Waltham High School is the only public high school serving the city of Waltham, Massachusetts.
| Waltham High School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 617 Lexington Street Waltham, Massachusetts 02452 |
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| Information | |
| Opened | 1969 (current site) |
| School district | Waltham Public Schools |
| Superintendent | Susan Nicholson, Ed.D. |
| Principal | Greg DeMeo |
| Grades | 9-12 |
| Enrollment | 1,375 (2010-2011) |
| School Color(s) | Red, White |
| Mascot | Hawks |
| Newspaper | The Waltham Watch |
| Yearbook | The Mirror |
Contents |
The old Waltham High School (located at 55 School Street) was originally constructed in 1902. Designed by Samuel Patch and Robert Glancey, it follows the local contemporary style of Romanesque and Classical Revival architecture. Added onto in the 1920s, the building eventually fell out of favor and was replaced with the current Waltham High site in 1969. The old Waltham High became defunct by the 1990s and sat empty for many years. The building was ultimately reinhabited; the additions constructed in the 1920s were removed, restoring the school to its 1902 appearance, and a modern addition was added directly behind the old building, which left the historical structure as the façade. The new construct, known now as John W. McDevitt Middle School (named for a former superintendent), entered service in 2003.[1]
The old Waltham High building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.[2]
The current Waltham High School facility opened in 1969. It is designed in two long rows of rooms connected by several transverse hallways. The west side is the Fine Arts wing and includes the Robinson Auditorium, home of Waltham's Reagle Players. There are two outdoor courtyards built into the design. The school department's offices and school administration occupy the center of the first floor. Two gymnasia and the cafeteria dominate the east side of the building. A detached Automotive Technology annex faces the visual arts hallway.
Although Waltham High is well-maintained, the building itself is now over forty years old and has had little work performed on it in its entire lifetime. Waltham High is older than nearby Newton North's old facility, which was torn down after only thirty-seven years of service due to it aging poorly; although Waltham has held up better, this provides a context for the facility's age and need for renovation, especially the science labs, which are essentially unchanged from 1969. At the present time, the school department is exploring a partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to help prepare and finance either a renovation of the building or construction of a new one. These talks, however, have been ongoing for over two years.[3]
School Administration[4]
Department Administration[4]
Waltham High has multiple sports including hockey, track and field (indoor and outdoor), football, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, swimming, skiing, soccer etc. The mascot for most sports in Waltham is "The Hawk". It also offers many activities such as show choir, show band, band/orchestra, language clubs (Spanish, French, Italian and Latin), student council, GSA, dance theater and many more.
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