially in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Here, in Wilmington, one of our oldest and most patriotic buildings is our 4th of July building. Located in the center of Wilmington the 4th of July building sits behind our town's common, dressed appropriately in red, white and blue (the colors of the American Flag). Here during the fourth of July in Wilmington you can find our 4th of July building swarmed with people as our annual 4th of July carnival overtakes our town common and is filled with family and friends all coming together to celebrate our country's independence. Not too far behind our 4th of July building lies Wilmington’s Senior Center.  The people who work here make it their mission that everyday be full of fun to keep the residents happy.  By having the senior citizens participate in the town’s activities, we are able to maintain a common celebration that allows Wilmington’s residents to work together and become closer as a community.  

The destruction of the old Wilmington High School.

The self-refilling water station in the high school.

The memory of an important piece of Wilmington’s past lies destroyed outside the windows of a new, high-tech high school.  While school is in session, students have the ability to look out their classroom windows and see their old school being torn down.  It is uncommon for this to happen; to have a demolition zone right next to a school full of people does not sound like a normal thing, but as of the moment, it is normal for us.  As a community, we take pride in not only our town, but also our school. This new school was long overdue, but it was worth the wait with all of the 21st century features it offers to us, the students. In my opinion, one of the coolest advancements is the self-refilling water station. This means that anyone can take their empty water bottle and fill it back up in seconds. It’s a perfect way to encourage recycling of plastics and to save money. Another interesting feature are the lunchrooms that offer small side rooms where people that want to escape the noise and chaos of the main cafeteria can go to sit and talk with their friends in a quieter environment. They’re practically soundproof. The final thing that I really like about the new school is the large emphasis on safety. Wilmington puts a large focus on protecting their students, which makes coming to school everyday that much easier. In every hallway there is a red AED safety kit. In the case of an emergency, the kit will provide an electric shock to someone whose heart stops beating. Another piece of safety equipment are yellow lifts that are by each window and can be used to get to the ground outside in the case of a fire.

A club form in the hallway of Wilmington high school.

Out of the many events and activities there are provided in Wilmington, there is a significant common theme involving school clubs and organizations. There is a variety of school clubs open to numerous abilities and interests, that are offered after school. From academic clubs to other activities, you will find a broad range of school club varieties. There’s also a noticeable emphasis involving the school community about being together and forming friendships. For example, one of the clubs offered is called Best buddies. This is primarily targeted for students who have disabilities, such as special needs. This helps to bring them together and encourages interaction, often within their interests. Another special organization is the Bread and roses. Bread and roses serves the community by providing meals for needy people in the area. Students who participate in Bread and Roses project have come together from a diverse student organizations. These students are dedicated to helping others and have committed to providing Bread and Roses with one meal a month. A great organization we also provide is the Environmental club which is a student-centered club to to help form, improve and protect the environment. This club also raises awareness.

By Mike Gake, Sammy Rideout, Mikaila Russell, & Saira Bhatti

Our Wilmington Community

The Fourth of July Building 

Fireworks from the Wilmington's
celebration.

Although the town of Wilmington is rather small, the love for our community is enormous. One of our most known buildings in the town is our Fourth of July building. The Fourth of July is a holiday celebrated every year to remember the founding of our country. It is a big deal all over America, but here in Wilmington it is taken more seriously than other towns in MA and is much more important than in other locations. During the celebration, our town has a carnival for all of the members of the town with rides, games, and local food stands including the boy scouts, girl scouts, sports teams, and many more organizations of Wilmington. We have a spectacular fireworks display where not only the members of our town come but also the members of surrounding towns come because it is such a grand display. There is even a separate night for family fireworks that are less intense for the families with younger children. You can not find a building dedicated to the Fourth of July in and other surrounding town, it is a truly unique aspect to Wilmington and something that we pride ourselves in having.

View from the new
 Wilmington High School of
the old high school

The new
Wilmington High School

The students attending Wilmington High School from 2014-2015 were able to experience something that many others don’t get to; a new high school. The students, along with the faculty, started off the school year in the old high school. In the middle of the school year, students and faculty were able to experience a transition into the new school after months of deliberation and construction. What made the experience even more unique was the fact that we can see the destruction of our old school from the windows of our new school. Not many students are able to learn in a new environment, especially seeing as the old one was standing for 65 years. This new school has a lot of new technology that aids us in our learning, like projectors, microphones, laptops, and wifi for the whole building. The technology allows the school to be much safer than the old one. The transition from old to new school makes our community unique.

Wilmington is not just a town, it is a community that brings its members together through its dedication to learning and its commitment to providing events for everyone to take part of.