Wahconah Regional High School
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| Wahconah Regional High School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Dalton, Massachusetts, USA | |
| Coordinates | |
| Information | |
| Head teacher | James Conro |
| Students | 704 |
| Type | Public |
| Campus | 25 acres |
| Motto | A culture to promote culture |
| Color(s) | Blue and White |
| Established | 1961 |
| Mascot | Warriors |
| Homepage | cbrsd.org/wahconah |
Wahconah Regional High School is a high school in Dalton, Massachusetts and is part of the Central Berkshire Regional School District. The school opened in 1961.
Contents |
[edit] History
Wahconah was a Mahican Indian Princess who the elders wanted to marry a Mohawk warrior. She, however, loved an Algonquian warrior named Nessacus, who risked his life to save her from a bear attack. The matter was to be decided by fate, whereby her canoe would drift to either man standing on opposite banks of the river. The boat drifted contrary to the stronger current toward Nessacus, and they were married (it was later discovered that Wahconah had used a rudder to steer the canoe).[1]
The Building was built shortly after the creation of the district, and was finished by the start of the 1961 school year. It was originally built to hold about 650 students. During the boom of GE Plastics in Pittsfield, attendance was as high as 1,300. Accordingly the building has undergone some expansion, including two portable classrooms and the addition of four classrooms onto one of its corridors.
[edit] Campus/school site
Wahconah sits on 25 acres of land off Route 8 in Dalton. The building is shaped like a ladder, with two main corridors that run North-South, and three hallways that run East-West. Because of the time period in which it was built, the school includes a bomb shelter that was accessible via the men's bathroom. Expansion plans originally called for the addition of a fourth hallway connecting the ends of the hallways, but it proved to be too expensive. There are also soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and a track/football field. Trails that run through the woods are used by track and field and cross country running, as well as connect the school to Nessacus Regional Middle School.
[edit] Curriculum
Courses of Study at WRHS include Math, Science, English, and Social Studies. Business courses and tech classes are also offered. In the 2006-2007 school year, Wahconah became part of VHS, in which schools provide a teacher to teach online courses in exchange for the ability for 25 students to take other online classes.
[edit] Extracurricular activities
[edit] Notable alumni
- Jeff Reardon, professional baseball player
- Turk Wendell, professional baseball player
- Matthew J. White, professional baseball player
- Writer, producer, actor Norman Anderson at the Internet Movie Database
[edit] Notable teachers/faculty
[edit] Former principals
Mr. Thomas Callahan. Retired in 2006 following a long career at the high school where he also taught.
[edit] Bomb Threat
On April 24, 2007 a student noticed that "BOMB 9:30" was written on the wall of a boys' bathroom and reported it to the administration. Sometime near the end of first period the fire alarm was sounded and students went outside to meet up with their homeroom in order to do attendance. After about 20 minutes, the students were told to back up as far away from the building as they could. Students then became aware that this was not just a drill and that something was going on inside the school. At about 9:30 (the time the bomb was suspected to explode) police began to arrive and students were evacuated, walking on a trail through the woods to Nessacus, the nearby middle school. They were then directed into the cafeteria, auditorium, and gymnasium and had to meet up with their homeroom to do attendance again. Sometime afterwards, the students were released to a bus depending on which area of Berkshire County they lived in. No evidence of a bomb was ever found.[citation needed]
On March 3, 2008, Wahconah experienced another bomb threat. Students were told by principal James Conro to exit the building sometime near the end of the third period at around 10:45. It wasn't long before talks of another bomb threat spread around the school. After attendance was taken, students were escorted to the middle school. Because of the snow in the woods, students were told to walk by road to the school. Upon arriving, they were ushered into either the auditorium or gymnasium based on their grade level. Students waited there to eat lunch, not being able to do so until the middle school students had finished. During this time, many 18-year-olds dismissed themselves and other students phoned parents to pick them up. When the police had finished searching the high school for traces of a bomb and decided it was safe, the remaining students were escorted back to the high school and told to report to the class that they had left earlier. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Conro announced unfortunate news to the students: they would have to attend school even further into the summer to make up this lost day. Many disappointed students left the building that day.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ Student Handbook (pdf). Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
